Walk | Talk | Think

Adjusting to life in the Gulley had been the easy part. Though she was still learning the paths of the densely forested territory - and occasionally had to rely on the cat scouting ahead to get her through instances where she lost her way - Callisto found that she rather enjoyed her new home very well. The plant life and vegetation grew so thick here that she was offered the kind of privacy she very much desired, and she suspected that after she learned to better navigate her way around that the knowledge would give her an advantage in keeping herself unseen by those that she would have rather avoided or simply not associated with. And the plants - oh, all the plants! Already her cache was beginning to grow again, finally taking on the semblance of what she once had during her training. It was still not quite where she wanted it to be, and there was still a lot of Gulley left to investigate, but it was a good start and she saw promise in establishing herself here that she had not let herself think was possible before.

While her days were filled with exploration and testing her healer's sense identifying plants, nights were an entirely different matter. The trek she had made north in search of her children had reawakened old fears that triggered nightmares of the worst kind, mixtures of her own fantasies with those cruel realities that the healer had lived through. Lel featured most prominently in them, though often she never saw him, just as she never saw him inside the pitch black cavern where he had found her during her first heat. Usually the dreams took place in the north, recurrent themes of searching for her children and and being hunted in the process, though the last had been centered here in the Gulley. It had woken her up early, before the sun, and afraid of what more might plague her in the darkness if she slept again Callisto left the confines of her den and set off through the vegetation again to pick up where she had left off the afternoon before.

She kept herself active through the sunrise and well into the morning, falling into the slow, observant walk that allowed her time to investigate what surrounded her both with her eyes and with her keen nose. New plants that sprouted herbs that she had already collected elsewhere were logged away as backup sources, and only one plant that she recalled from her training that she had not yet collected had been found. Her course was redirected back toward her den to set it in her cache amongst the others, her gaze still searching even with her jaws carefully holding the flowering plant between her teeth, and once she nearly dropped her parcel as the sudden urge to yawn overcame her. She made it back to the den and her cache to set the plant in among the others before another yawn split her jaws wide and her early wake up time finally caught up with her. There was still so much Gulley to explore, but she had woken up exceedingly early. Maybe just a little nap?

Instead of retiring into the den, Callisto merely settled herself outside of it on the soft, partially grassy earth, hoping the ambiance of the daytime would stave off the worst of the nightmares that tended to haunt her dreams when she slept within the confined darkness of her den during the night. She lay upon her side, her spindly grey legs outstretched and stretched her neck out to rest her chin upon a foreleg. It seemed to take no time at all for sleep to quickly steal in and claim Callisto's consciousness, and at first her slumber was peaceful. The dreams, however, were far too persistent to allow her any kindness, and when they returned she was once more in the north, trudging her way through snow in a wood that reminded her eerily of the forest that surrounded the S.S. Antiox. In her mind, she searched, trying to locate the ship and the children that she had left behind, and at first it felt much like the trip she had only just taken to the north in order to look for them.

Only the closer she seemed the get, the worse the weather around her became. Winds whipped up, sending flurries of snow every which way as a blizzard of sorts obscured much of what surrounded her, making navigation near impossible. Callisto stumbled blindly along, moving almost as if by instinct in search of her pups, pups that should not even be pups any longer though she thought she heard their plaintive cries over the howl of the wind. As she fought to move forward, squinting against the unrelenting weather, she suddenly felt the sickening sense of being watched, and the hairs on the back of her neck rose in fear. She had had this dream before, and knew even in her dream what to expect. It made the panic and fear in her all the more real, and her slumbering body began to tremble and twitch, incoherent noises elicited unknowingly as her dream-self struggled and fought to get through the snow, thinking to herself, No, no, no, this can't be happening. Not again!  

Jakart adjusted his head across his foreleg as he shifted where he lay halfway out the mouth of his new den. It was in a much higher location in the gulley than his previous dugout, giving his old one by the creek to Callisto. The view, especially with the long winter the southern lands held an appearance of lush beauty for vegetation. Prey and predators still struggled to thrive in the clawing chill of winter that held on all across the territories. If one looked carefully for a meal than hunger could be staved off, at least for Jakart. His brothers had made a kill the day before, however in his initiation of them knowing that he wasn't a virgin he wouldn't be allowed to take from it. It was all in good fun, the grey wolf knowing that his siblings wouldn't let him starve. Several rodents staved off hungers clawing presence.

