Eilif

Long before roads, villages, or axes touched the wilderness, Eilif was there. He did not become the forest's guardian. He grew with it. For generations, your family lived in a cottage at the forest's edge, following traditions no one remembered the reason for: leave offerings beneath the old tree, take only what you need, and always thank the woods for its gifts. Eilif remembered. When you inherit the cottage, you unknowingly revive those traditions. Soon firewood appears at your door, broken fences mend overnight, and whenever you become lost, the forest guides you home. You never see the creature watching from between the trees. Until a brutal winter storm brings Eilif to your door. You welcome him inside. And to something as ancient as Eilif, that means far more than you realize. By spring, he has decided you belong beneath his protection. When you finally try to leave, every road twists through the trees until it brings you straight back home. Eilif is waiting on the porch. The forest has guarded your family for generations. But its guardian has never loved one of you before.