Chen grinned when you stepped in, "Hey you! Long time no see!"

You returned the grin with your own, "Hello! Still forgetting my name I see!"

"Hey, well I meet a lot of people everyday." He pouted in defense.

"I'm quite sure you don't ask for their names all the time!" Chen frowned in mock hurt, "Ouch." He broke into another cheery smile, "Anyway, I'll see you when you find what you need!" As always, he turned back to help the next customer.

You moved between the aisles, picking up various bags of feed and wondering which ones would taste better. When you finally made your decisions, you pushed your cart to the counter. "Find everything you need today?"

"I did!"

Chen smiled, "Good! Still keeping up with that zoo of yours I see." 

"They're doing quite well!" He quickly bagged your purchase, "You sure you can carry all that?"

"I'll be fine, see you Chen!" 

The cashier looked at the non-existent line behind you and stepped out from the booth. "Hey, umm. Just thought I'd mention this. Someone came in looking for a red golden retriever puppy. I trust you, so I don't believe that you've stolen that puppy or are keeping it for selfish reasons, anything like that. Just thought that I'd tell you. It could be an entirely different puppy though." 

You were suddenly wary, "What did he or she look like?"

"I'm not supposed to be telling you that sort of information, management rules. But honestly, I don't know either. They filled out a 'lost animal' form, attached a photo and turned it in to the office." He pulled out a photograph of a puppy and handed it to you.

The first thing that caught your attention was the distinct light in the puppy's eyes. It wasn't looking at the camera. Rather, it was staring longingly off into the distance, looking like any movement would send it speeding far off into the distance. A chain-link fence was set in the background. You searched the background behind Hyuk, wondering where and when the picture was taken. A very discreet pile of grey feathers that could have been easily missed by most people was almost completely cropped out. Did Wonshik ever shed that many feathers at home? You didn't think that much.

"That's my dog."

Chen nodded, "I thought so. Well, judging from the condition you described when you found him, I'm guessing the owner probably wasn't a very good one anyway. I won't say anything or prod more. I'll shred the form then."

Wordlessly, you handed him the photo. "Uhh, you can keep the photo if you like. Just don't refer back to me if anyone asks how you got that."

You nodded a 'thanks' and headed out, feeling Chen's eyes on you.

----------------------------------------------

Once back at the apartment you unpacked your bags and eyed the tank, wondering when Hongbin was last fed. You gingerly lifted the dishcloth and sprinkled the fish flakes in. Hongbin acted as he normally would and began chasing after the sinking flakes. You were about to drape the cloth over the tank again until you remembered his thoughts earlier. "I can't see anything!"

Deciding to at least let him finish eating first, you left the cloth next to the tank. At this point, Hakyeon scrambled into the kitchen and greeted you. "Good morning! Did you guys sleep well? Sorry about having my friend over."

He nodded and ran around in a small circle excitedly. You laughed, "I'll take that as you had a good sleep." Slipping out of your coat, you draped it on the hanger by the door. The photograph of Hyuk you had pocketed earlier slipped out from the coat and Hakyeon made a move towards it. "Thanks, but I got it." Quickly, you picked it up and pocketed it again, debating whether you should tell VIXX about it. The guinea pig grunted and you felt a sliver of guilt for snatching it up. "Actually, Hakyeon. There's something I need to tell you."

You wondered if it would be a good idea to burden the leader with this type of information, whether it be harmless or not. Taekwoon padded into the hall, giving you a questioning look. He was tailed by two chattering birds who were trying to out-sing the other. Hyuk ran around the birds in an attempt to shut them up. You thought it was better to tell all of them, in case Hakyeon decided to keep everything to himself to ease the worries of his friends.

"Hey guys, I think you might want to hear this." Hyuk barked once and the birds quieted down, landing on his back. You sat yourself down on the single step dividing the foyer from the hall. "My friend who works at the pet store told me that someone came by looking for a puppy that matched Hy--Sanghyuk's description. I asked, but he said he didn't what the person looked like. He told me they filled out a form and left it there but he wasn't allowed to share that information with me." You reached into your pocket and pulled out the photograph. "They also provided this picture. I was hoping it was some other dog but.." You laid the photograph out in front of the animals, watching Hyuk.

Three things happened at once. First, Hyuk stepped backwards, his tail dropping in between his legs. It was something you expected, however you were not expecting Wonshik and Taekwoon to visibly wince. The latter hissed and slunk away, retreating from the hall. Hakyeon's eyes widened and he looked up at you. "This is Sanghyuk...isn't it?" 

"R-Bin!" Wonshik squawked.

Ken suddenly chirped and flew into the kitchen. He returned a few seconds later, nodding his head in alarm.

Wonshik repeated, facing you this time, "Bin! Bin! Bin! Tank! Cloth! R-cover!"

"Oh!" Understanding, you stood up and moved into the kitchen, ducking when another squawk warned, "Hr-ide!" 

