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 Posted: Sat Nov 14, 2009 10:06 pm
It was dark in the den, the warmth of his siblings and family piled all around keeping off the chill of the night that painted the world in midnight blues and faint peeks of silver light. Too cramped, in spite of the wide entrance and high ceiling. It wasn't as if there was too little space in the large den. But there are so many in it, their breathing and heartbeats and the soft twitches of their feet and tails... it's too loud. It's too noisy, and hot, and cramped, and small, and impossible to sleep even if he didn't have so very much to think about...
The cub squirmed, scratching an itch before wriggling over to lay sprawled out on his other side. Then he scooted backwards from the paw that was all but planted on his black muzzle. Brother, sister, 'aunt'... whoever it belonged to it wasn't helping. But he didn't want to wake up all the way, he was almost sleeping now, and if he got up to curl up again he might be more comfortable, but then he would also be more awake.
Think of something else, close his ears to the soft breaths and slight movements around him, and let his mind wander... oh it was no good. That only lead to the endless questions. What if this, and I wonder that. So many things he didn’t know. It was enough to drive him crazy. Sleep was so very far away it seemed utterly impossible. But if he didn’t sleep, he would be tired come morning, and might miss hearing something wonderfully important and then there would be something else that he didn’t know…
Glumly, the young cub yawned, stretching slightly, before he blinked his eyes blearily open. What was that? Anwar frowned slightly as he shifted to rise and curl up somewhere else, tucking his paws beneath his chest as he lifted his head to look longingly out at the night beyond the entrance to the den. Maybe if he went outside he’d have space to think until the extra thoughts went away. But getting up suddenly seemed like far too much effort. Besides, what was there to do outside? Watch stars maybe? It might be interesting to try hunting some bugs at night, maybe he’d find some that weren’t there in the day! That would be… such a bad idea. He’d be in real trouble for wandering off in the middle of the night…
…but only if he got caught.
With a sigh, he lowered his head to his paws, tail giving an irritated flick as he did so. If he didn’t fall asleep real soon he was going to go outside and look around, just a tiny bit. Maybe doing something would make sleeping easier when he got done with it.
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Posted: Sat Nov 14, 2009 11:03 pm
Obadias had gone to sleep at the same time as the other cubs, peacefully snuggled up close to their mother and squished in between his siblings. Feeling the comforting warmth of them pressed against him and their heartbeats beating in his ears, he had drifted off with ease. It had been a nice change to the nights he laid awake, unable to even start to sleep.
He had been completely relaxed, happily dreaming when the vision breached it. It was a flash, as if someone had shut off all the lights of his dream. He had dreamt of playing with another cub, his close friend. She had been laughing and went to say something to him when the lights went out in his dream. At the sudden darkness, Obadias' breathing sped up, but he stayed asleep. He could never wake up, not until the vision had passed.
Dark fur. Blood. Blood covered it. It was everywhere. Markings? Dark markings. Black eyes. No. No. Closed eyes. Black fur. As if it were night time, only flashes of the person was shown. He couldn't even tell the species. Was it a cat, or was it a wild dog? Who was it? Did he know them.
Him.
It was a male. He knew that. He didn't know how but he knew. It had to be a male.
The muscles pulsed beneath the surface of the fur and it was obvious he was strong.
Why was he bleeding then?
Obadias felt sick. The male was dying.
Suddenly, Obadias stood over the male, staring down at the figure which was breathing harshly and grating.
Obadias gasped as the body gave a single, final breath and then just stopped.
It was over.
He saw the figure of a red lion moving forward, ready to clam his prize.
Obadias squeezed his eyes shut, wanting the vision to end.
It didn't.
It continued, flashes passing his mind of blood and fight and suddenly, of cubs and the red male, curling up with his family.
Like nothing had happened.
But Obadias, Obadias knew, he knew what the male had done.
It made him sick.
Obadias gasped, the noise sounding loud in the quiet den. His chest heaved as he pushed himself up, and away from his mother. Stumbling back, making sure to avoid the sprawling of limbs beneath him. His siblings slept on.
Turning red gaze to his mother, he wanted to scream. How could she sleep while Obadias was scared? Shouldn't she know and wake up and protect him?
He wanted his father to wake up, to watch over him, to protect him, but neither did. They slept on and Obadias just wanted to leave.
Stumbling towards the exit of the den, he ached to breathe the sweet night air. Something, anything, to clear that vision from his mind.
