Storm Born Book One

Chapter nine

"Ned please" whispered the boy Edward barely heard him above the beat of the horse's hooves it was so quiet, 

"What is it, son?" 

"Please" the boy whispered before flopping forward in the saddle Edward scooped his arm about him holding him to his chest as he reigned in his horse. he pressed a hand to his forehead. the boy was burning up, Edward pulled his hand back it was sticky with sweat. he dismounted pulling the boy down from the horse and into his arms before laying him gently on the ground. Edward had been driving them hard over the last few days, little thought was given to the comfort of the boy,  with the need to put as much distance as he could between them and their followers had been paramount. 

 Wolves do not get ill as humans do, they didn't suffer illness, and injuries they heal rapidly it was this constant ability to heal and ward off sickness that made many believe that wolves were immortal they were not but they did live a long time.  The boy was a wolf, yes but his abilities to heal would not kick in until after his first shift, and until then he was as at risk from illness as any human child. Many wolf children where lost in childhood from diseases, as many as human children, that was why wolves treasured their offspring and put their all into nurturing them, He held the exhausted boy in his arms as Darius stirred restlessly in his fevered state. 

Rosalind dropped from her horse rushing over to them, "Edward what is it?" 

"The boy is sick Rosalind" 

She rushed back to her horse grabbing a water bottle and a cloth from her baggage before returning and passing them down to Ned's outstretched hand. He pulled the stopper of the bottle with his teeth pouring water onto the cloth before handing the bottle back to rosalind gently lifting the boy into his arms he wiped the wet cloth over the boy's face washing away the sweat, he was shivering in his arms despite the heat coming from his body he did not know what to do he placed the cloth on the boys head hoping to cool his fever some.

"I do not know what is wrong with him I do not know what to do" he panicked the boy had never become ill before he had always been in rude health and as a wolf he had little to no experience of illness to reference. Rosalind knelt beside him feeling the boy's head and chest he was a furnace, she looked at Ned not bothering to hide her concern. 

"We need to cool him down Edward he will have seizures soon if we do not bring his fever down."

"Do you know what this sickness is Rosalind" he looked at her, his eyes desperate with hope.

"I do not know, but I do know that if we do not break this fever he will convulse"

He nodded laying the boy down he set about stripping him of his clothing. the boy shivered violently making Edward second guess ''Rosalind he is cold'' he plucked at the fastening of his cloak to cover the boy. 

She grabbed his hand placing it on the boy's chest "he is not, cold he is burning hot we need to get his temperature down'', she continued to strip the boy of his clothes, "We will need more cold water Edward is there any stream near". he nodded there was a fast-flowing river that ran down from the mountains, he remembered it from his youth it was always cold even in the summer.

Then I suggest we mount up and go to it in all haste" She gathered up the water bottle, and the boy's clothing and returned to her horse, Edward lifted the boy into the saddle climbing behind him wrapping his cloak about him, holding his burning body to him as he kicked his horse into a canter not waiting to see if Rosalind followed and headed to the stream. it was not long before he spotted the stream. it was not a big stream by any means narrow and shallow it bubbled as it sped over the rocks the noise as it did so was loud compared to its size in the flat expanse of the plain the sound of its flow could be heard for some distance. He dismounted his horse and pulled the boy into his chest carrying him to the edge of the stream. Rosalind had already dismounted and laid a cover onto the ground to lay the boy on. he was mumbling in his fevered state delirious his heart visibly pounding in his chest.