Chapter Text
Some nights the village was quiet, darkness swallowing the streets as the only visible specs of light came from the windows of families getting ready for supper. And then some nights, like this one, the village came to life.
The tavern was filled to its brim, pulsating with life that came from every villager who deemed it possible to leave their night routine to come to celebrate.
Among the villagers, stood Kim Namjoon.
The young man was tall, dressed in fine leather, dimples showing as he accepted what had to be the fifth toast in his honor of the night. He bowed his head towards the old man who offered the salutation, kind eyes giving the impression he was right where he wanted to be.
And they had a good reason to celebrate. That night the hunting party came back with the best game they’ve had in years, one of the animals a gigantic deer that on itself was probably enough to keep the entire village fed for the winter to come.
“Did you hear about how they caught it, Min?” one of the customers asked the man behind the counter in a hushed whisper. “The animal crossed their path when they were coming back from the Nothern Woods. Apparently Namjoon had little to no warning before having to battle it for dominance. Can you imagine that?”
The bartender huffed a dry laugh, eyes fixated on the glass he was filling with ale, before passing it full to the man, an exasperated smirk on his face. He was a young man, mop of black hair shuffled by the draft of wind that made its way through the tavern every time a new customer came in. He was dressed in all black, features delicate - pale skin contrasting with the tanned people in the tavern -, but the man that addressed him still shifted uncomfortably once pinned with intense cat-like black eyes. He offered no comment in return, as the man hadn’t talked expecting an answer.
But in truth, he could indeed well imagine it.
After all, things never seemed to come at Min Yoongi with any warning.
His mother once laughed when he told her that and answered him that maybe that was life's way of keeping him on his toes.
It was ironic that she had been gone without a warning too.
A small ruckus to his left dragged Yoongi’s eyes from the man to stare instead at the group that just passed the front door.
Nurturers.
Yoongi could tell from the shift of mood around the tavern.
The small group walked in together, not looking by any means as if their mere presence hadn’t made all the hunters in the tavern adjust their postures.
The man in front of him whistled loudly, snapping his hand on the shoulder of the woman beside him as he called out to the group:
“Ain’t a bit past your bedtime, little preys?”
The group didn’t seem that bothered by the intrusion, still talking among themselves. After a moment, one of the girls in the front walked towards the bar with a resolute expression on her face.
Yoongi moved to take her order as he swiftly took back the ale that he had just served the man, ignoring the lament that was yelled to his back.
The girl smiled as she saw Yoongi approaching, supporting her elbow on the counter to tiptoe as she tried to look at the bottles on the top shelves. Her brown hair fell into a braid over her right shoulder, the tip almost touching the plate of bread a woman beside her seemed to be eating from. She didn’t look like she minded though, making little effort to hide her stare towards the nurturer's figure.
“Don’t even think about it, Mi-Sun,” Yoongi said as he stood in front of the girl, fighting a smile as he watched her lips turn into a pout quickly.
“Ah, c’mon, we just want to have a little fun. It’s a celebration day!” she raised both her arms over her head, her loud voice making her friends cheer from where they stood behind her, still attracting half the tavern’s attention to themselves.
“I don’t know about them, but you’re not touching the whisky as long as I have a say in it,” Yoongi replied calmly. “Have fun with ale.”
The girl wrinkled her nose in distaste but nodded anyway.
Yoongi took a quick head count, before starting to fill six tall glasses of ale behind the counter.
“You should count yourself lucky he’s even giving you anything, you know?” the woman who had just been ogling the girl a second before felt the need to input. “Sweet prey like shouldn’t even be out at this time, least of all at a tavern.”
“Does my presence bother you, old lady?” the girl replied easily, a smirk growing on her features. “Well, let me tell you that Yoongi here would kick your poor excuse of an ass out in the snow before refusing to serve me or any of my friends.”
The woman’s expression shifted quickly, open rage apparent on her face as she opened her mouth to reply. But the sound of the glass hitting the counter shocked her out of her anger, as Yoongi started putting out the drinks for the nurturer to take.
“You want to test that theory, Lee?” he said only, nodding back when Min-So winked at him before expertly grabbing the six cups by the handles and bringing them back to her friends. “Would learn to keep my mouth shut if I were you, it’s fucking cold outside.”
The woman huffed in outrage, looking around to see if anyone else would come to her aid, but the rest of the tavern seemed to be either too drunk to notice or too familiar to care.
“You think you’re going to be able to drag that grumpy face of yours from behind the counter anytime soon, man? You’re missing your best friend’s celebration.”
Yoongi didn’t even try to fight the smile as it stretched thinly across his face at the sight of Kim Namjoon occupying the spot that Min-So had just left vacant in front of the counter. His cheeks were flushed and eyes a bit foggy, all clear indicators he was way past the path of a mean hangover the next morning, but the grin on his face was still contagious.
