Soothed

Story by Mahiri Morahan on SoFurry

, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

#9 of Personal Stories

Layla is a chubby dog having kind of a rough night. She could use some company, but the person at her door is giving her a lot of reasons to feel uneasy. But who can resist a horse, even if he's not exactly from your world?


Layla took a seat on the edge of her bed, curly husky tail drooping as she sighed. Okay just one more refresh, she told herself, and she'd go to bed. It was well past the supposed time she was supposed to hear back. Almost an entire day. But any moment now, the e-mail would pop up, say "congrats, you're super hired", and she could relax, right?

She tried laying down for a while, but her head was buzzing. With images of success and contentment, whatever that even looked like. But also with the dread of what she'd even do if this didn't work out. It wasn't like she wouldn't be okay - she had lots of support and good friends. Just nothing that she'd really accomplished all by herself to be really proud of.

Knowing she wasn't getting to sleep anytime soon, she reached for her phone, started thumbing through her contacts. She hovered over "<3 Sarty <3", but her best friend was far out of town, working on a big movie. If she poked him, she was certain he'd make time for her, no matter how tired, which was exactly why she didn't. He was way too good to her.

Sarteegan's fancy attorney husband was in the middle of a big case, too. She didn't want to bother him when he was probably sleeping. There were plenty of friends, but no one she felt like pestering at this hour. Ugh, she was feeling needy now.

Shuffling atop her sheets, she scooted back and leaned on a pillow. In that shift, there was just the right accidental rubbing to make her realize something else. She was kinda horny, too. With her biggest, studliest friends just generally busy of late, it had been a while since she was properly rutted.

So, why not, she reached an exploratory finger down between her legs, tucking it into those pajama bottoms she was wearing, cozy around her ample form. They were shamelessly cutesty, but they were also the comfiest thing ever and hugged her chubby form in a way she quite liked. She got a little spark of sorts when she fingered at her clit a little, but she just wasn't feeling it enough to go all the way. Not alone, anyway.

Bluh. She just felt hopeless tonight, she realized. Never able to settle down and feel at ease with herself even when she was actively pursuing her dreams. Her mind swam with miserable "what ifs" and she knew she wasn't going to sleep well tonight no matter what she did. Bluh!

Oddly enough, she toyed with the idea of prayer. It had been a while since she did that, but it used to be a pretty regular thing. And someone would probably hear, given some strange, supernatural things were actually openly walking around the world these days. She'd never get used to that - especially how normal life still seemed when so much had changed.

So she tossed her hands up, not knowing where to start. "Uh. So. Stuff out there, listening. I'm tired and lonely and stressed out. Help."

She gave it a silent moment, then chuckled. "Yeah, that wasn't very formal, was it? Is there, like, a form I fill out? Or am I ... just one more whining voice in a sea of billions who all think they have it just, like, the worst?"

The worst part was, someone probably -could- hear it. She was probably annoying the crap out of some heavenly transcriber. It was embarrassing her, talking out loud like that, so she stopped and just closed her eyes again. Well, should probably try to sleep at least, even if it meant only dozing. Lying down felt nice, either way.

In a flutter-eyed state of restless almost-sleeping, she was rocked awake by a massive thud at her apartment door. And then two more, in a steady, deliberate rhythm. That must have been a knock, but it also sounded like someone huge trying to break in. Shocked out of bed, filled with newfound energy and plenty of nervousness, she went tiptoeing out of her room to investigate.

Her living room seemed darker than usual, even with that fairy-shaped nightlight glowing in the corner. Yes she was kind of afraid of the dark, what of it? She was probably just imagining it, but something filled her with a terrible sense of dread. Like, she watched horror movies. Through her fingers anyway. And she knew you really were not supposed to open the door when something mysterious knocked in the middle of the night.

She leaned in to peer through the peephole. It left her looking at the chest of a very broad, well-dressed someone. She saw a red tie, a black suit, but whoever it was, he was too damn tall for her to even see his face.

"Uh, hello?" she called through the door.

"Hey Layla," answered a frightfully deep, but friendly voice. "We haven't met, but I sensed your loneliness tonight."

She blinked. "Ohhhh. Wow, yeah, that's... pretty weird, I gotta admit. Are you like some kind of angel?"

"Nope."

"Hm. A god?"

"Guess again."

