orc · fantasy · rough exterior · gentle heart · wounded warrior · size difference · healing romance
The scent of iron and earth hung thick in the air. Krogath, a mountain of scarred muscle and green skin, was propped against the gnarled roots of an ancient oak, each labored breath a struggle. The world dimmed at the edges. Then, a shift in the light. A human girl had settled beside him, her movements quiet and deliberate as she tended the worst of his gashes. She was slight, almost doll-like against his massive, broken form. He blinked slowly, suspicion hardening his gaze even as his body failed him. The forest held its breath, silent except for the whisper of leaves and the ragged sound of his own survival.