Chapter Text
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The night was dark, even with his enhanced vision. Jungkook stumbled along haphazardly, his mind still in overdrive from the nasty encounter with an unwelcoming coven of vampires.
While it wasn’t exactly a new experience, those kinds of situations never failed to leave him feeling on edge for hours afterwards.
He knew that he should try to desensitize himself from the nasty words and cruel actions always taken against him. It was the nature of his existence to be hated. He would deal with it his entire life. And yet his soft heart remained, broken to pieces every time he was viciously chased out or turned away.
His mother had fought hard to keep his heart tender, even when faced with so much bitter hatred. He missed her...
Jungkook physically shook his head in a vague attempt to keep the memories at bay. He could still be in danger, there wasn’t time to reminisce what no longer was.
After fleeing in a blind panic, he had managed to lose sense of where he was. The accomplishment was not doing him any good. The last map that he’d actually managed to get a look at had placed him maybe half a day’s journey away from his destination. He was so close but still so far.
He had been attempting to pick his way to what was known as Lunaria. It was the sacred neutral zone known to all vamps and weres. As such, he’d be able to find some sort of safety - a precious feeling he’d lost nearly two years before.
Lunaria was sacred ground, and no one would dare spill his blood on that kind of land. No one would disrespect the Moon on Her turf.
Jungkook had decided that it was his last hope. If he couldn’t find peace even on sacred grounds, then he never would.
So many claimed that his existence as a bloodfang was cursed. It was for the simple fact that he was always an outcast. The vampires saw him as an abomination and the werewolves saw him as sacrilege. Probably if he were discovered by humans, they’d want to experiment on him or something. The imagined danger was enough to keep him away from humans for self preservation.
Lunaria was all he had left.
Jungkook froze mid-step when he heard an ominous crack from somewhere nearby. His ears perked up, listening intently. No other sounds followed but he dared not move.
Loud sounds rarely happened on their own in the forest.
”Still in our territory huh,” a voice called from behind him. The sound of it was only faintly familiar to him. “You certainly seem to have a death wish, halfbreed.”
He turned slowly, heart dropping when he recognized one of the vampires from the coven he thought he had escaped from. ”I-I’m trying to leave,” he stuttered, “I don’t know where I am though-!”
”Sounds like a desperate attempt to gain sympathy to me,” the vamp interrupted. “Which is pitiful if you ask me. You’re intruding and making a nuisance of yourself, accept the consequences.”
Jungkook felt like crying. Trespassing was an immediate death sentence, apparently, but only for him. They always singled him out. “Please... j-just tell me which way to go to be out of your territory and I’ll go. You’d never see me again!”
”Silence beast! I’ll not hear your sad attempts to live! I’m doing this world a favor by ridding of you!”
A quiet sob ripped from his throat at the sheer injustice of it all. No one would ever listen to him, never hear his pleas.
It was as though he had been betrayed and abandoned by all but the Moon. But even She had left him in total darkness that night.
There was one certainty to him in that moment - and that was he was not going to sit and accept his death. If the vamp wanted to end him so badly, then he’d have to put in the effort.
Summoning his power voice was never an easy task. Though it was a necessity if he was to stand a chance at running. He was fast, but he’d never have the insane speed of a full-blood vamp.
When he felt the familiar tingling sensation in his vocal chords, he sucked in a breath and let the energy loose on the exhale. “Freiize!”
The vampire, with a look of horror on its face, stilled in place.
Jungkook bolted shortly thereafter.
It had been quite some time since he had been made to use his power voice, he hoped the effects were quite strong. The longer he went without using that trace of inner magic, the stronger the effects tended to be. As it were, he had probably managed to keep the vamp trapped in place. If he tried again, it would only slow them down.
It didn’t matter how much sound he made or what foliage he trampled. His enemy knew where he was, he just had to get away. The effects of his power voice never lasted more than a few minutes and he needed every second of that time.
He hoped that though absent that particular night, the Moon was on his side and would help guide him to Her lands in some way. He needed Her, much like how he still needed his birth mother.
