Chapter 35: Decision of Brothers

With a new day means more traveling, along with more problems to deal with that are unseen by the naked eye.

Chapter 35: Decision of Brothers

“Urrggghhh…my head…” Sid groaned and placed his arm over his closed eyes when another harsh thump coursed through his cranium. That was no regular alcohol…

It must had been extra strong without letting itself be known for he was never one to be hung over. What a shame it was…

He moaned softly and turned over onto his side to try and escape the morning sun’s rays but he could feel them squeezing through the cracks under his arm to annoy his sensitive eyes.

“Hmmm…I’m up…damnit all…” He grumbled and opened his eyes just slightly under his arm. It blocked out some of the sun but not enough to avoid him cringing at the light. Groaning again, he pushed himself up and ruffled his messy hair while yawning wide. He was still tired…and his back ached from sleeping on too many hard surfaces. Next time, he was getting the bed. Snapping his jaws shut, he rubbed at his eyes before looking around in a squint.

Everything seemed just about right…

The fire that was once roaring with life last night was now reduced to just hot ashes or black logs.

Basil was still slumbering to his right with the blanket tangled around his limbs and across the fire Fey was still sleeping. He turned to his left and found…no trace of Saei. Knowing the dragon, he was already up and ready to go. With another groan, Sid rose to his feet and felt the soreness hitting him from yesterday’s fighting. He could really go for a massage…or just a nice soak in some hot water, not a freezing pond.

“Wonder where he went off to?” He asked himself, stretching out his legs to loosen up the muscles a bit but also noticed their tyeirks were gone. Stepping around the fire, Sid spotted their large footprints leading away from camp.

“Hmmm…” He glanced down at his sleeping comrades once more before deciding to take on this case of their missing transportation. The trail led away from the camp and back toward the fields they had come from before. Someone could had snuck into camp and stolen them…

Why only the tyeirks though? And where was Saei during all of this? And wasn’t Basil supposed to be the last one on watch?

“Drunk idiot,” he muttered, stepping over a fallen log to find the tracks once more and followed them. If someone did take them, they were going to be greeted with his foot in their face but he didn’t have to go far. He had only traveled a few paces away from camp and raised an eyebrow when he found all four tyeirks with Saei who seemed to be checking their saddles, satchels and even feeding them a bit of feed the farmer had given to them.

The tyeirks were picky about their meals he had told them and gave them special grain. Being a lizard looking beast, it was assumed they ate meat but nope, they ate seeds. Sid came closer with his hands behind his head.

“So, you’re the culprit.”

Saei glanced over at him, already dressed for the day with his long hair tied up high to allow the rest to flow down his back.

“Culprit?” He asked, digging his claws back into the bag to hold out more seeds for his own tyeirk who squawked happily and nibbled at his palm.

“Yeah, I was wondering where they ran off to and it seems you were the one to take them,” he teased lightly but the dragon turned his eyes away from him and back onto the beast who finished eating.

“They required feeding before we set out for the day.”

“…away from camp?”

“I wished not to wake anyone.”

Sid tilted his head…and felt something wasn’t right. Usually Saei didn’t hold a conversation with him…but at least now he was attempting to. The hare came up closer to his own tyeirk and rubbed under its chin, bringing out a small rumbling purr.

“So, how are you and Fey?” He bluntly asked and didn’t miss the small flecks of a blush appearing on the taller feral’s cheeks but Saei narrowed his eyes slightly as his tyeirk nuzzled against his chest for attention.

“What are you speaking of?”

“Oh, don’t play the dumb card,” Sid smirked while looking over at him to see if he was about to kill him but Saei did glare at him while giving the tyeirk his attention with a soft rub along its mane of feathers. “Fey told me everything.”

A look of shock reflected in his eyes.

“Told you everything?”

