The following morning was atrocious.
It felt as if something, or someone, had taken a rock to his skull. Multiple times. Bludgeoning him into oblivion. But the undercurrent of it all, where the vision… no, definitely the dream… still played behind his eyes was enough to make the agony worth his while.
And Awiki was there. Her voice always soothing. Her touch always healing.
Kanene leaned into her, heavily, and she purred; knowing what it meant.
“Was it bad?”
“No.”
He grumbled, groggily, climbing over her only to flop at her face. He wanted to look at her, stare into the eyes of his companion. His friend. His best friend. His… mate? As if she had heard him, she giggled but didn’t move, remaining flat on her side. Through a series of heavy blinks, Awiki’s bright blues peeked out at him and a content sigh filled her chest; all before billowing from her snout.
“That’s good!” There it was. A smile. Even this early in the morning! She was always beaming like the light source she was. He couldn’t help but return it, a loud purr of his own echoing in their makeshift chambers. Her tone held enthusiasm as she continued, “Want to talk about it?”
But this took Kanene a moment to consider. What he had confessed in the sleep realm was not something he had brought up in the waking one, not yet, although he certainly felt it. Love… it was tricky, yeah? And to reveal that he dreamt of children long before uttering the four lettered word was… weird, yeah?
But his pause made Awiki shuffle closer, eyes still struggling to stay open, with a whisper. “You don’t have to if you don’t want to. We can get up and find food if that’ll help distract you? Or I can go… You can keep resting.”
“Uh…” He sighed, exasperated by his own reservations. Why should he hesitate? They had been honest on so many fronts thus far… What was there to fear?
“Mmm?” Awiki mused. Her eyes were shut indefinitely now. Sleep threatened to take hold of her again if he didn’t do something quickly.
“It was.. um.” Kanene stammered. “A dream. A dream this time. I uh. I don’t know if it’ll, you know. Come true. The dreams tend to be abstract and…” he swallowed hard. “Farfetched.”
Her purrs were dying down. He sensed that her body wanted rest… And although he would not be getting any more of it, Kanene could not deny Awiki anything.
When she fell silent, with her forehead pressed into his, the male left her to it.
Going through the words in his head for another time.
---
An hour later and Kanene would rise, surprised to reawaken from slumber's keep. It was... unexpected. But both necessary and beneficial, as his headache was gone and his mind clear. Blinking, he took note of the lighting. Dim, poor, as a storm rumbled in the distance; ready to pass across the territory.
It was a welcomed redo for the day.
Kanene stretched, body rolling around in the dust before reaching a paw out for the lioness; expecting her to be close. When he found nothing but an empty stone floor, cool to the touch, he fell into stillness. Another groan, soft murmurings of nonsense under his breath, and then... a sudden jerk of his head. His eyes shot open. "Awiki?" his panic laced voice cracked. When there was no immediate reply, and his eyes worked to adjust themselves to the scene, he rose to his feet and called out her name.
"Awiki?" Nothing. The wait felt like ages.
"Why are you yelling?" Light paws brought a bounding lioness into view. Awiki's dainty form stepped before the large, grey male, at first teasing, then concerned she noticed ‘the look’. "What? What is it? Are you alright? Did you have another one?"
"No... No I'm sorry. I was just..." His voice caught, and Awiki's smile returned.
"Wait.” A light chuckle. “Don’t tell me. Were you worried that I might have left? For good?" The tease was back. She stepped forward to bump her forehead against his chin. Kanene embraced it, chuckling. He was nervous and not entirely trying to hide it. "Maybe."
No.
A sweet laughter filled the den as Awiki pulled back, just enough to look him in the eyes. "Hey, I made a promise.” And there was that seriousness. So stern. So determined to prove her point with but a single glance. “I don't go back on those. You know that." Another nuzzle, burrowing her face into the warmth of his mane. Breathing him in. She liked to do that, and he loved it when she did. "You don't have anything to worry about. I'm not going anywhere."
"Yeah," He mumbled, a nervous laugh to echo her own. "Of course not."
"So..." Awiki started, letting the word drag out with expectation. Kanene could hear her smile. "What's up?"
His eyes closed. He ran through it all again in his head. What did he want to say again? Where were the words when he needed them?
"It's about the dream, isn't it?" She whispered. "It wasn't bad, but... it's bothering you? So,” Her lips pursed, her own brow beginning to furrow. “I guess I'm just confused?"
"It's not... bothering me. Not in the way you think."
"Okay." A pause. A head tilt. A quick sigh. "Do you want to talk about it now?" And at last Awiki pulled away, looking sincere in her concerns and interests. She looked... beautiful. She was beautiful. Just as pure and as incredible as the first day he laid eyes upon her... hell... more so now that he had been given the chance to really know her. To see her.
His own chest barreled out as the male sighed. He was moved to grin, wide and goofy as his eyes never left hers. Her openness gave way to one of his own. And through that clarity of mind, as it returned to him in full force, all he wanted to say was,
"I love you."
(WC: 1016)