Everything is quiet in the village for a couple weeks. It gives Chanyeol some time for himself, to hunt for enough food to last him the rest of the month and spend some time helping around the village. Days pass by lazily, the same every day, and Chanyeol eventually forgets his worries as the village children drag him to the swings and crawl on his lap and ask him to play ‘Save the princesses and princes from the dragons’.

Every day passes the same until Chanyeol comes home from his hunt one day to the Jung sisters sitting on his doorstep, waving at him frantically.

"Uncle Chanyeol!" Soojung yells, waving both her arms over her head. Her pigtails bounce on her shoulders as she jumps up and down, only quelled by her sister's hand on her dress.

"Uncle Chanyeol! Papa needs your help!" Sooyeon yells.

Chanyeol shifts his catch of small animals into one hand and opens the door. "Why don't you girls come inside and tell me what's up?"

The sisters nod, timidly holding hands and stepping inside the household. Chanyeol's home is not big nor is it really furnished, but he doesn't spend too much time at home anyway. This home is simply a place for him to sleep and eat.

Chanyeol puts his catch into the sink to wash and clean for later. He cleans up his hands, then goes to the cupboard where he keeps the chocolate chip cookies he buys from the market for the kids who come by. Sooyeon and Soojung look thrilled when Chanyeol hands them each a cookie.

"So what does your papa need help with?" he says, sitting on his knees so that he's eye level with the eight and five year old.

Soojung is still trying to process the massive bite of the cookie she'd taken while Sooyeon eats a bit more peckish. "Our sheep are missing!" she exclaims, waving her hand with the cookie around so that the crumbs spill all over the floor. "I counted the sheep and we have thirteen but when I came outside to count them again after I did my school work, there were only twelve!"

"And then it happened again!" Soojung chirps, mouth surrounded by cookie crumbs and chocolate remnants. "I counted twelve sheep and then when I came back from playing 'Dragon and Princess' with Sunyoung and Jinri there were only eleven sheep!"

Chanyeol purses his lips in thought. The girls aren't ones to cry wolf if there's no danger, but there's nothing that comes to his mind immediately as to why the sheep would go missing- unless it was something so simple that they'd wandered into the nearby forest or into someone else's farmland.

He stands up with a groan, knees cracking as he moves to grab his bow and bag of arrows. "Let's go back to your papa and I'll see where I can start looking for the sheep."

"Can we ride your horse today, uncle?" Sooyeon asks, bouncing on her heels. "Please, please, pretty pleeeeeeeeease?"

Chanyeol can never say no to children pouts, and the Jung sisters have a particularly fatal technique down to a tee. His smile already has the two girls jumping up and down. They're out the door before him as he's running his mental checklist to make sure he's brought everything to go hunting.

As he closes the door, he considers bringing his sword. It's heavy, but whatever is causing the sheep to disappear can't be a good thing if they've gone into the forest. He decides it's better to be safe than sorry and quickly straps the sword around his waist.

The girls are already out by his horse, petting as far high up as they can reach. Chanyeol hoists them up first, Soojung in the front and Sooyeon behind her. Then he grabs the reins around them and takes the horse slow. They don't live far apart from each other so he doesn't mind being safer and ensuring no one slides off the horse. The ride is short but filled with excited squeals by the girls and the endless questions they have for him about saving princes and princesses and fighting dragons (which he has never actually done but the girls seem so enthusiastic that it's hard to get 'no' through their heads).

"Uncle!" Soojung exclaims from the front. "Uncle, our black sheep is gone!"

Sooyeon starts wiggling in her spot, and Chanyeol puts a protective hand on her waist to keep her from toppling off. "But Jaju is our favorite sheep!" Sooyeon says, trying to look at Chanyeol over her shoulder while keeping her balance. "You have to find him, uncle Chanyeol!"

Chanyeol sighs. "Alright, stay calm. You never know if your black sheep is just playing hide and seek."

Both girls turn to look at him, unamused and lips downturned into a frown.

"Okay, I'll help look in the forest for him," he says, stopping the horse close to the backdoor of their home. He hops off first, then lets both girls down. The girls burst into the house, pulling their papa out by the hand to tell Chanyeol about the mysterious disappearances of their sheep.

In the midst of discussing the topic, Sooyeon suddenly points to the sky. "Look, papa! There's a big bird with our sheep!" Chanyeol whips around and looks to find a large black shadow disappearing from sight.

