It was a strange night in a stranger land and the world had changed, but not for the better. It was hard to say what was wrong, try as she might Hanako couldn't really put her paw on it. All she knew was that her dreams were dark and clouded purple, whispers filling her ears as she jolted awake from a pain tearing through her stomach As though she was being torn apart from within. She gently patted the bedding to find it was completely dry, nothing was wrong. She was fine and Azure was right there sleeping soundly, as he should be.

And yet Hanako left the den as quietly as she could manage, her breathing calmed as she pushed west and found herself on the shores of Obsidian Beach. It was beautiful here, it always would be, but her attention was drawn to the moon that shone overhead. It was massive and looming, accentuating the tiny blue specks of light that danced and bobbed in the air. Like a poor imitation of fireflies, born from someone's fading memory.

She shouldn't have been surprised when she heard the heavy padding of paws across the dark sand. She turned, her ears flattening as she shot Azure an apologetic smile.

"I didn't mean to wake you."

A single bright eye peeled open sleepily as Azure caught Hana's disturbance and departure. If it was any other wolf he'd leave them to their thoughts and troubles and settle back into sleep, but this was Hanako and she belonged to him. He got to his paws wearily, stretching and shaking out his fur before heading out into the moonlight after her. The world always looked so different at night, but tonight's atmosphere specifically was unlike anything he'd ever seen. A brilliant full moon hung overhead, it's light reflecting brilliantly off the obsidian sands. Hanako turned toward him with an apologetic smile and Az realized just how out of place the colorful koi-wolf was amidst the odd night. Blues and purples reflected off the black sand, floated in the open air around them, and even seemed to touch the grasses that bordered the beach. The night did not feel safe, and Azure was glad he'd decided to follow the delicate autumn wolf west. "And I didn't mean to stalk you, but here we are." He gave her a small smile in return, but it vanished quickly as a bright glowing insect flew past his face and he flinched away from it. "Something feels wrong, but I can't quite put my paw on what." The direwolf murmured, settling in beside her on the sand and leaning his shoulder against her. "Is that why you woke?"   "Speech"

Hanako was quick to meet him in the middle and settled against the bulk of his shoulder. They hadn't even been apart for long, but each passing second felt as though it was being drawn out, stretched for all it was worth. Azure's presence was enough to keep the overwhelming sense of wrongness at bay but it was still there, floating all around them and tingeing the white of her coat. It would have been beautiful, were it not for all the baggage.

"Yeah I-I had a weird dream. It was so real, I've never felt anything like that. Never want to again." She puffed out a breath, her lips flapping up in an undignified show of disapproval.

The sea was calm, the rush of the waves barely reaching her eyes, and that in itself was odd. She expected more, like the world ought to feel more grounding. Even the grains of sand beneath her paws didn't feel quite so rough. Was her lack of her sleep addling her mind? Hanako doubted it.

"Wrong or not... I'm just glad you're here. With me." She took great comfort in his presence, he felt right and real.

Her weight against his was a welcome feeling, and Az's head came around to rest upon the crown of her head as she spoke of her nightmare. Obsidian beach held all sorts of memories for him and he was sure for Hana as well, but somehow it was hard to dwell on neither the good or bad times they'd had here when the fireflies danced and the full moon shone against the sand. "I wish I could promise you you'd never need to feel it again, but I can't protect you from your dreams." He blew a sigh across the top of her head, and then pulled back to look out over the eerily quiet waters. "If you want to talk about it, I'm always here." It was the only push he'd give her - Hana knew already he'd be her confidant, and if she did not want to dwell on the frightful feelings he would not force her to. His oversized paw came overtop of hers, his claw playing gently within the short fur that ran across her toes. "Or we could find some sort of distraction, instead." "Speech"

Hanako hummed softly, barely nodding as not to jostle Azure. She was grateful for the offer but chose not to talk about it for now, if ever. She felt as though doing so would make it real, would give it a gap to slip into this world. Which...was crazy. Impossible. But the thought settled in her mind, as real as anything she'd ever felt. Pretending it didn't happen was a Hanako speciality, something she usually did with practised ease.

But not here and now, maybe Azure was right. She needed a distraction and her thoughts were eager to stray into a certain direction, as though the lingering frays of her heat were still there, drawn out by the moon. Or perhaps something else entirely. She wiggled her toes beneath his bear paw, the idea taking root and spreading like weeds.

Hanako cast him a side glance and eyed him through the softness of her lashes. "Yes. Distract me."

There was very little that could fully convince the over-protective direwolf to drop his guard on a night such as this one, where wrongness lingered in every breath and with every passing blue firefly, though Hana had always known exactly how to draw him in with only a look. Az leaned down toward her, running his muzzle across the length of hers up past her cheek, and placing a gentle nibble against the base of her ear. "As you wish."   He conceded to her easily, wrapping a strong limb across her and pulling her closer against him. The eerily dancing fireflies and unnaturally streaking stars were momentarily forgotten as Azure put every fiber of his being into being a worthy distraction for his troubled fiancé, and perhaps hoping that when he returned back to the present that the unsettling night would have settled back into something more recognizable. -fade- "Speech"

Hanako knew she wouldn't have to ask twice, that a simple look was all it would take. She was eager to lean into his embrace, safe and unseen by nothing and no one but the moon and the fireflies. By now this was a routine they fell into with ease, not another word needed to be said and no worries about consequences lingered in the back of her mind. She had taken the necessary steps to ensure nothing would come of this, so why not do what they did best?

Worries were cast to the wind, tinted memories of a nightmare faded from her mind as all Hanako could think of was her big, strong man.

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