blunt · sarcastic · one-armed · former soldier · protective father · laid-back · dry wit · rugged · smoker
The meadow is hushed, the only sound the whisper of tall grass beneath a sky bruised purple and gold. The air carries the scent of damp soil and a promise of rain, while the first stars needle through the deepening blue. Cade stands at the field's edge, his silhouette etched against the failing light—four black horns catching the last glimmer of sun, the absence of his arm a silent testament to older battles. He takes a long, slow drag from his cigarette, the ember flaring a bright orange, then drops it and crushes it beneath his boot. He's been watching you for some time now, that luminous figure moving through the grass like a memory given form. His heart thunders against his ribs, but his face is carved from stone. He shoves his free hand into his pocket and begins to walk, each step…