❖ barren land

@❧ Park Jimin Woonggi was doing everything in his power to keep Jimin alive. And awake. He could hear the sounds of birds chirping as they got closer and closer to the Enchanted Forest. "Jimin. Jimin. We're almost there." He said loudly. He heard Jimin's whine and let out a soft relieved whimpering sound. He looked around before tearing off a bit of his shirt and getting it wet with the water from the canteen, placing it on Jimin's forehead. Soon they were surrounded by trees. He could hear the sound of rushing water and directed the man in that direction, watching as they came across a waterfall. Remembering Jimin's statement about water. The man stopped and Woonggi pulled Jimin out of the cart, glad they finally reached their destination. He laid Jimin down and put his feet in the water. Hoping that somehow that would help.

@〄 Cha Woonggi Jimin felt as Woonggi moved around trying to lift him back up. His eyes were just too heavy and his body was in excruciating pain. Until everything went numb, the pain had just stopped. Jimin could hear voices but they sounded very distant and quiet. They seemed to be getting farther and farther away. Jimin whined softly, almost inaudible, to let Woonggi know that he hadn’t left him just yet. His chest continued to move up and down, but very slowly.

@❧ Park Jimin Woonggi immediately panicked as Jimin's breathing became more ragged and uneven. Very shallow as well. He looked around for anything to grab. He let out a soft whimper when Jimin went completely limp in his arms. "No. Jimin. We're almost there... Please hold on." Woonggi pleaded. "Please. Almost... Jimin... Please hold on..." He shifted a little, shaking Jimin's body gently. "No. Don't you dare close your eyes! Keep them open! We're not that far..."

@〄 Cha Woonggi Jimin sighed as his breath became more shaky. Each time he inhaled you could hear the struggle in his throat, becoming harder and harder. His head began slipping down Woonggi’s shoulder. Jimin could no longer hold himself upright. It was as if he had no control over his movements, his whole body went limp. “I- I can’t h- hold on any........ l- longer.” Jimin whispered quietly, everything around him becoming a flash. His ears rang out painfully loud and his eyes were starting to close slowly.

@❧ Park Jimin Woonggi let out a small sound when Jimin pushed the canteen down. "Ohhhh... I see, I see." He hummed. He closed the canteen, humming softly to himself as he listened to Jimin. He usually grew close to people quickly but never as quickly as he was with Jimin. Maybe because of the journey they've been on in the few hours they've known each other. But he didn't mind it. "Ohhh... That sounds very pretty."
'We're almost there, boys!' The man said suddenly.

@〄 Cha Woonggi Jimin shook his head lightly. He reached his hand up gently pushing down the canteen. “I m- meant water, like l- lakes o- or rivers.” Jimin was very happy inside that Woonggi cared for him so much. They had only been together for a matter of hours and Jimin already felt so close to him. “The re- reflection of the moon a- as it shines on the oc- ocean at night.”

@❧ Park Jimin Woonggi decided that Jimin was under his protection whenever it was needed. As a friend, that's exactly what he wanted to do. He glance down at Jimin and saw the pained look on the other's face. Followed by a tiny smile. "Of course, Jimin." He said quietly. Woonggi reached for the canteen Jimin had and opened it for him. "Here Jimin..." He said quietly. Lifting the canteen to the other's lips.

@〄 Cha Woonggi Jimin grunted placing his hand on Woonggi’s chest, feeling safe in his embrace. He nodded, whining softly as his head began to pound. Jimin lifted his head slightly with a pained look on his face. He gave Woonggi a small side smile when he complimented him. “T- thank you.” Jimin stayed still as his breathing began to slow. “W- water,” he sighed out. “I- it rejuvenates life.”

@❧ Park Jimin Woonggi felt Jimin trying to hold onto him. "I've got you..." He said quietly. He looked up at the sky, humming softly. "The sun is a beautiful thing..." He said softly. He gave a small smile, looking at the horse as it suddenly picked up pace again. "Bright and shiny... Just like your smile." Woonggi adjusted his hold on Jimin as the other shifted closer to him. "What else? Hmm?"

@〄 Cha Woonggi Jimin held onto Woonggi as tight as his body would let him. His grip was slowly loosening and his breathing became heavier. “I.... I like the............ sun.” Jimin sighed softly, taking in a deep breath after every few words. “It’s... bright and....... shiny.” He leaned closer towards Woonggi, letting his body drape limply on him. Jimin hummed nodding his head slowly. Mustering up enough strength to push himself closer into Woonggi.

@❧ Park Jimin Woonggi didn't trust anyone. Especially with Jimin on his back as weak as he was getting. He helped Jimin into the wagon, holding Jimin in his arms. Allowing the other to hold onto his hand. "Talk to me, Jimin..." Woonggi said gently. "About anything... Plants... Yourself..." He looked up as the wagon started moving, the man instructing the horse to go faster. 'It'll be a bumpy ride! hold on!' The man said. Woonggi held onto Jimin tightly and wrapped his legs around two sections of the wagon to keep himself in place. "I've got you, Jimin..."

