Defy The Earth

Chapter 4

"What do I have to do again?" Chanyeol asked for what seemed like the umpteenth time. They were standing out at the edge of the heavy, green woods. The smell of damp wet and wood filled Chanyeol's nostrils and it reminded him too much of yesterday's incidence. However, compared to the chilly air of the night, the day was much hotter and stickier and it was making them tired, sweaty and irritated. Such that Baekhyun tipped his head back and let out a loud groan.

"Park. Chanyeol." He said, looking at Chanyeol carefully, with a painful expression, "See-" He took a long breath, one hand placed firmly upon his chest, "I'm trying to be patient. And I want you to be understanding, okay? Just... just listen and understand for god's sake! It isn't that hard!" His voice erupted in the end.

Chanyeol's eyes immediately fluttered down. He himself didn't understand why he couldn't just grasp what Baekhyun was saying – he had said many times 'trust your instincts, there are no rules' Chanyeol couldn't just follow up. He couldn't just walk in the forest, could he? He just... didn't understand. Suddenly one of Baekhyun's arms reached out and dragged his hand away from his ear, where he was tugging them.

"Stop that," Baekhyun commanded and then he sighed, "I'm sorry. I'm just worried for the others."

Apparently, the tremors had gotten so bad that the others had to leave, except for Xiumin, who's guarding the base and Kris (who looked quite scary and pretty at the same time) had returned to accompany him. The others stated that they wouldn't require Baekhyun's or Chanyeol's help and that they could get on with Chanyeol's training but Baekhyun was still worried. It must be tiring to be so responsible and constantly worried about the welfare of everyone. Chanyeol respected that. There were a lot of qualities in Baekhyun that he respected.

And most of these qualities Chanyeol didn't possess.

"It's okay. It's understandable, besides it is really hot, you know?" Chanyeol said, waving a hand in front of him.

"It's November. It shouldn't be this hot. It's the Earth. She's keen to check just how much heat can the Prince of Fire tolerate." The way he said it made it much more scarier, sending goosebumps down Chanyeol's skin in the hot and sticky air.

"Oh," He said. Stupidly.

Baekhyun gave him a small smile of encouragement before saying, "I can explain it one last time. Please try to understand," Chanyeol nodded; set on getting it right this time, "This is a game of instinct, okay? So there aren't any rules because then you'll focus on thinking more but we don't want that. So, no rules. Your mission is to get to the other edge of the forest. This is the East direction – you have to get to West. I don't know how. You have to do it. The Earth will send weird things – roots, trees, and even things like people – those are tree spirits. Fight them. Burn them. Survive. Get safely across. That's the only rule."

There were still many things that weren't clear but Chanyeol decided to fuck it and just go in and try. So, he did.

"Okay," He said, and then hesitated a bit before asking, "So I just go in?" He pointed lamely towards the thick expanse of trees. Baekhyun gave him a smile and nodded.

"Okay..." He said, turning around and walking towards the thick trees. He turned back once to see Baekhyun waving at him and smiling encouragingly. He turned around, feeling a blush creep up his skin before he continued walking. And soon, it got darker. The trees surrounded them – swallowed him up and Chanyeol allowed himself to feel scared. But at the same time, he felt braver. The fact that he had stepped in somehow led him to believe that he would step out. He had to, after all. They said he wouldn't die...

Timbers, branches and sticks of wood poked his body – harsh and pointed. It wasn't normal poking. The trees legit had it out for him. They stuck into his skin, not sharp enough to make him bleed, but sharp enough to cause him pain. Chanyeol looked up at the sky; red shoots of the exquisite setting sun mixed with the blue sky, creating a beautiful canvass. He figured he had about forty minutes or less before the sun set completely and light disappeared. He wanted to make it on the other side before that happened. The sun at least guided him – it told him which direction he had to go in. So, Chanyeol walked. His steps were lost in the mushy wood and mud. The dry leaves crunching beneath him made an uncomfortably loud sound. The other sounds he could hear was a distant buzzing of insects and the soft swish of the wind.