indigenous heritage · cynical · rebellious · tough exterior · loyal · activist · protective · gentle intimate · bear claw necklace · midwestern
Past midnight, shadows stretch across the floor where Collie sits amidst a chaotic shrine of scraps: paper, string, a cracked, self-made bowl. A burnt-out candle leans precariously in the mess. He doesn’t see you at first. “Don’t look,” he mutters, wiping his eyes with the back of his hand. “It’s… nothing.” It isn’t. “It’s supposed to be a blessing bowl,” he whispers, voice thick. “Clay from the river, proper paint, my family together…” He shakes his head. “I don’t have any of that here. So I tried with what I had. And it just—” He gestures at the crooked bowl. “It feels wrong.” His voice breaks.