#human turned werewolf (and raised by them to an extent; in my au anyway)

[starshipsofstarlord]

Abnormal | Nolan Holloway (Season 2 AU)

Matt walked past the various empty classrooms, camera in hand. He had to find his kanima, the one that obeyed his calls and orders down to murder. Or revenge, that was how he saw it. All of those people had and would deserve the fate of death, and so would others if they triggered him.

Jackson had to be around somewhere, his Porsche was still in the parking lot. There was no chance that in his right mind that he would abandon it. He suspected that the jock cared more about that car than he ever had about Lydia, but then again, that whole ordeal was complicated. Too messy for him to get involved with.

Lydia wasn’t Matt’s type anyways, there was one girl though that did strike his mind quite frequently. It was you, he enjoyed capturing images of your oblivious form in the light of day, and sometimes night if he so happened to see you out strolling the streets or waiting in Stiles’ jeep whilst him and the boys went to get food for you all.

And you were the exact reason as to why he stopped in his tracks. Your voice rendered through the hard wood of a door, and so he peeked through the glass, only to find that you were not as alone as he would have hoped.

There was a boy, of whom you were seated next to, as the pair of you looked down at some paper that was upon the desk in front. He knew of him, but he was quiet and didn’t speak all that much.

Nolan Holloway. The poor lad suffered from anxiety, and was hardly able to raise his hand in class. But it had to be some kind of sick joke if you were interested in him.

It befuddled him to no extent. Why not Scott, Stiles, Isaac or even Jackson? But Nolan, that had to be some sorta pitiful romance. Like when you saw a stray dog on the streets and wanted to take it home.

In his honest opinion, he was so much better. Unlike Nolan, Matt didn’t need to play lacrosse to make friends, that was how the Holloway boy had met Scott and Stiles properly. And then that road led to you, but that was not his route to take, he was stealing it from Matt, stealing you.

But he watched the two of you to get confirmation, even cracked the door open a little so that he could hear how your voices entangled in conversation.

“ - it’s abnormal.” A funny thing for Nolan to say, when he wasn’t right in the head, Matt thought. “Unless it’s changed, like the werewolf’s organisms have evolved.” At that, you nodded, looking down at the report that you had gotten Stiles to steal. Well, technically, by the time you asked he already had done so for his own convenience.

“Derek did say it wasn’t a real werewolf.” Pausing for a moment, you thought you heard something, but nevertheless dismissed it. It was still day, at school, Scott would have told you if he had sensed something nearby. “But it could still be someone who was bitten to be turned into one. Derek said that sometimes the person takes on the shape that they reflect, so whatever this thing is is like a sub species.”

“Something paralysed the victims though first, that’s what my mum said.” Nolan spoke, his mother worked in the morgue, it had came up in conversation and luckily he hadn’t forgotten that detail. 

“What could do that?” You thought, deeply. Albeit it was either with its claws or teeth, that was a given. 

“Venom.” It was his realisation, he was big on science, and as he carried on you couldn’t help but smile. It was nice when he opened up about something that he was passionate about, and you felt honoured that he finally felt comfortable enough to do that with you. “It could be a snake or a reptile of some sort. They paralyse their prey before they kill, or in most cases, consume it. This didn’t do it, probably because like the typical werewolf they don’t eat humans, for the sake of being partially so. Or they just had no intention to eat it, it was for joy...”

He frowned, thinking ruthlessly hard. In return, you placed a hand on his right shoulder for the sake of it being the closest one to you, and mirrored his expression.

“What is it Nolan?” You were concerned, and now so was Matt. He could be caught like a fly, but luckily he had the kanima version of Jackson to protect him.

“The victims, they might not be random. They’re, or most of them, are in a similar age range. This may have been planned like Peter’s murder spree.”

“Shit.” You breathed. The last thing you all needed was another psycho running through the town. A mad man was bad enough, but there were so many crosshairs when there was a purpose. An intent.

Matt let the door close, which alerted the pair of you to a conspirer, one that either was involved or knew something. You shouldn’t have ignored that feeling in your gut, but now whoever that was knew, that you were onto him. And it was all down to Nolan and his brilliant brain that rivalled Stiles’.

[queenofmoons67]

AkaYona Ladies Week 2019: Hunter(s): A Werewolf AU

@akayonaladiesweek

Summary: It is not the death of her father that sends Yona running from the castle, but her first full moon.

Word Count: 1437

What can I say, I love my AUs.

Like the figure skating AU, I didn’t write this with AkaYona Ladies Week in mind, so much as I wrote it with the goal to completely rewrite canon.

