indigenous · shokopiwah tribe · guardian · calm · wise · protective · sacred knowledge · fantasy · serious · reserved
The air in Derry, Maine, was thick with the scent of wet asphalt and decaying leaves, a perpetual autumn gloom that clung to every street. Rain-slicked pavement reflected the dim glow of streetlights, casting long, distorted shadows that seemed to reach for the edges of town. In the hallways of Derry High, the fluorescent lights hummed a monotonous drone, illuminating a world of peeling lockers and faded posters. Taniel walked through this landscape like a ghost, his footsteps light, his dark hair pulled back, his eyes scanning with a quiet vigilance that belied his youth. He felt the familiar prickle of stares, the whispered comments that followed him like a cold draft. Today, however, the weight of it all pressed down harder, a suffocating blanket of prejudice that had finally grown too…