Morning birds. Sunlight. The ruffling of a cool spring breeze. It was everything Junsu loved and more about his forest home. Off in the distance he could see the glimmering of the wide lake, and in the other direction the plumes of steam from the geysers curled lazily towards the bright, perfect blue of the sky.

Taking in a deep breath, Junsu let the simple freshness of the mountain air fill his lungs. Normally he loved to spend his days romping around with the other wolves – particularly when he was put on puppy-sitting duty – but there were times when the silence beckoned him. It would start as a chill down his spine before moving to a prickling awareness of the mountains’ shadows cast across the horizon. By the time it had transformed into a buzzing of the blood, Junsu was already gone, slipping away from the pack and into the solitude. Often, he would climb up to a little valley nestled a good two hour hike up the mountain and sing anything that came into his head. The sound of his voice swooping through the different notes echoing off the mountains soothed the itch in his paws and calmed the boiling of his blood until, when his throat was hoarse, peace descended once more into his soul.

But that day…. That day was not like the others.

The chill came, tracing its icy fingers along each vertebra of his spine, but it was different – more insistent. And when the prickling awareness crawled beneath his skin, it was not of the mountains or the shadows they cast. Instead, it was an insistent pull from the core of every atom in his body, one that called to the east. Towards the lake.

Typically Junsu had little reason to go to the lake. When he hunted, he tended to do so in the thick forests near the rivers; deer and elk were abundant in such places. The lake was dangerous – at least for a solitary wolf – because of the bears and moose that haunted the shores; two creatures the delta preferred to avoid. But, he also had a taste for adventure – an inclination Heechul frequently complained would one day get him killed. Which was how Junsu came to find himself gaze out over the shimmering blue of the lake, watching as the waves curled in on themselves in a flickering glimmer of crested blue. He was tempted to catch a fish or even go swimming (he loved the water), but a frustrated scream disrupted any thoughts filling his head. Twisting towards the sound, Junsu hesitated only half a breath before shifting into his wolf form and dashing along the shoreline.

Soft sand melted into hard rocks beneath his paws, and soon he was scaling the cliffs that hedged one edge of the water. His muscles strained and coiled with the effort of pulling himself up, but the faint staccato of whimpering pushed the young wolf beyond his normal limits. Cresting the last lip of the cliff, he paused to let the wind ruffle through the dark slate and mottled black of his coat – cooling heated muscle and refreshing his lagging spirit. Then, lifting his finely shaped ears, the delta caught the trail of sound once more. Picking his way through the winding boulders that dotted the craggy landscape, he wound a way through the unfamiliar area until the wind shifted, bringing with it the acrid scent of blood and desperation. He stopped, a shiver racing piercing his body and his pupils blowing wide, as his hunting instinct began to sing through the twisting maze of his veins. The desire to taste, to tear, to consume was so strong: What wolf could resist the hunt? But, then he caught the sound of another whimper, this one more despondent than any of the others. His blood turned sluggish. Moving with greater care, the wolf scaled up to the top of the nearest boulder and looked down – breath leaving him in a sudden gust at the sight below him.

There, stretched out in the dirt and dust, was the single most terrifying thing Junsu had ever witnessed. A young man – his hair the precise shade of late summer honey – was collapsed against the unforgiving curve of a rock. His skin was painted with a mixture of sweat and dust and blood, creating a foundation that masked how paled he had gone with pain. Everything from the full curve of his lips to the piercing intensity of his gaze made the feeling leave Junsu’s fingertips; he had never seen anything so magnificent. But the perfection of his view was interrupted by the twisted shape of the man’s leg. Suppressing a whine, he began to notice the other wounds that peeked out between gaping tears in the man’s clothing; it looked as though he had ended up on the wrong end of a bear’s paw.

“Come to finish me off?” the man suddenly snapped, head lolling back as he tried to catch sight of whoever was watching him. “You needn’t have bothered.”

Junsu hesitated. The alpha did not like the pack interacting with other creatures – it could jeopardize alliances and upset the delicate balance of peace – but this poor man looked harmless enough. And, really, he had promised as a healer to help anyone who needed his help, not just his pack. Confident in his decision, the delta shifted into his human form and carefully slid down to the ground. “I’m not sure who did that to you,” he called, moving into sight with his hands splayed wide in a peaceful gesture, “but it wasn’t me.” A nervous slip of a smile teased at his lips before it froze in place. The other man had pinned him with his bright amber eyes – stealing the ability to move, to breath, to think from the little wolf.

