Blacktail Deer Plateau I call through the fog

He was aware of the contact between their bodies, the warmth of her shoulder against him and the slight thrill it gave him to be so close to her. He was here first and foremost as a friend and as a source of support, but he couldn't help the feelings that stirred beneath all of that. She talked to him, telling him that she thought herself weak for being so afraid, and Atticus shook his head, grinning a little bit at her as he did. "If you think you're a wuss, how's this -- I once had a dream so bad that I pissed myself." His shoulders shook with suppressed laughter at himself, and he looked at her with mirthful eyes. "You better not tell anyone that, Blue. Especially not Perry." He laughed out loud then, imagining the ruthless ribbing he'd get from his brother if Perry ever found that out.

"But seriously," he said after a moment, looking at her again. "I'll be glad to leave you be if you need some time alone to sort this out. I just thought something was after you." He didn't want to push or pry, and he certainly wasn't going to ask her to describe what happened in the dream. If she wanted to tell him, she would tell him of her own accord. Chances were, however, that she just wanted to move past it and forget about it as soon as possible, and that was okay with him. He didn't want to impose on her if she wanted time alone to deal with her emotions, though, and he was perfectly willing to go back to his tree if that was what she wanted.