Black Pearl

Part IV

                Taemin and Hangeng walked out of the grocery store, bags in each of their hands. Taemin was dressed in knee length capris, a white polo shirt, and white tennis shoes. He felt rather odd wearing clothes, but Hangeng had told him that they made him look very nice. He didn’t know why Hangeng’s opinion would matter so much, but it seemed that it did, and it made Taemin blush when he said it.

He had been in awe that there were these fortresses with stores of food in them. Hangeng said these were called, ‘grocery stores’. You buy the food with money. Money is made from paper and metal, and sometimes, ‘di-gi-til.’ Its where there is money that goes through a system through a metal box called a ‘com-pyu-tur.’ You can’t see it, but you use hard plastic cards and sometimes write a specific amount on paper. You can buy lots of things from these ‘shops,’ like clothes and things to cook with, anything really; at least, that’s what Hangeng told him. He didn’t know anything for himself.

They walked along the bustling street; Hangeng’s arm was strung through Taemin’s, so as not to lose him in the crowd.

They made their way through the town square and into the alley leading to his home. He unlocked the door. The scent of his home hit Taemin like a wave. Honey and cinnamon mixed with tea leaves and his cologne. It was a beautiful mess of scents swirling about him.

Hangeng ushered him over to the giant fluffy thing in what he called his sitting room. It somewhat resembled a chair, but it was big, like an animal ready to devour him. Taemin set the bags down and followed Hangeng back outside.

“Sit here, Taemin, I’ll go get the tea.” He said. Taemin seated himself on the wooden chair. It was suspended by that ‘metal’ stuff Minho had told him about. As he sat down, he flailed about. The chair was swinging back and forth. Taemin panicked and reached his toes for the porch floor. He felt his heart beating in his chest as he slowly climbed back on. He hung onto the metal string for dear life.

                Hangeng came back out, shaking his head with a smile. Hangeng set down the tray of tea and walked over to Taemin. He gently stopped the swing, and touched Taemin’s shoulder. “Taemin, its okay, the swing has stopped.” Taemin peeked out from his tightly shut eyes. His stomach turned as he looked about. Hangeng sat down next to him, deliberately putting his feet down onto the porch to stop the swinging. He reached over and grabbed a cup of tea and handed it to Taemin. “Here you go,” he said, offering it to him.

                Taemin gratefully took the cup. “Thank you,” he said. It had only been about eight days, but he was really starting to like this Hangeng. He was kind and sweet. He did feel a small twinge of guilt however. There was still Siwon, and everyone else that was counting on him as their future alpha female. But truth be told, he wasn’t quite sure that he wanted that anymore.

*****

                When they had entered under the cover of night, Kyungsoo, Kris, Onew and Minho were able to gather enough clothes to dress themselves. Everything fit a bit loose, but it fit nonetheless. They walked around the city from one side to the other. It was quite extensive. After a few days, they were exhausted. The four of them met up in the town square near the wishing fountain.

                Minho plopped down, rubbing his sore calves. “We’ve been searching for three days, how are we going to find him in this big city?” he asked. Kris and Onew leaned on each other, fanning themselves.

                “I wish he had gone to your village, Kyungsoo,” said Kris. “It’s much smaller.” Onew nodded.

                “I second that wish,” he said breathlessly. Kyungsoo looked out into the blue sky. The red tile roofs of the villa’s and houses were a rusty red, jutting out from the white buildings. The church bell tolled as the clock struck noon. He turned to Minho.

                “Minho, you guys, has any of you found loose change anywhere?” he asked. Minho dug in his pockets, pulling out a couple of nickels and a dime. Kris pulled out a quarter, while Onew pulled out a handful of pennies.

                “Where did you find all those pennies?” asked Kyungsoo. Onew motioned to the square.

                “They’re all over the place. On the street, mostly. But I found some in the grass in the park.” He said. Kyungsoo counted Kris and Minho’s change. He took out a nickel and looked about.

                “Do you guys see a pay phone anywhere?” he asked. They looked about. Onew pointed.

                “What about that box thing over there?” he said. Kris shook his head.

                “That’s not a payphone, that’s a mailbox.” He said.

                “Oh,” said Onew, quite put out. How was he supposed to know? He was the only one who hadn’t had prior experience with humans, unless you count hunters, and they didn’t carry around these pray-pones that Kyungsoo was looking for anyhow. They carried guns, and that’s all he needed to know.

                “Over there!” exclaimed Minho. A tall glass box stood in the middle of the street near a thing that Kyungsoo had told Onew was a ‘store.’ Kyungsoo and the others ran over and crowded into the small box. Kyungsoo put the coins into a small black slot and pushed tiny square things with squiggles on them. He took the metal thing with a tail connected to the smaller box and held it to his face. Onew wondered what he was trying to listen to.

