A whole night had passed and the morning had the sun eagerly coming up to shine its rays on Skyrim and as well on the small pup lying unconscious on the riverbank by a tree near Eastmarch. When Jonghyun woke up, he didn’t really remember the day before, only snippets of a bear-attack and getting separated from his parents. He released a low whine and curled up under the large tree, his whole body felt like it was on fire. 

‘’Mommy, Daddy?’’ Jonghyun murmured painfully underneath his breath. Slowly he moved his paws, legs, and tail, nothing seemed to be broken so far but his eyes were still too weak to stay open, ‘’At least I’m not in the river anymore.’’ is the last thing Jonghyun thought before passing out.

When the wolf pup woke up again he felt a lot better to the point he could even stand up. His fur had dried up underneath the sun and except for a few scratched he felt fine to move around. ‘’Mommy?!’’ He called while observing the place he had stranded. 

The place was very much like home, mountains, forests, and rivers. ‘’Daddy?’’ Jonghyun yelled again then dropped his ears when he didn’t get any response back. Where were his parents or Uncle Heechul, better yet where was his pack? Jonghyun looked around, every direction was similar. Where did he come from, the left or the right? His gut feeling told him to follow the river to the left and that’s what he did.

It didn’t take a long time to get lost in the wilderness, not that he knew where he was going from the start. Not only that but hunger was grumbling in his tummy. It would be difficult to take on a deer because of its size, he didn’t even want to think about hunting down a Moose but maybe a Rabbit or Rodent would be easy. 

Jonghyun whimpered softly, already missing his parents who would provide food for him but also kept him company and warm when he felt lonely. ‘’I-i don’t know what to d-do.’’ He stammered, big puppy eyes welling up with tears. 

The sun might still be up in the sky but it wouldn’t take long before night arrived and he would have to wander around in the dark.

Alone

Something rustling in the bushes paralyzed Jonghyun with fear. A small brown Rodent crawled out, sniffing along the ground for food. The wolf pup couldn’t be happier, it was tiny enough that he might catch it without it injuring him in the progress. Jonghyun remembered how Leeteuk used to stay low to the ground, eyes on its target and before he knew it, he was already approaching the even smaller animal who seemed to be unaware of his presence. 

his snout, the small pup took a leap out of the bushes right onto…nothing. ‘’W-what?’’ He asked baffled before hearing a squeal and seeing the Rodent run-off. ‘’Come here you!’’ 
 

Chasing after the animal seemed to be the right thing to do as he managed to step on its tail before wrapping his jaw around its tiny neck.

He has never been this proud of himself as he was now, despite the sadness of losing his family. There was still hope for him if he just could hunt Rodents and bunnies every day until he was skilled enough to go after a fox or even a deer. 

But that wasn’t the only thing he had to look out for to survive while searching for his parents. The nights are when the monsters came out, he had to find a place to take refuge in, gather his energy and feel safe. With a full belly, Jonghyun went on the lookout for a cave but instead of finding one, he found an abandoned hut. The smell of inhabitants was faint, either something happened to them or they left a while ago. 

He carefully slinked up to the structure, ears high and listening for suspicious movements. There wasn’t any, birds were singing in a nearby tree which meant it wasn’t deathly silent as if something dangerous was going to attack. Jonghyun peeked through a small hole between the wood as well before eventually moving into the shack. 

There was a bed, nightstand, a hearth, and a table. Books were thrown all over the ground and a few clothes hung in a small closet or over the bed. The people living here must have left in a hurry. Well...as long as they didn’t come back.

Jonghyun made sure to close and lock the door then jumped on the bed, making tiny circles before lying down. It was like the lock he had on his emotions burst out all at once, maybe because he was full and warm and safe for the night? It reminded him of cuddling up against the fur of his mother and feeling comforted by the scent of his protective father. 

Tears ran down over his cheeks, making small wet splotches on the pillow. He missed his parents already and it has been just a day that they were separated. He could feel the anxiety roll of himself in waves, feeling terrified and lost.  

As the runt, Jonghyun had basically been branded as the smaller and weaker pup. It had never been different. His parents took extra care of him but also protected him too much and it caused a downside for him as he didn’t have the experience of surviving on his own as much as his siblings had. 

