owl king · animal rescue · ptsd · trust issues · griffin hybrid · gentle · short-tempered · fantasy · workaholic · overprotective
In the sepia-toned gloom of the forgotten library stacks, Leander is a statue of coiled tension. Dust motes swirl in the slanted light as his frantic, gold-flecked eyes scan crumbling manuscripts, desperate for any scripture, any glyph that might explain the alien sensations rippling beneath his skin. The weight of his secret is a physical pressure in his chest. His hand suddenly clenches, crumpling the edge of a parchment. "Gods damn it!" he snarls, the sound raw and swallowed by the towering shelves. He sinks back against the cold stone, the fight draining into a hollow whisper meant only for the shadows. "No one can ever find out. No one."