                “Hello?” said a voice.

                “Ah! The box’s tail is talking!” exclaimed Onew. He tried to run, but Minho pulled him back by his collar, covering his mouth while he tried to explain what a pay phone was.

                “Xiumin, is that you?” Kyungsoo asked.

                “Yeah, you dialed my number on purpose, I assume?” he asked. There was a slight pause. “Wait, Kyungsoo? You dialed my number? How, why….what?” his voice sounded panicked.

                “Calm down,” said Kyungsoo. “Where are you right now?” he asked.

                “Delfia,” he said. Kyungsoo looked around.

                “Where exactly is that?” he asked. Xiumin said something, and someone, Kyungsoo assumed Suho, answered in a muffled voice. 

                “On the other side of the woods from our village, Suho and I are on vacation.” He said. Kyungsoo sighed.

                “Wow, that’s great! We’re here too! We were looking for a Lycan that had run away. We’re pretty hard pressed at finding him though.” He said. Xiumin squealed on the other end of the phone.

                “OHMAGAWD! We have to meet up! It’s been so long since we’ve seen each other-” he stopped mid-sentence. “Wait! You guys are wearing clothes, right? You’re not running about…in the ?” he asked. Kyungsoo laughed.

                “Don’t worry, all of us are fully clothed.” He said. He heard Xiumin sigh on the other end of the line.

                “Great, now, where are you? We’ll meet up and help you find your friend.” He said. Kyungsoo smiled.

                “Thanks, I knew I could count on you guys.”

*****

                Taemin and Hangeng walked through a garden. Hangeng had taken him out and into town. They had gone to a carnival, and Hangeng had hit a target, and won Taemin a little blue teddy bear with a satin ribbon.

                They walked through town as the sun beat down upon them. Hangeng stopped at a stall and paid a plump man in a red shirt and overalls with a cheery mustache. The man reached into the small stall with wheels, and scooped out yellow colorful cold stuff into two cups. Hangeng thanked the man and gave one to Taemin.

                “Go ahead, eat it.” He said. Taemin took what Hangeng told him was a ‘spoon,’ and dipped it into the icy food. He put it in his mouth, and his eyes immediately began to tear up. It was very cold. He looked over at Hangeng, who was eating his just fine. Sweat lined his brow. He took one of his hands and wiped it away. Taemin had never noticed how strong his arms looked before. He found himself blushing, and looked away, almost choking himself on the spoon, which was still in his mouth.

                As they entered the square, he spotted someone. Kyungsoo. What was he doing here? He was a wolf; wolves can’t turn during the day. Did he too visit the witch? What for? He stopped in his tracks. What if he was sent by Siwon to take him back? He turned back to Hangeng, who was admiring flowers in another stall. He didn’t want to leave him yet. He still was unsure of himself. Not that he had given Siwon or his future with him a proper thought since he arrived.

He turned back. Kyungsoo was now looking him in the eye. Onew came over to Kyungsoo. He saw that he seemed distant, and followed his eyes. His own eyes lit up as he saw his friend. He waved wildly at him.

                Taemin gave a shy wave back, and turned to Hangeng. He turned to Taemin and offered him a small yellow flower. “Flore?” he asked. Taemin smiled and accepted it, placing it in his ear. Hangeng laughed and took his arm as they walked down the street.

*****

                Onew’s face fell as he walked away with the strange man he was with. He turned to them. “Why didn’t he come over? Who was that?” he asked, tears filling his eyes. Minho came over and wrapped his arms around Onew.

                “Calm down, Onew, it’ll be alright. He’s just…” he didn’t want to say ‘confused.’ Perhaps this is what Taemin wanted, humanity. And he seemed pretty happy with the man he was with. “We can talk with him some other time. Perhaps they were in a hurry,” he said, wiping the tears from his face. Onew nodded.

                “I suppose, b-b-but what about-” Kris cut him off.

                “The woman said we shouldn’t try to force his decision, that he had to make his own path. Whatever he chooses is what we have to accept, you even said so yourself that you would support his decision,” he said. Onew nodded again.

                “I know. It’s so hard though, but what about Siwon? What about how he feels?” he asked. Kyungsoo, Kris and Minho looked from one to the other. Kyungsoo sighed.

                “It doesn’t matter how he feels. It’s how Taemin feels. It’s his life too, and his decision.” Onew shook his head.

                “But it’s not just his life that he has to worry about! What about us? If Siwon doesn’t conceive, none of us do!” he said, hot tears stinging his eyes. Minho nodded.

                “But we can’t force him, that wouldn’t be right. If being human is what he wishes, then we don’t have any right to take that happiness away from him.” He said. Onew looked back to where Taemin had been.

