I can feel my heart beating in my heavy chest. I’m not dead at least. As I feel myself slowly coming to, I’m suddenly reminded of what happened: the big cat, my hyungs… and the arrow! Did someone kidnap us?

I gasp and pry my eyes open. Looking around, all I see is rock. Am I in a cave? Where are my hyungs? This is all just another nightmare, isn’t it? Dae Sung was covered in blood. Min Su got slashed. There’s no way this is real!

Looking to my right, I spot Dae Sung. His head is wrapped and shoulder patched up. He looks so peaceful that I can’t tell if he’s breathing. Who wrapped him up?

On my other side is Min Su. The right sleeve of his tunic is ripped off and his arm is completely bandaged up. What is going on?

If I can get up, maybe I can wake up. Maybe we can run. I look around the cave and it doesn’t look like anyone is here. We could make a break for it. Shifting my weight to my right side, I shakily attempt to sit myself up. I wince from the pain in my chest. This is all too real.

“Don’t get up,” a female voice brings me to reality. This is real. “Sleep.”

If I had the energy to, I would probably protest. However, I don't. Once I lay back down, I immediately fall back asleep.

As I awake for the second time, I’m greeted by the smell of something savory. Possibly meat? I can hear it sizzle against the metal that it must be cooking on. My stomach growls to remind me of my hunger. I want to eat it now. However, I still don't have the energy to get up and I end up falling asleep once more.

For the third and final time, I wake up. This time, I open my eyes and manage to prop myself up on my elbows.

As I look around, I notice the meat that was cooking earlier is now on trays in front of us. Two of which look as though the meat has just been thrown on and sat down. The other being chopped into fine cubes for ease of eating probably.

Behind the food looks to be a ball of fur. From what though? It looks like the same color as the big cat we fought. I don’t get the chance to dwell on it too much as the other two start to awaken.

“Eat.” It’s the female voice again.

Looking up, I search the room to try and find her. It’s dark in the cave so I can’t see much. I notice a dark hooded figure towards the back. She doesn't seem to be facing towards us but I spot one bright pink eye watching us. Her head must be turned slightly.

The older two have already sat up and faced their trays. I struggle to sit up from the pain in my chest so Dae Sung lends a hand.

Before we can grab a tray, she speaks again. “The cubes are for the black-haired boy. His arm was severely damaged by the lion. He won't be able to use his arm properly for a while.” the lady states.

Min Su grabs the tray with his good hand and reaches for the diner ware with his other. To no avail though. His arm is trembling and he can’t seem to hold the utensil properly.

Dae Sung puts his plate down and goes over to Min Su, deciding to help. The younger tries to refuse but Dae Sung is having none of it. He ends up holding Min Su’s damaged hand with one hand and feeding him with the other. Once the three of us finish eating, we push the trays away and just sit there, not for sure what to do.

The lady walks over to the ball of fur on the ground and picks it up. She heads towards us and tosses it at our feet. “That’s all of your stuff. Now leave,” she says and heads outside.

We’re all struck with confusion as we stare at the ball. Dae Sung is the one who decides to open it. It unravels to reveal that it is in fact the cat we fought. Just like the lady had said, all of our supplies are in here too.

I dig through it and find my slingshot, stuffing it in my bag. Min Su grabs his throwing knives with his left hand and stares at them. With his right hand, he takes one and attempts to hold it. Even though he can hold it, his hand is shaky and there’s little strength behind it. Because of this, it ultimately slips out of his grasp and clanks onto the floor. By the look on his face, I can tell that he is clearly dispirited by it.

Slowly standing up, I sling my bag over my shoulder and head outside to where the lady went. I find her standing by the entrance of the cave, watching the sun rise. In the sunlight, I can see how long her cloak is. It covers her full body and lets her boots barely stick out. What am I doing?

“Who are you?” I ask without thinking.

She doesn’t answer.

“Why did you save us?” I press.

Without turning to me, she answers this time. “Because small children shouldn’t be playing with cats that big.”

