The Beaver Moon – Chapter 3: Hunted

“Arrow?!” cried Nani in alarm as something suddenly catapulted into her.  Shoving her onto the ground.  She found herself lying flat beneath Jimin’s length.  All the other boys hit the dirt too.  Even Jungkook.  Somehow, he’d managed to preserve the cake.

Nani had the absurd impulse to giggle as she watched him cradling that cake in his arms like it was his beloved baby.  Then the light of the lantern was suddenly extinguished.  Plunging them all into an intense darkness.  

In those stultifying moments, she made out one sound.  Jimin.  Breathing.  Into her ear.  She could feel her heart pounding and wondered if it was amplified by the racing of his own heartbeat pressed up against her chest.  She longed to ask him why someone would shoot an arrow their way, but instinctively she knew to remain silent.  If someone was stalking them, their best bet was to stay hidden.  In silence.  And darkness.

A few quiet moments passed them.  Then another whine filled the air above them.  This time the arrow fell to hit the ground beyond them.  Several more shafts flew through the air.  Their whistling filled Nani with an odd dread.  The boys around her remained still.  Silent.  Eerily hidden.  She would have felt alone had Jimin’s weight not been pressing her into the ground.  And protecting her from the threat of the arrows – a fact she realized a moment later.  He lay like a shield between her and that volley of pointed shafts.  Were one to strike, its heart would find the man sheltering her long before it made its way into her own flesh.

Suddenly, an anguished cry rent the air.  Really, it was more of a whimper.  Coming from Jungkook’s direction.  

Nani could be quiet no longer.  Filled with sudden concern, she whispered, “Jungkook, are you hurt?”

A moment later, his own soft breath returned to her.  “Your cake is ruined.  An arrow pierced it.”

Again, Nani had to resist the urge to giggle.  Here she’d been worried that Jungkook had suffered another piercing – this one unplanned.  Only to discover that he was mourning the death of a pastry.

“I’m sure you can still eat it,” she murmured quietly.

“I can eat it?” His voice flooded with intense hope.

And Nani couldn’t bite back the giggle now filling her mouth.

“Would you two be quiet?” Namjoon growled.  

Just then, an arrow whizzed towards the disgruntled leader of the group.  And they all heard him suck in a deep harsh breath.

“Joon?” Yoongi queried.  “Were you hit?”

“Yes,” panted that worthy one.

Alarmed, Hobi hissed, “Where?”

“It grazed my arm.”

“We need to get out of here,” urged Tae.

“Don’t any of you have a weapon?” Nani asked then.  Utterly perplexed.

This was clearly an episode of Run BTS.  So why didn’t the boys have their props?

Suddenly, there was a break in the clouds.  And the light of a full moon shone down upon them.  Nani could discern the outline of Jimin’s face as he hovered over her.  But her eyes grew wide in horror as she next made out the form creeping towards him.  She didn’t have time to warn him.  Instead, she shoved him with all her might in the opposite direction.  Exposing herself to danger instead.

Everyone was startled by her violent movement.  Including their predator.  For he’d chosen that very moment to pounce and found himself clutching a girl instead of a man.  He was instantly assailed by several wild men.  Even Jungkook had abandoned the cake in his hurry to rescue the girl from harm.  

As her attacker was ripped away from her, Nani crawled towards Namjoon.  She could hear him panting still.  As she approached him, the light of the moon illuminated his face.  She watched it contort.  And wished she were wearing something she could shred.  He must need a bandage.  

“Joonie, where are you hurt?” she breathed as she sat down next to him.

But the next moment, she found herself flattened again.  This time, beneath the boys’ fearless leader.  And another arrow whistled by their heads.

“There’s more than one of them?” she cried out in fear.

For she had just felt Namjoon’s slick life force dripping onto her cheek as she smelled its iron tang.  This was no game.  There weren’t any cameramen catching the boys’ hijinks.  This was true danger.  And Namjoon was truly injured.

But he wasn’t down for the count.  For in the next moment, his palm roughly covered her mouth as he bent towards her and inhaled into her ear, “Shut up!  Are you trying to get us all killed?”

Nani nearly whimpered herself then.  As she longed for the comfort of her bedroom and that less-than-full moon of her birthday.  Anything to escape the danger now surrounding her.  Even if it meant she had to leave Jimin and his band of brothers behind.

She tried to draw a deep breath, but Namjoon’s hand was obstructing her nose as well as her mouth, so she fought valiantly to free herself from his hold.  He clamped down on her face harder.  But a moment later, she felt something – or someone – knocking him away from her.  

“She can’t breathe,” uttered a harsh breath.  

Jimin.

Her whole being flooded with relief as the younger man suddenly appeared.  Hovering over her again.  “Come on,” he whispered.  “Let’s get out of here.”  

He reached down to grasp her arm, tugging her gently upward.  Then he covered her back with his own and led her forward.  Under the light of the full moon.  Nani glanced back.  Still concerned about Namjoon despite his rough handling of her.  How badly was he bleeding?

The other men stumbled to their feet and followed Jimin.  Namjoon was clutching his upper arm.  Nani tried to discern the growing stain on his sleeve.  But the darkness was too thick for that.  All she could make out were the shadows surrounding her.  And the forms of six men following her and her rescuer.

They crept through the forest, and Nani wandered what they’d done to the archer.  Was he lying simply unconscious back there?  Or was he…dead?  And if he was, which of the men had killed him?

She gulped as terror nearly overwhelmed her then.  

Where was she?  Who were these men?  They were clearly still friends.  But they weren’t the harmless Bangtan boys…were they?  

And who was pursuing them?  

She’d found anti-ARMYs and their tactics scary enough.  And many a crazed fan had followed the boys, threatening their privacy.  And perhaps, in rare instances, their persons.  But none had ever truly harmed them physically.  Yet tonight, an arrow had drawn blood from Namjoon’s flesh.  And he’d been angry and rough with her.  Where was the diplomat of the twenty-first century?

Had she fallen through a hole in time?  And…had they also?  Perhaps arriving before her?  Only to find themselves hunted by some army of angry archers?  Bent upon…what exactly?  Annihilating the beautiful Bangtan boys and the innocent ARMY who had followed them into danger on the night of a full moon?

At least, Jimin still seemed to be her hero.  But where could he possibly be leading her?

This Post Has One Comment

  1. Lucia

    Different times create different people

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