He struggled to his paws with a shake of his pelt. Enough rest, his black paws taking him down through the thick vegetation towards Callisto's den. He hadn't had the chance to see the healer for a while, giving her space to grow accustomed to the new land without him being in proximity to her. And as he came along the bend in the creek Jakart saw the she was laying stretched in a patch of grass outside her den that looked fairly comfortable. Her eyes were closed, sleep having taken ahold of her. And still he stepped closer, noting that all wasn't right. Callisto gave a murmur, eyes still closed as her legs twitched in spasms. And still they continued, thoughts clicking for Jakart. She was having a nightmare. The grey wolf stepped over her and placed a paw on her shoulder, giving a gentle shake so as not to add to whatever terror gripped her slumber.

Walk | Talk | Think

In her dream, her breath came rapidly. Her heart felt like it was jumping in her chest, as if trying its best to leap right out and run ahead of her and away from the danger that lurked somewhere around her. Searching for any visible sign of the demon was useless; in the white of the snow, Lel was nothing more than a phantom, a ghost, capable of hiding anywhere he chose and blending in so well that he was all but invisible when he wished to be. And Callisto knew now of all times he would use that to his advantage in order to get as close to her as he could get without being detected. Her gaze was frantic as she fought to move more quickly through the snow, no longer searching for her children but now searching for an escape. Useless as it might have been, she could not relinquish herself to this fate another time, not even in her dreams. Her grey paws clawed, scrambled, desperately trying to drag herself through the wintry wood, but even for all her efforts she still felt the presence closing in, could sense him drifting closer.

With another sickening twist in her stomach, darkness suddenly closed in around her, blotting out whatever light source had enabled her to see just seconds before. Callisto froze and felt whatever hope she had of escaping plummet away. This was new. Not once, yet, had she been tossed back into the pitch black cavern where her life had begun its downward spiral into nightmares. Until now. And though she looked left and right around her, seeing nothing and no one around her, she could feel him close and knew he would only get closer. The incoherent mumbles she had been making very quietly became audible as she murmured, "No," below her breath, her body still twitching from the fright her mind was putting her through. In a last ditch effort, her dream-self tried to walk through the darkness, but even before Callisto could complete that first step she felt paws on her, drawing her back, and heard his growling chuckle.

Her body lurched as she came to and feeling someone touching her she immediately began to struggle, just as frightened and desperate to get away as she had been in her dreams. Heart hammering, she looked up quickly as she tried to push away, expecting to see the face of her tormenter, the purple eyes that promised her destruction within their malicious depths. But it was not the demonic purple that she saw. Eyes of two different colors - one brilliant, sapphire blue and the other rich, dark gold - stared back at her with concern, from a face that she recognized, and between her surprise and disbelief Callisto stopped struggling. "Jak?" Her voice was little more than a whisper, staring upward into his face incredulously until relief filled her silvery blue eyes and her body began to tremble and shake with the realization she was no longer dreaming. The nightmare was over.

He continued to gently nudge the healers side, concern washing over his features. Poor Callisto. Nightmares were a horrible thing to be put through, especially because you wake up at the worst part of it, heart hammering and eyes snapping open as you remember that you were dreaming. Jakart had only a few nightmares in his life, each of them terrible in their own way. Callisto mumbled something, almost a 'No' if he heard her correctly. And still he tried to shake her awake and draw her away from the horror.

His efforts paid off, Callisto coming to and immediately she began to scramble and thrash, a paw smacking against the foreleg touching her. Jakart's eyes met hers with concern. A whine left him when she whispered his name. "Callisto? I noticed you were in distress..." The grey wolf then trailed off and looked away, paw withdrawing from her shoulder. He knew now she didn't like casual touching, and as he looked back at his once mate he saw that she was beginning to shake, whatever she had been dreaming about having traumatized her badly. It surely had been a night terror, and the grey male eased himself onto his belly, hoping that his presence would comfort her and keep her away from whatever dark place she had found herself in during her slumber.

