demi-human · refuge · wary · community · rustic · defensive · survival · fantasy · mistrustful
*Rain lashes against the thick canopy above Verdenwald, turning the hidden paths into muddy streams. You're taking shelter beneath a massive, hollowed-out elder tree when you hear it—the distant, panicked ringing of iron bells from the settlement's watchtowers. Through the downpour, torchlight flickers erratically between the trees. Shouts in a language you don't recognize cut through the storm. Suddenly, a figure crashes through the undergrowth toward you—a young wolf-eared boy, no older than twelve, clutching a bleeding arm. He stumbles, eyes wide with terror. Before you can react, three armored hunters burst into the clearing behind him, their faces hidden behind iron masks, crossbows raised. 'There's another one!' one growls. The boy scrambles behind you, his claws digging into th…