"I'll go track it- find out where your sheep have been going," he says, clicking his tongue and calling his horse a bit closer. He hops on easily and starts riding out. "I'll let you know what I find!" he yells out behind him, the Jung sisters waving behind him. His focus now is solely on the bird and where in the forest the bird is flying off to.

He follows behind as closely as he can to the shrinking dot in the distance, urging his horse faster and faster until they burst into the forest, hot on the bird's tail. It doesn't strike him odd that the bird seems to grow larger and larger the closer they get, nor why the bird would take an animal as big as the sheep. He focuses on avoiding the trees, directing his horse through the maze of the forest until they reach a clearing, close enough to the bird that he has a chance at shooting.

He makes quick work with the arrows first, dumping the vial of poison he keeps with him over the tips of the arrows before lining it up to the string of the recurve bow and resting the body of the arrow on his hand. He points up, taking aim at the shrinking shadow of the bird and firing.

The arrow whizzes through the air, string vibrating against his ear and shaking the wood of his bow before swinging just shy of the bird. He curses- now he's alerted the bird to his presence. The bird is already beginning to panic, frozen in the air before attempting to fly off as fast as it can. Chanyeol does not have much time before he almost loses sight of the bird and in his haste, dumps the entire vial of poison over his arrow before taking aim, squinting at his target and positioning his arrow, before drawing the string, aiming, and firing.

He does not miss the second time. He watches as the arrow zips through the air, bursting into the cloudless sky to hit its mark at the underside of the bird's belly. He watches with enthusiasm and fascination as the bird crumples, the sheep falling from its grip before it plummets deeper into the forest. Chanyeol yells the command at his horse to push forward and race toward where he predicts the bird had fallen. It takes longer than he expects, the bird must have been farther than he predicted, but he comes to a clearing of snapped tree branches and a growing pile of fresh underbrush from the broken trees.

He hears a pained growl and stops the horse in its tracks, the horse rearing back at him in light of the sudden stop. He pets the horses mane, pleading it to calm down as he dismounts, tossing the bow aside and clinging to the hilt of his sword at his belt. He tiptoes through the brush, trying not to let it creak under his feet as he pushes away collapsed tree trunks and strewn branches.

He finds the sheep- dead from the fall, because the pained growl did not come from the silent black sheep.

It instead comes from the massive leathery set of ruby wings crumpled over a man just meters from the sheep.

He holds his breath and attempts to back away, realizing the danger that he might be in should he be spotted by whatever it is that had stolen the sheep, but his feet crunch over the fallen tree branches and suddenly the winged form is startled, wings jerking in reaction to the sound.

Chanyeol is frozen as he watches the scarlet wings unfold, pushing away until they reveal a man underneath- one who looks as though he can't be older than Chanyeol. The messy mop of brown hair falls into the man's burning red eyes as he yells out, hand gripping underneath him as he struggles to stand, pulling himself up from the ground and letting his wings be dragged lifelessly behind him. The messy mop of brown hair is un-matching to the man's weak stance, because the glare of the red eyes Chanyeol accidentally looks into has him trembling.

The man stumbles back, crying as he clutches his stomach, and Chanyeol can see that the wings are attached to the man's back, breaking through the tan, smooth skin. His shaky exhale is caught in his throat, hand frozen over the hilt of his sword as he tries to get his mind around the situation. The man rolls over onto his back, crying with the most heart wrenching scream Chanyeol's ever heard, to reveal his hands pressing fiercely into his stomach, drenched in the darkest blood, surrounding the golden feathered arrow lodged in his abdomen.

Chanyeol's arrow. Chanyeol's poison tipped arrow.

He takes another step back, heading for his horse, cringing as he once more steps over the fallen branches. The being is once more alerted to him, and Chanyeol remains still with his fingers frozen over the hilt of his sword, ready to pull it from his side at a moment's notice.

He can't help but cringe as the man stands once more with the arrow lodged in his abdomen, as his grip tightens and loosens with each drunk sway of his body, as the color floods in and out of his face. Chanyeol pulls his sword further out of its sheath, fingers frozen on the hilt as he cautiously steps away with each step forward the beast takes.

But the beast looks up at him, enraged, growling to convey both his pain and his anger. His eyes alight in a bright red, brighter than the maroon of his wings and reminiscent of the hottest fire. He steps forward and Chanyeol falls back, he takes two steps forward and Chanyeol, with fear gripping tightly around his throat, can only take one step back.

