THE DAY OF THE THIRD FULL MOON

                Luhan was notorious for sleeping until noon, or until Xiumin would show up and kick him out of bed. Either way, Luhan liked to get as much sleep as possible. So waking up and reading 8:16 AM on his clock told him that today would be different. Starting with the way energy was thrumming through his body, he felt ready to take on the world, ready to run a marathon. He got out of bed, grinning. He hadn’t felt this great in ages.

--

                Chen and Baekhyun had slept in the same bed last night, fearing what morning would bring. If this was to be anything like the last full moon, they didn’t want to have to get up, they’d rather lie in bed and be miserable until the day was over. They were prepared. When they woke up feeling like , they just rolled over and pulled the covers up to their eyes, sharing magic with each other to keep the nausea at bay.

--

                Kita woke up feeling… odd. She had more energy because it was the day of the full moon, that was normal. What wasn’t normal was the way magic was skittering around this house like static, the air was saturated with it.

                And the way Kai’s magic was muted within her, like some force was pressing on it. She should go see if he was ok.

--

                D.O. felt like a disaster. He knew that he and Luhan were next in line to get this ty full-moon illness, he’d just hoped to put it off for as long as possible. He stood up, wrapping his blanket around him, and stumbled out of the room as quietly as possible, trying not to wake the motionless lump in the next bed over. Kai needed all the rest he could get today.

--

                Kita heard her name, over and over again, a pathetic sound and she rolled her eyes, knowing exactly which pair it was. She walked into the room shared by Chanyeol and Baekhyun, not at all surprised to see Chen also curled up in Baekhyun’s bed.

                They stretched out their hands eagerly at the sight of her, and she couldn’t bear to turn away from such hopeless looking faces.

                Just a few minutes then.

                She shut the door quietly behind her as she was leaving their room, having finally gotten them back to sleep when she bumped into a drowsy looking D.O., wrapped in his duvet.

                “Oh no, D.O., are you sick now as well?” She rubbed her hands over his blanket to warm him up because the poor boy was shivering like a leaf.

                He nodded, “and if I am, Luhan probably is as well, we signed the deal at the same time.”

                She curled an arm around his hunched shoulders, “alright let’s go take a look together.”

                Together, D.O. and Kita shuffled to the room Luhan shared with Xiumin, only to find the opposite of what they expected. First, Luhan was awake. In the morning. Second, he was all bright eyed and bushy tailed, ready to take on the day.

                “Oh no!” His eyes widened even more, “D.O. are you sick? Why? I don’t feel sick at all, I feel better than ever!”

                Kita cast her eyes between the two, burrito D.O. vs sunshine Luhan, how could they be reacting to magic so differently?

                “Luhan, would you mind taking care of D.O. for a few? I just want to go check on Kai-”

                “Don’t.” D.O. said, “he’s still sleeping, so don’t wake him up.”

                Kita nodded, “alright then, I’ll stay with you for a bit first.”

                They’d barely gotten D.O. settled on Luhan’s bed when Sehun came bursting in. “Kita, Kita! Feel me!” He rushed up and captured Kita’s face between his hands, letting her feel the magic current flowing through his body. “Is this what you feel like all the time? This is awesome! The others are feeling it too, Lay, Suho, Chanyeol, even Tao!” He squished onto the bed beside her, patting D.O.’s leg as he moved it aside.

                 This, was getting weird.

                She was occupied all day sorting out feverish wolves and overly-excited wolves, she barely had time to stop and wonder about the one wolf still confined to his bedroom. D.O. went to check on him once, and came out claiming he was still sleeping and shouldn’t be disturbed, so she kept her distance, not knowing what was going on beyond the door.

--

                He was feverish, the sheets were soaked with his sweat, and the windows were steamed from the inside. There were tears in his blankets where his fingers had gripped them too tight, ripping them as he tossed and turned in his sleep.

                His wolf was restless.

