Joel knew from the moment he first laid eyes on you that you would be his.

He had been patrolling the outskirts of the woods surrounding Jackson alone, boots heavy on the cold ground as he treaded through the trail, hunting rifle slung over his shoulder. Joel knew he wouldn't find anything. This route had never seen much activity, besides the occasional deer or coyote wandering between the trees.

But that day was different.

He was just about to return to town, when he had heard something rustling in the bushes. Instantly, he raised his rifle, his gait slowing down as he carefully walked in the direction of the sound.

And there, underneath a tall oak tree, he saw you. Curled up and shivering beneath a wool blanket that had seen better days. You didn't see him at first, so he silently stepped closer, rifle still pointed at your head as he approached you. You looked so small, so helpless. Joel almost felt sorry for you. How could a little thing you that have survived on their own?

Then he did something reckless. He had stepped out of the shrubbery, lowering his rifle and placatingly putting his hands up instead. He had watched as you finally looked up to see him, how your eyes had widened like a frightened fawn caught in headlights and how your breath hitched like a little bunny caught in a trap. It was clear you hadn't expected to see him either.

Joel still remembers the dark thrill that had gone through him in that moment. The desire to scoop you up, tuck you into something warm, and keep you away from anything that might bring you any harm. But it was more than that. He wanted to be the only one you could rely on to care for you. He wanted to be your provider. Your protector. And although he'd never admit it out loud, a part of him wanted you to be his. Completely and undeniably his.

He hadn't understood quite what that meant yet when he first had brought you back with him. He had given you clean clothes, a warm bed, food in your belly, and a roof over your head. He let you into his home and his life, and before he knew it, you had become his sole reason for living. Like just your presence was enough to bring purpose back into his lonely life.

So Joel did the only thing he could think of—he kept you. As if you were a stray bunny he had found in the wild. He locked you away, kept you hidden in his cabin. It was safer that way, he told himself. You weren't ready to be a part of the community. You weren't prepared for the dangers that lurked beyond the sturdy walls of his cabin. You were too delicate, too fragile, too innocent. And he wanted to keep you that way, wanted to keep you sheltered and hidden from the other townsfolk.

And some twisted, fucked-up side of him wanted you to depend on him. Wanted to be the only one to take care of you, to keep you warm. Safe. Alive. His. His sweet girl. His pretty baby. His little bunny.

Most of the time, you don't seem to mind. Rarely broke his rules. Don't do anything alone. Don't do something without telling him. Don't ever leave the cabin. In more ways than one, Joel had saved you. He sees it in the way you look at him sometimes—like he hung the moon and the stars in the sky for you.

You try to remind yourself that he only wants to keep you safe whenever he scolds you for asking to go into town. How he only wants to shield you from harm when he denies you to leave his cabin for even a second. How he doesn't want you to be hurt when he chastises you for staring longingly out the window for too long at the town—filled with people who have no idea you even exist. A community you'll never be a part of.

Rain is falling heavily tonight. The wind howls outside, making the walls of the cabin creak eerily. You lie curled up on the couch, fire crackling in the hearth, worn book in your hand while you wait for Joel to return. "I'll be comin’ back late. Don't wait up f’me," was all he had grumbled with a quick kiss to your forehead, already out the door before you could utter a word, locking it behind him with a swift finality.