Rogue. (IN REVISION)

40

            The group had finally made camp and everyone had been exhausted and wanted to forget about what had unfolded that day. Venner couldn't sleep and heard singing outside the AV, He looked outside the door and saw Fallon next to the fire, singing an old song from Desolate,

"In silver meadows, where shadows dance,

A tale untold, of mystic chance,

Beneath the amber moon's beguiling gaze,

A fox takes flight, through the moonlit maze.

A ghostly waltz, with the wind's soft whisper,

Her nimble form, a masterful elixir.

But lurking in shadows, a howling storm,

A pack of wolves, with fury they swarm,

Their eyes ablaze, with hunger unbound,

Tracks of their prey, upon the ground.

With jaws wide open, and fangs sharp as ice,

Their paws, thunderous, quake the earth,

As they hunger for a taste of her worth.

Swift as a comet, the fox darts on,

She leaps o'er rivers, through valleys she streams,

A fleeting apparition, born from moonbeams.

The forest trembles, as wolfpack draws near,

Their snarls like thunder, amplifying fear,

But she's a wildflower, blooming alone,

Born to outrun wolves, to claim the unknown.

She blazes through thickets, like fire's might,

For she possesses a spirit untamed by fright,

With elegance she glides, through the darkest gloom,

A fox outwitting wolves, weaving her own tune.

So, let this story be known and be told,

Of a fox's journey, brave and bold,

When the moonlight bathes the forest's mane,

The fox shall rise, and outrun all pain."

Venner couldn't help but smile in appreciation when he heard her sing. He stayed silent for a minute before making his presence known, unsure of how she would react.

"That was beautiful." He spoke. His voice made her turn around. She had an expression on her face that he had never seen before. It was the expression of someone who she wasn't, a fearful and wide-eyed girl. His heart broke for her, his daughter had gone through something similar and the same type of fire to defend Clara lit for her.

"Hey." She spoke in an almost whispery voice.

"How are you?" He asked simply "I can already guess how you feel...I'm so sorry I didn't come sooner- "

"You came to me at the perfect moment. Don't be sorry." She spoke up. "You haven't said a word or seen me today." She told him, a little disappointed. Venner approached her carefully, mindful of her body language.

"I didn't think you wanted to be around any men...after what had happened." He shrugged. Fallon looked down at the fire and watched the flames dance.

"But...you rescued me. You're a bit different." She said, her eyes still on the fire. "You can say 'I told you so.'"

"Why on earth would I say that?" Venner looked at her in surprise. I don't care how right I was; I would never say those words. Not to you." He sat down next to her at a distance. He knew that she probably didn't want to be touched or feel the presence of a man, so he kept his space between her and him carefully. He had endured the same process with Clara during the Luminescence and he just hated that he had to do the same with Fallon. She didn't deserve it. \

"Did you kill him? Avis?" She asked.

"Yes, I did." Venner looked a bit ashamed of taking the life of another, even if it was for the right reasons and for her safety.

"I'm at a loss for words, my heart wants to mourn...and yet my mind wants to thank you." She shook her head a little confused. Venner nodded and understood what she meant, killing someone even to keep your loved ones safe still felt like cold blooded murder and the burden would never leave. "I would do anything for the people I care about, Fallon." He replied quietly.

Fallon looked over at him, her green eyes lighting up like gems from the fire. Venner's heart skipped a beat, and he took a breath to calm himself. Not now...this was not the right time. Fallon looked at his expression as the silence made a gap between them feel even more distant. He shook his head as the emotions flooded his heart and he tried to keep the flood gates closed. "My daughter, Clara...she had gone through the same thing as you." He sighed. "She needed to be distanced and take the time for herself to heal from what happened to her did he--?"

"No. like I said, you came at the perfect time. You stopped it from happening." She said with a crack in her voice, the vulnerability she showed was something he couldn't get used to. Fallon was always this ivory force of nature that didn't care about the obstacles but the destination. She was strong willed, stubborn, and strong. The way she carried herself now wasn't her. She always had a strong and confident demeanor about her and now she looked like a scared, frail, and weak woman and he hated seeing her like this.

He couldn't blame her for feeling the way she did, she was betrayed and handled with disrespect. He just knew that the Fallon before him wasn't the one he knew and cared about. His heart yearned for the old Fallon back, he already missed the strong woman she is, underneath.

"I'll make sure no one hurts you again, Fallon." He promised. "I know you can hold your own but- "

"Okay." She looked at him with needful eyes. Venner looked up at her in surprise, was he hearing what he thought he was? She was letting herself be guarded and protected? This was definitely not the Fallon he knew, but the fact that she would agree to him keeping her safe...that was a positive change. "I'm tired of being a...fool."

Venner chuckled a little, "You are many things Fallon, but you're not a fool. You're very strong-willed and stand up for what you believe in. You're an unstoppable force. Just because you fell for someone who lied to you and hurt you, doesn't mean those qualities changed about you." Venner told her calmly. "I think you're incredible, Fallon."