She furrowed her brow. "... Demon?"

"Getting warmer."

She felt her heart sink a little. Okay okay this did not seem good okay.

"Brain-sucking monstrosity from outer space?"

He laughed. Wow was his voice deep, and powerful. She could just feel it resonating right up her taint. Like, specifically there.

"That's good. But no. Does it matter?"

"Yes actually it matters a lot actually," she babbled. She didn't sense hostility or anything, but wow did he set off her instinctual alarms. Just 'danger, danger!' from his mere presence. "I rather like existing."

"Layla, you amuse me. If I meant you harm, why would I knock first?"

"Lots of reasons! Maybe you have to be invited inside first. Like vampires! You're a vampire!"

"I am not a vampire. I'm just being polite."

"Vampires are polite. Like, I think that's a requirement to become one, maybe."

"I assure you, I am no vampire. Are we to stand here all night until you guess right?"

She looked down to the doorknob. It was locked, but she was pretty sure that wouldn't stop him. Even if he wasn't some weird monster, the sheer size of him alone probably meant he could make short work of a door.

"Okaaaay. I'm going to open the door, but you better not kill the crap out of me or anything."

"I assure you that is far from my intention."

She reached down, her heart racing. This felt like a really, really bad idea. He was giving her a flighty instinctual reaction the likes of which she'd never even felt before.

"Alright. Here I go. I'm doing it. I'm gonna do it. I'm opening the door. I'm - GAAAAAH."

Her instincts were quite correct, she found. Well-dressed though he may have been, she found herself looking on an openly monstrous creature. A pitch-black horse, long-haired and incredibly large. That part was good. But his eyes were a glowing pool of crimson, and wicked fangs protruded over his lips. If ever there was an appearance of "obviously evil", he was it.

Yet, she couldn't bring herself to slam the door in his face. She just stood and stared, wide-eyed, very much frozen to the spot. The monster-horse offered his large left hand.

"Vaul. It's a pleasure to finally meet you in-person, Layla."

"Why are you a demon oh my god you lied," she blurted, not taking his offer.

"Devil, not demon. It's an important distinction."

"That is so NOT okay!"

Vaul lowered that hand and offered a smile. Fangy, but actually pleasant. "I understand I am on the intimidating side, but better to be honest than to hide behind some innocent face. Wouldn't you agree?"

"Okay okay, but why does THE DEVIL want to hang out with me?" She still hadn't moved a muscle since opening the door.

"Because this devil happens to think you are a lovely woman and do not ever deserve to feel alone. Especially not when you have been such a kind, bright spot in the lives of so many, without even knowing it. All the while pressing yourself to be better, work harder, for the sake of helping others. I think that's someone rather worth meeting."

"Oh! Ohhh." She felt warmth in her cheeks, and for a moment her voice actually cracked a little. "That... might be one of the sweetest things anyone's ever told me, actually. Um. Come in."

She stepped aside at last, kinda stunned that someone like her would attract such interest from someone like him. She stared a bit. It was pretty much impossible to help. She couldn't tell if he was watching her, given his eyes were just solid, featureless red, but it sort of felt like he was looking over every inch of her at once.

He offered his hand again, and this time she took it, walking with him to the dimly-lit living room. His red glow reflected eerily off the furniture, casting strange shadows on the walls.

"I guess I kind of knew already, given what I'd heard, but... demons, and stuff: not evil, huh?"

Vaul squeezed her hand softly and gave her a smile. How it could be so friendly when he was so spooky looking was hard to say, but she felt surprisingly at ease.

"By whose definition of evil?"

"Well..." She shrugged. "You know. Evil. Killing nice people because, whee, fun. So... basically what you're saying is the answer isn't no."

They stopped to sit on her couch, and he still held her hand. He was so warm to the touch, and though he was gentle, she could feel the strength behind that grip.

"Sometimes, the lower demons make a mess. Then it is to me to clean them up."

She stared right at him, then grinned. "Oh gosh. So you're like... demon dad? Lord of the runts?"

The devil chuckled warmly. "Among other things. That does have a ring to it."

"Well. So... what does the actual freaking devil even want to do with me, anyway?"

"Whatever you like to do. Sit. Talk. Cuddle."

Layla flattened her ears. "Yep sounds good."

