Being legitimately unconscious was a strange state for a vampire to be in.  For one, no one really knew if you were alive or dead – unless you were another vampire of course.  And even then, it could still be a little tricky.  Second, it was often hard for a vampire to figure out if they were actually hearing voices or just dreaming on the edge of consciousness.  Of course, that would be the case if pain wasn’t involved, and he had only noticed that while coming out of whatever oblivion had claimed him.  Which was why Ryeowook knew that he wasn’t dreaming, but neither could he manage to make himself come out of whatever stupor he was in.

                To his alarm, his body simply wouldn’t respond.  It was as if the receptors throughout had been turned off or fried or something to that extent.  But he could still feel and he could hear, both of which were akin to torture since he couldn’t see what was going on.  He remembered being in the cave when it collapsed; he’d felt Kyuhyun’s arms wrap around him as weight pressed down from above, and then some sort of charge humming around them.  Somewhere, he’d heard Changjo cry out but the sound had been mostly lost in the grating stone robbing them of their senses as they were crushed beneath the rocks.

                Memory started to fail him then and he knew he had lost consciousness at that point, but he vividly recalled Kyuhyun’s voice in his ear: “Hold on!”  It was almost enough to drown out the horrible crunching, buzzing sound that had followed.  Whether it was in his body or Kyuhyun’s, he still didn’t know.  Both was also a possibility.  He almost didn’t want to see except he could hear his brother nearby and it broke his heart to know the younger man didn’t know if he was dead or not.

                “Wake up, Wookie…” he pleaded, his voice thick with tears.  “You can’t be gone.  Wake up,” he begged, over and over again.  Oh how he wanted to open his eyes and assure his brother he was here, but it just didn’t work and so he fell into listening instead, focusing on the sounds around them.

                Where were they now?  Who was left?  Where was Kyuhyun?  Ryeowook desperately needed answers.

                Hushed voices and quiet sobs reached his ears.  Everyone seemed to be keeping their voices low.  “Can’t believe he’s gone…”  A woman was crying.  Another was trying to comfort her.  It wasn’t helping.  He picked up on a thin whining sound that was almost annoying until he realized it was one of the wolves crying in their own way.

                “Poor thing.  She’s so worried about her brothers.”

                Luna?  What happened?  Sungmin had been inside when the cave collapsed but what about Karam?

                “…just in shock.  She’ll be alright,” another voice spoke, the strange quality telling him it was probably one of the Possessed.

                “What’s the worst that we can recover…”

                “…crushed beyond repair and…”

                “Don’t know if they’ll wake…”

                “What are we going to do now?”

                So many snippets of conversations and all of them blurring together.  Ryeowook wanted to scream or cry or something to try and get things to make sense.  Nothing did and no one was talking about Kyuhyun…  Did that mean he was- No!  He would not think that way, even if everything hurt and it was a possibility.  He refused to consider it.

                Move, dammit!  React!  Do something!  Futilely, Ryeowook railed at his body to listen to his command and he raged within when nothing happened.  Despite his inability, he was more than happy to hear the wolves’ cry in the distance.  He didn’t know which ones they were and all talk fell silent as the rest of the people nearby listened intently.  No one moved for several heartbeats and then a wolf cried out, pitiful and shaky but loud.  Like mourning wails, several others rose up and he felt the word in his core though he could not understand the sound.

                Here.  We’re here.

                Did that mean the others were coming?  Had the patrol found the vampires?  Kangin!  He would know what to do about them.  Wouldn’t he?  That thought did little to comfort him when it felt like an eternity of waiting for someone to arrive.

                “…wait for them to get here.”

                “What if one of those things…”

                “Hyukjae.  Help me.  I can’t stop the…”

                It was maddening.  He was actually going to go insane listening to everything while he replayed the last few seconds before he lost consciousness in his mind.  The vines, the rocks falling in, Kyuhyun holding him close, the screams, and the terrible weight.  Please move…  Do something!

                His attention sharpened once more when a cry rang out, sharp and desperate.  The wolves were back.  A flurry of energy filled the air around him as jumbled voices merged together even more, making it impossible to distinguish.  Whimpers, whines, low howls, and all manner of wolf sound dominated the scene, drowning out the voices he could understand.  At least until new voices joined the fray.

