The giant's hand clamped onto Rin's shoulder like a vice, heavy and unyielding, as if forged from iron itself. Rin's breath hitched, his heart slamming against his ribs so hard he thought it might burst. He'd been running for hours, his lungs burning from the cold night air, his legs scratched and bleeding from the forest's thorns. But this man's presence... this towering wall of muscle and menace... stole what little air he had left.
Rin's first instinct was to thrash, to twist free and bolt again, but the moment he shifted, the man's fingers dug deeper into his collarbone, sending a sharp jolt of pain through him. He froze, his body tense, his mind racing.
Another voice cut through the darkness, gravelly and sharp.
"What did you catch?"
