San waited.

He stares up at the ceiling of the guest bedroom he'd been taking residence in for the past couple days, counting down the seconds before he could sneak out.

After he and Seonghwa had walked back in a tense silence and awkwardly split ways, him going into his room and San coming into the guest room, San concluded that he couldn't wait until morning. Because waiting means more chances for Seonghwa or his family to try and change his mind.

He likes Seonghwa. Of course he does no matter how hard he wanted to convince himself he didn't. The feelings were there he just desperately wanted to keep them buried because he knew Seonghwa doesn't actually like him. Just this fake idea of himself he'd created.

San laughs darkly to himself. It really felt like history was repeating himself. This all felt too familiar. As if this was the universe's way of giving him a second chance to prevent someone else from dying.

He'd miss going on runs with Seonghwa, riding his wolf form as it zoomed through the forest. He'd miss Yeji's teasing and Hyunjin's intentionally egging him on. Even their parents, Junsu and Victoria played a pretty big role in further helping him enjoy his stay.

But now he had to leave la la land and face the reality that waited for him. Starting with the obvious, he's a vampire in a household of werewolves, one of which is an alpha, who don't even know his true identity. He hadn't eaten in several days. After drinking up the last half of his stashed blood bag he knew he'd be in trouble if he didn't leave soon.

He feels his stomach churn and he layed on the bed and he takes a deep shaky breath before sitting up right. He tip toes to the door and presses his ear against it focusing on picking up any sounds. Due to his focused vampire hearing he picks up sounds of the shower head running from down the hall but couldn't hear any movement in Seonghwa's room. He concludes that he must be the one showering then.

He quickly turns around, grabs his bag and straps it over his back. He slips on his shoes then slowly and quietly pushes the balcony doors open, the night air was cool and frigid. He peeks over the railing to make sure no one was nearby then he hops over effortlessly, jumping from the 2nd floor but rolling into a soft landing. He glances back up at the railing where he'd just jumped from then quickly begins jogging off.

Just as he's about to turn a corner he glances back at the house from afar, brows creasing as he slowly realized he was really leaving without saying goodbye. But he takes a deep breath and pulls the hood over his head then turns around, continuing in a walk as he enters the slightly busy market street and trying to blend in with the crowd. I'm sorry.. Seonghwa. He thinks to himself.

Unaware that following close behind him with a hood up and a black mask covering his nose and mouth, only revealing his eyes, was Seonghwa.

Jongho's plan had worked wonderfully. The idea was to have Junkyu go into the nearby town and find an inn while Jongho hid with Wooyoung's still 'dead' body in some abandoned cave they found. Once he found an inn he requested for a room preferably on the first floor. Once that was done he would come get them from the cave and sneak them into town by having them wear hooded coats and let them into the inn room through a window.

The disguise being because if people all of a sudden spotted the third prince in the small town it would only draw unnecessary attention them. He needed to recuperate, find out from Wooyoung what was going on before acting.

Jongho gently places Wooyoung's body on the twin sized bed, his dark hair scattered and all over the place on the white pillow. His lips still painted with a bit of Junkyu's blood. Eye lids shut and unmoving. Junkyu slides the window close, glancing at Jongho then Wooyoung.

"Will he be ok?" He asks, clutching his bitten wrist which now had a torn peice of Jongho's coat wrapped around as a makeshift bandage.

Jongho nods, brushing his brother's hair back. "He should wake up anytime soon but he'll still be hungry. I can rush back to the castle and sneak out some blood bags but you'll have to stay here with him in case he wakes up and starts freaking out."

Junkyu swallows nervously. If Wooyoung woke up and acted anyway like he did back in the woods he wasn't sure he'd be able to control him without Jongho. The young vampire, reading his unsure expression, immediately takes out a small coin pouch he carried with him everywhere as an emergency.

"You can go into town and see if you can find some rope. I'll tie him down to the bed. I don't know if it'll be enough" He takes Junkyu's hand, placing the coin pouch in it.

Junkyu shakes his head, refusing the bag. "I can't take your money prince Jongho. It's.. inappropriate"

Jongho sighs. "It's not really the time to uphold those stupid royalty rules. And I told you to just call me Jongho" He says with a tired laugh. "Just take it, it's not like I can go get it myself."

Junkyu begrudgingly accepts it then he was gone. A minute or two later Wooyoung groans as he slowly woke up. Jongho, who was laying on the small couch across the room immediately sits up upon Wooyoung's wake.

"Fuck... my neck" Wooyoung groans lifting his hand up to his neck.