                “Kyuhyun!”  That was Kangin!  “Oh !” his next words made Ryeowook panic, unable to see why the other vampire would react that way.  “.  !”

                “Kangin!” JR desperately called for the other vampire, pain breathing in his voice.  “Wookie won’t wake up!”

                A pause lengthened, filled with other voices, some joyous and others mourning.

                “Hana!”

                “Ken!”  “Chaerin!”

                “Oh my god, Jinki!”  What?  Him too?  What happened?!

                “Dammit,” Kangin’s familiar voice flowed over him then, close by and grounding, if alarming.  “Dammit, dammit, dammit,” he repeated, definitely concerned about something.

                “What?  He’s alive, right?!” JR practically panicked, his voice rising with concern.

                “Yes, but…”  Oh god.  What?

                “Do something then!” his brother howled, begging.

                “Hold on,” Kangin muttered, silencing JR’s words with a sharp hiss.

                Nothing happened at first.  At least, Ryeowook couldn’t feel anything changing.  But then his body convulsed, every synapse firing at the same time.  He screamed and black eyes snapped open.  Claws sank into the yielding ground and his voice died out while his mouth remained open in the silent cry.

                “Stop it!  You’re hurting him!”

                “Easy, Wookie,” Kangin soothed, his voice and presence recognizable as the vampire ignored JR for the time being.  Strong hands pressed down on Ryeowook’s shoulder and arm firmly so he wouldn’t flail as his body caught up to being able to move again.

                He choked out a broken cry and turned his head to focus on Kangin and JR both.  Ryeowook could feel the fangs in his mouth and by the look on his brother’s face, he knew he was frightening to gaze upon, but Kangin didn’t shy away so he focused on the vampire.  “Tell me,” he croaked, not trying to move yet.  Something told him he shouldn’t: the pain he felt or the look on Kangin’s face.

                “Both your legs are crushed.”  Oh.  Kangin’s expression told him that wasn’t all though and he swallowed the fear blossoming in him.  “Several of your ribs are broken and if you weren’t a vampire, you would be dead right now.”

                “But you are and you’re alive and that’s what matters,” JR inserted in a hushed whisper, obviously torn between trying to be brave for his brother and frightened of the wounded creature he currently was.

                Ryeowook closed his eyes to try and gain a measure of calm so he could force a pitifully weak smile for his brother.  It wasn’t much but it was the best he could do.  And it conjured an equally uncertain expression on the younger man’s face.  But there was more Kangin wasn’t telling him.  “Kyu?” he asked, not daring to look around yet.  The camp had acknowledged he was alive but with Kangin tending him, others took priority in their minds.

                “It’s bad,” he whispered intently, shifting his grip to better cradle Ryeowook in his arms, though the change in his position hurt.

                “I need to know,” he swallowed, grabbing Kangin’s wrist with his hand.  His other reached out to JR to give them both the reassurance they desperately needed.  Despite the evident claws, JR took it without hesitation and held tight.

                Kangin glanced between them and then nodded once.  “He took the brunt of the weight when he tried to protect you.  It crushed his legs too but he was able to generate enough power to incinerate the rocks that would have crushed you both otherwise.  That’s why you couldn’t move when I got here,” he explained with a pained frown.  “Like tripping a breaker.”

                Ryeowook nodded in understanding but didn’t look away.  “Is he…?”

                “The heat-” Kangin’s voice broke as he couldn’t quite finish explaining.  “It’s easier if I show you,” he whispered with a voice that trembled.  “You won’t like it,” he promised, a silent plea to not ask him to do this obvious in his tone.

                “Show me,” Ryeowook murmured, trembling at what he might see.  Kangin nodded in understanding and gently gathered Ryeowook in his arms.  He still had to stifle the cry at being moved, his body protesting the action.  But then he forgot about his pain when he laid eyes on Kyuhyun not that far from him.  The fact that Changjo and Changmin were also nearby went almost completely unnoticed.  A disbelieving sob bubbled from his throat and he reached a trembling hand towards the other vampire.  “Kyu…” he rasped, horrified at the sight.

                Kangin laid him down beside Kyuhyun and then stepped away, taking JR with him.  Blood stained his clothes liberally, seeping through the fabric of his pants where his legs were otherwise unrecognizable.  His torso was shaped funny and it took him a second to realize it was because several ribs were broken and the frame was no longer what it was supposed to be.  The worst thing by far though, the sight that made Ryeowook want to sob, was his back.  Kangin had mentioned heat but he had no idea.