“Yep, it was back at Yuuin’s place before you returned,” Sid began and lowered his hand from the large beast to face Saei with seriousness. “She was really upset that Basil attacked you…and she was under a lot of stress about everything…her weakness…worrying us…to be honest, I had no idea she was…well…you know…” He smiled sadly and looked back toward camp. “I didn’t know until Yuuin said it and had you guys fetch the flower but after I heard it…it all made sense. Her growing tired…weak…” Sid turned back to see Saei’s expression and even the dragon seemed to dislike hearing about it again.

“But I found her crying, worrying for you…and I told her she’s not on this journey alone. We may travel but we can take breaks…and she’s not just some mender…she’s a being. She has to take time to cater to herself.”

“And what did you suggest?” Saei asked with his fist on his hip, waiting for something absurd but Sid kept his serious composure. With a soft smile, he shrugged.

“I don’t know Fey as well as you or Basil do. I didn’t grow up with her and our meeting was just some lucky fluke but I know what I can see with my own eyes. She’s not a lady of possessions. She’s not greedy or selfish. I told her what she needed was someone to carry her emotionally…mentally through these times. She needed a shoulder to weep on when things get tough or an ear to listen. A voice to tell her we’ll make it.”

Saei’s eyes narrowed a bit more, skeptical about what Sid had told her but the hare placed his hands up defensively.  

“It wasn’t hard to figure out that she liked someone…really liked someone…and through process of elimination…it landed on you.”

The dragon’s cheeks grew a bit darker around his scales as he turned his eyes away.

“…what of it?” He asked, trying to hide even more but Sid folded his arms, knowing better.

“I’m not teasing you about it…but seeing how Fey was last night…I really think it’s time she forgets about her journey for a moment.”

“You wish for her to stop?”

“Not stop…but have fun…see some sights…eat goodies…basically just have a day free of worry with someone who can help?” He hinted but Saei huffed nervously and tied the bag of feed into a knot to place it back into their satchel. “Oh, come on! Don’t tell me you wouldn’t want a day alone with her,” Sid told him and when he put it like that, Saei found his hand moving slower when closing the satchel. A day alone…without having to worry. It was clear the idiotic hare knew…but didn’t seem to mind…so that only left Basil.

“Why are you telling me all of this?” Saei asked, turning away from the tyeirk.

“I care about Fey. Not as a potential companion so don’t start threatening me,” he chuckled and looked up at the sky to see it was cloudless and bright blue. “I want to see her happy…she does have the nicest smile I’ve seen,” he grinned fondly and looked back to Saei to see him thinking over his words. “But we can look at the map and see where the nearest town is. We are pretty close to the shoreline so maybe a beach would be great for her.”

The beach…it was one of the promises they made when they were little for Fey always wanted to see the ocean. If it was true that they were near the sea, it would be perfect to allow Fey time to enjoy it…but something was off…

“And what of you and my brother?”

“If we find a large enough town, I can always take him drinking. Not the wisest idea,” he shrugged.

“…and here I thought you wouldn’t trust her with me…for being what I am,” he lightly growled with his tail curling but Sid raised an eyebrow.

“I shouldn’t…but honestly…I see the twinkle in Fey’s eyes toward you. If you make her happy…and will protect her, who am I to say this and that? I can tell in your posture, your expression, and how you spoke last night…that you care deeply for her…more than any of us. Plus, you didn’t return to the room the last night we were at Yuuin’s so I kinda suspected something,” he chuckled and it only made Saei’s nervousness grow but he growled louder to silence the hare.

“I’m teasing! Goodness. I’m giving you ideas and you bite off my entire hand,” he sighed and turned to look back toward camp. “Just make her smile…it’s all I ask. I’ll go wake them up so that we can see where to head next,” Sid told him and with a small wave, he left the dragon behind to think over his words.

A day alone with Fey…an entire day without anyone tagging along. Fey would be in his company, enjoying his presence without having to hide behind pillars or part from each other if someone was close. It would be a good chance to kindle what was already between them. Curiously, he checked one of their satchels on his tyeirk to count how much gold they had left. Thankfully, Yuuin did give them some as a parting gift in case they needed to stop anywhere along the way and he saw that there was more than plenty for all of them to enjoy a town.

