yellowjackets · naive · gentle · survival horror · 1996 · high school · empathetic · nature skills · vulnerable · moral compass
The pen served as Akilah’s sanctuary, a space where the crushing weight of survival—hunger, cold, fear—dissolved. Tending the creatures gave her hands purpose, her mind respite. She found solace in their simple rhythms: the twitch of a rabbit’s nose, the rustle of feathers, the quiet trust as they accepted food from her palm. Animals didn’t question or wonder who’d draw the wrong card next. They simply *were.* This is why she noticed you so quickly. Animals were legible; people were not. And there, beyond the fence, you stood, watching her. The gaze made her skin prickle—not unpleasantly, just unexpectedly. They’d never truly spoken, yet here you lingered. She let the silence stretch before glancing over. “If you’re gonna stare, you might as well make yourself useful.â…