You panted as you sprinted through the forest, your feet pounding against the thick underbrush - branches snapping with each stride you made. Your friend was miles ahead of you, having spotted the witch before you did. The need to get away and to safety was the only goal in your mind as you tried to figure out how to get further away and maybe even hide. 

You could hear your friend ahead of you, yelling to climb into the trees and jump from branch to branch. You hesitated, feet stumbling over each other as you tried to process the possibility of actually being able to climb a tree. Could you? Why not, you were a trained witch hunter after all. Tree jumping was something you had been taught and could easily do. Veering to the left, you latched onto the nearest tree - a large oak that offered many large branches that intertwined with others. You took a moment to feel the bark, trying to figure out the best way to climb it, but the evil cackling that was growing ever louder spurred panic deep within you. 

Biting your bottom lip, you decided to take a chance and raised your arms as high as you could, grasping the bark and planting your feet on the trunk. As fast as you could, you started climbing - the jagged edges of the bark occasionally cutting into your skin as you reached the first branch. About a foot above you was another branch and while it was probably easier for you to just climb up the tree further, you decided to jump for it. Your fingers barely brushed against the bottom of the branch before you were falling back down. Heart in your throat, you were sure you were gonna miss the branch you had been standing on and just fall back down to the ground to your death. You didn’t, however, as a hand wrapped itself around your wrist. Fear seized your body as you jerked your head up, afraid that maybe the witch had caught up to you and caught you. That would have been terrible. Luckily, the person holding your wrist wasn’t the witch and you felt relief wash over you. 

“Minho.” You whispered, a small smile spreading over your lips as the older male helped to pull you up onto the second branch. “You saved me.”

“As always.” He teased with a wink. You tried to suppress your laughter, covering your mouth with your hand but it was too late. The sound of the witch’s cackle was loud as if hovering just below where you stood and your eyes widened in free. “Run!” 

Minho’s grip on your wrist tightened as he jerked you forward and you both started running down the branch. It curled up to the right with a small gap between it and the branch of another tree. An easy jump that you landed perfectly, feet sliding on the moss that was covering it. Everything around you was a blur as you jumped and climbed between branches, following Minho as the two of you tried to put as much distance between you and the witch as possible. Eventually, you ran out of branches, reaching a tree planted precariously close to a cliff and the last branch hanging over it. 

You managed to slow your momentum enough to keep from rushing over the end of the branch and to your demise, but Minho wasn’t so lucky. He went careening over and with a scream of his name, you lunged forward, grabbing his hand as your body slammed down on the branch - the only thing keeping you and Minho from falling. Below, waves crashed against the jagged rocks. Your heart was racing and you struggled to pull Minho back up. You were only a kid after all and he was much bigger than you and stronger. There was no way you could pull him back up on your own. “Minho.” You whimpered. 

“Let me go, it’s okay.” He said, looking up at you and you shook your head quickly. 

“I won’t! I won’t let you die!”

“You don’t have a choice Y/n! You have to keep going and put an end to this witch and her destructive ways.” He encouraged. 

“But I can’t. I don’t want to lose you! Please Minho.” You begged, tears welling your eyes as you thought of what life would be without Minho. No more silly antics or sassy comebacks. No more feline-like smiles or glances tossed in your direction. 

“You’ll never lose me, Y/n. I’ll always be with you, in your heart.” He said gently, smiling some as your grip on his hand loosened. You scrambled to get better leverage - to hold tighter but it only resulted in your grip slipping more. “We’ll meet again.” You lost your grip completely, and in horror watched as he fell. 

“MINHO!”

“Y/n!” You jerked as a hand pushed against your shoulder and you stumbled backward. You looked around frantically as the tree and the branch and the cliff all morphed back into your front yard. Before you, your friend stood with a grin - chest heaving as she tried to catch her breath. “Wasn’t that so cool? We’re like the best at this whole hunting thing.” She giggled and you nodded dumbly in agreement. 

“Uh, yeah.” 

“Anyway, wanna play with your barbies now?” She asked and your eyes lit up as an excited gasp left you. 

“Yeah! I got a new playhouse and everything for them! Come on!” You raced your friend back inside your house, kicking your shoes off somewhere in the living room. Making a beeline to your room, you threw open the door and stopped in your tracks, eyes locking with Minho’s as he sat at your tea party table with a bright smile on his face. There was not a scratch on him and it appeared he had been waiting for you. Smiling, you gave him a knowing nod before moving to the large dollhouse in the other corner of your room, your friend soon joining you. Even though you were focused on your current game, you couldn’t wait until later when you could play with Minho again.