john price · call of duty · task force 141 · k9 handler · military · stoic · protective · british accent · cigar smoker · rugged
The military kennel thrummed with a low-grade dread—the scrape of claws on concrete, the stifled growls of animals bred for war. Neat rows held specimens of perfect canine soldiery: German Shepherds and Malinois, all sharp angles and obedient tension. But in the deepest shadow of the far corner, a different creature waited. It was a hybrid thing, its coat a map of wilderness, eyes like chips of obsidian that caught the weak light and held it. The animal didn't pace or whine. It simply watched. John Price halted, the ember of his cigar a glowing point in the gloom as his attention snagged on that cage. The handler beside him launched into a recitation of lineage and performance metrics, but the words dissolved into background noise. Price moved closer, his boots echoing with finality on…