"An' so, that's how it is," 2D sighed. His thin shoulders drooped with weary resignation. The dark smears under his eyes seemed to be showing much more prominently than they had in a long time, proof even more so than the story he recounted to his long time acquaintance, that he had been suffering too many sleepless nights in recent days.Kimihiro nodded and hummed as needed while 2D explained the problem at paw and now he nodded once more trying to keep his expression more or less neutral. It wouldn't do to let his humor at the situation show, D was taking this really hard, Kimihiro knew he should treat it as serious. They could laugh about it later."Things like that will sometimes happen. Admittedly you might have gotten more than a little carried away with your story, but I'm sure Rhine doesn't blame you--"
"He should! It's my fault entirely, inn't it?" 2D's voice had risen an octave as he interrupted Kimihiro, his green-tipped ears flattened over his messy blue hair and he gave a guilty glance over to where his son Rhine and the young girl Nina lay sprawled out in the sun.
"I'm a terrible father!" D put his forepaws over his head.
"Maybe not entirely..." Kimihiro offered as condolence, seeing D's despair, but quickly tried to back pedal when 2D popped his head up and looked at him hollow-eyed and hopeful, as if what Kimihiro would say next was the secret to fixing everything.
"Kits have scary dreams." Kimihiro ventured, pausing for D's reactions, not entirely sure how D would take what he had to say.
2D nods, his ears flopping limply with his earnest enthusiasm.
"The world and everything, everything they're encountering and experiencing is new to them. Unknown."
More nodding and flapping from the pale, skinny father.
"So it's only natural for their fears to manifest at night. It's dark and they're tired, everything seems worse in the dark. Don't you think so too? But... it doesn't help that there's a god of nightmares out there." Kimihiro's casual tone hides his seriousness, not every ulaya believes in the gods.
"Yeah."
Just that from the affected kitten's father. Kimihiro isn't sure if he should continue suppressing his amusement, before it shifts into frustration.
"What's that about a god then?"
The young girl who had been Kimihiro's ward since before the day she fell out of her box. Nina was an absolute sweetheart with a equally sweet voice. She was often found trailing behind any adult that would give her attention, running her mouth, although Kimihiro and 2D did seem to be her current favorites to hang around. It hadn't taken more than the promise of a new story from Kimihiro to convince her to leave the adults be and spend some time with Rhine. She would have done it for nothing at all. The dark faced kitten was soo cute!Nina was a pretty great playmate, Rhine thought. Drowsy now, after they had romped all over, around and around the trees and stones bordering the meadow. He lay on his back against Nina who was purring and humming in turn, curled around him half way. His odd eyes drift closed only to blink open again, it wasn't as if he didn't want to sleep. He was exhausted, he didn't want to dream, rather, he didn't want that same nightmare again.The rhythm of her humming tune lined up just so and Nina began to softly sing a lullaby. Something entirely unfit for the sunny afternoon but it seemed to do it's job in lulling the sleepy kit into closing his eyes and perhaps with a little luck it would keep his nightmares away.
WIP
