I'm no hero, and I'm not made of stone

For @Fennec

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The growing teen moved swiftly through the lands, his face pulled into a snarl as he did so. Everything had changed and shifted, and now he was alone. He lost everything. Part of him thought about running back home to @Vengeance but he knew that he would only be killed on site... if he was lucky. No, he was stuck out here on his own now. 

He skidded to a stop, taking a few deep breaths as he did so. He knew he needed to calm down, he was too angry and too aggressive right now. And so, he stood there for a few seconds, eyes closed and struggling to calm himself down.

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Another was here, to where she traveled. Upon them, she gazed from a distance. Curious, but also wary.

They seemed—... upset, perhaps? Distracted? Angered? But by what, she wondered?

By her nature, it was not easy to look away from those things. So, even against her better judgement, Fennec inched closer. Distance was still kept, but she was close enough so that they could hear her. “Are you alright?” A query, spoke timidly. In their current state, she knew not what their reaction would be. It was better to be safe than sorry. And so she would be.
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Just about the time he was able to calm himself down, he suddenly heard the words of another and he groaned silently. Flicking an ear he would slowly open his eyes and turn to look at her. His eyes clearly looked her up and down for a moment before he finally spoke. "Yeah I'm fine.....ish. I guess." He shrugged and shook out his fur, trying to relieve his stress. "Just stressed." He finally said, before turning to walk closer to her, taking a good sniff before speaking. "You new to these lands?" He asked simply, not really wanting to go through a whole spiel of things.

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Supposedly, he was fine. Though, Fennec didn't quite by it. But who was she to press further?

He moved closer, and she remained still, letting him familiarize himself. “I am not from around here, no. So yes, I suppose I am new.”

Traveling here was more-so against her will, considering she really had nowhere else to go.
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He seemed to relax a little as he stepped closer and was able to catch her scent. It helped that she didn't back away or try to go towards him. To say he was on edge after everything was a bit of an understatement. He cocked his head to the side slightly at her words, thinking for a moment before speaking. "You alone too?" He asked, his voice softening slightly. If she looked close enough, she could likely see his young nature poking through.

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You alone too?

They had something in common.

Inching closer again, her nose sought to take in his own scent. Her eyes sought to see more of him.

“I was once with a man who had a great vision. But he has since vanished... by place beside him—it no longer exists.”

In short... yes, she was alone.
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He stayed still as she stepped closer to him, letting her sniff him and take a look at him. The whole time though, his body was slightly tense, a habit that he never could get rid of. He didn't trust easily, that much was clear. Though, he would nod slightly at her words, glancing for a moment over where Northfall once stood. "Guess we're in the same boat then..." He muttered before huffing and shaking his head slightly. 

He would start to walk in a direction, gesturing his head for her to follow should she want to. "Come." He said simply.

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In the same boat? Perhaps somewhat. But not fully.

When he invited her onward, she could not help but heed to the tug that pulled her. Maybe he could truly offer her something better than the life of solitude. Or maybe not. But only these next few minutes could be the teller of this.

Slow, she followed in step, curious to know next what he would say or do.
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He started to walk in a random direction, heading more north-east. As they walked, he glanced over at her, debating for a moment before speaking slowly. His voice was deep for his age, but was pretty smooth, without any gravely. "You got a name?" He asked simply, his eyes never leaving her as he walked beside her. He intentionally walked near her, unless she moved away from him, in which he wouldn't bother getting any closer.

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For a while, there was silence. But soon he spoke again.

You got a name?

She almost laughed, thinking it an absurd query. Didn't most, if not all have names? But then, she considered. Maybe this was just his odd way of asking for hers.

“Fennec,” Slow, soft in reply.

She noticed then how he hovered nearer. But she wasn't as bothered, or even intimidated by it as she should have been.

“And you? Do you have a name?” A small tease, hinting towards her former confusion by the way he'd asked before.
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He nodded slightly as he walked, committing her name to memory. Fennec. An interesting name. When he heard her own question, a mirror to his own, he would roll his eyes slightly, though there was a small smirk on his face. He would aim to gently bump his shoulder into hers. "You knew what I meant." He grunted out, though there was a light bit of amusement in his words. 

He would continue walking, sighing slightly. "The name is Leviathan." He replied, a simple name for a simple man.

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A bump to her shoulder and a hint of a smirk. Hey—maybe he's coming around!

“Did I?” Fennec teased again, it now becoming a common thing, as she bumped him right back.

When he shared his own name, she took notice of the sigh. “You don't seem to be a fan of your parent's name choosing.” A comment meant with humor, but placed lightly in thoughtful consideration of the possibility that there was more to it.
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He let out a soft chuckle, clearly relaxing more the more they walked together. But, he really wasn't expecting her to bump his shoulder back and he found himself stumbling slightly. He would attempt to playfully pounce on her, hoping to knock her to the ground but not wanting to actually hurt her. 

Regardless of if he could do so or not, he would still answer her comment with a shrug. "A name comes with a lot of memories." He said simply say and though he kept his light hearted tone, there was something hidden deep in his voice, almost as if it hurt to remember.

