The temperature near the water was much cooler than it was further inland. He’d spent years by the river and the Crystal Lake on his own. With only his feet to carry him further inland, he never seemed to venture very far. It was just the way it was now. Humming to himself he kneeled down on a grassy embankment near the river as he worked to untangle a net, aside from his own tune the only other noises to break the silence were the rustling of the leaves as they scraped against each other in the wind and the water itself as it lapped against the shore. He gave a scoff, muttering under his breath as a particular knot refused to come undone. His lips twisted into a frown, tongue peeking out at the corner of his lips as his fingers worked to pry the net apart.

A loud watery crash sent him shooting to his feet, eyes wide, net forgotten as he watched a large plume of water burst upwards from the surface, a long serpentine body slinking back under the water, the massive tail slapping against the water before vanishing back into the waters depths. This was new. He raced along the river’s edge, heading towards the source as the massive beast breached the water once more. Streams of water ran down its body as its serpentine head came to rest on the shore, slowly the jaw opened to reveal an unconscious young man resting upon its tongue.

His eyes widened as he raced over, unhesitating as he stepped into the open jaws to grab hold of the unconscious youth and drag him out. As soon as the other man was free of the colossus jaws, the serpentine beast slipped back into the clear dark waters, the electric skeletal rods flickering in its depths as it swam upstream.  He didn’t watch the colossi’s departure, darting over to the unconscious youth, falling to his knees beside the other as he bent over the others prone form. Laying his head against the others chest he listened for a heartbeat. He heaved a sigh as he sat back up after hearing the pounding of the heart. “Oh thank the heavens.” He whispered, fingers ghosting over the others limbs and torso, feeling for any bones out of place, he nibbled softly on his bottom lip. Nothing seemed amiss, a few dark bruises blotted the young man’s skin, and while some looked nasty, they wouldn’t be life threatening. “Well now what? What am I going to do with you?” he quietly asked out loud.

A soft groan from the young man had him retracting his hand in a flash, as if scalded, but after a moment the young man stilled once more. He took a deep breath to calm his rapidly beating heart before he got up onto his feet. Wracking his mind for a way to transport the other to his home; the young man looked to be about his height, and he wasn’t confident he could carry the other such a distance. His lips twisted into a frown, shoulders sagging as he crossed his arms, mind wracking for anyway to move the unconscious man. He supposed he could always call back the colossi. He winced, nixing the idea. It still left him trying to figure out how to move the man onto the colossi’s back without jarring him too much. As his eyes fell upon the net an idea struck him. Moving quickly he swept up the towel he’d brought with him and spread it out over the netting, tearing off his own shirt and lay it down on the towel before darting off to collect anything soft: grass, leaves, moss—anything that he could use to create a buffer. Working quickly, fingers deft; he weaved a stick through the netting and bound it tight at the ends making a handle. It wasn’t, perhaps, the best, but if it got the job done, then that was all that mattered.

He sighed heavily, a smile spreading over his lips before he pulled the makeshift tarp to the young man before he gently eased the other man onto the tarp, wrapping the edges around the others body. He pulled back against the handle and stopped. It was twenty minutes upstream on foot to his home, which meant twenty minutes of dragging this man. He bit his lip, and nodded to himself before he dropped the handles and raced to the waters edge. Come back, I need your aide. He thought, eyes closing as he knelt down, placing a hand along the surface of the water. He could see it, in his mind’s eye he could see the colossi as it slithered in the depths of the cold clear lake. Its blue eyes flashed, changing to orange before flickering back to blue as it changed its path. Snapping his eyes open, Donghae pulled back from the water. Hydrus was on his way, and as the massive colossi neared, he found himself snapped into the colossi’s mind, seeing through its own eyes for a moment: the sunlight as it filtered into the water, the skyline and canopy of leaves flickering under the water, growing closer as it neared the surface—and as suddenly as he was in the colossi’s mind-he was out of it again and back in his own.

As his hands grasped the wooden handle once more he heard the crash of water.“Time to-,” he grunted as he pulled on the netting heading towards Hydrus, “god you’re heavy. First thing for you: Diet”, he decided as he dragged the man over to the shoreline.  Resting against the shore, the water colossi’s head peeked above the surface, providing an easy transition from land onto its body. “Alright.” He panted, “Take me home.” He ordered.

