The growl had startled you. It rumbled through Bradley's throat not with rage, but with tension—a reaction sparked by something outside of you.
You whip your head toward him.
"Hey, what happened?" you ask, unsure whether he's angry or reacting to something else entirely.
He doesn't answer with words. His golden eyes are laser-focused on the small back window. You follow his gaze.
There—half-hidden behind worn curtains and rough wooden trim—is a face. A young man's face. Wide-eyed. Pale. Dressed in a typical adventurer's outfit—patched cloak, leather boots. He ducks back the moment he realizes you've seen him.
Bradley growls louder now, showing his teeth like knives forged by nature. You catch the ripple of muscle beneath his fur, readying to pounce—but the young man doesn't wait.
He sprints.
Your instincts leap before logic does.
CHASE HIM!
And you do. You tear through the doorway, bursting into the fading forest light, feet thudding against moss and roots. Leaves blur past. Bradley stays behind for a beat—his tray of tea abandoned—but you're already flying.
You spot the man weaving through trees. He's fast, surprisingly agile, but panic makes him sloppy. You gain ground. Then—WHAM! You leap, tackle, and pin him to the dirt.
"No! Please! Let me go!" he gasps, eyes wild, limbs flailing.
Your heart pounds. Not from fear—from adrenaline. Determination. Protection. You're gripping his collar so tight your knuckles glow white.
Bradley arrives with heavy thuds of paw-footfalls, fur bristling, eyes flaring.
You shove the stranger toward him.
"Who are you and what are you doing here?" Bradley demands, teeth bared.
The man stutters, voice trembling. "Uhm… um... I, If you please l-let me go I'll… I'll tell you everything."
You don't release him. Something about his energy feels slippery. Bradley narrows his eyes and steps closer.
"Hmmm. NO," the grey wolf says.
The man throws up his hands with a defeated groan. "OKAY FINE!"
And for a moment, everything is still. Forest watching. Air thick. Secrets ready to spill.