Chilled air rattled the shutters of Baekhyun’s tower window as dark clouds began rolling across the sky, blocking out the sun. Autumn was nearing its end and soon winter would be upon them. Trees were nearly all bare now and birds had flown away to somewhere warmer. While the weather was still manageable, Kyungsoo lay outside of the castle, shrunk down to the size of a tiger, in order to take a nap. When the clouds cast their shadow over the land, he opened one eye and gazed up, letting out a dissatisfied huff followed by a small flicker of flame from his mouth before resting back down again. 

The wind became more fierce as the early morning progressed until it finally forced Baekhyun’s window open. The wooden shutters slammed against the walls which frightened Baekhyun awake.

“Aaahhh!” he screamed in fright, bolting up from his bed as he clutched his ring in his hand, having made it into a necklace as soon as he could find some strong string. 

His chest was heaving as he ran his thumb over the cold metal and looked around. When he saw the shutters open and lightly quivering against the wall as more wind passed through, he relaxed a little. A small growl was heard from under the covers as they wiggled around. Not only had Baekhyun been startled awake, but he had launched Molzey off his chest where she had been contently sleeping.

“Sorry, Molzey. It was an accident,” he quickly apologized while lifting the cover off her and picking her up.

As if to say that his apology was accepted, she nuzzled against his chest and let out a deep breath while slowly closing her eyes. 

While still holding her, Baekhyun made his way over to the window and could not stop himself from shivering. The weather was indeed getting colder day by day. There was still some warm weather that would roll through around midday, but the mornings and evenings were terrible. Although he had been sent warmer clothes, food to fit the cooler seasons, and had Kyungsoo to light the fireplaces, he could not help but still feel cold. 

Although it had been a while now, Baekhyun was still getting used to there being no moat or drawbridge separating him from the rest of the surrounding area. Kyungsoo had burnt the drawbridge while stopping an intruder and sent it plummeting down into the moat along with the charred body. The guards who would bring him supplies had come only to find no way of getting him what he needed and had turned back and reported it. The royal wizards had come in the middle of the night one of the following nights and sealed the moat, making the ground connect flawlessly. The drawbridge had been a convenience when Baekhyun’s family had claimed the castle, but with Kyungsoo there now, there was no real need for the bridge. There was an exuberant amount of trust in Kyungsoo to keep Baekhyun from escaping that it did not matter if there was a drawbridge or not to keep him in. 

“Even if I wanted to run...it’s pointless…” Baekhyun muttered to himself as he watched the slowly dying grass blow in the chilly wind.  

Slowly he reached for one of the shutters and pulled it closed, listening to the familiar creaking sound he had grown accustomed to. He then drew the other closed and used the faulty latch to lock them in place once again. It appeared that no matter how many times he asked Kyungsoo to tell the guards who came that doors and windows needed repair, that it would not happen. Countless times he had heard Kyungsoo drawl on about how he kept nagging him about getting them fixed, and countless times he had heard the guards say they would eventually get around to it when they had time to spare. Now, if he heard the creaking wheels of their cart coming, he held no expectation that anything would get done about his complaints. At this point the castle could be on fire when they arrived and they would just wave it off as a non-important issue.

“It’s only going to get colder,” Baekhyun told Molzey who opened her eyes and happily jumped from his arms so she could stretch on the floor. “We should be happy the snow has stayed away for this long...we are fortunate this year.”

The small fox tilted her head to the side while letting out a small sound before padding back over to Baekhyun and laying by his feet. 

A small smile crossed his face as he bent down, gave Molzey a small pat on the head, then picked her up and carried her over to the table to set her down again. He tucked his ring into his shirt as he then headed over to his wardrobe and pulled out another long sleeved shirt, this one with a warmer lining to it. After pulling that on, he selected a winter cloak and shrugged it on as well. Only after he changed into thicker pants and warmer socks, followed by some boots, did he open his bedroom door. 

“Come on, Molzey. Let’s go!” Baekhyun called in a more cheerful voice.

It took a split second for Molzey to perk up and follow after him. For a while when he had first arrived at his new home, he had stayed cooped up in his room, refusing to eat or talk to Kyungsoo at all. Once his hunger won out, and he could no longer hold up in his room, he started wandering out for meals, but kept Molzey in his room, since he was unsure if Kyungsoo would try eating her. It was only after Kyungsoo had sworn not to make a meal out of her that Baekhyun had allowed for her to wander around with him. As soon as she had earned her freedom to roam around with him, she was now always eager to get out of the room. 

Before getting breakfast, Baekhyun went to the front of the castle and pushed the front doors open so he could walk out a couple of steps. 

Upon hearing the doors open, Kyungsoo turned his head and looked at him with Molzey at his feet. Baekhyun and Kyungsoo held eye contact for a couple of seconds before Kyungsoo finally blinked his eyes.

“Not thinking of trying to run away again...are we?” Kyungsoo asked in an unentertained voice. 

“I haven’t tried that in how long now?” Baekhyun questioned. “Why would I bother trying now when I know there’s no point?”

“Well, considering for the first two months you made a huge effort to run...and it’s only been around two months that you haven’t tried...I’d say it’s a fifty-fifty shot,” Kyungsoo explained as he turned his body to face Baekhyun more.

Baekhyun stood there and rolled his eyes in annoyance. Kyungsoo never let him live down all of his failed escape plans, no matter how long he went without a single urge to try again. Escaping this castle was going to be nearly impossible unless he was able to get some sort of help. Besides, who would help him? The guards who came to deliver his supplies? That was laughable. 

Right as he was thinking about the guards, he saw Kyungsoo sit up, grow a bit bigger, and let out an audible screech which this time was thankfully not ear-splitting. 

“The guards are almost here with their scheduled delivery,” Kyungsoo explained while stretching his head and neck, shaking them slightly as he snapped his jaw a couple of times. “You can deal with them this time around, I nearly bit the head off one of them the last time. Damn, ignorant fools.”

Baekhyun was about to say something as Kyungsoo turned away and headed towards the front doors, but the whiney of horses could be heard in the distance. Catching his attention, he turned his head towards the sound and watched as the cart drew into his line of vision. As the wind whipped his cloak around him, Baekhyun hugged it closer to his body, and moved towards the side of the castle where the kitchen door which was where the drop-off of goods always happened. 

“Oh look! It’s him this time!” the first guard shouted when they were close enough to be heard. “Looks like Kyungsoo’s allowed him back out again!”

“Aahhh he must believe he won’t try running again,” the second commented. “And that little fox is still around too. That would make a nice, plush, warm scarf for winter.”

A cringe crossed Baekhyun's face when he heard the men's words and hastily opened the kitchen door, ushering Molzey in so she could scurry away and be safe. Just as he was closing the door the wagon came to a halt nearby. The two guards jumped off, secured their horses to a post, and walked over to Baekhyun. 

“Looks like you’re eating again, boy. The last time we saw you, you looked like a sack of bones,” the first guard stated with a chuckle. “You have such a small frame already, one might mistake you for a girl!”

“I’m not a girl,” Baekhyun stated firmly. 

The two guards looked at each other before bursting out into laughter and shaking their heads. Dirt crunched under their boots as they walked towards the back of their wagon and started grabbing the material they had been given to deliver. While they grabbed the first bundle, Baekhyun moved to the kitchen door and opened it, quickly making sure Molzey was nowhere in sight before propping it open. 

As the guards made their tips to and from the wagon, Baekhyun kept his eyes on them, making sure they did not take anything back with hi