The next day, Wang Bao woke up as if it was any other day, showing that Nakai’s hypnosis had worked. Everyone’s bags were already packed and the carriages had been fixed enough to travel the rest of the descent of the mountain. Before they actually set off though, Nakai wanted to make sure Wang Bao was back to normal as well as check on his memory. While Wang Bao ate his large breakfast of eggs, toast and roast meat, Nakai started by asking a simple question.

 

“Wang Bao, how did we meet?”

 

It took Wang Bao a few seconds to process what Nakai had asked him, as he was too hungry to want to think about anything other than the food in front of him. After taking another bite of his buttered toast, he gave Nakai a funny look before answering seriously.

 

“The team I had sent to find my brother found you and brought you back to the palace…Don’t you remember, Nakai?”

 

Seeing the expression on Wang Bao’s face caused Nakai to chuckle, but instead of answering Wang Bao’s question, Nakai continued his light interrogation.

 

“Do you remember how we left Man Country?”

 

Wang Bao was chewing a large mouthful of meat as well as loading up his toast with egg, and he could only hum to show he could remember. Once he had finally swallowed the food in his mouth, Wang Bao replied properly before continuing to eat.

 

“On the ship with Pou and Ma...Why are you asking me this, Nakai?”

 

Again, Nakai didn’t answer Wang Bao’s question, instead he asked one more question; however, when asking the last question, Nakai was nervous he would trigger Wang Bao to go into a manic state again. 

 

“Do you remember… How the sea People had talked about Rara being poisoned by some flowers?... Do you know of a plant that could cause someone to become comatose?”

 

At first Wang Bao looked uncomfortable and Nakai didn’t push Wang Bao for an answer. While Wang Bao finished the rest of his breakfast, Nakai sat patiently to see whether or not Wang Bao would answer or not. Once Wang Bao was finally finished, he slowly rubbed his mouth clean with the back of his hand, then finally started speaking; his voice was quiet and distant, as if he was remembering something from a long time ago.

 

“Once when I was a small child...Maybe the same age as Rara, or a little older. It was my Mother’s birthday. She loves flowers and we were playing in her garden as a family. My Brother was eating cake in Mother’s lap while I played on the ground with some toys Father had given me. I don’t remember much about that day, but I do remember Mother telling me to go to the edge of her garden where a stream was, and pick some flowers for her that grew in the water. After that, all I remember is waking up in the hospital and my Father was beside me with a pale face; he told me I had been in a coma for two weeks... Ever since that day, I can’t stand the scent of anything floral.”

 

While Nakai listened to Wang Bao, he glared at the ground with such an intense hatred that he almost burned a hole in the ground. Despite having finished speaking, Wang Bao became slightly dazed as he thought over memories from his past; he was in such a daze that he didn’t hear Nakai curse Queen Mother under his breath. When Wang Bao heard Nakai’s voice he came back to the present and asked Nakai what he had said, but Nakai only shook his head and quickly kissed him on the cheek. Now that he had no more questions for Wang Bao, Nakai helped him out of bed in order for their group to finally set off down the mountain.

 

. . . . . . .

 

After Mana’s execution, all of the wolves had been sent to proper rooms to rest before leaving the den. A large brown red blood stain was all that was left after the previous day's actions, and Nakai did his best to keep Wang Bao away from the gorey sight. Their carriages were waiting outside for them, and Nakai could see Luka and Mika walking at the head of the group, with Alo and Zhang tailing behind them like sulky bears. Once everyone was outside, Nakai led Wang Bao to the second carriage and helped him inside, at the same time Nakai felt someone tug on his arm gently, and he turned to see Luka was looking up at him expectantly. When Nakai asked him what he needed, Luka quickly asked Nakai in a bold voice.

 

“Can Mika and I ride with you and Bao? I don’t want to ride with Zhang.”

 

Nakai would be lying if he said he didn’t feel bad for Luka’s situation, but he also knew it would only cause more problems in the future if he were to coddle Luka. Crouching down to be closer to Luka’s height, Nakai reached out and patted Luka’s head while saying in a soft but stern tone.

 

“I know you think you can simply ignore the issue with Zhang and it will go away, but life doesn’t work like that, Luka. At least try and talk with Zhang, I’m sure he has things he’s scared of telling you.”

