Make Me Forget

He sat by the entrance to her den for a long time. He must have drifted in and out of sleep for parts of it, his head thudding against the other side of the entrance anytime his muscles relaxed far enough. He was getting complacent, time was, he could have stood awake and alert for the full length of night. Good food and good sleep only seemed to make it harder.

He had returned well before sunset, as he had been bidden to, and stood guard, in wait for her, for as long as it took for his Princess to return to him. He almost didn’t realise when the small tawny frame darted towards him. He caught her as she ran directly into his coat, throwing herself against him. He wrapped her into a great big hug, resting his head gently against the side of her cheek, ensuring his breaths were deep and soft, and one paw began gentle, rhythmic circles along her back. He said nothing, no silly platitudes or consolation, no asking the reason why. He simply held her, and rubbed, for as long as she needed.