“Seo In!” Hoya cried as they landed hard in the backyard. He stumbled blindly forward. He fell to his knees, looking at the ground. There was a circle drawn in the grass. He looked around. There was a circle drawn in the dirt, filled with…blood. He looked around the yard.

A few feet away, he could see a small rabbit with its throat slit. Blood pooled around the animal’s dead body, staining its fur and the surrounding grass. Hoya backed up, and felt a heavy blanket thrown onto his shoulders.

Heejun was standing over him. “Hoya, are you alright, did they hurt you?” he asked. Hoya silently shook his head. Heejun ran his fingers through Hoya’s hair. “It’s alright, I’m here. We’re home now. I’ll protect you.”

“What have you done?” Hoya choked out. He looked over at the rabbit, horrified. Heejun looked from the rabbit to Hoya, his face placid.

“I did what I had to in order to protect you. These are the consequences when you don’t obey the rules, Hoya.” Hoya shivered and curled up in a ball. He looked up at Heejun.

“Where is Seo In? What about my mom?” he asked. Heejun scowled at him.

“Who are those people?” he asked. He felt Hoya’s forehead. “You must be hallucinating.” Hoya shook his head.

“No, my mom, she, he’s in the woods, and Seo In, he brought me there.” Heejun shook his head.

“I found you in the woods, a few feet from a protruding tree root. You must have hit your head harder than I thought.” Hoya shook his head.

“No, Dad! You’re not listening to me, I-” He felt a cloth roughly pressed to his mouth and nose. He shook his head violently. His vision became blurred. His head fell back.

“It’s all a dream,” he heard. “It was a dream, Hoya, now wake up…wake up…wake up…”

*****

Hoya woke up in his bedroom, sunlight streaming in through the windows. He threw the blankets back over his head, wanting to sleep in few more minutes. He heard a knock at his door.

“Wake up Hoya! You’ll be late for school!” Hoya moaned as he forced himself out of bed. He had had the strangest dream.

He made his way down the stairs. His father was sitting at the kitchen table, drinking coffee. “Well, good morning, Sleeping Beauty.” Hoya laughed as he reached into the fridge. He grabbed out an apple and some cheese.

“I had a weird dream, Dad,” he said, sitting down to the breakfast table.

“Oh, is that so?” he asked, flipping the page of his newspaper. “What was it about?” he asked.

“I was in the woods…. There was this boy with me, and he told me I was a wolf, and there were other people, and they turned into wolves, and there was this door of light-” Heejun cleared his throat.

“I think you’ve been watching too much television. It sounds like Woodstock, to be honest. You’re not doing drugs, are you?” he asked. Hoya shook his head vigorously.

“No, not at all, I’m just saying, it was a weird dream. That’s all” he said, sitting back quietly. Heejun shook his head.

“Kids these days, the things they come up with.” Hoya finished his breakfast and grabbed his school bag.

“See you later dad, off to school.”

“Bye, Hoya, make sure to come straight home,” his father reminded him. Hoya rolled his eyes.

“I will dad, I always do.” Every day was the same. It never failed.

*****

As he was walking to school, he heard howling in the distance. He jumped, reminded of his dream. ‘Dad said it was nothing, just don’t think about it.’ But he couldn’t help it, and he was given an uncomfortably tingling feeling every time he heard howling.

But the howling didn’t subside. It continued throughout the day. Everyone else went on as if nothing was wrong, but Hoya could hear it. He could hear it loud and clear.

As he walked home, he could hear something following him. He turned around. Nothing. The wind blew up some leaves, which gently settled back onto the ground, but nothing else.

He turned back and walked a little faster. He swore that he could distinctly hear the crunching of leaves as he kept going. But as he turned around, the sound stopped, and all was still.

He turned and bolted. He wasn’t going to turn around until he made it home.

As he approached home, his lungs burned. He hunched over, hands on his knees, trying to catch his breath. As he regained his composure, he walked into his home.

Heejun looked over, worry spread across his face. “Hoya, are you alright?” he asked. Hoya weakly smiled.

“I just need some rest, that’s all.” Heejun nodded.

“Go to bed, Hoya. You’ll feel better soon.” He patted his head. “Good night, son.”

