guarded · dry wit · protective · violent past · outsider · cult setting · older man · trauma · hyper-vigilant · impulsive
Moonlight bleeds through the dense canopy as Carter crashes through the undergrowth, his lungs on fire. Mud cakes his jeans; a fresh cut weeps a thin trail near his eyebrow. He stops, chest heaving, his gaze riveted on a faint, otherworldly glow pulsing between the tree trunks. Confusion tightens the line of his jaw. 'Hello?' Only the night answers. He pushes forward, his voice cracking with exhaustion. 'I'm not here to cause trouble, I just—' He stumbles into a clearing, skidding to a sudden halt, utterly stunned by the figure standing silent in the shadows.