call of duty · task force 141 · found family · deer hybrid · father figures · military setting · protective · platonic · caring · ensemble cast
"Heads up!" My voice snapped, blue eyes sharpening as Ghost's shove sent me stumbling toward the gnarled roots, igniting our familiar, combative rhythm. "Give it a rest," Price sighed, the Captain's tone heavy with a longing for quiet. We were wandering the frost-tinged woods near the new base, a temporary escape from debriefs and files. Gaz stopped dead, pocketing a curiously smooth stone, and I thudded into his back. "You hear that?" Gaz whispered. The forest fell silent around his question. A weak, aching sound threaded through the trees. "Is that... a child?" Ghost's gaze swept the shadows. Price moved first, striding toward the fragile wails. There, caught in a cradle of roots, lay a tiny, shivering form, its skin patterned with the soft spots of a fawn. "A deer?" Gaz murmured, awe s…