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Hissing as he attempted to put weight on his ankle again, Jihoon lowered himself back to the ground slowly, gingerly. Leaning back against the nearest tree trunk, he let his head fall back, eyes closing as the reality of his circumstances descended.
His phone was dying with no signal, it was growing dark, he twisted his ankle, and to top it off, he had clearly slid down some sort of small ravine off of the trodden path. On top of all that against him, he hadn’t thought to even text anyone where he was or why he’d went for a nature walk to begin with.
Soonyoung would give him absolute hell for the whole ordeal, remind him this is why he needed to update the group chat more, and Seungkwan would mother hen for a while, but inevitably go on a needlessly exhausting lecture about the dangers of unplanned outdoor excursions before crying in gratitude that he was safe. Chanyeol would likely just ask if he could still play, before telling some sort of sleazy joke about trees and wood.
Right now, he’d take all of that over the despair creeping in, along with the chill of evening. He was torn between trying to hobble somewhere in search of signal and using the phone for light as it grew darker.
Surely in the morning someone would take the trails again and he could try calling for help then? He had a bottle of water and another granola bar to hold him over for that long, at least.
If he’d come out here looking to clear his head, to find some inspiration, he was certainly getting that. His imagination was crawling with ideas; of the way the shadows had teeth and how every branch snapping meant something large and hungry was lurking in the brush.
“Get a hold of yourself.” Jihoon’s voice was steadier than the rabbiting of his heart, a shame listening to it didn’t help him at all.
The last dredges of sunlight were sinking into the horizon and Jihoon called out a few times more, only to hear the cicada chorus in response. With the sun, his hopes of a rescue disappeared. His ankle throbbed and he was pretty sure he had a couple nasty scratches along his arm, and he was growing colder by the moment.
So Jihoon took solace in what brought him joy in the darkest of struggles, the one candle he could light without matches; he sang.
It was on his third song that he heard movement, causing him to stop midway through the bridge to listen more carefully. There had been a fairly constant amount of ambient forest noises throughout his visit, but these seemed to have a direction and cause far larger than a squirrel or breeze.
Panic threading up his ribcage, Jihoon checked his phone one last time, the red battery meter glaring back at him, before he turned on the flashlight, pointing it out into the trees across from his little clearing. “Hello?”
The light caught fur and he gasped, pushing himself back further against the tree and nearly dropping his phone as the bark bit at him through his shirt. His eyes could be playing tricks on him in the dark, but his body responded to the possible threat all the same.
Not sure if he wanted to go silent in hopes the creature would ignore him or call out to frighten it, he raised his phone again, trying to steady his hand.
This time he saw fur, but also a pair of eyes, glowing as they caught the light.
This time he did drop his phone, letting out a panicked, breathy swear as he scooted back further past the tree trunk, pushing himself as far up the incline as he was able to through the pain in his ankle. Eventually it was too much and he cried out, sliding back down into the leaves and roots.
Eyes adjusting to the light above them, the full moon like a beacon, but less focused than his phone, Jihoon took in the animal that had disturbed him.
The wolf was far larger than he would have expected. He’d not been to the zoo since he was younger and even then, time has a funny way of distorting the world; he previously would have said that wolves were the size of a large dog. The beast approaching him was far larger than that, fur sleek and dusky, likely gray although in the light he couldn’t tell for sure.
Terror racked him as he was helpless, as he searched the bushes and even desperately looking back up from where he’d fallen. He didn’t dare stare for long or even cry out, for fear of making the animal upset.
Managing to clamber to his feet, biting his lip to stifle a cry, he pressed himself further back against the tree with his heart a knot in his throat.
Maybe it was the helplessness of the situation, the way the moon cast down on them both, but Jihoon searched the animal’s eyes. What he was looking for, he didn’t know; perhaps it was some desperate attempt to find humanity.
They were incredibly gold, catching any light and keeping it, but more than their beauty, something resonated within them. It felt oddly comforting, like a hand holding his own.
The realization sank in as the creature stopped short when he stood, stepping back with its tail lowered, almost skittish. It let out a soft whine, ears moving back. Jihoon wasn’t an expert in animal behavior, but it certainly seemed like the animal wasn’t out to hurt or attack him.
“I’m not afraid of you,” Jihoon said the words aloud, almost out of shock. He was face to face with a wolf, a creature easily able to overpower and kill him, yet he wasn’t scared any longer.
As soon as he spoke, the creature seemed to ease. Ears perking and tail wagging the slightest bit, it took a tentative step forward. In response, he finally let himself sink back to the base of the tree. The pressure off of his ankle was enough for him to exhale shakily, his body still trembling with adrenaline.
He jumped as he felt the wolf sniff at his ankle, only for it to whine a moment later and nudge it briefly with its nose. Jihoon hissed and the animal’s ears fell back again, as if guilty for the action.
Letting the madness of the situation take over, Jihoon spoke as if the animal understood. “I’m kind of an idiot. Fell down and it’s so late, my phone has no signal...I didn’t tell anyone where I was headed today and even then I’m kind of a hermit. Might take Soonyoung at least a day without a text to really expect to hear from me…”
Tilting its head, the wolf appeared as if it was listening, letting out another whine as he finished. Jihoon expected the creature might run off then, but it moved closer still.
Reflexively tensing, Jihoon felt the animal brush his side, curling closer and closer still until it moved with a huff to rest its head in his lap.
Maybe he’d hit his head in the tumble; that made a lot more sense than an actual, able to eat him without much effort wolf resting its head in his lap like a sleepy puppy. Jihoon would have pinched himself if he hadn’t been too scared to move.
But the wolf’s head nudged his hand as it squirmed to get comfortable and instinctively Jihoon pet near its ear.
