Thunder (G/T P!Septiplier)

Watching

"Hey... Líten häna... Will you wake...? Ârya da consédo dreemüwākei?" Jack let out a sleepy mumble and opened his eyes to see Mark's hulking frame towering overhead in the dim lighting of the tent. The warrior was at his bedside, with one knee down to support his weight as he smiled down at the little foreigner. Jack groaned and turned over, curling away from the giant's gently prodding finger and reforming into a loose ball under his covers.

"Come on... It's the middle of the night...!" He protested in a sleepy mumble. Mark stifled a chuckle as the human buried his little face in his nest.

"Serönoba," he murmured, "I know you're still healing... But I want to show you something, líten häna." He held his hand down beside Jack, who peeked at it from under his blanket. Jack sighed and sat up, grumbling a little more as he climbed out of bed and limped over to the waiting platform. As soon as he was seated in the center of Mark's palm, the giant brought his hand up to his exposed shoulder; Jack tentatively climbed on, teetering a little on the well-developed trapezius. To his relief, the fingers behind him cupped his backside to keep him from falling off, and he found safe seating at the base of the giant's neck, secured beneath the shelf that formed his jaw.

As soon as Jack stopped shifting, Mark turned and carefully pulled his pelt on, using the fluffiest bit to conceal his passenger. He then looked to see that he had not disturbed his mate in her sleep, and then he slowly crept out into the open cool air. The night sky was clear, glittering stars like gems winking down upon the two night-owls. Jack gazed up at them with awe shimmering in his bright blues, tracing their little lights with a pair of his own as Mark checked both sides of him before stepping away from the tent. His gait was smoother than usual, his shadow sliding silently across the snow as he picked his way through the many huts.

He was approaching the edge of the border when he heard a twig snap, and he instinctively put his hand over Jack as he quickly dropped into a crouch. He shuffled the few steps necessary behind a scraggly bush, and he held his breath as he peeked over its shriveled collection of frozen berry clusters. It was just a guard, patrolling the border in the unlikely event of an animal attack— or even an invasion. But still, Mark quietly exhaled a puff of fog and remained motionless. He waited until the warrior— a juvenile, going by the scrawny silhouette— passed on and journeyed away from the forest line, and then Mark slid out of hiding and deftly snuck into the throngs of the sleeping trees.

From the security of Mark's warm shoulder, Jack found his eyes scanning the quiet woods. He could feel the chilly air beyond the giant's presence, but here he could safely admire the beauty this place held under its snowy sleep. The icicles and white powder glistened on the tops of dormant mushrooms and other growths of the girthy trunks, leaves only just barely glowing if even still alive on the branches. Deeper in he caught a glimpse of a huge pair of yellow eyes, and his bones chilled when the creature turned its head an almost-complete 280 to watch them as they went past. With a shudder, Jack ducked away from those creepily glowing eyes and took refuge against Mark, dreading the thought of those huge wings spreading to unleash sharp talons upon his small and frail body.

"Um... what are we doing out here?" The Irishman finally asked, rhetorically. "Wh-why are we in the forest?"

"I know, I know. It's cold," Mark susurrated, his hand coming reassuringly near his clavicle. "We're almost there, don't worry." Uncertain, Jack curled up and rested his head down, feeling the giant's pulse beneath the taut muscle and skin that made for the support of his neck. He let out a small sigh and closed his eyes, finding the body heat too irresistible to deny his lethargy. The sway of his steps rocked him into a quick sleep, but it only felt like seconds before Mark's rumbling voice called him back into consciousness.