She was pretty cautious, but she really did feel the urge to be close to someone tonight. She scooted in, hesitant but insistent, and laid her head against his chest. Beneath his outfit, she could feel the supremely solid flex of his pecs. The whole horse was just rippling with the kind of muscle that made her all wiggly.

He put an arm around her, and she welcomed it readily. So strong, and yet careful with her. Squeezing her close and making her feel comforted and protected already. Okay, he was right, she really did need this tonight.

As she sat snuggled against him, she felt a little spike of anxiety, just thinking about tomorrow, and all its uncertainties. Intrusive thoughts running through her head again, trying to mess up her nice moment. But then she felt him stroking through her hair, felt him examining and admiring her, and she was able to clear her head, mostly. That alone felt miraculous.

"Are you still worried about tomorrow, Layla?" His voice was as calming as it was thunderous.

"You know? I guess you probably do... yeah, a little." She sighed, then tipped her head a little. "I mean, I bet you could easily just snap your fingers and make it all alright, but..."

She trailed off, and he finished for her. "But you wouldn't feel right about that."

"I guess not. It wouldn't really be fair."

He nodded, running his hand down her arm. "And you'd know you didn't earn it yourself. It's commendable."

"Well, thanks. I just... I dunno." She huffed. "This is probably really boring for you to listen to."

His touches were making her tingle and he seemed to know all the little details of her body better than she did. He fixated on such silly little things. A spot on her cheek that felt so good to have rubbed. The curves and contours of her body. A bit of fluff near her hip she liked having tugged, for some reason. The way he seemed to enjoy her every feature made her feel like some kind of sex goddess. He was good at this.

"It's important to you. And you're important to others. Now and in the future."

She perked from her relaxation a little. "You just know that? Like, it's already decided?"

"Not at all. You simply have the potential there. That's what drew me." He squeezed her shoulder, then worked down, until he took a handful of her plush butt. "And this."

She moaned out so loud it almost made her laugh at herself He was firm, strong, just a little possessive, all in that moment. Exactly the kind of thing she liked. Of course he knew that. She bit her lower lip and huffed.

"Hrmf... me? I mean, surely you have like a thousand hot succubi crawling all over you at a moment's notice."

He squeezed again. A little harder. She was not at all bothered by him being a bit touchy with her. She'd... kind of gotten off before to this exact kind of thing. Handsome mysterious stranger at her door. Except, her fantasies involved a lot more force. Oh geez, he probably knew all about them too, or something.

"Certainly. All shapes and sizes of them. Able to rearrange themselves to suit my every need. None of them are you, though."

"Ohhhh, gosh. I did not expect this when you knocked and I don't even know you and you're big and scary and aaaaaa...." She babbled, sort of on purpose, but she really was flustered.

He gripped her hand, and gave a squeeze. "I don't want to make you uncomfortable. But I do have a good idea of what you like."

Layla looked to him, all glowing in the dark as he was. She felt afraid of him still, but not in the inevitable death kind of way. And she couldn't help but feel a little challenging. She puffed her chest at him, teasingly.

"How good? Prove it!"

"Why Layla. That sounds like you're giving me permission to do whatever I want with you."

She got a little jolt down her spine at his words, especially the way he stared so deeply into her eyes in saying it. Intimidation wasn't really her thing, except for when it was, apparently. She was still wet, now wetter.

Everything about him was smoky, dark, dangerous. Though a familiar species, he was this unknowable creature, his edges undefined in the dark so that his mass seemed almost infinite. Encircling her entire universe. He picked her up as if she was weightless, just holding her there before him with a strength she probably couldn't even fathom.

And she just smiled, and nodded. She needed this. Deserved this, even. A long day, a restless night, and now the devil was here to soothe her. Okay so he wasn't actually the singular Devil she had been raised to fear. Just one of them. Which wasn't really any better, and yet here she was, melting into his embrace as she leaned close to him.

Despite the fangs, he still had lips, and she met them with a confident smooch. He pulled her into a proper hug now. She could feel the sheer bulge of his muscled arms. They were trees, really. He squeezed her and made her feel safe. The smooch grew deeper, wetter, and before she could even really stop herself she was pushing her tongue into his mouth, surrounded by a dangerous assortment of long teeth.

