{M}??? ???? | ???????? & ???????

Within the hollow of Earth Tribe rain raged on. Little puddles formed on the soft earth as a cold breeze crashed against the warriors' dens. As the grumbling wind terrorized the trees' leaves, flames crackled within the dens, warming up both Fire Tribe and Earth Tribe as their warriors huddled together. Warriors from Earth Tribe wrapped those who were injured with blankets. They held and kissed the cold hands, and told them comforting words whenever any of the brave Fire Tribe warriors needed to hear them to combat the pain.

It was a time of need. A time where there shouldn't be any competition or hatred. Not because they wished so, but because most of them knew that important warriors from each of their tribes were going through something that could bring nothing but sympathy, empathy, and solidarity between the two tribes.

Jungkook was specially able to notice this whether or not he thought of it as a mistake.

Even if he wasn't able to feel the firing pain that he knew Beomgyu was feeling, Jungkook's heart could not be any more broken as he gazed at Yeonjun and the desperation darkening Taehyun's eyes as he carefully massaged his Hyung's wounds.

Jungkook continued to stare at his fallen Head Warrior, resenting the fact that he couldn't do anything to heal Yeonjun himself. This resentment grew even more when he suddenly couldn't grasp the idea that Yeonjun; the strongest and brightest member of his tribe, was just there, laying half-dead between the nest of soft bracken and moss.

And once he felt a spasm go through his body, Jungkook had to look away, his hand going up to his eyes as he hung his head low in grief. He knew about the prophecy that Yeonghon had brought and he specially knew the placement of Yeonjun in that prophecy.

Yeonjun was born to die; that was his only purpose in prophecy after saving those gour sacred souls. Back then when he had drowned and made that pact with Eclipse, he wasn't supposed to come back but to stay dead and join his mother and the former Elementals. Back then, Jungkook- when he didn't feel as attached to Yeonjun, had been told by Namjoon and Seokjin not to worry about Yeonjun's destiny because everything would be sorted out by the prophecy.

Jungkook had been relieved, but now that Yeonjun had found a small spot in his heart to crawl on. . . Now Jungkook felt destroyed, as if the world he'd tried to build had suddenly come crashing down right before his very eyes.

It hurt him even more.

Yeonjun hadn't been his own young. He'd been the first bloom born to both the Elemental of Earth and the materialized spirit of the island. . . Yet, Jungkook had been able to watch him grow and be proud of the strong warrior he had become; once during the first three years of Yeonjun's life before his departure, then once again when the youngster came back to the place he'd been born in.

His olive-green eyes lifted once again towards Yeonjun, a new strike was sent over him, so much that when he felt like the new spasm coming over him was too much to handle, he retreated away from his den. He couldn't watch any longer, even if the rain poured over him and soaked him, he went away; away to find a little sense of comfort despite the mishappenings surrounding him.

~~~

Fire crackled inside the den in which the young Elementals lay dormant. Lord and behold, their stress had been too much, taking the best of them and knocking them out as they curled against one another to find at least a little bit of strength between their combined warmth.

Taehyung had decided to stay with them; not only because he wanted to monitor Beomgyu through the separation of his bond with Yeonjun, but to also look after Soobin and Kai, who were as equally distraught as his little brother. The leader let out a sigh, his now normalized saddened gaze fixed upon the flames of the fire that lightly cackled within the dark walls of the den and the downpour. He blinked once and let out a long, deep breath, burning up in his own grief.