White Sand Hourglass; Yeonbin

5

(UNEDITED)
The next day, everyone was packing for their long-distance trip to get the prince back home. Soobin had gotten up that morning without much trouble almost like nothing had happened yesterday.

Kai was busy trying to layer up coats on Beomgyu while Soobin was busy packing everything up. "Here put this on first," Taehyun says putting a heavy coat on Yeonjun before placing on the fur coat that Beomgyu had made him. After a few more minutes of packing and gearing up, it was finally time to head out.

The rest of the guardians were following Soobin's lead as they walked out against the deep snow while Yeonjun was walking beside the boy trying to keep up with the winter guardian. After a few long hours of walking in the dense white forest, the sun was starting to set on the horizon. Its orange and yellow colors cover the colorless world. Yeonjun could notice how Kai and Beomgyu were much more slow compared to Taehyun and Soobin who were more used to the cold temperature.

"Let's take a break," Taehyun says throwing his heavy bag on the floor. Everyone else follows him and places their things on the floor. Beomgyu begins collecting sticks and wood to make a fireplace for the night. His bear ears flickering against the cold air. Yeonjun watches Beomgyu closely, watching as he strikes the flint rock using the steel edge causing sparks to merge into the air and disappear.

Finally, after a few tries, the sparks light up on the sticks making a small fire that consumes the sticks slowly growing. The boys just sit around the fire watching as the sparks fly up into the air, the only source of heat that they craved was the fire. Beomgyu sits beside Kai, the tiredness consuming them both as their eyes slowly close within themselves.

Taehyun was busy rounding up the stuff and pulls out a blanket covering both the sleeping boys. Yeonjun watches how Soobin looks aimlessly at the fire. "Do you think you can get me back home?" Yeonjun whispers moving closely to Soobin. The winter guardian stays quiet as his eyes reflect the fire's light. "You will get home," Soobin says quietly his voice becoming low and soft. Yeonjun turned to look at the boy, something about those words caused his heart to feel strange a feeling of comfort and reassurance.

Soobin pulls out a small white cloth, he unfolds it slowly revealing the sweet frozen berries that Beomgyu gave him. The white haired boy stares at the vibrant colored berries, his eyes admiring the small pieces of fruit that sat on his palm. Soobin leans the cloth of berries towards Yeonjun, "Do you want one?" Soobin asks. Yeonjun gives the boy a smile while shaking his head, Soobin looked so happy just by staring at the fruit and Yeonjun wanted Soobin to enjoy them.

Soobin takes on and places it in his mouth, almost instantly Yeonjun notices the boy's eyes glow from happiness and excitement. "Are you the only one who can't eat meat?" Yeonjun asks. Soobin nods. "I'm a deer, how can I eat meat?".

Yeonjun felt embarrassed from his question, "what is Taehyun?" The prince asks looking at Taehyun arranging his herbs in his bag. "He's a fox, Beomgyu is a bear, and Kai is a wolf" Soobin explains munching on the sweet and cold fruit.

After a few minutes Taehyun finishes, Soobin stores the remaining of the berries in his pocket, "You guys go to sleep, I will keep watch" The winter guardian says.

"Let me keep watch, you should get some rest" Taehyun responds. "No, let me do it, get some rest" Soobin says blocking the boy's request of staying up and keeping watch. Taehyun didn't seem like he wanted to bother and get hooked up on an argument so he just stayed put and sat down next to the other boys who were already asleep.

Soobin pulls out a blanket and hands it over to Yeonjun without saying much. "Aren't you cold?" Yeonjun asks trying to offer half of the blanket to Soobin but the quiet boy declined with a small smile before looking back at the fire. Yeonjun adjusted his body against the log to a more comfortable position and looked up at the stars in the sky. To be honest he missed his home so much, he missed his parents, everyone that he knew and respected. The smell of the blooming flowers and the warm sunlight against his skin. The dusty books in the library and the creaks on the wood board floors.

Yeonjun closes his eyes and tries to forget all about what is happening. Maybe if he wakes up the next morning everything will go back to normal, and he will still be in his room.

-----

A cold shiver rolls on Yeonjun causing him to open his eyes to the dark night. The prince lifts his head up and notices the fire place slowly burning out. With the fire gone, the forest looked even darker than before. Another cold breeze hit Yeonjun making him pull his blanket even closer to his body. The boy looks over at the winter guardian and is surprised to see the boy sleeping while resting his head on the prince's shoulder. Yeonjun pulled one of the corners of his blanket and pulled it over Soobin.

A twig cracking caused Yeonjun to turn his head towards the dark and dense forest up ahead. He could sense something staring at him which caused goosebumps to grow on his arm. The boy continued looking ahead almost like he couldn't look away, he finally noticed some red dark eyes looking at him from the dark. His heart instantly dropped.

Suddenly a loud killing shriek came from the forest, the prince covers his ears but the ringing continued to the point that it became physical pain to him. Yeonjun felt like he was being stabbed multiple times in the abdomen. A loud painful scream leaves his mouth causing Soobin and the rest to wake up from their deep sleep. The winter guardian reacts fast and strikes towards the creature with red eyes with a sharp ice crystal but misses by a few inches. The creature runs off into the depths of the forest, almost instantly the pain had disappeared but left the boy tired and heavily breathing.

Taehyun holds the boy in his arms, Yeonjun's breathing got heavy and the prince started to hyperventilate, tears streaming down his face. "Get me the chamomile oil from my bag," Taehyun tells Kai who quickly looks into the fall guardian's bag.

Soobin continues to stare at the forest without moving until he randomly runs forwards in the same path the creature had gone and disappeared. "Hyung!" Beomgyu calls from behind running after the winter guardian without hesitation.

Kai finally found the oil and gave it to Taehyun who placed some on Yeonjun's neck and wrist. The prince started to calm down as his breathing became much slower and his eyelids started to drop. "What was that?" Yeonjun asks his voice becoming soft and quiet.

"a narculises" Kai answers quietly almost in a whisper.

"They know you are here..." Taehyun says his voice fading away as Yeonjun closes his eyes falling into a deep sleep.
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