Jaeyeon didn't manage to bring Saku to the shore the next morning. He had a bad hangover and could not get up until noon. However, Saku was happy that he could finally serve Jaeyeon and forced him to drink lots of water.

"Saku-chan, you feel like a mother!" Jaeyeon complained. The knight was not particularly happy about being forced to drink water, but he obliged to be served because it was Saku's duty.

After having a late lunch, Jaeyeon decided to go to the Barrick to send a message through electronic teleportation to Kwangbae. Being the Princess's First Knight, Jaeyeon has installed the magic telecommunicator in his head so that he can receive Eunbi's summons via telepathy at any time. However, it is not a common practice even among knights to install the MCT, including Kwangbae.

When Jaeyeon went into the Barrack building, he had to leave Saku outside in the yard. Telecommunication is still a privilege of the high warrior class, or to be precise, the military. Jaeyeon warned Saku not to wander around and he would be quick.

But Jaeyeon is anything but quick. He is constantly stopped by ex-colleagues, senior officers, professors, admirers, and even the cleaning lady for a chat. Sakura, who doesn't know what's happening inside the building, can only wait patiently in the courtyard. Influenced by Jaeyeon, she finds a corner and practices martial arts quietly.

After quite some time, Sakura feels like sitting down for a rest. A middle-aged man who is dressed in casual uniform approaches her with a warm smile. Not knowing who the man is, she quickly stands up.

"It's fine, just stay seated," the man says and sits down.

Sakura looks at the man with great caution. Referencing life in the Prairie, a middle-aged man sitting next to you with a smile always means he will start rubbing your back, and then... But this man looks like he just wants to have a chat.

"So you are Lee Jaeyeon's pupil?"

Sakura stares at him and nods.

The man nods with approval. "Very good. It seems that he has taught you well, and you have learned it well too – oh, I am Daejung, Han Daejung, Jaeyeon's martial arts master when he studied here. The pattern you just practiced was a crystallization of ancient wisdom and modified by me. By the way, what is your name, son?"

Saku immediately jumps up and bows deeply to Daejung, "my name is Saku. I am Lord Jaeyeon's servant."

"No way," Daejung laughs, "why will he teach his servant martial arts? And how old are you? Ten?"

"Twelve, sir," Saku murmurs.

"Twelve! Oh, you look so small." Daejung seems to be a bit surprised, but he examines Saku's hands and stares at his boots, and continues, "but you have long fingers and seemingly big feet, you will definitely grow very tall when you reach puberty."

Saku blinks and nods.

"So why are you here?"

Saku thinks for a second and answers carefully, "we come here to see the beach, sir."

Daejung nods and says nothing more. He pats Saku lightly on the shoulder and suggests the boy to follow him.

He leads the boy to the battlement at the other side of the courtyard and helps him climbs onto a crenel. "Tell me, what do you see?"

Sakura's eyes widened, mouth agape with incredulity. Every question in her head is being answered at once. The strange sound and smell that has intrigued her since she was brought into the Barrack...yes, it is from the sea! The sea is like a moving Prairie that fluctuates constantly, but it smells so different from grass and soil! And the roaring of the sea sounds like non-stop soft thunder when its waves crash onto the rocks. Sakura suddenly feels something swelling in her chest. She doesn't know what it is, but it feels like a vow that is larger than life.

"Are we on top of the sea?" Saku exclaims and waves his arms.

"No, we are on top of the cliff," Daejung says calmly but he quickly extends his hand to hold onto Saku's belt to avoid him slipping off the crenel.

But Saku's body jerks immediately and the next moment, Daejung feels the boy is already grabbing his wrist. The sudden action, however, makes Saku almost fall off the crenel if Daejung has not quickly held on to his waist with the other hand.

"Be careful, son!" Daejung looks at Saku with an expression that cannot be read after helping him back onto the ground.

"Thank you, sir," Sakura lowers her head and mutters. Her heart is still beating fast. She thought that Daejung was going to push her into the sea...

"It is good to stay alert to strangers, but you must always check your own safety before making a strike."

Saku nods again, and he suddenly turns his head towards the direction where he came from.

"Hyeong!" He yells at the empty courtyard and starts to run.

Daejung is startled but he decides to follow the boy.

After running a hundred yards and turning a couple of corners, they finally see Jaeyeon looking around the spot where Saku used to stay while calling his name.