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Posted: Sat Nov 14, 2009 11:30 pm
Ohhh, it was just no good! He was never going to get back to sleep, there was too much whirling around his mind for that. Everything from 'what makes the sun go the same way every day' to 'I wonder which pad that black and gold banu belongs to' and even 'why are ants black?'. So many questions, so much he didn't know. He needed to know, needed to know everything.
And it was making it hard to sleep. And he was sort of bored too. But his mind was spinning. How could he be bored with too much on his mind? It made no sense!
Anwar was on the verge of just giving up and getting up when a sharp gasp startled him. Instinctively, the cub lay still, red eyes sliding shut in feigned sleep, though at the sound of stumbling pawsteps, one slid open just a crack.
Ah, finally. A distraction.
Quietly, so as not to wake anyone else, Anwar rose to his paws and padded silently after his younger brother. He'd certainly seemed upset...bad dream perhaps? Come to think of it, he thought he'd heard something about his sibling having trouble sleeping before... hadn't he? Or had something else made him think that. It seemed like he just...knew. But he had to have found out somehow... ah well. He would have plenty of time to think of it later.
"Obadias?" he called softly as he reached the mouth of the den, ears pricked forward to help him hear his dark furred brother in the clear night, "Something wrong?"
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Posted: Mon Nov 16, 2009 3:58 am
His breathing was harsh as he took in heaving gasps as soon as the fresh air reached his mouth and nose. The air was chilling but refreshing at the same time. It shook of the last tendrils of his vision, and he felt less like the darkness was choking him. Stars shone above him, and he tilted his face up, basking in what little light they gave out. He hated when night came around, nothing ever went right when it was night time.
He was caught up in his dislike of the night that he didn't hear his elder brother approach until Anwar spoke. His chest heaved in fright but he didn't make a noise or become defensive. He knew that voice, there was no reason to be afraid but that didn't mean he hadn't just had a quiet heart attack from fright.
Obadias turned back to face his brother, and for a second, he couldn't see the male cub. He saw dark fur and red blood staining the ground. He stumbled back unconsciously, a need for distance between himself and the corpse he saw was overbearing.
He blinked and Anwar was standing there. There was no blood and no dark pelt. Just...Anwar.
“Anwar,” Obadias responded, trying to pretend his heart wasn't trying to leap from his chest. “No, nothing's wrong.” He hated lying to his family, but Anwar wouldn't understand. Even their mother didn't understand.
“I just couldn't sleep. Why are you awake?” A sudden thought struck and Obadias felt worse. “Did I wake you?”
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Posted: Mon Nov 16, 2009 6:37 pm
His brother looked frightened. He was breathing hard, and even seemed startled by Anwar's appearance, stumbling back before responding. The 'couldn't sleep' excuse might be true, but it was definitely not the whole truth. As for the 'nothings wrong'... if there were nothing wrong why did his little brother seem so upset? And...guilty? Did he feel bad thinking that he might have woken Anwar?
...should he take advantage of that? Try to sneak him into telling him more? That felt...wrong somehow. Lying to his little brother, when it seemed clear enough to him that Obadias was already upset...
Anwar just shrugged, his own dark striped pelt barely more visible than his black fur in the darkness. Night time, day time, all the same to him, only difference was light and company. Most people were sleeping now. It was peaceful in a way, but also rather dull as well.
"Don't worry about it," he decided, letting Obadias think whatever he wanted of that answer. If his brother thought he'd woken him, well, then that wasn't Anwar's fault. He'd only said not to worry, nothing else. "Are you sure nothing's wrong?" Anwar wheedled, moving slowly closer to his sybling, carefully making sure that his body language was soothing. Slow small steps, head cocked slightly, ears attentively forward... He'd seen one of the banu approach a cub like that, it had seemed worried to him. And if Obadias thought it was concerned... "Do you want to talk about it? Maybe telling someone else will make it less upsetting...?" he offered after a moment, his voice adopting a sort of secretive tone as he added, "I won't tell anyone if you don't want me to."
So true. Anwar liked to hoard secrets, not spill them. Whatever Obadias shared with him, it would be theirs and theirs alone. No one else would get to steal a piece of the 'knowing' that Anwar wanted so badly to possess. No matter what it had been, learning anything at all was a good thing, was worth effort to find out. Besides, he'd been bored anyway...
