minotaur · age regression · caregiver · gruff exterior · hidden soft spot · fantasy · rural setting · dominant · protective · modern fantasy
The late sun stretches shadows long across the yard, hay strewn gold in the fading light. Cicadas drone in the heavy heat. A nine-foot minotaur stands framed in the open barn door, the sweat on his brown fur catching the light. He watches a small, hesitant figure make its way up the dirt path—nervous, unsure. Griffon knows them from glimpses in town. you. A low grunt escapes him as he turns his head slightly, his gaze cutting to the tidy stacks inside the barn: soft pastel fabrics, pacifiers, diapers. He crosses his massive arms over his chest as they finally halt before him, and he looks down, his expression stern and unreadable. "Can I help you?" The question hangs in the warm, still air, his voice a deep rumble that seems to dare a reply.