"Saku-chan! Where have you..." Right before Jaeyeon prepares to scold Saku, he sees the man behind him and immediately changes his tone. "Seonsaengnim! You haven't left?"

Daejung is gasping, but can't stop laughing and shows Jaeyeon the grip marks on his wrist, "Saku the Wolf Killer, really lives up to his name! Congratulations! You have found yourself a wonderful student!"

Sakura is stunned by Daejung's words, and she looks at Jaeyeon in great confusion.

Jaeyeon looks embarrassed, "seonsaengnim, did Saku do anything..."

"No, not at all." Daejung waves his hand in dismiss, "still have room for improvement, but I am absolutely sure he can be trained up as a top-class warrior." Daejung then points to his head, "he is very strong here."

Jaeyeon bows in gratitude.

"Good job, son!" Daejung pats Jaeyeon on the shoulder. "You have trained him well. He will be a treasure to our kingdom – Glory be to the King!"

Jaeyeon immediately straightens his body and cries, "Heaven be with Tokkiz!"

The warriors turn in the direction of the Capital city and salute. Saku looks excited and imitates them.

Daejung finds Saku's action very cute and pats the boy on the shoulder, "protect our Princess well, she is our only hope for Tokkiz's revival."

Saku bows deeply.

That night, Jaeyeon and Saku dined with Daejung's family before they rode back to the inn.

To both boys from the palace, it was a heartwarming dinner. It reminds Sakura of the days when she has dinner with both of her foster parents. Even though the memory is faint, even though she didn't have a loving father, time has painted memories with a nice pink color. As for Jaeyeon, this may be the dream life he never had and will never have. Whatsoever, both know that they will not have another ordinary family dinner for a long time.

***

The next morning, Jaeyeon packed and brings Saku to the beach as he has promised.

Tokkiz is generally a highland. Cliffs and beaches lay in an alternate way along the long coastline. In the following three days, Jaeyeon and Saku rode from cliff to cliff and from beaches to beaches where Jaeyeon taught Saku how to swim and to catch fishes and collected edible shells. They played children's games and built sand sculptures together, but Jaeyeon never failed to make use of any natural environment to teach Saku all sorts of knowledge including the art of war and combat skills. After hearing his master's word, Jaeyeon is more determined than ever to train Saku up into someone that will eventually be greater than him one day.

They camped near the beaches at night, making gourmet food from whatever they have and could get from the sea. They shared their dreams and deep-hearted secrets before they fell into a deep slumber and spent the moments watching sunrise and sunset quietly together. It recalled Sakura the days when she spent with her mama in the Prairie under a tent. She was surprised that the pain that memories brought is becoming more bearable now. But she also feels something more. She starts to feel like she is a he when she was alone with Jaeyeon, especially when Jaeyeon decided he would not shave until he met the Princess again. Seeing the bluish-grey shadow on Jaeyeon's face growing darker and thicker day by day made her look forward to the day when he will grow some beard too.

On the evening before they are to go back to the castle, Saku suddenly says, "the sun that set in the prairie and the sun that set in the sea is different,"

"That's not true, Saku-chan, they are the same."

Jaeyeon laughs softly and prepares to give Saku a lecture, but he stops as Saku explains, "I was always alone when I watched the sun that set in the prairie because I have to leave my mother and work outside since I was very small, but I watch the sun that set in the sea with hyeong. That's why it's different."

Without warning, tears welled up Jaeyeon's eyes. Suddenly, he feels his soul being touched by a small and tender hand. He has been alone all his life, sunsetting used to be the worst time in a day when he was small as it reminded him of his mother. He even envied Eunbi for having both living parents. But he now realizes that he is no longer alone. He has a friend, a friend who will not judge him. For the first time, things he did to the boy or taught him do not feel like duties, and he is comfortable in doing nothing and watching the sunset together...

And Saku continues, "also, the hyeong that is with Her Highness and the hyeong that is with his soldiers are so different."

Jaeyeon is left speechless with Saku's observation. At the very moment, he feels like a vulnerable little boy again.

***

On the morning of the 6th day, the two left the coast early and commenced the return trip. When they rode to the coast, most roads were downhill so it was fast, but the return trip will mostly be uphill and it will take a much longer time. In Jaeyeon's planning, they should arrive at the castle by evening or even late afternoon, then they will have plenty of time to clean and shave before the three witches finish their retreat.

