Lightning flashed outside the den as thunder crashed like heavy drums in the empty black sky. It was a dark and stormy night over Boreas, the rains of this year's autumn striking in force on this night and drenching the grass plains with sheets of heavy rain and howling winds. Inside the warmth and dryness of the den, Satira whimpered quietly in her sleep, her little legs kicking feebly out at nothing while she ran with all of her might in her dreams. Her face contorted in panic and terror as her nightmares claimed her mind.

She was running, running as hard and as fast as her tiny legs could carry her. She didn't know where she was or what was going on. Everything was dark all around her, but just behind her she could hear the rippling of scaled muscles getting closer and closer. Satira didn't need to look back to know what was chasing her. She panted as she ran with all her might, desperately trying to get away from the reptilian predator hot on her heels. Her muscles ached with the strain, her lungs burned for oxygen she knew she'd be deprived of if her hunter caught her. But there was no escape anywhere in sight! No Asla to save her, no place to hide, nothing! A sudden bolt of green shot in front of her vision, making her yelp in fright, but the sound was immediately cut off as a cold tubular body wrapped around her and began to squeeze hard. Satira tried to scream, tried to beg, tried to breathe, but it was in vain. The snake squeezed tighter around her. Satira' heart beat faster and faster, desperately trying to keep her alive. The coils tightened, tighter, tighter, tighter...! And then Satira felt her body break.

Satira shot up with a start, gasping in fright and scrambling about with wildly flailing paws. One paw accidentally smacked into her brother's side as he lay curled up next to her, but Tira was too far gone in her hysterics to notice if she'd woken him up or not. The little tan-furred girl gasped for breath, looking all over herself with huge eyes to make sure she was all still intact. A dream... it was all just a dream! But the tears falling down Satira's face were very, very real. Curling up onto herself, the little ball of fluff girl covered her face with her tail and paws and sobbed silently to herself in the darkness of the den, thankful for the heavy storm outside drowning out her sounds as she broke down, hating herself for feeling so weak.

"Satira Fatalis"

Arc was flopped over on his back, sleeping hard as the storm raged on, the sound of thunder completely ignored and lost to the sound of his little snores. His paws gave little twitches and kicks occasionally as he dreamed about chasing the pronghorns he had seen out on the plains with his mother. Not just the little fawn that he had killed, but the big ones that he wasn't old enough to catch on his own. He dreamed he was as big as their mother, old enough that his mane wasn't the fuzzy mess of fur it currently was. Unfortunately, he was suddenly yanked out of his dream when he felt a hard thump on his side, making him jump as he was started awake, his blue eyes flying open. His gaze landed on his mother first, her face upside down in his view from his back. Rolling back to his stomach, he looked around and found his sister curled up a little bit away from him.

For a second he thought maybe he imagined it since he didn't immediately notice either of the wolves in the den being awake, but just as he was about to lay his head back down to go back to sleep he noticed the little shake and tremble of Tira's body from her sobs. His ears flicked back with worry and his brows pulled together as he shuffled closer, snuggling up to her and nosing at her cheek. "Tira? Are you okay?" he whispered so he couldn't wake their mother up in the process. He wasn't really the soft, caring type typically. More often than not he'd rather pounce on his sister and challenge her to a fight than anything else, but feeling the wet fur on her cheeks from where she was crying shook him and he frowned as he nuzzled into her neck with concern. He was so used to seeing her with her bold personality and quips that were always too quick for him to keep up with that seeing her like this didn't make sense in his mind.

"Arcturus Fatalis"

Satira was focusing so hard on trying to forget her nightmare and stop her crying that she hadn't heard her brother start to wake until she felt his warm body snuggling closer with his nose prodding at her cheek. She gasped in surprise, but refused to unfurl to face him. She didn't want her brother to see the tears cutting through the fur on her cheeks. She didn't want him to see her weak and afraid. They were Fatalis wolves; they were supposed to be better than that! But right now, she didn't feel strong or brave or like a Fatalis at all. Her self-confidence had taken a tremendous hit, like bringing a baseball bat to a mirror. Arcturus nuzzled into her neck to try and get her attention, but Tira just kept her face hidden underneath her tail.

