“Euiwoong, why don’t you think that I’m a werewolf?” Hyungseob was watching Euiwoong cook dinner as he sat on the counter, swinging his legs. Euiwoong had tried to scold him into stopping, but Hyungseob didn’t understand why you would have platforms if they weren’t meant to sit or sleep on. Or maybe he did and he just liked the way Euiwoong would get flustered and annoyed, maybe.

Hyungseob had been awake for a few days now, and had learned a few things about the boy in front of him. Euiwoong came from a long line of farmers, he loved stories about the outside world, and at one point was working 3 jobs just to keep his head above water. Hyungseob didn't understand all of Euiwoong's stories, but he enjoyed the way Euiwoong told them. His eyes got all far away, and his voice would go soft and you'd think that he was living the stories himself. Sometimes he couldn't even finish the story, he’d be laughing too hard, or he’d mess it up so many times it was hardly worth completing. Euiwoong loved stories, he knew more than Hyungseob could ever hope to. He collected them like they were something precious and whenever he heard a new one he held on to every word, fearful that he might forget any part.

All of Hyungseob’s scrapes and cuts had healed, save for the nasty gash on his leg where the wolf had latched on and dragged him. His broken leg was much better too, and he could get around the house just fine, as long has he had something to support his other side. Euiwoong hadn’t believed it when he went to dress one of Hyungseob’s cuts, only to find that it was all healed up, the only trace of it left being the bright pink scar on his leg. Hyungseob had tried to convince him that it was because he was a werewolf, but Euiwoong had merely laughed it off, muttering something about it being more likely he was a unicorn than a werewolf. Hyungseob was frankly fed up with it. He may not have been the best werewolf, but nonetheless he was one, and he took pride in that fact.  

Euiwoong paused in his cooking, taking time to eye the man on the counter. He sighed and turned back to their meal, “Hyungseob, I have no doubt that you may think that you were a werewolf, in fact if it were possible for you to be one you’d probably have me convinced too. But werewolves have been extinct for hundreds of years.”

Hyungseob's eyes narrowed, “No we have not been.” Every word was punctuated with fire and indignation. His family was not dead, and anyone who insinuated otherwise would regret it.

Euiwoong chuckled, Hyungseob was nothing if not persistent. “Alright, then you're a werewolf, what's your proof? Don't they spend most of their time howling at the moon or something?”

Hyungseob did have proof. He was injured though, and shifting with broken bones was on the list of top 100 worst things to do as a werewolf. Granted if he didn’t the topic would be put to the side again, and this was the first time that Euiwoong had even entertained the thought that he might be a werewolf, most of the time it was shot down immediately. So Hyungseob gritted his teeth, hopped down from the counter, and let the process happen.

Pain, near immediate pain. When Hyungseob was younger he tried to shift with a broken nose and had thought that was bad, this was excruciating. Nothing in his body seemed to fit right in this new form, and he was pretty sure his leg wasn’t supposed to bend like that at all. When the ringing in his newly formed ears quieted down he heard screaming and he wasn’t entirely sure whose it was.

The room wouldn’t stop spinning, Hyungseob had to bite back bile, laying down and hoping that everything would just stop soon. He didn’t know where Euiwoong was now, maybe he scared him off. Maybe Euiwoong had left him here and he had just chased off the only friend he had ever made. He had been alone all his life because he wasn’t scary enough, and now he was alone because he was too scary, he’d laugh if everything didn’t hurt. Why had he even done this? He was so stupid , he should’ve just let the issue go. If only Euiwoong hadn’t been so adamant about werewolves being extinct, maybe he would’ve just let it pass. Hyungseob would’ve waited for the rest of his wounds to heal, and have gotten on his merry way. Except he didn’t want to do that, Hyungseob didn’t want to just leave and only be a slightly interesting blip on Euiwoong’s radar. Now he had messed it all up though, and everything was horrible.

