The morning came and everyone was rushing around the house to pack the things up. Suho had been the first one up and had all his things ready by the time Sehun had awoken and walked downstairs. There was obvious worry on almost everyone’s faces. Everyone except Chanyeol who was practically bouncing around the rooms. Sehun cursed to himself as he finished doing the chores that Suho had assigned him the night before.

All the bags and various books were resting on the dining room table. Sehun set his bag on the table, eyes looking at the top book; the journal. His fingers ran over the cover and down the side of the pages, careful to not get a paper cut. There was a small folded up piece of paper under the cover. Sehun looked around before pulling it out. His fingers unfolded it carefully, noticing that it was as old and frail as the other books.

His eyes ran over the map that was painted on the paper. There were odd symbols and different colored lines and shades of trees and mountains. A small house drawing was in the corner along with a red circle. It was obvious that it was their home. Whoever drew it even got the deck and the laundry hanging outside correct. There was nothing else but trees and a bit of mountains off to the side for a while. No other buildings were sketched out onto the paper. It made Sehun sigh softly, suddenly having second thoughts about leaving.

Sehun looked around before walking outside and out on the porch. Baekhyun had hung a light orb out above the stairs, lighting up the small area that was still covered in darkness. His hand clamped around a lightning bug, holding it captive in his palm. The light seeped out of the small holes between his fingers. Sehun opened his palm and watched the bug as it crawled across his palm before flying away.

He sat outside and watched the sunrise. It was perhaps the last sunrise that he would ever see from his home. Sehun hoped that the sunrise would be calming to him, giving him hope for the travels ahead. But it didn’t. It was the same old sunrise he had seen for eighteen years, day after day.

“Sehun.”

The boy turned around to see Suho sticking his head out of the doorway. He knew it was time to come back in and get ready to leave. Sehun stood up and wiped his hands off on his pants as he walked back up the steps and into the house. Everyone was gathered around the table. Chanyeol and Baekhyun already had their backpacks on, though Baekhyun was busy trying to adjust the sleeping bag that was nudging at the back of Chanyeol’s head.

It was a few minutes before any of them spoke. They all stood in silence, unsure of what the travel would bring to them. Leaving their home was something that had never been done. Everyone since the beginning of the village had lived there. Not once did anyone leave. It was scary and it was evident on everyone’s faces. Sehun tried his best to remain composed. He knew that everything would be okay. Even if it did take them places they didn’t know, as long as they were together then they would make it through.

“As usual, I must make a few rules.” Suho’s voice sounded slightly coarse as if he had a sore throat. “You all are to stick with me while we walk. If anyone gets hurt, tell me immediately. When it gets dark we will set up the tents for the night. No one is to go out on their own after dark.”

Sehun watched as everyone nodded before nodding himself. It was simple rules that made sense. He knew that Suho’s biggest fear was one of them getting hurt or lost. Without each other, they wouldn’t be able to live properly. They all had survival skills but without the powers and direction, most of them would break down and not know what to do. It was the sad truth but it is what it is.

There were too many bags and different items they had to carry. The bag on Sehun’s back was already hurting him. Luckily the bag he was carrying was being held up by a small amount of wind he had swirling around in his hands. A small laugh left his lips at the sight.

Suho was the one leading them. He had the books held under his arm and the map held up in front of his chest. Chanyeol was explaining something to Baekhyun who looked as if he wanted to punch him in the face. Kyungsoo was looking around, gripping his bags tightly as if they were going to fall and never come back. Occasionally Kai would sit down on a rock and stretch his legs. He would pop up in front of Sehun when he got too far.

The walk seemed like it would never end. Sehun didn’t know how much time had passed since they left but the sky was turning a light orange and the trees were becoming darker. He knew it was going to become night time soon. The others seemed just as tired as he was. Kai was leaning against Kyungsoo and Chanyeol was leaning against Baekhyun. Even Suho seemed worn out.

When the sky turned a darker orange, Suho stopped walking and looked around. After a bit of exploring, they found a flat piece of land to make their shelters. Three tents were put up and a small fire was started to cook dinner. Kai was napping on Kyungsoo’s lap as he tried to cook. Sehun laughed at the sight for Kyungsoo constantly let out small huffs and his eyes looked as if they were going to pop out any second.

Dinner was nothing special; a piece of pork cut into strips over warm rice and vegetables. Kai had woken up and was sleepy eating his food; Kyungsoo watching over him to make sure he didn’t choke.

