Chapter Eleven

Fang sat in the shadows of the old oak tree. He was glad his broken wing didn't alter his ability to run, which was something he had to do tonight. Max's body lay motionless in the middle of the grassy pasture. He debated for a long time with himself whether he should go down there or not. He wanted to be close to her, to hold her . . . but he knew better. She would have far better plans for him than letting him hold her.

He had made Max angry. Hated the fact that he did, but he knew he did it, nonetheless. He had heard her scream "Traitor!" and her voice struck through him like lightening . . . or acid that ate away all of his insides. As soon as he heard it, he started running. Max was nearly impossible to catch when she jumped into super-speed, but he knew he could find her eventually. She wouldn't stray too far from her family.

After what seemed like a decade of walking, he heard a steady thump sound, dull, but loud, resonating throughout the trees. He panicked momentarily, thinking that maybe the Erasers were one step ahead of them and they had caught Max. But, instead, he found her on her hands and knees in the middle of that field. Her right fist made a small crater as she punched the same spot over and over.

Her sobs became dry-heaves, choking her. Her hand continued with as much force as ever. Fang stayed in the shadows for a long time, glad for the rain, which darkened his hair and his clothing even more than normal. Max's blonde hair was darkened from the water, too, long hunks covering her face from his view.

Part of him was happy for that. He hated to see her hurting. He hated himself even more for being the cause of it. Max needed him, the flock needed him . . . He needed all of them more than they would ever know. But he knew, right now, he was nothing but a sitting duck (no flying pun intended), more of a danger than a help to any of them.

He would do as he said, stick around Dr. Martinez, so she could keep track of his wing's condition. But, for now, he sat watching Max sleep, knowing that still more tears were mixing in with the rainwater that ran down her face. She had exhausted herself, as she tended to sometimes. All of her physical and mental energy was spent for the time being. And Fang knew it was all his fault. Finally, despite his best logic, he walked out into the rain and knelt beside Max. He didn't dare to touch her, worried that she may cause him just as much physical damage as he had emotionally to her.

"I'm sorry," he whispered. "But, you understand why I'm doing it, right? All I want to do is be with you. Be with you and the rest of the flock and live a normal life. Well, as normal as genetic mutations can be, I guess." He sighed heavily, not seeing any reaction in Max's face. "Max, I know you're meant for a lot more. I can feel it every time I look at you. You have a duty and right now . . . I'm just a liability. I'll just hold all of you back. So, go and figure out you need to, okay? And stop worrying about me."

He reached out, his fingers barely short of her cheek before he changed his mind and drew his hand back. Fang stood up and turned his back to her. He wanted to move her from the rain, take inside and make sure she was warm and safe, to be her protector. But he knew better than anyone that Max would kill him if he ever said that, or even acted like it. So damn stubborn and so damn independent. That was the way she was, always had been. And that was why he loved her . . .

He slowly walked back into the shadows and sat down on the wet ground. In the morning, he would slip off into the forest and keep out of her sight. But, for now, he would stay and watch her sleep, hoping silently that she could someday forgive him.

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And after a LONG hiatus, Saving the World is a Pain in the You-Know-What is back!! -cue party blower sound!- Sorry for the long disappearance, guys. Again, a lot of problems beyond my control, but I promise I will start updating as regularly as I can from here on in. Thanks everyone for support and I hope I didn't lose any of you guys because of my apparent laziness. Reviews appreciated! And another chapter is coming up sooner than you think! See you then!