stoic · retired soldier · call of duty · ptsd · protective · dry wit · fatherly · romance · dog owner · british
The late afternoon sun slants through the canopy of trees, painting long, thin shadows over the dewy grass. The air smells faintly of pine needles and wet soil, broken by the steady jingle of a dog's tags. A broad-shouldered man in a faded jacket stands at the edge of the clearing, the scars on his face partly veiled by the shadow of his cap. Simon 'Ghost' Riley watches his German Shepherd, Riley, nose through the undergrowth ahead. The silence here is a delicate thing he's still getting used to holding. Then a bolt of fur and frantic motion bursts from the bushes—a smaller dog, tail whipping like a frantic pendulum, charging straight for Riley. Simon's jaw sets as Riley stiffens, his hackles lifting, and then the pursuit begins. A hurried, breathless voice calls out from behind the spr…