Solivagant-The Mandalorian

3

" stumble "

Mando sat in the silence of the night with his back rested on the speeder. He sat across from Cara with the little one sleeping soundly tucked into his side. Everyone was well into their slumbers, except him. He couldn't get comfortable where he sat, with his hands hanging over the sides of the rust bucket.

His gloved hand hung just inches above Lana's head beside him. He could see her features easily in the light beneath the bright stars. Her face was relaxed, compared to how she looked when they spoke earlier. That relaxing look was diminishing into angst slowly. He started noticing how she was beginning to stir more with it.

He started leaning closer toward her, keeping his distance. He could see her face scrunch up, and her hands started shaking. Then her arms, then her legs. All of her.

Mando moves to place a hand on her back, in between her shoulder blades. But before he can touch her, she jerks harshly while her eyes pop open.

She takes a large gasp in. She was shaking, her hands to her knees. She flipped over from her stomach and sat up quickly, bringing her knees to her chin.
She grasped the side of the speeder. Her nightmare seemed so real and intense she had to grab something to make sure she wasn't still imagining things.

The sun is just beginning to rise over the trees. The speeder is still going its same slow pace as yesterday. Everything was normal, except her.

Her breathing was sporadic, her tears burned as they dropped onto her chest. She tried to be as quiet as possible, she was hopping no one would notice her episode, but she didn't realize Mando saw everything.

Mando draws his hand back and looks at the shaking girl. He didn't know what to do to comfort her.

He doesn't say a word neither does she.

Mando finds it hard to express his own emotion, but he knows pure heartbreak and terror when he sees it.

Lana keeps her face in her knees trying to regain her sense of reality. She doesn't know how long she was crying, or how long she was shaking from the terror she experienced in her dreams.

What feels like an eternity later, Lana finally slows her breathing, her body stops the trembling.

I'm okay

I'm safe

She repeated those words to herself over and over.

Lana wipes the tears that covered her face and sniffled her last sniffle. She pushed a breath out before throwing her head back. She starred up at the stars, trying to have them put her mind at ease.

Mando is still looking toward Lana, he stays silent. He asks himself if she's aware his awake.

Did she not see me when she woke up?