Axel sat lazily in his cabin, an almost perfect hermit with his long, unruly hair and slightly tattered clothes. Although it wasn't the seclusion driving him mad tonight. It was boredom.

Outside the world raged and stormed, with winds whipping the trees against the windows, and lightning flashing brightly in the sky. He certainly hoped the damage wouldn't be too bad after this night. This was probably one of the worst rains to ever hit the border forest, at least as far as Axel could recall.

The redhead sighed lightly before getting up and carefully tending the fire in his hearth. He knew no spells or any magical incantations, just simply piled some logs and twigs and then lit a match to kindle the flame, but that was good enough for him. He never really had a taste for the complexities of the cities, except for the magic coolers that preserved foods perhaps, and that only seemed to reinforce his decision to stay in the woods right where he was. Ever since his mother had died, he at the tender age of 15, the boy had nothing to tie him to this miserable old shack anymore. But it was homey and warm enough, just enough for a single lad like himself, and with no where else to go, he figured, why not?

He traded a bit here and there with anyone passing by; it was practically the only way he ever heard the news of the land or about its new technologies. For most of his time, though, he was a hardened miner, toiling away in the caves for hours unending, in the heat of the day with a bunch of other sweaty, old men. That was hard work, but again, Axel didn't complain much. No one was ordering him around, and he lived how he wanted. It was perfect, or as close to perfect as it could be in this messed-up little kingdom.

Axel's bright green eyes wandered over the dancing flames, to the couple of pictures sitting just above the fireplace. One in particular he focused in on; a portrait of a woman with short, auburn hair and a beautiful, smiling face. She was holding a squirming, giggling boy in one arm, as he tried pathetically to climb over her shoulder, chasing something outside of the canvas that Axel barely remembered anymore. He smiled sadly at the picture, wishing he remembered just a bit more of those days.

Barely an hour had passed before Axel realized it was early morning, and the storm outside had faded into nothingness while he was lost in the warmth of the fire.

"Well, nature's run its course for now." he said, stretching as he stood. "Time to see what the damage is."

Pulling on a warm cloak over his long tunic, the redhead went to the door and stepped outside, taking his first whiff of the fresh morning air. There were many broken branches laying strewn about in the mess, and Axel even winced faintly when he saw a bird's nest crushed beneath an entire tree that had toppled over. A lot of trees in these woods were thin and unhealthy; it took only one storm for them to get caught on fire or knocked over. That was certainly one thing he didn't like about living out here...

It was a bit chilly outside, and Axel pulled his cloak tighter around him as he shivered faintly. The sun was just beginning to peak above the horizon, but it would probably be another hour or so before it was light enough to head to work, he supposed. Miners rose with the sun out there, and pretty much planned their days around it; though, contrary to popular belief, Axel very much enjoyed his sleep. His days off were often spent sleeping, with only a small break in between for eating or bathing.

With what light he had to go by, the redhead decided to make his way over to the little stream where he always chose to take his baths. He had no particular reason to for this choice, nor would he have one ready for anyone who asked. It just felt like a good place to check the damage. And if there was some problem there, like a dam made of flotsam and jetsam, the sooner he found it, the sooner he could fix it. He wasn't the only one who depended on the water after all...

No animals were out yet. They were all still in hiding most likely. Axel felt sorry for anything wandering around that night in that terrible weather.

Soon, he was within sight of the river, but he noticed something odd lying across the bank on the other side. Curious, the redhead picked up his pace, practically sprinting by the time he reached the edge of the water. He jumped gracefully across with no trouble at all, but as he drew closer, he saw a truly shocking sight.

Up on the bank of the river lay a body. It was a boy, unconscious, soaked, and covered in mud. Kneeling down hurriedly, Axel found that the child was deathly pale and bore various scratches, several of them trickling blood. As he lifted him slightly off the ground, Axel felt thin, wiry muscles. The boy's frame was short and very small; he weighed almost nothing to the seasoned miner.

"Hey, are you alright?" Axel touched his forehead, pulling back with a hiss. The boy had a heavy fever. Axel realized that some of the damp he felt under his hands was sweat, not just rainwater. Even in this cold, this boy was sweating heavily, his breathing hoarse and quick. Not a good sign at all.

Was he out in that storm all night? Axel winced at the thought. The boy was lucky to be alive, though he seemed to be clinging to life somewhat precariously.