“Hy-Hyungseob?” A voice cut through his hateful monologue, Euiwoong? He was still here? Hyungseob looked around and spotted him, backed into the corner looking for all the world as though he had just scene his grave. He probably thought he had, suddenly seeing his friend turn into a beast.

Hyungseob tried to make comforting sounds, but they came out as more of a snarl than anything. From his place on the floor Hyungseob could make out Euiwoong slowly standing up, still hugging the wall. He inched closer and closer to the wolf on the floor, from this distance Hyungseob could see that he was shaking.

“H-hey buddy? That’s you right? Can you hear me?” His voice trembled, but Euiwoong kept on. “You’re not gonna eat me right?” Hyungseob nodded as best he could and Euiwoong finally crossed the gap, placing his hand on the side of Hyungseob’s face. Both boys relaxed into the touch. Euiwoong let out a breathy laugh, “Um, well, I guess this means you weren’t lying huh?” Hyungseob nodded again. Euiwoong collapsed on the ground beside the wolf, “Never, ever, ever do something like that again without telling me I’m not sure if my heart could take it.”

Euiwoong looked over at the wolf boy on the ground, “You can get back, right? Please say you can get back.” Hyungseob gave Euiwoong a look, “Okay, bad question of course you can get back, you're a werewolf! Oh my god, my friend’s a werewolf. Oh my god!” Euiwoong suddenly stood up and started pacing the floor, gripping his hair with white knuckles, “I have a werewolf in my kitchen! I have a real live werewolf in my house! This isn’t even the least bit insane to you?!”

Hyungseob decided that he had let his friend suffer for too long in silence, and began the process of shifting back. It was less painful than last time, but his bones still felt like they were moving into all the wrong places. Two bones rubbing against each other in their search for their proper spot was enough to get him feeling nauseous all over again, and not for the first time in his life he envied the wolves who could shift and not have to focus on keeping all their lunch down. Finally he was in his human form again, and he couldn’t have been more thankful.

Euiwoong had moved back during the shift and now was looking at him with something that could only be described as awe. “So you can just do that? Go from human to wolf like it’s nothing?”

“Trust me, It’s definitely not nothing. I’ve never quite gotten used to everything moving around. Though I’ve always been the outlier.”

“So everything about the valley, and werewolves and all that, that was true?”

“I’d never lie about that, that's my home. But there is something I need to tell you.”

Euiwoong looked at him quizzically, “You’re not gonna have to eat me, right? Or sacrifice me to the moon? Oh god is this like those ABO stories that I’ve heard about?”

“AB- what ?! Euiwoong no, I just need your help, I’m not gonna kill you or whatever else you were thinking about.”

“Oh thank god,” Euiwoong’s relief didn't last long though, “Help with what exactly?”

This was it, this was Hyungseob's chance to be the hero and save his clan. “How do I make the magic come back?”

“What?” Euiwoong looked at him like he had just grown another head.

“Y’know, the magic! It's dying, and I have to save it!”

“Hyungseob, magic isn't dead, if it was you’d be dead, and this whole mountain would be a frozen wasteland.”

“But it is though! And that’s happening! Alright I know this is hard to believe but I promise you it's not. In my valley people have been getting sick, and nobody can find a cure, but I know how to make it all better I just need to know where to go.” Euiwoong stared at him as he mulled over his statement. While Hyungseob waited for Euiwoong he started to smell something very unpleasant. B urning? “Euiwoong, soup!”

Euiwoong's eyes widened, “!” Jumping up he tended to the pot of now blackened and charred noodles. “Uh, well we’ll talk about this later, um I gotta clean this mess up.”

Dismissal, Hyungseob was being dismissed. Euiwoong wasn't a good liar, Hyungseob knew that he didn't believe him. Something needed to be done though, with or without Euiwoong's help.  He eyed the boy in front of him, as he scraped the pot out, why was all this so hard to believe? They'd already established that Euiwoong lived on a magic mountain, and Hyungseob was a werewolf, so why was this so hard? He’d drag it out of the other boy some how or another, but that could be saved for another day, right now he was pretty sure his leg was broken in new places.

