Asbestos Gelos Part 1
**Eleven Years Later**
King Yuy tapped his finger on the arm of his golden throne in a fast beat of utter annoyance.
"Sire! Something must be done about the beast-"
This was the third time this week that the same man came to him begging for help dealing with a 'mysterious beast' that surely didn't exist. It was obvious that the man was a raving lunatic, but it was equally obvious that he would not leave until something was done.
"Wufei."
A slight Chinese man stepped forward out of the shadows. The people who had not seen him drew back in surprise, Heero and Wufei both had to repress smiles. They were not only king and subject, but they had grown up together and were the best of friends. That was one of their favorite tricks.
"Wufei. Go with this man and investigate. If the creature exists, I want you to kill it. If not..." Heero pinned the man to the spot with a glare. "Then you are not to return and bother me with such foolishness."
Wufei performed a small bow and left, practically dragging the prostrating man behind him.
"Next."
~*~
Duo could hear the helpless deer that was caught in the trap. It's pain cried out to him loud and clear, and it took every ounce of his will not to go running up to free him.
But he knew about the men waiting in the bushes.
And if he'd learned one thing in his life it was that men in large groups were never up to anything good.
He sat back to wait. He would wait until full dark. Duo momentarily considered asking some forest creatures to distract the men while he rescued the deer, but he didn't want to risk any of their lives.
So he would wait.
~*~
Wufei checked the sun's position again. They had been positioned in the bushes since the early morning, and still no 'monster' had shown. Night was quickly falling, and Wufei wanted nothing more than to return back to his rooms, grab a warm meal, and cuddle up with his loves. Just the thought of the blonde minx and his green-eyed angel brought a small smile to Wufei's usually solemn face. He wished that his friend Heero had someone to share his life with. The burdens of being a king were many, and Wufei knew that he and his lovers were just not enough to help Heero. He needed to find his own happiness.
~*~
Duo checked on the position of the men once more. They still hadn't moved. They were approximately fifty yards from where the deer was trapped, and they were positioned so they had a perfect view of the area.
The moon was just going behind some clouds, and that was the most amount of cover he would be getting for quite some time.
Silent as the shadows themselves Duo crept up to the deer. The entire time he sent calming thoughts to the animal to keep it quiet. He swiftly removed the trap from its leg and examined the wound.
He wanted to try to heal the animal, but if he were to do so Duo would be left momentarily weakened, and that would not be good. Instead Duo kissed the animal's nose and backed away.
He was about to flee when he felt a new animal presence draw closer. The small boy tensed and cursed his luck.
A wolf. It must have been drawn by the captured deer and had planed to make it a meal.
Of all the animals to come it had to be a wolf. They were the only creatures that never listened to Duo's mindspeech. Perhaps it was because they considered him prey, or maybe they just had attitude problems, but they never listened.
And this one would definitely be trouble.
Duo picked out it's position and mentally groaned. It was on his left. The men were on his right. He was effectively sandwiched between the wolf and the men. And in a matter of moments the moon would clear the clouds and the men would have a clear view of him.
But if he were to flee the wolf would undoubtedly pursue.
And that would also draw the attention of the men.
What he didn't realize was that there was a third option... suddenly the wolf, still safe in its camouflage, snarled loudly.
An instant later, a torch was lit, and Duo was spotted.
The longhaired boy was sure he could hear the wolf laughing. Cursing the wolf mentally, Duo fled.
~*~
Wufei mentally ticked off the minutes that he had spent here that could have been better spent doing anything else. When unexpectedly a loud growl emanated from the area near the place they had positioned the deer.
~Finally something to do!~ Wufei ignited his torch and spotted a hunched over figure.
"The creature!"
The Chinese man winced at local man's yell, but drew his gun anyway. He was not in a pleasant mood, and finally he could get out of here.
Suddenly the figure straightened and began to flee.
~It's a HUMAN?!~
Out of the corner of his eye Wufei saw one of the men draw their own gun. He struck the muzzle, but it was too late. A shot rang out.
And there was the cry was definitely human.
"You fool!" Wufei barely restrained himself from throttling the man. "That was a person!" He threw the man down and took off after the fleeing figure. Obviously there had been some horrible mistake made and this person would need medical attention. Now if only he could get the person to Quatre...
~*~
He felt the hot ball of metal sink into the soft skin of his arm, and stumbled for a moment. Duo only faltered for a split second before continuing to flee for his life.
He had no doubts that it was a race for his life. If captured these men would surely kill him, just like they killed the other animals of the forest, just like they killed his mother.
Duo heard the men begin to pursue him through the brush, and if he could spare the air to laugh he would have. There was no way they would find him in his home... if only he could reach the tree then he would be safe.
They were following closely, but it was only because he was quickly falling into shock. He needed to remove the metal from his system and quickly.
The adrenaline kept him moving until he spotted it. His tree!!
To any onlooker it would appear to be a normal old oak, but just beyond the oak there was a wide but shallow ravine that at one time had washed the dirt away from the roots on that side. Through the roots there was a small entrance into the very base of the old tree, which was in fact completely hollow.
Duo approached the ravine at a dead run, and through skill forged of many years of practice- jumped over the ledge of the ravine, reached out and caught one of the sturdier roots, and swung himself up into the safety of the tree.
Not a minute later the men also reached his ravine and halted.
Duo listened for a few moments before he worked up the nerve to pop out one of the old knots in the tree. It was just large enough to be a peephole allowing him to see what was going on.
~*~
Wufei approached the wide ravine and scowled. It was possible for the person to cross, but it surely would have taken time... especially wounded. He decided to try another approach.
"Hello! Is there anyone out there?"
The men turned to him as if he were mad... If it had been an animal he would have let it go, but this was a rational human being who must know that they need help with the wound.
"We don't wish you any harm! This has all been a misunderstanding!" Wufei glared at the man who had shot the mysterious person they pursued.
"We were waiting for a beast that supposedly lives in this wood. We didn't mean to harm you. Now come out and a doctor will help you." Wufei could swear that he felt eyes on him, but the rest of the men were all diligently averting their eyes in shame.
~*~
Duo pulled away from the peephole. A beast indeed!!
The ball of metal in his arm burned and itched. He yearned to remove it and heal himself, but he feared he wouldn't be able to do it without alerting any of those men.
So he waited.
~*~
After a few minutes of calling out to the darkness, Wufei began to feel foolish. Obviously if the person was anywhere in the area they didn't care for his apologies and did not want their help.
~Not that I could blame them...~ Wufei shot another accusatory glare at the men.
"All right. We're done here." With a gesture they silently left the forest.
~*~
"Finally!"
Duo placed his hand over the wounded part of his arm and concentrated on it. Moments later the interior of the tree was illuminated by a glow that originated from the palm of his hand.
Slowly the ball of metal rose from the hole it made in his flesh, and fell to the dirt floor. Even more miraculously the torn flesh knitted back together until there was only a red mark and some soreness left behind.
Duo quickly kicked the metal out the hole and into the ravine. He then slowly sunk into unconsciousness as he felt fully the drain on his powers that the healing had been.
TBC...
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