“Should I start cutting you off, Joonie? Not looking so stable there.” Yoongi replied. “What if the deer’s family comes after your ass tonight? How much dominance do you think you could muster then?”
“Fucking none.” Namjoon dimpled at him. “But hey, you’ll protect me.”
Yoongi paused in his movement, to put a hand on top of his friend’s, eyes serious.
“Look, I know you’re joking, but I just want you to know that if a whole horde of animals came through that door right now I wouldn’t hesitate…” Yoongi started, as Namjoon’s eyes turned serious as well. “…to let them fucking maul you as I run out the back door.”
Namjoon’s expression morphed into mock outraged so quickly Yoongi started wondering if he had misjudged his friend’s state of intoxication - but then again, Namjoon had always been able to handle his alcohol well. He let himself be shoved back on his shoulder, chuckling at Namjoon’s offended expression.
“Live in denial for all I care, truth be told you’d die for me,” his friend said with a happy toast toward Yoongi, before downing the rest of his beer.
And the sad truth was, Namjoon was probably right.
It was hard to tell enemies from friends when you lived in a society like theirs, but Yoongi supposed he should count himself lucky to at least have found himself one.
Or maybe two, he thought, as he watched Jungkook stagger towards them, face pinched in concentration as he took one step after the other as if it was the hardest of missions.
Namjoon had been Yoongi’s best friend for at least twenty years now, as they had met shortly after learning how to walk, running around the same forest, the one everyone else in the village preferred to avoid. Yoongi because he lived right on the outskirts of it and saw the dangerous Southern Woods as only an extension of his backyard, and Namjoon… well, Namjoon had always been a curious mind, so willing to explore what everyone else deemed dispensable.
Looking at the state of his friend right now, it was hard to imagine how much power he held as the son of the mayor, lead hunter, and by all means uncontested heir to the richest family in the county. Hell, most times Yoongi wondered what made Namjoon keep friends with him even after they had gone way past infancy and right into adulthood. Yoongi didn’t have much to offer in the means of money and even less when it came to being social, but Namjoon never seemed to have any issues with that, and Yoongi could only thank whatever gods decided to put the man in his way.
“Guys, I don't feel so good,” Jungkook mumbled as he all but shoulder-punched his way into the tiny spot between Namjoon and the man beside him.
Yoongi’s lips quirked into a smile again.
Jungkook was a completely different case from Namjoon - if the second man seemed to have been in his life forever, the boy had appeared out of nowhere and simply decided to stay.
Namjoon had introduced both of them after Jungkook’s family came into the village two years prior. The boy had quickly become a part of the village’s band of hunters that Namjoon led, incredibly skilled even then at the young age of sixteen.
And even though Yoongi was hesitant towards making new friends and introverted on his best days, Jungkook fit well with them. The boy was quiet in his ways, happy to stay in the company of the two older men, but explosive in his cheekiness when the situation allowed him to be. Even Namjoon was surprised at how easily Yoongi took him in; Yoongi could barely believe it himself.
Also, sometimes he helped out in the tavern and Yoongi could use the second pair of hands.
“Maybe it’s about time we finish this celebration on a happy note,” Namjoon said calmly, one hand resting on Jungkook’s shoulder.
Yoongi smiled at his friend, once again being reminded there was a reason Namjoon was so generally beloved by everyone who crossed his path.
The young man was above all, immensely wise. Yoongi would probably never be able to tell him that, but every time he looked at Namjoon, it didn’t matter if they were on excellent terms or had just recently gotten into a stupid fight, there was a piece of his heart that would swell up with pride. That his best friend could grow up being everything that he was and somehow never became an arrogant man in the process.
Before Jungkook could agree or disagree with the proposal, Mi-Sun all but popped out of nowhere, resting her upper body heavily on the counter and forcing Namjoon to step back to allow her space. Yoongi fought the urge to roll his eyes at the scene.
“Don’t tell me you’re leaving already, Joonie?” the girl pouted, ignoring all pretense of personal space as she walked right into Namjoon’s. “But I brought all my friends to celebrate your big night and everything.”
Yoongi glanced at Jungkook to catch the boy already smirking at him knowingly and couldn’t help but smirk back. Namjoon ignored both of them as his posture completely shifted in the presence of the nurturer, going from slumped on the counter to the straight-backed hunter the village adored.
“That was kind of you, Mi-Sun, you shouldn’t have,” Namjoon said softly, smiling at the girl. “I suppose I could stay for a bit more...”
He looked conflicted as a glance at Jungkook’s direction showed the boy on the verge of turning green.
“It’s alright, Joonie, I’ll take him home,” Yoongi said as he started untying the apron around his waist.
Namjoon still didn’t look convinced, but Yoongi’s wink at him turned the unsure expression into a relieved one.