“How did you kill it? Can you teach me?” I ask.

“No.” she answers without hesitation.

I huff, “Why not?”

“Because I’m not babysitting a bunch of kids,” she turns to me. Even though her hood is still up, the sunlight allows me to see her face. I can clearly see both of her eyes this time. They seem to almost glow pink. Her mouth and nose are covered with a mask and she’s got one scar on the left side of her face. It starts at her cheekbone and continues into her mask. I wonder how big the scar actually is. “Go back to where you came from.”

I snort. “If it was that easy, I would have already done that. Our home was destroyed years ago in a raid. We’ve been on our own since.” Why did I tell her that? She stays quiet for a while. I look up at her and we make eye contact. Breaking it, she searches my face and looks me up and down.

“You look very young to be on your own. How old are you?” she asks.

Should I tell her? Also, why shouldn’t I? She did save us. “Um, I’m 14,” I tell her. “But, I’m also not alone. I have my hyungs. The two in there.” I point to the cave. Before she can say anything, I continue. “If you teach us how to fight, we could take care of ourselves no problem! No babysitting necessary. Just teach us the basics and we’ll be on our way!”

“Why do you trust me?” she challenges. “Who’s to say that I won't just turn around and kill you?” She turns away from me. “You’re a naive boy.”

“You saved us,” I remind her.

Before I can say anymore, Dae Sung interrupts our conversation. “What are you doing? We don't know if we can even trust her!”

“You must be the oldest of you three,” the lady guesses.

Dae Sung stays quiet, unsure of how to respond. “Come back inside,” he says to me. Then, he grabs my arm and pulls me back into the cave. “What in Hera’s name were you thinking?”

I rip my arm away from him. “That this may be our only chance to learn how to fight!” I bark back.

“We don't know her!” Dae Sung protests.

“We don't know anyone! Hyung, she saved us! No one in our four years of traveling has anyone ever showed us any sign of kindness! None! Yet, here she is, a random stranger, who not only saves us but also bandages us up and takes care of our wounds! And you’re still telling me that we can’t trust her?” I argue.

Dae Sung doesn’t look at me. He’s clearly trying to think of something to come back with.

It’s Min Su who speaks up this time. “He’s right though…” This is the first time he looks up from his hands.

“Don't encourage him!” Dae Sung scolds.

“When will we ever get this chance again?” the younger challenges.

Dae Sung stays quiet for a second. “Who’s to say she’ll actually teach us?” he finally speaks.

“I’ll teach you.” I turn to see the lady leaning on the wall behind us. How long has she been there?

“Really?” I ask excitedly.

She nods. “Yes. But first, you need to heal,” she states.

“Who are you?” Dae Sung asks. “If we’re to trust you, we need something. A name, job, age. Something.”

I nod because I’m also curious. Min Su looks at her as well.

“Alright,” she says. “But you have to do the same.”

“Okay,” I answer for everyone. Dae Sung hits my arm for it.

“I’m 20 years old,” she starts, “My job is that I’m an assassin. That’s why I’m so good at fighting. I have to be.” She pauses. “As for a name? You can just call me Pixie.” She smirks slightly. “Now your turn.”

Dae Sung speaks first. “My name is Dae Sung. I’m 16 years old and we just travel,” he states.

Pixie nods and Min Su takes his turn. “My name is Min Su. I’m 16 as well, but younger than Dae Sung,” he nods.

“I’m Wang Ki,” I look at her. “And as you know, I’m only 14.”

She nods. “There’s a market town not too far from here. We can get you new clothes there since yours got ripped by the lion.”

“Why are you helping us?” I knew Dae Sung would ask that eventually.

Pixie stares at him before speaking. “Because even as an assassin, I have morals. You kids will die if I don't help you.” From the look on his face, I could tell Dae Sung was surprised to hear that. “Now gather your things. We’re heading out,” she says.