Days passed and Hyungseob’s injuries healed. It became increasingly evident that there was an unspoken question between the two boys, what happens now? Hyungseob had no real reason to stay at Euiwoong's house anymore, and while Euiwoong enjoyed the company, it took up a lot of his day to care for another person. It seemed as though the two boys were stuck, unenthusiastic conversations over bland meals leading to uncomfortable silences and at least one of them leaving the dinner table to eat in another room. Even Sprout wasn't handling it well, the poor pig was nearly beside himself with worry, seemingly eating up the tension like it was the lovingly prepared meals that he had been skipping lately.

In the end the decision was made without either of them really having to talk it out. Euiwoong simply came home one day after buying the ingredients for supper that night to find Hyungseob's bed neatly made, with the boy nowhere in sight. “Hyungseob?” No answer, “Hyungseob?!” The house was empty. Euiwoong dropped the groceries on the floor and ran out. Hyungseob didn't know how the village worked, he didn't know what road went where, for all Euiwoong knew Hyungseob could have broken into someone's house, or fallen off a cliff, or gotten stomped by horses, because he just didn't get it. Hyungseob didn't know anything about this world and now he was wandering around probably lost somewhere or dead because Euiwoong had been too stupid to just talk to him.

Euiwoong ran past his neighbors house’s, straining for some glimpse of the other, “Hyungseob!” Where was he?! There were only so many places to get lost in this small town, but so far Euiwoong hadn’t spotted the other boy, just faces that seemed more like strangers than people Euiwoong had grown up with. Some yelled out his name, wondering why Euiwoong was in such a hurry but he soldiered on, every second that he didn’t find Hyungseob was another second that he was in danger. Euiwoong wondered if Hyungseob had shifted, if he had he’d certainly be dead by now. After Euiwoong’s parents the entire town hated wolves, and sometimes innocent pups were slaughtered on the anniversary of his parent’s death. Euiwoong was no friend of wolves, but he was a friend of Hyungseob’s and that was all that mattered.

The sound of Euiwoong’s boots echoed off the cobblestone streets, arms pumping and chest heaving. Where would Hyungseob even go? He didn’t know where he was going but obviously that didn’t bother him, Euiwoong should’ve known that Hyungseob would be this stupid. He paused, heart beating wildy in his chest, “Hyungseob!”

“What?!” Wait, what? Euiwoong looked up and there he was, standing on the top of some poor person’s roof, doing who knows what.

“Hyungseob! You’re not dead!”

“Of course I’m not dead, but since you decided to be no help I had to find it elsewhere.”

“What do you mean you had to find it elsewhere?! You’re on a roof!”

“I’m trying to get answers but it seems as though this entire town is as tight lipped as you.” Oh no, this whole situation reeked of bad decisions.

“Hyungseob, who have you talked to?”

“This guy here! But he won’t say anything.” Hyungseob pulled back and showed Euiwoong the “person” he was talking to.

Euiwoong couldn’t hold his laughter, after the weirdness that was today this was the cherry on top, “Hyungseob, it’s no wonder he wouldn’t talk to you, that’s a scarecrow, not a person.”

“Scare...Crow?” Hyungseob held the poor thing closer to him.

“Yes, to keep crows away from crops, he’s filled with straw, Hyungseob. No brain to speak of.”

“Oh, well then why was he telling me where to go?”

“What?”

“Yeah! He said if I kept down this road it’d be a very nice way!” Euiwoong truly didn’t know what to make of this situation, nothing in his life had prepared him for having to shout at a werewolf on a roof holding a scarecrow that could apparently “talk”, it only got worse when he heard the door to the house open, because some mystical force apparently had a personal vendetta against him.

