As soon as all eighteen of you came back, the pups tackled Daniel onto the ground. As he fake-struggled to gain dominance, Tao and Sehun went all out trying their hardest to win. 'What a good sport,' You thought before turning your attention to the others. Jeesu, Chanyeol, and Baekhyun were joking around, teasing D.O, Xuimin, and Kai in the process, while Luhan and Youngwon watched in amusement. Kris, Suho, and Inati were discussing something alpha-related, as Simon, Chen, and Lay whispered quietly to themselves.

"Hey ~~~, come join us!" Chanyeol hollered. The rest of his group including Youngwon and Luhan, looked over to you. Hesitantly, you stepped towards them, and instantly they swarmed around you buzzing with conversation and chit-chat. 

    You spent the rest of the afternoon with the group before the boys had to get ready for dinner. The hunters, gatherers, and prep teams went off to complete their jobs, leaving you and Dalmatian-who insisted they also help. However Kris and Suho quickly shut them down saying if they even tried, they could leave to be cat nip in the forest for TVXQ. You weren't sure what he meant, but Dalmatian did and stayed put. Siting in between Jeesu and Youngwon, you and others watched the prep group, who worked only meters away. 

    Chanyeol and Baekhyun were messing with around with the fire before the hunting team arrived-almost lighting the other member of the prep group's tail in flames, while Xuimin yelled at them for being 'Idiotic pyromaniacs'. You and Dalmatian laughed from the side-lines, while the angry wolf kept barking at the others. Shifting a little so you were facing Jeesu(finding him the easiest to talk to because of his overly-outgoing personality) , you nervously asked,

"If you don't mind me asking. .  ."

    Heads turned and Dalmatian held their breath, expecting you to bring up 'what happened' earlier. It still felt too soon to talk about their other members and the attack from TVXQ.

". .why are there a bunch of dalmatians in this forest?-Not that it's a bad thing!"

    They exhaled, and smiled at your politeness. Jeesu was going to speak, when Inati did for him,

"We used to be watch dogs for a sorcerer who roamed these woods. However, we ran away our master and eventually met Exo ." he pointed to the prep team and gathering group who just arrived. Jeesu added"Who then taught us seven-I mean six, how to survive in the wild and take care of each other."

    The other boys gave him a look and waited for your response. You counted their five-person group, and still couldn't figure out what he meant by "us seven". 'Were there More of them to begin with?' Deciding not to question them, you asked,

"How come you guys ran away? Was your owner mean?"  

    Inati smiled at your naivety and ruffled your hair saying,

"Something like that-he wasn't the nicest guy."  

    You nodded folding your hands on your lap, as you let their story sink in.

   There was hooting and hollering as soon as the hunting group came back. Each pair of hunters had a deer in their arms along with Luhan who carried his by himself. The prep team instantly got to work with their knives, taking the animal down to the stream to dissect. On the other hand, half of the returning group walked over to you, while the rest helped the prep trio carry dinner to be cleaned. Kris, Suho, and the pups greeted you and Dalmatian. 

"We apologize for coming back so late, Tao and Sehun had trouble taking their doe down." Kris spoke on his group's behalf.

"It was smarter than it looked!!

"Yeah, it caught us off-guard! We totally could've caught it if it hadn't surprised us so much!!" 

   The pups cried in defense, while Kris rolled his eyes. You and Dalmatian just laughed as Tao and Sehun whined even more. 

    Soon dinner was ready and everyone crowded around the prep crew, who served plates of deer and berries. You sat down with Chanyeol and Baekhyun to eat near the fire pit that was used to cook the meal. The sun gradually set as you finished your dinner, letting the glow of the fire illuminate anything otherwise invisible in the growing dark. 

    You stood up to go to the stream for water, when the two beside you jumped up as well. Right as you turned to leave, Kris spoke,

"You three, come back quickly. We'll be starting the meeting soon."

"Yes sir," Chanyeol mock-saluted, while Baekhyun grinned nodding. 

    Following them to the stream, you could tell they were sweet time getting there. Cracking a smile, you watched Chenyeol lead, while Baekhyun stayed behind to make sure they didn't lose you in the dark. 

    Although the only  light out was the moon, its crescent shape shone brightly. When you reached the stream, the three of you knelt down to cup your hands and fill them with water. Taking a silent gulp, you let the chilling liquid run down your throat. Standing back up, you watched as the two brothers mimic you. 

"Ready to go?" Baekhyun asked thoughtfully.

"Yeah, ready to be bored to death?" The other joked, earning a grin from the two of you. Unlike the way there, the trip back was quick, each of you not wanting feel the alphas' wrath.

