#Lord Of Dreams

[tamago-aki]

mr sandman ..... bring me a wip (bum bum bum bum) make it the roughest wip that ever wipped (bum bum bum bum)

[lauramoon1987]

Dream of the Endless.

A sketch to keep me in training.

I love this character

@neil-gaiman

[4typercent]

Impressive Dream Stitch Update XII!

1/3 done!! 🎉 🥳

Aahhh!!! Look how fantastic he looks!! Sanyo Roku remote for scale, he's a big boi!!

Materials used: 14 count Black Aida, 16 colours of DMC. Zoom in for clarity.

Just look at the shading in the sand!!! Ahh!

Pattern is sadly not for sale. Find out why here.

How many skeins of 310 & 3756 have I used? How many more will I use?! Idk man..

[mariannecharlotteart]

It's Dream. 😊 Took me ages to paint!

[xmalereader]

Lord Morpheus X Male Reader X Winchester Brothers

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|| Masterlist ||

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Authors Note: ITS FINISHED 😩 Took my sometime to complete it but here is the supernatural and sandman crossover that I said I was going to write! I hope you enjoy it because I sure did!

Summary: Sam and Dean are struggling with saving a child’s life who had fallen into a coma, causing Reader to look into it and help the brothers out, only to find out that this situation is needed by Dreams help, the only one who can know and help the child.

Warnings: Fluff, angst, mentions of Matthew, Sam and Dean being chaotic, past trauma, mentions of death, gault the dream, mentions of the Corinthian, Jack is god, Dean never dies and Lives a happy life, Johanna Constantine, Reader is a mage, judgmental dream.

Word count: 5k

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It was snowing in London, winter had arrived and the streets were full of snow. Not many people went out due to the cold weather, remaining indoors and away from the harsh cold winds. Y/n had flown from the states to London in order to help an old friend out. A necromancer that only asked for his help whenever it came towards certain artifacts or creatures that needed to be dealt with. He was the only one who’d come to help that old friend of his, the two splitting up the pay and having enough to fly back home after his work was done.

“Men of letters.” He hears Johanna scoff, tossing some things aside in her office as she rummaged through the mess. Y/n had grown used to her dirty office and the amount of stuff that she kept was ridiculous but he had no way of judging her.

“What about them?” It’s been a few years since he was claimed as a men of letters, working with the Winchester brothers on hunting down such vile creatures that hurt others, sometimes allowing them to live if they deserved it. After Jack took over as god the amount of supernatural disasters have died down, focusing on clearing up the world and making changes. The kid was busy with his own duties but still made time to visit the brothers every once a while, remembering that they took care of him and raised him together.

Johanna Constantine chuckles, on her hands and knees as she looks underneath her desk, shoving books aside along with other material. Y/n rolls his eyes at her messy stare again. “I met one of them a few years back—never wanted to kill someone so bad.” She grunts, pulling a book out and smiling in victory. “Anyways, I didn’t trust them at all but I can say that I trust you now.” The necromancer stands from the floor, dusting the book in her hands as she hands it to him. “Your reward.”

Y/n takes the book in his hand, smiling softly as he reads the tile and checks the inside pages. The book was in good condition and he won it over after his job with Johanna. “Thank you, Constantine. I’ll let the boys know that you miss them.”

“Please—tell that to either of the two and I will kill you.” She threatens, pointing a finger at him. Not wanting to admit that she too, cared for the boys. “Run along now, before your flight takes off without you.” She ushered him out of her office and towards the front door of her flat. Y/n laughs under his breath, shaking his head in disbelief as he tucks the book in his own bag, keeping it secured.

“If you ever need my help again, don’t be afraid to call.” Y/n reminds her, giving her a quick wave and leaving her flat before she decides to change her mind and take the book back. When he steps out of the building he takes notice of the snow falling, extending his hand out as the small flakes land on the palm of his hand, quickly melting in his warm hands. He smiles softly to himself, stepping into the empty streets, street lights on as they guided him down the dark streets. Y/n’s flight back home was a private one, having enough to afford the flight in order to return back home to the Winchesters. He had invited the brothers to join him but Dean still had a fear for flying and Sam couldn’t leave his brother behind, the two were a package deal and if neither could him then they’ll have to stay. Y/n didn’t mind their decision and understood why they would stay behind, after everything they’ve been through they deserved a break, finally.

Y/n continued to do his own work, helping out necromancer or any other magic user that asked for his help. He couldn’t refuse their pleading and would jump into the task, getting things done and getting paid enough to afford his living and some food too. If he was generous he’d sometimes finish the task for free without any charge, not really needing the money.

When he reaches the bus stop he’s quick to check the time, making sure that he didn’t miss it since he was alone, waiting. He lets out a breath, pulling his coat tight against his body, trying to escape the cold and find some warmth in his own clothes. His gaze is focused on the falling snow that he doesn’t hear the sound of flapping wings.

“I found you.”

Y/n is startled at the cheerful voice, looking over his shoulder to see Jack Kline sitting on the bench, arms crossed over his chest as he shivers from the cold. Y/n chuckles and slips his coat off, sacrificing his only coat in order to keep the god warm. He steps over and placed his coat over Jacks shoulders, smiling at him from underneath his scarf. “What brings you here, Jack? Shouldn’t you be back in heaven managing work?” He questions, raising a brow.

Jack sniffles, slipping his arms through the coat sleeves and adjusting. “Actually, I wanted to check up on you—you see, while you were gone both Sam and Dean were struggling with a hunt—I would jump in and help but I’ve been busy so, I wanted to see if you’d like a ride back to the brothers? Perhaps help them?”

Y/n stares at him with a shocked expression not knowing what to say. He’s seems the brothers deal with many hunts before, good and bad, nothing ever stopped them from finishing the job and never gave up. But, with Jack appearing and asking for his help caused him to worry, afraid that it was something they aren’t able to finish.

“Is it bad? Are either of them hurt?” He’s quick to question, thinking of any possible way that they’d be hurt or in trouble.

“Don’t worry, it’s not bad just—difficult to solve.” Jack shrugs his shoulders, reaching out to take his hand into his own, giving a shy smile. “Let me take you home.” He offers again.

Y/n sighs in defeat, how could he refuse him? Before, Jack took the title of god he was the one who helped the poor kid with his abilities, become his only close friend and someone he could trust and talk too. Jack always approached him when it came towards human life, asking about the way humans function and what he can do to be like them. The kid was still new to everything and to suddenly become god must be weighing him down a little.

“Of course.” Y/n says with a faint smile.

In a blink of an eye he’s standing outside the bunker, back in Kansas. It wasn’t snowing there yet but the night was still cold, harsh winds blowing the two. Jack had returned his coat back to him, wrapping it around him as he gives a cheerful smile. “Take care of them, please? They’re all I have.” Jack cared deeply for the brothers, the two raised him and taught him everything. He sees them more as parents then brothers, loving them deeply and caring for them too.

“I will.” Y/n promises, giving Jack one last smile before the god disappears. He shivers from the wind, standing alone in the empty street as he makes his way inside the bunker, unlocking the door and pushing it open. He’s greeted by the warm air, sighing in relief as his tense shoulders relax. Once he closed the door behind him he’s quick to remove the scarf and coat, opening the second door that stood in his way and into the bunker where he stands on top of the stairs, looking down at the two brothers who sat on the table, surrounded by books and open computers.

“Hello boys.” He calls out, getting their attention. Sam is the first to sit up from his seat, smiling at his presence. “Welcome back!” He greets in return as Y/n walks down the steps, setting his coat and bag on the empty chair next to Dean. “It’s good to be back—actually I have to make a quick call.” He reminds himself that he’s to cancel his private flight and to pay the pilot too.

“So, what you do in London?” Dean is the first to ask, shutting the book in front of him and tossing it on the table.

“The usual.” Y/n responds, texting away in his phone and sending a message to his private pilot instead and sending the money through before turning to face Dean, smiling at him. “Johanna says Hi.” Both Sam and Dean had only met Johanna a couple of times, usually by coincidence but her and Dean got along very well.

“Did she gets me anything?” Dean grins, wiggling his brows as he holds his hands out, expecting a gift from the necromancer but instead is handed a dollar from Y/n. “Mm, nope.” He pops the P, smirking at Dean. “But, I did get something for Sam.”

This gets the youngest brothers attention. “You got me something?” He’s confused but also surprised by this gesture. Y/n unzips his bag and pulls out the book that Johanna gave him as part of the reward. He hands Sam the large book as he explains. “Johanna found another book by the men of letters during her own time. As you know she despises them—expect us, of course.” He chuckles. “She wanted me to take it and thought you’d like it.”

Sam holds the book in his hands, flipping through the pages that are full of records and information about the groups previous hunting and research. “Wow, thank you.”

“Nerd.” Dean mumbled out, pocketing the dollar as he focused back on his own reading. Sam rolled his own eyes, attention back to the book that he was given. Y/n hums in satisfaction and glanced at their work, raising a brow at what they were researching. “What’s all this about?” He takes one of the books, reading through the open pages and looking up at the two brothers.

Dean is the first to speak up. “We got a call from an old friend, telling us that one of his kids was having strange dreams—probably nightmares. We thought it was something normal since everyone dreams until the Kid fell into a coma.” The older Winchester sighs deeply, rubbing the bridge of his nose. “Before she fell in a coma she told her parents that she kept seeing a lady with butterfly wings and an hour glass that slowly counted the hours.”

Y/n tilts his head, confused but also intrigued. “How long had this child been in a coma?”

“About a month.” Sam cuts in. “She wasn’t sick or showed any signs of being put in a coma. The kid was perfectly healthy and the next day she’s in a coma.”

“They think it’s a Baku,” Dean shows him another open book of an animal like creature. “That can’t be right, a Baku protects the dreamers and leaves once the evil is gone. No, that can’t be it.” He mumbled, reading the passage and frowning at the research. “No, this is something else it’s not a Baku it has to be something else.”

“Well, what else could it be?”

Y/n thinks and asks himself what else it could be that is causing the child to fall into a coma. His eyes widen, coma, that’s it! He scrambled to take Sam’s laptop without asking, getting a surprised ‘hey’ from him as he types away. “Is it possible that she has the sleepy sickness?”

“The what?”

“The sleepy sickness, it happened back in 1926. Hundreds of children including men and women fell into a deep sleep, never waking up. Not a single doctor or nurses could wake them up.” He explains, shaking the brothers the Research he pulled up online.

“Do you know what caused the sickness.” Sam asks, interested but still confused.

Y/n sets the laptop down, frowning deeply. “Yes.” He knows what caused the sickness and realization brings a deep worry in him. “I need to contact someone—if I even can.”

“Whoa, slow down.” Dean placed his hands on his shoulders, stopping him from going anywhere. “Who do you need, Sam and I can help.”

“Yeah, we promised this friend that will help his daughter.”

Y/n sighs to himself. “It’s complicated.”

“Come on, y/n. It’s us—“ Dean gestured to himself and Sam. “What isn’t ever complicated that we can’t understand.”

Dean was right, both brothers have seen and been through everything and knowing about something new wouldn’t change their perspective about everything. The two were always up for a challenge and knowing about this issue that they suddenly had a hard time handling.

Y/n looks at the two brothers, nodding at them as he sits down, gesturing to the empty seats that the two brothers take, sitting down and ready to listen.

“Rodrick Burgess was a magic user back in 1926, using his books and spells to try and summon death. Rumor says that he didn’t capture death but instead something far more evil and dangerous—people claimed that he captured the devil himself, keeping it locked away in his basement and being granted immortality.” He explains to the brothers. “Burgess was known and famous for the capture of the devil, but not everyone knew that his words and stories were all lies. He never captured the devil nor death, instead he captured something far more different and powerful.”

“What did he capture?” Sam asks.

Y/n glanced at him, grinning a little. “A dream.”

“A dream?” Dean raised a brow, not buying it.

