​Muffled screams came from as she tried to thrash her arms. She knew she should calm herself down, that screaming was a waste of air, but she still couldn’t stop. The branches around her chest were crushing her ribs and if she didn’t get out, the tree was going to suffocate her. ​

"Amaya?” she heard Donghae’s voice call faintly. “Amaya!” She tried to yell his name again, but all she got was a mouthful of bark, which she couldn’t even spit out. What if a bird had- ​

Something touched her foot and she instinctively kicked at it. ​

"Ow!” came Donghae’s voice. “That was unnecessary.” ​

All she could manage were a few frantic whimpers. The large glowing eyes above her head had closed again, so she could see nothing but the black outlines of other trees against the sky. ​

Something poked her foot. “Amaya? What are you doing?” There was no doubt about it; Donghae was trying his best not to laugh. ​

Frustrated, she kicked at him and this time, she clearly heard his burst of laughter. “Okay, okay,” he said between snickers. “I’ll get you out.” She huffed in annoyance, but he just snorted again. ​

Suddenly, there was a yelp and something flashed by in her field of vision. Straining her eyes as far left as they could move, she saw the rogue hanging upside down, the thin branch wrapped around his ankle dangling him in the air. “Hey,” he said with a weak grin. “This isn’t so bad.”

She glanced upwards, meeting the eyes of the tree, which were now studying Donghae as if deciding how best to eat him. Donghae jolted slightly as he followed her gaze. "Alright, maybe this is really bad. Can plants be carnivorous?" A loud rumble, like the grumbling of an empty stomach, answered him. “Learn something new every day….”

​A burst of raucous laughter caught their attention and Donghae leaned his head back to look down at the ground, searching for the source. His face relaxed into a grin. ​

"You have no idea how worried we got since you were taking so long,” said the newcomer. “Fancy seeing you like this, Donghae.” ​

“Eunhyuk!” Donghae beamed. Amaya raised one of her eyebrows and looked at him. “He’s a good friend of mine.” ​

"Someone up there with you?” ​

"It’s a long story,” the rogue replied. “But could you…get me down now? This is kind of embarrassing.”

​Amaya couldn’t hear the stranger’s response, but she did hear Donghae warn him not to get too close to the tree. There was a crack and the tree rumbled as Donghae disappeared from view. She heard him grunt as he hit the ground. ​

A flash of panic seized her the moment Donghae disappeared from sight. They wouldn't leave her trapped there, were they? Although neither of them had any obligation to help her…would they really abandon her? ​

The tree wrapped itself more tightly around her chest and she gagged. Black spots swam into her vision as she felt her fingertips grow numb. She lashed out furiously with her legs, but the tree only sprouted more vines and branches to secure them in place. Having lost one prey already, it was putting up a greater struggle to keep its second one.

"Hang in there, Amaya!” Donghae called up to her. “We’ll get you down in a second.” ​

They hadn’t left yet, or at least, Donghae hadn’t. Her whimper died down to a faint whine as she stopped kicking and tried to calm herself down. She attempted to take a deep breath, only for the tree to tighten its hold around her, eliciting a squeak of protest. ​

"Hurry up, she can’t breathe,” she heard him hiss. So his friend was there, too. Somehow, she never seemed to stop owing Donghae for her life. She briefly wondered if she could ever pay him back. More importantly, she wondered if this tree was like those snakes her mother had told her about, the ones that squeezed their victims to death before swallowing them whole. She almost had to laugh. Escape death by one of the most powerful beings in the country, only to get eaten by a freaking tree. ​It was a pathetic way to go. 

A sharp crack! brought her back to reality and the branch around her legs loosened. As she kicked it away, she felt the branches around her chest tighten even further, as if the tree were fighting to hang on to its quarry. She gasped for air, struggling to breathe through the giant chunk of wood in . Her mind was swimming; she vaguely wondered how long it took someone to asphyxiate- ​

And then the branch around her body jerked away and with what control she had left of her mind, she forced herself to snap her wrists outward, wincing as splinters from the broken branches dug into her arms. Her hands now free, she tugged fiercely at the branch gagging her, but it wouldn’t budge.

​A sword came whistling upwards a moment later, narrowly missing her fingers as it sliced through the wood. Tossing the branch aside and abandoning all grace, she tumbled down through the branches, landing at the base of the trunk breathlessly. ​

"Are you okay?” asked Donghae, reaching out to steady her as she doubled over, clutching at her chest. She winced, but nodded.

