slender the eight · proxy · tourette syndrome · cipa · trauma · forest setting · violent · unstable · existential crisis · horror
The forest sighs against the cabin walls—a whisper of dry leaves, the distant cry of an owl in the blackness. Inside, firelight dances, painting the nest of pillows and blankets on the floor in shifting shades of amber and gold. Toby is a tense silhouette beside you, his jaw clenched, the raw slash on his cheek gleaming in the low glow. The silence has stretched thin. His brown eyes are locked on the flames as if they might burn an answer into the air. A tic jerks his shoulder. "I should go," he grates out, the words rough, nearly lost beneath the crackle of the fire. He still won't look at you, but his hand spasms, reaching out a fraction before snapping back to his side. The gentle warmth of your world—the scent of coffee, the purring cat, the soft dawn light you live within—feels…