The Catalyst

Alastor had been so afraid of sleep lately. Ever since his granddaughter had alerted him to the supernatural presence of his father lingering around them, Al was terrified of falling asleep only to come face to face with his greatest demon. That fortunately hadn't happened yet, but there was always the lingering threat right on the edge of sleep, in that last waking moment before your eyes shut. Every night Alastor went to bed fearing he wouldn't wake up the next morning, and every time he would wake up the next day totally fine, rested without any dreams to speak of. This time would be different.

While Alastor drifted off into slumber in his warm, cozy bed, the darkness of sleep claimed his mind. Alastor felt weightless, drifting in an empty black void. And then suddenly he was opening his eyes to bright sunlight streaming through a canopy of trees, the warmth of the light warming his dark fur. A gentle breeze whistled through the forest, rustling the leaves overhead. It was so peaceful, so tranquil here... The sound of a childish giggle caught the dire brute's attention, turning him on his heels to spy the source. A pup. A small girl staring up at him with a big grin and a wagging tail. Alastor's mouth hung open while he stared wide-eyed at the pup.

She was a kaleidoscope of blood red and hot pink fur, with one silver eye and one eye obsidian black.

Alastor stared at the little mashup of himself and Relm, sorrow and pain gripping at his heart. He took a slow step closer to her, and then the girl was off running through the woods, giggling and laughing all the while. As if on instinct, Alastor raced after the child, following her through the maze of trees until he came to a clearing, where the sight almost stopped his heart. Basking in the sunlight was Relm with four pups, each one looking like a conglomeration of their traits. Alastor froze, hovering at the tree line, his face partially in the sunlight while the rest of his body remained in the shade of the forest. His expression was a contortion of shock, grief, pain, yearning, and love. Relm. She was here, right in front of him. Part of him wanted to go right over to her, to see her whole and alive once more. But his paws refused to move, frozen like a statue in the shade like the shadow he was in this world—like he didn't deserve to see her again. He didn't say anything. He didn't move or take any sort of action. He just... stood there and watched. Watched the life he would never be a part of like a ghost outside the window.

"Alastor"