Humari's Nightmare

Writers: Miriah, Yvonne
Date Posted: 15th January 2020

Characters: Taril, Humari
Description: Taril experiences one of Humari's nightmares, but they're able to offer each other comfort
Location: Sunstone Seahold
Date: month 2, day 3 of Turn 10

Humari

The day hadn't gone well. After a month of avoiding going to the
market, Humari finally steeled herself and went with her sister. At
first, Humari had done well enough, despite feeling the knot in her
belly at the slightest sound beyond the sellers calling out their
wares. She'd managed to buy some vegetables and even arranged to have
several packets of meat delivered to the apartments. She had even
relaxed enough to begin to enjoy her sister's conversation as she held
Tumaril. But then a runner had neighed, rebelling against its owner
and reared. That instant brought far too many memories rushing back
and Humari found cringing and bolting for an alley by a building. It
taken Torinya nearly a quarter of a candlemark to assure her that it
was safe and she could emerge, while Tumaril spent that time crying
out in confusion and fright.

It had been too much. Humari had hurried home, trusting her sister to
send her packages, which thankfully she had. It had taken the rest of
the afternoon to settle both she and her son. Skipping dinner had been
difficult and had further strained communication between she and
Taril, but she simply couldn't bear to put anything in her stomach.
When she laid down, exhaustion from the day dragged her into an
unwilling sleep.

The dream was a familiar one. Stampeding hooves, terror, and then of
all the horrors, not shoving Tumaril or Yavin away quickly enough. She
had to watch as the hooves struck the children again and again, the
screaming of the boys and the sight of the blood spilling from beneath
sharp, pounding hooves making her cry out in terrorized agony. And
then, it was dark, the smell of antiseptic filling her nostrils with
it's sharp scent. A shadow with glowing eyes, whirling red with
vicious fury stood over her. It was a runner, taken on a man's shape
and standing over her with menace as it brought down the suffocating
pillow in bloody hands. Humari screamed.

Taril jolted awake, already sitting upright in bed. **Humari--** His
sleep-fogged brain took a moment to realize that she was asleep and
safe, and there were no dangers in the night except those that she'd
conjured. He reached out and gently shook her shoulder to wake her.
"Humari, you're dreaming. It's not real. Humari?"

The red-eyed runner grabbed her, hooves turning into talon like
fingers that threatened to tear into her as she struggled to breathe
The shadowy figure loomed over her, baring rotted teeth, and she
recognized the leering face of Yarmel. Humari shrieked but instead of
cowering back, she began to fight. "No! No! Get away!" Hands flew up,
hitting at the figure desperately with closed fists as her legs kicked
out.

"Ooof!" Taril recoiled as Humari's flailing fists connected with his
nose exactly the same time that she kicked him in the shin. He reached
out again, this time more carefully, to hold her hands before she
could hit him again. "Humari! It's a dream, it's a dream!"

Jib shrieked an alarm, talons digging into the foot of the bed as the
young bronze flit crouched in preparation to fling himself at the
phantom attacker. It was that shriek, and Taril's voice that pulled
Humari from the dream, still thrashing. She jerked awake,
struggling against Taril's grip before she realized that she was in
her own bed, with Taril beside her. She began to tremble, looking
around frantically to assure herself that they were the only ones in
the room. Recognizing their room, she stilled, then pulled her hands
from his, covering her face as she began to softly weep.

"Shh. It was just a dream." Taril hesitated, then reached out and
tentatively wrapped his arms around her. "It's not real. You're safe."

It was the first time he'd held her close since the first night home.
She rolled towards him, still shaking, and buried her head in his
chest, trying to control her tears. "It felt real. So real." She
burrowed closer, trying to get as closer to him as she could,
desperately needing his comfort. "He was killing me..."

Her hair brushed softly against his skin and Taril could feel her
shaking in his arms. He held her tighter and kissed her forehead. "Who
was?"

The tighter grip was soothing, bringing the comfort she'd been
craving since she'd gotten home. "Yarmel." Humari's voice was a
whisper. "He was the man in the infirmary. But he was a runner too.
With nasty teeth and talons. And red eyes. Glowing red eyes." She
shuddered in his grip, wrapping one arm tightly around his ribs to
hold him just as close even as she spoke into his chest. "And...
and...Tumaril and Yavin... they were stomped to death. I saw all the
blood and I couldn't stop it."

"That's terrible." He shook his head. It sounded like a jumble of
nonsense, but it had obviously terrified her. "That's an awful dream.
But it was just a dream. It's not real, love."

"It feels real." She murmured. "I can't go to the market or the
infirmary without thinking about it. I'm scared all the time, Taril. "

"What can I do to make it better?" he asked.

"I don't know..." She whispered, pressing her face against his
shoulder. "Just...hold me." Humari lifted her head to look at him, but
his expression was dim in the darkness. "Hold me at night. Tell me
that it'll be okay."

He held her a little tighter, wishing that he could do something else.
Something _more_. Instead he murmured, "it'll be okay." It was
probably a lie, and he didn't want to lie to her anymore, but he
couldn't _not_... not when she asked like that, shivering in the dark
and chased by nightmares.

