Kai and Luhan didn’t talk much as they made their way out of town. 

Kai had literally rolled Luhan out of bed that morning and told him to get up and ready to go.  They’d been silent as they made their way to the hospital, but Kai had been sure to keep Luhan with him, finally draping his arm across Luhan’s shoulder to keep the hesitant boy from backing out.  They arrived at the hospital just as visiting hours opened, leaving Luhan with no excuse to keep from approaching Kyungsoo with an apology.  But it turned out to be easier than he anticipated.

Kyungsoo was thrilled that Kai finally found Luhan.  He brushed aside Luhan’s apology stating that he knew now that it wasn’t Luhan’s fault. 

“Promise that you’ll do everything you can to realign with your wolf and I’ll accept your apology,” Kyungsoo told him.  Luhan agreed and that was that. 

Kai took over and explained that they were headed out to the “Old Man’s” next.  To see what he had to say about helping with Luhan’s wolf.  The rest of the conversation went over Luhan’s head.  He was still reeling from the fact that he was on friendly terms with Kai and Kyungsoo again.  Yet he still made note that Kai and Kyungsoo talked about the wolf stuff as if it was normal.  As if they had known about it all their lives instead of just a few days. 

While Kai had been talkative with Kyungsoo, he lapsed into silence again as they left Kyungsoo to head out of town.  Luhan didn’t even ask where they were going, he just followed Kai as they boarded the bus.  He stayed silent until the bus was nearly empty of other passengers and they reached the town limits and finally got off.  After a half mile walk down a road lined with fields of crops, they approached a lone traditional style house at the base of a wooded mountain. 

Kai turned up a path to the house, but Luhan paused at the intersection.  He took in the building with a long glance before his gaze shifted upwards.  Beyond the house, the forested mountain rose, looming over Luhan and his heavy heart.

He pressed the heel of his palm to his chest to ease the sudden pressure.  His attention dropped back down to the house when the front door slide open with a scratchy sound.  An old man with thin white hair and a slightly hunched back stood in the open doorway, his hands clasped behind his back. 

“Hurry up, would you?”  Kai called.  “He doesn’t like to be kept waiting.  Pretty annoying since he loves to make other people wait,” he added under his breath.

Luhan found out how true that was as he later knelt before a low table in the old man’s house.  Kai sat off to the side against the wall and the old man sat across from Luhan and was silent as he digested Luhan’s retellings of the events a few days before. 

It hadn’t been fun retelling the night he had hurt Kyungsoo.  But Luhan also knew that it was necessary.  If the old man was to help him, he had to know what had happened and exactly what condition Luhan was currently in.

“Has this ever happened to you before?”  The old man finally asked and caused Luhan to jump. 

Luhan glanced at Kai and away again before nodding his head.  "Yeah, it's happened before.  That's why we moved." 

"Who's we?"  Kai asked, his brows furrowed. 

"Me and Kris," Luhan answered, simply.  He didn't want to explain Kris any more than he had to.  With Kris missing, he didn’t want to get into anything that might make them believe that Kris was the reason his wolf was this way. 

“Tell me about the first time this happened,” The old man said. 

Luhan sighed.  “It wasn't all that different from what happened this time.  A group of guys from another school singled me out and picked a fight.  At the time, I had even less control over the wolf than I do now and things got bloody fast.  I- I don't even remember what happened.  I woke up and – there was a lot of blood not my own.”  Luhan paused and shivered as the memory reappeared fresh in his mind’s eye.  “I just called Kris and we disappeared.  After that, I avoided people for a long time because I was afraid that I’d lose control again.  But Kris finally convinced me that it would be okay to go back to school for a little while.” Just while he went and took care of some stuff, Luhan thought but didn’t say aloud. 

“What happened exactly when you lost control that time?”  The old man asked.  His voice was smooth and even despite the fact he was asking Luhan to detail one of the worst moments in his life. 

Luhan shrugged a shoulder.  “I just remember being really pissed.  I wanted to be left alone but these guys kept coming after me.  My vision went red.  When I came to again I was standing looking down at my blood smeared hands and surrounded by a bloody scene that I could only conclude was my doing.”

“Anger is a common trigger point for the wolf,” the old man said with a nod that told Luhan he understood.  “Meditation will help you control the emotions that trigger the wolf.  Did you black out this time as well, or do you remember throwing Kyungsoo?”

Luhan paused again before answering.  "I remember,” he admitted quietly.  "I remember but it wasn't me that did those things.  I didn't have control over anything..."

“Show me your mark,” the old man ordered suddenly. 

"Mark?"  Luhan repeated, confused. 

"The symbol that appeared on your arm after your wolf emerged," The old man clarified. 

Luhan’s brows furrowed in confusion, but then his gaze moved to his left wrist.  "My tattoo?"  He pulled his sleeve up so the old man had clear view of it. 

The old man moved quickly, grasping Luhan’s arm and pulling him forward for a better look.  Surprised at the old man's speed and strength of his grip, Luhan gasped but remained still and allowed the old man to look closely.

The old man heaved a heavy sigh, but did not comment.  Luhan’s gaze met Kai’s and they shared a look of equal apprehension.