“Good night, dad.”

*****

He tossed and turned that night. His heart beat wildly in his chest as he remembered that all too vivid dream. He distinctly remembered feeling that boy’s lips on his own, being held in his strong arms, the pain of being turned into a wolf by the sun’s rays.

He woke up with a start. It was still dark. He looked into the direction of his window. It was slightly open, as it was every night. He couldn’t sleep with silence, he needed noise. Ever since he was small, the howling of the wind outside his window calmed him down. He got up out of bed, and sat by his window.

He could hear wolves howling mournfully. He put his head in his hands. He began to cry. ‘But it was just a dream; he’s your real father, come on, Hoya! Wake up!’ But the dream was so vivid, how?  How could he have imagined all of those sensations?

He sighed and crawled back into bed. Perhaps, with time, the dreams won’t come anymore, and he’ll forget. Everything will go back to normal.

*****

“Where is my son?” Kai had Seo In by his hair, his hand covered in blood. They were outside the cave. Kai had come looking for them after Hoya didn’t return at sunrise. He had found Seo In buried beneath the rubble in the cave, and had dragged him out by his teeth. He stood over Seo In until he regained consciousness, and then cornered him until he could turn into a human, and choke him.

“If I knew where your son was, do you think I’d be here with you?” he asked. Kai scowled at him. “Oh my God, Kai, not like that!” he turned his head as he saw Kyungsoo and his parents running toward him.

“What are you doing with my son, you psycho?!” Heechul swung at Kai, hitting him squarely in the jaw. Kai threw Seo In face first into the ground.

“He lost my son!” Kyungsoo looked down at Seo In.

“Is it true, Seo In? Did you lose Hoya?” Seo In sadly looked up at Kyungsoo, blood oozing from his bottom lip.

“I didn’t lose him,” he wheezed. “He was taken from me.” Kyungsoo’s eyes widened.

“No, no, please, please tell me Heejun didn’t take him?” Seo In bowed his head.

“We came out of the Farplane, and he was ripped away from me. Heejun knocked me out with something, and everything went dark.” He shook his head. “The last thing I remember seeing is Hoya in his arms, and he just, disappeared.” Kyungsoo looked over at Kai.

“He took him, he took him again!”  He shook Kai’s shoulders. “What are we going to do?” he sobbed into his shoulder. Kai wrapped his arms around Kyungsoo, looking down at Seo In.

“He’ll get him back.”

“Hey, don’t you volunteer my son for anything!” Heechul stepped forward, his arms crossed.

“If he got him here in the first place, then he can get him back.” Kai reasoned. Heechul was about to say something, but Siwon put his hand on his shoulder.

“He’s right, Heechul. None of us can get out of the barrier, but Seo In can.” Heechul turned to Seo In. he knelt down, wiping the blood from his son’s face.

“Can you do it, Seo In, honey? Do you think you could get him back?” Seo In nodded as he shakily got up.

Yeah, I’ll do it, whatever it takes.” Kai glared at him.

“You better. Because if you come back without my son, my face is the last one you’ll ever see.” Siwon held Heechul back. Seo In swallowed hard. He got up, and transformed, running off into the direction of Mieda.

Siwon furrowed his brow. “There’s something I don’t understand,” he said, looking over at Kai.

“What?”

“If no Lycan or wolf can get out, how did Seo In?” the four of them looked off into the direction he left in.

*****

Seo In ran as fast as his legs could carry him. His heart pounded against his ribcage. He tumbled through the bramble bushes as he came upon the hill.

Trees lined either side, and a small glowing light twinkled at the top. He moved his hands along the invisible barrier. It was around here somewhere…There!

His fingers felt around for the hole in the barrier, and slid his hand down to where it widened just enough for him to contort his way through. Getting back in wasn’t the problem, this, getting out was the trouble.

He breathed in the fresh air of the outside. He didn’t have long though. He felt a sharp tug. He braced himself against a tree.

‘No, not now. Not here.’ He took a deep breath and opened his eyes.  His vision was a little hazy, but he was still there, on the outside. He climbed up the hill, fighting an explosive migraine as he stumbled and made his way to the top. The pressure in his head was building. Seo In felt like his eyeballs were going to fall out.