And now...everything wasn’t handed to him on a plate, he had to take care of himself in the big wide world where danger was around every corner. Everything changed drastically and Jonghyun couldn’t do anything but cry as his heart shattered.

 

Seasons changed to Autumn and close to winter, the cold breeze brushed over Jonghyun’s face as he stood in his human-form by a pond. In human years his age would probably be somewhere around 9 or 10 but for someone around his age, he was clever enough to know how to work a fishing pole.  

It didn’t take him long to realize it was gonna be difficult to locate his pack with how big Skyrim was. One of the chests in the shack had provided him a map of whole Tamriel, there were many places where his pack could have been and where they had moved to now. 

Eventually, he had no other choice but to stay by the shack, survive and get stronger. The most important thing was to get through the winter, they could be harsh and he had to be well prepared. 

It was fortunate he was a Greyish white wolf, his coat was dense - thicker in winter, it gave him enough warmth not to instantly freeze but still for precautions the gathering of wood and figuring out how the hearth worked was the best thing to do. 
 

After catching a few fish, Jonghyun went back with a bucket full and while plucking a few berries along the way. He heard voices not that far away from the shack which was odd to him since not many folks visited these parts of the forests, they most rather stuck to the road.


‘’I found a place to stay.’’ A voice with a sly accent said out loud, probably to a few others who were traveling with this person. ‘’It got loot too!’’ Jonghyun frowned, had a few bandits found his little shack? No way will he let them take what wasn’t theirs…

Well, the stuff wasn’t Jonghyun’s either but it helped him survive, which was better than stealing and selling everything right? He carefully hid the bucket in the bushes and shifted back to his wolf-form before jumping out of hiding, ears erect and fur bristled, lips pulled back with a snarl.

A bunch of Khajiits were inspecting his hut, they whirled around at the sound of an angry wolf. ‘’What is that thing doing here?’’ One of the oldest looking Khajiits and seemingly being a guard asked in alarm and unsheathed his sword. The two female Khajiits hid behind him and another guard.

Jonghyun was surprised to see Khajiits around this part of Skyrim, It wasn’t only hunting and surviving what the wolf pup did here but he was learning the history of Skyrim as well as the different races in books he had found around the place. He had to thank Ryeowook for teaching him how to read back in the day.


Khajiits are Cathay and are recognizable by their feline appearance and their sly accent. Along with the Argonians, they are referred to as the beast-races of Skyrim. Because of this, Khajiits have a negative public image. They are the rarest race encountered in Skyrim, most commonly found only in caravans.

‘’This is my hut, what do you want?’’ Jonghyun growled, hoping his profile was intimidating despite his small frame. One of the females pushed past the guards, ‘’Wait Zaynabi!’’ One of them protested but she ignored him and shot the pup a polite smile. ‘’I apologize, we thought this was an abandoned one like most in Skyrim.’’ 

‘’I see,’’ Jonghyun mumbled, backing down when he noticed they were just as cautious of him as he was of them. ‘’Are you with the Caravans?’’ She blinked and nodded, ‘’Yes, we travel from Riften to Dawnstar, occasionally setting up camps near cities to trade.’’ Zaynabi replied, a soft purring note in her voice as she smiled at him.

‘’Why are we telling this to that wolf-pup who was about to attack us?’’ The oldest guard growled, ‘’You’re way too trusting Zaynabi.’’ He crossed his arms with a glare. She frowned back at him, ‘’Dro'marash, It’s just a wolf-pup, he was defending his home, right?’’ 

Jonghyun nodded when she looked at him for confirmation. ‘’But why are you alone out here?’’ The other female stepped away from the guards when she noticed that there was no danger for now. 

The pup lowered his head, feeling upset all over again and he wasn’t sure if he could trust them. Dro'marash huffed, ‘’We need to go Zaynabi, Ahkari, we have a lot of ways to go.’’ He grabbed the females by their arms but Zaynabi was as always stubborn.

‘’No! We can stay the night and keep him company!’’ 

‘’Yeah! My feet hurt!’’ Ahkari agreed with a whine.

Dro'marash rolled his eyes and turned to the last member of their little group who hadn’t said anything at all. ‘’What do you think Kharjo? Can we afford to spend the night camping?’’ 

