Even without being able to see the sun rise, everyone felt it coming.
The clan spread out through the Great Hall and struck their familiar positions as they were encased in their stone shells for the day.
"Excuse me, detective," Owen called from the doorway. "I couldn't help but overhear…"
"I bet," Elisa murmured under her breath.
"…that you may be in need of some assistance," Owen continued, unfazed. "Coyote left a gift for the two of you, and insisted that I give it to you after the clan had gone to sleep for the day. He said it would help you relax and get some much needed sleep."
He held out a pair of woven dreamcatchers and a pair of small pouches.
"Coyote told me to pass along a message," Owen said as the two females collected their items. "He said to place the dreamcatchers on your headboards or above your beds, and shake the contents of the bags over your pillows."
Having done his duty, Owen left to go about his day.
Nayeli held the dreamcatcher and sent a puzzled look at her mother.
"It's a dreamcatcher," Elisa said, steering Nayeli back through the door. "The woven center is supposed to 'catch' the bad dreams so that only good ones come through."
"Does it work?" Nayeli asked excitedly.
"I don't know," Elisa said honestly. "I've never had one before. Not that I remember, anyway."
Elisa hung the dreamcatcher on the wall above Nayeli's bed by using the corner of a large framed painting. It was a fanciful thing, Elisa mused. One of a green field dotted with colorful flowers, butterflies and storybook fairies.
It was bright, cheerful, and so totally her daughter that Elisa had to smile.
Nayeli came back to her room, ready for bed.
Elisa pulled the drawstring on one of the bags and found a small amount of powder or dust in the bottom.
Elisa shared a look with Nayeli. "Trust Coyote to not miss a trick."
She turned the bag and shook the powder out as evenly over the pillow that she could.
Nayeli sat on the bed and eyed the pillow. She slowly lowered herself to lay on the bed.
"How fast do you think…" was all she got out before letting out a sigh and began snoring lightly.
Elisa raised a brow. "Fast enough, I guess." She bent and laid a gentle kiss on her daughter's forehead before going to her own room.
There was no handy picture above her bed to hang the dreamcatcher, so she simply tied it to one of the four posts nearest her pillow using the string from the bag. With that completed, she sprinkled her own "fairy dust" on her pillow.
She got ready for bed, changing into a comfortable jersey shirt and boy shorts. She crawled into bed and lowered herself onto the pillow. The scent of lavender, vanilla and cinnamon hit her senses as the world around her faded quickly.
Within moments, her body had fully relaxed and for the first time in weeks, she was able to truly sleep.