After yet another bath following the long training session with San, Yunho and Mingi had curled up in Yunho's bed so close that not a flower petal would fit between them. Yunho's hand was splayed on Mingi's stomach and brushed against his piercing dotingly from time to time. They had aligned with Mingi's back to Yunho's chest so his horns wouldn't bother their cuddling and Yunho could envelop him with his broad frame. Mingi sleepily dozed on and off, not yet ready to waste his precious alone time with Yunho by sleeping.

Yunho nuzzled Mingi's nape softly. His lips left warm kisses in their wake that had Mingi sigh with satisfaction. When they spread over to his horns, that sigh turned into a pleasant shiver. A giggle dropped from his lips when he felt Yunho smirk against him.

"Are you comfortable?" Yunho hummed against Mingi's horns as he reverently trailed their slope with his nose. It tickled slightly, but it made Mingi feel loved. He had underestimated how affection directed at his horns could swamp him with euphoria. With Yunho, loving his horns was easy.

"I am. No better place than in your arms," Mingi confessed meekly. Yunho stifled a coo in Mingi's hair. His arms tightened around him in a loving squeeze.

"Try to sleep, beloved. A lot of planning awaits us tomorrow."

Mingi hid his face behind his hands at the affectionate term. When Yunho giddily hooked his chin over Mingi's shoulder, Mingi turned his head carefully until he could leave a kiss on the man's lips. Soft and cosy, it spread the warm tenderness between them.

"What if I want to feel your embrace for a while longer?"

In the darkness of the room, Mingi felt Yunho's lips twitch more than he saw them. With a delicate sound, their lips met once more in a tame peck.

"You will feel it in your dreams," Yunho promised poetically. Sighing, Mingi laid back down. He knew that his absolute joy was poorly timed and that he should spend his time worrying about Seonghwa, who had returned to his shop by now, and about their kin out there getting slaughtered. But he just couldn't bring himself to receive Yunho's adoration only half-heartedly.

"Fine, I believe you," Mingi snickered, his lids already slipping closed.

Yunho left a last kiss on his cheek before he laid back down behind Mingi and cradled him to sleep. They drifted off into dreamland together to meet again there and frolic in their freedom.

Mingi slept soundly. He had never been a light sleeper, sometimes even snoring loud enough that his mother had asked him how he couldn't scare himself awake. While he didn't hear himself, Mingi also had no qualms of sleeping through the noises of people around him talking, walking, clanging with cutlery. Growing up, he had learned how to get the most out of his sleep despite the noise on the farm.

But that night he grew restless. When he awoke with a start, it was still dark outside and Yunho slumbered next to him peacefully. Finding no reason for his discomfort, Mingi tried to settle down again and cradle Yunho's hand to his heart to fall back asleep.

But he was wide awake. His body urged him to move, suddenly finding Yunho's embrace suffocating.

Since he didn't want to disturb the man, Mingi slipped out of bed quietly and sluggishly pulled on his pants before he tapped outside into the corridor. The fires here never stopped burning, so the palace was always bathed in its homey glow. Sometimes at night, servants and cooks hurried around to prepare for the next day, too. Yet, Mingi saw nobody when he slinked down the stairs to take a little walk through the dining hall and the stables. Most horses were asleep, but Ave rose her head when he offered her a carrot. She munched on it; her crunching noises loud over the quiet bays.

After Mingi had relaxed, he meandered back up the stairs. Yunho's corridor laid quiet and private as he snuck back into the room and dropped next to Yunho. At once, tiredness returned to him and he huddled close to the prince's warmth to wrap his arm back around him. Content, Mingi propped his head on his pillow. He yawned, blinking one last time through the canopy that veiled them like a rain of gold before his eyes slipped shut.

Only to find two silver circles staring back at him.

Within a second, all blood in Mingi's veins came to a halt. His body locked up, frozen in place as he tried to make out the object in the shadows. He couldn't remember it being there when he had fallen asleep last night. It looked scarily out of place since he knew there had been nothing there before.

Eyes wide with panic and heart nervously thumping in his chest, Mingi strained his burning gaze up ahead.

Then the circles moved. They came closer, growing bigger as they did. Barely any light fell into their corner, but it was just enough to make out the shape of a person. When they leaned down just on the other side of the veil to stare back at Mingi, Mingi believed to feel their icy breath hitting his frozen face. A scream got stuck in Mingi's throat, not able to pass his parted lips.

The tongue that spoke the next words was split in its middle.

"Hello, lamb."

Mingi's deafening shriek travelled through the palace. Yunho surged up behind him, instantly alert, but Mingi hadn't spotted the second, far larger shadow looming behind the prince yet.

They were ripped apart abruptly, only emptiness filling the space between them. Mingi tried to kick and twist away from the grip that had wrapped around his ankle relentlessly, but he found no purchase on the bed. Heavily, he dropped on the stone floor. Before he could scramble off, a shiny blade slipped around him to press against his throat elegantly . Petrified by its might, Mingi slowed his defence until he merely sat on the ground trembling and shaking. He didn't even dare swallow his terrified whimpers that pooled in his mouth.

