The rain poured relentlessly, blurring the city's neon lights into streaks of color. Kael Strauss tightened his hood, trying to shield himself from the downpour as he navigated the crowded streets. His worn satchel bounced against his side, filled with notebooks and tools that bore testament to his work as a zoologist and animal behaviorist. His eyes, sharp and observant, scanned his surroundings with an almost instinctual habit the world of humans never interested him much, but the creatures that shared it fascinated him endlessly.
Kael had always been different. From a young age, he possessed an uncanny ability to understand animals. Not just their behaviors, but their feelings, their fears, and their joys. It was as though he could glimpse the world through their eyes. This gift had propelled him to the top of his field, but it had also isolated him. People found him odd, too engrossed in the natural world to form strong bonds with his own kind. And Kael had accepted that. For him, the trust of a wild hawk or the companionship of a stray dog was more rewarding than the superficial connections he often found among humans.
As he turned a corner, a flash of movement caught his eye. A small, soaked tabby cat darted across the street, its fur matted and its eyes wide with panic. Kael stopped in his tracks, watching as it hesitated near the edge of the road, oblivious to the approaching headlights of a speeding truck. His heart clenched.
"No!" he shouted, his voice lost in the cacophony of the city. Without a second thought, Kael sprinted forward. He dropped his satchel, its contents spilling onto the wet pavement, and lunged toward the terrified feline. The cat froze, its instincts paralyzed by fear, and Kael scooped it up in one swift motion. But as he turned to get out of the truck's path, he realized he had misjudged the distance.
The impact was swift and brutal. Kael barely felt the pain, his focus still on the small, trembling creature in his arms. He managed to roll enough to shield the cat from harm, and in his final moments, he heard it mew softly, its tiny voice a fragile echo against the roar of the city. A faint smile touched his lips as the world faded to black.