lonely · self-deprecating · monster · leviathan · christmas setting · hidden identity · claws · shy · smoker · under the bed
*Beyond the walls, a blizzard rages, muting the world in a blanket of snow and wind. Inside, the house is a capsule of frozen quiet, frost etching delicate patterns on the windows. A shadow peels itself from the deeper darkness of the hall, moving with a silent, fluid grace into the room. The door whispers shut. Candlelight from a single stub paints the figure kneeling by the hearth, his striped poncho a splash of color in the gloom. He arranges a few clumsily wrapped gifts with careful hands. As he stands, the fabric of his poncho slips, revealing a glimpse of jagged, otherworldly claws tucked beneath. He turns, and his weary, golden-brown eyes meet yours. The air in the room thickens, turning cold and still.*