“Hey, Jongin, can you walk any louder?”  Yifan teased, “You’ll scare the food away.”

Although Jongin was known for his precision of movement when telling stories through the power of dance, this ability didn’t really translate well to his hunting abilities, much to his chagrin. 

At that moment they were stalking bison, spears at the ready. Waiting for instruction from the other half of their group, who were situated on the other side of the field, the herd between them, Jongin and Yifan were crouched low behind the foliage, keeping an eye on the herd of animals in the grassy field below. A young female bison left the safety of the crowd in lieu of a choice patch of grass, and Jongin knew that this would be their target. A shrill but bird-like whistle emanated from where Tao and Sehun were hiding, indicating the start of the hunt. Yifan and Jongin waited for the second whistle, spears poised above and behind their heads. He sent a quick prayer to the goddess of hunting. 

The tension swelled.

Then at the next signal, all four of them let loose their spears, arcing towards their prey.

Only two out of four actually hit the target, downing the heifer almost instantly. The rest of the bison scattered after they hit, leaving the young female alone to die but protecting the young. 

Yifan and Jongin sprinted out into the open, whooping, towards their next meal. Yifan was first to reach it, followed closely by Jongin. Yifan yanked the lance from the creature’s flanks, and then stabbed through its eye, killing it quickly. He then fell to his knees to thank the hunting goddess for her assistance, joined momentarily by the rest of the hunting troupe. All of them pray with one hand touching the dead bison, sharing their gratitude. 

“Where’s my spear?” Sehun asked, when Yifan and Tao started to dismember the fallen animal to make it easier to carry the meat back home. Yifan and Tao's spears were on the ground next to them as they were the only ones to hit their target. Neither Jongin or Sehun's are anywhere to be seen nearby.

“Over there somewhere” Yifan pointed in the direction of their missing spears, and Sehun grunted, appalled at having missed the target by such a wide margin. He got up to go and fetch it, and Jongin joined him, as his missed too. They spied their fallen weaponry not too far off, and headed towards them at a leisurely pace, not caring that Tao was shouting for them to hurry up and help butcher the meat. 

It was getting late. They needed to leave enough time to walk back to where their cave, which was just the most common name for 'a large group of people that live together' and necessarily mean they lived in a cave, is camped for the annual summer gathering, and no one wanted to sleep out here during the night without a tent. The summer gathering was held in a clearing larger than this, with enough resources nearby to sustain a group of people this large for a few months. Every able bodied cave member from the surrounding caves attended each year, to trade, meet people, and compete in games and competitions.

“So, you still have no mate?” Sehun nudged Jongin mischievously, an evil smirk creeping up on his face. Best friends were always the worst, Jongin thought, when it came to delving into your love life.

“Nope.” Jongin sighed, suspicious. Far from just being curious, Sehun was well known for getting involved in other people’s business, and generally being a nosy, meddlesome idiot. Even if he meant well, which he usually did, his plans didn't always go the way he wanted them to. “I hope you aren’t going to try and ‘help’ me, like you tried to help me and Heejin that time?” Sehun winced. 

“That was an accident, and she forgave me. I didn't know she was training to become a healer.” He muttered, petulant. Jongin picked up his spear, glad that the little carving for luck hanging from the end was still attached. Sehun's was still there too.

They turned back to Yifan and Tao, meandering their way towards them, bickering childishly.

“You two took your time.” Yifan complained. "Get started with the haunches, we have a lot to do."  He ordered, pointing to the still uncut meat. Sehun sighed loudly, before pulling out a small flint knife and helping cut out large chunks of flesh, and wrapping them in large leaves that they had gathered beforehand. If this was a larger hunting party, then they would be prepared to stay here for more than a day, and would be able to string up the meat to dry. As it is, they have only a short amount of time to allow the blood to drain from the meat as much as they can. 

Once this task was done, they sorted out the bones and packed the useful ones, like hipbones and the horns, up into their previously empty rucksacks. When all four of them were sure that the task was complete, they packed all of the red meat into their rucksacks, and began the long trek back to their temporary camp.

The meat is heavy, and felt even heavier after he'd been carrying it for a few hours. He and the hunting troupe hummed or whistled a song with a steady rhythm to keep them walking steadily. If they kept going at this pace, then they would make it back to camp well before sunset. Jongin was pleased with what they had accomplished today: landing a full grown heifer on their first try with such a small hunting party as small as theirs was no easy feat.