Kharjo’s eyes flickered between his traveling-group and Jonghyun. The wolf-pup intrigued him and they had no quests or bounty to hunt down so they could afford to stay a night. ‘’We can stay here and rest.’’ He nodded then tilted his head to the side, ‘’If that’s alright with our little friend?’’ 

Jonghyun glanced up with wide surprised puppy eyes. He didn’t expect strangers to want to keep him company although he was suspicious about their motives, Jonghyun was in need of social contact. Being alone for months and talking to yourself isn't as satisfying and he didn’t want to lose his voice. 

In the end, he allowed them to set up camp close to his hut. Jonghyun sat next to Zaynabi as she taught him how to make a campfire before the pup offered to share his fish, he had caught that afternoon.


‘’You’re so kind.’’ Zaynabi smiled, hesitantly reaching out her hand to scratch behind his ear. A faint shiver ran down his spine and with a whimper leaned his head back against the furry hand. Affection was another thing he missed but he allowed her to touch him for a little bit, they didn’t seem to be here with evil-will. ‘’You look so young.’’ She murmured, pulling her hand back as Dro'marash and Kharjo walked up with fish on sticks and hung them over the fire. ‘’Do you want to tell us what happened?’’ 

Jonghyun sighed, sitting down on his bottom and staring blankly into the fire. Would it hurt to tell these strangers about what happened? ‘’My pack tried to fight and evacuate our current territory because of a bear-attack.’’ He began, sighing deeply, ‘’I fell in a river and lost them. I’m trying to search for them but I’m not even sure if they survived the attack.’’ 

Zaynabi continued the scratching behind his ear as distressed whimpers left him. ‘’You poor thing.’’ She then turned to Dro'marash, ‘’Can we keep him?’’ The older Khajiit almost fell over. ‘’What? Zaynabi! We don’t know him!’’ 

‘’But he’s just a tiny pup!’’

‘’He seems to be more than capable enough to take care of himself!’’

‘’Maybe for a few months but winter is coming!’’

Dro'marash shook his head, arms crossing over his chest, his iron armor clinking as he moved. ‘’No…’’ He concluded harshly then stood up with his fish to eat it in his tent in peace. Jonghyun frowned a little, what was up with that guy? 

‘’Don’t mind him, he’s a grumpy old cat,’’ Ahkari assured him while Kharjo and Zaynabi chuckled. ‘’He has seen a lot of things, trust doesn’t come easily to him.’’ Jonghyun nodded and took a bite from his own food.

‘’You aren’t a full-blooded wolf are ya?’’ Kharjo asked while enjoying his meal. ‘’I can smell a human-scent coming from you.’’ He elaborated when the pup glanced at him oddly. ‘’I’m a shapeshifter if you mean that?’’ Jonghyun replied.


‘’A Werewolf?’’ Ahkari asked excitedly, ‘’That’s cool! So you can change back and forth between a human and a wolf?’’ She was leaning forward, eyes twinkling with a newfound interest. When Jonghyun nodded, she squealed like a child and stood up to settle next to him, playing with his ears playfully.


‘’You should come with us! The more the merrier right? and you’re really cute!’’ Ahkari babbled. Jonghyun didn’t know how to feel about that, it would be difficult to leave the shack behind and travel with these Khajiits he just met.


He also knew that staying in one place wouldn’t help with searching for his pack. There was an opportunity offered to him though. They were roving traders, traveling between Dawnstar and Riften but there were so many other cities as well as wilderness between the two places. 

Kharjo saw his hesitation, ‘’We could make you a deal what could make it more tempting?’’ Jonghyun tilted his head curiously to the side, ‘’What kind of deal?’’ The warrior sat up, ‘’Come with us and we teach you how to survive, hunt, trade, and pickpockets. It could come in handy when you eventually separate from us and wander Skyrim for your pack.’’ He offered.

‘’And in return?’’


‘’In return, you help us trade our wide variety of items and help us raid dungeons.’’ 
 

Jonghyun blinked with surprise. ‘’Is that all?’’ Kharjo laughed whilst the girls giggled. ‘’You sound like it’s easy for ya kid, there are Draugrs, evil mages, giant spiders and skeletons in there.’’ The pup paled which was difficult to notice with his white greyish fur. 

‘’G-giant s-spiders?’’ He didn’t know what