“Do you want to come look around with me?” Sehun nodded as Kai rubbed his eye as he asked the question. The younger one crawled out of his tent and adjusted his shirt before looking up at Kai.

Kai played with the small ball of light in his hands as the two walked. They didn’t want to go far and planned on stopping at the edge of the flat land. Both of them sat down on a log that was resting to the side. A small bit of wind held the orb up above them to give them light to see.

“Think we’re going to find anyone?”

The words were quiet against the nightlife sounds that surrounded them. Kai looked over at Sehun to meet his eyes once the question was finished. Sehun watched as Kai shrugged and stretched his legs out.

“I doubt it. I mean, think about it. No one has ever said anything about other people. Suho said those books were buried and obviously neglected. Who knows how old they actually are and if they’re even real.

Sehun nodded slowly at the words, watching as a brown rabbit made it’s way over to a patch of freshly bloomed flowers. It’s eyes glowed from the light hitting them matching with the darkness that surrounded it’s body.

“I’d rather be at home where it’s safe.”

The look on Kai’s face changed. Sehun noticed it the second he turned to look at the boy. He knew exactly why it did and why he had made the statement he did. Sehun believed everyone felt the same way. Especially the four with partners. Sehun couldn’t imagine the thought of losing someone dear to him. All six of them were close together and family but having that kind of bond with someone was something different. Something he couldn’t understand yet. He didn’t mind though.

“What if we don’t find anything and we can’t find our way back home?”

“I.. don’t know.” Sehun’s fingers curled up slightly, nails digging into the wood of the log. “But Suho says we need help because of what one of the books says..about the eclipse.”

“Yeah, Kyungsoo told me Suho’s been stressed out about it.”

“What do you think will happen when it comes?”

Kai shrugged slowly, his shoulders barely lifting up. “Something bad. Suho wouldn’t be so worried if it wasn’t bad.”

“Are you scared?”

The older one grabbed onto his knees and held them against his chest. His chin rested gently against his knees, his eyes closing for a second.

“Are you?”

Sehun watched as the rabbit hopped off into a bush, only leaving small footprints in the soft soil from the rain during the night. His hands came from behind him and folded together on his lap.

“I am.”

His feet were sore the next morning. It was the first time they had been sore in years. Normally he could go hours on his feet without them being the slightest bit uncomfortable. But the different terrains and almost a whole day on them seemed to take more of a toll than he thought. He massaged them slowly, attempting to take some off the pressure out of them.

Suho had already left the tent before Sehun had awoken. Sehun crawled out of the tent and looked around. The other two light tan tents were still zipped up and were quiet, showing that the other’s were still sleeping. The sun had already risen and the sounds of birds and small buzzes of bugs were filling the campsite. Sehun swatted at a bug that flew by his eyes, hitting it out of the air.

Sehun sat down back in his tent, not wanting to stay out in the sun yet. He was still tired and decided it would be best to get as much sleep as he could. His head leaned back against the pillow and his eyes closed in hopes of getting a few more minutes of shut eye.

The next time he awoke, he heard the soft clinks of pots and a bit of rustling. Sehun sat up slowly and ran his hand through his hair, tugging on his slightly greasy locks before crawling out of the tent. Baekhyun was shoving the small pot in one of his bags and Chanyeol was folding up the tent they had been resting in.

“There’s food for you on the rock. Eat and clean up. We need to get going.”

Sehun nodded and did what was asked of him. The food was cold by the time he got to it. Like usual, it was eggs and small bits of meat. He had grown custom to the same meal over and over again. It was what they had so it was what they ate. Sehun felt more awake and refreshed after his shower. By the time he was done, everything had been packed up and the others were waiting for him.

The walk started off almost the same as the day before. Forest and more forest. It seemed to be getting denser as they continued to walk. Each step brought tree branches cracking and leaves crunching under their feet. Rustles in bushes around them startled Baekhyun a few times, making him bump into Chanyeol as they walked.

A small stream was in sight and it made Sehun smile. It seemed simple but none of them had seen a water source in years. All their water had come from Suho’s power. Chanyeol was the first to make a move. He laughed and ran forward over to the edge of the water. He leaned forward, fingers dipping into the cool water and splashing them around gently.

Suho had his eyes busy looking at the map while the others went to join Chanyeol. Sehun watched the elder for a moment before walking over to where Kai was standing. His bag was gently placed on the ground, the sound of pebbles bumping together was heard. The water was cool. It was fresh and inviting. There was a slight smell that could only be described as nature.

