Chapter Text
The world around was rapidly changing.
The Earth kept spinning and the sun and moon kept switching shifts, but with each passing day, hour and second, something was always shifting, and not always for the better. Yes, the nature would keep growing, bees would keep working, lions would keep hunting and deer would keep moving, but human-kind? They would keep searching.
Humans weren't always known to be so desperate for the title of the best of the best. It was a sort of habit that was born from years of new discoveries and unhealthy urges to know more. Call it curiosity or natural reactions to something new, but it's nothing normal when it becomes an unhealthy obsession to prove yourself as the rulers of the planet. When they weren't the best at night? They made electricity. When they weren't the fastest? They made cars and motorbikes and trains. When they weren't the best fliers? They made planes. When they weren't the best swimmers or divers? They made ships and submarines and scuba gear. When they weren't the best fighters? They made bombs and tanks and guns. It was something so normalised now that no one batted an eye when a new invention was created. Not even when it got to the point that they grew bored of conquering the Earth and moved to the moon and attempted other planets. But that was years ago, back when human-kind didn't fear nuclear explosions or the collapse of the smartest tools and had to shut almost half of everything down. The population dropped and some of the factories were closed due to health and safety, something they once called "dramatic" and "stupid".
Now?
Now humanity was rebuilding the once glorious civilisation it had all those years ago, or, at least trying to. Sure, some portions were able to escape on rockets and specially built space crafts to other planets with more resources and chances of survival, but they forgot about their home planet when the Earth started fighting back until just under half of them were gone. That's why the world fell. Who knew how civilisation was doing all the way up in whatever planet they had set foot on, if they even made it there at all.
Down back home, humanity was trying to beat the made-up progress the others were doing, because they didn't actually know if anything new was being made or not, but they remembered the plans. Before, animal habitats changed drastically as a way to fight back causing more danger in communities, and war was happening with almost every country against another. Now, those old foes remained and there was a desperate goal to be the first to make the best weapons and finish fights from years ago. That's when scientists thought of what is now known as Hybrids.
Initially they were a closed experiment, something no member of the normal human race was ever supposed to find out about. The Hybrids came in all sorts of deformed states, it started with a mix between humans and monkeys, the closest known relative to our DNA, but when they got greedy, they started using other animals, such as predators, with the goal being weapons. These predators included tigers, bears, wolves, and hyenas, and soon after it was about strength and tank power, so then came elephants, horses, and bison. Later, they thought about the upper class and fashion-ability, so then came the bunnies, cats, and birds. These were produced with the soul purpose of creating anything that can become a pet or accessory of any sort, and were meant to look royal and noble with the most perfect of features.
But as the curse of history repeats itself, with every new discovery comes a catastrophe.
When the labs and cells started overfilling with Hybrids and the sort (failed and ugly experiments if you will), the tests and chemical changes broke out from the safety of the compound into the outside world, spreading quickly and with no discrimination. Humans were birthing Hybrids like wildfire spread in dry bushes; society was fearing the disgusting creatures that came from their very stomachs. The higher powers knew with the horrified reaction they would have to share the news, and after some time, the only solution was to finally use the Hybrids for their intended purposes. Of course, not every Hybrid was alike or held the same features as they were initially designed to have. Some birds genetics were mixed with that of hawks or peacocks, some dogs were like poodles or shepherds, some hoofed animals were like ox or antelope. So, not all Hybrids fit their animal species, certain breeds amounted to certain categories, and each had their own process. With some of the rarer species and types, talents, tricks and genetic uniqueness their were hunters, trafficking, captures. This often resulted in villages hiding their Hybrids, but word always got out, no matter the community, and the poachers always came, taking away the Hybrid children and adults by force and often casualties.
And so time went on.
In a small, unnamed village along the river by a dense forest, a woman cried in agony as her body spread and a head crowned its way out. Her shouts echoed through the area around so much so that most of the children and teens had to be taken away momentarily to spare them from her pain. Inside the cottage, two doctors and a midwife eagerly crowded her with a few older mothers, supporting her with water and sponges, towels and herbs with any small medicines they could find. The village was distanced from the outside world, retreating back to medieval solutions and lifestyles. So with such an unusually difficult birth with an odd looking head, it was no wonder they all were using every technique they had.