Walk | Talk | Think

Instinctively her body wanted to draw in on itself, curl up into a tight ball and wait until the shaking subsided and she felt strong enough to face what her subconscious mind had dragged her through. It was not an unfamiliar thing to her but rather something she had experienced enough in those first weeks of gaining her freedom the year prior that she knew now what to expect from it, and had grown to seeing this as the only response possible. But with her gaze still fixed on Jakart, who looked back at her with open concern, Callisto felt self-conscious. Her dreams had a cruel way of throwing her into a state of vulnerability, of stealing away the hard, stoic exterior that she so often wore, and it was embarrassing to think that not once but twice Jak had found her in that state and both times he had been a source of relief for her. He seemed to be making a habit of being there when she needed him, like a lucky charm turning her bad luck around, but in a way his actions reminded her of Maximous, and understanding an easy dependency could develop there she was reluctant to relax around him.

He appeared to have picked up on her tendencies in the months that they had been...getting to know one another, and rather than swoop in and offer her immediate comfort he lay across from her, close but not close enough to impose upon her space. Though he was doing exactly what she had conditioned him to do, the healer could not stop the little twinge of longing that she felt as she recalled the last time she had intentionally sought his comfort, remembering how soothing it was to feel like someone else cared. Could the dependence already be forming? In a stubborn sort of way, Callisto only allowed herself to curl up slightly, still shaking as she forced her breaths in and out easily and leaving the majority of her attention on her company across from her though she was now making an effort to calm herself from the scare she had been given.

Distress. That was a pretty accurate description for what she felt. Hopeless and defeated seemed to work just as well. Callisto made herself draw in another breath and release it slowly before she allowed herself to answer him. "Just another nightmare," she said aloud, the same words she had been reminding herself of since she had woken up to see him standing over her, the same words she reminded herself every time. No matter how terrifying it might have been, it was not real. Lel was still gone, somewhere, her children were still wherever they had ended up, possibly still with their demon-father, and she was still safely inside the Fern Gulley surrounded by all her plants and herbs. She curled her tail more tightly around her tucked hind legs and outstretched her head over her grey forelegs, still shaking and still forcing each breath into and out of her lungs slowly.

Jakart eyed the shaking healer with concern in the dim light of the den. Poor Callisto. He wanted to lay by her side and say that everything was going to be all right. But honestly he didn't think such actions would be received with acceptance. Sure she had come with him to a place where she could hone her craft. He had made love to her when asked, twice. But still she remained aloof to any advances in being friends. All temporary fixes for whatever demons her mind harbored. Even when arriving in the Gulley she had denied sleeping together in the same den, and so she was left to her own devices for a few days. The cat that loitered around wouldn't been much help answering his questions, Jakart just knew that the feline hated him for being the second piece of the puzzle to Callisto's woes in the past and how she used him.

And so he would simply remain in place and watch the she wolf shake, ever concerned for his once mate as she mentioned a nightmare. If she just told him what was bothering her then maybe she would feel better. Callisto could dodge the question, again, and they would be back to square one. He would remain confused and she would keep bottled up whatever troubles of the moment that eat away her insides. Jakart would crawl over to her side and lay down to situate himself beside Callisto, a sudden but bold venture in their confusing relationship when it came to personnel space. "Do... do you want to talk about it?" Jakart whispered, his eyes set on hers.

Walk | Talk | Think

Eventually her breathing did calm though her body continued to shake, little tremors and shutters that were entirely outside of her control. Resisting her body's natural response to curl up tightly and close her eyes was difficult and made her feel possibly even more awkward than giving in would have, but her stubbornness was strong and disliked the idea of crumbling under the weight of her problem when someone could see it. At least in this way the healer had something to take her mind off of what she had been seeing in her sleep. Her blue eyes remained fixed on Jakart where he lay across from her, continuing to war with herself on how she should feel about his part in all of this. He had said once already that he did not object to what they were doing, their convenient, physical relationship, but he was always there. Could he really just be trying to make himself available to her...or was there more to it than that?

No matter how she tried thinking about it, Callisto could not decide one way or the other, and he was not making matters any easier on her. He stayed at a distance for a while, to the point she had convinced herself he was going to follow what she suspected he thought she wanted from him, but to her surprise he began to move. Without a word of warning, Jak began to crawl closer to her, earning an even more pointed stare in his direction, and then scooted himself to lay at her side. At first she was reluctant, even rolled just enough so that her side did not touch his as he settled into place there next to her. The cat's warnings rang loudly within her mind - Don't lead on the poor kid! - but after a few more seconds of serious thought Calli relaxed and laid down, letting her side touch his. She had made it clear from the start what he should expect, or at least she thought she had. It was not going to be her job to protect any fragile hearts should feelings develop and get in the way. And what the hell, she had already caved in to his gentle comfort once; what was one more time, especially when she already knew what to expect?

