The Turning

(Thirty-One)

A low guttural growl filled the atmosphere. He looked to the right. Four large grey creatures emerged from the depths of the forest. I.M.'s eyes widened at the sight of shifters. He had almost forgotten that Boram and Chorong reached out to other supernatural creatures for their plan.

Shifters were werewolves that had the option of transforming into other forms. Shifters were a group of supernaturals that kept to themselves. They were employed to help protect the human government. Shifters, witches, and wizards have always been a big help to the human government. It was good to see the shifters on their side.

A shifter lunged, landing on an unprepared vampire. The other two joined the fight soon after. Vampires weren't afraid of shifters. There was hardly anything a shifter could do to hurt a vampire, but shifters were an excellent distraction. All they needed was more distractions on their side. He ran past the vampire fighting off the shifter and toward Minhyuk who tried his best to fight off the two vampires.

"Hyung!" I.M shouted.

A large grey shifter leapt on one of the vampires cornering Minhyuk. I.M's eyes widened at the sight. The shifter's dark yellow eyes focused on him for a second before turning away. He growled at the vampire trying to escape from underneath him. The other vampire near Minhyuk, hissed and tried to grab his sire. I.M jumped, grabbing the vampire by the wrist, and pulling him to the ground.

Minhyuk looked at him, a tired smile on his lips.

"Thanks."

More shifters joined the fight, jumping on vampires. He was so happy to see the shifters. The vampires fighting against them wouldn't be a problem anymore. Perhaps, the fighting would end sooner than he imagined.

A shifter sped past him. He turned his attention from Minhyuk. His eyes widened at the sight of the shifter chasing after Gunhee and Yugyeom. Jooheon's human friends ran, blood curdling screams leaving their mouths. I.M forgot the humans were still nearby. He turned around, pumping his arms and legs.

I.M jumped on the shifter, arms circling around the thick neck. Gunhee and Yugyeom didn't stop running. I.M turned his attention away from the humans and focused on the shifter. The shifter growled, drool dripping from his mouth. The creature tried to throw him off his back. I.M held on. He didn't know what the creature would do if he let go. Shownu appeared right in front of them, eyes narrowed.

"Those humans aren't enemies," Shownu said, staring the shifter down.

The shifter stopped and growled; yellow eyes focused on Shownu. I.M got off the creature when he noticed the shifter didn't plan to run after the humans. After a second of staring at Shownu, the creature turned around and lunged at another vampire. I.M glanced at Shownu; a frown on his lips. It would have been a disaster if the shifter got a hold of Gunhee and Yugyeom.

"That was too close," I.M said.

While shifters were on their side, he tried not to put too much trust in them. He heard working with shifters was a dangerous game. There were always a few that went against their direct orders. Plus, humans and shifters weren't a good combination. Shifters considered humans beneath them, but they still worked with the government because of the protections they received.

"It was close," Shownu sighed, exhaustion shining from his eyes. " Shifters are tricky. When we met with them, our conversations weren't pleasant. However, I knew they would help."

"This plan is a lot more complicated than I thought," I.M said.

Shownu nodded.

For a brief second, he thought back to the plan. He thought he knew everything. But he had been mistaken. Boram didn't mention the rest of his clan in the plan at all. She talked about Jooheon and him having an important role. He remembered she mentioned there being a distraction planned. But for most of their discussion, she talked about the importance of him being the one to end Hangil's rule. He knew he was meant to be the one to stake Hangil. If she ever talked about her plans for the rest of the clan, he must have missed it.