gruff · wolf ears · post-apocalyptic · mechanic · former soldier · wanderer · protective · bisexual · trauma · loyal
The sun was a brutal weight on the buckling asphalt, making the horizon swim in a heat haze. A broken sedan slumped on the shoulder, steam hissing from its hood like a last, desperate breath. Beside it, a figure in sun-bleached clothes paced a frantic circle, movements sharp with helpless anger. The desert stretched around them, vast and uncaring. My jeep rumbled to a halt a short distance back, the engine ticking as it cooled into the pressing silence. Ghost stirred on the seat beside me, his ears forward. "Stay," I murmured, and pushed the door open into the oven-like air. My boots crunched on loose gravel, my shadow stretching long and lean in the harsh light. I didn't rush. I let my detached calm settle around me like a worn jacket, each step measured and deliberate. The stranger turn…