Jiyong's teeth clattered, it was freezing. “Who's brilliant idea had it been to take a walk in the mountains when it was 10 below?” he mumbled to himself, annoyed. Well, obviously he had only himself to blame since he was alone out here, but he was inclined to blame his nurse that had emphasized that he needed lots of exercise and fresh air to complete his rehabilitation. That way he didn't have to shoulder the blame alone. To top it off he had lost the trail he was following, how long until he would get lost and die of frostbite? That would make for a good headline – 'Two months after near death experience actor G-Dragon dies from own stupidity'. He sighed. Two months ago he had been in a grueling car accident, it had nearly cost him his life. He shuddered just thinking about it. Normally when they were shooting on location out of the city, he would have a driver take him there, getting some shuteye on the way to be rested and ready for action as soon as they arrived. However, his usual driver had called in sick at the last minute and even though he had been up all night showing his face in all the after-parties for the Korean equivalent of the Oscar's Ceremony, he didn't want to go through the hassle of getting another driver. Jiyong was very particular when it came to how his car was driven, that's why he liked to stick to just one driver that did things his way. He didn't tolerate mistakes well, least of all his own.

In hindsight he should have realized how tired he was, that he was in no condition to drive. He hadn't been drinking, he would never dream of driving after he had a few. However he hadn't slept for almost two days straight, receiving an award was a whole lot of work, most people didn't realize just how much. Especially if you were an 'actor of the year' nominee. The nominees needed to write a speech, wear fancier clothes than the rest and study the schedule and the layout, where they were supposed to go when and if they won, what cameras to look into, etc. Jiyong had won, naturally. There hadn't been a doubt in his mind and all modesty aside, he thought he had deserved it. He had worked hard and lets face it, he was good. No, scratch that. He was great. Possibly one of the best, he thought. He smiled to himself, he knew he had a big ego. On occasion it had gotten him into trouble, but most of the time it came in handy. Jiyong believed it was the key to his success. If you believe you are good enough, then you become good enough. That was his philosophy.

The ground was covered with snow, everything was white, untouched, beautiful. Jiyong felt like he had stumbled upon a magical world that no one knew about but him and whatever magical creatures were lurking in the woods. When he breathed, smoke came out his mouth. He found it amusing, it was as if he was a real dragon. He took a deep breath and exhaled forcefully and loudly “Waaahh!”. He wrinkled his nose, imagining he was a full size, ten ton, dark red, fire spewing dragon. He often thought of himself as a dragon. They were big and dramatic, larger than life, afraid of nothing, thinking they could conquer the world in one fell swoop. Strong on the outside, but inside their armor they were extremely vulnerable creatures. Their armor near impenetrable for any lesser beings, lulling the dragon into a false sense of security. But was it false if there was never anyone that came along who could penetrate it? Jiyong had often wondered. His armor was still intact, but still his insides were broken. He hadn't been the same after the accident. Physically he was almost as good as new, but when he had returned home nothing felt the same. He still couldn't bring himself to drive, but that was the least of his problems. The noise and the lights of the city made him feel uneasy, he stopped sleeping and began roaming around his apartment at all hours of the night, like a trapped animal. He had been on the verge of a nervous breakdown when the nurse who had taken care of him at the hospital took matters in his own hands. Even though he had been released from the hospital, the nurse kept coming around his place, making sure he was okay. He had been lucky, his nurse had probably saved his life, given that he wouldn't end up accidentally killing himself here on this godforsaken mountain. He had booked him this remote cabin on the mountain side in the middle of nowhere, arranged for a food drop-off twice a week and told him to come here and breathe. That were his only instructions, to breathe. He believed the fresh air and untainted nature could cure just about anything that was ailing the soul. Well, he had added that some light exercise couldn't hurt while he was up here.

It was so quiet that even the smallest sound echoed in his ears. Every step he took screamed *crack* *crack* breaking the cover of newly fallen snow beneath his shoes. A bird, fleeing from his presence. A branch falling, maybe tens of miles away. Jiyong was starting to believe he had developed super-hearing. He wouldn't make a very good superhero though, he thought, chuckling slightly. He might hear all the misdoings extra clearly that were going on in a ten mile radius, but what was he going to do about it? Scream 'Hold it right there, I can hear you.. really well!'. Jiyong shook his head over what silly thoughts he was having, maybe the clean air was only making him crazier.

Jiyong stopped in his tracks. He thought he had heard someone crying, it had been really faint so he wasn't sure if he had imagined it. He stood really still, holding his breath to hear better. There it was, it was faint but he could definitely hear it. He moved closer in the direction of the sound. Aishh, why were his footsteps so loud? He stopped again, listening. His blood froze in his veins. It wasn't crying, it was a wolf, howling. There was something off though, in the way that it sounded. The wolf was in trouble, Jiyong thought. Yeah sure, he was a genuine pet detective, Dr. G-little. As if. How on earth would he know what a wolf in trouble sounded like? His head was really playing tricks on him today, maybe it wouldn't be a bad idea to turn around and head back.

“Aaaoouuu”, as he started heading back he heard it again. His heart ached, he felt the wolf's pain. He got the urge to find him, help him. He realized he was being irrational, what could he possibly do to help a wolf in the woods? Given that he was in trouble to begin with, which was highly debatable. Besides, running into a grown wolf alone in the woods was no laughing matter. Wounded or not, Jiyong would bet on the wolf. His brain was telling him to forget what he heard and continue home. His heart was begging him to reconsider, to at least make sure nothing was wrong. Normally when his brain and his heart got into it, his brain would come out victorious. This time was different, he wanted to follow his brain but his body wouldn't listen. His heart was staging a coup, his body it's army. His brain was defenseless and soon waved a white flag of surrender.

He tread lightly deeper into the forest, the howling intensifying with every step. He couldn't explain it, he felt an odd connection to the wolf. Maybe this was a magical forest after all. He was close. What was he thinking? What was he going to do when he was suddenly confronted by a crazy wolf? Say 'Hey, don't eat me, you and me have a connection, you see.'. Somehow he doubted the wolf felt the same way. Why couldn't he just walk away?

He saw something move behind the tree up ahead. This was it. He tried to control his irregular breathing. He was just going to get a tiny peek and then run the hell out of there. Or wait, was it with wolves that you were not supposed to run? He always got all those 'dealing with dangerous animals' advices mixed up, it hadn't really been a problem up till now. Had he known, maybe he would've paid better attention.

He caught another glimpse, it wasn't a wolf. Whatever it was, it was big. The voice in his head was screaming for him to run away, but his curiosity got the better of him. He turned around the next tree and was faced with a dirty long haired boy, crouching low on the ground, snarling fiercely whilst staring him menacingly right in the eye.