It was almost dawn when I quietly left the house without a sound. I preferred to leave before either Angela or mom wake up. I knew they would be saddened when they find out that I was already gone, but I preferred it like that. It would be less painful for everyone.

I walked toward the forest and saw Sebastian already waiting for me. I ran to him and discovered that he was asleep. Did he sleep here all night? I gently poked his cheek, but he only groaned and pushed my hand away. Not wasting any more time, I slapped his face hard enough to sting. He then jumped awake and looked around confusedly. He touched his red cheek and realized that it was me and what I just did.

"What was that for?" he asked angrily.

"You wouldn't wake up and... Did you sleep here all night?" I worriedly asked while changing the subject.

"Yeah, I didn’t want to miss you in case you sneak away without me. Plus, I didn't know if I could actually wake up even if the apocalypse came," he explained as he stretched his stiff shoulder.

"You should have told me. I would have let you use one of the guest rooms."

"Next time, I won't forget. Anyways, shall we go?" he looked at the forest as I nodded in approval.

I was never scared of the woods, but now that I couldn't fly to escape the predators, it seemed more intimidating to me. I took my bow with me just in case, and I saw that I wasn’t the only one feeling antsy since I saw Sebastian take his sword with him.

When we were surrounded by trees, it was so calm and peaceful. I liked the smell of fresh wood in the morning. It smelt the same as if it just rained. We walked a long time and by the time we took a break, the sun was already at his peak. We ate and drank a bit from the food I packed, but it won't last long. We will need to hunt and search for water soon.

Sebastian went into the air to see where we were from the sky. Everything down here was so different. I was completely lost in all these foliages. As I patiently waited for my friend to come back, I heard a cracking sound behind me. I froze and with my ears, I tried to pinpoint its exact location. It could be a rabbit or a bear. I haven't known yet. The footsteps of the thing were light and cautious, definitely not a bear. If I wasn't in a forest, I would say a two-tails tiger or something like that, but that was impossible, right?

Slowly, I took my bow from my back and armed it. I took a big breath to calm my nerves. I couldn't miss. It would be either him or me. Ready, I turned around and as I was about to shoot, I saw Sebastian. Shocked, my fingers were already letting go of the arrow. I closed my eyes and swung my arms to the left, hoping the arrow would miss him. I heard a loud thud, but I did not dare to open my eyes. I was already imagining, Sebastian covered in blood and dying.

"Wow, that was close!" I heard him chuckle nervously.

I snapped my eyes open and saw the arrow millimetres away from his face. I sighed in relief and let myself fell on the ground. “Don't ever do that ever again," I shouted furiously with a glare.

“I'm sorry! I didn't know you would react like that," he answered knowing it was his fault, but I ignored his comment. "So, I checked our location and if we head North, we should find a small uninhabited cave. We can spend the night there, but at the speed, we're walking, the moon will have risen before we reach it," he explained.

"I'm sorry, I'm not used to walking this much," I answered defeated and guiltily.

"Don't worry about it, how about I take you there?" he proposed.

"I'm heavy remember? Besides, what if I fall?"

"If I feel like letting you go, we'll walk the remaining part. How about that?" he proposed with a gentle smile.

"If you let me fall, you’ll be certain to hear from me. Even if I'm dead."

He took me into his arms and powerfully flapped his wings, so he could propel us into the air. At first, I was nervous about falling, but with time, I completely relaxed into his arms and enjoyed the wind hitting my face. It has only been a day, and I was missing my wings already. I missed them so bad that I couldn't keep myself being jealous of Sebastian.

In no time, we arrived at the cave. He gracefully landed and carefully placed me down on the ground. Then, we slowly entered the cave. Sebastian was right. It showed no sign of being inhabited: no bones or smell. As night came, we ate all the food I could bring with me near the campfire. Tomorrow, we will have to hunt. At least, there's a river around here. We will be able to fill our bottles tomorrow morning.

Before going to sleep, the advice the Prince gave me the other came to my mind. I didn't know when the pain would come, so without taking any risk, I took out a pill and swallowed it. Then, I directly went to sleep hoping that the effects won't kick in.

I felt so heavy. I tried to open my eyes, but I couldn't. It was as if they were glued together. Then a smell, a delicious and wonderful smell reached my nose. It was irresistible. It felt like my body had a mind of its own. The scent was pulling me toward the source of it. Curious, I willed my body to move and succeeded. I stood up and opened my eyes. I looked around, examining my surroundings. I wasn't in the cave with Sebastian. Where was he?

I detected the same sweet fragrance from earlier and without noticing, I was already walking toward the source of it. The more I got closer the more I felt restless. It was as if my body couldn't take it anymore. I had to find what was making me feel so restless.

In the middle of the forest, I saw someone. But for a reason, he was all blurred. I could only see that he was a tall man and had wings... He had deep red wings. They were so dark that they were almost brown. I walked toward the unknown man, but it was as if I never took a single step. I couldn't reach him, and I didn't like that. I wanted to get closer to him. I needed it. If only I had my wings. Then, I would be certain that I could have reached him. As in a dream, I felt the familiar sensation behind me back. I looked backward and saw my pure white wings! Overjoyed, I jumped and flew into the sky and then toward the man. However, when I was about to reach him, he disappeared.

"Keith! Wake the fuck up!" I heard someone scream. Then a sting on my cheek woke me up.

"What happened??" I confusedly shouted while looking around.

"You attacked me, that's what happened!" he groaned in pain. "What's your problem tackling me in my sleep and move your hands all over my body and… And smelling my neck? Hopefully, I stopped you before you could do anything worse!" he explained angrily with a hint of panic.

"I did? I'm sorry... I had a weird dream... Or maybe it was because of the pill I took," I tried to explain since I was as confused as Sebastian was.

"I see. It's okay, I was just surprised," he sighed while gently patting my head.

I may not be remembering my dream, but the smell and dark red wings… I remembered them clearly.