you're the satellite

Watching Lillith slowly lose the battle with weariness drew a slow smile across Romulus' face while she slowly succumbed to fatigue. There was something entrancing about watching her just go about her life. Not because she had been sick or because she was frail, but because of the indomitable spirit that dwelled within that fragile body. She was a fascinating conundrum, a problem he wanted to work and solve. Why? Because she was his friend, and when Romulus got a wolf close to him, he didn't let them go. She yawned again, and this time Roman joined her with a wide-mouthed yawn of his own. The infirmary had grown darker over time, with only the light of the moon outside and the fire in the hearth illuminating the room.

"You can call me Roman if you like," he remarked as she bid him goodnight. "Goodnight, Lillith. I'm glad I met you too." From there, the room fell silent, only the crackling of the fire keeping the room from being totally quiet. Roman watched Lillith while she fell asleep, making sure she got to sleep fine and found the rest she needed before he let his weary body and tired mind begin to follow after her. Silver eyes began to slowly disappear behind heavy eyelids, keeping his gaze on Lillith for as long as he could. He felt a strange draw to the young girl, the kind he hadn't experienced before. Right before he fell asleep watching her breathing deepen into gentle snores, he whispered a quiet, "Have sweet dreams..." And then Romulus fell into a deep sleep.

---

Romulus' sleep had been mostly dreamless and empty, as it usually was. It allowed him to sleep restfully, but remain alert. That was why it was so easy for him to pick out the sound of Lillith's quiet whimpers in the middle of the night. Silver eyes flickered open, gazing around the darkness of the room while he tried to sort out his bearings. The infirmary was entirely dark now, lit only by the moonlight coming through the windows. The fire must have burned out at some point. Another series of whines from Lillith brought Roman's attention immediately back to her. In the dark, he could just make out her trembling and twitching legs. She was in a deep sleep, and judging by the sounds she was making, it wasn't a pleasant one. Her louder cry was what finally brought Roman back into the real world.

With a stretch of his long body, Romulus shifted to hang his paws off the edge of the bed and face Lil. "Hey, Lillith?" he whispered over to her in the darkness. She didn't respond. "Hey! Lillith, you okay?" Still the girl kept twitching and crying in her sleep. Damn, she must have been deep in it. Pursing his lips with concern, Romulus slid down from the cot and padded quietly over to her bed. He climbed up onto the edge of her cot, reaching a tender paw over to gently rub her shoulder and try to free her from her nightmare. "Lillith? Hey, Lillith? Can you hear me? Wake up. Everything's okay, you just need to wake up."

"Romulus Armada"