And We Meet - Part 1

"Can you walk any further? You're already behind", Jeremy gave me a vexed look and I instantly moved my feet much faster. It had been more than an hour since we left the village and luckily, nothing happened since.

"I'm trying", I uttered with a solemn expression. Jeremy looked really irritated for some reason I couldn't interpret. Most of the time, he had an unexplainable and blank look on his face which made it inscrutable for me to understand what he was feeling or thinking.

"Drink some water", He passed me the water bottle which I took with a small smile. He had been too observant and had been taking care of what I needed, always giving me everything before I even asked him.

"Thank you", I drank a little amount of water before I handed the bottle back to Jeremy and he placed it in his bag. "Do you... Do you think we will encounter something in the forest?", I saw Jeremy raise his eyes brows before he directed a pensive look in my direction. His expression were grave and I shut my mouth in an instant. I knew I had said something wrong.

"It seems you're really in want to meet one of those monsters. And how it gnaws into your flesh", My eyes turned wide at his words and then I saw him chuckle. Something which I hadn't seen before.

"I was just joking. You don't have to look so horrified", He started walking again and as I followed him, I looked around the place.

"Relax"

He seemed to have muttered under his breath but I heard what he said. I didn't know for whom he said it. "I'm here so don't worry. And even if something bad happens, we can run", I saw him turn to look at me with a faint smile before he raised his brow," Hm?"

"I can run", I looked away, feeling him smiling again. He was in a good mood, I noted. "You're not funny", What? Where did that come from? I wasn't making a joke so that I could see him laugh as he was doing, mocking me.

"I wasn't trying to be funny", He hummed. We continued to walk until we came across a huge tree- Ah, I remembered this yew tree. That day when I was with that man. I was walking on the same path again. The tree had huge branches and I felt relaxed with the leaves that the leaves made, the cool wind brushing against my skin.

I didn't notice Jeremy staring at me and when our eyes met, he smiled again. "We can rest for a while before be start moving again", I nodded in response.

I went to stand beneath the tree. I don't know why but this place was soothing. It brought an unknown tranquility to my mind and heart where I would for even a second, forget every worry that weighed my mind. It felt as if every burden that weighed heavily on my mind was blown away with the gust of wind which caressed my skin softly. I suddenly felt the need to see my brother. Since he was my only family and my fiance, it had been more than a month since I last saw them. I missed them.

We rested for a while before we left the place under the tree. I really felt like coming back again and spending my time here. We didn't speak with each other rather it was more comfortable even in the silence we shared. I thought that since everything had gotten well so there wasn't anything for me to worry about, that nothing bad would happen until it happened. I was wrong.

Jeremy was walking a few steps ahead of me given I was slower than him in speed as well as strength, as he was Hunter.

Although the wind was mild and it swayed the leaves along with my dress. I heard the rustling of leaves behind me. It came from a distance but maybe due to the silence, I was able to hear it more clearly. I raised my head to look at Jeremy and he didn't look as if he noticed what I did. The wind wasn't that strong but the rustle and movement of the leaves was vehement, making a loud noise. I turned around to find nothing. Everything looked normal when I looked at the place around us. Thinking it was my hallucination, I ignored it and resumed my steps.

One, two, three- I stopped again. The noise was heard again and this time, in a much more amount and it felt awfully near us that it scared me. I took a deep breath and looked up from the ground.

"Jerem-"

I didn't get to call his name when I felt the world going upside-down. I gasped loudly and with my eyes wide as saucers, I tried to look ahead. Right now, I was lying next to a large rock. My breathing was heavy, I couldn't stand up and my body felt weak. I looked down at the source of pain and found my stomach which was heavily wounded. I felt my dizzy seeing all the blood around and on my dress. From a far, I heard someone's voice. It wasn't loud but I was able to hear what it was saying.

"Yuriel!"

"Yurie-

The voice came to a halt and I looked up. Jeremy was looking down at me with wide eyes before he frantically started looking around him. It seemed that I had fallen down from a hill because Jeremy was standing too far away.

"Don't worry. I'm coming down there", His voice was fading away in the wind until it vanished away with the figure itself. I leaned back on the rock, feeling the numbness taking over on my body. It was hurting so much that I wanted to cry. I bit my lower lip, trying not to make a sound. I don't know how and what happened. I was about to call Jeremy when I had felt a push behind me although nothing touching my back before I was thrown down. Before I fell, I had felt someone's, rather, something's harsh breathing and I knew it was not a human.

I waited until I heard footsteps from behind me, the leaves making noise as they were crushed beneath. And then it was the figure of a young man who looked at me with a worried look, instantly getting on his knees before his eyes shifted to look at the deep gash on my stomach.

"Yuriel...", He whispered my name. His hand went to touch the wound and I flinched. "I'm sorry. Is it hurting too much?", He asked. I was already guilty for what I did and I didn't want to make him worry about me again.

"N-No... I, I'm fine", Jeremy pursed his lips. "How are you fine? You can't even talk properly", He looked around before his eyes moved back to stare into my eyes. I couldn't look him in the eyes. I knew it was my fault.

"I- I'm.. Sorry. I..I heard the voices but.. I didn't tell you...", Jeremy tch-ed and as he stood up, I wondered what he was up to. "You're right. You should've told me...", His bag was still with him and he bent down to pick me up. His one hand going behind my back and the other under my legs. I was startled by his action but I didn't say anything.

"If you had, this wouldn't have happened to you", I pursed my lips again. I knew something would happen. I was getting a bad feeling since we left the yew tree behind but I thought it was a hunch, an unnecessary inkling and I decided to ignore it.

"Yuriel, you do know what was that thing?", I nodded my head.

"I do."

How could I not? It was the thing I was most scared of yet I didn't want to believe something so inhuman could exist in this world. "I don't know how it got here. I didn't feel anything when we left and I specifically checked it. This place is still not safe, so...", He had started walking, his steps were quick but we didn't walk that far as he stopped after a while.

"So?"

I got a bad feeling from this. I waited for Jeremy who had stopped in front of a small cave which I failed to notice before. "You don't need to be scared, okay? I will leave you here. So, wait for me to return", He put me down on the ground. I was still trying to understand what he just said. Did he mean he was going to look for that monster? Leaving me here? I didn't know how to respond. More than myself, I was worried about him. He was a alone and against a huge monster which was much more powerful than any human.

"I... I will so be careful", He nodded before he took a few steps away from me. "Yes. Hide yourself well before I return", I knew he wouldn't. But I hoped he would. I warched as he walked away from me.