--

10

--

Howon busied himself with his work, trying to keep his mind off of you and the way you fit perfectly in his arms against his body. But the more he tried not to think of you, the more his mind started spinning images Howon didn’t want to see. At least, not in public.

“Oh. Looks like the shapeshifter finally got that cast off her arm.” Howon looked up to see the kids dragging you off to the forest. He wiped some sweat away from his forehead, and he could’ve sworn you turned back and saw him before you disappeared into the forest.

“Those kids really love her.”

--

You were surprised to see the pond looked much bigger in the spring than it did in the winter. You hadn’t come back since you’d fallen through the ice.

“The water is still really cold in the spring, but it feels really nice in the summer when it gets hot.” You stared at the small waterfall of water that dumped water into the pond. You hadn’t been farther than here because that’s where the trail stopped.

“The river ends here, and in the summer, we go fishing at the upstream, because there’s lots of fish!”

You nodded, dipping your feet into the cool water as the children splashed around in the shallow end. It felt good to be able to move your arm. You waved it around and smiled. The only things that remained were the scars from the stiches and a pale pink row of teeth marks.

You dipped your hand into the water and patted your wet hand against your face. Howon had left abruptly in the morning, and the thought saddened you. Maybe he didn’t like you as much as you thought he did. You let out a sigh and pouted slightly.

“Are you thinking about Howon?”

The innocent question snapped you out of your thoughts, and you saw that the kids had gathered around you, grinning at you. They somehow managed to circle around you, leaving you no means of escape.

“I- Uh- No. I’m not. Why would I be thinking of him?”

“You’re blushing,” one of the girls said, giggling. The started laughing, making you deflate. Even the little kids could guess what was on your mind.

“Don’t worry.”

“We won’t tell him anything.”

“We think he likes you too.”

--

Once the kids found out about your little secret, you noticed there were more instances where you and Howon met. Once, you were walking by him and the kids ran by, knocking you right into him. He caught you as they ran off giggling. Howon shouted at them to watch where they were going, and you couldn’t be any more mortified.

There was another time where your door was jammed shut so you couldn’t get inside. And again, Howon was there to help fix your door, finding a large board jammed underneath your door.

“Is there something going on between you and Howon? Is that why the kids are wreaking havoc in the town?” Woohyun asked one day as he carried groceries for you. Howon was busy in the forest with the other hunters. Myungsoo came back, noting a pack of migrating deer. He was an expert on animal control, and it seemed that the deer population needed to be taken down a notch before they ate the entire valley.

“No, there’s nothing going on,” you said. You insisted you could carry the groceries yourself, but Woohyun didn’t want to risk you straining your arm. “Are there any herbs that grow naturally around here? Like in Seungho’s territory?” you asked as Woohyun opened the door and stepped inside the house.

He turned his eyes up in thought as he placed the groceries down on the counter. “I think there’s a big patch somewhere full of different ones. The women talk about it. It’s pretty close to the upstream.”

“How do I get to the upstream?”

“Just follow the path around the pond. Should lead you right up there. Just be careful, because the rocks on the path come loose easily.”

You felt a weight on your foot and looked down to see Won sitting on your foot, nose twitching. You picked up the rabbit and sighed, petting his head. “You always know when I have food, don’t you? You’re getting chubby.”

--

You dressed for the weather and brought a basket with you. There was nothing wrong with the herbs in the store, but you felt fresh herbs made food taste better. You had no idea what would be growing out there when you got there, but there was only one way to find out.

The morning air was crisp and clean, a far cry from the dungeons. The shopkeeps were just opening their shops and waved to you as you passed by.

You followed the familiar path towards the pond and continued around it, slowing down to observe your surroundings as you swung your basket with one hand. The trees grew sparser, and the rocks were bigger. Heeding Woohyun’s warning, you climbed slowly until you reached the top.

It was flat land as far as the eye could see. To your left was a small forest curving around the base of the mountain, and to your right was nothing but plains. You could see animals grazing out there, but the mountain backdrop took your breath a