Briar Rose - Taekook

Chapter 57

Because of the long wait, here is an extra long chapter! Enjoy! <3

LVII: Jungkook

In the split second it takes me to process this information, Taehyung has already sprung into action. Jerking us to the right, the arrow narrowly misses my shoulder by an inch. I can feel it cut through the wind as it flies past us.

"What was that?" I ask in horror and surprise, but Taehyung doesn't have time to answer. Another arrow whizzes toward us, and he ducks as I clutch onto him for dear life. He increases his speed towards Shadow Valley, determined to outrun the arrows. We tilt downwards towards the ground, as Taehyung's eyes scour the ground for a good landing spot.

A volley of arrows are let loose, and they fly through the air like missiles toward us. Taehyung curses under his breath, maneuvering the air with unmatched agility, trying to evade the oncoming arrows.

But there's simply too many.

As Taehyung's body tenses for the next onslaught, another arrow, this one swifter than the rest, is fired from a different direction. Straight towards Taehyung's neck.

"Tae, look out!" I yell, and Taehyung instinctively ducks. The arrow doesn't hit his neck, but instead lodges itself deep in the plumage of Taehyung's right wing. Taehyung's eyes grow wide, and a gasp is ripped from my throat as we start to free fall downwards, one wing not being enough to support our weight.

"Hold your fire!" I hear a familiar voice shouting from down below. "That isn't the monster!"

But it was too late.

We were spiraling through the sky, me holding desperately onto Taehyung. Taehyung's injured wing flaps weakly, but it's clear that it's out of commission. The ground gets closer and closer, and I'm reminded of the time Taehyung flew headfirst towards the Thames river in order to shake off the specters following us in London. Only there's no water below us now. Only hard asphalt and concrete. My body goes rigid, tensing for the moment in which we're sure to make contact with the earth. If we were lucky, we could probably escape with just a few broken bones. Of course, luck hasn't exactly been on our side lately. My eyes close, and I try to ready myself for the bone-jarring impact.

But at the last possible moment, Taehyung twists in midair, and both his wings fold out. I can't imagine how much pain his wing must cause him, but he flaps them once, sending a gust of air rolling over the ground. We skid the last few meters, carried by his wings, and land hard on the ground, with Taehyung taking most of the impact. His arms curl tighter around me, intending to bring my head close to his chest. But the collision with the hard ground forces us apart, and I roll away from him. The hard ground knocks the breath out of me, and I lie there, winded, as the world spins above me. I close my eyes, trying to ease the ringing in my ears. As my vision slowly starts to return to normal, I cough, feeling dust billow up around me. I don't feel any pain in my body except for a throbbing headache, so I know that nothing is broken. But what about Taehyung? His body had taken the hardest impact by trying to protect me. I look wildly around, getting to my feet on shaky legs. There, on the ground, about ten meters away, lies an unmoving black feathery shape.

"Tae!" I hurry over to his side, my movements wild. Taehyung's tunic sleeve is ripped, and dust and scratches coat his handsome face. He's lying on his side, both his wings splayed out behind him. His eyes are closed, but they slowly open as I put a hand on his cheek. He blinks them once, and when he sees me, his lips form into a strained smile. I feel myself smiling back, so glad that he's at least alive.

"I'm okay." He says, but the tension in my body doesn't loosen. I can't be sure if he's actually fine, or he's saying it just for my benefit. Since he's clenching his jaw tightly, and has an arrow stuck in his wing, I assume it's the latter.