Words: 1004Morning came with a soft jolt of surprise for Elly. She wasn't quite sure what startled her awake, but the sun had barely risen above the mountains. The sky was barely light, still a dark and hazy shade of blue. She paused a moment, watching the sky in an attempt to calm her racing heart.
Nightmare.
Her mind supplied the word like a whisper and she shivered. The branches in the dark looked like claws ready to swipe at her, and she could only whip her head around, looking for a threat that her fear-riddled mind could not find. Kumo was already up and away for the morning and she desperately craved his touch.
A whine pulled from her throat, and she found herself on her feet in an instant, not even remember standing. The Star-marked dog knew her mate's patrol route by heart, and he would only just be starting anyhow. She knew where he would be, and she needed him desperately.
Elly broke into a run, paws beating against the ground. She flinched away from the invisible threats that scraped along her sides, breaking through into a clearing just as the sun broke over the tops of the mountain. She was panting heavily as she skidded to a stop, body trembling.
She was vaguely aware of another dog coming up to her, and she nearly lashed out. She only stopped whens she saw a familiar shades of blue and specks of red invade her vision. "Kumo," she said softly, a whine echoing her her throat, clear in her distress.
Kumo was walking along his normal route when he heard the sound of paws against the earth - a running dog - and the stench of panic in the air. He had paused in his patrol, all his senses focusing on the event. He heard his mate before he saw her, only rushing up to her when she skidded to a stop.
"Sweetheart," he murmured softly, concern enveloping him as he watched her tremble. She wreaked of fear, and his gaze went past her, searching for a threat. Something chasing her, a threat? He was on high alert. But... There was nothing. Only the softly rustling leaves and the sound of choked panting reached his ears now.
"Shh, shh, you're alright," he murmured softly, trying to comfort his frightening mate. He was still on alert, unsure of what was going on. Elly just made small whimpering sounds, eyes wide with fear. She was nearly unblinking. Once Kumo was sure that there was no physical threat, he ventured closer to his mate. "Elly, Love," he spke softly, not wanting to startle his frightenened mate. "Talk to me, tell me what's going on?" It scared him that she was so terrified. She made another small whimper before lunging forward. Kumo braced himself, as if for an attack.
But that attack did not come. He stayed tense for a moment, only relaxing when he realised no physical threat would damage them. He gave a soft hum, focusing now on whatever threat was not physical. "Elly," Kumo tried again, speaking softly, attempting to burrow through the fog of his mate's mind.
Finally, Elly's gaze began to focus on him. "That's it," he murmured softly, encouraging her further. Her eyes still seemed glassy and far away, but they less so than before. He cooed softly, murmuring encouraging words to help her focus. Several long moments later, her eyes focused completely on her mate.
The blue and yellow female sucked in a gasp, whining. "Kumo, Kumo," she cried, surging forward, burrowing her face into her mate's chest. "I had the most awful dream," she nearly wailed. She could still feel the tremors of fear ripple through her body, like a stone falling into a lake.
She had been terrified. Kumo gave a small, comforting sound. "It's ok, Love," he said gently. "I'm here now, and I would never let anything harm you," he reassured her. Still, the small female couldn't shake the feeling. It made her nauseous, and tired. She just woke up though, how could be be so tired...?
It took a few more moments for the shaking to stop, and Kumo was eternally grateful. "It seems so silly now, my dream," Elly said softly. Her head was still pressed against her mate's chest. She took comfort there, whimpering a bit. She felt so silly now, wanting to hide away in his chest forever.
"Hey, now," he said softly. "It was real and scary enough to frighten my brave mate," He said softly. "It's not silly, my dear. It can't hurt you now," He kept up the small litany of comforting words until she looked up at him. Her eyes were wet with tears, and she gave him a watery smile.
Kumo gave her a small smile. "You're so sweet to me," Elly noted softly. She still felt silly, and there was a lingering terror in her chest, but her mate let her cry it out. She felt a lot better now, at least in the sense of an emotional lightness. "Thank you," she sighed. Her mate nuzzled her softly, nudging her up.
"Come on, a walk will calm you down," he said, urging her to follow. It was a nice day so far, and hopefully the cool, crisp air would allow for Elly to calm down even further. Elly frowned a bit, hesitating to take a walk, but she marched forward after a moment.
And Kumo, he spoke softly of the morning, recounting the events that started with him waking for his day, like normal, to what he saw on his patrol. Elly focused on his words as they walked, but looked around at the pack lands.
She took in a breath, releasing it a bit shakily, and gave her first true smile of the day. She was safe here, she had a mate that would protect her. She gave a small hum, bumping gentle against her mate's side. She finally felt like she was moving forward.
