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"We don't care who sees
That's how it's supposed to be
Living young and wild and free"

03| Into the wilderness

"Don't run, you idiots!"

Estelle shouted when they started messing around, flailing their arms, playing with the flowers of the sky that pirouetted in the warm moist summer air, dancing in rainbow colours as their friends run wild while pouncing like an excited children that they are to the flat soil that was hugged by grasses and velvety surface of mosses as soon as they set foot in to the deciduous forest of Noblewilds, the largest and the known mystical woodland in Eldenhil. The almond-brown and emerald paradise with its woody organic scent wavering through their nose, welcoming them.

Some would constantly check over their shoulders to look out for dangers that may lurk behind every turn of the path but some don't mind as they play recklessly, forgetting the fact that they were in an enchanted forest, using the broad daylight as an excuse. Still, was that the case though? Their friends' noises of whoop of delight disturbing the tranquility of the wilderness, the place seeming like the safest environment to go to carelessly— unsound of the dangers, together with the orchestra of the chirping birds and the crunching twigs and dried leaves beneath their feet sounds so satisfying to the ears.

The aged trees stood proudly which serves as the castles of the land. With the diurnal owls sitting on its branches gazing down at them with their yellow, rod-shaped eyes as if they were being paid to be an attentive watchful guardians when they were actually to hunt in the daytime.

| Luxianna's POV |

As we went further, the gleaming golden rays from the sun poked through the canopy like a luminous wand that shines our figures and disappear in a second as we walk between the shafts in and out the glow and shady glades.

We continue to make our way after the kids like some Kings and Queens that own the runway, shooing the hares, squirrels, muskrats and other adorable-sized creatures scamper away on their own ahead of us. Hiding in the bushes.

"Guys, you should stop running now," I told them.

"Why~ this is fun! C'mon!" Levi smiled, reaching his hand out for me to hold.

"No, thanks. Just be cautious, this isn't the place we should be playing around," he nodded at my words, still smiling as he slowly begin to run away once again, "just don't smile while running, you might not see anything."

His chuckle can be heard even in a few feet distance. The four vanishing from our sight.

"Why are you not stopping them?" Estelle is obviously getting irritated as she spoke to us probably because of Leslie being the adventurous kind of person— opposite of Estelle while both of them being hard-headed.

"I'm trying."

"Just let them have fun, my sissies," our cousin, Gideon smiled. Resting his toned arms around Estelle's and my shoulders.

"You know—"

"AHH!!" A scream didn't let me finish my sentence and made us halt from walking in a split second but the pounding of my heart grew faster, our eyes widened as we turned to look at each other in shock before sprinting our way towards the direction of the scream.

Leslie.

"This is what I mean by stopping them!"

"Exactly!" my sister agrees.

"Sorry, that completely went out of my mind!" Gideon breathed out in a quick in the middle of running.

We dodge everything that scattered around the woods which blocks our way: tall plants, fallen tree trunks, boulders coated with green, thorny branches. My heart's shock from what we've heard didn't help my burning lungs from yearning for a stable oxygen, this is a great cardio workout indeed. Yet, it intensifies as we run at an uphill route, at the same time passing by some young barks and some matured rough ones of trees like chestnut oak, as it fissures and deep gouges appear.

As we get to the source of Leslie's scream, two people's half body popped up from below the surface we are standing. There they stood, on an inclined ground. It was them, Levi and fortunately, Leslie.

| Leviticus's POV |

A while ago....

I stare down the beautiful river that was a shimmering silver as it met the direct sunlight. Hypnotized by its magnificence made me feel allured to swim while my throat's somewhat dry. I presume it must've been the heat, it's sunny after all.

A scream drifted me off my reverie, it's just that I couldn't recognize who. However, I chose to dash towards it- I don't really care who it was, for all I know is it was one of the three girls. Having the advantage of being physically fit with good muscular endurance, this wouldn't be that tiresome.

My breath getting shallower and louder, I could feel the liquid evaporating out of my skin as my body heat up, beads of sweat tickling my forehead down my temple. A sound of something getting ripped from my side was heard. My navy blue long-sleeved flannel over my white plain t-shirt got ripped off by some hanging limbs with sharp ends, it has thorns around it but I didn't mind.

