The slight noises that slipped from her unconscious form offered Atlas at least the smallest form of comfort. She was alive, and the sounds of muffled whimpers and growls reaffirmed that the shallow rise and fall of her sides were real and not imagined. He was unsure how long he laid there, trying to lend as much of his bodily heat to her as possible. It felt like hours as yellow eyes glanced sideways at her, hoping for some new sign of her recovery. Then, all at once, it came to fruition. Of course, the violent shaking the racked her body made his head shoot into the air, body tensing in surprise as shivers convulsed her bodice. He felt panicked, unsure if this was a good sign or a bad one. His eyes grew wide, but the pressure of her leaning into him seemed like some sort of reassurance that he was doing the right thing and he relaxed to a certain degree. Still his head remained lifted, watching her carefully, trying to think if there was anything else he could do.

Suddenly her head lifted away from him, a single eye scanning the makeshift den that housed them for quite some time. After long moments of silence a more well vocalized growl than those she’d emitted in her sleep rumbled forth and Atlas’s ears twitched in unease. Her eye finally turned to settle upon him and the twitching of his ears ceased, allowing them to press forward, young eyes of pale yellow trained upon her battered face. He did not see ugliness or a wreckage, he just saw her. Tattered she might be, but that did not lessen who she was. All that mattered to him was that she was alive, that he’d not failed her. It was with bated breath that he waited for some reaction from her. Would she be angry with him for being so close to her? His mind raced, preparing himself for what might come. He would go if that was what she wanted, but he just had to make sure she would be okay on her own.

Finally her complicated facade gave way to the slightest dip of her head, and the first thought that crossed his mind was if such an action hurt her neck where the black demoness had torn at her flesh. Her words filled the stillness of the hollow in the ground, and Atlas breathed an audible sigh of relief. Even he wasn’t sure how he’d done it, his courage in that moment surprising him now as he reflected back upon it. All his life he’d boasted the thought that he would someday defend the future king of Diveen, his brother, but nothing had ever tested his resolve to protect another the way he had that night. Blinking, he simply stared back at her, unsure what to say. It wasn’t until she had turned away from him, that intense red eye casting off into the darkness of the earth, that he finally gathered his thoughts to compose an at least semi coherent sentence. “I...mmm...you’re welcome.” The words were softly spoken, but sincere in every way.

He remained that way for some time, head aloft and body malleable to however she wished him to encompass her as a living blanket. His ears swivelled every so often atop his head, listening to the howl of the wind beyond the doorstep of their makeshift dwelling. Despite the fact that the nameless wraith had long since left, Atlas could not help but be alert to the possibility that she might return to try to finish the job. Had he backed them into a corner here? The worry consumed his mind and made his heart pick up in beat, and he knew he had to do something to distract himself at least partially from the possibility. Glancing back down at Fiammetta he came back to the possibility that she might be uncomfortable with his presence, and words tumbled from his mouth when the thoughts were only half formed. “I can go, if you want. Or, hmm, sit outside and guard the entrance until you feel better.” He knew she needed to stay warm, but maybe by now simply being surrounded by earth would be enough. The young lad was unsure, but he only wanted what was best for her, to ensure she would see the light of day again.

ooc: hehe, I am glad you like him! I have not posted him a whole lot in his lifetime, and its fun to see his personality really taking form. c: <3 also that moment totally made me giggle too. xD