Chapter Text
“Stay awake! Just stay awake please!” Jungkook begs. Taehyung groans in pain, the blood pours from his head. The rock had hit him out of nowhere, Taehyung stumbled to the floor instantly, stunned by the impact. “It's ok, y-you’re ok!”
He clutched at his head, Jungkook didn’t even have time to look around and question where the rock came from. “W-what happened?” Taehyung slurred, his eyes rolling up into his head. Jungkook held him on the floor, trying to stop the bleeding as best possible, blood trickled onto Taehyungs scarf.
It didn’t help they were already lost, no signal and no map. Jungkook was really panicking, his ankle really fucking hurt and Taehyung couldn’t even lift his head right now, let alone travel back to the B&B.
“Please Tae, I-“ Jungkook then feels the back of his own head heat up in pain. He falls forward on Taehyung and gets the slightest glance of who hurt him, a man with an animal skull on his face. “Wha…” Jungkooks head tips back. Black.
48 HOURS EARLIER
Taehyung is Jungkooks best friend, annoying as fuck sometimes but he had a good head on his shoulders. “He almost sent me into heat I swear!” Taehyung laughs and Jungkook shakes his head. Taehyung is a great storyteller, laughing all the way through it, barely getting out a word.
“No like deadass, I felt a higher biological power come over me” Taehyung talks like his hookup was really /that/ serious. Promising that this time he had found his mate, he felt it, but he says that about everyone.
They’re supposed to be doing work, preparing for their trip up the mountains with the school but Taehyung hasn't written anything yet. “Are we doing work or are you just gonna talk about Wooshik some more?” Jungkook smiles.
Taehyung finally picks up his pen, clearing his throat and looking at his notes from yesterday on his laptop.
“Heats: A period during the production cycle when omegas become sexually receptive, signalling they are fertile and ready for mating. Going extinct around 1200BC, heats only happen nowadays in around 0.5% of omegas who are in touch with their natural instincts”
Taehyung smiles, proud of himself like he’s just proved Jungkook wrong about not doing any work. “That's great Tae… except you were supposed to do your essay on ruts!” Jungkook bursts out laughing, and Taehyungs face drops, typing on his computer probably to check his assignment.
“No! Mr Suh told me heats!” He checked his school emails, indeed finding his assignment was in fact on ruts. “Well, shit- I'll deal with it after the trip- Actually I can write on the coach! We're going to learn anyway right?”
Jungkook nods, looking back down at his own writing. ‘The ‘Red mountains’ as they are called are host to many different species that only exists in the mountains. It is also said that the last remaining pack on earth lived in the red mountain. The pack was last contacted in 1952 and has never been seen since, people theorise they died not long after.
The red mountains were so interesting, it was a beautiful stretch of area almost completely untouched by humanity. Filled with animals, culture and so much history, “I wonder if those pack people are still there, I wouldn’t mind taking someone in rut” Taehyung winks, and Jungkook fake gags at him.
People nowadays weren’t in touch with their biology, they didn’t have natural instincts to hunt or go into heat or ruts. It was better that way, nothing got interrupted by stupid hormones and feelings, of course, you still knew if you were an alpha or omega but it didn’t matter.
Jungkook doesn’t even want to imagine what a heat is like, there's no real information on what it's like. It's so incredibly rare because nobody is in touch with their inner wolves, Jungkook is glad. Taehyung always jokes about wanting to go all natural but he knows he’s only joking.
The school had funded a trip over to the red mountains for an educational trip and Jungkook was so excited. He couldn’t wait to hitchhike and take photos of everything, he brought a new camera lens just for the trip.
Jungkook had already packed he was so excited, Taehyung was more of the last-minute packing person but Jungkook didn’t mind helping him. Everything was planned, they would meet with the school group tomorrow at 5 am, take a coach and spend the first day exploring the town.
Then the real fun began the next day, they could split into duos and go hiking, it was a popular area for it. That night Jungkook could barely sleep he was so excited, he did get a couple of hours sleep but his alarm woke him up at 4 am.
As expected they leave a bit late because Taehyung packs last minute. Luckily they get there just in time, sitting on the coach running on pure adrenaline from running from their dorm. “I told you we’d make it” Taehyung catches his breath.
Jungkook rolls his eyes, shaking his head with a smile, he gives Taehyung the other earphone. They listen to a podcast on surviving in the woods, lighting fires, building huts and catching fish.
Jungkook scrolls his phone reading about the red mountains a bit more. ‘Since the late 50s, there have been several disappearances in the area of the red mountain village, only home to just under 600 people. It is rumoured they died in the thick forest but their bodies have never been discovered’
Well that was over 70 years ago so it shouldn’t be a problem nowadays… right? Jungkook shakes it off, going back to reading about all the different animals that live there. He’s always been a nature person, loved exploring and discovering since he was a child.
Taehyung just loved to get up to mischief so he liked hanging out with Jungkook. It was a couple of hours' journey so Jungkook allowed himself to be lulled by the gentle rocks of the coach. It took him only an hour to fall to sleep, head on Taehyungs shoulder.