“Euiwoong, is that you?” Of course, it’d be just his luck that the house he was yelling at would house old Mrs. Nèmora was staying at. He signed to Hyungseob that he was to remain quiet, and could only hope he understood.

“Yes Mrs. Nèmora?” He tried not to look too guilty but it was hard when Hyungseob was still on the roof, clutching a stolen scarecrow.

“Why are you out here screaming your fool head of? Can’t anyone get peace in this town?!” She was tiny and ancient, but could still probably box his ears if she so pleased.

“Um, crow! There was a crow on your roof that was cawing and I was cawing back!”

“Have you lost all your brains, child?! Why would you go and do something as stupid as that, and at this hour too! Some of us are trying to take our afternoon naps!”

“Yes Mrs. N èmora! All my brains have just leaked out of my ears! I have not a of sense left in me!”

She looked at him suspiciously, but seemed sated by the answer. Nodding, she gave him one last weary glance before climbing back into her house. As soon as she was out of sight Euiwoong sagged, by the end of today he was gonna have white hair.

“Alright Hyungseob, if you don’t come down right now I’ll climb up there and get you myself!” He tried his best to yell without making too much noise. He felt a tap on his shoulder and there was Hyungseob, still holding that god forsaken scare crow. He may have let out a shriek a few decibels too loud for the situation they were in, but before Mrs. Nèmora could come out again and yell at the both of them this time he grabbed Hyungseob’s hand and ran.

Once they got to a safe enough distance, and Euiwoong no longer feared the surprisingly strong grip of an old lady, they stopped and just caught their breath for a while. Only for a moment though because Euiwoong wanted answers, and he was about ready to throw that scarecrow off the mountain.

“Alright Seob, mind telling me what all that was about?!”

“Look Euiwoong, whether you like it or not, I’ve gotta get off this mountain and save my family, with or without your help. I was just trying to see if I could get any more information about where I should start looking.”

Euiwoong sighed, “Okay, if you wanna leave, you can do that, I won’t stop you. Please don’t ask for any information around here though, I can assure you that no one in this village knows anything. The last time we got a new face around here they nearly tore the poor sap to pieces questioning him. If you go around asking about magic, and telling everyone and their mother that you’re a werewolf, you’d be lucky if they didn’t dissect you then and there.”

“Got it!” Hyungseob’s stomach grumbled, “... But maybe I’ll leave tomorrow, I am kinda hungry.” Euiwoong laughed at that and everything was forgiven, except maybe for the giant elephant in the room, or rather the giant scarecrow.

“Hyungseob...  where did you even get that thing?”

“Oh! Him? Found him in a field!” Euiwoong wasn’t going to ponder Hyungseob’s prospective career as a burglar, that would probably be enough to do him in. Instead he made Hyungseob stick it in the ground for it to be someone else’s problem. As they walked back home Euiwoong looked back at it and swore that it waved, but that was probably Hyungseob’s special breed of madness getting to him.

They got home and Euiwoong started fixing up dinner using the slightly rumpled ingredients. Hyungseob as always sat on the counter, Euiwoong had long since given up scolding him. Sprout too was at ease, laying on his bed, grunting every once in awhile. Everything was almost too normal, this might be the last time that they had dinner together and here they were, acting like nothing was different.

It wasn't until the two were sat down at the table, picking at food that neither really had the appetite for, that the silence was broken, “I guess you’ll need a sleeping bag.”

Hyungseob eyed the boy in front of him, trying to gauge his emotions, but Euiwoong was impossible to read. “I guess I will.”

“And you’ll need food and supplies, somewhere around here I have a map, which you’ll need as well.” Euiwoong's tone was almost too casual, as though they weren't talking about Hyungseob leaving forever. Hyungseob could tell it was forced though, that was the only crack in Euiwoong’s otherwise perfect mask of indifference.

“You could come with me.” Silence, the two stared at each other, challenging the other to say something.

