Gidget and Tiberius woke up hours later to the sound of a loud bang. Hopping off of her friend's chest, Gidget looked up to find that it was just a firework. She had forgotten that it was the Fourth of July today as another one went off. Screeching in terror, Tiberius curled up on the ground, his head covered by his wings. Concerned, the canine padded over to the old hawk, tapping him on the shoulder. "Are you okay?" she asked quietly, worried.
Though he was aware of Gidget talking to him, Tiberius could barely hear her in his current state of panic. Each loud boom from a firework frightened him even more than the one before. Images flashed in his mind, images from his past. Trembling in fear, the hawk squeezed his eyes shut tight and tried to drown out the noise. But it just kept coming, along with more flashing memories. Bad memories. Tears ran down his face.
Seeing how scared her friend was broke Gidget's heart. Quietly laying beside Tiberius, she whispered in a hushed voice, "It's alright, I'm here." Patting his back reassuringly, the fluffy dog scooted closer to the hawk. Ever so gently, she moved his wings away from his head. When she saw the tears streaming down his face, she reached forward and licked them away. This caused Tiberius to open his one eye. Shaking, he gazed up at Gidget while whimpering. Pulling the old hawk into an embrace, the Pomeranian nuzzled him.
Feeling comforted, Tiberius opened both of his eyes. Laying this close to Gidget, he could hear her heart beating. All the while, he could feel her nuzzling and petting him. Calmed down now, the old hawk could barely hear the fireworks as he purred softly. Watching as the dark sky lit up with dozens of colors, Tiberius glanced up at Gidget. Her white fur shone in the lights of the fireworks while her blue eyes were open wide in wonder.
"Aren't they beautiful Tiberius?" Gidget whispered, resting her head on his shoulder. Smiling softly as he gazed at her, the old hawk replied, "Yeah, beautiful..." But he wasn't talking about the fireworks.