We nod and do as we’re told, following her out of the cave. She walks with purpose. I look up and notice that it’s almost midday by the time we actually leave. The day has barely started but so much has already happened.

“How far away is the town?” I ask.

“By the time night falls, if there have been no complications, we should be close by. If we head out at sunrise, we can make it there by midday,” Pixie nods.

How does she know that? That’s so cool. What else does this strange lady know? Either way, she definitely seems to know where she’s going since she doesn’t slow even after Min Su hurries to walk next to her. He just watches her, mouth moving some, trying to think of what to say.

“Uh, what will you teach us once we’re healed?” he finally asks.

“Well, the first thing we’ll do is assess what fighting knowledge you possess,” Pixie answers.

“Nothing. We know literally nothing,” Dae Sung states sourly.

Pixie glances back at him before continuing. “Alright. That makes things easier. I will still assess your knowledge. After that, I will test your skills and see which areas you have the most proficiency in.”

Wait, pro- what? “What does profishy mean?” I ask.

I guess she found that amusing as she chuckles. “Proficiency. It means to do well at. To be good at something. Once we know that, we can choose your fighting style.”

Min Su nods. He hasn't looked away from her this whole time. Is he just really interested in what she has to say? “What sort of fighting styles are there?” he wonders.

“There are many,” the lady answers. “All are special in their own ways and can contribute to the party if used properly. None are more important than others. For instance, if a party consists of only fighters, who will heal them after a fight? No one ever wants to be a healer, but they’re extremely important.”

Dae Sung jumps in. “What do you mean by a healer? Just someone who brings us aid?”

For the first time, Pixie seems at a loss for words. She stops and turns to us. Her stare stays longer on Min Su for some reason before getting to us. “Well, they can be. But usually, a healer holds higher healing capabilities than would a normal human being,” she states.

I look at both of them to see if they understand what she said. Min Su isn’t looking at anyone as he thinks and then nods as if understanding. Dae Sung looks about as lost as I am on that subject. What more does Min Su know than us?

Not giving us much time to think, the lady pats Min Su’s back and continues walking. “Hurry along. We need to get going.”

As we walk, I notice that we start getting closer to the forest ahead. The river that Dae Sung had us following before still seems a safe distance close in case we need it. I guess he was right about that at least. The rocks from the riverside get smaller as we get closer to the forest. From the looks of it, they want to be hidden in the forest too.

By the time we reach the forest, the day looks three-quarters of the way done. Were trees always this big? As we walk in, they just swallow us up. Each tree is spaced out enough for two people to walk in between them, but as we get further in, the spaces narrow out. The grass and shrub get thicker and so do the trees. I can tell that the sun is still out from the light poking through the leaves, but the tops of the trees are blocking most of it from coming in.

I look around at the shrubs and notice little flowers scattered about. They’re very colorful. As we keep walking, I notice that they’re not just on the bushes, but also on the forest floor. What are all the colors? I see purple, and red, oh that one’s yellow, and this one is blue! There’s so many different colors. Why have I never seen these before? They’re so pretty.

Smiling, I tug on Dae Sung’s arm and point at a purple flower. “Look at them. Aren’t they pretty?” I whisper.

The older smiles and nods. “Yeah. they are.”

“Don’t touch them though,” Pixie warns. “They’re pretty so that they can draw you in. Those flowers are highly poisonous.”

I nod but Dae Sung doesn’t seem happy about it. “They’re just flowers hyung. It’s okay.”

He shakes his head. “That’s not it. It doesn’t matter though,” Dae Sung dismisses the conversation.

Min Su looks back at Dae Sung, also noticing the attitude change. The younger hangs back to walk next to our hyung and I leap forward to walk next to Pixie.

“You sure do know a lot,” I point out. She just nods.

I hear Dae Sung call from behind, “She doesn’t know everything though.”

Taken a bit aback, I look at him. “Hyung, are you okay?”

He huffs and looks away from me. I watch as he stares at Min Su as if asking for comfort. Somehow, the younger understands and rubs his back.