One hand curled into a fist at his check, winding in his nightshirt.
"Taril..." She swallowed and slowly lifted her leg to wrap around his
waist. "Give me another baby." She hesitated, leaned forward to kiss
his lower lip once, then again before taking his hand and placing it
on her hip. "Please give me another baby."

She was scared and grieving. Taril knew this, and he had intended to
give her space to put herself back together but his good intentions
flew out the window as he felt her leg trace its way up his body. Seas
take him, but he'd missed her touch. Taril pulled her against him and
kissed her hungrily. She wanted a baby, but he wanted _her_.

She groaned, slipping her hand between them to tug at the laces of his
sleeping pants. She felt his grip on her tighten and answered his kiss
with a growing need that had been banked for months. It was
desperation for him, the need for something only he could give her,
that made her hike up her night gown to her waist. She was just about
to slip her hand into his trousers as a thin, sniffling cry broke the
silence.

"Mama! Mama!"

Humari went still against Taril and turned her head. "Tumaril?"

Taril sighed in frustration. He rested his forehead against Humari's
shoulder for a moment, then straightened. "I can settle him if you'd
like to stay in here, where it's warm."

"I can get him." Her voice was tired, soft. and resigned as she
visibly pulled herself together, carefully untangled herself from
around Taril. "I usually can't sleep after I have one of those dreams
anyway." She pulled down her gown and sat up, swinging her legs over
the side of the bed as she pulled on her robe. "I'll...I'll be back in
a little bit." She rose and hurried out of the room as Tumaril cried
out for her again.

Taril bit back a curse. Then he sighed, felt around for his crutch,
and followed her. He paused long enough to grab a sweater of his, then
followed her to Tumaril's room where he wrapped the sweater around her
shoulders.

When he followed her, she looked surprised and was about to tell him
that there wasn't a need, but as the sweater draped over her
shoulders, she finally gave him a bit of a smile. "Thank you." She
tugged it around closer around her, then knelt by Tumari's bed. The
child was sitting up, rubbing his eyes and whimpering. "What's wrong?"

"I thirsty!" He sniffled and looked up and as Humari rose to fetch a
cup of water, he spotted his father in the doorway. "Hi, Papa." He
reached out his arms for him.

"Hi, Tumaril. You should be sleeping." Taril bent to take his son's
hands. "I'll go get you some water, and then you can go back to sleep.
All right?"

"Want to s'eep with Mama." He whined softly and thrust out a lower lip.

"I've got it." Humari's soft voice still seemed worn as she came back
in with the cup. She offered Taril a brief smile before kneeling again
and handing Tumaril the cup. "No, you can't sleep with Mama. Drink
your water and go back to sleep."

Tumaril began whimpering even as he sipped at the water. He finished
the cup and looked up. "P'ease? P'ease Mama? Papa? S'eep with you?" His
large eyes pleaded even as the whine grew more insistent.

Humari winced at the whine, looked at Taril and was visibly crumpling
at the child's pleas. After what had just happened, she knew full well
that she'd been neglecting Taril, though he'd never pressed her for
more than she was willing to give. But she also knew that the dreams
and her fears had caused her to spoil the boy more than was wise.
Tumaril hadn't been allowed in their bed since he was an infant and
sickly "I...I think..."

He suppressed a sigh. "I'll see you in the morning." For a moment he felt a flash of resentment for his son, but it was gone as quickly as it had arrived. This wasn't the first time he'd had to be patient and it certainly wouldn't be the last. Taril stood and tucked his crutch under his arm. "Let me know if you need anything."

Humari glanced at Taril and saw the frustration, then back at her son. She frowned, then rose. "No, wait a moment, Taril." She _had_ been neglecting his needs and even as tired and worn as she felt, she knew that it was causing even further strain on their marriage, a strain that was getting worse every day. "Tumaril," she took a breath and her voice firmed. "You can't sleep with mama and papa. You're a big boy with your own bed." She took the cup and bent to kiss his cheek before laying him back down to cover him up. "Good night. "

"But..."

"No. " It was difficult bearing the continued whimpers and whines, but she rose, took Taril's free hand and walked out of the room, then closed the door behind her with a sigh, muffling their son's sniffles.

Taril paused. "You're sure?" he asked.

"It's been months." Humari looked at him and tightened her fingers around his hand. "You need me." She paused, and spoke softly, moving into the reach off his arm to rest her brow on his shoulder. "I'm sure."

Taril lifted her chin with a fingertip and gently kissed her. She felt so good pressed against him, and the memory of the way she'd moved against him moments earlier was fresh in his mind. "Good," he said softly.

"Then come to bed." She murmured against his lips and stepped back. Perhaps, she thought, sharing herself with her husband would heal some of the tension between them. And perhaps after, she could actually get some sleep. Humari stepped away, leading him back to the bedroom.

~*~

Last updated on the February 1st 2020

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Humari's Nightmare