 

Luka knew there was sense in what Nakai had told him, but he didn’t say anything in reply and slowly walked towards Mika who was waiting awkwardly with Zhang and Alo outside the other carriage. When Luka was close enough, he dragged Mika inside the carriage while also not missing the opportunity to scowl at Zhang. Nakai had seen all of this, and he chuckled lightly to himself before nodding towards Zhang sternly. Zhang could only give a sheepish grin in response before following Luka and Mika inside, with Alo reluctantly bringing up the rear. 

 

Instead of also getting into the carriage, Nakai had one more person to speak with and he walked back to the entrance of the den where Kang was walking out of. When he was close enough, Nakai stretched his hand out to Kang while speaking warmly.

 

“I hope your plan of letting Mana’s pack into your own goes the way you want. Also, thank you for helping us again, Kang.”

 

Taking Nakai’s hand, Kang chuckled lightly then agreed with Nakai’s well wishes. Both men didn’t take too long for goodbyes and thank yous, and within a few minutes, Nakai was stepping into the carriage where Wang Bao was waiting patiently. With everyone seated and comfortable enough, Kang waved to his wolves. With the extra snowfall the last few days, the carriages moved forward easily and it didn’t take long for the wolves to reach a rapid speed. There was thankfully no signs of more snow to come, but the lower regions of the mountain ranges were full of mist, chilling down the air around them. To stop some of the cold coming inside their carriage, Nakai closed the fur curtain Wang Bao had pulled away from the window. Wang Bao wasn’t fussed about looking outside, and he leaned against Nakai comfortably before asking.

 

“How much longer until we find Lei?”

 

Although talking about Wang Lei wasn’t his favourite subject, Nakai hid his true feelings towards Wang Bao’s brother and draped his arm over Wang Bao’s shoulder before answering.

 

“We don’t have much longer, maybe a month at most. With all the hiccups along the way, we’re one month behind actually. Raia will be wondering where we are.”

 

Hearing Raia’s name, Wag Bao wanted to ask how the large feline would be arriving since they had to cross various oceans to get to Werebeast Continent, but Wang Bao already knew this information was classified, and that he would most likely find out once they arrived at their final destination. 

 

. . . . . . .

 

The two carriages had been travelling for a little more than six hours and during that time, Wang Bao had fallen asleep again; Nakai wasn’t surprised since he had a lot of sleep to catch up on. In the carriage in front of them, Luka completely ignored the advice given to him and he continued to ignore Zhang’s existence. This had made the previous six hours incredibly awkward and slow for both Mika and Alo, who could only sit in silence. Zhang wasn’t feeling great about the current situation either, but he also didn’t want to start having a deep conversation with Luka in front of Alo and Mika. Everyone continued to look at the floor silently, but it wasn’t long before Alo had had enough. He no longer cared if things were awkward or tense afterwards, he wanted Zhang and Luka to deal with their issues in order for everyone to feel better. Leading the conversation, Alo nudged Zhang with his shoulder while saying lightly.

 

“Zhang, why don’t you tell Luka what you told both Nakai and I yesterday.”

 

Luka didn’t show any interest in what Alo was trying to do, or whatever Zhang had to say to him. Alo didn’t let this discourage Zhang though, and he nodded in Luka’s direction with a  gentle smile. To try and help the situation, Mika poked Luka’s thigh to get him to look at Zhang but his efforts resulted in naught as well. Despite the cold shoulder, Zhang decided to bite the bullet and he let out a sharp breath before explaining.

 

“Ah well. Luka. I told them that it’s not that I don’t share the same feelings as you but...well there are many reasons...but the main one is...You're still young and the feelings you feel now could actually be something else…it’s best to not do anything you might regret in the future.”

 

This wasn’t what Alo had been wanting Zhang to say, and he stared at Zhang with a dumbfounded expression; Alo’s intense stare went unnoticed by Zhang though as he was too busy looking at Luka with a pleading look, almost resembling a scolded puppy. When Luka showed no signs of listening or wanting to acknowledge what he had said, Zhang was about to give up all hope of ever being able to talk to Luka, but to his surprise Luka slowly looked over at him with a sulky expression as well, speaking with a whine that went against his next words.

 

“I’m not a child, Zhang...Besides, it’s not like you’re that much older than me.”

 

Hearing what his brother said, Mika realised he didn’t actually know much about Zhang, including the young mans’ age; he had always assumed Zhang was a similar age to Alo since they were very close with one another. Turning to Zhang as well, Mika couldn’t help but ask quietly.