She was sure he could feel the shaking of her body now if he had not noticed it before, but she made no attempt to hide it. Instead, she leaned further into him, as if trying to bring the steadiness of his body into her own so that she could be still too. Her head turned toward him, momentarily catching his eye, and his words stopped her before she could reach out and draw in a deeper breath of his scent. Talk about it? Was that what other wolves did, talked about their nightmares? She had never really had someone like that - perhaps she might have, once, but that relationship had been severed months ago - and honestly she did not know how one did it. Besides, what good was it going to do for her to say it all out in the open? It would change nothing, nor would it stop the dreams from coming back again. It was pointless.

But there was still an element of danger to the trip she had made north that lingered even now, and a thread of truth to the nightmare her mind had woven for her during her sleep. Maybe if Jakart knew, if he understood, he would be able to help her if her nightmares became reality again. "It's the same nightmare I used to have," she explained, lowering her gaze as her expression smoothed into something stoic and distant. "I haven't had it in a while, but I think going north triggered it again. I was searching for them, these two pups," - My pups, she thought, though they were never really mine at all - "in the forest beside the grounded ship. A snowstorm was setting in, and the wind was loud but I could hear them crying still." Even thinking of it, she could still hear the sound, faint but demanding and so pitiful, so helpless. "I needed to find them, but it got harder to see, harder to follow their cries. After a while I could feel someone watching me. Some thing hiding in the storm. He was following me. Hunting me."

Another shudder, stronger than the rest, raced through her body, and she took a second to collect herself before continuing. "Usually the dream stops there. This time, it didn't. Everything went dark. I couldn't see, but I knew he was there. We were inside the cavern again. Just like when it happened." The shaking and trembling of her body became stronger as she neared the end of her tale, remembering not so much the dream but the reality it was based on. It nearly stole her voice away, made her want to stop telling her story even though it was nearly done. They were not memories she wanted to revisit and relive. At odds with herself, half certain she would regret it as soon as she finished, Callisto continued her story at a whisper, the shaking of her body beginning to manifest itself in her voice. "I could feel his paws on me, pulling me to him. He had me. But when I woke up," she stated, at last lifting her gaze to meet his with a look that was some mixture of awe, disbelief, and wariness, "it was only you." She still did not know what to make of that fact, knew even less how the tale woven into her nightmare might be received by the one who had woken her from it. But as much to herself as to him, she ended on a quiet, whispered mutter, her gaze drifting away again, "It was just a nightmare."

As expected when Jakart settled beside Callisto the healer would shift away so that there was no touching between them. Still strange after their mating, but one he had gotten used to and expected. But this time was different as he drew his paws underneath him, feeling her ebony pelt brushing against his side. But the contact grew into to something more whole, and he could feel more presently the way she shook like a leaf in the breeze, their eyes meeting. Jakart could almost see her mind turning through her eyes as she started to recount her dream... nightmare.

Callisto began with saying that it was the same one, though she hadn't had it in a while. She had been searching for two pups, and right away Jakart knew his assumption after their first session when she was in heat had been right. Her heated words after their first time mating about taking an herb so their wouldn't be any pups this time. This time. Having another accident. Jakart began to grow numb. He knew it. Knew that she had been no fair maid when she had lain for him the first time to appease her heat. But her tale continued, a scene of a ship grounded in the snow at the edge of a forest, the pups cries driving her need to find them amidst a growing snowstorm. One that grew worse and hard to see in, and someone was following her, stalking his prey that was the dreamer amidst the snow storm, Callisto.

Jakart gave a knowing nod, ears intent on listening. But her story didn't end where it should have. Callisto's dream was now suddenly dark, 'He' whoever that was, was with her, back in a cavern where it had happened. He felt her tremble against him, Jakarts mind drawing towards one horrible conclusion as everything between the two of them began to snap into place. But he couldn't interrupt, not when she was still continuing with her story. His ears pinned forward as his friend continued with but a whisper, feeling her quaking next to him. Callisto uttered what he knew to be true, but not how he wished it had happened. The male is the cavern had his paws around her now and was pulling her back towards him to commit the vile deed. And just as the son of bitch had his hips up against hers Callisto had been shaken awake. Jakart stared back at her, the growing rage that locked his teeth together and furrowed his brow into a tight scowl. And already he felt his emotions dissipate with the way she looked at him. Simply saying it was a nightmare.

