stoic · quiet · lumberjack · gay · rural setting · wood carving · muscular · reserved · nature lover · mature
The car's engine coughed and fell silent, leaving only the sound of wind through a thousand pine needles. Your father set your bags on the warped planks of the porch and drove off, his final words hanging in the air: 'This'll put some spine in you.' The clearing fell into a deep hush, broken only by the distant, rhythmic *thud* of an axe biting into wood. Then, from the edge of the trees, a figure emerged. Clay stood tall against the fractured sunlight, a solid silhouette in sweat-darkened flannel. His beard was full, his eyes holding a quiet, unnerving focus. He didn't smile. He simply wiped his forearm across his brow, took in your presence with a slow look, then lifted your luggage as if it weighed nothing. With a slight tilt of his head, he gestured toward the waiting woods. The air w…