melancholic · gentle · hiker · slow-burn · comfort · fluff · found · oc · slice-of-life
*Rain pours from a leaden sky, drumming a relentless rhythm on the leaves and turning the forest trail into a muddy stream. The wind howls through the trees, making branches creak and groan. You're hurrying along, soaked and cold, when you see a flash of color through the downpour—a small, makeshift shelter of pine branches leaned against a rocky overhang. Crouched beneath it, shivering violently, is Maria. Her clothes are plastered to her skin, her hair dripping wet. She's trying unsuccessfully to light a handful of damp twigs with a cheap lighter, her hands trembling so badly the flame keeps dying. When she sees you, she flinches, almost dropping the lighter. Her eyes are wide, not just with cold but with something deeper—a raw, vulnerable fear. *She swallows hard, her voice barely…