“Well, not exactly a dream, but The dream—Dream of the Endless, Lord Morpheus, King of Dreams and Nightmares, The Sandman.” Y/n takes notice of Deans expression changing into a surprised one before laughing. “The sandman? Seriously.” He wasn’t believing him.

“Yes Dean, the sandman. Rodrick Burgess captured Lord Morpheus for a hundred years and during that time the sleepy sickness came to be in the twenties, because of Burgess greed and foolish acts he endangered humanity causing the death of many innocent lives. Without Dreams humanity can crumble.” His soft eyes harden, sharply turning to Sam. “Sam when you first started hunting with your father and Dean you had nightmares constantly, right?”

Sam swallows nervously. “Yes.”

“And did they ever go away?”

“I—not really no.”

“That’s because Morpheus wasn’t released until recently, returning back to his realm after a hundred years. Your nightmares remained—tell me, what did this nightmare look like?” Y/n leans forward, elbows on the table as he propped his chin on his hand, eyeing Sam as the poor brother grows uncomfortable.

“I don’t know.” He’s quick to say.

“Did he wear sunglasses? Perhaps wore a tailored white suit who came up to the victims and threatened them with a knife. What color were their eyes?”

Sam’s eyes widen at the memory of the nightmare, shocked that Y/n knew exactly how they looked liked. “He didn’t have eyes he had—“

“Mouth as eyes.” The two day in unison, shocking the younger brother. “How did you know that?”

“Because I met him, his name was Corinthian. A very troublesome nightmare.” Y/n remembers the Corinthian, pesky little nightmare who brought terror to many dreamers but he couldn’t do anything to stop the nightmare. He was Morpheus greatest creation and who knew if the Corinthian will ever be created again after the disaster and trouble he caused.

“Look, If you want my help with this child then I have to find Morpheus or get his attention somehow.” He stands from his seat and collects the books around him, hoping to use them to find a way to summon Morpheus. “Out of curiosity, did you see or feel anything when you saw this child?” He hopes to find something that’ll get his attention and help them faster.

“Nothing really, room showed nothing unusual. Parents were doing fine.” Said Dean, shrugging his shoulders at the younger man. “There was a crow though.”

“A Raven.” Sam corrected Dean. “Same thing.” Dean shot back but Sam glares at his own brothers. “No it’s not—“

“A raven you say?” Y/n cuts in, earning a nod from both brothers. This causes a smile to grow on his face, dropping the books and collecting his coat. “Drive me there.” He demands the two brothers, not giving them time to protest as he makes his way to the garage where he finds the impala and quickly jumps into the back. Both brothers quickly get some warm clothes on and start up the impala, Dean driving them out of the garage and onto the road, driving them to their friends house.

It was mid afternoon and the streets were empty, humans working and doing their own things while they continued on with their hunt. The ride their took a few minutes, giving Y/n the time to think about his next step. It’s been awhile since he’s last spoken or seen Morpheus, the dream lord far too busy handling his realm and duties. After Y/n heard about the Burgess stories he grew curious to know more, leaving the Winchesters brothers on their own, parting ways and finding his way to London. Finding out that the stories and rumors told were semi-true as an Endless stayed trapped in the old man’s basement.

Y/n had found a way to slither inside the manor, taking a job and sneaking into the basement where he finds Dream of the endless, locked away in a glass globe with no clothes on, exposed to the guards that watched over him every night and day. That same night that he found Dream was the same night that he freed him, knowing that the endless wouldn’t hurt him unless given a good reason. After Dream was given his freedom again he had disappeared from his life only to show up again in less than a day to ask for his help on finding his tools and repairing his kingdom.

During their time together they grew close, changing dreams perspective of humans and how not everyone was considered cruel. He stuck by Dreams side until it was his time to return back to the Winchesters.

“Will I see you again?” Morpheus was the one to ask him.

“Perhaps in my dreams.” Was his only response before the two went their separate ways.

It’s been months now since they’ve last spoken and Y/n had seen Morpheus in his dreams, perhaps the endless was far too busy to pay him a visit but hopefully he’s able to see him now that a friend is in trouble. When they arrive to the house, impala parked on the side of the road as Y/n steps out, followed by the two brothers as he looks at his surroundings.

“What are you looking for, exactly?” Dean asks, slipping his hands in the pockets of his coat and leaning against the car as he watched him. Sam does the same, crossing his leg over the other and leans over to whisper to Dean. “Sure he hasn’t gone crazy?” Dean snorts.

“For a raven.” Y/n answers, eyes casting from the trees to the roof of the house, stepping closer as he squints his eyes to see a familiar black raven perched in front of a window hiding behind a tree. “Matthew?” He calls out.

The ravens head perks up at the sound of his name, head turning and tilting.

“Matthew!” He calls out again, waving his hand at the raven. The creature doesn’t think twice as he flies away from the window and towards Y/n, landing in the white wooden fence. “Well, well, I didn’t think I’d see you again, mage.” The raven ruffled his feathers while Y/n chuckles at Matthews words. “Mage?” He questions.

“What? I don’t know what else to call a magic user let alone a cool one that actually knows how to use magic, unlike Constantine.” Matthews voice is full of dislike towards the name, still not having a liking towards Johanna after the struggle they had with regaining Morpheus’ sand.

Y/n rolls his eyes at the raven. “I’ll accept mage, for now.” He challenged the raven to find him a suitable name the next time they meet. “Anyways, I’m here to speak with Morpheus, is he to see by any chance?” His eyes gaze into the ravens dark eyes, hoping to find a trace of the dream lord.

As Matthew concentrated on seeking Morpheus both Winchester brothers watched with wide eyes while Dean opened and closed his mouth when he heard the raven speak with Y/n. “Are we going to ignore the talking raven?!” He exclaims, startling Matthew as he shakes his head. “I can feel him in my head—still not use to it.” He caws at Y/n, glancing at the two brothers. “They with you? If not then I made a huge mistake and the boss won’t be to happy.”

“They are with me.” Y/n reassured the raven not wanting him to get into any trouble. Matthew caws again. “Good, don’t want to be in any trouble…again.” Even though Morpheus had grown to like his new companion it still didn’t mean that he couldn’t get into an trouble and get away with it.

“It’s alright, if Morpheus is too busy then I understand i won’t bother him anymore.” Y/n gives the raven a faint smile, not wanting to pressure Matthew into focusing his boss to see him.

“I’ll never be to busy to see you.”

The familiar deep and soothing voice gets his attention, turning around to see Lord Morpheus himself standing only a few feet away from him. His hands inside his black coat and with a rare faint smile on his face, one that he’s only seen once. “Morpheus.” Y/n says his name like a prayer.

“Y/n.” Morpheus says back, letting the familiar name slip from his lips as the two finally reunite after some time apart. “You called for my help.”

“I did.” He turns to the two brothers, clearing his throat as he introduced them. “This is Sam and Dean Winchester, family and close friends of mine.”

“Yes, I know who they are.” Morpheus narrows his eyes at them. “I’ve read their stories and dreams various times, one of my dreams has a liking towards that one.” His main focus is on Dean who squirms in place. “I’m sorry, but did you say Dream?”

Morpheus doesn’t respond, stoic face coming back again as he eyes the brother up and down. His intimidating gaze frightening him even more until they shift to the older one, Sam Winchester. Morpheus had also read his dreams, gaze softening, the dream lord had seen his dreams and nightmares, mainly nightmares and couldn’t help but grow a little disappointed at the taller man. He was shown his true nightmares by the Corinthian for years, hoping to encourage Sam into confronting them in his real life but he never did. In the end he continued to fear, taking up years of courage to finally face them.

“What kind of help were you seeking?” Morpheus ignores the brothers and focused back on Y/n, ready to help him in any way possible. “There is a child who I need to look into.” Y/n starts. “She fell into a coma a few days ago but before she did she mentioned a dream she was having—a women with the wings of a butterfly.”

Morpheus huffs out a faint chuckle, turning to face the house where the child lies in bed, sleeping. Matthew had flown to his side, landing on his shoulder after gaining the trust of the dream lord and granted permission to do so. “Gault.” He simply says.

“Your nightmare?”

“Not anymore, I have turned her into a dream for it is something that she wished, wanting a new change.”

“Wait, what exactly this dream doing to the kid?” Sam is the first to ask, getting the dream lords attention. “Gault has the ability to shift into any form, taking the shape of what the dreamer desires most. She brings them good dreams.” Morpheus sighs. “Gault reports me the dreams that she gives the child and she is happy and at peace within the dreaming.”

“I thought dreamers couldn’t enter the dreaming and that only powerful beings and your creations were welcomed.” Y/n is confused by this. Yes, he had the chance to visit the dreaming a few times due to Morpheus permission but why was this child granted permission? Did this child hold something special inside of them that caught the dream lords attention?

Morpheus agrees with Y/n. “My creations and whoever else I welcome is allowed into the dreaming but this is something different, something out of my control.” He explains.

“Is there a way that we can wake her up?” Asked Dean, standing next to Y/n as the three spoke to the dream lord.

Morpheus sighs deeply, gaze turning to Matthew who only lowered his head, getting the message that the child is never to wake up. “No.” Morpheus says. “The child cannot be woken up nor will she ever be woken up.”

“Why not?”

“Because, the child’s time is up.” Another soft voice cuts in as Death stands behind her brother, giving them all a sad smile.

“Who are you?” Dean glares at death, having no idea that he’s staring down death herself.

Death laughs at the Winchester brothers. “You two are slippery and always escaping my grasp, I’m surprised you’ve made it this far.” She points out, raising even more questions between the brothers until Y/n leans over to whisper to the two. “This is Death, Morpheus oldest sister.”

“This is death?!” Shouted Dean, earning an embarrassed blush from the mage who avoids his gaze while death smiles. “Yes I am, now. Again, you two are slippery—always cheating me. You aren’t using anything to stop me are you?”

“Would the god of heaven count?” Y/n asks, curious to know. At the mention of heaven the sudden memory of Jack come to the brothers, wondering if it’s Jack that’s preventing them from dying and escaping death everyday, could Jack even do that?

“God himself?” Death thinks, “I’ve only met him once when I was allowed to visit the Silver city. Heard rumors the a new god had taken over the city and I can help it but say that this new god is a lot better than the last.”

“That’s our Jack.” Dean says with pride, smiling proudly as he nudged Y/n while the mage rolled his eyes. “I doubt Jack would break the rules for you two, perhaps it’s pure coincidence that you escape Death everyday.”

“Yeah, maybe.”

Their conversation is broken when Matthew caws, flying on the sky as he circled the small crowd. Morpheus looks up at his raven and frowns, lowering his head to focus his gaze on Y/n who understood his expression. “I’m guessing it’s almost time.” He whispers.

“Time? No—isn’t their a way?” Sam understanding the meaning of time and knows why this was all happening. “She’s just a kid—her parents are in there and waiting.” He pleads, eyes full of desperation as he looks at the two Endless siblings.

“I’m sorry Sam, but there is nothing that can be done.” Death tells him, giving him small pat in his arm, comforting him and letting him know that this was her duty and she couldn’t change it.

“The child won’t be alone, Death will be with her and she is in the dreaming where she enjoys her last moments in a world that she creates.” Morpheus lets the brothers know that the child won’t die in vein. “She will be at peace, I’m sorry that I couldn’t help.” He directs his last sentence to Y/n who already knew about their duties. They had no control over it and could not break the rules for a child who’s time was approaching. “It’s not your fault, it’s understandable.” He reassured morpheus.

Death gives them all one last smile before sighing to herself, approaching the house and entering the home, welcoming herself inside as she continues with her own duties. Morpheus had seen his sisters work and knew that she’d bring the child to a much better realm with far better peace. When his sister disappeared into the home he turns back to Y/n, giving him a small nod. “I apologize that I wasn’t much help.”

