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Ayla was drifting among the stars, and she could no longer see the ground, or the earth. She could feel every single star burning in her mind, and it was painful, but wonderful at the same time. If she listened really close she could hear voices, as many voices as there were stars. Her heart burned with so many familiar and unfamiliar emotions. Ayla cried as she saw everything that ever was, and will ever be. Then she was flying, or falling, so fast she could hear the stars whistling by her ears, and she was back on earth again. She lay on the ground gazing up at where she had been just moments ago.

Suddenly pure light engulfed the sky, and she could see something falling towards her incredibly fast. She tried to scream, but her cries were lost in the blinding light and the terrible whirling sound that accompanied it. The light was so bright that it hurt, and it only intensified as she closed her eyes. Then she saw something through the light; it was big and ugly, and it was the color of the sky at the moment before dusk and before dawn. It came so close, so close she thought it would fall on her and kill her. She was relieved when it flew right over her head and disappeared over the horizon. She watched it fall, and the earth shook with it's impact. The earth would not stop shaking, and she was sobbing with tears running down her face. An overwhelming sense of loss and grief gripped her tightly, squeezing her chest so hard it hurt deep within her heart.

She woke up screaming!

Ayla sat bolt upright in her sleeping furs, shaking, with tears streaming down her face. That devastating grief clung to her heart, and she struggled to pull herself out of the daze of her horrible nightmare. She braved a look at the sky, and saw the same terrible shade of blue; it was just before dawn. She shuddered and sobbed.

"Ayla! Oh, Ayla! Calm down. It was only a nightmare!" Jondalar's warm voice comforted her.

"Oh, Jondalar!" She felt his long arms wrap around her and pull her close to him. She was soothed by his closeness, and her sobs died down. Ayla gasped for breath, spent.

"It was so horrible." she cried. She buried her face in her hands, and leaned into Jondalar's embrace.

"I know, but it's over now." Jondalar hushed her. His brow furrowed in concern for the woman he loved.

Ayla tore herself away from him and dried her tears. She gazed at the flickering embers of the fire with a faraway look in her eyes. Jondalar went to make tea for them both, and occasionally looked back at Ayla. When he came back and sat beside her he handed her a cup, and she sipped the warm liquid. They sat and watched the sky, and after a while they saw a faint streak of light move across the sky. Ayla shuddered remembering her dream of the falling sky.

"What is it, Ayla?" Jondalar noticed her pallor.

She looked at him with sorrowful blue eyes. "My dream."

"What about it?" He stared at her quizzically, but tried to look comforting.

She closed her eyes tightly and spoke with so much feeling it made Jondalar's throat tighten, "I saw so much, and felt so much. It was horrible, and it was wonderful. I was so scared, so sad. The sky fell and the earth shook." She stopped and suppressed a sob that threatened to break the surface.

"It was just a dream, and you know that." Jondalar wanted to erase all worry and fear from Ayla's mind.

"I know." Ayla said.

Jondalar finished his tea and crawled back under the sleeping furs. "Now try and go back to sleep."

Ayla tried to go back to bed again, but sleep would not come so easily to her. Whenever she closed her eyes she saw horrible images. Instead she decided to watch the night fade to morning. She felt the warm fluffiness that was Wolf at her feet, and saw Whinney and Racer's silhouettes leaning against each other. The presence of her beloved animals and the man she loved eased her mind, and she dozed off as the terrible shade of blue was replaced by a refreshing tint.