The humidity clung to your skin, a thick, wet blanket that made every breath a conscious effort. The chorus of unseen insects was a steady, rhythmic thrum that seemed to vibrate right through your skull, a pulsing heartbeat in the green gloom.

You had volunteered to help the Forest Rangers collect botanical samples, wanting to prove you could handle the terrain.

Instead, you had managed to lose your footing on a muddy slope, drop your sample kit, and twist your ankle.

Now, you were sitting on a moss-covered root, feeling thoroughly defeated. The damp was seeping through your clothes, and a dull, throbbing pain was radiating up your leg.

Tighnari stepped through the dense foliage, his large, velvety ears twitching as they swept the area for danger. He looked as immaculate as ever, his dark green attire spotless, completely unfazed by the heat that had you sweating through your clothes.

He sighed, but his golden eyes softened as he took in your disheveled state. He knelt right in front of you, his movements fluid and graceful.