Smiling to himself, Jongin looked around, watching between the leafy trees in case there was something interesting to be seen. He saw something. Something out of the ordinary, something that shouldn’t be in the middle of a wooded area.

It was a person.

"Hey, guys, do you see that over there?" He asked, pointing to the pale figure lying on the ground. The person definitely didn't look like they were there on purpose- they looked like they had fallen.

"...Yeah. Are they ok?" Sehun asked, squinting into the distance. 

"I don't know." Yifan frowned. Jongin looked at him, and cupped his hands around his mouth.

"Hellooo?" He shouted. But there was no response; it was the hunter’s code to reply if someone called out to you, even if it was just a visual gesture. Jongin was slightly concerned now- could this person be in serious trouble? He and Yifan agreed to investigate, because he may be in need of assistance. It wouldn't sit well with any of them if they just left the poor person there to die.

He was glad they did check, because the man is definitely unconscious, and only wearing a pair of well-worn trousers. He was face down in the dirt, and his back and shoulders were sunburnt and looked incredibly painful. His foot coverings didn’t look suitable for walking long distance, and he didn't have anything with him, so maybe he had people nearby? Jongin wondered what his story was. Did he get lost?

“What do we do with him?” Jongin asked Yifan, “We can’t just leave him here like this, can we?” Yifan shook his head in agreement, fingers skimming across the expanse of enflamed pink skin on the man's back.

“We have two choices.” he said matter-of-factly, "either we leave him here, with a canteen of water maybe, and hope that his people find him. Or we carry him back to our camp. Here, maybe we can wake him up." He mumbled, reaching over and grasping the man’s shoulders to give him a gentle shake, wincing when he touched the burnt and peeling skin there. The man moaned, quietly. At least he was alive, Jongin thought to himself.

He removed his canteen from his waist and opened it over the man’s mouth, letting a little water dribble into his mouth.

“If you think you can carry him all the way there, I can take some of your meat share.” Yifan suggested. Jongin considered this, then agreed, shucking off his pack, and emptying a little more than a third of it into Yifan's. Yifan held his pack while Jongin tried to manoeuvre the man's prone body onto his back.

“Help me get him up.” Jongin muttered, and they both heaved the sleeping man until he was almost upright, his legs dragging on the floor. Jongin let go for a moment to turn around and allow Yifan to pull the man’s arms over his shoulders. Jongin grasped the man’s thighs as he stood up to stop him from sliding off. His bare chest was warm against his back and his weight was more than what he'd been carrying before, but Jongin knew it would be worth it. He couldn't live with himself if they left him here, never knowing if he survived.

“It’s strange; he has nothing with him…” Yifan contemplated, looking around on the forest floor, even looking under the dead leaves just in case.

Jongin shrugged, worried for this stranger. "There’s probably a reason for that. We can ask him when he wakes up.”

The rest of Jongin's meat was handed unceremoniously to a gaping Sehun and an unusually wide-eyed Tao when they reconvened a few minutes later. They split it between them, emptying it into their own rucksacks without even looking.

“Wha-what? Who?” Sehun said, incoherent and not even complaining about being forced to carry the extra load. Jongin shrugged again, making the man’s arms bob up and down. Sehun couldn't stop staring at the poor sleeping guy, and Jongin had to bat his hands away whenever he came near.

“He looks weird.” He murmured, looking closely. Jongin rolled his eyes.

“That’s rude. And untrue.” Jongin rebuked him: the man was hardly ugly by anyone's standards, he thought. Sehun raised an eyebrow like the living, breathing innuendo that he was, and gleefully unleashed his teasing wrath.

“You want me to ‘help’ you with this guy, hm?” He raised his eyebrows. Jongin resisted the almost overwhelming urge to kick the kid when he guffawed, giving him only an unimpressed glare. Tao covered his face with his hand, trying not to laugh as well. The younger man was only ever this loud when he was with Sehun, otherwise quiet and respectful. Clearly Sehun was a bad influence on everyone.

The obnoxious cackling made even nearby birds fly away in shock, so it was no surprise when the stranger's muscles tensed up around Jongin's neck. His whole body went rigid against Jongin's, and his countenance was clearly afraid. Jongin turns a little to face him, trying to reassure him that nothing is wrong.

“Hey, it’s ok; we found you passed out, and there wasn’t anyone else around, and we thought you might need medical assistance. We’re taking you to our camp, ok?” Jongin explained, but the man doesn’t relax.

“He looks like one of those birds with the big eyes,” Sehun’s remarked.

“You mean an owl?” Yifan supplied, peering closer and pursing his lips. "I can see that."