Another smile appeared on his lips when he saw a small fish swim under his hand. The first time he had ever seen a fish in real life. His hand tried to grab it but it swam away quickly. The others did the same thing, all unable to catch the small fish that were swimming in front of them.

“We’re off the map now.”

Sehun’s tongue ran across his lips as he put his bag back over his shoulders. Everyone turned to look at Suho who was still studying the map.

“What does that mean?”

“I don’t know where we’re going.”

Both Sehun and Baekhyun turned around when they heard a loud splash from the water behind them.

“Chanyeol!”

The said boy was sitting down in the water, clutching his ankle. Suho practically dropped the map and ran over to the edge of the stream. Baekhyun had already made his way into the water and was helping Chanyeol up.

“Are you hurt?”

“Yeah..my ankle hurts. I slipped on a rock.”

Despite the obvious pain the boy was in, he managed to laugh about it. Baekhyun hit his arm rather hard, making a loud slap.

“You idiot.”

Chanyeol was drying off as Suho examined his ankle. The rest of them were snacking on pieces of bread for lunch.

“It doesn’t look broken. Definitely strained though. Do you think you can walk?”

The group made their way back on the trail. A little slower than before but they were still going. Chanyeol was being helped by Sehun and Baekhyun. He had been instructed to not lean on it as much as he used to and to apply heat to it when they found a campsite for the night.

Without a map or any sense of directions, Suho was stressed and worried. Sehun could see it plastered all over his face. The others were worried as well, not sure what that meant for them. All they could do was hope that they could find somewhere. A town, an empty one even would be fine. Just until Chanyeol’s ankle was healed. They couldn’t risk any other injuries.

Dinner was quieter than normal. Everyone ate in silence. They cleaned up in silence and even sat together in silence. After dinner was cleaned up, there were hushed sounds of pain and cursing from both Baekhyun and Chanyeol. The taller one was trying to apply heat to his ankle. He was finding it difficult and ended up almost burning himself several times.

Sehun turned in early. He was laying in the tent, simply staring up at the top of it. He couldn’t deny that he wanted to go home. They had only been gone for two days but he was sick of it. Sick of not knowing what was to come. He was worried what happened to the elders would happen to them. Being unprotected in the middle of the woods was dangerous. Anything could sneak up on them in the night and hurt one of them.

Chanyeol’s ankle wasn’t much better in the morning. It had turned a light blue color and seemed to be even more swollen than it was the previous day. Suho had brought along a small bit of cloth incase someone got hurt and decided to wrap it around his ankle to prevent it from moving.

“Do you think Kai could move him?”

The boy looked over at Baekhyun. Kai was strong, probably almost as strong as Suho. He trained everyday, even the days he didn’t have to go out. Many days he was found sleeping out on the deck, unable to make it back to his room for rest. Sehun asked him before why he trained so often. His answer was simply that he wanted to help their family. He was like the rest of them.

“I don’t know. I don’t want him to get too tired and not be able to travel for long.”

“I can do it. I’m strong enough.”

Sehun and Baekhyun walked Chanyeol over to Kai. They watched as Kai’s fingers wrapped around the taller one’s waist. The boy took a deep breath and the fabric seized up due to his grip. In a matter of seconds, Kai and Chanyeol were several hundred feet in front of them. Suho nodded to the other three and they begun walking again.

Everything seemed the same to them. Trees, bushes, rocks; it felt like they were going in circles. Sehun could tell everyone was worried. Kai was beginning to tire and Chanyeol had fallen asleep in his arms. They were all ready to stop for the day.

The night was cold as rain filled the forest. It was only just spring and the weather had begun to warm up but there were still days when their fingers and toes became numb. Some of the rain had soaked through the tent and Sehun woke up with his back cold and wet. It was an uncomfortable feeling to wake up to. He stepped outside to feel the crisp morning air that was filled with the scent of fresh rain and grass.

All the trees and grass looked vibrantly green after it rained. That was one thing that Sehun loved about the spring. Seeing everything come back to life after a harsh winter. The way birds would fly and hop across the bright green grass. How the leaves would rustle in the wind and fill the empty space that had been winter. He hoped their journey would be much like the seasons changing.

Once everything was packed up, they started traveling again. Chanyeol’s ankle was better and he was able to walk on it. Baekhyun still helped him along in fear that he was overdoing it.

“Suho, we’re almost out of food.” Kyungsoo mumbled the words in between bites of his sandwich. “We need to find somewhere to get things. It’ll be too difficult if we’re on the move. I need a proper kitchen as well.”

