Track playing: Trace
- Benjamin They

Seokjin watched Maybelle's figure grew small as she walked farther. Her coarse wavy hair flew towards her left, swept by the wind. She looked like the fading sun over the horizon in the evenings. Seokjin had originally set out on his horse to bring his younger sister back home. As he passed the streets of the town he noticed Maybelle and Haggerty fight and felt compelled to meddle which he was sure would otherwise end with both women indulging into a nasty disproportionate physical fight. One could tell just by looking that there was no chance Maybelle would walk back home in one piece of that had happened.

They had known each other since they were children. Just like his sister he had been a big sucker for playing, if not more. Seokjin chuckled remembering the odd games of tag they used to play, how they used to run along the river. He had been good friends with all those children, including Maybelle, but as they grew up they put up a big wall of difference between them.

He shook his head, disappointed, trying to get those memories out of his head. His brown hair covered his eyebrows now.

With a sigh, he started walking down the patchy trail of dirt and grass which had been worn off due to being trampled on. Soon enough he found himself standing on the edge of a barely thirty feet ground. Groups of children played numerous games: tag, hopscotch and of course limbo. Their giggles and laughter echoed throughout the forest beyond.

To Seokjin it was odd enough that they weren't scared of playing in deep woods. To him, these woods always had been odd. So odd, he never came here without reason and hesitation. His eyes scanned the ground for his a chubby-cheeked, giggly child. When he couldn't spot her in the tag group, he looked onto the girls playing hopscotch. She hated tag anyway. She fell almost every time.

He chuckled at the old memory of when she was just four but insisted on playing with his friends. He had been kind enough to take her there but she had fallen mid-game and he had to carry her back home. She wouldn't stop crying. His sweet Little sister, Aiyana.

The young girls had already spotted him watching them. They snickered as a few approached him, giggling along the way. He had always been sweet spoken with everyone and the girls liked that. How they wished the brash boys of town would learn from him so easily. There was no way you could dislike Seokjin. He smiled as they came, tilting his head a little, a signature gesture he had developed from childhood.

'Seokjin! Come play tag with us. Please? 'A small girl hardly seven asked him. He smiled at her. He wasn't a bit interested in playing tag with seven-year-old girls. They would fall, eventually, and then he would have to spend a while comforting them. So playing tag was out of the question. But he had to find his sister. So, he asked kindly, crouching down to her level.

The little girl squealed as he held her hands. She felt special. Her friends in the back let out jealous whines. Oh, the Seokjin effect.

'I would love to play but not now. Didn't Aiyana join you, girls, this morning?'  She always played with the girls until Seokjin had to come and literally pry her from the ground. To say, she was bratty was an understatement. But that was the same rush he had felt all those years ago, the innocence of childhood, he thought. That energetic rush he felt to run every morning like he wouldn't be able to walk throughout the day if he didn't run a lap along with with the Hwan. The need to sword fight with twigs, little warriors who would grow up to become dashing soldiers one day.

'We did invite her to play but she never follows the rules.' The one in a blue pinafore with dark pigtails explained. Her hands kept swaying side to side, up and down as if she wanted to add emphasis to crime his sister had committed. He chuckled, turning his face to the side, burying it in his shoulder as his laughter subsided. He didn't want the girl to feel embarrassed. She was just a girl now.

Yeah, that was his sister they were talking about. Reluctant. Always reluctant to follow rules. But who cared about rules at this age. He never did.

Seokjin walked away from the children towards his horse. Of course, only after blowing kisses to the girls, who wouldn't have let him go otherwise. Looks like age wasn't even a number to them. Seokjin scoffed at the thought ruffling his hair. So now the task of finding his sister on his own befell him. He leaned against the dark brown horse, chin in hand, deep in thought.

If she isn't playing with the other kids, where else does she go?

It's possible that it only happened today.

But he knew all too well how kids these days thought of him and his siblings and anybody else who belonged to the same status quo as them. What was so different about them, he wondered. Was it their clothes? Their face maybe? Their mannerisms? It could be anything. His fingers pinched the bridge of his nose trying to subside the dull throbbing in the back of his head. But he couldn't waste any more time here, he had a sister to find. As on older brother, it only worried him to a great extent considering that his sister might never have played with the children here.

Then where else would she go this early in the morning?

