“Only with a leaf can I talk of the forest,” - Visar Zhiti, The Condemned Apple: Selected Poetry

"Hey, where do you think you're going?!"

"Up the stairs?" Minah turned to look over her shoulder, face scrunched up as the loud exclamation from Chanyeol left her ears ringing.

"I don't think so!" He shook his head, still just as loud, and Minah's face continued to scrunch.

"And why not?" She questioned. Slowly, her body turned so that she could face Chanyeol, who stood on the couch, pointing a bold finger towards her.

"Because today is the first day of the new plan 'spend-time-with-Minah-individually-and-get-her-back-to-herself'. Which is the collaboration project of the 'get-Minah-and-Baekhyun-to-move-in-by-having-the-trust-of-her-parents-and-making-it-look-appealing-as-an-option' plan."

"You guys really at naming your plans."

"Don't be rude, besides you've already told us that so we know what you think and refuse to agree."

"Right," Minah rolled her eyes and crossed her arms over her chest, eyes suspicion looking back down at Chanyeol.

"Besides, how do you know of this plan and when was this plan created?"

"I know because everybody knows about it and we created it last night when you were in the shower, snuggled up on Minseok's bed and floor, very comfortable."

"And you just decided to leave me out of this plan that involved me?"

"Did you expect us all to cram into the bathroom to talk about it while you shower?"

"Of course not-"

"Yeah exactly, we wouldn't fit" Chanyeol gestured as if that was the only thing that had stopped Minah from being involved in the scheming of this plan. Minah grimaced, shoulders coming up to touch her ears with her back curling, she turned her back to Chanyeol, trying to continue on her path.

"Aye!" Chanyeol bellowed, and it sent Minah jumping into the air. His heavy feet stomped up to her, and he stumbled to a stop on the stairs in front of her, hand landing on the railing to support his flailing body.

"I was talking to you" His bottom lip jutted out, and his eyes were like those of a puppy, head leaning close to Minah so that she had no choice but to peer into his big gloomy eyes. Minah rose an eyebrow, leaning back from Chanyeol.

"Look I'm sorry we didn't come into the bathroom, we just weren't going to fit" Chanyeol huffed, shoulders slumping.

"That's not why I am walking away" Minah quipped, quick to shut down the thoughts Chanyeol was having.

"Well still I'm sorry about that," Chanyeol shrugged, standing up straight, still blocking Minah's path.

"Cool, so can I go now?" Minah gestured around Chanyeol, and he shook his head quickly.

"No, because today is my day off and as the first day of 'spend-time-with-Minah-individually-and-get-her-back-to-herself' it means it is my turn to spend the day doing something with you."

"Oh fun, how about we spend the day existing in the same house?" Minah tried to manoeuvre around Chanyeol and escape him, but he quickly followed her, showing his distaste towards her clear rejection and similar dislike to the plan.

"No Minah! I spent a whole hour last night planning what we could do today!"

"Why?" She looked at him, eyes trailing up and down, trying to figure Chanyeol and his reasons out.

"Because I like this plan and I want to be able to spend time with you on my day off."

"Don't exclude me" Baekhyun piped up, suddenly behind Chanyeol at the top of the stairs.

"Yeah yeah, you're spending time with us too" Chanyeol waved Baekhyun off over his shoulder, not looking back.

"The point is, you have things to work on, right? We also have things to work on," Chanyeol pointed back and forth between himself and Minah, "like a certain bond you consented to that makes you part of our group."

"Yes" Minah agreed with him, and Chanyeol perked up instantly.

"Great! Come and get your shoes on it's time for us to go!"

"Go where?!"

"I'm coming!" Baekhyun jumped past Minah and Chanyeol, taking the stairs three at a time to make it to his shoes at the front door with maximum speed.

"No Chanyeol wait!" Minah went wide in the eyes, voice raising higher as Chanyeol grabbed her by the arm and pulled her back down the stairs.

"I'm not even dressed to go anywhere!" She warned him, but Chanyeol laughed her off.

"You don't have to be!" He told her and Minah gawked at him.

"Excuse me?"

"No one is gonna see us so don't worry and just put your shoes on" Chanyeol pushed Minah forward, staying behind her to make sure she didn't try and run away from him again.

"Ok" She caved, groaned and reached down for her shoes. She plopped on the floor in front of Chanyeol's feet, ignoring the way he snorted at her actions.

"What are we gonna do?" Baekhyun questioned Chanyeol, his back on the front door as he waited for the pair. Minah looked up, curious for what was to come and Chanyeol shook his head.

"I'll tell you once we're outside."

Knowing that she wouldn't get answers if she asked, Minah tied her laces and stood up. Baekhyun opened the door, and they stepped outside, letting Chanyeol take the lead. He jumped down the steps and walked right past his car parked out front, taking the lead in walking down the driveway with Baekhyun closely following next to him and Minah trailing slightly behind. It became harder to keep shut as the gravel of the driveway became the only sound they heard. The trees loomed over them much taller than Minah imagined them to from inside the car, making for a totally different view to take in by foot.

