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“Let's see if you will still defend these monsters after your ‘best friend’ shows its true nature!”
And with one last mocking chuckle, the basement door was shut close and Min-Gi blinked rapidly for his eyesight to adapt to the sudden darkness.
A small window close to the ceiling let light from outside in the dark room.
‘Artificial light, most likely.’ Min-Gi mused.
The kidnapping had happened at night and had been a fast affair.
It was a kidnapping, nothing else could describe grabbing two people who were leaving a small theater, pushing them into a van and tieing them up, drugging one of them too so he couldn't fight back.
Speaking of, a groan came from the other side of the room.
Min-Gi whipped his head toward it, knowing it was his best friend who was making that noise.
Ryan was a werewolf. Plain and simple. Lycanthropy was a well known condition, known as far as at least Antiquity but recent studies have shown traces of it back to Prehistoric Times.
The condition happened and still happens all around the globe. Lycanthropy, or Werewolf Syndrome, is a condition that happens mostly through inheritance from parent to children and in very rare cases via blood transmission. People with this condition are often referred to as ‘Lycans’.
Ryan got the condition from his mother's side, and experienced the most of the symptoms among his siblings and mother.
His first shift had happened when they were both 3 years old, Min-Gi didn't remember much of that day besides hearing his parents comfort a crying Mrs.Akagi.
It hadn't been a full moon shift, Ryan had been upset at one of his older sisters and the emotions had led to a total shift, and wolf pup bites.
The handcuffs clicked as he moved, trying to turn his body toward the other man who had started to writhe around on the dirty dusty floor.
The sound of the handcuffs alerted Ryan he wasn't alone, one of his eyes opened and pinned Min-Gi with an intense stare. The werewolf had stopped squirming but was still panting harshly, mouth wide open, his forehead against the ground and holding most of the weight of his curled inward body.
A full moon shift was usually the first shift to happen to people with Werewolf Syndrome, and happened around 4 to 5 years old. Partial shifts could happen before and were small ones, mostly claws and fangs but those were easily controlled with a nail clipper and teething toys made for Lycan babies.
Ryan was a very unique case, and Min-Gi grew up seeing how his condition affected him and his life.
Min-Gi had been told many times it would be better to stop being friends with Ryan, but every time he had stayed by his best friend's side.
He couldn't say there haven't been moments where he had thought of distancing himself from Ryan, but he would quickly forget about it when the other would rush from bushes with sticks, leaves and dirt all over his skin, hair and fur, eyes sparkling and tail wagging as he proudly showed the still alive frog he had successfully ‘hunted’.
They had their disagreements growing up, like any friends had, but time showed Min-Gi had been right to ignore people telling him to leave Ryan.
Yes, Ryan's unique case and intense symptoms made him have incredible levels of energy at all times of the day, and night.
The closer to the full moon, the more jittery and excited Ryan would get. He would eat even more than usual, he would have issues going to bed and falling asleep, his emotions would get heightened making him even more friendly than usual but also more prone to roughhouse to downright fight others.
He was also prompt to partially shift very easily even outside of the full moon periods, the wolf ears and tail was the cutest shift but sometimes it was his teeth becoming sharper, his nails longer or even his face elongating to a more noticeable snoot-like shape.
People didn't like these ones as much as the fluffy ears and tail…
Min-Gi's eyes had fully adjusted to the darkness of the basement but could only see the left half of Ryan's face from that angle, but it was enough to show the young man that his best friend's mind was already more wolf than man.
While very little physical attributes had changed, the one eye that was visible shone back like a mirror the light the window let in the small space, the pupil so big it was obvious it was staring directly at Min-Gi, observing and calculating any movements the young man did.
Ryan's mouth was wide open enough that fangs also reflected light, ivory weapons covered in rapidly drying saliva as the panting continued, little dust clouds rising with each labored breath.
As they got older, Min-Gi did research around the condition to understand his friend's day to day life better, this research also made him able to explain to others what Lycanthropy really was and how it worked, and hopefully have people understand it better.
