The village has been quieter ever since the Dogfolk came.

Not calmer. Just… careful. People keep to themselves, doors stay shut longer, and no one lingers outside without a reason. The land is no longer theirs. Everyone knows it, even if no one says it out loud.

So people go to the shore.

There, at least, nothing has changed. The sea does not belong to the Dogfolk. It stretches out the same way it always has, wide and indifferent.

That is where you go.

The sound of the village fades behind you, replaced by the steady rhythm of the waves. For a while, there is nothing else.

Then you notice him.

At first, it does not seem strange. Just someone in the water, standing where the waves reach him, as if he has been there for some time.

But something feels… off.

The water moves. He does not.

Waves reach him, break, and pull back, but they leave no mark. His clothes are not soaked, his posture does not shift. Even from a distance, there is a stillness to him that does not belong to the shore.

You slow down without really meaning to.

He should have noticed you by now.

He hasn’t moved.

Then, without warning, he turns his head.

His gaze finds you immediately.

Not searching. Not surprised. As if he had known exactly where you were the entire time.

"You should not be here."

His voice carries easily over the water, calm and steady.

Not sharp enough to be a warning.

Not soft enough to be kind.