It would be unreasonable to even want to keep him to herself, yet she wants to be selfish. She wants to be greedy with his attentions, with his affection. Silly girl, you know that's the way you break your own heart. Knowing didn't prevent it, in whole or even in part. It couldn't, it wouldn't prevent it. Jael knows. She knows better. If wishes were horses, beggars would ride-- Jael is a beggar. The two of them together? Sinners. It didn't matter, not now. Not now that she was allowed to feel. Fuck, who let her feel like this?

All it had taken was a big ol' smack on the head.

Or several.

Curled up in her bed, Jael has her latest prize. Had she perhaps found her way into his bedroom when it was blessedly vacant? Had she maybe snagged something for herself? She couldn't confirm or deny where the blanket had come from, only that it smelled of Gil and she would be sleeping with it from now on. If he'd even noticed, he hadn't said anything yet. It was late by the time she finally turned in, curled up under the pilfered blanket, curled up close to the fire place. The moon hung high in the sky, pale light struggling to even crack the clouds outside tonight.

Within the inky darkness, Jael is hunted once more. She is being tracked, she can feel it. Eyes on her. A predatory gaze that sinks deep past her skin, that sees her on the inside. All sticky and warm, laid bare in the worst way. Flayed and raw. She trembles, thrashes in her sleep. Whimpering at first, and then crying out. In the grips of a fight between death and life once more. Jael could feel the jaws of the beast, she could feel the snap and bite. The rending of flesh.

In her sleep she writhes, whimpers. Jael cries out, inadvertently shattering the peace and stillness of the night. The bad dreams have a tight hold on the girl, and she has yet to be able to shake herself awake. Unfortunately for Jael the terror is very, very real.

The pups had undoubtedly gotten into deep shit once more. An alligator had wandered a little close to the shore and of course, those little punks had antagonized it. After a struggle, pulling the group from the advance of the reptile, night had fallen and so had the beast. Allowing them time to pull teeth and whatever other body parts they wished to harvest, he never allowed his gaze to leave the shore. If another were close by, he would be the first to interfere this time. Once the pups are done, fully bloody and exhausted, he places them onto his back and carries them up to his rooms. Carefully washing them of the blood and gore that coats their puppy fur, he nestles them around Modesty to keep her and him warm.

He is about to lay himself down when a whimper reaches him. Instantly on alert, he feels the last dregs of adrenaline return. The hair along his spine bristles as he breaks from his family and moves out the door. It is then that he hears the cries and muffled thrashing. Concern and anger light his eyes as he bursts into Jael's room. There he expects someone to be... no he couldn't imagine what his mind wanted to say. He visibly releases a sigh of relief as he sees her alone, but he doesn't waste time. Rushing toward her, he lands beside her, on her makeshift bed of pelts and blankets, and curls himself around her so that her body is forced to still. Placing his nose beside hers, he lets out a gentle rumble that is meant to calm her nightmares.

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Jaws clamped around her neck, closing down. All of the breath knocked out of her... she doesn't know what's happening but she's afraid. Terror, fear gripping her system. Making the girl's head spin, leaving her vision blurry. Quivering in her sleep, though she fights fiercely against the creature of her own imagination. She can see him, but she can't focus. She can't get her vision to clear, she can't get the pain to stop. Overwhelmed... it's the only thing she can feel. Like every warning light in her system is going off at once. Too many things flooding her system--

Thunder through the fog. A far off rumbling, and the illusion... it begins to slip. It begins to fade. It slipped through Jael's fingers, though she could still see the figure of her attacker it became less real. More like a memory, and then a photograph. Becoming less and less tangible by the moment, and the pain in her system fades to the ache and soreness of her still-healing body. Though she quivers, though she whimpers, the night terror has faded.

Jael's opalescent eyes flickered open, and she's acutely aware she was no longer alone. She buries her face in Gilgamesh's neck, trying to fight back the sniffles that have come with tears she didn't realize she was crying. Curling close, clinging. "S-sorry I--" the words die on her lips. Her voice is still trembling too much to articulate. All Jael can do is cling to him and calm back down.