Min-Gi had joined and helped associations and support groups, and participated in marches and protests.
Ryan had one day cornered Min-Gi about it, he had told Min-Gi that he didn't have to do all that, that Ryan would still be his best friend even if he didn't go to the groups or protests.
Min-Gi had been confused for an awkwardly long moment before laughing way louder than he had meant to, when he had managed to get his laughter under control he had explained that he did all that because it was a good cause to fight for, it just happened that his best friend was a werewolf and said best friend was also the reason he had started looking into Werewolf Syndrome at such a young age.
Ryan had been embarrassed enough to have fangs showing as he argued that it had been a fair assumption to have but he was glad that he wasn't too much trouble to the point Min-Gi felt he had to fight for the Lycanthropy cause.
It had ended with a big tight hug and head scratches Ryan always melted into, in any forms, and murmured reassurances that Ryan wasn't trouble.
How could he be? Yes, sometimes Ryan's condition had him overly excited and playful when Min-Gi had a headache, or made Ryan's snarl and snap his fangs in warning when touched during a full moon shift.
This was one of the symptoms that was more intense for Ryan than for other Lycans. Full moon shift pains.
Without any warning a pained growl escaped Ryan and had him close his eyes once more.
Still Min-Gi was in the same room as a predator in pain, analyzing his current situation and deciding if the other was a threat even with his eyes closed. Min-Gi was way too aware of how Ryan's hearing was better than non-Lycans on any day, and would only get sharper when shifted.
It's not like he could move elegantly or silently with his wrists tied while side sitting, so instead he relaxed his entire body as much as possible. He wanted to keep an eye on Ryan so he didn't close his eyes, instead he lowered his eyelids in a way that could be described as ‘sleepy’.
Ryan opened his left eye once more at Min-Gi shuffling. What seemed like a light of recollection appeared in Ryan's eye but it was extinguished as another wave of spasms took over his body.
Full moon shifts were categorized under ‘Forced Shifts’. There were three categories of shifts: Intentional Shifts, Unintentional Shifts and Forced Shifts.
Intentional meant the shift was wanted and done on purpose by the werewolf. Unintentional meant it was caused as an emotional response. These two had the sub-categories of Partial Shifts and Total Shifts.
Partial meant some parts of the body changed to be more wolf-like, with varied degrees of shift. Total meant the entire body changed to one of a wolf.
Forced Shifts were only Total Shifts.
And Full Moon Shifts couldn't be ignored or controlled. As soon as the celestial body was at its fullest, no clouds, no door or wall could stop the shift.
And because of their unstoppable nature, these shifts were painful to go through.
The amount of pain varied from person to person, and painkillers were often taken before the full moon shifts to either lower or take the pain away.
Not only painkillers didn't work on Ryan's full moon shifts, but his shifts were extremely painful.
Min-Gi could only watch as his best friend's groans changed to pained grunts and whines, to loud sobs. The sound of claws scratching through hard dirt echoed as the werewolf tried everything he could to escape the pain that pinned him to the ground.
The process wasn't long but the obvious pain made it seem like it lasted forever to Min-Gi, he couldn't imagine how maddening it must be for Ryan.
It was a monthly torture and the werewolf had no choice but go throught it, and painfully.
Full shifts had always reminded Min-Gi of a rolling ocean wave, there was a kind of beauty to how Ryan's body changed from man to animal.
A beautiful glossy chestnut pelt with black and white markings appeared all over his body, like wind pushing blades of wheat through a field, starting from his head where his face went from human to wolf in a blink of an eye.
It was difficult to focus on the transformation as a whole, Min-Gi’s eyes could only take a part or two shifting before a large wolf was where a human had been seconds ago.
Usually clothes were to be removed for full shifts, but it wasn't an usual situation and so Min-Gi could only bare his teeth in a grimace at Ryan's outfit being shredded by the shift and different body structure. A few pieces of clothes hung awkwardly on the animal bulk.
The werewolf was sitting on his haunches, his head close to the ground, the same pose he had been as a human now translated to a wolf body and limbs.
