SKYE’S POV

"Are we there yet?" Hoseok asked for the millionth time. Namjoon sighed, rolling his eyes. Seokjin pinched the bridge of his nose between his fingers.

"Does it LOOK like we’re there?" Yoongi snarled, tired from countless hours of walking through the bog next to the briar patch. The ground at our feet, and we were all hot and sweaty.

"No...are we there yet?" Hoseok said, earning himself a smack from Jimin.

"Stop asking!" Taehyung said, giving Hoseok a shove. He pouted, trudging along next to me. Jungkook paused at the front, looking around and catching his breath.

"We can sleep here." Jungkook said. Everyone smiled, eager to stop moving. Key plopped down, his tail waving around randomly.

"What about..." Seokjin said, turning to Namjoon with a knowing look. Namjoon cast his eyes up towards the treetops, scanning them warily.

"We just have to be careful. I don’t think they’ll bother us." Namjoon said.

"Who?" I asked, looking around. Namjoon shook his head, turning away.

"Fey’s pack." Yoongi said softly, looking around more. "Werewolves."

"Angry werewolves." Taehyung added with a shudder. I frowned, wanting to avoid as many angry werewolves as I could.

"Let’s just get to sleep." Namjoon said. The boys all nodded, curling up together in a giant dogpile. Key soon joined, and I lied down next to them. I noticed Namjoon remained standing, keeping watch over us. I felt safer with his golden gaze guarding us, and fell asleep soon.

"Skye, wake up. There’s something moving out there." Namjoon shook my shoulder. I got up slowly, seeing everyone else was already up. Jimin growled, low and threatening as the boys peered into the darkness.

"I smell wolves." Hoseok said, looking around. "I’ll go." Hoseok strode forward, slightly crouched down. His eyes flashed in the dark, light reflecting off his silver claws.

"Should he go alone?" I asked. Namjoon held up his hand for quiet, Jimin creeping off to investigate behind us. Key kept me pushed behind him, the others forming a protective circle. I drew the knife at my hip, wishing Suho’s pack was here to protect us too.

A low growl sounded, and there was a thud from Hoseok’s direction. Taehyung leapt forward, tearing through the trees and disappearing. Namjoon showed off long white teeth in a snarl, and a high laugh made us look up.

"Silly lizards!" A woman sat in the tree above us, smiling widely. Her red hair framed her face, green eyes flashing cruelly even as her blood red lips formed a high laugh.

"Aurora!" Namjoon said. Aurora released another high laugh, holding something up triumphantly. I recognized the milky blue pendant, swinging freely, seconds before two black wings burst from Namjoon’s back and he leapt to the tree. With a flash, Aurora disappeared, her mocking laughter remaining behind.

"Guys, a little help." Taehyung grunted, struggling to pull Hoseok behind him. He was unconscious, his feet making marks in the dirt. Seokjin helped drag Hoseok over to a dry patch of ground, and looked at him while Jimin appeared.

"Faeries." Jimin spit, looking around angrily. Yoongi and the others showed matching angry faces, touching their own pendants subconsciously.

"Can someone tell me what just happened?" I asked, looking around. Jungkook nodded, pulling me off to the side.

"Aurora is the leader of the Faeries in this part of the forest. For several hundred years, she’s being trying to steal an Imugi’s pearl, so she can use it to give herself more power. But an Imugi is prisoner to whoever holds their pearl, and being without one kills them slowly. We have to get Hoseok’s pearl back as quickly as possible." Jungkook said. I nodded, looking down at Hoseok. He was slowly waking up, a bloody welt on the side of his face.

"Jimin, Yoongi and I will go get the pendant back." Namjoon announced. Seokjin frowned, shaking his head.

"No. You’ll gain more by sending someone to negotiate for it. The Faerie Queen doesn’t give things away for free." Seokjin protested.

"Jin’s right, she has too many warriors for you guys to try to fight for it." Taehyung said. Namjoon shrugged, looking confused.

"So now what are we supposed to do?" Namjoon asked.

"Send Skye. The Seelie Court loves humans, and the Queen is more likely to listen to her." Seokjin said.

"What? No! It’s too dangerous." Yoongi said, stepping forward. I shook my head, looking down at Hoseok.

"I’ll go. I’ve always dreamed I’d see a faerie anyway." I said, smiling a little. Namjoon nodded, and Yoongi looked defeated.

"Fine. But be careful." Yoongi said. Key pecked my cheek, giving me a small smile.

