Days were getting colder but longer. Spring wouldn’t come right then, but quite soon. January passed without any great events, only a few times when Luhan woke up at night and noticed Sehun wasn’t in his bed. The monster was still prowling about, more mortal and above all invisible than ever. Fortunately, the villagers seemed to have understood the warning and were always in their homes at night, doors locked. Luhan was happy about that. And even if he hadn’t told it to Sehun, in order not to make to him sad, he’d missed his friends. Living only with his lover was great, but he needed more human interaction. In short, everything was fine now. Except for one thing, of course.

                Fairies were still being attacked. They had to take measures urgently, or a slaughter might happen. However, Luhan had no idea what to do. He didn’t know what could kill the monster, nor did he even know what that thing was. But in Sehun’s head, a plan was forming. Luhan could see it. There was a permanent thoughtful crease between his eyebrows, a dark line that almost never disappeared, except sometimes when the blond-haired boy pressed a kiss on his lips.

                It was in early February that he started to act. One night, when they were just sitting by the fireplace, he got up quickly and put on his coat, his gloves and his hat. Luhan threw him a questioning look. “What’s going on?” he asked. Sehun looked a little different from usual. And even more when Luhan saw him take his bow. Was he going to try to kill the monster?

                “I have to. Can’t keep observing without attacking. We have to get rid of it before the snow melts,” Sehun said.

                “I’m coming with you,” Luhan replied firmly.

                “No, you’re not,” Sehun shook his head. “You’re not. I’m not taking a torch with me, so you wouldn’t see anything. And I don’t want you to be in danger like last time,” he added. Luhan grimaced and sighed dejectedly. He had to say he felt totally useless. Sehun could see in the night and he couldn’t. Sehun could shoot arrows and he couldn’t. Sehun could disappear, be absolutely silent, carry heavy things. And he couldn’t. “Sorry,” the young man said, tying his shoelaces tightly. “But you’re safer here. I’ll be back soon, okay?” he added, walking to Luhan and pressing a kiss on his forehead. Luhan looked at him for several seconds silently, then he nodded.

                “Okay.”

                Sehun told him to go to bed but that time, he refused. He would wait for him in the living-room, period. So after he closed and locked the front door, Luhan sat back down in an armchair by the fireplace, and brought his knees against his chest. He closed his eyes. The permanent tension and fear were starting to exhaust him. He was only waiting for spring to come, as soon as possible. They would be able to have picnics in the forest, to swim in the River, to go to the Fountain every week, to make bouquets with flowers in the garden…

                Luhan was lying in the grass, gazing at the blue sky. The clouds were forming soft cotton shapes, white and light. A gentle wind was blowing, teasing his blond hair delicately. Luhan looked to his left. Sehun was sitting just next to him, daisies in his hands. He had a legere smile crossing his lips, and his clever fingers were making a pretty flower crown. Luhan watched him work, until the young man looked up and their eyes met. Sehun mouthed a word silently and slowly, carefully, placed the flower crown on Luhan’s head. He did what he always would do and pushed Luhan’s hair back from his forehead. Luhan beamed when Sehun bent down to join their lips, and closed, absorbed by the depth of their kiss. Sehun was playing with his tongue, exploring all his mouth tenderly, until he had the blond boy wrapping his arms arouns him to pull him closer. Ha – ha… There was a strange sensation in Luhan’s stomach. He couldn’t have felt any better.

                He didn’t know whether he was woken up by something happening in his dream or by a real noise, but what was sure was that someone was hammering on the door. Luhan started, and looked around for several seconds, lost in a weird dizziness clouding his mind. He managed to get up and run to the door quickly to open it, and he found himself facing an injured Sehun. Luhan let out a shocked cry and moved aside for the young man to step in. Sehun heavily put his bow and his quiver on the floor with a painful but relieved sigh. “What happened?” Luhan asked in panic. Sehun was clenching his left shoulder, and there was blood dripping down from it. “Here, here,” Luhan said, helping him take off his coat. There was a huge hole in it, like a split, a slash. And on his shirt underneath, a dark red stain.

                “Got me there,” Sehun muttered with a forced smile. Luhan sent him to the living-room and once more, he fetched the aid kit in a cupobard. He had the feeling he’d used it more since Sehun had arrived than ever before. When he came back to Sehun, the young man was halfway through taking off his shirt. Luhan hurried to him and pulled the item of clothing off him carefully. “Ow”, Sehun winced. Luhan broke off.