@〄 Cha Woonggi Jimin saw a blurry picture of the people around them. He heard Woonggi growl, unsure of the reason why. Jimin gently rubbed his finger on Woonggi’s coat to let him know that it’s okay. As Woonggi slowed his pace Jimin saw what appeared to be some sort of wagon. He stumbled a bit trying to climb up. Jimin laced their fingers together holding on tightly to Woonggi’s hand. “O- okay, I’ll t- try.” He leaned over resting his head on Woonggi’s shoulder as the wagon began to move.

@❧ Park Jimin Woonggi looked around, letting out a soft growl at anyone that looked at him weird. Spotted a cart and decided to put Jimin in that and use the horse to go faster. He knelt down and got Jimin off and shifted quickly. He paid the man with the cart to help them and got Jimin loaded into the cart, sitting there with him while the man agreed to take them to the Enchanted Forest quickly. "Hold on, Jimin... This horse will be much faster than I could be..." He said softly. He held Jimin in his arms. "Just stay awake, please... Please..."

@〄 Cha Woonggi Jimin sighed softly burying his face deeper into Woonggi’s fur. He couldn’t concentrate right because all that he could hear was the slowing sound of his heart, and the heavy breaths he took. “I- I’m sorry for doing this to you.” Jimin was feeling guilty for putting such a heavy burden on Woonggi. “I- I can’t.” He mumbled quietly, before feeling a sharp pain in his chest. He grunted, almost tipping over onto the ground. Luckily he had enough strength to keep his grip around Woonggi’s belly.

@❧ Park Jimin Woonggi moved faster as he felt Jimin's grip on him weakening by the second. He could hear it as well in the shakiness of Jimin's voice. 'no, no, no. hold on, jimin!' He thought. He kept running, making in half way through the Storm Forest before stopping for a short second to catch his breath and regain his stamina before taking off again. 'hold on, Jimin... We shouldn't be too far now...' Woonggi hadn't run this fast before in his life. But he was worried for his new friend.

@〄 Cha Woonggi Jimin kept his arms wrapped tightly around Woonggi’s underbelly. He nuzzled his face into Woonggi’s fur, feeling the softness and the warmth from his body. Jimin let out a small grunt as he pulled himself up a bit to adjust his position. He could feel his grip getting looser and his eyes were very heavy. All Jimin wanted to do right now was go to sleep, but he knew that if he closed his eyes he might not be able to open them again. “W- Woonggi, I- I.” Jimin spoke softly, his voice shaky. He really didn’t know what he was trying to say. He just wanted Woonggi to know that he wasn’t okay.

@❧ Park Jimin Woonggi nodded and laid there waiting for Jimin to climb on. He was being patient, knowing Jimin needed some time to get up and get onto his back. Woonggi noticed the surprised look in Jimin's face at how quickly he had shifted. 'gotta go fast-ish... fast enough for jimin to not die or pass out... Or something...' He nodded when Jimin said he was secure and immediately took off towards the boarder of the Barren Lands, thankful they hadn't gone too far into it. He moved quickly, avoiding small dead plants he could potentially trip over.

@〄 Cha Woonggi Jimin just hummed lightly in response to Woonggi’s statement. No matter how hard he tried to ignore and mask the pain, it still showed. He grunted softly shutting his eyes for a second. “Y- yeah, to the chanted forest?” Jimin breathed shakily, his eyes popping open when Woonggi bumped into the boulder. It surprised him a little bit at how fast he shifted. ‘Did he do that on purpose?’ Jimin struggled to stand up climbing onto Woonggi’s back as softly as he could. “Okay, I’m ready.” He secured himself holding tightly onto Woonggi.

@❧ Park Jimin Woonggi smiled happily when he saw how excited and happy Jimin was about successfully growing the plant. "So cute. Also. I love flowers~" Woonggi hummed he sat up and leaned against the boulder, watching Jimin for a moment. Through the excitement he could still feel Jimin getting weaker. "Right. Yes. We should!" He went to get up and his his shoulder on the boulder, shifting. 'what... why did that make me shift?!' He let out a huff and lowered himself in front of Jimin, motioning for him to climb on.

@〄 Cha Woonggi Jimin nodded, his smile getting wider and wider until his eyes crinkled up so that they were barely visible. “I know, it’s really cute!” Jimin squeaked excitedly. After he had finished humming Jimin sat back up to rest his back against the boulder with a sigh. He stared down at the plant for a second, admiring the small flower, then turning his gaze back on Woonggi. “M- maybe we should try getting back to the forest.” Jimin looked at Woonggi with half closed eyes.

