“We’ll head out towards the oracle caves today…I think we can make the trip in two days if we keep a steady pace and aren’t slowed down by anything.” I said to namjoon. We had woken up early to make a game plan for the day while everyone finished sleeping inside.  
    “What about the kid?” he asked referring to daehyun.
    “Before we left hongki said the caterpillar left me something. I haven’t found anything of use here…except that guy.” I mumbled furrowing my brow. “I think we should bring him along, he did seem decent with that axe so maybe he can make up for the dead wait of the weasel.”
    “Are you sure that’s a good idea? We have no idea who he is, or where he came from, except that he came from the sky with the other lights.” what he said made sense but I couldn’t help but think youngjae had meant for us to find him.
    “I think we should keep an eye on him…and see where that leads us.” Namjoon nodded not arguing any farther.  
    “Princess?” we turned to see daehyun stepping out of the tunnel under the mushroom. He looked around nervously his clothes and hair disheveled from sleep. Namjoon gave me a deep bow before backing away and moving to rouse the others.
    “Don‘t call me princess…only my subordinates call me that, and I despise it.” I said turning my attention on daehyun.
    “Mian, I was wondering…are you going after the others…that came through before me?” I nodded watching him for any sign of…well anything. “I can help you…I’m a decent tracker, and I find people for a living back home.  I’m looking for one of the men that came through…he’s dangerous and you should watch out for him. He’s noone to take lightly.” I continued watching him as he spoke and I found his conviction in finding these men endearing.
    “You don’t have to prove it to me…you saved my life yesterday by taking down that goblin and I appreciate that. We’ve already decided to bring you along with us. If you hold your own, and prove to be an asset you’re welcome to stay. Otherwise we’ll let you leave freely on your own and you can dare the dangers of the woods by yourself.” he looked uneasy but just nodded.
    “Princess…breakfast then we head out.” jin said from the steps letting me know everyone was awake. I nodded moving past daehyun and down into youngjae home to eat. We sat around for a quick breakfast not wanting to waste much time on food but needing our energy. Once everyone had sufficiently stuffed themselves we headed out.  I continued to lead the pack from the front while my men brought up the rear. Daehyun and canten stayed in the middle as the least experienced of the group. Canten continued bombarding daehyun with questions and I couldn’t help but laugh at the situation. Daehyun looked like he wanted to take the axe to canten…and I couldn’t say I would have stopped him.
    “Falehyn.” daehyun jogged up beside me away from the bickering canten. “how far are we from where the others landed?” I stopped walking feeling a prickle on the back of my neck.
    “I don’t know…a day and a half’s travel if we keep at this pace.” I mumbled trying to pin point where the feeling was coming from. Something wasn’t right.  
    “What if they’re not there.” I looked to him seeing he was fidgety. He was glancing around like he sensed something as well.
    “We’ll find them daehyun…now…you feel that too?” I asked wanting his opinion. He nodded. I glanced back at my group who were absentmindedly talking to each other. They didn’t have the same sense that I did.  
    “walk with me.” I mumbled nodding for him to follow. I glanced at namjoon giving him the signal that we were going to do a sweep before moving on. He nodded dropping to a rock to rest while he waited. “there’s something following us…been following for a bit.” I whispered so if it was near it wouldn’t hear us.     
    “I know…I felt it a while back…but I couldn’t be sure because I don’t know the area. My senses are all off kilter.” he said following me easily. I gave him props he seemed more comfortable in this situation that he gave himself credit for.  
    “you should trust your instincts more…they don’t seem to fail you.” I mumbled. “daehyun…why is a raven like a writing desk?” daehyun stumbled caught off guard by my question. He seemed to catch on quickly though when he spotted my hand on my sword. I was trying to divert whatever was near us.  He clutched his axe nodding.
    “I’ve asked the same question many times.”  he took a couple timid steps to the left with me in sync. We stood near a large bush where we narrowed our trail to.  one…I mouthed the word. two…three! on three we lunged around the bush narrowing our weapons on the necks of two unsuspecting boys.