    As soon as you got back, Kris spoke,

"Good. Now that you're back we can begin."

    Looking around you saw all the boys huddled next to each other close to the fire. Baekhyun who sat down, patted the spot beside him, signaling for you to come. You scurried over to him and sat between him and Luhan.  Kris stood up facing you at first, then said,

"I'll explain some things around here that you probably don't know, so listen carefully. This forest holds many kinds of creatures like us—but the difference between them and us, is they aren't all there. They want you dead. Those monsters won't hesitate to maul your body or rip out your organs. Most of them live to kill. "

    This surprised you. It's not like you didn't think there might be others like these boys, but the fact that they wanted to kill you(probably in some horribly gruesome way too).  

"W-why me?" You squeaked, feeling two hands on either side of you grip your own. It was then when you realized you'd been trembling. Glancing at each boy beside you, your heartbeat quickened then slowed. 'What's this feeling?' You thought, light-headedness consuming your being. Kris's deep voice brought you back to normal.

"Your a human. If you didn't realize regular humans-"

"-opposed to non-regular?" You interrupted genuinely confused.

"You're not like us, even if you think we're. .animals. You're the real 'animal' here. A pure blood human in this forest is suicide, however you have the advantage unlike your pitiful hunter-friend. You have us. But back to the previous topic the types of creatures that live here. There are four classes we have: the Regulars-or pure blood animals that can't transform, the Grounded-those who can transform but lack the emotions and intelligence we have, then there's us, the Evolved. We can transform, and have both human and animal instincts. Within these classes are clans, which are created from the animal families, like feline family, canine, and so on. Finally there's the Flighted, or Holy group."

    You nearly deadpanned at his words. 'Holy?! They're just animals, right?!' He seemed to read your expression, but Suho took over for him and continued,

"Let's start with a little history, shall we? As you know, this forest holds many legends and rumors, one of those being about the Flighted. Unworldly animals of pure white color, that were said to created this land. They hold the same or similar properties that we do, but also more. Long ago, after the world was made, an evil force came upon the region and tore up all nature in its path. The Flighted's leader, an albino boa constrictor, sent her children, other members of the Flighted, to shield and preserve this forest, while she destroyed the satanic spirit. Many of the members have since died or been killed, however rumor has it that a few of the clan remain, for they were still young at the time. In the process of saving the land, she sacrificed herself to for the greater good. After she disappeared, her children disbanded from the Flighted and were left to wander the land. " Suho paused, and let Kris finish for him'

"One you can guess is  Hero, one of the main members of the Flighted that helped protect the forest-hints the name. Or Jaejoong as you know him. Despite his young age at the time, he and another adolescent member, who was said to be just born at the time, helped  save this land. He like the others, became rogue to lead clans within their class after the battle."

"Any questions?" He asked. All was silent as you took that in. 

    'Who exactly were these so-called "Holy" animals, and what was the "Evil" force destroying the land? If Jaejoong is one of the "Holy" Flighted, why did he become rogue? How many Flighted exist now? What was their leader, a boa, really like?'

"Who was the person that helped Jaejoong-or Hero-whatever his name is- protect the forest?"

"No one knows anymore-besides the rest of the remaining Flighted, much of the true story has been lost with time." Suho answered.

"If you said Jaejoong became rogue with other of his class, does that mean they're like you guys?" You asked.

"His new clan TVXQ, which is full of wild cats could be considered as our equals-since they can transform and hold humanistic characteristics, however Jaejoong himself has abilities that only a Flighted would possess." Kris explained.

"Who's this boa lady exactly?" You questioned.

"She's considered the goddess of this forest, since she saved it 'n all," Jeesu said. "Didn't you learn that from your parents?" 

    Inati gave him a rough shove and he seemed to remember something, saying, "Oh sorry-Nevermind!"

    Smiling half-heartedly, you covered the pain by changing the subject, saying,

"It's fine. What was this "Evil" force you were talking about anyway?"

"A demonic spirit of some kind-as we said lots of the real story has been lost through time." Kris said.

"Is there anymore known Flighted remaining besides Jaejoong?" You asked curiously.

"No known, however we have confirmed that more than just him still exist recently." Suho said.

    You wracked your brain for anymore possible questions, then asked,

"Why are you telling me this?"

    Kris looked perplexed then decidedly said,

"To prepare you for what we're going to say next."

 

 

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Wow, over 100 subscribers?!?!? That's amazing!! Thanks for the support and wait, guys! I hope this chapter made up for it. So some more insight on the forest and those who inhabit it:) Thanks again for the subs, views, votes, and comments!! They mean the world to me!

 

~Toasty