“Duke Luhan. Nice to see you have arrived safely.” They were empty words from Sehun’s mouth, Luhan knew it, he knew what a sincere Sehun sounded like. Pulling his horse to a stop, the duke merely shifted uncomfortably, not used to having been on a horse after so long. He rarely hunted at home and his skills had long dulled with their misuse. He would do nothing but make a food out of himself today, and Luhan knew that Sehun knew that. Sehun had always been the hunter out of the two of them, Luhan had vividly remember clapping brightly and placing a kiss on the other’s lips as Sehun returned with a fresh kill. Sehun had said then, that Luhan’s smile was worth more than any other reward he could have ever earned. And yet now, look how the times had changed. “Are you prepared to hunt, my good man?” Sehun’s next words snapped Luhan out of his stupor and he nearly flinched at how distant Sehun sounded. It was hard to believe that at once, they had been lovers.

“I am ready. I ride at your majesty’s command.”

Warily, the boy moved his horse to the end of the line of nobles, knowing that it was the most humbling position of them all. Once upon a time, he had rode alongside Sehun, now though, he preferred to be at the back. Nevertheless, it was Sehun’s voice, which sent a thrill of alarm down the other’s spine, which caused him to pause.

“No Luhan, you’ll ride in the front. You’ll lead the hunt.”

For a moment Luhan paused, almost ready to protest before he merely nodded, dipping his head as he moved to the front of the pack, right behind the hunting dogs. “As you wish.” Inside though, he curled with dread, now knowing exactly what Sehun had been planning. The front of the hunt was where the king usually rode, he was considered to be the most superior and the most skilled, therefore he would ride in the front which was also considered the most dangerous position because he would the first to be in trouble if it came. Usually a king could manage it, they were usually either scholars who rarely hunted so it wasn’t a problem or athletes who hunted often. Plus, their skills were usually well honed and the king’s lands were very rarely dangerous. But it had been years since Luhan had been on a good hunt, he would be clumsy and would easily be the laughing stock of the rest of the court. A little humiliation to nurse the king’s injured pride.

“Well what are you waiting for?” Sehun’s voice snapped Luhan out of his thoughts and he looked over to the king who stood behind him, his horse tittering. The king’s eyes were nothing near friendly. “Let’s get going hm?” with a snap of his whip, the hunting dogs were off, barking as they ran into the forest. Spurring his horse, Luhan trailed quickly after them, determined not to make a fool out of himself. Perhaps the king would be in better graces if Luhan was humiliated, but the duke himself had his pride. Plus, he would be enduring the court when Sehun wasn’t around either, he was not going to spend his whole time here being ridiculed and talked to as if he was inferior. Gossip traveled fast, if Luhan made a misstep he would be incredibly miserable the rest of his stay here. He would not, absolutely not, balk to the king’s ill wishes.

The forest was nothing as he had remembered it. No—it was, there was the oak tree in which he had carved his name into. There was the maple tree that he had sat under when he needed to escape the suffocating court, the tree which smiled on him as he rested, blocking the harsh sun from his face as he rested. And yet, the forest seemed to have a darker feel, a sinister one. It was tense, suffocating, no birds sang, no animals hopped. All that could be heard was the hoofbeats of the horses, the barking of the dogs, and one of the men’s comments, which didn’t sound very often. The forest, the one Luhan remembered which had bustled with life was quiet. Was it because the animals had left, unable to take such a dark place, or merely because something was about to happen. All through the forest, there was silence, tension, a rubber band, so close to snapping and then—

A brown shape flashing by, a strong blow, his horse rearing under him, his own head snapping forward as it hit the ground. Screams, someone was yelling but who? Luhan could barely get his own bearings as the ground tipped and shifted under him, the sky a dizzying blue. Gingerly, the duke seemed to stumble to his feet, touching the back of his head. Wet. Was that blood he felt? He didn’t know. The world continued to spin for a moment, but now he could see. A brown bear, advancing steadily on Sehun who had his sword out. There was already a gash on the king’s arm, he was panting slightly. Sehun, though he was strong and a capable fighter, would be no match to a bear, even at his best. A lunge, a parry. How strange, the bear moved like a trained one, knowing to avoid steel when it came close to it. Perhaps, it had a bad experience during captivity? Another lunge, the king dodged this time. What were the men doing? Were they foolish enough not to try to save their king? They were yelling, trying to distract the bear, some even lunged forward, pretending to stab the bear and yet the bear did nothing. The bear focused only on the king and the men were too cowardly to actually hurt the bear, for fear of getting hurt themselves or angering it. A man threw a rock, a small one, the bear took no notice.

Before Luhan even registered what he was doing, he had picked up a rock, a jagged one, much bigger than the one the other man had chosen. In one movement he hurled the rock. He didn’t even knew if he’d hit the beast. But in moments the beast had turned its attention to him. All he felt in that moment was dizzying relief, his king would be safe. No—his Sehun would be safe. But then the bear charged, and Luhan could barely register himself taking out his sword as the bear reared then lunged.

The first block and his arms shook.

The second and he could hear the bear’s claws hitting the sword.

The third and he was on the ground yet again, the impact too much for him, the world spinning around in around as he felt his own treacherous sword cut his hand as it was flung too far for Luhan to grasp, too far for Luhan to even see. Above, the blue sky was covered with brown fur as the bear reared, coming down for the final strike. Was this the end? Was his task over before it had even begun? Perhaps he would die peacefully, the brunt of his falls causing him to black out before the bear tore him to pieces. Already he could see his vision beginning to dim. The last thing Luhan noticed was a mark, very well hidden, but nevertheless a mark, no—a branding on the brown bear’s underside. The bear belonged to someone.

The bear had only gone for him and the king.

Someone, thought he was a threat.

And then the young duke fell into darkness.

The last thing he heard was someone calling his name.

AN: Sorry for this late update,  got caught up yesterday with documentaries plus I felt like > w < Anyways, I'm sorry all my chapters are slightly short, I'll see if I can make them longer from now on. OH AND TRUST ME--THINGS WILL BE OKAY, IT'S ONLY BEEN FIVE CHAPTERS SO DON'T WORRY.