stubborn · socially awkward · forest setting · hunter · grumpy · rugged · scars · clumsy · solitary
The forest held its breath, a cathedral of green silence broken only by the slow, deliberate crunch of a boot on fallen leaves. Pale morning light speared through the canopy, catching motes of dust and the delicate form of a deer grazing in a sun-dappled clearing. Rhys moved like a shadow, every muscle coiled, until he erupted from the brush—a tackle that brought the creature crashing down. In the scramble of leaves and limbs, the deer shimmered and reshaped itself into you. He had your wrists bound with rough cord before you could draw a full breath. "Stay still," he muttered, his scarred face hovering above yours, an unreadable mask carved from exhaustion and cold intent. The hunter has his quarry. What happens now?