“Thanks, man,” he replied, eyes going back to Mi-Sun, but it took a minute for the girl to engage him in conversation, weirdly looking a bit less enthusiastic now.
Yoongi ignored the pair of them, swiftly moving from around the counter to grab Jungkook by the waist and move him toward the entrance of the tavern.
“Bar’s open for the next half hour, but if any of the whisky bottles look touched when I come back there will be hell to pay,” Yoongi murmured as he passed along the pair, and watched with pride a flash of fear pass through Namjoon’s eyes.
The freezing wind almost knocked him off his feet the second he stepped outside the tavern and Yoongi had to turn around to make sure Jungkook hadn’t been dumb enough to forego his coat.
The boy seemed to still be struggling with some sickness, but thankfully not drunk enough to risk frostbite. Even so, Yoongi made a point of checking the belt around his coat and adjusting the scarf on Jungkook's neck before starting their slow walk toward the boy's house.
“You’re coming back after dropping me?” Jungkook asked as he stumbled his way through the thick layer of snow that covered the village’s empty main road.
“Fuck, might not,” Yoongi answered only, dragging his hands up and down his arms in search of heat. “The hell you guys were doing hunting in this weather anyway? Fucking freezing.”
Jungkook shrugged. “It’s been boring out of hunting season, we wanted to have some fun. You know, the hunter’s instinct and all that stuff.”
Yoongi rolled his eyes. “There’s no such thing.”
Jungkook huffed a bit.
“ 'Course there is. What?” he asked at Yoongi’s impassive look. “You think Mi-Sun would willing to go out in this weather with her group of nurturers to hunt 'cause she’s bored?”
It was Yoongi’s time to shrug. “I suppose not. But then again I wouldn’t either so there you have it.”
Jungkook cursed a bit as he stepped into a deeper-than-it-looked part of the road and got his legs covered in snow to almost his knees.
“Well, you don’t count,” he said with a frown, as he shook his leg a bit trying to get rid of the speckles of ice. “You’re the only hunter I know that doesn’t do hunt parties.”
Yoongi hummed a bit at that. “Should I even be called that then?”
Jungkook tsked a bit. “It’s just a title.”
“It’s a stupid title.”
“What do you want us to call it then? Being of superior dominance capacity?” Jungkook offered, cheekiness going back to his expression, as the cold seemed to take some of his drunkenness away.
“Who’s superior here? If you ask me Namjoon is not exactly dominating that situation happening at the tavern right now.”
Jungkook chuckled at that. “You have a point there. You think something’s up with the both of them?”
Yoongi hummed a bit, Namjoon’s endless queue of nurturer prospects was usually low on his priority list, but he gave it a thought for once to at least distract his mind from the cold. “Mi-Sun is willing, so it’s up to Joonie, I guess.”
“You think he’s into her?” Jungkook asked distractedly as they started walking closer to the Southern Woods border, towards the little hill where the simpler shacks would be replaced by the big houses of the richest families in the village.
“Namjoon it’s not in a position to easily accept an intent of court from just any nurturer,” Yoongi replied wisely. “But then again, Mi-Sun it’s not the kind of person you can easily say no to.”
“She’s from a good family, though,” Jungkook said. “Pretty too. Very sensitive, very... uh cool. What’s stopping him?”
Yoongi chuckled a bit. “Maybe you should ask her out.”
Jungkook scrunched his nose instantly, causing Yoongi to outright laugh. “You’re way past the age of thinking nurturers have cooties, Kook.”
The boy opened his mouth to reply, but before he could a piercing scream broke through the night.
Yoongi felt as if all the cold from the snow had hit him straight in his heart, especially after he realized the direction where the scream had come from.
“What the fuck?” Jungkook stopped in his tracks, deer eyes wide. “Was that an animal?”
“No,” Yoongi replied calmly, legs strained as he fought against the quiver of his knees. “Go back to the tavern, get Namjoon.”
“Yoongi…” Jungkook started, voice now devoid of any trace of the drunkenness he once carried in the tavern.
“Be quick and I’ll be fine, right?” Yoongi offered him a quick smile and started running towards the forest. “Namjoon will find me!”
He didn’t look back to check if Jungkook would follow his instructions, he knew the boy enough to know that as much of a brat as he could be, when it came to serious matters Jungkook was the man to trust.
The forest seemed to murmur as the foliage rumbled against the soft wind once Yoongi approached, but he didn’t fear it. As dark and dangerous as it could be, the Southern Woods were a second home to him.
No, he didn’t fear the forest; he feared whatever was running around in it at this exact moment.
“Alright, give me a place to start,” Yoongi mumbled to no one, as he closed his eyes right at the edge of the woods and let his nature spirit take over.
As if attuned to his sense of urgency, the spirit rumbled inside him spreading out quicker than it normally would and in a matter of seconds, Yoongi could feel the wildness within himself connect with the forest in front of him.