Her moans, mixed with a doggish murring and a wag of her tail, became constant. It felt so good to taste him, to touch him and admire him. His flavour and scent were exotic, sexual. Yet she couldn't really place it. Something forbidden, something from a whole world of pleasure so far beyond anything she'd ever known. Her mind swam with sensations and possibilities, but mostly she just focused on playing with his big thick horse tongue.

Vaul sucked on her. Lips, tongue, some of her muzzle. She could feel him tasting her as he overpowered her just a slight bit more each second in that embrace. A single hand massaging down her back took so many little knots and tensions away, all at once, until he stopped and clasped at the cutesy covering she wore. He tugged, and he didn't even tear it - just removed it from her all in one pull, even if that was impossible. Just grab, tug, and toss aside, all in one motion without doing harm to her precious pajamas.

She didn't question it. Nor did she stop him from repeating the process on her bottoms, taking two great big handfuls of her plump butt as he did so. His thumbs massaged deep into her curves, soon grasping at bare fur. Not long after, all in this confusing haze, and his clothes were piled neatly alongside her own. Why, they were even folded. But most importantly, she was laying against the bare muscles of the enormous horse, admiring their bulges and divots, the way they rose and fell with his deep, hot breaths.

Layla simply had to touch everything she could. Even with all her beefy friends, she had never seen someone like him. Not even imagined. She squeezed his pecs, she rubbed along his arms, tracing across the bulging veins here and there with a curious finger. Everything was so large, so powerful, and yet he carried it so well. Nothing looked out of place or particularly excessive. Part of her just wanted to touch and explore all night as they noisily made out, but she knew there was so much more to discover.

With the couch proving a bit cramped for her and his enormous self, she soon found herself being carried off, still kissing, still being squeezed. They were in her bedroom in moments, and he laid her out delicately on her back before climbing atop. Careful, but still putting plenty of his weight upon her, sagging her into the bed and pinning her there. Giving her that dominance that made her heart go faster. Showing her she couldn't escape if she somehow wanted to.

Every movement, every touch was a page out of her most private of fantasies. Some, she didn't even know she wanted just the way he did it, but it was all perfection to her. The way he pressed down on her, keeping her there. Forced her tongue back into her mouth to overwhelm with his own. Smothered her in his bulk, and that slowly rising scent of sex.

He was immensely hot to the touch, gradually bringing a sweat out of her as he rubbed himself against her. Her keen nose picked up on a sheen slowly building over his sleek dark muscles as well, the longer they stayed close. The longer his musk danced in her senses, the wetter she got. Until, with a swift motion that startled her in all the right ways, he broke from their messy kiss and plunged southwards.

A grip around her knees spread her legs wide, exposing everything to him. Her snug cunt, glistening as it dripped away, wafting the scent of a dog in need, needing to be taken. He was between her legs in moments, sniffing at her as his hair draped against her inner thighs. Every huff of her scent seemed to bring in so much air, filling unseen lungs impossibly full before he exhaled steam over her damp fur and skin. Or was that smoke? Either way, the heat made her yelp at first, until she adjusted.

Even his fangs danced over her delicate flesh with care. He was nibbling at her as he breathed her, toying with her sensations, poking and prodding but never hurting. Stopping just short, with utmost precision. Soon she was crying out with bliss, feeling like she was in the throes of orgasm just from the sheer firmness of her clit. She was ready to beg him to lick, to pleasure her even more. But she didn't have to say anything.

The first sloppy slurp tingled across her nethers so intensely that she banged a fist against her bed, tossing her hair and her braids back with a jerk of her head, whimpering and yelping and sounding like a pathetic little puppy. Then groaning, in her deepest husky voice, as she dragged her palms across her own face, simply trying to bear it as more and more licks rushed her straight to ecstasy.

Layla clenched her thighs about his head, dug her fingers into his silky hair, tugged, She locked him in place, but he was still in control, as he sent slathering waves of pleasure over her puffed pussy. He ate her out with such force as to rock her back and forth, the impact of his tongue plapping onto her clit and her folds sending a jiggle over her belly and breasts. He soaked her in his hot saliva and he made her scream like she was plunging from a cliff.

But she didn't cum, not yet. She felt almost like a physical clamp on down there, something holding her back. She couldn't go forward, couldn't reach her peak and explode into bliss. And she couldn't go backwards, either. Even when he slowed his attentions, then worked his way up to lick teasingly over her belly, and then under one of her breasts, pressing deep into it. She was locked in near-climax, in pleasure that drew her upper lip back, that blurred her vision, that curled her toes. It was more than she could even take.

