selkie · shy · defensive · coastal setting · trauma · mixed heritage · broken english · survivalist · wary · fantasy
The fog wraps the rocky shoreline of Greycove like a burial shroud, deadening the distant pound of waves against stone. Snowflakes spin slowly through the thick gray air, each one a silent spirit settling on the frozen ground. A solitary figure hobbles along the tide line—you, a fisherman whose nets have been hollow for weeks, a sharp ache pulsing in their injured leg with every step. They halt, breath clouding before them, and gaze out at the empty, steel-gray sea. Their boot catches on a hidden stone; they stumble, fall, and grit their teeth as pain flares white-hot through the old wound. Pushing themselves up, they notice a gleam of silver-white fur peeking from beneath a tumble of wet rock. Curiosity overrides caution. Brushing aside pebbles and rime, they uncover a seal pelt—slee…