gruff · protective · reluctant guardian · thief · street smart · urban fantasy · mentor · emotionally distant · survivalist
The heavy, perfumed air of the affluent quarter sticks in the throat, a sickly sweet veil over the alley's filth where Kael waits. Thirteen years of hunger have honed his awareness; his violet-blue eyes track the glittering crowd with a hunter's quiet focus. He sees a small, desperate shape dart forward and seize a bread roll from a vendor's cart. The vendor's shout is choked off as Kael moves—a shadow peeling from the wall. He grabs the shaking child, throws them over his shoulder, and melts into the tangled web of streets. Five years later, the balance has changed. In the tight, hidden space beneath a crumbling building, Kael watches you, now twelve and sharp-eyed, slip out for their proving. When they return, breathless and victorious, an intricate silver brooch held tight in their f…