I look at Pixie and she nods at me. Is there a reason behind why she didn’t say anything back? Instead of dwelling on it, maybe I can ask tonight when we set up camp.

“How far away are we?” I wonder.

“About where we need to be. We can go until the sun sets more or rest just over there if you boys would like,” Pixie answers, pointing in the distance ahead.

Instinctively, both Min Su and I turn to our hyung for the answer. I notice the smallest hint of a smile on Dae Sung’s face when we look at him. Maybe he doesn’t like that we’re following Pixie?

“We can set up camp ahead,” Dae Sung answers with a nod.

Pixie just nods and we continue walking. Once we arrive at the designated spot, we throw our bags onto the ground and dig through them. The lady just stands there and watches us. Doesn’t she have a tent to set up too? Does she even have a bag on her?

“Where will you sleep tonight?” I ask.

She turns slightly and points up a tree. “There,” she replies.

In a tree? “You don't have a tent?” I wonder.

Pixie shakes her head. “I carry the bare minimum on me for ease of movement,” she states. “Everything I carry is either a weapon or something I may need after battle.”

“Oh. well, you can stay in my tent? I’m gonna stay with them tonight,” I gesture to the other two.

Dae Sung looks like he’s about to protest, but Pixie speaks before he can. “No. Thank you, but I don't need it.”

I shrug and continue to set up camp. When we’ve finished, I notice that someone with long, midnight purple hair is sitting on a log in front of us. Is that Pixie? Curious, I hurry over to see. It is! Her hood is down and her mask is lowered to around her neck. I find the scar that I saw earlier today and follow it down her face with my eyes. It starts at her cheekbone, travels into the dip of her cheek, and continues down, stopping at her jawline, forming a stretched out ‘S’ shape.

I must have been studying her face for too long because she speaks up. “Instead of staring, why don't we get the fire started?”

“Sorry,” I nod in reply. We light the fire and sit down to enjoy the warmth.

“When your friends are finished setting up, I’ll tend to your wounds and rebandage them. It’s always important to keep them clean,” she says.

I nod and look down at my chest. “Okay,” I respond.

“Your friend’s pride is hurt,” Pixie states. “His remark from earlier hints to that.”

I look at her. “What do you mean?” I ask.

She chuckles. “He could be upset for any number of reasons. One being his defeat from the lion. Another being from the fact that you look to me for help. He feels insecure in his knowledge and ability to protect you now.”

That makes sense. He really didn’t want us to go with her. “I think he’ll be okay later though,” I try to reassure. “How did you get your scar?” I couldn’t help myself.

Pixie sighs and looks up at the trees. “I don’t feel like telling you that. But I will tell you that I got it when I was a bit younger than you. No, I had actually just turned 14,” she tells, looking at me.

I realize how personal that was but I’m really curious. She’s very mysterious. Before I have time to ask anything else though, Min Su comes out with Dae Sung. The older is holding something wrapped in a cloth and sets it down.

“We have raw meat left over from this morning. Let’s cook it,” Dae Sung suggests. No one objects to that. We get the meat set up and it starts cooking. During that time, Pixie gets up and goes off to do something. She comes back just in time for the food to finish cooking and we all eat.

“Once you have all finished eating, go to your tent and I will tend to your wounds,” Pixie says. Dae Sung is the first one to finish. Without saying a word, he gets up, puts his stuff away, and heads to his tent. Once everyone has finished, Pixie stands up, takes off her cloak, and hands it to me. She then heads into the tent. I look at the cloak and examine it. It’s really long and very soft. Then I put it on, keep the hood down, and go in the tent as well. The cloak completely covers me past my feet.

Dae Sung is sitting on the ground cross-legged with Pixie sat in front of him. She has bowls of weird-looking liquids next to her. Her whole outfit is completely black and skin tight. I notice that her boots look as though they’re reinforced with steel on the toe.

