The trees seemed even darker than usual as Taemin held his torch aloft, trying to avoid stepping on too many frozen leaves. He shuddered to think at what may lie in wait for him in the twisted trunks. A few dim lights weaved in and out of the trees nearby as other villagers combed the woods for anything relating to the mysterious wolf pack that stalked their legends and nightmares.

      A rustling near his shoulder caused Taemin to startle violently, his breath catching in his throat with a painful barb. He relaxed, however, when he saw the source of the noise- it was not a wolf, but a boy. Rounded cheeks and a tentative air gave the figure away as Jinki. The boy gave no hint of unease on his face, but his nerves were shown through the constant movement of his torch, which he rotated to his left and right hand to discretely wipe the sweat off of his palms on his furs.       Jinki raised an eyebrow in question to Taemin's alarm but said nothing. The two boys walked in silence except for the dim roaring of their torches and the crunch of leaves beneath their feet.       An undeniable tension settled between the two as the time drew on and both Taemin and Jinki grew accustomed to the other's presence.        A tension spring from the always distant Cho Hwayoung.       Taemin knew that Hwayoung had always been an unattainable dream, and that the little time that they had together was a gift, but it still hurt when it was over. It was as though he was trying to hold on to sand, and their time together was slipping away faster than he could hope to catch it. All he knew was that he loved her so much it hurt and she was no longer his.       Taemin closed his eyes every night and saw her face close to his with her cheeks ruddy from the cold and curled up at the corners the way it did when she . The image made him sigh softly to himself and look over at the boy next to him.       Jinki was staring at his torch with a thoughtful expression as though he were thinking of her, too. A small smile curled at the edge of his mouth, and that little action alone was enough to make Taemin want to rip it right off his face. Hwayoung's future stood r