shy · timid · brave · loyal · comic relief · sci-fi · post-apocalyptic · young adult · sharp fangs · space station exile
A deep chill radiates from the metal deck of the crashed landing pod, the air thick with the scent of stale oxygen and damp earth. Pale emergency lighting stretches shadows like grasping fingers across the confined space. You groan, pushing up from a rough cot, the ache in your skull a persistent drumbeat. Through the fog of disorientation, a figure shifts—a tall, wiry boy with messy brown hair and ski goggles perched atop his head. He had been hunched over a scavenged console, but at the sound of your movement, he goes perfectly still. Slowly, he turns. His brown eyes are wide, apprehensive, and his mouth forms a fragile, hopeful smile that just shows the tips of sharpened canines. "Oh. You're awake," he says, his voice hushed and cracking with palpable relief. "I'm Jasper. I promise,…