He screams as fire alights before his eyes, crawling up the underbrush and the ends of his shoes. The wall soars up above him before it disappears, the beast closer than before as it snarls and stumbles forward. The beast closes in quickly, wings outstretched around him, broadening his figure, sending fear shooting into Chanyeol's veins until he's falling, tripping over his own feet. From where he sits, the beast looks ready to kill.

He scrambles for his sword, fumbling to get the blade out and cursing as his clumsy fingers drop the sword from his grasp. He panics, struggling to pick up the sword and stand ready. Fire alights before him, closer, burning hotter as it singes the ends of his clothes. He quickly aims the sword out in front of him and locks in on his target, praying that the sudden sway of courage will keep his hands steady.

"I'll do it!" he yells, but the beast's cries swallow it up, silence him. "I'll swing!" But the beast's hand fists the collar of his shirt and hoists him up off the ground. He comes to face piercing red eyes, completely locking up his throat. He clenches the hilt of the sword tighter, struggling to force his limbs to work though he hangs midair, above the winged beast.

But with an effortless toss, the beast throws him aside. His back crashes against a tree, and all he can feel is a shooting pain radiating from his shoulder where it had hit the trunk. He clenches his eyes shut and groans, watching his vision fade out to black and his consciousness fade momentarily. The beast is approaching him, maybe to ensure that he's passed out or dead, but Chanyeol doesn't let this chance pass up. He discreetly switches the sword to his uninjured arm and as soon as the beast is close enough, so close that Chanyeol can feel the beast's breath on his neck, he swings the sword and stabs the beast.

The beast howls in pain, crumpling to the ground on his side in a heap of his wings. His body looks more frail than ever as he clutches at it desperately, crying out in pain once more. Chanyeol can't stand the sound, how the beast's cries are so maddeningly sad, so human, the pain is almost tangible what he feels. Once his vision clears, he watches the beast before him. Like a newborn deer, the beast stumbles forward on its weak legs, trembling under the sudden weight of his body. A hand remains clutched desperately at his abdomen while the other gently cradles the wing around his frail body, bleeding out over his palms and dripping into the underbrush. The sword had struck through the beast's wing, singeing the area around it and burning it, increasing the size until Chanyeol imagines he could stick his entire fist through.

The sudden movement of his shoulder makes him wince, jaw dropping in a sudden yell as his hand raises to cradle his shoulder. While it isn't sore to the touch, any simple movement causes a sharp pain to ripple throughout his shoulder. He's sure it's dislocated, thankfully not nearly as difficult as a problem as the beast's.

The beast hunches over, down on his knees, retching into the dirt of the forest floor. The poison is starting to take its effect. It's enough to kill an animal, but it's only strong enough to make a person sick to their stomach for days. Chanyeol isn't sure which will happen to the beast, but for the safety of his life, he hopes it's the former.

Because if there are other beasts around, he will surely not see the lights of his village outside of the forest again.

"Jongin!" The shout comes from nearby. Chanyeol can hear the crunch of footsteps over the branches, quick in succession as multiple people approach. He makes to stand, find his horse, and make his escape out of his forest but his dislocated shoulder slows him down just long enough. He manages to stand, chest heaving for air by the time he's leaning all his weight on the tree behind him, before anyone shows up into the clearing. He scrambles for his sword and tries to leave, and he isn't sure whether it's his guilty conscience or fear that slows him down, but he loses his chance to flee when he comes face to face with three men, two shorter than himself- both with anger in their eyes, and one nearly as tall as him, dark gaze unrelenting and harsh.

"Jongin!" One of the shorter men call out, bursting past Chanyeol into the clearing behind him where the beast he'd slain still clutches his wounds, retching into the dirt and howling, crying in pain. The last man, icy blue eyes wide in anger fists the collar of his shirt and tugs him down to his eye level.

"What the have you done," he whispers, voice almost murderous as he strikes a chord of fear in Chanyeol's body. And while he is certainly not as scared as he was facing a beast- a monster- he is nevertheless caught in the hands of fear once more.

"Look, it was an accident- I didn't mean to-" and he glances back at the beast, crying out in pain as the two men who'd come to assist him try to hoist him up. With no energy left, the beast sinks back to the ground, crying out as his wound opens even more.

