With a small huff, Aytsa heaved the hare he'd hunted over his shoulder, unbothered by the blood it leaked onto his clothes; it wasn't like some extra blood would make any difference, anyway. All six boys had gone separate directions, leaving [Y/n] tied to a tree. Aytsa couldn't exactly remember what each of them had gone to do. He didn't really care about the others - he just knew his role was to find some food for [Y/n]. He'd set out to complete his task as quickly as possible, in hopes of perhaps having some alone time with the girl.

The journey to Siberia would probably be long, but Seishin had assured everyone that it was likely no one would find them there. Siberia wasn't ideal as the summer had no night and it would be an effort to keep [Y/n] alive during the winter, however sunlight didn't exactly vaporise them like the fairytales said it did. It simply weakened them a little. Nothing serious. Even still, they'd built Kutelo in a mountain anyway - it just made sense to be at full strength as much as possible.

Aytsa's mind wandered. While in Siberia, how would they keep themselves alive? He was sure Seishin had planned it all out, but Aytsa did wonder whether Seishin's solution was simply '[Y/n]'. In that case, Aytsa would have to curse the blonde for his ignorance. [Y/n] wouldn't be able to sustain all six of them.

Perhaps Seishin planned to slowly kill everyone else off, because of the 'survival' problem. He figured, in that case, he and Draka were first on Seishin's list. He'd have to think of ways to counter issues such as those.

There would be old katorga camps in Siberia, but those wouldn't have any residents today. Perhaps the old mines would, but it was unlikely. Or the farms; weren't 3.5 million peasants sent to Siberia in 1907? But that was probably too far south - they would be heading to places where growing food was likely impossible.

What about the days when they couldn't hunt food?

Why did everyone just trust Seishin on this? If it had been up to him, Aytsa would've suggested moving [Y/n] to somewhere like Vietnam. Vietnam's rural areas aren't too densely populated but aren't completely desolate either, and they could easily turn an old tunnel into a hideout. And food for [Y/n] would be easy to come by, especially with Laion's knowledge of which plants would be suitable for her consumption and which wouldn't.

He'd have to learn a lot about this himself in order to get rid of Laion. And he'd likely have to train to overpower Mitzu and Draka. Seishin... would probably be the trickiest to dispose of, but Aytsa was sure he could manage.

He blinked in surprise. He'd gone off track. They weren't going to Vietnam, they were going to fucking Siberia.

This whole thing was a mess.

Pushing aside some more foliage, Aytsa could detect the burnt aroma of their campfire, so his pace increased a little. There were multiple bushes that he had to push through to get to their camp for the night - they'd chosen a place that was awkward to get to from most angles so that they could make a quick escape if need be.

Pushing through the last bush, he raised his gaze to the group which he hadn't managed to beat back to camp. In fact, it looked like he was the last one there. But... why did they all look so angry?

Then he turned to look at [Y/n]. Or, where [Y/n] was supposed to be. His lips parted, about to ask a question, but Seishin interrupted him by clearing his throat.

"Well, Aytsa?" he questioned, taking a few long strides towards the boy, who dropped the now uselessly slaughtered hare by his side.

"I guess she doesn't like hare..." Aytsa grinned awkwardly. Saying something that didn't help his defence seemed like an odd move for someone who was most certainly innocent, however he was trying to gage Seishin's reaction. The ones he could imagine doing this were Seishin, Kori and Laion, so he wanted to keep an eye on all three.

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" Mitzu snapped from somewhere behind the blonde. Aytsa peeked around Seishin's silhouette to see Mitzu leaning against the tree [Y/n] had been tied to.

"Was it possible that she had a weapon on her?" Aytsa questioned. Seishin kept himself quiet, despite wanting an excuse to yell at Aytsa some more. He took a deep breath and thought to himself for a moment.

"She was wearing a dress. It didn't have any pockets, and the material was thin so she couldn't have hidden it under a corset," Seishin muttered. Though his brow was furrowed as though he was still analysing the situation, Aytsa was sure he already understood the answer. He just wanted someone else to say it for him, just in case he could be wrong.

"If it was a switchblade, she could've hidden it in her bra, or shoes," Aytsa hummed.

"Must have been her shoes," Draka said, who had been holding her on the way. "It was raining when we left. If it had been in her bra, we would've seen the imprint." Aytsa nodded.

"She did well," Kori interjected, his eyes fixed on the broken ropes that had bound the girl. "Someone must have taught her how." He paused, looking at Laion. "Unless you didn't tie her up properly for some reason?" he questioned pointedly.

"I can assure you, I haven't done anything ulterior here," Laion dipped his head, "your immediacy in jumping to such a conclusion is frankly disappointing, Kori."

"Excuse me for not trusting the ones who work for Rayne," Kori huffed, looking from Laion to Aytsa. Aytsa let out a small giggle.

"If we're playing the blame game, then it's only right for us to not trust the one who lies to people for a living, don't you think, Kori?" he grinned.

