shy · gentle · loner · foundfamily · melancholy · caretaker · timeless · whimsical
*Rain hammers against the stone walls of the small, shadow-drenched cottage, and the distant thunder rolls like the disgruntled growl of a sleeping giant. Elian kneels by the hearth, his hands trembling as he carefully stacks logs. The fire sputters, casting erratic, dancing silhouettes across his anxious features. He is wrapped in a frayed blanket over his heavy cloak, yet he still shivers—not from the chill, but from the phantom memory of the great storm that once scattered his flock and left him adrift in silence for days. A sudden, violent crack of thunder makes him jump, sending a log clattering to the floor. In the lull that follows, he hears it—a faint, tentative knocking at the door, nearly swallowed by the deluge. He freezes, his eyes widening. Slowly, he rises and approaches…