+++

She released a snarl beneath the mask as she leapt from tree to tree without a sound, a skill that was mastered during her childhood. The black, porcelain-like mask, decorated with red streaks and two hollow slits for her eyes, did little to keep her from breathing normally. Despite the discomfort, she had grown accustomed to using it during her missions.

But this time, it was a different mission – a mission she had taken to herself.

Taeyeon had slipped through the night, passing by the night guards without being noticed as she leapt from their village’s high walls and out into the thick forest. She was headed to her friend’s village to meet the other girl.

Her gray eyes took in the full moon. Her senses were on high alert as she treaded her surroundings, stopping for a few moments to listen to the sounds of the night. Hearing and sensing nothing in the thick brush behind her, she urged on, relieved to know that nobody had followed her.

With caution, she leapt to another huge branch and then another, confident in her task despite being placed under the uncertainty of the darkness surrounding her, until a glimpse of the other village appeared in her view. She landed on a huge branch, slid a hand beneath the mask, adjusting the ebon cloth covering her nose and mouth. She released a breath, the hot air coming from her lungs slipping through the cloth, bumping the mask’s underside. It was getting stuffy for her, yet she didn’t mind.

She saw the night ninjas patrolling the concrete walls of the village. They have been vigilant on their job. It wouldn’t take long to spot her if she made a bold attempt to come near. She needed a quick plan.

Taeyeon jumped off the tree. She crouched low and crawled her way through the thick greens. She silently watched as the guards made their rounds.

After some swift observation, an idea came to her and she retreated into the shadows to execute her plan.

+++

The sound of a small rock landing on the embankments caught the two guards’ attention. They cautiously approached the area where the sound had come from, not realizing their mistake when a dark ghostly figure swiftly moved past behind them.

They found the small pebble lying harmlessly on the floor. Both guards looked at each other before one of them shrugged the incident off and proceeded to continue their task.

“Must’ve been a squirrel. Let’s move on. There might be enemies waiting to get past.”  

Little did they know that someone had already passed them.

+++

Taeyeon found herself lying prone on a rooftop, crouching low before swiftly jumping to the other building, taking caution with every leaping and landing she made as she searched for her friend in the sea of concrete houses and buildings. There were night guards on patrol on the roads, making her mission quite a challenge as she sneaked past them from above. She was getting worried about failing her task until she saw a lone figure sauntering on the deserted and unlit part of the town.

“Graceful Fox,” Taeyeon mumbled to herself once she recognized the person’s clothes and gait. The energy the person had around them was also unmistakable.

A smile crept up Taeyeon’s face as she stealthily followed the girl from the rooftops.

+++

Sooyeon was taking her nightly stroll through her favorite street when she felt another presence silently pursuing her from the rooftops. She looked up, red eyes searching for an anomaly before she continued walking, taking note of the minute sounds of light feet landing on the roof tiles as she strode. She stopped mid-step when she caught wind of the stalker’s energy.

“Great Wolf,” Sooyeon muttered under her breath, certain that her stalker would hear it, “why are you here?”

The crimson-eyed ninja felt someone land just behind her before she decided to turn to face the other ninja. Sooyeon had to mask her surprise after seeing the black mask decorated with red linings. She raised a hesitant hand, reaching for the mask, slowly taking it off to reveal the gray eyes peering right into her carnelian ones.

Sooyeon placed her hand to the side, the mask still in her hand. “Why are you here?”

Taeyeon placed a hand on her shoulder, “I need to ask you something, Graceful Fox.” She fidgeted for a moment, dreading the answer to the question that she had planned to ask.

“What is it?”

“Graceful Fox, did you kill an elder from the nearby village?”

Sooyeon’s widened crimson eyes told Taeyeon the answer. The gray-eyed ninja could not believe it at first, but Sooyeon’s next words proved her suspicions.

“H-How did you know?”