There I saw a dutch-braided black hair and a girl in a white shirt, her back facing me with her half body flat on the inclined ground, elbows supporting her upper body.

Dang, that's my sister!

"Hey! What happened?" I panted slowly walking to her not wanting to slide down, "Idiot, what are you laughing at?"

| Third Person's POV |

"You didn't see anything, did you?" she looked at him, giggling.

"No– What in the world are you still doing there? Get up," he offered her a hand in which she gladly accepted.

"What happened?!" A feminine voice shouted from a distance gained their attention, both of them looking up at the three from the inclined ground. Them slowing their pace down the moment they saw that their friend's well.

"Nothing serious, I just slipped!" Everleslie flashed a smile and waved her hand gesturing at the twins and Gideon to get there with them as Leviticus mimic her actions.

"What's wrong?" his head tilted slightly on its own as his brows furrowed.

Perplexity crawled upon Everleslie and Leviticus by their sudden antics. Seeing them smile just two seconds ago when they were about to approach but their expressions changed in a blink of an eye. In such a way that they gulped, their eyes dilated as they halted from walking further, all at a time in synchrony— stunned.

Estelle warned, "Don't move."

She can tell they were utterly baffled. Well, not just Estelle, that didn't go unnoticed by her twin and Gideon as well, undoubtedly. They faced the newly arrived completely with their bodies, an enough body language for them to understand any confirmation they want from the three, the dazed look of bewilderment they gave didn't lie.

"What?" Everleslie mouthed.

"Shh," Gideon lifts his hands as an indication to not do any unexpected movements. Yet, it was too late for Leviticus who didn't get a second to see this gesture as he slowly turned around behind him. A deep, guttural, growling sound petrifying him and his sister in terror.

Cautiously turning to look back only to be greeted by a three furious eight-eyed gigantic beasts— six eyes on their forehead trailing down its middle upper part of their two eyes, and long, tusk-like canine teeth, their figures covered in bristled green fur and long grass-like tail that has a blood-like sucking ends at each of their tails that would grasp you which seems to have its own life as it moves like a snake.

What kind of wolf in the world is that? thought Gideon.

Revealing their keen threatening fangs as it gazed down at them deadly. With just the presence of that one wolf which is the fiercest of them all and only by looking at it, they can tell it was the leader standing at the middle was enough to make your heart go wild in an unhealthy way, what more that there're literally six of them. The group locked their eyes with them, watching every move too carefully as the wolves did the same to them, slowing their pace down towards the humans.

Observing every single detail of their prey, with that being said, even how their chests went up and down didn't go unnoticed by that jade green eyes of the wild. Just as though waiting for a cue to attack in no time the moment any suspicious acts of the humans had been done. These creatures get very territorial.

For a split second, Luxianna felt her hands sweaty yet numbed due to the algid feeling enveloping her system from the sudden encounter. Despite of wanting to feed her hero complex and run towards her friends then pull them away, she can't, knowing better not to provoke the beasts that can strike anytime soon.

Gideon, the one who gathered back all his bravery that vanished after driving its way out from his body just like a smoke dancing through the thin air as it slowly fades. Gulping down the lump of cowardice in his throat. The only one among the five of them who fought against the heaviness of his legs that were ostensibly frozen still on the ground.

Instead of moving backwards to escape, Estelle, Luxianna and Gideon are considering the opposite, but for some reason, they were too shocked and weren't prepared for it to even move a muscle. However, Gideon knew they couldn't just stare and decided to get himself together before he started taking small soundless steps towards Everleslie and Leviticus, as he lifts his hands forward signifying he intents no harm.

Keeping an eye on the wolves knowing they shouldn't leave their sight off of it. The twins saw how their cousin is trying to look intimidating and look as if he was the predator and not the prey. Leviticus is no different from what Gideon is doing, wanting to give an impression that he's bigger and holds much power because fear couldn't really help this time. Still, the mammoth size of the wolf was undeniably terrifying.

Even Everleslie was fogged up and didn't know what to do. All of them haven't yet been in this kind of situation until now. She couldn't sense any other thing around her but the presence of them radiating a horrific energy towards her.

The twins following their cousin not long after, but as soon as they got closer, they are sensed by the pack. It alerted them as the leader composed itself before charging towards Eveleslie and Leviticus who are the closer ones to the wolves.

