Firefly Glen the finite and the infinite

By the time the third "no" slipped free, Meerkat instinctively moved closer to him again, a strange mixture of bewildered and sympathetic. "Atlas?" she said dumbly over his heartbroken chanting. "Atlas..." She began to reach for him again but he ripped away from her, causing her to whip her paw back as if scalded. Despite his effort to turn his face from her, she glimpsed the tears gathering in the corners of his eyes.

She'd heard about panic attacks and wondered if that's what was happening. But beyond a vague guess, she was at a loss here. Her own inner turmoil didn't help her as she tried to make sense of what was happening and how she could help. What should she do? Should she try to comfort him? Should she leave him alone? Why did she feel like she was about to completely fall apart too?

"You don't—I'm sorry—" Meerkat tried, quickly losing her coherency. She quite literally wrung her paws for a moment before making a snap decision and pressing closer, trying to wrap him in a hug again. "Atlas—"