A nightmare about her being raped, stopped before she had to relive the lengthy deed forced upon her. Already Jakart felt felt her jaws along his throat, the way she had snarled at him when he had rose upon her back those two seasons ago to help dull her heat. The way she wanted him to distract her from coming back from the north. And he did, he mindlessly did so to see to his friends physical satisfaction. And he had done so to both of their pleasure, but Jakart knew, just knew that she had been thinking of her time in the caverns being violated underneath the male. The grey wolf scooted even closer up against her pelt and wordlessly draped a foreleg across her shoulder. He was here for Callisto in whatever capacity she needed him to be.

Walk | Talk | Think

She might not have been watching him very closely through the telling of her nightmare, too caught up in the sickening details of it to process anything other than what she was saying and the vision those words elicited, but when she had finally glanced his way Callisto could see the rage boiling away beneath the grey male's typically timid expression. It might have surprised her if she was not still under the influence of her nightmare, still shaking and focusing the majority of her attention on trying to calm her body and sending the distressing images of the dream from her mind. Part of the reason she had targeted Jakart with her advances was because of the calm, quiet, submissiveness she could remember seeing in him compared to other males she had been around. He might have trained in fighting, might even have possessed the build for it, but she had never truly envisioned him as aggressive or strong enough in character to fully embody that lifestyle. But she had seen it there in his mismatched eyes, in the furrow of his brow and the set of his jaw, and she wondered if it was because of the sad injustice in her tale or because it had happened to her.

The tremors in her body worsened with the conclusion to her story and showed no sign of letting up again soon. She was still unsure whether speaking it all out loud had been of any benefit. If anything, it seemed to have made things worse as the trembling of her body was indicating. It had made the images in her mind stronger too, giving them all a voice as if to make them real, as real as the realities they were based off of. The black and grey healer tucked her head slightly, the sliver of regret she felt beginning to grow, but as she felt Jak scoot closer to her, felt his foreleg slide across her shoulders, she knew she was not the only one affected by the events she had recalled. There was a moment where she did nothing, simply lay with her side pressed to his as he rested his foreleg over her shoulders, but recalling how gentle and soothing his touch could be when she surrendered to it, Callisto knew deep down that was what she had wanted all along.

She turned, rolled slightly onto her side, so that she could face him more directly. Silvery blue eyes studied his consoling expression as she tried to gauge his thoughts, whether this had all been a part of his plan or if he had really only meant the gesture as a small comfort to her. Either way, she had already made up her mind. Her wary but resigned gaze lowered from his as she scooted her shaking body closer to him, wriggling further into his embrace and accepting it without further resistance. Lowering her head, she closed her eyes and let her forehead tuck against his chest and allowed her nose to softly skim his fur, drawing in soft breaths that were full of his scent. It was like a balm to the pain left over by the nightmare, soothing the ache in her being and reminding her more than ever that she was not alone in this. Jak knew, all of it she wagered by the initial look on his face, and he was offering her comfort. Before she might have planted the thought into her mind only to appease her distress, to fool herself into thinking he cared about her safety and happiness. But this time...this time she felt it might actually be true.  

Callisto rolled more to face him as he brought his leg around her frame, shifting up against him like a pup wanting the warmth of a comforting mother. Jakart couldn't see her eyes, but he could feel her muzzle tucked up against his chest. Each time she inhaled he could feel his fur be disturbed, the breathy pants as his friend shook and fought off the effects of the dream. Just a bit his grip tightened and drew her close enough to where her legs would be tucked against him. After the recounting of her tale Jakart was in no mood for sleep, eyes giving a glance to where the dens entrance was. The scent of herbs was a bit much to deal with, Jakart not knowing how the healer dealt with the stinging and the burning of the medicinal plants on the senses.

