thanks to @bearlytolerablethethird who prompted me to write this during our chat last night over on the discord channel she created. Check it out! This was fun to do! Fennecs, and elf ears, and Solas fluff. Solas is now officially “The Fennec Whisperer”! (tm)
Pre-Relationship, romantic tension. Under the cut because long-ish.
Pairing: Solavellan
Rating: Teen for the mention of battle-related violence
Daisy
An unpleasant squelching sound met her ears, as the spell hit the bandit square in the face, singeing his skin to the bone. He crumpled to the ground with a gurgling noise as he choked on his own blood when Lokil heard running footsteps pattering on the grassy ground behind her. Still transfixed by the unpleasant sight, she turned too late and couldn't entirely evade the short blade the man swung straight at her chest. As it was, he only grazed her arm, leaving a long but shallow cut. Before he could get her back into his sight, having rushed straight past her, she hit him in the back of her head with the blade of her staff. The rich golden metal glinted in the bright sunlight, blinding her. When her eyes had recovered, she could see a deep gash in the back of his skull, and he too toppled over, falling on top of his companion.
Her ears, folded close to the side of her head in concentration, were ringing with the echo of metal clanging against metal. When she recovered, she looked around to make sure there were none of the bandits left.
"Inquisitor!". She turned to see her companions hurrying to where she was still standing, trying to catch her breath. Solas was striding towards her, wearing a strained and anxious expression, his brows knitted together, with Varric in his wake, struggling to keep up on his shorter legs, his expression one of smug admiration. Cassandra brought up the rear, looking stern as ever.
"Nice job on two-face there", Varric remarked in an appreciative and light-hearted tone, nodding at the dead thug and winking at her.
Solas was less pleased. "What were you thinking? Running straight at them?" He seemed overly upset, considering this was their daily bread now, and apparently struggling to keep himself from outright shouting at her.
"It's fine. It's just a scratch.", she replied in a dismissive tone. "How about you? Are any of you hurt?", she asked, looking to Varric and Cassandra.
They shook their heads. But Solas hadn't finished venting his disapproval. She looked at him, waiting for an answer to her question, and he went on, bitterness making his voice sharp.
"No, I am not hurt. I was fighting from a safe distance. You are a mage, not a common thug. You are not equipped to fight any enemies by rushing head-on into the fray."
"Excuse me?" Cassandra's voice cut over his. "And what is that supposed to mean?"
But no one paid her any attention. Lokil could feel anger bristling inside her at his words.
"I wasn't asking for a lecture. I can take care of myself!"
He snorted derisively, his lips pulling up in a sardonic grimace. "Don't be petulant!", he snarled. "He would have killed you, had you hesitated but a moment longer."
"Look, Solas, I appreciate your concern, but it's unnecessary. I'm perfectly fine and I-"
He showed every sign of interrupting her, but she held up a hand, as he drew breath to spit a reply at her.
From somewhere close by, she could hear a faint whimpering. Lokil could feel her ears twitching, trying to make out which direction it was coming from and wondering if one of the bandits was still alive. But she quickly realized that this was not the sound of a human voice.
She pushed between Varric and Solas, nudging Solas aside with a hand on his chest, searching for the source of this strange noise.
"What is it, Flower? Something wrong?" There was suspicion in Varric's voice. "Can't you hear?" She asked, not looking at them, but almost able to feel Solas' brow furrowing. "There's something there, behind that tree, I think?" She made towards it, instinct tingling inside her, but still unsure of what she was hearing.
As they got closer, she could make out a small shape huddled in a patch of daisies at the roots of a tall pine tree. It was quivering and obviously the source of the whimpering noises. She slowed down, and treading carefully, so as not to spook the small animal, approached, her arm stretched out behind her to tell the others to stay back.
It was a fennec.
It was curled up, its bushy tail hiding its face, with only its long nose peeking out from under it. It was trembling violently, and just as Lokil was beginning to wonder why it hadn't jumped at the sight of her and run off, she could see dark liquid clinging to the fur on its flank and dripping down over its back and staining the innocent-looking flowers that were sprouting from the wet ground, one of the early messengers of Spring.
"Oh no!", she gasped, her voice hushed and strained, her insides squirming with guilt. She knelt down at its side, unsure of whether to touch it, not meaning to frighten it. "It's hurt! And-", she bit her lip, "I think that was me. I was trying to hit the one who came rushing out of the bushes on this side and the spell must have- Oh no!"
Varric let out a sympathetic noise behind her, and Cassandra huffed.
"Here, let me.", Solas said quietly, just a hint of annoyance still discernible in his voice. He knelt down beside her, his bare toes sinking slightly into the soft mossy ground as he did so. He gently patted the animal's head once, muttering a few low words in the elvhen language. "It is alright. Be calm and let me look at you. You have nothing to fear from me, little one."
