R E D

inha is addicted to a great many things, and at this point, they consider their boyfriend to fall under that category. with everything that’s been going on lately, there has been no time for them to see each other. it’s starting to take its toll on the witch, and their heart aches when they think of going another second without him. call them clingy, fine, but they’re with hyunbin for a reason — they like him. that’s reason enough for them to sneak away in the middle of the night and get into his tent.

their eyes crinkle with the force of their smile as soon as they are met with the confused, startled look on hyunbin’s face. they’re significantly taller than him, but that doesn’t stop them from getting comfortable right on top of him; they hug him as best as they can in the confines of the tent.

“i had to see you,” they whisper, aware that even the slightest noise might awaken hyunbin’s sleeping brother beside them.

hyunbin is noticeably shorter than inha so when they spread out on top of him it’s a little uncomfortable, but he takes it in stride because it’s them. he pulls a hand from where it’s pinned between their bodies and threads it into the hair at the base of the other’s neck. “i’m glad you came,” he whispers back while scratching softly at their scalp with blunt nails. they haven’t been a couple long, but hyunbin wouldn’t hesitate to say he loves inha. he had always dreamed of imprinting when he was younger, but he thinks that if it happened now... he’d be upset. there isn’t a force in the world that could remove him from their side. “i’m happy to see you, but you’re not supposed to leave your partner,” he tries to scold, but it comes out fond instead.

      “  WELL ,  ON  MOST  days ,  i  guess  i’m  not  so  ignorant .  or ,  well …  i  hope  i’m  not .   “  the  ghost  laughs ,  throwing  a  joke  out  there  in  hopes  to  lighten  the  mood .  but ,  she  simply  nods ,  offering  a  small  smile  in  the  acceptance  of  what  the  werewolf  has  to  say .  &  it’s  yet  another  sheepish  grin  which  crosses  her  visage  as  she  can’t  help  but  admit  that   the  experience  was  pretty  overwhelming .   “  yeah ,  you  could  say  that  again ,  but  you  were  plenty  of  help .  “  she  shoots  the  other  her  iconic  finger  guns .  “  i  know  werewolves  are  real  now,  thanks  to  you ,  after  all . “ 

he snorts out a laugh at the girls antics. “well, i’m glad i could help then, i guess,” there’s a light smile playing on his lips. “werewolves are definitely a thing. i’m sure there are even more beings that we’re not aware of, but for now.. this is what we’ve got.” he shrugs, rubbing a hand over the back of his neck. “so, uh, how did you become— you know,” he kind of trails off before slapping a hand over his mouth. “that’s probably so rude to ask, oh my god. you totally don’t need to answer that.” it’s mumbled between his fingers and his face is burning, but he’s not sure if it’s from the sting of him slapping himself or from the overwhelming embarrassment of just asking someone how they died.

one scout was sure that all his pack were out, couldn’t smell them anymore anyway, his main focus became on finding his brother and finding soohan. sure, the imprint was an inconvenience, but he still needed to know he was alright. but scout catches hyunbin’s scent first, and no longer after is he running towards it, his alpha form propelling him quickly– and apparently just in time because he can see it. one of the horrible looking creatures from in the depths of the maze looking like it was about to attack his brother. scout doesn’t even have time to think about the fact the younger is freezing up either, only lets out a snarl as he catches the creatures attention instead. if he’d dealt with one in the maze, he could deal with it out of it too, and that’s probably another reason why he doesn’t hesitate in attacking. he can’t tell how long the fight lasts, but he definitely feels claws and teeth sinking into him at odd points, but unsurprisingly, it isn’t as bad as the places the silver had embedded itself into him. scout drops the creature as soon as he’s done with it though, kicking the lifeless thing again before he can feel himself shifting back– and he knows his wounds look even worse in person, but he’d just have to convince bin he was fine. and now, naked or not, he does turn to his brother, sighing in relief that he was still here anyway. “are you alright?”

hyunbin doesn’t notice his brother fully until his wolf’s snarl rips through the air and is launching towards the beast that was heading for him. the thing is, he’s still not moving. scout is fighting this beast for him—like he’s a pup again and needs saving from a big, bad monster—and hyunbin is still rooted in the same spot like vines have come up from the forest floor and trapped him there. he realized belatedly that he’s dissociating. it’s not something that’s ever happened before, but, after everyone thought that scout had been killed, it used to happen to their mother regularly. he’s brought back to himself when he hears scout’s voice. he’s bloody, bruised, with holes and claw marks scattered across his body and hyunbin— he feels terrible. “scout, i—i don’t know what happened. i should have helped. i shouldn’t have been just standing here, what the fuck—,” and then he’s hyperventilating. his chest is tight and he pulls at the shirt he’s wearing, that’s not even his because he shifted and ended up with an arrow shish kebob-ing his body earlier. he could have died just now. if scout hadn’t come, he would have. and, scout could have died trying to protect him. hyunbin would have never forgiven himself if anything fatal had happened to his brother. he couldn’t lose him again.