The large chest of the animal expended and lowered with each breath, his muzzle was open as he continued to pant. His breathing was deep and very human, giving the scene a feeling of uncanny valley if you didn't know he was a werewolf.
The pain was leaving Ryan's body, but the drug clearly was still working through his system as his legs struggled to lift his massive and heavy body.
He fell back to his stomach with a breathy ‘Wuff!’. The sound was so silly Min-Gi laughed sharply before he could hold it back.
A dark muzzle with white on the lower jaw whipped toward Min-Gi and opened to show massive fangs, a deep growl coming from the wolf chest resonated through the room and through Min-Gi's bones.
But the human had quickly readjusted his face to a neutral and calm look, and didn't move as the large animal managed to stand and face Min-Gi fully.
The werewolf wasn't moving, still too unstable, staring at the other with a wild look.
Min-Gi catalogued the bushed out fur, the gums showing and ears low. All signs of aggression. But a look at Ryan's tail showed it hiding in between his legs and made Min-Gi speak up.
“Ryan.”
The wolf bristled in surprise and snapped his teeth in Min-Gi's direction.
The sound alone could remind anyone that these jaws had strength, strength the bearer could easily use to break someone's neck.
Still, the human didn't move.
“Ryan. It's okay. We're okay. You're oka-”
The sentence was cut short by the wolf jumping at Min-Gi, maw wide open, large clawed paws first hitting the ground on each side of Min-Gi but not without grazing the human ribs on their way.
Min-Gi couldn't have hissed in pain even if he wanted as the wolf's body followed and hit the human square in the chest, making Min-Gi violently exhale all of the air he had in his lungs as most of his back hit the ground and his head and shoulders folded awkwardly on the wall behind him. Before the young man could recover, a wolf headbutt collided with his head.
Everything was confusion and pain for a few seconds. The side sitting position hadn't been the best one to be in when an entire wolf threw himself at you with full force. Said wolf was also heavy and so Min-Gi was stuck in a very uncomfortable sprawl as the large furred beast didn't even register Min-Gi attempts at pushing him away.
Or maybe he was, as Min-Gi noticed whining in his right ear.
The human paused, before trying again to wriggle away from the wolf's heavy weight. And just like he suspected, the whining got louder and more pitiful.
“Ryan… I just want to sit up more comfortably…”
The reasoning was met by a cold wolf nose in the curve of his neck, and sad wolf babbling.
It was so similar to a husky tantrum, and Min-Gi made a mental note to tell Ryan later.
“You big baby. I'm the one who got run over by 200 pounds of hairy muscles.” Min-Gi cooed in false sympathy, trying to stay still while a cold nose was leaving burning puffs of air as it sniffed his neck.
Any ‘negative’ reactions would send Wolf Ryan into a longer tantrum and Min-Gi really wanted to be able to move as soon as possible.
Only years of experience made him able to ignore the pointy joints of Ryan's front legs digging in his flesh and the shuffling heavy weight that didn't let him breathe as deeply as he wanted.
Finally, Ryan lifted his head back to observe Min-Gi. Which was the latter signal that he could adjust his position.
The young man let out a groan as he sat up, followed by soft shushing when Ryan let out a worried sniffle.
Min-Gi would feel the bruises for days, but it wasn't and wouldn't be the last time he got bulldozed by a crybaby werewolf.
Ignoring his aching sides and the strobing pain at the back of his head, he opened his arms.
Well, he tried and the handcuffs still on his wrists loudly clanked. Min-Gi let out a hiss of pain, then clicked his tongue in annoyance at the device their kidnappers had deemed necessary to put on him but not on the werewolf.
Min-Gi remembered the last words their kidnappers had told him and frowned.
They wanted him to see Ryan's 'true nature’, expecting the werewolf to attack him. The handcuffs were most likely so Min-Gi couldn't fight back or run away, but both situations would have been impossible to put in action and even less end up successful with or without restraints.