Onwards he tramped. The thick wooded area he was in all looked the same. For all he knew, he was running in helpless circles. That would be his luck.
From somewhere behind him, there sounded the candid shriek of a pissed off vampire.
Jungkook pushed himself faster in a blind panic.
He didn’t want to die. He wanted to have a chance at a normal life. He wanted to find someone kindness. He wanted to live.
He tripped. Down he fell in an inelegant sprawl, head colliding harshly with the forest floor. The tumble took the air from his already heaving lungs and left him laying in a daze.
The vampire screeches were much closer.
There was nothing more he could do. Jungkook knew that. Even if he managed to get to his feet and get running again, he’d be unable to get far.
He cried into his arms, heart broken anew. It was seemingly his eternal fate to be outcasted, shunned, and eventually slain. He had been running from that fate for two years but still it loomed over his head like a personal storm cloud. He just couldn’t escape it no matter how hard he tried.
He could hear the angry steps approaching, closer, closer. The heavy sound matched the weighted beating of his heart. Then they suddenly just.. stopped.
A solid minute passed and still the vampire didn’t make any further move forward.
He wasn’t entirely sure what to do about it either. Surely there had to be a reason for the stop. Jungkook lifted himself up enough to turn and look.
The vamp was completely halted a mere five feet away, expression twisted into something dangerous. His red eyes glimmered with a lingering desire to hunt.
”By stroke of chance, you are protected,” the vampire hissed. “A half step off of these grounds and it’s your demise.” With a lingering glare, he turned and vanished in a burst of dark smoke.
Jungkook lay in shock. He couldn’t believe it. There was only one reason a vampire that he had thoroughly pissed off, would back off entirely.
Somehow he had managed to make it to Lunaria. He had made it to the neutral zone.
More tears were falling before he could even process the fact. He was safe...finally.
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Jungkook had only just entered the Moon’s lands, but he already adored it all. The trees were towering with sturdy boughs, their leaves almost glittering in the faint light from the stars.
He had no real way to tell where the boundary lie, but he hoped that he had managed to orient himself in the proper direction to move deeper into the territory and not out of it.
He couldn’t afford to come upon any more territory impositions. Especially since the ones bordering Lunaria were notoriously protective.
From the depths of the forest sounded a howl.
Jungkook paused as dread pulsed through his entire system. Had he gone too far? Was he out of safety? His heart raced in his chest.
Another howl, much closer. There was at least two of them based on the difference in pitch.
Then, directly in front of him appeared a golden wolf. The color of their coat was unusual but the were wore it with elegance. They approached to a certain point and then sat and looked at him.
He retreated a half step, body trembling with fear. It had been almost nonstop conflicts over the last couple of weeks. He was beyond exhausted and strung out. He couldn’t even remember the last time he’d eaten. Jungkook was just tired of constantly running.
The wolf cocked their head, bright amber eyes taking in his form with careful consideration.
At least they hadn’t gone directly into attack mode. Small mercies.
Jungkook gave in. He fell to his knees and bowed his head, “Please.. if I’m trespassing, please just let me go... I’ll not come back, honest.”
He flinched when a wet nose nudged against his cheek. He blinked back the tears - that had begun falling at some point - and met those amber eyes head on.
The wolf nudged his face again, releasing a gentle whine.
”I-I don’t understand,” he whimpered.
For that, he got a full lick up the side of his face. He squeaked at the feeling and rubbed the offending area on his shoulder. “Don’t do that,” he complained instinctively, “I don’t know where your gross tongue has been.”
The golden wolf snorted, something akin to amusement in their eyes.
He realized something then. “Y-You’re not upset..?” There was nothing angry or dangerous in the wolf’s body language. Instead they seemed...calm and dare he say welcoming.
His unexpected companion let out a quiet half bark, almost a ‘boof’ sound.
Jungkook still felt wary about the situation. Past experience had taught him that people rarely kept their word or any sense of decorum. It was usually a ruse to get him to lower his guard. “Is that just because we’re on neutral ground?”
The wolf whined and nudged him again, this time in the chest and knocked him onto his back.
