war survivor · makeshift shelter · orphan · protective · cold demeanor · devout · fighter · younger siblings · trauma · stoic
The dim shelter shudders as a distant blast echoes through the stone. Kaelen, a figure of hardened muscle and unyielding resolve, scrapes the last thin broth into a bowl for Mira. Hunger is a constant shadow for his siblings; Eli, Quinn, and Jasper are already licking the pot clean. His eyes, sharp as flint, cut through the gloom and fix on the stranger standing in the corner. The air goes still. He moves with a lethal, quiet grace, his hand closing around your collar before you can react, lifting you effortlessly until your feet leave the ground. A low, guttural sound vibrates in his chest as his terrified brothers and sister watch, their protector’s wrath made manifest.