"Yeah.” Sehun edged closer, staring directly at the man's face. The man struggled a little, clearly not liking Sehun's close proximity, and Jongin's heart clenched.

“Are you stupid? Your face is probably scaring him.” He scolded his best friend, halting so that Sehun kept walking a little further from them both.

“I resent that. I am better looking than you any day.” But despite the complaints, he folded his arms and relocated to Yifan’ other side anyway, sulking.

A moment later, the man started struggling again, so Jongin asked if he wanted to be let down but he received no response. Is he hard of hearing? He wondered, sympathetic. Jongin stopped walking regardless, and crouched a little, releasing his grip on the man's legs. He stood up afterwards and turned around, seeing the man with his eyes open for the first time. He could understand Sehun’s owl comment now; he did have really large eyes. 

Yifan stepped in, stopping Jongin from watching the man’s face too long,

“Yifan.” He introduced himself, holding his hand out with the confidence of the leader. The man he hesitantly took it, tilting his head slightly and looking him up and down. “Jongin, Sehun” Yifan gestured at both of the men in question, and Jongin smiled and waved. The man’s face lit up, a small smile fluttering on his lips, making Jongin feel like staring even longer. There was something in his eyes that didn't match the smile; something darker, sadder.

“Kyungsoo.” He said quietly, placing a hand on his chest. He then proceeded to continue speaking in a language none of them knew, with rounded vowels and foreign tones. Ah, thought Jongin, this might be a problem.

“That explains why he was so quiet. I wonder where he’s from.” Sehun murmured in Jongin’s ear making him jump; when did he get there? Yifan took charge, trying to mime out what had happened, and why he was with them. It was no easy task, as his acting ability isn’t great and he could hear the other’s muffled snickers behind him, especially from Tao. Kyungsoo was looking at him, bewildered. Yifan kept going, making a fool of himself, until Jongin came to the rescue. His miming ability was better than their leader's.

It took a few minutes, but Kyungsoo finally looked like he understood what had happened to him, and seemed grateful to them for helping him. He offered a shy smile, which Jongin found kind of endearing. He realised afterwards was probably not the correct word to describe a full grown man, but it was the first thing that came into his mind. Jongin inclined his head and they all started walking again, Kyungsoo following immediately.

Now that Kyungsoo was awake, Sehun insisted that Jongin should have his share of meat back, so another stretch of time is wasted sorting that out before they could start steadily traipsing through the foliage. Gradually, the conversation flowed again and laughed in time with the bad jokes that Yifan shared. From the corner of his eye, Jongin spied Kyungsoo smiling to himself, but it was a smile that was barely there. He wondered what he would look like with a big genuine grin. 

Where did he come from? And why was he all alone? Maybe somebody back at camp would know how to speak to him, Jongin hoped. Otherwise his past would remain a mystery.

Kyungsoo didn't say anything more throughout the entire journey, and Jongin almost wished he would, because he looked so sad. What could have happened to him to give him such a despondent look in his eyes? 

By the time the camp came into view, though it was still a long way off, the sun was beginning to sink behind the hills to their left, casting long shadows from the trees that were becoming sparser the closer they came to the edge of the wood. Jongin made a game of not stepping in the shadows, only on the sunset dyed grass, delicately stepping over the dark streaks.

A few people saw them coming as they drew nearer, and left their temporary lodging to greet them, and assist with their kill. When they noticed the newcomer, they swarmed him, calling out hello’s and asking question after question and vying to see Kyungsoo's face. New faces were always welcome at these places, as often they would have stories of far off places, and mystical beings. It was always exciting to meet new people in a place where it was always the same people day after day. That's why the summer gathering was so important.

Kyungsoo didn't understand any of what the people were saying, so he just stood there, eyes wider than ever and cringed away from the mob. Yifan was the one who saved him, standing in front of him, and heading off the inquisitive camp members, explaining in his imposing voice.

“He doesn’t speak our language; you’re all confusing him.” He said, waving his hands away. "There'll be a chance to introduce yourselves later on, but right now he needs quiet, ok? Go back to what you were doing." 

They all dispersed reluctantly, except one girl, who waited until everyone else had gone. She busied herself helping Jongin, Tao and Sehun unload the food, then hugged them briefly, curious about the stranger like everyone else.

“You’re the last group back." She said, "is he why took you so long?” She nodded towards Kyungsoo, who still looked nervous and out of place. Jongin chuckled, and introduced them.

