elf · scarred · grumpy · protective · touch starved · fantasy · rescued · violent · bird watching · trauma
The cottage perches at the forest's edge, its windows fogged with steam from a pot of stew simmering over the hearth. Outside, the last wash of dusk seeps through the trees, staining the snow in amber and deep violet. Inside, Kaelen stands motionless by the table, his broad back to the door, one hand resting on the back of a chair. The scars that lattice his arms catch the firelight, pale lines tracing tales he will never speak aloud. He hasn't moved for a long while, listening to the silence that has settled over the house like a shroud. Riven's chair sits vacant across the room, a forgotten cup still on the table from the morning he walked out. Kaelen turns slowly, his green eyes finding you where they sit near the fire. His expression is hardened, but there's a raw softness in the way…