Taking big fast steps as the leader jogs, he produced a loud growl the same time his words roared, "This is our territory."

Estelle, Luxianna and Gideon heard making them gasp as their eyes widen when it started running. They begin to dash forward too, wanting to get to their friends before the wolf could even get there, "Stop!" They demanded, expecting the animal to obey.

"No! We'll leave!" Leviticus yelled along with a loud crushing sound because of the sudden explosion of the soil from the ground not far away from Everleslie and the running wolf as it slides. Leviticus attentively outstretched his one hand forward before he pulled his sister behind him with his other hand.

The aggressive wolf halted leaving prints of his pointy nails that digged the soil which created big vertical lines on it, wondering how the human could communicate with him.

Luxianna was too stunned making her stop on running as well, feet sliding on to the hard soil as she did. While the other two rhythmically doing the same thing along with her.

Slowly, Leviticus dropped his protective arms down off her sister as Everleslie tiptoes to peek over her brother's shoulder and have a view of why the impact she expected didn't came for her and her brother. As the wolf backed away from them to where he was stood just now.

Confused about the commotion, Estelle stepped towards their friends, standing beside Leviticus as Luxianna and Gideon followed suit, taking the place beside the others.

"Uhh... what's happening?" Everleslie began, before the staring contest between the group of six wolves in a triangle position and their group of five humans intensifies.

"I.... Is it just me or....?" Luxianna trailed, confused as she checks her sibling and friends' faces for some hint of the same thought as hers.

"Right," Everleslie snapped her head to her direction and Luxianna's face lit up when she saw her friend mirror the same expression she has, "why are you all so chill when we have wolves watching us here?" She added.

Luxianna's face fell and her shoulders slumped down after hearing Leslie's thoughts weren't the same as hers just like what she had expected, "Ugh, I thought we were confused about the same thing. I badly wanna learn telepathy, if possible."

Everleslie could only express an 'eh?' with her face, not really having the clue.

The wolf leader made another growling sound and now attentions are now fully on him, he demanded, "Make yourself known, humans."

"We are the grandchildren of the current King of Eldenhil—" Estelle introduced, wrapping her arms on her sister's shoulders before glancing over Gideon, "and he is the son of the Emperor of Warwizire."

"They are Queen Cordelia's and King Desmond's children from Aequoreal. Everleslie and Leviticus, but you can call them Leslie and Levi!" Luxianna beamed.

The current king's grandchildren. The leader of the pack said that only his wolf kind heard.

Subsequently, the wolf at the front then folded his legs to the ground as he crouched to bow down. Mimicking their leader, the other five wolves followed suit.

"My sincerest apologies, Your Highnesses. By just seeing your kind, we can only conjecture about what cruelty would happen to us if we didn't protect ourselves from your kind," the leader admitted, still on his position.

Gideon and Leviticus shared a look in concern while Everleslie was still clueless around and it didn't help any further when Luxianna replied.

"What's that suppose to mean? I'm afraid we haven't got the faintest idea, we were prohibited on going to this place and we could only read books about this forest."

Hearing the princess's response, they stood back up, slightly looking down their height.

Estelle nodded, feeling like there was a missing puzzle to be said by her twin's words, she continued, "The very first thing we were told about this forest is how magical this is and that we weren't allowed to come here until we had enough knowledge about magics coming from the nature itself. With the terrifying creatures that lingers around in addition."

"That explains a lot why we didn't recognize you, Your Highness, I apologize for my reckless actions," he answered, convinced enough as those words said are nothing but pure truths, "may I know why you're all here when you're not supposed to be, in the first place?"

The group could only share a glance at one another, biting their lips, neither of them wanting to voice out reasons.

"Hmm, that explains too. I assume I figured the answer out," the wolf's deep voice rang through their ears as he hummed. The loud silence enough for him and his kind to understand its meaning.

"Uh, don't mind us. We won't stay any longer," Leviticus reached for his nape and rubbed it gently, showing a slight smile as the wolves' attention are now on him.

"Yeah, right—"

"Fuck, did you just respond to him?!" Luxianna widen her eyes that it would pop out of her eye socket if she decide to make it any wider.

"Y-Yeah??"