The rest of the room was in chaos. There was something huge, downright massive that blocked most of the room. It reminded Mingi of a man as much as it reminded him of a wolf, only that the wolf's fur was brightly ablaze and it had horrific claws instead of paws. The muscular neck of the creature that moved on both two and four legs ended in a skull head that had enormous horns curling twice behind its head. The insides of its skull were lit with flames as well, and Mingi only got a glance at the pure maliciousness and evil that festered behind those eyes.

The beast had two tails that whipped around the room, setting books and the veils of the bed ablaze with flames as the beast towered over Yunho. It wore some sort of shoulder armour and decorative chains all over its body, showing a certain sentience.

Yet, it was absolutely not willing to have a conversation. With long arms, it slashed at Yunho and whenever he barely tumbled out of reach; it lunged after him with powerful legs. Soon, Yunho's confusion over the sudden attack and the lack of a weapon became his demise. The creature pushed him down, breaking the wooden table in front of the fireplace in the process when Yunho's back hit it. Trapped under mighty claws, Yunho struggled and kicked at the monster, but it responded only by wrestling him back down.

Mingi croaked his name, barely audible through the chaos. Wood splintered and fire licked on the ceiling. The dig of the blade into Mingi's neck had him gulp around his next yell sharply. His terror and fear for Yunho had distracted him, but now he noticed what a bad idea it was to swallow against a dagger. Warm, his blood ran down his exposed chest.

"Up," a low voice behind Mingi hissed. Scrambling, Mingi did as he was told. The might of the beast and the little knife held him in their pawns and he danced for them like a poor court jester.

"Don't hurt hi-" Mingi broke up when the knife breached deeper into his skin. He withstood the need to swallow, too intimidated by what would happen if he called for Yunho or ducked away to react.

With a rough shove, Mingi got pushed out onto the balcony. The door was wide open, and the second pixie stood there. His hood was pulled over his head still, but Mingi caught a glimpse of his burning purple eyes that glowed within its shadow. Then, his chest met the railing when Kim Hongjoong shoved at him once more.

"Down."

Mingi's hands trembled as he swung a hoof over and grasped onto the rope. He could hear Yunho's struggle inside still, the crashes of his body against furniture, the broken calls of Mingi's name. Each one fuelled the panic in Mingi's chest, making him drop nearly.

He wanted to go back in, to fight the pixies or die at Yunho's side.

But the last part of Mingi's shocked brain that was still able to form thoughts mumbled words of reassurance at him.

They stole Mingi currently. Yunho got pressed down, but they hadn't killed him.

They weren't after him.

And if Mingi could lure them away, maybe Yunho could wake San, or the guards heard him. He would be safe. Better Mingi than Yunho.

Shaky, Mingi lowered himself down the seemingly endless rope and onto the ground. The second he stepped away, Kim Hongjoong swung down. He didn't bother to put his hood back on his head. He merely pushed back his cloak to wrap a gloved hand around Mingi's tail. Mingi winced when he wrung it around his hand twice and held it in a firm grip.

The second pixie joined. He descended fast and smoothly, landing behind them on the ground without making a sound.

Hongjoong yanked Mingi with him, deep into the shadows of the palace walls. The guards laid sunken in pools of their own blood on the ground. Yet another stab of dread bore into Mingi's heart.

Before they stepped over the fiery bridge, Mingi glanced back at Yunho's window for the last time. Inside, he could still see the shadows of demon and beast wrestling, neither of them gaining the upper hand.

Mingi bit his lip until it bled. He hoped Yunho wouldn't weaken before the guards came. That he could restrain the creature, at least.

Hongjoong ripped on Mingi's tail harshly. With a quiet whine, Mingi turned his focus back to sneaking through the town between the two pixies. He wanted to screech, wanted to alert everyone of their presence, but he feared that more blood would get shed than pixies apprehended.

Shaky and with his stomach in violent knots, Mingi followed them through dark alleys and into a building. Nestled deep in an alley among other identical buildings, it hid away in the shadows. The residents of the house were not in sight, but their hideout had to be new since the guards had filtered through the houses recently. Mingi preferred not to think about their fate as he ducked through the narrow door.

Hongjoong threw Mingi into the basement, not caring, as he tripped on the stairs and tumbled down into the gloomy cellar with a yelp. The door above slammed shut and was covered by an icy white film a moment later.

Mingi doubted he could open it.

Alone and lost in the dark, Mingi curled up. He wanted to throw up, wanted to shout and rip his hair out. The weight of his situation crashed down on him like a wave and ripped all hope from his heart. He feared for Yunho, feared for his own life. Had he chosen right? Had he even had a choice?

Dismayed, Mingi wrapped his arms around his legs and hugged them close. Tears spilt over his cheeks now that his tension lifted enough for them to appear. They wet the earth beneath him with pitiful dark spots.

Mingi prayed Yunho was alright. He prayed that the pixies' reason to take Mingi in and risk getting caught while they dragged him off left a frame for defence open. Maybe they needed him to lure Yunho in. Maybe their goal was something else.

Plagued by fear all night long, Mingi just leaned in his corner, exhausted and bleeding. He sobbed quietly and the pixies never checked on him as he trembled in the dark.

He felt like morning had fallen after a few hours.

And all that he could hope was that Yunho was still alive to see it.