*****

                Taemin and Hangeng were on the porch swing. They sat together, watching the sunset. A warm breeze blew past, making Taemin’s hair fly into his face. Hangeng put his arm around his shoulders, and moved his hair back behind his ears. Taemin blushed.

                “Do you like it here, Taemin?” asked Hangeng. Taemin nodded silently. He didn’t know what to say at this point. Hangeng turned his face towards his own. Taemin could feel his hot breath on his lips. He could smell cinnamon on his breath, his cologne was strong. It smelled of sharp mint and sweet vanilla. “Do you…like it here, with me?” he asked. Taemin’s face grew red.

                “I do.” It was out before he had time to think about it. He could feel Hangeng’s soft lips on his own. He reached for his face. The taste of him was intoxicating. He pulled at his shirt, revealing a strong shoulder. Hangeng pulled him in, chest to chest. Taemin could feel his heart beat with his own.

                About a hundred yards off, Onew watched in horror. He had followed Taemin under the guise that he had dropped something. He had wanted to speak with him. About Siwon, the clan, everything. He watched on as Taemin and the man shared a passionate kiss. Onew’s heart tore apart inside his chest for Siwon. Poor Siwon. What was he to do now? He ran off. He knew he shouldn’t have followed him, but now that he figured what he had chosen, he ought to tell the others.

*****

                Onew came back to them in the field, his eyes red. Minho ran to him. They talked for quite some time. Onew looked extremely upset, while Minho looked miffed. “Onew said that he saw Taemin with the man, they were…they seemed to be ‘together.’ What do we do now?” he asked, his voice on the verge of breaking.

Kris ran his tongue over his lips. It had been almost a week, and they still had not spoken to him. He looked over at Kyungsoo. “Perhaps you need to talk to him.” He said. Kyungsoo shook his head.

“Taemin doesn’t want to talk to me, he told Onew that I was the reason he was having all those doubts in the first place.” Kris shook his head.

“You have to be the one. If he already hasn’t listened to Onew or Siwon, then it should be you. He doesn’t know me, there isn’t trust built up there.” Kyungsoo sighed. He looked over at Minho. “And I don’t think anyone else from his clan would be able to reach him either. You two are somewhat in the same position, you’ve already been through what he’s going through.”

“Of course, from what you’ve told us, you didn’t run off, you were kidnapped, and you didn’t have a lover on the outside.” Minho mumbled, looking down at his feet.

“I’m sure it’s not like he was looking for someone, it just happened.” Said Kyungsoo, looking at Onew. He didn’t seem to believe him.

“Onew,” said Minho. “You can’t possibly believe that this is the reason that he left, this is Taemin we’re talking about.” Onew shrugged.

“I thought so too, but…this isn’t the Taemin I grew up with.” Kyungsoo put his hand on his shoulder.

“People change over time, you can’t possibly expect someone to stay the same forever, can you?” he asked. “Are you the same as you were a year ago? Five years ago?” he asked. Onew shook his head.

“I suppose not, but still-” Kris stopped him.

“We have a general idea of where he spends his time, and know where he is staying. We’ll tackle this tomorrow, for now, we have to find Xiumin and Suho, they said they’d be in the square at sunset.” He said, reminding them of their previous engagement.

*****

Siwon lie in his cave. It had been over a week since Taemin had left. Onew and Minho had left, and Leetuk brought news that they had gained the help of Kris and Kyungsoo. They too were now out in the human world. Would they be able to get him back? Would he want to come back?

He felt so empty. He couldn’t seem to reach him. How much did he really know Taemin? Sure, they had talked throughout the years, but it wasn’t as if he were as close to him as Onew. He wondered if Taemin was thinking of him.

He turned his head, and saw Leetuk standing there. He sighed and rolled back over. He didn’t want to talk to him right now. Leetuk approached him, crouching low. “Leader Siwon, you need to come outside and get some fresh air, it won’t do you any good to mope about alone in here.” He said, extending his hand. Siwon sighed and turned away.

“I need to be alone right now, Leetuk.” He said. Leetuk scoffed.

“Feeling sorry for yourself won’t bring Taemin back.” He said gruffly. Siwon grimaced and turned towards him.

“What would you know?” he asked. “Obviously it won’t, but it’s not like you knew him any better than I,” he said. Leetuk rolled his eyes.

“Exactly. You don’t know him. You know barely anything! To be honest, if he weren’t here, I think you would have fought harder for Kyungsoo, with child or not.” He said. Siwon got up and threw Leetuk into the wall.

“You take that back! I love Taemin!” he cried. Leetuk threw him off.

