Four-legged? What was this? This wasn’t part of the plan. The plan was to find a way to mess with the new Cerberi so that they, Onew and Key, would be frightened to where their body would have no choice but to go into defense mode. Thus, activating their abilities and learning how to control them…in some way or another. It was a plan that, while thought out, wasn’t thorough enough. A conclusion they came to when they heard, or specifically Key heard, the four-legged footsteps coming their way. With quick reflexes, his tight grip hardened even more…if possible, on his best friend and he jerked the two of them backward in small, slow steps.

Onew followed, but mechanically. The man’s heart was pounding harder than he’d anticipated. It was beating right out of his chest, pressing against his ribcage and contracting inside his lungs, all at the same time. When they were in the comfort of light, it calmed down to a degree, but he still had his defenses up. It was the only thing keeping them from being spotted. It was the only thing he was in complete control of at the moment. At least that had worked. They were invisible.  

Two massively clawed wolves showed themselves in front of Eunhyuk. The heaving of their chests, making the short strands of their fur shiver in the darkness. The gleam of the moonlight reverberated against the sheen of their coats. Curiously, they were patterned in dark sandy tones from the large base of their paws to the thick nape of their necks. Black fur circled near their eyes and at the point of their ears, but even in the precious daylight that was their security (along with Onew), it was the only thing the two boys could recognize in the night. Onew squinted harder. He remembered what his mother told them. Night Owls were special. They were the night, they lived in it, breathed in it. It was their weapon and their security.

He tried to calm the last small heart palpitations that caught his breath off guard. Now that Key no longer held him so tightly, he clasped his hand over his chest and let out a slow, steady breath, closing his eyes. He envisioned himself immersing with the dark, becoming apart of it. And calmly, he reopened his eyes, adjusting himself to the sight in front of them. There was Eunhyuk, who looked even more ruffed up than he saw before seen with his regular eyes, and the two wolves, both a harsh sandy brown that ombréd from the root of their paws to the sharp cliffs of their necks. Not only were their eyes and the tips of their ears encircled with black fur, but so were the ruffles of their shoulders and the highlighted ends of their tales. But even Onew could only see so much. After a minute the vision hurt, stinging the corners of his eyes.

He squinted, and when his lids were back open, the vision that he craved to guide them through the night…was gone. He turned around to Key whose eyes were as wide as the circumference of the moon itself and shook his head. Neither boy knew just how they were going to get themselves out of this one and the regret of their plan started eating them alive.

“I know, I smell them too. We knew there was something off about them. Why would they come here…” It was Eunhyuk.

His eyes lit in an iridescent glow as they searched the surrounding area.

“Go find Siwon.” The one he nodded to ran off in mere seconds the command was given.

Key’s eyes ventured towards something he realized should’ve been obvious the first time they met Eunhyuk and Siwon…their wrists. He pulled his friend further into Paradise until they were soaked in the sun’s descending rays, until they heard the splashing sounds of the waterfall as it hit the rocks below it and joined the rest of the stream.

They both breathed, bending their knees towards the ground.

“Their--wrists--” Key breathed. “No--bands.”

“No?” Before the rest of the question elapsed, Onew realized what his friend was talking about. The bands, the only thing that could keep them from transforming into wolves. They didn’t have any.

Key hovered his hand over his chest and let yet another small breath release from the bridge of his lips. Then he stood and attempted to compose himself.

“How…the hell are they over here without having any bands..” He stammered.

“Why didn’t we noticed the first time,” Onew stated.

“More importantly, what the hell do Taemin and Minho have to do with them--is that--is that what they’re going to look like when they get theirs off too?”

The wolves weren’t a frightening sight, but they were like little minions of what Key faced in these woods alone. The creature that intended to break the barrier the woods had made for his protection when the creature tried to rip him and his aunt apart. The features were similar. Too similar. But it wasn’t truly what he’d witnessed that night. Still, for some reason, the fierceness in their eyes, the hunger, the restraint that they lacked, he wondered if when Taemin and Minho transformed, they would be introduced to the same thing. Would Minho turn out like that as well? An uncontrollable thirst soaking in the depths of his pupils.

“Key-” his friend interrupted his thoughts, “are your Gumiho senses tingling? Is there any other way to get outta here?”

There was a shiver in Onew’s voice, a crack as he spoke. Even from the mere foot, they stood apart, Key could feel the shake of his best friend's heartbeat and the stammer of his bones. They were in deep , that was no doubt, but now that Onew has done his part, it was time for Key to contribute as well.

“Hold on.” He whispered.

This time, it was Key who closed his eyes, letting the dimming sunlight around them and the small gurgling and trickling of water from the fall immerse like music in his ears. He had gotten control over one ability, his hearing, what was one more? Concentration, that was all he needed and thankfully Onew wasn't continuously begging Key to get them out but instead giving him time to concentrate. They were connected, after all, perhaps he understood or could feel it. There was a soft wind that he never noticed in Paradise from their last visit. Tiny enough not to gain attention if you're awed by the sights of the landscape. And the wind was flowing in one direction, like a map, like an arrow.

