You felt something warm next to you. A heatpack? You didn't recall using a heatpack last night. Correction: multiple heatpacks. Opening your eyes a crack, you realized you had fallen asleep on the sofa. Somehow, you ended up lying on it. A whistle caught your attention. At the opposite end of the sofa, Ravi was perched on the armrest, snoring periodically next to Ken. The heatpacks were actually the puppy curled up next to your stomach, the cat snoozing by your legs, and the guinea pig snuggled under your chin. Very gently, you slid your legs off the sofa and slowly sat up, careful not to wake the animals. Hakyeon's eyes blinked sleepily at you when you moved him next to Hyuk. "Good morning, go back to sleep; we all stayed up late watching the movie last night."

Standing up, you finally realized how cold it had become. You shivered, "Is it just me, or is it really cold?" You stopped by the kitchen counter to see Hongbin nestled cozily among the plants. Heading into your room, you took a shower and changed into casual clothing. Today was a company holiday so there was no need to go to work. Peeking outside your window, you gasped. It was somewhat average yesterday, not too cold, but today it was snowing outside. The snowflakes were tiny and melted the moment they touched any surface, but nonetheless it was still snow. No wonder it was so cold. You threw on a jacket and walked to the living room, turning on the heater. After a glance at VIXX, who were slowly beginning to wake up, you checked the weather forecast on your phone. There was a slight chance of snow the next few days. You thought of your brother, who never had much jackets in his closet. Monday...was Hyuk's day right? Wow. They've been here for a week already. Slowly, you planned out what you'd be doing today. Getting winter jackets for VIXX would definitely be a top priority. You also wanted to visit the park again if the snow was heavier. It would be a beautiful sight, you thought.

A whine broke your train of thought. Poking his head through the doorway of your bedroom, Hyuk yapped again. "Morning to you too!"

He turned around and left, leaving you with your thoughts again. You were definitely going shopping for jackets, you could get lunch at a nearby cafe as well, and maybe restock on tracing paper for your character sketches. There was another sharp bark again, followed by a whine. You looked outside and found Hyuk staring at the front door, wagging his tail. "You want to go out?"

He barked again. "Okay, one second. Let me get a thicker jacket." After switching your jacket, you quickly pulled on your shoes and grabbed your keys and bag. "Anyone else want some fresh air?" There was a squawk and Ravi flew over, landing on Hyuk's back. Pushing open the door, you let both of them out and locked the door behind you. "Alright, lead on. Where do you guys want to go?"

Hyuk barked and hopped into the elevator. He waited patiently for you to follow him in and signal the elevator to go to the lobby floor. Once the doors opened, he bounded outside and took off in the cold morning air, leaving the poor cockatiel to hold on for dear life. He ran straight toward the nearby apartment park, you noted. It was called a park, but in reality it was just a small patch of grass surrounded by the sidewalk. It was great for nightly strolls, but would quickly get boring. "Hyuk, why don't I take you guys to an actual park?"

You froze when the sound of shoes on the sidewalk approached you. "It's a puppy! Look, Jaehyunnie! It's a puppy! And it's carrying a bird!" Recognizing the voice of one of ye neighborhood children, you turned around to see a small boy clutching a blanket and a slightly older girl pointing at Hyuk and Ravi, who had begun to head back to you. The girl squealed when Hyuk neared, "Ooh! Jaehyunnie! The puppy doesn't have a collar! That means we can take it home!"

The little boy finally spoke up, "But my mom said we shouldn't take things that don't belong to us." You laughed silently at their adorable argument

"But it doesn't belong to anyone! See? It doesn't have a collar!" The girl replied, putting her hands on her hips. .

"But the lady over there just called it 'Hyuk' so it means that's her puppy!"

"Oh, okay." The girl turned to you. "Hi miss! Can I play with your puppy?"

