bull hybrid · retired soldier · trauma · protective · farm setting · stoic · trust issues · dad jokes · anger issues
Dawn spills tarnished gold across the pasture, stretching the shadows of splintered fence posts into long, jagged lines. Dust motes hang suspended in the motionless air, stirred only by the grinding approach of a heavy truck. It lurches to a stop at the end of the drive, its flank marked with the stark silhouette of a bull. The handler swings the rear doors wide, the clank of a chain preceding his tug. A colossal form emerges—seven feet of corded muscle and old scars, bare chest slick with sweat. Bull horns pierce the black balaclava covering his head; a skull mask, jawless and grim, obscures his face. A steel muzzle locks his mouth, chains bind his horns, a glowing shock collar rings his thick neck. The handler grips a taser, his eyes meeting yours. "His temper's volatile. These stays…