Something tickles her cheek. Her eyelids feel like lead as she opens them slowly to see blue wings fluttering against the back of her hand. Upon closer inspection, she realizes it to be a butterfly and it lazily floats away with a warm breeze.

She feels new strength flood her body and she rises to her feet, brushing herself off and stretching out her limbs. Birds sing in the trees above her as sunlight streams from above, warming up her skin and she looks about the clearing.

There's no sign of Hakyeon and she can't help but feel disappointed, wanting to thank him properly for his solace. Still, she's happy to have met such a kind Spirit and starts to hum a tune as she goes to the river to wash her face.

She eats a breakfast of berries and herbs. Full and content, she basks in the sun, similar to that of a cat, when a strange yelp sounds in the distance. She sits up quickly and furrows her brows, straining to hear it again. It's when she catches it a second time that she confirms it not to be her imagination and stands.

It's the cry of a wounded animal, a sound she would sometimes hear back home when strays wandered into the village. Another yelp and she realizes it to be from close by, the sound of a living thing in pain sending her feet in motion in the direction of the cries.

She dashes through the trees and the yelps become more and more desperate and distressed. Her heart twists and she moves faster when she finally arrives at a particularly dense wooded area.

Flat stones and a babbling stream to her left. To the right is an endless green of pine trees and birch. She sees a flash of silver and the wounded cries sound from right in front of her, snapping her attention.

A wild dog is snared in what appears to be a bear trap. Metal jaws clamp around its front leg and she can visibly see where the teeth have dug into the flesh of the animal. In its panic, it thrashes about and only succeeds in burying the metal deeper, ripping another painful bark from its throat.

"Be still!" she demands and her hands flutter about, not knowing what exactly to do to assist the injured animal and realizes she just spoke to a dog.

She scans the area for something that could help her pry open the spring-loaded device. Her eyes fall on a hefty looking stick as long as her forearm and she picks it up to wedge it into the little bit of space between the animal and the metal. Using all the strength she can muster, she forces her weight down onto her makeshift lever and grunts as the trap budges and opens up a fraction.

She pushes again and the dog whimpers as the jaws open up, metal unsheathing itself from its flesh. Arms trembling, teeth clenched as she gives a final shove and the dog shimmies out before the lever gives way with a sharp crack, breaking the stick in two and the jaws snap back together.

Finally free, the dog yaps happily and wags its tail with perked ears. She can't help but chuckle at seeing the animal try and communicate its thanks. But to her surprise, it doesn't run off, and instead bounds toward her and limps slightly as it applies pressure to its front leg. She throws up her arms, anticipating the weight of the animal slamming into her side when it pushes off the ground with a powerful leap.

She looks on in shock as an instantaneous transformation occurs, the lengthening of limbs and disappearance of fur before it hits the ground, taking the shape of a young man with a cloak draped around his shoulders the same color as the animal pelt only seconds before.

He stands and he's breathtakingly tall and lean. Brown hair swept away from his forehead to reveal almond shaped eyes and fine lashes.

"Thank you," he says in a voice that's low and fluted and she feels her pulse stutter. The voice of someone who sings and laughs often. "I wasn't able to shift back with that thing digging into my arm," his full lips are quick to smile, as if he hadn't just transformed midair in front of her very eyes, as if he hadn't just been a dog.

She doesn't know what to say and finds herself opening and closing like a fish while she struggles to find words.

"How did you..do you..do you do that often?"

Her question is met with a charming laugh.

"I'm sorry I surprised you," his eyes are kind and bright, "but yes," he nods, "I'm a Shifter. I use my magic to change form and I just happen to be fond of dogs,"

He playfully scrunches his nose and makes a face.

"But I prefer staying human. I like standing on two legs and I don't have to smell everything all the time,"

She finds herself giggling before she realizes he's cradling his arm against his chest, crimson bleeding through the fabric of his cloak. He senses her attention and looks down at the gash.

"Don't worry about this. I heal rather quickly and I've had worse," he says with a reassuring grin. He tears off a strip from the cloak and wraps it around the wound with quick movements that tell he's nursed his own injuries before. She doesn't know whether to be concerned or surprised and wonders if he's suggesting about his abilities, which brings up the question what others he may have. He takes a step forward and offers her his hand.

"My name is Jaehwan. I really do want to say thank you for helping me, I should have been more careful. It would have been much more difficult to explain things had it not been a pretty girl like yourself," he says the last part with a playful wink.

She's about to introduce herself when thundering hoofbeats sound from incredibly close by and she feels the bottom of her stomach drop out, limbs tensing up. Jaehwan reacts by tilting his head in the direction of the noise and wordlessly pulls her hand still in his and they quickly sink to the ground into the cover of bushes.

Wonshik emerges from the break of trees looking terrifying as ever, followed closely by Hongbin. His eyes speak of predatory instinct as they dart from riverbank to riverbank and analyze the landscape in a matter of seconds.

"She's closeby," he laughs with a wicked smile and she clamps a hand over to muffle the whimper that escapes her. Out of the corner of her eye, she sees Jaehwan glance at her in worry and eases in closer to her side.

Sanghyuk rides in a few moments later with that mask of emotion still plastered on his face. He looks annoyed and exhausted more than anything.

"You've been saying that since yesterday, Wonshik, and we still haven't found her. What makes you so sure that we're even on her path and not an animal's? We're in the goddamn woods, after all,"

Wonshik jerks hard left on the rein and turns to face him and Dal nearly rears at the harsh action, stomping her displeasure.

"You know, little brother," Wonshik hisses with so much hate that she feels a shiver run down her spine, "I'm starting to think that you let her get away."

"Arguing about it only wastes time," says Hongbin with a clipped and even tone despite the tension crackling between them all. The youngest scoffs at Wonshik and leans forward in the saddle to jeer in his face.

"We're wasting time following you like the arrogant, self proclaimed you are, acting like you know where you're going just because you kill for sport."

A shadow passes over Wonshik's face.

"Watch your tongue before I cut it out, Sanghyuk," he breathes darkly. Sanghyuk's lips purse into a thin line and he glares back in challenge.

"Admit that she got away. The sooner you realize that, the sooner we can go home,"

"And what exactly will I tell Her Majesty when we do?" Wonshik's eyes flicker between his siblings, "you heard her orders, Snow White must be killed,"

An eerie silence follows as his words hang in the air, save for the snorting and stomping of their mounts. She bites her lip to the point of pain and blood rushes in her ears as she watches them from safety. Sanghyuk shakes his head, his expression one of hurt and sorrow.

“Those are not your words, Wonshik, she’s intimidating you. You said it yourself, you hunt animals, not humans. Killing Her Majesty’s niece is not worth the mental burden that will follow.”