“The elder was part of my family.” Taeyeon revealed, eyes lowering as she spoke again, “And I was tasked to avenge him…”

Sadness blanketed over the couple as they absorbed the grave news. Taeyeon loosened the cloth covering half of her face, tugging it downward, revealing her grim expression to her friend. They both averted their eyes from one another, finding the ground more interesting as various thoughts riddled their minds.

Taeyeon felt a pair of arms slip around her form, pulling her close until she was flush against the other person’s warmth. For a moment, she felt her body stiffen only to succumb to the comfort she felt while being in the other person’s arms. She closed her eyes to revel in the embrace as she wrapped her own arms around the other person’s body in response; tightening the hug even more. Taeyeon rested her chin on the other one’s shoulder, her heart heavy with the impending pain that would burden her should she push through with her mission the next day.

“You do what you must, then. But know that I will not go down without a fight.” Taeyeon heard Sooyeon say. “It was nice while it lasted…”

Sooyeon’s heart was heavy as she burrowed her face into Taeyeon’s neck, “I was happy to meet you and I’m glad to have known you-”

“It’s Kim Taeyeon.”

Sooyeon furrowed her brows, pulling away just enough to see her friend’s gray eyes glisten under the moonlight. “What?”

“My real name’s Kim Taeyeon. I’m from the Kim clan.”

Sooyeon blinked before her mind registered the information given to her. A sad smile ghosted over her face, “Nice to meet you, Taeyeon. My name’s Jung Sooyeon. From the Jung clan.”

“Sooyeon. What a beautiful name.” Taeyeon complimented as she gazed into Sooyeon’s charismatic pair of reds.

“You’re beautiful, Taeyeon.” Sooyeon blurted as she cupped Taeyeon’s face, taking in the smoothness of the Kim’s skin as her fingers traced the contours.

“Not as lovely as you, Sooyeon.” Taeyeon retorted, running the back of her hand on Sooyeon’s face.

Sooyeon’s fingers stopped at the Kim’s lips, eyes marveling at its plumpness. Taeyeon remained still, gray eyes observing her friend. Their faces grew closer, hypnotized by each other, until the gap between them closed as Taeyeon met Sooyeon halfway.

Unspoken words were revealed through the intimacy.

‘Why did you go through the trouble of finding me?’

‘That’s because you’re my friend.’

‘Just a friend?’

‘That and more.’

‘I love you, you know that? And, thank you for warning me. I would have done the same for you. You’ve done so much for me.’

‘That’s because I realized that you’re important to me. I need you in my life. I want you in it.’

‘I can’t imagine my life without you. You’ve become someone important to me as well, Taeyeon. You’re the only one who could understand me.’

The two shared innocent pecks on the lips as they continued their unspoken conversation. Only their actions and stares did the talking. It was ethereal until a ninja subordinate called for Sooyeon’s attention.

“Sooyeon gongju-nim…” The soldier said, breaking the silence.

Sooyeon stiffened upon hearing someone else’s voice. She dreaded being found with an outsider of the village. She released Taeyeon and turned to face the subordinate ninja, who to her relief had his head lowered. Sooyeon pushed Taeyeon directly behind her, hiding the shorter ninja from the soldier’s view.

“What is it?” Sooyeon asked in a calm tone.

“Master is looking for you.” The man said, eyes still averted from Sooyeon’s gaze.

“Look at me, soldier.” Sooyeon commanded. She had the intention to wipe out the soldier’s memory in order to protect Taeyeon.

The subordinate ninja hesitantly looked up, his eyes met the now glowing crimson eyes of their village’s gongju. His pupils immediately dilated, mouth gaped, and body paralyzed by the power that Sooyeon had cast upon him through her stare.

“Sooyeon,” the Jung heard her friend’s whisper from behind her, “will he be all right? I think he did see us, though he didn’t seem to acknowledge it.”

Sooyeon’s brows furrowed, her gleaming blood-red eyes narrowed as they remained locked on the now unconscious ninja on the ground. “He won’t remember anything from this night. I just made sure of that. Besides, he’s one of those who served directly under my father. I cannot compromise your safety by simply letting him walk it off. Helping you leave this village safely is the least I could do for you.”