Key turned his head, keeping his eyes closed as to follow the singing of the wind. Then he lifted his arm and pointed his finger to the east to where he stood, reopening his eyes.

“That way?” Onew asked in a soft tone.

Key nodded, and he clasped the hand of his best friend, and together they made their movements quick, keeping as quiet as possible, afraid that the safety of their Paradise would disappear like dream.

A few minutes later, they found themselves at the edge of Paradise’s line once again, but on the opposite side like before. The tree that had pulled their eyes in its direction was curiously gone. Vanished into thin air. The boys cocked their heads to the side. They looked around at the surrounding area, but it all looked as it did before. The mesmerizing landscape, the tall, hypnotizing trees, but the tree that they thought was Key’s hiding place for many years, was nowhere to be found. In its place was golden grass. Grass that shimmered and flowed in the vastness of the area they stood in; a feature that had completely escaped their sight the visit before. Then again, the visit before, they were trying to soak in as much as this place as possible, afraid that it was all a fantasy and would up and disappear.

Now, they stood at the edge of two worlds again: The night and the light. And unfortunately, the light was starting to become dimmer and dimmer. Whatever time zone or other place they stood in, the sun was setting, the day was coming to an end. In the back of their minds, they wondered how long it would take for this place to become night, but that wasn’t a risk they were willing to take. Last time they walked in here, time on the other side had escaped them. It couldn’t happen again. They were new to the whole supernatural world thing, after all.

They stood at the edge of the line for another minute. One more step and they would be in the night of the woods again. Onew cocked his head towards Key, their hands still incased within one another and nodded. They both breathed in, a motion that was becoming a practice for the two of them tonight. And together, they stepped out, Key on the right of him.

For a minute or two, they heard nothing, not even the calling sound of the night insects. They assumed they were in the clear and Key almost closed his eyes to sense a way out of the woods, but as soon as his lids began to close, he heard them. The heavy footsteps that did not belong to Eunhyuk. No, he remembered the sound of those. One was a wolf’s paw prints, but the other….Siwon.

“I’m starting to have second thoughts about this,” Onew whispered.

The night was beginning to linger and loom over them even more like the giant creature that attacked Key nights ago. It was a heavy, unfortunate reminder.  

“Shhh.” Key hushed. He placed his hands over his friend's mouth just as they heard the large steps skid closer and closer to them.

“We know you’re here!” Came his dark voice. Key felt his friend's heavy heart beat return as they leaned onto a tree. The tree was their landline. An easy step back and they would be back into a subtle radiant sunset…..that, now thought through, was also turning into night.

“Come out, come out wherever you are~” He sang.

“Calm your heartbeat down.” Key whispered in Onew’s ear. “They’ll hear it.” Though Key stood behind his best friend now, hoping this position would help Onew keep them invisible, he felt his head nod. He placed his free hand on Onew’s chest an felt the pumps of his heart slowing down to a steady beat.

“I think I’m getting warmer~” Through the blue glimmer of the night, Siwon came into view, his hands deep in his striped pants pocket with that sinister smile on his face.  Inkling by inkling, Onew’s sight was getting better, though it still stung a bit to attempt and use the Night Owl ability. After a couple of seconds, he stopped, for fear that the invisibility he had them cloaked in would cease to exist.

Siwon was so far yet so close. His eyes reflected the full moon hovering in the sky as he lifted his head upwards and sniffed in the night air. They knew that movement. They remembered it. He was smelling for them.

He stepped closer and closer, passing by one tree after the next until he was just a mere three feet from them. Key tightened his grip around Onew’s mouth just as Siwon spoke.

“I’m getting warmer.” He stretched out his arm, the wolf that was with him, circling around their figure without realizing it.

Onew stayed as calm as possible, tightening his grip on Key who closed his eyes for a sense of security. Just a mere inch away and-

“What the hell do you think you’re doing.”

It wasn’t Siwon’s voice, nor Eunhyuk’s. It was….

Minho’s.

Key almost found himself saying the man’s name.

Siwon and the wolf stopped what they were doing, the abrupt surprise stinging their features. The heavy bulk of Minho’s muscles were the first to emerge from the darkness and follow suit was the crease of his features as he looked at the two in front of him. His hair was wet and slicked back, making the strands darker than usual, as if he’d just come from a shower. He wore no shirt, only fitted jeans that his leg muscles struggled against. He walked with a heavy, confident stride. There was a leader sense to him. The alpha. His tall figured loomed over them even though Siwon was taller than him.

“Let me try this again, what the hell do you two think you’re doing,” it was a statement, not a question.

“Minho.” Was all that came out Siwon’s mouth.

Hesitation lingered in the tone of his voice. A stammer, but quickly, he straightened his posture, easing himself from the predator demeanor he had just a moment ago. Minho was obviously in charge here, but Siwon wasn’t going to let that get the best of him.