“Siwon, he’s gaining on us!”

Those orange eyes shone through the darkness—heavy footfalls- a flash of stone and then he was soaring. For one small moment he was flying before hurtling towards the ground, hidden by fog below. He slammed into water—ice cold. Lungs filled with water. Flashes of white light gleamed from the darkness illuminating a serpentine head and sharp curved back. Blue eyes. A mouth opened wide and then---nothing.

Eunhyuk lurched up with a cry, drenched in sweat, eyes wide and wild. There was no water, no flickers of light. He was in a bed. Slowly, he dragged his gaze over the cottage. Sunlight poured in through the cracks in the thatched roof. It was sparsely furnished. One small table placed against the far wall with a plant sitting in the middle, overflowing from its pot. A soft breeze ghosted in from the open window, the thin wispy curtains billowed, the frayed ends like shadowy tendrils reaching out towards him. Slowly, carefully, he trailed his hands up his torso. Nothing hurt. Aside from the various dark bruises that littered his body, he felt fine. Where were his clothes, and where the hell was he? How far down river had he been carried? And who had found him?

His breath hitched, eyes darting to the door as it creaked open. “Oh good you’re awake.” A young man beamed. His dark brown hair fell to his shoulders, held back by a white bandana; he had a lithe build, fair skin, and dark brown eyes. He wore a pair of baggy tan pants, a dark shirt that was fading in color, a long tabard woven out of yarn, dirtied and fraying along the edges. His sandals were made of leather, the straps winding up the young man’s legs to stop just below the knee, a brown thick strip serving as a shin guard running up his leg, and thin strips of white cloth running up his calves underneath the leg guards and leather straps.

Eunhyuk jerked, as the young man set a small steaming wooden bowl onto the table before heading over. He jerked the covers up his body as he scooted further back on the bed, very aware of his own state. “Who are you? Where am I, and where are my clothes?” he barked.

The young man stopped, a frown spreading over his features before he sighed, “You’re in my home for starters. As to who I am, I presume you meant to ask me my name. It’s Donghae by the way, and your clothes are hanging out to dry. You were a sopping mess when you came from the river.”

“The river?” Eunhyuk asked, the images of his dream suddenly flashing back before his eyes. “Then..that beast, it didn’t eat me?”

“Pardon?”

“There was this…serpent. I remember. I had fallen in and I saw it coming at me.” He jerked as he recalled the massive jaws opening wide. “It ate me!” he screeched.

Donghae gave a small bark of laughter, a wide grin spreading over his lips. “Ate you? Don’t be stupid, if he ate you, then you wouldn’t be here now would you? It was an exploratory bite.”

“Exploratory?!” Eunhyuk screeched once more. Donghae clamped his hands over his ears, wincing at the sound.

“Do you have to be so loud? How else could Hydrus have saved your life if not by holding you in his jaws? He didn’t swallow you, so technically he never ate you.” Donghae countered.

“Hydrus?”

“The serpent that saved you—“

“That thing has a name? That thing has a name!” Eunhyuk yelped, tearing back only to fall from the bed, yanking the covers with him. Donghae’s eyes went wide as he lurched forward.

“Careful! Don’t hurt yourself.” He cried as he flung himself over the bed, extending a hand to help Eunhyuk.

Eunhyuk slapped the offered hand away, “Don’t touch me!”

“Excuse me?”

“You’re one of them aren’t you? Naming that beast—knowing—don’t you touch me.” He snarled, glaring up at the young man. Nothing was said for a moment, the silence stretching on between them as slowly, Donghae pulled back his hand, head lowered as he turned around sharply.

“Food’s on the table for you, in,” he paused taking a deep shuddering breath, “in case you’re hungry. I’ll just be outside. Your clothes may be dry. Excuse me.” Without another word Donghae walked briskly out of the small home, shutting the door softly behind him.

Once outside he made his way to the ruins of an old stone bridge.  Many of the large pillars still remained, but most the bridge itself had fallen away, sinking to the bottom of the cold clear spring lake. He seated himself at the edge of the stone path that remained and looked down, spotting Hydrus easily. The serpentine colossi’s eyes went from blue to orange. Donghae smiled weakly, rubbing his eyes fiercely with the back of his hand. “I’m fine.” He stated softly, “he only needs time.” He sniffed. Slowly the serpents’ eyes melded back into blue as it swam off once again, but always circling back. Even once Donghae left to go back further inland and continue his chores, the colossi stayed close within the large spring lake.

