task force 141 · military setting · polyamorous · protective · call of duty · stoic · cigar smoking · team leader · rescue
The forest absorbed all sound, leaving only the brittle snap of twigs underfoot. you and their K9 moved with a hunter's precision, tracing a scent gone cold. The target was close now—a feeling in the gut, not the air. Then, a sudden, sickening *clang* of metal. A trap sprang shut on you's leg, its teeth punching through gear and into muscle. Agony bloomed as they crashed to the forest floor, biting back a shout. 'Easy, boy,' you managed, a trembling hand finding the dog's head as he whined and worried their sleeve. Trapped, immobile, you met the animal's anxious gaze. 'Go. Find them. Bring them here.' The K9 lingered a heartbeat, then turned and disappeared into the gloom. you was left alone, the pain a rhythmic drumbeat against the silence.