He fell with a small yelp, and tensed, expecting the worst. Instead he received the weight of the wolf who outright laid down on his chest. “W-What-“
The wolf’s tail wagged as they nuzzled in against his face.
Jungkook was so confused. He was being...cuddled? Was that was this was? He hesitantly reached up to the wolf’s head and rubbed behind their ear.
A pleased rumble sounded in the depths of their throat. Apparently the wolf quite liked his attentions.
”I think you’re the first werewolf who’s not tried to kill me on sight,” he whispered in awe.
Goldie, as Jungkook had begun mentally calling them, whined again and licked his cheek.
The affectionate gesture meant more than he could ever hope to articulate. He burst into tears and hugged Goldie. It had been so long since he had been shown such kindness and gentility. The feeling eased his heart just so.
Luckily the were had no qualms about letting him hug them. If anything Goldie had nuzzled closer.
“Mmm sorry for crying on you,” he said, voice muffled as his face was buried in Goldie’s neck.
The wolf merely licked his cheek again in reply.
Internally, he felt mortified by the sudden moment of weakness. He wasn’t even sure he could trust Goldie, but he had let his emotional guard down. Moon help him. He hoped the show of trust wouldn’t come back to bite him in the rear as it usually did.
Goldie pulled away enough to peer down at him, making a sound of inquiry.
Jungkook wiped at his eyes, sniffling. “I’m not gonna cry anymore, don’t look at me like that...”
A howl sounded from a short distance from their position.
His blood ran cold at the sound, ears flattening against his head. He sat up in a rush and huddled into himself. "Y-You have a pack... but this is the n-neutral zone. You wouldn't hurt me-"
Goldie barked in his face, expression stern.
It startled him into silence. Though he was quite sure he had just been told to be quiet. Jungkook had to bite his lip to keep from crying again.
He was such a mess. There was so much he still needed to figure out... He hoped he'd at least get to sleep without waking up every ten minutes now that he was in Lunaria. He might get cold without any kind of shelter but if he could build a fire that would help. It was a new moon, so he could shift if he really needed to. But he should probably find something to eat if his angered stomach had anything to say.
Goldie was staring at him.
He blinked back at them dumbly. Jungkook knew he was beyond tired if he was getting lost in thought so easily.
The wolf watched him for a moment more, then raised their head and returned a howl.
He really wanted to believe that nothing bad was going to happen. Maybe the him from two years ago would’ve believed that. As it were, Jungkook coiled himself up, ready to run if the need arose.
Another wolf stumbled into view, yapping at a tree branch that had apparently tripped them up. This one was a shade of light brown, but it was a warm brown. The color reminiscent, oddly enough, of bread crust.
Goldie turned their head and let out that ‘boof’ sound again.
The other wolf whined. The sound was petulant and definitely exaggerated.
Jungkook watched on with his ears pricked forward in alert. It was kind of interesting to watch them communicate. If he wasn’t so scared of how badly things could go wrong, he’d watch their interactions more.
Goldie barked to gain his attention, tail wagging.
He startled at the unexpected sound, anxiety ramping up.
Without so much as a sign of doing so, Goldie shifted into a smiling person with shining eyes.
”Hiya stranger!”
Jungkook’s brain completely blanked. Of all the things he had been expecting, that was perhaps the farthest reaction he had even considered.
”Welcome to Lunaria,” human Goldie continued, heart shaped smile on full blast. “I’m not sure where you got the impression but I promise we mean no harm. I was just curious about the new arrival is all.”
”I... you what..?” His brain apparently hadn’t kicked back into gear quite yet.
Human Goldie giggled. “I’m glad I came to see you, you’re so CUTE!”
Jungkook stared. He really wasn’t sure what on earth was happening. He must’ve fallen asleep or something. There was no way this werewolf was for real.
The were’s expression softened as they came forward and put a hand on his shoulder. “Hey, you’re gonna be okay. You’re safe here, we won’t hurt you. What’s your name little one?”
