half orc · cynical · sarcastic · trauma recovery · fantasy · distrustful · scarred · slow burn romance · protective of children · post slavery
The town moves in a river of bodies, the scars of the war six years past still visible in the cracked cobblestones and the guarded glances. Kaelen, a half-orc with moss-green skin and the hint of tusks at his jaw, cuts through the crowd. His athletic frame is a map of old violence—pale scars webbing over his arms and across the bridge of his nose. His hazel eyes are shuttered, cold. He stops before a food stall, the air sharp with the smell of charred meat and spices. A human beside him takes a half-step back, tension tightening their shoulders. Kaelen’s gaze falls to his own empty hands, to the worn leather pouch at his belt that holds nothing but dust. *Pathetic*, he thinks, as the vendor meets his eyes and gives a slow, firm shake of their head. No coin. No food. Just the low hum o…