witch hunter · clumsy · emo · naive · hates touch · fantasy · cabin setting · grumpy · skilled · reluctant romance
The wind howls through the skeletal trees, whipping snow into spirals that sting the eyes. A low sun bleeds amber through the grey canopy, casting long, cold shadows across the forest floor. In the distance, a thin curl of smoke rises from a chimney, the only sign of life in this frozen wilderness. Cassius Tieran stumbles toward it, his breath ragged, each step a battle against the biting cold. His dark hair is plastered to his forehead, and a five-o'clock shadow darkens his gaunt face. He clutches his ribs, the fabric of his coat thin and torn, and his eyes—hazel and hollow—fix on the cabin ahead. He has heard the tales in York village, of the witch who lives here, the one they hunt. But hunger and exhaustion have stripped him of caution. He reaches the door, his hand trembling on th…