SPOILERS: I cover everything that the anime does, plus Zeno’s backstory.

WARNINGS: For minor character death

I do not own Akatsuki no Yona.

King Il is still very much alive when Yona flees the castle during her first full moon, her father’s hunters hot on her tail believing that she killed Princess Yona

Hak, believing the same and out for revenge, finds her first. She hasn’t even de-transformed yet, still wild and feral, but then she backs into the moonlight. He takes one look at her russet fur and unnatural purple eyes and takes up watch nearby. She snarls and tried to edge around him, but his heavy glaive and her not being used to four legs works in his favor. When she wakes in the morning, it’s to Hak’s cloak covering her, Hak himself still standing guard a meter away

With Princess Yona officially declared dead, and General Hak believed to have been killed by the same beast, Kouka—and Soo-won—descends into grief

All treasonous plots have been put on hold

While Yona would love to return home and reveal that she’s still alive, she believes that she can’t do so until she has complete control over her wolf self at all times. She’s able to transform at will, but even with the sun high in the sky, her wolf makes control difficult

Hak, ever Yona’s bodyguard, best friend, and confidant, stays by her side. He doesn’t even tell Mundok they’re both alive: They don’t know how Kouka will react to werewolves, let alone a princess who turns feral and murderous every full moon, and a single slip up could result in Yona’s execution

For a multitude of reasons—nowhere to call home; the necessity of hiding, but needing jobs—they travel from town to town. As they do, two things change: Yona begins to know her kingdom, and their tiny pack starts growing

They meet Yoon first. They managed to stay one step ahead of the hunters throughout their travels, but doing so required going a bit off the trail. On an occasion when they went a bit farther than necessary, Yona’s now-sensitive werewolf nose sniffs out a scent that raises the hair on the back on her neck even in human form: Another werewolf’s boundary. While arguing about whether or not to investigate—Yona against, all her instincts saying to avoid someone else’s territory; Hak for, saying it was the worth the risk if they found a friendly, experienced wolf—they find Yoon

Or rather, Yoon finds them. “You were arguing loud enough to raise the dead!”

While Yoon was born a werewolf, he lost his entire first pack. After living on his own for a bit, he was taken in by Ik-soo. Yona is the first werewolf they’ve seen since, and so Ik-soo encourages Yoon to go with them and learn about being a werewolf even while teaching Yona

Yoon’s fur is a nice tan-gold-brown mix. And while he isn’t really tiny, he is more leg than anything else because of his youth

Yona isn’t quite as leggy as Yoon, being a year older, but her body is more wiry than muscular

Kija is next. Like Yoon, he’s a born werewolf, but his pack has lived in the same place for millennia, keeping their existence secret in order to protect themselves. No one is allowed to leave. Frustrated and craving adventure and some kind of meaning to his life, Kija tells only his grandmother he’s leaving and sneaks away with Yona

Kija isn’t huge, but because of his older age and more muscular body type, he does appear to be quite larger than Yoon and Yona. His fur is mostly white, but he has some tan, black, and brown mixed in

They find Shin-ah on the next full moon

Yona still lacks any control during that time, and so Hak keeps her corralled while Kija and Yoon go hunting. Yona is cunning, though, and has grown used to Hak’s guard. Combined with the pull of her pack running free, she manages to escape—but before she reaches Kija and Yoon, she hears the low howl of a lonely wolf. The emotion within the howl raises her curiosity, and her humanity breaks through just a bit. Instead of running on, Yona investigates. She finds a small, barred cave, with a too-small werewolf and angry squirrel. With enough of her humanity still leaning through, her wolf’s natural instincts, and the squirrel egging them on, her and the strange wolf manage to team up and break him out

The next time Yona runs under the moonlight, it is with a blue-gray wolf at her side, squirrel perched between his ears

Kija and Yoon are surprised to see Yona returning with not one but two new pack members, though they’re more than happy to welcome them, especially after they show them the cave Shin-ah was in. Hak is just happy Yona doesn’t seem to have killed anyone, but “come on, no we can’t nap here, no, WHITE SNAKE GET YOUR ASS OUT OF THAT MOONLIGHT FILLED CLEARING RIGHT NOW, SOMEONE LOCKED THIS WOLF UP AND WE ARE LEAVING NOW BEFORE THEY DO THE SAME TO US, WE CAN MAKE A PUPPY PILE WHEN I SAY SO AND NO SOONER”