He fell to his knees as he made his way out of the forest. Just a few hundred yards off, he could see the small town of Mieda. He smiled weakly to himself.

‘Hoya, I’m coming, hold on.’

*****

Hoya woke up and got dressed. Yet another uneventful day to look forward to. Oh joy.

He ran down the stairs and passed his father at the breakfast table.

“Hey!” Heejun called out. Hoya stopped as his right foot passed the threshold. He sighed and turned around.

“Yes, Dad?” he asked. Heejun got up and straightened out Hoya’s hair and clothes.

“Don’t want you looking like a homeless ragamuffin, now do we?” he chided. Hoya rolled his eyes.

“Dad, I’m not a little kid anymore,” he said, brushing his dad’s hands off. Heejun smiled.

“I know,” he ruffled Hoya’s hair. “But you’re so immature sometimes, I forget.”

“Dad!” he waved him off as he left for school.

*****

Seo In prowled around the warehouse where he had been captured. He could see the men going home after a long day’s work, back to their homes. Revenge was his first thought, but then he thought of Hoya, and pushed the other thoughts to the back of his mind.

He inched his way along the walls, and looked out the door. The streets were empty, the gaslights aglow. The yellow lights flared onto the dark pavement against the twilight sky, making the town look even eerier than it usually seemed in the daylight.

He adjusted his shorts and shivered as he hunched over, readying himself to fly over the pavement. Seo In stopped and groaned as pain pulsated through his head. He took a deep breath, taking in the night air. His eyes shot open as he got a hint of Hoya’s scent. He turned a little westward, and shot into the night.

*****

It had been some time since he had dreamed of the wolf people. His dreams now consisted of regular teenage boy thoughts, or so what some would perceive. Going to football games, homework, what he would do on his holiday break, etc.

He had snuggled beneath his covers and had just gotten comfortable. He heard something stir outside his window. ‘It’s a rabbit,’ he thought, and huddled tighter beneath his blankets. THUNK! Hoya’s eyes shot open.

He sat up in his bed, listening intently for anything else.

He was suddenly thrown back, a hand clasped tightly over his mouth. He flailed and hit and kicked his assailant over and over, but to no avail.

He was finally pinned down; the figure had pinned down his knees with his own, and forced his arms behind his back. Face flat on the ground, he prepared for the worst.

He opened one eye, to find that the assailant had laid his head down on the back of his neck. He looked over. He could see a dark head of hair, and bare, broad shoulders. ‘What the hell is going on?’ he thought to himself.

The assailant removed himself from Hoya, turning him over to face him. Hoya squinted to see the figure better in what light he did have.

He had short, dark hair and sweet eyes. A full pair of lips sincerely smiled down at him. “Hoya,” the man reached down to touch his face, and he sharply turned away. The man’s face fell. “Hoya, don’t you remember me?” The man picked Hoya up by his shoulders and brought him face to face. “It’s me, Seo In.” Hoya shook his head.

“No, I-I-I d-don’t remember you at all. P-please, just l-l-l-leave.” He stammered. Seo In looked puzzled.

“Hoya, we’ve met before, we met your parents, and, you came with me to the Farplane, I thought we had…” Hoya shook his head.

“I don’t kn-know what y-you’re thinking, s-s-s-s-s-sir, B-but you’re mistaken. P-l-lease leave me alone.” Tears spilled down Hoya’s cheeks as Seo In sadly looked on. Hoya couldn’t remember anything? What had Heejun done to him?

Seo In brought Hoya closer. “Hoya, listen to me,” he said, grabbing his wrist. Hoya began to panic and squirm and kick. Seo In sank his knees into his legs, placing his hand over Hoya’s mouth. “It’s not going to hurt, watch.” He placed Hoya’s hand onto his neck.

A small light emanated from beneath his palm, followed by a warm sensation. Hoya opened his eyes to see the man hunched over him, looking extremely ill.

“Sir,” he whispered. “Sir, are you alright?” Seo In looked up at him, eyes bloodshot.

“I, I finally found you. I found you, and you can’t even remember me.” Hoya tried to back up, but he had a tight grip on him.

