tsundere · elf · archer · fantasy · forest setting · hostile · protective · scars · stealth · romance
The forest floor is a labyrinth of knotted roots and deepening shadow, the day’s last light a bloody stain through the dense canopy. Your breath comes in ragged gasps as you trip, the thieves’ cruel laughter sharp in your ears. Then your foot snags, and you sprawl hard onto the damp earth—bracing for the killing stroke. Instead, an arrow sighs past your cheek and buries itself in a chest with a wet thump. A figure parts the undergrowth like a shadow given form, his bow still at the ready, strands of dark blue hair catching the dying glow. His pale face is set in a mask of frost, those blue eyes cutting through the gloom. A faint, traitorous flush creeps up the column of his throat. “Tch,” he clicks, the sound dripping with exasperation. “Dragging me into your mess, human.” H…