INN[O]CENCE DIED SCREAMING | nightmare

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    [fancypost borderwidth=0px; height: auto; width: 430px; text-align: justify;][size=8]The young tiger cub was dreaming, paws twitching as his mind sunk deeper and deeper into unconsciousness. Large trees twisted up on either side of him and grass sprung up underfoot, but his surroundings looked like they were lit lit with artificial light, as if he was inside the catacombs. In the dream, this made sense. Home, he thought.


    But suddenly, something was growling at him from the shadows - a deep, reverberating sound that echoed through the forest. He turned to flee, but paws reached out to push him back. 'You fight it,' his clanmates hissed, clawing at him, driving him backwards. Eyes wide, tail curled around himself, he shrunk away from them. Then he felt jaws tighten around his neck, blood bubbling in his throat as he opened his mouth to-


    A loud scream rent from his jaws as he was lurched back into waking.

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    [fancypost bgcolor=;border:0px;width:auto;font-family: georgia;font-size:20px;letter-spacing:-1px;line-height:24px;text-align:left]ZOLTON CIMMERIAN [ battle tags - plotting ] [/fancypost]
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    Zolton, who was awake, heard the scream and his body lurched himself forwards- thinking one of his clan mates was hurt. He was standing before Dakota in what seemed like seconds, eyes furrowed as he looked over the cub. Nothing physically seemed to be wrong, and the male felt a twinge of annoyance at the boy who cried wolf maneuver.


    Then he realized.


    Zolton himself had suffered night terrors when he was a cub, only to be punished for them by his cold father. He had thought it was a weakness for his son to have him, that it had looked bad on their family. And Zolton would not wish them on anyone else. Still, the young, winged panther was not one to console or show much emotion. "I used to have those too, you know." He spoke awkwardly, not wanting the younger boy to be embarrassed as he had been by them. "Just keep telling yourself that they're not real, and that you're the one in control. You can do anything you want when you're dreaming."

    [align=center][fancypost bgcolor=; border: 1px transparent solid; width: 400px; height: auto; font-family: verdana; font-size: 8pt;][justify]Uma had been resting in his room, ears lowered to his skull and face soft as he slept. He had a dreamless sleep, which he appreciated. When a scream reached his ears his head shot up, eyes opening quickly as he jumped to his paws. He recognised the scream, and his stomach twisted in fear. Dakota.


    He sprinted out of the room as fast as his short legs could take him, and skidded to a halt in the entrance to his son's room. Breathing heavy and eyes wide in panic, they quickly scanned his son, searching for any injuries. But when he found none his brows furrowed. He glanced over at Zolton and then back at Dakota, before he realised what this was about. He took in a breath to calm his racing heart, before padding over. He aimed to softly nuzzle his son's cheek, eyes soft with concern. "It's okay, Dakota. You're okay."


    [fancypost borderwidth=0px; height: auto; width: 430px; text-align: justify;]Dakota scrambled away from the panther as his dark form appeared in his doorway, ears pressed back against his head and heart hammering rabbit-fast in his chest. Then the dark room started to come into focus around him, the ringing in his head fading and his wild fear subsiding. It hadn't been much, but it was the first nightmare that the cub could remember having. He shrunk back to Zolton's side, curling his tail around his paws to draw his trembling body together and looking up at the guardian with wide eyes. "D-does that make it go away?" he asked quietly.


    When his dad appeared, the cub turned and buried his head into his fur, a sob rising in his throat. He was so tired, like he really had just fought off a rouge, but he couldn't imagine ever going to sleep again now.


    [size=8][abbr=Dakota Lucian Forrester, Bengal tiger, 2 moons, equite of the Aragon Union, Uma x Wolfsbane]information[/abbr] - [abbr=easy, attack in bold orange, no kill, request for capture or maim]battletags[/abbr]

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    [fancypost borderwidth=0px; width: 350px; text-align: justify; font-size: 13px; line-height: 30%;][sup]Uma's eyes softened extremely as his son sobbed into his fur. He moved a paw, cradling the back of Dakota's head as his face was hidden in Uma's cream fur. He breathed in shakily, ears pressed against his skull as he moved, aiming to softly plant a kiss on Koda's temple. "It's alright, Koda. You're safe." He whispered soothingly, glancing over at Zolton. He mouthed the word 'water' towards the panther, since Dakota needed to calm down and then rest. Night terrors had destroyed Uma when he was younger, and he was quite determined to prevent his son from going through that pain.


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    [fancypost bgcolor=;border:0px;width:auto;font-family: georgia;font-size:20px;letter-spacing:-1px;line-height:24px;text-align:left]ZOLTON CIMMERIAN [ battle tags - plotting ] [/fancypost]
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    Zolton opened his mouth as if he were about to answer Dakota's question, but soon closed it again. He gazed at the sight of Uma and the boy, and how the father consoled the sun. A strike of pain flared up within his chest at the sight he had never gotten to experience with his own father, causing him to look again. It was a good thing Zolton could keep his emotions locked away from his outside visage.


    Noticing movement out of the corner of his dark eyes, Zolton rotated his cranium just in time to see Uma mouthing 'water'. He gave a curt nod, turning swiftly towards the nearest pool of clear, clear water. Carved wooden bowls were present at the scene, as they always had been to make drinking the water easier. So, Zolton scooped some of the liquid into one of the useful objects, and carefully carried it back to Uma and Koda. "Here, Koda."

    [fancypost borderwidth=0px; height: auto; width: 430px; text-align: justify;]Koda slowly lifted his head out of his father's fur, eyes bloodshot and bleary from crying. He looked up at Zolton for a moment, mumbling a quiet thanks before he ducked his head and started to lap at the water. The surface of the bowl shuddered like his trembling body. It was icy cold, enough to shake the weariness left and clear the ringing in his head. He fluffed up his fur, lifting a paw to rub at one of his eyes. He was starting to feel safer, with the two older felines in the room with him. They'd scare off anything lurking in dark corners.


    [abbr=Dakota Lucian Forrester, Bengal tiger, 2 moons, manager of the Neighborhood, Uma x Wolfsbane]information[/abbr] - [abbr=easy, attack in bold orange, no kill, request for capture or maim]battletags[/abbr]

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