At last, when a small, skinny body finally was birthed, the mother fell silent for two seconds, closing her eyes and her head falling back into her husbands hands as he cradled her close, kissing her sweaty forehead and running a thumb under her eye. The doctors took the baby, but each looked at it with odd curiosity. "Where's my baby?" The mother hoarsely whispered, her head weakly rising to see the midwife wrapping the baby in a shawl. "Where's my baby?" She turned to look up at her husband, hand reaching out for his. "What's wrong? I want my baby."
"Ma'am, ma'am, it's okay, it's okay." The midwife assured, slowly approaching whilst rocking the softly crying baby in her arms.
"My gosh..." One of the mothers muttered.
"What? What's wrong?" The father spoke now, standing up tall over his wife whilst rubbing her trembling hand.
"Is my baby okay? Tell me my baby's okay." She begged, tears prickling her eyes once more.
"Ma'am, it's a beautiful baby boy. One of a kind in this village." She slowly approached, still holding him close to her chest. "But there's just one more special thing about this boy."
"Oh... oh it's a boy?" She muttered softly with a hesitant smile as she tried to reach for her baby, her husband not holding the same reaction as her and more so focusing on the woman's last words.
"What's wrong with our boy?" The father inquired.
The midwife smiled, looking over her shoulder at the excited doctors behind. "There's nothing wrong with your boy, he's a miracle to this village. A way to the new world." And with those soft spoken words, she finally showed the new mother her little boy, who's hair was a dark black, and two small bumps resembling that of black rabbit ears poked from the top of his head, the insides being the softest pink ever. The mother looked sweetly down at her boy, eyes wide with amazement but filled with all the love a mother could ever hold. His father looked at him barely different, staring with pride down at both his new son and his beautiful wife, seeing him instantly soothe in her arms. He moved to sit behind her, chest against her back, an arm circled around her body so his hand could help cradle the baby, who's nose was in a slight 'v' shape and twitched at times.
"What will you call him?" One of the mother's asked.
The mother shared a glance with her husband, a knowing look in both their eyes. She looked back to her boy, kissing his little nose as she spoke in just over a whisper, "Seonghwa. Park Seonghwa."
A year after the bunny hybrid Seonghwa was born as the first hybrid of the village, came a second, another rare miracle for the small population. This time, it was a small dog, one who was called Kang Yeosang, a pale little thing with a round face, dark brown hair with the same coloured round ears, one which stood upright and the other floppy only at the top, and a straight haired tail that seemingly wagged with everywhere his eyes fell. His parents were thrilled to have such a beautiful boy with an even more beautiful birthmark on his eye, almost similar to a marking you'd find on an actual dog. Not long after him came the last one the village would be lucky to have, a black and white haired fox hybrid, one called Jung Wooyoung, with beautiful skin and dark silver eyes that had barely noticeable slits as pupils, two ears that poked up on the top of his head and a fluffy, large tail. He had a small beauty mark under his eye and similar features to his mother. Seonghwa grew greatly attached at 1 years old to the only other two hybrids, always wanting to watch them or ask about them or even cuddle with them. The babies weren't much different, and almost like instinct, they grew quick fondness to the boy too.
A year and a few months after Wooyoung's birth, news spread of poachers hunting for rare breeds. No one knew the outcome and what classification Yeosang and Wooyoung would be, but judging by Seonghwa's growing elegance and grace, he was already set for being for the upper-class to be a pet, and some believed through the way the other two acted, they'd possibly be the same, but they couldn't be certain and they only guessed those would be the best options in the long run. They were just happy to know none of their girls turned out to be Hybrids, otherwise they'd probably be sent to the farming facilities, and they could only pray their boys would be lucky enough to never even set eyes on those places. But of course, it was only a matter of time.
So as meetings and plans took place, a decision was made for the Hybrids and their parents to trek out into the deepest part of the forest and find the safest place to live. The three pairs of parents took everything they could carry and went far into the forest until they could barely see the sky. There, they made small cabins from wood and cloth, found places they could get more materials, started small farms and made a comfortable life for themselves to raise their children peacefully together. At times they would return to the village and be gifted supplies they couldn't quite gather for themselves, but those were kept to a minimum every month and only for essentials. The boys would join but were under no circumstances allowed to leave their sides when they passed the bounds of the forest. But no matter what, no matter the rules or the dangers of the outside world, their home in the forest was the safest and happiest place the kids could all agree to live.
