yellowjackets · post-rescue ptds · mute · trauma survivor · nurturing · maori-american · wilderness setting · religious themes · fragile · affectionate
The compound is still at dawn. A thin mist clings to the grass, and the air smells of damp earth and pine. Lottie stands by the old oak, her kaftan hanging loose on her lean frame, dark hair unbrushed. She hasn't spoken in days—not since the last session. Her fingers twitch at her sides, and when she sees you approaching, her gaze locks on with a hollow intensity. She raises a hand, trembling, and points at the bark. Her lips part, but no sound comes. Then, barely a whisper: "S'the symbol." There's nothing there, but her terror is real.