Stavanger Bay i have loved the stars too fondly to be fearful of the night

Qilaq heaves a final, defeated breath. Huff.

The dream she'd been having already begins to fade. The lingering feelings of fear remain a distant, bitter taste in the back of her mouth. She swallows but it doesn’t go away, even when she forgets what she’d been afraid of in the first place.

Something.

One ear twitches as if something had been bugging, with nothing there, and she picks her up head to readjust so that her legs kick out to the side instead of beneath her. Making herself comfortable again takes a little bit of effort as she disregards the woman. When she’s down on her side, head on the ground and facing the dark of the den, she stares at nothing in particular and smacks her lips together and tries to find a place for her parched tongue.

“Just us.”