"Imprinted?" It was Tao who spoke first, wrinkling his nose at the foreign word. "What's that hyung?" He wasn't the only one who didn't seem to understand; various degrees of confusion and bewilderment lay openly on every one of their faces. Suho didn't say anything right away, only watching the molten gold colors shift constantly in his youngest brother's eyes.

The latter stared back, his face exasperated. Inside, he could feel the shock and fear thrumming underneath his skin. He didn't know what was going on, or what the latter had meant. Never before had he heard of imprinting, and judging from the looks he was getting he was terrified to find out what exactly it was. Suho leaned forward, clasping his hands together and resting his hands on his knees. His eyes swept the room, gazing at each face for a moment.

"We are werewolves. A Creature race that has existed within the fairy tales and old stories of humankind for generations. We are one that lives in secret." He paused, letting the information sink in. It only seemed to confuse the group more, as expressions began to drop.

"Of course," Kai spoke out from his place in the circle "the elders have been drilling that into our heads for years."

"What else have they taught us?" Suho asked. Kai hesitated slightly, confused by the simply question.

"We live in secret, but it's not only us. Just like how we are in their stories, other mythical creatures that are known in the books exist in the real world too." His voice slightly trailed off, not understanding where this was supposed to go. The latter only nodded, silently willing him to continue. "They exist like we do, even though humans have never known about any of us. We all live among them in secret, and created treaties with the other Creature bloodlines; it’s how we coexist in peace and harmony." Suho smiled slightly, pleased with the younger's answer. Kris leaned forward, still expressionless, and began to speak.

"Remember that's also why we’re here at this school.” It was a setup. Though seemingly like any other high school, it was actually one of the center places for the meeting and gathering of Creatures and humans alike, even though it was unbeknownst to the latter. “It’s a show of our commitment. We coexist with humans and other Creatures and still remain peaceful, for the most part."

"There are mistakes, conflicts that come up between us and different Creatures from time to time that can expose us." Suho continued off.

"One stupid mistake," Kris held his pointer finger up "and it could be over." The words hung in silence, everyone digesting the weight of his words. "Of course that isn't necessarily the case with the younger generations, including us.” His tone became thoughtful. “We weren't apart of those fights; we don't have any personal reasons to hate and despise the other Creatures. They're the same, so something like coexistence doesn't sound that difficult.”

“That doesn't mean we should let our guard down,” Suho spoke, his eyes hard and serious. “Just like how things have gotten better, things could get worse. Some people can get seriously get caught up in the histories of the past. They won't need any reason to try to start something. That's why there are the treaties. If something comes up, we are all bound to fix it so our secret remains one. Even if we don't have the best relationships with them, we must work together regardless." He paused, leaning back in his chair. "Now, why do you think we have to do this?" No one answered, the confusion from before cutting in deep.

Xiumin spoke first. "You just said we do this so we can protect ourselves against humans, so that our secret can stay a secret."

"But why do you think we feel like we need to hide ourselves?" Suho countered "Why do you think we're hiding from humans?" No one answered him. Suho sighed, his eyes flickering back to Sehun. "To get what we mean, you’re going to have to learn and understand what it was like before. Back when these rules didn’t exist."

"But, " Chanyeol intervened, his curiosity burning like a flame in his eyes.”Haven't we already learned about ourselves? Our history I mean. We've already been taught about this right?"

“Creatures came into existence before humankind. The treaties were created along with the beginning of the human race. There shouldn’t be a time before –“

"But there is." Suho admitted "After the humans came, there was a time where there were no secrets. They knew we existed."

Silence. Sehun remained rigid in his chair, only having heard faintly his brother's words. His chest was tightening and an unfamiliar sense of unease was washing over him like a tidal wave. He tried to focus but he couldn't, his mind wandering aimlessly between pain and discomfort. What was wrong with him now?! The room was momentarily swallowed in murmurs.

“That’s impossible. There’s no wa– ”

“Why would they lie about that?”

“Unless something terrible happened–”

"Sehun." A voice called out. He looked up, everything sudden going quiet. Suho was staring at him, his face set but his eyes filled with concern. "I need you to focus. This is important." Sehun tried to obey, nodding wordlessly.

"That shouldn’t even be possible." Baekhyun said incredulously. D.O, who sat beside him, was completely still, his eyes wide as saucers.

"It's exactly like he said. We were real to them once." Kris intervened. "For a period of time there was no hiding or treaties between Creatures. We had lived peacefully with humans before." No one said anything for a while, everyone lost in their thoughts. It had never once occurred to them that it was even remotely possible to live that way.

