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"Oh, that's all?" Felix chuckled, "No need to ask me, really. Go on ahead. Just be careful out there."
He smiled a bit.
"I know it's not of the same nature at all, but I can transform into animals… It's more of a perk of my magic than part of who I am, but I thought I might share that, so you know… I don't surprise you or anything if I ever do change forms on you."
Eclipse didn't seem to hear that last part as he slowly looked back at the other, double checking that he was actually letting him do this.
Felix waved a hand. "Whenever you'd like. Don't worry, I'll hold down the fort over here."
Eclipse nodded before bolting for the trees, having enough sense not to shift within sight of the horses, though he did shift, running free in wolf form for the first time since he was a pup.
Felix watched Eclipse go, somewhat in awe. As soon as he was out of sight, Felix sat cross-legged at the lakeshore and meditated for a few minutes before returning his full attention to watch.
It was early the next morning when Eclipse finally came back, exhausted, but seemingly more at peace than he had been since Felix had met him.
Felix saw Eclipse return from the corner of his eye. He turned his head.
"Have a good time?" he asked.
In one hand, Felix had a stick and was prodding at the rocks and the mud in the lake bed distractedly. It was pretty much all he could do to stay completely alert.
Eclipse gave him a small, genuine smile, "Yeah…" he said softly, feeling more at peace with himself than he had in forever.
Felix felt a smile spread over his face too. His eyes lit up at the sight of Eclipse smiling. He was pretty sure this was the first time.
"Good, I'm glad. We can get on the road eventually, and we should be in the next town by midday."
Eclipse nodded, his smile fading at the thought of the next town, his mind instantly flitting to all the dangers it held for him.
"What's the matter? Just going to grab some supplies, and it'll be a mostly straight shot from there," Felix explained, "Maybe if we're lucky, we could spend a night in an inn instead of out in the elements."
"But what if there are guards?" he asked quietly.
Felix thought for a moment.
"Hm… Perhaps we should wait until we're out of your kingdom's territory then to enter a town?" he suggested, "We'll have a nice little road trip in the meantime."
Eclipse relaxed a little at the idea, "Probably a better plan…. I mean…. if… if you're caught with me…"
"Yeah… I'm pretty slick, but not slick enough to get out of a situation like that once caught," Felix agreed.
He started to hitch the horses back up to the wagon.
Eclipse nodded tensely, the smile gone from his face as he thought about it.
"But if we don't get caught, that won't be a problem. I think between the two of us, we can take all necessary precautions," Felix reassured him.
He climbed back into the cart, sitting at the front.
Eclipse nodded glumly, getting up into the back of the cart, lying flat on his back with a depressed sigh.
Felix looked back.
"It'll be fine, okay? I can't wait to get out of this place…" Felix said, then trailed off, mostly thinking aloud.
Eclipse ignored him, trying to focus his thoughts on something less upsetting, but that made the problem worse.
Felix started to sing a little song as they went down the road. He was quite out of tune. Poor boy couldn't sing at all, but it kept him occupied.
As much as Eclipse's ears were sensitive to the off-key tune, the torture was welcomed for once, as it prevented him from thinking in general.
"Hey, do you know how to play any instruments?" Felix asked, leaning back, "I've always wanted to, especially since my voice sounds like a dying donkey."
Eclipse looked up at him in surprise, before shaking his head. "Never got the chance to learn…" he said softly.
"It would be fun, at least I think," Felix said softly, "We ought to try, once we get where we're going."