Farkas slept for hours, one of the most restful slumbers he'd had since joining the Circle, and he woke to find Rayla asleep- still leaning over onto the bed from where she sat.

'She's been crying again...' he noted, seeing the streaks running down her cheeks. 'Where are we?' he wondered, slowly sitting up and grimacing at the still painful twinge of his wounds. His beast blood had healed the worst of them, but he still needed time to let the rest heal.

He looked around and saw that he and Rayla were in some sort of bunkhouse. He could smell something cooking nearby and felt his stomach grumble as the delicious aroma reached the bunkhouse. He heard a door creak open and saw a woman come into the room carrying a tray laden with food.

"You're awake, good."

Farkas watched her as she brought the tray over to the end table next to his bed, seeing two bowls of stew, some bread and cheese, and two mugs of a liquid that smelled like blackberries.

"You had us all worried for awhile, there." the woman said, offering him a relieved smile. "How are you feeling?"

"Better. I think. Hungry, though."

"Good thing I brought dinner over then."

Farkas watched as she draped a blanket over Rayla's shoulders, smoothing her hair back before she stepped back. "Thank you."

The woman smiled. "It's no trouble. I'm Lillan, by the way, an old friend of Rayla's."

"Farkas."

"Well, Farkas, eat when you're ready and give her a little bit longer before you wake her, alright?"

Farkas nodded, watching as Lillan excused herself and told him to find her across the way at the main house if they needed anything. He waited for the door to close and her scent to fade a bit with distance before he looked back to Rayla and watched her for a few moments.

He thought back on what happened when they were attacked and found that he was confused as to why he felt so protective of her. If it were any other job, any other person, he would have never revealed his wolf form and yet, he did so for Rayla without a second thought.

'Why..?'

Rayla stirred when he reached over to stroke her hair and nearly tackled him out of bed when she saw that he was awake, hugging him with great relief.

"You're alright..!"

Farkas was surprised, wincing at the impact. He had barely caught her and steadied them when she sprang from her chair and practically into his lap, but he returned her hug- hesitantly as it may have been.

Rayla just held him for a few moments, then sat back and looked up at him as tears brimmed her eyes. "I'm so relieved..."

Farkas could definitely see the relief in her eyes, but then a sadness and guilt took their places instead as she looked down at her hands and apologized. "You aren't afraid of me?"

Rayla met his gaze with surprise. "Why would I be?"

"You don't think I'm a monster?"

Rayla shook her head. "You protected me, whatever form you were in. It was unexpected, but I'm not afraid of you." She looked down as she reached for his hand and squeezed it gently. "The only monster I see is when I look at Velanus..."

"Rayla..."

Rayla looked up and offered him a smile, as fake as it may be, then changed the subject. "Lillan made dinner I see."

"She brought it in just a little while ago."

Rayla busied herself with placing the tray on the bed between them and took her seat once more. "Well, let's eat then."

Farkas knew she was blaming herself again and trying to hide it away from him, but he wasn't about to push her on the subject before he ate something.

After they had finished their meal, Rayla set the tray on the table in the common room before taking a seat next to Farkas and nursing the blackberry tea that Lillan had made.

They sat there in silence for what seemed like hours, but then as they emptied the mugs and Rayla stood to deposit them onto the table with the rest of their dishes, Farkas asked why she was blaming herself.

Rayla paused a moment at his question, her chest tightening. "I don't know what you mean..."

Farkas felt a low growl growing in his belly and he stood, walking over to her and ignoring the tenderness of his wounds.

Rayla turned at the sound of his footsteps, but when she found him coming towards her, she gasped when he pulled her into his arms and held her. "F-Farkas?"

"You have to stop blaming yourself, little mouse..." he started, breathing in the smell of mint and juniper he had grown so fond of. "Not one single thing that has happened in the last six years has been your fault. Not one thing since I've met you has made you a burden to me. Your friends help you because they care about you and want to see you happy. I volunteered to escort you and protect you after Velanus showed up at Jorrvaskr; you wouldn't have had to ask me twice to do so."

Rayla's eyes were wide as she stared at his chest, taken aback by the urgency and sincerity in his voice and words. She didn't know what to say to him or how to even feel about it all, but she found that her heart was aching in a strange new way and it confused her.

"You're not as weak as you think you are, Rayla. There's a strength in you that I've never seen before and it's part of why you've survived everything for this long. It's why you keep fighting." Farkas stepped back and looked down at her. "Promise me that you'll start believing in yourself, alright?"

Rayla could only nod and stand there as Farkas leaned forward to kiss her head before returning to his bed. 'Farkas...'