“You know why I can't, Hyungseob.” Ah yes, Euiwoong, the perfect farmer boy, 8th in his lineage, could never leave his crops.

“You can't honestly tell me you want to be a farmer all your life, stay on your little mountain, tilling the soil till your head turns to dirt.”

“Not everyone has to be a hero, Hyungseob.”

“Not everyone has to be a hero, but everyone should be happy. I know what unhappy looks like, and you've got it written all over your face.”

“I’m fine , I don't mind being a farmer. At least I'm not delusional.”

“Delusional?!” Hyungseob threw his hands up, My family is dying! What else am I supposed to do? Sit and twiddle my thumbs?!”

“Hyungseob just shut up! Go off on your wild goose chase, I'll stay here where I'm perfectly happy and safe.” It was silent after that, if they had had any appetite it surely was gone by now. They cleaned up and got ready for bed without saying a word to each other, neither wanting to apologize but both regretting it deeply.

Once the two were in bed Hyungseob broke the silence, “I’ll be leaving tomorrow.” If either of them had wanted any sleep that night neither got it.

That morning the two of them woke up, got dressed, and ate without truly feeling anything. There was something terribly final about the whole thing. They tried to stall for as long as possible, Euiwoong taking extra time on Hyungseob’s food, and Hyungseob seemingly doing everything twice, just to stretch the minutes as far as they would go. Sprout was nearly beside himself, wandering from one room to the next, pausing, grunting, and then moving on. He would stare at the boys for a moment, make a sort of pained noise, and then start again on his cycle. It wasn't until Hyungseob was standing at the door, ready to go, far before they were prepared to say goodbye, that the reality set in.

“So… I guess this is goodbye?” Euiwoong stood by the door, refusing to step over the threshold, knowing that if he did he’d follow Hyungseob to the end of the earth.

“I guess so…” Hyungseob fiddled with the loose strings of the coat Euiwoong had let him borrow, though he guessed it wasn't really borrowing if he probably wasn't going to bring it back.

“You remember the directions I gave you right? Don't stray from them or you’ll get lost, and probably die.” Euiwoong tried to play it off like his heart wasn't breaking into 100 little pieces with every word.

“Yeah… I have the map too, so I won't get lost…” The two stared at each other, seemingly unable to say goodbye, “You could still come with me, y’know. It would be nice to have someone who would keep me out of trouble.”

“Hyungseob…” Scratch that, Euiwoong's heart was in shambles, 1000 pieces at least, if not completely turned to dust. As soon as he closed that door his heart would stop beating and he'd fall over dead, he knew it.

“I know, I know. Just… the offer’s always on the table.”

“I’ll keep that in mind.” And with that Euiwoong smiled, a genuine smile, and closed the door. For the first time in a week Euiwoong’s house was silent. Back to normal I guess. Except it wasn't, it would never be. Euiwoong would never open that door again because every time he did he’d think that Hyungseob would be on the other side. Euiwoong would have to break a window or something, climb through that. He would definitely have to burn Hyungseob's mat, keeping that in the house would be a special form of torment. He made a list of foods he could no longer eat as he tried to put his life back together. He folded blankets that had been strewn about, dusted, moved furniture, washed all the dishes, caught up on his reading, planned his meals for the rest of his life, and washed the dishes again before moving all the furniture back to its original position because everything was off and nothing was okay, and that was all within the span on an hour.

That was when he started getting the nerves. By now Hyungseob should have started the long journey down the mountain. Euiwoong had only made the trip once with his father, when they had taken a cart of produce down to a larger village when money was tighter. It had been cold, treacherous, and for most of the trip he had a rock in his boot. By the time they finally got to the village all their produce was rotten, and none of the merchants would take it. The outside world frightened Euiwoong, in this village everyone had known everyone since before anyone could remember, but the outside world? You could travel the whole world twice and never bump into the same soul. At least Euiwoong knew the dangers though, Hyungseob knew nothing. He’d get killed, or attacked by bandits, or put in a cage and paraded around for being the last werewolf. The last werewolf. Euiwoong had just sent the last of a species into the greater world, with no protection whatsoever. That valley full of wolves that apparently exists be damned, what could they do when Hyungseob was across the world?

