Although Fenris would never admit it out loud, there was a certain rightness to having the healer back in the party. Hawke's preferred group always included Fenris, Anders, and either Varric or Isabella if not both. After feeling his absence for so long Fenris had to concede that Anders was a talented healer, and he was also very precise with his fireball spell. Unlike Merrill, who had managed to zap Fenris and Hawke with lighting three times in the past two months. He swore there was still a weird metallic taste in the back of his throat from the last time, and the thought of it brought a scowl to his face.

Hawke was walking beside him, and he must have been looking at his face because he said loud enough for the others to hear,

"Oh, come now Fenris, it isn't so bad having Anders with us again, is it?"

Fenris sighed to himself. Hawke had taken to throwing out these needling little remarks designed to provoke bickering between the mage and the lyrium elf. By some unspoken agreement, the two of them had decided not to oblige. So Fenris made a point of also speaking loudly enough for the whole group to hear,

"Actually Hawke, I was just thinking that I prefer the healer to some idiot blood mage who uses us as lightning rods."

Hawke looked a little disgruntled at that and said nothing more, dropping back to walk beside Varric.

They were searching for a lost quanari patrol along the Wounded Coast. Once they found the bodies Hawke had wanted to go further south along the path to see if the old mercenary camp was still abandoned. So of course that meant they ended up fighting alongside a guard patrol that was trapped by a large gang of Raiders. It was/i Tuesday, after all.

The fight went pretty much as all their fights did, with Hawke and Fenris sweeping out in front along with the guards, and Anders and Varric hanging back to shoot and cast at a distance. At one point he found himself facing one of the raiders, the two blades in his hands showing that he was a rogue. One was a wickedly curved dagger while the other was a long, narrow, and very pointy blade that was obviously designed for punching through armor. Both blades were coated in a dark, oily residue.

Fenris lunged toward the raider, sweeping his blade in front of him, but with a flip and a puff of smoke the rogue disappeared, drawing a frustrated growl out of him. He hated it when they did that.

A shout from Varric drew his attention, and he turned to see that the dwarf and the healer were backed against the rocks by three of the fighters. Fenris was over there in a flash of blue, cutting through the raiders with one enormous blow. Two fell immediately, but one was still standing and Fenris was just finishing him off with the backswing when he felt a blade punch through his armor and into his side.

Quick as thought he activated his markings, whirling around to behead the rogue in one smooth motion. The damage was already done however; he could feel from the burn and the blood soaking his leathers that this was no light wound.

He steeled himself to ignore it until the battle was over. There were only a few raiders left, and he moved swiftly to help Hawke finish them off. Once Hawke had spoken to the guard and had started looting the bodies he allowed himself to sink down onto a nearby rock, hand pressed against his side. The burning sensation was spreading up his side and down his leg, and it was getting harder to remain upright.

He heard Varric whistle and then call out to Anders,

"Shit, Broody's got a big hole in his side, and he's looking pretty green over here!"

He slid down the rock until he was mostly lying on the ground with just his head propped up. Anders knelt over him, pulling him so he was flat on the ground and then moving to unbuckle his armor, and almost automatically he started to snarl at the mage not to touch him when Hawke said peevishly,

"Careful there Anders, Fenris doesn't like to be touched."

The healer didn't pause in what he was doing as he replied sarcastically,

"Yes Hawke, I've met Fenris. But I'm sure he'd like being dead even less than being touched."

He didn't know what demon of perversity possessed him, but he heard himself rasp out,

"Let the healer do what he must. Besides, unlike some, he has always had a gentle touch."

He had a moment to enjoy the completely pissed off expression on Hawke's face and the surprised one on Anders' before his vision unfocused. His last thought was satisfaction that he had gotten the words out just as he wanted before he slid off into the darkness.