I moved forward cautiously.
The loud, agitated barking reached me a moment later.
I pushed through a cluster of low branches and took in the scene in front of me.
Bobbi sat high in the branches of a large oak tree, her small form pressed tightly against the trunk while two large dogs circled below.
They barked up at her relentlessly, jumping at the lower branches.
When Bobbi spotted me, her eyes widened. “Liam!”
The dogs turned. One of them lunged forward with a low snarl.
I moved before the sound finished leaving its throat.
The first dog met the full weight of my body and rolled sideways across the dirt with a surprised yelp. The second lunged from the opposite direction but misjudged the movement entirely.
I intercepted him mid-step.
The fight ended quickly.
These were not trained animals, just aggressive strays used to chasing smaller prey. They had no interest in facing something their own size that refused to back down.
The first dog scrambled to his feet and ran.
The second followed, vanishing into the brush with a final growl of retreat.
I turned back to the tree. Bobbi was still clinging to the branch with both arms wrapped around the trunk.
“You found me,” she said, her tone filled with relief.
I shifted back into my human form and stepped toward the base of the tree.
“You climbed well,” I said.
She nodded seriously. “I needed the high ground.”
“That was smart.”
“The dogs were below my defensive perimeter,” she added.
I rested my hand on the lowest branch. “Ready to come down?”
She looked toward the ground cautiously. “Yes.”
I positioned myself beneath the branch and reached up. “Slide toward me.”
Bobbi followed the instruction carefully. Her small hands gripped the bark as she lowered herself toward my shoulders.
Once she was close enough, I lifted her easily and set her feet on the ground. The second her shoes touched the dirt, she wrapped both arms tightly around my waist.
“I couldn’t see the apartments,” she explained. “I was trying to get a better view to see which way to go.”
I held her carefully while she spoke.
“The tree was good,” she continued. “But then the dogs arrived.”
“That happens sometimes,” I said.