"Luhan, we have to get him to Yixing!" the shorter man yells, trying to remain strong though the subtle tremors of his voice convey a deep-sunken fear. He continues to take survey of the damage, noticing the hand pressed against his abdomen and cringing at the sight of the torn wing. Chanyeol can't hear what else the man says whilst he's knelt before the beast, cupping his face in his hands. The shake in his hands is noticeable, even for Chanyeol, but that doesn't stop the man from taking control and helping to lift the beast from the ground as painlessly as possible. He takes the brunt of the weight, and would probably carry the beast on his back had there not been an arrow in the beast's side. Instead, he helps hoist the limp body into the tallest man's arms, hooking an arm around his back and one behind the bend of his knees, speaking in more hushed whispers.

"This man has to be the cause of it!" the man who Chanyeol presumes is Luhan yells, the collar of his shirt tighter, nearly clawing his shirt. Chanyeol looks into the man's icy blue eyes, if not even darker than the beast's red eyes, and his whole body freezes.This man has to be another beast- they all have to be! He'd been caught by a horde of them and at this point, it seems unlikely he'll escape their clutches. Were they going to keep him captive? Ransom him for money? Eat him?

"Luhan, go help Zitao take care of Jongin. I'll take care of this guy."

Luhan sends a last glaring look at Chanyeol, who is still struck by fear of the entire situation at hand. It comes as a shock when he feels the heat of fire- and then sees the flames right before his eyes that he stumbles back into the ground, crying out as his shoulder moves further out of place. Still dazed by the fire, he stays frozen in shock on the ground until the beast is out of sight.

"Your hair's on fire."

Chanyeol blinks once. Twice. Three times. He looks up at the last man with him and then looks down at his hand. He doesn't think it could be possible to be any more shocked than the is, until he lifts a hand up to his curly hair to feel a small flame at his palm.

"Ah!" Chanyeol exclaims, blowing where the flame had burned his good palm before his thumb and index fingers and stamping the last of the flickers of fire in his hair. He heaves out a sigh of relief, hoping his hair won't look any different than when he'd entered the forest. He doubts it, but something good has to go for him today.

He heaves a sigh, struggling to stand again. He uses his good hand to dust the dirt off his trousers, wincing as his bad shoulder shifts a little. His horse must have run off with the noise because he can't hear his horse's indignant whinnies. Now that he looks around, and the reality of the situation really sinks in, he isn't even sure where he is in the forest.

"Now what," he huffs, frustrated and shoulder becoming increasingly uncomfortable. The afternoon sun is high over his head, beating down on him, but he doesn't know when he'll make it back to the Jung's farm.

He flinches with the gentle press of a hand to his arm, glancing down at the last man to remain. The man has warm brown eyes, which eases a bit of the tension knotting in his chest. At least he can hope that the man is actually a human, rather than whatever Blue Eyes and Red Eyes are. His face is round, youthful and flushed red from exertion. His lips are a full red, raw most likely from chewing on it in his anxiety. Chanyeol can see the man is still worried about what had happened, and if Chanyeol hadn't known better he wouldn't have noticed the man was even afraid. The brave front he puts up is almost believable.

"Why don't I help you with your shoulder?" he asks. Chanyeol can see the way he cringes at the sight and he can only imagine how grotesque it must look. But if he wants to make it out alive from the forest, it's probably better that he gets to know the man so that he can show him the way out.

"That would be great," he sighs, kicking out a patch of the dirt. "Thanks." He quickly searches for the sword or the arrows he'd brought, finally catching sight of the sword near the tree he'd been thrown against, but he doesn't take more than three steps towards it.

"I suggest you leave that there," the man interjects, and the anger comes flooding back into his voice so as to make Chanyeol shiver, "if you'd like to leave the forest as you came."

The chilling warning is enough to get Chanyeol to turn around and start following the man through the forest, though the sword is his best and his bow had been his father's. And explaining how the ends of his hair are burnt or the claw marks in his shirt, the dirt in his skin and the visible fear that's still written on his face will be no easy task without freaking everyone in the village out.

He follows the man quietly, being careful to step where the man steps because he warns about traps he's set up to catch food, the holes he's dug to catch anything from rabbits to bears. It's not so easy living in the forest, especially when you have five other ravenous mouths to feed.

Five, Chanyeol blanches. Five beasts to feed. He almost trips with the sudden clutch of fear that takes a hold of his throat.

"So, tell me what happened just now," the man says, stopping in his tracks. Chanyeol nearly runs into him but manages to catch himself in time. "If you want me to help you, I want you to tell me everything."

