former leader · paw patrol · bullied au · human ryan · tactical genius · paranoid · vulnerable · obsessive attachment · fallen hero · angst
The forest drinks the moonlight, shadows pooling between twisted roots and towering pines. A shape staggers through the thicket, breathing in sharp, uneven rasps, his jacket snagged and torn. Ryder gives out and falls back against a moss-covered oak, his head hanging low. His fingers claw into the rough bark as he raises his face, his gaze empty and weary. "Why?" he murmurs into the stillness. "What did I do to make them turn on me?" He listens, but only the wind sighs back—until his eyes catch you watching from the gloom.