    “y-yah!” I bellowed furiously. “What are you two trouble makers doing out here!” I snapped angrily. Dae and so ryeong jumped up turning to face me.
    “We followed you…why.” they both said in unified defiance.
    “You can’t be out here! How’d you get here?”
    “Again…we followed you. Hongki gave us a trinket a while back and told us to save it until we really needed it.” dae ryeong said holding it up. It dangled in my face and I almost had an aneurism. I’d gotten the same trinket from hongki when I used to sneak from the castle to explore the woods on my own. It was a cloaking device, it kept you hidden from the forest for an extended amount of time. The only thing was once it ran out, you weren’t safe anymore, and it became useless. I guess theirs became useless a while back when I began feeling them following us. I snatched the silver medallion from his hand and through it angrily into the forest.
    “Hey! That was ours!” so ryeong called in protest.
    “Yah! It doesn’t work anymore pabo! act your age!” I snapped angrily.
    “Falehyn.” daehyun said catching my attention. I looked to him angrily but he wasn’t looking at me. He was staring into the forest his face white. “I don’t think they were the only ones following us.” confused I followed his look and snapped into action immediately. I was so preoccupied with these two idiots I hadn’t even noticed the siebmoz’s coming from the bushes. They must have smelt us.
    “Daehyun…get these two idiots back to the others…I’ll fight the siebmoz until you bring back help.” I said narrowing my sword.
    “falehyn! We aren’t leaving you!” dae ryeong said stepping up beside me. I was shocked to see him brandish his sword skillfully. So ryeong on my other side swung a scythe attached to a long medal chain with precise skill.
    “have you two been practicing behind my back?” I asked momentarily taken away from the situation. Smirks spread across their lips deviously.
    “Wizard hongki has been training us, now I think we were in the middle of something.” he said gesturing towards the siebmoz’s. I grinned feeling the excitement of the fight.
    “Daehyun…go back to the others. Let them know what’s going on, be careful, siebmoz’s might be in the woods on the way back, go for the heart, they can’t bleed to death and don’t feel pain. It’s the only way to stop them.” I said not looking back at him. Giving my brothers a look of approval we dove forward into our first battle side by side.

    Daehyun watched momentarily in awe as falehyn and two twins, who he still wasn’t sure the identity of, dove into the fight of siebmoz’s. their name seemed familiar to him but he couldn’t place it. He found he already liked watching falehyn in battle…she reminded him of kali, the Indian goddess of destruction. Tearing his eyes away from her, he was able to drag himself away and head back towards the group he’d left behind. They hadn’t traveled far so it wouldn’t take long for him to get someone and return for help.   
    “Well…you weren’t what I was expecting.” daehyun stopped short whipping around shocked. He’d heard a voice…he was sure of it. He didn’t see anyone. Shrugging it off he turned back to continue his run when a green cloud of smoke billowed up in front of him as a man appeared. He had a wide grin on his face as he stared at daehyun.
    “Wah!” daehyun yelped unable to stop himself. He was utterly shocked from the sudden appearance of the man.
    “Frightened easily aren’t you?”  
    “Who’re are you?” daehyun said trying to regain his composure.
    “Mmm, you’ve probably heard of me by now…wizard hongki?” hongki said circling his hand in front of him elegantly before giving a graceful bow. “at your service.” he smirked looking up at daehyun from under his lashes. He was a little disconcerting.
    “you’re…a wizard?” hongki laughed and stepped towards daehyun disappearing in another cloud of green smoke before appearing beside him again.
    “What do you think?”
    “What do you want? They’re back there fighting these…things I need to get them help!” daehyun said just wanting to get away from this weird man.
    “I want to know if you’ve used them yet?”
    “Used what?” daehyun asked confused and a little frustrated.
    “The powers, the ones that wretched caterpillar gave you.” he said snapping at daehyun.
