Page 3 of The Fox and the Dragon

“Let’s wait for the medical professionals and just don’t move.” He stood and was ready to run down the path when Will suddenly started seizing.

“There’s something on the trap I think there’s poison I feel it.” He was jerking and trying to talk but just sputtered and Ashton had no idea what was happening. He was holding him still to prevent further injury but just barely Will was a strong man.

Ashton pulled out his water bottle and opened it and began dowsing the iron trap just in case there was something on it. He took out a second bottle and continued to pour it over the trap and Will’s injured leg. Gradually Will began to calm but still shook like a man in a fever. Ashton tried to pry the trap open, but he wasn’t strong enough and he feared that he would do more harm than good.

“I have to go down the path to make a call Will.” He was loath to leave his brother, but he needed to get help. Will grimaced and twisted in pain and held onto Ashton’s arm.Ashton heard something and looked up to see a man rushing toward them he was tall, and muscular and had a purpose.

He wasn’t wearing a pack or dressed as a hiker he wore black pants, a black pullover and black boots. He looked out of place and yet completely at home. His hair was fiery red, but it was his eyes that stunned. His eyes glowed in the dying light of the day and when they trained on Ashton he could feel their power right down to his bones.

The man took hold of the trap and broke it with his bare hands, tossing the pieces aside and cradling Will's ankle in his large palm. "You've been poisoned." He said and then looked at Ashton. "He needs medical attention."

"He's my brother, and I know he needs medical attention, but I don't have service." Ashton pulled out his phone, showing him that it was dead, and that was all he remembered before waking up in a cold, sterile room, lying on a padded cot with Will in a hospital-type bed on the other side of the room.

What the hell happened? How did they get there? His head was a little dizzy, and he felt somewhat weak. Maybe the big guy had drugged him. "Fuck." Where in the hell were they.

He sat up and threw his legs over the side of the bed and looked over at Will and tried to remember how they’d got there but all he remembered was the stranger coming to them. “Will, Will, are you awake?” He called out to his brother and then stood up looking around the room. It was a large room with plenty of light and looked like a room in a medical facility.

Ashton spoke to his brother once again, but he did not respond. Worried, he hurried over to the side of his bed and took his hand. It was warm, Will was breathing, and his heart was beating. He was alive, but he was not awake.

“Wake up Will please wake up.” He was starting to panic when the door opened behind him and two people walked in they were tall and muscular like the man on the path but lacked his intensity. One was wearing a white coat indicating medical personnel and the other was wearing a black pull over much like the man on the path. It gave a military vibe, but he could be wrong.

"You brought them here, Roan?" Saphir did not understand his reasoning and was making his irritation clear. "Why didn't you call their people and have them transported home? Now they are our problem."

“It wasn’t just a trap it was poisoned the fox would not have survived the trip home. He needed immediate care.” Roan told him.

“Why did you bring his fucking brother with him?” Saphir was not happy about this and was searching for something to bitch about.

“I think the traps were meant for them.” That caught Saphir’s attention.

“How do you know this?”

"They went off trail at the exact place the traps were set. Someone came behind them and set those traps, knowing that they would be returning the same way. There were no other hikers out there in that area, only the fox brothers. I believe they were followed." Roan had a nose for such things; tracking was in his blood. His father was a famous tracker. Saphir could not contradict his findings.

"This is getting more complicated by the minute, and just let me say that it does not make me happy. We need to getback to our own business and stop concerning ourselves with the comings and goings of others." Saphir shook his head, annoyed at the constant problems coming their way. "I understand, but let us solve this as soon as possible and get the little fox brothers on their way home."

“Will do.” Roan gave a half smile and was about to leave when Saphir stopped him with a grip on his upper arm.

“How is he?” He asked.

"He lasted through the night, and he appears to be in recovery. The brother rinsed the trap and the wound with a couple bottles of water, which helped to dilute the poison. I don't know if he understood what he was doing or was just trying to clean the wound, but either way, it helped save his brother's life." Saphir was glad he was going to be okay. It wasn't that he didn't like other species. It was just that he had enough of them for a while.

"I'm glad, and I hope he has a full recovery."

"I'll let you know as soon as we get a lead on the two who planted the traps and their relationship to the brothers," Roan stated and headed back to the surveillance wing. Saphir thought about checking on the Fox brothers but then decided against it. It wasn't his problem, and others were taking care of them. He had the mountain and the forest to patrol and make sure there were no further signs of the curse and the evil it had endured.

The dragon circle had occupied these mountains for many centuries, having first been settled by their father, and then upon his death, the crown had passed to Bazil, the oldest. Usually, a dragon king had several dragon knights who were drawn from his brothers, and they would stand by his side, but their father had died fairly young for a dragon and had sired only two sons, Bazil and Saphir. As the only dragon knight, he wasmore of a second in command, and he took his position and the defense of his King very seriously.

Their father had three brothers two of whom left to establish their own circles upon his death and one who had died in battle and that dragon knight had been Roan's father. His mother died shortly after his father, as is the way with true mates. Bazil had plans of raising Roan to the level of dragon knight within the next few years, and Saphir looked forward to sharing his responsibilities with him.

“Who are you?” Ashton asked the two men.

"You're with the Allegheny Dragon Circle. The soldier, Roan, found you and your brother and brought you here. Your brother has been treated for a fast-acting poison that gained entrance through the wound in his ankle caused by the trap. The ankle was also broken, but his fox genes are fixing that quite rapidly." The one in the doctor's coat responded and then introduced himself. "My name is Dr. Rainy Flynn, and this is Johan Barlowe, a soldier in the King's army." He referred to the man beside him dressed in black.

Johan stepped up toward Ashton while the doctor started checking on Will. “I need to ask you a few questions if you’re up to it.” Johan asked.

"Sure," Ashton responded and gave a nervous glance over to his brother.

“He’ll be fine he just needs to rest.” Johan assured and guided Ashton over to a bench by the wall near the cot. They both sat down, and Johan began his questions which Ashton didn’t understand at first but then the aim slowly became clear.

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