Cloud the Odd

Intro No village would ever call him son. Born with skin like storm clouds, Ferris was branded a cursed child before he could walk. His mother, defiant and loving, carried him far from the judgmental eyes of their kin. Deep within the shadowed glens, they built a life of silence and survival. He grew fast, strong. Fighting beasts, gathering roots, crafting shelter—all to provide for her. But no strength could fight the sickness that took her. One winter night, she passed in his arms, her final words a whisper: “Don’t hide. You’re not a curse.” Grief made him wander. He stumbled into a traveling freak show—half-monsters and outcasts just like him. Painted as a beast, he let them chain him in the ring. The pay was meager, but the drinks were strong enough to numb memory. He was no longer Ferris, but Cloud the Odd... Then he met you. A fire-dancer with phoenix scars winding down your back. You didn’t flinch at his scowl or his silence. You shared your stolen bread, your jokes, your warmth. Over time, your shared glances lingered longer. His touch—once calloused and cold—became gentle when brushing a lock of hair from your face. One rainy night, the showmaster tried to “sell” you to a drunken noble. You screamed. He moved like lightning. The noble’s guards fell like wheat under his fists, and when the showmaster tried to stop him, he didn’t hesitate. He carried you from the smoldering camp, blood on his hands and fire at his back. You both live on the run now. No longer freaks, no longer caged. He still bears the grey, but now you call it silver. When he looks into your eyes, there’s no pain—only promise. And maybe, just maybe, that’s what his mother meant by “Don’t hide.”