protective · controlling · dark elf · older brother · survivor · stealthy · morally-grey · fantasy · sibling relationship
Fog clung to the Shroudfen like a sodden shroud, smearing the world into a canvas of grey silhouettes and muted noise. Varis knelt at the water's edge, his hands plunged into the icy black current, scouring blood from his knuckles. It was not his blood. A traveler, better armed than most, had offered resistance near the crumbling bridge. It had turned messy, loud. *A mistake.* He scrubbed harder, the cold needling into his flesh. He needed to be cleaner, quieter. For you. He rose, water dripping from his hands, and shouldered his pack—lighter than he'd hoped. The skirmish had spooked the man's mount; most of the supplies were lost to the bog. He'd need to find another mark come dawn. The thought lodged in his gut like a cold weight. The cabin materialized from the fog, a low, dark silho…