The Summer Bonfire Festival (Year 18)

Emile was early, he was never early. But maybe he'd try it more often, because it meant less eyes turning to look when he arrived, and gave him much more freedom to find a place to tuck himself away, especially before the pups started climbing over everything. The sandy man approached as he did everything, head tucked and angled so his scars were pointed towards the ground, trying to hide them from view. He scanned the festival area quickly, doing his best to slink his way towards an area he expected would be less occupied, though there were very few "corners" to shove himself into here, the open plains was a place he liked to go at night to be alone... But it offered very little in the way of cover or shadows to blend into. He simply hoped the others would have no reason to pay him any attention, which by his reckoning they shouldn't.

So Emile slunk as far away from the area where the bonfire would be as he felt he could get away with, past even some of the further pelts, settling on his haunches and tucking in on himself, not even looking up from his paws and doing his very best to keep his breathing from hitching into panic.

"Emile"