”Kyungsoo, Heejin. Heejin, this is Kyungsoo,” He pointed to each person as he said their names. Kyungsoo bowed slightly, deferential. Heejin smirked, liking his recognition of her. She looked him up and down, taking in his unusual appearance.

“Where did you find this guy? He’s cute.”

“We actually found him passed out in the middle of the forest” Her smirk fell off her face; clearly she wasn’t expecting that response. She leans closer to him, and examines his face, searching for any signs of illness. She was always a compassionate soul, even though she did a brilliant job of hiding it sometimes. That was why she'd chosen to be a healer.

Healers were sworn to celibacy, which was why it had been so embarrassing when Sehun had tried to set him and Heejin up. Luckily, she had seen the funny side of it, and there was no bad blood between them. Even so, Jongin liked to bring it up to tease his best friend every chance he got.

“He seems mostly ok." Heejin hummed, peering into Kyungsoo's nervous eyes. He seemed to understand what she was doing, however, so he kept still for her. "But you should make sure he eats. And give him something to drink. Now.” She barked when Jongin stood there clueless.

“Me?”

“Yes, you. Who else would I be talking to? I'll get him some ointment for his back, it looks terrible." She darts off towards the healers’ tent, the second largest sleeping space they had brought with them, second only to the leader's tent. Of course, the cooking shelter was bigger, and housed the fire pit, so there was room for people to prepare food. It also had sections which could be taken away and replaced, so it didn't really count as a tent by most people's standards.

After looking at the way Kyungsoo was taking everything in, Jongin decided that rather than risk embarrassing himself miming like he did earlier, he would just take Kyungsoo to somewhere he could get some food. Surprisingly, Kyungsoo didn’t seem the least bit hesitant when Jongin took his arm and led him to the cooking shelter. The inside of the tent was smoky, but warm and smelled of cooked meat. Jongin sat Kyungsoo down on the grass, and fetched a bone plate of whatever the person in charge of cooking today had made, and a deep wooden spoon.

When Kyungsoo took his first mouthful, his eyes flutter closed, and he chewed the lump of meat languidly like it was the best thing he's ever tasted. It can’t be that tasty, it was Chanyeol’s turn cooking today wasn’t it?

“Is it good?” Jongin asked, but of course Kyungsoo didn't understand. Jongin repeated the word ‘good’, put on a grin and pointed at the food hoping that that would make sense to him. Kyungsoo waited a moment, then echoed the word with a strong accent, his voice deep and rich. He smiled, and Jongin's stomach clenched. That tinge of sadness was still there lurking behind the happiness, and Jongin wanted nothing more than to banish it.

Mid way through their meal, Heejin brought them a pot of salve for Kyungsoo to rub on his back, to alleviated the sunburn pain. Kyungsoo stopped eating for a little while to let her rub it on his skin, some of the tension melting away from him as soon as the cooling mixture touches his skin. He stands, and bows deeply to her again, trying to express his gratitude. Heejin just smiles awkwardly, trying to explain that it's her job to help.

After she left, Kyungsoo continued eating despite Jongin watching him like a hawk, and finished it looking very satisfied. His satisfaction lasted only a moment before his anxious face returned. He opened his mouth, and then closed it again, unsure. Jongin looked at him questioningly, and with renewed Kyungsoo tried again,

“Jongin.” He said. His name sounded different in his mouth, and throatier. Jongin nods, deciding he likes it. Kyungsoo beams and says his name again.

There, that was the smile that Jongin wanted to see. It' was so dazzling that for a moment, Jongin couldn't look away. He blinked, and shook his head. He’d need somewhere to sleep, Jongin realises, and it’s nearly night time.

“Go?” Jongin suggests pointing to the tent door and rising to his feet. Kyungsoo blinked up at him. Jongin sighs, taking his hand this time, and guiding him outside.

He was going to need to confer with the cave leader, Joonmyeon, about what to do with Kyungsoo; they definitely couldn’t just kick him out and leave him to sleep on the grass with no shelter. As they meandered towards the leader’s tent, marked by a small black flag, Kyungsoo was scrutinising everything he saw, interest clear in the way he angled his body to get a better view. Jongin slowed his pace even more in order to let him inspect everything, the people around them ambling into their own tents after a long day hunting or cooking, or trading, or even just catching up with relatives and friends in other caves.

Joonmyeon’s shelter was fairly small, despite him being the head of this party, only a little bit bigger than everyone else's. He didn’t like differentiating himself too much from everyone else, he said, it helped him be a fairer leader.

