Tell me, am I going crazy?

Artorias was lying awake, listening to the gentle tapping of rain against the windowpanes. Even though summer was coming back with warmer days, the nights could still get pretty cool, so the gentle crackle of the dying fire in the hearth wasn't an unusual accompaniment to the rain outside, the faint orange glow barely illuminating the dimly lit bedroom. He stared up from his bed at the dark, stormy night outside, wishing the gentle rhythm would lull him to sleep soon. Restful nights had become a distant memory since his mother had gotten sick, too much stress and worry on his mind for him to truly enjoy deep sleep. And so Artorias spent another night lying quietly in his bed, tucked beneath furs and blankets, just listening to the sound of the storm and his own gentle breathing, coupled with the occasional sleep croaks from Corbin in the rafters overhead.

While his mind was busy wandering to better days, he heard the soft schnickt of the metal latch to his door lifting and opening. He rolled over on his bed and lifted his head up, peering through the dim lighting to his doorway, seeing the silhouette of a wolf framed in the doorway. The shape of the antlers atop their head were a dead giveaway to their identity, and Artorias watched quietly with a curious gaze while Briar closed the door just as stealthily behind her. "Briar," he whispered in response, stating her name rather than questioning. He knew who she was, the only question was why was she in his room in the middle of the night? "Is everything okay?"

Realizing that was a dumb question, since she wouldn't be here this late if everything was okay, Artorias got to his paws with a stretch of his tired muscles and climbed down from the bed. He slowly crossed the floor to greet Briar by the door, ushering her silently inside toward the fireplace so he could see her better in its fading light. A quick cursory glance over her didn't reveal any injuries, so physically she was okay. But the expression on her face and the quiver in her voice told him something was indeed bothering her. He didn't ask any more questions, instead meeting her turquoise eyes with his own concerned amber gaze, sitting less than a foot away while he let her fill in the blanks with whatever was on her mind—or with what had her up in the middle of the night looking like she'd seen a ghost.

"Artorias" | "Corbin"