Midnight Clear

She was glad to hear that her intrusion hadn't been the thing to wake Regulus. He was already awake, sitting up and smiling gently at her. Oh, how she would have missed that smile if... Solveiga swallowed hard against a lump in her throat. She couldn't afford to think like that. "I don't... I don't mean to bother you, I just..." Her voice trembled, giving her away. She was scared. She could admit that, couldn't she? The fears she had weren't the fears of a pup. Her nightmares hadn't been about imaginary monsters or things that went bump in the night. Her nightmares were about loss. About being alone in the world again. Regulus was all she had, and she had told him that at least once or twice before. It was pathetic, but it was true.

Taking a deep breath and trying to clear her mind, Solveiga nodded and padded her way into his alcove. This place was full of his scent, which she found very comforting right now. She lay down beside him, mirroring his posture as she settled onto her belly, blue eyes seeking his as she looked up. "I'm fine, now," she replied at last. "I was worried about you... I couldn't sleep, and then I... I was having the most awful nightmares," Solveiga whispered. But she felt safe now. Her fears were still there, but she could face them if Regulus was here, unharmed.

She wanted to tell him everything. She wanted to tell him what her nightmares had been about. But she wasn't sure how he would take it. Sometimes she wondered what it would be like if she were a braver soul. If she could just open up and tell him how she felt.