Only one issue stood in his way…

He withdrew from the satchel to look back where Sid had left, deep in thought of what had happened last night on his watch.

Seeing her blood…

The curse within him came upon him faster than he had realized which worried him. With a soft sigh, Saei left the tyeirks tied to the tree for now and started to make his way back to camp while thinking over Sid’s idea.

Maybe…it would be possible to…forget for one day what he was…what she was and just be two ferals enjoying the day.

For now, he needed to put his worries in the back of his mind for her sake. This was their journey and should be enjoyable. He rounded a few more trees, crushed leaves beneath his heavy feet and finally came upon the campsite with the last bits of burning wood smell drifting in the air.

“Rise and shine,” Sid said in a sing song voice while nudging Basil with his foot but the feline grumbled and turned over onto his other side to ignore him. “Such dead weight…come on!” He hollered this time and pushed his foot against his back but Basil opened his eyes in annoyance to glare up at the hare before grabbing his foot to pull harshly, sending the Sid onto his backside with a loud thump.

“It’s too early for you,” Basil whined and sat up, rubbing his eyes tiredly while Sid dusted off his clothes while wanting to leave a large knot on the thief’s head.

“We’re leaving without you,” Sid shrugged and watched as Saei went over to the still slumbering Fey. He wasn’t sure how she could remain sleeping with all of their commotion but maybe she ignored it. The large feral knelt beside her and gently shook her shoulder.

“Time to wake, Fey,” he spoke softly and she just whined, curling into her arm to try and hide away.

“Maybe she needs a good reason to wake up?” Sid lightly teased and felt his blood turn cold when Saei sent him a glare that only guaranteed his death but the hare rolled his eyes to kick aside some of the rocks from their fire to leave no traces behind. Saei looked away from the nuisance to look back down at Fey as he shook her shoulder again.

“Come now…we need to be heading off…”

With another whine, Fey finally let her arm drop and she tiredly opened her eyes. It was clear from how hazy they were that the alcohol had done a number to her last night and he just sighed lightly while standing.

“Dizzy?” He asked and she just nodded while sitting up slowly, holding her head with her feline ears folding back. Basil stood, arching his back to stretch and peeked over at Fey to see her obviously hung over.

“…maybe alcohol isn’t the best for Fey.”

“You think?” The mender retorted with a groan and opened her eyes more to glare over at Sid who had finished cleaning away the pit. “This is your fault!”

“My fault? You drunk it willingly, sweetheart,” he shrugged with a smile. “I never forced you to take a sip.”

Saei folded his arms over his chest, his eyes narrowing. “…should I skin him?” He asked Fey, his tail swaying in agitation but the mender slowly stood, straightening out her clothes that still resembled one of the boys.

“Nah…let him live in fear for I can do far worse,” she threatened and untied her hair from last night to run her claws through it in a small attempt to straighten it while Sid’s face paled a bit.

“…you’re not serious…”

“Oh, I am. I have the worst headache right now and I’ll take it out on you.”

“But I just wanted you to have a good time is all,” he said in his defense but Basil sighed and walked past him.

“No use trying to save your hide.”

“Fey is too sweet to kill someone,” Sid nervously said.

“It’s always the sweet ones you have to worry about,” she teased and pulled her hair back up to tie it high, letting it hang behind her. “Moving on though…do we know where we are heading?” She asked, looking up to Saei for answers but upon seeing his face, her mind only brought up reminders of last night of when he mouthed the words he felt and it only made her cheeks flush slightly.

“As of right now, no. Once we clean up camp, we will look at the map to see which direction to head,” he answered and noticed the small flecks of color rising in her face. Sid’s idea surfaced once more but he nervously cleared his throat to roll up their used blankets. They would have to be cleaned along with their clothing.

