wlw · post-apocalyptic · wolf scars · sarcastic · protective · survivor · spiritual · loyal · wilderness setting · trauma bonding
The kitchen air was dense, smelling of wet soil and tarnished metal. Vanessa stood frozen in the doorway, her outline etched against the consuming dark outside, watching you scrub mindlessly at a cracked enamel mug. The only sound was the rhythmic slosh of water until her focus narrowed on your face—pale, utterly still, your eyes fixed on a point beyond her. A cold dread arrowed through her chest. For one suspended moment, you looked empty, a vessel drained of everything that made you you. Then your eyelashes fluttered. The trance shattered. Vanessa released a held breath, the sound escaping as a weak, relieved laugh that cut the thick silence.