Twisting and turning, I did my best to clean away the blood that had somehow further encouraged a false reality to take hold of Jericho’s mind. I hadn’t realized what an absolute gourmand I had been, so gluttonously covered in the gore of my kill. But as I rolled away from the grass, rising to stand and meet Jericho, the majority was gone from my pelt. There was a faint pink stain left, which would only come clean with a good bath, but now was not the time. As he stepped towards me, I met him, leaving the tiniest of spaces between us. Though I wanted to take him into my embrace once more, I knew he really needed to stop and look at me, to understand that I was not hurt. The blood was not mine. It took that plea, a whine threatening to creep into my voice, but I swallowed it as his strained orange eyes finally fell to my toes. Slowly he traced up my bodice, and a shiver actually ran down my spine as I fell under his gaze. Finally he looked upon my chest, my throat, my face – all free of injury.

Realization dawned upon him, and I silently breathed a short sigh of relief. The anger and ferocity faded from his eyes, replaced by a stronger worry and a hint of doubt. In himself or in me, I could not be sure. “No pain,” I echoed, hoping to further reassure him of what his eyes were seeing. This was reality, this was the truth. I let him say what he needed to, my heart rushing blood to pound my ears as he kept repeating that he needed me to be safe, that I was ok. It was then that he closed that miniscule gap between us, his nose gently seeking the wound that did not exist. My lids fell closed for a moment as my nose angled down towards him, another shiver threatening to set my hairs on end at the feel of his touch. Opening my eyes once more I reached forward, licking at the blood that marred his rugged features. I washed away every streak, but did not stop. Warm breath washed across his face as I continued, caressing each scar as I sought to soothe him. Mahogany pools searched for those of brilliant orange, and in my periphery I could see that his guard hairs finally settled, the signs of his aggression dissipating into nothingness.

Finally I stopped, lowering my head so that we stood cheek to cheek, and once more my nose sought to sink within his fur. I rubbed my snout along his neck, finding a spot of dark fur to bury my nose and let his scent flood my nostrils. “With you,” I barely whispered, unsure if he would even hear it, though surely he would feel the softest of vibrations in his fur. With him I was safe, he was safe. For some time I lingered there, listening to his breathing and the thrum of his heart, until I knew he had fully grasped the reality of things. Even then I selfishly clung to him, wanting just a moment longer before I knew I had to complicate things.

With little idea of how long we had stood so close, I finally released him, stepping back just enough so that I could look at him straight on. I reached forward and touched our muzzles side by side, then withdrew again. And then motioned for him to come with me, and I moved past him back towards the den. I did not enter, not wishing to stir the dream back to life. Instead, I invited Jericho to come and lay with me on the outcropping that created a terrace of sorts outside the cavelike den. I lowered my bodice to the earth, hoping he would come to lie beside me as I had that day in the cave after we had fled from the river. Whether he chose to lie with me or remain standing, I reached out a forepaw to place atop his own, craving to keep the contact between us.

I did not know where to start, what to ask, or if I should just let it go. But the fact of the matter was that something had stirred with Jericho, a demon had risen to the surface within his mind, and I had seen something in him I had never truly realized was possible. Anger, rage, fury – ferocity that had surely earned him the scars that littered his handsome face. I trusted him, and in my heart I knew he was a good wolf, but I could not ignore what had happened tonight. Still, he was my friend, and this night I had begun to realize just how deeply my feelings ran for him. As much as he wanted me to be safe, I wanted the same for him. If I could have, I would have chased down whatever dream wolf had come to haunt his dreams. As it were, I could only try to chase him away with words. “Was he ever real?” I asked softly, knowing Jericho would understand my meaning. It was the gentlest way I could think to broach the subject, despite my selfish desire to simply ask who Orra was.