“We have plenty of supplies thanks to Yuuin,” Basil noted, the effects of the alcohol slowly wearing off to return him to normal as he grabbed their towels that were dry now and their clothing.

“Supplies as in food and such. The clothing he gave are too proper,” Sid replied while looking down at his casual wear. “All of his look fit for kings and queens…which we aren’t. We need regular clothes so it would be wise to stop to shop.”

“Guess you have a point,” Fey agreed, looking down at herself as Saei finished only to glance at her attire as well. It was too…manly. Some of the ends were tied due to how big it was on her…

He would have to get her some clothing on the way for the rest of their journey.

“It’s settled then,” Basil spoke up while coming up to them with a wide smile. “Our next stop is a town. Sound good, leader?” He teased lightly and saw Fey’s ears perk up slightly.

“Why am I suddenly the leader?” She pouted softly as Sid chuckled and walked past them when Saei started to make his way back to the tyeirks who were ready for them.

“Because you are the one who can really tell us where to go or not to go.”

“I know we’re in this together but this is still your journey,” Basil smiled down at her as they walked but she frowned softly.

“That’s too much pressure.”

“Not really,” Sid slowed down to walk beside her on the other side. “Admit it, you want to relax at a nice town…under the warm sun…perhaps get a bit of color on your skin while soaking your feet in the water.”

“The beach?!”

“If there is a town close to one. We are near the shoreline,” Sid smiled with his hands behind his head and even though Fey was excited at the idea of possibly seeing the ocean for the first time, it left just as quickly as it came.

“…but it’d only slow us down if we stopped just because I said so.”

“We could relax as well,” Basil added. “I mean, we’ve lived up north in our childhood which was mostly snow storms and bright summers…but we never lived near the ocean. Even in Hulei, it was just a large city. Think of this as a…vacation? Before we finish the last bit of stretch to Estyuin?”

“A vacation?” Fey repeated and thought it over.

“It’d be nice even for us,” Sid plopped his hand down on her head, making her look up at him curiously. “Think about it…we can go about doing our own thing for a day. You could go get a nice bathing suit and go swimming, eat sweets, go shopping or whatever your heart desires.”

“…what about you all though?”

“If it’s a nice town I’m sure they have a lot to do. I’m thinking too far ahead though and there may not even be a town,” Sid sighed miserably but looked up with his hand slipping off when they reached their tyeirks. Saei stuffed the blankets into one of the satchels in case they needed to camp out again under the stars while Basil placed their belongings that needed washed in another.

Once everything was ready to go, Saei pulled out the map Yuuin had provided for them and unraveled the large parchment, holding it between both hands for them to see.

“Let’s see…” Basil whispered and pointed at the pass, moving his claw up a bit and to the left. “There’s the Ipsial Woods…which we just came from…” Fey came closer to spot an image beside the woods.

“That’s the farm.”

“Yeah, we’ve been heading north…” Basil continued, moving his claw along the edges of the forest and past images of swamps. “I think we avoided those. Too out in the field…”

“Then that means…” Sid joined in and tapped the map near the edge of the continent where another image was. It was north of the forest line and sat right at the edge of the water. The image was simple, looking like a few houses nestled together but also had a dock jutting out from the side.

“…think it’s a town?” Fey asked.

“Not sure…but we might just have to travel and see.”

“It’s settled then,” Saei spoke up, rolling up the map and placing it back into one of his satchels before easily mounting his tyeirk who seemed ready to go. “We’ll travel along the forest line until we reach this town and see what they have to offer.”

“Sounds like a plan!” Basil exclaimed happily, anxious to get back on the plains and climbed onto his saddle.

“We’re off then,” Sid smiled and easily hopped onto his tyeirk.

With all three of them ready, Fey smiled sweetly with her heart warming. Last night was a real eye opener and seeing it now…how much everyone cared...she would keep smiling, for them.

“Thank you, everyone,” she whispered and carefully pulled herself up onto the back of her own tyeirk as Basil turned his out toward the field.

