62. Auslin

Chapter 62

Auslin

I t grew colder as they drew nearer to the mountains where Satsuma lived in Arenvale. The intimidating summit towered over them, filling Auslin with dread as they made camp at the base of the mountain. He warmed up in front of the fire while Kitaro hunted for food.

While Auslin didn't need to worry about Kitaro straying, he extended his senses because it comforted him to know the shifter prince was nearby. But something disturbing drew Auslin's attention. Someone was badly hurt. Auslin's need to help someone in pain conflicted with his duty to stay where he was until Kitaro returned. If he waited too long, he might be too late.

It was something Kio had yelled at Auslin about so many times. The human's need to save others had infuriated the half-shifter. But Kitaro wasn't Kio. He would understand why Auslin had to go, plus he could trace the mage by scent since he wasn't going far.

Auslin had only been walking a few minutes before he came across a massive dog that was easily ten times the size of the human. Based on its size, it was clearly a dog shifter in beast form, caught in a gnarly trap. As Auslin approached, the black dog snarled at him, baring its teeth in warning. Wild anger burned bright in its glowing green eyes.

The ferocious show of anger would have been terrifying if Auslin hadn't been so worried about the shifter. He reached out with his aura to brush against the dog shifter's, doing his best to soothe the creature. "I'm not here to hurt you. I want to set you free and heal you, okay?" He held his hand out for the dog to sniff. "I know you can smell I'm telling the truth. I just want to help."

When the dog merely whined through a grumble, Auslin walked closer. He crouched down to look at the massive metal trap, which had ensnared the dog shifter and crushed its leg. The trap seemed to be enchanted, so the shifter couldn't use magic to get out of it. Auslin frowned at the gruesome contraption and the sight of bone peeking through broken skin.

He tried to pry it open, but his human strength wasn't enough to budge the jaws of the trap. The dog shifter snarled in pain, making Auslin stop. He stroked the part of the dog that wasn't hurt. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to make it worse. But I promise I will get you out of here." He sensed Kitaro approaching, which gave him hope. "Someone's coming who can help us."

At Kitaro's arrival, the dog shifter began angrily barking at him.

The dragon shifter was completely nonplussed by the aggressive behavior. He stayed focused on Auslin. "Is there some reason you are here instead of at camp?"

"Because he needed help." Auslin kept his voice calm, even though the loud barking unnerved him. "It's okay. He's with me. I promise he won't hurt you, either. We both want to help."

The barking stopped, but the dog shifter still growled in warning.

"I'm not strong enough to open this trap, but he should be able to do it," Auslin continued. "Once he does, I'll heal you so you can leave immediately. We only want to help you get free."

The dog shifter warily looked at Auslin, his nose flaring as he tried to scent the lie.

Auslin gestured for Kitaro to join him. "Would you please get this thing off him? I'm not strong enough, and I only hurt him more when I tried."

"I will do my best." It took considerable effort for Kitaro to pry the trap open enough for the dog shifter to slip his injured leg free.

The dog shifter immediately started trying to scramble away, but Auslin stopped him. "Wait! Will you please let me heal you? There's no reason for you to suffer for hours while your leg repairs itself when I can help. You can leave as soon as I'm done."

Auslin thought the shifter would refuse, but it lay down in front of the human. It extended its injured leg in silent permission.

"Thank you." It was a relief he could help.

Auslin merged his aura with the dog shifter's. It allowed him to heal the nasty break from where the trap had shattered the bone and torn the muscles to shreds. The damage made Auslin cringe in sympathy. "You poor thing."

Only once he was satisfied the injury had completely healed did Auslin withdraw his aura. He petted the leg to reassure himself that it had returned to normal. "That's much better. You're free to go now. Be well."

Instead of running off like Auslin expected, the dog shifter reverted into his human form. He was a young-looking man with black hair, brown eyes, and emerald-green shifter markings on his body. His expression was incredulous. " Why ?"

Auslin tilted his head in confusion. "Why what?"

The shifter gestured between them. "Why would a human ever heal a shifter? Why would you even try to help me at all?"

