Soul Bound | sunsun

Chapter One

"No... I don't want to go there. Anywhere but there, Sunoo... Please." The small girl buried her face in the crook of Sunoo's neck and he pulled her closer.

"Shhh, it's alright, Yumi.." he whispered to her. "We'll be alright."

"But what if they find out?"

"Nobody will find out. I promise!" Sunoo ran his fingers through his little sister's hair. "I'll keep you safe."

"I don't want to go there!" She cried. Making her big brother's shirt wet.

Yumi was just a newborn baby when it happened... And my child friendly version is enough to frighten her like this...

"Hey, don't you cry." He pulled her back to look into her round eyes that were filling with tears. He smiled widely. "We have to go. Or else we'll get sick. There is a new king according to the villagers, and he is kind and not related. King Sunghoon. And what about Steve? He's already getting sick and he needs a healer."

The rabbit was so precious to them both.

The little girl used her arm to wipe her tears. "Why can't we feed him more herbs?"

"The herbs are helping to stop the growth of the disease. It's not killing it. He needs something we don't have. I can't find the medicine he needs."

Yumi slowly nodded and sniffled. "Fine... For Steve."

Sunoo smiled after hearing her finally agree. He needed to get them out of this place as fast as possible.

He stood up, still holding her in his arms.

"Let's go then. It'll be a fun adventure!" He chuckled and tickled Yumi, making her laugh too.

"Promise that we'll get medicine for Steve so he doesn't die." She wrapped her tiny arms around his neck and Sunoo placed his forehead on her smaller one.

I hate making promises..

"I promise, Yumi. We'll do everything we can to get medicine for Steve." He smiled and gave Yumi butterfly kisses.

Honestly.. I'm more concerned about Yumi than Steve. I can't let her get sick. She's my little sister. My whole world. My little fox pup.
And this isn't just any disease... It's killing the whole forest.

Sunoo set her down and she immediately ran to fetch Steve who was sleeping in a dead, hollow tree. The dead, black weeds crunched beneath her small feet.

Everything will be alright.. Nothing matters except keeping Yumi safe.

Sunoo filled his old leather backpack with his remaining herbs and tinctures. Along with a tiny bottle of iodine with only a few drops left. It was the only medicine he had that wasn't made from herbs he foraged.

I must use this wisely.

He swung the backpack over his shoulders and tightened the straps.

"Come on Yumicorn!" He called out to her with a little chuckle.

A few seconds later she came back holding the big white rabbit in her arms. He laughed. The rabbit was smaller than her but he was heavy, and her small arms were wrapped tightly around Steve's chest and the rest of his body sagged down.

Steve was big. About the size of a cat.

"We're ready! But Steve is getting worse. We need to go fast."

He could see she was genuinely concerned for Steve even though she was still looking scared by the look in her eyes.

Sunoo approached them and pet the rabbit's head. "He'll be okay.." Steve was burning up and his eyes were drooping. He looked so ill.

Sunoo reached in his backpack and pulled out a little canvas bag, breaking small holes into it.

"What are you doing?" Yumi asked and tilted her head.

"Making a cover for him." He glanced at her and smiled. "I don't want his illness to spread so he'll have to wear this until we get him his medicine in the village. And it'll help calm him."

I hope this covering actually helps from spreading.

She smiled and nodded. And Sunoo put the bag- with breathing holes on it- over Steve's head and shoulders. Then he got a tincture from his bag and dropped some on his hands and rubbed it on his hands and then spead it on Yumi's face and hands.

Yumi didn't ask why, because Sunoo did this every day- along with many other practices- ever since they noticed Steve getting severely ill.

"Let's go!" Sunoo smiled and put the tincture in his pocket before taking Yumi's hand.

**

After hours and hours of traveling. They took a break and sat down with their back against a large rock.

The farther they went, the more alive the forest was.

"Sunoo..? What was it like when you were my age?"

Sunoo smiled and looked down at his sister beside him.

The truth is that I was her age when it all happened. So I have no choice but to tell her only what it was like before that.

"The village was beautiful. I remember playing with the other fox pups. Maybe you can make many friends with the humans when we arrive at the village!"

Her smile widened. "Yeah! And we can play dress up with Steve!"

"Oh my gosh! I used used to dress Steve up all the time!" Sunoo said as he lifted his hand up.

They laughed together and finally Sunoo calmed down. "You stay here, all right? I go pick some plants and we can eat something!"

Yumi hugged Steve tightly and nodded as she watched Sunoo enter the forest.

Sunoo brought his bag and filled it up with any eatable plants he could find. He would try catching a small animal if he saw one that wasn't ill. But he wasn't lucky enough. Even the birds have died off.

He shut his eyes, feeling a bit dizzy.

Relax. She isn't going to starve.. Just move at your own pace.

He covered his mouth with his arm and started coughing.

Please no.. Nononono...