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He was in the bear’s cavern. The cuts on his torso were stinging. He was cold, shivering, and scared.
But he could hear Davey and Campbell’s voices calling out for him, so he called back. Or, he tried to. His voice wasn’t working; he was mute. He tried again with the same result. Panic began to well up within him as he desperately tried to move towards the voices, only to discover that he couldn’t. His feet were glued to the ground.
Gradually, Campbell and Davey’s voices faded into the distance.
No, Jasper thought. No. It couldn’t be. They’d been so close but he couldn’t yell back, tell them where he was.
And now he was alone.
All alone…
The growling was getting closer. He could feel the bear’s hot breath against his cheek, despite the darkness he could see the sharp, white teeth glistening. The bear descended upon him.
Jasper screamed.
“Jasp- Jasper!”
He writhed against the claws that held him captive.
“It’s me, Jasper! It’s- ow!”
But… that voice. Bears couldn’t talk.
Jasper stopped moving and opened his eyes.
He was lying on his cot in the tent. It was dark save for a single lantern lighting up Davey’s worried face above him. “Jasper?” the red-head boy asked tentatively.
Jasper grasped Davey’s arms, gulping in shallow, frantic breaths. He couldn’t stop. Calm down, he told himself. It was just a nightmare.
A nightmare that had felt so real.
“Just- What does mom always say?” Davey frowned thoughtfully. “Deep breaths, that’s it! Take deep breaths, Jasper.”
Jasper tried. He took conscious control of his breathing, just like he’d overheard his own mother coaching his sister to do. He held it for four seconds before exhaling. He did it again, and felt his racing heart begin to slow, his mind slowing as well to allow for further thoughts other than panic and the remnants of the nightmare.
Once his vision stopped tilting, Jasper blinked to discover Davey smiling at him.
“There we go,” Davey said, a little uncertainly. “Are you okay now?”
Jasper felt over his t-shirt for the wounds unconsciously. When the fabric hit the yet-still-untreated cuts, he winced. “I… don’t know,” he admitted.
“What happened?” Davey asked. “You were screaming.”
“Oh,” Jasper said quietly. He looked away. “Um… just a nightmare.”
“Wanna tell me about it? Sometimes my mom says that talking about it can help.”
Jasper screwed his eyes shut. “I almost died.”
“I… I wouldn’t say that-”
“I almost died, Davey,” Jasper snapped, regretting it immediately when Davey drew back. Despite the boy’s previous hardened exterior, there was a softness in his heart that had been obvious from the start. He held a sensitive soul inside. “It was scary. And… and I can’t stop thinking about it.”
Davey was silent for a moment. “Would you, um… like a hug?”
“What?”
“Well, it does sound scary,” Davey said. “And when I get scared—which, uh, only happened when I was a baby—sometimes a hug made it better. So.” He extended his arms. “It’s here if you want it.”
Jasper hesitated, then slowly swung his legs over the side of the cot. He leaned forward, and David’s arms came to wrap around him instantly. Jasper’s own came up to hug him back, and for a moment both boys stayed there, breathing carefully, before they parted.
“Thanks,” Jasper said.
“Oh, don’t mention it.” Davey smiled.
Jasper sat back down on the edge of the cot and fingered the blanket. Davey watched him with a tilt of his head.
“Do you not want to sleep?” he asked.
“…Not really,” Jasper admitted softly. “I’m scared that… I’ll just have another nightmare. I’ll be back in the cavern again, waiting to become a bear’s next meal.” He closed his eyes and shuddered, barely surprising the rising distress within him. He didn’t need another panic attack. “But you can go back to sleep,” he continued. “I’m sorry I woke up.”
Davey shook his head. “That’s okay. I’ll watch over you while you sleep. Uh, did that sound creepy?”
Jasper blinked. “What do you mean?”
“I’ll make sure no bears come into the tent!” Davey grinned. “I’ll protect you. And if you have another nightmare, I’ll wake you up.”
“Davey, you don’t have to-”
“I want to. I have so much energy right now anyway, I probably wouldn’t be able to sleep!” Davey bounced on his toes, then turned solemn again. “Go to sleep, Jasp. I promise I’ll watch over you.”
“…Alright” Jasper said eventually, settling back on his side.
He was fully expecting to wake up to find Davey asleep in the cot next to him. However, when he opened his eyes when the sun streamed into the tent, it was to find a pair of dark-rimmed green eyes watching him carefully, and a smile on Davey’s freckled face.