“I’m so ready to get running again.”

“It’s not you that’s running, you dolt,” Sid followed after him with Saei moving his mount along behind his but glanced back to see Fey’s tyeirk following. The mender felt eyes on her and looked up to shyly smile at seeing it was none other than Saei. She motioned her tyeirk to ride along beside his the best that they could until they managed to reach the fields where there would be more than enough space to ride alongside each other.

“How was your watch last night?” She asked, wanting to start a conversation, and not ride in awkward silence. She also avoided anything personal since Basil and Sid were just in front of them.

“Dull,” he said while keeping his eyes forward but hid the fact of what his body felt and of the huge creature he witnessed. “How is your head?”

“A bit foggy but I think it’ll pass. I learned my lesson,” she giggled and watched as Saei reached into one of his satchels to remove a leather pouch filled with water.

“Here. Water should help somewhat,” he said, offering her the pouch which she took to take a few sips.

“I thought maybe…I could handle it,” she smiled sheepishly and took one last sip before closing it. “I never had alcohol before…so what was I expecting?” She asked to herself and handed the pouch back but tilted her head curiously. “When did you start drinking?”

Saei placed the pouch back into his bag and at hearing her question, glanced over at her.

“When I was young…about half a year after I was put under the king.”

“That young?! You must had been…fourteen or so?”

“Around there…” He answered and raised his eyes to the sky when they finally broke through the trees to venture out onto the fields once more. The warmth felt amazing along with the gentle breeze. “It…wasn’t very pleasant.”

Fey frowned softly, glancing forward to see Basil and Sid having their own small chat which left them alone to their own.

“You…don’t need to discuss it if you don’t want to,” she told him, turning her attention back onto him but he shook his head while keeping his eyes forward.

“You should know more about my past…it is still very vague. I spoke of the experience as a whole…and never went into detail about this and that. Possibly a few months after I was sent to train to become a soldier for him, a lot of the guards…correction…ALL of the guards did not favor me. Being human, they saw a feral as something disgusting or foul. I was tired that day…bleeding and sore but stumbled to my room. On the way, some of the guards stopped me and wished to be amused apparently…so they brought out a large cask of alcohol and forced me to drink.”

The mender frowned more for she never knew…well…she never asked about the little details of his life but she could now see why he never brought it up.

“I vomited all night…and had training again the next morning while still bruised, sick and tired. I tried to avoid the guards for I knew I was not liked. I would even take long ways around to my room but they caught on. Some nights, I’d be kicked or punched until I was trembling from pain…other nights…they would catch my hair and drag me down hallways as I screamed. One day, they caught my tail and actually used a dagger to scrape off a few scales.”

The color in her face drained, horrified by these acts but Saei glanced behind him to swing his tail to show the underside. Sure enough, near the middle on the underside a few scales were missing to reveal tender pink flesh.

“It never healed properly,” he explained and hid his tail on the other side of the tyeirk. “As a I grew, I continued to be bullied…until I was strong enough to hold my own and fight back. It was still some time later on, but I mostly had bits of alcohol to rid my mind of what happened that day. Since then, it’s been a way for me to calm my mind…but you also see why even as an Imperial under the king, I never attacked ferals. To humans, we are nothing…” Saei glanced over at her to see her reaction and saw her frowning at everything she had just been told. Not the best conversation to have while traveling.

“It just goes to show how strong you are…to overcome everything…” She raised her eyes with a soft smile and he could only smile in return at her optimism.

“I had to become strong. If there was any hope of you being alive somewhere out there…I would need to become as strong as I could to find you.” His words only made a blush surface as she held her reins tighter.

“Y-you’re just teasing now,” she said and when she didn’t receive an answer, her nervousness grew. She glanced over at him from the corner of her eye to see him gently smiling while looking forward at knowing deep down his true desires.

“We’ll be on the plains all day at this pace,” he turned his eyes over to her with a glint in his eyes. “Shall we give the tyeirks a chance to run?”

