Sleep had taken it's good old time coming to the shadow that night after he and Isaura had settled into the cave. They were lucky to have come across it as they traveled north. Finding his brother's body had been too much for him and all he could think about was getting away from that damn brook. Deaglan's face haunted his dreams just as his mother's and his siblings. Curled up next to his blue eyed companion he would make sure her face wouldn't haunt his dreams either.


It was getting colder outside meaning he would need to talk with Isa about their plans. As he laid his head on his paws letting his eyes finally close as ye drifted off to sleep he made the promise to himself that he would talk to her soon. They needed to rest with a long day of travel ahead of them the best day. He couldn't give his mind too much time to dwell on what he'd lost because of his own stupidity.


His slumber didn't last long. Movement and whining beside him woke him his attention quickly on Isaura as he realized she was having a nightmare. “Isa,” he said gently licking her crown, “Isa wake up,” he tried again nudging her this time with his nose. Whatever she was dealing about Ruari could see had her terrified.

Since finding his brother Ruari still wasn't sure of the course he would take with his life. He didn't know if he should carry on with the search for their father that he and Deag had started or move on from the past. With winter coming he wondered if maybe he should just concentrate in getting him and Isaura through it then make a decision. These were the thoughts that had kept him awake since the day they'd found his brother and now all he wanted to do was get as far away from that place as possible.


Having had his fair share of nightmares it wasn't difficult to figure out what was going on with his blue eyed treasure when she woke him with her movements. He tried waking her gently at first not wanting to startle her too much from her dream. It didn't seem to work, her nightmare seemed to have to great of a hold on her keeping her locked inside it.


When she didn't wake up with his first try his efforts became more insistent. He didn't stop until she finally seemed to have come out of her nightmare and woken up. Then he gave her a moment to regain her bearings.


He watched as she rose into a sitting position and as she seemed to be looking around he spoke. “You don't have to worry Isa you're safe,” he tried to reassure her. Then he moved closer to her and brushed his muzzle against hers, “I won't let anything happen to you,” he spoke again quietly so as to not overwhelm her. Then he went silent as he resumed licking her crown to help calm her.


After a few moments he stopped and met her blue gaze, “Would you like to talk about it? Maybe it will help?” He didn't know if it would help her to voice what her nightmare was about since he didn't usually talk about his. Talking about it might help to calm her so that she could get back to sleep. They had long day ahead and he wanted make sure she got enough rest.

He was worried about his blue eyed treasure and what had happened in her nightmare that could cause such an effect on her. She was awake now but hearing her breath coming too fast and the way her body trembled he was sure she still felt it. He'd had the same experience with his own nightmares that he'd had about his adoptive father. Ruari remained quiet for the time being offering gentle touches to help calm her hoping she would realize that she was safe and nothing would hurt her. She was with him now and he wouldn't let anything happen to her if he could help it.

Doubts did surface in his mind of past promises to protect and he had lost his siblings and his mother. The most recent being Deaglan, he hadn't been able to save him from succumbing to his injuries. The shadow had to shake those thoughts from his mind. Isaura was different, he had made her a promise and he had every intention of keeping it even if it cost him his own life. She was all he had now and she was too important to him to break his word to her. His ears pinned forward as the whine from her filled the space around them. Finally she seemed to be calming as he felt her start to relax into his touch. He hoped his words of reassurance were helping too as he tried to get there for her while she recovered from her nightmare.

After he felt like she had settled down considerably he pulled away to ask if she wanted to talk. He didn't know if it would help but it was worth a try, that was if she wanted to talk about it. He'd already made up his mind he wouldn't push if she didn't want to talk. He understood not wanting to talk about nightmares, it was often that he didn't want to talk about his own. Fortunately he didn't have to worry about getting her to talk about it because she started on her own.

The shadow's yellow gaze never left her as she spoke describing what had happened in her dream. He didn't speak giving her the chance to say all that she needed, he worried an interruption would cause her to stop and he felt she needed to get everything out. Once she started she didn't stop until her gaze cake up to look at him. “I don't know why he would want to hurt you Isa,” he said calmly licking her cheek, “He could have many reasons and none of them your fault but I won't let him hurt you. He will die before he ruffles one tuft of your fur,” he said tone becoming cold at the thought of her brother hurting her. “You are safe with me and I will always be at your side, remember that,” he added brushing his muzzle along her chin.

He didn't like that she was having nightmares, a girl as sweet as her shouldn't be having them. He listened as she spoke letting her get through till the end so she could say all that she needed to. He hoped that in doing so it would help her, that by telling him it would give her some peace. As she spoke he didn't know if it was just her mind trying to deal with some other problem she was facing or something else entirely.


Still the shadow offered her reassuring words and comforting touches. What he couldn't do was give her a solid reason why her brother would want to kill her. There were many reasons that he could think of but none of them involved her being at fault. He didn't see how she could be Isa was the most good natured wolf he'd ever met and she deserved a brother who loved her, not one who seemed to hate her for no reason at all.


One thing he was sure of was that her brother wouldn't get close to her and if he had to he would die protecting her. There was too much bad in the world for someone so pure as his Isaura to be taken from it. She was the light to the darkness that had been stirring inside him since he and Deaglan had ended their adoptive father's life. Some of that darkness came out when he told Isaura he would kill her brother if he tried to hurt her. She informed him that he might and then it all made sense why she was having the nightmares. Her brother had tried to kill her before and Ruari assumed that was what she was doing there in the lore with him. “How many attempts has he made?” How badly did he want his sister gone. Then she gave him a warning, “We will stay alert for him Isa but you don't have anything to worry about. I'm here and as long as I am here I will do everything I can to keep him from hurting you,” he told her, “I won't let him take you from me.”


He saw the tremble of her body as she shivered but he didn't think it was from the cold. Instead the lingering memory of the dream and what her brother had done to her outside of it. He curled himself protectively around her when she laid down next to him. His eyes closed as she rubbed her cheek against his before she told him she would always be at his side. “I wouldn't have it any other way Isa, you are the best thing that has happened to me.” He placed a kiss in her forehead, “You need to know I will do whatever it takes to protect you. I can't lose you like I have so many in the past.”