“Don’t apologize, it wasn’t your fault. These things happen, it was her time and you gave her the best dreams as a farewell.” Y/n smiles at Morpheus. “I’m proud of you, Morpheus. For making a change.” He knew that the dream lord was adjusting to changes in himself and his realm, improving his methods and providing new dreams and nightmares.

Y/n stands next to his side, shoulder to shoulder as they stared at the house, waiting for death to finish up. “You never did visit my dreams.” He suddenly blurts out, pulling a laugh from the lord. “I owe you an apology, my duties kept me busy but I’ll make sure to visit tonight.”

“Promise?”

Morpheus leans forward, pressing his forehead against the mages. “Always.”

[thepaintedlady00]

Burden

Chapter 12 | Chapter 14

Chapter 13: Eye for An Eye

An update at last! Sorry for keeping y'all waiting so long moving was awful but I'm finally finished! So I should be getting back into the schedule of writing and posting! 😊 Thank you all for your patience! Enjoy the chapter!

TW: Soft Dream, some minor sexual content, a few sadder memories here and there, Desire, depictions of violence, a bit of Dark Munin (aka Daunt), cliffhanger (though y'all have likely been preparing for this since that one peek like forever ago) My editing site is having some issues so this is mostly unedited, so take mistakes with a grain of salt. Thank you!

The Dreaming had been a realm of vast beauty as ever-changing and endless as the being that forged it. The Dreams and Nightmares that dwelt there had seen a great many wondrous things like a sky filled with shooting stars or the wind laced with hues of color as it moved through the town with music, and, of course, the multiple occasions of endless rain that matched their kings' downtrodden mood. Still, all throughout The Dreaming, they agreed they'd never seen something as wondrous and beautiful as this. The sky was alight with stars and night mixing like paint with the pink and gold hues of the dawn. Puffy clouds swept through the vast plane, a bed for the shining stars and the morning glow - dreams and memories sharing the sky.

Dream of The Endless had many lovers before you, but none had made him feel this way. Safely tucked within his private chambers, the great being of the unconscious mind held you as you slept soundly against him. The softness of your skin, the heat you produced, was something he knew in an instant he'd never get enough of. Your white hair spilled across his dark sheets like fallen snow as feathers still swirled along the floor in a delicate dance.

All he could do was look at you and watch you as you dreamt sweet dreams of him. He could feel the truth of the words you'd whispered to him the night before. Dream could feel the love and devotion you bore for him as though it were a natural law of this universe. And perhaps it was… Perhaps your fates had been so intertwined from the start. It was, in his mind, the only explanation for how deeply he felt. 

Dream of the Endless loved you in every tongue, every word he knew - in languages so old even the earth and cosmos above no longer remembered. How could he not? How had he ever spent one moment of his life not loving you? Your lips quirked into a quick smile as one of your moonlit eyes opened. "I fear I may crumble under the great gaze of an Endless, should you continue to stare at me so."

He laughed, a sound so full of mirth and peace, accompanied by a genuine smile that made you wonder if he'd always been so… Adorable. "Forgive me. I did not know a mighty goddess would be so susceptible beneath a thing as simple as my gaze."

"Everything is susceptible to your gaze," you replied, lovingly lifting your hand to stroke his face. "Such a thing makes even the most stoic of creatures weep."

"Such flattering words," he whispered, kissing your wrist. "One must wonder what you seek to gain from such compliments."

Your smile was too beautiful as you shifted, pressing your lips to his chest. "Do I not already have everything I could possibly wish for?"

"That depends. What is it you wish for?"

"You." Your breath caressed his skin, a frozen thing that sent a chill up the Dream Lords' spine.

His night eyes sparkled as he stroked your hair behind your ear. "Then yes, you have your wish. I am yours completely, my love."

Your eyes fluttered closed. "Say it again."

"I am yours," he repeated.

"No," you replied, smiling brightly. "Say that you love me."

If he could perish, Dream was sure he would have then and there, and he could think of no better way to enter his sister's lands. He twisted his body, pulling you beneath him to press an array of kisses on your face. "I love you, my Munin."

Your hands combed through his messy hair. "As I love you, my Dream."

In his chilled embrace, you felt safe and loved. You felt a part of you, the part that held Daunt's hurt, slowly ease until the memories didn't feel so painful. You'd healed that piece of yourself you and Dream both had. Love was all she'd ever needed to feel whole.

As the sun began to overtake the gorgeous sky of The Dreaming, you and Dream knew that while you both longed to lay in bed, wrapped in only the silk of his sheets and the touch of each other's skin, you both had duties to oversee. Yet neither of you could seem to pull yourselves from the bed, from the gentle caresses and the soft-spoken words of adoration or the overwhelming pleasure you brought one another in strenuous bouts of intimacy. If either of you had the choice, you would spend the rest of eternity here.

The dreamer's voices slowly ceased as day woke them from their dreams and nightmares, and with the quiet Dream closed his eyes and let out a soft breath. “Though night has passed, there is still much that needs attending.”

“There is always work to be done for your kind.” You giggled, pressing a gentle kiss to his chin. “The Endless know no peace in this world.”

His eyes gleamed as you glanced up at his face. “That’s hardly true, I’ve had many moments of peace.”

“Name one,” you challenged.

“Last night.” The love sparkling in those damn starlight eyes made you burn with warmth. “Every moment spent with you has been one of peace, even when I was too blind to see it.”

You smiled, hiding your blush by burying your face in the soft planes of his chiseled chest. “Now, who’s using flattering words to gain favor?”

His whole body rumbled like thunder as he laughed, a sound you would never get used to nor get enough of. "I hardly have need of such. As you said, I already have all I could want.”

Oh, what a thing it was to be wanted. To be loved especially by one such as he. The weight of it was something that both soothed your soul and spurred it into restlessness. A contradicting combination that you’d deduced was something that simply came with the adoration of an Endless being. For so long, you were convinced you could never have that due to the nature of your being, and so the warring sensations that, perhaps, should have sent you into unease made you feel complete.

The peaceful quiet was interrupted by a brisk knock at the bedroom door before Lucienne quickly entered, eyes glued to the book in front of her as she walked toward the desk in the corner of Dream’s room. “My lord, forgive my haste,” she looked up, eyebrows furrowing at the sight of an empty chair.

“What is it that’s troubling you, Lucienne?” Dream questioned with that smug tone you’d grown to love. “It must truly be something if it brings you to my private chambers.”

The poor librarian was hardly prepared for her lord's teasing tone and even less so for the sight of the two of you bare and entwined with one another in the lavish bed. Her eyes grew wide, and her cheeks glowed, but the slightest hint of a smile spread on her lips as she stammered, quickly turning her back to the two of you. “Forgive me, my lord! I did not know you were… were… occupied.” 

You shook your head, resting it on his chest once again as he struggled to remain composed. “It’s alright. Now I believe you had a pressing issue to discuss.”

“It’s hardly pressing,” Lucienne muttered. “I’ll be more than glad to give you the details when you’re… adequately dressed.” She bowed her head and made her way toward the door. “Good day, Lady Munin. My lord.”

“That was rude of you,” you chided softly.

He made a noise as he moved to sit up against his headboard. “On the contrary, I believe my librarian and my raven have had something of a wager with one another concerning you, and I’s… intimate affairs. It seemed only fitting to inform her of her victory with a glimpse of proof.”

You sat up, trying to ignore the way his eyes drifting along the naked planes of your body made you want to devour him. “How do you know she won?”

“They discuss their affairs quite loudly when they believe I’m not listening,” he admitted with a slight grin. “Besides, I am The Dreaming. There is scarcely anything within it that I am not aware of.”

“So you knew she was coming to knock on your door then?” You asked, tone light and teasing.

His grin never faltered as he arched a brow and shrugged his shoulder. “Perhaps.”

You shook your head at his antics and smiled, stroking his cheek. “Who would have pegged the great Prince of Stories to be so dramatic?”

“All of my subjects, or at least so they’ve told me.”

Rising from his bed, you bathed in the golden warmth of the sun that illuminated his room and closed your eyes with a content sigh. Behind you, Morpheus rose as well. He wound his arms around your waist, pulling you into his embrace as he pressed a kiss to your shoulder. “If only we could remain here forever.”

The bright array of his starry memories swirled around you as he set his head against your shoulder. “An eternity of you would be more than I could ever hope for.”

“An eternity we have,” you assured him, turning to look at him. “Sadly, not one confined to your bed-chambers.”

"I have something for you," Morpheus said, suddenly quiet as he stepped away, fully clothed in an instant, and carefully pulled something from the closet that appeared before him.

For a moment, you mistook it for a cloud, white and soft looking, but as you stepped closer, the garment's structure became apparent. A cloak, long and flowy, hung in his hands. The white material was purer than anything you'd ever seen, a mystical white rivaling the freshest fallen snow. Around the cuffs of the sleeves and the high collar, golden fabric wove in intricate wood-like patterns and silver leaves. Inside appeared to be lined with mist and a glimmering silver. It was the most beautiful thing you'd ever seen, shadowed only by the ethereal hands that held it. "Morpheus…"

His jaw tightened as his eyes stared at the fabric in his hands. "I made it some time ago. It was meant to be a gift to Daunt, you, one I'd intended to give after my meeting with Hob Gadling. But, as you well know, that didn't happen."

"All this time… You kept it," you noted, looking at his stoic face in awe. "Why?"

"I'd hoped you would return." His eyes sparkled as he finally looked at you. "After a period had passed, and we'd both calmed I… I hoped I'd find you walking along the beach so I could present it to you. A gift meant to act as an apology for my words, one I now know would have done little to atone for my cruelty."

Your heart filled with so many things as you took in the depth of his words and the gift he now extended out to you. “It’s beautiful.”

With a smile, you felt his eyes take in your naked figure before the feeling of soft fabric settled against your skin, a new gown gifted to you by his power. Holding the cloak up slightly, he asked, "May I?"

"Of course," you said, turning and pulling your hair over your shoulder.

The moment the heavy, yet all too light, fabric settled along your shoulders, you felt an overwhelming sense of emotion. This, you realized as Morpheus looked over every inch with a meticulous gaze, was worship. He had given you not only a simple cloak but a piece of art he'd perfected for who knew how long. And above that, he'd given you a garment that matched his own. A silent assurance that you were his and he was yours.

"How does it feel?"

You could feel the tears building in your eyes as your hands smoothed down the embroidered lapels. "It's perfect."

He hummed. "I could always adjust it or remove anything you dislike."

"No," you insisted, startling him with your sudden hug. "Don't change it. Not at all."

*

As you walked through the town of your lovers' creations, adorned in your new cloak of mist and moonlight, you offered each being you passed a smile and some light conversation before making your way to Cain and Abel's garden. You'd spoken to both of them shortly after you returned, the memories of each brother flowing back into your recollection as swift and smooth as a rushing river, but you'd not been available to simply sit with them since then. Tea in their garden was something you often missed in slower moments, their company was loud and filled with them interrupting one another, but you'd loved it all the same. With Dream busy attending to his work, you decided today was the perfect day to catch up with your old friends.

Sirius and Kat joined you, the owl sparing no formalities with her stream of too-personal questions regarding you and Dreams night together, while the wolf companion offered only a simple question, "Are you happy?"

Though the answer felt obvious, you looked into your companion's eye, so full of old pain and worry, and smiled down at him with a nod. "I am happy."

"Then I shall resist the urge to bite him. Don't expect me to be nice, though."

Your laughter seemed to bring light to his eye. "I would never deprive you of your grumpy comments, my star. I hold each one very dear."

Once you'd reached the garden and helped Abel set the table for tea Matthew swooped down, landing in front of his own cup with a loud caw. "Sorry, I'm late. The boss needed me to check in with Rose and Lyta."

Lyta. The name sounded familiar, but before you could dwell on it too long, Cain set the kettle down and sat in his chair. "If you intend to bore us with tales of the Waking, do make it quick."