Chanyeol pauses. "Well-"

"-Minseok-"

"-Right, Minseok," Chanyeol sighs, anxiously tapping his fingers against his thighs. "I'm Chanyeol."

Minseok does not make a sound. They continue on their trail through the forest, the crunch of forest floor under their feet ringing louder in his ear. If he listens closely, he's almost sure he can hear the howls of the beast he'd injured. Something vile gets lodged in his throat, making him gag. "I watched a sheep being taken from a farm, and so I came to hunt a bird-"

"-Jongin-"

"-I'm sorry?"

Minseok looks up in him, a subtle fury burning under his skin but he doesn't convey it. Instead he looks more unamused, a frown creasing his brows. "That 'bird' you shot down is Jongin, part the last of the dragon race, and you have the nerve to mistake him for a bird?"

Chanyeol clenches his teeth. Minseok is furious.

And then the notion hits him. Dragon. He shot down a dragon.

An actual dragon.

"Well how was I supposed to know?!"

Minseok glares in his direction, crossing his arms over his chest. "You weren't. That's the point."

Chanyeol falls silent. There was nothing in the legends, nothing in all the stories he's read that dragons were still alive- or could shapeshift into various forms of human. Dragons had all been a silly story parents told their children to make them do their chores, never an ounce of truth to their existence.

They continue their walk in silence for a bit until Minseok continues to urge what had happened out of him. "Well," Chanyeol sighs, trying to keep his voice low in hopes that Minseok will be mad at him less, "I took Jongin down with a poisoned arrow-

"What kind of poison?"

Chanyeol swallows thickly, keeping eyes down. "It won't kill him. Since he's half human, he'll probably just be sick for a few days."

He hears Minseok's exhale. It calms him down a little.

"I tried to escape after that but Jongin grabbed me and threw me against the tree- hence the shoulder," he continues, trying to keep his eyes off of said shoulder. Minseok looks back at his shoulder as if trying to quickly assess the damage. "I freaked out after that. I thought I was going to pass out and Jongin was approaching me."

"So you swung your sword," Minseok finishes. "By the damage, I'm presuming it's mythril."

Chanyeol nods, trying his best not to look Minseok in the eye. He feels absolutely horrible at this point. He's never one to swing his sword if he doesn't have to, but now he can only imagine the pain the poor dragon is in and Chanyeol feels absolutely rotten.

"Well you managed to hit Jongin with a dragon's biggest weakness," Minseok sighs, wringing his hands together. "He'll heal though, so don't worry too much."

Chanyeol nods silently. He still feels awful, but he can't think of a word to say that would convey to Minseok just how sorry he feels.

The walk feels far too long, the afternoon sky is already dipping into dusk and the walk seems unending with how awkward and tense the atmosphere has become. Chanyeol wants to say something, anything to ease the anxiety squeezing his heart, but anything at this moment would feel empty. He could only guess how Minseok feels. If he were in the same position, he wouldn't really want to talk to the person who harmed, what Chanyeol presumes as, his best friend.

A small cottage shrouded by trees starts to appear before them. It's in a small clearing of burned trees and dying brush, the scent of smoke permeating the area. The lights are in the house and Chanyeol can't see anyone from the window, but that doesn't ease the anxiety burning hot in his chest. Who knows how fast a dragon could roast him alive.

"Take a seat on the porch, I'll grab some things to fix up your shoulder," Minseok says, pressing a gentle hand to Chanyeol's shoulder. He disappears into the house, shutting the door quick enough that Chanyeol can't hear anyone talking, or cursing at him, inside.

He sits on the top step of the porch, shaded by the deck. He cradles his shoulder, straining to both keep his curiosity at bay and listen at the commotion inside. Chanyeol can't hear a thing inside, so he sits on the porch and watches the sun set. Maybe there's some way he could apologize to Jongin.

The door creaks open and Minseok comes back outside with a box of medicines and a cloth shirt in hand, but he doesn't come back out alone. There's another person following him, same height but with broader shoulders and bright green eyes. As kind as Minseok's face has become from how furious he was before, the newcomer's face is the exact opposite. His green eyes are fierce,angry. Chanyeol swallows thickly as the other man stands before him, arms folded over his chest and gaze threatening to burn through Chanyeol's very heart.

"Don't just stand there and stare, Jongdae. Come help me with this," Minseok says, clicking open the medicine box and fishing through it. Jongdae huffs, a grey cloud of smoke puffing out from his mouth. He grabs the cloth Minseok holds out for him and tosses it carelessly into Chanyeol's face.

