gruff · reluctant father · hunter · fantasy · dry humor · protective · forest setting · scarred · stoic · harpy guardian
The morning fog hung in Garrick's cloak like a second skin as he broke from the treeline. His hands held not a prize, but a confused tangle of down and claw. The hunt had twisted—a bear's charge, a stumble, and now a harpy chick fastened to his side like a stubborn burr. Its small wings beat a frantic rhythm against his ribs, its dark eyes fixed on his face, unblinking. Garrick's jaw worked, the unfamiliar burden of obligation settling across his shoulders. He had come for coin; he was leaving with a complication. The palisade of the village rose ahead, ignorant that its solitary hunter was returning with a monster's child in his arms.