 

“How old are you, Zhang?”

 

Looking away from Luka, Zhang answered in a plain voice that he was twenty. Mika wasn’t expecting such a close age to his own, and it made him realise just how big the gap between him and Alo was. Peeking over at Alo, Mika saw that the young man was already looking at him with a sheepish smile, causing his cheeks to flush. When Mika looked away to try and hide his burning cheeks, his stomach suddenly growled loudly and Alo rummaged in his smaller bag that he had sitting next to him. After a few seconds of looking, Alo pulled out four metal containers of warm food and handed them out to everyone. Luka accepted the warm meal, but wasn’t in the mood to eat at the moment, and placed the container between him and Mika. When Mika saw this, he had already started eating the simple dish of meat stew and potatoes, and he nudged his brother lightly while saying.

 

“You should eat while the food is still warm, Luka; you don’t know how long we’ll be on the road for.”

 

To stop his brother from worrying, Luka poked Mika’s side playfully before telling him he would eat later. This was enough for Mika since he figured Luka would eat once Zhang was asleep. However, on the other side of the carriage, Zhang was fuming inside as he had seen first hand how far Luka could go when it came to not eating. There was nothing Zhang could do though since it wasn’t his place to force Luka. In the end, Zhang fell asleep not long after eating his meal, and once his quiet snores filled the carriage, Luka opened his lukewarm food container and started eating.

 

. . . . . . .

 

After a full day of travel by carriage, Nakai felt the wolves slow down and he opened the curtain to see where they were. The mist had cleared enough for Nakai to see they had reached a snow covered back road, and in the far distance was a small town. The sun was close to setting, meaning the little warmth from the day would disappear quickly, and Nakai stepped out of the carriage to speak with the wolves. As he expected one of the wolves was waiting in his human form, and once Nakai was close enough, he nodded towards the town in the distance while saying.

 

“We can’t take your group to the town entrance since they won’t take kindly to seeing us in our beast form. The town is a common place for wanderers that take the long way around the mountain though, so there should be rooms to stay. Take care on your journey.”

 

Nakai wished the same for the Werebeast and his own wolves, before walking back to his carriage to wake Wang Bao up. To his surprise, Wang Bao was already awake and waiting for Nakai to get back in the carriage. Instead back in though, Wang Bao got out of the carriage and helped Nakai unpack their luggage; at the same time, Alo exited the carriage and walked over to Nakai, telling him that everyone else in his carriage was asleep. There was no way their group could wait for everyone to wake up on their own, especially with the wolves having to return to their own den, and the daylight fading around them quickly. With Wang Bao’s pack secured on his back, and Nakai ready as well, the trio headed to the front carriage. Nakai didn’t bother with waking Luka and Mika up since they would struggle to walk through the deep soft snow, on the other hand, Nakai had no problem with waking Zhang up and he tapped on the roof of the carriage. As soon as Zhang heard the dull thud, his eyes snapped open and he saw Nakai look at him expectantly. Looking around while wiping his chin, Zhang asked in a groggy voice.

 

“I take it, we've arrived?”

 

Nakia hummed in response while pulling Luka into his arms to carry, when stepping away from the carriage, Nakai told Alo to carry Mika while Zhang could carry their bags. It didn’t take long for their group to be ready to leave, and as the wolves made their way back up the mountain, Nakai held Luka like a baby on his hip and started walking toward the town; however, it didn’t take long for Nakai to realise that despite Wang Bao’s tall height, he was struggling immensely with the deep pillowy snow on the road. To solve this they tried to see if Wang Bao could walk easier with Nakai ahead of him, allowing a shallower path to be made by Nakai’s footprints, but the snow was still too soft and he became tired after taking a few steps. With the last of the light fading behind the mountain ranges fast, Nakai called Zhang over to carry Luka while he would carry Wang Bao. Zhang’s solemn face instantly perked up and he helped Alo put Mika’s pack on top of his own, then headed to Nakai. As soon as Luka was in Zhang’s arms, he snuggled in closer as if he could feel a difference in the person holding; on the other hand, Wang Bao tried to refuse Nakai’s aid but his mouth was too slow for Nakai’s hands. Within a matter of seconds, Nakai’s backpack was switched to rest against his chest, while he carried Wang Bao on his back easily. Once Nakai was ready, everyone set off again with the snow crunching beneath their feet.

