Gasp!
Boy jolted awake with a sharp inhale, his chest rising and falling in rapid succession.
Lub-dub! Lub-dub!
His heart pounded against his ribs, his fur damp with sweat despite the cool night air.
For a moment, he was still trapped in the nightmare as his limbs tensed, ready to fight, to flee- but there was no battlefield, no dragon looming above him.
'Wh-Where am I?'
His breaths came short and uneven as remnants of his dream gripped at his chest.
Only the quiet night remained, the stars twinkling in the sky in mesmerising constellations as Boy's mind crawled back to reality.
'It was a dream?'
It still clung to him. He could still feel it lingering in his chest, like a constrictor wrapping around his ribs.
The emotions of the summons, the dragon's golden gaze, Lady Elaria… None of it felt distant, none of it felt like a dream. It was too real.