When they transform back they all sleep, but when they wake again Shin-ah tells them how he was always sickly and isolated as a kid, until a few years ago when a passing stranger bit him to save his life. A local werewolf was blamed and executed for the act, and Shin-ah was left in the cage Yona found him in, his only company being Ao II

They put as much distance between them and Shin-ah’s old village as fast as possible, and soon they find themselves in Awa. Low on supplies, they decide to stay a few days. They don’t expect to collide with four other parties, all at the same time

The human traffickers are a surprise, but good practice for fighting

Jae-ha, an older, giant, muscular brown and dyed-green-haired wolf part of a pirate pack, is a nicer surprise

The king’s hunters catching up with them now that they’re staying put are not. Before anything else, they are the king’s men. They listen to the local government—and when that government tells them that pirates have been plaguing their waters and stopping their trade, they naturally offer a hand

They are the best hunters in Kouka. They hunt. They kill. When the group of fishermen pirates unexpectedly find themselves confronted by both Kum-ji’s men and the hunters, they die

Soo-won

With both of his best friends dead, Soo-won has found himself consumed in his grief and new duties

With no queen and no heir, King Il had found himself rather unhappily forced into naming Soo-won prince, which, unbeknownst to him, also saved his life

Under the guise of accomplishing princely things, Soo-won set out to both distract himself from grief and to accomplish what he planned to do as king. He certainly never expected to run into Yona, alive and well with her clothes coated in wolf fur and her face in tears

Yona’s pack runs from Awa with Jae-ha by their side, the last of his pirate pack left alive

Soo-won chases after them, leaving only a letter for Joo-doh that explains he’s gone hunting and is still alive. Letting Kouka think they’d lost another heir would be disastrous, but so would be telling everyone Yona is alive without finding out why she ran in the first place. Soo-won is nothing if not loyal

In this life

And only to Yona and Hak, Joo-doh is pissed; the letter explains nothing and now he has to go tell his king he lost his prince

In the middle of running, Yona’s pack runs right into Zeno

The wolf is tan, red, and golden haired, with some muscle like Kija and Jae-ha but mostly leg like Yoon and Yona

(He is one of the first four werewolves to ever exist, but they will not know this till much later. He has been watching them, judging whether they will truly come together as a pack, and they will not know this for just as long)

(Werewolves do not age the same as everyone else. Kija and Jae-ha know this. But they do not know the extent to which this applied to the first werewolves. They do not know that Zeno’s first pack was immortal, if only when it came to aging. They do not know that Zeno watched them die anyway)

(They do not know that sometimes, not even a werewolf bite is enough to save someone. They do not know how thankful Zeno is that it worked on Shin-ah)

Thank you for reading! I hope you all enjoyed, and please let me know what you think!

[nyanevil]

/Okay, Tumblr ate the ask about Mccree mind-reading werewolf.

Self-indulgent bar-AU, idea a little changed, the key is in the end. Critique and comments appreciated!/

It all started with pomegranate.

Mccree felt it on his tongue, as two entered his bar - one of them being Genji Shimada, owner of a kitchen utensil shop right across the road.

Mccree smiled. Friendly faces of others business owners (especially werewolves too) were always welcome in "Peacekeeper".

The other face, however, remained a mystery.

"Hey, Jesse!" Genji beamed, leaning for a hug across the counter and Mccree indulged him, inhaling banana-sweet wave of friendly affection and tinge of pomegranate - a worry of someone else.

Sombra politely turned away to other customer, providing him an angle of privacy, as much as possible in a crowded establishment.

"Hey. New faces in town?", Jesse raised his eyebrows and extented a hand, turning to a stranger.

"Jesse Mccree, nice to meet ya."

"That's--"

"Hanzo Shimada", said mysterious man, shaking his hand in response and allowing himself a modest smile. Confident and strong fingers - Mccree almost grinned. "My brother told me much about you, but seeing you in person is... another experience."

Across the pomegranate sour he felt a burst of red hot chili pepper, burning in his throat - he nearly coughed at the sudden taste, when looked into Hanzo's dark eyes.

Things were getting interesting.

"You told me you need a chef", dropped Genji innocently, interrupting improvised staring contest. Jesse shaked the stun off and nodded with quiet grunt. The drinks at "Peacekeeper" were top notch, but the clients prefered a little bite _with_ their liquors. The previous chef, Mako, went to the teleshow and surprisingly won a place in a much more respectable restaurant just a month ago - Jesse even had half a mind to call Ashe, the "Deadlock Confectionery" owner, and ask for a hand despite their previous conflicts. She would've helped, but not without her vinegar-bitter sarcasm and just a touch of marshmallow fondness. A little sickening mix.