"Wooyoung stop biting Yeosang!" Wooyoung's mother scolded, hitting her five year old son lightly over the top of his head, to which his ears fell black against his head and a protesting whimper escaped his throat.
"Eomma! He doesn't mind!" He pouted as he slumped on the grass and his tail flopped, Yeosang following after him but in a happier mood.
"Thank you, Mrs Jung, but it didn't hurt." Yeosang's small voice piped up, bowing slightly to the woman.
Wooyoung's mother tutted softly as she angled her head to the side, her hand reaching out again but landing between Yeosang's ears on the top of his head and ruffling his hair softly, "You sweet thing, you're so tolerant. I hope you learn to stand up for yourself soon honey." The little boy simply gave her his widest smile with his tail flapping behind him in the leaves.
"Wooyoung! Yeosang!" Was called from a small distance, the soft patter of running feet growing closer and the two dog variants quickly looked in the direction of a mixed haired boy running over. Seonghwa's hair flew back as he ran, but his ears stood tall nonetheless, not in their usual state on the sides of his head, this was quite clearly showing his joy as he returned with his and Yeosang's parents from their monthly trip to the village, the four adults holding bags of supplies.
"Hyung!" Wooyoung shouted, wobbly standing to his feet, Yeosang quickly joining and slotting himself under Wooyoung's arm to support him as they both rushed to the older boy, the make-shift cast on Wooyoung's leg making it difficult to walk as he usually did. It came from an accident from when the three boys went to play and Wooyoung challenged Yeosang to who could climb a tree the fastest, only for him to fall right as he reached the top. Of course, the older boy rushed down to where Seonghwa was waiting and never did win against the younger boy, and Wooyoung was sure to annoy him about that all the time, but he didn't mind much. That was why the younger two stayed behind and Seonghwa was the only one to join the parents, Wooyoung's parents staying behind to take care of them.
"How was the village? What did you get?" Yeosang asked softly, hopping from foot to foot and his tail wagging excessively behind him, sending lots of cool air against Wooyoung's back which was rather soothing.
The boy interviewed had grown rather nicely, his features still pretty and classy, his noise still a small 'v', but the biggest change was his hair and ears, white had a few white patches that grew out over time. The wiser people in the village believed it was like a change in coat, as animals tended to have from when tbey were young, and there may not be any specific reasoning for it, perhaps it was just going to be his natural colour.
Seonghwa held up a small, red bag presenting it with pride. "I got berries and fruits! We will share!" Wooyoung's eyes lit up and his mouth watered at the mention of berries, something the fox DNA had given him a huge liking to.
"Not only that," Yeosang's mother gave a sneaky look as she approached the boys carrying a wooden crate, "but he also caught the eye of one of the boys in the village!" She sung out happily, her son quickly running to her hip and wrapping one arm around her leg and cuddling behind it, his ears falling back and tail wagging quick.
Seonghwa's father stepped forward next with an evident frown on his face. "Enough about that I said. My little boy won't be interested in any of them, besides, it's not safe yet." Seonghwa looked to his father and quickly nodded.
"Yes Appa! I don't really want their attention, but they are nice friends!"
Seonghwa's mother patted his head softly with a fond smile. "No of course not, our boy is too wise for someone like them!"
"Ehhh, relationships are overrated!" Wooyoung scrunched his face into a scowl, but his nose slowly twitched as he got closer to the small bag of berries. "Food and friends are much much better!" Seonghwa giggled and nodded quickly, Yeosang letting out a meek hum in agreement. All the parents watched sweetly as their kids grouped again and sat in a small circle, opening the red bag and equally splitting the berries and fruit. Wooyoung got a little upset one of his strawberries were smaller than the others, and Yeosang admitted his were too bitter, so he quietly gave the rest of his strawberries to Wooyoung and refused to take any from Seonghwa to make up for his missing fruit. They always shared like this. Sometimes Wooyoung would want more berries and Yeosang would give his up. Sometimes Yeosang wanted more chicken and Seonghwa would give most of his to him. Sometimes Seonghwa wanted more vegetables and Wooyoung would always–always give his to him. They shared evenly like that and it was a happy exchange on everyone's part.
They didn't look as their parents went to carry everything back with happy chatter. Wooyoung's father emerged from the mini chicken coupe with one in hand and a basket of eggs, waving to Seonghwa – who waved right back – and then headed inside his hut.
Their lives stayed happy like that for years, and those years were the happiest the families would possibly ever have together.