The Little Soldier

by Kiamii

Summary: 4-year-old Alex Rider is lost somewhere in Wales, England and one unit just so happens to find him. Mini-story. Pre-Stormbreaker. No relation to Muddled Tears or any of my stories except maybe the names.

Part I

"Uncle Ian!" called a small voice. 25-year-old Wolf paused and gestured to his closest teammate -Fox- to come closer. The two young men looked at eachother before Fox nodded and silently went to fetch Eagle and Snake who were a little ways behind. Clad in army wear and guns, they made an impressive sight but as Wolf found the source of the call, the man was pretty sure it would be intimidating as he found himself face to face with a bruised and scratched up little boy sitting on a rock, his brown eyes wide and gazing around the creek area with wonder. His blond hair was caked with dirt and mud, making it a dirty brownish color.

The SAS soldier warily crept over to the child, unsure of what to do. They were in the middle of nowhere for this camping exercise and he did not expect a little boy in their midst of all things. While thinking, his heavy army boots crunched a twig, causing the child's head to swivel around to see who was there. The little boy -for Wolf was pretty sure the child was a male- gasped and scrambled to stand up, crying in pain before falling back to the floor. Wolf could now see that the kid had hurt his foot and there was a large cut along his knee. He crouched down to the boy's height a little ways from the young one.

"Who're you?" the boy asked quietly to Wolf's surprise. His voice was softer than before and almost shyly. He offered up a rare awkward smile, something he didn't do too often especially at his training camp.

"I'm Wolf. What's your name kid?" he said in as gentle a tone as he could. The boy seemed to warm up a little to him, still not moving though that was expected considering his ankle. He shifted where he was and gave a timid and warily look to Wolf.

"Alex. I can't find my uncle." the boy said. Alex looked at Wolf again before smiling shyly this time to Wolf's amusement. Wolf offered to carry Alex and help him find his uncle to which Alex accepted the help. The miracles of children and their willingness to comply. Wolf stood back up and slowly picked the boy up, settling him on his hip like he did with his nephews. Alex seemed lighter than his 6-year-old twin nephews though so maybe the kid was younger? After asking Alex how old he was, he found the boy to be four years old to be exact and his Uncle -after prodding- had been on vacation with him when he dissappeared, telling Alex to stay hidden but then a day had gone by and Alex was still there so he had decided to go look for his uncle. Now that Wolf noticed it Alex had a dark stain on his pants as well as many cuts that he hadn't noticed before. Hopefully Snake had their first aid kit stocked. Speaking of which...

Wolf came into the clearing where his unit was getting raid to join him in back up but they all stopped in shock as they saw him entering the area carrying a small child on his hip. The K-Unit leader smirked at their gobsmacked expressions before barking at them to close their mouths. They did so with audible snaps before Snake inquired. Wolf, after glancing at Alex, informed them of the lost boy's dilemna and asked Snake to look the boy over. After handing Alex over to the medic, he set about looking for something to eat.

"So you don't know where your uncle is?" Snake asked kindly as he gently removed Alex's shirt for him. The little boy nodded, sniffling, before he watched as Snake applied the burning stuff his uncle put on him when he got hurt. He bit his lip at the sting but did his best to remain quiet. After much sniffles and whimpers, Alex was fully patched up and semi-cleaned. Snake had given Alex one of their spare jackets which absolutely swarmed the boy but would also work as a blanket for the kid at least. They were a three day hike from the camp as part of their training and with a little boy suddenly with them, they realized they needed to work harder. While Wolf didn't like kids, he had a soft spot for them especially when they were in need of help. It was mostly teenagers and kids older than eight. That's when they all turned bratty and downright obnoxious.

Seeing the sun set the soldiers set about getting a fire going while Eagle proceeded to keep Alex entertained. At least by the time Fox had acquired a meager meal for them, Eagle had Alex giggling and playing in no time, though it looked like the kid wouldn't be able to walk with his ankle sprained according to Snake's analysis.

Alex yawned as he was set down in Eagle's lap and given a portion of his own meal which he was unaware was bigger than theirs seeing as they would rather not starve the little boy who apparently had been stranded for over a day and a half. Nibbling on the berries, Alex babbled to Eagle about something his uncle had showed him earlier. What caught their attention was the fact that Alex was talking about how his uncle never was around and would leave him by himself to go to his karate lessons quite often. Apparently Ian did this as early as when Alex was three and sometimes the boy would go days without anyone knowing he was home alone.

"I learned how to make a sandwhich!" Alex said proudly.

"Oh?" Eagle said, hiding his own annoyance at the boy's uncle, "Is that all you could make?" Alex shook his head and listed off the many foods he could now do thanks to having to take care of himself. It reminded Eagle of that one movie, Matilda, that his little sister had watched when they were younger. What kind of person would leave their nephew or any child for that matter, all alone. Wolf sighed and promised if he ever met that uncle he'd maim him. With that in mind he helped the boy settle before watching as the kid fell asleep easily. The kid made him feel uneasy but the confusing part was Wolf found the kid to not be as annoying as his nephews or most other kids. Alex seemed quiet and obediant at the very least.

"How are we going to find his neglective uncle?" Fox asked with a raised eyebrow.

Author's Note: Just for Fun. Might update soon. Dunno. Do you like it enough? Yes this is an actual little Alex. He's calm like that considering he IS Alex Rider and the nephew to Ian. Don't correct me. This is just to amuse me until I finish writing Muddled Tears.