[Stille Nocte][Thundy-Blitz]

Kovu --

Dreams were always odd, and that night was no exception. He hadn't fallen asleep easily through the cold and noise (for he'd gone to sleep early, and people were still up talking) but when he finally succumbed to sleep, the dream wasn't a dream at all.

Nor was it a nightmare, but he tried not to let it get to him. It simply was. Not sad, not happy, not terrifying, but somewhere in between.

He dreamed, like he sometimes did, of his parents picking him up out of his warm, comfortable bed and shoving him onto the steps of the community home.

His nightmare - though it wasn't a nightmare - was cut off when he vaguely felt something touch his forehead. He opened his eyes, but they took a second or two to adjust. Aka was there, her hand next to his face. His eyes first registered her hand in front of his eyes, then her face, and then the rest of her, and he leaped back a foot.

"Uh.. hi? he asked, not exactly sure what to think or say through his surprise.

She laughed at him, but still he wasn't sure what to think. A girl in his tent at nightfall could have been a blessing, but she was so odd andintimidating, even in her laughter.

If he were about to call it a nightmare - which he wasn't - how could she tell? Perhaps he was fidgety in his sleep, or his face was contorted into a pained expression. When he reached up to feel his forehead, a bead of sweat trickled onto his hand.

Admittedly, he was tired, but then he was also curious. Kill him? He raised his eyebrows as she looked down at her hands. A part of her seemed almost disappointed, though how could he tell? His mind was still foggy from sleep.

A little too quickly, he spoke. "Stay, if you want."He grinned. "As long as you don't kill me, that is."

'Awkward' didn't begin to describe how he felt.

He knew Aka, of course, but not enough to trust her completely. She was dangerous, as were most of the 'Outsiders' and she had a way about her that sent a chill down his spine. Like she could kill him, maybe, or at least cause him great pain if he allowed himself to get too caught up in the way she moved and how devastating she looked.

I would never hurt another Outsider like you, Kovu. There was emphasis on his name, but he wasn't sure how to think of that.

She was closer, then, and that made him nervous. Not in a particularly bad way, but not in a way that was good, either.

What was that nightmare about, huh? she asked, laying down a bit away from him. She touched his face, and he wasn't sure if he wanted to move closer to her or bolt out of the tent entirely.

"It wasn't.. well. Just memories. Not the best of dreams, but not a nightmare," he said quietly.

He watched her, awed and uneasy, as she talked about memories and her brothers in a voice that he strained to hear. Her words were so quiet that he missed some, and it didn't help that she kept fidgeting, moving from her side to face him, rubbing her eyes, playing with her hair, and smiling in an unnerving way. As it was, her humming made his eyelids droop so that his vision blurred and she turned just out of focus.

What was he supposed to say? He wasn't the kind to comfort people, nor did she particularly seem like she wanted to be comforted for her painful memories. Well, not painful. Simply.. other days. His own nightmare was like that. Not dark or terrible, but a bitter memory of nights past.

"That was kind of you," he ventured, not completely sure how to respond. "The humming - it's even making me tired. Do you - " he paused, yawning, but didn't complete what he was going to say because there was nothing. The past simply was, and it seemed a shame to comment on it.