                The entire expanse of flesh had been burned away, charred black in some places and angry red in others where skin no longer protected it.  Horrifyingly, Ryeowook could see the bones of his spine and some of the broken ribs jutting from the mangled flesh.  Most of his hair had been burnt away so that the damage extended into his scalp.  What was left of his shirt clung to him in burnt fragments and melted fabric.  And he did not respond.

                Innately, Ryeowook knew he was alive.  Something inside told him that was the case, but he couldn’t have explained it rationally if he’d tried.  “Kyu,” he whimpered, tracing shaking fingertips against the slightly blistered cheek.  “I’m here,” he promised, afraid that if he touched too hard, he’d break him more.  “Kyu…” he breathed again, inching closer so he could curl up under the other man’s chin, too in shock to think of anything else he could do.

                “, , !” Kangin cursed again, keeping a firm hold on JR as he pulled the human from the vampires.

                “He’s gonna be alright, isn’t he?” JR asked again, his voice still high and frightened.

                “I don’t know,” Kangin admitted, knowing he said it for all those in the cave in.  His creator and best friend, Wookie, Changmin and Changjo.  Even Sungmin.  Okay, so Changmin was probably a no brainer: angled against the wall when the cave collapsed, the stone above him had created a slanted effect that left him relatively unscathed.  Changjo was also probably going to be alright, even if the right side of him had been mostly crushed.  Probably…  They were all going to need a lot of blood and the wolves were otherwise more concerned with themselves to be called in as blood banks.  Not to mention Jinki wasn’t exactly great either.  “,” he scowled again, rubbing his eyes with his fingers.

                “What do we do?” the young man asked, a lost note in his voice that thoroughly irritated Kangin for some reason.

                “Go help the puppets if you need something to do!” he snapped, gesturing towards Daesung and the others.  JR flinched at the words and part of Kangin felt guilty for it but he squashed the feeling and continued on.  “You can’t help your brother right now but there are plenty of others that need it.  Go help them!” he pointed firmly, turning on his heel to see what he could do in the meantime.

                He was vaguely aware of Henry stepping in to rescue JR from himself, pulling the human along to where the Possessed were doing their best to patch up the wounded.  Karam and Sungmin both appeared to be bleeding out from massive hemorrhaging due to nearly being crushed and the only thing keeping Luna even remotely calm was the fact that Junhong was holding her close, arms wrapped around her wolf form, while Minsoo continued to hold her paw, a quiet, reassuring presence.

                Zico was tending to Jieun who was still coming out of the shock from watching Daehyun die earlier and Sunny was doing her best to console a heartbroken Sunhwa.  Neither was doing any good to actually make them feel better but it was all they could offer.  All of the Possessed were running in full possessed mode, desperately trying to stretch their pitiful supplies as far as they would go to mitigate the damage.

                Under the cover of nightfall, the vampires were supremely active too, running out in pairs to try and find food enough for them all: N and Kiseop; Hyosung and Sungmin; Zhou and Ren.  Kangin knew he should probably be out there too, but part of him demanded he stay here.  For Wookie and Kyu if nothing else.  Youngjae was looking after Himchan after all and here he was, relatively unharmed with no purpose.

                The humans could otherwise handle themselves but he knew it was probably dangerous for him or any of the vampires to be around them just then.  With the hint of a reprieve after getting over seeing Ryeowook and Kyuhyun’s wounds, he could feel the bite of hunger tickling his senses and if any of them caught a human right now, they’d probably be dead.  Seunghyun and Siwon had already left again, after checking to make sure the others were alright, making a hunting run themselves.  Geng and Kyung had done the same thing.

                Seungho took charge of Taeyang, Soohyun, Amber, and the rest of the humans to start creating what shelters they could in the poor lighting.  No one wanted to risk a fire at night – lest they attract unwanted attention – and the nonhumans could at least see a little bit in the meantime.  The humans struggled along to the best of their ability, relying on what pitiful light streamed through the clouds and how their eyes did what they could to adjust to the darkness.

