Page 6 of The Fox and the Dragon

“Nik Hadden is leaving a unit of soldiers at the Coven’s mountain retreat.” He commented.

“That shouldn’t have any effect on us, and it might work in our favor.” Saphir smiled dryly.

“How so?” Bazil asked.

“The Coven can take care of the next flock of shifters who need help or care or protection.”

"Don't be such a snob Saphir. The shifter communities of the forest are our neighbors." Bazil goaded good-naturedly.

“I don’t mind them as neighbors, but I cannot abide them underfoot on a daily basis.” Saphir defended.

"Speaking of underfoot, how are the fox brothers doing?" Bazil asked, and Saphir laughed.

"They're leaving tomorrow afternoon. Roan is driving them back home, thank God."

"What about the threat to their lives? Has that been addressed?" Bazil wanted the circle back to normal as much as anyone, but he still cared about the welfare of others.

"I had Roan inform their leader of our suspicions, and he can take it from there," Saphir stated somewhat dismissively.

“Who is their leader?”

“Winston Garlock is the leader of their troop.”

"That troop is rather loosely run, from my understanding, hardly a community, really. Make sure their safety is attended to."

“Garlock gave Roan his assurance that the brothers would be safe.” Saphir reported and Bazil nodded. They completed their time together discussing other business and even future endeavors but for some reason Saphir found his thoughts continually going back to the fox brothers and their safety. He was being unnecessarily dismissive. Were they safe? Was he simply sending them away without taking proper precautions? The thoughts began to wear on him.

He should talk to them and get a fix on their situation. He'd been avoiding them since their arrival, not in the mood to entertain more shifters, but now he felt that he should lay eyes upon them. An urge to make sure they were in a good position to leave had slowly taken him over.

They had a duty to protect their fellow shifters those small and vulnerable and unable to defend themselves. He was becoming condescending and stuck up and that was not a good look for anyone. “I’ll stop and see Will and Ashton before they leave and determine their situation for myself.”

"Good idea." Bazil had led him to that decision but allowed him to claim it as his own. Bazil was a good King and an extraordinary leader. He seemed to know his people better than they knew themselves, and that was especially true for Saphir. "Talk to them, Saphir. Make sure Ashton understands the weight that is on his shoulders."

"I'll talk to Roan first and get his read on the men and their situation, and I'll make a concerted effort to listen this time." He smiled at Bazil and, without further discussion, left insearch of Roan. He found him as he was exiting his quarters, and it looked like he was heading off somewhere.

“Where are you going?” Saphir asked.

“I’m going to do a transport.” He responded offhandedly. Saphir did not enquire further assuming that it was simply more shifters returning to their communities.

“I’ll walk with you.” He said. “I wanted to get your opinion on the brothers Ashton and Will Jennings.”

“What do you want to know?”

“Is it safe for them to return home tomorrow?"

Roan stopped to regard him. “That’s a moot point.”

“Why?”

"I'm on my way to transport them home. They asked to leave, and they didn't want to wait till tomorrow afternoon even though the doctor suggested that they should." Roan explained. "Apparently, Ashton heard something said in the dining room while he was having a cup of coffee that upset him, and both he and Will decided it was best if they left as soon as possible. I think they're afraid to stay, honestly, which is unfortunate because we still don't know who it was that set the traps."

“Where are they now?”

“Johan took them to the south portico. They should be waiting for me there.”

“I want to meet with them first so take your time go have a cup of coffee or something. Give me a few minutes with them.” Saphir needed to speak with them something inside of him was urging him not to let them go. It didn’t make sense, and he did not understand it. Even though he didn’t understand the urgency he did not dismiss what his instincts were telling him.

"I don't think Will is as recovered as he pretends to be. He needs more time, but I can't keep them here if they want to leave." Roan spoke to him in deeper terms, recognizing that Saphir was indeed worried about their wellbeing.

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