16.0

Daira literally fall of the tree when she heard it again. The wind became fiercer and the trees' leaves cracked at the contact of it. The dust danced in circle that it almost a fog to her eyes, only it was brown fog and made her nose itchy.

"Aish. This dragon again." She complained while she hid in one tree. Her eyes went into the direction where she heard something dropped. And that something seemed so large that it shook the ground.

Daira dropped her fruits in the ground and geared herself with an arrow and bow again while she waited. She wont attack first unless if she felt so heroic or mighty. She knew she was still catching up her strength. Maybe the dragon will leave once it can't find her. She was too sure the dragon was looking for her since the woodland had no people but her.

When the foggy dust subsided the ground and the wind became quite, Daira listened still and let a breath of air when everything seemed alright. Maybe that dragon left again, she thought. She then lowered her bow and picked up the fruit she dropped in the ground.

"So you're just here picking some bloody fruits?" Jihn snarled harshly making Daira looked up to him with a surprise on her face.

"Jihn..." she called out in astonishment, seeing he was now alright and looking so pissed. She then looked up the sky before she ran towards him and grabbed his hand. "There's a dragon flying around the area. I think its hungry and trying to find something to eat." she said while casting Jihn a spell to conceal him from the enemies' eyes.

Jihn pried his hand from her with force making her stopped from talking. "Explain yourself." he hinted that he had but one tiny patience for her other words.

"Explain-? What do you mean?" she asked in pure wonderment on her eyes which infuriated him more.

"You left me behind! That's what happen!" he burst which made Daira stepped back in startlement as she held her two hands on her chest.

"You scared me." She mumbled in shock. "Hey! I already freed you, didn't I?" she asked.

Jihn stared at her in unsatiated anger, curled his fists tightly, wanting to just desolate every tree in that forest.

Daira saw how he seemed more than upset of her in leaving him behind. She must have said goodbye in person at least but she can't face him. Most especially after what happened to him in the hands of Hydra.

"Look, I didn't mean to...leave you. But..." Daira bit her lower lip when her voice crack. Jihn's rage started to ebb away upon seeing that. When she returned her eyes to him, it was slightly filled with water. "I've never seen someone get killed before for my sake. I don't want that to happen again. You've done your task. I have the map to follow. Please return to your home."

"If I said no?"

Daira shook her head. " You wont find me again." she promised. "So don't follow me." Picking up her bow from the ground, Daira turned away from him with a heavy heart.

When she was about to leave, Jihn followed behind her.

"I said don't follow me, Jihn." Daira angrily snapped at his direction but immediately gasped in horror upon seeing Jihn in bowed head while catching the blood that escaped from his mouth with his hand. He then looked up to her with a smirk.

"Still stinging in the chest every time." he said before he collapsed to the ground in fours with heavy breathing.

Daira ran to his direction in alarm. "You didn't drink it, did you?"

Jihn just managed to shake his head while he laughed and cough blood at the same time. He reached her garment and fisted it with his palm. "I'm coming with you." he struggled to say with a wincing expression for his words created another jabbing sting on his heart.

"Alright! Alright! Stop! Stop hurting!" she panicked, grabbing his hand to her. "Why are you doing this? You're supposed to be free."

Jihn had briefly closed his eyes before he sat in the ground, wiping the dripping blood from his mouth. "Call me mad then." he said to her but mostly it rung loudly to himself. He was mad indeed and this woman made him be.

Daira shook her head in disbelief while she sprawled to a sit in the ground with him. She then held up her hand to heal him from the inside when Jihn gently grabbed her hand down.

"Don't. You seem weak." He said.

Daira gave him her usual grin. The one he'd been wanting to see for many days. "No. I'm just hungry."

Jihn just chuckled along with her while he reached out and caressed her face, making her stiffened momentarily. "Let's catch some food to eat."

Blinking away the sudden nervousness around her, Daira nodded gleefully to him.

"Nothing exciting really happened." Daira shrugged her shoulders while having a bite to the grilled fish that Jihn prepared.

"I doubt that. Hydra wont be sleeping again if someone dared to enter his waters." Jihn said, sitting across her in the fire they both decided to make since the place towards Pyton was free of any suspecting armies of the warlords and Jihn promised that the red dragon wont see them.

"Well, I casted a spell for him after he wanted me to serve him and he would give me abundance." she said.

"He what?" Jihn stopped eating and stared at her in confusion.

"Hydra wants to offer me abundance if I serve him." She said. "Is that how he convince warlords to make alliance with him?"

Jihn didn't answer that since no dragons would ever ask themselves to have some woman to serve them. "Dragons wont do that." He said, knowing for himself too.

"Really?" Daira blinked in wonder. "That beast looked at me as if I'm a price to win."

"Huh."

"I'm telling the truth." she said. "After I refused him, he tried to toast me alive."

"You're careless."