"And you, I presume, have a candidate?"

Genji beamed again and did a jazz hands move towards Hanzo - the last one folded hands behind his back and a little shyly looked away.

"Five years ago I swore to never wield a kitchen blade again, but Genji has a way with words, when he wants to", explained he, while the youngest Shimada proudly straightened. "I actually send you my resume tonight."

Oh. Jesse didn't log in a corporative email in days.

As if remembering something, Hanzo rotated his shoulder.

"I also happened to have a Michelin Guide Star."

Half of the bar went completely quiet, including Sombra, Mei and even Hana, who was on a cleaning duty, poked her head into the hall.

Jesse never striked a deal so fast in his life.

And he never tasted so much pepper from one person.

***

Bar "Peacekeeper" was by all means a decent establishment: bright cocktails, nice music, attentive bartenders and surprisingly strict rules of "no brawls, no harassment, no shady business". That's why a good part of clients were not the usual bar people: barely-legal girls as much as women of near-climax age, and all sorts of members of LGBT+ community - no one was afraid for their security. Once you break the rules - you are banned from "Peacekeeper" forever.

And no decent human being would've wanted to be a person non-grata - to be in a High Noon list.

However, after a visit from brothers Shimada several months ago, things changed. Crowd became bigger, menu - prettier, and nice music was joined by a gorgeous scent of professional cooking, bringing saliva in hungry mounts and hefty numbers to the budget.

Pomegranate and spice were now Jesse's personal curse. Mooncycle was nearing new moon, so tastes were becoming stronger. When Hanzo was around (and it was pretty fair amount of time, Hanzo was a good listener and even better storyteller, and he smelled nice and had sharpest humor ever) Mccree could feel tight seeds bursting on his tongue, filling the heated void of his mouth. Wolf inside him wanted to taste it fully, to sink sharp teeth into burning flesh, to mark, to scent it onto himself, to reach the peak of sweetness.

Human was holding him down, but the wish to drink this affection up never fully vanished.

This night was not very crowded, so in the kitchen Hanzo was alone.

"So... five years?"

Hanzo turned away from the stove and looked at Mccree without fear, knowing his true nature - Genji has a way with words - quiet steps scaring him none.

"Yes, five years", Shimada turned to the counter, mistrust a mere glint in his eyes, and began to chop spinach. Mccree suddenly catched another note, almost non-existent. "It was... an incident between me and my brother. It was around one culinary award and... I turned his chef career down to shambles."

Jesse picked up that note: a dark chocolate, sweet just a little, refined treat for the dearest of people.

"After I reached a peak of my career, I saw my own loneliness", Hanzo a little abruptly shoved the spinach into a bowl and placed an onion on the desk. "As all of my accomplishments were turning to dust - I realised that without his support I was not the person I wanted to be."

The chocolate was melting, mixing with feathery light whipped egg whites - fondness and trembling worry in glinting eyes.

"I traveled all across the world, considering myself not ready to ask for forgiveness", whispered Hanzo under his breath, gaze dead on a desk, knife forgotten. "And he found me himself, offering it just like that. Just for a little help."

Jesse saw that defeat in slumped shoulders, heard that edging tremble in his voice and reacted immediately - pulled this mess of a feelings (mousse of a feelings) in a tight hug, allowing Hanzo Shimada, this proud warrior, to hide his face in a soft welcoming shoulder.

"I thought I lost him..."

"I know the feeling", whispered back Jesse, inhaling calming sweetness. Chocolate now was for him too - a precious gift for opportunity to talk, for opportunity to change his own fate.

After a few minutes Hanzo nodded and stepped out, hastily making himself presentable. Eyeliner was a little smudged, but the pomegranate was back, as well as the pepper. Notes of chocolate were surprisingly nice fitten into this wicked mix.

"Sorry--"

"It's nothin'."

"And thank you."

Jesse smiled and tipped an invisible hat. That was the nature of werewolves - all emotions on the palate and all the secrets after a single question.

Hanzo licked his lips. Jesse was suddenly and shamefully hot under the collar.

"You are always welcome."

***

At the new moon Jesse often took a day off. He almost never repressed his transformation - he did that a lot when he was younger. It was not healthy, to forbid his wolf a hunt in a nearby forest, to disallow a surge of restless energy to find a way out.

Today, however, was Valentine's Day.

The bar was full.

"We need more ice!"

"Coming!"

"Beer!"

"Blushing Bride for me and Bullet for my husband, please."

"White Russian!"

"Beer!"

