Ashes, Ashes, We All Fall Down | TK

24 | Sweetness and Fear

Chapter twenty-four

The sun bloomed on the horizon, golden petals stretching ever outwards into the rich blue. It was the brilliant flower of the sky that warmed the days. Golden light dribbled over the land like syrup on oatmeal. The leaves shimmered like a mirror flecked mosaic and the morning dew sparkled on the bejeweled cobwebs and grass.

Above those tangerine mountains, kissed to their heady blush by the sun, were clouds that moved in shoals. And so, the sky was equal parts blue and a chorus of greys, streaked with silvers and golds.

Taehyung gripped his polished longbow firmly in his left hand, as he held it out in front of his torso. Reaching down by his right side, the thumb, index, and middle fingertips lightly grasped the feathered end of the wooden arrow that was sticking upright in the soil beside of him.

With an ever so gentle pluck, the arrow freed itself from the grip of the earth, as Taehyung raised the shaft up to the bow.

With a skilled hand, he notched another arrow and drew the bowstring back, his lean muscles flexed and strained against the natural strength of the longbow, forcing the arrow back to his rosy cheek. The oak bow creaked in protest as the leathery sinew of the bowstring popped and crackled under the enormous stress and pressure required to draw such a marvelous weapon back to its full potential.

The bowstring painfully bit into the freshy parts of Taehyung's index and middle fingertips.

He breathed in through his nostrils, the biting cold filled his lungs with every breath of the stale air that roamed the forest. The warm exhale was more palatable, but he braced for fresh shards of ice to stab his throat again.

The omega's arm muscles bulged, with his veins extending up as his arms began to tremble from the tremendous force required to hold the bow steady. Silently, he mentally evaluated his target...range...distance...crosswinds and elevated his aim to allow for the estimated arch and drop the arrow.

Finally, he released the arrow with a loud pronounced cracking SNAP of the bowstring. The shaft streaked from the longbow with lighting speed, launching high into the morning sky. The arrow gently floated over the high arch and began to fall back earthward, plunging from the sky with deadly force.

Taehyung's ocean eyes narrowed, as he gazed upon the target he had set up, waiting patiently to receive its shot. The arrow streaked in with blinding speed until it stuck solidly in the center, a perfect bullseye.

In the matter of seconds his stoic expression was dropped down and he painted a ray of sunshine all over his face, his eyes sparkled, and the corners of his mouth slid upwards.

Right before he could grab another arrow from the quiver, he felt how two arms wrapped themselves around his torso and a face was buried in the crook of his neck, startling him. The heavy scent of musk and wet roses invaded his nostrils, filled up his lungs to the brim, and made his heart flutter excitedly in his chest.