                It was all Kai could do to push all his magic at the wolf, suppressing it as much as he could, but he knew, he knew what was going to happen. He didn’t have the energy to move, every piece of him dedicated to keeping the wolf at bay, but when the sky began to darken he wrenched himself from his bed and lurched towards the door.

                He made it to the bottom of the stairs before he found everyone else, and he could tell by the looks on their faces that he looked a disaster.

                He staggered towards the front door, almost falling until Sehun’s broad hands gripped at his shoulders caught him.

                “Woah buddy, what’s-”

                “Get- weapons.” Kai choked out, forcing past Sehun’s hands and wrenching the front door open with a force that pulled it from its hinges. He fell on the porch, but rose to his hands and knees and crawled with every aching step taking him further from his pack, to keep them safe.

                To keep her safe.

--

                Back in the kitchen, Kai’s words were hanging in the air, until everyone burst into motion, running towards the back barn.

                Kita grabbed Sehun’s arm as he tried to run past her, “what’s going on?”

                His eyes were wide and frightened, “he’s going to turn, we need to get everything we can to restrain him, if you know any protection spells now would be the time.” He sprinted off, catching up to the others in the back barn, stockpiling on weapons and anything they could find that would hold off a werewolf.

                They’d all been through this before, they knew what sort of rage and destruction a rampant werewolf would bring, they knew that although they had to save Kai, they had to detain the wolf until the sun rose. They’d do their damn hardest to keep Kai alive until then, but they couldn’t say the same for themselves. Kai wouldn’t know them, not if they weren’t wolves alongside him.

                Kita was more confused, she’d never seen a wolf, and she’d dispelled any tales the Fey had told her about them. All she could see was the broken boy on the ground, writing in pain. She couldn’t stop herself from walking over to him and kneeling next to him.

                “Kai.” She whispered, his hair. He growled, but it frittered away into a whine quickly, as if he didn’t have the energy to keep up the charade. His dark hair was matted with sweat and dirt, his beautiful eyes squeezed shut in agony, his jaw clenched and twitching. She whispered his name again, running her fingers over his cheekbone.

                His eyes snapped open and he looked at her, his hand clamping on her own to keep it pressed to his face. His grip was painful, grinding her bones together. “You have to go.” His voice was weak and hazy.

                “I’m not going anywhere.” She said firmly, “your pack’s here, we’ll keep you safe.”

                He shook his head, looking at her with urgency, “it’s you, it’s coming for you.” His voice cut off as he howled in pain, his chest arching off the ground and Kita winced as she heard sickening snaps along his ribcage.

                “Kita!” A hand grabbed her forearm and tore her away from Kai, pushing her back to the porch. It was Kris, looking weary but ready. He was wearing one of the thick black shirts they wore in battle, blades attached to his hips. “Go to the basement, lock yourself in the library.”

                “No.”

                “I’m not joking-” Kris took a step closer, towering over her.

                “Neither am I.” Kita responded, not moving away.

                “He’s dangerous-” His hand gripped her shoulder as if to push her back in the house, but Kita was having none of that.

                She reached up and grabbed the base skin of his hand, sending a shock down his arm as she disrupted the whole magical current there. It only lasted a second, but it was obviously a painful one. She stepped around him, “so am I.”

                She had no idea where it came from, but now wasn’t the time to be thinking about things like that, not when Kai’s cries were getting louder. Chen stepped up to her, holding out one of their black shirts. “This is Kai’s. It’ll give you a bit of protection, plus it might help mask your smell.” She put on the shirt, rolling up the sleeves until her hands were free. Chen handed her a sharp looking dagger next, sadness evident in his eyes. “Do what you have to do to protect yourself. He’s a wolf, he’ll heal, and we don’t have any silver that would do lasting damage anyway.”

                Luhan joined her on her other side. He looked up at the sky, “almost time now.” He reached down and grasped her non-knife-wielding hand, and she squeezed it in return.

                Seeing him turn was one of the worst things she ever had to see. His cries of pain and anguish didn’t stop for a second, only morphing into growls and snarls as the animal in him took over. Fur grew in clumps over his body, thicker in some places than others, but he didn’t have enough muscle to fill his body.