"Did you bring me Old Fashioned?"

"El Diablo for me and Rusty Nail for my husband, punk."

"Beer!"

"Yo Jesse!"

Genji grinned from ear to ear, catching Jesse's attention. He passed the ice to Mei and turned to his guest.

"Business is booming, huh?" asked he, the little shit as he is. Jesse calmed his accelerated breath with a few gulps of fully stocked with tastes air.

"Yeah, much obliged", Mccree tipped his invisible hat again. The stetson was proudly hanged above the counter. "Did you really forgive your brother just because of me?"

Genji laughed and Jesse picked up these chocolate notes again - this time much sweeter, with a dash of bright matcha.

"Sorry, but you were just an excuse, really! I wanted to bring him back long ago! Well, it's not like he killed me or something!"

Jesse just shook his head, but smirked none the less. Brothers were brothers - they still not lost warm feelings towards each other.

"Anyway, I owe you one."

"Heh, that's simple", answered Genji cryptically, before flashing his eyes bright red. "Break his heart and I will chop you in half!"

Sometimes Jesse forgot, that Shimada is a werewolf too.

Wait.

"Is Hanzo--"

"Yeah! Sorry for not telling you earlier, I was hoping you will guess this yourself. Hey-y, can I have a Jack Sparrow while you are at it?"

***

"So... werewolves?"

Hanzo neatly folded his uniform on a kitchen counter and looked at the clock. Four at the morning. Nobody's in the building.

"I thought I was obvious enough", shrugged he, straightening himself. Jesse inhaled all the pepper, just to keep his wolf at bay. Restless energy surged through his muscles, intoxicating and wicked. "I am Shimada too, after all."

"So", Mccree waved his hand near his face. "The, the pomegranate and spice..."

"The chocolate too", nodded Hanzo, stepping closer and with absolute calm unsealing the buttons on Mccree's shirt. Jesse after a second of hesitation allowed that, placing both hands on a counter, trapping Hanzo between his body and a cold granite.

"This manipulation..."

"I didn't want it to be like that", whispered Hanzo, fingers restlessly petting and cupping Mccree gorgeous chest, soothing the beast under his skin. "But we both wanted it. I was, you... This--"

"Promise me one thing", interrupted Jesse, nose touching another. Shimada blinked from sudden gesture. "This is not one night stand, is it?"

A slap across the face was not the answer Jesse anticipated.

"Do I look like a common furry, lusting over every werewolf it sees?" hissed Hanzo in disgust. "Would I wait a few months just to jump on you? Would I talk my soul out if I did not trust you enough? I've seen enough of you, Jesse, to fall way past simple lust. And you?"

The next thing Jesse knew was taste of Hanzo's lips, warm and responsive; their bodies were tightly flushed together, hands wandering.

They were making a mess - tearing clothes away, roaring at each other, biting skin to the stars under eyelids, sharply inhaling, when their fingers closed around each other, tugging, tightening oh so sweetly; they kissed in a cloud of their own breath, swallowing each others noises, grunts and moans.

They ended up on a kitchen counter, panting hotly, basking in an afterglow of orgasm supernova - Jesse above, kissing pale bitten shoulder, Hanzo below, close-eyed, enjoying cool granite against his spine. The absense of response made him worry just before he picked the tastes again and calmed down.

Sour of green apples, coated in a tender sweet crust, with just a tinge of spicy cinnamon - taste that Hanzo would gladly drink and bask in.

After so many years of searching.

A water of love.

/Key: sweet - love, fondness, all things good enough; sour - worry for loved ones, for dear things in life, for true intentions; bitter - betrayal, sarcasm, grief; spice - deep desire, lust./

[perpetually-jungshook]

Without You: Bloodstone (Part 20)

Genre: AU, bts!werewolf, fantasy, angst

Warnings: language, violence, suggestive content

Word Count: 2.7k

Summary: Werewolves, contrary to popular belief, are usually gentle creatures. Except for a very specific set of circumstances, they would never hurt a human (on purpose). The few unfortunate times when mistakes were made put a permanent dark mark on the beasts and people began labeling them as monsters. What the human population failed to recognize was the fact that they were protecting us from something much more sinister. Luckily, a few survived and the gene was passed down hereditarily until one day finding its way to me… in the form of my best friend.

Link to: Storyboard (reference pictures) | General lore post | Intimacy lore post Prologue | Previous | Masterlist | Next 

Loyalty is often as blind as justice should be, as unstable as a lightning storm ought to be, and as misplaced as an opinion in the truth.