He leaned over the fennec and examined its wound for a moment. Then he carefully brushed its tail aside and lifted its head with one hand under its long and thin snout to look into its eyes. But it pressed them close, clearly terrified and still trembling all over.
"Do not be alarmed. I mean to help. It is alright now." He spoke slowly, his voice so uncharacteristically tender and warm, Lokil could feel a sinking feeling in her gut.
Having spent most of her life living in the deep, lush forests of the Free Marches, she had grown up with a deep respect of and love for all things living and breathing. Nature was more to her than the world she moved through. She cared. Seeing it bleed always made her heart bleed with it. And to be the reason for this small, defenceless creature's pain-
At Solas' words, however, its quick, shallow breaths slowed somewhat and, opening them, it let its large dark eyes flicker nervously back and forth between the group standing around it, its body frozen in fear at this unknown and uncomfortable proximity to humans.
"Can you help?", she asked Solas, her struggle to fight back tears clear in her constricted voice.
He hesitated. "It is badly wounded. It has lost quite a bit of blood." Her heart sank. Solas turned his head towards her, and the stern, concentrated look on his face shifted to one of curiosity and puzzlement at the sight of her obvious pain for the little creature. "I can try. But not here, magic alone will not be enough. This animal needs care".
*** The sun was setting, painting pink and golden streaks in the sky. The scent of spring blossoms and warm grass sweetened the cooling air, making the crickets sing their peaceful song in joy at nature's return to life after a bitter cold season.
But even the rewards of her favourite time of day could not stop Lokil from pacing up and down around the camp, getting into everyone's way and fretting over the little creature's fate.
"Ugh." Cassandra made a disgusted noise as she bumped into Lokil, where she was still walking in circles, worrying and wringing her hands, unable to get any rest. "Try to sit down somewhere, Inquisitor. Or go check on the animal, if it troubles you so. It does not help anyone if you stumble around the camp in blind worry, getting into everyone’s way. If you cannot help-" She caught herself. There was work to do. But the camp was already buzzing with activity, working her up even more, and they didn't really need another pair of hands tonight, especially not a fumbling and nervous one. "I am sorry.", Cassandra sighed. "It speaks well of you to concern yourself with something as small as this fennec, even in the midst of all these troubles."
Lokil smiled in happy surprise at those kind words. She had sensed a tender heart in Cassandra, more tender than the Seeker wished for people to know.
"Thanks, Cass.", she smiled back.
"Ugh. Don't call me that.", she chuffed and walked off. Lokil looked after her, still smiling, a moment's relief from her worries easing her mind a little.
"Inquisitor." Her heart jumped uncomfortably at the sound of Solas' voice and she turned around to see him striding towards her.
"What is it? Is it-", she gulped, "Is it... dead?"
Solas had come to a halt in front of her. He tilted his head to the side, his eyes intent on her face, wondering. "No." He paused. "Come and see." But he didn't move right away. Instead, he looked at her with an intensity that made a tingling warmth creep up her cheeks. She didn't see it at first and was already wondering why he didn't turn to take her to the tent where he had brought the fennec. But then he looked down and, following his eyes, she saw that he had extended his arm slightly in her direction, his palm turned up. She looked up into his face, unsure and taken aback at this familiar gesture. Lokil put her hand lightly in his, still hesitating; but Solas wrapped his long fingers around it and turned, pulling her on.
When she entered the tent and looked around for the fennec. Varric was sitting in a chair by a table, puffing on a long wooden pipe, body leaned back and clearly at his ease. Then she spotted the fennec sitting in his lap, its back to her, and slapping at something she couldn't see. Varric looked up at the sound of rustling fabric, as Solas pushed aside the tent’s entrance flap.
"Flower!", he exclaimed, his usual cheeriness back in his voice. "You came just at the right moment. Look." He pointed at the furry creature in his lap. "He's eating! That must a good sign, right?"
Solas had pulled her into the tent and stood still in front of Varric, still holding on to her hand. "How did you manage it? When I left to look for her-" Lokil wasn't sure, but she thought his hold of her hand tightened slightly as he said it, "When I left to look for her, it was still refusing anything I offered. And I think it is a she.", he added.
"I can be very persuasive.", Varric grinned, his eyes flitting down to their intertwined hands for just a fraction of a second. "Right, little fellow. Time for Uncle Varric to find some supper." He stuck his pipe between his teeth and carefully picked the fennec up with one hand and a small wooden bowl with his other, placing the animal on some furs on the table and the bowl within its reach. He turned and squeezed between them, forcing them to let go of each other's hand, with a smirk for Solas and a wink for Lokil. When he reached the tent's entrance, he turned, looked past Lokil at the fennec behind her and added with a smile: "You should probably think of a name for her. I think she likes you." It was only when he said it, that Lokil felt something rough and wet on the back of her hand. She hadn't noticed, her skin still tingling from Solas' touch. The fennec was licking her hand, and she smiled and turned to examine it.