 

By the time they made it to the main road of the small town, the sky was pitch black and the warm yellow street lights were the only source of light. Nakai could see the main road was mainly filled with hostels and motels, but none of them had any vacancies. While the group continued to walk through the main street tirelessly, Mika finally woke up and looked around with a confused expression. While Alo fixed his hood to keep him warm, Mika asked in a tired voice.

 

“Where are we?”

 

While Alo told Mika about the back road town, Nakai and Zhang continued to look through the windows of the many hostels and motels they passed; they were beginning to lose hope when a small rundown hostel at the end of the main road had a sign reading “rooms available.” Although the old wooden building looked close to collapsing, everyone was too cold and hungry to pass up a room with four walls and a roof. With Wang Bao still on his back, Nakai walked in first with Zhang in the middle and Alo bringing up the tail; the reception area was a simple wooden table with an old lady sitting on a stool tiredly. They were all in a hurry for Nakai to pay for the three rooms, but once the old lady asked for cash instead of his card, everyone except for Wang Bao froze. Nakai wanted to tell Alo to pay since he always had back up cash, but with Wang Bao wriggling around on his back, he was more focused on not dropping Wang Bao. While on the verge of falling from Nakai’s back, Wang Bao quickly placed two purple notes on the table and smiled smugly at Nakai when he was given a few silver coins as change.

 

Nakai wanted to ignore the smug grin on Wang Bao’s face, the young man went a step further while Nakai grabbed the three keys being handed to him, and craned his neck to look at Nakai while whispering.

 

“Don’t worry, darling; I won’t let you go hungry.”

 

After a key was handed to Alo and Zhang each, Nakai led the way up the wooden stairs. Wang Bao’s happiness from providing for Nakai was quickly replaced by fear when he heard the low groan of the wooden floorboards beneath them. Wang Bao wanted to walk by himself lest they fall through the floor because of their shared weight, but Nakai was still refusing to let him walk by himself. All Wang Bao could do was hold his breath, and think light thoughts until they finally made it to their room; with Alo and Zhang heading for the two rooms next door, Wang Bao jumped down from Nakai’s back as soon as the door was closed, breathing a sigh of relief since the floor in their room weren’t as creaky as the staircase. 

 

With a loud huff, Wang Bao tiredly threw his heavy bag to the ground beside the large bed and looked around the room. There wasn’t much in terms of decor or entertainment, with the bed taking up the majority of the space along with a small dresser in the corner. From behind, Wang Bao heard Nakai place his backpack on the floor as well, before walking behind Wang Bao to pull him into a hug. Relaxing into Nakai’s arms, Wang Bao had a strong desire to kiss Nakai as he had missed his lover the last few days, despite being closeby for most of their time in Mana’s den. Nakai on the other hand, wanted to look over Wang Bao’s injury next to his temple. Because Wang Bao had been in a daze the past few days, he didn’t know much about the state of his injury or the state of his hair, all he knew was that there was suddenly a skinny section on the side of his head that was now hairless. Nakai used extra care as he pushed Wang Bao’s hair up, revealing a pink circular scar where the hole on the side of Wang Bao’s head had been, as for the lightning like scar running along a skinny section above Wang Bao’s ear, there was already slight stubble growing through the non scarred skin. 

 

Before Nakai could inspect further, Wang Bao pulled away from Nakai to smooth his hair over the bald section. It was clear he wasn’t fond of the change in hairstyle, and Nakai quickly offered in a warm voice.

 

“Do you want me to even it out on the other side? I think you’ll look handsome.”

 

Hearing Nakai’s offer, Wang Bao was torn. He didn’t like how his hair looked currently, but he also didn’t want to lose more hair and wait for it to grow back. In the end, Wang Bao accepted Nakai’s offer, because his hatred for his current style was larger than the latter. After having the go ahead from Wang Bao, Nakai searched through his pack for his knife; at the same time, he told Wang Bao to kneel on the bed, because their height difference would make cutting Wang Bao’s hair in such a close proximity to his head too difficult. To start the haircut, Nakai sectioned Wang Bao’s hair to match the hairless side, then tied back the larger section. Without hesitation or warning Wang Bao, Nakai cut the length of Wang Bao’s hair first; Nakai’s movement was so swift that Wang Bao didn’t realise Nakai was almost done, until Nakai was walking into the bathroom to wet a washcloth with water and soap. Within a few seconds, Nakai returned to Wang Bao’s side and lathered the soapy cloth against the short hairs. 

