The sun was high in the sky, marking about midday. The group walked on, Vaati leading the horse with Selene on it. She sat proudly, satisfied that she had made Vaati smile more than once. He was in good spirits for the first time in a long time.

"What's your favorite color?" she asked, smiling. He gave her a funny look.

"What kind of question is that?" he said.

"An important one!" she told him with a laugh. Vaati chuckled.

"You're very childish, you know that?" he informed her. She smiled and gave a nod, then crossed her arms and gave him an answer-the-darned-question look. He rolled his eyes.

"I haven't really thought about it, so I guess I don't have a favorite color," he answered matter-of-factly. "So what's yours?" he asked in return. The girl looked to the sky in thought for a moment before answering.

"Red. Deep red. It's a gorgeous color." He nodded in agreement. "I've always been jealous of your eyes," she told him with a smile. He snorted.

"I never liked the color very much. It's too unnatural. I've always wanted a subtle color," he said. Selene gave a small chuckle.

"Well, I think they're very attractive," she informed him.

"I guess I'll take that as a compliment."

"It was meant as ooOOOOOAAAAH!" Selene was knocked from the horse as the animal reared suddenly, whinnying in fright. She landed, and rolled onto her stomach.

"Selene!" Vaati shouted, rushing to her side and kneeling down. "Are you all right?" he asked. She pushed herself up with her arms and nodded. She looked up and gasped.

"Vaati!" she shouted, pointing over his shoulder. He spun around, standing up. A lizard-like monster was poised in the middle of the path. It was huge. The creature had a dark green coloration, and six horns that spiked away from its face. It hissed at them, and the horse galloped away. The lizard slacked its jaw and shot a blast of fire at them. Vaati stepped in front of her, and used wind to deflect the blast. Selene picked herself off the ground, and shouted a spell, sweeping her hands down. Her own blast of fire smashed down on the beast. It screeched in agony, and then rushed at her. She grabbed Vaati's arm and pulled him away as the lizard swiped its taloned paws at them. It blew fire at the pair, and they leapt opposite ways. Vaati landed and rolled, returning to his feet, and Selene twisted catlike in the air, avoiding the tongues of flame. She blasted fire at it as she landed. The beast spun around, and caught Selene with its tail. It sent her flying across the path. She landed with a grunt, and looked up to see the monster looming over her. It opened its mouth, preparing to burn her. She closed her eyes and put her arms over her head. She braced herself for the heat, but instead heard a cry of pain. Someone dropped down over her, breathing heavily. Selene's blue orbs shot open. Vaati's face was inches from her own, quivering as he tried to cope with the pain. His face was twisted into an agonizing grimace.

"V-Vaati?" she said, her eyes wide. She looked down to his side that he was clutching, to find part of his tunic burnt off. His skin was horribly blistered, and Selene realized he had taken the full blow. Over his shoulder, the girl saw the lizard raise its claws, ready to strike.

"No!" she shouted, attempting to leap in front of Vaati, but he pushed her back, facing the beast once more.

"NO!" She screamed, the beast's talons connecting with Vaati's chest and raking down his stomach. His back arched with the pain, and he gave a cry of anguish. Tears welled up in her eyes as complete rage took over her. She screamed, and launched herself at the beast. She landed on its back, and clamped her hands on its head. She gave a cry of anger, fire exploding from her fingertips and boiling the brains of the beast. It gave a contorted yelp, and fell to the ground with spastic tail and leg movements. Selene leapt off of it and ran to Vaati, who sat in a slouched position. The girl dropped on her knees in front of him.

"Vaati!" she cried, placing both hands on his face and lifting his head from his chest to look him in the eye. The front of his tunic was torn, and blood covered most of it. His eyes were half open, and his breath came out in ragged gasps. His hair was damp with sweat, and it fell loosely in front of his eyes.

"S-Selene…" he gasped. She smoothed his hair behind his right ear. The girl blinked a few times, clearing her eyes of tears. She needed to be strong for him.

"Just stay with me, Vaati. Your wounds are deep, but with my healing, you'll be just fine, okay? Just stay with me!" she repeated. He wouldn't go. He couldn't go. She had to save him. The girl pleaded with all her heart that his beautiful crimson eyes wouldn't shut for the last time. Vaati nodded, his breathing becoming harder for him. He was losing blood fast. Selene placed both arms around his torso, and lowered him to the ground. She took off her cloak and used it to prop up his head. Carefully, she ripped his tunic open in the front, not a difficult task with its condition. The burn was on his lower right side, and the claw slices ran down the middle of his chest. Selene put one hand over the burn and the other over the gash. She flexed her fingers, and they emitted a bright glow.

Selene sat there for a few hours, healing Vaati's wounds as best as she could. He had passed out long before, but his breathing returned to a regular rate. Even if he was out cold, Selene still spoke soft, encouraging words to him. The horse had wandered back, and Selene dressed his wounds properly with the supplies she found in a bag. The girl had done all she could for the moment, and decided that sleep was best for him. The tent was set up around him, and Selene sat by his side in the light of a lantern. His bare and bandaged chest rose and fell slowly with his steady breathing. Selene tugged a blanket over him to keep him warm. She sat with his head in her lap, playing with his long, lavender hair. She never realized how much she cared for him until that day's incident. It wasn't just because he risked his life to protect her; it was also the pain she had felt at almost losing him.

Selene gently placed his head off of her lap, and hummed softly as she left the tent to take care of the horse.