“Sooyeon, will you run away with me?”

It was a random question which caught the two ninjas off guard, even Taeyeon was surprised by the words she had just blurted.

“Run away? Leave everything?” Sooyeon’s eyes were as wide as saucers by now. She couldn’t believe what she was hearing. “Taeyeon, are you out of your mind?”

“It’s the only way, I could think of. We could simply ‘vanish’ and run away to some distant land. You and me, together. Nothing’s impossible for us, Sooyeon. We were trained to survive.”

Should she, Sooyeon, trust this friend of hers? Sooyeon had her doubts and yet Taeyeon had somehow proved to her that the Kim’s Great Wolf was a true friend. Taeyeon had risked her life just to inform her of the Kim’s plans, despite having killed Taeyeon’s own elder.

“What about our village? Aren’t you the heir of the Kim clan? You have responsibilities as do I.”

“I thought you hated this - being restricted by the rules, treated as a tool, and feared for your capabilities.”

“I do hate them, but I have people I cherish here, too. It’s the reason why I always return after our secret meetings. I can’t just leave my sister here alone.”

“Oh…” Taeyeon felt her heart clench, but she still persisted, “let’s bring her with us, then.”

+++

Taeyeon turned behind her. She was being followed by another masked ninja. The Kim landed on a huge tree branch and not long after, her masked companion who was carrying a huge bundle on their back took their place beside her.

“Where are we heading?” Sooyeon’s muffled voice asked from behind the dark mask decorated with silver linings and two slits where her crimson eyes glimmered.

The moon stood tall amidst the dark night and the two ninjas found themselves uncertain of their destination.

Taeyeon paused for a moment, conjuring a mental map in her mind. She recalled this route from one of her many missions. They were far enough from their hometowns and these endless shadows of trees and brush do not seem to end.

“I remember there’s a village up ahead, but it’s quite far.” Taeyeon finally replied.

“That village is miles away, Taeyeon. We need a place to rest… and hide.” Sooyeon rebutted as she adjusted the straps that latched themselves on the huge bundle.

“I know, but let’s just keep moving. That way, we’ll have a head start and our pursuers won’t be able to catch up with us.” Taeyeon said as she looked behind before she met her companion’s dark red eyes.

They both knew that once their respective villages had found them missing, their families would waste no time in looking for them. Being caught together would get them both into trouble. They would be deemed traitors and punished for treason. Missing ninjas who deserted their villages were often killed by their respective village’s assassins. And despite the two ninjas’ reputable and affluent status, they weren’t exempted from the rules. 

“Let’s move, then.” Sooyeon said, breaking the eye contact as she leapt forward.

“Hey, you do know that you’ll receive a bigger punishment for abducting your own sister, do you?” Taeyeon managed to say as she followed her friend. It was meant to make the atmosphere lighter as they added distance from their homes.

The Kim heard giggles coming from the ninja ahead of her.

“Yeah. I know that very well, Great Wolf.” Taeyeon heard Sooyeon say.

“You are indeed a Graceful Fox, Sooyeon. Nobody can abduct another ninja like you. You didn’t even cause a sound or alarm.” Taeyeon complimented as they went on.

The Kim was about to push forward when she noticed that her friend had suddenly stopped. Taeyeon settled beside Sooyeon, her eyes displaying a look of inquiry.

“I think I saw something up ahead.” Sooyeon whispered.

Taeyeon looked forward. Her gray eyes glowed as she willed her vision to maximize its capacity. The object which Sooyeon had pointed out from afar became clearer as her vision zoomed into the area. Everything up ahead looked closer and more vivid.

The Kim frowned upon registering what she had seen with her unique pair of eyes. “That’s odd.” She felt Sooyeon’s gaze upon hers. “There’s a village right up ahead.” Taeyeon could sense Sooyeon frowning from beneath the mask. She could sense her own brows furrowing at the anomaly.