"Guys, stop it," Draka ran his hand through his hair exhaustedly, using the water they'd retrieved for [Y/n] to put out the campfire instead, as they didn't want to gather unwanted attention from the other creatures of this forest. "It's probably none of us, or else one of us would be missing and taking her somewhere far away as soon as possible. So, in that case, [Y/n]'s out there in a forest full of dragons, cliffs, wolves and poison with only a switchblade to keep her safe." Laion nodded his head in agreement. "So instead of bickering and trying to find out who committed the crime that none of us are guilty for, why don't we try and find [Y/n] before she goes and gets herself killed?"

As if on perfect queue, a melodic sounding horn echoed through the silence of the night, which was nearly reaching dawn.

"Centaurs," Kori hissed, seeming to have some previous experience with the stated creatures.

"Centaurs are fascinated with humans," Seishin observed, "which means there's a high chance one is calling its friends to see [Y/n]."

"We'll die if we rush into a herd of centaurs," Aytsa said calmly. "If they're fascinated with humans, then they won't hurt her, right?" he questioned. Laion rubbed the back of his neck.

"You could also say that Rayne is fascinated with humans. So I wouldn't be so sure," he mumbled. Aytsa picked out an arrow from his quiver and held his bow by his side. The idea of someone like Rayne getting their hands on [Y/n] horrified him.

"In that case, I'm going to rescue her," Aytsa said, a finality to his tone that told everyone to avoid arguing with him at all costs. But of course, knowing his peers, someone would anyway.

"Not on your own, you're not. And if there's a whole herd, they might kill [Y/n] just to throw you off, so don't show yourself and come straight back," Seishin uttered. Aytsa shrugged and watched Kori step forwards, intending to be the one to join him.

Nodding to the rest of the group, Aytsa and Kori silently separated from them, fully aware that they might have [Y/n] and disappear from their lives forever. However, the chance that [Y/n] was in grave danger was much higher, so they did what they had to do, even if that meant having to struggle to find her soon after.

In unison, the pair increased their speeds to a run. Aytsa wondered, if they managed to retrieve [Y/n], should he and Kori just run off with her themselves? It could easily be done, but going without Laion might be a risk, and they (including Laion) were the weakest three out of the bunch. Of course they could still hold their own, but having Draka or Mitzu would probably be useful. Maybe Draka, as he'd be easy to get rid of once the rest had trained hard enough. Kori might be an inconvenience if the pair of them were to go alone - he's probably on Aytsa's level in both intellect and fighting ability. It's why he and Kori make a good team in combat, but if they were both trying to work out a way to get rid of one another, then Aytsa couldn't be sure which side would win, and that uncertainty would probably put him at a greater risk.

"What are you thinking about?" Kori questioned as they ran.

"How I'd kill you if we were pinned against one another," Aytsa responded plainly. Kori let out a laugh.

"I'd rather it not come to that," he chuckled. Aytsa couldn't help but be amused by Kori's response. So it seemed that Kori was also unsure of their strength match. "Out of everyone, you're probably the easiest to get along with," Kori hummed, "you'd be last on my list to kill."

"Wow, I'm honoured," Aytsa winked jokingly, which instantly made Kori regret giving him a compliment. "I guess you've thought about it too, then. Are we just gonna take her and run?" he questioned.

"Suppose so," Kori answered. Before the conversation could continue, the pair were forced to a stop as it appeared they had reached their destination.

Kori grabbed Aytsa's sleeve and pulled him down to the same level as him, not wanting to chance anyone seeing him.

"What? I was hidden!" Aytsa whispered at Kori, who responded by putting his finger over his lips. Aytsa let out a silent huff but decided to abandon his annoyance momentarily. After all, through the bushes was [Y/n]. She was practically in his reach. Next to her was a centaur, who spoke in a hushed voice. He couldn't make out the conversation occurring before him.

There didn't seem to be other centaurs around - perhaps he should just... grab her and run?

He was about to raise himself from his hidden position, but Kori held him down.

"What is it this time? Let's just get her and go!" Aytsa whisper-shouted one more. Kori gave him a look of utter confusion, as though he'd just heard the most moronic thing in the world.

"Listen," he responded under his breath. Aytsa rolled his eyes, but Kori repeated the word he'd just spoken, and Aytsa was forced to listen even more than he had been before. Thankfully, the noise he'd been listening out for made itself more apparent. Louder and louder, as wind began to swirl through the clearing and around the area. Kori held onto the bush to keep it from swaying too much and revealing them.

Wingbeats.

Kori and Aytsa watched in shock, horror, and morbid amazement as a great dragon landed on a large boulder in the clearing. The pair knew that this was something much greater than they could handle. The wind didn't want to calm down, even after his wings had gone still.

Kori drew a deep breath. He and Aytsa also knew they couldn't speak now. Undoubtably, that thing would be able to hear them with no issues.

They watched in silence as it turned into a humanoid form and had a conversation with the centaur, and then with [Y/n].

They watched as it changed back to the great beast it had appeared as.

And they watched as their beloved climbed atop its back, before disappearing into the sky.

Kori and Aytsa looked at one another when Ednae had departed. This was not something they could handle alone, and nor was it something the six of them could take on together.

For now, they'd have to head back to Kutelo.