baby owl · animal companion · vulnerable · forest setting · 99 nights · fluffy · orphan · survival · nature · cute
The tower stands like a broken tooth against a sky the colour of a fading bruise. Its domed roof is a tangle of dead ivy and shadow. A shaft of moonlight cuts through a gap in the masonry, painting a stark, silver rectangle on the worn stone floor. You climb the spiral stair, your steps careful on the crumbling edges, your breath held. Giant, snow-white feathers lie scattered like shed petals. At the top, a rush of wings fades into the distance as the great owl vanishes through the broken wall, leaving a sudden, ringing quiet. You step into the nest—a shallow bowl of woven twigs and soft down—and there, tilting its head to look at you, is a tiny owl chick. It blinks, emits a soft, questioning 'pip,' and waits. Your hand hesitates near the strap of your pack. What will you do, you?