"I'm f-fine!" she lied quietly between choking sobs that shook her tiny body. She clenched her jaw, hoping he would just accept her words at face value and go back to sleep. She already felt bad enough for waking him up, now she just felt silly over herself. Pull it together, Tira! Look at yourself! You look like a fool! "I'm s-sorry I w-woke you. You can g-go back to sleep, Arc..." Please, just leave me alone...

"Satira Fatalis"

Her stuttered words between her sobbing made his chest hurt and instead of reassuring him so he would leave her be like she had hoped it did the opposite. He didn't know what was going on or why she was crying, all he knew was that she was and that wasn't okay. Nothing and no one was ever allowed to make his sister cry. He got up so he could come around to lay right in front of her where her face was currently hidden under her own paws and tail, her tiny body curled into a ball of tan fluff. He tried to nose at her cheek again, his paws gently pulling hers away from her face so he could uncurl her from herself so that it would be easier for him to wrap his forelegs around her shoulders, hugging her tight into his chest. He didn't ask if she was okay again because she obviously wasn't, but he didn't really know what to do to help either besides make her snuggle and try to comfort her.

"It's alright..." he insisted softly, pressing his cheek to the top of her head as he hid her into the fluff on his chest instead of letting her cower alone. "You're alright... I'm here, Mom is here..." Another crack of thunder sounded outside, the storm continuing to rage on and on. He was cure it didn't have anything to do with the storm since there had been a ton of storms this whole last season and none of them had bothered her before now. "Do you wanna talk about it...?" He asked after a little while, leaving it open to her. If she just wanted to snuggle and go back to sleep then he'd let her but if she wanted to tell him what was wrong then he'd listen to her too.

"Arcturus Fatalis"

Despite her protestations and demands for Arcturus to go back to sleep, her annoying big brother instead got up from beside her. She heard him begin to move to her head, then felt his paws begin to pry hers away from her hidden face. She grumbled in protest, but he was stronger than her and managed to pull her tiny feet away from her head, forcing her to blink through tear-blurred eyes up at him. She scowled, but her heart wasn't in it, and it came out more like a sad pout instead of an intimidating glare. She sniffled a few times, trying to stop the tears from cutting through the fur on her cheeks, but it was impossible. Bit by bit, Arc began to uncurl her tiny balled-up body so he could pull her into a snuggle against him.

Satira wanted to resist, to kick and push him away, but she didn't. Instead, she let herself bury her face away in his excessive poofy fur on his chest while he curled his body protectively around hers. With their size difference even at this age, she fit snugly against him like a puzzle piece as he guarded her. Tira sniffled again, trying to keep herself from sobbing and getting his fur messy as well, but a few stray tears managed to escape her bleary eyes. Hidden in the white and gold fluff of his chest, Satira sank into the warmth and security he offered her, her brother's familiar scent and voice soothing away the churning fear in her belly. He whispered soft nothings to her, trying to calm her down, and it worked. She was no longer alone and gradually the fear began to fade into a distant dark memory.

They were quiet for some time, Tira just listening to the storm outside and Arc's heartbeat from where one of her floppy ears was resting against his chest. The steady beating rhythm helped keep her breathing even and her body relaxed in his embrace. Arc asked if she wanted to talk about it. She didn't—she really, really didn't. She didn't want to tell him about how she'd nearly died or how she'd failed to help their mother or even protect herself or how she wasn't worthy to be a Fatalis. But she did anyway. "I'm sorry I woke you up..." she said again more quietly against his chest, tiny paws gripping at his fluffy fur for stability. "Arc... would you be sad if I died...?" She didn't look up at him, unwilling to pull herself away from her brother, but the words had been put out there. If Asla hadn't mentioned what had happened to her to him, he was about to find out.