"I know you can do it. But watch out, she’s a dirty trickster." Key warned. I nodded, saying goodbye to the others.

"Come on." Namjoon spread his wide wings, Yoongi and Jimin doing the same. Jimin stepped forward, wrapping his arms around me and holding me tight to his chest. I felt my stomach drop as he suddenly leapt up, wings beating the air.

After a few seconds, he relaxed, wings flapping lazily to keep us afloat. Yoongi and Namjoon were next to us, the trees flashing by impossibly fast. We finally touched down in a soft patch of moss, in front of a shimmering pool of water.

"You there!" Namjoon said, speaking to a tree next to the water. I frowned, wondering if he had hit his head recently.

"Your Queen stole something from my family. I seek an audience with the Court." Namjoon said, his low voice powerful and commanding. I froze with shock when a tall, impossibly handsome man stepped from behind the tree. His face was painted to look like bark, the brown armor he wore changing color rapidly as he stepped forward.

"Follow me." He said, giving us a disdainful look. His silver armor flashed under the moonlight, black hair shining down his back as his green eyes flashed. A gracefully curved bow was slung over his back, matching the longsword on his hip.

Jimin nudged me forward, and I watched as the Faerie stepped into the pool of water. He disappeared suddenly, and Namjoon stepped forward. Yoongi reached back and held my hand so we could step through together.

I felt a sensation, then landed in a heap on a packed dirt floor. Yoongi helped me up gently, pulling me out of the way of Jimin coming through next. The water shimmered, part of the ceiling now as we walked through a packed dirt tunnel. Roots poked through the ceiling, the Faerie Knight’s boots clicking on the floor.

"Remember not to eat or drink anything the Faeries offer you." Jimin whispered to me softly. I nodded, glad he was behind me.

We were led in front of a woven curtain of grasses and beads, the Faerie Knight sweeping it back impatiently. I was stunned at the sight in front of me, pausing for a second.

"Keep moving. And remember, always try to answer with a question." Jimin said, touching my back gently. I nodded, closing my mouth and lowering my eyes.

Countless couples twirled in a massive ballroom, the colors of their clothes more intense than any I’d ever seen. There were tall Faerie women with beautiful faces, and handsome Faerie men. Dwarfs and trolls sat at tables playing dice while the Elves danced, a group of tiny Faeries providing music for everyone.

"Lady, the Imugi are here to see you." The Faerie Knight bowed low, and I saw Aurora sitting in a large throne in front of us. She wore a magnificent dress of gold, her hair curling softly down her shoulders. She fixed us with a calculating look, her cruel eyes flashing as quirked in a smile. The various courtiers around her gave us matching looks, looking us up and down.

"Approach." Aurora said, gesturing us forward with pale, delicate hands. I noticed with a flash of anger the milky blue pendant around her neck, flashing in the light. How dare she try to hurt Hoseok?!

"Lady Aurora." Namjoon bowed to her, surprising me. Yoongi and Jimin did the same, Jimin pulling me down subtly into a curtsy.

"Prince Namjoon." Aurora said cooly, arching an eyebrow. Prince? Namjoon straightened up, still keeping his eyes lowered.

"Why are you here?" Aurora asked, feigning innocence. Namjoon tensed his shoulders, meeting her gaze.

"Why do you steal from me?" Namjoon asked. Aurora smiled cruelly, enjoying the game.

"When did I do that?" Aurora asked.

"Why don’t you give back what you took?" Namjoon asked, a small challenge in his voice. Aurora tilted her lovely head to the side, narrowing her eyes.

"Why do you answer a question with a question?" Aurora asked. Namjoon smiled slightly, widening his eyes.

"Do I do that?" Namjoon asked. Aurora huffed in annoyance, no longer enjoying her little wordplay.

"Fine, lizard. What do you want, honestly this time." Aurora said, crossing her arms. Namjoon looked her straight in the eyes.

"Give Hoseok’s pearl back. We’ll leave, and you won’t hear from us." Namjoon said. Aurora sighed, tilting her head more.

"I can’t just give things back. I have a reputation to uphold. I’ll make you a trade." Aurora said. Namjoon crossed his arms, and Jimin growled softly next to me.

"What trade?" Namjoon asked. Aurora shrugged, rolling her eyes nonchalantly.

"His pearl for you and yours." Aurora said.

