A foot landed squarely on the rushing water. Its owner shuddered momentarily at the cold touch of liquid that seeped through her boots, numbing her. The winter breeze did nothing to calm her down as she haphazardly scanned the area for anomalies, her strength wavering as exhaustion began to take its toll on her form.

Another step was taken before she stumbles, head falling first before torso followed suit. She managed to evade the rocky, wet floor of the river when a hand latched onto her and pulled her upright.

“Yuri, are you all right?” Her companion asked, worry written on the younger one’s face. The Black Pearl straightened up, recomposing herself before mustering a smile at the concerned one.

“I’m fine, Yoona. Just a little tired…”

“Let’s rest for awhile…” Yoona suggested as she laid out a small blanket on the dry ground and motioned for the older vampire to come.

The two girls sat down on the makeshift mat overlooking the river. It was a calm winter day with the trees decorated with snow. Yuri allowed herself to lean on her partner before she closed her eyes resting her head on the younger one’s shoulder. She listened to the soft hum of the wind as she relaxed. Her sense of smell remained alert as it scrutinized the air she inhaled.

So far, their only adversary was a deer grazing about a few paces from them. Time seemed to halt as they sat there in silence. The stillness of the forest brought her a step closer to dreamland, but that nagging thought of responsibility at the back of her mind kept herself from sleeping.

Yoona’s shoulder was warm, giving her that feeling of security. The younger vampire filled the dark void in her heart, keeping her rooted to the world. That’s how Kwon Yuri coped with her challenges – always with Yoona by her side. They were as inseparable as the rest of the family to say the least.

As they relished in each other’s company, the wind whispered news of a familiar scent. The smell of an enemy scurrying about somewhere stirred her senses, exhausting the fatigue that plagued her body, while bringing in the vibrant vitality she once possessed.

It had been weeks since they had such an adversary disturb their territory. The appearance of such enemy can only mean one thing – they are no longer safe to stay in the area. They will need to move somewhere and that meant uncertainty. Yuri could only hope that her missing cousins were safe. Tiffany's visions of Jessica and the vampire kingdom had alarmed everyone in the camp. Sunny’s dream of what happened to the twins added to her worries.

But right now, there’s another problem before them. She sat up, startling her companion.

“What is it?” Yoona inquired, her voice hushed while her eyes intently scrutinized the older one’s wary expression.

“Werewolf,” Yuri replied, “from that direction.”

Finger pointed towards the other side of the river.

“I can barely sense it, but its presence does tingle my senses.” Yoona said. 

They both got up with Yoona hastily packing the blanket into her bag before taking after the Black Pearl, whose quick feet brought the older girl past the freezing waters and onto dry land on the other side of the river without much of a sound.

The Im skated through the cold current, displaying her mastery over her element. She landed beside her comrade without a hitch.

The two vampires swiftly climbed the trees, taking care not to cause any disruption to the silence that reigned over the place. Stealth was of the essence as they tried to spot the enemy.

The Kwon signaled her partner to wear their scarves and don their hoods to prevent their scents from giving them away. Yuri sniffed the air after leaping from a couple of branches. The scent that they had been pursuing was on the move and thankfully it was moving away from camp. What made the older vampire curious was the fact that they were heading towards the nearest village as they continued their silent pursuit of the enemy.

The werewolf was on its way towards the village that they had originally intended to escape to. Smoke came rising from the distance as they furtively trailed the werewolf scent that had caught their attention.

As the forest ended, a blanched field loomed before them and the two vampires landed on a strong oak branch to observe the bleak scenery. They saw their enemy prowling alone.

The beast stalked its way toward the village before it morphed back to its human form. Yuri and Yoona watched on as the man casually arrived at the village entrance with his upper torso exposed to the elements. To the two vampires’ astonishment, the place was comparable to a ghost town with the only sound of running waters disturbing the serenity.

Now, suspicions began to plague Yuri. It seemed that the werewolves have come to England on such a short notice.

“Unnie, want me to sneak in and see what’s going on within that village?” She heard Yoona ask.

Deep crimson eyes trained upon the younger girl beside her. Yoona looked at her with hopeful eyes, but Yuri knew the risks. Who knows what lurks within that place? She can’t make unnecessary mistakes. It could cost a life!

“No,” answered Yuri, her voice firm in her decision, “We can’t risk it. We need to go back to camp as soon as possible and tell the others of our discovery.”

She could see the disappointment within Yoona’s eyes, but she knows it was for the best. She placed a hand on the Im’s shoulder and gave the younger vampire a reassuring smile.

“We’ll go ahead and spy on the village next time. But for now, we’ll need to relay this important matter to the family.”

Yuri saw her loved one’s eyes light up.

“Come,” The Kwon lent out her hand to the younger girl. Yoona complied and as her fingers intertwined with Yuri’s, they both vanished in thin air just like how water evaporates into the atmosphere. 
 

***

It was barely dawn when the two Bulgarians arrived in camp. It was quiet but they found the two youngest vampires wide awake and waiting for them.

“You’re back!” Krystal said, giving both of the newcomers a warm hug by the dimly lit fire. Juhyun followed suit.

“We need to leave this place.” Yuri urgently began.

“We’ll go wake the others, unnie,” said Juhyun before she and the youngest Jung dutifully moved to awaken their slumbering cousins. 

The two Bulgarians busied themselves with packing the stuff that they had laid out in the camp. Yuri took everything they needed from the carriage, awakening Hyoyeon who had now recuperated from her injuries. The Kim helped her pack their blankets and coats.

Yoona, on the other hand, helped in eliminating traces of their presence in the area. She doused the cinders and disposed of the firewood. In a few moments, only Sooyoung had been left asleep.

The maknaes had trouble waking their tallest cousin and everyone began to sense that something was amiss. Hyoyeon voiced out her concern as she relayed her odd dream to the group.

“Girls, I saw Taeyeon in my dream,” Hyo began, “She was fighting Jessica.”

“It’s the same with my dream…” Tiffany remarked.

Yuri kept quiet as she eyed the still unconscious Sooyoung.

“How is it related to her?” The Kwon pointed at their sleeping comrade.

“Unnie, I think she’s trapped in her dream. It must be something related to this inevitable war as well as the twins’ journey and it definitely has something to do with Taeyeon-unnie and Sooyeon-unnie,” Juhyun, who had the knowledge of illusions, replied.

“We cannot wait for her to wake up. We need to go now, the sooner the better.” Yuri insisted, eyes still locked on the sleeping girl. “She might be helping us with the dream, but we must also face reality. We’re not entirely sure if these dreams are true and are currently happening to the twins or the vampire kingdom as Tiffany had envisioned, but-“

Yuri was cut-off by the Hwang’s argument, “Don’t underestimate my unique gift, Kwon Yuri…”

The Black Pearl just shrugged, “Let’s just get going. This place is not safe anymore. Soon, the werewolves that are currently residing in the nearest village will expand their territory and will scour this place.”

“But, what about Sooyoung? She’s unconscious and we cannot just exhaust ourselves with carrying her around.” Tiffany rebutted, “Can’t we wait until she wakes up?”

“We cannot, Tiffany. We have to go,” Said Yuri.

“But-“

“Let’s just bring her along.” Sunny interjected. She was contemplative about the matter. Time was not on their side as of the moment. They cannot risk getting surrounded by werewolves after hearing of what Yuri and Yoona had gathered from their patrol.
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