Shadows of Pale Sunlight

Ch 13: Andong

The slow gallop of the horse was the only sound heard in the quiet forest night where the emperor and the enigma sat. After a long stretch of silence, the emperor began speaking in a chilly tone, loud enough for only the man to hear.

"Xhael, I believe I made it clear that we are to depart without the two of them."

Xhael leaned on to the emperor's back, smelling his own scent wrapped around the emperor's scent glands, "I'm sorry, my lord, but a bunch of security started barging through the town. They found out the three of us was camping there, so we had no choice but to run off together"

The emperor didn't reply any further as they strived through the forest. The dense canopy above swallowed any light from the stars, leaving only the narrow path illuminated by their lantern. Shadows danced around them, creating illusions of specters watching their every move.

They had been riding the horse fast earlier and slowed down after ensuring they were far from any security that could reach them, now deep in the forest. Xhael stopped the horse upon noticing the stars in the sky being covered by thick clouds, and he helped the emperor dismount.

"Let's crash here for the night, You must be tired My Lord"

The man said while helping the emperor carefully get down and the red head alpha hummed from behind,

"Ehh, how come someone can still be this tired after almost sleepin’ everytime?"

The tanned guy glared at the guy who's picking his nose but fixed his posture right away after meeting the Heterochromic guy's gaze.

"You guys better be sleeping at least a kilometer away from here that we won't be able to hear anything through the night, got it?"

Then Everglade stepped up, "not like we will be able to sleep a meter with you guys, your pheromones at your majesty is suffocating us y’know,"

The tanned man nodded with an idaf expression before shoo-ing the two away. He turned and smiled at the emperor, then glanced around with an excited expression on his face as if he had spotted something. Grabbing the emperor's arm, he led them to a large, old, thick tree in the center of the forest. There was a big hole in it, providing a way inside, and they entered.

The lantern in Xhael's hand illuminated the place as they walked deeper inside, reaching the heart of the tree where a cozy shelter is comfortable and enough until morning. Fireflies crawled along the tree's walls, providing sufficient light. Instead of rocky ground, there was a waving bed of long grass that looked exceptionally comfortable to lie down on.

Xhael had a big smile on his face as he took off his coat, spreading it on top of the grass. He placed the lantern in a corner for light and sat at the edge of the spread coat. Xhael tapped the empty space beside him, inviting the emperor, and the alpha quickly joined him. Xhael could see the weariness on the emperor's face as he crawled next to him. The emperor laid down, and Xhael invited him to rest his head on his arm as a makeshift pillow to make him more comfortable.

The emperor laid his head where the man had offered, making themselves comfortable. Just as they relaxed their muscles, a loud thunderstorm broke out, and it started pouring outside. Xhael pulled the emperor close to him, nuzzling his cheek against the top of the emperor's head. The emperor had already fallen asleep after closing his eyes. Xhael stared at the Peperomia hope leaves hanging from the roof of the tree, which made the place more enchanting while listening to the pitter-patter of the rain outside. Eventually, he too drifted off to sleep.

℘

Xhael opened his eyes, feeling a little heavy and numb at his left arm. The rain had passed, leaving a serene quietness in its wake. He shifted slightly, careful not to disturb the emperor still resting against him. The soft light filtering through the tree's canopy indicated that dawn was approaching.