He never slept soundly. He tossed and he turned, lashing both legs and tail out in a rage that she couldn't quite fathom. There were times when he was so active in these periods that she was forced to take refuge in the trees to avoid any unwanted or unnecessary injuries. He never intended any harm and nor was he conscious of his actions but this still didn't mean he couldn't put her at risk. For the longest time she had been unable to comprehend what could be the cause of such behaviour and it was only after one morning when she had mustered up the courage that she had found out.
...He suffered from vicious nightmares.
Well, it was more complicated than that and he had tried to explain, but this proved difficult. Unbeknownst to Spectre, he was a seer and the 'nightmares' he spoke of were visions in their most vicious form. Unfortunately, Arimathras was also naive to his affliction and despite her Divine origins, she wasn't able to recognise the signs. For all intents and purposes, in the view of both mortal and goddess, Spectre was the simply an unlucky soul who suffered mercilessly at the hands of those who meddled in such things. That being said, it didn't make it any easier to watch and as the young deity spent ever more time in the lion's company, the more upset she became. This evening was of no exception, especially when he cried out in a much more vocal manner than she was generally accustomed to.
"Spectre...?" she hazarded, raising a paw to nudge lightly at the twitching shoulder of the slumbering lion. Careful to avoid drawing too near to his face, she nudged at him more insistantly which each flinch until at last he released a recognisable groan that indicated he was coherent at the very least, even if he was sluggish in his responses. "Spectre," she insisted and nudged at him once more, her lips pursing into a thin line and her expression decidedly grave. It wouldn't have taken a genius to recognise that the feathered female wasn't in the best of moods - then again, she never was whenever it came to this, she'd realised that very quickly.
"Mmm?" his response came out as a low growl and his eyes remained shut, but another more forceful shunt caused him to grunt in displeasure and open his eyes to slits. However the moment in which he realised where he was did give him reason to pause, and the anger and uncertainty that had threatened to bubble up inside him dissipated immediately. He still wasn't used to her presence and nor did he understand her reasons for remaining, but he was grateful to realise that the one who had brought him back into this world was a benevolent creature. He'd been dreaming again, or so he would have assumed based on the expression on her features, and he knew she didn't like that.
It was obvious she didn't like it.
"Are you okay?" she persisted, ears flattening against the top of her head as she crept forward to poke at his shoulder and belly. He'd put on weight since she had embraced him as her 'pet project'. Determined to feed him up so that he didn't resemble a walking corpse, she had stuck to him like glue and made sure that he ate much more regularly. Whatever he was so afraid of hadn't come for him yet and she could only assume that they had given up or had lost his trail for the time being. This in mind, he needed to eat, otherwise he would lead himself to the disaster he was trying to avoid! However, no matter how much effort she put into bulking the large lion out, there didn't seem to be anything she could do to make his eyes less sunken and haunted...
"I am...fine," he replied slowly, rolling onto his stomach as he regarded the small lioness. She may have been immortal but she wasn't as 'awe-inspiring' in terms of her stature. When it came to gods he had always envisioned them being towering pillars of strength and power, in his mind they had always radiated with an unrivalled will. By comparison, Arimathras (as he had now been introduced to her) was much more demure, meek even. She didn't appear to have any incredible strength and even to this day, he wasn't entirely sure what she represented - fruit? She seemed to like it a great deal, loved it even. Nevertheless it was for this reason that he was more acutely aware of her well being and having been informed that he tended to thrash about, he gave a quick glance to ensure he hadn't drawn any blood.
That was another thing he found puzzling, gods bled, just like mortals.
"You didn't seem fine," she mumbled in a dejected fashion as she drew closer and sat near his shoulder. Now that she was sure that he wasn't going to bite her paw, which was what had happened the first time, she was comfortable to be within flailing distance. "You were having another one of those dreams again," she continued and shook her head. Her brow creased and her nose wrinkled in distaste before she regarded him for a short while, a silence soon descending upon them both as the male waited to see if she had more to say. After a while though, she seemed to hesitate and decide against it.
"I was," he confirmed and lifted a paw to rub at his temple lightly. Unsurprisingly, his head was pounding and he was in a rather sheepish mood, males were never good when they were feeling tender! "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to cause upset," he apologised and heaved a weary sigh, dropping his paw to the ground as he regarded the female. She was an oddball, particularly in her determination to stay so close, but she deserved the consideration at the very least...and she had halted the terror before it had caused any further harm (though she may not have been aware of it).
"...What are they about?" she blurted out as the courage finally bubbled up and she took advantage of it before it disappeared again. "The dreams, why do they hurt you so much?" she said and puffed out her cheeks in frustration. "If you don't get a restful sleep then you'll never get colour back in your eyes and that would be horrible!"
Colour.
She was obssessed with it.
"Such things are not suitable topics of conversation for one such as yourself," he replied gently and hazarded a smile in an attempt to placate her, but apparently, she wasn't ready to let it drop just yet.
"What's that meant to mean?" she enquired.
"It means that it doesn't make for pleasant conversation and given they can't be stopped, it's better to just let them lie."
"You know, I've heard a lot of mortals say that it helps to talk about something if you're upset by it," she argued and lay down beside him, raising a paw to prod at his mane. With her insistance that he ate, his weight was not the only thing to improve, even the quality of his fur was better. He had a sheen to it now, even if it did make him look like he was glowing in certain lights. "You could be the same," she pointed out and smiled, continuing to pat at his mane lightly - it was fluffy and soft, she could be a child when she desired and play with such things.
"Perhaps, but I'm not certain a benevolent soul is built to endure such imagery."
"You make it sound like all you see is monsters," she murmured.
"I do," he conceded and shook his head sadly. "But it's so much more than that," he whispered and closed his eyes. After moment or two to regather his composure, he turned his gaze back towards the inquisitive lioness and grimaced. "If you are determined to have such knowledge bestowed upon you then I will do so, but I cannot stress enough how inappropriate I regard it," he added.
"I want to know," she stated, her features morphing into an expression of sheer determination as she fixed her gaze on the male beside her. It wasn't a case of wanting to know, if she was entirely honest, it was a case of needing to know. If she wasn't privvy to the details, then how was she supposed to help him?
Thus, it was after a number of minutes of silence and hesitation that the lion gave a curt nod and finally began to speak. Electing to start from the very beginning, he told her his story and what he had endured. He spoke of what he'd seen, heard, experienced and even done...until finally it was time to address his nightmares and the night terrors that stalked him every moment of his life. He spoke into the early hours of the morning and even when his voice began to crack from overuse, he continued. He told her everything she needed to know and everything she wanted to know.
She listened and she held her piece as a weight began to lift off the lion's shoulders.
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