It wasn’t until dusk that Donghae stepped back inside his home, the traveler’s clothes hung over his arm, now dried from the time in the sun. “Your clothes are dried.” He stated, smiling, chancing a glance at the table. The food was gone, but the now empty bowl sat where he had placed it earlier. That at least was a good sign wasn’t it? “I caught some more fish; I was going to roast them tonight. Would you like me to bring them in once they’re done?” he inquired, turning his gaze back onto the traveler. He received no response, with another deep breath Donghae continued on, “I’ll put your clothes here.” He stated as he draped them over the back of a chair. “You can come outside and join me if you’d like, or not, you can stay in here too if you’d like.” He trailed off, chancing another glance at the traveler. The other man was watching him alright, his eyes as piercing as they had been earlier.

He said nothing else to the other man as he slipped back outside again, heading towards the fire he had begun. He didn’t keep track of the time, losing himself in his task as he hummed a song his mother used to sing to him under his breath. He jerked as he heard a twig snap, reaching over to grab hold of the bow and arrow he’d placed beside him. The people may have been long since gone from this land, but the animals still roamed. He let out a deep breath, relaxing as he caught sight of his guest coming towards him. “You scared me.”

Eunhyuk didn’t say anything as he slowly crept closer to the fire, situating himself on the opposite side of the flame, watching as the flames danced, embers flickering off into the night air. Donghae sighed, picking up a stick, jabbing it into the fire. “Eunhyuk.”

He looked up, unsure if he’d heard correctly. “I’m sorry?”

“Eunhyuk. That’s my name.” Eunhyuk introduced, a little louder this time. A wide grin broke out over Donghae’s face.

“I—“

“You don’t need to reintroduce yourself. I remember your name.” Eunhyuk remarked. Donghae nodded, his lips as he debated on what to say. However, as Eunhyuk’s stomach gave a loud rumble he burst into chuckles.

“Are you hungry? I haven’t hosted in a while, so you’ll have to excuse my manners.” Donghae began as he picked up a small plate full of the fish he had already cooked, heading over to Eunhyuk’s side. He watched, pulling the plate away as Eunhyuk chose his fish. Donghae sat down beside him, noting the way the other tensed, but he didn’t run away or glare either. That seemed like an improvement. He didn’t push to make a conversation, oh but how he wanted to! He had so many questions to ask, each one clamoring for attention.

“It’s so dark.”

“Huh?” He hadn’t expected that as the ice-breaker between them.

“Here. This place.” Eunhyuk gestured. “I never knew a place could be so dark.”

Donghae shrugged, “It’s night. Doesn’t it turn dark in your home?”

“Yes, but where I come from, there are torches that still burn, lanterns that hang outside shops, taverns, street corners. Here it’s just…dark. It’s a bit depressing.”

“You get used to it, but what’s your city like? Where are you from? How did you get here?” Donghae asked, firing question after question at Eunhyuk.

“I come from the west—“

“The West?!” Donghae yelped, eyes wide.

“Yes. Is that a problem?”

“N-no, but…” he trailed off with a wince.

“The war? You know about it?”

“Are you really asking me about that? Of course I know about that. Look around, I’d have to be stupid not to know about it.”

“Err..sorry, that was tactless,” he cleared his throat, “Anyway, I came from the west, but my family isn’t from the country originally. My friend and I came here.”

“A friend?” He glanced back at the lake, catching a flicker of light. Hydrus hadn’t brought anyone else back with him. He frowned, bringing his gaze back to Eunhyuk, wanting to know more about his guest. “So where is he?”

“I don’t know,” Eunhyuk’s shoulders slumped, heart clenching as he thought about Siwon. “We were attacked, this…colossi chased us. I was pushed off the cliff, I don’t know what happened to him or where he is now.”

“I’m sorry to hear that.” Donghae murmured, and he truly was, losing someone was never easy. Even if it were a temporary separation, not knowing was always hard. “Maybe, maybe you could find him?”

Eunhyuk snorted. “If he isn’t dead already. That colossi was brutal…I don’t think it would have stopped until the both of us were killed.”