“Please, I don’t know what you’re talking about.” He held Hoya’s hand to his neck, gently rocking himself back and forth. Hoya hoped he wouldn’t become ill. He reached his other hand out and moved the bangs that clung to his forehead from sweat. Seo In looked up at him with tired eyes.

“Hoya, please, remember me.” He leaned forward, grabbing Hoya by the collar of his night shirt, and kissed him.

Hoya’s eyes widened and his lips tingled. Not what he had expected, to say the least. What if his father were to come in at this very moment? He surely wouldn’t be pleased…

Hoya’s eyes fluttered as he was into nothingness.

*****

Hoya’s head was spinning. He went to lean on his elbows, only to find himself lying on top of the man from his bedroom.

“Ah,” he gasped, hurriedly crawling backwards. He looked around. It was surreal. They were in the middle of a field, with tall grass and wild flowers. . In the distance, he could see a towering waterfall, cascading down a mountainside. The water appeared multi-colored, swirling around in the pool like oil. He looked up at the sky.

Lights played across it like chasing butterflies, swirling and speeding through the horizon. As he brought his gaze down from the heavens, he could see Seo In lying several feet away.

He looked over at the man. Seo In, he had called himself. While he had to admit that the name sounded familiar, he couldn’t quite place where he had heard it.

He looked over at Seo In, whose chest softly rose and fell with each breath. He quietly walked over. His face seemed somewhat peaceful. His eyes twitched every now and again.

He slowly inched his way over, leaning over him. Seo In’s eyes shot open, and Hoya stumbled back.

“Uuugh, my head…” Seo In looked around and sighed, looking over at Hoya. “Do you, remember any of this,” he signaled to their surroundings. Hoya shook his head.

“No, where am I? We? Where have you taken us?” he asked. Seo In rolled his eyes. He really didn’t want to have to explain this all again. He crawled over to him, and pulled Hoya beside him. “Wait, wh-what are you doing?” he asked. Seo In held him chest to chest.

“Showing you,” he rested his forehead onto Hoya’s. “Close your eyes.” He instructed.

“Why-”

“Just do it!” he commanded. Hoya squeezed his eyes shut, and felt a sharp tug as they were pulled into a swirling abyss.

When he opened his eyes, everything seemed lucid. He could see himself in a warehouse, and the man was chained to a pole. He was then taking off his clothes and going with him into a clearing in the woods. He could see himself lying beside him, their bare bodies on top of one another, and his hand on Seo In’s neck. Hoya blushed, refusing to look back at Seo In. 

He was then in a clearing, surrounded by other men. Taken aback, he wanted to run away, but then he saw Seo In, talking to the others, and seeing their faces as they began to seem to recognize him. He was then in another clearing, in the embrace of one, surrounded by younger boys his own age. They all seemed happy to see him, to love him.

Another vision sprang up. They were in the woods, in a cave. He saw Seo In pin him down and kiss him. He touched his lips, wondering if it was the memory he was feeling, or wanting. He then saw his father come after them, hurting Seo In and taking him away.

He was pulled under a second time, and as he awoke he took a deep intake of breath. He sat there panting, Seo In sat up and right across from him.

“Do you believe me now?” he asked, holding out his hand. Hoya looked from his hand to Seo In’s face.

“Everything my father’s told me, that this was a dream, that my mother abandoned us, everything, it’s a lie, isn’t it?” he looked over at Seo In, searching his face for an answer.

“I suppose it is.” Hoya looked over at him again. Seo In was inching closer.

“What, what are you doing?” he asked.

“Give me your hand,” he said, holding out his own. Hoya slowly reached out, and allowed him to take his hand. Seo In placed it on his neck, and sighed with relief. Hoya felt a small pulsating sensation, one that emanated in his own body, and saw a small light glowing beneath his palm.

“What’s happening?” he asked. Seo In smiled.

“Don’t you remember? You’re my Healer. I need you.” Hoya turned away from him. Even if he did remember, this was all so sudden. All those images, did he really do all that? Or was he still dreaming? Seo In drew him near.