He opened his eyes, walking into the forest with slow steps. There was a full moon outside, which was lucky or else he would have to trust only his sense of smell and hearing as he ventured further into the thick woods. As it was, he soon saw the ruffled bushes that indicated someone had been running around the area recently.
Following the bushes took Yoongi deep into the forest, and he started feeling his control slip as he realized it wasn’t going to be easy for Namjoon to track him in the middle of a snowstorm. He had to trust his friend would be sober enough to find the same tracks he had been following so far.
All thoughts vanished from his head though the second he heard the shifting of branches behind him.
Owls.
In these forests, there was only one other predator that would be able to hide that high in the trees, and if Yoongi was walking in front of one his fate would have long been set towards the path of quick but painful death.
Owls, it had to be owls.
He walked a couple of more steps before pausing as the rushing sound of someone’s soft footsteps reached him from somewhere on his left. Yoongi slowly braced himself for whatever would face him once he passed by the last couple of trees that seemed to stand between him and the unfamiliar sounds that invaded the forest.
One step. Two steps. Three steps.
Yoongi moved a branch away as delicately as he could and his eyes widened at the scene in front of him.
The branch once moved gave way to a clearing, where the threes spaced out and the moon could light up a lot more of the area and maybe it would have been better if it hadn’t.
Right on the edge of the clearing, only half illuminated by the moon stood the biggest black leopard Yoongi had ever seen.
The feline had his entire body angled for an attack as his eyes never left the center of the clearing.
And there, looking about as tall as Yoongi, but leaner in size, stood a man.
His shoulders were hunched, as he held on to his left arm. His white tunic was ripped to reveal deep scratches to the side of his abdomen, and there was blood soaking the right side of his face. Still, he stood tall, facing the leopard, with what only now Yoongi recognized as an arrow held tightly between his teeth.
And then Yoongi could feel it, the man’s rate of dominance, realizing at that moment why it took so long for him to catch it at all.
It was low. It was barely there.
A nurturer.
Why was a nurturer facing a leopard in the middle of the woods?
And maybe the feline was in as much state of shock at the man's audacity as Yoongi was, because instead of moving in for an attack it stood still watching for his prey’s next move.
The boy kept his stance, eyes hard, but Yoongi could tell he was fading fast, and suddenly he couldn’t wait anymore.
Battling against every single survival instinct that yelled in his head for him to turn his back and find help, Yoongi stepped into the clearing, as smoothly as he could to not scare either animal or man.
He couldn’t see the boy’s reaction as he kept his eyes trained on the leopard while he slowly made his way to finally stand between predator and prey.
Yoongi ignored the erratic beat of his heart, trying hard to face the animal with no fear in his eyes, invoking every ounce of spirit he could feel thundering through his veins and hoping it would be enough.
There is no animal in these woods more dangerous than the black leopard, Yoongi.
"What do I do if I see one?"
You pray and you run.
His mother’s words echoed in his head as he took the shift in posture coming from the animal the second it realized his new opponent's rate of dominance was much higher than the last one.
You pray and you run.
Yoongi stood still.
The hair on the back of his neck rose and his knees instantly started to quiver as the wave of dominance coming from the animal reached his body. It was as if every fiber of his being wanted to succumb and for the life of him he could not understand how the nurturer was still standing.
The fear prickled against his skin, but thankfully it didn’t settle in his spirit - and as the waves of dominance washed through his body, Yoongi could feel his dominance starting to fight back.
And the animal could feel it too.
The leopard slowly started to bow his head, a soft whimper escaping it, making the huge animal sound oddly like a wild cat.
Yoongi adjusted his posture, making the animal go even lower still until eventually, it seemed to realize its defeat.
The leopard growled one last time before swiftly running back into the thickness of the woods.
Yoongi let his entire posture relax and he let out a relieved breath, but a soft whimper behind him didn’t allow him to rest for long. He turned around and saw in horror as the boy finally fell to his knees, his shoulders staggering with the harshness of his breaths.
Branches cracked under him as Yoongi kneeled in front of the boy, both hands coming to hold him by the shoulders.
“Hey, hey, you’re okay now,” Yoongi whispered, moving one hand to touch the boy's chin and raise his eyes towards him. “It’s gone, you’re safe, you’re…”
Yoongi went quiet as he took the boy's features. His temple had a nasty cut that seemed to be the cause for all the bleeding apparent on his face, but even lighted up only by the moon, he still looked breathtaking.
He had soft blond hair, plump lips, and a defined jawline. But Yoongi focused on his eyes instead, they were droopy with haziness.
“Can you walk?” he whispered, but the boy offered no answer, thoughts seemingly far away.
Yoongi bit his lower lip trying to figure out how he would drag the boy out of the woods when a broken sound that could only have come from the feline they just faced followed by a deaf thud could be heard from the woods. He felt relief curse through his veins.