Chapter 20:

“No, the malicious spirits can’t actually die in the conventional sense of the word,” Namjoon explains as he sits across from Jungkook and me at the table. “They reincarnate after leaving a host body.”

That explains why the demon didn’t want to evaporate or whatever term it had used. Being reincarnated probably works like a demotion.

“So… no offense intended, but what’s the point of werewolves then? If demons don’t die.”

Namjoon lets out an amused hum, despite the exhaustion apparent on his face, “You’re smarter than to ask that question, Eun.”

“Damage control?”

“Exactly.”

Jungkook swallows a mouthful of noodles practically without chewing, “What?”

I turn to him, explaining, “Werewolves minimize damage to the human population.”

“You sound like a textbook,” he laughs lightly.

“That’s not a bad thing,” Namjoon muses.

“Anyway, sunbae, how are you feeling?” I change the subject easily.

The man with the blue-grey hair hums, “Two broken ribs, but I’ll be fine by next week at most. Noona is the one I’m worried about. Speaking of which, I better bring her some food.”

“Need any help?”

“No.”

“Oh, and what’s the plan for the reset of the day?”

“I can unlock the workshop for you, but Jungkook is done. He should rest,” Namjoon pushes himself back to his feet. “Let me know if you’d like to study-”

“Yes please,” I nod.

“Alright. I’ll take care of it now,” Namjoon nods politely at both of us before taking his leave.

I glance at Jungkook as he gets up and goes to the fridge, likely to get seconds. With the amount of energy it takes to transform, the wolves are pretty much always hungry. I always find it amazing they haven’t eaten each other out of house and home.

“I’ll meet you in your room later,” I give him a small smile. “I’ve got some reading to do.”

For the next few hours, I close myself inside Munhee’s workshop, researching the white flame and anything I can find on demons, which is oddly… not much. At first, I thought the white flame might have something to do with the heaven and hell trope, a manifestation of “good.” Really, it’s nothing so dramatic. The green flame is revelation magic, while the white is sigil magic.

I don’t learn many new things about demons except tedious names for ranks and the different types of symbols that can be drawn to trap them. It’s ironically all dry, textbook stuff.

Still, the whole time, there’s a prickling on the back of my neck. I’m so close to Halsahm, the new demon, and that mysterious pit in the center of the room. I keep my back to it as much as possible, trying to ignore it. The feeling is eerie and it gives off the most horrid rotten egg smell.

It’s only when I’m leaving the workshop that I actually find the courage to look inside of it. It’s only a small indent in the ground, perfectly circular, less than a step down from the rest of the floor. I’m about to chalk it up to just another strange magical artifact or tool, but then I see them, the symbols.

I stop, turning to inspect them closer. They’re slightly different from the ones Munhee had burned into the young man’s forehead, but I recognize them from the book I’d been reading. There are containment markings, but also… summoning ones?

“Don’t jump to conclusions,” this is the phrase that immediately comes to mind and stays on repeat. “Don’t jump to conclusions.”

The easiest explanation would be incriminating, condemning even. Is Munhee summoning demons? It’s her workshop, so it would only make sense that she would be responsible for it. And if Munhee is summoning the evil spirits… she is intentionally putting people and the pack in danger. But the question is: why?

Why would she help train the wolves and then do something like that? For training? It seems too dangerous, too much of a gamble. Would it be worth it? Could she control it, the type of demon that arrived? What if it was too much? What if she summoned one like Halsahm-?

No. I need to stop thinking like this. Sure, it’s the obvious explanation, but since when have my accusations about Munhee been correct? Some of them have been true to an extent, but her intent is never as malicious as I first make it out to be. I need to ask, give her a chance to explain herself.

I close the workshop door behind me and walk down the dark, empty hallway. Somewhere behind one of these hidden entryways is Halsahm and the other demon. A part of me wants to wonder if the little girl has died from starvation or dehydration. Would the demon keep her alive by some supernatural-?

My feet stop carrying me forward.

There is a slight pull inside me. Well, not so much a pull as a tug that almost made me stumble backward. I stare at the blank wall. The skin on the back of my neck prickles. It has to be…

I raise my palm and the green flame flickers to life. Before me is a metal door, the one Munhee had first showed me, the one Halsahm is behind. I recognize the sigil from the book as well. It’s a barrier symbol. Supposedly, nothing can “phase through” it. I don’t really see the point, namely because werewolves and humans can simply open the door. Demons outside of the host become that white, bile-like foam, right? Maybe the term that demon had used, “evaporate,” had been literal. Maybe that foam is simply a byproduct, a physical manifestation. Well, whatever the case, I shouldn’t linger here.