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edit: may have read that wrong and assumed he pinned her? let me know if I should change any assumptions made!

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Evidently, she had surprised him. But then, he wound up surprising her in return. He'd knocked her flat to the ground, Fennec now resting slightly uncomfortably on her backside.

A soft, playful yelp told of her surprise. A small grin then danced on her expression. She didn't squirm beneath him though, instead giving a light smack of her paw to his muzzle. He could choose to move, or they could stay like this. Either which way, her lack of effort trying to break free implicated a sense of amusement in this.

“They do come with memories. But we have the choice whether to focus on the good, or the bad.” Regardless of the amount of either good or bad, they always had a choice.
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She was surprisingly easy to knock over and it quickly made him realize how much larger than her he actually was. If he stayed around her, he would have to make sure he didn't hurt her, unless of course he really meant to. But, she hadn't given him a reason to do so, at least not yet. He didn't move away at first, though snorted slightly when she smacked his nose, shaking his head a bit. 

"And what if there is no good?" He asked quietly, his voice dipping lower as he remained standing over her. He wasn't necessarily pinning her down, but he made no attempt to let her up just yet either.

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And what if there is no good?

A reasonable argument, but still no excuse.

“Then make some.” She answered without hesitation, knowing the solution instantly.

There could be no good memories from the past, but that did not restrict any from being made in the future.
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He seemed a bit taken back by how quickly she came up with a solution, one that almost made him roll his eyes. But instead, he would raise an eyebrow, staring down at her for a moment. He seemed a bit shocked, she was so.... calm and content with life, it was weird to him. "You're so upbeat, you either have never been heartbroken, or you're extremely naïve." He teased slightly but stepped off of her, letting her get up. His eyes never left her though, curious to see how much she actually knew about life.

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When he finally stepped back, she rolled in a quick, yet graceful movement, legs finding the earth again her side. But she wouldn't stand just yet, seemingly rather content laying here.

“Or maybe you, and others like you are stuck in a bush of thorns, unable to push your way through and look past the scars.” The woman's tone should have dimmed there, but it did not. It remained light, soft, and thoughtful.

“I've had my heart broken more times than I would like to admit... but I made the choice to look past the bad and focus my sights on the good I've either created or will create in my lifetime.” For she still had a long life to live — or so she hoped.
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He watched her for a moment, noticing that she didn't stand up and instead, stayed laying down. He would move to sit beside her, close enough to let his tail flick over and smack against her leg. "Well it's kind of hard to get out of the bush when there's no opening in the thorns." He said simply, though he didn't seem annoyed at her words. If anything, he was simply amused by how she acted towards life in general. He had never met someone as upbeat as her. 

"And what if you can't create any good times? What if its nothing but bad water up ahead?" He spoke calmly, his tail lightly tapping her side as he looked down at her.

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More fair points.

Rather than replying straight away, she gave herself a moment to think.

“Well...” She hummed, considering whether her next words would be good enough of an answer. “Maybe we don't know what's ahead of us—” When did they ever? “—but we still have time to look around us, to see what and who surrounds us. In life, we have the choice to insert ourselves in any situation, location, or friendship. It isn't too hard to tell the good from the bad, usually. You just have to be extra careful and try to pick the good apples.”

Maybe she was too carefree, simply shrugging away the negativity. But what else could she do? If to stay positive, she had to try.
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He simply stared at her for a moment, trying to really comprehend what she said. She was right, though he didn't want to admit it outloud. It was just hard for him to see the good in people when everyone he's ever known either vanished or forgotten about him. 

Finally he would smirk and speak up, reaching to lightly smack her ear. "And you? Are you a good apple or a bad one?" He asked simply, raising an eyebrow at her.

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Since he was close enough, she had enough range to flick her tail and give him a good whack.

Good apple, or bad? She was given the choice. But it was no fun to give away the answer!

“You'll just have to stick around long enough to find out.” Fennec mused, lips tickled with a soft, playful smirk.
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He felt the smack to his side from her tail, but didn't move away. Her answer made him chuckle again, raising an eyebrow in amusement. "Oh? So you have intentions of sticking around me? Am I that interesting?" He teased, moving to stretch slightly, shaking out his fur and standing up. "I didn't know I was that entertaining." 

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The humor continued. But Fennec had the intention to further it.

When he leaned to stretch, she did a little wiggle to a stand before lunging with the aim to do the same he'd done to her before. Of course, her "attacks" would never be with as much impact, but could still meet a similar conclusion.

“Maybe you are, and maybe you aren't. If I recall, I said you would have to stick around me.” Chin lifting with faux pride, her tail wagged slowly behind her as.
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In the middle of his stretching, he felt her pounce on him, her light body not really doing much to him. However, he would let her push him down, landing on his side under her. He didn't fight back and instead just smirked slightly. He held back a laugh as he watched her lift her head in confidence, wagging her tail behind her. 

He nodded slightly, watching her closely, his red eyes shining brightly. "You sure you want someone like me following you around? I'm certainly not the best travel companion." He warned, reaching up to lightly smack her nose a few times.

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