“No, you loved Kyungsoo, and couldn’t love Taemin. Once Kyungsoo made his decision, Taemin is all you were left with!” he cried. Siwon looked as if he had been struck across the face. “You and Taemin are just a fabrication of your mind. He’s the only one left besides you, and now that you don’t have a choice, he’s all you have!” Siwon’s fist made contact with his lip, busting it open. Blood poured down his chin.

“Shut up! Just, shut up!” said Siwon, grabbing his hair and shaking his head.

“It’s no wonder that Taemin ran off! You were so worried about finding Kyungsoo that you didn’t even bother to see the obvious fact in front of your face; that Taemin had always liked you. Perhaps if you had gotten your head out of your sooner, he would be here, we wouldn’t have even bothered keeping Kyungsoo here, and suffering the wrath of his tribe, and you and Taemin would already be married.”

“You have no right to speak that way!” said Siwon. “You don’t know what I’m going through!” Leetuk stopped him.

“What you’re going through?” he cried. “Everyone’s future that has anything to do with the hope of having children is tied to you and Taemin! Of course we know! Do you know how awful it is? To know that if everything falls through, you can’t have a family? To depend on just two people for the survival of our race?!” he was breathing heavily.

“Stop feeling so ing sorry for yourself, and think of Taemin for once.” He said, before taking his leave. Siwon sat there in awe. Perhaps Leetuk was right. He knew that he had been acting pitiful, and even though he didn’t want to admit it, he was right. But that didn’t change how he felt now; hollow. Without Taemin, even when Kyungsoo had been an option, without Taemin, he didn’t feel whole.

*****

Hangeng and Taemin held hands as they walked through the city. Everyone was bustling about, decorating the outside of shops and street lights for the Festival of Lights. They stopped in at a small café and went inside.

Inside, the room was warm and inviting. It smelled of spices and coffee, warm bread and sweet icing. They sat down in a far corner. The orange walls and dark, wooden floors made Taemin’s eyes heavy after being out in the bright sunlight.

“So, do you want to go to the festival?” asked Hangeng. Taemin smiled and sipped his coffee. He had ordered a caramel macchiato. It was hot on his tongue, but tasted sweet and salty. The caramel stuck to his tongue as he put his cup down.

“Well, of course I would. I’ve never been to a festival before, it would be…cool?” he didn’t know what kind of word to use to describe this event. Hangeng smiled at him.

“Yes, yes it will be, ‘cool’.” He said, ruffling his hair. He handed a scone over to Taemin. “Here, try this.” He said, as Taemin took it from his hand. He bit into the sweet pastry. The flaky crust and sweet icing shocked his mouth. The inside was warm and fluffy. The blueberries were tart, and made his lips pucker.

Hangeng couldn’t help but laugh at Taemin’s child-like innocence.  He sometimes forgot that Taemin had spent his life in the woods. Watching him learn new things was quite exciting. He loved the way Taemin was excited about everything. He remembered when he taught him how to flush a toilet. He ran and slid into the shower, bringing the curtain down upon him. However, as he grew in knowledge, he slowly became a new, mature person.

*****

Xiumin and Suho met Kyungsoo and the others at the fountain. “Where are you guys staying?” asked Xiumin.

“In the field outside of town,” said Kyungsoo, rubbing his back. Sure, grass was more comfortable than stone floors and fur, but he was itchy, and he swore he’d been bitten by some sort of bug.

“Why…oh yeah.” Suho was about to suggest getting a hotel, when he realized that they lived in the woods, and didn’t have money. “So, are you guys going to the Festival of Lights?” he asked. They all looked at each other.

“What is a fest-ir-fil?” asked Onew. Xiumin giggled.

“Fes-ti-val.” He annunciated. “It’s a celebration, of the changing of the seasons from summer to fall.” He said. “It’s near the end of summer, and after the festival is done, everyone heads to the cliff to set off the lights into the sea,” he says.

“Oh,” says Onew. Kris and Minho look at each other.

“Do you think Taemin will be there?” asked Minho. Xiumin shrugged.

“I don’t know, this is only the second time we’ve gone.” He said. Kyungsoo remembered last year when they had gone. He watched from his own home as he saw some stray lights float over the trees. They had brought him back a lovely scarf. That made him think of his old home.

“Hey, how’s the house?” he asked. Xiumin smiled.

“Just fine. It’s really nice. Wish we could visit more often, but usually we’re pretty tired after work, and all.” He said.  Kyungsoo nodded. He remembered the chore of coming home every night after a long day at the market. But he also remembered the empty feeling he had every time he realized, that he was alone.

“So, are you guys gonna come with us?” asked Suho. Kris nodded.

“Right now, it’s our only hope of finding Taemin off guard. Perhaps we can get him away from the man long enough to talk to him.” The others nodded. Kyungsoo, however, was not so sure.

END OF PART IV