Striker has a nightmare.
Striker awoke abruptly, cold sweat trickling down his face and heart pounding inside his chest. He jumped off the bed, ran out of his room, and burst into the nursery. He let out a sigh of relief as he found Jake tucked in the cradle. However, the impling was startled by the commotion and soon shifted awake with an angry cry.
"There, there, it's okay, my boy." Striker cooed as he cradled and bounced Jake in his arms. "Sh-sh-sh. Sorry for wakin' ya up, Jake. Daddy had a bad dream, that's all." Recognizing his voice, Jake's crying subsided and lowered into sobs, snuggling his face into his father's chest. As Striker was about to tuck him back into the cradle, Jake grasped onto his shirt, sobbing. "Aw, yer lonely, aren't ya?"
Jake snuggled deeply into his embrace, which he took as a positive reply. Striker wandered around the nursery, cooing and rocking his baby in his arms as he played with Jake's tiny fingers. The impling happily snuggled into his father's embrace.
Just thinking about the nightmare nearly brought tears to Striker's eyes: he had lost both Jane and Jake, while he was left alone to stew in his grief. What scared him the most wasn't only that, but what he did afterward... But he would not do that in real life. He made a promise to Jane that he would take good care of their child, and he would fulfill that promise no matter what.
Striker continued to bounce his little one as he went back to his room and lay down, shifting so that Jake was on top of his chest. Jake shifted on top of his father's chest, soothed by his heartbeat.
"I'm glad yer here with me, pup." Striker whispered, stroking Jake's cheek with his thumb. "I don't know what I would have done if ye had been gone too... I wouldn't have any idea of what do or which path to take..." Jake gurgled in his sleep, tail wagging lightly. "We have to stick together, my boy. It's us against the world, after all."
...
Striker rattled his tail just above Jake's head, smiling fondly as he giggled and reached out his little hands for it. The clear reddish sky, the gentle breeze, and the song of the hellbirds had a soothing effect on the two of them. Eventually, Jake finally grasped his father's tail and started nibbling on it.
A butterfly fluttered towards them from the flowers in the meadows. Jake stared at the critter flying around his head curiously, growing intrigued when it landed on his nose. Striker laughed softly at the sight and watched in amusement as Jake tried to catch the butterfly, causing it to flutter away from his grasp. And yet, there was a happy, innocent smile on the impling's face.
...
In the real world, both Striker and Jake smiled in their sleep.