Sehun woke with a start. Often he liked to laze in bed, when having slept late the day before. But, today, he felt energized. Kris’s face appeared to his mind, and a smile played on his lips. It was quite exciting to feel like this.

However, his plan for the day was to find Baekhyun. The situation was urgent.

He found a ride on a carpool site and got dropped outside the city, by the route. He put his wallet and cellphone in a bag, adding his clothes at last. He had told Jongin about his research of Baekhyun. And Jongin would have come if it wasn’t for Sehun assuring him it was alright, and that he didn’t want to bother Jongin with that. But thinking back, it could have been more effective if his friend would have come.  He could be there to help him iif something bad happened. But if the two of them were to fall in a bad situation, who would know of their location? So it was in fact better, that he had not come, finally…

He hid the bag by a tree, and transformed.

Sehun exhaled, his new form slightly uncomfortable. He didn’t transform much. 

He shook his paws to get off the feeling. His senses were now enhanced. He hummed the air, as he needed a hint of a wolf's smell to begin his research. 

He ran alert of his surroundings. 

It had been a few hours. The grey wolf was tired and discouraged. He had slowed his cadence, snout lazy as he sniffed here and there. It had been unsuccessful.

Sehun didn’t know in what state would be Baekhyun once he found him. If the werewolf would be injured. Or if he had been hiding in a  natural cave, and was now, happily living in the woods like their ancestors.

He didn’t want to think of the worst, his heart palpitating in his chest the second he thought about it. Death, didn’t find werewolves easily, he assured himself.

But Baekhyun would have called, if he was alright. No? He wouldn’t have disapeared on him like that! 

Sehun with his worries eating at him, ran deeper in the forest, not caring about the distance he had already covered. If he had looked back, he would have been surprised at how far he had come. 

Echoes of noises rang to Sehun’s ears. He had stopped his research for a moment, munching on wild herbs. He swallowed the bitter taste, paying attention to the noise.

Wolves, it was wolves’s voices. Immediately, he went off, only slowing down, when he didn’t recognize Baekhyun’s voice in the mix. 

There was two wolves talking. One was big, its fur a pale brown turning grey at the head, and the other  smaller was entirely a dark grey. The smaller of the two was walking ahead, its body tended, legs stretching straight in ample movements. The bigger one was dragging, it was grumbling to his companion.

Sehun continued to observe them, in hope they had seen Baekhyun.

Were they living in the forest? He had never encountered real wild werewolves, as he had stayed in the city since his birth. 

Before his eyes, the two wolves transformed. Sehun gasped, Kris appearing in place of the big wolf, a young woman beside him.

He retained his shout, a weird aura making him stay hidden. The atmosphere had a secretive feel. The wolves faced each other.

’’Why here, Victoria?’’ Kris asked.

The young woman squished her nose, searching.

’’I thought I smelled her. It smelled like Jessica, just a moment ago…’’ she explained.

The male shook his head, disagreeing with his companion.

’’I don't smell anything. Let’s get back to the car. You made us tresspass the territory of a native pack.’’

Victoria turned to him, grabbing his shoulder. ’’I’m sure of it, it was her. She’s a pro at hiding, but also a wild wolf at heart.’’ She looked back at the trees. ’’She’s out there, in these woods, trying to calm her bloodlust.’’

Kris stilled. ’’You don’t mean…’’

Sehun’s surprised whine echoed in the woods as Kris’s eyes bore into his. He turned around as if stung, running at full speed. He feared getting caught. He feared what he had heard. The gears in his head working out a theory he didn’t like.

It had felt glacial. A moment ago, he had felt under this cold stare, calling out, intruder. 

Following his insincts, he found his way back. Near his hidden clothes, he took time to assess the surroundings.

They hadn’t followed him. 

Sehun transformed back. His skin was covered in cold sweat, heart pounding in his ribcage. He bent forward, his legs shaking because of the earlier effort. 

Suddenly, it fell on him, that he hadn’t found Baekhyun, and had seemed as if he had spyed on Kris. It was eery, how Sehun had to be there, when they were too. 

But, what was frightful was what the young woman had said. Bloodlust, Sehun repeated. Their friend, Jessica, had potentially escaped in this forest. Hadn't Sooyoung, the neighbor, mentioned a recent murder? And as Kris had said, he had just arrived in South Korea. Then, what about his friends? Hadn’t he told Sehun about a problem with one? 

Everything was adding up in his head, and the portrait was worrying. Baekhyun’s disapearance, on a highlighted billboard, flashing behind his closed eyelids.

He put on his clothes, dialing up Jongin. 

’’Please, borrow anyone’s car and come pick me up,’’ he asked, voice trembling.

’’What happened? You sound weird,’’ Jongin stressed.

Sehun sighed. ’’I’ll tell you, on the way back. Please.’’

’’Alright, I’ll text you when I leave,’’ Jongin agreed.

Sehun walked to the road. He sat on the roadside, fidgeting, cellphone in hand, thinking maybe, just maybe, Kris would send him something. Certainly, Kris had keen senses. He had to suspect, that it had been him, the Tuesday coffee date’s guy, there sneaking up on him.