Axel pushed all questions to the back of his mind and hoisted the little blonde up a bit across his knee. "Hey." No response. He tried more firmly, "Hey, you need to wake up. Come on now..."

The boy's eyebrows furrowed ever so slightly, but his eyelids didn't even flutter.

Axel sighed to himself. The boy was undoubtably alone, and didn't seem like he would wake any time soon. In a snap, Axel has made a decision. He wasn't fond of company, but he didn't want a child's death on his conscience.

He got to his feet slowly, lifting the blonde into his arms. "Up you go." He pressed his head gently to rest in the crook of his neck, feeling the soft blond hair tickling his skin slightly. That felt nice at first, until Axel became aware of a far less pleasant feeling; a slimy, disgusting tingle. He looked down and cringed when he saw all the mud and grime he was now getting on his clothes.

"Great," he grumbled, trying to wipe it away with one hand. He somehow managed to get it off while still supporting the boy's head gently, but grumbled again and turned quickly to get back home and out of the night air. He wanted to warm again.

This was not charity, he told himself. The boy would pay him back for all of this...

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Axel hastily cleaned him off outside, drying the shivering blonde off with his oldest, rattiest towels before bring him into the house. All of the redhead's clothes were much too big for the boy, but they were better than nothing.

The clothes hung loosely on him, but that would be enough for now. Axel also took the liberty of seeing to the scratches, bandaging the ones on his head as gently as possible. If he was lucky, they wouldn't get infected. Once that was done, he laid the boy gently on the couch and covered him in the warmest blankets he owned, piling them on as he passed the couch. The boy looked better, not shivering as much as before, but shifted a bit uncomfortably in his sleep, groaning softly as Axel felt his forehead. His fever was still nothing to scoff at, but somehow the redhead didn't feel as worried as he had been earlier. With proper care, the threat of pneumonia waned.

Axel took a short break to grab a glass of water for himself, and then set about making something that might help to soothe the fever. It didn't take long to find something in the cluttered pantries, and soon Axel had some hearty soup boiling in a kettle over the fire.

He remembered an old concoction of his mother's stored away in one of the drawers. It was a small vial of gooey, purple liquid that tasted utterly foul, but did its job remarkably well. Settling back down on his knees beside the couch, firm hands checked his charge once more before he tried administering the potion.

The boy coughed and recoiled even in sleep, but the redhead made sure he took all of it before going back to tend the fire. He was quick to return, carrying a small bowl of soup. It would wash down the vile medicine in no time.

Carefully he got a bit of the broth onto a little wooden spoon, and began patiently feeding the sick child, nursing him with a kind attentiveness he had never realized he had. It was an agonizingly slow process, and Axel was more than exhausted before very long, but he watched over the boy for a while, smiling a little when he saw him breathing in a more gentle, natural rhythm.

"That's better..." Axel whispered soothingly, setting the now empty bowl aside. He thoughtlessly stroked the boy's cheek, warm but not burning anymore. It was a simple, comforting gesture; one that his mother had done to him for as long as he could remember her. And yet it seemed personal, to touch this stranger so intimately. He didn't even know him.

But Axel did not regret his action in the least. On the contrary, he dared it again, this time marveling at the smooth skin beneath his hand. And he let it slide up slowly, tangling in messy blonde hair and tousling softly.

"You can sleep easy now..."

A small sigh answered him as the boy shifted a bit, almost curling on his side. Axel was a bit taken aback in the light of the fire. Without the terrible, sunken pallor to his skin, the boy seemed even younger. Beautiful, in a way. The spiky blond hairstyle was a bit strange, but Axel would be a lord among hypocrites to say so. Tugging on a loose red spike by his ear, he chuckled. Despite the looks of both hair, the feel of them was soft and pleasant.

Still... He wondered absently...I wonder what color his eyes are... He had yet to see them open, and vaguely pondered whether they would match that face.

It was at this point that Axel decided he would just skip work today. It was true, Xaldin hated slackers and he would probably get in trouble something awful, but there was no way he was going anywhere without at least a few hours sleep. There was also this sick boy to take care of. He might be staying for a while, what with his condition and possibly complicated background. Axel had to make sure to set up some important ground rules if that was the case.

So with that, Axel gave him one last little smile before he turned and went down the hall. There was room he could use when he was well enough, but for right now, it was better that he was closer to the fire, even as it grew weaker, crackling and sparking less often. Axel fell down on his bed and shut his eyes tightly, and he quickly drifted off to sleep even as the morning stirred all around him...