Namjoon.
His best friend broke through the foliage into the clearing soon enough, expression watchful as he took in the scene in front of him. It instantly morphed into relief when he saw Yoongi.
“What happened?” he said, taking a couple of steps towards Yoongi and the boy.
Behind him, some hunters from Namjoon’s band started to come out of the forest as well.
“I don’t know. Some kind of attack... I think he’s in shock.” Yoongi nodded towards the boy, dragging his eyes back to the nurturer's face only to have the air punched right out of his lungs as he realized the boy was staring right at him.
“T-than…” he tried, voice hoarse. “Are you...? Are you…?”
Yoongi felt himself being pushed back as Namjoon came to kneel between him and the boy, breaking their eye contact in one swift movement.
“My name is Kim Namjoon, you’re at the Inner Village of the Southern Woods,” he said, power pouring out of his voice. “We’re here to help you, sir, so don’t be afraid anymore.”
Yoongi could no longer see the boy from where he kneeled, so he forced his quivering legs to straighten up as he rose from the ground, looking around the band of hunters approaching.
Jungkook was at the very back, relief obvious on his face when he took Yoongi’s uninjured appearance.
He offered his friend a small nod and turned back in time to see Namjoon and one of his hunters raising the boy back to his feet carefully. His face was still pale from the exertion.
“C’mon, we’re getting out of here, it’s not safe,” Namjoon said calmly, taking slow steps, eyebrows furrowed as he took the boy’s face in. “He’s a nurturer, isn’t he?”
Yoongi only nodded, following his friend, but his eyes were still keen on the boy.
“He’s gorgeous,” a hunter standing beside Yoongi, Won-Shik, commented, earning a harsh glare from Namjoon. “What? Everyone’s thinking it.”
“I’d keep it to myself anyway.” Yoongi snapped beside him.
Namjoon’s eyes went to him but offered no comments.
“Less talking and more moving,” he said to Won-Shik instead, nodding back towards the tree line. His face contorted a bit as if he didn't want to voice the next words: “We’re taking him to Seokjin.”
The little shack by the lake was almost hidden from view even with the full moon casting its light on the trees surrounding it. The only way they could know the place was still there was by the faint orange light that pierced through the window towards the front porch of the house.
Yoongi walked in slow steps, mindful of the snow under his feet, but eyes set on the boy practically being carried in front of him.
Namjoon had his arms tightly secured around the nurturer's shoulders, and one of his men supported the rest of the weight from the left. In the beginning, Yoongi could tell some faint tentative movement coming from the boy’s legs, but as time went by, more and the movement became little to nonexistent - to the point that Yoongi could tell by the strain in Namjoon’s shoulders he was fighting the keep himself up.
They were but a few meters from the shack when the front door snapped open and a shadow came running down the steps to meet them.
“Kim Namjoon! I cannot believe you and your band of nitwits went back into the woods in this weather! Are you out of your mind? How much more game can you possibly…?” the man stopped the second he was close enough to take a good look at the boy.
The torches the hunters carried lit up Kim Seokjin’s shocked frown. The man was tall enough to speak eye to eye with most of Namjoon’s band, aside from the man himself. His handsome features went from confusion to worry and then anger, the last one directed at Namjoon in an accusatory glance.
“What is this?” he spoke coldly, moving to take hold of the boy.
Namjoon let go of him easily; looking exhausted the second the weight seemed to be off his shoulders. Yoongi stepped forward as Seokjin staggered a bit at the boy's full weight.
“It’s fine.” Seokjin stopped him, before raising his eyes. The second he took Yoongi’s presence in though, his expression seemed to relax. “Jungkook, Won-Shik! Take him inside and lay him down.”
Both men moved in an instant, each one grabbing the boy from each side and dragging him towards the house. Namjoon and Yoongi moved to follow but were both stopped by Seokjin stepping between them and the pathway to the house.
“Explain. Now,” he said, eyeing Namjoon pointedly.
The man raised his arms in defense.
“Hey! I’m innocent, he was like that when we found him,” he claimed.
Seokjin’s eyes went from Namjoon to Yoongi.
“Who found him?” he asked, but it was obvious by his stare that he already knew the answer to that question.
Yoongi fought the urge to roll his eyes.
Kim Seokjin would forever befuddle him.
It was common for a nurturer to have excellent people reading skills, but when it came to Seokjin the talent seemed to verge on the supernatural.
“I found him. He was facing a black leopard, already sustaining injuries.” Yoongi replied easily, expression blank.
Seokjin’s eyebrows disappeared behind his black hair and in his peripheral view he could tell Namjoon was taken aback by the information as well.
“When you say facing…?” Seokjin started.
“I mean facing, staring down, dominance challenges, whatever you want to call it. Can we move now?” Yoongi replied as he took one step toward the shack.
