“Oy! Boy! Where you headed to?”

Jonghyun turned back at the unfamiliar voice. From the man’s accent he could elucidate that the man was from the West. He stopped, waiting for the man to catch up to him. From the many caravans and people walking along he knew they were a band of travelling performers.

“Hop on boy, or ya’ gonna die in the heat,” the man said stopping the caravan he rode beside Jonghyun. “Where you going? We’ll drop you.”

Jonghyun wiped his forehead on the back of his hand, trying to control his uneven breaths, “I don’t know,” he mumbled softly. He could feel his vision get dark at the edges, his head swirling due to the fatigue. He had been travelling for days after all.

“Hey! You alright?” The man asked when he saw Jonghyun sway.

The last thing Jonghyun heard before he passed out was the old man calling out ‘Jinki’.

---

Jonghyun woke up to the voice of a man chuckling.

“No Arya, you, bad, bad girl,” He heard the man chuckle again.

The vibrations and the sound of the wheels against the mud signified that he was in a caravan and they were moving. He sat up, blinking twice, his vision clearing so he could see the surroundings. He saw a man, probably his age or maybe older by a few years sitting at the other end of the caravan playing with a wolf cub.

“How are you feeling now?” the man asked as he set down the cub and moved towards Jonghyun.

Jonghyun nodded his head, “Thirsty,” he replied, clawing at his throat.

He was offered a cold glass of water and he gulped it down, feeling the needles in his throats go down.

“Not a nice move to move around the desert during a storm, they removed so much of sand…” the other man shook his head.

Jonghyun lay down again, feeling lethargic.

“I’m Jinki,” the other man said sitting down beside Jonghyun, feeling his forehead.

“Jo-Jonghyun,” Jonghyun replied, he could feel the energy drain from every pore of his body.

“Sleep now Jonghyun, your fever is still quite high.” and Jonghyun felt Jinki close his eyes with his palm.

---

The next time Jonghyun woke up it was to the ministrations of something warm and wet.

“Arya! No!”

Jonghyun stretched, his eyes taking in his surroundings once again and finally settling on the man and his cub.

“Better?” the man asked.

“Very,” Jonghyun replied.

“You think you can walk?” Jinki asked. “They’re serving food now.”

Jonghyun nodded, and with Jinki’s help they both were on their way to the small clearing the camp had settled down to have food.

“How’re ya feeling boy?” the old man asked when he saw Jinki and Jonghyun approach. “Come ‘ere.” and he gestured them to sit beside him.

As soon as Jonghyun sat a plate of cheese and bread was laid down in front of him. He dug in, his hunger awakening at the smell of food.

“Who are ya? And what were you doing alone in the desert?”

“Jonghyun,” Jonghyun introduced himself as he swallowed down a big bite of cheese.

“Easy there,” Jinki warned him.

“Let the poor boy eat in peace, ya old goat,” The lady beside Jonghyun remarked as she his back.

Jonghyun was glad that the woman had spoken up, no one asked him anymore. They looked genuinely nice and  he didn’t want to ruin their joyous atmosphere by speaking up.

After he was done, Jinki showed him around the caravans, introducing to a few performers. Jinki eventually led them back to the caravan he had woken in.

“So, Johan tells me that you do not know where you are headed to?” Jinki asked as he sat down opposite Jonghyun. The cub latching onto him as soon as he sat down.

Jonghyun bit his lip. He was so confused, should he tell them or not? And if he did, would they abandon him in the desert or would they turn him to the authorities?

“Hm?” Jinki prompted. “Come on, it can’t be that bad, trust me, I’ve seen worse.”

Jonghyun sighed, his sigh attracting the attention of the cub who now ran to him and along his palm. “Can I?”

Jinki nodded, moving back to rest his head against the wooden walls.

Jonghyun lifted up the cub to his lap, her along her ears as he watched Jinki, his eyes closed, and a serene expression on his face.

“I, um,” Jonghyun started, he saw Jinki raise an eyebrow, “I was caught stealing, and you know the law, they cut off your hands.”

“So you ran away.” Jinki stated as he looked Jonghyun straight in the eyes. Jonghyun nodded, he found himself getting engulfed in the big dark pools Jinki’s eyes were. Jinki chuckled, “Well that’s not bad, and here i was expecting, that maybe you had  assassinated a lord or something.”

Jonghyun shrugged, he found himself speechless at the reaction that Jinki had. He let the cub go when he felt her struggle against his lap. “What about you?” Jonghyun asked as he watched Jinki pick up the cub and place her on his chest. “You don’t look like a performer, what’s your story then?”

Jinki looked up from the cub on his chest, his gaze again locking with Jonghyun’s. He spoke after a few minutes, his gaze still mingled with Jonghyun’s. “I was an outcast, the only boy in the entire Kingdom of North that has dark hair.” and he ruffled his slightly long hair for emphasis.

“Really?” Jonghyun asked. He had heard about the northerns, heard about their white hair and their grey eyes.

“Yes, so they kicked me out when I was 10.”

“Where did you go then? They found you too?” Jonghyun asked gesturing to the caravan.

“I roamed around the Great White Forest for almost eight years, hunting, collecting anything that could get me money to survive. They found me a year ago actually. Said this little one,” Jinki nodded to the cub, “Led them to me. They found me unconscious near a stream, and now, I’m their hunter.”

Jonghyun nodded slowly, yes Jinki had definitely seen worse than him, he found that he couldn’t keep his gaze away from the man and his cub.

“You don’t need to worry Jonghyun,” Jinki said softly. “These people don't care about your past, and they’ll accept you with open hearts. All that remains is whether you are willing to open up to them. Ah, and yeah, Johan asked, that if you don’t have anywhere to go why don’t you join their troop? It seems they are currently looking for a dancer. But listen it’s upto you, no one is going to force you, you’re free to choose whatever you want, okay?”

Jonghyun bit his lip, was he okay? Was he willing to be a part of the troop? He had seen the merry atmosphere, seen how they all joked and looked happy, and in the end isn’t that what he wanted too? To be happy? To have someone to share his thoughts with? Something close to a family?

“I kind of hope you say yes.” Jinki softly spoke, in a voice that Jonghyun somehow felt that maybe it won’t be that bad of a decision.

“...yes?”

Jinki raised his brows, a grin growing on his face and Jonghyun repeated a bit louder, a bit more confident on seeing Jinki’s expression, “Yes.”

A/N:
I had always wanted to write an AU like this ;-;
Finally got a chance ^^