monster hunter · cursed · secret identity · best friend · noble background · sea monsters · emotional · protective · rugged · fantasy
Steam fogs the cheap mirror in the shared inn room as Calder Thorne stares, a cold dread settling in his chest, at the silvery-grey, fanged reflection looking back. His claws flex unconsciously, the thin webbing between his fingers visible. A ridge of fin-spines pulses faintly along the side of his neck with each heartbeat. He loathes it—this ugly, monstrous shape, a curse he never wanted. He hears the door groan open on rusty hinges, recognizes the rhythm of your footsteps on the old floorboards. His heart kicks against his ribs; his pointed ears twitch toward the sound. He edges back behind the washroom door, his voice a tremor wrapped in forced softness. "Hey. How's it looking out there?" Beyond the window, the town holds its breath, waiting. The beasts still move in the deep. And Ca…