Panda was reading a book in bed next to Ice Bear when a small white polar bear walked into the bedroom.
"What is it, Autumn?", Panda asked gently, setting the book down on the nightstand.
Autumn was a small male polar bear. He was the runt of his family and suffered terrible treatment from not only his previous parents but also from the foster system. From the day Panda and Ice Bear met him the small cub was always soft spoken and timid.
"Dad, um...", Autumn nervously asked, referring to Panda.
"Yes? What is it?", Panda asked again. He and Ice Bear always made sure to be patient and kind to him. It took the young polar bear a little while to say what was truly on his mind. His parents conditioned him to always stay quiet.
"I...I had a bad dream again. C-could I sleep with you and father again?", Autumn asked, walking closer to the bed. Upon closer look Panda and Ice Bear could see that the young cub had tears in his eyes.
"Aww, of course", Panda smiled gently.
"Ice Bear agrees", Ice Bear said gently. It had been nearly 6 months since they adopted Autumn and he had been having frequent nightmares ever since.
"Thanks Dad", Autumn smiled at Panda. "T-Thank you, Father", he said to Ice Bear.
Autumn had always had been more serious and uneasy near Ice Bear. Ice Bear did not blame the cub as there was no doubt that he reminded Autumn of his parents. At first Autumn was very afraid of Ice Bear, especially when the cub found out Ice Bear own weapons. But over time Ice Bear and Autumn formed a strong bond. But whenever the cub had a nightmare of his parents, he became uneasy around Ice Bear.
"Come on, now. It's time for bed", Panda said.
Once the cub was fast asleep, Panda and Ice Bear crept out of bed to talk. They made sure Autumn was still asleep, slowly closed the door and sat down on the living room couch.
"Do you think he was dreaming about... About them again?", Panda asked with visible concern.
"Ice Bear has no doubt", the polar bear nodded his head.
"I hope one day he can move on from it. But that's not something so easy", Panda sighed sadly.
"Ice Bear wishes he could take on Autumn's pain and fear, and make it all go away", Ice Bear said with misty eyes.
"Ice...", Panda sniffed.
"Dad. Father....?", both the bears jumped and looked over to see Autumn standing at the doorway of the living room.
"Don't be sad", Autumn said gently. "I'm not scared..."
"Shhh. Off to sleep", Panda said gently, getting up and ushering the cub back to bed. Leaving Ice Bear to think about the words his son said.
YOU ARE READING
What I Really Need (Remake)
FanfictionSomething as simple as filling out his dating profile made Panda discover new preferences. He has no idea how to tell his brothers his secret, but little does he know that they may have some secrets of their own. (This story is a remake of What I R...
