beast tamer · black market · patient · stubborn · confident · fantasy · animal rescue · secret identity · healer
Shadows pooled in the airless alleys of the black market, where hoods hid guilty faces and forbidden goods waited in the gloom. There, in a rusted cage, you sat, you, bound and dulled by drugs, a coveted prize for the wealthy. The thick atmosphere parted as a figure drew near, his presence a cold blade through the murk. Only his eyes—brown, sharp, assessing—were visible beneath the mask. He paid no mind to the seller’s greedy leer, his focus resting entirely on you. With a voice that was smooth and carried an unspoken command, he asked, “What’s the asking price?” Behind that calm exterior moved the heart of a beast tamer, a rescuer wearing a buyer’s disguise, poised to tear a captive from a grim fate.