“Stop!”

Luhan gasped as he felt the fire graze his elbows. The flames at the foliage around him and reduced what had been living plants to grey ash that lay smoking on the now-bare soil. A plain and grim example of what would happen to him if he stopped running. Light, turned a glowing emerald green by the trees above, rippled and flashed all around him and turned everything into a shimmering dappled blur of wood and vines and leaves.

He nearly tripped on a protruding tree root and actually felt the flames coil teasingly around his ankle before slithering away. The pain shot up his leg like a jagged bolt and left him partially paralysed with blood thundering in his ears.

He groaned as he clutched at his affected leg and tried to run at the same time. It was so pain, too pain, and oh god, why had he even gone to their territory in the first place. He gritted his teeth as he picked himself off the ground and lurched forward. More roots and vines ripped at his legs and antlers to bring him on his knees time and time again. Behind him, scornful laughter rang in his ears and he felt more of the ophidian flames snaking towards him. Curling, twisting, spitting.

Damn the dragon people and their ability to control fire.

He felt a sudden burst of heat flare beside his face and let out a suppressed shriek, twisting his full body away from the source so that he wouldn’t get burned, but immediately turned back when he found himself surrounded by a tall wall of fire.

The heat was suffocating, he felt like he had been transported to Hell. Plants and flowers sprouted from where his feet had been moments before as he shifted and moved further back with the hope of finding something to create a hole in the fire with. The red and white camellia buds grew at an abnormal rate, flowering within seconds but wilting from the extreme heat almost immediately.

Luhan winced at the sight of all the blackened flower heads on the ground. It was partly why he detested the dragon people so much. They destroyed everything in their path, leaving only grey ash and smouldering remains behind. It was even rumoured that their home was simply a large clearing, with no plants or life, and a single large rock as its centre.

In fact, Luhan had been trying to sneak a peek at the rumoured wasteland in the middle of the forest. Then he had been found by some teens with too much time on their hands, and the rest was history.

A single opening split the wall of fire right in front of him, just enough for one of the teenagers to walk through. The teen had wild, frizzy orange hair which was singed at the very tips, creating a savage look that was unique to the adolescents of the dragon people, at least, until their hair became fireproof.

“What do we have here.” He drawled, earning shouts of mockery from the other teens outside the wall.

“You know,” He paused, grinning down at the deer nymph in a feral way so that his sharp canines showed.

“I would really like some venison right now.” He squatted so that he was eye level with Luhan. The laughing outside increased in both volume and density, and Luhan briefly wondered just what he had gotten himself into.

“How ‘bout that, eh? Care to join us, little deer?” The tall teen stretched out a palm and conjured a small little prancing deer made of fire. The light illuminated the shadows of what would otherwise be a very friendly and happy face and turned it into a sinister one instead.

“Don’t worry,” He paused and clenched his hand into a fist. The deer disappeared in a puff of smoke.

“It’s on the house.”

Luhan felt sweat trickle down his forehead like a never-ending river. His heart was thumping against his ribcage. For a brief moment, he wondered if the guy in front of him could hear how scared he was, then suddenly the teen was reaching out somewhere behind him, and he could hear the excited shouts of so many other people, and fire was all around, and pain, he could feel it, hear it, smell it, and then, a shout, louder than the others, broke through the commotion.

“Luhan what the bloody hell are you doing?”

Luhan’s head jerked up at the voice. Who cared about the fatal wall of fire surrounding him, who cared about the Dragon Prince right in front of him, who cared, when Xiumin was there.

“Xiumin!” Luhan whooped and ran past the teen to literally spring to the older male’s side. “Xiumin, you’re here! You always come to the rescue! You’re the best! I'm not in trouble, am I? Have I mentioned how fabulous you’re looking today? Did you just polish your antlers? They look absolutely stunning! Or have they always been like that? I just-“

Xiumin cut Luhan off with a hand to the face and stepped forward bravely, even though the Prince was nearly a head taller than him.

But then again, one didn’t really have to worry about height and status when one was the King.

“K-King Xiumin.” The Prince, Chanyeol, stuttered and took a step back. The blazing wall of fire collapsed to reveal a group of about five other teenage males, all looking extremely shocked.

“What brings you to this part of the forest?” Chanyeol bowed respectfully while throwing a hateful glare towards Luhan, who meeped and ducked behind Xiumin to hide.

“I had news to give this idiot here, so I went looking for him and found him with you people.” Xiumin looked at Chanyeol with coldness in his eyes. “And I was just in time to hear about you wanting some venison. You do know that’s illegal, right?”

Behind the King, Luhan’s eyes widened and he whispered in amazement.

‘Really? I didn’t know, I swear.’

Xiumin ignored Luhan’s amazed titters behind him and stepped even closer to the Dragon prince.

“But since you’re here, I need you to tell your father something. It’d save me from making a trip there, the heat’s no good for my antlers.” Xiumin rubbed the tips of the branch-like antlers forlornly. “Makes them peel.” Chanyeol ignored the bit about the antlers, but stepped forward to show that he was willing to pass the message.

“Tell your father we have been discovered.”

************

Kris was supposed to be in this but then it just spiralled out of control idek. I'll fit in Taoris somehow.

Thanks for subscribing and commenting!