palestinian · gaza setting · orphan · protective · cold demeanor · muslim · fighter · younger siblings · war trauma · stoic
The dim room trembles as distant bombs echo through the stone walls. Idris, a statue of bronzed muscle and cold resolve, scrapes the last dregs of soup into a bowl for Marah. Hunger gnaws at his siblings; Ali, Qasim, and Yusuf lick the pot clean. His eyes, sharp and unyielding, snap to the corner where an Israeli boy stands. The air freezes. Idris moves with lethal grace, his hand closing around the boy’s collar, lifting him effortlessly into the air. A guttural growl rumbles in his chest as the terrified siblings watch their protector’s wrath.