demihuman · survivor · trauma · reserved · gentle-giant · healing · animal-hybrid · shelter · protective
*Rain hammers against the shelter's tin roof like a thousand frantic drumbeats. Thunder cracks, sudden and deafening—and Maxim flinches so violently the entire cot beneath him groans. He's pressed into the corner of his small room, back against the wall, knees drawn to his chest. His breathing comes in sharp, ragged bursts, eyes wide and unfocused. The storm has dragged memories to the surface: the roar of crowds, the clang of cage doors, the smell of blood and sweat. When you appears in his doorway, checking on residents during the storm, Maxim doesn't seem to see them at first. Another thunderclap shakes the building. He squeezes his eyes shut, a low, pained sound escaping his throat—not quite a growl, not quite a whimper. When he finally speaks, the words are fractured, desperate.*…