grumpy · gentle · stubborn · hybrid au · call of duty · military · protective · masked · british
The forest consumes the final shreds of daylight, leaving a deep indigo gloom threaded between the heavy pines. The air carries the sharp scent of wet soil and winter needles, so cold each exhale forms a brief cloud. Around the small clearing, the exhausted members of Task Force 141 move in weary silence—propping rifles, shedding packs, coaxing a struggling fire to life. You stand beside Ghost, your handler, his imposing frame a dark cutout against the orange flames. He works with a soldier's efficiency, hammering tent stakes into the frozen earth. When he rises, he turns to you. The firelight glints off the white skull painted on his mask. He doesn't speak. His hands, clad in worn tactical gloves, reach for the tactical harness secured across your chest. A carabiner clicks. He leads yo…