    “I don’t know what you’re talking about.” he said back. “I’ve got to go get them help.”
    “Go boy…but learn to use those…you’ll need them soon.” hongki said before snapping his fingers and he was gone. Groaning in frustration at everything that was happening he turned and hurried to get them help.

    “Dae ryeong behind you!” I called out throwing a dagger lodging it into the head of a siebmoz. It wouldn’t hurt or kill it but it did the trick of sending the monster sprawling backwards to the ground with the force effectively putting it away from my brothers back. Daehyun had been gone to long already, was he caught with other monsters? Should I have not sent him alone? I swung the sword gashing a siebmoz across the chest spilling a orange liquid, his blood. It was rancid and smelt of sulfur from rot.  It’s flesh stuck to my sword and pulled away from it’s bones almost making me throw up from the sound of wet. It growled in anger and I quickly shoved my sword forward into it’s heart using my foot to shove it away. It toppled to the ground dead.
    “I’m going to find them! He’s taking to long! Let’s retreat!” I called out backing away. Something wasn’t weird.
    “They’re here!” so ryeong called out breathlessly as my men and daehyun swarmed into the area clashing with the siebmoz’s immediately.  Even with the extra help we were overwhelmed. There was too many, I didn’t know how we were going to win this battle. How did we encounter something like this so early into the mission? This isn’t right…why are they so close to the front of the forest?  
    “Princess!” I whipped around to see Min tackled to the ground by a siebmoz as he tried to protect canten. That damn weasel was useless!
    “MIN!” I screamed horrified. He couldn’t be bitten. He was holding the siebmoz by the neck keeping his jagged teeth away. “ARGH!” I screamed a battle cry of ferocious volumes trying to drag all the attention of the siebmoz’s towards me. It worked.  The siebmoz attacking min crawled off the boy and started running towards me…as did the others.
    “Princess!”
    “Get back to the clearing!” I screamed and ran off into the forest. I expected to be alone but moments later daehyun appeared jogging beside me. “What are you doing! Didn’t I say get back to the clearing!” I said frustrated.
    “You did…I didn’t listen.” he said smirking.
    “You’re a fool…this way.” I said grabbing his shirt and pulling him to the left.  
    “Where are we going? What’s the plan?” he asked keeping up easily with my pace.
    “There’s a cliff around here…they siebmoz might be strong and fearless…but they’re dumb as rocks.” I said hashing out my plan.  
    “So…what?”
    “We hang onto the edge and watch them fall right over.” I said grinning. Breaking through the trees we emerged onto an open cliff.
    “What now?” he asked breathless.
    “We hang.” I laughed and hurried to the edge of the cliff. Hooking my sword into the sheath and took a couple steps back. I could hear the siebmoz closing in. “Watch and learn.”  I said cracking my neck. I ran forward and lunged off the cliff grabbing onto the branch of a tree that hung out over the cavern below. Grabbing onto it I swung back and forth a moment before pulling myself up onto the branch. When I turned back daehyun was watching me shocked.
    “You want me to do that!” he yelled horrified.
    “You can stay there…but eh siebmoz will get you!” I called to him. He looked back to the woods then to the branch deciding on what to do. Sighing he took a few steps backwards before running towards the edge of the cliff. He lunged forward and disappeared. I gaped at the space where daehyun had just been…only a cloud of pink smoke in the shape of a jumping daehyun remained.
    “What…the…hell.” I jumped startled looking up to see daehyun crouching in the tree above me a shocked look on his face. I could understand. I was about to say something when I heard screeches. I looked down to see the entire hoard of siebmoz jumping for us and falling short every time plummeting to their deaths in the cavern below.  
    “Wow…they are stupid.” daehyun mumbled but I could tell he was still reeling from what happened. We remained silent not sure of what to say as we watched the monsters continue to try and reach us. One by one they jumped into the cavern then finally the last died leaving us in silence.