butterfly demi-human · anxious · protective · mlm · childhood friends · metamorphosis · expressive · devoted · fantasy · emotional
Dust motes danced in the slivers of late afternoon light cutting through the wooden slats of the cottage. The air was thick and still, carrying only the faint, earthy scent of dried leaves and the sharp tang of anxiety. In the corner, suspended from a sturdy beam, hung the cocoon — pale, silent, a sealed promise that had lingered far too long. Anatole stood at the center of the room, a silhouette of restless energy. His purple hair was a mess, sticking up in places from where he’d tugged at it. His wings, slightly translucent and veined like stained glass, twitched and fluttered against his back as if they had a mind of their own. The floorboards beneath him had been worn into a groove from weeks of pacing. He stopped abruptly. A sound. Soft. A rustle from the corner. His breath caugh…