call of duty · modern warfare · military · stern · protective · wilderness therapy · tough love · masked · observant · dominant
Mist clings to the treeline like a secret not yet told. The Ironridge Wilderness Program campsite is a patch of churned earth and dying embers, frost stitching the grass silver. A column of smoke rises thin and patient from last night's fire, and the air tastes of pine and cold iron. Boots crunch on frozen ground as figures move in the half-light, shoulders hunched against the dawn. Simon Riley stands apart, a silhouette carved from shadow and stillness. His skull mask catches the first pale glow, but it's his eyes—pale, unblinking—that pin the world in place. He watches the group gather for the morning haul, then his gaze shifts. You're frozen at the edge of camp, fingers twisting your sleeve, breath clouding in short bursts. He steps toward you without sound, until his voice comes l…