Dread

Salmon wasn’t sure when the sky had begun to darken into shades of navy blue and orange, but she did know that it was currently very late. She hadn’t meant to stay out this long—she’d only wanted to go item fishing for a few hours or so. Evidently, she’d lost track of time.

That wasn’t a bad thing, though, was it? She could just… pack her stuff up and head home now. Taking a little night stroll through the woods never hurt anybody. Besides, it wasn’t as if she was going to get lost on the way home. It wasn’t that dark out. 

Yeah. All good.

She stuffed her items into her bag, slung the bag over her shoulder, and clambered to her feet. The leaves that had fallen off of nearby trees crunched under her feet as she raced—wait, why was she running? There was nothing to be afraid of. Absolutely nothing.

If only Nebula was here. She probably would’ve picked her up and ran all the way back home as the wind raced past and—

A stick snapped under her foot, and she let out a shriek, nearly losing her balance. She hated feeling like this. It was just like that night when she’d fled from the aristocrats. 

She hadn’t waited to see the effects of the sleeping powder take effect. As soon as she’d served them the wine, she had packed up her things and ran. Nobody had been following her, but it had definitely felt like it. She’d never forgotten the feeling of being watched—the feeling that no matter where she went, she would never be safe.

That feeling was coming back now with full force, and she could feel her chest tightening. 

She just needed to get home. Then she could rest.

She managed to make it a couple of more steps before she heard a faint rumbling in the distance. 

No.

Oh no.

Frantically, she took off, not realizing until it was too late that she was heading towards the source of the rumbling, not away from it. Too late, she tried to change course. This time, her luck ran out, and she ended up sprawled on the ground. 

The thumping—it sounded like footsteps, the closer she listened—continued to get louder. She should have moved. She should have ran. She should have done something, but the only thing she seemed capable of doing was lying on the ground and trembling. 

She hoped Nebula wouldn’t be too lonely without her.

“...Salmon?”

Her heart stopped. 

“Nebula?”

A familiar set of grey paws scooped her up, and she came face to face with the hyena she’d just been thinking about. 

“There you are!” Nebula said, frowning worriedly. “It was getting late, so I came to check on you.” Then she cracked a smile. “I didn’t have to look too hard, though.”

“Yeah,” she said, feeling a wave of relief wash over her. “You found me.”

Nebula grinned at her again before setting off towards their home.

Gradually, she began to focus less on the darkness and more on Nebula. She was a comforting presence—she supposed that was normal, considering that she was the demi goddess of protection. But it wasn’t just due to the fact that she was warm and cozy. Salmon knew that Nebula wasn’t going to hurt her, and she liked to think that Nebula knew the reverse was also true. They loved and trusted each other. They kept each other safe.

She exhaled softly and relaxed against Nebula’s paws, closing her eyes and letting her thoughts drift away.