 

The entire time Nakai had been cutting his hair, Wang Bao had been still and quiet, but once he felt the cold blade press against his temple, he couldn’t help but pull away slightly. Luckily Nakai was quick enough to move the blade in order to not cut Wang Bao, and he gently caressed Wang Bao’s cheek while whispering.

 

“Relax and trust me, Wang Bao.”

 

Wang Bao already knew Nakai would never hurt him, and he forced himself to take a deep breath before moving back into position. Soon enough, Nakai pressed the blade against his temple, but Wang Bao stayed relaxed like Nakai had told him. Surprisingly for Wang Bao, Nakai only needed to swipe the blade over his skin twice before the haircut was finished. With Wang Bao still on the bed, Nakai gently wiped the remaining soap suds from Wang Bao’s skin before helping him off of the bed, wanting to get a proper look at Wang Bao’s new look. However, before Nakai could get a good look, Wang Bao pulled the remaining hair out of the loose bun, covering up the two hairless sides. From the look on Wang Bao’s face, Nakai figured Wang Bao was feeling down about his new look, and he quickly held Wang Bao’s cheeks while saying. 

 

“You look handsome, Wang Bao; don’t be insecure about it.”

 

Despite his warm words, Wang Bao still wore a sour face and he shook Nakai’s hands off of his face while saying with a pout.

 

“I’m not insecure. I know I’m good looking.”

 

The look on Wang Bao’s face paired with his words made Nakai laugh loudly, but his reaction only caused Wang Bao to pout more. Because it was obvious Wang Bao wasn’t in the mood to play, Nakai toned down his laughter to a deep chuckle then tied Wang Bao’s hair back into a bun. When Wang Bao tried to untie his hair again, Nakai caught his hands and held them in his firmly; Wang Bao still tried to shake Nakai’s hands loose, but his attempts brought no success. Now that he could see all of Wang Bao’s features along with the new haircut, Nakai felt that Wang Bao appeared more masculine, whereas before he was leaning towards a more feminine appearance. Nakai didn’t care whether Wang Bao was masculine or feminine, but he would be lying if seeing Wang Bao’s new look didn’t make his body heat up. What stopped Nakai from making a move though, was that Wang Bao looked incredibly sad. At first Nakai had thought Wang Bao’s sour mood had come from insecurity about his appearance, but after seeing how dejected Wang Bao was becoming, Nakai suddenly remembered back to when he had first cut Wang Bao’s hair, and the reasoning behind his attachment. While Wang Bao refused to look Nakai in the eyes, Nakai leaned down and placed a gentle kiss on Wang Bao’s temple before whispering warmly.

 

“Don’t be sad about cutting it, okay? Your family name doesn’t change just because your hair is shorter.”

 

Wang Bao knew it was silly for him to be so attached to something like his hair, especially when it wasn’t something that determined his bloodline. But no matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t stop feeling sad about it. Finally giving into Nakai’s warmth, Wang Bao leaned against Nakai’s chest while mumbling.

 

“I know I shouldn’t be sad about it, Nakai...But other than that identity, I don’t have anything else.”

 

Although the two of them were part of a monarchy, both Princes had very different upbringings. Nakai had spent most of his life away from his parents, forced to build his own strength and self worth, while Wang Bao was hidden away from society with nothing to show for his status aside from his family name; a name that was built on traditions like dressing in silk and never cutting your hair. Thinking over their vast differences, Wang Bao couldn’t help but feel a little lonely, and he stepped away from Nakai with a solemn smile, walking towards the bathroom to have a bath. As soon as Nakai saw the solemn look on Wang Bao’s face, he felt an uncomfortable itch in his chest, and he instantly followed Wang Bao into the bathroom, stopping in the doorway to watch Wang Bao fill the large wooden tub. Because the tub was large enough to fit three men comfortably, it would take a while for the water to be deep enough to relax in, but Wang Bao started undressing anyway and stepped into the warm water that was only ankle deep. Nakai continued to watch Wang Bao from the doorway, even though he could only see Wang Bao’s back, Nakai knew how insecure he was feeling about his family and past. With the itch in his chest growing, Nakai suddenly spoke in a low voice that echoed throughout the wooden bathroom.

 

“Once we’ve met with your brother...Come back to Giant Country with me, Wang Bao. I want to show you my home.”