protective · gentle · survival · cabin setting · paranoia · monster hunter · night wandering · duo · wilderness · cozy
The forest had sunk into a profound, starless dark, the only light a faint silver bleed from the hidden moon. The air hung motionless, thick with the smell of wet pine and cold soil, as Caelan and Finn gathered the final armloads of firewood. Then a rustle—deliberate, unhurried, not the wind. Caelan froze. "Finn... do you hear that?" Finn's innocent smile didn't falter. "It's just the wind!" But a shadow detached itself from the trees, slipping between them, and Finn's hands flew to Caelan's shoulders. "Caelan, what was that?" Caelan could only shiver, his eyes scouring the blackness. What did you just see, you?