Kailer was the first to wake, he needed to to prepare the morning for his lover..and her company. He snarled at the thought of Junhong being in his house. The look on Lillian's face, the softness of her eyes.

Kailer couldn't help but feel like his territory had been breeched by that pretty boy mutt. Ever since they we're children, Junhong had been admired by everyone in town. It was because they were stupid to see him for whom he really was. A disgusting half breed.

As he began to brew coffee enough for seven he heard foot steps coming down the stairs. He snorted to himself as he assumed Lillian had came to join him, to enjoy a bit of coffee before everyone else came to join them. As he pulled a cup from drawer he was saw it was Junhong instead.

 Without even bothering to hide his displeasure Jailer snarled as he cursed " Speak of the devil"

Junong rolled his eyes "still believe in superstitions eh"

"Yes especially when they all suggest your the unlucky omen, my tarot reading was right. The devil would visit me soon"

"And here I am" Junhong snatched up the coffee mug and poured himself some coffee. He couldn't even be bothered to deal with a superstitious old fool.

He guess in a way his mistress' haughty attitude had rubbed off on him..He wish he never thought of her at that moment. His heart twanged with longing. It's been a day since his mistress had disappeared. Knowing it wasn't him that sent her to her doom didn't exactly make him feel any better.

"What's your deal? Why so anxious to find your mistress?" Kailer took a sip from his coffee."from what I heard she's a bit of a "

Junhong balled his fists up tightly, trying to control the anger bubbling up inside of him.

"I'm bound to serve her until she does or releases me. You wouldn't understand"

"Yes, I'll never understand while you would waste yer life on , then again I guess since your a mutt that's all you can offer in our society"

The old Junhong would of pumbled Kailer to a messy pulp but instead he drained his cup, stomach aching for blood and essence. He looked up at a angry Kailer and popped his eyebrow at him.

"Are you finished?' He asked sarcastically. Kailer nodded, " Good , glad you got that out of your system, I know you think I'm here to reclaim Lillian. You can rest easy because I'm not. I'm here to defend my mistress's honour and bring her back home before anyone notices were missing."

Setting his coffee mug down ,Junhong walks back to the stairs, "and trust me if I wanted Lillian back, I would of done so the moment I stepped foot in this God forsaken crap shack." Junhong's were glowing red, he was utterly amused by Kailer's jealousy. He considered wooing Lillian while he here just because he could.

 It was no secret that Lillian still held a torch for him, reclaiming someone who had already imprinted on him would be easy as breathing. Maybe mucking with her and his hearts ,minds would make this trip more bareable.

" Enjoy your coffee" Junhong politely said, after all he wasn't an animal.

*

They left before night fall, keeping their eyes straight ahead despite the shuffling of dirt and leaves behind them. This was slightly hard on Junhong. He wasn't use to ignoring the giant elephant in the room..or this case woods.

"Why are they following us?" Junhong asked again, hoping to get a real answer this time.

Kailer sighed "they're blind, the dead can't see but they can hear and sometimes smell. Their no different from us, thriving off blood of the living.." he sympathize with them

"Yeah we're not rotting" Lillian muttered under her breath

"Maybe we are just really slowly" Kailer somehow said with a straight face.

Lillian pulled a face but quickly turned forward as the shuffling grew louder.

"They grow any bigger we night need to either run or fight and I'm not too keen on fighting" Soran alerted everyone, making Junhong's urgent need to look behind him more pressing.

"May have a spell for this" Lillian says, hand mindlessly digging in her satchel. 'Perfect, two talsim, might need to run in a bit loves" she explains.

 Everyone agrees and they begin to pick up their pace as more nephliem began to join the original two. Numbers steadily increasing with each step the group took.

"Why would anyone ever live here?" Junhong asked.

Kailer dropped to his knees, grabbing the twin blades he always carried on each side, letting the nepliem dog pile him. Junhong watched in confusion, why would he allowed himself to be sacrificed like that.

'Kailer!" He shouted out but Soran and Lillian pulled him forward.

"He's a big boy" Lillian said as they began to run towards the hills.

Just as they made it to steep incline, a loud bang came from the forest causing Lillian, Soran and Junhong to turn back, a cloud of smoke wafted from the outline of the forest and out ran Kailer, blackened with sooth and stray leaves.

A cocky smile on his lips and he raced before them, climbing the incline like it was nothing, leaving the rest of the group to follow him up the hill.

Junhong smirked as he quicken his pace to match Kailer, every once and awhile leading for a moment only to be tied to him. Daring each other to take the lead but Kailer wouldn't allow Junhong to beat him, not in front of Lillian. Everything they did was a competition and Kailer had to win.

Above them amongst the skies the cry of birds screeching made the group to stop.

Junhong may of never lived here but he knew those cries all to well. 

On a near by branch sat a sickly thin bird, it's feathers dark as night and it's beak sharp as a knife. It sat silently watching them with intensity, as if was it was planning what it's next move would be.

Everyone stood back to back, almost in a circle. Everyone except Kailer was unarmed for the most part. As each bird found perch on a tree branch, the group began to wonder how they would make it pass them unscathed.

 A mere scratch would bleed for days or be infected in with hours. These birds were natural killers, they were called  Shadow wyverns,the grandfather's of Human's raven who merely stalk death. Wyverns caused it.

"What's the plan" Soran whispered 

"Give me a minute" Kailer hissed.

"Okay but-" Soran started but Kailer ran towards the nearest tree and slashed at Wyvern without saying a word.

 Junhong followed the moron's lead, jumping into the nearest tree and bashed at the wyvern full force, barely missed getting pecked at. Soran and Lillian made a run for it as the boys made a way for them. 

Almost as a team Junhong and Kailer cleared a path until the wyverns have up and flocked away.

"I'm NEVER visiting you again Lillian" Junhong nearly shouted as he dusted off his torn lien shirt.

Lillian just shrugged.

They were close now , as the sun began to set, they began run out of light. They needed to get to the pond before the moon was at it's fullest.

"No time for chatter, your mistress's ritual will beginning to prepare" Soran said monotonously, walking a head if everyone. His cloak's hood on.

He was right, they have a bit more to travel and time was not in their favor.

'Try to hold miss, I'm on my way' He whispered, hoping her mind would hear his call.