Chapter Two

Lee Sungmin was born to a family known as hunters. They hunted the woods for wolves, just as their ancestors before them. The first hunter had been a woodsman who rescued a woman in red from a man like wolf. Since then, it had been the job of the Lee family to search and kill the descendants of that wolf.

Sungmin walked through the woods, his gun at his side filled with silver bullets incase he saw the mythical beast he was after. The snapping of a twig drew his attention as he aimed the barrel of his gun in the direction of the sound.

“Come out beast!” Sungmin ordered, his voice strong, but his body visibly shaking with fear. Never had he seen the beast his family fought. It was elusive and dangerous, and Sungmin was alone for the first time. He had come of age and this was his life now. When nothing approached, he relaxed, placing his gun at his side and smiling. Turning, he softly bumped into a figure who smiled at him. The hunter gasped as he looked up into dark brown eyes that sparkled like marble, and a soft smirk that melted any heart.

“Wolf!” Sungmin panicked raising his gun at the man’s heart. The man looked down calmly as he took hold of the barrel and moved it away from his chest with ease.

“So quick to jump to accusations hyung.” the man smiled. Sungmin blinked, still weary.

“Hyung? I’m older than you? Wait, how do you know?” Sungmin asked. The man smiled and bowed.

“Cho Kyuhyun, and I’ve been watching you closely.” Kyuhyun said as he watched the older male. Sungmin raised his gun again before noticing the barrel of his gun bent in, ruining the weapon.

“You are not human.” Sungmin whispered, dropping his gun and backing away. Kyuhyun nodded and walked forward making Sungmin retreat farther back until he hit a tree. Kyuhyun smiled as he placed a hand on each side of the older’s head, trapping him.

“I am not, but I am.” the wolf replied. Sungmin looked confused as he looked up at the taller man.

“Half man, half wolf. Tell me, have you ever thought from the others point of view? To your family and the humans, my kind are killers. But, it is your kind that kill.” Kyuhyun said. Sungmin pursed his lips and looked away remembering the stories he had been told his whole life.

“Your kind kills humans all the time.” he explained. Kyuhyun growled as he leaned forward, his face inches from Sungmin’s.

“We hide in the forest, my kind have not killed since my great great grandfather. It is your people who hunt and kill us like you are doing now.” the wolf growled. Sungmin was silent as he thought of all the past stories he had heard as Kyuhyun stepped back. The wolf sniffed the air before growling low in his chest and shifting back into a steel grey wolf. He was tall and big, built majestically. Sungmin sat in awe as the giant wolf turned and began walking away into the dark woods.

“Wait!” Sungmin called, only to be ignored. Sungmin remained still as he heard the approaching members of his family.

“Minnie, Minnie hyung!” the calling voice belonged to his youngest brother Donghae. Sungmin looked over, just as his two brothers and his father entered the area he was in.

“What happened?” Siwon asked, his eyes blazing as he searched the woods.

“Was it a wolf?” Hyukjae asked in awe as he and Donghae pretended to howl. Sungmin remained silent as the two brother’s played and Siwon approached him.

“Enough you two. Sungmin, were you attacked?” Siwon asked. What did he say? Kyuhyun had not attacked him, but, he had approached him.

“No, I was just startled by a rabbit.” Sungmin replied with a lie. “It was a pretty big rabbit.”

Siwon narrowed his eyes but said nothing as he turned to Hyukjae and Donghae.

“You two, head back to the village.” he ordered before turning back to Sungmin. The younger looked away before feeling the slap to his face.

“Lie to me again, where is the wolf that attacked you?” Siwon ordered. Sungmin bit back the tears of pain as he glared up at the man he called father.

“I was not attacked. Besides, how do we know the wolves haven’t stopped attacking people?” Sungmin asked making Siwon glare at him.

“Do you not remember the amount of family that have gone down fighting those beasts?” Siwon asked.

“They attack them because we have always gone after them. This is their home.” Sungmin defended before falling silent. Siwon stepped forward, trapping Sungmin against the tree.

“Find the wolf, and kill him.” Siwon ordered as he pressed a new gun in Sungmin’s chest. Grabbing the weapon, Sungmin nodded his head and looked down at the ground as Siwon left the woods.

“He seems friendly.” Kyuhyun said as he emerged from behind a bush. Sungmin jumped and looked around.

“Kyuhyun, you need to leave. What if they come back?” Sungmin hissed. Kyuhyun shrugged as he leaned against the tree Sungmin stood beside.

“A giant rabbit huh. Not the weirdest thing I’ve been called.” Kyuhyun chuckled as Sungmin continued to glare at him.

“I can shoot you wolf.” the human snarled. Kyuhyun smirked as he walked over and placed the barrel of the gun at his heart.

“Then do it, join the other’s in your family who have killed my kind.” Kyuhyun whispered. Sungmin grasped the gun, his finger on the trigger. As Kyuhyun watched the human, he smiled.

“You can’t kill me, can you?” he whispered. Sungmin shook his head.

“Why?” he asked dropping the weapon to his side. Kyuhyun leaned forward, his face inches from the humans.

“Because, you are not a killer little red.” Kyuhyun replied as he stepped away and transformed to a wolf again. Sungmin wanted to make a remark, but Kyuhyun was already gone. Sungmin sighed as he stared at the empty wood before walking back to his village. Little red? Why had Kyuhyun called him that?

“Hey Min, did you find the wolf rabbit?” Donghae asked as he cleaned his sword. Sungmin glared at him as he move to clean his gun.

“Hush Hae,” Hyukjae ordered as he set the sights on his bow. Sungmin tried to banter with his brothers, but the worry of how his family worked and Kyuhyun’s words repeated in his head.

“I’m going to lay down.” Sungmin said as he stood and made his way to his home. When he opened the door, he yelped. Kyuhyun laid on his bed fully in his wolf form making Sungmin panic and slam his door.

“What are you doing here?” Sungmin hissed as he began closing his windows and any other way to peek inside. Kyuhyun appeared beside the human and smiled as he leaned forward.

“It’s in your genes, I can smell it.” he whispered making Sungmin step back.

“Smell what?” Sungmin asked as he walked into the kitchen. Kyuhyun followed before sitting at the table.

“Did you know, the wolf in the fairy tale was the grandmother?” Kyuhyun asked. Sungmin gave a look letting Kyuhyun know he didn’t understand.

“Little Red was seeing her grandmother, but it was during her first transformation into a wolf.” Kyuhyun explained. Sungmin blinked as he sat down as well.

“She was a wolf?” Sungmin asked surprised. Kyuhyun nodded as he sat back.

“Are you not a descendant of that family?” Kyuhyun asked. When Sungmin nodded, Kyuhyun smirked.

“What big teeth you have.” the wolf whispered before standing up and walking over to the human and grabbing his chin.

“What are you doing?” Sungmin asked before feeling pain in his arm.

~

Hyukjae and Donghae walked over to Sungmin’s home with bored looks as they knocked on the door.

“Is he home?” Donghae asked. Hyukjae knocked harder before the door swung gently open. Carefully stepping inside the dark home, Donghae spotted the blood first. Signs of a struggle were everywhere.

“Get your weapon ready.” Hyukjae warned.

“What happened here?” Donghae asked in a whisper. Hyukjae drew his bow and peeked around the corner, eyes widening as he noticed Sungmin on the floor panting.

“Hyung!” Hyukjae panicked as he raced forward, dropping his weapon and trying to help his brother. Donghae could only watch before Sungmin’s eyes turned gold and the blood on the walls became thicker and a low dark howl echoed through the village as Donghae raced from the home screaming for help.