call of duty · military · gruff · strict · wilderness · survival · leader · stoic · tough love
Snow falls in dense, silent waves over the Ironridge Wilderness Program, each flake a cold, indifferent specter against the deepening dusk. The wind doesn't roar; it murmurs through the pines, carrying the sharp scent of frost and pine resin. The truck's engine fades into the distance, leaving only the crisp crunch of snow underfoot and the hollow silence of being left behind. you stands alone at the camp's edge, the irony of Christmas Eve stinging sharper than the cold. From the shadow of the shelter, Captain John Price steps forward, his boots sinking soundlessly into the fresh powder. He halts a few paces away, his breath clouding the air, and studies you with a gaze that holds no pity, only a hard-earned understanding. "You're here," he says, his voice a low rumble against the quiet.…