                “I’ll fetch some snow,” he said. With a wide bowl in his hands, he went outside – not too far, leaving the door open to have a little light, just enough to be able to crouch down and collect a fair amount of the cold white clouds of snowflakes. Just when he was starting to feel scared in the semi-darkness, he got back inside. Sehun hadn’t budged and was waiting silently, looking at his feet. “Lie down,” Luhan asked him softly. With a nod, Sehun complied and lied down on his stomach on the wooden table. Luhan took snow in his hands, and applied it over him gently. Sehun’s shoulder and upper back had been slashed open, and the wound was bleeding scarlet and hot. When the cold snow met his body, Sehun let out a little moan. Luhan was dying to ask him what had happened, but he decided to let him have a rest.

                The snow quickly melted, and Luhan disinfected the wound before bandaging Sehun tightly. The thin strips of fabric were running all around his chest, his back and his shoulder, his shoulder blades too, where red stains were already flowering gently. “You were attacked,” Luhan said.

                “Yeah,” Sehun answered very low. “I was really stupid. It was just in front of me, on a tree, but when I tried to get closer, my foot got caught in a root, which usually never happens! Even before I could look up, it had…ha…slashed my back. I don’t – understand! It cannot be that fast! I couldn’t – ” Luhan stopped him when he saw the bandage turn red faster than before and he rested his palm on his dark hair. “If you’d come, you would’ve been killed,” Sehun whispered. Luhan said nothing and petted him softly. It was really strange, but he liked taking care of Sehun when Sehun was wounded. It gave him the feeling of being useful, protective. Sehun was usually the wiser and stronger one, but in these moments, all Luhan could see was a thin 20-year-old boy looking vulnerable with his closed eyes and his long eyelashes. And he loved that sight.

                Several minutes went by quietly, punctuated by the low cracking of the fire. “Can you go upstairs? Can you walk?” Luhan asked then.

                “Of course I can, it’s just my shoulder,” Sehun replied. Luhan smiled and helped him get up, then they climbed the stairs together. Sehun’s left arm was hanging loose against his side, bouncing slightly.

                “Here, let me help you,” Luhan said. He was his second hand and pulled the clothes off him, then Sehun could put on his pyjamas. “Looks like you’ll have to sleep on your stomach,” the blond boy smiled a bit. Sehun chuckled quietly. They exchanged a brief look. Then, without warning, he wrapped his functioning arm around Luhan and pulled him close. Nuzzling his hair and holding him tight, he whispered.

                 “Promise me you’ll be careful. I couldn’t bear having you injured or worse…”

                His bare chest was warm against Luhan, his skin soft and the bandage rough. Luhan clumsily hugged him back, careful not to hurt him. He was a little surprised by how suddenly Sehun was opening up to him. “I promise,” he replied in hushed tones. Sehun tightened his arm around him for a second before he let go. They both lied down on their beds, Sehun on a spare sheet to avoid staining the mattress, Luhan underneath the covers, looking at him timidly in the dark. “Does it hurt?” he asked. Sehun let out a low indifferent grunt. “You know, while you were in the forest, I had a dream,” Luhan began, already blushing, flustered. “You and I were in the grass. I was gazing at the sky, and you were next to me. You were beautiful, and once I had looked at you, I couldn’t take my eyes off you. There was wind, and it was fresh. And you made a flower crown for me, then you kissed me and we were happy…” he said, his voice lower and lower at each word he pronounced, until it became an almost inaudible whisper.

                “Stop it,” Sehun said. “Or I’ll have to drag myself to your bed to do things to you,” he muttered. Luhan felt his cheeks catch fire and burn bright red. His heart was thumping in his chest. What was that weird feeling inside his stomach? He let out a sound of acceptance, and buried himself under the covers. “Goodnight,” Sehun said.

                “G – goodnight.”

~

                In the morning, Sehun’s wound had stopped bleeding. He had slight fever, though. Secretely happy to be able to pamper him, Luhan told him to stay in bed, and he went downstairs to brew herbal tea for him. The water, boiling hot, was bubbling when he threw the leaves and mild spices into it. He’s learnt the little recipe from the old woman who had lodged him so long before. Lime to soothe the body, verbena tea to soothe the mind, and pepper to add a special taste to it. He also put a spoonful of honey, sweet and golden. He brought the warm cup upstairs, and went back to the bedroom, where Sehun was visibly trying to find a relatively comfortable position on his bed. “Here, drink that,” Luhan said quietly.

                “Thanks,” Sehun replied. “Wow, it’s good,” he smiled. Luhan was happy. He sat down on the bed, next to the young man, and looked at him. “I should be able to go out again by tomorrow,” Sehun said casually. Luhan frowned. Of course not. First of all, he wouldn’t have fully recovered. And for another, even if magically he had, it would be stupid to run risks so soon. He couldn’t go into the forest at night yet, really… As Luhan voiced his thoughts, Sehun pouted darkly. “I’ll be okay… That thing has to be killed now,” he said.

