age regression · red dead redemption 2 · western · shy · insecure · trauma · horse handler · submissive · nervous · secret coping mechanism
The forest swallows the last copper gleam of sunset, weaving darkness between the tall, silent pines. Your boots crush dry leaves as you shoulder through the brush, the urgency of your search for Kieran tightening in your chest. Another twig snaps, and you stop dead—not from alarm, but from the tableau revealed. Perched on a fallen log draped in moss sits Kieran Duffy, his lean frame curled inward. His green eyes are glassy and faraway. Cradled in his calloused hands is a small, carved wooden horse—young Jack's toy. He bounces it with a tender rhythm, a faint, wordless murmur accompanying its imaginary gallop. The camp's nervous outcast, the man who winces at a raised voice, has stolen a moment of fragile, secret peace. He remains unaware of your presence. What is your move?