The only way to outrun a fully shifted werewolf was to have an advantage like having the Lycan sedated, trapped or severely wounded, or if the Lycan let you escape.
Ryan didn't want to hurt him and he still had managed to give Min-Gi bruises all over his body, and Ryan was still slightly sedated.
His kidnappers were either overconfident about how an unharmed human could win against a werewolf or…
Or they had wanted Ryan to kill him.
It would have been a terrifying push for anti-werewolves groups. Min-Gi could easily imagine the headlines in newspapers, blogs and social media posts:
‘A human killed by his best friend werewolf: when the beast takes over the man’
‘Here's why our ancestors hunted werewolves!’
‘Can we really trust people who can turn into rabid animals when their favorite cereal is out of stock???’
A cold wet nose bumping against his hands freed Min-Gi of his dark thoughts.
Ryan had understood what Min-Gi had tried to do, and was confused at why he had stopped.
“Sorry. I can't open my arms wide enough for your big butt with these on, and even then, it wouldn't have been very comfortable.” the human chuckled, the chain of the handcuffs jiggling as he showed the limited range of movement they gave him.
Ryan's wolf eyes focused intently on the chain before darkening. A low growl started deep in his chest, his lips lifting with the sound.
Min-Gi tried and failed to soothe Ryan once more as the Lycan put the chain in between his teeth and bit down.
Werewolves in a full shift looked almost identical to common wolves, almost.
Pictures of a common wolf beside a werewolf have always been extremely popular and still are in the modern age.
Wolves were big, but werewolves were bigger. Werewolves’ strength sounded like the stuff of legends but was a very real part of werewolf anatomy.
Just like common wolves, most of a fully shifted werewolf's strength was in their jaw and was nothing to laugh about, especially when said jaw broke a metal handcuff chain as easily as if it was a pretzel stick.
Min-Gi raised both eyebrows as he looked over his still stuck in handcuffs but free of chain’s wrists, while his wolf best friend was spitting out little pieces of metal and grumbling at the taste.
Well.
He sure could open his arms now as wide as he wanted now.
And he did so while rolling his eyes.
His best friend didn't hesitate one second before wiggling happily into a hug, grumbling and whining in unrestrained joy.
Whatever their kidnappers had wanted to happen, Min-Gi couldn't be sure but he was certain these people were absolute idiots.
He started with calming long strokes along Ryan's long wolf back, ignoring how his best friend was acting as if he was a small puppy and not a humongous wolf.
“I know, I know. I'm so happy you're here too, but I don't wanna play fight right now. It is late and I'm tired.” Min-Gi murmured as he kept his cheek against the large wolf head, hands moving in slow repetitive movements.
Ryan tried again to instigate a game of roughhousing, but stopped wriggling and his playful growling when Min-Gi refused to budge.
Not that it deterred the werewolf from showing how happy he was to be hugged by his childhood best friend.
A long warm tongue across his nose had Min-Gi sputtering, he knew and was prepared for it but it didn't make it any less gross for the human.
“I guess I'm grateful you don't do it in your human form too…”
The werewolf showed no sign of remorse, his tail wagging lazily. He didn't go for another lick, instead he tilted his head against Min-Gi's.
With a sigh mostly for show, Min-Gi moved his hands to rub the wolf face. He started with the temples, his thumbs alternating between light scritches and stronger circles in the fur.
He couldn't resist for long the urge to rub inside the wolf's ears, the fur changing to soft skin was so relaxing to play with.
And it was a shared feeling as Ryan now spotted a goofy cross eyes expression of pure bliss. He managed to look even more silly when Min-Gi moved lower, right before the ears entrances.
“Feel good, hm?” Min-Gi stated the obvious.
Ryan looked close to drooling, Min-Gi didn't laugh only because of years of training.
He went back to the temples for a bit, then moved gently under his eyes to finally rub between Ryan's eyes with two thumbs.
The werewolf closed his eyes but let the other do as he pleased. Min-Gi inspected Ryan's eyes for anything needing cleaning and smiled at the tiny bit of the wolf tongue poking from his muzzle.