Lip curling in a snarl, the stranger tried to move away, to put distance between them, but stopped with a hiss of pain. “Sure it wasn’t,” he snapped. “And the sky is the color of wine.”

Junsu hesitated, tipping his head back to look at the sky thoughtfully. “Well, I suppose if you had the right mix,” he began, though he stopped when he felt the man’s cold glare digging into his skin.

“Leave me alone,” the man groused.

Junsu blinked at him, his dark eyes wide and innocent. “But you’re hurt. If I leave you alone, you’ll die.”

A weak, tight laugh slid past the man’s lips. “And what, you’re going to help me? Skies, you must take me for a fool.”

Carefully, Junsu took a sliding step closer. “But, I do want to help you,” he protested. “My name is Junsu. I’m an apprentice healer in my pack. At the very least, I can see if I could help you.”

Drawing in a tremulous breath, the man broke eye contact. “A wolf. Of course it’d be a wolf that finds me,” he mumbled. “Go away. I told you to leave me alone.” Tipping his head the rest of the way back, he let his eyes slip closed. At least death would mean he stopped suffering; that was something to look forward to. But, Junsu was not particularly good at ignoring handsome men in distress. The stranger felt a fresh joint of pain, causing him to snap his eyes open with a hiss only to find the innocent wolf kneeling beside him. Junsu flashed him a fleeting little smile before turning his attention to the bent form of the leg once more – eyes serious as he examined it. “What are you doing?”

“Seeing how bad the break is – how clean it was.” He carefully felt along it once more, his fingers warm and light. “It actually seems you’re in luck. It just broke in half. Setting it shouldn’t be a problem, though you definitely won’t be able to walk on it for a while.” His attention then turned to the cuts lacing along the man’s side and arms. “Hm, some of these could use stitching shut. But I don’t think any of them will kill you either.” Eyes crinkling into crescents, Junsu smiled at him. “Isn’t that good news?”

The stranger scoffed. “And why would a wolf help patch me back together, huh? And even if you do, I’ll still die. It’s not worth the effort, you empty-headed puppy.”

Hurt flashed across Junsu’s features before his gaze dropped – hiding his expression from the stranger’s view. “I think it’s worth it,” he said softly. “And it doesn’t matter what you are. Everyone from the weakest stag to the queen of the bears has worth in my eyes. As a healer, I swore to help anyone that needed me.”

“Even a mountain lion?”

A soft gasp of surprise slid unbidden past Junsu’s lips. “Is that what you are?” He sat back on his heels, taking in the man’s face once more with this new information. And, looking closely, he could see it in the feline curve of his eyes and the languid grace of his movements. “Oh.”

“As I said, a puppy like you wouldn’t help me. Leave me to die in peace.” Closing his eyes once more, the stranger returned to his sulking.

He heard the puppy’s footsteps – leading away from where he lay – and something that felt a great deal like disappointment flickered in the mountain lion’s stomach. But, he thought, it was only expected. Wolves had about as much honor as a gaze of raccoons. He scoffed to himself before falling into something of an uneasy doze. It was the sudden, overwhelming sensation of agony that started the cat from his fitful slumber: It felt as though his leg had been ripped off in a single motion. Coming awake with a yowl, he went to lash out at whatever had attacked him only to find the puppy back again, his leg held firmly in the creature’s grip. Panting, the mountain lion looked down and noticed that his leg was lying in a straight line. Junsu glanced up at him briefly before using the sticks and the shreds of cloth – his destroyed shirt – to begin to splint the broken limb. “If we were back near my back, I would set this in a proper plaster, but this will have to do for now,” he murmured. “I am sorry I hurt you. But setting it quickly means it has a better chance of healing right.”

After several long moments of silence, the mountain lion finally sputtered a short, “What?”

Junsu paused. “Did you really think I was going to leave you to die?” The cat nodded, making Junsu snort a little. “Well that’s stupid. I told you I swore to help anyone. Even cats.” He then peeled up the sleeves of the mountain lion’s shirt and began to bind the wounds there as best he could. “But I don’t have anything to help stitch these up. The best I can do is patch you up and then get you to my pack. We’ll have you back on your paws in no time.”