Sehun ate in silence as he listened to the two talk quietly next to him.

“I know. The others are getting tired. We can’t keep up like this for much longer.”

“Do you think we’re close?”

“I’m not sure. There’s nothing but forest.”

“We can’t go back, can we?”

“No.”

Their small break was over much too short. At least for Sehun. He was tired. He wanted to sleep for the rest of the day and do nothing for the days after. But he knew that he couldn’t do that. It was hard though. Everyone seemed to be losing hope. Even Chanyeol lost his smile.  

Darkness was approaching when Suho stopped walking. Sehun gripped the bag on his back, preparing to take it off and begin setting up the campground. But Suho stood still, his eyes scanning around the area. Once given the okay, they set up for the night.

Baekhyun and Kyungsoo could be heard singing from outside of Sehun’s tent. Normally he would have joined in but he was too tired to do so. They seemed to be cheering up slightly from it though, which made Sehun happy. As long as all of them were okay, then they could continue on.

Sehun woke up in the early beginning of the morning with a small ache in his stomach. It was the familiar feeling of having to pee. He sighed softly and crawled out of his tent. The small light that was hanging outside of the tents was grabbed by him as he stumbled slowly to find somewhere to relieve himself.

The sun was just starting to rise; the sky a light pink with small blue streaks in it. He looked around the area before hovering the light over him while he completed his task. After he was finished, he sighed and shivered at the cold he had only just noticed. His fingers were becoming numb and his whole body was covered in goosebumps.

His feet broke several leaves into only small pieces as he walked back towards the camp. However, a large crack and a squeal of what sounded like a pig was heard from behind him. Sehun quickly turned around, almost dropping the orb of light before tossing it in the air and keeping it afloat with a small swirl of wind.

Sehun bit his lip and looked around before heading towards where the sound was coming from. The closer he got, the more noise he heard. Small grunts and what sounded like crystals breaking. His body stepped backwards, almost falling, when the animal came running out from the bushes. There was only a few seconds before a large piece of ice was being flung in his direction. Sehun squeezed his eyes shut and stayed still.

He waited for the ice to hit him. Waited for him to fall backwards and go unconscious. But he didn’t. Slowly, he opened his eyes to see the ice hovering in front of him. It was being cushioned by a small swirl of wind. Sehun sighed in relief and slowly let the ice down on the ground.

His guards were up when the rustling in the bushes returned. Instead of another animal coming out of them, there was a person. Sehun blinked and in a breath at the sight.

“Where did it go...”

Sehun blinked several more times at the boy that came walking out of the bushes. He was sure that it was just a dream. Perhaps he hadn’t gotten enough sleep and was seeing things. The boy seemed to notice him around the same time and had the same reaction. They both stared at each other for a few minutes. It was the other boy that spoke first.

“Who are you?”

“Sehun.”

The small lisp got in the way of him pronouncing his name correctly. A light tint of pink covered his cheeks and the bridge of his nose.

“Xiumin. You’re not from around here, are you?”

Sehun shook his head, his eyes still examining the other. “No.”

“You alone?”

He shook his head again and his lips slowly, annoyed at the small dryness that was building up from the corner of them.

“We’ve been looking for you.”

The two walked back to the campsite slowly. Sehun played with the hem of his shirt as he navigated through the trees and bushes until he saw the tops of the tent. He could see Kyungsoo busy preparing the small amount of food they had left for breakfast. From the smell of it he could tell it was simply rice and eggs.

“Sehun. You know you’re not supposed to go out alone.”

Suho’s voice made his head turn to the side when he stepped out of the bush. The look on his face changed from one of annoyance to one of confusion. Xiumin stood next to him and the rest of his family stopped what they were doing and looked at him.

“Who are you?”

“This is Xiumin.”

The elder walked over from where he was standing closer to Sehun. His eyes wandered down to his hand that was resting at his side. Suho’s eyes seemed to widen and he looked back at Kyungsoo, nodding to him slowly.

“Do you live near here?”

Xiumin nodded and turned his body a bit. His hand raised and pointed to the small tips of what looked like a mountain range. “It’s only a short walk.”

Suho looked at Sehun. The others came out of the tents to see what was going on. Sehun watched as Baekhyun and Chanyeol’s faces changed and they exchanged looks. Suho turned to look at the four that were all staring at them.

“Pack everything up.”

a/n: sorry for the late update ;;