Panic Attack

Untitled Part 3

Groot was standing in the corner of the room, his arms wrapped around himself like a cocoon and laced to the walls to keep the massive alien upright. Drax stepped over the distorted metal slab and into the small room. There was no one in there besides Groot, Rocket, and himself. In fact, the raccoon in question was asleep on a slightly bent bed. Drax could only suppose that it too had been the work of the sleeping tree man in the opposite corner of the darkened room.

So what had happened? Had he simply imagined the noise out of pure boredom and paranoia? No, it had definitely been Rocket's shouting that had grabbed his attention. But why? Drax stared down at the sleeping creature and noticed something was off about his slumbering companion. He was shaking. Quite vigorously too.

Drax looked up towards Groot, tapping the slumbering tree on the wooden shoulder. "Groot." He whispered, trying to wake him, up. The tree man did nothing to acknowledge his presence, and for a reason too. The poor creature had just recently reacquired his full form and he still needed a massive amount of energy to keep up with his massive growth. Drax knew that he wouldn't be waking his friend any time soon. Which left Rocket's predicament up to him.

"Small friend?" Drax whispered, placing a hand on the ring-tail's shoulder, which, with his massive hands and Rocket's small body, meant the raccoon's entire back.

Rocket reacted instantly, slashing at Drax with is clawed hands. He pulled back instantly, a small stream of blood beginning to form and drip down is massive arm. His brow drew low in confusion, Rocket's eye's remained closed, he was still sleeping and yet he had attacked Drax.

"Rocket." He said, this time in a louder voice. He realized that this was the first time he had actually addressed the raccoon by his actual name and not simply friend or some type of derogatory term that he was trying so hard to stop using. The small guardian's breathing began to pick up pace and his eyes screwed tightly, his little hands grasping at the blankets as though he were holding himself away from something.

"Rocket." Drax tried again, reaching out again to shake the animal awake.

"No!" Rocket's back arched as though he were in immense pain, his hands and feet still clung to the mattress unmoving almost as if they were tethered down.

Drax stared back in horror. He had never seen Rocket like this. His angry and rather destructive friend was now having a nightmare? The shaking didn't stop and neither did the tears that were beginning to seep into his fur. The man looked at him in shock. He had only seen the creature cry at one moment and that was when he had thought Groot had left them forever.

He remembered how he had comforted the raccoon that fateful day, stroking his head as he would a house pet, although he knew he'd be killed the instant he even thought of the defensive creature that way. But now… he just looked so helpless as he twisted and turned in his sleep, small mumbles of 'please' and 'stop's seeping through his clenched teeth.

"Rocket, please. It is only a dream." Drax tried reasoning, shaking the creature again, but Rocket only arched his back more and threw his head back before letting out an ear splitting shriek.

To say that Drax was surprised was an understatement. He was horrified. Seeing the poor quivering animal in so much pain, he felt his heart clench when the screaming didn't stop, only pausing for moments at a time for the creature to take a few gasping breaths before crying out in anguish once again.

And before he knew it, Rocket was lifted into Drax's arms as he tried to calm his panicking comrade down, petting his ears back in gentle strokes like he had all those weeks ago. The raccoon didn't stop struggling, but his shouting did die down to a simple yet heart wrenching whimper.