The raindrops fall gently onto the grass, creating a soft lullaby for the animals. It was a cooling and wet night, the perfect time to sleep and replenish their energy before a new day start. But for the two boys, their day just started. It's time for their favourite month of the year. December. It's always cooling and sometimes even cold, however it never snowed despite the cold wether, so they never knew how snow is like.

But they still enjoyed all the previous Decembers they spent in the forest. They left their cave and started on their nightly adventure. Hunting. It was the same as the past years, maybe except for the fact that a new girl came into the picture. After he separated from his friend, he made his way to the little hut. He didn't know why, but he felt like going there whenever he's alone.

This time, the girl was not in the house, she's outside on the swing, just like when he first saw her. She wore a flowy, knee length, long sleve dress, the light blue cloth looks extremely beautiful against her skin. Her long hair was tied up to a pony tail at the back, leaving her fringe to cover her forehead. Rocking back and forth, she stared at the moon. The moon that was once blue, had now turned back to luminious white. He stared at her as he resist the temptation to approach her.

He somehow felt that he should be over there, pushing her swing, enjoying dinner with her on the dinning table, taking down dry clothes from the washing line together. He shook his head clear and reminded himself - he belong in the forest. In the trees is where he should be, at least until he find his sister.

Unlike the other nights, he quickly left the house before the girl could spot him. It wasn't long after he left the house when he spotted a dead donkey laying beside the bushes. It must have been his lucky day. Or maybe not. He was about to take the donkey back home when a pair of lion brothers appeared. Their yellow furs glow under the moonlight, their saliva dripping out from the space between their teeth.

He know them so well. They used to play together when they're younger, but things changed when a hunter shot their mother. They turned extremely aggresive towards him, probably blaming all humans for the death of their mother, or maybe it's just the lion's instinct to kill once it's old enough. If not for RyeoWook, he might have already died back then, when they cornered him, and attempted to make him their dinner. 

Now they met again, but this time it's different. He will not allow them to corner him again, he will fight back. He's no longer the little boy he once was, he can now protect himself. He remembered how they used to run around, chasing butterflies, when the lion mother was out hunting. He never saw the lions' father, perhaps already dead even before the baby cubs were born. It was so happy and carefree back then, how he wished he could turn back time.

Why did such a wonderful friendship turned into someting like that? Recalling how they almost tore his left arm out on the very same day their mother got killed, his hatred for them grew. It was them who betrayed him first, he will do anything to win this battle, even if it means killing one of them.

Maybe he did became a beast. 

He his attack mode and growled. The lions returned his with theirs, gritting their sharp teeth together, glaring at him with their shiny black and angry eyes. It's not the first time he faced lions, but it's the first time he faced two of his childhood friends. They were so close, he thought they would be friends forever, never did he imagined that the lion brothers were just another pair of cruel lions like any other.

Just as he was about to leap into attack, a branch creak was heard. The trio turned to face the direction of the noise. It was the girl.

What is she doing here? She shouldn't be here. It's not safe!

She panicked and backed away. The lions changed their targets, they quickly surrounded the girl and closed in on her. Seeing that they're no longer trying to attack him, he could have just took the donkey and return home, but he didn't, he couldn't. He quickly stood in between the girl and the lions, causing the lions to advert their attention back to him. They started with a few moments of staring and glaring. And that triggered a physical fight.

Kicks, scratches, hisses, and bites were exchanged between the three agitated creature. But the girl could see that's he was losing, in fact anyone would have known that it is impossible for him to win this battle. He'll never be able to fight two grown lions and prevent them from getting close to the girl at the same time.

It was a "bang" that saved them. That very same "bang" that took his parents away from him. Which is also the very same one that killed the lion's mother. One of the lions fell down onto the ground with a big thud, blood oozing out from the bullet wound near his chest. The lion struggled to breathe and attempted to get back to his feet, but to no avail. For a moment he saw his father dropping to the ground dead again. He felt his father's grip on his hand loosen, blood flowing everywhere, seeping into the soil.

He gulped and blinked his tears away, it's not time to break down and cry, another bullet might come soon. The lion didn't want to leave his dying brother there, he loitered around his fallen figure and tried to push him to his feet, but to no avail. He pitied them for a moment, he understood what it felt like to lose your whole family, to see them die right infront of you and there's nothing you could do. He understood the desperation.

It was then that the second gun shot sounded. He quickly climbed the tree next to him and pulled the girl along with him. If the hunter sees him, he'll kill him, and he's not going to leave the girl on the ground with that bloody hunter. The other lion had no choice but to escape, leaving his almost dead brother on the forest floor. He soon reached the top of the tree, having a very clear view of anything near him.

He sat down on one of the branches and placed the girl between him and the tree trunk. It seemed like the girl was still in a state of confusion, as she didn't bother to talk to him like what she would usually do. He could see the hunter coming closer towards the injured lion. It was the same hunter that had killed both the mother and son. 

He looked at the girl and behind that black-framed glasses, he found her staring back at him in disbelief. Perhaps wondering how he could challenge two male lions to a fight. Was he trying to kill himself? That was what it seemed like to the girl. Feeling uncomfortable to be stared at, he looked away, trying to concentrate on the incoming hunter instead. The girl finally spoke, although it was something that he did not understand, he turned back to face her.

She said something again. Receiving no reply from him, she took off a clip from her hair and carefully placed it on his, clipping up his long and untidy fringe that was covering his eyes. She stared straight into his eyes for the first time and he stared back, his palms were sweaty and his heart was beating faster than usual. The girl studied his face and tilted her head slightly, adding a comment. For the first time in so many years, his eyes were not covered up by his hair.

After a few moments of staring, she felt her cheeks heating up. Quickly, she looked away, and mumbled something under her breath. Sensing the awkwardness, he turned away, and plucked that clip off his hair, letting the fringe fall back to it's original place. It wasn't long before the hunter reached the unconcious lion. He used his gun to poke the body of the lion, making sure he was unable to move before running off to chase the other lion brother that had escaped.

After making sure that the hunter was already at a safe distance away, he started climbing down the tree, taking the girl along with him. He released the girl when their feet touched the ground, and the girl immediately rush over to the injured lion. She tried to stop the bleeding, but to no avail. She seemed to be attempting to help the lion, but he knew that the lion will be dead sooner of later, so it was no use trying to save it.

He pulled the girl away from the lion and towards her house. The girl tried resisting, but her strength cannot be compared to his. 

Upon reaching the house, she quietly walked into the bedroom and closed the door behind her. He stared at the closed door for a while before leaving. Sobs could be heard from inside the room, and he didn't know why. He recalled that when he was younger, whenever his sister cried, he would stay by her side and wiped her tears for her, telling her jokes to brighten her up. The only time he failed to do so, was that day when he last saw her.

For a moment, he wanted to do the same, but he didn't. He left her alone to cry and headed back home.

He should enjoy the time he can spend with RyeoWook, when he find his sister in 13 days time, there will be no guarantee that he'll stay in the jungle. He'll just follow where ever his sister decides to go, and protect her from any danger. One failure is enough, he will never allow his sister to suffer again because of his inability to protect her. He will fufill his duty as a brother.