"I like hearing about the Waking World," Abel replied with a smile as he poured tea into your cups. "There's so much new stuff to learn about. Like cell phones! Have you seen a cell phone, Matthew?"

The raven sighed. "Yeah. Had a few of them when I was human."

With a gleeful chuckle, Abel sat down next to his brother, who rolled his eyes. Kat's hop echoed through their garden, pulling Matthew's gaze skyward as she gracefully guided through the trees. Kat's golden wings cast a glow across Matthew's silken black feathers, and you watched as his beak fell open slightly. 

He shifted between his feet, talons clicking against Cain and Abel's garden table. "Uhh, hi there."

Your friend's golden eyes looked the smaller bird up and down. "Hello, little bird."

Matthew gulped. "So… You're uh… Bigger." Cain shook his head from across the table as Matthew stammered on with incoherent words trying to make conversation with Kat. "What I mean to say is you're impressive!"

With a low hoo, the owl giggled, a sound you'd rarely heard. “Why are you always so nervous?"

“You… Well, you’re kind of intimidating,” Matthew replied with a nervous chuckle. “Talons and glowing eyes and all.”

“Fret not, little bird. I won’t scratch you.”  Kat stepped closer to him, lifting a curled talon to gently scrape along the raven's beak. "That is unless you ask me to."

Shaking your head, you sipped the tea in front of you as you made small talk with the brothers, eventually moving to admire the flowers in their garden. You stopped, gaining down at the little pale plant that had sprouted new leaves but had yet to grow. With a hum, you kept in front of it, carefully stroking a leaf with a curious gaze. "Why haven't you blossomed yet, little one?"

You'd thought after your return, you'd find it large and beautiful, yet it had only changed slightly over the century since you'd planted it. Frustrating as it was, you had no intention of rushing its journey. Abel placed a hand on your shoulder. "Late bloomers are my favorite. They always end up being the most beautiful."

"Thank you for tending to it." You smiled at the little plant. "Even though it's proven to be more challenging than your other plants."

Abel waved off your thanks. "I enjoy challenges. It'll bloom. We just need to find the right motivation for it, that's all."

You felt that twinge of something missing bloom once again in your chest as you turned your head and looked over at the trunk of a nearby tree, and a hazed memory played in the mist. A tall figure leaned against the tree, only the form of it visible to you as your form moved closer. “What do you think, Corinthian?”

“I think we’ve been here for hours, and the tea party has gotten boring.”

“Boring, boring, boring,” your voice huffed, clearly amused. “Is that all you’re concerned about?”

The figure’s stiff posture relaxed slightly. “Oh, I got plenty more to fuss over.”

“Fuss as you see fit, Dear Corinthian, but do try to let us boring people have some fun as well.”

Your body burned, soul igniting with the remnants of a being your mind still shielded you from. Lifting your hand, you tentatively pressed your fingers to your chest, an action meant to soothe the ache but one that ultimately made you feel it more. Beside you, Abel kept talking, telling you about the flowers and the garden that now felt all too empty. Eventually, the pain subsided, and you were left with a hollow feeling, one you forced yourself to ignore.

Across the garden sat the large empty home that once belonged to the gargoyle Cain and Abel had been gifted by Dream long ago. You’d known of his fate for some time, and you’d mourned the creature, but you hadn’t spent any time among his empty home. Dead leaves crunched beneath your careful steps as your fingers traced his name. There, beside the large house, was a small one filled with small strands of shed white fur. Sirius’ name was carved above the entryway, and for a moment, you were filled with peace. 

Dream had honored his word and taken Sirius in, had built him a place in his realm to wait. A pulling sensation filled your being as mist began to fill the small opening in the trees. The mist took Sirius’ form, curled into a ball, thin and devoid of the life you knew your companion to have. The memories of his tormented stay within The Dreaming plagued your mind until the softness of his fur filled your palm as he slid into place beside you, pressing his head into your limp hand. “Why do you weep?”

You hadn’t felt the tears until he pointed them out, and with a soft sigh, you wiped them away, sitting on the ground to envelop him in your arms. “I did not realize how my absence harmed you.”

The wolf made a low noise and pressed himself further into your hold. “There is nothing for me without you. But, cast those thoughts from your mind, my lady. For we shall never be parted again.”

“Never again,” you vowed softly.

When Dream eventually finished with his work, he joined you in the garden, the two of you slowly migrating to Fiddler’s Green, where it became impossible to ignore the empty feeling that had nestled deep in your chest. Your eyes fixed on a willow tree, the mist pooling around it bringing the memories of the nightmare in white back to your mind.

 “I don’t think Fiddler’s Green appreciates your sarcasm.”

Once the lumps evened out, The Corinthian sat back down. “Fucking ridiculous.”

“Lighten up,” you’d said, bumping him with your shoulder. “If you’d be a little nicer, then maybe you’d have more friends than just me.”

“Nice isn’t in my nature,” he insisted, tilting his shades down. 

You touched his cheek. “You’re nice to me.”

“You’re the exception, not the rule, fair lady.” He turned his gaze away from you again.

Laying your head on his shoulder, you sighed. “I adore you, Corinthian.”

The sound of his laughter made you draw a shaky breath. He laid his head on top of yours. “Yeah, me too, Daunty.”

“Munin?” Morpheus asked, his fingers stroking your cheek as he pulled your attention away from the willow and the memories. “Are you alright, my love?”

You considered lying, of sparing him the burden of your odd feelings and these memories, but then you shook your head and leaned into his chest. “The realm feels odd… or perhaps I do.”

Worry settled on his face. “Has something happened?”

“No,” you assured him, gently pressing your lips to his cheek. “I just feel… It feels like there’s something missing.” Your eyes turned to the tree again. “Something important.”

He followed your eyes, and for a moment, it looked like he realized something you had not, but he quickly turned his head back to you with another question. “Are you in pain?”

You shook your head, holding a hand to your chest. “No, not really. It’s an odd sensation, but it doesn’t hurt anymore.”

“As much as it pains me to part from you,” he began. “You have duties to attend to in your realm, and it seems mine are not yet finished.”

“Will you visit me?” You asked. “Or must I lord a kiss over your head?”

He laughed and shook his head. “I’ll not deprive you of anything again, my dear Munin.”

Pulling him in by the lapels of his coat, you smiled. “Good, I’d hate to have to torture you with… choice dreams.”

His eyebrow arched. “An evil thought, perhaps one we can explore later.”

“If you so wish it, my love,” you answered, pressing your lips to his. Kissing him was quickly becoming your new obsession. The softness of his lips and the taste of wild magic and dreams and night made the whole experience something you longed for. As you parted, you ran your fingers through his messy hair. “Goodnight, Morpheus.”

“Goodnight, my love.” Morpheus pulled your hair behind your ear before watching you shift into the white raven, showering him in white feathers as you flew up into the now-darkening sky.

*

The passing days were peaceful. You and Dream visited one another each night, sharing a bed as though you’d been doing so for centuries. Everything with him came more naturally to you than breathing did, and he felt similarly, as though your closeness was something as set in stone as your functions. Love became far too tame a word for the way you felt about one another.

Sirius had not changed his grumpy treatment of the Dream Lord, but he’d certainly accepted the newfound intimacy between the two of you. It had been awkward at first, especially when Sirius had leaped onto your bed and shoved between the two of you with his hindquarters snuggly pressed into Dream’s face. Since then, though, you could have sworn both of them began to like the night's Dream spent in your realm. You’d never tell them, but one night you’d risen to walk through the trees and returned to find the two of them lovingly snuggled up against one another. The rarest of sights, and something that only further warmed your heart to both of them.

Sitting among the children, helping them weave crowns of twigs and leaves, you happily basked in the blissful feeling of it all. It had been all you wanted once, and now it was finally yours. Sirius approached with a wary look in his eye. He let one of the children adorn him with a crown and settled beside you. “Something troubles you.”

“There is a dark feeling lingering in the forest.” He replied, eye scanning the trees. “I do not know what manner of beast it is, but I wish to stay close to you. If it comes, I will be ready.”

“Grateful as I am, my star, I am more than capable of protecting myself now.” You smoothed the haunches of his fur down. “Besides, it’s my turn to protect you, remember?”

He huffed. “Strong as you are, my lady, you are still the sovereign of this realm. Thus it is still my duty and my wish to protect you.”

You quietly bid the children farewell and rose from your place. “Come then, my dear protector, and together we will find the source of this darkness.”

The two of you walked the village first, agreeing that the safety of your people mattered above all. The homes and shops were complete now, all bustling with spirits as they lived their days happily. Many greeted you with bows and loving words, and many more greeted Sirius with scraps of food and hushed murmurs of respect. Seeing their love and their recognition of his importance not just to you but to your realm made you feel proud and happy. Hector rose from his work, mud caking his hands as he smiled at you. “Lady Munin!”

“Hector,” you greeted. “Why is it you always seem so much busier than everyone else?”

He shrugged. “It’s just my nature. Besides, my… project is kind of large, so it needs a lot of attention.”

Looking past him to the beautiful modern home nestled in a large open meadow, you nodded. “So it seems. Do you require any help?”

“No,” he shook his head and waved the suggestion off. “I enjoy the work. Besides, this is something I want to do myself.”

“Very well. If you require anything, please let me know,” you answered, looking at the two trees the home was nestled between for a short moment before continuing on your way.

It wasn’t until you reached the oldest part of the forest that you felt the thickness of the darkness overtake the air. You examined each tree carefully, searching for the familiar feeling of tampering magic poisoning your realm. The oldest trees hummed with power as you passed them, but one sang. You stopped, looking up at the tall tree limbs lined with veins of gold and puking red heart jewels hanging from them.

Sirius growled beside you. "I'd know that scent anywhere."

"Desire." Their name felt like lead on your tongue. "Surely they're not stupid enough to try anything after the last time."

"I know little of them, but I remember the sting of the blade they used to blind me." Sirius sniffles the air, and you watched as the look on his face shifted, pained. "They may be the cause of the disturbance."

"Then we shall greet them accordingly." The roots of their tree lifted for you, lined with golden flowers. "Come, Sirius. We have a debt to repay."

Desire's mind was all you'd expected. Self-obsessed, indulgent, and red. The walls that should have been earth were instead a glossy plastic red. You'd forgotten how much you hated the color. Soon you emerged in memory of an old family dinner, but Desire didn't seem to notice it was merely a memory. Something you intended to take full advantage of.

You strode up Destiny's garden stairs and met their golden eyes unflinchingly. Their wide smile, the one that usually made you want to hide away, only made you feel more confident. "Well, well, what a lovely surprise." They stood from their seat, not questioning how no one else acknowledged you. "A new face comes to join the family!"

"New face?" You questioned with a soft hum. "I suppose I do look somewhat different, but I've not forgotten you, Desire of The Endless."

"Disappointing," they purred, waving you off as they retook their seat, now sipping a glass of wine. "I suppose you're going to hold a grudge then, little mistake."

You smiled, walking toward the end of the table. "I was never very good at holding grudges. My companion, however…" Sirius leaped onto the stone table, snapping his teeth in their face. "He doesn't let go of things easily."

Desire never flinched as they looked at your beast with weary eyes. "Quite the entrance! You've clearly rehearsed! Sadly, I don't think you took into account exactly where this show of yours would take place."

Looking around the memory, you laughed. "On the contrary, I couldn't have planned this better myself."

"We are among my kin, dear. And besides, new face or not, your power is still nothing compared to mine."

"Perhaps, but I've quite the debt to repay. What is the old saying?" You asked, nails scraping against the stone of Destiny's table. "An eye for an eye."

Desire scoffed, setting their glass of wine down in front of your growling companion. "Oh, please. Don't make me hurt you, little mistake."

"Hurt me?" You asked with a laugh. "You'll find that far more difficult now."

Their golden eyes showed the fear they refused to confront as they leaned back in their seat. "Destiny would never allow you to spill blood in his realm."

