Even though you were the one who hadn’t allowed Fiyero to be affected by the flowers that made everyone unconscious for a bit, you were surprised that he was actually willing to help you return to the forest to set the lion cub free.

You led the way on your bike with the cub inside the basket, FIyero following closely behind on a bike of his own. He may not have been too eager when you first mentioned doing something to help the animals, but he was clearly singing a different tune now.

Once you got far enough away from Shiz, you stopped biking and got off, helping him remove the cub from the basket on your bike. Fiyero, being the gentleman he is, carried the cub within his jacket, trying to keep it out of sight while comfortable at the same time.

Whilst kneeling at a small puddle of water, he knelt beside you, and he asks “What did you mean to do back there, and why was I the only one you didn’t do it to?” You ignored him and instead noticed the scratch right above his brow, towards his temple.

Your hand instinctively reached out to gently cup the side of his face, a single finger lightly brushing over the small wound. "Looks like it scratched you." You tell him this with a certain quietness to your voice.

The feeling of your hand on his face was almost too much, and he didn't know what to say, so he sounded like a bit of an imbecile. "Yeah... Or maybe it scratched me, or something."

You were a little confused, but you shook it off and removed your hand, trying to ease the tension that you felt increasing. It was so thick it felt like it would visibly crackle in the air. He stared into your eyes for a few moments more before clearing his throat.

“I should go and find a place to let the cub go.” He doesn’t know if you feel it, but he knows he does. So really, neither of you realized that you both feel the intoxicating tension.

“I’ll be back… I think?” He picks up the cub as gently as possible before standing up and walking away, trying to be quick about his movements without startling the animal.