The mountain lion gaped at him. “You make no sense,” he said at last.

“You wouldn’t believe how often I hear that,” Junsu quipped. Once he had finished tying off the last impromptu bandage, he rose to his feet. “Right. So with your leg like that, I honestly doubt you’ll be able to stay on my back if I’m a wolf. That’s fun. I guess we’ll do this the slow way for now.” Holding out his hands, he wiggled his fingers. “Take my hands. I will help you stand up. Then you can climb on my back.”

“Are you actually serious?” Brow furrowed in confusion, the man took the wolf’s hands and allowed himself to be hauled up with a muffled cry of pain.

“Completely and entirely.” Junsu turned and crouched. “Wrap your arms around my neck and hold on tight. Then I’ll do the rest, alright?” Hesitantly, the mountain lion did as he was bid, and soon found himself being carried along the cliffs towards the distant viridian forests. “So how’d it happen?”

Silence.

“What, you don’t want to talk to me?”

Silence.

Junsu made a face, adjusting the weight of the man on his back, before saying, “Well, I can tell you about me, then. It might help distract you from the pain. My name is Junsu – I told you that – and I’m in the Excelsior pack. I’m a delta, which is awesome, and I have one sibling. My favorite –“And Junsu carried on talking even as he made his way towards his home. The mountain lion never spoke or made any indication that he was listening, but the delta felt like his new patient was simply pretending to not care. There was something in the faint tightening in his grip or the hitch in his breath when Junsu would say a particularly interesting tidbit that seemed entirely unfeigned. When they finally reached the forest, Junsu paused and let the mountain lion come to rest on a log. “Hold on tight,” he all but chirped. “I’m going to make a stretcher. It’d be the easiest way to get you the rest of the way.” With that, the delta disappeared around the trunk of a tree.

The mountain lion was not entirely certain how much time passed between Junsu’s disappearance and his return, but the man would never admit just how grateful he was to see the smiling brunette again. Junsu had taken the time to create a stretcher out of strong branches and woven willow fronds covered in soft grasses; it was surprisingly well constructed. He had even factored in a way to make it easier to drag while in his wolf form. It was, for such an odd thing, a rather impressive feat. “Right!” Junsu moved back to the cat’s side. “Up we go!” Picking the man up bridal style, Junsu carried him to the stretcher and lightly placed him on it. “We should be back home before the sun sets. Let me know if you need to stop or anything.” Junsu flashed him one last endearing smile before shifting and stepping into position. Once the wood was firmly gripped between his teeth, he started off through the forest at a distance-consuming lope.

In the fading sunlight, which shivered through the canopy of the trees, the mountain lion could just make out the dusky shape of the wolf if he twisted just so. The faint hints of silver, hidden beneath darker grey and black, were like the shadow of trout scales in the water; they reminded him that this madness was in fact very real. But, there was something more about the situation – something that went beyond an addled brained puppy helping an enemy. It was the pure sincerity that had radiated from the delta’s eyes; it was the deftness of his hands as he had treated each wound; it was everything about that wolf that mesmerized him. Falling back against the stretcher – abandoning his covert observation of the wolf – the mountain lion considered the situation at hand. Everything he had ever heard about wolves, their cruelty and stupidity, seemed at odds with the creature he had just met. Junsu was perhaps too earnest, certainly, but he did not seem even remotely violent. Of course, the cat knew the puppy could probably kill – all predators did – but there was something in his demeanor that belied gentleness. Junsu, the cat decided, probably could not kill unless it was on the hunt. He mentally scoffed. How did he manage to be found by the only wolf in the wide world that would not mind helping an enemy? It felt like a stupid folktale come to life.

But, true to Junsu’s words, as the sun was beginning to dip beneath the horizon and darkness was casting her wide net over the forest, the sounds of the pack filled the air. In the distance a hunting group howled to one another – their songs lifting easily to slip through the coming dusk – and from straight ahead came the excited barking of a pack of puppies. Junsu himself paused long enough to let out a howl, one that started low in his throat as a mere rumble before rising, sliding into a full song to let the pack know of his approach. His call was answered by one, two – five wolves. The mountain lion tried to curl in on himself, wincing as it caused his wounds to stretch and protest in the worst of ways.

