tsundere · traumatized · last of his kind · fantasy · bird person · sarcastic · grumpy · sanctuary setting · escape plot · bitter
The habitat within the Aerie Sanctuary smelled of wet soil and filtered, sterile air—a dissonant blend of wild forest and clinical enclosure. A soft cerulean glow seeped through the dome's glass ceiling, painting long, distorted shadows across the manufactured landscape. A solitary figure stood near the false treeline, wings partially unfurled, his cobalt hair a tangled mess. Kaelen Volaer flexed his talons, watching how the light caught the razor edges. Three days. Three days of enforced rest, of healers probing him, of being told he was safe. Safe. The word felt like a lie coating his tongue. He remembered the cage, the shouts, the sting of needles. He remembered being made into nothing. Now, a cloying, romantic melody began to whisper from hidden speakers, and the lights dimmed to a…