Disclaimer: I do not own X-men, nor will I ever. Which is probably a good thing, considering I'd probably mess it up!

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Innocence

Chapter One

Kidnapped

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"-be quiet," whispered a voice in the darkness, "You don't want the guards hearing us!" my cheek brushed against something leathery.

"Josh, help me with this other one, he's heavy!"

I struggled in the darkness. Come on... wake up...

"I thought you said there was only one."

"I thought so too, but they must have just got another one."

"C'mon guys," said a new someone right close to my ears. Ow... that woke me up, "Hurry up!"

I wrenched myself out of unconsciousness' grasp, and clamped my teeth down on my kidnapper's arm. "Wha-hey!" he dropped me and his arm slipped from my grip. I struggled to my feet, but was tackled. "Help, guys!" said my attacker. "Look, fox-girl, we're trying to help!" Yeah... right. Like the 'help' of the turks, huh? Not going to happen again, buddy! I struggled to bite him, but he kept me pinned down and out of reach. Clawing was no good either, my hands were trapped underneath me. He was smushing me!

"Grab that muzzle these in-humane people have, Josh!"

"What! No, we're here to help-"

"We can't help if we're getting mauled in the process!"

"Fine."

I feel, rather than see, that dreaded muzzle Blackford had made for me after I bit one of the keeper during a hosing down, slip over my mouth. My hands are trapped in to steel like grip and I'm hoisted up into the back of a truck. A man opens a large dog-kneel.

"What are you doing?"

"Obviously she's crazy, just put her inside here so we don't have to deal with her the whole way to the pick up."

I was slid into the cage and the door was quickly shut behind me. I managed to squeeze around so that I was facing the door. I growled and bared my teeth. One man peaked into the cage.

"Fisity little thing..." Joe commented.

The leather jacket guy gripped his arm. "Joe..." he stumbled back before surcoming to my bite and dropped like a log.

"Mack!"

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Dragon's hands and feet had been duck taped and he was laid outside my cage on the bed of the truck, a blanket wrapped around him. I was still pretty groggy from the after effects of the setitives. I sighed, and laid down on the doggy smelling towels that were already in here. I had fallen asleep even with the jostling and bumps we occasionally hit and was startled when I woke up to the truck still, and the motor quiet. There was to low, monotone voice of two people still in the truck. They had stopped. But why? And where was I? Everything was so strange... Why were they doing this? More, and more, the thoughts raced in my head, quickly becoming frantic by each passing moment. What was I to do? Dragon wasn't awake yet. Should I wake him up? Could I? What do I do?

There was a sudden stabbing pain in my head and I gave a cry before clutching my head. I closed my eyes as I endured the pain that I knew would last a few long, agonizing moments. As quickly as it had come it was gone, leaving behind a dull throb. I opened my eyes to see Dragon stirring from his sleep. I gave a happy yap as he suddenly untangled himself from the covers throwing it roughly to the side.

"Where are we?..." he looked down at the bonds around his wrist and ankles. "What in the world?" I whined, suddenly gaining his attention. "Foxy..." He glanced toward the window of the truck before turning back to me. "Foxy, be real quiet. I think I can get us out of this mess." He turned to his wrist, and, with one claw like finger, he sliced opened the duck tape. He did likewise to his ankles before turning to the lock on my kennel door. "I don't know how to pick it open..." he added lowly, "But I can burn it away. Foxy," he looked at me, "Get as close to the back of the kennel as you can." I quickly scrambled backward. "Take the towel and shield yourself." I did as told. I heard a sudden, deep, inhalation followed by low, almost roar noise before it erupted into coughs. I peeked out again. "Not..." he coughed a few times, "..yet." I heard the same noise as before, but this time without the coughs.

"Alright," Dragon sounded out of breath. I felt a tug on my towel before it was ripped away. Surprised, I looked to see Dragon spreading it out were the door to the kennel had once been. It was completely gone! "C'mon," he whispered, "Let's go. We must be very careful not to shake the bed of the truck as we're getting out." Slowly, and quietly, we crawled to the end of the bed. Dragon hopped out first. I turned around and waited. I stood up to stepped over the tail gate when I noticed how high up I was. "C'mon, hurry!" I gulped and placed one leg over the tail gate. It was a long way down. I can't jump! It's too far! Dragon must have gotten impatient, because, quiet suddenly, I picked me up by my waist and placed me down on the ground beside him. Oh, well, that was easy. "We got to run." he said quietly as he grabbed my hand. Glancing uneasily toward our formal captors, I looked back. A tug was all the warning I had, before he took off running. I stumbled, and would have fallen, had Dragon not kept me going. We were free. For the first time in my life I was free.

I felt something move with in me as I glanced over at Dragon. At the time Dragon may not have known this, but he had gained a friend. For life.

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Author's Note: Next chapter upcoming Friday!