Earlier when she had said that all she carries is weapons, she wasn't kidding. On both thighs, there are dagger holsters. Closer to her ankle on the right side is another dagger holster. On her back is a quiver full of arrows and possibly a sword? I can’t tell. Just above her waist in the back are two pouches. I wonder what each one holds. The shirt she wears is plain black with no sleeves. The neck of it looks like what was her mask from earlier.

Both of them sit in silence as she unwraps his forehead and checks on his wounds. After she’s done looking it over, she picks up one of her bowls and puts the liquid from inside it on his head. Dae Sung hisses in pain, face scrunched up, but stays completely still. Once she’s done with that bowl, she sets it down and grabs another one, applying it as well. He doesn’t react this time.

Dae Sung finally speaks after a long silence, "Just because you're doing this for us, doesn't mean I trust you.”

"Smart boy,” Pixie replies.

"Don't patronize me," Dae Sung snaps.

Pixie chuckles and sets the bowl down. As she grabs the new bandages, she speaks. “It’s a compliment. I can tell that all you want is to take care of your dongsaengs. It can be hard by yourself though,” her tone is calm as she wraps his head back up. “You’re all done.”

Dae Sung gets up and leaves without saying anything. As he passes by me, I grab his arm. He stops and looks at me. Silently, I smile at him and hug him.

“Thank you for taking care of us for all these years,” I whisper.

The older hugs back tightly but doesn’t reply. He pulls away from the hug and pats my back, leaving the tent.

I watch him go, then look back over to see Min Su sat in front of Pixie. She starts unraveling his bandages and I watch closely. Even from just his hand, I can tell that the damage is bad. Even though she’s unwrapping as slow as she can, Min Su’s skin sticks to the bandages, opening the wounds back up. I almost don't want to watch. There’s so much blood. Hyung is staring as more of his arm gets revealed, not saying a word.

Pixie doesn’t fully unwrap his arm before picking up a different bowl from earlier and setting some sort of leaves on the wounds. “This will help stop the bleeding for now,” she states.

Min Su nods. “Is there anything to make it heal faster?” he asks worriedly, looking at her.

Pixie pauses and returns his gaze with what seems like a look of sorrow before shaking her head. “Nothing that I can do as of right now,” she answers sadly. As if remembering something, she looks at him again. “But there might be something,” she adds while smiling.

Hyung smiles and I can see the glimmer of hope in his eyes. He nods and lets her continue. Min Su’s arm takes a long time to unwrap, but once it’s uncovered, the process goes smoother for both of them. The leaves that Pixie had placed on his wounds are now being taken off and set aside on a cloth.

Those cuts are deep. They’re the deepest at his shoulder where the lion struck first. Four claw marks start there and go down his arm. By the time it’s reached the second half of his arm, the marks decrease to two. The two marks go down his forearm then sharply wraps to the back of his wrist. After that, it decreases again to one cut that goes down the middle of his hand, right in between the first three and last two fingers.

I wasn’t paying enough attention to see what Pixie put on his arms but she is already wrapping his arm back up. Once she finishes wrapping his arm up, she grabs his hand gently in between her two. She bows her head and stays holding onto his hand. Is she praying? Pixie does this several more times, working her way up his arm. As she goes up his arm, she stays at each spot a bit longer than the one before it. By the time she reaches his shoulder, it feels like it’s been forever. Finally, she’s done and now it’s my turn.

Min Su gets up and bows to thank her, then exits the tent. I head over and sit down in front of her. She’s moving the bowls around and then looks at me. Surprised that I’m still wearing her cloak, she laughs. I smile. I made her laugh.

“You’ll need to take that off. I have to get to your chest and neck,” she’s still smiling as she says that.

I undo the clasp that holds it together and dramatically throw it off my shoulder then giggle slightly.

Pixie also giggles at the sight of it. “Will you take your tunic off that way too?” she asks.

“Well I wasn't planning on that, but I will now,” I reply. I lift my tunic off over my head and toss it across the tent. She smiles again.