He sees the tears that brim around her eyes. Listens to the whimpers that elevate her ribs in a quick fashion. Concern laces his expression as he curls tighter around her. Gil knows not to wake someone in the middle of something such as this. His own experience of night terrors had been harrowing. It was not something he wished upon even his greatest enemy.

Thankfully, she awakes soon. Clutching to him as she buries her face into his neck fur. A soothing rumble leaves him as he encircles her and places his muzzle over the small of her back. "Do not apologize," he mumbles as he stares at the fire that crackled quietly beside them. "You are safe now," the whisper is breathless as he allows his eyes to close.

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CODE BY SHELBY

Do not apologize the words come, a murmur that resonates through her chest first, then the rest of her system. She can feel him, wrapping her up, holding to her. Jael crumples back into Gil, pressed to him. Still quivering, as she blinks the tears from her gaze. The girl has never needed someone, needed them to take hold of her and not let go.

But she needs him.

He reassures... just as he had been the night everything had kicked off, he's here. He's here to keep her safe, and she believes him. She trusts him. Maybe it already scares her just how reliant she's been on Gil since arriving, but she also hasn't pulled away. Jael doesn't want to let herself want him. The part of her that needs him? She doesn't know how much he's noticed, he's realized, but he's not stupid. Judging by just how quickly he'd come, he knows enough. "I'm sorry I took you from..." Jael trails off, though her face remained hidden against him. The quivering had subsided some, thanks to him.

He feels her press into him, trembling and small. Concern takes over him as he forces himself to wrap around her even more. His eyes close briefly as he lets out another rumble. He doesn't care. He can share his time. Modesty would understand and if she wouldn't she could come after him for it. Not her. Never her. "Do not apologize," Gil murmurs as he lifts his nose to nudge against her cheek. "You were having a nightmare," his voice is a whisper as he ensures she is warm and safe in his embrace. Even though he had noticed the blanket, he didn't care. Whatever made her feel more at home. "Do you want to talk about it?" Gil finally asks after a few moments of silence. If she didn't, it was fine. If she did, he would listen. No matter how tired or exhausted he was, he would be there for her.

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CODE BY SHELBY

She would find the confidence, in time. She would find her place, she would... she would learn. For reasons unknown, just being near him leaves her feeling more at peace, more whole. It's new for Jael, but she's grateful. Tucked up against his chest, the creature clings. Hidden away, where she can be kept safe. Gil pushes away the apology, and for now at least, the skeptic finds herself believing him.

The nightmare... Jael swallowed hard, trying to steady her breath. It would be better to get it out in the open, right? Still, her voice shook. "It was that night on the beach..." the words turn to dust on her lips. Jael can feel the weight of her mortality over and over again, she can feel it in her system. Face still buried in Gil's neck, clinging to the man that had saved her. That continued to save her, and protect her, and see her cared for. "I could feel the bleeding, like it was real. All the things that would have happened if you hadn't come." Her voice was quiet, the words spoken softly against his fur.

There's the lingering implication, too. The things she hasn't put words to. He'd saved her, and now she was his. There's safety in that, there's comfort in that, but it leaves little bits of her hanging in the balance. Fiercely, she clings to Gil.

Gil allows Jael to cling desperately to him. He doesn't mind it. Actually, he enjoys it. His own wife had never clung to him like this before. She wasn't the sort to... need him. Modesty had wanted him, yes, but it was more the other way around. He had needed her and he still did, but the feeling of being needed more than just as a father, it made his insides warm with a feeling he couldn't describe. So as long as Jael needed to get the words out, he would lay there with her, curled up and comforting her.

Though her words are barely heard, he understands. Placing his chin upon her back, he pulls her closer into his fur. "Shhh," he rumbles, letting his nose slide down her back to help calm her down. "You don't need to speak," Gil whispers softly as he lets his tongue move over her fur to smooth it down. "You're safe now," he adds on as he tries to tuck her into him as close as he can manage without smothering her. The safety he can bring her is more than he had imagined. Their connection a whirlwind from the moment he had laid eyes on her on the beach. No longer would she ever be in harms way if he had anything to say about it.

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CODE BY SHELBY