@❧ Park Jimin Woonggi looked up at Jimin, smiling happily. Never in his life had he helped a plant grow. Let alone a magical plant! He pulled his hand back, smiling. "Its's so tiny! And my hands aren't that big, Jimin!" He said, smiling. He watched Jimin lean down to the plant and start humming to it. To Woonggi's surprise it started growing a bit faster, and blooming. Until a tiny purple flower was visible. "Oh my goodness! It's so cute!" He squealed softly. "I can't believe it's already bloomed~ It's so pretty!"

@〄 Cha Woonggi Jimin sat up, now kneeling. He was really happy, bouncing excitedly. Jimin smiled widely getting more hyped up as Woonggi shared his excitement. “I know! I know!” He watched as Woonggi measured his finger to the sprout and couldn’t help but coo at the size difference. Jimin leaned down a few inches away from the plant. He closed his eyes and began humming softly. As he did this, the plant slowly began grow until it spouted a small, purple flower.

@❧ Park Jimin "You should be! That kind of plant is awesome, Jimin!" He said, smiling. Woonggi hummed softly as he laid on the ground in the shade, watching the plant, continuing to try and coax it out. "C'mon... You can do it, bud~. Just a little more." He let out an excited sound when the small sprout came up through the ground. "Ohmygosh! It's so freaking cute!" He held up his pinky next to it and found it was still smaller than that, and he doesn't exactly have large hands either.

@〄 Cha Woonggi Jimin grinned at Woonggi, glad that they could share the excitement together. He laughed sheepishly nodding. “Yeah, I guess really do feel kinda proud.” Jimin leaned back on the rock watching as Woonggi wiggled, inching closer towards the plant. He giggled softly as the other male was trying to coax the plant out. It was actually really cute he had to admit. A little bit of dirt gets pushed to the side as a green sprout sticks up out of the ground. “H- hey look!” Jimin sat up pointing to the tiny green sprout excitedly.

@❧ Park Jimin Woonggi hummed softly, noticing the dirt bulge slightly, looking back to Jimin with a smile. "Oh! That's a sweet plant! Growing with little light. That's awesome! You sound so proud and you should be!" Woonggi hummed softly when Jimin mentioned the growth rate of the plant when you talk to them. "Mmmm... Alright. I can give it a go then~." He hummed. He wiggled into a different position getting slightly closer to the plant. "Hey little guy. Come on. You can do it~ I'd like to see how beautiful you are!"

@〄 Cha Woonggi Jimin smiled seeing the dirt begin to be pushed up slightly, then turned his head to look back at Woonggi. “Nope, it won’t die in the heat and it can even grow with very little light.” He grinned proudly as if he were talking about his child. Jimin gave Woonggi a nod of approval. “Your voice won’t mess it up, plants actually grow faster if you speak to them.” He flashed him a very wide smile motioning his hand towards the spot. “Go ahead and talk to them if you’d like.”

@❧ Park Jimin Woonggi hummed softly, leaning against the boulder as he watched the spot carefully. Waiting for any signs that it was ready to sprout. "Really? That's cool! So it won't die even in this heat?" He questioned. His eyes flashed to Jimin when the other became excited suddenly. "Oh? I can talk to it? My voice won't mess it up or anything?" He shifted his position slightly to cool off other parts of him. "If my voice won't ruin it then yes! I'd love to talk tot he little plants!"

@〄 Cha Woonggi Jimin smiled back softly. He could hear the sincerity in Woonggi’s voice and this time he believed it when the other spoke. Jimin nodded, mirroring Woonggi’s movements by scooting back a little bit to give the plant room to grow. He leaned against the boulder staring at the spot where he had watered. “Once they begin growing they shouldn’t die, they’ll just continue to blossom and grow more plentiful.” Jimin turned towards Woonggi smiling excitedly. “Would you like to talk to it?”

@❧ Park Jimin Woonggi kept the smile on his lips, it really was okay with him. Was it super freaking hot? Yes. But Woonggi isn't selfish. He's always happy to help. "Of course! I'm always willing to help someone out!" He said, smiling. "Mmm... Alright..." He moved back a little but stayed in the shade, looking back at Jimin. Watching the other hold some seeds before whispering to them. Wondering what he was saying. He watched the other plant them and put a few drops of water on it. He was curious to see the plant grow. "I've never been excited to watch plants before."

@〄 Cha Woonggi Jimin looks over at Woonggi, nodding his head as the other reassured him. “Alright, alright. If you say so. I’m very grateful that you came along to help me, I really owe my life to you.” Jimin smiled softly. “Don’t worry about me but I’ll try to be quick.” He watched as Woonggi dug a small hole in order for the seeds to go in. Jimin carefully took the seeds, cupping them in his hands. Before he dropped them in he lifted them up to his mouth, quietly whispering something to them. Jimin placed them in, gently covering back up the hole and placing a few drops of water on the spot. “Just give it a minute, it should sprout up fast.”