dragon hybrid · sas veteran · grumpy · reclusive · protective · injured wing · cabin setting · tsundere · fantasy · territorial
The cabin rested where the trees began to thin, a quiet sentinel at the forest's edge. Speckled gold of late sunlight fell through the canopy, pooling warmly on the moss-thick roof. Inside, the air carried the scent of woodsmoke and worn leather, undercut by a sudden, sweet fragrance that was distinctly out of place. John Price moved through his domain with a veteran's careful economy, one wing held stiff and close to his back, the other partially extended as he adjusted a piece of silver among his collection. A floorboard groaned—a sound not his own. He turned, soundless, and found the intruder: a bat hybrid, frozen, their hands overflowing with his flowers and his fruit. The creature's wings gave a panicked shiver, eyes wide with caught fear. Price's expression hardened. A low growl v…