“We felt a threat in the woods. We are taking action. Isn’t that why we’re patrolling the woods in the first place.” Siwon stated.

Minho closed in their distance. Two strong atmospheres from two leaders, clashing into one another.

“I see no threat.” He spat.

“Our senses do not lie,” Siwon spat back, “I know you sense it too or are you just ignoring it all. If there is-”

“If!” Minho hollered, then he calmed himself, his ab muscles contracting with his breath, “If the intruder were a mere human, you would have exposed us all. A man walking with glowing eyes, a giant wolf by his side. This town is already made up of rumors, we don’t need more because your senses are telling you ‘if’.”

Both Key and Onew’s eyes went wide as they witnessed the scene.

A second later, Key could hear the sound of more footsteps. Two people, and one wolf. Taemin's slender figure came into view, his elongated torso vibrant in the night. He too was shirtless with only fitted pants to accompany him. In his grip was a wolf’s neck who whined every so often the closer they got. When he caught eye of Minho, he threw the wolf into the dirt, stopping close to Siwon’s feet meaning, it was close to Key and Onew as well. Onew knew the man was strong, including Minho, but it was something he’d never actually seen displayed until today. It was like the weight of the wolf was nothing to him. Eunhyuk stood next to him and behind Eunhyuk, Kai, with a smug look on his face. 

“Found the other trouble makers.” He announced.

Eunhyuk scoured, but he looked down, not trying to meet eyes with anyone.

“You four realize how stupid you look right now?” he continued. “You realize how much of a risk you just put us in? No wonder there were rumors of giant wolves in Hallasan. You four don’t know how to contain yourselves when your noses are itching.”

“At least we do something when they are,” Eunhyuk demanded, looking Taemin in the eyes.

“It is not your turn to speak!” His voice wasn’t loud, but it was strong. They were witnessing a new side to the slender boy tonight.

Minho held up his hand.

“We will take over the night patrols until further notice. We’ve already notified our Uncles before we left. They are expecting each of you back.”

"You don't have the righ-” But Siwon stopped when Minho glared in the man’s direction. He placed his hand down.

“Remember who your alphas are.” He firmly stated.

"Kai," Taemin nodded to his cousin, "make sure they get there, alright. Me and Minho need to discuss.”

The thrown wolf stood up and together the five of them nodded in unison. In shame, the troublemakers used their speed and ran off, Kai following soon after. 

The two men stood there, arms crossed and heads down as they listened to the disappearance of the others. When a minute or so passed, Key and Onew realized that they weren’t going away. They were waiting.

“Not sure how you’re doing it,” Taemin announced, “but might as well show yourselves. They’re gone.”

Onew and Key looked at each other, but Onew kept them invisible. Minho sighed.

“You remember that we’ve been around you two close enough to know your scent better than the others.”

Key tapped Onew on the wrist but the boy shook his head.

“Look,” Taemin started again, “it smells like you two are close but we don’t see-”

Just as he was about to finish, the two boys appeared in front of them like a magic trick. The Cerberi’s eyes went wide. They turned to one another, then to Onew and Key. Before Minho and Taemin could open their mouths to speak, Key raised his hand.

“We don’t need to explain ourselves.” He noted.

Taemin scoffed.

“Are you ing kidding me right now.” His eyes turned to Onew who simply looked away. “Nobody’s gonna say anything. Do you two even realize how dangerous whatever the hell you were trying to do was? Do you guys even realize that they-”

“Don’t wear bands like you guys.” Onew interrupted, “Yeah, we sorta got that now.”

“So that’s it. You two are badasses all of a sudden,” the boy turned to Minho, “Minho, a little help here?”

The man’s face was stern. His biceps tightening the more he clenched his crossed arms together. Even though Key was trying to keep up a strong I’m-still-mad-at-you face, he felt bad just watching Minho’s expression.

“So,” the man started, his voice calm but frustrated, “you two do know what you are.”

It was something that hadn’t even crossed Taemin’s mind. When the words came out of his partner’s mouth, he looked back at the boys in amazement but betrayal; that clinging, tightening feeling returning in the center his chest when he looked towards Onew.

“You two know?” he asked.

“And obviously we’re not to be trusted anymore,” Minho stated.

“Is this because of the new Cerberi?” Taemin asked. There was a sadness in the tone of his voice, a sadness that was starting to make Onew surprisingly feel bad as well. “Even though we tried to tell you guys? How long have you known? Have you been playing us this whole time? Making us think you were Tribeless?”

“I thought we were all partners.” Minho intervened.

“Minho-” Key found the small word peaking out of his mouth, but the man was gone. Had used his speed to shoot off deep into the woods before he could listen to anything else. Now, there was only Taemin left who stared at them, his features frozen solid.

“Don’t worry Key, you two don’t have to explain yourselves remember?” And he too, dashed off into the night, leaving the Night Owl and the Gumiho alone.