You nodded. "That is true." Then, stepping closer, you smiled as white snakes began to slither around their arms. "It's a good thing we aren't in Destiny's realm then, isn't it?"

Finally, their mask fell. "What?"

You sat on top of the table in front of them, the mist of their memory slowly bleeding through. "Have you forgotten what my realm feels like already? Such a pity, for it has not forgotten you."

They opened their mouth to speak but were met with a swift shove with your foot, and their words shifted to screams as they fell through the mist and landed in a dark wooded glen surrounded by mist and gnarled trees and the glowing eyes of your companions. Desire watched the darkness spread along with the mist as the growling grew louder and more eyes appeared. Then, finally, they stood, gulping down their fear to call out to you, “Come now, mistake… you don’t want to do anything drastic, now do you?”

“Drastic?” your voice was everywhere while you were seemingly nowhere. “I believe this is all rather fair, given our history.”

"I am one of The Endless," Desire sneered as they stood, brushing off their gloss black outfit. "I will not be intimidated by you."

"Even The Endless are susceptible to my function. Memory. Remembrance. Inspiration. Distress. Discourage. Daunting. All are within my power." Your misty silhouette stood far in the distance, black wolves barking and snapping their teeth at your side, carrying darkness with them.

Desire watched you, their fear and denial filling the air almost as pungently as their sickening sweet peach scent. "You wouldn't dare harm me. It would risk angering my siblings after all."

A laugh, cold and entirely Daunt, echoed in the space between you. "The only one of your siblings that will care about what I do to you is that twin of yours. And she knows well enough to leave me alone. Something you never did learn."

"Munin…" Desire said, using your new name, as the black wolves began moving closer.

"Ah, now it's suddenly my name you choose to speak?" You inquired. "A kind gesture that will not help you now."

The black wolves circled them as they fearfully watched the shadows. "You'll regret this!"

One wolf larger onto their leg, another followed on their arm, then another after that until the memories of your companions held them against a twisted tree. You walked forward slowly. "I doubt that. Perhaps next time you'll not forget who and what I am so easily."

You looked into their eyes as you pressed your hand to their chest. With the simple touch, you passed the haunting memory, the ghostly sensation of the blade plunging deeper into your chest at their hands, into their mind. Desire bit back screams. "Now, every time you meet my gaze, you will feel the pain you caused me."

They fell away from the tree, your past companions fading with growls and howls. Desire chuckled. "I must say, I was expecting more."

White paws emerged in their downcast gaze. Sirius growled beside you, shaking and wrapping the mist. "They're all yours, my dear star. Just make sure they live."

"Yes, my lady." He said. You turned away, walking through the dark misty forest as the growls and desperate, pained cries of Desire echoed all around you. The last thing you heard before you released them from your realm was your companions' smug repetition of your words, "An eye for an eye."

*

The next time you returned to The Dreaming, you left Sirius to watch over the realm. Scratching beneath his chin, you bid him goodnight, silently admiring Desire's eye that now hung from a collar around his neck. "I'll return in the morning."

"The realm will be peaceful," he assured you. "I cannot say the same for the Dream realm."

"Oh, hush!" You playfully shoved him before you shifted into your bird form to join Matthew in the skies of The Dreaming.

The raven had become a fast friend, visiting your realm even without his master. You found it amusing how the lite bird yawned over Kat and how she also held an oddly intimate place for him. Flying had gotten easier, and once you'd truly mastered it, you enjoyed your time in the sky. Landing on the bridge, you smiled at Matthew. "Hello, how are things in The Dreaming?"

"Good," the bird replied. "The boss is just finishing up some last-minute project, and then he'll be here."

"It must be an important project if he's working this close to nightfall." You smiled. "Perhaps I'll get to see it once he's done."

Matthew cawed. "I'm sure you will. Is, uh, did Kat come with you?"

A knowing smile spread on your face. "No, but you are always welcome to go visit her. My realm will always be open to you, Matthew."

Bowling his head, the raven filled with glee. "Thank you, lady Munin."

You watched him vanish into the sky, stars simply beginning to show in the spots where the orange cast of the fading sun didn't touch. The restfulness of Dreams domain always made you melt. Anything that had brought you tension or worry faded from your mind as you gaze out into the sky and listened to the town of dreams and nightmares greet dreamers that had already begun to arrive. You could stay here for hours, perfectly content to just exist.

The soft hands of your lover slowly slid around your waist, pulling you into his dark form with a kiss to the back of your head. "I apologize for making you wait."

"Nonsense!" You turned, smiling up at him. "I cherish every moment in your realm, even ones spent waiting."

"A relief," Morpheus said. "I was just finishing a project."

"Matthew told me. Will I get to see this project?"

"Of course," he replied, kissing you. "It was done for you, after all."

Your head tilted. "For me?"

With a simple nod, Dream's eyes softened. "You said you felt like something was missing so I sought to end this feeling." With a shake of his head, his eyes locked onto something across the bridge behind you. "Lucienne was most displeased, but I think even she is coming around to the idea."

"What project of yours could displease Lucienne?" You wondered, searching his face for some hint.

“Hey, Daunty,” a familiar voice called out to you. “Long time no see.”

As you turned, pulling away from Morpheus, your heart filled with a deep ache and an even deeper pang of hope. You felt tears build in your eyes at the sight of the nightmare dressed in white. He looked just as you’d remembered, but everything about him felt new. He was new. Both the nightmare you once knew and not. Just as you were. “You’re different.”

The Corinthian chuckled as he lazily stalked toward you. “So are you.”

When he, at last, came to stand in front of you, a silence swept over the bridge. The dark glasses hid the rows of teeth that were his eyes from your view, and yet you could see everything playing within his mind so clearly. With a smile, you laughed. You couldn’t help but feel at ease with him back. “It’s been so long since I’ve seen this face.”

Lifting his hand to your cheek, The Corinthian smiled back. “Dream thought it was only fitting yours would be the first face I saw. He’s just as poetic in his irony as I remember.”

“Oh, my dear Corinthian,” you whispered, touching his cheek as he did yours for a short moment before you pulled him into a hug. “I’ve missed you.”

“I’ve missed you too, Daunty,” he replied, arms wrapping around you, surprisingly gentle for the nightmare.

Behind you, Dream kept still and silent, not wanting to ruin the reunion of two friends. The Corinthian held you for a long moment before he pulled away and frowned. "I-"

You shushed him with two fingers to his lips. "No apologies. That was our old life. Now we move forward in this one."

He nodded, the dark shades reflecting Dream's stoic face as he looked at his creator. Before, The Corinthian would have sent him a smug smile and an even more smug tip of his hat. Now The Nightmare did neither as he asked, "Why?"

The Corinthian didn't need to elaborate. With a thoughtful look, Dream settled his hands behind his back. "It came to my attention that something was missing with you gone. I merely sought to remedy that problem." Through The Corinthian's glasses, you saw the tender look Dream gave you when he thought you weren't looking. "Besides, you were right, in some odd… Misguided sense. I did need to change."

"Well," The Nightmare bit back a sneer. "I ain't gonna say thank you."

You could see Dream's lips quirk slightly. Whether it was in disapproval or in amusement, you couldn't tell. "I don't expect you to thank me."

"Then what is it you remade me for?"

"I simply ask you to fulfill your new function, Corinthian. Nothing more."

Dark shades slid back down to your face, and The Corinthian relaxed slightly. "Fine. It’s fair enough, all things considered.”

“Indeed.”

You turned and looked back at Dream with a soft smile, gently leaning into his solid form. “Thank you, Morpheus.”

The Dream Lord breathed in your scent as he pressed himself closer to you. “Your welcome, my love.”

“Great, this is a thing now?” The Corinthian whined, tugging on your arm. “Come on, Daunty, show me if anything changed while I was gone.”

Dream nodded you off, a soft smile tugging the corner of his lip up as he watched you and The Corinthian head off toward the village. The two of you walked every path of The Dreaming reliving every fond memory the place held for the two of you in your previous lives as outcasts. It felt right having him beside you again, even if the sting of the past lingered slightly in both of you.

You found yourselves resting in Fiddler’s Green, watching the sunrise. Your head was on his shoulder as you leaned into him. “I’m glad you’re back, Corinthian.”

“I’m glad to be back, Daunty.”

“It’s Munin now,” you reminded him once again.

The nightmare shrugged, looking down at you with a smirk. “You’ll always be Daunty to me.”

*

At first, Dream felt conflicted about allowing The Corinthian to resume his role in The Dreaming, but with much reassurance from Munin, he eventually leaned into trusting the remade nightmare. It took some time, months of complaints, and his subjects bringing concerns to him where the nightmare was concerned. He was grateful that his people were putting their trust in him. He only wished it was on a topic he could actually help them with. 

The Corinthian was always a rebellious creature. He disregarded rules and consequences. It was nearly impossible to predict what the nightmare would do, but Daunt… Munin loved him. As much as he hated to admit it, his paramour was good with The Corinthian. She encouraged just the right amount of disobedience without risking his creation's function. The two of them were practically inseparable, spending every moment with one another, taking trips to her realm so the nightmare could bask in its glory. Dream was perhaps… jealous, but seeing her smile made all of it worthwhile.

They’d all settled in the library, Munin curiously flipping through books without fear and The Corinthian bordely standing by the door, trying not to seem interested, though it was obvious the nightmare enjoyed what Munin read to him. Lucienne kept her eyes trained on the nightmare, refusing to let go of what he’d done, no matter how sweetly Munin regarded him or how much trust Dream had given. Lucienne would remember, and she intended to make The Corinthian earn every ounce of her trust. 

Munin had been reading for some time, and he found himself enraptured by her voice. It was better than any song or poem, more full of life and feeling and inspiration than he had ever heard. His starlight eyes were trained on her and her alone, admiring every inch of her as she finished her page before looking up at him. “What?”

“I should have you read everything to me from now on,” he said confidently. “The sound of your voice makes everything far more capturing.”

She smiled from behind her book, a light blush coloring her face. "Who knew the mighty Dream King would be so adept at flattery."

"Only when it comes to you, it would seem," Dream answered with a smile of his own. "I assure you Matthew finds me far less flattering."

The raven squawked loudly from beside him and ruffled his feathers. "Broody is the word I use. And dramatic… And maybe a tad irritated."

He sent the bird a look. "Anything more to add, Matthew?"

"Stubborn," Lucienne added.

"Soggy," Matthew chirped in.

"Self-important," the nightmare drawled from the doorway.

Munin giggled, erasing the exasperated sigh from his lungs entirely. He would endure a thousand years of his subjects' poor descriptions of him just to hear that sound. She gracefully rose from her chair, taking hold of her book. "Your people know you too well, Lord Morpheus."

"So it would seem," he huffed.

Matthew shrugged his tiny wings as Dream glared back at him when the loud thud of the heavy leather-bound book hitting the floor echoed around them. Munin gasped, her hand clutching her chest. He was on his feet in seconds, striding around the table toward her. "Munin!"

Lifting her head, her eyes met his, the gold within them swirling violently until it resembled roaring flames. Molten gold poured from her eyes as she laid a hand on the table, trying to steady herself. Long golden talons dug into the wood, leaving long marks etched into it as black began to consume her fingertips. "No," she whispered, consumed with a far-off look.

"Do something!" The nightmare hissed, a flash of white moving to stand beside him.

"Munin," he said again, reaching out toward her.

Anger and fear, and pain filled her face. "NO!"

In a wave of mist, she crudely shifted to her raven form, bleeding with gold and black as she forced her lithe body up and out the stained glass window. Dream moved quickly, following the path into the woods until The Forest greeted him. The sky was dark, filled with storm clouds humming with thunder and crackling lightning. The trees around him shrieked and groaned as their roots twisted. Mist consumed his vision as he followed his feet forward. "Munin!"

A trail of gold branched off into the trees, followed by a crater lining the ground with molting feathers. She'd crashed here…

"SIRIUS!" Her voice was all around him, desperate and afraid. "SIRIUS!"

