A Sudden Disturbance on the Cobblestone
The golden retriever lunged forward, pressing its front paws against the horse’s silver chest armor.
The dark stallion reared back, its heavy hooves clattering against the stone street as the guard in the red tunic struggled to maintain his balance in the saddle.
Onlookers pulled their phones out, murmuring as they watched the dog’s persistent barking and frantic jumps.
A man dressed in black rushed forward to grab the dog’s collar, attempting to pull him away from the mounted soldier.
The dog wriggled violently, slipping from the man’s grip and immediately turning back toward the horse.
He barked repeatedly, his tail wagging with a tense, rapid motion as he jumped toward the horse’s head.
The guard leaned down, extending his white-gloved hand to calm the animal, but the dog refused to step back.
The soldier dismounted, dropping to one knee on the hard pavement and wrapping his arm around the dog’s neck to soothe him.
Even as the guard held him close, the dog’s nose remained pointed directly at the seam of the horse’s metal chest plate.
An Unseen Danger Beneath the Silver Armor
Hours earlier, inside the dim, quiet wooden stable, an unknown figure had approached the resting horse.
A pair of hands reached into the horse’s gear, lifting the edge of the decorative metal plating with a quiet click.
The fingers carefully slid a heavy black box into the hollow space behind the steel, securing it against the animal’s flank.
A red digital display flickered to life on the side of the box, the numbers beginning a steady, silent countdown.
Back on the busy street, the golden retriever scratched frantically at the metal plate with his forepaws, ignoring the guard’s attempts to pull him away.
With a quick snap of his jaws, the dog clamped his teeth around the carrying strap of the black device, pulling it free from its hidden pocket.
The digital timer on the front of the block read 16:23, the red numbers ticking downward second by second as the dog backed away.
The guard’s eyes widened, his gloved hand dropping to his side as he realized what the dog held in his mouth.
The Dash Toward the Ocean
The dog turned and sprinted past the gathered tourists, carrying the ticking device tightly in his jaws.
The guard drew his ceremonial sword, pointing it forward and shouting to clear the path, but the dog was already running at full speed.
He raced down a narrow stone pathway, his paws kicking up small clouds of dust as he sprinted away from the historic buildings.
The rocky coastline came into view ahead, where the gray waves crashed hard against the jagged cliffs.
The dog did not slow his pace as he reached the edge of the rocky bluff overlooking the deep blue water.
He leaped from the stone ledge, his body suspended in the air for a brief moment before plunging into the cold saltwater below.
He emerged at the surface, paddling his paws rapidly to swim away from the shore while keeping the heavy black box held high above the water.
A Safe Return to the Shore
A sudden, deafening blast erupted in the distance, sending a massive column of water and orange fire high into the air.
The shockwave rippled across the surface of the ocean, throwing spray in every direction as the crowd on the cliffs watched in silence.
The guard stood at the water’s edge, his hands clenched at his sides as the smoke slowly began to clear from the horizon.
A golden head broke through the white foam, paddling steadily back toward the shallow water near the rocky beach.
The dog swam onto the shore, his tail wagging slowly as he shook the heavy saltwater from his coat.
The guard knelt down on the wet stones, wrapping both arms around the wet dog and burying his face in the damp fur while the onlookers clapped and cheered behind them.
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