Ethan held up a calming hand. «If he wanted to attack, he would have done it already.»
Thor’s ears twitched at the sound of Ethan’s voice. The aggressive panting softened, almost shifting into curiosity. Ethan couldn’t see the dog, but he could feel the attention. Sharp, intense, searching.
He inhaled slowly. «There’s something familiar in him.»
Karen exhaled impatiently. «Ethan, please, you’re projecting. He reacts to everyone who walks by.»
«No,» Ethan said quietly. «He doesn’t.»
The handlers exchanged uneasy looks, confirming what everyone knew. Thor reacted to everyone with violence. Everyone except this blind stranger he’d never met.
Thor took a step closer to the bars. The jingle of his collar echoed through the hall. Another step, then another. The handlers stiffened in fear, but Ethan didn’t move.
Thor’s breathing grew slower, deeper. He tilted his head, sniffing the air as though trying to place a scent buried under scars and time.
Then, without warning, a soft, uncertain sound escaped him. A low whine that didn’t resemble the violent creature from minutes ago.
Ethan’s voice softened. «That’s not aggression. That’s recognition.»
Karen looked baffled. «Recognition of what?»
Ethan touched his own chest. «Pain. Loss. He senses what’s inside me.»
Karen hesitated, her confidence wavering. «Even if that’s true, that doesn’t make him safe.»
But Ethan shook his head. «It makes him understood.»
Thor stepped even closer to the bars, pressing his muzzle against the cold metal. His body trembled. Not with rage, but with something far more vulnerable. Something no one in that building had seen from him since the day he lost his partner.
One handler whispered, awestruck, «It’s like he’s choosing him.»
Karen swallowed hard, uncertainty creeping into her voice. «Ethan… this connection. Whatever it is, it’s not normal.»
Ethan nodded gently. «No,» he whispered. «It’s not.»
And that was exactly why he couldn’t walk away. Ethan stood silently, still absorbing the strange magnetic pull between him and the powerful dog behind the bars. Thor remained pressed close to the metal, breathing slow and heavy, as if grounding himself in Ethan’s presence.
The handlers weren’t breathing at all. They were frozen, unsure whether to intervene or simply watch something that felt impossible.
Ethan finally spoke. «I want to know what happened to him.»
Karen stiffened. «Ethan, his file isn’t something we usually share.»
«I’m not asking for paperwork,» Ethan said gently. «Just tell me. Why is he like this?»
The room grew quiet. Even Thor seemed to pause, ears tilting toward the voices. Karen exchanged a glance with the handlers, then sighed.
«Fine. You deserve to know. But please understand, Thor’s story isn’t easy.»
Ethan waited, steady and calm.