Blood lined the path forward, and fear filled his lungs. "MUNIN!"

Breaking through the trees, he stumbled into the clearing where Munin knelt, crimson blood staining the wilting grass around her. Embers filled the air, sparkling with a cursed tinge of magic and sulfur. Munin wept, the broken sound of it lined with agony and unbridled rage as she cradled a clump of white fur in her hands. "Sirius…"

Dream stepped forward, and a surge of dark magic slammed into him as his foot stepped onto the scorched lines in the earth. A pentagram? He lifted his gaze back to the woman in the center of it. "Munin."The sobs stopped as she trembled, lifting her eyes to meet him. Black consumed them, a dark mirror filled with twisted and ancient memories he'd long forgotten. "They dare steal from me?" She hissed. "They dare scorch my forest and take from me that which is most dear?" She rose to her feet, darkness and mist engulfing her as screams and tormented voices filled the air. "I will lay waste to every Lord… Every demon that had any part in this!" Her hands curled around the white fur. "Hell will be empty when I am through."

[zoeysdamn]

See no differences here

"I am you suPERIOR DREAM OF THE ENDLESS"

5 minutes later in the Dreaming:

"FRIENNNDS???"

[i-used-to-be-a-spy]

Buckle up for a list of Dream's autistic traits

-taking his rules/responsabilities so damn seriously

-having his comfort clothes that he wears all the time (black, simple but elegant & comfortable)

-crying when he's upset/going silent and being unable to speak

-not understanding others (such as trusting Johanna & Mathew is like boss... )

-not liking things to change (Gault wanting to become a dream, Lucienne being more in charge, being handed the key to hell, etc)

-being extremely loyal to his friends/lovers

-struggling to put himself in others shoes but he can do it!

-loves his routines

-hates being messed with/disrespected for who he is

-He actually is very specific about making eye contact like he only does it to communicate effectively otherwise he doesn't like to make a lot of eye contact

-He has very strong ideas about justice and doing what's right and protecting the entire world (see above him taking responsibilities so seriously, his immediate disgust at the idea of slavery, him humanizing the sex worker Hob makes fun of, him taking care of refugees who flee to the Dreaming)

-Dream actually has so much empathy, that's why he cares about justice so much, and that's why he often closes himself off from people so he doesn't get overwhelmed and he tends to do this too much but learns to open up a bit more

-sometimes he's very blunt & not realizing how others perceive that such as to Lyta about her son, like bro don't be so cryptic about someone's kid lol

-Dream is very reactive when he perceives he has been hurt by others and is quick to push them away or punish them to protect himself (obvs not a good coping method when you have the power to put people in hell 😬 like it's bad enough when I do it 😅)

[jaydelynn1967]

Wait. I thought that Dream wasn't ALLOWED to love mortals. Which is why Dreamling works because he technically isn't a mortal. He's immortal. Someone really needs to explain this whole the Endless aren't allowed to love mortals. But then again, I might be getting some of it wrong because I've yet to read all the source material.

(-) I find it kinda sad that Dream and Calliope we're always going to lose Orpheus because he was mortal.

(+) WHY was he mortal when Dream is an Endless while Calliope was a muse? How does that work? Shouldn't Orpheus have been immortal?

[coffeeforsapphics]

Actually, no, let's talk about it.

[tamago-aki]

sandman doodle i might fully render.... idk teehee

[4typercent]

Dream Stitch update #9 🧵🪡

He's at 18%, I've been procrastinating on him

He needs to be ironed. 🙈

The line on the right are fine sewing needles holding the two sheets of Aida (14 count) together to make the falling sand easier to stitch. Extra needles and binder clips are your friends!

[witchynek0]

I cant imagine anything better than Dream turning up to a college class galling is giving. And at one point he sticks his hand up and corrects Hob and Hob just... Sighs.... and continues class.

At the end of the class he says "sit in the black clothing. Get down here before u leave we need to talk"

And dream complies and nodded "yes Professor Gadling."

Turning Hib into a Blushing Mush unable to scold Dream on interrupting his lecture.

[xmalereader]

Lord Morpheus X Wolfwalker Male Reader

—

|| Masterlist ||

-

Authors Note: I recommend watching wolfwalkers because that animation gave me the inspiration to write this long ass shot, wanted to try something semi-new and write about the wolfwalkers and how I think it ties into the dreaming and Morpheus, but either way enjoy this shot! It will be possible that I will post another chapter of the series tomorrow!

Summary: Reader is a wolfwalker a dream that lived for centuries before their extinction came. He is the first of a new generation and Morpheus is anxious to know how much this new wolfwalker knows about the dreaming and if he is ready to accept his own duties.

Warnings: Fluff, slight angst, mentions of nightmares and dreams, Matthew being Matthew, Morpheus making changes, wolfwalkers, inspired by wolfwalkers, Hob gadling is a Professor, Lucienne and her library.

Word count: 6.8k

—

-

The Dreaming had dealt with various things, destruction of their realm due to the endless’s absence, the life of a vortex who caused the collapse between reality and dream. Dream of the endless had spent 100 years locked away by an armature human being while his realm turned to ash all due to a rouge nightmare, he’s learned his lesson to be careful around humans whenever such thing were to happen again but after his encounters with the Corinthian he’s able to lock his nightmare away before he could recreate him again and focused on new dreams and nightmares.

New changes were to made in his realm due to new generations being born. If the humans change then so would he, which is why he creatures new beings for his dreams and nightmares. He just didn’t expect his nightmares to appear back into the dreaming every few nights, causing havoc over a dream that would rid of them and force them back into the dreaming. Morpheus has grown confused over the ruckus, not knowing of such ‘Dream’ that was chasing a disturbance to his duties. He had asked his nightmares about this ‘dream’ and majority have told him the same.

A wolf with golden eyes that will force the nightmare out of humans, guarding them from the fear that they receive every night. Morpheus had no relation towards this new being and was also confused along with his nightmares. He called Lucienne for help on this new issue that needed to be dealt with, but with every book they read and every dreamer he entered they couldn’t find a single clue on what this new being could be that is causing such disturbance to his work.

It was until Lucienne found a specific book about a young man who suddenly stopped sleeping for many years, dreaming no more. The lords attention is taken by the mysterious man that Lucienne spoke about, taking their book and reading into their life, wondering how a normal human could stop dreaming all of a sudden. His research on the man took some time, knowing about their family and what they did, showing now sign of trauma or perhaps anything that could have triggered the man’s dreams.

Everything the man went though in life was considered normal to a mortal. Nothing out of the ordinary was happening until the day he stopped dreaming, leaving the rest of the pages in their book empty and a mystery to the endless. The king of dreams needed to know more and sent his trustworthy companion, Matthew, into the Waking and to keep a close watch on the man while he continued his work in the Dreaming.

The first day that Matthew watched the mortal go throughout their day, seeing no hint of suspicion or out of the ordinary, the raven had quickly reported back to Morpheus and letting him know that the human he was keeping tabs on showed nothing strange and was a simple human.

“I’m telling you, nothing is wrong with him. He’s perfectly fine and doesn’t even look suspicious.” Matthew had explained to both Morpheus and Lucienne who stood in the throne room together as they listened to Matthews words.

“Are you sure? Any signs of abnormal activity or perhaps the people they surround themselves with?” Lucienne is the first ask, hoping to get something that’ll help the librarian and endless understand better. But the raven can only shake his head. “Nothing, he hangs around these two twins who do cause a bit of trouble but not enough to cause whatever is happening to him.” He flaps his wings and starches them out. “Could it be possible that he’s, maybe, somewhat of a vortex or something more?” He questions.

“A vortex could be a possibility but that wouldn’t explain why my nightmares are the main target—why have them return to the dreaming but not my other dreams?” Morpheus questions himself, still not understanding.

The king growing frustrated by the lack of findings. It doesn’t take him long before he is talking again. “Matthew, I need you to stay near him while he is sleeping. If anything is to happen—“

“I report back to you, got it.” Matthew cuts, earning a firm nod from Morpheus. “Perhaps tonight, we can finally see why he no longer dreams.” Lucienne placed her hands behind her back, giving her lord a raised brow as Morpheus agreed to her words. “We shall see tonight.” He mumbled in return as Matthew returns back to the waking and to continue watching over Y/n.

When night falls the raven is waiting by Y/n’s window, watching as the young man finished up their work for today, cleaning up their desk and standing up to stretch his arms and getting ready for bed. It takes them a few minutes before they are getting into bed and setting up their alarms, lying back in bed as he closed his eyes. Matthew gives it a few more minutes until y/n is fully asleep, body relaxed and eyes closed as he sleeps away the long day he usually has. The raven tilts its head to the side as he continued to watch until a bright glow fills the room, startling Matthew as he witnesses a black wolf crawl out of his chest, jumping off the bed and giving the still sleeping body a look before moving towards the foot of the bed. The wolf moves in silence, looking up to stare out the window, making eye contact with the raven.

Matthew is startled and is quick to fly back to the Dreaming, flapping his wings as fast as he could as he arrives to the library where he finds Morpheus and Lucienne. “That—I don’t—“ The raven feels like he’s running out of breath, not knowing what to say at what he just witness.

“Matthew, what did you see.” Morpheus is quick to ask, walking up to his raven, worried about his companions state of mind.

Matthew is able to think again. “That kid—y/n, I don’t know if I was was real or not but the minute he fell asleep a wolf crawled out of his chest—not ripping him open but like a spirit leaving his body and becoming physical. I didn’t stay long because it saw me and I had to come back here as quick as I could.” He exclaims.

“Wait, did you say a wolf crawled out of his chest?” Lucienne questions.

“Yes!” Matthew caws out, wings flapping hectically.

Lucienne looks up to Morpheus a faint frown on her lips. “That explains everything,” she began to say. “The nightmares returning to the dreaming and why they are the main target and the wolf appearing out of Y/n.” She approaches a bookshelf, searching for a specific book and asks. “Lord Morpheus, do you remember the time when other gods or creations kept balance in the dreaming?”

Morpheus’ gaze shifts from a Matthew to Lucienne. “Of course.”

“Well, I think I know why there’s been a disturbance in the dreaming lately.” She holds a book in hand, setting it down on the table as she flips it open, skimming through the pages and flipping them until she reaches what she was looking for, showing Morpheus.

“I think what we are dealing with is a wolfwalker, creations that existed many years ago. They are Dream protectors, protecting humans from nightmares and fears that they get every night.” She explains as Morpheus reads through the pages, frowning at the new information. “But that’s impossible.” He murmured. “The last wolfwalker to ever live died nearly six hundred years ago—“

“What does that have to do with this one?” Matthew cuts in.

“To become a wolfwalker you are either bitten or born and the last wolfwalker to live never had children nor did they pass down their bite to another human—they simply died, ending the extinction of wolf walkers. There was no other generation for many years so, why now?” He questions himself, not knowing how a wolfwalker could walk amongst the dreaming or how they came to be.

“Perhaps the time of wolf walkers has returned, my lord. The first Wolfwalker to ever live was created by Lycaon, after the punishment of their father they found other ways to be around humans again and it was by becoming a wolfwalker, a creation that is able to walk both dreaming and waking. Which explains the lack of dreams, while the human body remains asleep a part of them is still awake as a wolf—“

“—protecting dreamers from nightmares and trying to create balance again.” Morpheus finished, understanding now the meaning of wolf walkers. Many centuries ago he was able to meet a few but never took the time to understand their history or duties, only checking to make sure that they didn’t try to harm his nightmares or cause any other problems to the dreaming.

Morpheus closed the book and hands it back to Lucienne. “I shall head to the waking world, Lucienne I leave you in charge of the dreaming.” He turns to Matthew. “Matthew, check and see where this wolfwalker is now and I will be with you shortly.”

“What do you plan on doing?” Matthew asks, curious to know.