But again Seokjin positioned himself in front of him.
“That boy has the lowest dominance level I’ve ever felt. You mean to tell me he was out there challenging the highest predator in those woods?”
Not only trying, the boy had been managing it, from what Yoongi had gathered. He had no idea how long he would have been able to keep it up and was sure the animal would never back down as it did for Yoongi. But still, it was something he had never seen before.
“I said what I said,” Yoongi replied only, raising his arms to gently move Seokjin out of the way.
He had no idea why, but not having the boy under his sight made something crawl under his skin.
Luckily, Seokjin seemed to be out of the question as he let himself be pushed without any other words, following along with Yoongi’s footsteps toward the shack.
Yoongi could hear Namjoon whispering something behind him and Seokjin snapping something back, but he had no patience to endure the pair’s bickering tonight.
He crossed the main entrance to find the boy already lying down on the wooden cot Seokjin always had ready at the center of his living room. A fireplace burning kept the entire room warm and illuminated, the fact already enough to make Yoongi a bit more relieved.
At least the nurturer wasn’t cold anymore.
He seemed to be completely passed out on the sheets, carrying a frown even in his sleep.
Yoongi approached with soft steps, Jungkook and Won-Shik stepping away easily to give him space. He raised his hand a bit, before giving up on the gesture and turning around to look as Seokjin and Namjoon stepped into the house.
The first man took one look at the scene in front of him, before snapping his fingers with impatience. “Everybody out, I need space. You can wait outside or go home for all I care, just move.”
Jungkook bowed his head quickly and moved to walk out with no objection, but Won-Shik seemed to hesitate, eyes fixed on the nurturer.
“He truly is gorgeous, you know?” the man said as he moved his hands towards the boy, only to be stopped when Yoongi swiftly caught his wrist in his hand.
“C’mon, Won-Shik. Seokjin needs his space,” he muttered to the man, pulling at his wrist a bit, before letting it go once Won-Shik seemed to snap out of whatever trance he had put himself under.
Seokjin watched both of them with cunning eyes, a pensive expression on his face.
“Seokjin, you want me to stay? You might need help.” Namjoon inquired just as Yoongi and the other man were approaching the door.
Yoongi furrowed his eyebrows at his best friend, only to see the hunter had his eyes glued on the boy's figure, a look of worry and some confusion on his face. As if he was wondering himself what was the reason for his question.
“You’re not wrong.” Seokjin conceded, his eyes still calculating. Namjoon smiled a bit, moving forward towards the boy. “Yoongi, can you stay?”
Namjoon stopped in his movements, looking befuddled. His eyes snapped towards Yoongi and for a second it seemed like he was going to protest, but caught himself in time.
Yoongi glanced at his friend, before nodding at Seokjin. He took a few steps back towards the boy, hearing the front door being closed behind him.
“What was that all about?” he asked the second he couldn’t hear any near movements outside the door.
“Hunters.” Seokjin tsked, turning his back to Yoongi as he finally focused on the boy.
Yoongi didn’t ask him what he meant by that, choosing instead to approach the cot. The second he had a look at the boy’s face it took all of him to fight back the instinct of touching him. He narrowed his eyes at the nurturer, before looking at Seokjin, only to find the man already staring at him.
“You feel it too, don’t you?” he asked, voice now soft.
“What is this?” Yoongi asked.
Seokjin took one look at the nurturer, before swiftly starting to move.
“Can you grab me the scissors and hot water from the fire?”
Yoongi nodded, turning around to reach the shelves behind his back to grab the nearest scissors he could find and offer them to Seokjin. He then approached the fireplace where a little pot of water seemed to be rested, warming up by the fire. He took a few rags from the little trunk beside it as well.
Seokjin took the stuff from his hand cautiously, before positioning the scissors at the edge of the boy's blood-smattered shirt. Yoongi understood his intentions quickly, turning his back in time to hear the fabric starting to be ripped apart.
“Grab me the green and red vials. Also, needle and string.”
Yoongi did as he was told offering the objects to Seokjin without turning to look at the boy.
Seokjin worked quietly, as Yoongi watched the fire, trying not to focus on his instincts to turn back to the nurturer. He couldn’t tell how much time went by but paused when a whimper seemed to make it past the boy’s lip. He almost turned around but caught himself in time.
“He’s asleep, don’t worry, I made sure of that,” Seokjin said calmly from behind him as if sensing his control slipping. “I’m almost done, he’s going to be just fine.”
“What is this?” Yoongi asked again, now that it seemed like the boy was out of danger.
“I’m not sure,” Seokjin replied. “But if I had to give you an answer I’d say his abnormally low levels of dominance make the spirit a bit unbalanced.”
“Do you feel it too?” Yoongi asked, eyes still on the fire.
“No, but I could sense all of the hunter’s behavior seemed a bit erratic. And I can sense not only his dominance but also his nurturer level. I’ve never seen something quite like it.” Seokjin explained softly as he worked.
