Jaxon

Eyes

     "It's ok buddy." Hace said as he gently placed Ardent in his car seat. "You had quite a bit of excitement today, didn't you?" He lightly rubbed his cheek.

     Ardent looked up at Hace with his eyes half closed. He nodded slowly to answer him... it was more of a head droop than a nod really though. He looked tired even though he'd just woken up from his nap a little while earlier. Hace figured he was going to fall asleep again. He just smiled as he placed the blanket back over the boy and tucked him in. It was a short drive back to the house, but he wanted Ardent to be comfortable, and he could also wrap him up easier when they got home.

     Sure enough, as soon as the car turned on, Ardent's head had fallen onto the soft chair side, and he was asleep. Hace smiled and sighed. He couldn't help but think of everything that had happened. Monster definitely knew Ardent and Sand. He started to wonder if all the boys from the shelter had known each other. He thought back to the first day he'd taken Ardent back to the vet and seen one of the other young Inchoates... King was it? He seemed to recognize Ardent. It was a pity he had been asleep. Hace would have loved to see their interactions. Would they have been friendly like Sand and Ardent? Or fight like Monster had tried to do? King did seem nicer.

     Hace thought about inviting some of the others from the chat. There were quite a few that still lived nearby. A handful of the other owners had come a long way to get an Inchoate. They had gone back to their homes right after, but joined the chat none the less.

     None of the other Inchoates seemed to be as mean as Monster. A few sounded very mischievous, and he wondered if he should be cautious of letting his own mischievous boy be with them to get into all kinds of trouble...

     Maybe he should just invite Ky and King over for a visit. He then started to wonder... if they did know each other, were they together for a reason? Was it just coincidence that thirty young male Inchoates were all in the same place? Did someone purposely take them? He looked down at Ardent in his arms and wished he could ask the boy. He chuckled to himself at the thought of having a full conversation with Ardent as he walked into his house.

     The medical center wasn't exactly helpful. Jaxon was only ten... but he'd been there enough times to know they would just patch him up enough that he could continue his training and then send him on his way. Today was no different.

     While they had been doing a new obstacle course, he'd been shoved into a wall and was left lying unconscious at the bottom of a pile of debris that had somehow found its way on top of him. It was Ash who found him when he didn't come to breakfast a few hours later.

     Ash carried him to the medical center... which was also a common occurrence.

     Even though they were the same age, Ash, along with all the other boys were quickly getting taller than him. However, Ash seemed to be the only one that really cared about Jaxon's wellbeing. It was like they had an unspoken bond that no one else seemed to have. Jaxon always believed it was because he was so small that Ash felt bad and needed to protect him.

     "Who was it this time?" Jaxon asked as he sat up slowly and held his bandaged head.

     "I'll give you one guess." Ash crossed his arms and gave an aggravated sigh.

     "Blade?"

     "Blade."

     "What did I ever do to him? Why does he hate me so much? I mean, everyone hates me, except you... but he seems to be out for blood every time we're even in the same room. I could sneeze and he'd punch me. I just don't get it."