“I’m going to stop it from coming after my nightmares.”

—

When Y/n woke up the next day his body feels heavy and felt like he lacked sleep, even though he slept earlier than usual he still felt like it wasn’t enough, as of he was awake all day. It’s been happening a lot in the last few months and he hasn’t found a way to get it fixed or perhaps find a way to make the odd feeling go away. Instead he tried to ignore it and move on with his life.

When he gets out of bed he makes he’s to check the time on his clock before he is gathering his things and shoving them inside of his bag, getting himself ready for his morning classes that he is to take, reminding himself that he is to send his report to Professor Gadling if he is wanting to pass his class for this year. Once he is ready for the day and leaves to the bus station that takes him directly to campus, he is to stop by Gadlings classroom first in order to turn in his paper. Hes begged his professor to give him extra days to complete his assignment due to his lack of sleep and food, the man was kind enough to allow him an extra three days, spending his time completing the work along with his other assignments from other classes.

When he arrives to the empty classroom he doesn’t expect to see his Professor with company, not entirely alone. He fidgets awkwardly from where his stands until Hob takes notice of him. “Y/n, come in—sorry, I just had a friend visiting.” He nods towards the other man who stood next to him, covering his black clothing and with hair messy but also neat to his nature.

“It’s alright, I hope I wasn’t disturbing.” Y/n approached his desk, pulling out his assignments and handing it to the Professor. “I got my assignment finished and I apologize for the long wait, I couldn’t get it done on time due to lack of sleep.”

“Don’t worry, y/n. As long as you got it done that is all that matters.” Hob takes the assignment in his hand and placed it inside his book bag, distracting himself from his visitors as the stranger in black speaks up. “You haven’t been sleeping well?” He questions.

Y/n sighs deeply, shaking his head. “I’ve struggled with sleeping for awhile—perhaps insomnia but I’m not quiet sure.” He shrugs his shoulders. It’s been a few months since his sleeping schedule changed, sleeping only for a few minutes or an hour or two but still not getting enough sleep to wake up relaxed and collective. If this continued on he would have to leave college due to his grades slipping and arriving late to classes.

“I regret that if things get worse I won’t be able to come to classes anymore.” He murmurs to himself, eyes cast down as he avoids the strangers stare.

“Have you gotten any medical attention, perhaps go to a sleeping clinic?” Hob suggests, giving the younger man a worried look as Y/n clears his throat. “Not yet, but I’ll check into it. Thank you for giving me your time.” He gives a nod to his Professor and a small goodbye to the stranger before rushing out of the empty classroom, making his way to his first class of the day.

“Now I know why you wanted to be here.” Hob whispers to his old friend who stood next to him, the two watch Y/n leave the room as Morpheus says. “I expected something else, perhaps it’s the creature inside of him that is forcing him from sleeping.” He turns to face Hob. “Would you be able to keep a close eye on him during class? Just to see his behavior.” Hob raises his brows in surprise, Morpheus wasn’t one to ask for help but the endless was changing, trying to make changes in himself and to start asking for help from others.

“Of course, I’ll keep an eye on him. What do you plan to do?”

“I was planning on getting rid of the creature lurking inside him, but now that I see his conditions, I’ll have to help him find the balance between the two.”

Morpheus bids his friend a nod before disappearing back into the dreaming where he finds himself in Luciennes library. “Did you take care of the issue?” Lucienne asks, shelving books and turns to her lord. “No, but I did meet him and he isn’t in a very good state. The wolf inside of him is keeping him from sleeping properly, meaning that the two are not balanced.”

“Wolfwalkers must keep the balance if they are to work together.” Lucienne hops in.

“Yes, but like you said—what if he is the new generation of Wolfwalkers? Due to him being new he has no one to teach him how to be a wolfwalker, throwing him and the wolf off from working together. That’s something I cannot let happen.” Morpheus was pacing now, thinking hard as he tries to find a way to help the wolfwalker. His library didn’t hold much information or stories about these dreams, making it difficult for him to try and help y/n.

Matthew flies down into the library, landing on top of an empty chair as he caws at the two, getting their attention. “I don’t want to worry anyone but Y/n isn’t in good condition and if he falls asleep during class.”

“The wolf will come out.” Lucienne finished, turning to face Morpheus with a worried look. They couldn’t allow the wolf to expose itself to the human world.

“Matthew, go back to the waking and alert Hob. Let him know about Y/n and that he needs to get out of there. I think it’s time that we bring our fellow wolfwalker into the dreaming.”

The raven does as instructed, flying back to the Waking as he tries to find a way to get inside the building and warn Hob while y/n struggled to stay awake. He focused on the information in front of him, groaning to himself as he blinks his eyes only to see the room around him covered in bright colors, showing the auras of other students and teachers, startling him to a stand as his vision goes back to normal. He doesn’t know if he’s hallucinating or perhaps the lack of sleep was messing with his head. He’s been like this all day and makes the right decision to collect his things and rush out of the classroom, bag in hand as he exits the room and into the empty corridors.

Before he could walk away and perhaps head back home, he is stopped by the same stranger that was visiting his Professor Hob. He stands a few feet away from him, licking his lips nervously as he focused his attention to the floor, walking past him in a fast pace and avoiding his blue eyes.

“Y/n.”

He froze in spot, eyes widening as he looks over his shoulder to see the stranger staring him down. His hands in his pockets as he eyes him up and down. “I apologize in advance for what I am about to do.” Y/n stares confused as he opens the palm of his hand, blowing sand into his face as he stumbles back in shock. “Hey what the—“ his body goes weak, sleep taking over him as he falls forward. Morpheus catches the man in his arms, using his sand to take them back to the dreaming before the wolf inside of him makes an appearance, jumping out of his body as it lands in front of Morpheus.

The dark wolf growls at him, barring it’s fangs as it’s eyes glance towards the unconscious body in his arms and then back to the dream lord, growing protective of its own body. Morpheus tilts his head, taking notice of the behavior and says. “Their is a small bit of human inside of you.” The wolf standing before him continued to growl, stepping around him as it tries to retrieve the body back, anxious and desperate to get ahold of its vessel again.

Morpheus looks down at Y/n who sleeps with no concern or worries. When he looks back up to the wolf he frowns. “You’re abusing your own body, draining its energy without them knowing.” He explains, getting the wolfs attention as their ears pin back. “He hasn’t slept in days, you’re killing him.” The creature whimpers, afraid of losing its vessel.

“Let him rest properly and I can teach you how to balance each other. Once you learn you’ll never lose each other.” Morpheus shifts Y/n in his arms, hoping that the creature would understand and allow him to help. With some reconsider and caution the wolf let’s his guard down, ears pinned back as it approaches Morpheus, glancing at the unconscious vessel before jumping back inside, the wolf returning to its rightful owner.

Y/n breaths softly, shifting his Morpheus hold as his eyes flutter open. He squints at him with confusion. “What—?” He’s suddenly wide awake, looking around frantically and gaping at the fact that someone was holding him and surprisingly close. “Where am I?” He suddenly asks, not knowing what else to say.

Morpheus grins. “You are in the dreaming, my realm of dreams and nightmares.” He responds back. “I am Lord Morpheus, Dream of the endless, I go by many names.”

Y/n opens and closes his mouth, not knowing what to say. “I think…I’m going to pass out.” His eyes rolls to the back of his head as he faints in Morpheus arms, again, the wolf inside of him comes back out, huffing in annoyance at the sight of the dream lord. Morpheus hums to himself as he carried the young man to his palace with the wolf trailing behind him, following closely and watching him from behind.

Matthew had flown back into the dreaming, ruffling his feathers as he lands on Dreams shoulder. “Sorry I wasn’t much help, boss.” The raven apologizes, unable to help with the wolfwalkers situation. “It’s alright Matthew, as long as he’s here in the dreaming, he is no threat to anyone.” When entering the palace he sends Matthew off to alert Lucienne about their visitor, reaching his chambers where he lies Y/n down on his bed.

“My lord.”

Lucienne stands by the doorway, watching the wolf with caution that stood on the opposite side of the bed, jumping up as it sniffs its own body. “The dreamer and the wolf have no balance, Lucienne.” He tells his librarian. “I must teach them how to find balance and comfort in their new lives if they are to continue living in the Waking world.”

“My lord, wouldn’t it be best that we try to find someone or something that’ll give us more information about Wolfwalkers? I understand that they haven’t been around in years, but can you really help him?” Lucienne wasn’t one to question her lords decisions but the dream lord knew that she had a point. He didn’t know much about wolfwalkers or what they need to do in order to find the balance they lack.

Morpheus simply wanted to solve the issue and get it done with, but Y/n was new to this, to everything and if it continued any further he could die from the lack of sleep and energy. He takes notice of the bags under his eyes, reaching up to push his hair back as he takes in his features, frowning at the state he is in. “Very well, we will search the library for more information. But, in the meantime he will sleep until he regains his energy.” He directs his words to the wolf who lied next to the body, watching closely as Morpheus pours sand over Y/n, allowing the other to sleep for a while longer. The wolf lies by its vessels side, not sleeping and simply watching.

“Come Lucienne, we have work to do.”

—

When y/n opens his eyes the first thing he remembers is Dream. The same strange man he met when dropping off his work with his Professor, the same man who knew his name and held him in his arms when he woke up. When he woke up again he was in someone’s bed, panicking as he stumbled out of the room, not knowing what to do or say. One thing he noticed was the lack of sleep being gone, he was no longer tired or having the feeling to pass out during random times of the day. He felt lighter and fresh as if all his worries were washed away.

Y/n guided himself out of the room, quietly walking down some hallways until he reached an open area, stairs going up towards a throne that sat at the very top. It’s empty with no one sitting on top of it, instead, behind it stood Dream with his back to him. His hands holding a large book as he turns around, sensing his presences. “You’re awake.” He calls out, his voice soft and deep and it startles Y/n.

“I am.” He chokes out.

“Good.” Morpheus slams the book shut, startling the poor man and makes his way down the steps, growing closer to the other as he takes a small step back when they are face to face. “I hope you enjoyed your rest, you haven’t slept in months.” He asks.

Y/n nods slowly. “I feel refreshed? I don’t know…I haven’t slept well in so long and it felt, nice.” He shrugs his shoulders before asking. “How long was I asleep for?” He’s curious to know.

Morpheus holds the book in one hand as he answers. “You’ve been asleep for a month.”

“A month?!” Y/n blurts out in shock, eyes wide as he frantically looks around. He’s been asleep for a month, he’s missed many classes and with the end of the year approaching so quickly, shouldn’t he be dead due to him not eating anything while he slept?

“Don’t fret, the dreaming keeps you healed and stable. Your health is better and you’re able to move around more—time is faster here in the dreaming. I’m the waking you would have been asleep for at least two to three days.” He reassured the panicked man that stood before him.

Y/n doesn’t notice that he’s sighing in relief. “That’s—strange?” His eyebrows rose in questioning, suddenly remembering where he is and who he is speaking too. “Dream of the endless.”

Morpheus looks up when he hears his name escape the man’s lips.

“That is your name, correct?”

“Yes, but you may call me Morpheus.”

“Morpheus.” Y/n says his name, smiling a little as the dream lord gives him one of his rare smiles, faintly but warm. “Y/n.” He says in return. “You must be wondering why you are in the dreaming.” He suddenly goes back to the main reason as to why he was here, guiding him to the library in order to return the book to Lucienne and perhaps get further details on wolfwalkers. The two walk side by side as y/n asks. “Why am I in the dreaming?”

Morpheus sighs. “It’s difficult to explain.” He starts l, entering the library as the rows of shelves extended and the room slowly grew as they walked further inside. Y/n’s eyes widen in wonder as he takes in the new place, slowly spinning to admire the place and facing up ahead again when they come to a stop in front of Lucienne. “My lord.” She greets, turning to Y/n and giving him an acknowledged nod in return. “I’ve come to return this.” Morpheus hands her the book he held as she takes it into her own hands, smiling softly. “Thank you, my lord. Hope you were able to find what you were looking for.”