As she starts to remove the bandages from my chest, she stays quiet but I can still see her smiling. Just like with Min Su, some of my skin comes with them and I start to bleed. It’s not as bad as his was though. Once the wraps are all gone, I look down at my chest. I’ve got five huge claw marks down the center of my chest!

“Don’t move your neck,” Pixie commands, lifting my chin up. She places something cold on my neck. “If you move too fast or look down too far, the scratches on your neck will reopen. Thankfully, they aren't deep. You need to be careful though.”

“Alright,” I reply since I can’t nod.

The cold stuff she put on my neck slowly gets placed all over my chest. For an assassin, she seems nice. At the beginning, she was very reserved and not wanting to talk to us. She’s still very mysterious to me, but even if Dae Sung thinks we shouldn’t, I trust her. So far, she hasn’t given me a reason not to trust her. All she’s done is take care of us.

“Can I, can I call you noona?” I stutter.

Pixie stops what she’s doing and looks at me. “Noona is meant for an older, close female companion. If you feel as though we are close enough, you may,” she responds.

I can’t help but smile. This is so cool. She finishes wrapping my chest and neck back up and starts to clean up her bowls. “What are those?” I ask.

“Medicinal herbs. They’re used to tend to wounds and to help healing,” she replies.

“Okay,” I nod and get up. Going over to the other side of the tent, I grab my tunic and put it back on. I then turn to Pixie. “Uh, thank you,” I say before leaving the tent and joining my hyungs in the other one.

Dae Sung and Min Su look like they just finished talking about something. They both look at me and nod. The younger leaves the tent after a few seconds.

“How are you feeling?” Dae Sung asks smiling.

“Pretty good actually,” I reply, sitting next to him. “My chest is cold from the medicine but I feel good.” I smile at him.

The older just nods and pets me. He pulls me to sit closer to him and I do. I push him to lay down and then lay on his chest. He wraps his arms around me. One hand rubs my back and the other plays with my hair. I could definitely sleep like this. I close my eyes and end up almost falling asleep but I’m stopped by the sudden urge to pee. I sit back up.

“I’ll be back, hyung,” I say as I get up. As I leave the tent, I see Pixie and Min Su sitting next to each other talking.

“I’ll be back! I gotta take a leak!” I yell to them as I hurry off.

“I didn’t need to know that!” Pixie shouts back.

Hearing that, I laugh. I quickly hide behind a tree to do my business. Now that that’s over, I just walk back. On my way back, I try to stay really quiet. I want to know what Min Su and Pixie are talking about. Once I get close enough to hear them, I slow down and try to stay hidden in the trees.

“I know what you are,” I overhear Pixie say to Min Su.

“How?” he asks.

“I can sense it. We’re similar. Plus I saw the emblem on your tunic,” she answers. “I recognize it from a long time ago.”

She knows what that gold thing is on his tunic? What does she mean they’re similar? I have so many questions now. While I wasn't paying attention to where I was walking, I accidentally step on a stick. Dang it. I come out from the trees since they can see me now.

“Feel better?” Pixie chuckles.

I nod. “Yeah. When I was there-” I start.

“I don't wanna know about your garderobe break!” she interrupts.

Laughing, I head back into the tent and lay down on Dae Sung again. Shortly after, Min Su joins us. With Dae Sung in the middle and both of us on either side, we all snuggle into each other and drift to sleep for the night.

When I awake the next day, I'm snuggling into Dae Sung's side. His arm is around me as if he fell asleep rubbing my back. Min Su had rolled over in his sleep and is now sleeping on his stomach. Trying not to wake the other two, I slowly untangle myself from Dae Sung and get up. When I step outside the tent, I look up and see that Pixie had actually slept in a tree. What a sight. How did she stay in the tree? Or even get up there? It's so high up.

I notice that her hood is back up and covering half of her face. She's perfectly sat in the crook of the tree, one leg outstretched, the other closer to her body.

Looking up, I see that the sun is starting to rise. Guess we should all get ready now.