​“Let’s not do that again,” she gasped out, picking at the splinters in her wrist. ​

There was a stranger standing beside Donghae, who she presumed was Eunhyuk. Though it was too dark to see his face, she managed to make out short platinum blond hair. He frowned and pointed at her. “Who’s this girl?” ​

"This is Amaya,” Donghae replied. “Amaya, this is Eunhyuk.” Eunhyuk nodded at her, still looking puzzled. Amaya smiled awkwardly in return. ​

"So why is she-?” he began, but the oak interrupted him, bellowing loudly and thrashing its limbs about in search of its lost prey. ​

“Run!” Donghae yelped, leading the sprint deep into the forest and weaving between trees. The tavern girl staggered along with him dragging her by the sleeve, wheezing for breath as she tried to keep up with him. ​

Amaya had always considered herself agile, but running behind the two young men, she felt as clumsy as the town drunk. They were leaping over obstacles she couldn’t even see in the dark, while she stumbled along, tripping over every root and stubbing her toes on every rock in the forest. Donghae suddenly took a sharp turn, squeezing between two elms. Eunhyuk followed him easily, but Amaya crashed into both trees before righting herself and taking off after them again. ​

They had to pause often to wait for her, though Amaya could see the uneasy looks on their faces in the dim moonlight as they glanced around their surroundings. She shivered as she peered into the darkness. The shadows of the trees enveloping them provided cover, although that only made her more nervous. The darkness hid the dangers of the forest as well. ​

In her mother’s stories, the woods were always full of beasts and witches who wanted to devour naughty children, spirits who would tempt lost travelers and lure them to their deaths, and unkempt bandits who would prey on anyone who crossed their paths. She shuddered and wrapped her arms more tightly around her, but it wasn’t her mother’s warm embrace. ​

"We’re okay for now,” Eunhyuk murmured anxiously. “But we have to keep moving. Stay with us.” Amaya nodded wordlessly and hurried after them as if in a dream.

What was she doing out here in the middle of the woods? She would end up as one of the victims in her mother’s stories. A wolf howled nearby and she jumped, freezing up and frantically looking around for the source of the sound. Oh god, if something leapt at her, she wouldn’t even have time to scream before it tore out. ​

She remembered how she’d laughed at the foolishness of the children who had left a trail of bread crumbs, only to have it eaten by birds. Well, she was clearly more of an idiot than either of them could hope to be. She was on her own for the first time, completely alone, with no food, no water, and absolutely no way to defend herself. ​

At the time, she’d laughed because her father was there to protect her, and the reassuring feeling of her mother squeezing her hand during the scary parts had chased away her fears. They’d always been there to defend her from her imaginary monsters. ​

And when a real monster, in the form of Yasujiro had appeared, her mother had attempted to protect her even then. ​

Something wet dripped onto her chin and Amaya realized she was crying. How pathetic, she thought. How pathetic she was to think that she'd been the one protecting her family. That role had always belonged to her parents. She’d brought food to the table, but they’d provided her with the comfort that was even more crucial than simple nourishment. 

And now, it was gone. She was alone. ​

"Amaya?” Donghae touched her shoulder gently. “Are you alright? We need to get going. We can’t stay here. It’s not safe.” ​

"I…” ​

"At least come with us to our campsite,” he told her. “You can decide what to do after that.” ​

"Your governess’s vultures are prowling the region,” Eunhyuk added. “I’m going to assume it had something to do with the two of you. She got them from her friend, you know, enhanced with the ability to see in the dark. They’ll be out all night, hunting for you, so we need to get to shelter as soon as possible.”

​Amaya nodded and followed after them wordlessly. Again, she was relying on other people to protect her. ​

Presently, Donghae stopped and pointed to a path nearly hidden by the surrounding overgrown shrubbery. It was barely visible in the darkness, concealed by the trees around it. “I noticed this on my way into town yesterday, but I think it’ll be faster if we go through there.” ​

"Just one problem,” Amaya told him. She recognized the leaves and berries- there were plenty of these bushes growing in the part of the woods closer to home. ​

"What’s that?” ​

She stepped forward and carefully snapped off a branch of the bush. “These brambles. It’ll take forever to get through them.”

​“I know,” Donghae replied. “That’s why I didn’t take that path earlier. Eunhyuk…”

​Eunhyuk grinned and reached into his belt, drawing the cutlass that Amaya had seen flying earlier. Taking careful aim, he swung his arm in an awkward circle, flinging it through the mass of bushes, where it disappeared into the shadows. ​The tavern girl blinked. “What was that supposed to do?” ​

"It’s a boomerang cutlass,” Eunhyuk explained. “Had it custom made. Quick enough to cut through steel.” ​

"Only when you remember to sharpen it,” Donghae retorted, only half joking. ​

"What's a boomerang?” Amaya asked.