"Sorry about that. Had to take you out before someone got seriously hurt. But also maybe part of me thoroughly enjoyed it" Jongho says with a laugh. Wooyoung turns to him and just sighs, a small grin forming in his cracked bloodied lips.

"Asshole" He mutters out as he slowly sits up and Jongho giggles standing and practically running across the room to give him another hug. He still couldn't quite believe he was alive.

"Ow" Wooyoung whines at the bone crushing bear hug, but he hugs him back. "I missed you too, Jjong"

"Where do I even start?" He pulls back from the hug wiping the happy tears from the corners of his eyes. He had so many questions to ask and all of them would probably lead to even more questions.

"Start with getting me some blood," Wooyoung says with a pained grunt. He lays back down due to how much his head and neck was hurting. Because he hadn't eaten in so long his neck hadn't healed fully.

"I asked Junkyu to go get some rope from the market place. I'll go get some blood from the castle once he gets back"

"Rope for what?" Wooyoung arches a brow. Jongho just shoots him a look.

"To tie you down obviously. No way am I leaving Junkyu alone with you. You seriously freaked him out y'know," Jongho squeezes on the bed next to him and Wooyoung tries shuffling to the side despite how on edge and tired he felt.

"Crap.." He whines. "Did I attack him? I'll have to apologize when he gets back. I seriously am so hungry though. Can't you just lure some traveller in here?" Wooyoung asks with a weak voice.

"We're not killing anyone. Just wait I'll get all the blood bags I can grab from the castle" Jongho says firmly and Wooyoung groans loudly.

"You suck"

"I love you too"

The nightlife in that part of town was quite tame compared to what San was used to in Naex but he couldn't be more glad. Less people he'd have to run into. As San walked through the streets of the lively town he felt extremely antsy and on edge. The smell of blood was everywhere. Whether it was a cut someone had on their finger but had wrapped up or a scrape on a little girl's elbow as she walked by hand in hand with her mother. He hadn't eaten for too long and he was starting to feel shaky.

Just as he walks past a vendor that sold sea food and was currently cutting up a medium sized fish, because the man was so distracted with something his colleague was telling him, he accidentally cuts his finger. He curses out, dropping the knife and blood dripped onto the chopping board.

San froze at the sight, the sound of the man's heartbeat loud in San's ears. "Oh man. Sorry you had to see this. I'll have my boy sanitize the area and help you," The butcher says to San while looking down at his bleeding finger, mistaking him for a buying customer. "Roro there's a customer!" The man yells out as he disappears behind some stained black curtain.

San's breathing becomes laboured as he stares at the chopping board which still had blood on it. Dark red veins slowly grow around his eyes like spiderwebs and the whites of his shift to a blood red. Just then Roro, a young werewolf boy, come out the back. But San quickly dips his head down, pulling the hood lower over his face.

"S-sorry" He mutters to the boy before he could say anything then he takes off in a fast paced walk down the pathway, head still dipped down to hide his changed appearance. Then he picks up in a jog which soon developed into a run.

Seonghwa who was following him, tries to catch up and almost loses him in the crowd a few times.

Once San was out of town and made it past some trees well into the woods he leans against a tree then falls to the ground. His vampire appearance still apparent. He tries controlling his breathing, fangs glistening in the moonlight ever so slightly.

Go back in town. A voice in his head whispers.

Just grab some homeless guy and feed. Then you can leave, no one will even know it's you. Or better yet lets go back to Seonghwa, I know you've been dying to try him.. Just imagine sinking your teeth in that gorgeous neck of his. You want to, I know you do. Just go do it. Do it. Do it!

No! San brings his arm up to his lips and bites down hard, breaking his skin through his long sleeved hooded top. He whines with his arm still in his mouth, squeezing his eyes shut and holding a fistful of dirt in his other hand. Snap out of it. Snap out of it. Snap out if it. He repeatedly chants in his head.

Slowly he composes himself and his appearance shifts back to normal. That's when he brings his arm down and saw the blood stained area on the cloth where he bit. He knew he was already beginning to heal so he just takes a winded sigh and leans back on the tree.

Seonghwa who was just arriving and staying ducked behind a tree didn't witness what he did. At least not the whole thing because San was faced away from him so he couldn't have seen his face or appearance.

He spends a few more minutes giving himself time to breathe but while he waited he takes out the map Hwasa had given him from his animal skin bag and he begins mapping a route from where he currently is to Rowdows Covert where he'd find the wolf-witch hybrid that would help him.

Once he was ready he gets up and starts up on his journey. If he keeps walking he should be there in about 3 hours which should be well past 1 in the morning. According to Seonghwa it's apparently the most dangerous part of Boulia but he's sure it nothing he can't handle.

.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.

Catboy 🐱