"What happened?" Lay spoke softly, his expression solemn. Kris leaned back in his chair, his eyes looking somewhere far away.

"We existed openly. But with that came problems, 'accidents.' "He chuckled, but it was humourless "whether it's hiding or out it the open, Creatures can never be without fighting each other. It's in our nature to be dominant. If there is a threat to that...then that threat must be taken care of." Lay paled slightly, but said nothing. Clearing his throat Kris continued.

"Conflicts started rising, most were basically petty and filled with pride. No one wanted to back down and be seen as lowly. Territory also became a main issue, with brawls breaking out everywhere. It wasn't safe anymore for anyone. Creatures started blaming each other for their own problems or even just out of spite. Some enjoyed the madness." Kris' face only got darker as he went deeper into the story "Humans got caught in the middle. They couldn't do a thing besides fear and despise Creatures. All the relationships and trust that had been built over the years disappeared. There was only war and the resulting bloodshed."

"This is formally known as The Great Wars," Suho cut in again. Though his voice was calm his eyes betrayed his sadness "It was horrible. There were losses on all sides, Creature and human. Werewolves were one of the hardest hit, with severe amounts of death and injury."

"We were nearly wiped out." Luhan murmured, more stating then questioning. Suho nodded in confirmation.

"It was only when everyone was feeling the full effects of the wars and was near their limits that the battles ceased and discussions began."

"The Gatherings, when Creatures came together for the first time after years of war to talk, and hopefully stop the wars. It was then, that the first of our treaties with the other Creatures were created."

"What about the humans?" Sehun asked, slightly out of breath. Both regarded him solemnly.

"Most Creatures didn't see them to be necessary for those matters. In particular, the Vampire and Incubus clans were repulsed at the idea of bringing humans into the Treaties. With things as they were, I highly doubt any human would even want to take part in them. They were too afraid to be around us." Suho stopped and Kris continued, not missing a beat.

"In order not to delay and risk more conflicts, werewolves and the other Creatures agreed and proceeded. It was tricky with everyone still wary of each other, but finally the first treaties came to be. Basically they enforced the rules we have now, to remain peaceful and coexist with others."

"But what about keeping our existence a secret? Humans already knew about us." Tao spoke again. Kris shot him a look.

"I was getting there. Well, that technically wasn't first placed into the treaties as they were made. It would be impossible then, so Creatures did the next best thing they could. They left humans alone."

"What?" Baekhyun's face scrunched up in confusion.

"One by one, different Creature races began leaving the world of humans into wild unclaimed territory they could call their own. So many had died that it wasn't that hard to find space.” He grimaced “There were exceptions; some Creatures needed to stay close to humans so they were forced to blend with the population. Some had it easier than others. The rest tried to stay away from them.

"Most Creatures needed the time away to try and rebuild their lives, and mourn the ones they lost. Like Suho said, we had lost many wolves in the Wars. Most packs were small, with one or sometimes no alpha. We had to find a way to cope and survive. So the remaining high elders of the territories came up with a way they thought would quickly rebuild the packs. They began mating wolves with each other."

"Like matching wolves together?" Chen murmured, Kris nodded

"Exactly. The elders started matching werewolves together. Soon the mates began families, and the packs were sprawling with new young wolves. It took time, but soon the numbers grew and our kind became large and vast again."

"Other Creatures did the same as us, and their numbers grew to their original size as well."

"Wait, was that not the norm before” Tao asked, his face puckered in distaste. “Are you guys suggesting that different Creatures once, um, mated between each other?" Suho chuckled a bit and spoke.

"It was rare but it did happen, not after the Wars though. Couples like that were especially targeted, because it was seen like betraying your own kind. After the treaties, they were nonexistent, and completely forgotten." It was quiet for a while, silence thick in the air, until Kai sliced through it.

"I still don't get it. That's the past, but what about now? How did humans cope? Did they just forget about everything? And what does this mean for Sehun?" He gestured toward his younger, who was looking the slightest bit paler from before.

"Humans," Kris pondered a moment, his expression suddenly rueful "It's incredible how powerful something like time is." Kai only blinked, not comprehending. "What I mean is those events happened centuries ago. As devastating as it was, people began to rebuild, and had to find some way to move on. Without definite, solid proof of our existence, memories became faded, blurry. Most didn't want it to be real, willing it all to be something nonexistent; a horrible nightmare they could wake up from. A dream.