                “Maybe. But you’re not going out at night again before next week,” Luhan retorted. “And when you do, I’ll go with you, period.” Sehun was about to protest, but the blond boy shut him up instantly, pressing a gentle kiss on his lips. Blushing, Luhan looked down and muttered again, “I’m going with you.” Sehun said nothing. A light, discreet silence settled between the two of them. Luhan felt like Sehun was mad at him, and he was a little uncomfortable. He cleared his throat. Yet, when he looked up, there wasn’t any anger on Sehun’s face, but an amused smile.

                “You don’t give up easily, do you?” the young man said mischievously. Luhan fidgeted. “Okay, you’ll go with me,” Sehun sighed. “But if you die, I’ll kill you.”

                Luhan couldn’t help but smile. “No problem,” he replied. He leaned towards Sehun to place a quick kiss on his lips. “You’ll kill me.”

~

                Sehun got better soon after. Strangely soon. Barely four days after the attack, his wound had almost healed up. Which was weird. Luhan was honestly puzzled. It was like that day when Sehun had been beaten up and had recovered so quickly. It was so strange that he had to ask him. But Sehun didn’t know either. He just assumed his body was strong. Anyway, by the end of the week, he could dress and undress by himself, carry things and bend his bow.  Luhan was waiting for the moment Sehun said it was time to go and hunt for the monster again. He didn’t even know why he wanted to go with him.

                Obviously, he would be useless, maybe even a burden. But deep inside, there was something else he was horribly scared of. What if Sehun got…killed? What if he died in the woods one night? After hours of waiting, Luhan would see he wasn’t coming back. He would go and search for him. Only to find, eventually, his corpse lying in the moss. Several times, this type of nightmares woke him up at night and had him screaming for help. Even Sehun’s arms took long to soothe him. Ending up alone was a thought that obsessed him and was creeping up inside him like an insidious fear.

                In short, if Sehun were to die, he wanted to die with him.

~

                The night when it occurred came surprisingly fast. In late February, Sehun had fully recovered and Luhan was begging him too often for him to refuse to go anymore. Sehun would take his bow, Luhan would take a torch and a bag with the first-aid kit in case it was needed urgently. Before they left, the young man showed him something. On a piece of paper, he drew an approximate map of the village and its surroundings, notably the woods, and all the fairy halls. He’d demarcated two areas in the forest. “At night, the monster’s usually in that one,” he explained, pointing at one of them. “Almost every time I saw it, it was the case, that is.” The said area was wide but not too huge – maybe 600 or 700m². Luhan looked up at the map closely, trying to memorize it all, even if he surely wouldn’t be able to. “We should go now,” Sehun said. The blond boy nodded. And they left quickly.

                The night was dark. Maybe not as dark as the previous time, but dark. And cold. Even under all his clothes and his coat, Luhan was shivering. The torch in his hand was producing a faint, dim light, milky and soft. He knew he would have to turn it off eventually, otherwise they’d never be able to find the monster, but it was reassuring; at least he wasn’t completely lost in the night. Sehun couldn’t hold his hand, because of his bow, so Luhan’s fingers were clenching the strips of his backpack anxiously. It wasn’t long before their steps led them to the edge of the woods. The more they walked, the more Luhan was thinking he would be absolutely no use to Sehun. He was shaking a little, he was scared, and he wasn’t even silent.

                Suddenly, the young man glanced at him. “Turn it off,” he mouthed. Luhan nodded jerkily and pressed the button on the torch, plunging the two of them into darkness. However, the moon, albeit hidden behind the trees and the clouds, was generous enough not to let Luhan down, and its delicate glow allowed him to avoid having an instant mental breakdown. Sehun’s dark silhouette was bending his bow slowly, carefully. As step forward, to the side, backwards, to the side, turn around. Luhan was looking everywhere, dreading the moment when something moved. Instinctively, he stood back to back with the young man. All was silent. Even his heart seemed to have stopped thumping. “It’s here,” Sehun whispered. Luhan felt an icy shiver run down his spine. If Sehun could see the thing, it was probably in front of him. So, behind Luhan. Luhan didn’t turn around. Even if he’d wanted to, his body was frozen and he couldn’t have moved.

                 A crack in a tree. Luhan almost had a flashback. He almost saw himself with Sehun’s hand against his mouth in the dark. He almost cried. The string of Sehun’s bow  was . Shoot! Luhan thought. Why don’t you shoot?! As if obeying his thoughts, Sehun’s fingers released their grip and an arrow darted away, piercing through the air in a sharp sound. But Luhan heard a muffled thump. It had hit a tree. A brief shriek was heard, and it made Luhan’s blood run cold. And once again, the tapping sound against the trunks, moving fast, nervously, angrily around them. Luhan was panting, holding back a scream. He forced himself to keep staring at the ground, because he was sure that if he saw the monster, he would do something stupid.

