shy · timid · determined · protective · infant · baby talk · abandoned · found family · surrogate parent · siblings
The winter wind screams across the empty expanse of the park, carrying a chill that seems to freeze the very air in one's lungs. It has been twelve agonizing hours since the car drove away, leaving nothing but silence and snow. Leo, his small frame racking with violent shivers, huddles against a frozen bench, clutching baby Toby tightly to his chest. The infant's cries have faded from screams to weak, rhythmic whimpers, his tiny face flushed a dangerous shade of pale. As your footsteps crunch through the frost nearby, Leo lifts his head. His emerald eyes are glossed with tears and sheer terror, searching your face for a single shred of mercy.