In effort to simply deal with how good she felt, she felt her mind simply shutting down. Purging unnecessary tasks from it, fading her higher thought, her consciousness. Most importantly, her worry and fear. She became more and more simply a product of her base instincts as she made room for sheer sensation.

A suck and a nibble on one big husky tit, then two, and the horse rose once more. She could still see him just fine, even if the cloud over her vision made him seem somehow even more supernatural. An undefined, impossibly dark shadow looming before her. Her eyes worked down over his form, finally seeing him entirely nude in all his glory, before soon fixating on what was between his thighs.

Good lord he was hung. Even for a horse. She stared and wondered what he even intended to do with that blunt weapon hanging from its sheath. It wasn't' even fully hard yet. Softly swinging back and forth, the medial ring brushing against perfectly round, smooth black nuts nearly the size of her head. For a moment, she wondered why he was just standing there, but her body snapped to attention quicker than her stalling thoughts.

Up she went, on her hands and knees, tail wagging, crawling over to where he stood by the edge of her bed. Like a good doggy, she thought to herself. She sniffed her way up along his cock, took in every inch, every detail. Every breath of his musk she could have. She rubbed her cheek against it and felt it growing, rising. She began to lick, showing her exuberance as she sloppily drooled over his dick, helping work its pitch black flesh into an intimidating spire high above her head, dripping down her back as she licked its underside. And from there, she had her reward for bringing him to such a satisfying firmness: those big black balls for her to bury her nose between and huff like the little musk addict she was swiftly becoming.

When she was drunk to the point of nearly blacking out on sweaty horse sack, her tail slowly wagging but her elbows buckling to keep her in place, a copious stream of pre leaving shining strands in her fur as it dripped down over her in fat gobs, he finally pushed her back. She flopped to the bed with an uncontrolled thud, no longer in charge of where her limbs went or what they did. She knew she was entirely helpless, that she would serve and adore his every whim. His taste was embedded deep to her tongue, his scent imprinted in her mind. Yet she still wanted more, and more from him. More control, more power, more dominance.

A simple tap to her hip, and she turned over for him. It was the first time since he arrived she had actually taken her eyes off of him. Knowing he was there, behind her, looming close but not feeling his touch even for those few moments sent her surging with anticipation so strong she couldn't hold her head up. She just nosedived to the sheets. But he held her head for her, soon. One massive arm wrapped under her chin and about her shoulders. The other holding tight at one thick husky rumpcheek. He mounted her and covered her every inch with his muscular heft, keeping her on her knees, bent over for him, her curly tail lifted high.

One lingering strand of logic asked how he even intended to fit inside of her. She didn't anticipate pain - he had already earned far too much of her trust for her to fear that - but she was curious, at least. She was soft and chubby but she wasn't infinite. Yet she didn't hesitate for a moment when she felt his massive, flared head pushing at her folds. Penetrating her in an instant, forcing the screams from her until her throat scratched and she could only whimper. And she didn't question it when inch after inch sank deep into her sloshing cunt, making her clench and squeeze all around him but never seeming to make her stretch or strain.

Even with her thick shape, her belly bulged with horsecock. It was simply impossible for him to be that deep inside of her, for his balls to gently tap her thighs as he rested a moment. She felt him pleasuring her in impossible places, from impossible angles. But it was all too perfect to argue, to worry. She raised her head, as best she could, panted, groaned, rumbled away, and she prepared to get fucked by the devil.

Vaul had been gentle with her up until now, certainly. She wasn't expecting him to be tame, but she didn't think he would ramp up to maximum speed right away. Which was precisely what he did. A powerful slam into her quivering depths shook her to the core, sent her every pound of pudge jostling forward from the impact. And then another, swiftly after. Another, another. She listened to his breath, chugging faster and faster as he pleasured himself with her entire body. She felt the shockwave right to the tips of her ears, which she soon flattened. She felt potent precum filling her womb, felt herself swinging back and forth along with the nightmarish momentum. He was far too powerful for someone like her, and yet somehow she was standing up to it, in drooling, eye-rolling bliss.