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Posted: Mon Nov 16, 2009 7:10 pm
Obadias tried to hide the next pang of guilt. He had woken Anwar up, he just knew it. His brother hadn't denied it, so obviously he had. It was only logical. If he hadn't, why wouldn't his brother have told him so? He'd already ruined his own night, now he'd ruined Anwar's too. Great. Just great.
“I'm...not sure,” Obadias announced, unable to lie to his brother a second time. He wasn't sure nothing was wrong, because in reality, everything was wrong. Watching his brother approached, he relaxed slightly, shoulders slumping. Anwar was not an aggressive soul, so Obadias knew he was safe with him, despite the deserted pride lands around them. They were close to the den as well, so they wouldn't be defenseless if a predator or a cruel pad approached them. Not to mention, most were terrified of their father.
“I...No.” Obadias said firmly. “I don't want to talk about it. That would just result in you never sleeping again too and,” he paused, “not sleeping is not fun. It's tiring.” He sat down, curling his tail around him. “I know Brother Anwar wouldn't tell, but I don't want you tired either.” He looked at his brother, his red eyes somber and quiet, as he usually was. He tried to calm his heart beat, and remove the scared look from his face, knowing his brother could see it. Anwar was clever, it wouldn't miss something so patiently obvious.
"You should go back to sleep," Obadias suggested lightly, looking back up at the stars.
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Posted: Mon Nov 16, 2009 7:35 pm
He watched as his brother started to relax, feeling both pleased and surprised that his idea had worked, though he was very careful not to let his expression change. If it was working, then he couldn't stop, not now. He was so close to finding out what it was that kept his little brother up at night, that made his already red eyes all bloodshot and left Obadias wandering around like a sleepwalker.
Anwar listened to his protests, letting his own shoulders slump slightly and lowering his head a tiny bit. It was slowly becoming clearer that Obadias was not just upset, he was genuinely scared of something. But what? Anwar had had bad dreams before, but they were just dreams. When they first woke him, he fancied he looked somewhat like his brother did now. But all he had to do was reason with himself a bit, and the dreaming horrors grew silly, meaningless and harmless and no good reason not to close his eyes.
Quietly, he moved to sit beside his unhappy sibling, close enough that they might almost touch if Anwar leaned a little bit and they both happened to breathe in at the same time, but not quite. He wasn't sure how Obadias would respond to being nuzzled, he knew Banu comforted their cubs like that, he'd received such affections himself when he was even littler than he was now. But he'd never seen a Pad do it before. He and Obadias were just cubs, and Obadias was hurting somewhere, so maybe he would like to be cuddled a little bit. But maybe he wouldn't like it coming from his brother instead of from one of their mothers.
"I'm not tired," Anwar said softly, turning his head to watch his brother from his hunched posture. He had to look up a little to do it in this position, but it was comfortable enough to him. "Maybe it's not as scary as it seems in your head. Sometimes bad dreams are like that."
He was mostly guessing that that had been the cause of his brother's upset, otherwise there would have been more signs before they'd all gone to sleep. What other reason would someone have to wake up frightened in the middle of the night?
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Posted: Mon Nov 16, 2009 8:11 pm
Obadias started when Anwar moved even closer to him, glancing in surprise when he settled next to him. It was an odd thing to do, especially between two males cubs. Banu's would sit lose or curl up together all the time, depending on their relationships but no respectable male cuddled up together, but Obadias was still a cub.
Shifting himself, he moved a little closer to his brother so their hips touched, taking in comfort from his brother's closeness. It reminded him that he wasn't with the dark pelted male and the blood. He was with his family and he was safe, but somewhere, a male had died and left a family lacking. Obadias started the ground, a hatred for the male who killed the dark furred lion building in his chest until he wanted to avenge the unknown male, but Obadias was young and weak. In his head, he was simply stuck watching the male die, over and over again.
Glancing back at his brother, Obadias frowned lightly. “It wasn't a dream,” he admitted quietly. “I wouldn't care if it was a dream but...it was real, Anwar. It was real. It's always real.” He clenched his paws and hunched his shoulders.
“I don't want to see it anymore, Anwar,” he almost whispered. “I want it to go away.”
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Posted: Mon Nov 16, 2009 8:39 pm
Anwar leaned very lightly back against his brother when Obadias shifted until their fur touched. It gave him another question, why Pads would never seem to do this when it was clear Banu could derive a kind of comfort and companionship from it. Perhaps it was because a Pad was meant to be too strong to need such things? But...surely everyone was in need to comfort at some time or another. His brother seemed to respond well enough, though he didn't think he would have tried his idea with another Pad. Family could be different though, and Obadias was his little brother. Anwar saw nothing wrong with trying to comfort him when he was upset.