“A race?” She asked, a wide smile gracing her own lips as he shrugged.

“If you wish. What does the winner receive?”

Fey hummed in thought as the wind picked up her ponytail and she looked over to Sid and Basil curiously. “…I guess whatever the winner wishes? No need to be picky about it.”

“Very well,” he tightened his claws around the reins and Fey could feel her heart starting to pound with anticipation, unsure whether it was because of the thrill of the race or the uncertainty of what Saei wanted but she caught up with Sid and Basil to interrupt their conversation.

“You two wanna join?”

“Join what?” Sid asked curiously and noticed Saei also coming up beside them…with a rather anxious look in his eyes.

“A race! We’re moving so slow on the plains that by the time we reach the town it’ll be gone from existence,” Fey giggled and held her reins tighter as Basil smirked, liking the idea.

“I think the tyeirks would love to run as well. We are being boring at this pace.”

“Fine. Winner gets what and where do we end?”

“We end at the town or when the other tyeirks grow tired. Winner gets what they want.”

“What we want?”

“Anything?”

Within reason,” Fey glared over at Sid, knowing exactly what was going through his mind but he chuckled and got comfortable on his saddle.

“I wasn’t going to ask for anything bad.”

“Surrrrrreeee,” Basil rolled his eyes and patted his tyeirk on the neck. “Sound us off.”

“Alright…ready…set…” Fey started to say before laughing softly and motioned her tyeirk to gallop off from the others with her hands tight on the reins.

“Hey!” Basil shouted and had his soon charging off after hers. “That’s cheating!”

“Too bad!” She yelled back at him, laughing softly with the wind whipping her hair around wildly at the speed her tyeirk was moving. The large beast threw its legs one before the other and kept its body low to the ground to have as little resistance as possible from the oncoming wind but it didn’t take long for the lizard like beast to look over to see another one of its own catching up. Fey looked over worriedly when she heard her tyeirk squawk in annoyance and she glared to see Sid smirking at gaining ground.

“That win is going to be mine…and ohhh sooo sweet!”

“As if!” She moved the reins to have her tyeirk swerve at his, causing him to gasp and slow down a bit. The tyeirk squawked at the other of its pack as if telling them it was a dirty play but it seemed to be enjoying being first as it pushed harder to carry Fey out front once more. She wasn’t going to lose that easily.

She had a pretty good guess on what Sid would wish for. Probably something like a kiss on the cheek…but she did tell him nothing too overboard but she didn’t believe the hare would hold to that.

Basil’s wish was unknown. It could be something along the lines of wanting to spend time with her but even then, it didn’t even have to do with her. Maybe he wanted to make a wish against Saei…

What would the dragon want? He was also a mystery and she couldn’t even form any ideas…but then again…what would she want?

She was thrown out of her thoughts when she heard a loud squawk nearby and turned to see Basil’s tyeirk bolting past hers.

“See ya!” He yelled back at her and she growled lightly, feeling the competitiveness rising as her beast worked harder to catch up. They might not be as fast as rasheins but they sure did have a lot of stamina to spend.

“Think we can catch up?” She asked her tyeirk who only answered by putting more power in their run and made them close the distance only slightly. His tyeirk’s tail swayed from side to side with each toss of its legs and he was growing closer to them but she felt her breath get caught in her throat when a large shadow encased her along with her tyeirk. She looked above her to see the underside of one of the large beasts soaring overhead. Could…they jump that high?! She gasped loudly and pulled on her reins slightly to dodge the descent of the tyeirk. Her mount squawked as it veered to the side just as its companion landed right before them.

The rider…was none other than Saei himself who glanced at her for a second before chasing after his brother.

“Showoff!” She yelled after him and could tell her tyeirk was starting to get worn out after pushing it so much but she smiled while slowing it down to a mere trot. “We did good,” she praised the beast with a soft pat to its neck and it purred in appreciation.

