"Come on Yoongi!!!" I whined, prodding him with my paws. He growled curling his tails around him tightly. I had slept in the tree every night for about 6 moths. Making sure that the awful dreams didn't haunt him.

My only wish was that he would somehow decide to let me train him. But even on the good days when I could get a tiny smile out of him. He'd give me a look that said, "find someone else to bother."

I'm getting so discouraged. I just want to return to Joonie. How could I ever do that with such a stubborn untrainable fox?

"Ya big grump! Come on!!!" I cried, but he just kicked me out the tree. Good thing I have good reflexes or that would have hurt more. The jolt when I hit the ground resonated a pain like needles through my shadow tail. I whimpered a little before scurrying off toward the meadow where we had played when the first snow hit.

There standing in the middle was a dark figure, their back was turned to me. They were muttering to a glimmering piece of glass in their hand. A feeling of unease washed over me as I crept closer. My curiosity is always getting the best of me.

They stood tall like Namjoon, their posture perfectly posed aside from their head being bent over the glass.  Voices were speaking quickly and then an eerie silence washed over the meadow. Dark clouds rolled in.

"You are running out of time, little fox." I knew that deep
voice anywhere. Taehyung, the god of Punishment. He turned towards me, sliding the glass into the pocket of his dark robes. Slowly he walked towards me.

"Have you not noticed your paws?" He asked, gesturing towards my snow covered black paws.

Black...

My paws are black. I looked from my paws to Taehyung. He looked at me with sad eyes. As if he had already seen my fate.

"I..."

"Clocks ticking..." he whispered, ruffling my ears before disappearing in a cloud of black smoke. The sky erupts into a hellacious storm in his wake.

I wish Namjoon were here. I thought running back into the forest for shelter. I ran until I reached the stream of dreams searching for Lilith. She had remained here once Hwasa started talking.

"Lilith!" I cried, jumping up into her expectant limbs. 

"What is it, Little one?" Her voice was full of worry.

"My paws!"

"What about your paws?"

I held up one of them to her eyes. Lilith seemed confused at first and then understanding followed by tears.

"Once a year passes, the body slowly begins to die."

"Has it been a year?"

"Yes..."

The forest felt like it was caving in on me. I couldn't believe it had been a year. What have I been doing?

Keeping Yoongi from having bad dreams. While I completely forgot to try and get him to train. Aside from today that is. I have to start trying harder.

"What am I going to do?" I felt a sob starting to form in my chest. Lilith patted me with her branches, gently. A year here had passed so quickly. There were days in the meadow with snow. Why had the snow lasted so long? I thought I had first come in spring? Or was it winter... or fall? I can't remember anymore. Panic began to spread throughout my body.

"Little one, when the time is right... you will know what to do."

"But years seemed like mere days!"

"Calm down...its going to be okay."

How could she be so sure? She wasn't the one that was going to die. The one who would never see Jimin or little Jae. The one who wouldn't be able to return to her Master Namjoon. How could she be so sure!!!

Please!!! I begged, hot tears pouring down my white fur. Lilith held me as I cried myself into a dreamless deep sleep.

Yoongi.

I don't understand why she even bothers with me. But I am thankful for her efforts. Today is just harder than most. This day... this day I lost my tree mother to her silence. Sometimes in the early morning hours I think I can hear her song of the birds. But as soon as my eyes flutter open. Silence fills the air and I'm left drowning in my sorrowful thoughts once more.

Poor Jinx... I heard her whimper when I kicked her out the tree. I shouldn't have done that, I just got so annoyed and she just wouldn't stop bugging me.

She wants to train me for something... how can I train if I barely have the energy to force a smile, let alone play with her in the meadow.  That one day so many months ago, I had to sleep for 2 weeks just to function enough to get food. That's about when the dreams started. Chakri... my tree mother. Pain filled my chest at the thought of her. All the pain she went through just to save me.  A miserable soul with no hope for happiness.

I have to try.

Slowly I climbed out of the tree. The frozen ground cold against my paws. Looking up at the warm hole I just came from. I thought hard about just crawling back into it.

I have to try.

Darkness filled the sky with violent strikes of lightning followed by horrendous thunder. Where could she be?

A flash of white shot passed me. I turned my head to see Jinx running for her life. Was it another Pen? No... black smoke filled the meadow. Her favorite place to be aside from the stream of dreams. I was overwhelmed by sadness when the dream of the kids in the valley disappeared. But the sadness soon washed away just as the dream had. I think Jinx was the cause of that.

Following not so close behind, I climbed into a bush close enough to see her jump into the tree walker Liliths branches. Jinx seemed so upset, making my heart pang, what caused her to be like that? Was that because of me? The guilt I felt hit like a ton of bricks as I listened.

What?

Jinx...

Jinx was dying... I hadn't noticed the change in her once Snow White paws, that were now a charcoal black. It was if the flames of hell scorched her paws. I could hear Lilith trying to reassure her. But the fear and panic etched on Jinx' little face told me everything.

"What can I do?" I  thought out loud.

Let her teach you the ways of the glitch.

A small voice said in my ear.

"Who's there?"

I am Tigs the tea light.

"What do you mean glitch? Where are you?"

Tigs giggled a little. A tiny white light flew around my head.

I am here... Jinx is a glitch. She is able to shift into a human and the nine tailed fox.

"Why me?"

Tigs went silent. I could no longer see his light either. He must have left me. The only creature that seemed to be able to stay in my presence was Jinx.

Aside from Chakri, she was the only other creature I cared for in this cruel forest and it seemed I would lose her too.

"I am sorry..." I whispered, before running back to Chakri. The sadness taking over once more.

I will try again.