Chapter eleven

 The Forest

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Kai and Sehun ran deep into the forest, laughing as they chased each other. Baekhyun and Chanyeol followed after, screaming as they began to fight on the ground. Suho caught up with the members and laughed when he noticed them rolling on the ground like children. He looked up to see Kai and Sehun stripping, throwing their clothes on the ground.

"What are you doing?" Suho called out.

"We're getting ready!" Sehun yelled back.

"We'll be safe!" Kai replied.

Suho nodded his head and began to strip as well, turning to see Baekhyun and Chanyeol following suit. He fell to the floor as his body began to tremble, the hair on his body growing thicker and darker. He felt his face begin to morph, a large snout appearing. Within seconds, Suho had become a wolf. He howled as he saw that the other members were transforming, their cries echoing through the empty forest.

Baekhyun ran after Sehun and Kai, his large body almost invisible due to his speed. He began to snap at their tails, his teeth baring as he growled. Chanyeol picked up his speed and attacked Kai, using his large body to pin him to the ground. Kai snapped his teeth, a low rumble heard deep inside his chest.

Sehun and Baekhyun began to circle each other, their dark yellow eyes glowing in the dark forest. They grew closer and began to attack, biting deep into their fur. Sehun howled in pain as Baekhyun bit into his leg before kicking them away.

Suho ran towards Sehun before turning towards Baekhyun, snarling as he attacked. He managed to pin Baekhyun's body onto the ground, growling as he began to claw into his flesh. Suho bit into Baekhyun's body and threw him towards a tree, watching as Baekhyun got back up.

Chanyeol whimpered softly as he left Kai to check on Baekhyun. He snapped at Suho before running into the forest. Kai, Sehun and Baekhyun followed after them, their howls resonating throughout the forest.

They began to race, their paws leaving deep marks on the ground. Sehun was in the lead followed by Kai. Suho and Baekhyun brought up the rear, their eyes flickering as they assessed the land. Chanyeol stood still when he heard screaming. He lifted his nose to sniff the air, the scent of the sea reaching him.

He ran towards the smell when he heard laughter and screaming. He howled softly, his eyes growing even darker. Before he could smell or do anything, Suho appeared from behind, pulling him back. Chanyeol turned around and yelped as he ran after the members. Suho turned to face the beach before running back, his nose wrinkling in pain.

••••••••••••

"That's not possible." Xiumin murmured.

"Get her inside." Luhan snapped. "Take her inside now!"

D.O grabbed Ga Eun and pulled her up, wrapping his arms around her body while running towards the house. He turned to see Chen, Lay and Kris standing by the door, their eyes narrowed in anticipation. D.O sat her down on the couch and wrapped a blanket around her, watching as she shivered violently.

"They're here." She whispered. "I know they're here."

"I didn't hear anything." D.O replied. "I would have noticed something."

She looked up to see D.O shaking, the hair on his body growing thicker. Ga Eun crawled away and stared wide eyed as D.O awkwardly smiled before running out the door. Chen and Lay stepped inside the room, turning to face the beach. Kris walked towards her and sat down, forcing her to look at him.

"We're here."

"What will happen?"

"Nothing." Kris brushed her hair back. "I'll make sure nothing happens."

"Where's Luhan?" Ga Eun begged. "I need him here; I can't have him out there."

"I'll protect him."

"Please don't let anything happen to him. Don't let anything happen to Luhan or D.O."

"I promise."

Kris stood up and nodded to Lay and Chen before opening the door. He turned back to look at her before he cleared his throat, smiling as she looked up at him. "Every atom of your flesh is as dear to us as our own: in pain and sickness it would still be dear."

"Why?" She asked. "Why?"

"Because you're one of us." Kris chuckled. "You're our family now."

Kris ran out the door and stood beside Tao, watching as Luhan paced back and forth. Xiumin came running from the forest, his eyes wide as he turned to see D.O walking out. Luhan looked up to see D.O in his wolf form, his nose wrinkling as he stared at Luhan. 

"What is he doing?" Tao asked, his eyes narrowed.

"He ran into the forest to smell the area." Luhan answered. "He couldn't control his transformation."

"Did he find anything?" Kris sighed. "Anything at all?"

Xiumin stepped forwards and shook his head. "I couldn't find anything."

Luhan threw his hands in the air and ran into the forest, ignoring Kris's yells. The group ran after him and surveyed the area, their bodies quivering in alert. D.O began to run, his body vanishing into the forest.

"Where's Ga Eun?" Luhan asked.

"She's with Chen and Lay." Kris replied. "She's safe."

"It can't be them. It's impossible."

"Nothing's impossible." Tao shook his head.

Luhan looked up to see D.O running back, his tongue sticking out as he fell to the floor. Xiumin ran over and patted his body, watching as D.O slowly returned to his human form.

"Nice body." Xiumin smirked as he tossed D.O his clothes.

"Did you find anything?" Luhan crouched down.

"Nothing." D.O gasped. "There were wolves here but it's not their scent."

"Are you sure?" Tao asked. "It was just regular wolves?"

"I think so."

"We need to go back then." Xiumin stood up. "There's nothing to worry about."

"I'm not so sure." Kris shook his head.

"Why not?"

"Ga Eun will be too scared to stay here."

"Why?" Tao narrowed his eyes.

"The nightmares." Luhan murmured. "They'll come back."

••••••••••••

"What's taking them so long?" Chen murmured.

"It shouldn't be long." Lay shook his head. "I'm sure they're fine."

"They came back for me."

Lay and Chen turned to see Ga Eun staring blankly at the wall, her arms locked around her waist. Lay walked over and crouched in front of her, wiping away the tears that fell without her knowledge.

"You're safe with us." He whispered.

"We'll never be safe." Ga Eun murmured. "No matter how hard we try, we'll always have to run away."

"It's an obsession." Chen snorted. "They won't quit until they get her back."

"They won't get her back!" Lay snapped. "We'll make sure it won't happen."

"We should have just killed them when we had the chance. There was no point in letting them live during our fight."

"You should have." She looked up. "It should have ended that way."

Lay and Chen looked at her in surprise. She looked up at Chen and shook her head, wiping away the tears that fell. Lay stood up and rubbed the back of his neck, unsure of what to say.

"What do you mean?" Chen asked, wide eyed.

"Luhan should have just killed Suho when he had the chance. I was stupid to force him to stop."

"You don't mean that." Lay murmured. "You're just upset."

"I'm not upset! I'm scared that something will happen to him."

She looked up to see Luhan and D.O walking into the house, their eyes tired from searching. Ga Eun stood up and ran towards him, wrapping her arms around Luhan's neck. He did the same as he her hair.

"You're back." She whispered. "You're safe."

"Of course." Luhan smiled. "I'll always come back."

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 author's note 

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