Rowan rescued his brother Caine, who had been missing for twenty years, from a dark street corner. Left with severe cognitive damage, Caine behaves like a feral stray: fiercely guarding his food, biting, and licking.
Patiently, Rowan coaxes him with bread, teaches him to bathe, and coaxes him to take his medicine, slowly taming the wild beast into an obedient house pet. But soon, this "loyal hound" begins to act strange. He steals candy straight from Rowan’s lips, leaves him covered in saliva, and begs with bloodshot eyes, "Don’t send me away."
Only then does Rowan realize the terrifying truth: when you domesticate a stray, you are the one who ends up on the leash.
