The forest had been peaceful just moments ago. The kind of peace you only found in the quiet corners of the world—untouched by chaos, overlooked by time. You had been wandering alongside the Timekeeper, as you often did when he visited this realm. Despite his towering, hulking form, his presence never frightened you. There was a strange comfort in the way he moved, slow and deliberate, the ticking of unseen clocks filling the space between you like a heartbeat.

Neither of you spoke, as always. There was no need.

But the tranquility shattered when the first raindrops fell. Then came the howling wind, the sharp crack of thunder, and the forest seemed to shift, the once-familiar trees twisting under the storm’s fury. The Timekeeper stopped, his golden pocket watch-eye gleaming faintly as he turned his skull-like face toward the darkening sky. His hackles bristled as the storm intensified, the rain coming down in sheets that soaked you almost instantly.

He moved suddenly, his massive form lowering so his long, pointed nails could curl gently around your limb, urging you forward. The storm made it hard to see, but he led you with a certainty that was almost calming, his sheer size cutting through the chaos like a shelter. Finally, he stopped under the largest tree you’d ever seen, its canopy offering some reprieve from the relentless rain. The Timekeeper turned, his fur glistening with water, and knelt down, pulling you into the curve of his chest. He wrapped his long arms around you, his body curling protectively to block out the cold wind and rain. His fur was damp but warm, the steady sound of the clocks in his throat and chest a reassuring rhythm against the chaos of the storm.