"Of course some tried to pass their memories on down the generations, but what was once a story of terror and devastation somehow twisted and turned until it was a 'folktale' meant to scare children. People can only believe what they can see right in front of them. Without the solidity, all they’ll have is fear.” Another pause. Kai averted his gaze, choosing to stare at the floor. “People soon forgot about Creatures, writing them off as stories, and no one tried to provoke that. We let them forget, and it became a sort of unspoken, unwritten rule. When Creatures started reintegrating themselves back into human societies, they took extra step to mask themselves. Fast forward how many generations and here we are." Kris' eyes swept over his brothers, until they landed on Sehun. "But now there is this."

"What is this?" Sehun whispered, his brow lined slightly with sweat. It felt as though someone had dropped a freight train on his chest. He took shallow breaths, trying to suppress his inner wolf, which was in a near frenzy inside him. Something was wrong, but what?

"You know how Kris explained the matching thing?" Suho's voice was soft, trying to reach the youngest ears. He did, just barely. "That wasn't how wolves originally found their mates. There was a more… definite way. One that didn't have a divorce rate attached." He took a steeling breath. "Imprinting, the method to find a soul mate."

"A soul mate? We have those?" D.O asked, his voice doubtful.

"We do, it's actually a very real serious thing. Usually one can sense their mate through scent, but the surest way is supposed to be first sight.” He hesitated, trying to find the right words to explain. “It’s like, inexplicable attraction. One minute everything’s normal, and then you see her.” Sehun looked down at his hands, his heartbeat thudding in his ears. “She just fills your head, and never really comes out again.

“Like love at first sight.” Kris said quietly. “The tell tale sign is a wolf’s eye color, golden brown. Once it happens the mate becomes the most immediate concern to the wolf, nothing can really compare anymore."

"Really?" Chanyeol said, all eyes slowly turning to Sehun.

"Yes, it was said that a connection is drawn after the meeting between the wolf and their mate, enabling the wolf to find the mate in any situation. But at the same time, wolves are never meant to stay far from their mates. It’s supposed to be uncomfortable and even painful experience to be away from a mate for too long. Death or injury to one would be devastating to the wolf. Having one means the wolf must stay near to them as much as possible, because there isn't a way for the wolf to be without their mate." Sehun still wouldn't look up from the floor, but could hear his brother's words. It took all his will to subdue the beast in him. Was it the girl? Did something happen to her?

"Why is this the first time it's happened in so long? After so many years, shouldn't it have happened at least once by now?" Xiumin's asked.

"Imprinting doesn't happen so easily. Even with millions of people in the world, only one person can be a wolf's mate. It could take days or years for a matured wolf to find a mate, or so I have been told." Suho replied simply." As long as packs stayed to themselves it wouldn't have been hard for the elders to prevent imprinting from happening. If it happened in a pack, the elders would just match the pair up, masking it as a good compatibility." He hesitated. "Technically, werewolves are supposed to mate with other werewolves, but there have been cases where wolves have mated with humans or other Creatures in the past." Quiet sunk in again. Suho bit his lips, thinking. "I'm not sure, but I think th-"

Sehun's chair clattered to the ground as he stood, his movement a blur of inhuman speed. Kris and Suho stood too, suddenly wary of the younger in front of them. Sehun was rigid. His eyes, burning in a gold flame were distant, as if he was looking somewhere far away. The leaders exchanged glances. Kris tried approaching, moving slowly.

"Sehu- " before he could even finish a guttural sound came from deep within Sehun's chest, low and warning. The others stood, instantly alarmed. In a burst of speed Sehun disappeared, his body a blur as he flew out of the room and down the hallway. The rest were left gaping at the battered door left from his wake.

“Y-you, totally weren’t kidding.” Baekhyun said.

Kris clenched his jaw, his expression grave. "Kai."  He said. Immediately the boy was moving.

"I'm on it." He walked a couple of paces, then was instantly consumed by swirling ink black mist. After a moment the mist disappeared, the boy vanishing from sight. Kris turned back to the rest of the pack, locking gazes with Suho. The latter said nothing, his eyes still stuck on the door. What was he going to do? How were they going to explain this to the elders?

And there was the other thing. A little piece of information he had left out of his explanation, now left hanging at the back of his mind. It was only a theory, one that was proven to be extremely unlikely even in the worst of scenarios. Who would ever think it would happen to Exo? But the fact the possibility still existed left bleak dread inside his chest, whispering to him the two pathways that stood before the pack. The imprint could simply cease with Sehun, but fate could continue to roll the ball through the pack, until every one of them ended up imprinting on the same girl. Suho wasn’t sure how he’d be able to handle either outcome.

~~~