the sound of someone calling their name catches hoetaek’s attention, and they turn to find the source of it, recognising the voice. “hyunbin?” but no sooner had hoetaek located the werewolf in question then he’s shifting, jumping between hoetaek and the hunter. they hear the sound of the crossbow being fired, and the yelp of pain that escapes from hyunbin, but hyunbin immediately starts attacking, and hoetaek uses this opportunity to help the other student onto their feet and on their way. as soon as they’re gone, hoetaek turns to find both the hunter and hyunbin on the ground. “shit, hyunbin.” hoetaek doesn’t even register that the kid is naked, just the arrow that’s sticking out of his side. they rush over, kneeling next to hyunbin to assess the damage. the arrow’s lodged pretty deep in there, it’s going to have to come out but it’s not going to be pretty. they reach into their bag and pull out some more of that moss, holding it ready in one hand as the other wraps around the arrow. “okay, take a deep breath in, this is going to hurt even worse, but I promise right after it’ll start to get better,” they tell him, doing their best to keep their voice from shaking. “one.. two.. three.” on three, hoetaek pulls, hard, tugging the arrow clean out of the wound. blood immediately begins to pour out of the hole in hyunbin’s side and hoetaek quickly presses the moss to it. they keep one hand there, applying pressure, while the other dives into their bag again, pulling out a small bottle of light green liquid and handing it to hyunbin. “this’ll help,” they tell him before going back into their bag once more, this time for bandages. as they wrap the bandages around hyunbin’s waist, covering the wound and keeping the moss in place, the last few moments fully dawn on them, and they register exactly what happened, what hyunbin just did for them, and their gaze lifts to hyunbin’s face, awe in the expression. “hyunbin… you saved me. holy shit. I… I owe you one.”

he sees hoetaek and listens to them speak, nodding along, but what’s about to happen doesn’t register until they grasp the arrow in his side and pain shoots through his body. it only gets worse when it’s ripped out of him and he clamps his mouth shut, trying to keep the vocalizations of his pain as quiet as possible. he doesn’t need to alert more hunters of their location; he’s not so sure he could fight them off in this state. he sees blood pour out of him and onto the forest floor and he thinks he may pass out, but he can’t. he has to stay focused if he wants to recover and find his family. there’s a bottle of green liquid pressed into the palm of his hand and he grimaces. “it looks like baby puke,” he mutters, but drinks it down anyways before gagging, “it tastes like baby puke.” sitting up so hoetaek can get a large bandage around his waist is painful, but he can already feel himself healing rapidly. he shakes his head at the other’s words. “stop it, you don’t owe me anything. you’re my friend and... i couldn’t just let you get hurt. i can heal, but you can’t. you would have probably died,” he says, realizing that that’s exactly what could have happened. they would have died. the situation they’re in suddenly feels very real to him.

         WHEN THE MALE’S question meets her ears, katrina can only manage him a weak nod. the pain which throbs through her ankle is too much to bare & she almost feels guilty that the other has stopped to help her in a time like this. but, there is not a moment to spare, nor any time to argue as the voices creep within the distance. the melody of scattered steps weeps against the earth’s soil, growing closer & closer.  her gaze flickers to the werewolf in a panic, but once he shifts, katrina musters all her strength as she tries to hoist herself up from her position on the floor. a sharp gasp fluttering past her lips, as her previous pain turns into a torturous sensation. & she is sure if it weren’t for all the adrenaline which was coursing through her body, she likely wouldn’t have been able to stand. but, somehow she manages. tears pulling at the brim of thick lashes while she stumbles over dirt. trying desperately to climb upon the stranger’s back, a small sob escapes her before she finally makes it. “ thank you, ” she is barely able to whisper, holding on tight. greatful. though, it is then that she thinks she hears one of the hunters call out to them. however, her mind is descended into a chaos of its own as the torment of her injury grows stronger. terrified, she screws  her eyes shut, putting her trust into the other.

scout had his reasons for going into the maze despite the fact he was sure others would think he’d be the one to send his brother in instead. but he had his reasons. the first one being that scout wasn’t the best at giving directions and his sight wasn’t the best to be looking down on a maze and trying to get a correct path. enhanced sight or not, he was still missing an eye. plus, if any creatures tried to come at him, he figured as an alpha he’d have better chance ( not that bin wasn’t capable either ). “you know, for someone with perfect vision you’re really not doing so great,” he laughs quietly down the walkie talkie, because despite the circumstance he knows it’s easier to tease him and keep things light than get annoyed and probably make the other more anxious. scout knew his brother well enough to know when he was like that anyway. “do you want me to go back and another way? because i can probably take the creature.”