"Why wouldn't I?" Auslin shrugged. "You were hurt. It was the right thing to do."

"You're human ," the dog shifter spat in disgust. "Humans made that trap. And you ask me why? "

The information made Auslin's stomach turn. "There are a lot of bad people in the world. But I could never live with myself if I kept walking by and left you here to be captured by anyone who was cruel enough to set such a trap."

"Why would you even care?" There was a note of hysteria in his tone. "What difference does it make to you? You don't know me."

"I don't need to know you to want to help you," Auslin said. "I'm friends with several dog shifters, so I'm very fond of your kind. I could never look them in the eye again if I didn't do my best to help you."

"You're friends with dog shifters?" He scoffed. "I've never heard of such a foolish thing."

Auslin didn't take offense. "I promise it's true. But even if I wasn't friends with them or you were a different shifter, I still would have helped you."

The dog shifter turned his attention to Kitaro. "And what about you? Dragon shifters think dog shifters are lowly creatures. Why would you help free me?"

"If I cared about such things, I would not be traveling with a human," Kitaro replied with a shrug. "He asked for my help, and I willingly gave it. As he said, it was the right thing to do."

He stared at them in disbelief. "You two are bizarre. I've never heard of a dragon shifter and a human traveling together, let alone saving random dog shifters. If it was a story someone else told me, I never would have believed them." He sighed as he shook his head in amazement. "But I owe you my gratitude for freeing and healing me."

"What's your name?" Auslin asked. "I'm Vanra, and that's Prince Kitaro."

" Prince Kitaro?" The dog shifter stared at Kitaro with utter shock on his face. "As in Prince Kitaro, the youngest son of King Tatsuki Ariake of Valzerna?"

"Indeed."

"And you helped me ?"

Kitaro nodded. "Yes, gladly. Had Vanra not asked for my assistance, I still would have. No one should be doomed to be stuck in such a vile trap."

"My name is Misuta." The dog shifter gave a deep, formal bow. "I owe you both a great debt."

Auslin waved it away. "Knowing you're safe and free to leave that awful trap is enough for me."

"One day, our paths will cross again," Misuta predicted. "On that day, I shall repay what I owe."

Knowing that shifter culture demanded such things, Auslin ignored his instinct to tell Misuta not to worry about owing him anything. "I'll look forward to when we meet again. Hopefully, it'll be under better circumstances next time."

"Prince Kitaro, I am most appreciative of your aid. For someone of your stature to help a nobody like me is a kindness I will not soon forget."

"I wish you well as you continue your travels," Kitaro said in parting .

"Until we meet again." Misuta gave a final bow before departing with his shifter speed. He was gone in the blink of an eye.

"We would be wise to vacate the area also," Kitaro said. "Whoever set that trap is likely to come back to check it at some point."

They began heading back to their camp. It was so nice not being yelled at for helping someone for once. "I'm sorry I left without telling you," Auslin said. "But I couldn't sit there when I knew he was hurt."

Kitaro smiled down at him. "You did the right thing, Vanra. I am glad we could free him."

"Thank you for helping. I know dragon and dog shifters rarely mix."

"I do not share my father's and oldest brother's prejudices against other types of shifters. Misuta was simply a person in need of help, which is why I was willing to do what I could to assist him."

Auslin reached out and interlaced his fingers with Kitaro's. "You're the best."

"From your comments, I assume your companion would have taken umbrage with you helping a dog shifter?"

"He didn't like me helping anyone but him." Auslin frowned at the reminder. "But he really didn't like that I was friends with dog shifters. He'd almost always find an excuse to not go to Zinnia with me because of that." That excuse was usually Maseo.

"I would go with you if you wished to visit. "

Auslin shook his head. "My friends are alive in this era, so it's probably best if I don't visit, even though I'd love to see them again."

"There are many other places we can go."

"True." Auslin hoped he'd be allowed to stay long enough to take another trip with Kitaro. It'd be nice to go on a journey for the fun of it and not because Auslin's life hung in the balance of fate.