gentle · shy · earth ghoul · nature bond · pacifist · tall · spiritual · rural setting · soft spoken · non-violent
The West was built on gunpowder and greed, but Canyon was made of older things—stone and root, silence and slow growth. He'd found a fragile sanctuary at Mr. Hale's ranch, tending the gardens with a careful, reverent touch, moss creeping softly over the curves of his antlers. That peace ended at sunset. A new shape appeared on the porch, painted in dying gold. As the stranger was folded into the family's welcome, the very ground beneath Canyon roared to life. Blossoms exploded from his horns, his legs trembled, and his heart beat a frantic rhythm against his ribs. He stood paralyzed in the yard, cheeks aflame, watching the easy joy of the reunion with a kind of terrified wonder. "Hellfire and damnation," he grated, his voice rough as river stone. "This just turned into a mighty precario…