“No prize it seems,” Sid whined, coming up to ride beside her but was smiling wide. “It was fun though. A bit of excitement and we did make some ground.”

“What were you going to wish for anyways?” She asked curiously but the hare looked to where he could see the brothers in the distance with a fond smile.

“Do you want the truth or a lie?”

“…the truth…what else would I want?”

“Because you might think it’s too sappy for the likes of me,” he chuckled and looked over at her. “My wish was for you to keep a smile on your face for the entire day.”

Fey’s eyes widened slightly and felt her cheeks warm a bit at his sweet gesture but she glared only a second later.

“That’s a lie.”

“It is not!” He laughed softly.

“Don’t tell me you didn’t think of wishing for something selfish.”

“Like a kiss? If you wanted one,” he winked and she just glared even more with a soft growl, earning another laugh from him. “I just thought dragons were more your taste,” he teased. Fey’s face darkened in color.

“Y-you said you’d keep it to yourself!”

“I am…it’s just us. The brothers are too far away to even hear us,” he explained and enjoyed the slow pace for now. “What was your wish going to be, young lady?” He asked.

“…to be honest…I couldn’t even come up with one,” she answered with a frown.

“Well…remember how I told you back at Yuuin’s to start thinking for yourself?”

“Yeah.”

“This is your chance,” he smiled. “If the town is a really nice one, why don’t you enjoy it to the fullest?”

“I…really shouldn’t be venturing on my own though,” she said sadly. “The last few times…” The memories of Treaish resurfaced of how she was locked in chains and either threatened to mend…or…

She shivered in disgust but Sid just smiled wider.

“That’s when you take one of us with you…and I know who it is you want.”

“D-don’t tease me about it,” she looked away, trying to hide her obvious embarrassment but the hare looked ahead once more.

“I’m not…but we don’t know how many more towns are along the way…and this could be your last chance to…how can I put it? Have a normal day out? For one day, don’t be a mender. Just be you. Go out on the town, shop, eat, do whatever it is Fey wants to do,” he told her with a kind smile and his idea…did sound nice. Mentally, she would truly love a day to just walk around a town without anyone knowing who she was…with the feral she loved by her side. It only made her nervous at the thought of them enjoying the sights together.

Treaish would had been nice to enjoy like that…but that felt so long ago…so this town could make up for that.

Would…Saei want to do that though? Frowning softly, Fey raised her eyes to see if the brothers had finished their race or not and in the far distance, she could make out two figures.

“…seems like they’re done. Wonder who won,” Sid pondered aloud and noticed them coming back toward them.

One of the tyeirks must had tired out before the other since they still couldn’t see the town and she felt her heart racing with anticipation at not knowing who was the victor. Was it Basil…or Saei? More importantly, who did she want to win? Swallowing anxiously, she kept close to Sid when they started to come into focus more. The first one heading back to them was Saei…but his eyes were lowered and he looked like he lost something valuable.

Did…he lose?

The dragon pulled on the reins gently to stop the tyeirk before it came to close to them as Basil passed by him with soft laughter and hurried up to them with a wide smile.

“I won!”

“Did you?” Sid asked with a tilt of his head.

“Yeah, his tyeirk grew tired before mine! So, I am the victor!” He threw his arms up into the air with glee and Fey was happy to see him in such a joyous mood but within her eyesight, she spotted Saei turning his mount around to keep riding toward their destination.

‘…Saei…’ She frowned mentally, feeling terrible at not knowing what he wanted. She doubted he was feeling terrible for losing, if there was no prize…so he must had wanted something.

“So, what do you want then, kit?” Sid asked and kept their small group moving.

“What do I want…?” He repeated with his ears flicking cutely and smiled gently while having his tyeirk ride beside hers. “Sid, can you go and ride ahead? I need to have a talk with Fey.”

The hare could feel something was about to happen…but also saw the nervous look on Fey’s face. Knowing the mender was in love with Saei, he felt a small sense of dread coming. This was probably going to be the moment where everything changed.