                Kangin’s eyes narrowed in thought and he nodded to himself.  That was something he could do.  “Youngjae,” he called, grabbing the Cho’s attention as well.

                “Yeah?” the other vampire murmured, extricating himself from Himchan’s company with care.

                “Go help the humans,” he nodded towards the fumbling creatures meaningfully.

                “What?  How?” he started to ask before Kangin’s body began jumping with sparks, sending a very low level of illumination out around him.  “I got it,” Youngjae exhaled tiredly, peeling off to do what he could too.

                It was going to be a long night.

~~~~~~

                Betrayed.  There was no other word to explain it.  Mir felt betrayed as he knelt on the ground in front of Satoru with his hands resting limply on his bent legs.  “Everything we’ve ever been taught is a lie,” he murmured tonelessly, flinching when he felt Hyoyeon come up beside him to him in the face.

                “I told you,” Satoru stated as he squatted in front of the Hunter.  For a moment, he expected laughter from the other man but it never came.  Just a sad sort of understanding.

                Mir stared at his hands again, flexing the fingers.  “Making pacts with demons to have the power to hunt demons,” he spat, clenching his fists.  “Foul conjurers!” he added, his voice rising with his anger.

                “Easy,” Satoru reminded him in a level tone, gaze unwavering.

                “I don’t care!” Mir snapped, looking up at the creature over the man’s shoulder.  “Let it know I’m angry!”  The growth twitched at the reaction and Mir continued, “If I piss it off enough, it’ll respond and do the same thing to me it did to Heechul!”

                “You don’t have to make it angry,” the other man assured him calmly as Hyoyeon whined and backed away.

                “Go ahead!” the Hunter challenged, getting to his feet.

                “You could just ask,” Satoru shrugged, still standing between him and the creature.

                “Take it!” Mir snarled, taking a step to move around Satoru as if to confront the monster.  “I’m right here!”

                Before he got very far, Satoru grabbed his arm and one shoulder as the creature started to rise to its feet.  Mir stiffened and gasped when it felt as if a series of small prongs stabbed into him where the other man was holding.  He couldn’t breathe as thin fingers of power flowed into and through him, combing out the difference between what was Mir and what was the other part of him.  His back arched as he let out a pained cry and then choked when the sensation disappeared, allowing him to fall to his knees awkwardly.

                “Mir!” Mika cried out, running forward to check on him with a wary look between Satoru and the creature.  “What did you do to him?!” he demanded, grabbing at Mir’s shoulders to steady the other man when it seemed as if he might fall over.

                Satoru looked back and gestured at the creature.  “It simply took back what he no longer wanted.  The power was never given freely to begin with,” he explained with a shake of his head.  “He will be fine,” Satoru promised without trying to touch either of them, though Hyoyeon came close again to nose at Mir’s face carefully.  “But adjusting to being a human might take a moment.”

                “Ugh,” Mir groaned, leaning into Mika’s body so that the other man had to catch him, holding tight.  “How did it…?” he whispered, holding his face with one hand while he struggled to regain his balance.

                “Magic calls to magic,” Satoru explained with a shrug, his mouth twisting into a sad smile.  “You only carry it in your blood and it is easy enough to draw those bits out which is why you may feel weak for a little while longer.”

                “It took the blood that was magic?” Mika asked for clarification, one eyebrow raised as he obviously contemplated whether Satoru was crazy.  Only there was the giant plant creature behind him and what he’d just witnessed himself to show that he wasn’t.  Mostly anyway.

                “Yes,” the other man nodded once.  “Like it did for Hyoyeon when she was broken.”

                Mika looked at the wolf suspiciously and Mir exhaled.  One hand rose so that he could grab a fistful of her fur, holding steady but unsure.  “What does that mean?” he groaned, eyes obviously closed as he took strength from both of his companions beside him.

                With infinite patience, Satoru took a breath and spoke once more, “It took the broken part of the magic in her.  The sickness stole her power of transformation and it took her ability to create life as well.  Removing the magic the illness targeted healed her in one way but to restore balance completely, the Guardian would have to give back what is already unbalanced.”

                “Eh?” Mika frowned, struggling to follow what was being said.  He was just a mercenary that had been hired to kill the nonhumans before things had gone to hell.  All of this stuff was way over his head.