Upon seeing a werewolf for the first time, Kita would have thought she’d be petrified. She was, don’t get her wrong. There is an underlying fear in every creature of something bigger and more deadly than themselves. But that wasn’t the feeling she was focusing on.

                He looks sick. He was all bones and sinew, skin hanging off his too-thin frame. There was a wildness in those eyes, but they were still distinctly Kai’s eyes. But they were clouded in fury and anger, and they were directed at her.

                And then, so were his teeth.

                Luhan was ready to push her out of the way, Chen lunging at the wolf to force him in the other direction, and then Kita lost what was going on in the mass of bodies running around. Seconds later she saw D.O. catching a piece of rope and threading it over his knife, forcing it into the ground. She saw three other wolves copying the motion, and then the rest heading to reinforce the rope. It was a giant net that had been threaded over him, forcing him flat on the ground. And for a moment, it looked like it would have worked.

                Until he howled and forced himself upwards, sending the rest of the pack staggering to the ground.

                He was turning his head again, sniffing the air, looking for her, distracted only when Kris launched himself at the wolf’s side, leaving a bloody gash along his ribs. Kai wasn’t looking for her then, he had something more important to handle.

                She locked eyes with Kris for a second, and in them she could see his determination. Kris wasn’t about to let Kai hurt anyone, because if Kai killed anyone, or managed to escape and make it to the human town not far away, he would be destroyed upon morning when he found out what he’d done. Kai would never forgive himself, and Kris wasn’t going to let that happen. Kita was just scared about the lengths Kris was willing to go for it.

                She watched, frozen, as the wolf began stalking slowly towards Kris who looked resigned to what was about to happen. It’s feet were silent in the grass, flattening it with every step-

                The flower.

                The little blue flower had been crushed into the grass under the wolf’s weight, but it was entirely worth it if this was going to work.

                “Kris!” she yelled, “Keep him distracted!” She received a nod in return but she was already on to her next task. “Chen, Baekhyun, I need you!”

                She heard their footsteps running towards her as she tore the protective shirt off and threw it to the ground. She kneeled quickly, seeing the two figures standing above her. “Hands on my back, I need to borrow some magic.” They didn’t question, there wasn’t time to question. They adopted the position they’d seen Kai hold, and Kita quickly looked into her magic streams to see Baekhyun’s golden bubbles and Chen’s splashing magic among them.

                But not within them.

                Their magic wasn’t mingling with her own like Kai’s did, it was merely using the same magic streams. Already she could feel a difference. She wouldn’t be able to use their magic.

                She’d have to do it alone.

                “Go help Kris!” She said, “I have this.” They nodded, running off to where the other wolves were keeping Kai. She placed her hands on the ground, remembering the feeling of how she and Kai had made that little flower grow.

                “Chanyeol!” She yelled, seeing the silhouette of the giant running by to help his friends. He stopped, bent down.

                “What?”

                “I need your matches.”

                He tossed them down beside her and continued running, not about to let his pack fight without him.

                I have the magic. She looked back at the ground. She wasn’t that confused little Fey anymore. She was strong. She could do this.

                For Kai.

                The magic went as if it was nothing, there was no pushing, no forcing, it went as she directed happy she was taking control.

                I have this.

                She poured more and more of her magic into the ground as she held the picture of the plant in her mind, feeling the earth shift beneath her as it grew all around. Flowers like bells sprouted around her, feathery leaves that looked so innocent.

                She looked up at the pack, horrified to see them most of them bleeding. Lay was lying on the ground nearby with Suho standing guard in front of his body. Chanyeol was clutching his left arm. D.O. was wiping the blood that was cascading into his eyes. They were losing.

They were facing away from her, facing the wolf, creating a barrier between her and it, not faltering even with their injuries and the ferocity of the creature in front of them. But it wasn’t a beast, it was Kai. “Let him through.” Kita yelled, projecting her voice over the snarls that were sending shivers down her spine. The pack didn’t move, as she knew they wouldn’t. Caution to the wind she ran forwards, pulling Baekhyun back and away, pushing him to the side and out of the way of Kai’s rampage. The wall was broken, Kai was coming for her.

