Redhawk Caldera Stray away from the forces that make you

While he remained somewhat shell-shocked, pressed against the wall, he was able to turn his near ear toward her, listening as she struggled to speak with a raspy voice, punctuated with gasps of pain. There was an odd sound to her breath that seemed to steal a bit of her voice away. He didn't quite understand what she was trying to tell him at first, until he realized that she was confessing to him that she hadn't gotten lost- that she'd run away. He felt his heart twinge, but this wasn't a surprise. He and a few others had already spoken back and forth about the possibility that Fennec had chosen to run away, and when compared to the thought of her getting kidnapped or murdered, it was an easier alternative to take. 

Still, he knew that it was his fault. She'd run because she wasn't able to handle the things he'd been doing for her, which he found ridiculous, but tried to understand. Did she think she owed him something, for every little act of kindness he'd shown her? And did she shirk these obligations she fashioned for herself with such determination so that she could keep herself estranged in order to avoid being hurt again? When she referenced Penn, his panting quieted and was replaced by a low growl. That fucker. He'd done this- Penn was likely the reason Fennec had decided to shove others away, because he'd done it to her. Now, she was doing the same thing to him, and he was attempting to break the cycle. 

"I'm not Penn." He said, teeth chattering together slightly. "And neither are you."