Even if he mostly wanted his sibling to relax enough to tell him what it was that had upset him. It was a curious desire to have, to want to know even the smallest thing. But it was better than holding a vain aspiration. Anwar knew he was never going to be able to out-muscle everyone in the pride, and though he liked his mother well enough, it was the deep rich black of his father's pelt that he thought was really handsome, which in turn meant he would only ever look average as well. But he could know the most, someday, if he really worked at it. Learning wasn't something he had to be born special to do, he just had to concentrate on it a little. Make sure he didn't forget anything, or miss an opportunity.
Honestly, all he'd thought to learn was what made his brother seem so tired all the time, perhaps find out what other cubs dreamed about...what they feared. But Obadias' reaction was not what he'd expected.
"Real?" he asked after a few moments of thought, "But...how can a dream be real? I thought...I thought that it was just... just like thinking, only when we're asleep...?"
For a moment, just briefly, he wished he could make it go away for his little brother. Seeing him so upset, so afraid of something as intangible as a dream, something that no one could protect him from... an odd feeling. But he was so close to finding out what it was that Obadias had dreamed about... but how could it be real? A dream was like imagining things, only the dreamer was asleep and had no control over the imaginings. In the end, it was all only in their head, right?
...or was there something else he didn't know, something special about dreams that Obadias had found out and he just didn't know? None of the others seemed to be effected by their dreams the way his little brother clearly was. What if... what if there was something especially special about him?
Now he had to know!
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Posted: Mon Nov 16, 2009 9:11 pm
“It's always real,” he whispered softly, wishing he could close his eyes and get away from the memory but the second he closed his eyes, the vision would return. He would see blood, so much blood and dark, dark fur and everything in his mind would cloud over until he was choking on it. He didn't want to close his eyes, not even to blink. So instead, he lifted his head and stared at the stars again. He knew Anwar was trying to help but he knew it wasn't solely out of love for his brother that Anwar was prying. Obadias had noticed how Anwar acted around unknown information.
How could Obadias explain what he saw to Anwar. Their mother had told him that he was special, that when he began to 'see', his mother had taken him aside. He was different from his siblings, they couldn't see like he could. It was only when he slept that he could see though, it was never while he was awake. He was grateful for that, because that meant he had some form of safety. If he stayed awake, he was safe. If he didn't sleep, if he didn't close his eyes, he was going to be okay, but his body hated being awake. He had stayed up for four nights before, until he had finally crashed and slept a day away, dreaming and flashes of visions leaving him exhausted even as he woke.
“Dreams...dreams are fake,” Obadias admitted. “Fractions of imagination and ideas we think about briefly but...what I see...it's not a dream.” He sucked in a deep breath and tried to ration it out. Should he tell his brother? Anwar wouldn't tell, he was sure and his mother already knew. Obadias wasn't sure whether his father knew or not, but he must have had an inkling or something, because the Vizier had stayed up before while Obadias was restless, or maybe that was just out of protection of all his cubs.
“There was a male,” Obadias admitted quietly. “He was dark. Dark like father and he was bleeding.” He sucked in a deep breath. “Another male was attacking him. H-he killed the dark male and everything was red.” He shook his head and looked at Anwar. “I don't want to see those things again, Brother. Even when I'm awake I can't escape them, not really.”
He didn't explain what his visions were, only what he had seen that night. How could Obadias explain what he himself didn't know anything about beyond what he saw every time he closed his eyes.
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Posted: Mon Nov 16, 2009 9:42 pm
Always real...? Anwar would have questioned again, but there didn't seem to be a need. His brother was explaining now. He'd suspected right just now it seemed, Obadias clearly knew the difference between dreams and whatever it was that lurked in his mind every time he closed his eyes. Asleep, and awake, he could see things. Things that he knew were real, that weren't dreams.
...had he heard of something like that before? There was a nagging feeling somewhere in the back of his mind that Obadias was right, that he'd somehow somewhere heard something similar... but he didn't remember. That was frustrating, that was so incredibly frustrating to think he might know something but not be able to remember it! Even so, it loaned credibility to the dark furred cub's otherwise rather strange explanation.
So... Obadias saw things when he tried to sleep that really happened, or were happening, or something. And he saw these things, and he knew these things were real...and he remembered them so vividly...
