Chapter Twenty Nine. Agitated

Alicia finally got to where Wo Ryung was and she was just about to barge into the protective circle around him when she felt the air around her back being blown or pulled backwards before she felt something like two sharp knives sink brush her back leaving a long trail downwards and she shrieked in pain before she successfully penetrated the circle and bumped right into Wo Ryung whose eyes instantly shot opened in alarm before he stared at her without any hint of recognition in his eyes. But one thing was clear in them though,the alarm in them earlier was replaced by rage and Alicia gulped at his eyes that hadn't turned red but rather seemed to have something swirling in them without concentration and Alicia found herself wondering whether she had made a mistake in running to him and breaking his circle like that. Would she even survive this day?

On one side stood the restless wolf and here before her sat Wo Ryung,her new found gumiho friend who was now looking at her just like a total stranger and in his eyes swirled something that she couldn't even decipher making her bite her lip in anticipation of the worst. But the man in front of her surprised her completely when he attacked with his finger nails elongated to an inhuman length as he lowered his hand towards her chest catching her completely off guard when Alicia shirked and shouted his name.

"Noooo" she wailed but he didn't stop. "Wo Ryung..." that seemed to flicker something in his eyes but still didn't stop him from advancing on her chest. Was he planning on feasting on her poor heart? " Wo Ryung stop. It's me, Alicia" she tried her best to knock some sense back into his head and she finally got him. His hand froze mid strike and he looked at her before he slowly let his hand down to rest at his side with nails that were still long.

He closely watched her for a long time that Alicia had a hard time concluding whether he was alright now or not. And after he seemed he wouldn't even talk to her but still his gaze remained glued on her before his eyes now seemed to remember her and he called out a name but....

"Alexia" he called ever so softly that Alicia almost didn't hear him. "Alexia" he called once again his long nailed hand now reaching out to touch her cheek and Alicia didn't know why but she didn't flinch. Instead, she let him graze his hand on her cheek so softly even with his now disappearing animal long nails before he called "Alexia" once again but this time he sounded so excited and disbelieving too as he hugged so tight Alicia was afraid she might be crushed in the man's arms.

But why was he calling her Alexia? Could this Alexia have been his long lost ex-lover? A wife, maybe? Alicia felt a bit uneasy at the thought of him having a lover even if she was long lost not knowing why. She gently tried to push him away so she could make him look at her and explain to him that she wasn't Alexia but Alicia but the man held on to her like she was dear life until Alicia just let him crush her bones if that was how it would end. Her head was burried in his chest and she couldn't see what was behind him making her completely forget about the animal that had been persuing her earlier.

Wo Ryung finally released her from his killer grip and looked down at her with a smile Alicia had never seen on his face before. He was smiling so happily,a smile that reached his eyes completely making his eyes twinkle along with unimaginable happiness. Just who was this Alexia woman and how close were they? Alicia thought. But then he looked down at her and spotted her deeply spotted dress and he frowned.

"What happened to you?" he asked frowning leaving Alicia confused before she looked down at her dress and yelped. She even remembered the two sharp knives that had almost sank into her skin and she finally remembered the fox. Her eyes widened as she looked at him and stuttered.

"T- the fox. There...there was a fox" she explained but Wo Ryung just kept looking confused as he stared at her before he said.

"You are not Alexia" he said in almost a whisper sounding completely disappointed and broken that Alicia felt her heart start to beat louder and she felt suffocated all of a sudden. This Alexia woman was sure to be a thorn and a big long one at that!

"I am Alicia your friend and not 'Alexia' " she explained not knowing why she gritted her teeth without realizing the overly emphasis she put on the name Alexia and Wo Ryung now looked more than sorry making Alicia feel even more agitated. Just what was wrong with this man?

"Am sorry" he said and she almost lost it. He even wasn't smiling anymore! She shouldn't have wasted her time in worrying and coming over to see him! Alicia turned around not knowing why she suddenly felt agitated at the gumiho that she had assumed to be innocent of women all along now uttering a woman's name so sweetly that it made her mind become foggy with rage and she didn't want to embarrass herself in front of him so she decided to turn around and leave. It seemed she had actually not got enough bothersome news for one day yet and she walked past him but halted right behind him,not daring to take another step out of the circle. It seemed she had been so enraged she even forgot about the wolf that had almost claimed her life earlier. Meanwhile Wo Ryung turned around to watch her leave with confusion and halted as well before his eyes widened.. and when Alicia turned to look at him in alarm about the wolf outside the circle, she wondered if the man could even drive the animal away. Because if possible, the man looked more terrified than she was and she wondered if he really was the gumiho. She was sure the gumiho was a creature of masacre and not one of fear.

"What happened to you?" he asked with alarm and Alicia just stared at him feeling even more angry for her wasted breath as she had relentlessly ran to him only to witness him looking more terrified of the animal than she was and she glared at him but didn't answer. But he didn't wait for her answer either as she already looked like she wasn't willing to give it to him so he just put his hand around her waist and leaped into the air even as she gasped and widened her eyes,he didn't stop. She looked down where they just stood a few seconds ago just in time to see the invading wolf fall through the now fading circle at full force that even for an animal,he lost his balance and over bent forward before he fell on the ground head first making her gape at the sight.

When they reached the cave in seemingly no time at all,Wo Ryung made her sit down on a stone and went to stand behind her. She felt him gently push her back to a bending position while her body stiffened not only because of his touch but also the excruciating pain in her back and she winced. Only then did she realize the man actually might have been alarmed because of her wounded back and not a wolf in front of his circle that seemed impenetrable to the animal much as it tried to scratch it's way through it.

He then disappeared before he reappeared with water in something like a like a bowl made of clay and a piece of very white cloth than imaginable. Alicia nolonger wondered why she actually had thought she was dead and already in heaven the first time she woke up here in his wonderous cave.

"Don't move" he ordered gently and she obeyed. Much as she felt disgusted with his continuous mention of some Alexia woman earlier, she needed to tend to her wounded back first and she let him help her. She felt her breath hitch and her heart stop whenever his fingers brushed her now bare and exposed back to his touch meanwhile she winced whenever he connected to her wound even as he tried to do it with utmost care and gentleness.

"Close your eyes" he commanded later and she complied. She didn't feel anything. No pain, nothing at all until he spoke again. "You can open them now" he said she slowly opened her eyes but still, there was no pain in her back. Confused, she wiggled her shoulders and tried to bend to impossible positions that would affect her due to her previously killer back pain but there was none. She then looked back at him and realized what he just did.

"You are fine now" he stated simply and added nothing more. He still seemed to be not fully back to himself as he showed her no smile at all since he realized she wasn't the damned Alexia that he so much adored and instead of thanking him for his help, Alicia almost rolled her eyes but restrained herself. Still, she didn't thank him and she glared at him instead, making the man now look confused before the corner of his mouth lifted in a smirk. Was this even the same Wo Ryung that she was acquainted with?