"Chanyeol" Minah let out a whine, and both the aforementioned male and Baekhyun stopped, looking back at her.

"What are we doing?" She finally asked him again, and this time, Chanyeol pulled a crooked smile, and Minah suddenly didn't feel so good.

"Well," He rubbed his hands together in front of him, looked over his shoulder and then back to Minah, "today, we're concurring that" He pointed off the driveway and past the trees, automatically confirming Minah's bad feeling.

"You want me to go in there?" She widened her eyes, and Chanyeol softened his demeanour.

"Not just run through there with us, actually go in there" He nodded, and Minah swallowed.

"Chanyeol you said your idea was going to be a good one" Baekhyun huffed, stepping towards Minah's side with his arms crossed over his chest unapprovingly.

"This will be a good idea!" Chanyeol waved his hands with persuasion.

"By going somewhere, that will scare Minah, and myself?" Baekhyun begrudgingly refuted.

"I have to work on the two of you now? I thought you would help me" Chanyeol frowned but quickly recovered.

"But you haven't heard my point" His finger aimed at the two of them, stopping them from retorting. Minah shuffled with discomfort, feet unable to stay on the spot and hands dancing around each other, pulling her sleeves to join them.

"Chanyeol" Baekhyun gave a warning tone.

"The point is," Chanyeol stressed his words to hold Baekhyun's attention, "we go in there, we take it one step at a time, go for a stroll, have a look around. We do that once, we come out safe, proving that we'll be fine, we go in their twice and prove that we'll be fine in there, we go in there again and again and prove that amongst those trees is somewhere that you can both be comfortable spending time with us."

"What about patrolling when it's not the full moon?"

"Yeah what about that?" Baekhyun nodded in agreeance to Minah's point.

"What?" Chanyeol's face contorted.

"Every full moon Yixing is in charge of patrolling in there to make sure there is nothing that will harm you on the night of the full moon. What about when it's not the full moon, things will be in there" Minah explained, and Baekhyun's head continued to jostle in agreement.

"That's just to be sure! There's never anything in there besides old wire fences falling apart and trees leaning over a lot" Chanyeol retorted. Still, Minah didn't buy it, and Baekhyun stuck by her side, expression flat and unimpressed.

"It's leading up to the full moon too," Chanyeol continued, "which means Yixing has been patrolling, and if he found anything he would have told us, which he hasn't"

"That doesn't mean we're safe" Minah grumbled.

"It kind of does?" Baekhyun winced, and Chanyeol made a noise that neither of them could identify.

"Baekhyun?" Minah turned to him, and his shoulders bobbed, hand rubbing the back of his neck, eyes careful as he looked to Minah.

"Yixing is half-wolf, he can see things, and he knows this place like the back of his hand so if he doesn't see anything, that means there's nothing to harm us" He reasoned.

"Well, nothing but our own minds and trauma" He chuckled, eyes hesitantly looking into the woods.

"So?" Chanyeol's suggestive tone brought them back from their own minds, and his suggestive eyes hinted towards the woods.

"What do you say?"

"I don't want to go in there."

"Oh yay, doom and gloom" Baekhyun broke out into a skip and Minah groaned as Chanyeol clasped his hand around her wrist, making her follow himself and Baekhyun towards the trees.

------------

"Oh, careful now."

"I am being careful" Minah rushed out, nodding her head and Baekhyun chuckled with an undertone of nerves.

"Alright then," He let her hand go, and Minah breathed out, tearing her eyes away from her hand to stop herself from thinking about the warmth that had exuded from Baekhyun's touch. She shook her head and instead concentrated on the rocky path that Chanyeol was leading them down.

"So," Baekhyun started, eyes on the happy figure that was Chanyeol jumping from one foot to the other on the larger rocks a few steps ahead, "he's really trying to help us out with our... complications, huh?" He huffed in amusement of the situation, and Minah's head bobbed, eyes following Chanyeol who shot them a look over his shoulder, wide eyes making sure they were still fine and trailing after him.

"Yeah, he is" She agreed with Baekhyun, sending her eyes around the area, looking for anything that could scare her.

"Are you ok?" Baekhyun checked, and Minah swallowed.

"Yeah, are you" She also checked on him, and Baekhyun shrugged.

"It's not so much of a favourite place for me to be any more" He commented, and they both giggled at what Baekhyun was referring to.

"Can't say it's my favourite place either" As they walked, brief images of a memory Minah didn't want to recall would flash in her mind and she would steady her breathing with her eyes staying on Chanyeol's back, trying not to lose sight of him so that she wouldn't forget where she was.

"Are you sure?" Baekhyun's voice broke through whatever wall it was that took her away from reality, and Minah's eyes flutter