“Impossible,” Sooyeon retorted, “There was no village around this area in the map, Great Wolf.” She had resorted to using Taeyeon’s ninja name after confirming from her companion of the structure’s existence.

Taeyeon understood what Sooyeon had meant, “I know. But perhaps, the cartographers have missed it, Graceful Fox.”

“It’ll be too dangerous not knowing what lies ahead. We need to push on a different route.” Sooyeon insisted knowing of Taeyeon’s intention to seek shelter in the aforementioned village.

“It’s night time, Graceful Fox. We need to conserve our energy. Let’s just take this chance opportunity, shall we?” Taeyeon suggested, her eyes still glowing a unique achromatic glint.

“All right,” Sooyeon conceded as she released a sigh from behind her mask. “Let’s just be careful.”

Taeyeon gave her a nod of assurance as they proceeded forward.

+++

Graceful Fox hung upside down from the huge tree that overlooked the village. The huge bundle on her back moved a little in discomfort. The ninja patted it lightly before whispering, “Hush, Baby Fox. It’s a little discomforting, but please bear it a bit.”

The bundle stopped moving and Sooyeon allowed her eyes to examine the dimmed area in silence. Her eyes glistened and any movement within the unknown village was taken in by the ninja. Sooyeon frowned at the lack of movement. It looked like the village was deserted – a ghost town.

She felt someone land on the branch where her legs have been anchored. Then, Taeyeon’s hushed voice entered her ears, “Sooyeon, the whole town is deserted. We can stay here until morning.”

“I haven’t seen anything move from this village. It’s odd. There’s nothing.” Sooyeon complained.

“It’s confirmed, then. This village is deserted.” Taeyeon concluded.

Sooyeon swung her body upwards, her upper torso returned to its upright position making her face the opposite direction. She shifted her body, adjusting the strap behind her before she turned to face the village. Taeyeon, who had been squatting beside her, had her glowing eyes locked on the old town.

“I have a feeling that the town’s not safe. It could be a trap for ninjas who tried to run away.” Sooyeon voiced her opinion in a hushed manner.

“Let’s test it, then.” Taeyeon replied as she stood on the branch, whipping out a kunai, attaching a tag on it, before she hurled the weapon towards a wooden post just a few paces within the village.

Sooyeon watched the kunai explode as it landed on the wooden post, hurling the post’s remnants with its explosion. Wooden splinters flew and for a moment, danced in the wind, before they landed harmlessly on the street.

An eerie silence followed. Sooyeon frowned at the stillness that resonated after the disturbance.

“Hey,” Sooyeon called for her friend’s attention, “that was reckless, Great Wolf.”

Taeyeon simply settled herself beside the Jung, waiting for any movement to sprout from the village.

Nothing.

“I think it’s safe.” Taeyeon said after some time.

“Let’s just go, Great Wolf. I find this village a little too quiet for my liking. I sense something present here yet I couldn’t pinpoint its exact location. It’s like underground.” Sooyeon voiced her concern.

“Are you a sensor?” Taeyeon finally voiced out. She had been bothered by the Jung’s uncanny ability to feel things. Taeyeon had been surprised when Sooyeon had immediately felt her presence when she had been following her from the rooftops of the Jung’s village.

“I am, among many other things.” Sooyeon retorted before she stood up from her seat on the branch, “Let’s just go.” The Jung’s eyes glowed crimson, a look that somehow captivated Taeyeon’s own glimmering ones. “This village spelled trouble for me and I don’t want to fight with this bundle on my back.” Sooyeon said, gently patting the huge bundle she was carrying.

The bundle squirmed a bit before it stopped. Taeyeon tried holding her chuckle as she stood to follow her friend, who had now started to head away from the eerie village they had stumbled upon.

+++

The sun had wormed its way up the sky, dawn breaking through the darkness that cradled the forest for the night. The light broke through Taeyeon’s closed eye lids, making her squint.

A familiar pair of red eyes was ho