Eclipse *Minsung*

Whatever it takes

On the other side of the wagon he was forced into sat the bear of a man that didn't believe Jisung was capable of killing his men. The Bear was proven wrong the moment he tried having the Prince moved to this wagon, because now one of his best guards was dead, and Jisung was only successfully moved to this wagon with the help of five other men.

"Just let yourself sleep, you will need all the rest you can get, little prince."

Jisung glanced away again. He was still chained, starving, and now he was trapped in this small space with The Bear. He was not going to give up his last line of defense by letting himself fall asleep.

"I have to say, you are much stronger than anyone gives you credit for. Going without food for a week must have made you desperate by now."

Jisung didn't move from where he hugged his legs to his chest, but he flinched at the mention of desperation. He would do anything to have even a small piece of bread. But he didn't want to risk being drugged again.

The Bear shifted, making Jisung's snap back to him in alarm. But he just pulled something from the small bag at his side. "Look, I have these. You can eat them, I'm sure you want to." He unwrapped the brown cloth bundled in his big hands revealing what appeared to be little biscuits typically carried by those that traveled more often than not.

Jisung stared at the food, his fingers twitching to reach forward and take it. The gnaw of hunger was nearly all-consuming, and it took every ounce of will to stay where he was.

"Come on, little prince. You need strength, don't you?" The Bear leaned forward, putting the food within reach. "I assure you they're quite good. Each one is flavored differently, and they stay fresh for a long time."

Jisung forced himself to look away, and the quick movement sent his head spinning with dizziness. Or did the wagon always rock like this?

"There we go."

Suddenly, Jisung's eyes flew open when he realized they'd fallen closed, and he jerked back at the sight of The Bear standing in front of him, hand already on the chains holding the prince's wrists.

He yanked the chain, sending Jisung falling forward and nearly off the little bench he was seated on. He tried leaning back to kick the man away, but he was much stronger and bigger than the prince, easily pulling and forcing him down.

Jisung's back hit the floor, and a hoarse yelp wrenched from his parched throat as The Bear pinned him down with his whole body.

"Your strength ran out. Now be a good slave and take this," the man growled, now trying to force the food into Jisung's mouth.

The only thing Jisung could do was thrash his head back and forth, clenching his jaw tightly. Panic and fear were beginning to seep into his chest, staining his lungs and clouding his head.

"Fine, just take the vial, it will be much easier." The Bear grabbed his jaw in a painful grip, and a whimper of fear tumbled from Jisung's mouth. The man pulled a small vial from his breast pocket. "Just let it happen," he hummed to the struggling Prince.

A piercing, blood-curdling scream shattered the air outside, making the man's head jerk up. And then the wagon shook and rocked violently, the cracking of wood deafening  as massive claws embedded themselves into the top of the wagon.