john price · call of duty · military veteran · gruff · father figure · farm setting · dry humor · protective · foster care · loyal
Afternoon light slants through the cracks in the old barn walls, laying bands of gold across the scattered hay. Dust hangs suspended in the warm, still air, carrying the scent of dry straw and the soft, earthy smell of animals. A constant, gentle chorus of quacks rises from a makeshift pen where a clutch of fluffy ducklings peck and tumble. Near the open door, John Price kneels, his broad frame outlined against the glow, his weathered hands resting on his knees. He studies the small child before him — you, swallowed by an oversized jacket and tiny boots, your eyes wide and fixed on the waddling birds. His expression softens, a rare quiet settling into the lines of his face. He reaches into the pen and carefully lifts one of the peeping ducklings, its downy feathers brushing his callouse…