Glancing at Hyuk and Ravi you hesitated, "Well..--"

"Thanks!" The girl cut you off and dragged the boy with her towards Hyuk and Ravi. You frowned, but Hyuk and Ravi seemed fine with the children. They ran after Hyuk, giggling when he let them catch up to him. Even Ravi was having fun perched on Hyuk. You were almost watching the same game of tag Hyuk and Ken were playing the other day. "Too sl-row!" You heard Ravi complain and change his perch to the arm of the little boy. "Hyukkie, over here!" The girl giggled and ran in the opposite direction as Hyuk chased after her. Then there was a notable wince by Ravi and you wondered whether the boy had accidently poked the bird. You were beginning to think it was time to move on when the little boy spoke up. "Raemin noona! My mom said we can't stay out too long!"

"Your mom is not the boss of me!" The girl replied, slowing to a stop and sticking out her tongue.

"But my mom said you have to stay with me!" The little boy clutched his blanket tighter. Ravi nodded, "Gr-ood boy," and retreated to your shoulder.

Sighing the girl groaned, "O-o-okay." Her face brightened, "Miss, can I take Hyukkie home with me ple-e-ease?"

Laughing you smiled, "No, I'm sorry. He's going to miss his home if he does."

"No he won't! He likes me!"

"Of course he does! But he'll feel sad and homesick." You were startled when the girl stamped her feet.

"No! He'll be happy! He likes me! Hyukkie! Go home with me! I'm going to be your new mommy!"

To your surprise, Hyuk bounded toward her, slowly only when he was a few feet away from the both of you. "What are you waiting for? Let's go Hyukkie!"

Hyuk looked between you and the girl. 

"Noona, let's go. It's the lady's puppy."

"No, he's mine! Hyukkie!"

He took a step toward her. You were puzzled. Did he really want to go with them? But that wouldn't work out well at all.

"N-o-o-ona!"

"Hyukkie!"

Hyuk took a few more steps to the girl, now only a few steps away. Was he planning something?

Ravi nudged you and you stepped forward, "Hyuk..."

He turned around and bounded toward you, tail wagging. The girl began wailing, "But he's my puppy!"

"Noona! Ask your mom for one then!"

"But I want Hyukkie!"

The puppy turned around and you sighed, feeling slightly guilty about the crying girl. Not wanting to linger any longer, you bent down and scooped Hyuk into your arms. "Now, about that park I mentioned."

He squirmed in your arms and looked over your shoulder at the girl who was being dragged away by the younger boy. Hyuk barked longingly and struggled against you. "Hyuk, I don't think it's a good idea to bother her anymore. I know you were having fun and all, but you already know that you can't stay with her." 

He stopped struggling and became perfectly still in your arms. "Thanks." Almost apologetically, he snuggled into your arm, pouting up at you.

Ravi made a sound that resembled a snort and you shook her head, "That's okay. Let's just get on with our walk. We're almost there. I hope there's snow; it'd be beautiful! I took Ken here the other day, although we went to the side with trees. I'll take you to the open field area. Otherwise, I don't think I'll be allowed to let you down without a leash."

"R-let's go!"

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

Once you made it to the park, you lowered Hyuk to the ground. Full of energy, he immediately bounded into the open field and became a tiny speck. Unlike Ken who had supervised Hyuk, Ravi unfurled his wings and took off, flying high in the air, enjoying his freedom. There was a bit of frost on the ground, but it wasn't covered in snow as you had hoped. You sat down on a nearby bench and pulled out your sketchbook. Just because you were off of work today, it didn't mean you'd stop drawing. The practice was good for you and the sketches were beneficial for future reference. You had finished a few gesture drawings of the surrounding trees and a flying cockatiel when said bird landed in front of you. Hyuk was also by your feet. 

"Hide and sreek!"

"Oh, you want me to join?"

Ravi bobbed his head up and down and you put your sketchbook and graphite pencils back in your bag. "Alright, I'll seek first since it's really hard for me to hide anyway."

