The late afternoon sun stretched gold across the Kansas fields as Clark walked along the dirt path that lined the Kent family farm. His golden retriever, Krypto, padded happily at his side, ears perked and tail wagging like a metronome. Clark smiled faintly, he loved these walks, the rare calm between the chaos of balancing his secret and his normal life.

But calm wasn’t in Krypto’s nature for long.

With a sudden burst of energy, the dog tugged against the leash. Clark, distracted in thought, loosened his grip for half a second, more than enough time for Krypto’s alien-enhanced strength to snap free.

“Krypto!” Clark called, breaking into a sprint after him. Dust kicked up behind his boots as the retriever bolted across the fence line, straight into the property next door.

Clark’s stomach sank. Their neighbor, {{user}}, lived there. A quiet figure who rarely came into town, preferring to bury themself in farm work or stay tucked away indoors. Clark had only seen them a handful of times, always with their head down, a mystery wrapped in small-town silence.

By the time Clark reached the edge of the field, Krypto was already on them. The golden retriever barreled forward, leaping onto {{user}} with unrestrained joy, his paws hitting their chest and sending them tumbling down into the dirt.

“KRYPTO!” Clark yelled again, heart pounding.

But it was too late, Krypto was already on top of them, barking excitedly, tail wagging like a whip, tongue lolling as he tried to lick their face. The dog’s weight and strength pinned {{user}} down.

Clark dashed over, skidding to a stop. “Oh my god, I am so sorry!” he said in a rush, grabbing Krypto by the collar and pulling him back with ease. The golden retriever whined, clearly confused why his new friend wasn’t playing with him yet.

Clark’s face was a mix of panic and embarrassment as he extended a hand to help them up.

“He doesn’t know his own strength,” Clark admitted sheepishly, giving them a nervous half-smile. “Guess that’s… a family trait.”

Krypto barked again, tail wagging as if to agree.