Night Fury's Wrath

Chapter 24: Of Those Lost [Part 2]

-This one will have a lot more about Aurora and Myrkr, especially concerning their relationship. It might be a little weird, but I'm sure we all know by now that this family is a weird one.

Enjoy!

-NFD

~~~

I awoke warm and comfortable, despite sleeping on rough stone. What confused me, though, wasn't the warmth—that I suspected came from Myrkr—, it was my position. My body wasn't laying flat and straight or curled up as it usually was when I slept. It was sort of... twisted and... squished? I tentatively opened my bleary eyes, blinking a few times to clear them and-

WHATTHEHEL?!

I went rigid, my wide eyes darting in every direction, my face burning hot. At some point in my slumber, I had wiggled my head under Myrkr at the soft part of his underbelly, and just before his ribcage. My spine was bent at an awkward, yet oddly comfortable angle that also allowed my tail to drape over what felt like Myrkr's neck and my right wing over his back. My left wing and legs were sprawled haphazardly over the ground. My head was far enough that my ears were sandwiched against his stomach, and I could see out the opposite side—the left side—of his body.

The perfect angle to see the rest of the cave, and my mother, who was mercifully still asleep. I didn't want to push my luck, though.

I very slowly moved my legs to get better stability, so I didn't topple over before I untangled myself. Unfortunately, I didn't realize where my hind leg was until I pulled it out from under Myrkr's forepaws, where I assumed his head had been resting. He jolted awake with a snort. "Whaz goin'... on...?" I froze, knowing there was no way I could salvage this now.

"Aurora?" He whispered very slowly. "Y-You might want... to move... um... t-that." From where my head was, I could very easily smell his 'interest,' much to my mortification. I hastily lifted my tail from his neck and pulled my backside away from his head, making it land flat on the ground with a dull thump! "T-Thanks. I... I s-shouldn't have-"

"N-Not your f-fault," I whispered shakily, my voice a bit muffled. "T-Thank you." Again, I didn't blame him. He didn't know he'd open his eyes and see something he shouldn't—at least, he shouldn't until we were real mates. Speaking of which... "C-Can you get up? Your... y-you know..."

I closed my eyes right as he stood up, then yanked my head back. I didn't reopen them until I heard him drop heavily back to his stomach, seeing his head under his paws. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry," he whimpered, then dropped into a whisper. "I-I didn't mean to... I'm sorry..."

I took a slow, shaky breath, then let it out. Awkwardly, I laid down at his right side and rested my head beside his. "I forgive you," I crooned as calmly as I could. 

He didn't release his head, but his right eye opened to peek at me, full of regret. "I-I looked," he whispered pitifully. "It w-wasn't an a-accident. I... I looked." He squeezed his eye shut, his claws digging into his head. "I w-was curious... I'm s-so sorry..." 

I had assumed that it was an accident, that he just happened to open his eyes, and it was the first thing he saw. This, though, told me that that wasn't the case. He could've easily avoided looking, but he did it on purpose. He peeked when he promised he wouldn't without permission! My first response was to feel angry and betrayed—as I had every right to be. But, then, I took in his reaction.

He looked miserable. His face was the perfect example of someone who knew they did something very wrong and felt horrible for doing it. He kept whispering apologies while his trembling paws gripped his head. My anger and feelings of betrayal drained away, leaving me with a familiar ache in my chest. It reminded me of my first big fight with Myrkr and Dad's lesson that night.