“i know,” he sighs, restlessly running a hand through his hair. the teasing tone of his brother’s voice does little to ease his nerves and it’s hyunbin’s own doing. “i don’t know how to get you out of there,” he mutters to himself, walkie turned off for a moment. he eyes the maze and backtracks from the exit, but no matter which way he goes there’s a dead end. maybe, if he just leads scout to the area then the maze will shift again and a path will open up. but, turning him away from the beast will just push him farther back. he finally hits the button on the walkie again, “if you think you can take it then do that. going back will set us too far back. but, don’t get hurt. please,” he says. there isn’t a part of him that believes he could deal with his brother being hurt in front of his own eyes.

the demon turns around when it is the FEELING of a  tap which graces his shoulder. a brow quirking upward as his mouth morphs into an amused smirk. looking at the male with an expression which reads, d i s b e l i e f . though, it is all a front. a ploy to have a little fun with the other male. the fact that he seemed so forgetful almost annoys jitae. but he appears charming nonetheless, not revealing his true emotions. however, that doesn’t stop his cold words.  ❝ so i’m guessing you are a slacker.  ❞ he  reveals pearly whites, using a hand to run it through his hair. he shakes his head D I S A P P R O V I N G .  ❝ do you always rely on handouts ? but, i guess seeing as i actually come prepared to class.  ❞ he chuckles before tossing some supplies the stranger’s way.  ❝ there you go.  ❞ 

the smirk that the other pins him with immediately puts hyunbin on edge. i should have kept my mouth shut, he thinks to himself. an apology is at the tip of tongue before the man starts to speak. he can feel his lip curl when the comments start and, instead of the shyness that was lingering before, he feels undiluted anger. “i am not a slacker, nor do i rely on handouts,” he nearly shouts and then adds in, softer, “i just forget things sometimes. it’s not a fucking crime.” the feeling intensifies when the stranger tosses a few writing utensils and a piece of paper his way. he shoves everything off his desk and onto the floor in an act of petty annoyance. “you can fucking keep it,” he growls out, eyes flashing.

hyunbin was a little nervous about the first activity, if he was being honest with himself. he thinks scout may have been able to smell the anxiety on him and that’s why he offered to be inside the maze, but he can’t be sure. the fact that hyunbin would be the one inside the maze had been nagging at the back of his mind because he never thought scout would go in, but here they are. scout being inside doesn’t necessarily ease up his anxiety though; he still has to get him out safely. “take that left when you reach the end, hyung,” he says into the walkie talkie, “and then a hard right when— oh, shit, it closed, um, go straight— no, there’s a creature blocking the path that way, i think, fuck. go back.” this is not going well.

he jumps when he feels hands prodding at him from behind and hears the makeshift door to the tent crinkle open. he picks up their scent almost immediately though. “ @inhaksa ?”

               “  HEH .  SORRY ,  MAN  . “  yaya  laughs  sheepishly  as  she  listens  to  the  werewolf   comment  on  how  little  she  knew .  but  her  hands  instantly  fly  up  in  protest  when  he  begins  to  apologize  for  his  behavior .  &  she  shakes  her  head ,  offering   him  an  almost  goofy  grin .  “ it’s  okay  !!  “  she  reassures  them .  “  i  guess  i  just  have  a  lot  to  learn . i  shouldn’t  be  asking  you  all  these  questions  anyway  !!  you’re  not  my  teache r.  “  she  jokes  hoping  to  lighten  the   mood . but,  she  nods  when  they  inform  her  about  the  resources  that   were  in  the  library.  &  lying  through  her  teeth,  she  tries  to  seem  interested  in  the  books  he  talks  about .  “  oh  yeah  ??  i’m  gonna  have  to  see  if  i  can  check  those  out ,  i guess. “ she states with a smile. “  i’m yaya , by the way . “  she  introduces  herself  finally .  “  i  guess  i  should  tell  you  my  name .  huh  ?? sorry about rambling, earlier. “ 

“it’s not,” he counters, “i’m usually a lot nicer, i swear.” he offers the girl a soft yet embarrassed smile. “it’s okay if you have questions. i’m sure coming here is a lot to take in. i just don’t know a ton myself because i grew up really sheltered, so i don’t know how much help i can be,” he explains, not wanting her to think he was giving half-answers just because he didn’t want to speak with her. “oh,” he hadn’t even realized that they hadn’t exchanged names, “i’m hyunbin, and please don’t apologize. i swear it’s not a big deal,” he says, shaking his head.