Y/n stomped forward while following the low muffled voices. The path became narrower and she was soon met with an open grassland. Yellowed ends of grass looked like they were about to depart this world.

The once vibrant grassland now lay withered and weary, as if its once lush green carpet now faded to a pale shade of yellow and brown. As if the symphony of life that used to fill the air with the chirping of birds, the buzzing of insects, and the soft bristles of grass had been replaced by a haunting silence.

The wilted grass that must have once been adorned with delicate flowers of every colour, now stood like forgotten sentinels, their blades bent and brittle. The wind, once a gentle caress, now carried a mournful howl, as if lamenting the loss of life that once used to thrive here.

The animals that must have been used to roam here freely looked like they departed for a long, leaving behind only their echoes in the lonely and dried wind.

Taking her steps forward, she looked around the region more carefully. Her archaeological instincts started circulating inside her brain as she thoughtlessly moved towards the inner corners of the yellowed land.

She scanned the areas around her, and wherever her eyes landed, it was wilted yellowed-brown grass. She disappointingly turned around and started heading back towards the path when she failed to spot something abnormal, but abruptly looked over her shoulder when her eyes landed on something.

She quickly moved closer, her eyes widened in shock when she couldn't comprehend the fact that how it bloomed so perfectly on this dying land. 

She briefly shooed her thoughts away and knelt on her knees. Curiosity was overruling her senses, When she took out her magnifying tool and then proceeded to peer through it; analysing the condition of the delicate flower.

"It's just a simple Amaryllis, nothing strange," she blurted and slowly moved her hand forward to gently touch its petals.

Her fingers gently brushed the soft petals of the flower, and at that moment something more strange and mystical started happening in front of her, something that no human witnessed for a very long time.

Y/n grasped in shock and landed on the ground beneath as she speechlessly stared at the lightning strokes that were vigorously clashing with each other. The human nervously picked herself up when she noticed their increasing intensities which started from a point in the middle of the air, enlarging itself further into a circular shape.

Her legs wobbled when she petrifyingly stepped backwards, her eyes were still focused on the lightning ring, which was slowly taking the shape of a pathway to another world.

Sweat beads adorned every inch of her forehead, her heart was racing at an unusual speed and her mind was constantly sending her signals of warnings, but as if something was luring her from the other side, her legs started moving towards the floating ring.

A dried leaf cracked from behind her as if somebody stepped on it, making Y/n aware of her dazed trance. She quickly turned over her heels to head straight towards the campus while terrifyingly questioning herself about her lightheaded actions inside her mind.

Soon, her legs halted when she suddenly heard a low growl that made her blood run cold. Two enormous foxes emerged from the shadows, their eyes glinting like molten gold in the fading light. Their fur was a rich, fiery red, and their sleek bodies exuded an aura of wild power; their unusually huge bodies tricked her mind and led it into confusion.

Y/n's heart pounded in her chest as she stood frozen in place, unsure of what to do as their bloodthirsty pupils glared at her terrified ones. 

They snarled and Y/n rasped with her docile trembling form.

She briskly picked up a broken tree branch, to distract them and to buy some time. While waving the branch, she hoped that those intelligent creatures would not take her as harm, but instead, they timelessly started approaching her, their movements graceful and fluid.

Her whole life flashed in front of her as tears of terror and agony started staining her cheeks. Only if they were humans, did she know how desperately she wanted to plead for her life in front of them.

As they drew nearer, they growled in a low yet terrorizing tone, making the hairs on her nape rise in fear. She closed her eyes and within a matter of milliseconds, finally decided that she had to run for her life, on the same path which she abandoned moments ago.

Her heart was hammering in a frenzy as she ran furiously until she witnessed the same floating ring getting visibly clearer in her vision. She agape at the enormous size it enlarged itself into.

Turning around, she hoped that they were not chasing her anymore, but to her fright, those ferocious creatures surely were.

The foxes notoriously clenched their deadly jaws and growled again at the invader of the woods. In response a high-pitched shriek escaped from her mouth, making the birds chirp melodies, and abruptly flew away in fear.

Hoseok was befuddled in shock when a familiar sound reached his ears. His eyes widened, as he quickly glanced over his shoulder; his mind focused on the certain person.

"Y/n."

He said in a low whisper before his legs started moving in the voice's direction. The sun was dipping below the horizon, casting long shadows across the dense forest. With each step, the sound of crunching leaves under his foot echoed through the stillness, amplifying his racing heart. The forest breathed with an eerie presence because it held secrets that were too dark to be uncovered.

But no matter how fast he ran, the forest seemed to stretch out endlessly, its gnarled branches reaching out to ensnare him.

Hoseok quickened his pace, his legs pumping furiously, desperately trying to outrun the fear of losing his friend, that gripped him. Shortly after, his irises changed from their normal dark brown shades to deep yellows with specs of orange in them.

As he ran further, a supposedly orange fur started becoming visible on the exposed areas of his arms and face, his nails exceeded their normal length, and the nerves on his neck popped and coursed the fight hormone through his whole body.

His instincts growled in fear when the thought of Y/n being in danger crossed his mind.

Both the foxes further attacked in Y/n's direction while running straight towards her.

He finally reached the location of the origin of the shrieks, sensing Y/n's smell in the air. Soon a petite silhouette and two four-legged creatures facing their backs came into his frame.

Y/n knew that she would be dead and not even her body would be found if she stood still in front of those enormously wild animals. She took her steps backwards, towards the floating ring of light, and her vision blackened as soon as she crossed the floating ring.

He jolted forward in their direction, but before he could do something, Y/n fell into the portal, and the portal disappeared in fine air.

Still standing on his spot, Hoseok was welcomed by his kind. Anger fueled inside him as he snarled, "Who the fuck you dumbheads are and who sent you to do this!?"

The foxes started stepping closer to Hoseok, howlings echoed through the forest from both sides. The hybrid stretched his arms wide open, with sharp edges, ready to attack them, they gritted their fangs in aggression, but soon their wild features changed to that of fright, as if they witnessed a fiend standing behind Hoseok's back.

Within a matter of seconds, they turned around and ran up to a big tree before crossing the barrier and vanishing in, like a thin dust, as they don't require the need of a portal to go back to their land.

Hoseok took a deep breath, his mind raced whether to go after them or wait, anxiety corrupted his decision to follow them.

A sudden rustling of leaves behind him shattered the silence. Hoseok heard footsteps fading away crushing the dried leaves and twigs underneath, and a shiver ran down his spine, hoping it was a wild creature. Realising the danger of getting caught, he turned himself back to normal.

I'll come for you, sweetheart. Just hold in there for a bit more.

Hoseok thought and with a heavy heart, started heading back to the campus and decided that going there without any information might create more problems.

✧

How is Festa going ?? Enjoying right!!
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Apobangpo