Cassius had been sleeping peacefully, his arms draped around Skadi, his cheek resting lightly against her shoulder. To anyone else, he looked completely at ease, lost in dreams, his breathing calm and steady.
But even in slumber, his body was never truly unguarded. His ears twitched faintly now and then, catching fragments of the girls chatter, their bickering, their laughter.
Every so often, the corner of his mouth would lift into the smallest smile. Their silly arguments, Aisha's lecturing tone, Skadi's endless hunger, Julie's weary sighs, it was noisy, childish even, but to him it was warm.
He thought to himself, half-drifting between rest and awareness, that this kind of peace was nice too. A fleeting moment of something almost normal.
And then, everything shattered.
"Hyaaa!!!"
Faint. Distant. But sharp enough to pierce his half-dreams.
A scream.