“It's something that will always come back to you.” ​

"Look out!” Donghae called. ​

Amaya jumped out of the way just as the cutlass came whizzing back. Eunhyuk expertly snatched it out of the air and grinned. “See?” ​

Donghae groaned, rubbing his forehead with his palm. “Eunhyuk, you did it again.” He pointed at Amaya. ​

​Slowly, Amaya reached her hand up to her hair, freezing as her fingertips met the edge. Nineteen years growth of hair had been cut short just below her ears by the flying dagger. Apparently, she hadn’t moved quickly enough. Glancing down, she saw a long dark coil on the ground, glistening in the moonlight like some sort of snake. ​

Eunhyuk winced, rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly. “Sorry…” ​

Amaya shrugged. “Probably best if I change my look since I’m supposed to be dead now.” ​

Eunhyuk slowly turned and stared at his friend. “‘Supposed to be dead’? Donghae, what did you do?” ​

“We should keep moving,” was all Donghae said in response. ​

The cutlass had sheared a path through the brambles for them and now they picked their way through it. Every few seconds, Amaya had to stop and untangle her skirt from a few remaining thorns while the boys waited patiently for her. She just knew she was being a nuisance to them. ​

"There is really no need for me to come with you," she said after the fifth time they were forced to stop. "I’ll find my own way. It’s probably best if we split up anyway.” 

​“Not a chance,” Donghae replied and even Eunhyuk shook his head firmly. ​

"I’m slowing you down,” Amaya protested. ​

There was a slight hesitation as the two boys exchanged glances, which confirmed it for her. “No, of course you’re not,” Donghae said graciously. She raised an eyebrow at him and he quickly changed the topic. “You’ll have a better chance of surviving if you stay with us, Amaya. This is the first time you’ve left your hometown and it’s not safe for you to be walking out here alone.” ​

She dropped her head to hide the angry blush crossing her cheeks and yanked her skirt free of the brambles. ​

Presently, the trees grew sparser out as the forest became less dense. The sound of rushing water caught her ear and her eyes widened as they neared the source. Larger and faster than the streams that ran close to home, the water sent glittering crystals into the air as it rushed by. Amaya’s eyes fixated on the water as they approached it, drawn to its beauty. The stars reflecting off the surface looked like fireflies flitting across the water. Mesmerized, she rushed ahead of the others, kneeling down on the bank. She dipped her hand into the water, smiling in delight as she watched the light bend around her fingers when she stirred the water with her hand.

​Donghae smirked as he put a hand on her shoulder. “You look like you’ve never seen a river before.”

​“I…haven’t,” she replied. He gave her a pitied look. ​

"Our camp is on the other side, just between those two maple trees," Eunhyuk explained as he came up behind them. “Over there. A foot path.” ​

It was not a foot path. It was a collection of randomly spaced rocks, uneven and slippery from the rushing river. Amaya turned to give Donghae an incredulous look, but he was already halfway across with Eunhyuk close behind. As she watched, Eunhyuk gave his friend a playful shove and her stomach churned as she watched Donghae wave his arms to regain balance, nearly slipping into the water. Both of them were laughing as they hopped back onto dry land and turned to her. 

"Come on, Amaya! We’re almost at our camp," Eunhyuk called as she hesitated at the opposite bank. 

"Um, now might be a good time to tell you this…” she mumbled, shifting from one foot to the other. “I can’t swim.” ​

Eunhyuk’s eyes widened in disbelief. “You can’t swim?” ​

"Well, I never needed to…” ​

“Then don’t fall,” Donghae said practically. ​

“Right.”

She clenched her hands into fists and timidly placed a foot on the first stone. ​

Amaya could carry three trays of drinks on her arm while twirling a broomstick handle in the other. She could serve drinks to tables full of patrons while balancing their empty glasses on her head. She could even walk in a straight line after out-drinking five full-grown men. And yet at this moment, her balancing skills failed her completely when she needed them the most. ​

With a yelp and a splash, she plunged headfirst into the river, which was thankfully deep enough that she didn’t hit her head on the riverbed. Opening to gasp from the icy coldness of the river, she choked as she accidentally got a mouth full of water. Her head burst through the surface of the water and she turned to see Donghae and Eunhyuk growing smaller by the second as the current swept her along. Why was nothing going right today? ​

"Amaya!” she heard Donghae call. She saw them racing along the bank to catch up with her, but the river was too fast. There was no way they could catch up. ​

Flailing her arms frantically, she struggled to kick and keep her head above water, but her skirt tangled around her legs and weighed her down. Her head slipped under again and she kicked more fiercely until she resurfaced, spitting out a stream of water. Coughing and sputtering, she glanced back. Donghae and Eunhyuk were out of sight now. Her eyes were stinging from the cold and her fingers were going numb, even as her arms and legs grew tired. She was going to drown… ​

An arm wrapped around her waist as someone pulled her to the bank, where she hauled her soaking body up onto dry land. She coughed the remaining water out of her lungs before collapsing on her back with a sigh. The river hadn’t changed, but it no longer looked so beautiful in her eyes. After a moment of glaring down at it, she sat up, wrung out her skirt and hair, and smiled timidly at the person who had saved her sorry self. “Thank you,” she said softly. ​

By the light of the moon, she could make out dark hair and soft facial features as the person turned to her. A long dark fish tail trailed into the water, churning whirlpools in the current as he flipped it absentmindedly. He smiled back, revealing two rows of shining fang-like teeth. “No problem,” he replied brightly. ​

Amaya screamed.