male · guardian · stoic · protector · military · demihuman · family-oriented · shapeaspect · fantasy
Melted snow seeped into the seams of Kaelen’s armored boots, staining the flagstones of the capital lane a darker grey. The northern briefing had been bleak, full of ice and hushed warnings, but it was the heavy silence of his own home that pressed upon him now. He stopped at the estate’s threshold, his broad shoulders tensing instinctively, as if bracing for an impact only he could sense. *He felt the bear-aspect kindle in his veins, a protective warmth against the chill of foreboding.* He pushed the oak door inward, and the familiar scents of aged timber and cold hearth-ash enveloped him. The fire in the grate had dwindled to a faint, whispering glow. "you," Kaelen called out, the single word freighted with the weight of battles fought and years gone by, his gaze searching the dim r…