                She scrambled to get back to the flowers, almost falling in the torn-up dirt, but she felt the pressure on the ground as the wolf leaped behind her, and she could only duck and lunge to the side for safety, watching as Kai landed straight in the flowers.

                The wolfsbane.

                The matches were in her hand, she struck 3 before getting one to light, throwing it on the flowers and praying that it’d work.

                Kai was already feeling the effects. His patchy fur wasn’t protecting him enough, his front leg had collapsed as the wolfsbane itched and seared along his skin, patches turning red and raw as it met the flowers, but he was still trying to get back up to lunge at her. His jaws snapped and only a yank from Luhan had her out of harms way. Then the first tendril of burning wolfsbane curled around his snout, disappearing as Kai inhaled it. He howled as it burned along his windpipe. He gave renewed efforts to leave the patch but his back leg gave out and he collapsed to the ground, yowling as his whole side encountered wolfsbane.

                Kita whirled around to the rest of the pack, “get inside, we don’t need you all inhaling wolfsbane too, I can handle it from here.”

                “Absolutely not-”

                “Kris!” Her yell silenced him, “just go!” She turned back around, not caring for Kris’ answer. He could settle his pride by himself, at this moment, Kai needed her. A cough echoed behind her, then another, followed by quickly retreating footsteps and the sound of a door closing.

                Kai kicked out again, narrowly missing her. He bared his teeth, snarling at her, another clawed paw swiping up to reach her. As it missed it landed straight in the wolfsbane causing another round of the pained howling. And then it was muffled, as his massive jaw closed around his front leg, gnawing at the pain. Blood streamed out of the wounds, coating the leaves below him with a sickeningly bright red.

                “Stop it!” Kita scolded, receiving only furious eyes as Kai continued his self-mutilation. His leg spasmed, sending blood drops scattering over her bare feet.

                She needed to stop him. Wolves healed well but not well enough to reattach an arm. Think Kita think!

                If only she could feel what he was feeling… but she had once before. That day with the vampires, the day she had shared Kai’s wolf senses, the day their magic had been closer than any other because Kai had needed her.

                Well he needed her now, and that was enough to put any thought of risk out of Kita’s mind as she sat on the ground, placing her hand on a scarlet droplet in the grass, anything to connect her to Kai. She delved into her magic, holding her ground as best she could as Kai’s wintery blue attacked her like a hurricane. She reached out to it, grasp empty as it slipped through her grip. She pulled at it, staggering forwards when it moved with new force. She focused again, searching deeper for that part of her that she shared with Kai, the part that always pulled in his direction.

                She winced as Kai’s magic enclosed on her, stinging cuts appeared on her face as it razored by, intent on slicing her to ribbons. The pain faded as she delved deeper, leaving her form behind and projecting her mind further into herself. It was getting harder, she breathed faster, it felt like moving through treacle. It was never this difficult, never this exhausting. It was almost as if she had set up protections for herself, guarding the innermost parts of her against the rage of the wolf above. But she’d already thrown caution to the wind, she didn’t want protection if it couldn’t protect Kai as well. She forced her way through, stumbling when she was past the barrier, breathing easy for just a moment before she was thrown into darkness.

                The only thing she could see was a shimmering blue thread, a blue so familiar that it almost lessened the pressure on her chest, almost lightened the weight holding her down. She reached out for it, feeling herself sinking into that darkness holding her. Her finger brushed it, but it was always just a little further. The inky blackness slid up her neck, tightening around and squeezing the life out of her. Just a bit further. She needed to reach it, She couldn’t fail. Not when Kai needed her.

                With one last spurt of energy, her hands clasped around the thread, letting it pull her out of the darkness, bringing her back to her magic, letting her return to her physical body.

                The noise was horrendous, the wolf was screaming. Its blood was thrown everywhere as it thrashed, and Kita felt droplets on her cheek, slowly dripping to her neck. The patches of him not covered by fur were red and oozing, thin purple tendrils pulsing through him as the wolfsbane spread.

