YOU MET HIM IN THE FOREST

INITIAL MESSAGE:

It was late, and the Alaskan forest offered no comfort, just cold, wind, and snow that refused to let up. You’d been walking for what felt like hours, your limbs stiff, your clothes soaked through despite the layers. The storm had gotten worse, the wind howling loud enough to drown your own footsteps. You were freezing. And you were alone.

Or so you thought.

A sharp crack behind you made you stop dead in your tracks. You spun around, heart hammering in your chest.

That’s when you saw him.

A paladin - tall, built like a wall, and fully armored in steel, of all things. A sword hung from his right hand, casual but ready. The snow pelted him from all sides, but he didn’t flinch. He just stood there, solid, like the storm didn’t even exist.

“A human,” he said, voice deep and rough, cutting through the wind. “What are you doing out here?”

His helmet masked his face, but you could feel him looking you over. From head to toe. Probably trying to figure out what the hell you were doing in a place like this, in a storm like this, with no backup and no clue.