Downtown Vale

80 years after the Second human Faunas war

I walked the path many times before. For seventy years in a row I have walked this path. My medals Klink softly as my footfalls are light and smooth. There are several people in the park this year, they give me looks and small nods as I continue down the path. I look at the trees and the lovely colors they have turned as I continue down the park.

The old Autumn leaves crunch under my polished black boots. My back is crooked, one of the many reasons for my Purple Heart. The cane I use makes slow and rhythmic taps on the ground as I walk up to a statue in the middle of the park. I look at the statue and the I take a seat on the same bench that I sit on every year waiting for my friends and squad mates who never showed up starting several years ago.

"Man, would you look at that they are all late this year." I chuckle as I rest my cane on the bench. I spend 10 minutes waiting for them, we always meet at this time every year.

"They'll turn up sooner or later this year." I say as I try and deny the inevitable truth.

I reach into my pocket and pull out a small figurine and remember the day I got it.

Flashback 80 years ago

My hands tremble as I try and jam the next magazine into my rifle. An explosion rings out and I fumble and drop my magazine, it's contents pining around on the floor as the bullets fall out.

"God dammit." I curse under my breath. I turn and see a solider running towards me.

"Major!" He yells but is cut short by a sniper round entering the right side of his chest and exerting out the back. He falls to his knees, blood seeps from his mouth as his lung fills with blood. I ignore the White Fang behind me and run out to him. I grab him by his vest and pull him into cover. I frantically search for my medical kit but remember that it was cut loose by a close bullet. The young man grabbed my arm and asked me a question I dreaded to answer.

"Am I going to die?" He struggled with the words as though they were hundred pound weights. My heart tightened and I strengthened my grip on his wound, but it was fruitless for his wound was clean through. The blood just seeped through the other side of his body.

"Don't say that man, you still got a life to live. You got a girlfriend." The kid nodded and this gave me an idea.

"Tell me about her, what's she like. You'll be able to see her again, don't worry." I said holding back my sadness for a mask of happiness.

"Well, we met in Atlas 3 years ago and she's one of the nicest most car…" He was interrupted by a bout of coughing which sent blood onto my visor and chest plate.

"Don't stop there, what's her name." I say trying to keep him focused on something.

"Her name is Velvet Scarlatina, she's a Faunas. A rabbit Faunas with really cute ears and the brightest smile." I looked at him as my brain screamed that I knew Velvet from combat school. The kid was saying as his life was draining from him. His skin color was almost ghost white.

"Can you do something for me." I look at the kid who has a look of desperation on his face.

"Shure anything." I say with all the honesty I can muster. He un-zips his inner jacket pocket and pulls out a small figurine.

"Velvet carved this for me from wood in Forever Falls. Bring this to her and tell her that I still love her."

"NO!" I say and he looks up at me.

"You tell that to her yourself, MEDIC!" I yell and a medic comes running from a little ways away.

The medic calls in an EVAC and as the man is picked up and loaded into the vehicle he hold his hand out and drops a small figurine into my blood covered hands. I hold the small figurine in my hands as the medivac drives away with the man still inside.

End flashback

I hold the figurine I front of my eyes as I slowly stand. I grab my cane and walk over to the statue. On the plaque it reads: In memory of those who perished in Vale for its liberation from the White Fang forces. These soldiers on the statue are faceless, representing not any individual solider, but all of them as a whole.

I place the small figurine down at the feet of one of the soldiers and salute. I let my cane drop to the side as I slowly make my way back to the bench. My body is now old and fast fading away, but my heart, my heart will live on. My legacy will be there for my grandchildren. I flop onto the bench as lean back onto it. I suddenly feel tired, my eyes are closing and my mind is slipping.

"I'm just going to take a…..small…nap." My eyes close for one final time.

Throughout Vale 20 minutes later

"Hey turn on the tv." I hear a man shout. I stop wiping down the glasses behind the bar and I turn on the Tv to the news channel.

"Hello, and welcome to VNN. A new story today, 103 year old Second Faunas War veteran, Jacob Monclare was found deceased of natural causes in the Vale memorial park today. He was found siting on the same bench he sat at every year for the ceremony. His company has since died and despite this he has come back every year with a single flower to honor them, but this year he brought a small figurine. That is all we have now, but let us have a moment of silence for his passing and the 80th anniversary of the war." She bowed her head and so did everyone in the bar except one man who sat and stared at the screen, his eyes were watering and his Faunas ears were twitching. I slowly make my way over to him and sit down, I put my hand on his back and he looks up.

"What's the matter kid?" I ask with a smile.

"That man saved my father all those years ago, that figure was my mothers own creation." He said with tears in his eyes.

"He was a good man, he always came here and loved this place, he talked about that sometimes. He said he saved his right outside this building right at the crossroads. The Faunas looked up and reached for his wallet to pay but I stopped him.

"No need to pay today, it's on the house for you." I say as he nods and walks out to go sit on a bench next to the crossroads. I look at him and then go back to the bar and pull out a pair of dog tags from my shirt that read: Alexander Monclare.

"Goodbye dad, hope you see that Scarlatina guy up there." I put the dog tags away and go back to the glasses but tears start rolling down my face.