                A second arrow, a second shriek, a second trunk was hit. Luhan was biting his lip so hard he could feel blood filling his mouth. Why did Sehun keep missing his target? He was usually such a good shot… Or was the thing too fast? The terrifying image of a hybrid going from tree to tree crossed Luhan’s mind. It was only when his fear got so deep he wanted to relieve it that he looked up slowly. There was nothing right in front of him. But in the tree above…

                The shape was dark, not very precise. He could only tell it had legs. Several legs. Luhan swallowed with difficulty. “Se – Sehun, it’s in front of me…” he stammered weakly.

                “No, it’s not, I can see it. It’s in front of me,” the young man replied low.

                “I swear,” Luhan moaned. “It’s moving.”

                A long silence followed his words. Sehun turned around very slowly, in perfect silence. “Don’t make noise,” he said neutrally. “I think that…there are two of them.”

                Something leaped off a branch and met the gound heavily.

                “Run!” Sehun shouted.

                Luhan’s heart exploded in his chest. His legs started moving without him asking them to, and he found himself running away faster than he’d ever run. When he tripped over a root and nearly fell, he remembered he still had the torch, and he turned it back on, causing its feeble light to dance everywhere like an insane laser beam at each step he took down the bumpy forest ground. Footsteps were beating behind him. Luhan assumed it was Sehun, and he slowed down. Until he noticed there were too many footsteps. Not like two feet… More like four, no – six – eight… Luhan screamed. Home. He had to go home. Something was telling him that once he was inside, he’d be safe. But what about Sehun?

                Luhan was crying, his sight was blurred. Ha – the path to the village. He couldn’t be that far now… Please, please, help me… Luhan begged silently someone he didn’t even know. Please protect Sehun. He had never realized the snow was so slippery. But he was reminded of it when he landed face first into the white cold flakes. Even more terrorized, he got back up clumsily and started running again. The steps seemed to be getting closer and closer…

                As soon as he saw his house and the discreet golden light glowing through the windows, he felt a wave of hope wash over him. Even faster, Luhan ran. He had his keys in his trembling fingers, the metal cold and thin. Barely a second after he pushed the key into the lock and turned it, he opened the door, stepped in, and slammed the door. As if he’d taken drugs, he ran up the stairs at the speed of light, and burst into his bedroom, throwing his bag somewhere unknown. And he went straight to the far end of the room, and curled up into a tight ball of fear against a wall. He was shaking like crazy. Panting. Sweating. Sobbing.

                That was when he herad wood crack. And his heart stopped beating.

                Because he knew.

                He’d forgotten to lock the door.

                No.

                No, no, no.

                No.

                Luhan knew he was dead. Why, out of all days in his life, had he chosen that one to forget to lock the door? The front door had opened, he could hear it. A long, painful squeak. Luhan wanted to melt into the wall. The worst was that he’d trapped himself by himself. He was at a dead end. No way to escape. One step in the stairs. Two, three, four, five, too fast for Luhan to count. Too many legs. Luhan almost considered jumping out of the window to get away. But too late. The door was pushed open slowly.

                Luhan stayed petrified while the thing got closer to him. It was big, dark, heavy. Too many legs. Too many eyes. Too unnatural. A weird gurgling sound left Luhan’s lips, like his cry was trapped in some sort of liquid inside his throat. He held his breath. I’m going to die, he thought without helping. Maybe Sehun already has. Curiously, that thought reassured him. They’d be together. The creature’s legs were tapping the floor repeatedly. Luhan closed his eyes. Three metres left. Two. One. Luhan prepared for whatever was to come.

                When the thing entered his stomach in a disgusting gurgling, his breath was taken away and he opened his eyes wide. Oh. Blood, hot, dark, red, pain. He could feel himself drifting away already. The claw was pulled out of him, and blood flew faster. Luhan was choking. It was really weird. As the hot liquid was flowing out of his body, all his life and his energy were like away.

                “Luhan!”

                A loud, hard noise, and something hit the floor heavily. Luhan guessed the creature was shot, dead maybe, hopefully. He was clutching his stomach feebly.

                Blood in his mouth. A buzzing sound.

                “Luhan!”

                Sehun.

                Hands.

                Warmth.

                Gentleness.

                Fabric being torn.

                Fingers on his skin.

                Pants.

                Moans.

                “Luhan!”

                Smoke.

                Darkness.

                Silence.