Euiwoong you’re so stupid. It would be fine, right? Hyungseob could take care of himself, he was a strong guy, if a little absent upstairs. Who was he to say that Hyungseob would crash and burn? But Euiwoong, you don’t know . This was stupid, he was worrying over nothing, nothing! But the images of Hyungseob being poked and prodded, or falling off the edge of a cliff, or being kidnapped wouldn’t escape from his mind.

He survived another hour before he was nearly tearing his hair out from the stress. By now Hyungseob would be out of the village on his own doing who knows what who knows where. Euiwoong assumed that Hyungseob was able to read maps but really who knew, he could have thought it was tinder for a fire.

Maybe we could just ride out and check on him? No! He had his farm, he was meant to stay here. But maybe a little adventure wouldn’t hurt? At least to the other village at the base of the mountain. No! This was a bad idea, a bad bad bad idea. It might be fun, the crops won’t be ready for a few months still, they practically take care of themselves at this point! Well maybe… No! Euiwoong was not going to do something stupid and jeopardize his future like this, he wasn’t that stupid. He made a pact with himself that he would definitely not go down the mountain as he put on his coat and prepared Sprout for the trip. Nobody ever said that he had to follow his own advice.

Sprout was practically gleaming from the prospect of meeting up with Hyungseob again. The boy had quickly become the pig’s favorite human, besides Euiwoong of course, despite the fact that he smelled like a bad thing. Hyungseob wasn’t a bad thing though, he was a good thing and gave Sprout lots of snacks so Sprout liked Hyungseob a lot.

Euiwoong took one last look at his house, the place he had grown up and had lived for his whole life. The fields behind it were dark, he had many months before green sprouts would pop up, surely he would be back by then. He was only going to lead Hyungseob down the mountain, he’d probably be back within the day if he was fast, there was no need for any goodbyes. He would be back.

He took the back paths through the village, he didn’t want to run into anyone and have to explain what he was doing, because the moment he did he would realize what a stupid idea this was and hightail it back home. The path went from stone to dirt to grass and before Euiwoong was really ready he was making the slow descent down the mountain. He looked out for any sign of the boy, any broken twigs or newly disturbed rocks. Nothing stood out though and Euiwoong continued on. It wasn’t until Euiwoong heard distant singing that he knew he was close. Pointing Sprout toward the noise they raced forth, bursting through a ring of trees to finally meet their friend.

“Euiwoong?!”, Hyungseob gaped at the boy and his pig. He stood up from the rock he had been resting on.

“I know I said I wasn't going to come right? Well you know nothing of the outside world, and I know I'm not much better but I do know more than you do whether you like it or not, I’m coming with you!” Euiwoong realized how stupid his explanation was and how ridiculous he must look, riding a giant pig through a forest. “Um, that is, if you want my help?”

“Sure!”

“Sure?! Just sure?! Hyungseob I don't think you know what you're thinking of doing, but the world is huge! A-and we’re just two people and who knows this search could last our whole lives! I don't know how long werewolves live but I've only got maybe 65 years left in me! We could travel around the world and get captured by pirates and held for ransom, o-or we could, um- we could…”

“Euiwoong, you don't have to come with me, but I have no choice. I will say that I don't think there's anyone I'd rather have with me. Also I have no idea what pirates are so your fears mean nothing to me.”  
 

Of course didn’t didn’t, this was Hyungseob we were talking about. He wouldn’t know fear if it slapped him upside the head. “Oh God, what am I doing?” Euiwoong was stupid, this was a terrible idea and he knew it, what happened to only following him down to the village? He was so so so screwed.

“Living your life, now come on!” And with that the two boys went off into the great unknown, neither knowing where the future would take them.