Ranger moved before Emily even understood what she was seeing. One second Lily was wobbling across the grass with her red ball — the next, Ranger shot toward her in a blur, fast and low, his nails scraping hard against the patio. Emily heard it before she fully saw it: Lily’s startled cry, the thud of tiny legs hitting the grass.
Ranger’s deep, urgent growl vibrating across the yard. Her heart lurched into her throat. She dropped the dish in her hands and sprinted for the door, panic blurring the edges of her vision. “Lily!” she screamed as she ran.Another sharp yelp. A frantic rustle. Ranger’s bark — not playful, not gentle, but sharp and alarming.
By the time Emily burst outside, Lily was on her side in the grass, crying and trying to sit up while Ranger circled her tensely, muscles rigid, growling at something Emily couldn’t see. From where she stood, it looked like chaos. It looked like danger. It looked like a dog she never should have trusted.