"Bite it," he seethes.

"Jongdae."

Said man- dragon?- huffs and turns his back to Chanyeol. "I don't have to be nice with him. He'll off soon and we won't have to see his face around--"

"Jongdae!" Minseok says sternly, smacking Jongdae lightly on the calf. He pulls out a pill bottle and shifts to better stand before Chanyeol. "You don't have to be rude." But even that doesn't sound unkind from Minseok's mouth.

He couldn't imagine it before, but Chanyeol feels even worse than before.

"Take this," Minseok says, holding out the bottle. It's filled with a strangle liquid Chanyeol can't really tell the color of. It looks way too suspicious but he doesn't think upsetting Minseok in front of a dragon would be a good idea so he takes the bottle and takes as much as a sip. Surprisingly, it doesn't taste too horribly, mostly of mint and other spices that warm up his chest. He takes a little more as the warmth spreads through, more until Minseok has to force the bottle away from his mouth.

"What was that," he murmurs, tongue thick and heavy in his mouth. He feels as if he's talking with his tongue stuck to the roof of his mouth.

"Anesthetic," Minseok replies, handing Chanyeol the cloth. "Bite it. This should be over in a minute."

Chanyeol warily takes the cloth and bites down on it. Jongdae is still glaring at him, maybe imagining what his roasted body looks like if he'd burn it to a crisp in revenge.

Minseok presses gentle fingers along his shoulder, pressing gently until he hits a spot on the back of Chanyeol's shoulder that makes him grit his teeth and groan. Minseok prods around the area a bit more, maybe finding how far the pain spreads out or maybe just torturing Chanyeol for as long as possible. When he's finally satisfied, he grips Chanyeol's shoulder and inhales.

"This will probably still hurt," he whispers. "Just be lucky we still keep anesthetic around."

Chanyeol smiles meekly. How lucky indeed.

"I'm going to count back from five and then pop your shoulder into place. It'll only hurt for a little bit."

Chanyeol takes a deep breath and nods. He shuts his eyes tight and digs his nails into the fabric of his pants, wringing the fabric tight.

"Five, four, three--" and Chanyeol suddenly feels an immense amount of pain, flooding his shoulder like a sword had just sliced deeply into the bone. He cries out, biting down harder on the cloth in his mouth and yelling out around it. It hurts like pins and needles being pushed through his shoulder and deep into the tissue around the bones, like fire at his shoulder, melting the bones Minseok had snapped back into place.

"You should be fine tomorrow," Minseok says, standing up and dusting off his trousers. "It may be sore a bit but it'll wear off.

Jongdae is still seething, green eyes burning brighter with fury. "You're lucky you just escaped with that. I wish I could give you Jongin's pain tenfold just so you know how it feels."

Minseok looks far too exasperated to even warn Jongdae anymore. He holds out his hand and helps Chanyeol stand, holding him steady as he regains his balance. "Come on, I'll show you the way out."

Chanyeol nods dumbly, still feeling the anesthetic in his body. He turns around to look at Jongdae once more. The dragon watches him walk away, sending a shiver down his spine. And as soon as they've walked far enough, Jongdae disappears back into the house.

Chanyeol sighs, trying to keep his mind off of today and trying to remember the way they're traveling. It's difficult to find, he has to admit. The trees in this area are all enchanted, they all look the same, and it's difficult for Chanyeol to keep up with the twists and turns Minseok keeps making through the trees. The fact that the sun has almost set and the forest is so dark, lit up only by fireflies and pixie trails, makes it even harder. His mind starts wandering as soon as he feels like he's lost track of where they are, or maybe they're closer to the village lands than he'd thought. He hopes his horse has made it home, safe and is not too startled. The scare the poor Jung sisters must have had if his horse had run straight to their home without him. Just the thought of tears running down their faces makes his heart ache. First thing he'll do is see them, tell them it's nothing to be afraid of and that their sheep shouldn't go missing anymore.

Hopefully.

"We're almost there," Minseok says, pushing aside a low hanging tree branch. He makes his way through a section of low hanging trees and high raised grass. It's almost like a fence to the pathway, Chanyeol muses, using his good arm to hold the branches away from his face. He's still too wary, pain still too raw, to move his other arm.

