Felix ran like the wind, his powerful muscles propelling us forward at a speed that made my stomach drop. The trees blurred around us, the cool morning air whipping against my face, but all I could think about was the sheer discomfort of the ride.

I had forgotten.

I had completely forgotten how much it hurt.

The last time I rode anything at this speed was Ace, back when we were traveling to the City of Beasts. I remembered now-how my chest ached, how I had to hold on tight, how every bump in the terrain sent a jolt through my body. After that, I mostly walked on my own, and if Allmer carried me, it was in his arms, never like this.

But Felix? He ran full speed ahead, no hesitation, no concern for my very real suffering.

By the time we reached a secluded spot near the river, I was done.

The second he skidded to a stop, I practically fell off him, hitting the ground with an unceremonious thud before curling into a sitting position. I hugged my knees, focusing on breathing and waiting for my body to recover from the torture.

Felix shifted back into his human form, stretching lazily. "You good?"

I shot him a glare. "Yeah, perfectly fine."

His brows furrowed in confusion. "What's wrong?"

I sighed, rubbing my temples. "Felix, have you ever tried running full speed while-" I waved at myself, then gave up and said bluntly, "-while having a chest? No? Then shut up."

Realization dawned on his face, "Ohhh. That."

"Yes, that," I grumbled, still feeling the dull ache. I'm going to find something to bind myself with after we go back. Maybe use some of Allmer's snakeskin or something to use like a bra.

Felix snorted. "You could've just told me. I would've run slower."

I sighed again, finally feeling like I could stand. "Yeah, yeah. Let's just start the training."

Felix rolled his shoulders, his expression turning serious. "Alright. Unlike Ace, I'm not gonna teach you how to stab someone. I'm sure you've already practiced that alot."

That surprised me.

Felix smirked. "Think about it, Shira. You're not gonna be able to kill anyone in a head-on fight, just land one strike at max. If a feral gets his hands on you, he's not gonna expect you to fight back, because females are weak." His voice dripped with disdain at that last word.

I scowled but yeah, in this world, it's true.

He held up a hand. "Relax, I don't mean you specifically. I mean in general, that's how they think. So what you need to do is get free at the right moment. You can't outrun them, so your best bet is to wait until you're close to something useful-like a cliff or an elevation-then break free and jump."

I froze. "Jump?"

Felix nodded, crossing his arms. "Yeah. It's gonna hurt like hell, but it's better than getting dragged away. If you're lucky, the terrain will slow them down enough for you to hide or find help from some non-feral."

I swallowed hard, suddenly remembering my last experience with falling from a cliff. That was how I met Allmer in the first place. And it hurt. A lot.

Felix noticed my hesitation and sighed. "Look, I doubt you'll ever need to use this. Your mate's too strong-no one's dumb enough to challenge him. But if something ever happens, I want you to be able to get away."

I took a deep breath and nodded. "Alright. What do I have to do?"

Felix grinned. "Simple. I'm gonna grab your wrist, and your job is to break free. You have to find the perfect moment to do it. If you struggle too early, I'll just tighten my grip. Too late, and you'll be dragged off. Timing is everything."

He reached out and took my wrist in a firm grip. Not enough to hurt, but enough that I could feel his strength.

"Go ahead," he said, watching me closely. "Get free."

I took a moment to assess, remembering what Ace had taught me. But unlike Ace, who had drilled me on quick, decisive strikes, Felix was testing something different-my ability to wait.

I tugged slightly, testing his grip. His hold remained firm.

I frowned.

Okay. If I were actually being dragged, what would I do?

I glanced at his stance. He was standing strong, weight evenly distributed. No obvious weak points.

I tried twisting my arm, but he countered easily.

Felix smirked. "Too soon."

I huffed. "I know."

He started to move, dragging me forward just slightly. My heart picked up speed.

I needed to wait.

The moment he took a step back to readjust, I twisted sharply, using the slight gap in his grip to slip free.

Felix blinked in surprise, then grinned. "Not bad."

I smirked, shaking out my wrist. "Told you I learn fast."

He rolled his eyes. "Alright, let's do it again. And this time, I won't go easy."

I had a feeling this was going to be a long training session.

By the time the sun had started dipping toward the horizon, I was completely drained-both physically and mentally.