“No, don’t.” Hoya protested, but Seo In insisted. He was now face to face with him. His deep, brooding eyes looking into his own. He felt , as if Seo In could read his innermost thoughts and reach the deepest crevice of his soul.

‘You don’t know how right you are, Hoya’ he seemed to answer. Hoya blushed, thinking that he was just imagining the answer. Seo In shook his head. ‘I’m right here, I can hear you, and if you listen hard enough, you can hear me.’ Hoya tried to pull away. This was all becoming too much.

Seo In gently pulled him back. He could smell mint on his breath, his lips were so close…”Stop, leave me alone,” he pulled away.

“This is so confusing, what the hell are you trying to tell me?” he looked around. “I just want to go home, please,” tears ran down his face. “Please, I wanna go home.”

“Your home is with your family, in the woods.”

“No, I want my dad; I wanna go back to Mieda.”

“You can’t avoid your destiny, Hoya, one way or another; you will have to face it. You can’t escape reality.” Hoya shoved him.

“Stop it! I can’t take it! I think I’m dreaming, and then I’m awake, and then I’m dreaming again, and you’re always confusing me,” Seo In grabbed onto his wrists.

“Always? So you do remember me?” Hoya violently tried to pull away.

“Of course I do, as much as I wanted to forget, I couldn’t. I don’t want to remember you, or any of it. I wish I’d never gone into that warehouse, I wish I’d never asked to go with you. Maybe then I wouldn’t be so confused, life wouldn’t be so complicated,” Seo In pulled him in.

“Hoya, calm down,” he gently wiped the tears from his face. “It’s alright; everything is going to be okay.” Hoya shook his head.

“No, no it’s not.”

“Why? What is so complicated? I don’t know unless you tell me; just because I can speak with you in our minds doesn’t mean I know everything you’re thinking of!” he exclaimed.

“Don’t hold me, don’t kiss me.” He pulled away. “You said you didn’t like me, and then you do all these things, and the way you look at me, just stop it!” Seo In’s face contorted in anger. He rushed over and threw Hoya to the ground, pressing down on his knees, and holding down his arms with one hand. He took his face in his hand and forced Hoya to make eye contact with him.

“Do not tell me what to do with you, our destinies are intertwined, whether you or I like it or not,”

“This is isn’t about that, just get off me! Just leave me alone.” Seo In shook his head.

“No.” Hoya scowled at him.

“Get. Off.”

“No.”

“Please, Seo In, I-” Seo In’s lips sealed themselves to Hoya’s lips; his tongue ran along Hoya’s in a deep, passionate kiss. Hoya closed his eyes, wanting to fall into the abyss. But there was nothing. He was already here, and he couldn’t escape the reality of Seo In’s lips on his own.

“Mmmph,” Hoya tried to get up, or turn away, or something, but Seo In planted himself firmly on top of Hoya. He wasn’t going anywhere. Seo In’s lips traveled down his chin, and onto his neck. He ran his tongue across his collar bone. “Ah~” Hoya writhed beneath him as Seo In marked his flesh. 

Hoya gripped his hands on Seo In’s, shifting himself beneath him. He managed to pull a hand out from beneath his grip, and place it on the back of Seo In’s head.

Seo In looked down into Hoya’s eyes. Hoya ran his fingers through his dark hair, lifting himself onto his elbow. “Seo In,” He gently kissed him, taking his other hand and wrapping it around his neck.

Seo In wrapped his arms around him, caressing his back, and slowly making his way down to his buttocks.

Hoya pulled at Seo In’s hair, making him moan out loud. Seo In ripped the shirt from Hoya’s body, running his hands down to his hips, and undoing his pants, and throwing them to the side. His hands tore at the fabric of his boxers until they were both bare, lost in the feeling of ecstasy as their hands searched each other until Seo In pinned Hoya to the ground.

Breathless, Hoya looked up expectantly at him. Seo In was breathing heavily. “I, I can’t.” he shook his head, drawing back from him.

“What, what do you mean you ‘can’t’?” asked Hoya. Seo In lied back on the grass.  

“I can’t mate with you.” Hoya was confused for a moment, and then rolled his eyes.