They had wrapped a bandage around its body, a small red stain on the side where she had hit it with her spell. Her throat constricted slightly at the sight. "Is it going to live then?", she started, "Her, I mean. Is she going to be alright?"
"I think so." His voice sounded low and heavy. Lokil turned from the animal to look at him, still bent over the table. She lingered for a moment, trying to figure out why there was a sad edge to his voice. He looked at her with such serious intent and something else she couldn't put her finger on; it seemed so inappropriate for the moment and her shoulders tensed, as she tried to slow the sudden and unexpected fluttering feeling in her chest.
"How did you manage it then?", she asked.
He didn't answer right away. His expression lifted slightly as he spoke. "I know some healing magic that stopped the wound from bleeding. I tried to calm the animal, once we had managed to feed her some herbs from my pack that lessened the pain. She needed rest and a warm place and a few hours to recover a little. And she did.", he added with a warm smile towards the fennec, now licking and nibbling its front paw. "She is strong."
Lokil looked back at the animal, smiling too. "I think I should give her a name." She turned to look at him again. "Any suggestions?"
Solas thought for a moment. Then, looking around the tent, his eyes found Varric's crossbow leaning against his now empty chair and he smiled quietly again. "Varric calls you Flower, does he not? Why not call her Daisy? I seem to remember she was lying in a patch of flowers when we found her. It seems to fit. Daisy and Flower."
Lokil felt too stunned at his tenderness at this moment to react right away.
"Right. Daisy. I like it.", she answered, still not smiling. She hesitated. Then the question she had meant to ask for a while now burst from her lips. "What is going on Solas?" He raised his eyebrows at the strange question. "Why were you so angry with me before? I wasn't really hurt, I think that was pretty clear." She felt herself blushing again. "What is the matter with you? Something has been... off about you lately." She didn't really know him well enough yet to make that judgement, but this had been bugging her for a while now.
Something in his face tensed at her words.
"Is something wrong? Did I offend you or...?"
He still didn't answer. Frustration at his guarded and sometimes aloof manner made the corners of her mouth turn down.
"No.", he said, hushed, but somewhat urgently. "No. Not at all."
She waited.
"It is nothing." Was he... nervous? What was wrong with that man? He cleared his throat.
Fine. If he didn't want to talk, she would have to accept that. He clearly wished to be left alone, and she wasn't one to force her company where it was unwelcome. So she hummed - or huffed - in reluctant acceptance of his silence and made for the exit, but not before scratching the fennec behind the ears once. "Good night, little one. Get some rest.” She turned to look at him again. “And thank you, Solas. For saving her."
She turned to leave. But she hadn't made it two steps, when he reached for her hand - just her fingertips - and made her swivel around again.
He had taken a step after her, almost as soon as she moved and was standing much too close now. He didn't speak. He just stood there, stroking his thumb over the tips of her fingers resting in his palm, looking at her. The tension was almost gone from him, but Lokil could still see the sad longing around the edges of his eyes. She could feel the warmth of him against her skin. It made her want to squirm in embarrassment, sure that he must feel the thudding of her heart up close. She didn’t know what it meant, and she wasn’t sure she was ready for him to know. But she couldn't move. He smelled like the trees surrounding their camp. She felt dizzy.
"I was... concerned.", he said quietly. "You gave me quite a fright. I saw that man running up behind you and I thought-"
A disbelieving huff escaped her lips. "You worried?", she snorted, but she immediately regretted it. He looked even sadder then. "Ugh. I didn't mean it like that", she said, rolling her eyes at herself. "I'm sorr-"
But she never got the apology out. With an audible outlet of breath, he crossed the little space between them and brought his lips to hers, one hand at the back of her head, fingers digging into her hair, the other squeezing her hand. She gasped and sighed into the kiss in surprise. His lips were soft and warm and his touch made the little hairs on her arms stand up. Solas bent her back a little in his fervour, but he held her close to him. If he hadn't, she felt sure her knees would have given way. And so she let herself melt against his broad chest, stroking once over his ear with the hand that wasn't holding his.
By the time he broke the kiss softly to look at her, she felt so comfortable she was unwilling to let him draw back just yet, and she unconsciously followed him to catch his lips again. He chuckled in a low voice and she smiled. His embrace was the safe space she now realized had been missing these past few weeks, in the midst of all her troubles.
"Daisy.", she grinned up at him, feeling lighter than she had for too long. "I really like it." She looked over his shoulder, standing tiptoe, to see Daisy curled up in a ball, eyes closed and sleeping peacefully.
When she woke up the next day, she felt able once more to fully appreciate the chirping of the birds, the whisper of the cool morning breeze and the soft tickling of the furs covering her.
She turned over once more and snuggled into the side of Solas' body, his warmth flooding her own body and her heart.