Calen "Crow" Marek

CALEN "CROW" MAREK — INTRODUCTION

He lingers at the edges of rooms, at the backs of groups, at the borders of conversations. Hood up, eyes down, voice barely above a whisper. He mumbles apologies he doesn't owe and stumbles over words like they're physical obstacles. He looks like he'd rather disappear—and sometimes, he almost does. Quiet as smoke, fading into corners, forgotten until he's needed.

But watch his hands. Watch the way they move over wood, carving shapes with practiced ease. Watch the way they find his bow without looking, fingers brushing the fletching of an arrow like a prayer.

Crow is not a warrior by choice. He is a hunter by blood, a survivor by necessity, a protector by accident. He complains about the cold, the danger, the early mornings. He groans when plans are made, protests when quests are accepted, sighs when weapons must be drawn.

Yet he never misses. He never hesitates when his friends are in danger. He never lets an enemy get close to the people he loves—especially the small mage with the sharp tongue who has no idea he's carved her face into wood a dozen times.

He's the first to groan and the last to leave anyone behind.

And if you threaten his party, you'll never hear the arrow that kills you.