“Maybe not, but you did survive, so not all is lost.”

“Excuse me?”

“You’re alive.” Donghae smiled softly. “that’s something. Sometimes, it’s everything.”

“What do you mean?” Eunhyuk asked, but Donghae didn’t elaborate on his words.

“Okay, so you and your friend came here, may I ask why?”

“We were framed. Our King and his men betrayed us, so we came here to get away from them.” He paused, nibbling on his bottom lip. “We’re trying to get to the Eastern lands. We couldn’t have made it safely across the border any other way. We had no other choice, but to come here. We were planning on crossing the Western land borders here and entering into the Eastern lands.”

Donghae nodded, it sounded like a solid plan in theory. “Well, it’s not a bad plan.” He conceded.

Eunhyuk snorted, “Wasn’t great either.”

“No plan’s fool proof. Still, you won’t make it to the Eastern lands on your own. Certainly not on foot. Between the colossus and the land itself, you’ll be hard pressed.”

“There’s more?!” Eunhyuk yelped. Donghae laughed, he couldn’t help it, Eunhyuk’s wide eye expression was too comical.

“Of course, but even if there weren’t, a desert runs along the Northern land here. There’s no way you’ll cross it on your own.”

Eunhyuk winced, shoulders slumping as he stared back into the fire. His mind blank. /I’m trapped here/ he thought bitterly. There was no way he could walk across a desert and live. Donghae cocked his head to the side.

“Hey now, don’t cry. Oh please don’t cry.” He whined, catching sight of Eunhyuk’s watery eyes. “I only said it’d be difficult. Not that you couldn’t do it.”

“What?” Eunhyuk asked, not fully comprehending what Donghae was getting at.

“I’ll help you. The river runs up into the lands. I won’t be able to take you the whole way, but I can get you partially there.”

“thanks, but I still have to get across the desert.”

Donghae waved the comment aside. “Easy enough, there’s someone I know that can help.”

“Are you serious? But wait, why would you help me?” Eunhyuk asked, eyes narrowing in suspicion.

“Because you’re innocent? Because I know what it’s like to be alone and I only want to offer company? Because you don’t seem mean? There are so many reasons I could have—“

“And not all could be savory either.”

“Okay, so let’s argue that I do have my own motives, so what? The fact of the matter is: you need me, and without my help, you’re stuck. Have I attacked you? Hit you? Hurt you? Threatened you? No. If I had wanted to, I could have done it earlier when you were unconscious and at my mercy, but I didn’t. It would have been easier then too, so stop looking at me like I’m going to stab you in the back. I’m offering you help. You’re free to spurn it if you so wish; but then I won’t be offering it again.” Donghae smiled cheekily.

Eunhyuk sighed. “Alright.” He conceded, “How far can you take me?”

Donghae grinned, “As far as the river stretches really, but frankly speaking, I won’t be able to get you to the desert. Don’t worry though. I know someone who can help.”

“Are you sure?”

“Well, no. He tends to be stubborn regardless. I’ll handle it when we get there. For now though, we should head to bed. We have a lot to do tomorrow before we head out.” Donghae chirped as he got up, brushing himself off.

“You are way too excited about this.” Eunhyuk scoffed, shaking his head at the display. Getting up to head into the small cottage, his steps slow and careful as he wandered out of the fires soft glow and back into the shadows that surrounded them.

Far off in the distance, as the sun peaked above the horizon, two hooves clattered onto the stone bridge. “So this is the infamous entrance.” A man purred, seated atop his steed. His hair was trimmed short and as dark as a ravens feather. His black eyes cold and sharp, he had a muscular build and wore dark plated armor.  Behind him twenty soldiers fanned out.

“Kangin, sir, with all due respect; why must we pursue them? They are dead. No one survives on those lands.” A soldier stammered.

The man snarled, jerking the reins of his horse sharply as he turned to face his men. “Coward!” he spat, “Are your heads so full of old wives tales and superstitions? Go then, go back and tell your King why you didn’t complete your task. See how well he takes that.” He drawled, eyes narrowing. “Your king hired me for this task, and I intend to see it through. Now quit your complaining and move out!” Kangin snarled. Jerking the reins harshly once more, he dug his heels into his horses flank and tore off at a gallop across the bridge. With any luck the trail wouldn’t be too cold.