He could feel the animal relax, almost sigh, as it pushed into the touch like one of Hansol’s cats. Laughing a little to himself with the absurdity of the moment, he began to pet the animal in earnest. “I clearly have a concussion. Or I have a really shitty idea of what a wolf looks like and you’re some sort of big dog.”
The wolf’s tail was certainly flopping on the ground as it wagged like a dog’s would, its mouth parted and eyes closed. Clearly it was enjoying the affection and Jihoon had to admit it was calming. He was reminded of one of the times Hansol had mentioned petting animals was good for blood pressure or something like that.
There was also the benefit of both warmth and protection alike. If Jihoon couldn’t tell if this was a wolf or dog, pretty much any other threat the forest had towards him wouldn’t be able to either. While he couldn’t say he was entirely relieved, his ankle was still throbbing and he was far from comfortable, it was far better than he’d felt earlier.
Crashing down from the adrenaline rush, the comfort of his fingers in surprisingly soft fur; sleep somehow claimed him.
-
Sun in his face and his back stiff, Jihoon groaned as he began to stir. Attempting to stretch his legs is when the pain jolted upwards, when the inklings of the night before trickled into his consciousness.
Blearily opening his eyes, he looked down to see if the sleeping animal in his lap was truly the large dog it had to have been, only to see his fingers tangled not in fur, but in thick, dark hair.
It was a man, strong in cheekbones and jaw, and very much naked, curled around his legs.
Jihoon wasn’t sure what noise left him, how red he had to be, but somehow this disturbed the stranger in his lap enough for him to stir, to groan as he had a few moments earlier.
Sitting up, his hair akin to a bird’s nest, the man looked around in confusion, before seemingly coming to the same realization Jihoon had, turning in a snap of shock towards him.
“Uh, good morning?” Jihoon tried for humor with his greeting, but he didn’t know how well it would land.
The (incredibly handsome, Jihoon hated how he couldn’t stop noticing this) man looked so small, curling in on himself despite his broad shoulders. Jihoon thought back to the dog (wolf?) from the night before and had a sinking, impossible feeling that this man was the creature. The way he responded now was so similar to the fear that the animal had held when first approaching him; he could almost see his tail curl under his belly.
“Please, I...don’t hurt me.” The man’s voice was softer than he expected. Jihoon’s confusion and panic softened almost instantly; of all the things to worry about, this man certainly didn’t need to concern himself with that.
Jihoon put on a tentative smile. “Even if I had wanted to, which I don’t, I’m still kind of incapacitated and all.”
“Oh! That’s right, your ankle!” The man was distracted in an instant, looking down at his injury to inspect it. “It’s a pretty nasty sprain, but nothing a little rest shouldn’t heal up. I didn’t smell blood or anything.”
That answered a few questions, although there were so many in his head Jihoon didn’t really know where to start. “Smell?”
Looking sheepish again, the man waffled around the question. “Uh, I...you’re not really going to believe me, probably. Or be scared…”
“I think if you were going to hurt the defenseless guy with no phone signal, you would have done it yesterday when you had the teeth for it.” Jihoon guessed, trying to keep focus on the conversation rather than the madness of the reality it existed in.
The stranger chuckled, hand sliding into his hair (Jihoon remembered how soft it was) and met his gaze again. “There’s...a lot of stereotypes about werewolves that are so very untrue.”
“Like the fact they don’t exist?” Jihoon postured further.
Nodding, the man rubbed his arms; it was still a chilly morning. “And that we’re mindless monsters.”
While he was still a little chilly, Jihoon wasn’t the naked one in the conversation, so he took off his thin jacket, handing it over to the man. “It isn’t much, but…”
“Thank you.” It wasn’t going to fit him in any way, but it did allow him to cover his thighs slightly, which was something. “I’m...I heard you singing and then I was worried about you all alone all night in the cold…”
“So you did what you could.” Jihoon finished, looking to his phone briefly. It was now entirely dead.
The man nodded again. “I thought I’d wake up before you did and run off when I turned back into my human form, getting redressed before coming back to “find” you again.”
“But I’m a pretty finicky sleeper.” Soonyoung gave him such shit for how poorly he slept, despite probably being one of the sleepiest people he knew.
“And your lap was so comfortable.” Now it was the stranger’s turn to be red. Jihoon felt his chest clench with fondness.
His smile was soft, eyes crescenting. “I’m Jihoon. And I’d still like that help, if you’re willing to offer it. Like I said last night, I’m not afraid. I promise.”
“Mingyu,” His smile was absolutely stunning and he looked eager, determined as soon as the task was presented to him. “Of course, I work in physical therapy. I’d never abandon someone injured...even if…”
“Your secret’s safe with me.” Jihoon had no intentions of turning Mingu into the authorities or the men in black, far from it. “Besides, you have one on me too.”
Tilting his head, the gesture so canine it made Jihoon chuckled, Mingyu looked confused. “What do you mean?”
“That I’m the sort of idiot that goes unprepared into the woods without telling anyone, a dying phone,” He began, proud that his cheeks only were a little hot as he continued, “and that the first time I’m willing to give someone my number, he happens to be a werewolf.”
If Mingyu’s smile had been lovely before, it was gorgeous as it bloomed out fully. Looking so very pleased, he stood, tying Jihoon’s jacket around his waist. “I’ll...oh, it’s mutual, well not the werewolf thing, but the number thing, I...let me go get dressed and my phone and I’ll help you back to my car and…”
“We’ll take it step by step from there.” Jihoon’s smile was shy, but it wasn’t leaving his face anytime soon as Mingyu made sure he was comfortable, sprinting off half naked up the incline towards the parking lot, much to his amusement.
He’d found a little more than inspiration in the woods, a lot more in fact.