phase
noun
each of the aspects of the moon or a planet, according to the amount of its illumination, especially the new moon, the first quarter, the full moon, and the last quarter.

{It's not just a bedtime story.} | 971w

A/N: omfg im so sorry day 3 and already lagging it pls forgive. It was a long day and to make matters worse, I tried something new ; A; I'll have today's up on time.

“Tell us the one about the wolf man, mama!”

That’s how many of Taemin’s nights as a little child had started.

He’d be snuggled up in the tiny bed next to his brother, their mother tucking them in under heavy quilts. She would take her seat on the wooden chair their father made and draw the candle on the small nightstand closer, the flame casting a yellow glow throughout the cozy room.

Taemin peered over his shoulder again, watching the faint flickering of the candle through the window of the same room, now his own. Soon he’d be too far and too deep into the forest to see it, and would only have the full moon to illuminate his path.

Their mother would smile upon seeing her sons’ excited faces and then begin the tale they knew all too well.

“Our village was always a quiet one, just hidden away on the side of the mountain. Besides the occasional scare of a stranger that came along or nasty weather, nothing has caused us as much fright as the mysterious creature that lives out there.”

Careful to be as quiet as possible, Taemin kept a slow pace on the edge of a narrow dirt path that led to a post just a mile from the cluster of houses.

The visibility was better tonight than in previous weeks, and Taemin was grateful for that because finding his footing was less work. His heartbeat was far more erratic, however.

Taemin always ventured out with Taesun, but tonight he was alone, despite having promised his older brother that he’d wait until another time.

“We thought we were the only ones who knew about it, but we started to hear things from other villages and towns in the region.”

“What things, mama?” one of the two boys would ask, his twinkling eyes wide in anticipation.

“That there was strange howling too close to barns, watch posts, and once even at a cemetery. We thought it was the wolves. They’ve been known to come out of the forest to look for food when they’re desperate. But it was always just one. And it didn’t sound like any wolf we’ve ever dealt with. It’s louder and more fierce; some say it doesn't howl at all but instead screams. People got scared and soon groups of men went out to hunt it, to put an end to the fear. But many died. Those who did had one thing in common: they were always alone.”

The air Taemin exhaled through his nose came out in a swirling mist. He clenched his fists as he made his way, trying to keep his fingers warm in case he’d need to draw the dagger from the sheath that hung on his hip.

Being by himself made Taemin more nervous than he might’ve admitted. Every shifting shadow, every snap of a twig, every breeze that caused the hairs on the back of his neck to stand on end sent surges of adrenaline through his body. They drove him forward, faster and more determined to make it past the border.

The youngest would gasp, clutching the edges of the blankets with his little fingers. “Did the wolf man get them?!”

“Oh yes.. The wolf man got them. After a while, we realized that as close as the creature got, no one ever got hurt unless they went after it by themselves.”

“Are we safe, mama?”

Their mother smiled warmly at her sons and smoothed their dark hair. “Yes, we’re safe.” She would lean over the two, kiss them goodnight, and then put out the candle before leaving the room.

It was getting harder for Taemin to stay quiet. His breaths were labored and he no longer cared for the loud crunching of dead vegetation under his boots; the post was in sight and he was going to make it beyond it.

“Do you think we’ll ever see the wolf man?” Taemin asked his brother in a hushed voice.

“I don’t know,” he whispered back. “Why?"

“I want to see it."

“Aren’t you scared?”

He thought about it for a moment, letting the silence and darkness envelop them. “A little,” Taemin mumbled. “I just want to know if it’s real.”

Taemin was well past the border, stumbling through unknown territory with his senses so alert it was nearly maddening to register every new detail of the dense forest. He'd been breathing through his mouth and he nearly let out a scream when he heard a something heavy fall with a loud thump on the damp ground behind him.

It'd been stalking him the whole time.

He fumbled with the hilt of his dagger and wasn’t able to pull it out before he spun to face what was there.

Taemin was hit with a dizzying amount of adrenaline as his eyes locked with a pair of big round orbs that stared up at him from a crouching body, half hidden from the silver moonlight.

As much as his instincts yelled at him to protect himself, he couldn't muster another attempt at his weapon. The wild, frightened look in those dark eyes captivated him and froze him in place. Taemin didn't want to imagine what would happen if he made the sudden move. Would it attack him? Would he attack it?

He wanted to believe that he wouldn't. He couldn't. It was just a boy, like him; not a man at all!

The boy dragged himself forward from the shadows, whimpering in pain and grunting from the effort it took to go such a short distance.

Taemin's own eyes widened as he saw how frail he was. Limbs skinny, ribs showing...

“Please,” the boy begged with a voice so hoarse it made Taemin shudder. “Help me.”