"What?! No! Namjoon, you can’t do that!" Yoongi said, bursting out suddenly. Namjoon nodded, lowering his head.

"Fine. Give back Hoseok’s pearl." Namjoon said. Aurora smiled, sliding the pendant over her head and handing it to me.

"Put it on." Jimin whispered. I did so, feeling a strange hum inside the pearl. It pulsed like a heart, warming me.

Namjoon slid his pearl off, turning white for a second, and presented it to Aurora. She smiled, sliding it on, and rolling her shoulders.

"Sit down." Aurora commanded. Namjoon immediately dropped in a sitting position, grimacing.

"Stand up." Namjoon was forced to his feet, controlled by some invisible force like a puppet. "Good. You can leave now." Aurora said dismissively to us.

Jimin snarled in anger, gold eyes flashing, but Namjoon gave him a luck. Yoongi guided him out with a hand on his arm, and I followed. He reminded me of Baekhyun, with his short temper and protectiveness. Gosh, I really missed that pack.

"Come on, we’ll get out of here, fly back and then bring back everyone else to rescue him." Yoongi said. Jimin nodded, and we climbed up through the water pool.

Yoongi took me this time, wrapping his arms around me and pulling me close. His silvery wings stretched up, beating the air to take us higher. Jimin-with his pure black wings-flew next to us. Their wings were funny, curved like angel wings but leathery like bat wings. They were soft to the touch, and very warm.

"Jimin, fly lower. I don’t want trappers to see us." Yoongi said over the wind. Jimin nodded, banking down lower to the trees.

"Trappers?" I yelled up to Yoongi. I felt his chest move when he breathed, his pectoral muscles straining to move his wings.

"They want to trap Faeries and Imugis to sell on the black market. Sometimes, they just kill the creature and cut off the wings or whatever they need." Yoongi said. I frowned, remembering the old elephant poachers from when I was little. Elephants had all been killed, and I missed seeing them in zoos.

"How are we going to get Namjoon back?" Jimin asked.

"What?" Yoongi yelled back, unable to hear Jimin. I thought it strange, because I could hear Jimin just fine without enhanced hearing. Jimin suddenly plummeted down, hands clapped over his ears. Yoongi cried out, also reaching up to cover his ears.

I screamed as I plummeted down, dropped when Yoongi moved his arms. I heard a flapping above me, and Yoongi grabbed me carefully. He pulled me close, straining to get back up high enough to avoid crashing on trees.

"Where’s Jimin?!" I cried, looking around. I shrieked as a net suddenly spiraled out of the trees, wrapping around Yoongi with a thunk. He cried out, the heavy rocks used to weight the net slamming into his back.

"Hold on!" Yoongi yelled, unable to keep us up. He folded his wings around me, tucking his head over me and protecting me as best he could.

We still landed with a jarring crack, Yoongi yelling in pain. I was stuck to him in the net, and gulped when a group of about five men appeared, dressed in black and holding stun guns. More appeared, dragging an unconscious Jimin behind them, still in his net.

"Two more!" One man exclaimed happily.

"Wanna just kill these and take the wings?" Another proposed. The first nodded, giving us a threatening look.

"No one wants lizard boys, and they put up too much of a fight anyway. We had to stun this one three times to get him to stop." The man holding Jimin’s net gave it a shake, Jimin moving around freely inside.

The first man pulled out a gun, cocking it and holding up towards Yoongi and I. I gasped, realizing I was going to die right here, caught in a net like an animal. The man was seconds away from pulling the trigger when something jumped on his back from behind.

A chorus of terrifying howls and snarls sounded, shapes appearing and tackling trappers viciously. The Occults worked horrifying fast, blood spraying the air from their claws. I couldn’t even see what shape they took, they moved so fast. Yoongi and I were struggling to get out of the net when a trapper rose up in front of us, holding out a gun. It popped once, but not before a massive shape knocked him down.

The shot went wide, and the Occult broke the trapper’s neck in one swift motion. There was something familiar about the Occult, and when he raised his head-blood trickling from his mouth-I could’ve cried out in delight.

"Chanyeol." I whispered instead.

Guys, I am so so sorry for not updating in two days! *sobs in the corner* I swear I have a good excuse...

Please leave me some comments, I tried to make this update longer and there’s a lot going on! Don’t you just hate Aurora and Fey? Gosh, two badass es...

Anyway, I love you all and your comments seriously make my day. Bye guys, I love you all!

Kamsamnida~

-Sujin

<3