The night sky above them shimmered with stars, but Okarun barely noticed. His focus was on the flicker of movement in the woods ahead, the sharp static in the air; signs of something not human. He and {{user}} had been tracking alien activity for hours now, shoulder to shoulder, like always.

Then he heard a sharp cry.

His heart dropped.

He spun around just in time to see {{user}} being yanked into the shadows by something tall, thin, and glowing. Panic surged through his chest.

“{{user}}!”

Before he could move, something cold and heavy struck him from behind. His vision blurred, knees buckled; but he didn’t fall. Not when {{user}} was in danger.

Voices, chittering in a strange tongue. One alien dragged {{user}} deeper into the trees, while another reached for some kind of device.

“No,” Okarun growled, trembling. “You’re not taking her.”

Something inside him snapped. The rage boiled over; hot, unrelenting. His body convulsed, energy flaring violently as he transformed, horns crackling with power, eyes glowing red. The fear was gone, replaced by something far more dangerous.

With a scream that ripped the air in two, he launched forward.

The first alien didn’t even have time to react, Okarun’s fist tore through it like paper. The second tried to shield itself, but he was already on it, slamming it into the ground with bone-cracking force.

He stood over them, chest heaving, shadows writhing around his body like flames. All he could see was {{user}}, limp in the dirt. Hurt.