                “You talk in riddles,” Mir seconded, his voice subdued.  He took a breath and finally sat up to look at the three around him, blinking brown eyes before wincing at the change in his vision.  Why was everything so… blurry?  “But I think I understand.  Sort of,” he frowned, rubbing his eyes.  Seriously.  He could see well enough but damn.  Were all humans this near sighted?

                “You will understand more in time,” Satoru promised softly, like an old teacher who wouldn’t explain everything in favor of letting them learn on their own.  It was annoying.

                “Uh huh,” Mika nodded, holding tight to Mir’s arm as he tried to help him get to his feet in a quiet signal that he was more than ready to leave.

                The former Hunter gestured with his hand briefly and then took a breath.  With more effort than he cared to admit, he pushed up and stumbled once before he found his balance – with Mika keeping a tentative hold on him.  “So what’s next then?” Mir demanded, shaking his head once more.

                At last, Satoru seemed somewhat confused, his finely arched brows dipping into a small frown.  “That is up to you,” he explained.

                Mir shook his head when the other clearly misunderstood him.  He pointed at the thing behind to further elaborate his point.  “I meant with that thing.”

                “Ah,” Satoru nodded, mouth opening as a smile tugged at it.  “The Guardian will continue to try fixing what has been broken.  The land.  The people.  And anything else it comes across.”  He shrugged and turned as if to move back into the creature, but he paused before he got very far.  “You are welcome to join the others down there,” he gestured towards the edge of the cliff face.

                “Who are they?” Mika asked warily, his posture screaming unease at everything that had happened.

                “Humans who are simply trying to make it in the world they’ve created,” the other man chuckled softly with a shake of his head.  “The Guardians are trying to help but we make it… difficult sometimes,” he frowned, turning to regard the large creature.

                “They make it difficult,” Mika grumbled with another look at Mir, his lips twisted into a frown.  Satoru chuckled at the low comment but didn’t respond to him.

                “Good luck, Mir,” he nodded instead, making the other man start in surprise.  He hadn’t given his name.  At Mir’s incredulous look, Satoru tapped his head with a knowing smile.  “The blood tells many stories,” he promised, finally turning to step back into the Guardian.

                Mir, Mika, and Hyoyeon shuffled back as the creature accepted Satoru back into its core and got to its feet with deceptive grace and quiet.  They felt the weight of its regard upon them and just as suddenly, it started to walk off, taking one measured step after the other.  At their feet, Hyoyeon whined while she nosed at Mir’s hanging hand, ears laid back in mild worry.

                “It’s alright,” he assured her, petting the side of her face reflexively.

                Mika didn’t look so sure.  “That was weird,” he stated plainly, looking at Mir out of the corner of his eyes.

                “I don’t know what that was,” Mir huffed with an unexpected shiver, teeth chattering afterwards.  “But I do know the Kims are gonna kill me,” he nodded before shaking his head.

                “Not if you freeze to death first,” Mika exhaled as he rolled his eyes and tried to chafe warmth into the other man’s arms.

                “Jesus, is it always this cold?” Mir shuddered, hunching in on himself.

                “For us poor, little humans?” Mika teased gently with a bemused smirk on his lips.  “Yep,” he chuckled, earning a dry glare from his companion.

                “Oh shut up,” he chattered, resolutely taking a step forward on his own.  Both Mika and Hyoyeon were quick to follow.  He’d only traveled a few steps before he realized he couldn’t see or smell as well as usual, leaving him at a distinct disadvantage in terms of figuring out where they were going.  “Um… which direction did we come from again?” he muttered in embarrassment.

                Once more, Mika laughed and shook his head.  “Hopeless.  Come on,” he urged, taking the former Hunter by the arm so he could guide him back to the others they’d left behind.  Not that he was looking forward to that meeting or anything.

(a/n: So I am trying to set up everything for more answers (finally I know) and get everything ready for the homestretch.  By my estimation, we may have 3 to 5 chapters left after this one - don't quote me.  I'm notoriously bad at guessing wrong when it comes to writing.  I know it looks hopeless for some and things might not yet make sense, but we're getting there!  I promise I'm not writing a tragedy.  haha  Thank you for sticking with me so far though and I hope you enjoyed the update.  Please look forward to the next one and, if you're so inclined, I'd love to hear your thoughts.  ^_^  Thank you!)