When he deemed his inspections to be done, the young man gently lifted his thumbs up to the wolf's forehead before lowering his hands around the large head and meeting once more under the lower jaw.
A happy groan left the massive snout as Min-Gi scratched under it. Both of his hands barely fitted under the wolf head, but he knew exactly how to turn his best friend into a pile of wolf jelly.
A few more scratches and massages and the large wolf was now lying on his side, head on Min-Gi's lap as the human used one hand to pet the side of the wolf head not pressed against his legs, while his other hand rubbed absentmindedly the ear poking out from where it was lying.
Just the head of Ryan's wolf form was so big it barely fit on the lap of the human, but the werewolf looked completely at peace with two puny human hands gently holding and caressing his face.
A full shift made werewolves emotions and feelings hard to hide. The best moment to know what a werewolf truly felt about you was during a full shift.
Very early in the friendship Ryan had showed how much he enjoyed Min-Gi's presence.
Full shifts only confirmed it. After a few full moons ending with a fully shifted werewolf pup howling at their doorstep, the Parks would leave their house backdoor ajar and would explain to the school that their non-werewolf kid needed a werewolf rest day as well so both kids could recover from a night of playing together.
Ryan was certainly not pup sized anymore, but every full moon Min-Gi would be amazed at how little had changed.
He started humming as he removed the few shredded pieces of cloth left in Ryan's fur, the werewolf heavy and warm but now calm and relaxed.
As he returned to gently pet the large werewolf, Min-Gi mused aloud,
“It kinda reminds me of when you came back from that surgery you could only schedule near the full moon.”
Ryan's tail lifted once to show he was listening.
“I guess the anesthesia didn't mix well with how close to a full shift you were, but I remember visiting you and being told you were out of it, resting in your room but still in human form.”
Sensing where the story was going, Ryan let out a grumble and opened one eye.
“I haven't made three steps into your house when we heard a loud crash and scrambling upstairs. You were out of your room in full wolf form before I could blink.”
A snort from Min-Gi had him stop his retelling for a second.
“Before I knew it, you had fallen down the stairs and tumbled into my legs.”
Ryan let out a very dramatic groan and turned his body so he could nestle his face in Min-Gi's stomach.
“Aww~ There's nothing to be embarrassed for. You were disoriented from the anesthesia and either shifted because of the confusion or because you were excited to smell me.”
The werewolf lifted his front paws to hold them in front of his eyes as he let out a long whine. Min-Gi ignored the little punch he got in passing from Ryan's limbs and continued cooing at his best friend.
“Come on, you big baby. Don't hide your handsome face from me.”
The whining stopped and an eye shining with hope appeared from under the large paws. Min-Gi twisted his lips to hold back a laugh, Ryan in his full wolf form was the most honest and obvious you could get from him.
“Hm hm. Yes, you're very handsome. The most handsome werewolf.”
Ryan lifted one paw as if to tell Min-Gi to stop but the bright wolfy smile on the werewolf face was urging the other to continue.
“Look at that coat. I have never seen such a beautiful, luscious coat.”
Min-Gi started scratching the large neck, before going for the wolf's sides. Ryan's tail thumped as he twisted to be on his back, giving the human full access to the best place for pets.
“And the colors! The gorgeous shades of browns are already so magnificent, but you have those white markings that make you look like a king!”
He petted the white fur on the werewolf's belly as he showered the other with compliments. Ryan's tail was slapping so hard on the floor it looked like it could hurt, but Min-Gi knew all Ryan would end up with was dirt in his fur from the miniature dust storm the werewolf was causing.
Min-Gi slowed his hands to go back to soft petting, observing fondly as Ryan's tongue was hanging out of his muzzle as he calmed down from his high.
The werewolf didn't want the moment to stop yet as he lifted a paw at Min-Gi's face again, with a soft grumble.
Min-Gi easily catched the paw, and kissed it while holding it just as gently.
Ryan stared at Min-Gi, his mouth closed.
