Chapter 5: Gratitude

Word had gotten out that Felix healed even those who couldn't pay, and, as Edward walked towards the bounty booth, people stopped them to clap Felix on the shoulder.

Broke as Felix was, he still enjoyed the attention. He felt as if he could do this more often. But to do so, he needed to keep Edward from leaving him.

When they reached the bounty booth, Felix saw posters on the walls showing all kinds of creatures. It was the human faces that gave him pause.

"Edward, you are not going to kill humans, will you?" Felix asked, worry in his voice. If Edward ended up killing people, then Felix didn't know if he could follow him around.

"I don't do these types of quests," Edward told him, and then scanned the wall before him. There were a couple of hydras quests, and some dragons, but he wasn't sure he should be taking Felix to something like that. Yet, he still wanted to put food on the table for both.

What with Felix having only ten gold coins to his name.

All the equipment that Felix had gotten was now safely stashed in Edward's bottomless bag. The cat shifter had thought the bunny shifter was silly, for not entertaining the notion. Felix's backpack was empty, ready to be filled with herbs.

"Look at this one: an ogre. I bet we can bag him." Edward would mostly be the one doing the killing, but he didn't tell Felix about it. Instead, he turned towards him and clapped him on the shoulder. "Now, I want you to be careful. No risks are taken without you being open to backing me, do you understand? I need you to buff me, and that is all."

"I can't…buff," Felix bowed his head then. He knew that field healers were expected to be able to buff people, but he was not a field healer.

"Right, I should have known."

Felix expected this would end their adventure, that Edward was going to leave him hanging. Yet, instead, Edward took hold of Felix's hand and brought it to his heart.

"This is your responsibility now, then," Edward told him, the double meaning not being lost on Felix. Felix felt a steady heartbeat under his palm, and he knew that this was a big responsibility. He didn't know if he could shoulder it.

"Why me? I am just a rabbit," Felix said, transfixed at the spot where his hand rested on Edward's chest.

"You doubt yourself, but I know better. It takes a strength of character for somebody to escape what fate has in store for them. You may be a bunny shifter, but you are brave."

"I am not, not really. I am scared easily, and I still want some light near me during the night," Felix felt silly, saying his greatest fear now. What was the use? Did he want Edward to leave him?

The answer was quite simple. He didn't want the cat shifter to find too many faults in him. He wanted Edward to keep telling him that Felix was more than a frightened rabbit, out by himself in the wide world.

"You will see where I am coming up with this, in time," Edward told him, leaning in. Felix felt the brush of Edward's lips on his, and he leaned in the rest of the way. Edward's lips were soft, and his breath was minty.

Felix loved mint. Almost as much as carrots.

Edward finally took Felix's hand off his chest when they broke apart for air.

"The ogre will fall," the certainty was apparent in Edward's voice. "I have done this before. And, even if it can have a lucky break, and try to break my bones, I have full faith in you."

"I won't leave you broken," Felix tasted the words in his mouth and felt their double meaning. It seemed Edward was rubbing off on him.

"I bet you won't," Edward twined his fingers with Felix's and then began to lead him back the way they came. It took them three hours of hiking to find the ogre, but when they did, Felix was not ready for what he saw.

He saw broken human spines and skulls littering the ground. He felt a deep-seated hatred rise in him.

The small part of him that had tried to argue that maybe, just perhaps, the ogre didn't deserve to die, was silent now. He watched as Edward hurled a fireball at the ogre's head, which the being let sail over it, as it dropped to the ground.

Edward made a golem from dirt and rocks and sent it to fight the ogre head-on. All the while, Edward stood before Felix, shielding him with his body. The fireballs flew, and the smell of charred pork filled the clearing.

The ogre fell on one knee, the golem's hands around its neck. Felix tried to keep his eyes on the bones, but the creature's eyes met his, and what Felix saw there surprised him.

There was no hatred, just naked fear. Felix bent over, letting go of Edward, and began to heave. He felt the bile go out of his mouth and was stopped from falling into his puddle by two strong arms.

The golem finally squeezed too hard, and Felix heard the snap—one last wail, one last gurgle, and then silence.

"Are you okay?" Edward asked, handing Felix a bottle of water. Felix cleaned his mouth as much as he could and then looked at the scattered bones.

Some of them were children's. He wiped at his mouth and then took a shuddering breath.

"I'll be fine," Felix told him, not trusting his voice.

"You should learn some fighting techniques. I can teach you some attack spells. You already have good control because you are a healer," which would have been impossible for Felix if Edward hadn't come around.

Battle magic was the mark of the wealthy.

"The next time we do this, I will be fighting side by side with you," Felix promised him, leaning on Edward for support.

"I will have to test your elemental affinity, but I think you should take to battle magic like a duck to water," Edward told him, and then let go of him.

Felix watched as Edward severed the head of the ogre with an ice spell and wondered just how strong Edward was. Fire and ice were opposites, but he used them quickly enough. If this was meant to happen, their meeting, then why was Felix suddenly feeling uneasy?

Edward was not like some of the people who couldn't pay. He was strong, and Felix knew he had picked the ogre as the easiest thing on the list, only for Felix's benefit. And yet, Felix had to believe that Edward was a good person. That he just wanted somebody to be there for him.

Felix didn't know yet, but Edward was thinking something in a different light. He was thinking about how the pull of his soulmate had taken him to this forest, only to find a bunny.

But Felix was not ready to hear that they were soulmates. Edward didn't want to put him under such pressure. And so, he collected the ogre's head and vowed to wait for the feelings to develop.

And if Felix thought he was too dark to be loved, Edward would let him go by the end.

He was not a man who would force himself on the one who was meant to love him more than anything else.