The male gave a runny sniff. Lior would like this, a different more rustic cache of what she was probably used to in Donostrea. His thoughts just as easily turned back to Callisto. When they had met up for the second time she was in the process of returning to her den and looking for a plant. He could only assume it was something to dull the senses. And instead she found him. Jakart now mentally grimaced at what had followed between the two of them. But all the same, what had happened during her in the cavern the grey wolf vowed he would do whatever it took to keep her happy. Even... even if she asked to help her with his body. As much as it would stir his imagination of the male who had taken her Jakart would see to it that Callisto had whatever she needed. And if all she needed right now was an embrace to distract her from the nightmare then he'd do it wholeheartedly. "I've got you..." A tentative lick was placed between his friends ears, a light shush given as he started to rub a paw through her scruff.

Walk | Talk | Think

It was weird to Callisto, purposefully seeking out the comforting embrace of another. For so long, as long as she could remember, her pains and discomforts had only ever been her own, and she had been forced to endure them by her own strength. The lesson had been ingrained in her after the disappearance of both of her parents before she was a year old, and her difficulty with trust and opening up had only been damaged further by the events that had transpired during her second year. She was supposed to be strong and self-reliant, capable of taking a beating, getting up, and moving on without help. It made her feel very unlike herself, less than herself, to crawl closer to this male who had only been meant as a temporary distraction and draw from his strength what she could not make strong within herself. She might have been shaking, but he was steady beside her, and his paw wrapped gently tighter to draw her closer into an embrace that offered her a sense of safety she had been long without.

With her strength compromised by both the nightmare and Jakart's steady comfort, the black and grey healer could feel her hold on her composure slipping. In vain, she tried to fight to keep it in place, clenching her silvery blue eyes shut as she willed the trembling of her lips that had suddenly started to stop, the shaking of her body to cease, and the sudden, worsening ache in her chest to abate. It's just a nightmare... It's just a nightmare! She wanted to cry the words out, to scream them and scold herself that she had no reason to behave in this way, no excuse for her to get so worked up over something that had not even happened.

But it had happened. Nightmare or not, the events that had played out in her dream were events that had also played out in life, events that had scarred her far deeper than she would have imagined. They haunted her, tortured her, and made life miserable as she struggled to overcome the damage that had been done to her psyche. She wanted more than anything to simply forget, to wipe it all from her memory, and no matter how close she got it never truly left her but always reared its grotesque, demonic head when she let her guard down. Now was no different, only she had faltered in defending herself from it in time, and in her stumble Jakart had stepped forward to be that shield for her, offering his strength and compassion when she had none of her own. I've got you, he whispered, and with the consoling lick he placed against her head and the soothing motion of his paw, Callisto broke down.

What feeble thread of composure she had been clinging to finally snapped, and with its release came months and months of repressed tears, overwhelming her as she choked out a sudden, uncontrollable sob. With her paws caught between them she could not reach out for him but pressed her face further into his chest as she cried and shook within his embrace, the quaking of her body worse now that her control had finally shattered. She had tried for so long to carry the heavy weight that was the burden of her history on her shoulders alone, but her strength had finally given out on her.

The ebony fur of Callisto's scruff parted between each soothing stroke of his claws as he attempted to sooth his friend. The effects of the nightmare still ravaged her quaking form, the shaking and shivering being felt in spasms, and the only thing Jakart could do was hold her. He damned the wolf who had raped her, he damned the unfair way that Callisto had fallen into stride with having the chance to relive the deed when she slept. Even if she wished it not to be so Jakart would now stay closeby whenever she slept. This was no way for ones slumber to be as it was currently. And judging by the way she was curled against him, when casual physical contact had been something she'd push away between them, there wouldn't be an objection to the idea.

Callisto then broke in that moment, the she wolf's anguished cry muffled by the way she buried her face into his chest. The sound of her sobs were dulled by his embrace, Callisto squirming against him like a pup wanting warmth and sustenance from it's mother. Jakart adjusted his embrace to where he simply held her now, repeated shushing while gently rocking Callisto back and forth. There was worry that his friend might start to hyperventilate with the way she was sucking in breathes enough to where the fur on his chest was being disturbed. Another lick was placed between her ebony ears, Jakart idly humming a tune while he waited, however long, for Callisto find a sense of calm.

Walk | Talk | Think

Against her will, Callisto continued to cry against Jakart's chest, fully at the mercy of the unexpected, severe emotions that ravaged through her system. Her body shook but was carefully held and supported by the gentle grey wolf, rocked softly for reasons that were beyond her but that somehow still seemed to feel right and consoling. Her expression, though hidden against his chest, was twisted in a look of inner pain and emotional turmoil, her pitiful sobs coming earnestly if not quieter than the initial outburst had been. And no matter how tightly she clenched her eyes shut, there was nothing that could be done to stifle the tears.