"Satira Fatalis"

He could feel her starting to relax while he hugged her close. Eventually tension in her shoulders began to loosen as the little shakes from her sobs faded away and eventually the sniffles he heard mostly stopped as well. He didn't let go of her though even as she began to calm down. Even without knowing what was bothering her or what had caused her to react like this he knew he had to protect her from whatever unnamed force had done this. He had never seen her cry or even scared really, but now that he had he knew he hated it and he never wanted to let anything ever do this to her again.

When he asked if she wanted to talk about what was bothering her, she didn't really tell him but she didn't deny the offer either. Instead she apologized for waking him up again while she kept her head on his chest, her little paws holding on to his fur. "It's okay... Don't be sorry," he insisted. He would much rather have her wake him up than just lay here scared and crying on her own. Her next question completely caught him off guard though and made his brow furrow. Would he be sad if she died? Was that even really a question? "Of course I would be..." he said softly without hesitation, holding her tighter. He had a weird way of showing that he loved his sister some times considering his idea of fun was roughhousing and hunting, but he obviously loved her. "I'd be devastated if you died... You're my sister, I love you..." He looked down at her with confusion, adding, "Why do you ask...?"

"Arcturus Fatalis"

Satira liked the way Arcturus held her even tighter when her morbid question had been asked. It made her feel safe, cherished, loved to be wrapped up in an embrace, and although Asla had given her more than her fair share of hugs on the day she had nearly been a meal for a giant snake, each one had been a bittersweet reminder of how she had failed her mother and put them both at risk with her recklessness. Arc declared he would be destroyed if she died and that he loved her, and wanted to know why she was asking. Nightmarish flashbacks of scales and darkness and the slow burn of asphyxiation made her tremble with fear in her brother's hold again. Her paws flexed over his chest fur, clinging tight to him.

"Because..." she began, her voice drifting off while she tried to find the courage to tell him what had happened. It would mean reliving it again, but he wanted to know. "...I was nearly killed by a big snake." She burrowed her face deeper into her brother's fluff as if she could escape the entire world in his embrace. "When mom and I were spending time together, we went into the woods, and a big snake attacked us. Mom fought it and I tried to help, but... I just got in the way. It tried to crush me, and... and..." A choking sob shook her form and strangled the words in her throat. She didn't want to tell Arc about how she couldn't breathe or move, how she'd hung there in the snake's coils, watching the world disappear into darkness as death tried to take her. He didn't need to hear it and she didn't want to think about it. She just wanted to forget it all, but she couldn't. She just couldn't...

"Satira Fatalis"

Arc's eyes widened with shock when Tira admitted to him what happened, revealing that she had nearly been killed by a giant snake. He continued to hold her as she hid herself deeper into his fur holding on to him as she described how this giant snake had attacked her and their mother while they were out and how she hadn't been able to help as their mother fought it off and how it had nearly crushed her, her story dissolving into more sobs. He blinked as he tried to comprehend the whole thing. He couldn't picture a snake big enough to cause any kind of threat to his sister and mother - much less big enough to make her feel as if it could have crushed her to death. He hadn't seen anything bigger than the little snakes they'd sometimes see slithering through the grass in the plains. But that didn't really matter as the realization hit him that he really almost lost his sister without even knowing it. He didn't know if he would have been any help or if he would have just gotten in the way too, but the fact that he hadn't been there to protect her still ate at him all the same.

He nuzzled into the back of her neck as he curled around her protectively, his ears pinned back to his head. "It's okay... It's okay..." he whispered gently, holding her tight. He briefly pictured what his like would have been like if Tira had actually been killed, how much he would have missed her being here, how devastated their mother would have been. It was already bad enough on the nights when he stayed with his dad and he didn't get to snuggle with her as he went to sleep. For his life to permanently be like that... "I won't let anything happen to you," he vowed softly as another clap of thunder rolled over head. "I'll stay with you all the time so nothing can ever get to you, okay? Not giant snakes or anything."

