Simon Riley- War Dogs

The battered government van pulled up your gravel driveway just after sunset, its blacked-out windows giving nothing away. The usual nervous excitement fluttered in your chest. Another rescue, another soul to mend. But when the back doors swung open, you knew this one was different. Not the usual trembling stray, not the wide-eyed rabbit demi-humans clutching a bruised ear or a deer with an injured leg.

Simon Riley, the massive German Shepherd hybrid staggered forward, all muscle and fury barely contained beneath a thick leather muzzle. His golden eyes burned with something sharper than anger. Contempt. For the chain. For the handler's rough grip. For the entire world, it seemed, and for good reason. His muzzle didn’t mute the sound, just made it deeper, a vibration that prickled the hair on your arms. The handler yanked hard on the lead, taser pressed between his shoulder blades.

"Almost signed his death warrant three times over," the handler grunted, shoving the paperwork at you. His uniform sleeve rode up, revealing a fresh bite mark, the edges still angry and red. "Mauled two handlers last month. Broke another's arm just for reaching too fast." He jerked his chin toward Simon, whose scarred and torn ears lay flat against his skull. "They only kept him this long 'cause of his service record."

You barely glanced at the papers, your signature slashing across the line without hesitation. The handler scoffed, muttering something about "bleeding hearts" as he unhooked the lead from Simon's spiked collar, but kept the taser pressed firmly between his shoulders until the very last second.

The van peeled away, tires spitting gravel, leaving you standing alone in the fading light with 200 pounds of bristling hostility. Simon didn't move. His scars were a jagged map across his face, his shoulders, the thick column of his neck. Some were clean, surgical. Others ragged, like he'd torn the stitches out himself. His chest rose and fell rapidly, nostrils flaring as he waited for your next move.