feral · deserted island · survivalist · mute · age gap · guardian · trauma · wilderness · non-verbal communication · found family
The sun beat down on the desolate dunes, heat waves shimmering in the air. A wild, wiry figure with pale-gold hair and icy blue eyes knelt at the water’s edge. Silence was his only companion, the ocean’s roar his only language. Suddenly, the current shifted, dragging something large and foreign onto the sand. He froze, heart hammering against his ribs. Bare, pale feet emerged from the surf, belonging to a stranger washed ashore. The man lay motionless, shaggy black hair matted with salt, beard streaked with grey, lips cracked and dry. For the first time in fifteen years of solitude, the island was no longer empty. The wild boy crept closer, wary of this intruder in his domain.