“What do you mean?” Yoongi asked, but he could almost guess.
“Extremely low dominance, extremely high nurturer instincts,” Seokjin answered, proving all Yoongi’s guesses to be right. “A perfect mate for any hunter.”
Yoongi nodded.
“You feel it? The need to dominate?” Seokjin asked and Yoongi huffed out a laugh. Only Seokjin could get by asking such personal questions in that unbothered tone.
“Not dominate,” Yoongi replied. “Protect.”
Seokjin was silent for a while, before humming. “Interesting.”
“What’s interesting?”
Seokjin was suddenly in front of him, offering a small smile as he cleaned his hands with a towel.
“It should have been to dominate,” he replied only, before walking away towards one of the doors that led to one of the two bedrooms inside the shack.
Yoongi took a breath before finally turning around. The nurturer was still fast asleep, but way less pale now. Seokjin had covered him up to his neck with a soft blanket, so Yoongi couldn’t tell the state of his injuries anymore, but the slight flush on his cheeks was enough to tell Yoongi that Seokjin was probably right – he would be just fine.
He approached the cot but refrained from staying less than a couple of steps near the nurturer. It was an ungrounded fear in the end, he realized, all his instincts had quieted down now that the boy seemed to be somewhat stable.
No longer did he feel the urge to touch him, to check if he was alright with his own eyes. The spirit had left and only Yoongi remained. And Yoongi didn’t know what to think.
“How do you feel?” Seokjin’s voice shook him out of his wonder as the man approached with what looked like to be a new set of clothes in his hands.
“It’s gone,” Yoongi replied calmly. “I think my spirit knows he’s out of danger.”
Seokjin’s eyebrows furrowed a bit. “He’s still throwing his low dominance at everyone that approaches, nothing’s changed. Maybe you just got over the initial shock.”
Yoongi nodded, it was impossible for him to feel low dominance to such details; he would have to trust Seokjin’s words.
“Maybe.”
“Where do you think he came from?” Seokjin asked.
Yoongi shrugged. “North?”
“Too blonde, too tanned.”
“Too far from the south.”
Seokjin sighed. “I suppose he’s the only one who will be able to say.”
“How long do you reckon until he wakes up?”
“He should be alright after a good night of sleep. He might wake up during the night, but I wasn’t planning on sleeping anyway.” Seokjin said as he dropped the clothes on the table beside the cot, before turning around to face Yoongi.
“Now, how are you feeling?”
Yoongi dragged his eyes from the nurturer to stare at Seokjin.
“I told you, it’s gone,” he replied.
Seokjin rolled his eyes. “That’s not what I meant, Min Yoongi. How do you feel?”
“I feel fine,” Yoongi said quickly, but the moment the words were out of his mouth it was like he could suddenly feel the strain in his muscles and the heaviness of his eyes. “I’m tired, but that’s about it.”
“Well, it’s no wonder.” Seokjin smiled kindly. “It’s not every day you battle a black leopard for dominance and win.”
Yoongi fought to keep the shocked expression from his face, but something in his eyes probably gave him away.
“How…?” Yoongi started, but Seokjin ignored him, dropping instead a vial filled with some clear liquid on his hands.
“It will give you some strength, just to be sure.”
“How much?”
“Please, Yoongi, save your money to fix those wrecked strings on your piano, hm? I can hear the rust from here every time you play.”
Yoongi looked at the vial in his hands, letting the sense of thankfulness spread through his body.
So maybe he could add a third member to his small list of friends.
It was hard to tell when it came to Kim Seokjin.
The man was about Yoongi’s age and had always lived just down the pathway from Yoongi’s shack. But different from Namjoon, Seokjin was a nurturer and to have a close friendship with a different spirit was all but frowned upon.
Seokjin had no qualms about what other people thought of him, choosing to become a healer and live independently after his parents left, even though that was not typical behavior from a nurturer. But Yoongi did. He knew that openly befriending Seokjin meant he was practically stopping any other hunter from ever courting the man. If Seokjin was with Yoongi, he was Yoongi’s, and that’s something neither of them seemed to agree with.
Still, it was impossible not to be close to someone like Seokjin; not when the man was so similar to him in so many ways, not when he could read him with a glance and drag him into talking about any subject he would otherwise keep bottled up inside. Seokjin had been there for Yoongi’s mother's funeral, he held his hand and pretended he couldn’t see him crying. He had been the only one there.
As it was, both remained close friends, even if only behind closed doors. It was even hard for Yoongi to tell who knew him better out of Namjoon and Seokjin; it was as if they both belonged to separate parts of his life.
“Do you think Namjoon is still out there?” Seokjin’s voice forced him to drag his eyes from the vial in his hands and towards the door instead.