Soon Junsu was greeted by the five figures, shadows in various shades of grey and white that parted from the darkness. Junsu shifted and gave a happy wiggle. “Ryeowook, thank you for coming,” he said, slipping forward a step. “I’m going to need your help. I found someone injured, and I did my best to patch him up. But, you know I’m not good at stitches, so I brought him to you instead.”

Ryeowook, a rather delicate looking brunette, stepped forward to examine the man on the stretcher. “Skies, those injuries look terrible. What happened?” His gaze flickered up to meet the cat’s for a brief moment, and a chill ran down the brunette’s spine.

The man was silent, so Junsu cut in, “It looked like a bear, based on the shape and size of the cuts. But come on, he’s been hurt for a while. We need get him patched up, hydrated, and warm. Donghae, Jong Kook, and Shownu – can you help me carry the stretcher to the medical ward?” Clinging to the solid wood of the stretcher’s outside beams, the mountain lion did his absolute best to remain calm as the four wolves lifted him and carried him towards the pack village.

As the group walked along, Ryeowook whispered to a rather annoyed looking blond – the pair furtively looking at the stranger every few steps. By the time they reached the medical ward, which was a stone building lit throughout with the brightest lamps the cat had ever seen, Ryeowook and his walking companion were both sporting frowns. The brunette waited until the mountain lion had been moved onto an examination table to turn to Junsu. “Do you really mean for me to help a mountain lion?” he murmured.

Junsu paused for only half a beat before nodded. “Yes, Wookie, I do. Because he needs us.” Moving confidently, the delta began to gather the supplies that would be needed to assist the injured man. “Because it’s what is right.”

Ryeowook muttered a curse under his breath before moving to wash his hands. “You, Junsu, are going to be the death of me one of these days! What is the alpha going to say when he finds out about this?”

“He’ll understand,” Junsu said firmly. “Besides, our new friend doesn’t mean any harm. I trust him.” The cat and Ryeowook both gaped at Junsu in surprise, and he answered it with a simple, benevolent smile. “Shall we?”

Later, when the mountain lion had been fully patched up and fed, Junsu sat on the stool at his bedside. “I spoke to the alpha,” he murmured softly. “He’s agreed to let you stay until you’re feeling better.”

The cat eyed Junsu thoughtfully, still trying to puzzle the puppy out. “Why did you do this?” he asked. “I mean, you said you trust me. Back then.”

A soft, husky laugh slid past Junsu’s lips. “It’s because I do.” He hesitated, wetting his bottom lip. “I think the goddess meant for me to find you. Today I felt like I had to go to the lake or else I would die; and, while I was there, I heard you cry out.”

Frowning, the man shook his head. “I didn’t make much noise anytime around when you found me. I’d been like that for a while.”

Junsu stared. “You…. didn’t? But I clearly heard someone cry out, and then I heard whimpering. It was how I found you.”

They shared a long, surprised look. “….Your goddess truly must have wanted us to meet,” the cat said after a moment. “For whatever reason.”

Reaching over, Junsu placed his hand on top of the man’s and gave it a light squeeze. “Whatever her reason was, I’m grateful,” he said simply. “I don’t know why, but it hurts to imagine a world without you in it.” A wide, guileless smile turned Junsu’s lips as he rose to his feet. “Get some rest. There’s water next to you on the table, and if you need help during the night just call out. We always have someone on duty.” Turning, he moved towards the door.

“Wait!” Junsu stopped, turning towards the cat. “I …. Thank you, Junsu. For saving my life.” The cat winced at how weak his words seemed. “My name is Jaejoong.”

A wide, bright smile lit up Junsu’s face like the full moon on a cloudless night. “You are welcome, Jaejoong. I’d do it a thousand times over again if I had to.”

Laughing a little, the mountain lion resettled against his pillows. “Well,” he drawled, “hopefully you won’t have to, puppy. It’s an awful enough way to meet, let alone keep meeting.”

And yet, somehow Jaejoong did not resent it. Not if it brought Junsu, with his crescented eye-smile and soft hands into his life. Maybe this goddess knew what she was doing, bringing them together.

---

Jaesu is love. Jaesu is life. 

Anywhere, here's your random dose of Shadow for the day. I have no idea where all this came from; it literally just happened out of nowhere. I might follow up with more on their courtship and whatnot, but I don't know. If I do, I will add it as a new chapter to this. Woo! If you enjoyed it and want to see more, let me know! Otherwise...I probably will just leave this as a one shot.