raven ღ na jaemin

1

you could hear laughing, though it sounded faint and far away. it was like a tickle at the back of your mind, pulling at your consciousness. you tried to bat it away but you felt yourself falling out of your slumber. a rush of pain soon accompanied your return to consciousness, and a weak groan escaped your lips. you lifted your heavy eyelids and blinked away dark spots from your vision.

once your eyes adjusted, you noticed that the sun had not yet risen. the sky was still dark and littered with stars, and the world seemed to be bathed in darkness. the cold air bit into your sweat-coated skin, making you tremble.

the scent of iron was pungent in your nostrils. you were bleeding, no doubt, and a lot, if the smell was any indication. your head still hurt like hell and with difficulty, you pressed a hand to the back of it. you felt a sticky substance, confirming your suspicions.

you felt too weak and didn't want to possibly hurt yourself even more. but then you realized after lying on the grassy floor for a few more moments that if you didn't get up and do something, you were going to bleed to death anyway. you made a move to get up, but the searing pain that overtook your body forced you back down again. just a little longer...

suddenly you heard the laughter again, louder this time, paired with the thunderous sounds of what seemed to be horse hooves. fear gripped you, and once again you attempted to push yourself up. you managed to get up to a sitting position, arms trembling with the effort. getting onto your feet, you thought, was going to be much harder.

another shriek of laughter shattered your thoughts, and you finally brought yourself up to stand. you strained your eyes, looking around for a hiding spot but just to your luck, whoever had dumped you here left you in the middle of a very large clearing. you were not looking forward to running anywhere with your head and body still hurting but you braced yourself and made a beeline for the closest trees that lay at the perimeter of the clearing. you winced with every step but at last, you made it to the safety of the trees and ducked behind the trunks.

and not a moment too soon.

three figures atop horses cut through the trees at the other side of the clearing. the sound of hooves and the amiable chatter of the riders pierced through the otherwise silent night. one of them held a lantern, which emitted barely enough light for you to make out the outlines of their silhouettes.

all three figures wore hooded cloaks, and you squinted in a vain effort to get a better look at them. the two in the back seemed to be joking around, and you supposed the laughter came from them. the figure in the front was as still as a statue atop his horse. he emanated coldness, and you shivered unconsciously.

suddenly, the horse in the lead stopped and threw its head back with a sharp whinny. its rider fumbled but managed to stay on and pressed a hand on the horse's head to calm it. its strange behavior caused the other riders to bring their own horses to a halt.

"what's wrong, jae—" one of the riders in the back started to ask, but stopped when the rider in the front held up a hand. he gently dismounted his horse, causing the other two to share a questioning look. they followed his lead, dismounting their horses in silence.

you watched with bated breath as the first figure took a few steps forward. he crouched, staring at the ground in front of him, which was dimly lit by the lantern in his hand. with horror you realized that he was staring at the spot where you were laying just moments before.

you had forgotten about the blood.