Author: Pammazola
Title: Like a Whisper in the Night
Words: 628
Rated: K
Summary: Drabble for Week 1 "Secret" prompt on the LWDSR LiveJournal community. The ever faithful dragon AhUn becomes a safe haven for a young girl and the dreams she holds dear to her heart.
Warnings: None. =)
~oOo~
He lifted his large heads sharply at the sound of snapping branches, a great rustling that stirred from the nearby, impenetrable brush. AhUn carefully scanned his surroundings with lidded eyes, thoroughly awoken from a deep slumber by the recklessness of an intruder. The black night was smoldering and only the distant campfire where the inuyoukai, his ward, and an imp were had sheltered off the suffocating hand of darkness.
AhUn flicked his forked tongue, scenting the air. The light, floral fragrance that flooded his consciousness eased him, and no sooner had he reverted back to a previous relaxed position did Rin come stumbling forth from the mass entanglement that was the forest.
The girl appeared utterly lost at first, as if she could not comprehend how she had made it there, but the evidence was plain by the minute scratches that streaked across her cheeks, the grime of dirt encrusted beneath her fingernails, and many a leaf that fluttered to the forest floor as she shook her long mane of ebony curls. Rin's face broke into a wide, triumphant grin.
The dragon watched lazily as she settled herself.
Rin carefully made her way to him, fearlessly stepping over razor sharp talons to snuggle into his scaly side, sighing, embracing the warmth that radiated from his body.
A moment's silence swept by until finally, in a whisper barely audible to his ears:
"Sesshomaru-sama has left again."
AhUn shifted slightly, creating a rough, rumbling noise in the back of his throats. He was listening.
"He leaves so often now…" Rin mused; tracing patterns along his scales, her soft soprano voice low, perplexed. The dragon did not have to turn to see that the girl's youthful face was lined with endless worry, and her brow was creased. He already knew.
The movements of her hands paused.
"AhUn, may this Rin burden you with her secret?" She lifted her head from his side expectantly. When it was clear that he was not making any form of protest, she sighed, releasing calm, cool breath.
"Everyday," she began, lifting her doe eyes to the moonless sky, "There is something more I find to be thankful for. Like…" Rin sorted through her eight-year old mind for something he could relate to, "Grass."
The dragon agreed. Grass was very tasty.
"If you did not have anything to eat, AhUn, you would die. I am very thankful for grass and what it provides for you."
How thoughtful.
"Sesshomaru-sama is a lot like grass," she continued on, folding her hands over her stomach. "He provides for me, and without him I wouldn't be here." Her lips curled into a wry smile. "I wouldn't have a lot of things without Sesshomaru-sama. Not you, or Jaken-sama, or kimonos, or pretty flowers, or…" He waited for her to finish this long ramble. The girl liked to talk; he had learned that much within the past months of their travels. It was not at all an annoying rant, but something of a confession, innocent and heartwarming.
Rin yawned. She was on the verge of sleep. "Don't tell anyone AhUn… promise…?" Her eyes had begun to droop, and her words slurred. "I love Sesshomaru-sama."
~oOo~