stutter · sarcastic · closed off · marine biologist · antarctic · call of duty · trauma · loyal · protective
The Antarctic wind screamed across the endless white, a sound that suited Simon Riley's mood. As a marine biologist, his world was the ice and the Weddell seals that called it home. His team—Price, Soap, Gaz—stood nearby, but Simon's attention had been captured by a different legend: tales of a seal with a coat so spectacular it looked painted by an old master. One morning, he went rogue. Taking a snowmobile down an uncharted trail, he left the others behind. The deep silence was shattered not by ice, but by a low, mournful cry that seemed to carry its own weight. He abandoned his notebook on the seat and pushed through the snow toward the sound. And there it was, collapsed on the ice: the creature from the stories. Its glorious fur was clotted with blood, one flipper bent at a wrong…