Jaeyeon looks at the map and decides that they will first turn inland to the East and ride the shorter road that goes up North. It has been a sunny morning, but the wind starts to blow strong after lunch with dark clouds gathering.

"It may rain, we must be quick – Saku-chan?" Jaeyeon doesn't notice that Saku is missing until he calls out to him.

"Saku-chan, where are you?" Jaeyeon shouts and Saku turns back after a few minutes.

"What's happening?" Jaeyeon gets worried when he sees Saku's expression.

"I smell something very strange," Saku says with a deep frown. "The wind brings some scent that is very strange."

"But I didn't smell anything." Jaeyeon is not convinced.

"Hyeong," Saku decided he must be totally honest to Jaeyeon, "I acquired a very powerful sense of smell after the attack – after I was bitten – I got the abilities of the wolf after he bites me."

Jaeyeon is dumbfounded, "what do you mean?"

Saku shakes his head, "I don't know. That's why I could hear you just now – I have been traveling for nearly a mile – I'm sorry."

Jaeyeon finds it hard to believe, but he knows Saku will not lie. "Can you describe what you smell?"

"Some extremely sweet scent, but the sweetness is irritating. It makes me want to vomit."

"Then maybe we should just leave it alone." Jaeyeon pulls the reins and attempts to continue but Saku just refuses to move.

"What makes you so obsessed?" Jaeyeon is a bit angry.

Saku lowers his head, but his voice is stern, "I believe in my hunch."

Jaeyeon exhales, "okay. You lead the way. I must keep you in my sight."

The detour took around half an hour to the East before the boys reached a hilltop. They are taken aback by what they saw. Under their feet is a valley totally covered with the flowers/fruits of a plant that is bright pink in color. Jaeyeon can also smell the sickeningly sweet scent now.

"Saku-chan, if you have the abilities of a wolf, can you see if the pink are flowers or fruits?" Jaeyeon asks, partly wanting to test if Saku has lied.

"Fruits." Saku answers in a definite tone.

That rings a bell in Jaeyeon's head – in last year's expedition, Eunbi has shown him a Trivisa Berry forb when she spotted it along the way. Trivisa Berry was the "wild strawberry" that made Eunbi sick when she was 9. These plants resemble what he saw, but in a much larger size. The forbs were planted in a neat pattern, suggesting it is nothing that grew out of nature.

Jaeyeon quickly dismounts and takes out his notebook and walks down to the plantation carefully. He examines the plants and jots down some rough observations and speculations, then he asks Saku to make a quick sketch of the valley. He gently pulls out one forb and sniffs it, only to discover that the sickening scent was not from the plant itself.

"Run!" When Jaeyeon is about to put the "evidence" into his bag, he hears Saku shout and immediately jumps up. Two short arrows landed where he just squatted. Jaeyeon runs the fastest he can to his horse. More arrows land behind his feet when he hears some people yelling "thieves" with dogs barking fiercely. Saku has already mounted when Jaeyeon reaches Mandu. The two knee the horses and run for their life.

It doesn't take long for the two to hear the clatter of horses' hoofs from behind, along with the barking of dogs, and occasionally hisses of arrows.

And then the sky turns dark quickly, thunder rumbling behind the clouds finally cracked into a flash of huge lightning. Giant raindrops soon turn to sheets of rain and patter against the horses and the riders, blinding them the way forward.

Suddenly, Sakura loses the sense of time and space and she starts to panic – the memory of her and her mother being chased by horses and dogs gushes up. The memory becomes so vivid that she abruptly turns her head around yelling, "Mama!"

But there is no Mama. Only a familiar figure is riding behind her.

"Saku-chan, cover yourself with your cloak!" Jaeyeon yells through the rain, instantly snapping Sakura back to reality.

They know that they have to stop in this situation, both humans and horses may get injured or even lose their lives if any unforeseeable circumstances appear. But it will certainly cost their lives if they stop now. Then Sakura hears something – some howls, to be precise.

As if by instinct, she "replies" the sound with a howl.

Not long after that, two big wolves run out of the woods and start leading the horses. An orchestra of howls is now heard from all directions, while on the contrary, the clatter of horses' hoofs and dogs' bark gradually fade away.