“You’re too harsh on him,” Yoongi said only, pocketing the vial, before turning to look at Seokjin.
The man’s frown turned into a smirk, his expression turning devilish. That was another fact that kept Yoongi from truly admitting Seokjin was one of his best friends – the healer and Namjoon seemed to despise each other.
Yoongi wasn’t sure when it had begun, in his childhood memories the both of them seemed to get along just fine. As they grew into men something had shifted and the two could no longer stay in the same room before the bickering began. Yoongi avoided the encounter as the plague, as he was sure to leave the scene with a headache.
“I am no more or less harsh on him than he deserves,” Seokjin replied only. “If he’s still outside, that’s where he will remain for the night.”
“Jin…”
“What? I’m doing him a favor. Just last night he was yelling on the streets about how much his spirit needed to connect with nature.” Seokjin said with a smile. “He can connect all night for all I care.”
Yoongi rolled his eyes and was about to reply when the sudden shift behind them caused him to automatically turn back towards the boy.
He was mumbling a bit, his eyebrows turning into a frown, and slowly he opened his eyes.
Seokjin moved quickly to stand by the bed, hands snapping to hold the boy lightly by his forehead.
“You cannot move or else it will rip your stitches,” he explained calmly.
The boy parted his lips to talk but ended up coughing instead.
“Yoongi, water,” Seokjin ordered and Yoongi wasted no time in reaching for a glass.
Seokjin nursed the boy into a half-sitting position, before aiding him with the water. “Slowly.”
The boy took a few controlled gulps, nodding for Seokjin to take away the glass and help him lie back down.
“Where… where am I?” he murmured, his voice a sweet soft sound that Yoongi could already tell would come back to hunt him.
“The Inner Village of Southern Woods,” Seokjin replied, smiling kindly at the nurturer. “You were found in the forest and brought to me. My name is Kim Seokjin, I’m a healer.”
“Oh,” the boy said quietly, then suddenly his eyes grew big. “The leopard! There was someone else in the forest with me! He stepped between us, I couldn’t stop him... he… is he…?”
“He is fine,” Seokjin replied, nodding his head towards Yoongi.
Only then did the boy turn to look at him, the expression on his face clearing out in relief.
“I wanted to say, out there, I wanted to say… thank you,” the boy smiled a bit.
Yoongi felt himself at a loss for words, choosing to only nod instead. Surprisingly, the smile on the boy’s face didn’t weaken at that.
“What’s your name?” Seokjin asked bluntly, forcing the boy to drag his eyes back towards the healer.
Something passed on his expression, but too quickly for Yoongi to recognize.
“Kim Jimin,” he replied easily. “My name is Kim Jimin.”
“And what were you doing in the middle of the woods in this weather, Jimin?”
“I got lost.” Jimin’s smile disappeared completely at that. “I was traveling south, I was supposed to take a spot as a lady’s companion, but I just… lost my way.”
“And wondered into the woods? By accident?” Seokjin sounded skeptical and Yoongi could understand why.
The Southern Woods were known to be a dangerous place around the cross-country road. No one could just wander in there, most of the time the villagers made a habit of avoiding the area completely.
Even Namjoon’s band would just go in if majorly required and only so far.
“The weather was terrible,” Jimin replied, before wincing a bit as he tried to move his body. Seokjin stopped him again, this time with a light hand on his shoulders, adjusting the pillow under his head to put him in a more comfortable position. “My things, my bag…”
Seokjin turned to look at Yoongi in question, but he only shook his head.
Jimin’s face fell at that, his eyes closing for only a second, before opening again to give way to a calmer expression. “That’s alright. I’ll figure it out.”
“For the moment just rest,” Seokjin replied. “Your problems will still be here in the morning."
Jimin nodded a bit, eyes dropping already, the exertions of the night seeming to finally get a hold of him.
“Thank you,” he said towards Seokjin, before turning to look at Yoongi.
This time he didn’t say anything, only offered him a tired smile. Yoongi caught himself nodding again.
“Are you staying, Yoongi?” Seokjin asked and Jimin’s eyes snapped open as he also stared at him.
“I’ll go home,” Yoongi replied, shaking his head. “You’ve done enough, Seokjin. I appreciate it,” he patted his black coat's pocket where the vial now rested. “If you need anything…”
“You’re only a few steps away, do not worry, we’ll be fine.” Seokjin waved him off easily.
Yoongi nodded again and turned to look at Jimin only to see the boy curiously staring at him.
He bowed his head a bit, before moving to leave the house.
“Goodnight… Yoongi.” Jimin’s voice reached him, small and sleepy, but loud enough that Yoongi could feel it rumbling under his skin.
He offered the boy another bow, before opening the door to face the cold outside.
To his surprise, no one else was there.
And as he walked the few meters that separated his house from Seokjin’s he couldn’t help but wonder why did it suddenly feel like such a long distance.