Stolen Truth

13

Viper was upset, I could tell just from looking at her, she was excited for the trip to come, but she also knew that if anything happened back at the camp or on the road, she would be held accountable. I couldn't understand what she was going through, that sort of weight on your shoulders wasn't something I could relate to, but that sadness, the depressed and lonely feeling, that was something I understood.

We walked. Viper and I rarely ever talk when we're alone, not because we don't have anything to talk about, but because we're not the sort of people that need to have long conversations about ourselves, the silence was something we both craved.

I hadn't realised how much I enjoyed the silence until I left the blanks. Silence was something I had grown used to in my time with them, but the kind of silence I desired was different to that. The silence I was used to was empty and hollow, it swallowed everything and left no room for any feeling, the silence now is beautiful, it's like an invitation to listen and feel, it's a silence that can be filled, a silence you can choose to fill.

Eventually, we arrived at the large clearing where we normally do our training in our other form. "Ready?" Viper asked, breaking the silence.

"Yes," I said, preparing to change.

Changing forms used to be painful, now it's almost freeing in a way, it was a wonderful feeling. Viper was struggling to change at first, she was too tense and unsure of everything, I felt sorry for her really, she had more to deal with than anyone here. Finally, she managed to change and we both took off together, trying to forget before it was time to leave.

Trees stretched out in and endless plain before us and grey clouds hung low in the sky, the sun barely shining through and the darkness made it feel like home. Viper and I soon went from a comfortable silence to hysterical laughter as the clouds grew darker and the rain started to fall, we began to have fun.

"We should probably head back," Viper sighed, the telepathy no longer scared me.

"I guess," I groaned, I wanted to fly in the rain forever.

"You know we have to leave before nightfall," Viper said, "Plus, it looks like it's going to dry up soon, when we get back it won't be raining anymore, and it will be the perfect time to leave."

Viper was wrong. It was raining by the time we finally got back to the camp and despite the fact that nobody wanted to walk in the rain, we all knew we had to leave.

I could barely hear Bunny's cries over the rain, or Viper's yelling for everyone to hurry up. My skin was numb from the cold and I never felt the hugs goodbye or the last warmth of family. I barely knew it when Dove's hand took mine and she lead me away from the camp, walking towards Viper who stood with a solemn look on her face.

"Are we ready?" Viper asked, looking at all of us as if she were sorry. Everybody just nodded in response, no one was really ready, and we didn't have it in us to lie.

"We'll be back soon," Bear said weakly, it was an empty promise, there was nothing comforting about leaving people behind, no matter how 'soon' we would be seeing them again.

"Can we just leave," Dove begged, rain mixed with her tears and the little light there was reflected off of them, lighting up her face.

We left.

We walked until we could no longer hear the kids cheering and crying for us and it was only the sound of our footsteps and the rain the surrounded us. Nobody had said anything for a while, none of us were feeling too good about the whole situation.

I had never missed anything before, there had never been anything to miss.

I miss Bunny though. I miss smiling and training and the reassurance that everything would be okay. I missed my tent that I shared with Owl, I missed the late nights by the fire and I miss being home.

Until I got to the camp, I didn't even know what a home was, I still don't really, but I was just beginning to grasp it. Dove was my home, so was Bunny and all of the kids. The campfire was my home, it was warm and safe, and I had so many moments there with different people.

"Rat?" Dove asked, "Are you okay?"

"I suppose," I answered vaguely, "Are you?"

"I'm cold," Dove said, "And wet, but I'm with you, so I think so."

"Do you want my jacket?" I asked, it was something the children had made for me as a gift before we left, we all got shoes made by them but they added something extra for me.

"It's okay," Dove said, "It's getting dark, so we'll be able to stop soon."

"Do you think we'll be able to start a fire?" I asked.

"I don't know, it depends on how far into the woods we are. We can have a fire in camp because it's controlled and we're right in the middle of camp so no one can see us, if we're further out we may not be able to."

"Fair enough," I said. I paused again before saying what I wanted to say, wondering if it was a stupid question, "Do you want to hold my hand?" I asked, hoping it didn't sound too dumb.

Dove gave me a confused but fond look, she took my hand instantly and gasped when she held it. "It's warm?" She said, giving me a quizzical look.

"Yeah, I think it's cos my thing is fire, I can heat up my body."

"That's cool," Dove said, "Can you do that with other people as well?"

"Viper and I tried it but if I don't concentrate I might kill you."

"Just try," Dove said, "It's so cold that I'm sure it will be fine."

"Okay," I gave in. I tried to focus on doing what I did with Viper, it was more effort to keep it at bay than it was to actually use it.

"That's better," Dove sighed, "Can you keep it at that? I don't want to push you too much, especially if something happens and you have no energy."

"I should be fine," I said quickly, trying not to lose focus, "Just tell me if it gets too much and I'll stop right away."

"Thank you," Dove said, grabbing my hand again despite the fact that she didn't need the warmth anymore.

**********

The sun had already set by the time we stopped, it was almost pitch black and we were trying not to trip over branches or fall into ditches. Finally we reached a clearing, made brighter by the moon shining through the trees and reflecting off of a lake. I was still keeping Dove warm when we stopped and I was completely drained of energy.

Bear offered to be first watch for the group and I was glad that I was finally able to sleep. The rain had stopped but the ground was still slightly damp. It was softer because of this and that made it slightly more comfortable.

I took my jacket off and gently placed it over Dove's sleeping figure, my body should keep itself warm anyway.

**********

I never saw anything in my dreams, but I heard things. I heard screaming mostly, names of the people I knew being yelled. I heard crying. There was laughing too, a dead, cold laughter. There was silence, then a voice, the prince's the voice, announcing that he was home and that he would fight.

A/N 

This chapter is really late because I was sick all weekend. I was feeling ill on Wednesday last week but I couldn't write because I just had a massive headache and I couldn't focus. There will be another update tomorrow and then back to usual after that, I just want to catch up so I'm on schedule.