They walk a few more meters forward, and Chanyeol makes sure to keep count of the time it takes, before Minseok comes to a stop before an oddly shaped bush. It looks similar to a mushroom, Chanyeol thinks, but he keeps the landmark in mind.

"Just walk a few yards straight from here and you'll reach the village by nightfall." Minseok shifts anxiously on his feet, trying hard not to look Chanyeol in the eye.

"Is there anything I can do or say to apologize?" Chanyeol murmurs, taking Minseok's hands between his. He's not sure why he does so, or why his heart feels like it might punch through his chest, but he wants to come off as being sincere. "It's really not my intention to hurt anyone. I'm really, really sorry about today too. Jongin," and Chanyeol inhales, "he might be sick for a couple days- I've seen the poison make a person retch a few times while they're sick- so just... make sure Jongin gets enough fluids. He won't be able to keep much else down but it's just a temporary sickness." Chanyeol bites down on his lip, feeling a bout of nervousness surge up to his throat. He runs his hands through his bangs harshly, trying to think through his worries and the anesthetic clouding his mind. "I guess I can't say I'm sorry enough."

Minseok manages a smile and untwines his hands from Chanyeol's, patting the taller's arm gently. "It's okay. We'll manage like we've always done. We're tough out here."

The silence that falls feels terse. Chanyeol feels like he hasn't said enough, he hasn't apologized enough and he really hopes that all the dragons, especially Jongin, can forgive him. He'd hate to have to stay away from something so magical so close to him. He's sure the dragons are fascinating, at least when they're not considering ripping his esophagus out of his chest.

“Thank you, Minseok. At least for taking the time to fix my shoulder.” Chanyeol shyly rubs the back of his neck.

Minseok nods in his direction, a small smile crossing his features. “I know you were probably just scared. Don’t think too much on it.”

And after that, there isn't any more that Chanyeol can say or do that would fix anything today. He keeps his lips pressed together, giving Minseok a nod in his direction as he leaves. Minseok nods back at him and disappears in the other direction before Chanyeol has taken twelve paces forward. His heart aches then for reasons he doesn't understand but what he presumes to be guilt.

He follows Minseok's directions and walks straight ahead until he hits the edge of the village. He's not far off from where he'd burst into the forest earlier on his horse, and it's only a few moments more, after the sun has dipped behind the mountains and the moon is beginning to appear over the trees, that he appears in front of the Jung household, knocking on their door after changing into a shirt without dragon claws ripped through it.

To his surprise, there are two princesses standing at the door, arms crossed with the remnants of tear tracks down their faces. Chanyeol smiles wryly, getting down on one knee to face the two sisters.

"I must have worried you, princesses," he murmurs, keeping his head tipped down. "I've hopefully ensured that your sheep aren't to be stolen again."

Soojung is the first to break, frown turning down even more into a sad pout as the tears start to roll down her cheeks again. She surges forward into Chanyeol's chest, hiccuping into the fabric of his shirt. "I was so scared!" she sobs. Sooyeon immediately follows, breaking out into tears and pulling herself into Chanyeol's chest. "Your horse was so scared and we thought you wouldn't come back!"

Chanyeol sighs, heart wrenching as their tears soak into his shirt. He wraps both arms around the little girls and brings them into an embrace. "I'm sorry," he murmurs, pressing kisses to both their heads. "I won't scare you again anymore." He shushes them and rubs their backs, waiting until their sobs subside before he takes a girl into each arm and carries them into the house. He sends their father an almost embarrassed look, but the haggard, tired man pays him no mind and smiles kindly as he wanders back into bed.

He tucks the girls in and stays with them until they fall asleep. As soon as he's sure Soojung won't wake up once he untangles his hand from her death grip, he tip toes out of the house, gathers his horse from their stable, and walks back to his own home.

Looking at it now, it looks terribly lonely. There are no lights , not a peep stirs from within the house, and from the looks of the outside, there's barely a hint that anyone lives there at all. Chanyeol thinks back to the forest, Minseok especially, as he sheds off his clothes and changes into the sleep clothes he keeps hung on his bedpost. He can't keep his mind off of today. The more he tries to sleep, the more he thinks about the dragons. The guilt keeps him up so late, tossing and turning until the moon shines bright in his window.

The stress of the day finally overtakes him and he drifts into sleep. He'll find the dragons again and he'll apologize to them, but the last thing on his mind is his imagination running wild with images of the curve of Minseok's eyes and lips if he'd earnestly smile up at him someday.