Hakyeon's breath quickened as he clutched the bow tightly in his grip, an arrow already knocked and ready to be shot. Taekwoon gave him an unreadable look there in the dim light of the lantern, his eyes darting to the farmer's weapon before he looked back out into the surrounding trees. Something about his stance had Hakyeon on edge, though he couldn't put his finger on what exactly. 

Hongbin edged closer, fear making his eyes wide and his breath coming in short little gasps as he searched the trees for the source of the cry. They hadn't heard it again since the first time, but the eerie sound had Hakyeon feeling as if something were reaching out from the shadows to grab him.

"Taekwoon," Hongbin breathed, his eyes latched onto the hunter as if he were their lifeline in a pool of darkness. The tall man turned to give him a sharp look and sliced his hand through the air to shush him, his eyes flashing.

"What is that?" Hongbin continued, ignoring the reminder for silence, and though Hakyeon desperately wanted to know as well, he turned to shake his head at Hongbin. The baker cast him an unbelieving look, opening his mouth once again, and finally Taekwoon moved. 

Darting across the space between them, he landed lightly beside Hongbin and clamped a hand onto his mouth, stopping any chance for noise with his tight grip. "Shut... up..." he hissed, eyes glancing upward, and Hakyeon's gaze automatically followed. He immediately wished he hadn't looked.

The trees above waved slowly back and forth, their pale arms barely visible against the dark sky. Their movement reminded Hakyeon of the time he had gone fishing when he was younger, the way that the long strands of algae waved in the current of the water. The problem was that there was no current here, no wind to make them move that way, and yet move they did. A slight creaking in the silence came to his ears then, and after a brief moment he realized that it came from the trunks of the trees themselves.

His eyes leapt up to meet Taekwoon's, only to find that the hunter was already watching him with a grim expression. Taekwoon shook his head slowly, as if to tell Hakyeon that there was no hope for them, and then he mouthed the words, 'I'm sorry." Before they even registered in Hakyeon's mind, the hunter dropped his hand from Hongbin's mouth and with a long leap, jumped out of the ring of trees and into the darkness beyond.

Hongbin's eyes popped even wider and he twisted to try and follow the other man with his gaze, but it was too late. Taekwoon was hidden in the night, had abandoned them to whatever folly they had tripped themselves into. "Where'd you go?" Hongbin called softly, panic edging his words, but Hakyeon heaved a heavy sigh as he tightened his fingers on the bowstring. 

"He's gone," he said bitterly, shifting his shoulders as he turned to gaze out into the surrounding darkness. "He's left us to fend for ourselves." The words felt wrong to him; something about the way Taekwoon's expression had been right before he'd left made Hakyeon want to believe that he hadn't truly abandoned them, but he had to stay realistic. A branch snapped out in the wood ahead of them, and Hakyeon felt the adrenaline begin to rush through his veins as he lifted his bow. "Get that staff ready, Hongbin. Something is..."

Before he could complete the words to warn of the approach, dark shapes rushed out of the surrounding trees to attack. Hakyeon stumbled backward even as he released his arrow, tripping over a tree root he knew hadn't been there before hand. Hongbin let out a cry as he, too, fell back, dropping the lantern to the ground as he lifted his staff to protect himself even as they were surrounded. Hakyeon had a second arrow knocked and he raised his bow, but he couldn't decide which figure he should aim at. In the dim light of the lantern, he could make out twisted forms, nearly two heads taller than the humans with long, spindly limbs and what seemed to be crowns on their heads. A groan came steadily from each of the creatures, creating a dirge of sorts as they pressed inward toward the humans, and Hakyeon could feel the bile rising in his throat as they edged closer.

"What do we do?" Hongbin asked, his voice dripping with fear, and Hakyeon had no answer. 

One of the creatures leapt forward then, reaching for Hakyeon's shoulder. He released his arrow into its face and fumbled for another, but it was too late. The thing crashed into him and he fell backward, hitting his head solidly on a tree and falling into blackness.
 

Taekwoon let out a soft sigh as he crouched in the darkness, watching as the creatures lifted the farmer and the baker over their shoulders to carry them deeper into the woods. He hadn't wanted to abandon them, especiall