“Alright, don’t fall behind though,” he told them and gave Fey a look of hope, mentally telling her to be strong as he had his tyeirk trot off to catch up with Saei who was far ahead of them.

Fey saw the look he gave her at the last moment…and felt herself worrying but for now, she just had to go along with it.

“What did you want to talk about?” She asked, turning her eyes onto him as they rode side by side. His red eyes were gentle, like warm flames as they peered into hers.

“Small things…are you feeling better this morning?”

“Yeah. I learned my lesson not to touch anything that can cause me such a headache ever again,” she giggled. Basil smiled sweetly in return.

“Maybe I should follow your example. Did…I make a fool out of myself last night?”

“Well…you did try to lift a tree out of the ground.”

His ears folded back with a soft sigh at how much of an idiot he must had looked like but her soft laughter only made it worth it.

“Maybe you just need to have small sips…and not large amounts.”

“Sid eggs me on.”

“Just ignore him then. He’s only trying to get a rise out of you,” she lectured.

“Yeah…you’re right. I’ll have less from now on,” he said with a confident look. “I’m just glad you’re feeling better,” Basil added.

“The headache didn’t last that long.”

“…I wasn’t talking about the alcohol this time.”

“Oh…you meant…?” She didn’t want to finish her sentence and bring up the memories from last night. She knew the truth…so did they…it was out of her mind.

“I don’t want to see you cry anymore…not now…not ever…” He spoke gently and his tyeirk came closer so that they rode even more side by side within reach, allowing Basil’s hand to cross the small distance between them to touch the back of her hand. Fey’s cheeks flushed at the feeling and timidly looked up at the feline. “It hurts to see you crying…so…I want you to always be happy and smiling.”

“I-I’ll try my best,” she said and she felt her heart ache when his entire hand took a hold of hers, wrapping around her claws gently.

“…listen Fey…we’ve been friends since…as long as I could remember, haven’t we?”

“It feels like it,” she agreed.

“And when I heard that you were actually in Hulei city with me…you have no idea how excited that made me. My heart nearly exploded,” he admitted with a sweet smile that warmed her heart…but the pain still remained. “I wanted to find you…and protect you…always…a-and…” He looked away shyly, trying to gather his words and thoughts. “…e-ever since…we were kids…I…think I liked you.”

The pain grew worse while also feeling the warmth increase at the same time…

“You were so innocent…always making us laugh…caring for us…I…really liked you but never had the courage to…come and tell you,” he whispered shyly and raised his eyes back onto hers but she did her best to hide the truth she held within her heart.

‘T-this is what I was fearing, Sid…’ She told him and was starting to become frightened of what to do if this continued.

“But seeing you all grown up…it really took my breath away when I stumbled into your room back then. I thought you would hit me or…make me less of a man,” he chuckled and held her hand tighter as she bit her lower lip. “…I guess…what I’m trying to say in the most heart-felt way possible…is that…Fey…I…I want the chance to…be able to court you…openly…to prove myself to you…and show you how much I…really do…love you…” he breathed out the last parts as if a knife was held to his throat if he didn’t speak but he sighed when it was finally off his chest and looked to the mender shyly to see that her eyes were conflicted. Not wanting to add more stress onto her, he brought her hand up to his lips to place a gentle kiss on the back of it before releasing it.

“Don’t answer me now. We got plenty of time ahead of us so if anything, just…put it to the side for now, you know? Let’s enjoy this trip to the town and hope they have a nice beach. We’ll keep our promise and take you there, kay?”

Fey could only manage a slight nod as she felt her heart actually cracking but kept her own promise to smile, hiding the emotional pain.

“Good! Come on, let’s catch up to the others,” he smiled and had his tyeirk trot off toward where Sid and Saei rode further ahead but when he left, Fey placed a hand to her aching chest and knew she was put into the situation she was dreading.

Author's Note

Uploading two chapters as a Christmas treat. Hope you all enjoy!