A dark path laid with thorns
![](https://i.ibb.co/Dwy3vB3/salt-daphne.png)
Her memories had come back in dribs and drabs as she spent some time wandering the halls of the castle. She was glad it had been Artorias that found her and not one of those monstrous cats that had appeared just before she left, but it also didn’t make the castle her home. Sure she loved the wolves that lived there, but she didn’t feel like she fit. They were all so accomplished, so certain about the path they wanted to take and she? Well, she wasn’t exactly sure, but she didn’t want to burden the wolves that lived here with her uncertainties either.
Even with the fat moon high in the sky, she couldn’t sleep, so she had wandered out to the garden with its soothing scents of mint and thyme, lavender and rosemary, and the underlying scent of another sibling that had chosen not to stay in the castle. It was only as she drew closer that she heard the shuffling of running paws, the low grumbles and rapid breathing. Mismatched eyes peered through the dark to find her brother seemingly in the depths of a nightmare. She should know, she was plagued by them too. She trod carefully, settling herself against Grimshaw’s back, at least if he came up swinging she would be harder to reach behind him. Then she carefully leaned across to nudge his cheek just below his ear. "Shh, it’s just a dream…" she murmured in her most reassuring voice. "You can wake up, it’s just a dream."
"speech".
![[Image: Daphne-Chibi1.png]](https://i.ibb.co/7NjV9kt/Daphne-Chibi1.png)
![[Image: crossfitdaph.png]](https://i.ibb.co/rQ7M0r0/crossfitdaph.png)
"Speech!"
Although his time in the Hallows was coming to a close, he still couldn't find sleep any easier. Tonight he traveled away from the castle a bit to try and see if that would help. The familiar halls weren't helping any if he were being honest and so it made sense that maybe leaving for the night might help him find some kind of sleep. He hadn't slept a bit since he left Malachai in his den that night, so really he hadn't slept since the night before he left. That was many days ago now and his body was beginning to shut down, using the last little bit of energy he had left to frantically search for a safe resting place.
He found it within the garden nearby the castle. He remembered placing a rock here to symbolize his mothers rock up in Boreas and sought it out quickly. Never forgetting it's location, Grimshaw would curl around the stone and as soon as his body relaxed he fell asleep immediately. It wasn't going to be a good dream though, and that much he already suspected before now. His legs frantically kicked around, forelimbs reaching upwards as he relived the drowning event in his mind.
The presence and warmth that wrapped around his back had done little to comfort the scared man, his voice whimpering softly as his slept. Her words had gone unheard, but in the nightmare he did move to press a bit closer into her.
welcome to the freakshow
that may not be reflected in his art!
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![](https://i.ibb.co/Dwy3vB3/salt-daphne.png)
The body before her shifted back and Daphne held steady, but it didn’t seem her quiet words were enough to wake the wolf that was sleeping before her. Instead, she laid her head across Grimshaw’s shoulder, resuming her quiet white noise shushing, slowing and deepening her own breathing to travel through the places where their bodies connected. Her hope was that it might connect with him somewhere subconsciously, and might help him fight whatever demons it was he was battling in his dreams.
It wasn’t much, but it was all she could offer, and she only hoped he’d be ok with her presence whenever it was he finally found his way back to the waking world.
"speech".
![[Image: Daphne-Chibi1.png]](https://i.ibb.co/7NjV9kt/Daphne-Chibi1.png)
![[Image: crossfitdaph.png]](https://i.ibb.co/rQ7M0r0/crossfitdaph.png)