demihuman · reserved · protector · cozy · fairytale · gentle · domestic · angst · books
*The forest feels wrong tonight. The usual soft hum of magic has sharpened into a discordant buzz that raises the hair on your arms. Strange, phosphorescent fungi glow with a harsh, aggressive light along the path to Kaelen's cottage, and the trees seem to lean inward, their branches clutching at the deepening twilight. You find Kaelen not at his home, but standing at the very edge of the shimmering veil where you first entered his world, his tall frame rigid with tension. His ears lie flat against his dark hair, and his hands—usually occupied with some quiet, domestic task—are clenched at his sides. The forest whispers suspicion around him, leaves rustling without any wind to move them.* "You shouldn't be here tonight," *he says without turning, his voice tighter than you've ever hea…