                “What have I done to you?” she whispered, frozen in horror as she looked at him. The wolfsbane was still burning, the wisps of smoke fluttering around the wolf as if laughing at him. He snapped at them, trying to make them go away but that only made everything worse as he breathed in, starting a new round of pain.

                His howling forced her into action. Still grasping the blue thread inside her that connected her to Kai, she pulled the reigns on his torrential magic, fighting to slow it until it was the same speed as hers.

                The wolf was getting angry at the sensation, snapping and snarling at her, furious at being controlled by something he didn’t understand.

                And Kita was beginning to feel that rage as well, just colouring the edges of her vision. She closed her eyes, focusing on the pattern of her breathing. The more she interfered with Kai’s magic, the more she would align herself with him, with the wolf inside him. She couldn’t succumb to the wolf, not again. She breathed, she could feel the wolfsbane over her skin, just lightly dancing as it burned trails into her, letting her feel what Kai was feeling.

                Pain.

                Anger.

                Confusion.

                Fear.

                She opened her eyes, a tear slipping from them, either from the pain or the sight of the wolf writhing and crippled before her, she wasn’t sure.

                The night passed slowly, every second agonising, every shift of muscle bringing a new onslaught of whimpers from both of them. When the moon was almost setting, Kai was exhausted to the point that he just lay there in his pain, shallow breathing in acceptance.

                Kita chanced a movement, inching closer, and closer. Painful though it was, she wasn’t about to let him change on his own, not when she could help him. She placed herself heavily on the ground behind him, his tail motionless beside her. He looked even worse close-up, the skin peeled and charred beneath his fur. She placed a hand on him, feeling his wiry coat beneath her fingers. He whimpered, but did nothing. She scooted up, heart in as she approached his head. Once in sight, his eyes followed her. His lip curled up to bear his sharp jaws, but he still did nothing. She an ear, and winced as she felt the pain of it in her own. Her hand trailed down to his throat, and swallowed as she felt the rawness of it, the result of all the inhaled wolfsbane.

                Slowly, gently, she let a trickle of her magic enter him, not taking any of his in return. She was testing a theory that she’d been pondering all evening.

                Wolves could only use magic as transformation magic, they could not take Fey magic and use Fey abilities. But, could she use her own Fey magic to put the essence of a Fey within another host? As in, could she temporarily give Kai access to the ability of Fey healing by placing her magic in his body?

                She didn’t see why not, especially when she and Kai were entangled in such a way, when their magic was always a part of one another. If she healed like a Fey even with Kai’s magic constantly within her, why wouldn’t Kai be able to heal from her? There was an added bonus to this, other than the Fey possessing the greatest healing abilities of all magical creatures, they were not affected by wolfsbane. Her magic would be able to heal him while his own could not.           

                She pushed more magic into the wolf, eyes flickering over his onslaught of injuries, watching for a sign of any healing. She waited and waited, seeing the sky slowly grow lighter as morning crept closer. Then his snout twitched as a cut slowly sealed itself, the purple veins of wolfsbane fading away. Over and over she repeated the process, feeling exhaustion weighing on her as she gave away magic without receiving any in return. But Kai had been through enough. She did this to him, this was the least she could do.

                A sick cracking grabbed her attention, and she knew that it was finally time. Kai was changing back. It was faster, his body eager to return to the form it preferred. His eyes rolled back in his head as the agonising process was reversed, shrinking his body and realigning his bones. It was a process he had once been familiar with, it was one he was used to. Only this time, he wasn’t feeling it alone.

                This was the first time Kita was feeling bones shifting under skin, ligaments snapping and tethering back into place, organs being pushed and squeezed to sit nestled among the others. And it was painful, in a way she’d never felt before. She didn’t have any magic left to protect herself, she didn’t have the energy. She could only let it take over her, falling to lay beside the -now human- form of Kai next to her, closing her eyes as darkness took her.