Ablaze Without Flames

Chapter 5, Part 1 - Felix

A single browned maple leaf floated down from its branch, twisting gracefully in the cool night air before landing on the bouncy grass. Felix watched it fall. The leaf rested less than a foot to his right before a soft breeze lifted it up and into the river. The harvest should have been completed by now, but instead was just beginning in the orchards, the fruit under ripe but edible.

Felix lay on his back on the riverbank. Having just finished bathing, the multitude of aches from horse riding lessons soothed by the current, he allowed the soft grass and the gentle breeze to dry his skin. His clothes were crumpled in a pile at the base of the maple tree hanging over him. One arm supported his damp head and the other was cast over his swollen stomach. He counted the pinpricks of starlight he could see through the branches, but his eyelids were heavy, beginning to droop. Felix shook his head, chasing off the creeping caress of sleep.

Eight suns had set since Blaise disappeared. Every time Felix stumbled across a member of the clan that hadn't heard, they each wore an identical expression of baffled doubt when he told them. Otherwise, nothing had changed. The entire clan had breathed a great sigh of relief when Asher announced the harvesting of the orchards, and now everything was ordinary, almost painfully so.

A snap of a twig made his head turn. Less than three feet away was the hem of a white skirt brushing the ground. His eyes travelled upward to a narrow waist laced in ribbon the colour of waterlilies. Felix scrambled up, slipping on the grass, and snatched up his shirt from the pile. He held it in front of himself, his face burning.

'Excuse my appearance!' he spluttered. 'I wasn't expecting company.'

'You needn't worry yourself, Felix. Your nudity doesn't offend me,' said Marien.

'It might offend your father,' Felix muttered under his breath. Marien smiled. He looked at the rest of his clothes, wishing he could dress and speak with her properly. He sighed. 'To what do I owe the pleasure, Miss?'

Loose curls swayed about her waist as she turned to look at the gurgling water, as fine and delicate as pale gold threads. It was the first time he had seen her hair without a cascade of braids tied up in complex, flower-like knots. After a breath, she said, 'Do you think it was my father's request that sent Blaise across the ravine?'

'What request?'

She glanced at him. 'He didn't tell you?' Felix shook his head. 'My father asked him to marry me. I had hoped he would have had more tactical timing, but there was a chance I was carrying Blaise's child.'

Felix's mouth fell open at the sudden declaration. His cheeks flamed. He cleared his throat and reorganised his features into what he hoped was polite interest. 'And—are you?'

'No,' she said with a wry smile. Felix couldn't help the sigh of relief that escaped him. 'Under ordinary circumstanced I would be disappointed. Blaise will make beautiful and talented children one day, but...perhaps I am not supposed to be their mother. My father was furious when I told him.'

Felix didn't hear the latter half of her words. 'Blaise—will make beautiful children. That's what you said.'

'I did.'

'You think he's alive, too?'

Her eyes narrowed and she set her jaw. She lifted a delicate hand to push back a stray curl. Her unmoving ears made her incredibly difficult to read. Harder, even, than Blaise. 'You were the only one there. You know what happened better than any of us. If you're sure he didn't die, as fanciful as it sounds, then I believe you.'

Felix shook his head, droplets of water flying in all directions. 'The okami pack saw it all happen as well. They watched one of their own clan die and one of ours vanish into a flash of light.'

Her voice sharpened. 'If you truly believe he's alive, why haven't you started looking for him?'

'...Where would I start?' Felix shrugged his shoulders. 'He could be anywhere.'

'If the okami saw it happen as you say, then perhaps you should start there. Our library is extensive, but we don't have their records. The chief may know something about this happening before.'

Felix flung one arm out, the other holding the shirt in place. 'I can hardly skip back into White Tail territory after what happened! They'll assume I'm spying and imprison me!'

Marien raised her eyebrows. 'You have little faith in our allies, pup.'

'After watching one of them throw Blaise into the ravine, forgive me if I have little sympathy for any of them,' Felix said through gritted teeth, holding back a snarl of contempt.

'He received what he deserved,' she reminded him. 'You cannot judge them all based on the actions of an individual.' Felix started to protest and Marien held up her palm. Her forget-me-not blue eyes were sharp. 'I understand your anger. Had the shepherd not died when Blaise fell, I would have sent the order to have him brought to us and imprisoned here. As things are it does little to hold on to such rage.'

Felix looked to the ground and flattened his ears back.

Marien offered a small smile when he raised his head. 'Take Firefoot to the okami palace and request an audience with the chief. The alliance binds them to accept.'

'The alliance prohibits them from throwing us into ravines, too.'

'It also prohibits us from trespassing and thieving, but Blaise has little regard for the finer details of the arrangement.'

'The clan was on the verge of starving-!'

'I know why he did it and it doesn't matter now. The outcome is the same: their clan member is dead and ours is lost. This is a puzzle which we need to work together to solve.'

Felix licked his teeth and thought carefully about his next words. 'I'm not convinced it's a puzzle they want to solve.'

'Then so be it, but we must ask.'

'Why don't you go?' Felix asked, wrapping an arm around his middle and his tail around his calf. The air was turning from cool to chilly and his skin was still damp. Marien lifted her brows a fraction and he blew out a sigh. 'I can't even ride Firefoot without landing on my face. How am I supposed to get all the way to White Tail?'

'You'll learn.' She took three steps toward him so they were less than a foot apart. Their eyes were level, two shades of blue. She was truly beautiful. Every feature was defined but smooth. Her lips were the colour of carnations. Marien touched her fingertips to his pink cheek. 'Please. Find Blaise.'

B/E: Have you guys ever seen a German Shepherd puppy? Have you seen the way they haven't quite grown into their ears and they're all floppy and adorable? 

I imagine Felix's ears to be a bit like that.