VHope Fluffshots

The Corpse In The Woods

Deep in the depths of a forest no one dares to step foot in lay the most beautifully devastating sight known to man. 

A clearing hidden by thick poison ivy vines and sharp bryer bushes is the only place the light touches in that forest. The greenest grass creates the perfect bed for anyone who comes to lay upon it; flowers of all types and sizes flourish, dotting the grasses and climbing up the trees, only to hang down off the branches like listening Fae. 

No predators have ever entered the clearing. It is a safe haven for rabbits, deer, quail, skunks, and even little mice skitter about. They thrive here in their little world all for them, yet they have an air of sadness permanently hanging over their heads. 

The exact spot where the sun touches, where the gaint cluster of white button flowers bloom, is the reason why this such gorgeous scenery is forever shrouded in grief. 

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The king's cleric, Jung Hoseok, was patrolling the kingdom's villages when he came across the man who would forever change his life. 

The boy was covered from head to toe in mud, having been shoved repeatedly into it by a group of huntsmen who were just passing through the kingdom. Hoseok couldn't hear exactly what this boy was taunting the group with in order to get beaten up so badly, but he knew this encounter had to come to an end when the largest huntsman picked him up and threw him into a pig trough. 

"Enough!" Hoseok commanded, slamming his staff onto the cobblestone below his feet. Roots had sprung up from the ground, tripping the huntsmen and pinning them to the dirty ground. "This boy," Hoseok pointed to the one in the pig trough, "is to be left alone. I suggest you all leave this kingdom and stop harassing those who take up permanent residence in it, lest you hear from the king." 

One of the huntsmen glared at the cleric. "And who are you to tell us this?" he struggled against the roots, spitting at Hoseok's feet. "Your king is as weak as your spells." 

"And would you like to tell King Jimin what you've just said to his cleric?" Hoseok asked, chuckling at how the huntsmen's faces all paled. "Do you not know what kingdom you're in? Clearly you've heard of it, for your faces show fear." His eyes turned harsh, as did his tongue. "Leave the kingdom now, or we shall send the wolves after you." 

The roots disappeared, the huntsmen scampering off as soon as they were free. Hoseok stepped closer to the boy in the pig trough; he couldn't have been older than possibly twenty, and his face was twisted in pain. 

"Come, I'll clean you up and heal your wounds," Hoseok said, holding a hand out to the boy. 

With a bit of effort, he heaved the boy out of the trough and to his side. The boy gave him a grimace of a smile. "Thank you, Cleric Jung." His voice was deep, deeper than any voice Hoseok had ever heard on a man like this. 

"Please just call me Hoseok," he chuckled, "May I know yours?" 

The boy nodded. "Kim Taehyung. I'm twenty-four." 

Hoseok's eyes glowed gold as he placed a hand on top of Taehyung's head. Taehyung's eyes widened at the sensation of warm shockwaves ran from his head all the way to his toes; his pain was waning while the mud that clung to him seemed to melt right off and back to the ground below his feet. 

"All better, Taehyung?" Hoseok asked, ignoring the way his heart skipped a beat at the boxy smile and bright eyes that graced him. 

"Yes, H-Hoseok. Thank you so much." 

"Sir, the king requests your council at this moment. We need to head back," one of Hoseok's guards said from his place on his horse. 

Hoseok rolled his eyes and muttered, "Of course he does." He mounted his own horse, then turned back to Taehyung. "Be good, you hear? No picking fights, no getting hurt."