Soulfire: Knightfall

Chapter 2

Screaming. Not mine. A girl's. I jump up as I hear the shrieking. I look around, rubbing my eyes to wipe away my hazy vision, to see the room is still dark, and Alena sitting upright with a blanket wrapped around her body. She's giving me a death-stare. If she wasn't mad earlier, she most certainly is now. Even then, she still glances toward the bedroom door, looking concerned. Something's wrong with our Aylarsi guest.
My first thought is that an intruder has entered the house. I have no sympathy for these types. If they entered my house looking for easy money, they're in for a rude awakening- not entirely dissimilar to the one I just had. I'll see them in prison or dead. Though, carpet is expensive, and I'm not one for bloodshed as a rule, so I'd much prefer the former scenario, if at all possible.

After exchanging glances with my wife, I quickly rise to my feet and reach to the side of my bed to hastily garb myself in some trousers. Then I grab my sword before rushing to guest room. I unlock the door, blade at the ready to fend off any thieves who foolishly entered my home.

The room is empty, aside from the furnishings and my guest sitting up in bed with a look of sheer terror on her face. Her sable fur is standing on end, ears perked up, and eyes widened to only further display evidence of her fear. My eyes dart around the room to investigate. Nothing has been disturbed. Nothing moved. Nothing broken. No intruder. It seems to be a false alarm.

Oh God. Please don't tell me that Skye just woke us up because she had a bad dream. Alena's gonna be pissed.

After making certain that the room is safe- checking corners, the wardrobe, and window lock, I take a seat next to the frightened girl and sigh in both relief and frustration.

Skye seems to have mostly come to her senses, panting heavily, but much more calm now that she realizes where she is and that she's relatively safe. She looks up at me, ears slowly falling back and her eyes drooping in her typical pitiful look. She know's what she's done- nearly giving Alena and myself both a heart attack.

I give my face another tired rub, this time with both hands, before addressing her. "Skye..."

She stays wordless. Her face going blank as she beings to truly process the whole event. I think she might also feel a bit guilty for waking us up.

"Was it a nightmare?" I ask slowly, eyeing her for any sign of emotion. "Skye, are you okay..?"

Alena peaks into the room and gives us a look-over. "What happened?" she asks. I have to say, I am surprised that she didn't start yelling at our guest.
I think she may have gotten over some of her issues with Skye after dinner last night. She saw a well-behaved Aylarsi nibble on some bits of chicken like any civilized person would. She wasn't an animal. Just a starving girl that was too traumatized to really appreciate our efforts. She probably even sympathizes with our guest, even if she won't admit it. They both lost their loved ones to, what they would see as, the cruelty of the other's race. Though, it was obvious that Alena still couldn't wait to get rid of her, made evident by the slight look of annoyance on her face. Skye is, predictably, unresponsive.
Alena sits next to me, observing me in my attempt to calm the girl.  "What's going on?"

I shrug. "Must've had a bad dream." I say, then snap my fingers in front of the girl's face. She doesn't respond. "I've seen this kind of stress in people before. When people loose their friends and family, usually. I've seen victims of violent crimes get this way. It usually resolves itself over a few days. Maybe a few weeks."

"Usually?"

"She's just been through a lot. Give it time." I bite my lip, not really certain of my own words at this point. I hate the idea that there's nothing I can do but hope for the best. I'm used to problems that I can either fight or think my way through. But I'm out of my element here. So I take the cub's paw into my hand. "Skye, you're safe. It's okay. No one's gonna hurt you. I promise that you're safe."