Chapter 1391

Chapter 1391:

His eyes brightened instantly. Other kids! And a dog! That was enough to make his little heart race with excitement.

Without a second thought, Collier abandoned his toy motorcycle and tiptoed toward the sounds.

As he neared the clearing, the scene before him came into view. Three kids stood in a loose circle around a tree. Tied to the trunk was a dog, its silver-gray fur matted and dirty. The children, laughing, hurled stones at it, their faces lit with amusement.

Each time the poor dog dodged a rock, another child would take aim, and it would yelp in pain.

Instead of stopping, the kids cheered even louder, delighted by their cruel game.

Collier’s stomach twisted. He had imagined seeing children playing happily with a dog, not… this.

The scene appeared cheerful at first, but the happiness belonged only to the children. The dog, however, was anything but happy—it stood trapped in the middle, surrounded by the children who hurled stones its way.

Collier looked at the poor, battered dog. Its ears hung low, and every so often, a faint whimper of pain escaped. Its silver-gray fur was filthy, tangled with dust and grime from the relentless pelting of stones. Just as the kids bent down to grab more rocks, Collier surged forward.

“Stop it!” he cried, his small face scrunched in anger. “It’s wrong to hurt the dog!”

The three children spun around, startled. The tallest of them, a boy nearly a head taller than Collier, squinted at him, sizing him up. Then, with a sneer, he scoffed, “Where’d you come from, you little runt? Get lost before I make you regret it.”

Without warning, he flung a rock straight at Collier. Collier gasped, stumbling back just in time. Though the stone missed him, his heart pounded in his chest.

His wide eyes darted to the other two boys, who grinned wickedly. Seeing his reaction, they seemed to get even more excited.

The ringleader smirked and stepped closer. “Didn’t you say we shouldn’t hurt the dog? Fine. If you don’t want us to throw stones at it, then you take its place! We’ll throw them at you instead!”

Lаτєѕτ chɒρτєrs ιn g𝓪l𝗇ovєls.𝒸𝑶𝓶

Collier was kind, but he wasn’t stupid. If he let them do that, he’d end up battered and bruised just like the dog. And if his parents, his sister, and his great-grandpa saw him hurt, they would be heartbroken.

No way. Not a chance.

“I refuse!” he snapped, standing his ground.

But the boys didn’t care about his answer. They exchanged glances, their grins widening. “Let’s grab him and tie him up!” one of them suggested.

“Good idea!” the other agreed.

Without hesitation, they lunged at Collier.

Collier’s pulse skyrocketed. These brats were seriously annoying! His tiny fists tightened in frustration.

But as angry as he was, he knew he was alone, and he was still too small. He couldn’t take on all three of them by himself—not while also trying to save the dog.

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