Jay wasn't going to lie. He did not expect Tao to be this tough.

At first glance you would think the younger would complain or ask to stop at least once. But no. Tao kept going. He kept up with Jay who was running in his wolf form. They didn't stop unless Jay stopped and Tao didn't say a word.

It wasn't until nightfall when Jay decided to make conversation. They sat on opposite sides of the fire, watching as the flames the wood Jay was tossing in, growing bigger and brighter which each log.

Tao's face was illuminated by the low orange light. His face was tugged in a small smile as his eyes glazed over. Even when he was with Jay and miles away from Yifan, he was still focused on the prince.

He finally came out of his trance and smiled at Jay, "How are you feeling?" Tao asked as he casually stretched out his long legs, draping his cape on his body as the night wind picked up.

"Good, are you tired? You ran a lot today."

Tao smiled, "I'm tougher than I look....besides I had a distraction." He winked as he poked the side of his head. Jay smiled as he twisted the stick in his hand, casually cooking the rabbit that was unfortunate enough to be caught by him.

"What's he saying?"

Tao let out a light laugh, "Apparently Luhan's been chasing Xiumin all day, hitting him and yelling about how he knocked him up."

Jay chuckled as Tao giggled at the thought of the thin, pink haired boy running after Xiumin, most probably holding a frying pan in his hand. Tao watched as Jay pulled the rabbit out of the fire, perfectly cooked and ready to be eaten. 
Tao smiled as Jay offered him a leg.

"So, how did you meet Gege?" Tao asked as he peeled a piece of meat and popped it into his mouth.

Jay sighed as he leaned back, stomach full from the rabbit. He rested his head on his hands as he stared at up the sky, taking in the twinkling stars above him as clouds rolled by.

"Well.....it wasn't special. I ran into him in a village. He helped me when I didn't have enough money to buy medicine for my sister. I felt in debt to him. I followed him back to the castle where I realized who he was. I served him until he took me in as a friend."

Tao smiled at the thought of a younger version of his lover, coldly dropping golden coins in the werewolf's hand before walking away. Jay turned to Tao who at this point finished eating.

"How did you meet Yifan?"

Tao yawned as he retold his story. Jay watched with sharp eyes as Tao told his story. Smiling when remembering something sweet, tearing up at the mention of Jaehyun, his confession of wanting to kill. He told Jay everything. Even things he didn't want to hear.

Like how he confessed or how they spend their Sunday mornings. But he enjoyed listening to the younger talk. It was refreshing. Like a ice cold drink on a hot summer day. 

Yifan yawned as he stared out his window. He was lying on his side, looking out at the night sky. He knew Tao was out there somewhere, looking at the same stars. That reassured him a bit.

He had grown incredibly attached to the younger. When he first heard of the heir of Junmyeon's kingdom, he thought of a whiny brat, too spoiled to be any good. But he was pleasantly surprised.

Tao was anything but a brat....most of the time. He was kind. He thought of others before himself. He would gladly lay down his life on the line for Yifan or for anyone else. That made Yifan's heart swell. He really loved the younger. He loved him to the point that it hurt.

He trusted Jay too. The werewolf had been his right hand when he was training. Jay had done countless things that proved his loyalty to Yifan but Yifan was hesitant.

More accurately, Ryu was hesitant.

Ryu was a part of Yifan, a spirit or a conscious. But Ryu was wise. Perhaps it was because he was a dragon spirit.

He would couch Yifan, talk to him, give him courage or to advise him. He also marked Tao as his own.

Ryu had explained it to him, long before Tao confessed. Tao was his. As cheesy as that sounded, everything in his life led to him meeting and marrying the younger.

Ryu said it was the power of the spirits higher up. They controlled everything. Yifan's world was a chessboard to them. Tao was meant for Yifan and Yifan was meant for Tao.

Nothing could change that. 

Jay couldn't help but burst out laughing as the huge two humped beast stood in front of him. In seconds, the animal was replaced by an annoyed Tao who was trying very hard not to smack Jay.

"Stop laughing will you?!" He exclaimed as he tried to hide his burning face.

Jay wheezed as he controlled his laughter, "I-I'm sorry but...a camel?!" He burst out laughing again. The sight of Tao's toned figure being replaced by a lanky four legged, two humped, drooling, sniffling creature was too much for him.

Tao scowled as he crossed his arms, "For your information, camels are the best animal to travel as while crossing a dessert."

Jay rolled on the sand as Tao morphed back into the humped creature. The werewolf got up only to be back kicked into a sand dune by a moody camel.

Tao grinned with satisfaction as he started walking. Jay got up, groaning as he held his side.

Don't make Tao angry.

He silently noted as he followed the Tao camel.

The traveled non stop all day, only stopping to hide from sand demons.

The last day went by quickly as well. Jay was expecting many more bandits than the ones they encountered. But they reached the edge of the territory safely.

Jay stopped and held out an arm, stopping Tao as well before he crossed the borders. Werewolves were very nit picky about their borders so it was best not to cross it just yet.

"Okay, all you need to do is morph into a wolf and just agree to everything I say. The tracker is a friend of mine so all we need to do is get in and out."

Tao nodded and went down on all fours. Jay watched as the black haired boy morphed into a wolf. Jay could tell Tao really focused into the specific look because the wolf's hair was the same as his raven black hair and the wolf's body was lean, just like Tao.

Jay shifted into his dark brown wolf, the fur matching the color of his skin. Tao watched as Jay crossed the border, running as soon as the older got a ten meter head start. They ran through the plains, ignoring as wolves started to flank them on either sides.

They reached a huge metal gate with Wolves pacing in front of it. A guard held out his arm, making a hand motion. Jay nodded and morphed back into human. Tao did the same and stood behind Jay, keeping a close eye on the wolves behind them. They were eyeing Tao like he was their next meal, and truthfully, Tao would like to avoid being some wolf's dinner.

"Name. Position."

"Jay. Warrior."

The guard nodded as he flipped through a clipboard.

"Business?"

"Official. King Junmyeon has sent me."

The guard raised an eyebrow at Tao who was his cape, holding it close as the wolves prowled closer. Jay took a deep breath and wrapped an arm around Tao's waist, pulling him closer. He knew....100% that this was going to get him punched.

"He's my mate."