Chaos Faction

• T W E N T Y T W O •

Jordyn awoke with a start, her skin covered with sweat, her heart beating out of her chest. She sat bolt upright, and glanced around urgently, trying to remember what had happened. Slowly, it came back to her, and she felt a little relieved as her eyes fell on everyone else sleeping peacefully.

"Jord?"

The blonde's eyes shot towards the doorway, where she could see Dream sitting, propped up against one of the trunks that formed the wall of their base. The light filtering through to her indicated it was still early morning.

"What happened?" Jord wondered. She stood up, and went over to him, picking her way over the pine needles, and large stones that they'd used as chairs and tables, before sitting down again beside him, her eyes blinking in the sunlight.

"Do you remember the valley getting invaded?"

Jord nodded.

"You got shot in the battle," Dream explained. "Several times, in the chest. George healed you, but you passed out from the pain. You feeling okay now?"

Jord ran her hands delicately over her side, before pressing gently where the wound should have been.

"It's fine," she responded. "I was just dreaming, I think it woke me up."

"A nightmare?"

"Yeah. It was Bad and Skeppy just... dying. Again and again..."

Dream put an arm around her, and kissed her cheek softly.

"I know you think that it's your fault they died, Jord, but it isn't," he said quietly. "Don't blame yourself for something that was out of your control."

"I'm trying not to," she sighed.

"That is one of my fears, remember?" He added, after a minute. "I know what it's like to feel responsible for it, but you just have to move on. I know it's hard."

"The scene just keeps replaying in my head," Jord sighed, running a hand through her hair.

"Hey, come on, think about something else," Dream patted her arm. "Look how beautiful the valley looks at this time of day."

"Yeah, why are you awake, by the way? Isn't it really early?"

"I'm the lookout," he explained. "We decided it was a good idea to have one, after last night. You can go back to sleep if you're tired, it's only just gotten light."

"No, it's okay," Jord shook her head. "I don't think I can."

They were both quiet for a while, Jordyn lost in her thoughts, and Dream gazing out over the valley, appreciating the natural beauty of it in the early morning sunlight.

"When we get the chance to build a proper compound in here, we need to preserve the natural aspects of it as much as possible," he mused.

"Definitely," said Jord, following his gaze out over the water.

The sunlight was dancing between the trees, having risen just high enough to reach the edge of the water, although the shadow of the mountains still loomed overhead. The song of the birds could be heard all around the valley, and the faint splash of the stream leading away from the lake added to the dawn chorus.

"I've been thinking," said Jord, after a while. "About my own fear landscape. Don't you think it's really similar to this pine forest? The first one, I mean. With the beetles."

Dream glanced at her, his brow furrowed.

"Huh. You're right," he nodded. "It is very similar. Have you been out to this area before?"