His sister wasn't unusual in any way. She was just a seven-year, hyperactive child. She had brown hair which flowed down all the way to her waist, his mother wanted it to be that way. Brown Bambi eyes too big for her small face, lips pink as pastel roses of the palace garden. Round face sitting on her small frame almost made her seem like a baby bear.

Seokjin ruffled his hair, thinking hard. A few moments later he climbed up his horse, jerking it's a whip, dashing for the forest. His baby sister was alone in the forest which wasn't very safe. The forest was located towards the western frontier of Dun Broch, looming with wild animals. Had he known about her early morning adventures before, he would have given her an earful. What child wouldn't be scared of such a dark forest, dotted with pointy pine trees?

The ride to the forest was short since the river flowed by its side. Seokjin got off his horse once again, straightening his cramped back, he walked into the forest a dull ache accompanied with shadowing fear creeping up his conscience. His sister had been coming to the forest all alone all these days, no one knew, not even him until today.

The forest, a pinewood forest, shallow at the entrance seemed desolate and damp with gloom. Even though the day had been pretty clear over the city, here over the forest the clouds seemed to warn off passers-by from nearing these woods. Seokjin was not very fond of this place either, having heard many stories about the demise of those who had ever been brave or daring enough to be deep within, he hesitated. A shudder travelled down his spine as a crisp breeze swept past him, ruffling his hair and messing with his unbuttoned collar, putting his celestine pendant on display. He had been gifted the polished crystal by his grandfather. The moment in which the stone had been passed down to him had been tear-jerking enough. But that was a story for another time, which possibly could be never. He hadn't let go yet and never would. What had happened had happened under severely wrong circumstances. He remembered those ember eyes losing their shine, he life falling out of the eyes and he had been there, crying.

Another swift yet bone-chilling gust swept his hair wild. The intensity of these chills matched the feelings radiating his skin. The wind suddenly seemed cooler. He hugged his thin, boyish frame as the velvet jacket failed to provide enough warmth. So easy, just blame the situation and the damned jacket and forget of those internal struggles. The more he could think, the more his inner voice grew colder, repeating the same word but louder every time. Such a dismal forest it was. He grew more and more despondent.

Poltroon-

And with a jerk, he let go of the thoughts just like every other time. Aiyana, right. He was here now. He drew his scabbard from the links of the saddle. He was on his own now. Looping it in his belt, he walked forward to face the horse, his horse, Apollo. Drawing its face in his hands he rested his face against it, caressing its jaw.

'I'll be back soon, hmm. You wait here like a good boy if you want those oats with extra oil tonight.' Apollo neighed as if understanding every word his master said making the latter chuckle.

The brown quadrupedal lifted right foot towards Seokjin placing it in his hands, a gesture he had trained the horse to convey his affection. After moments of caressing the horse, Seokjin backed away and started walking into the woods, cautious and alert. He knew very little about the vegetation, animals or the fauna that now surrounded him. One hand always remained on his waist so he could quickly pull out his newly acquired silver blade Spartan sword in case of an encounter with the wild.

He walked with quick yet cautious steps deeper and deeper into the shadowed forest. He looked around above him towards the crest of the tall, pointy trees. He stared at the canopy made by the leaves until his shoes hit a stone knocking him off balance for a moment but he was quick to regain composure. He walked towards where the trail of stampede stopped all the while pungent and damp scents hitting his nose. A pretty creepy place for a child to play, he had to conclude at last. Unless she wasn't alone. At that moment he wanted nothing more than harming the despicable person for even laying sights on his baby sister.

His grip on the Spartan's Handel had continually tightened throughout the journey. The fear of the unknown latching onto his mind, which he bravely fought as a man would do.

For quite a while he followed the trodden dirt path. He knew no more where he stood, the trail abruptly ending where his brown leather boots had perched. Maybe she wasn't here after all. He sighed, his hands falling to his side. The fear and worry seeping out as cold sweat on his forehead, dampening his eyebrows and hope. He was worried as he couldn't find Aiyana anywhere. He no longer had an idea of where she might be. He was scared, scared to death because if something had happened to her he wouldn't know what to do or who to blame.

This chapter was supposed to give an insight into Seokjin's mind, what his views, thoughts are.

Where do you guys think Aiyana is? Smell anything suspicious?

Stay tuned to know what happens next.