Her only moments to rest were when he paused in his brutal thumping to deeply grind his balls against her pussy. Every time he did, she tried to catch her breath, only to find it gasped out of her from how good it felt. That flare, the thick ring in the middle, all those veins pulsing out along those many inches. She'd never had a cock this deep inside her for the simple fact that it was anatomically impossible. Yet here she was being pounded like she there was simply a void within her. It was a fuck that, logically, should have killed her, but she didn't feel even a tiny spark of pain. Simply a rolling, shuddering clench of a growing orgasm delayed for far too long, making her so wet she could feel her juices pooling around her paws, along with plenty of his own dripping down her thighs and spreading over the ruined sheets.

She could hardly even recognize her own body anymore. She was bathing in her own sweat, or was that his? Impaled on his cock to depths she had never felt before. She couldn't help but drool as she made her weakest of little vulnerable noises. There wasn't a trace of pack hunter in her. She was a weak little pet who belonged to the horse. She was a ruined mess who couldn't even remember her own name anymore. Leia? L...Lee? No, everything she had, every inch of her being was devoted to that pumping devil cock as it swelled and expanded even thicker, preparing for a mess she couldn't even imagine.

But she wanted it so much it was starting to hurt. That clasp, that control he had over her orgasm was growing harder and harder to bear. She wanted it, needed it. Fuck restraint, fuck waiting, she wanted what she wanted, NOW. She'd give anything, even if it meant ceasing to exist moments after finally finding that long-sought peak. She grunted crudely, she gasped, she tried to beg for his cum but she couldn't even remember the words much less form them.

Finally, she felt a telltale bulge of a particular vein, she felt her body tensing and clenching down on him. Then she felt the richest rush of heat she could ever dream of as the devil seeded her at last. The weight of his cum was almost immediately overwhelming, leaving her increasingly unable to even hold up her own body as her womb expanded rapidly with his sinful load. A moment of coherence tickled through her mind, reminding her that a creature she didn't even understand was filling her with his essence, probably to corrupt and mark her for all eternity. Or something.

Any care she might have had for those concerns was quickly ripped away by climax. The controls relinquished, her body hers once more. With what little strength she had left. The sheer pressure of cum inside her alone squeezed out a massive gush of juices so thick she heard it splat back against the horse's balls. Her feet dragged and scrambled for support against the bed beneath her, but to no avail as she simply flopped onto the bed and her bloated belly. She gushed, full force, as pleasure coursed through her. She closed her eyes and silently screamed, kicking, twitching, wracked with violent spasms as she simply tried to figure out how this could even be possible. She felt things she never had imagined, reached a peak she'd never glimpsed, and for that lingering minute, or two, or more, she found herself somewhere beyond her own understanding, where the pleasures of the flesh were so much greater it was like she'd never even felt them before.

Soon, she was gushing. Not just with her own climax, but with his, as her overfilled womb let off the pressure in a splattering mess. She sank towards her sheets, utterly limp all over when the scream of pleasure simmered down into a tingling glow. Not a single muscle would move on command. She wasn't even really sure if she was breathing. Just face down, full of his cum as he slowly withdrew from her, making more and more of a musky mess with every inch pulled back. Soon she was simply a puddle, or felt like one, with juices soaking into her from all sides, and muscles like liquid.

It was alarming, maybe. She felt as if broken, never to walk again or maybe to simply die. Things inside her felt jarred, out of place. Her womb was stretched taut, bloated. She felt his warm touch run up and down her spine, and as he rubbed her, she felt her body rearranging. Putting itself back together. It was no gentle healing. With whatever magic it was, he shifted and repaired her flesh until she was whole once more, no damage done. Simply left soaked and marked, stretched and satisfied, sinking into a dreamlike state of perfect happiness.

She'd never been fucked like that before, to say the least. She wanted so badly to thank him, to praise him and adore him. But nothing was working right, still. He kissed her cheek, and got a bit of a wag from her. That was all she could manage for now. But she was there on her bed, feeling so much better, not a worry in her mind. He was exactly what she had needed. Now, she could just close her eyes, knowing she was absolutely safe, and sleep deeper than ever before.

And when she woke, she could rest easy, knowing even the darkest pits spawned creatures who wanted nothing more than to make her feel good. Even devils wanted to hold her close and tell her it was going to be alright. That was her last thought before she drifted into a perfect, contented sleep, ready to face whatever came next in her life.