A few more wolves appear from the wood. The whole pack of wolves finally escorts Saku and Jaeyeon to a place that is full of cliffs with huge hanging rocks everywhere. They are then led to a perfectly covered corner that looks like a cave.

The wolves then retreat to the periphery of the area and sit down, with their heads facing outward.

Jaeyeon dismounts cautiously. He turns on his illuminator and takes out his map, only to find that everything in his bag is soaked.

"Damn!" He curses and throws the bag onto the ground. The force jolts his injured arm and he has to hold it to ease the pain.

"I will make a fire," Saku, who is spreading out the mat, quickly jumps to Chaeyeon and picks up the bag, and he bows deeply, "I am sorry, hyeong, this is all my fault."

Jaeyeon in a deep breath and shakes his head, "no, it's not. Don't say that."

Saku then guides Jaeyeon to sit down on the mat and manages to gather some not-so-damp leaves around to start a fire. He then runs into the rain again (with a wolf quickly following him) and comes back with some wet branches.

Jaeyeon watches the boy in silence. His heart is still pounding – who were these people who tried to kill them? What is that Trivisa Berry plantation for and where did those smells come from? And who are these wolves? Are they Saku's "friend"? Are they guarding the site now? He is tempted to use the MCT to contact Eunbi, but he quickly drops the idea. Not only will it disturb the Princess, he knows that he will have no place in the Palace in the future if he is to be saved by the one he protects.

The fire is growing strongly and beautifully under Saku's hands. It must be magic, isn't it? Jaeyeon thinks half-consciously. His train of thoughts is broken when Saku kneels down beside him and starts undressing him.

"You will catch a cold, hyeong," Saku says.

Jaeyeon feels a bit embarrassed but he does feel a bit cold under the wet clothes. He quickly helps to take off his own shirt, "but Saku-chan, your clothes are wet too."

"I am used to that," Saku says and unfolds Jaeyeon's soaked bandages altogether and carefully hangs them on the roughly built stand over the fire. He also places his own cloak which is comparatively dry to cover Jaeyeon's body.

When Jaeyeon takes out the items from his bag and examines them one by one, Saku spots the plant and murmurs to himself, "the berry must be the only one who feels happy here." He then picks up the forb and lays it on the mud outside where the rain is still pouring. The boy then washes his hands with rainwater.

"You are really obsessed, aren't you, Saku-chan?" Jaeyeon laughs softly.

But he stops when Saku grabs his own bag and takes out his food bag.

"Hyeong, you must be hungry," Saku says plainly, "these are the leftover bread and cheese that I saved from the first two days – I know, but it seems that they are still edible."

Jaeyeon is startled. Even when serving in the army, he has never eaten leftover bread that is older than two days.

"But Saku-chan must be hungry too," Jaeyeon says and picks up a piece of bread that looks amazingly fresh and hands it to Saku.

"Saku is not hungry," Saku quickly stands up, "hyeong eat first, I need to talk to the wolves."

"You...what?" Jaeyeon's eyeballs nearly fall but Saku has already turned away.

***

"Unnie and Oppa?" Sakura sits down at the peripheral where the wolves are lying. They quickly get up and gather around her.

"Thank you very much for saving us," Sakura says sincerely.

"To save the prince is our honor," the male alpha answers immediately. "Here is where we live. We are a pack that comes from the rock cave clan, but we used to live much nearer to the valley that you just came from."

"We were forced out when those humans occupied the land and grow the unedible fruits." The female alpha continues, "they set traps and automatic crossbows, which cost many of our lives. But the most devastating cause that forced us to leave was the scent."

"The scent!" Sakura exclaims.

"Yes, my prince. The humans have built a few houses down in the valley and the scent comes from those houses. The scent was so strong that it ruined our smell, and it even caused hallucinations and addiction among some wolves. We have to abandon them to survive."

"I think I have seen those houses," Sakura nods and asks for some more details, "when did all that start?"

"Gwal?" The female says and turns to a young wolf. The young wolf immediately stands up, and the female says, "the summer when she and her brothers and sisters were born."

"How many summers have you lived?" Sakura asks Gwal.

"Two...three. Three. Yes, three." Gwal says embarrassingly. 

Sakura nods again. She must discuss this with Jaeyeon and the Princess. But meanwhile, there is a more urgent issue.

"Are we very far from where the magicians live?"

"The Great Yoonjung?" The male says, "not far. If we start now, we can get there before sunrise."