We had skipped lunch, both agreeing that breakfast had been heavy enough to last us a while. Not that it made much of a difference. Because after hours of training, with multiple breaks in between, I had still made zero progress in breaking free from Felix's grip.

It was frustrating.

And I was so done.

Just as I was about to throw in the towel for the day, a voice interrupted.

"Aim a kick at his manhood. That'll do the trick."

I froze mid-movement. Felix tensed, his hold on my wrist loosening just slightly.

That casual, unbothered tone could only belong to one person.

I turned my head, and sure enough, Iker was walking toward us, his hands lazily tucked into his animal skin pockets, his eyes gleaming with amusement.

Felix scoffed. "You wanna volunteer for the testing?"

Iker grinned. "Not particularly. But it would work, wouldn't it?"

I pressed my lips together, trying to hold back a laugh. I mean... it would. That was kind of the ultimate, guaranteed escape move, wasn't it? A good, well-aimed kick and poof, instant freedom.

"Don't try that on me, Shira," Felix warned, narrowing his eyes at me.

I feigned innocence. "I wasn't going to."

But I was thinking about it.

Not that it would have worked. Felix was fast-he'd dodge before I could land the hit.

Iker hummed, stopping a few steps away. "Where's Ace?" I asked him, stretching my sore arms.

"Gone further into the woods to hunt," Iker replied. "Since winter is near, there's hardly any prey left nearby. Just two or three more days, and the hunting party will stop altogether."

"Huh. That's good to hear," I mused. "At least I'll finally be able to see him regularly."

Iker smirked. "I'm sure he'll be thrilled."

I rolled my eyes but didn't argue. Just as Iker was about to leave, he paused and reached into his pocket. With a small smirk, he pulled out something wrapped in a broad green leaf and held it out to me.

"Here."

I blinked, caught off guard. "What's this?"

Iker tilted his head slightly. "Honey candy. Figured you’d like it."

My eyes lit up instantly. "You figured right," I said happily, taking it from him.

It looked a little like marshmallows, soft and slightly translucent, but as soon as I pressed a finger against it, I realized it was sticky. Very sticky. Probably something made from thickened honey.

"Thank you," I grinned up at him, already popping a piece into my mouth. The sweet taste melted on my tongue, and I couldn’t help the pleased hum that escaped me.

Iker just nodded, amusement flickering across his face. "See you around," he said, then turned and walked off.

I watched him go, noticing how his gaze flickered once—just briefly—to the earrings I was wearing. The ones he had given me.

I shook the thought away and turned back to Felix, who was watching me with an arched brow.

"You want some?" I offered, holding the leaf toward him.

Felix eyed the candy, then made a face. "Ugh, sticky."

I rolled my eyes. "So you don’t want any?"

"I do," he said, stepping closer. But instead of taking a piece himself, he just leaned forward—and before I could react, his mouth closed around the piece I had been holding between my fingers.

My breath hitched slightly.

Felix pulled back, chewing, looking completely unbothered. "Didn’t want to dirty my hands," he said casually.

I blinked at him, my brain short-circuiting for a second.

Not because of what he did. But because I had felt something.

His tongue.

And it wasn’t smooth.

It had barbs.

I stared at him, my fingers tingling where his tongue had touched them. "Wait… what the hell?"

Felix raised an eyebrow. "What?"

"Your tongue—" I pointed at him. "It has something like barbs."

Felix smirked. "Of course it does. I’m a feline."

I scrunched my nose. "So what, all felines just walk around with barbed tongues?"

"Pretty much." He shrugged. "We have a few body parts with barbs."

I stared at him for a second, trying very hard not to think too deeply about that statement.

Then I just shook my head and muttered, "You know what? I don’t wanna know."

Felix chuckled, clearly enjoying my reaction.

Still feeling weirdly flustered, I turned away and started walking back toward the village.

"What? Wanna take a break?" Felix called out.

"Nah. Let's just stop altogether. It's already getting late, and we still have to make dinner."

Felix stretched, rolling his shoulders. "Hmm. Sure."

I knew he was expecting me to climb onto his back for the ride home. But after that uncomfortable journey earlier?

Absolutely not.

Felix let out a dramatic sigh behind me. “You’re seriously walking?”

“Seriously.”

With a groan, he fell into step beside me, still chewing on the candy he stole from my hand.

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Author's Note :

Since the last chapter was delayed, making up for it with this long chapter (⁠・⁠∀⁠・⁠) Thanks for reading!