“Of course.”

Y/n averts his eyes to the rows of shelves, eyes reading the many different titles that stand in front of him. “Little wolf is awake!” He gasps in surprise when a raven flies down and lands on top of a chair in front of him. “I’ve never seen a wolfwalker before.” The other can only stare at the raven as it speaks to him, shocked at the sight of a raven speaking to him. The large bird tilts its head to the side, confused. “Is he alright?” He questions towards Lucienne and Morpheus.

“I’m good!” Y/n blurts out, giving the other two a faint smile. “Uh—it’s nice to meet you Matthew.”

“Wait, how do you know my name?” The raven asks.

“Well I—“ Y/n stops mid sentence, thinking to himself. How did he know his name? He didn’t ask the raven nor did he ask Morpheus but he remembers a faint memory. “I remember hearing your name, I was with Morpheus and we were crossing a bridge.” He mumbled out as he tries to concentrate into remembering.

“It’s the wolf inside of you, he’s allowing you to see what he saw. To remember.” He hears Morpheus say.

Y/n is still confused not understanding. “The wolf inside—what?” He looks at the others, brows furrowed and expects them to provide an explanation but nothing is given until Lucienne gives Morpheus a side glance, sighing softly as she explains. “Lord Morpheus brought you into the dreaming due to what you are, a wolfwalker.”

“A wolfwalker?”

“A dream.” Morpheus cuts in, getting the other man’s attention. “A wolfwalker is a guardian of both dreams and nightmares, your kind brought balance to my realm—guiding my dreams and nightmares to do their tasks and to complete them and if they were to ever go rogue. The wolfwalkers would be in charge of bringing them back to my realm.” The dream lord explains as the other listens. “The wolf inside of you had taken advantage of your sleep, escaping your body and terrorizing my nightmares, nothing but trouble.” He nearly sneered, irritated at the fact that his nightmares and dreams were dragged back into their realm, unable to finish their duties.

He couldn’t fully blame Y/n, he had no idea about this wolf that lurked inside nor did he have any idea that he was a wolfwalker this whole time. He’s been confused for months until now, finally getting answers to his questions.

“So, all this time—all these nights I wasn’t sleeping?” He questions.

“Your body is asleep but your spiritual presence is still awake. By morning you’re a man and by night you’re a wolfwalker.”

“How come I don’t remember this or know any of this?” Y/n’s voice grew.

Lucienne decides to step in, providing further explanation. “You and the wolf don’t have balance and the wolf inside had gone rouge. Most wolfwalkers that we’ve known for centuries had that balance that when they sleep they wake up as the wolf, their mind still wide awake and remembering everything they’ve done and seen.”

“That’s what you lack, kid.” Matthew caws out, flapping his wings as Y/n leans back against the chair. He’s taken so much information in such little time, his stomach turned into knots at the realization that he wouldn’t be a normal human again, stuck with this curse. Was it a curse or perhaps a gift? Morpheus had said that Wolfwalkers are dreams, guardians to both dreams and nightmares and guides to their duties. He looks up, face full of sorrow. “Why me? Why am I this?” He gestured to himself.

Morpheus can only shake his head. “I don’t know.” He wished that he knew why he was chosen to be a wolfwalker, why he was given this gift after hundreds of years of not seeing another wolfwalker. “But, I will help you. So, that you are able to live in both the dreaming and the waking worlds.” The dream lord wasn’t one to help others unless given a good reason too. But this man, this inexperienced and confused human being made him feel curious to know how he would cope with everything and Morpheus wished to know more about wolfwalkers.

Y/n stood silently, inhaling and then sighing deeply. His eyes are closed in concentration before they open, focusing on Morpheus as he asks. “How can I control this?”

The dream lord can’t help but to smirk. “Let me show you.”

—

Y/n spends his days in the dreaming, teaching himself control and to learn how to be a wolfwalker. The first few days were difficult since the wolf inside, refused to give him control having a mind of its own. Morpheus had urged him to try harder to take control of his other half, the wolf was him and will always be him. The first few times he gained control he couldn’t help but wake up filled with excitement as he rambled to Matthew and Lucienne who stood to the side.

Matthew let’s out a bird like laugh, proud to see the other human getting excited over something so small. Lucienne on the other hand grew impressed to see such quick development, she too was excited to see some more while Morpheus remained stoic. It was slow process but at least it was something in the endless eyes. “Again.” Was all the dream lord could say as Y/n grows determined to try again. He knows that Morpheus can’t use his sand on him in order to sleep so, he forced himself to try to sleep or perhaps have his body sleep in order to take the form of a wolf.

He struggled various times to do it, growing anxious when his body wouldn’t allow him to sleep. This was one of his biggest struggles, finding a way to command himself to become the wolfwalker without any struggle, but nothing ever worked the first few tries. When Morpheus takes notice of this he stops their training. “Don’t strain yourself, you’re still learning how to take control. For now, we rest.” The dream lord himself couldn’t be helping him all day. He was an endless with a duty, having to keep control of dreams and nightmares and ruling his own realm. He had his own job to handle.

As Morpheus walked away, Lucienne followed close behind him. Matthew had stayed behind, giving y/n a look. “Don’t worry kid, you’ll have it figured out soon.” Matthew reassured him as Y/n sat on the grass, sighing in defeat as he pulled his legs up to his chest. The raven name is later called out by Morpheus, needing his companion to help him with the waking world.

“I’ll update you on the waking.” Matthew reminds Y/n, flapping his wings and taking off into the sky as he follows after Morpheus and back to the palace. Y/n had stayed behind, sitting on the grass in an open field, he’s been told that this place was fiddlers green a place that Morpheus enjoyed visiting. It brought a peaceful feeling too all of the residences that lived in the dreaming. Not many of the residences around appreciated his presences when news spread around the dreaming that a wolfwalker was amongst them, he’d thought that wolfwalkers brought guidance and guardianship to the dreaming but he can’t forged that he wasn’t himself when the wolf took over. He understands why they feared him, afraid that the wolf inside will come out to get them, perhaps become a nightmare to the dreamers.

“You are a dream.”

He remembers Morpheus words back at the library, calling him a dream with such admiration in his voice. Morpheus hadn’t done anything to make him feel uncomfortable and hold told him that he ever wished to leave the dreaming he was more than welcome too. He wasn’t going to stop him from leaving and Y/n wasn’t going to leave. He’d rather find control over himself then struggle with sleep and have this affect his life.

Y/n had stayed behind in fiddlers green, sitting underneath a tree as he stares at the sky, mumbling to himself each cloud he sees that took a unique shape, keeping himself distracted in the meantime before he is to start again with his training, it wasn’t long until his eyes grew heavy, body growing tired as he lied his head back against the tree. His eyes falling shut as he lets the darkness take over.

He opens his eyes after a few seconds, startling himself a little as he takes notice that he’s still in Fiddlers green. He sighs in relief, dropping his head forward when he takes notice of two paws in front of him. His eyes widen when he circled himself, spotting a black tail and the body of a wolf. His biggest shock was when he sees his human body, lying back against the tree as he sleeps.

He grows curious and approaches his own body, sniffing it and hearing the soft breaths that escaped through his nose. He’s quick to back away, still in shock but also full of thrill and excitement as he laughs to himself and jumps around in the grass. The view of a wolf and a human were a lot different, but what excited him the most was the fact that he was able to gain the control that Morpheus expected of him.

He gives his sleeping body one last glance and then he’s running. Running through the meadow, jumping over rivers and rolling in the grass, body full of joy and excitement as he continued, feeling like a child all over again. It wasn’t until he hears a faint whimper, ears perking in alert as he stopped his rolling. He stood still until he hears the same whimper again, causing him to stand up properly and shaking the grass and dirt off his fur and followed his instinct, walking into the trees as he sniffs the air. The sound of whimpers grow closer as he circled around a tree, all of a sudden he’s in his towns park, not too far away from where he lived.

He’s startled by the sudden change of scenery, he was no longer in the dreaming but in the waking world. His town is dark and the moonlight shined over, while the street lights glowed into the dark, providing light to anyone that roamed the streets. He takes a step forward to check and see if anyone else was around but no sign of humans were spotted, leaving the park empty. He lets relief wash over him, lifting his head to sniff the air again when he gets the whiff of a strange but strong smell coming from his left, he can see a purple aura guiding him away from the park and into a quiet neighborhood.

He’s running after the scent, hiding every once an awhile whenever a car drove by or when he thought people were roaming the streets, hiding between alleys and climbing up balcony’s as he found his way into the rooftops, giving him a better view of where the scent was coming from. He jumps from one roof to another until he finally reached his destination, peaking inside an open window to see a young child whimpering in their sleep, clutching their covers tight in their small hands.

A whimper escapes him, worry filling him inside as he climbed through the window and crawled around the bed until he reached the opposite end where the child was facing. He watched the child in worry, lying his head close to the child, his wet nose nuzzling against their hand until he feels it. A warm rush through his body as he gasped, finding himself inside the child’s dream. He can see the child frightened to start their first day at school, afraid of being alone with no friends to make.

Y/n watched the child’s dream turn into a nightmare, noticing the nightmare that he’s seen around in the dreaming, whispering such fears to the child’s ears. It boils his heart to see such innocent eyes grow with fear, growling in anger, wanting to drag the nightmare back into the dreaming and away from the child.

“A wolfwalker is a guardian, not only do they protect the dreamers but they also guide dreams and nightmares.”

He hears Morpheus’ words at the back of his head, growling softening as he remembers. He was a protector, yes, but also a guide to both nightmares and dreams. He was to guide this nightmare at a different direction, perhaps one that wouldn’t frighten the child anymore. He held his head up high as he walks forward, approaching the frightened child and the nightmare that stood behind the child, black eyes taking notice of him as they looked up, glaring harshly at him.

Y/n stops in his tracks, sitting down in front of the nightmare. “That’s enough.” He says, earning a sharp grin from the nightmare. “What will the mutt do?” It challenges.

Y/n glares in return. “A nightmares duty is to show them what they fear most, not they must over come it in the waking world.” He didn’t know how he knew this but it sounded right. The nightmares grins falters, frowning as they straight up, knowing their own duty. The nightmare glanced down at the child who approached the school building, full of fear still.

Y/n stands from his spot, approaching the nightmare. “They will find their own way around this nightmare. You did your duty now it’s time to move onto the next dreamer.” This gets the nightmares attention, nodding in understanding as they followed him out of the child’s dreams. When Y/n opens his eyes and pulls away from the sleeping child, the nightmare I standing next to him as they too, watched the child sleep.

The wolfwalker steps away from the bed, smiling to himself. “Back to the dreaming.” He tells the nightmare as the two leave the house and into the dark streets of his hometown, guiding the nightmare back to the dreaming realm. The trip back is silent between the two when they arrive, Y/n takes notice of Morpheus standing alone in the dark sand, his hands behind his back as he waits for the two.

Y/n’s ears fall back, not sure if Morpheus was upset with him or not. He stops a few feet away from the dream lord, the nightmare standing next to him gives Morpheus a respectful bow before they leave Y/n’s side and head towards the golden doors that opened into the dreaming. The wolfwalker swallows nervously as he glanced up to see Morpheus staring down at him, his expression stoic and hard to read.

“I—I’m sorry.” Y/n whispers out, head lowering down in shame.

“For what? For guiding a nightmare back to the dreaming without causing any harm. For protecting a child of a nightmare that they are to comfort in the real world?” Morpheus speaks up, getting his attention. “You’re duty as a wolfwalker is to guide and protect and that is what you did.” The dream lords lips twitch into a faint smile, his hands behind his back. “You're learning, but perhaps you will make a good wolfwalker.”

Y/n’s eyes lighten, smiling in return. Perhaps being a wolfwalker in the dreaming wasn’t such a bad thing.