“I'm so happy to have you in my life. Don't ever forget that. Your lycanthropy doesn't make you any less human or loveable. It is a part of you, a large part of you that impacts you and your life every single day, and I love this part of you like all the other things that make you you.”
Werewolves in a full shift could understand human language just as well as they could when not shifted. The shine in Ryan's wolf eyes told Min-Gi he heard and understood every word he had said.
Min-Gi's smile grew even softer as he lowered his head to pepper the werewolf's face with kisses.
Ryan stayed still, something many people in his life would say was impossible, as he soaked in Min-Gi's affection.
The handcuffs still around Min-Gi's wrists had been making noise all during the petting session, but the clinking was hard to ignore now in the tender atmosphere.
Ryan was the first to look away. He held one of Min-Gi's handcuffed wrists in his jaws, the most dangerous part of Ryan's current form and the human barely felt the sharp fangs with how gentle the werewolf was.
A soft mournful sound left the powerful maw, the vibrations of it ran throughout the human's hand. The sadness in Ryan's eyes when he returned his gaze to Min-Gi told him:
‘But it hurts you. It makes people hurt you because you stay by my side.’
Min-Gi gently removed his wrist from the wolf's mouth. The hand returned to its previous place, on the side of the werewolf's face, where it started rubbing soothing circles once more.
“The people who judge me or hurt me for loving you are not a part of you. They're not a part of us.”
Ryan said nothing, but his ears lowered as he held Min-Gi's gaze. The young man continued.
“They don't make me regret a single instant I spent with you.”
When Ryan lowered his eyes and still didn't make a noise, Min-Gi understood.
“Ryan, you never hurt me.”
The werewolf finally made a sound, but it was a pained one dripping with anger.
Min-Gi knew the other wasn't mad at him. Ryan was angry at himself.
“You never hurt me like these awful people have hurt me. Every bruise I got from you were accidents, I know you're careful, I know you never want to hurt me.”
The young man carefully moved Ryan's head so they were face to face.
“You hurt me by accident, you regret and do better. These people want to hurt me just to hurt me. I forgive you, I do not forgive them. You're not like them.”
Ryan let the other curl around his large head and gently nuzzled against the stomach of the smaller human hugging him.
“You can't control your lycanthropy but you can control your actions, and everyday you choose to be kind despite how awful people can be.”
“When you woke up, the drugs had you confused and stressed. The full moon shift was painful and must have made you so scared, but all you did was warn me to not come closer. You didn't know it was me at first, and still you didn't attack me. Even when your wolf instincts were at their highest, you chose to be careful.”
The human continued, now rocking the two of them softly while petting the werewolf's head.
“You're a good person, Ryan. Accidentally hurting me doesn't make me love you any less. It's a part of you just like your Werewolf Syndrome and kindness are.”
Werewolves in a full shift couldn't cry, just like common wolves, but they could still feel human emotions.
Min-Gi knew Ryan would be crying if he wasn't in a full shift, he learned to decipher the emotions coming from Ryan's wolf form.
So he continued rocking them gently and petting his best friend, who was crying without tears.
After what could have been minutes or hours, Ryan wriggled his head from the hug and stared at the basement door.
A moment later, Min-Gi non-Lycan ears catched voices and the sound of people walking in their direction; while he couldn't hear specific words, the tone used meant these people were arguing.
Min-Gi looped his arms securely around Ryan's large fluffy neck as the werewolf growled low in his throat. Both of them were now staring at the only door in the room as it opened and their kidnappers and their argument filtered in.
“-didn't think about what would happen!”
“That's the problem! You never think about what would happen and how much of a mess we would have to clean after you!”
“I just wanted to scare that freak sympathizer! Not kill him!”
“You didn't even tie up the damn werewolf, you f-”
“Guys. He's not dead.”
The two who had entered first and had been arguing followed where the finger the third member of the group was pointing at.
A beat passed as the kidnappers and the kidnapped stared at each other.
Min-Gi released his hold on Ryan’s neck at the same time one of the two kidnappers who had been arguing stammered a panicked “Ge-Get out!” and pushed at his accomplices.