...he was so lucky. Anwar was instantly jealous, though he quelled it quickly enough, it probably wouldn't really show in his expression beyond a sudden flicker of sharp interest. It had started a sudden and totally unexpected notion in his mind as he heard Obadias talking about it. Yes, to witness a death like that... that was a horrible thing indeed. But...but to know something about someone else, someone far far away that he hadn't even met before... he was so very lucky.
But he didn't want it, it upset him. That much was quite plain to see, Obadias never looked rested or even very happy it seemed. He didn't want to see these things, to learn these things, to know about strangers in strange places. But Anwar did. He craved it, he would do almost anything to know those things, even if it meant he would never sleep again. It struck him with a strange longing to be able to... trade.
Obadais didn't want to have these real-dreams. Anwar wanted to know them. If only there were some way for them to trade, so that his brother didn't need to suffer under these visions he did not want and Anwar in turn could see these things he loved to know about...
Still. Hearing his brother describe it, in that quiet frightened way, trying to take a steadying breath, looking at him with that expression in his eyes... maybe it wasn't such a gift at all. Anwar swallowed, his mouth suddenly feeling very dry. Would he still have tried to trade? He had...never...never ever considered that any sort of knowledge could feel like... like...
...like a curse.
"...I...I don't know why you see things like that. I didn't think it..." he stopped, watching his little brother, wondering what it would be like if he were sitting there, scared and uncertain, and his brother found him, asked him...
"...knowledge is power," Anwar heard himself whispering, giving himself away without really intending to, betraying his own deepest, most precious secret, "If you know about something... you have power over it. Even...even if you're not big...or strong...or...even...even very brave..." his voice faltered slightly, his eyes dropping to his paws, "But... maybe... if we find out more... if you know more about this... then...maybe...you could make them obey you instead..."
It made sense after all. Whoever had the most power was obeyed by those that had less. That was how the world as Anwar saw it worked. And so, if Obadias knew everything there was to know about these things he couldn't help but see, maybe someday he would be able to make them stop...
...or maybe he could make them show him things he wanted to see. Anwar felt a sudden delicious little chill at that sudden idea. Anything he wanted to see...the things he could learn, the things he could do... possibilities as endless as the blue sky stretching out across the desert that lay beyond their home. Oh... the power that would follow someone in possession of so much knowledge...!
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Posted: Wed Nov 18, 2009 12:50 am
Obadias stared at his brother, understanding in his eyes at the same time as annoyance. His brother wanted knowledge, he knew that, but didn't Anwar understand? Knowledge wasn't just power, knowledge was scary too. Knowledge made Obadias' throat tighten up and hurt so much that he wanted to sleep, but he couldn't because that would only bring more flashes and more memories to repress.
“You take it,” Obadias growled, his almost non-existed temper flaring slightly. “You want knowledge, you take these-these flashes. I don't want them anymore. M-mother says it's because I'm special but I just want to sleep without these horrible things to see!”
Obadias climbed to his feet clumsily, moving away from his brother and breathing heavily. He felt horrible for snapping at his brother, and felt his shoulders slump. He didn't want to be angry at his brother, he didn't want to snap and grouch at people. He wanted to be normal and left alone. There was something in the way the flashes haunted him that was cruel, never giving him the big picture, only little fragments that never, ever made sense when put together.
“I'm sorry, Anwar,” Obadias whispered, his back still to his brother. “I didn't mean to be angry. I just don't want to see it, I don't want to know why, I just want it to go.” He glanced back, eyes somber. “I've seen so many things, and I can't get away from it. Their stuck in my head and no matter what I do, they won't get out again.”
He tilted his head to the side, wondering why his brother seemed so eager to know about what he saw, what he had seen before and why it was occurring. Did Anwar actually want what Obadias had? It was a strange idea. “Do you think that if I-I know about it, I can control it?” He slunk back towards his brother slowly. “Do you think I could make it so I never see them again?” His brother was the smart one, maybe Anwar would discover a way to get rid of the flashes, to save Obadias from his own torment.
