Under a Dark Moon [Oneus AU]

Beginning of the End

Yonghoon ran a hand back through his hair as he stopped to catch his breath. He had been running along the edge of the forest for hours, trying to find any scents belonging to Anisa and her tribe. There was nothing. They hadn't been near the manor since the others ran back to Bahlee.

Youngjo caught up to him after a moment, chest heaving much the same as Yonghoon's. They split up for a couple hours, but Youngjo caught back up soon after. The packs worked together to cover every inch of the woods surrounding the manor, but went no deeper.

"Nothing?"

"Nothing," Yonghoon answered back plainly, still catching his breath. "Not a single scent."

"Then they don't know we've returned. That gives us an advantage." Youngjo stood tall and looked back at the house where Luella was waiting for him to return. "We may be able to succeed if we have the element of surprise on our side."

Yonghoon noticed him looking back at the manor. Specifically, it seemed that Youngjo was staring through Luella's bedroom window. A chuckle escaped him before he could stop it.

"You seem smitten."

"Why do you say that?" Youngjo dropped his gaze.

"She has not left your mind once today," Yonghoon accused him. "Even though we will soon face Death, you only think of her. And last night--"

"I sincerely hope no one was listening."

"Only I and the two guarding downstairs were awake. It was impossible for us not to hear," Yonghoon rolled his eyes at him. "I guess you chose to ignore our advice."

"I love her. And she's finally mine," Youngjo confessed after a moment. "Whatever you heard, please don't mention it to her. Don't embarrass her. It was her first time."

"It's not my place to say anything to begin with," Yonghoon reassured him. "Just remember that every wakened ear in the house will hear such things in the future."

"I know."

"And how do you plan to protect her from Anisa? She's mortal. Weak."

"We cut the head off the snake before it can strike," Youngjo said confidently.

He wanted to sound sure of himself, so that Yonghoon would be reassured that things would be okay. The truth was that Youngjo wasn't even certain if his plan would work. But it was all he had, and he needed it to be enough after dragging Yonghoon and his pack into their mess.

"You're going to assassinate Anisa?"

"While it's dark and quiet. While most of the tribe sleeps."

"There's nothing noble about killing someone in their sleep," Yonghoon frowned a little.

He didn't condone Anisa's actions, and he completely agreed that she needed to be eliminated. However, their tribe once had a code that they would never kill an unarmed warrior, especially one that was asleep.

"I'm not concerned with my nobility any longer. She nearly killed my pack. She hired assassins to attack us even after we left her land. She put an arrow through Luella's thigh. She poisoned Gunhak and Dongju. I'll become a disgrace to our tribe as long as she is stopped for good."

All that mattered to Youngjo was that he secured a safe life for his pack, himself, and Luella. As long as Anisa lived, they would be in constant danger. Even if it meant throwing away his honor, his tribal code, he was going to end Anisa's reign of terror once and for all.

"We will keep the lights low tonight. We will maintain the element of surprise as long as we can so you can do what you need to do," Yonghoon told him, putting a hand on his shoulder. "We're still with you. Until the end."