You sat down and mentally counted thirty seconds. On thirty, you got up and looked around at the empty field. There were bushes and a few trees behind the the field which led to where you and Ken had been the other day. Checking under your bench first before heading for those bushes, you decided that Ravi was likely to be hiding somewhere where he'd have a smaller chance of getting stepped on. You checked the bushes but soon realized they were only hiding the occasional duck. There was one tree with a small hollow in it, but that'd be too obvious of a hiding spot. Shrugging to yourself, you decide to check it anyway and immediately spot a grey feather poking out. Chuckling you thought aloud, "Hm, I wonder where Ravi is. I don't think he'll be in the hollow, that's way too obvious..."

Ravi stepped out then and landed on your arm. He narrowed his eyes, "How rude!"

"Sorry, but it really was obvious."

"Harrumph!"

You laughed, "Now to find Hyuk. Where could he be hiding?"

Weaving around the trees, you searched for the wide-eyed puppy. "Hyuk? Where'd you go?"

A rustle and a bark sounded behind you. "Ah! There you are."

"Cheater!" Ravi squawked.

"Hey, well he's the one who came after I called."

You and Ravi both decided Hyuk wasn't allowed to seek because his sense of smell was too keen. Ravi would be the seeker next round. Heading for the trees, you decided to keep moving from tree to tree because it was difficult for you, or anyone at that matter, to hide from a bird. Oddly, it took you a while to be found. You gave up moving from tree to tree and sat down, waiting for Ravi. He came a long time later, perching on your arm. "Fround you!"

"Took you a while! Did you find--"

"Not yret."

"Let me help you." 

Together, you and Ravi Looked around the park for the playful puppy. Hilariously enough, he was hiding under the bench that you had sat. In fact, he waited so long for Ravi to discover him that he had fallen asleep. Ravi huffed and nudged Hyuk's head while you fawned over how adorable he looked curled up into a ball of fur. 

"Wake up! Wake up!" Ravi tugged his ears playfully as Hyuk slowed stirred.

"He sure took a long time, huh?"

Hyuk wagged his tail and barked in agreement. "Do you guys want to walk through the park and start heading home? We've actually been out for a while now." You pulled out your phone, "It's almost lunchtime. Also, I'm afraid of you catching a cold from the frost in the field."

Ravi perched on your outstreched arm and you led the way back to your apartment. Hyuk seemed to memorize the way home already, you realized as he walked in front of you, taking the lead instead. On the streets, you weren't the only one who was captivated by the sudden snowfall. There were many people on the sidewalk, bundled up in scarves and large coats staring up at the sky. Little children held their parents' hands tightly and watched in amazement as they realized they could see their breaths.

"Excuse me, young lady." Turning your attention to the elderly woman, you offered a friendly smile, "Can I help you with anything?"

"Young lady! This isn't a zoo. You can't just have your dog running around without a leash! What if it has rabies? What if it bites or attacks a child? You will be held responsible for it." She waved her walking cane at Hyuk for emphasis.

You resisted the urge to frown and roll your eyes at her. There wasn't really a strict law enforcement for leashing dogs in this city, but most people did it anyway so that those who were paranoid would not bother them. "He's perfectly harmless, but I understand how you're feeling. Thanks for telling me about it, I'll be more careful next time."

"Being careful doesn't do anything. Get it on a leash!" She muttered in disgust and you heard her mumble something about 'dirty mutts' and 'rude kids' as she walked off, hunched over her cane. 

You reached down and patted Hyuk, "The only rude person here is her. Don't worry, they don't really enforce that law anyway."

The rest of the walk back home was peaceful. Hyuk skipped ahead, jumping across the sidewalk and avoiding cracks, you noticed. Ravi later joined him by hovering in circles, collecting snow on his wings and shaking them onto the active puppy's head. Hyuk would shake them off and continue his game of avoiding cracks. By the time you were home, Ravi's wings were drenched and he was again riding on Hyuk's back. Hyuk was wet and cold as well, though not as soaked.

Hakyeon greeted all of you by the entrance, tsking at s' drenched states and probably chiding them in his own way. You brought in a hand towel and called Ravi over to dry his wings. "Thrank you!"

