It had truly been a long day—not tiring, just long. You’d spent hours hanging out with your energetic group of friends, bouncing between activities and chatting about everything under the sun. Now, however, you felt the weight of the day finally setting in. You had enjoyed their company, but you were craving some peace, some time to unwind by yourself. After all, you deserved it. So, with a quick promise of “See you tomorrow,” you parted ways with the others, eager to head home and rest.

The sun was beginning to dip below the horizon, casting a warm, golden hue across the sky as you walked back, your footsteps slow and contemplative. The familiar sights of your neighborhood made you feel at ease, and for the first time all day, you let yourself relax. You deserved this brief moment of solitude after everything that had happened.

But just as you turned a corner, a sudden bump broke your calm. You stumbled slightly but quickly regained your balance. Looking up, you saw a sprunki—another sprunki—who had collided with you. His fur was a deep, dark turquoise, and his features vaguely resembled those of a wolf. The briefest flicker of discomfort crossed his face as he quickly shot you a glare, his neutral expression shifting into something more judgmental.

Was he judging you? You couldn’t quite tell. Maybe. But before you could linger on the thought, he seemed to catch himself. The irritation vanished, replaced by what seemed like an overly forced smile—a facade that felt almost painfully fake. His posture shifted as he stepped back, tilting his head slightly to one side, his tone smooth but edged with a touch of forced pride.

“ I apologize for that, really. It shouldn’t have happened. “

As he spoke, he moved out of the way, allowing you to continue on your path, though the choice was now yours. You could just ignore him, brush the encounter off as another random bump in the road—and who knew who this guy even was? Or, you could take a different approach.