“’Mate?’ We call it ‘having ’ where I’m from. What’s the problem?” he looked down at him. “Doesn’t it work?” he asked, pointing to his manhood. Seo In gave a half-hearted laugh.

“I’m sure it does,” he said, propping himself up on his elbows. “But I still can’t do that with you, it’s against the rules.” Hoya cocked his head.

“What rules?” he asked. “There are rules for having ?” Seo In ran his hand through his hair.

“I am the son of the Lycan leaders, a prince, if you will,” he said. “My bride, is chosen for me, and according to the rules, can only be another Lycan.” Hoya’s heart dropped.

“Oh.” He looked down. “So what you’re saying is, you and I, can’t be together, is that right?” he asked, looking back up at him.

“Hoya, I didn’t want you to, I never meant,” Hoya put his finger to Seo In’s lips.

“I understand. You didn’t want this, because you knew what would happen if it did.” He shook his head.

“I’m stupid for hoping.” Seo In turned Hoya back towards him.

“No you’re not. You’re not stupid. I, I like you, Hoya. A lot. A lot, a lot. But we can’t be together. Not the way things are now. And besides, at the risk of sounding insensitive, we have bigger problems to worry about right now.” Hoya nodded.

“I understand.” His heart was breaking. “I hate you,” he whispered as tears once again began to work their way down his cheeks.

“Hoya,” he slapped Seo In’s hand away.

“I told you to stop, I told you to get off, but you didn’t listen. Now, what? Now there’s nothing. We’re left with nothing, and I can’t go back. I can’t deny you anymore. I like you Seo In. I hate you for making me like you, I hate you!” Seo In wrapped his arms around Hoya, holding his hands in his own.

“No, get off me!” he cried, trying to wriggle out of his embrace. Seo In wrapped his arms around him more tightly.

“I’m sorry I lead you on. I’m sorry I made you like me, but right now, you need to set your petty feelings aside.” He lifted his chin. “We have bigger to deal with, and you need to pull yourself together. Now snap out of it,” he slapped Hoya across the face.

Hoya sat there, clutching his cheek in his hand. “We need to go,” said Seo In, Pulling him up. Hoya reached for his clothes. “You won’t need those where we’re going, you know that.”

“My father,” he sighed. “Heejun will find us again.” Seo In shook his head.

“Not this time.” He turned back towards the meadow, and concentrated.

A door of light appeared. He tugged on Hoya’s hand. “Let’s go.” They ran towards the door, escaping back to the outside.

*****

Hoya took a deep breath as he opened his eyes. Seo In was on top of him. Hoya looked down, and realized, that when he left his clothes in the Farplane, they had stayed there. He quickly shoved Seo In off of himself and turned away.

“Oh, get over it, Hoya; I’ve seen you without clothes plenty of times.” Hoya rolled his eyes.

“It’s not you I’m worried about. What if he comes in here, and sees us? What will he think?” Seo In looked over at the door. Seo In put his hand on his shoulder.

“Don’t worry about him anymore, I’ll protect you. Always.” Hoya sighed.

We should get going, shouldn’t we?” Seo In nodded.

“Let’s go,” he walked over to the window, and slowly climbed out of the sill. He waited for Hoya, and gently lifted him over. “Come on!”

They made their way into town, down the street where Hoya had first met him. As Hoya turned towards the woods, he felt Seo In pull him back.

“No, not there. That’s where he’ll go first.” He nodded over to the sloping hills on the other side of town. “We’ll go this way. We’ll get back eventually, but right now, we need to avoid him.” Hoya nodded.

They ran over to the hills. Looking out into the distance, Hoya could see the moonlight reflecting off a giant lake, where a boulder sat. Off to the left, were bare plains of prairie grass and wild flora. Seo In pulled him onward.

“Let’s go this way.” He pulled him off to the side of the road, and pushed a good sized rock out of the way. There was a hole.

“Where does this lead?” he asked.

“Where we need it to go. Come on, let’s go.” He held out his hand. Hoya looked back at Mieda, and then to the woods. “We’ll make it back, I promise.” Hoya grabbed his hand, and was lowered into the hole. Seo In followed behind, moving the rock back into place. As if nothing had happened.

END OF CHAPTER 6