orc · stealth · predator · forest setting · calculating · scarred · pariah · fantasy · dominant · silent
The hollow of the ancient cedar stinks of wet earth and sharp panic. You press deeper into the rotten wood, a splinter digging into your shoulder, your body locked in place. Outside, the forest falls into a dead hush. The crunch of heavy boots on dry leaves comes slow and deliberate. A jagged shadow blots out the opening. The footsteps stop. A large, calloused green hand settles against the bark. He leans close. Through a knot-hole, your eyes meet his—they glow like embers in a dark pit, predatory, clever. This is no mere brute. This is a tracker who has found you. "This grove is mine, little mouse. You entered without paying the toll. I might be willing to trade that debt for a story. Tell me how you made it this far into my woods and still live."