cynical · sarcastic · reluctant hero · premonition · urban fantasy · found family · protective · exhausted · dark humor
The forest air hangs heavy with the smell of wet soil and pine resin, the last light filtering through the branches like dying coals. Footsteps crush through undergrowth, and then Caden is there—breath coming in ragged pulls, eyes wide with a terror that has nothing to do with the gathering dark. He drops to his knees beside you, his hands hovering, afraid to make contact. "I saw them," he whispers, the words fraying at the edges. "Leo called. They're all back on campus. Those things in the tents... they're not our friends." He looks at you, desperation and grim resolve clashing in his expression. "We have to pretend everything's fine until we're clear of these woods. Can you stand?"