There was something very genuine to Goldie. It made him want to trust them. That fact alone could be dangerous. But however foolishly, he wanted to hope. Maybe just one last time, he wanted to trust someone.
”Jungkook,” he mumbled, eyes downcast, “m’name’s Jungkook.”
Goldie gently lifted his chin, a smile back on their face. “Nice to meet you, Jungkook. My name is Hoseok, but you can call me Hobi!”
Hobi. It was a suitably bright nickname for a bright individual. Jungkook felt drawn to their warm personality. There was something innately welcoming about them, something he hadn’t really seen in someone since his mother.
If home could be personified into someone, it had been his mother.
Hobi was quiet for a moment before they gently asked, “Can I give you a hug, Jungkookie?”
It was ridiculous that something like that was enough to make his eyes sting with the threat of tears. He nodded.
Getting hugged by Hobi, he learned, was the most comforting experience. The chill of the air had been chased away, the weariness of his body mellowed out, even his worries seemed to fall to the wayside. He sniffled, feeling entirely overwhelmed.
"I think you needed that," Hobi observed with a gentle tone. They pulled away enough to cup his cheeks, "There's no shame in asking for affection from here on out, okay?"
That oddly sounded like he had just been taken in. Jungkook wasn't sure what to do with that information.
"Any questions before we go to the house?"
Jungkook stared, completely taken aback by.. well just about everything that had occurred. But there was one question he had been meaning to ask. "P-Preferred pronouns..?" He croaked.
Hobi blinked, clearly surprised by the question. Then they giggled, face crinkled in amusement. "Ah you sweetie. Everyone in our group goes by he or him pronouns. Kind of you to ask."
He had thought it was common courtesy. That comment made him think otherwise.
"C'mon Tae," Hobi called to the wolf, "we're taking Jungkook back to the house now."
Tae's tail wiggled slightly before there seemed to be a deliberate effort to still its motions.
Jungkook had lots of questions but he didn't think he'd get his brain in enough gear to ask them until he managed to get more than 40 minutes of sleep. So, for the mean time, he followed the were duo and prayed to the Moon that nothing would go awry. He had to trust that being in Lunaria was enough to keep him protected long enough to get his wits about him. He really needed to focus. If he was anywhere else, he'd probably have been killed already. The mental reminder was sobering, and exactly what he needed.
They traveled through the woods for awhile. Hobi had taken up humming while brushing his hand through Tae's fur from where the wolf was pressed against him.
Jungkook swallowed down the desire in his chest to request pets too. He could still shift if he wanted to...
Then the house came into view - if it could even be called that. It was more the likes of a mini-mansion turned massive cottage. The structure itself was homey looking and covered extensively in rolling green ivy. The sight was stunning to behold.
He just couldn't believe such a thing just kind of existed in the middle of the woods. Strange.
Hobi turned halfway to face him, expression warm. "It might get a little loud in here, but I promise you'll be safe. No harm, remember?"
Jungkook nodded wordlessly. He was too tired to do much else.
As soon as they entered, the sound of several voices filtered in from a room down the short corridor.
His ears lowered against his head. If he had a tail, he was sure it'd be tucked against his leg. Hobi had promised no danger. He really hoped the bright were was strong on his word.
"Hobi, Tae? Have you guys come back?" Someone called.
"Yeah it's us, Joon-ah." Hoseok kicked off his shoes and wiped the pads of Tae's paws in nearly the same motion. "You know Jin-hyung is going to get on you about being shifted in the house, right?"
Tae huffed and rolled his eyes.
Jungkook briefly wondered about the context of that particular comment.
"C'mon Jungkookie," Hobi called softly.
He followed obediently, his ears stubbornly plastered down. It was increasingly difficult to keep his anxiety at bay.
Once they appeared in view of the others, silence fell over the room.
"Why'd you all go quiet? What am I missing?"
Jungkook glanced up, eyes wide, just as a tall man with garnet red eyes appeared in a doorway that seemed to lead to a kitchen. A vampire?? In the company of... three werewolves?
He had so many questions.
"....Hobi, love... did.. you bring home a bloodfang?"
Oh shit.
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