Yoochun and Changmin were outside of the cottage, eyes were staring up at the starry night sky, somewhat seemingly so dull and their hearts had been shattered; another blow would completely demolish the hearts. The silence was inevitable yet the two men did not dare to speak up, neither did they have anything processing within their mind in this critical situation. Only the sound of the blazing fire engulfing the open hearth on the ground, illuminating the surrounding with dancing radiating flames so beautifully flowing in motion, mocking the real situation taking place. The spark of reddened ashes rising up to the air and vanished into black smokes, and the piles of the remaining firewood resting on the grassy ground, this was how quiet yet tense the atmosphere was. Both Yoochun and Changmin decided to take a fresh air outside of the cottage, being told not to go further away. Changmin was leaning his back against the exterior wall of the cottage with arms folded against his clothed chest while Yoochun was just merely standing with hands in the pocket of his pants and his eyes stared aimlessly at the burning fire, having his face to be slightly illuminated by the dancing flames.
“Only if I was strong enough to defend him…” Yoochun spoke softly under his breath. His heart was still scarred with full of darkened regrets over him placing Junsu in such a risky world.
Changmin heaved a sigh, “Again, it’s not your fault hyung. We didn’t know what will happen that time.” he remarked.
And Yoochun just remained quiet with heart wrenching. Changmin just stared up again at the sky, and now he saw a new dawn was coming.

Inside of the cottage, Lillian was sleeping in her room after staying on guard outside. Now that the two men were outside, she rewarded herself with less than that of a sleep but instead just a cautious nap, with her daggers underneath her pillow and planned to leap and pounce with the blades once an enemy was spotted about to kill her in her sleep. Lillian was easy to wake up, even the slightest move she heard would make her leap out of bed, probably thanks to her foxy instinct. In the living room, Jaejoong was standing by the window, having his eyes resting straight over the dark horizon with hands at the back of his waist. His shoulders just felt heavier and his heart was impaled with too many blades. His mind was corrupted, negative thoughts haunting him like his lingering past. He could not just sleep, he didn’t have the reason to sleep. He should not excuse himself for a minute of resting, that was what he thought. He wanted to force himself, to be braver. Jaejoong along with his furrowed brows just gazed at the horizon again. Despite his motionless standing position, his mind was, drifting away in thoughts. How was Junsu right now? What did the wolves do to him? Did they hurt him? And, where was Yunho now? Was it safe for Yunho to return to his home alone in the forest that was still more or less a foreign place for a human like him? And Yoochun, would Yoochun be able to forgive him? And the people of his clan, they were waiting for him. Jaejoong had these kind of thoughts loitering in his head. He wanted to scream, and he wished that he would just be able to sleep for a 1000 years and woke up only to find that every problem was solved, so that he could cherish his life. The pressure and responsibilities of being a leader did take the wind out of his sails; thwarting him. He wondered how he could prove himself as a trustworthy leader if he failed to save his friends. Jaejoong was so deep in his disturbing thoughts that he did not notice the Great Grandmother was walking to his side with a cup of warm herbal tea in her wrinkled hand.

“Drink this, young man.” she spoke, able to snap Jaejoong away from his thoughts as she handed him the tea.
Jaejoong did not say a word as he blinked slightly and carefully took the warm cup. He stared down at the tea, watching as how the thin smokes diffused out of the cup and disappeared as mist in the air. He was not so certain if tea was suitable to be drank at late night, but he didn’t care to think twice as he just straight away glugged the tea before the Great Grandmother had the chance to speak a word. Yes, Jaejoong did not realise how thirsty he was. The Great Grandmother just took a calm glimpse at the man beside her as she smiled, eyes were too, laying over the horizon.
“When I was a leader, I was just a young lady with a daring heart, always curious about new things that I travelled undaunted into the pits of danger. I preferred travelling alone but as a leader, I had to have a reliable companion with me everytime. My companion was one of the strongest cat warriors among that time. I chose him after seeing how sincere he was in fulfilling his given tasks. I never had a dream of becoming a leader, I was an adventurer you see. Even after being a leader, I travelled even more with the help of my companion.” the Great Grandmother had just begun telling her story.
Jaejoong just remained quiet with eyes were now alternating from the horizon toward the old lady beside him. He showed interest. Knowing it, the Great Grandmother smiled.
“My companion and I were close enough that we helped each other whenever one of us was in trouble. The term a knight and a queen was never achieved but instead, we were like friends travelling the world. That kind of formality was never a boundary for the two of us. We discovered treasures, defeated hungry beasts and cooked their meats for dinner. We were wild back then.” and she had a small chortle.
“You had fun.” Jaejoong simply told as he