Moose:
Visions of swarming crimson clouds kept Sandalphon awake. It had been a reoccuring theme for many nights now, but when the vision hit he still hadn’t been prepared for it. His mind was trapped in a vortex of screaming. The grey lion raced down a barren landscape until his paw caught in a groove that sent his body tumbling. He didn’t stop until he landed near the body of another, who screamed on contact.
His own physical body screamed as well. He had long since left the den, mumbling and stumbling into the night as his body seized. Sandalphon’s head jerked as his mind saw the figure rise. Eyes, a soft blue so much like his own, sought his as the young female cried, “What have you done?! How could you, you - you demon! You ruined her; ruined her!” He shrieked again, this time baring his teeth at the invisible foe. What he saw was a pink spotted female rushing him, claws rending his flesh and he couldn’t stop her. Every time he swung his paws it was as if he were cutting air, which in truth was exactly what he was doing. “If you hadn’t been there she would still be alright. YOU SHOULD JUST DIE.”
Seaki:
Aji woke up when he felt one of his mates leave the den. He blinked away, frowning and blinking blearily. He was confused for a moment, but he noticed what was missing quite quickly. Sandalphon.
He yawned, pulling himself up, and heading to the mouth of the den. That's when he heard something - like a roar? Or a scream. Panicked, he ran towards the noise. He searched for the source, whipping his head to and fro. It didn't take him long to stop the silver figure of one of his mates.
"Sand?" He called out, uncertain. "What are you doing out here?"
Moose:
A fearful roar rose from within Sandalphon. The pain in his limbs was nothing compared to what was digging away in his head. It was a torture seeing the figure of a lioness he had never met, and yet one that looked so familiar. He reached a paw up to swipe at his face, cutting into the flesh with his claws in an effort to block it out, but he couldn’t. A crimson moon shone down on her pale pink fur, and burned into her eyes like the fires of hell.
Then her voice changed to Aji’s and that terrified him more. No, no, not him! It was enough to made him sick and the contents of his stomach emptied themselves before the vision faded away completely. Sandalphon swayed on his paws, his breathing ragged as he took in the scene around him. His eyes were wild and frightened when they found his mate. “...A-Aji?”
Seaki:
Aji was neatly shaking, though the tremors not as violent as his mate's. "Sand," the concern that filled his body rang clear in his voice, though he managed to keep the fear at bay. He made his way closer, worried about frightening his mate even more than he was. Aji was scared tho, he had never seen his mate like his.
"Can I look at that gash, Love? It looks like it hurts," he spoke softly, trying to ease his mate out of the frightened state he was in. He was sure his voice wavered when he spoke, but his main goal was to calm down the silver lion the best he could, and then get some water into him.
Moose:
There was little that could calm the lion after the vision he had seen. His mate’s clear voice in the fog of his doubting mind brought Sandalphon fully into the present. Reality. He jumped back and shook as he fought for control over his own fear.
“I-is it supposed to?” Sandalphon’s voice was quiet. The blood mixed with tears on his cheeks to create a salty mess. That lioness, the moon...all of it felt so wrong. I’m supposed to remember...I should know it! I should remember! “It...it doesn’t. I just feel sick…” On the inside he struggled with the urge to run, and it showed. Sandalphon twitched at odd intervals, always searching for a way out, but there was no where he could hide from his visions.
Seaki
It looked deep, and Aji was still concerned about it, but with how Sand was feeling, they should probably seek out water first. Luckily, the lands held a great deal of water, centering on a lake. “Shh, love, it’s okay, I’ve got you, alright?” Aji murmured, trying to keep Sand calm, or as calm as he could get. “Let’s get you some water, okay?” He gave a gentle nudge towards the direction of the lake and away from sick up.
“It’ll make you feel better, I promise,” Aji managed to keep his voice steady, a bit more comfortable that Sand at least recognized who he was properly and responded to him, at least.
Moose
Sandalphon took a deep breath, but the calming exhale never came. It seemed to meld into his shakes as easily as the clouds sifting through the sky. He nodded his head, mildly giving into Aji without really deciding to do it. It seemed like a good idea, and he didn’t have any of his, did he? If Aji had him, then that was good.
Slowly moving away from the area, Sandalphon became aware of just how exhausted he was. The large male was sick to his stomach and head with a light headed feeling that caused him to sway on his paws. “Water sounds nice,” He murmured, “but I don’t think....she hates me, so it can’t be better.”
Seaki
A noise on concern pulled from the back of Aji’s throat as Sand swayed. He pressed his body to the other’s side a bit in hopes of steadying the silver lion. “it’s not far, love, but I can find a way to bring it to you, if you can’t make it,” he didn’t know how yet, but he could manage one way or another. At least they had moved away from the vomit.
The next words though, made no sense to Aji. “Who hates you?” He wondered. He didn’t think it was possible - Sand was sweet, and Aji loved him dearly. Surely it wasn’t Lari. “Sand, are you okay?” He asked gently. The obvious answer was no, he wasn’t, but Aji needed a response, to make sure Sand was still with him.
Moose
Aji’s warmth grounded him and kept the silver lion from falling. More than a few times he stopped moving altogether just to catch his breath. He wasn’t sure if he could make it or not, but he would try for his mates sake. It felt...wrong to be so needy, but he wanted. Sandalphon needed Aji’s warming comfort more than air at that moment. He had never been so terrified in his life.
“The pink lioness under the blood moon. She was so mad, Aji,” Sandalphon hiccuped and shook his head. “I-I don’t...I don’t know. I just want it to stop.” No, he wanted to go home far worse, but it wouldn’t do to scare the others. It was bad enough that Aji had to see him like this.
As they neared the lake the silver lion stayed close to the black lion, but he broke away long enough to sit next to the water. Sandalphon dipped his head, swished some of the cool water in his mouth and spat the filth on the ground beside him.
Seaki
Aji was just glad they made it to the water. Sand was worrying him, and he really wanted his mate back safe in their den, but he wasn’t quite sure how to get him there. He sat close to Sand by the water’s edge, watching his mate carefully.
“Is there anything I could do to help?” He asked softly. Sand at least appeared to acknowledge him more, and maybe the water helped, but there was only so much Aji could do. He wasn’t a healer or anything, and he felt bad for not being able to help more.
Moose
Sandalphon didn't drink much before laying his head down on his paws. The big lion wanted little more than to sleep, but he was much too frightened to do so. What if the dreams came back?
"You could tell me a story. " He looked up to Aji with pleading eyes. Learning about his mates was something he enjoyed doing and a story might calm him. At the very least it would distract him. "Maybe about your family?" family was safe. Safety was key. "...Can we...can I stay here tonight? I don't want to go back yet...please don't make me go back..."
Seaki
Aji hummed softly, in an effort to calm his nerves as well as Sand’s. “We can stay here as long as you need,” he told his mate gently. He slid down to lay next to the silver lion, pressing his body along his mate’s side.
“I grew up in a pride similar to this one,” He told Sand, beginning his story. “There were harems, but they were quite different than ours…” The story of his journey from his cubhood up until he met Sand and Lari. It was the least he could do to lull Sand to at least rest.
