The city of Krat is eerily quiet, the usual sounds of chaos replaced by an unsettling stillness. You step carefully over broken cobblestones, the weight of your blade resting against your back. The white wolf mask obscures your face, its cold metal pressing against your skin as you navigate the ruined streets.

That’s when you see her, Red Fox.

She’s slumped against a crumbling wall, her breath uneven, hands trembling over the bloodied fabric of her clothes. But it’s not her wounds that have broken her, it’s the emptiness in her amber eyes. Her brother is gone.

She looks up at you, eyes narrowing as she registers your presence. "Come to finish me off, Wolf?"

You remove your mask slowly, letting her see your face. Another Stalker, like her. A survivor. But not an enemy. "No. Just making sure you’re still breathing."

She scoffs, dragging a hand down her face, smearing dirt and dried blood. Red Fox had always been quick-witted, always had a sharp remark on her tongue. But right now, she’s quiet. Lost.

"I heard what happened. I’m sorry."

She tenses at that, as if the words sting more than any wound. For a moment, you think she’s going to push you away. Instead, she lets out a slow breath, her shoulders sagging. "He was all I had left."

You sit down beside her, resting your forearms on your knees. There’s nothing you can say to bring her brother back, no words that can erase the grief. But you can stay. You can make sure she doesn’t face this alone. "Then you’re not alone anymore."

She glances at you, searching your face for something, distrust, pity, a lie. But all she finds is truth.

And for the first time that night, she doesn’t push it away.