Drawing the scent of pine and dew deep into his nasal cavity, Minho dragged glassy eyes over the tall standing trees all around him. The forest was ethereal in a way, the trees seeming to shimmer in barely perceptible radiance. Plant life swayed slowly in the wind, almost too slowly. If he listened closely, he could hear running water, but it sounded like an echo of some far off stream. Wherever he was, it was not real. Not in a tangible sense, at least.

Minho was smart enough to know he was dreaming. Being aware of yourself in dreams is fairly normal, but it was more than that. Minho felt… at home. He believed for reasons he could not grasp that this forest was where he belonged. That he had always been there, not in some three bedroom apartment in the heart of Seoul with his roommates.

When Minho took his first step forward, he found he knew exactly where to go—where he felt he needed to go, that is. The paths felt worn by his own two feet and every rock and tree was familiar.

Minho trudged on in a possessed manner, following a strong pull towards a small pond he knew lay ahead. He knew because he had been there, but he couldn’t for the life of him remember when. He thought all of his life, but that didn’t make any sense.

The dense forest opened up into a little clearing, the pond Minho knew would be there centered perfectly in the middle. Wildlife was gathered all around, as if waiting for something. When the heads of deer, boars, squirrels, and birds all turned to look at him he supposed he had his answer as to what.

Minho stumbled towards the pond, his legs suddenly feeling weak. He fell to his knees next to the water, searching the crystal clear depths for what he wasn’t entirely sure. His refection stared back at him for a moment before it rippled and his face morphed into that of a great beast’s with ice blue eyes dotted with sparkling silver.

It was him. Logically, Minho knew that wasn’t possible, but every fiber of his being was screaming that this creature was himself. When Minho tore his eyes from the mesmerizing orbs in the water, he wasn’t the least bit surprised to find the beast standing fifteen feet away on the other side of the pond.

His head was that of an impossibly enormous wolf, the body like a fury human’s until it got to his abnormally bent legs. He was tall, at least eleven feet high, with a body of pure muscle covered in obsidian black fur.

“Damn,” Minho gasped, his voice sounding too soft. “You’re huge.”

The beast snorted, maybe in laughter, and sat down on his hunches. He folded his long arms over his bent knees and stared at Minho curiously.

And you are very small, a voice chuckled in Minho’s head. Bigger than most human forms I’ve seen, but small none the less.

Minho skipped the part where he freaked out trying to figure out where that baritone voice came from, giving the wolf-man an affronted look instead.

“I am not small, you’re just big.”

Size is relative, the wolf snickered in Minho’s head. But I digress. We are not here to discuss such matters.

“Why are we here then?” Minho inquired, falling back on his rump.

Do you not know? Truly? I suppose it would make sense...

Minho gnawed on his cheek in thought, but eventually shook his head.

“I guess I don’t. I think I may be high, though. It’s the only explanation I can come up with.”

The beast cocked his head ears twitching back and forth. For all his size and frighteningly hooked claws, the movement almost made him look cute. Almost being the operative word.

Our elevation has nothing to do with it. What would ever make you think that?

“What? No, I meant… Never mind. It’s not important.”

Alright… well, I have a much better theory as to why we are here.

“Well, beast-man, shoot.”

Do you know who I am? The wolf asked, leaning forward in anticipation.

“Well,” Minho drawled, unsure if his brain was working properly. “I think that you’re me. That is… I think we are each other. But that can’t be right, can it?”

It is exactly right! The wolf said excitedly. We are the same being split in two by a mishap in the universe. It does not happen often, as I have come to realize, but occasionally fate makes a mistake. You and I are that mistake.

Minho absorbed the information, finding it much easier to accept than would be anticipated. Not only did he accept it, but he believed it and felt that it explained so many questions he never knew he had. Like why his world always felt the slightest bit off kilter—like he never really belonged in a very literal meaning of the word.

Our place in the cosmos has always been together. That is why you and I are here at this very moment. The universe is correcting its mistake and making us whole once more.  

“How do you know all this?” Minho said softly, juggling the information around in his brain.

I have always known. I have lived in the world we were meant to reside in the entire time. You lived in a place where creatures like us were but a figment of man’s imagination, only thought of due to a time overlap between our world and theirs. The stability between our two worlds would have only been worse had you been aware you were existing in the wrong section of time and space. But now we are together and it does not matter.

Minho still couldn’t believe that this creature—be it him or not—could know so much. What he was saying sounded like an unexplainable phenomenon that would have baffled mankind for centuries on end. If he was being truthful, Minho thought it sounded even more like his imagination acting up, but he couldn’t deny the absolute truth in the wolf’s words, even if they were fanciful. The whole situation was just baffling.

“So… now what?” Minho said dumbly, hoping the beast really did have all the answers.

Now we wait for you to wake up, he nodded in certainty. And when you do, you will be here in this forest.

“That sounds scary,” Minho admitted, wondering when an anxiety attack would finally hit him. Normal people wouldn’t be so calm about this, would they?

Trust me, that is the least of our worries. This world… it is tough. Coming in blind with no previous connection to your wolf like you are… it is unfavorable, but I will try my best to teach you how to survive.

“And if you can’t?”

Then we will certainly be killed by another wolf. Mating season is upon us, and your presence will threaten many.

“Wait, mating season?”

For our sake, I hope you adapt quickly.

Minho could feel a whirring catching his clothes, and he fought to keep himself grounded, not yet done with his questioning.

“Wait, why am I a threat? What does mating season have to do with me?”

Wish for luck, Minho. We’re going to need it.

Minho tried to yell, but his breath was stuck in his lungs. The animals surrounding the pond scattered, running from the winds picking him up and tossing him in the sky. The last thing he saw was the great black wolf disappearing in a swirl of blinding blue light.

A/N: Not how I was going to write this story, but it was easier to start it this way than the other way... so yeah.