"Arcturus Fatalis"

Arcturus seemed genuinely surprised to hear the danger she and their mom had been in. Perhaps because it was as reality breaking for him to hear how they weren't invincible as much as it had been to her to live it. He didn't say anything for a long while, both wolves quiet except for the occasional sniffle from Satira. Then, when he got the ability to move and speak again, Tira felt Arc nuzzle her neck and curl around her as if shielding her from all the dangers of the world. She liked the way he held her tight to his body, liked the way his forelegs squeezed her and made her feel safe. In her brother's arms, she felt protected from everything—he made her feel invincible again.

Arcturus' reassuring words were spoken without the snark or teasing she was used to hearing from him. He spoke with a gentle possessiveness and protectiveness in his youthful voice, vowing to never let anything bad happen to her and to stay with her always to make sure nothing could harm her. Tira sniffled, but already she could feel the tears stopping and her stuttering breathing beginning to calm. Arc's voice was like a soothing mantra amidst the turbulent sea of her emotions. He kept her calm, kept her grounded, sheltered her in the harbor of his embrace. Here, she untouchable, by giant snakes or saber cats or even the gods themselves.

Satira gradually withdrew her face from her brother's fluffy chest, leaning back enough to look into his rich sapphire eyes, her own gray-blue shining with residual tears, but also with an adoration for him. Without saying a word, Satira swallowed back the lump of emotions in her throat and leaned closer until she booped her nose against his, then left the lightest peck on his lips. It was a quiet, reverent thank you for the love and comfort he'd given her.

"I love you, Arc," she whispered softly while she tucked her head neatly beneath his chin, her words almost lost to the booms of thunder and heavy rhythm of the falling rain. They were words she seldom said, usually only under duress when it was expected of her to say she loved her sibling, but in this moment she meant it wholeheartedly. As much as he bugged the hell out of her, she really did love her brother. Arcturus was her rock, and she prayed that never changed. The little girl tried to bury herself in his warmth, feeling the beating of his heart against her cheek with how they were snuggled. She listened to it for a while, counting the beats in her head while feeling his chest rise and fall with each breath, using every little bit of him to make her nightmare little more than a distant memory.

"Satira Fatalis"

Tira eventually lifted her head to look up at him and their blue eyes met, worry on his expression at the tears he saw in her lighter eyes. He didn't quite register the love that was in her gaze as well, he far too focused on making sure the fear that had been plaguing her was chased away, but it did finally click when she leaned forward to tap her nose against his and give him a light little kiss. He blinked with surprise and was too stunned to even respond or fully react for a moment. He was more used to her being angry and annoyed at him for something he did, usually complaining and hitting him - not giving him kisses and telling him that she loved him. His brain eventually caught up to the present and he looked down at her cuddled into his chest, feeling her head tucked up under his chin and a smiled pulled across his lips, squeezing her in his embrace again as he bent his muzzle down to give the top of her head a little kiss in return. As much as he liked teasing and tormenting her, he had to admit that this was pretty nice too.

"I love you too, Tira," he said softly in return as he settled in with his head tucked over hers, letting his eyes close while they held each other close. He had always loved her, but in that way that any big brother loved their little sister - with lots of rough housing and terrorizing with a secret promise to tear apart anyone else that tried to do the same. Sure, they cuddled up together next to their mom at night often enough, but they had never cuddled just the two of them like this, but he liked it a lot. He'd still tease her after this, that would probably never change, but he liked seeing her smile too. He started to slowly drift back to sleep with her wrapped up in his embrace, making sure she felt safe so she could do the same - hopefully this time with no nightmares. But if there were nightmares then he would be there to soothe her again and again as many times as she needed.

"Arcturus Fatalis"