What a strange feeling. It is similar to after a hunt, when you have eaten too much food and your stomach is so swollen with it that it feels like it could burst. Except it is not my stomach that feels like bursting, but my heart. I don’t know what to do with this feeling. I almost wish I could be mad at Edrick for making me feel this way, but I do not know if it is possible for me to be mad at him.

When Taika spoke again, I was able to wrench my eyes away from Edrick’s form to look at my friend. It feels like my mind is slow and it takes a few minutes for me to process her words, but once I do, I cannot help but smile at her.

“I must be very lucky then,” I said, my voice unusually quiet, “to have made friends of two who are trusted by the fairies.”

I do not know that I would classify Edrick as a friend, but something about him makes him so important to me that I could not classify him as anything less. My eyes had again been drawn to Edrick without my permission, and when Taika moved to circle us and then to stand at my side, it again took effort to focus on her rather than him.

Again, if I could blush, I would have. I could not deny that I had been caught by him. At Edrick’s words, I practically was blushing, my head lowered slightly and my ears tilted back.

When he stood, I took a step towards him, as my ears and head returned to their normal position. Before he spoke, panic flooded me. Was he leaving? He couldn’t leave! I wasn’t ready for him to leave!

As he spoke, relief flooded me when I realized I could go with him. And I wanted Taika to come too! My paws had already betrayed me and were following Edrick, but as I bounded behind him, I glanced back at my friend.

“Taika, come with us! We must find fairies and maybe I can be their friend too! If you’re their friend, and Edrick -” My speech didn’t pause, but saying his name made my heart skip a beat. “-is their friend too, then maybe they will trust me and I can be their friend!”

I practically skipped behind him, my tail up and wagging. I felt like I could fly! And perhaps I could. Maybe we were eagles, soaring through the sky. Despite my joy, I could feel another emotion. It was separate from mine, but still there. It was almost sadness. I didn’t like the feeling at all. It seemed to be coming from Edrick, so I sped up, moving into an easy lope.

“Have you ever been an eagle?” I said once I had caught up to him. “I’ve been an eagle! I flew around and it was so fun! But then I met Taika, so now I am not an eagle as often. Instead I look for fairies! I haven’t found any yet though.”

She didn’t know how to make him feel better. This was the best she could do.