Raven Of The Endless [¦ Morpheus X Reader ¦]

Part Six

"Lenore," Morpheus suddenly calls out from beside you, his voice filled with concern as you feel his hands against your arms.

"I'm fine," you mutter as you look away from the sky and to him. Moving slowly, you feel his hands move with you, helping you to sit up. Placing your hands against the ground, you're surprised to find sand underneath you. Sandman... of course, there would be a beach. "I'm ok," you assure as you look back at him. Clearing the mild fog from your mind, you glance around at your surroundings. Even at night, the land is incredible. Wow.

"Until the realm is stabilized, I'm afraid transportation isn't nearly as smooth as it normally is." Taking your bag from you, he comes around behind you and helps you up.

Getting your footing against the sand, you exhale slowly once you know you're not going to go plummeting forward. "Thank you."

"And here I am with sand all in my feathers!" Another voice suddenly calls out a few feet from you. "Next time, I'm flying back here!"

He can talk?! "You can... talk?" You ask, your surprised tone giving you away. You know he interacted with you earlier, but you never expected a human voice to come out of him. He sounds just like a normal person.

"Yeah, I just didn't want to chance freaking you out. Not everyone can mentally handle a talking bird. I had to learn that the hard way earlier when a lady nearly ran me over in the park. You should have heard her scream," Matthew calls back as he shakes his wings. His sarcastic nature already has you won over. "Lenore, it's a pleasure to meet you."

"The pleasure is mine, Matthew. Thank you." You smile as you feel Morpheus shift his hands from your arms to your shoulders, being doubly sure you're not going to lose your footing. Placing your hand against his, you turn towards him. "You don't have to take my bag," you state, your smile growing as you hear Matthew continuing to curse about the sand.

"You just traveled through time and space for the first time in over a century; I can take your bag," he replies before turning his attention to Matthew. "Matthew," he calls, his tone calm yet firm. "Please."

Looking back around, you find him getting stuck in the sand, unable to get his footing. "Here..." Stepping towards him, you lean down and rest your hand against the sand. He flaps his wings, trying to get his balance as he steps up onto your hand. Carefully raising it, you offer him your shoulder.

"See that, boss? She's letting me on her shoulder. I like her already," Matthew screeches, making you chuckle as you turn back towards Morpheus, who only offers the raven a quick roll of his eyes.

"She always had a way with the creatures, even the ravens," he replies as he looks back at you. "Come, we are expected." Offering you his arm, you take it and begin walking with him, Matthew still perched on your shoulder. Even though it's night, the dark sand shimmers like the millions of stars above. Off in the distance, like a beacon in the night, is a larger-than-life golden gate. There are so many figures and images carved into the surface, you don't think you'll ever see every single detail in just one glance. I want to draw these. The closer you approach, the gate begins to slowly open, letting out a low rumble throughout the land. Though they are massive, they open with a certain grace. "I know you don't remember this place," he says quietly, "but I've done what I can to fix certain things thus far. It is still in disarray, but it is livable."

"It's not about the condition of a building, that can be fixed. It's about the heart and soul of the land," you counter as you look over at him. "As long as you're here, this place is magical regardless."

You see the corner of his lips twitch up just enough to let you know your comment was well received. "How do you do that?" He asks, making you raise an eyebrow.