Cats, so many cats.
I woke up surrounded by cats. Big, medium, small. Cougar, lynx, cheetah, and a few I didn't know what to call.
A quarter of the men were still human. They seemed to be restless, shifting in their sleep a lot. I got up and went to the closest one, Steel.
He was shaking his head side to side and sweating slightly. I reached out and touched his forehead. I wanted to soothe him.
My hand glowed with orange light. The orange seeped into Steel's head before I could stop. Suddenly I could feel his heart beating, feel his lungs breathing, feel a disturbance in his mind...
I was sent spiralling into a dream. A golden lion stood on a mountain above many small cats. The cats were attempting to cross a great river to follow the lion. But the lion would laugh and the water would roar and wash away the few brave cats.
The lion was cruel but there was something more. It was wrong, the gold was fading to rust, the image of the lion crumpling. Underneath, all that was left was a single man, he held a heart in his hands.
Words echoed through my head loudly; "The heart is strong, but has done wrong. There is danger little one, this trial will not be fun. We watch and hope and help, but dear Lilith we yelp. Though we are the Great, we fear of being late. See the cards stack, the attack will be at your back."
I yanked my hand from Steel's head, he yelps and hisses at me. But I'm already halfway across the room and then out the door.
-+)(+-
Hours later the men find me in the library.
"Hey, whatcha up to?" Rusel asks.
For a moment I don't say anything. Will they think I'm crazy? But after all the weirdness already happening... "I think I was communicated with via a collective dream."
Rusel raised both eyebrows. "Okay... but you don't share our link, you can't see our collective dreams."
I closed the book I was reading, "I wasn't asleep, I woke up and saw the distress in some of you. I touched Steel to see if I could help him calm down but... something happened. I think, from what I've been reading, my powers tried to reach out and help but there was a more powerful... energy that pulled me in. Do any of you remember it? The dream?"
I saw a few men shift aside and Steel came forward. Oh my God... He had a hand mark burned into his forehead.
"I remember a river, it was too choppy to cross. I remember you being there, you held my hand and helped me across. We walked on the water. Once we were safe, you kissed me," he gestured to his burn, "right here."
I slowly rose, and walked to him. I gently took his hands in mine and leaned in, kissing his burn. When I pulled back, the skin had healed.
There was a loud gasp throughout the library, including myself. I touched the fresh skin, still slightly pink. Steel winced slightly but also touched it. "Holy shit," he breathed, "that is so cool."
I sat back down hard. This is so weird. Powers, and dreams, and voices.
Rusel sat down next to me. "So, you can heal people. That's a new development. Do you feel okay?"