The small group couldn't synchronize their actions before Ryan had jumped across the room and scared the kidnappers away from the door, herding them between him and Min-Gi.
The young man calmly stood up and dusted his pants as the three delinquents fell to their knees from fright at the gigantic wolf standing in front of their only escape route, still menacingly growling at them.
With an uncaring glance toward the three shaking men, Min-Gi walked past them and asked his friend: “Are there any others in the house?”
Ryan sniffed the air, and grunted once. One of his ears flopped to the side.
“One other but not in the house?”
The werewolf huffed and nodded.
“Outside then?”
Another nod.
“Must be the driver, then.” The young man mumbled to himself. He raised his voice to a normal volume once more. “Alright, I will call the Werewolf Unit. I will see if I can note down the license plate. You keep an eye on them, yeah?”
Ryan snapped his teeth playfully at Min-Gi, before returning to his surveillance task. Based on the yelp the three kidnappers did, the werewolf must look frightening.
Min-Gi scoffed. Ryan maybe looked scary right now but he would not hurt them at all, unless they tried something first.
However, the young man felt no sympathy for the pathetic group. He ordered them to give him one of their cellphones, and left with one last disdainful glare at them.
He called the Werewolf Unit first, he answered their questions and explained their current situation.
They were to be called for werewolf related incidents, depending on the matter they would connect you to medical service or law enforcement all trained to deal with anything werewolf related.
After making sure the GPS was enabled, he was informed help was on the way.
He was told to not try to look for the license plate as the last kidnapper may have moved, and that there was a risk of more accomplices than they thought.
Min-Gi almost started defending Ryan's senses when sirens were heard and lights were seen flashing behind the line of trees of the property.
The arrest was very anticlimactic. The driver had tried to run away, but the Werewolf Unit not only took care of werewolf related situations but also employed Lycans.
Min-Gi blinked at a large wolf, in a Werewolf Unit vest made for fully shifted werewolf, dragged the last criminal to where his three accomplices had been apprehended and were about to be pushed in the truck the Unit had arrived with.
Another fully shifted werewolf, this time in a paramedic vest, rushed to them and sniffed them to assess the level of medical care they required.
As Min-Gi was gently pushed by the large head of the paramedic werewolf, he realised that all the Lycan workers were shifted because of the full moon. Despite the forced shift, they still continued working and helping people.
A human paramedic was waiting and ready by the ambulance, Min-Gi observed them be able to work perfectly together despite one of the two being unable to talk. With a range of noises and body language from the werewolf paramedic, their human partner understood what to do next and used their human hands and opposite thumbs to treat Min-Gi wounds.
It reminded Min-Gi of how he could understand Ryan in his wolf form, how they could work together with their own language.
He smiled at his best friend who had stuck to him silently as the paramedics did their job. Ryan didn't notice right away, too busy taking note of all the movements around them. When he did notice, he tilted his head to the side, his tail wagging softly, asking in their own language what Min-Gi was smiling for.
“Nothing. I'm just happy.”
Ryan made a sound that told Min-Gi he didn't really believe him, but still leaned in the side hug the young man dragged him into.
They were brought to the hospital to rest until the full moon was over.
Still in his wolf form, Ryan was happy to doze off in their large hospital bed, head on Min-Gi’s lap, while Min-Gi talked to law enforcement officers of the Werewolf Unit who had come over for more details on the kidnapping, information they could use in court against their kidnappers.
Min-Gi didn't stop petting the werewolf head during his talk with the officers, and continued even after they were gone.
The werewolf had fallen asleep, doctors had confirmed the drugs in his system had been flushed out during their time in the basement, but the adrenaline and the full moon shift had drained his energy and it wouldn't be surprising if he fell asleep at some point now that they both were safe and sound.
Min-Gi was still awake, very tired but not enough to fall asleep as well. He was content with continuing petting the soft fur, as they both recovered from the terrible night they had.
