Autumn is Junhyung’s favorite season, cooling down the hot summer with cool gentle winds from the north. Colouring the forest leaves red, yellow and orange, before the harsh cold winter comes and paints it all white. Animals are plentiful during this time, benefiting the hunter as hunting season is now here.

It is also a time to be with family, which will explain why Junhyung is traveling on this rough uneven dirt road with his horse and cart for 2 days to return to his home village to celebrate the day that the Dragon nation won the war in honour of the Red Wolf.

Junhyung was never one to believe in stories or legends of the Red Wolf, but it was a national holiday. A grand celebration with a parade in the afternoon, a feast that the whole village takes part in and to end it off with a big bonfire that lights up the night. So he couldn’t refuse returning this year since he missed last year.

As he starts to see farmland in the distance, he smiles to himself. Seeing how the village didn’t change a bit after the 2 years he left, it made him feel nostalgic the closer he gets.

Seeing farmers being busy collecting crops out on the fields for the feast, kids running and playing near the river on the side of the village and the same wooden and stone homes and building, that he left behind.

Greeting familiar faces as he pass through the village. Finally stopping at a bricked 2 stories house on the edge of the village near the river, putting his caramel brown horse and wooden cart in a small spaced left for him in the barn beside the house. Knocking on the wooden door of the house, he was welcomed with a bear hug from his mother.

“I’m so happy to see you again. Welcome back, how are you, are you tired, hungry?” asked Junhyung’s mother smiling as she looked at him from head to toe. Saving an image of her son in her head.

“I’m good mother, how are you and father?” he asked as he closed the door and walked into the house to the dining room with his mother. “I see nothing has changed much.”

“We’re doing fine, no need to worry.” Said his mother from the kitchen, as she prepares some food for Junhyung.

“How’s Doojoon doing?”

“Oh, Doojoon just arrived yesterday and is now out with his father in the market to buy food for dinner tonight.”

“I see-“

I was interrupted when I heard the sound of the door slamming open and a deep voice that yelled “ I’M HOME.”

I looked out the doorway to see my brother carrying a crate full of vegetables. His face was blank at first, and then his lips spread into a wide smile as he saw me.

“Junhyung, you’re here haven’t seen you in so long brother. When did you get back?” Doojoon said happily while he put down the crate and walked towards me with his arms reached out for a hug. We hugged, but it was short one.

“Just a few moments ago,” I explained smiling, “ How have you been?”

“I’ve been fine. Hey want to go hunting for a bit before sunsets, you know like the good, old days. Oh and dad is going to be a bit late, he bumped into an old friend”

“Doojoon. Junhyung just got back let him rest for a while.” Said mother as she places the tea and baked bread with strawberry jam on the table.

“It’s fine,” I said as I took the baked bread with strawberry jam and put it in my food bag, “Let me just go change and grab my stuff.”

“Ok, I’ll wait for you outside.”

Junhyung just nodded before heading upstairs to change.

After a few minutes Junhyung meet Doojoon outside with clothes more suitable for hunting in. They both went to the barn to get their horses; Junhyung went to get his bow and arrow from cart and a small wagon to put the animals in later.

Then they went on their way, “ So what are your plans after the celebration?” asked Doojoon.

“I’m planning to go to the big village north from here, to see if I can get some money out of the fur I collect while I was hunting in the eastern forest. How about you?”

“I got a spot as a hunter for the royal family.”

“Really, congratulations brother.” Junhyung said surprised. Being able to be a royal hunter takes a lot of skill and talent, hundreds of well-trained hunters would try out for the spot but only 3 would be chosen, making it extremely competitive. But the benefits and rewards are worth it; he knew that Doojoon would have gotten the spot if he tried. “Did you tell mother and father about this?”

“Yes, yesterday when I got back. I asked them if they wanted to move into the royal castle with me but they refused.”

Junhyung nodded. The rest of their trip was silent, with only the sound of their horse’s hooves scraping the ground.

When they arrive to their destination, they tied their horse to a tree. And started their hunt. They travelled deeper into the forest by foot with their bows ready, lowering their stance and being quiet so the animals don’t notice them.

They only hunted for about 3 hour they were able to get a rabbit and were even luck enough to get a stag, when it was drinking near a river.  We caught up a lot with each other’s lives and joked around like old times. We decided to start heading back the sun was beginning to set and it’ll be harder to get back in the dark. Just when we finished putting the animal on the wagon, I realized.

“Oh, I left my food bag back at the river.”

“I’ll be heading back home first with the animals home first then. Hurry”

“Ok”

I start to head back to the river where we caught the stag, which is kind of far. I started hearing water rushing, telling me that I’m approaching the river. But I heard some soft steps that rustled the leaves on the ground and low growling sound.  I peered from behind the trees in the direction of the river but didn’t see anything, because of the big rocks that blocked my view. I got my bow and arrow ready incase if the thing attacks me. I slowly started to come out of the forest, being as silent as I could, not to get detected by the animal.

I silently advance behind the rock which the sound was coming from and where I left my food sack. I stayed there for a bit to listen if the thing has run off or not, but I still heard growling sound coming from the other side. The sun was setting quickly I needed to get home, so I decided to not wait any longer.

Stepping out from my hiding spot with my bow loaded with an arrow, ready for an attack.

I was taken back with what I saw. ‘So the legends were true.”

A wolf with fiery red fur standing tall in front of me, its cold grey eyes meet mine, I can feel it challenging me to shoot the arrow. But just I stood there in awe, what was I suppose to do, it not every day when you meet a creature that you have only heard about in legends. I looked at the ground to see my food sack opened and the strap that fastened the sack close was lying on the ground.

Before I could make another move to wolf turned around, jumped across the river and ran back in the forest with something in its mouth and disappeared just like that.

I snapped back from the shock of what I just saw and ran to my bag, I realized why it was growling. ‘It was trying to get the strap off the bag.’ Picking up the fallen strap I see teeth marking all over it. Looking through my sack to see what it took, all the apples and dried fruit where still there, only the bread with strawberry jam was missing. ‘So it was just hungry’ but I notice something I didn’t notice before. Blood.

‘Now why would it be injured?’ Looking at the direction it ran in, there was a faint trail of blood that still could be noticed. The injury wasn’t small if it leaked that much blood.

I want to follow it, questions starts to swarm my head the curiosity was killing me. But I can’t, I need to get home before it turns completely dark or my family will worry and it’ll be hard to track where it went in the dark.

“I’ll have better luck tomorrow” I muttered to myself and headed back to my horse with my now ruin sack. 

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Hope you guys enjoyed it :). Thanks for reading

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