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Posted: Wed Nov 18, 2009 7:42 pm
He would take them, if he could. He wanted to know, any price would be worth it, wouldn’t it? If Obadias didn’t want them… maybe he could give them to someone else? If their mother said it made him special, maybe she knew more about it than they did. Maybe she could do something about it. Maybe, if there was someone who was willing, then the flashes could be given to someone else. Obadias was so afraid and hurt, and Anwar so wanted to see and know… if they could trade, then everyone would be happier…
…still, it was kind of upsetting to be snapped at like that. He hadn’t been trying to upset his brother…he’d just been curious. And…and he did want to help. He just…
Anwar’s ears lay back, his shoulders slumping as he felt himself crouch slightly, that stranger desire he had to be small and inconspicuous rising unbidden. His pale red eyes remained fixed on Obadias as his brother stood and walked away. He didn’t move, didn’t speak a word, feeling oddly hurt. Usually he tried not to let personal feelings get in the way of knowledges, but…well. Maybe family was different…
“It’s alright, Brother Obadias,” he said softly when the other apologized, being upset wasn’t rational but it was a reasonable reaction after all. “And…I think… if you know about something, it does give you power over it. So…knowing about why you see things might make it so you can make them do what you want. It seems to work on other…things,” Anwar changed the word quickly, somehow not wanting to say that it seemed like knowing about people made it easier to convince them of something. It did, after all, work on bugs. Somewhat. He knew he could make one curl up by poking it, or fly away if her breathed on it. That was a kind of control. It only made sense that that control would extend over to pieces of a person too, not just the whole person. And if these real-dreams were a piece of Obadias, then wouldn’t it work on them too?
“I’ll try to find out,” Anwar promised, “Even if it only helps a little, it’ll be better than no help at all…right?”
And he would try. He wanted to learn all he could about this strange new thing he had found out, this special thing his little brother possessed. Maybe what he learned would help him, he wouldn’t mind sharing if it would, but… he’d want to know about it anyway.
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Posted: Wed Nov 25, 2009 3:57 pm
Obadias glanced at his brother, feeling horrible for snapping but in a strange way, Anwar had deserved it, which made Obadias feel even worse that he could think like that. His brother had done nothing wrong, Obadias had overreacted. Some of his guilt lifted when his brother didn't seem to mind being snapped at though he had a feeling he'd hurt his brother in some way, Awnar didn't appear to be holding a grudge.
“I want this to stop,” he said quietly, “if learning about it stops it, then I want to learn all I can.” He glanced at his brother seriously, wondering how Anwar knew all this, but his brother was smart, so Obadias trusted him. If he said it would work, then Obadias believed it would work.
“Thank you, brother Anwar,” he told him. He didn't know why Anwar wanted to help, but if he was willing, then Obadias was willing to try.
“Do you think Mother would answer our questions?” He asked, curious. Or rather, Anwar's question. Obadias wouldn't know what to ask, or how to phrase it. He was a quiet soul, not built for investigating. He hadn't spoken to his mother about his gift before, too afraid that it would make it worse.
His mother stayed up with him when he couldn't sleep, but they didn't speak of it. Even his father had stayed up a time or two, but still they didn't talk. Talking about it made it real and it was real enough already.
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Posted: Sat Nov 28, 2009 1:17 am
Anwar’s ears perked slightly as his brother began to speak even more quietly. It seemed somehow odd to him that Obadias wanted to trust him…which was strange because this time he really did want to help. If he happened to learn more as he did so, well, that was a nice bonus. But, stranger still, the knowledge was not an end to itself this time. Maybe he had genuine love for his poor sybling and wanted to help ease this burden that the other cub was bound with. Or perhaps he merely wanted to see if his knowledge could truly be useful. Surely Obadias wouldn’t be too picky about the motivation so long as he got what he needed. Perhaps they would both get what they wanted from this.
“She might…” Anwar said slowly, his head at an angle as he stared thoughtfully at the ground, “If we ask them just right…”
Perhaps he would do so, on his own. Talking of it seemed to be bothering his brother for one thing. And, for another, if he had to be careful and quiet about finding out, it would be easier with just him to do it. He wasn’t sure how well he’d do trying to sneak little bits of knowing when he had to work with a partner. Perhaps if everything went well the first time, they could try together a second to learn more. But if they tried together first and their mother wouldn’t tell them, it would be much harder for Anwar to find out on his own once she knew they were looking for information.
“I want to help you,” he said after a few moment moments had passed, realizing that he’d made no reply to his brother’s thanks, “If Brother Obadias has anymore real dreams… you should wake me,” Anwar offered, lifting his eyes from the intense study of the ground to gaze levelly at his sibling, “I don’t mind being up at night,” he promised, “I kind of like the quiet.”
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