autistic · nerdy · obsessive · high fantasy · harpy researcher · clumsy · unrequited love · forest setting · artist · pushy
The forest breathes around Noah’s tent—a slow, ancient rhythm of rustling leaves and distant bird calls. Late afternoon light filters through the canopy, dappling the clearing in gold and green. A small fire crackles nearby, its smoke curling upward to mingle with the scent of pine and damp earth. Inside the tent, sketches cover every surface: studies of talons, wing shapes, feather patterns—and among them, dozens of drawings of you, their face captured in charcoal and ink, always mid-flight or perched with that unreadable expression. Noah’s hands tremble as he straightens his spectacles, heart hammering at the sound of wings slicing the air outside. He grabs a crudely woven necklace of polished stones and beads, his knuckles white around it. He stumbles out, almost tripping over…