You took care in dabbing at his gray primary feathers, aware that his wings were fragile and easily bent. When you got through his wings, you let him attempt to dry himself with the towel. He wasn't completely dry, but at least he was no longer dripping wet.

Next, you wrapped Hyuk in another towel, rubbing his ears and paying special attention to his face, where Ravi had dumped most of the snow. Thankfully, Hyuk was considerate not to shake off his fur indoors. "Did you like the park? It was so pretty, even though the snow didn't stay." You proceeded to pull out the hairdryer and dry the puppy with that instead. It didn't take long for Hyuk to become a puffy furball. You laughed and brushed down his fur before letting him go.

"Wonshik! Can you come back here? Let me use a hairdryer to dry your fur instead." The cockatiel was delivered by Leo, who dropped him off in front of you. "Here, this'll dry your feathers and allow you to fly again in no time." 

Sure enough, he was flying against the warm air of the hairdyer a few minutes later. "Are you having fun?" You watched him glide and balance in the artificial wind.

"Yres!"

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

After drying Ravi and Hyuk and making sure everyone had their lunches, you began to make your own lunch. Ravi stayed by your stove, most likely warming himself. "Be careful not to singe your feathers." You warned as he inched closer to the fire. Tossing in ginger and some cabbage leaves, you made a quick sauteed dish for yourself. Ravi was beginning to doze off by the stove. His eyes were slowly closing as he tucked his head under his wing. You noticed the tip of his tail feathers were darker than the rest of his plumage. "Ravi! Your tail is getting singed!"

His eyes shot open and he jumped away from the stove, screeching. "My tail! Looks okay though. Glad it didn't hurt." He let out a wail, "But it's darker now!"

Nodding, you turned the fire lower. "Although if it did hurt, you would have noticed it a lot sooner. Oh well, it doesn't look too bad."

"Yeah! Thranks!" You noted how his speech was clear at times and unclear at other times and wondered if it had anything to do with certain words being harder to pronounce or the vocal range of a cockatiel.

You returned to your lunch. "So what's the plan for today? I'm fine with anything at all. Although, I do think it's a good idea to get you guys some thicker coats for the upcoming winter. I mean, it's already snowing. It'll most likely get worse soon."

Hyuk wagged his tail. "It's your turn today right?"

He yapped and looked up at you. As he did so, he caught sight of his wagging tail and decided to chase it. He ran madly after the eluding tail, growling as it moved further away from him. Giggling, you watched him. "Is that fun? Shall I put on another movie or something? I'll do some work and we'll go around five. You do know the sizes of jackets your hyungs wear right?" 

Gathering at the couch, VIXX sat down as Ken pulled out a movie from your shelf. "Good choice, I loved that movie."

You insert the disc into the DVD player and waited for it to play. When it started, you retreated into your study room and began working on rendering your designs. You wanted to try putting one in Flash as a puppet and test out the facial expressions inventory you created for it. Before long, hours had passed and it was beginning to get dark. A puppet version of your character was finished. Although you hadn't gone through all the expressions in the inventory, you decided to call it a day. Saving your work, you shutdown the computer and joined VIXX in the living room. They were marathoning movies. It was ten minutes to five. Hyuk seemed unaware as the movie played on. However at five minutes, Hakyeon nudged the puppy's side.

Hyuk whined and you understood. The movie was just getting to a critical moment. He stood up, but didn't move from his spot. The guinea pig grunted. Hyuk reached over and pushed the leader away with his nose. You watched as Leo moved over to the guinea pig and pushed him back to his original spot, curling up around him afterwards. Hakyeon nudged Hyuk again, grunting louder. The latter seemed to sigh as he hopped off the sofa, took another glance at the screen and retreated into the room, tail down.

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This is by far the longest chapter of Carousel Tales. It was supposed to continue, but I decided that'll take too long to type. (It's been a week since the last update!) I found it really interesting that The Guinea Pig is the most viewed chapter at the moment. What are your favorite chapters/moments?

Shoutout to Miichiyeo and nyokopuppet! Some of your comments are so on point, I'm not sure if I should even reply back!