Keeping yourself out of the fish's sight, you covered the tank with a lighter colored cloth, an better alternative to the dark dishcloth, you believed. Wonshik let out a sigh of relief. 

"So, meaning that someone is searching for you guys. I would have guesssed it was a previous person who helped you, like how I'm doing now, but by your reactions..it's not someone with good intentions right?"

Hyuk whimpered and you reached out to give him a comforting pat. He winced from your touch and you withdrew. "Is there anything I can do to help you? Or is there something that you can tell me that will help in advance?"

The animals exchanged glances with each other and Wonshik hopped up to you expectantly. You understood this time.

"Ravi, the person searching for you guys...he or she is not someone who was treated you well right?"

"That's correct!" He answered.

"And will they be able to find us?"

There was a pause. He hesitated, "I don't know."

"What can you tell me about anything that's happened or is happening to you guys?"

Wonshik's long pause caused you to worry whether he'd lose the intelligent spark in his eyes again. "It...wasn't pleasant. We didn't..choose it. We...were forced."

"Can you tell me who?"

"..." He was struggling with his reply before, but now he was silent.

"A description?" 

Wonshik remained silent, so you concluded it was something he couldn't say. You received more answers today and didn't want to push your luck. Pointing to the photograph, you voiced your thoughts. "Then I'm right in thinking that these feathers here are Wonshik's."

Hakyeon nodded briefly.

"But I've never seen any of you shed this much."

Hakyeon nodded again. You looked back and forth between the feathers and Hyuk's alert, almost terrified eyes in the photograph. Slowly, you began to piece together some sort of explanation. It was obvious that Taekwoon was strongly affected by the shot. Wonshik had reacted too, though not as strong. Meanwhile, Hyuk's reaction was that of fear. You remembered how he flinched at your touch. It was some sort of trauma haunting them. Something unpleasant had happened. Your first guess was abuse. Maybe Hyuk had gone through that. Maybe Taekwoon and Wonshik had as well.

"Well, anyway. I'll keep my eyes open for anyone else searching for missing animals."

"R-be careful please!"

You smiled, "Of course I will!"

By now, Hyuk had snapped out of his frightened state. His tail was hanging, neither wagging as he normally would, nor tucked between his legs.

"Where's Taekwoon?"

"Rawk! Out on r-the balcon-r-y!"

"Should I leave him alone?"

The guinea pig placed his paws on your knee, as if saying a thank you, before turning around and heading out to the balcony to join the cat. "R-thank r-you for telling us!" 

Although everyone seemed to be moving from the topic, you could still feel its lingering heaviness. Wanting to lighten the mood, you stood up. "Anyone want to marathon a variety show?"

---------------------------------

As the episode ended, you realized you hadn’t been paying attention at all. Instead, you were worrying over Hyuk, who still seemed slightly troubled. Even Hakyeon was still comforting Taekwoon outside. The apartment suddenly felt cramped and stuffy. You wondered whether VIXX would ever be tired of being cooped up indoors. Although they did go out, it was only once per week and you weren’t even sure if they’d want to leave the apartment, now that someone was looking for them.

The next episode played immediately. Hyuk was less tense by now and the birds were chortling at something that had happened in the previous episode. Hakyeon came back inside, leaving the cat. Taekwoon seemed to be enjoying the fresh air. You noticed Wonshik looking out the balcony longingly.

“If you like..” you paused, wondering whether your suggestion was a good idea, “If you like, we can go out for a walk. Get some air, move around?”

Wonshik seemed to be considering the risks. There was a second before he nodded, surprising you. “Really? I mean, if you don’t feel safe..”

“R-It’s okay! Wasn’t r-looking for me!”

He had a point. It was strange that the person hadn’t tried looking for the rest of VIXX. Although, you thought, it would be slightly more odd to look for birds or guinea pigs and most definitely absurd to look for a fish. However, the person could be going by the logic that VIXX would all stick together. In that case, if one was found, the rest would also be found.

Wonshik seemed positive he’d be alright from the way he looked at you with assurance. Hakyeon escorted the both of you to the entryway and you could sense his longing to go out. “Want to come along?”

The guinea pig’s nose twitched. He shook his head and you understood he felt the need to watch over his bandmates. “Next time then.”

Opening the door, you sent him a reassuring smile. “Don’t worry, I’ll take good care of him. We’ll stay close to the apartment.”

-------------------------------------------------

With a flap of his wings, the cockatiel shot into the cold winter air, relishing his freedom. He stayed high in the sky, catching the sun in between his grey and white feathers. When he finally came back down, you held out your hand and he landed lightly in it. “Feeling better?”

“Rawk!”

You smiled, “That’s great! It must feel wonderful, flying so high.”

“Thrilling! R-no messy hair worry ab-rout!”

Laughing, you nodded at his yellow crown. “It’s almost like a cowlick.”

He joined you in laughter, chortling as he did earlier with Ken. You couldn’t help but feel happy that you were able to distract him for a moment from his worries and unpleasant memories.