"I don't think we can leave now," Sakura shakes her head and looks at the sky, "my brother looks tired after the chase. I hope he is not getting sick. Humans cannot be exposed to the cold rain for too long, we don't have thick fur coats as you do, and we need to sleep a long time at night. Humans cannot see in the dark, and it is getting dark now."

"We understand, my prince," the female agrees, "then please be our guest of honor tonight. You and your human can stay in the cave as long as you need, and we will bring you to where the magicians live once you are ready. We will go hunt some rabbits when the rain stops, and you don't have to worry about your safety. The other packs in our clan are now guarding the wood, they will let us know if the humans have any action, and they will try to chase them off first. We have a very good communication system."

"That's very thoughtful! Thank you." Sakura smiles and the wolves all howl happily.

After that, Saku sits down next to Jaeyeon and reports his conversation with the wolves. Then, he tries to stand up. "With your permission, I will unsaddle the horses."

"Saku-chan," Jaeyeon places his hand on Saku's lap and keeps him from standing up. "there is something you are not telling me."

"No, hyeong, I have told you everything." Saku blinks.

"Your relationship with the wolves," Jaeyeon unconsciously pushes his body forward.

"They..." Sakura feels her heart skips a beat. "They saved us because we have saved them, they just wanted to show gratitude."

Jaeyeon shakes his head, "it is not that simple. I watched while you were talking to the wolves. It feels...surreal..."

Saku falls silent and casts her eyes down.

"Don't get me wrong, Saku-chan..." Jaeyeon bites his lips and continues, "I...I don't know how to express...I trust you – I really do, but, I need to know what has happened to you. I know you can talk to animals, but...it's kinda scary that you suddenly act like an animal! You can smell something that is miles away, or you can hear me from afar, or...I think you can see in the dark too, you didn't even take out your illuminator. I know, you got those abilities after you were bitten, and that's precisely what I'm worried about. Did that wolf cast some spells on you and turned you into...into...into something like...like a...a werewolf?"

Sakura feels her cheeks start to burn. She suppresses her anger and hisses, "Saku is not a werewolf!"

"No! No no!" Jaeyeon quickly waves his hands, "I'm sorry, I don't mean that...I'm just very confused – this place seems to be bewitched too...I think I have used the wrong word. I mean, these wild wolves look so tamed in front of you as if you are their master. But I bet you have never met, right? I don't know how to describe it, but they are so humble in front of you, and the way they are protecting you...can only remind me of one person. Also, your manner when talking to them was so...mature like an adult – dignified. Like you are the Master of Wolves."

Sakura wants to scream. But she knows she cannot throw a tantrum at Jaeyeon.

"Also, I cannot imagine how you could grab Daejung Seonsaengnim's wrist. You have learned martial arts for just two weeks! Even if you possess that secret power, even if you learn fast and work hard – I know you have worked very hard, but...no one could ever be fast enough to touch Seonsaengnim during a fight. Saku-chan, maybe you are really not a human, you are a celestial or at least a celestial class in Arukas – just look at the fire, how can anyone make a fire from leaves that last this long and burn so beautifully without magic?"

Sakura is not convinced, but Great Yoonjung's words suddenly ring in her head.

You encompass celestial and humanity, the perfect mixture of mage and warrior...

"Excuse me." Sakura thinks she cannot handle the situation anymore. So she chooses to ignore Jaeyeon and walks straight ahead to unsaddle the horses.

Jaeyeon leads out a long sigh, feeling like a jerk.

When Sakura was cleaning the horses, the Grandmaster's voice kept on ringing in her head: there is no need to tell anyone...

Right, there is no need to tell anyone about who she is (she is confused too), and she feels tremendous pressure from Jaeyeon's questions and assumptions (she also has a million questions), but, again, she needs the trust and protection of Jaeyeon.

After a long silence, Sakura finally speaks, "They call me the Prince of Wolves, but hyeong, I am your loyal servant, and nothing more."

Author's Notes:

Hi, how do you like this chapter? I am sorry it takes me so long to update one chapter, it's really not easy, but honestly, I enjoy this story very much, and I am always thinking about it, to the extent that I am like living in two universes at the same time (the double life of gumgumtara). Also, I hope that you have also listened to my song last week. I will make it "private" very soon as the content can be a bit sensitive now, and I am not sure if you can still listen with the link.