I take a deep breath and extinguish the flame.

I spend the next few days in the workshop, researching types of magic and werewolf anatomy. I do note that there are many books on herbs, stones, and their applications. I decide to wait on those until Munhee can help me. I ignore the pit and the sigil engraved doors in the hallway.

Munhee spends those same few days recovering before she’s up and about again. She puts Namjoon in charge of Jungkook’s training while she helps me practice magic. It’s tedious and draining, but worth it.

I see no sign of Jimin.

Small pinpricks of water dance sparsely across my skin where it’s exposed. It has been sprinkling off and on all day, not that I mind. The weather is nice and cool for early summer, which is great since Munhee is making us train outside.

I open and close my hand slowly, each time igniting and extinguishing the green flame easily. It doesn’t seem to be effected by the rain in the slightest. I look up at Munhee, silently wondering if she has further instructions. By her lack of attention on me, I’m assuming she doesn’t so I decide to ask something that’s more of a personal curiosity than a practical question.

“Are werewolves magic? I mean, I’ve read a little bit on transformation arts but…”

“Relative to what we’re able to practice, no. Magic simply makes their job easier,” she says from her seat on a collapsed building beam as we watch the raven colored wolf chase a human Hoseok around. They’re playing. It’s cute, but it’s also purposeful. Hoseok is laughing and sidestepping Jungkook’s charges, as if they are dancing, when really he’s testing Jungkook’s reflexes. My friend has retained consciousness for a surprising amount of time, friendly brown the only color in his irises.

Munhee continues, “Like when I sealed that demon inside of the body, it becomes easier for transport.”

“You couldn’t just kill the host? No- wait, that’s not what I wanted to say. Every life is important-”

“I know what you meant,” Munhee laughs lightly. “But if you kill a host before sealing the demon inside, it can still evaporate.”

“So you’d have to keep the host alive?”

“Yes, and with sealing magic, the frequency with which the wolves have to deal with demons decreases.”

I pause, listening to the light pitter patter of drops against wood, cloth, earth, and foliage. Jungkook almost catches Hoseok, but the ochre haired man is surprisingly agile and slips away.

“Can I ask you a question?”

“You always do.”

I take a deep breath, “The little girl… is she still alive?”

Munhee looks confused for a moment, then realization dawns on her expression, which settles into solemness, “No, unfortunately, she did not survive.”

Relief floods through me first, then sadness. Poor girl. But at least they’d sealed Halsahm inside, protecting even more innocent lives.

A sudden decrease in background noises draws our attention. Having stopped running, Jungkook lets his raven colored ears flick back and forth, his head swiveling. It takes a few more seconds for me to hear footsteps crunching on the gravel.

My ears hone in on the sound until a familiar coffee haired boy drags his feet around a corner, bare chested with a backpack slung over one shoulder. Jungkook quickly loses interest in Jimin and continues bounding around after Hoseok. The man with the ochre hair seems to never even take notice of the new arrival and I doubt it was from ignorance. I’m not exactly aware how great his sense of smell is, but I’m pretty sure he knew Jimin was coming for a while- even through the pungent scent of rain dampened earth- which means he’s choosing to ignore him.

Munhee’s gaze finds the boy with the coffee hair, and flits away just as fast. A sense of injustice burns through me, but then I remember my little exchange with Taehyung. Jimin had lied about the Hepatica flower. Why? It’s not that I don’t care about his reasoning, but it bothers me that he lied.

No one says anything as Jimin walks past so after a few seconds, I get up to follow him, my pace quickening to try and catch up, though he always seems a good five to ten steps ahead of me. Just before he opens the door to access the concrete stairwell, he stops walking, but doesn’t turn around.

“What? More questions?” his tone is cold.

“Yes.”

He scoffs, “Well I think it’s fair when I say it’s none of your business where I’ve been-”

“Yeah, where you’ve been is your business, not mine,” I cut him off. “I just want to know about the Hepatica flower.”

Jimin visibly stiffens, “What about it?”

“Why you lied.”

“I didn’t lie.”

And yet here he is, again not telling the truth. I want to call him on it, to tell Jimin that I’m beginning to understand why everyone dislikes him, but I also want to give him a chance to fix it first.

“I talked to Taehyung.”

He turns his head, looking at me over his shoulder, expression uncharacteristically neutral though the wet hair plastered to his skin partially hides his eyes from me, “And?”

“Sunbae, you and I both know he didn’t ask you to give it to me.”