Jongin hesitates before attracting Joonmyeon’s attention; although he is a brilliant chief, he’s still in charge, and that made him automatically intimidating. When Jongin called out, he was invited inside cordially by the man himself pulling aside the skins draping over the doorway for privacy.

“Is there a problem, Jongin?” He sounded tired, but not annoyed. It couldn't be easy to run an operation like this, even with the help of his mate and second in command, Joohyun, helping him.

“Um, only. I-I just. Where should Kyungsoo sleep?” Joonmyeon looked confused for a second, but after glancing behind Jongin, understanding dawned on his face.

“You mean the sleeping man? Yifan told me about him." He nods in greeting to the newcomer, who bows at the waist, understanding that this must be the leader. "Hello. Kyungsoo, right?" Kyungsoo nodded, not meeting the leader's eyes. Jongin shared a look with Joonmyeon, both of them wondering what could have happened to make him so scared. 

"My name is Joonmyeon." He introduced himself after a short pause. Kyungsoo nodded, edging further behind Jongin. Joonmyeon's mate leaned over his shoulder, her long hair glowing from the small oil wick illuminating their tent, wondering what was going on. "This is Joohyun, my mate." Joonmyeon smiled at her, and held her hand. Jongin doubted Kyungsoo would understand what he was saying, but he knew the man was just being courteous.

"As to where he should sleep...can’t he sleep with you in Sehun and your tent? There’s space, isn’t there?” Jongin nodded hesitantly knowing that Sehun was fond of his space when sleeping. “Good, well he can sleep with you two, can't he?"

"Yes." Jongin agreed

"We all should get some sleep, and you need to make sure that Kyungsoo here is comfortable. It's getting dark too, so you'd better hurry. Off you go.” He concluded, ushering them both out and closing the curtain behind them. Jongin sighed and led Kyungsoo to his shared tent, where Sehun was already lying down in his bedding, messing around with the charm on Jongin’s spear. He put it down hastily when Jongin entered, hurrying to look innocent despite the fact the Jongin caught him in the act.

"What were you doing?" Jongin demanded.

"Nothing." Sehun replied angelically. Jongin narrowed his eyes, but nothing seemed to be amiss, and Sehun wouldn't do anything as dangerous as tamper with his good luck charm. As if he would have the ability anyway. Jongin sat down next to Sehun and shoved him off the edge of their shared bed furs, making him hit the back of the tent. He squawked indignantly, but Jongin ignored him, shuffling over to take Sehun’s place and pulling Kyungsoo down next to him on his other side. Jongin was going to sleep in the middle of both of them.

Jongin lay down on the furs, pulling some of them around him and looking at the newcomer expectantly. Kyungsoo didn't lie down next to him; he pointed anxiously at Sehun, who was sat cross-legged in the corner fuming. Jongin waved his hand vaguely in his friend’s direction, as if to say ‘don’t worry about him’, causing him to receive a kick in the stomach in revenge. He curled up in mock agony, whining.

“Sehunnnn,” he moaned, “it was only a joke, urgh,” he wiggled over towards Kyungsoo a little more, and patted the free space he'd created. “We’re sharing.”

“What? No! I don’t want to share; you take up enough room as it is!” Sehun complained aghast. Jongin winced, prepared for the shouting match that was about to come.

“It was Joonmyeon's idea, if you don't like it, you can take it up with him." 

“I can't believe you’re letting strangers sleep in your-our-bed, I have to sleep here too; what if he’s some kind of crazed killer?” He scream-whispered. Jongin rubbed his eyes: Sehun was just being dumb. If he really felt that way he would have brought it up way before now, and Jongin thinks he actually kind of liked him. He just didn't want to give up the leg room.

"That's the most ridiculous thing I’ve ever heard. Does he look like a killer to you?”  The way he was avoiding is eyes was a clear ‘no’. “Whatever, just go to sleep." Jongin sighed, the events of today finally catching up to him. He felt utterly exhausted.

Sehun sighed dramatically before heaving himself up, and flopping down again next to Jongin. He threw his arms over Jongin's waist, curling up against him for warmth and pulling more furs around all of them.

"I hope you realise that if we don't wake up tomorrow, then it's all going to be your fault."

"Sure, Sehun." Jongin smirked, looking over at Kyungsoo who was staring wide eyed into the darkness. The smile falls off his face. What could be going through his mind now?

WOW guys when i started editing this it was 3k and now its 4.5k i added so much :D

ill slowly work on the other chapters so the'yll be up at some point over the next few weeks or so