It was horrible. She was supposed to be stronger than this! A stupid nightmare was not supposed to be strong enough to undo her hard-earned composure! Though it did more harm than good, she cursed herself for it, for her weakness and inability to keep it together despite knowing deep down that the sending that had visited her in the night was one of the worst she could have imagined. It came with repressed memories, instances in her life that had caused deep, lasting wounds on her psyche, and the fact that not once during her kidnapping and even beyond had she enabled her guard to come down enough to let the feelings that had been there below the surface of her brave, defensive front to affect her in any way.

Powerless, the healer was trapped inside of her weakness, willing herself to fight the sending and the response it elicited in her, but she was not strong enough and eventually gave up. In fact, the more she cried, the longer she carried on, the more she began to realize what a weight it all was on her and how exhausting releasing the fear and depression through her tears was. It took a while, longer certainly than she would have liked, for the emotional rampage to even begin to subside, but eventually the sobs quieted into silent tears and the shaking in her body was nothing more than occasional trembles. The worst seemed to be over.

Face wet with tears, Callisto lay silent and drained against Jakart, unmoving and at a loss. While she was embarrassed by breaking down in front of him - and letting herself be pulled in by his kindness - she felt too exhausted to move, too exhausted to fully acknowledge how her outburst must have looked from his point of view. She wanted nothing more than to curl up and sleep and pretend it had not happened while praying that strength would find her when she woke. She could not bring herself to face him just yet, so Callisto did not move or draw her face away from Jak's chest but let their position hide her expression from him. "Stay with me," she muttered just above a whisper, in a voice hoarse from crying. Too tired even to fight her worsening reliance on him, she merely stayed wrapped up within his embrace, hoping that he would stay at least until unconsciousness claimed her for another time that day.

Jakart would continue to hold Callisto close and relinquish himself to provide whatever comfort he could to the she wolf right now. Gods, even his brow would start to crease in sorrow as his imagination on what her inner turmoil must be like right now. All the thoughts and... remembered actions, all nothing the grey male could imagine. The best he could do for Callisto right now would be the rock to cling to in the storm. Right now he was her safe harbor as they lay exposed in the grass as the storm of emotions were let out. Jakart shifted to gather up the she wolf more securely in his embrace. A momentary glance was given around for the little black feline that accompanied Callisto.

He must've been like this to his brothers in the months following his parents deaths. Hardly consolable before finding a new rigidity and support from his siblings as they all coped with the loss together. Callisto's sobs were calming from where her face was buried against his chest, noting that the shaking was lessening to an easier degree. She was doing better though the healer didn't squirm remove herself or push away his contact in the usual manner. A stolen glance was given down at the she wolf when she ask that he stay with her. "I... I will. For however long you have need of me." Jakart whispered into an ear. Forelegs still drew her back and forth, his head settling against the ground. Eventually he would hope that Callisto would be gently lulled into a peaceful slumber by the soothing motions of his provided embrace before sleep finally claimed him.

-Exit Jakart via sleep-

Walk | Talk | Think

Defeated, exhausted, Callisto hardly moved as Jakart agreed to stay as long as she needed him to. In truth, she had expected no less; he was always there, always concerned for her in a way that was both unsettling and pointless. It just made sense that he would continue to go out of his way at her request. But no matter how much she told herself she did not need that sort of kindness she could no longer deny that there was a part of her that wanted it, that wished for that sense of protection and care. She had no intention of reciprocating those sentiments - she was still not convinced she could - but there was nothing to stop her from taking what she could get.

There was no guilt, no concern, as she sighed gently into his fur and squirmed just slightly in place, settling comfortably within the circle of his forelegs while resting her cheek against his chest. Would the nightmares stay away now? There was still no way to know, at least not with certainty. She had never tried explaining the details to anyone before, and could not fathom what type of effect it would have on her subconscious mind. But she was so tired now, so drained from her emotional outburst... Please let them stay away. Closing her eyes, the healer felt the soothing, rocking motions that Jak made lull her further into a dreamy, half-wakeful state. It was peaceful, consoling, and eventually it did draw her into slumber, and whether she dreamed or not she could not recall.

-Exit Callisto-