He thought of how this event will most likely be in the news. He should feel happier that anti-werewolf groups would not gain any power from them, but he was really just glad they had both ended up okay.
His eyes started to close when he felt the werewolf twitch.
Looking through the window in their room, he saw the sun start to rise.
‘The full moon is releasing its hold on its children.’
It was an old expression, used centuries ago to describe how werewolves could feel their ability to shift return to them.
It was part of a lullaby about how the Moon loved its children so much that when it was at its fullest, it made them change in their shape closest to Nature. The Moon, now able to step on Earth, wanted to run along and play with its children and enjoy the little time they had together until it had to go back to the sky for another month.
It was a text brought up at least once in school, to debate around its themes. Was the Moon cruel for forcing werewolves to shift to play? Or was it a blessing as the song talked about how for one night, werewolves had to stay in their wolf form and so, could be a free being, and not a human with human troubles.
Werewolves always have been able to think like their human selves in their fully shifted form. Nothing could prove it, but it was commonly agreed that the writer of the song probably wasn't a werewolf, most likely a human who wished to experience the feeling of running on all four, feeling the ground dig under their claws as the wind whooshed through their coat.
Even then, the part about getting control on their shifts back as the moon made place for the sun was still used today, by Lycans and non-Lycans alike.
It didn't force the werewolf to shift back in a full human shape, so Ryan was still a wolf as sunrays started to pour into their shared room.
Min-Gi let him continue sleeping, happy just looking at the sunrise while absentmindedly petting his friend.
When the sun had risen high enough to separate from the horizon, the werewolf raised his head sleepily.
“Slept well?”
Ryan didn't answer Min-Gi's question, instead he stared at the young man without truly seeing him before letting out a big yawn.
Min-Gi moved his body away and closed his eyes and lifted an arm in front of his face as the werewolf got on all four on the bed, and shook its large body.
When he opened his eyes again, a young man was sitting where the wolf had been.
He lowered his arm and snorted at how said young man looked just as half asleep as the wolf had been.
“I will take that for a yes.”
Ryan tilted his head toward Min-Gi, and let out a hum. The werewolf back in human shape went for his own face and frowned while tapping on it, looking for something.
“They couldn't find your glasses but I had them bring your extra pair from your van. It's still parked by the theater. Here.”
The werewolf accepted the glasses handed to him, and let out a pleased hum when he blinked and could see clearly again.
Min-Gi lied back against the pillows, Ryan waddled to lie down against Min-Gi and sighed deeply in contentment when Min-Gi adjusted the blanket so it was draped on Ryan’s naked body.
The two of them cuddled in silence, only interrupted by a nurse checking on them. They wished Ryan a good morning before leaving to retrieve hospital clothes for him.
Min-Gi persuaded Ryan to at least wear the pants before continuing to cuddle.
After almost falling on his face when putting on the hospital pants, the werewolf climbed back on the bed but stopped midway.
Min-Gi, who had started to doze off as well, forced his eyes to open and hummed questioningly.
The werewolf was frowning, trying to recall something and ultimately failing. With a sigh, he asked:
“I think the drugs and the stress messed with my memory. I can't recall much… Did I do anything weird during this full moon?”
Min-Gi blinked, both eyebrows up to his hairline before closing his eyes again with a puff of laughter. Ryan finished climbing and settled back after his best friend tapped the empty side of the bed, beckoning him over.
The Lycan nudged Min-Gi's head with his own, reminding his friend he hadn't answered.
Min-Gi curled the arm Ryan was lying on so he could pet the werewolf.
“Don't worry. You were the same crybaby werewolf you always have been.”
Laughter could be heard across the halls of the hospital as the two friends started roughhousing, a nurse quickly came to shush them as it was still early. Both young men continued giggling quietly like kids until they both fell asleep in each other's arms.
And if one pair of arms had claws that held the other oh so gently, and a wolf tail had appeared above the seam of the hospital pants and was wagging lazily, no one minded.
As the morning sun continued to rise the two friends kept on sleeping, warmed by the sunrays and their embrace.