He takes a deep breath, hiking the backpack higher on his shoulder before finally turning around to face me fully, expression hardening as he asks, “What are your feelings toward me?”

What? What kind of a question is that?

“We’re not friends, if that’s what you’re wondering,” my reply is immediate.

“That doesn’t answer my question.”

I decide to stop beating around the bush, “I don’t like you. Is that direct enough?”

“But,” Jimin’s upper lip draws back in something reminiscent of shock. “You’re always bothering me and making me do things for you.”

My eyebrows knit, voice quiet, “Yeah, because you’re the practical option.”

“So I’m an object to you.”

“No,” I let out a grunt of frustration. “I try to interact with you as little as possible because you hate me.”

“I don’t hate you.”

“You hate everyone.”

Jimin scowls, “I honestly can’t believe you’d think that.”

“How could I not?” pity fights with irritation and they both course through my veins to make me fidgety and unfocused. “You were rude, cold, and aggressive since the moment we met. You didn’t even give me a chance.”

He takes a deep breath, clearly holding back anger, “It’s just been a while since someone actually tried to care about me and it’s hard to-”

“That’s no excuse for being an awful person to someone you don’t even know,” I feel bad for arguing, but I know I need to stand up for myself. I tried. Over and over. But all he does is throw those attempts back in my face. I’m done with it. I’m done with him-

“I gave you the Hepatica flower because I like you.”

The flower. I’d almost forgotten about that- wait what?

“I don’t understand,” confusion is my only form of self defense.

Jimin lets out a throaty noise of frustration, “I have feelings for you. How much simpler can I say it?”

I’m about to respond, but a low growling slowly fades into my attention. I turn my head just enough to see a massive raven colored wolf looming behind me. Its piercing amber stare is locked on Jimin, teeth bared, ears pinned back. Jungkook must have sensed my emotional discomfort.

“I’m sorry, I think we should take break from this topic,” my voice is strained and the awkwardness is tangible, but I’m not sure how else to diffuse the situation.

“Take a break?” Jimin laughs humorlessly. “Right. More like drop it. And why? Because Jungkook can’t control himself? Fuck, it’s like you two are attached at the hip.”

“It’s not our fault,” I defend us, mostly him, immediately.

“He’s not trying hard enough.”

“What do you mean? He’s been training this whole time.”

Jimin scoffs, “Right. They’re still babying him. But that’s not the point. We’re settling this now.”

“Sunbae, see? That’s part of the problem. Why do you have to say things like that?”

“Like what? Truthfully? To the point?”

I can feel the anger in me rise like water set to boil, “No, like an asshole.”

Jimin’s muscles ripple. My eyes widen.

“You are a child. You know nothing.”

Everything happens too fast. The claws, the fangs, the fur, the massive coffee colored wolf… He launches himself at me. I hit the ground hard. Something cracks in my hip as the creature’s claws press into my chest. My arm is just quick enough to shield my face. Teeth. Hot pain sparks to life across every inch of skin from my elbow to my wrist, like a two dozen nails driven directly to the bone. My ears ring, pulse pounding. My throat locks around any sound that might want to come out. A flash of black. The weight lifts from my body and wet dirt sprays across my face. I curl in on myself, trembling, trying to protect the part of me that hurts the most. But every time I breathe, my lungs protest, and I can’t move as pain sears through my hip.

I vaguely hear my name being called and feel the tug of someone’s hands on my arm. It stings. No, it burns. I scream, pulling my arm back toward my chest. Somewhere nearby, tufts of fur float on the wind, which also carries the harsh sounds of guttural barking and snarls.

“I smell blood.”

“Eun-ah, let me see your arm,” a feminine voice reaches through the fog of pain. “I’m not going to hurt you- fuck.”

“Oh. Oh no,” a voice I now recognize as Hoseok’s is quiet.

“Those are bite marks. Help me move her.”

“I… I can’t.”

“Yes you can. I’m not dragging her down there by myself and I need some Calendula.”

“Noona, I won’t.”

My mind is somehow simultaneously blank, yet buzzing, making it close to impossible to think and yet I can’t help but be a little bit bitter about Hoseok’s dislike for me. I’m hurt and he won’t even…? My thoughts get fuzzy for a moment, but as soon as I can focus again, I remember. They don’t like blood. But why?

✩✩✩♔✩✩✩

A/N: This will be the last Bloodstone post for a little while, probably 2-3 weeks or so. I’ll be working on other projects and school will be starting soon. Thanks for understanding.

EOPQ 23: Why do you think Hoseok won’t help??

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