“Jihoon, hurry up and get up! The festival’s only for a week and you don’t want to miss anything!” a soft voice sang, shaking Lee Jihoon’s arm slightly. Grumbling, Jihoon rolled around and covered his face with his pillow. There was sunlight streaming in from the cracks in the tent and considering the fact that it was around noon, they landed directly on his face.

          “Later,” Jihoon mumbled underneath the covers. “The best events happen at night anyways.”

          “But I’m not allowed to go out then!” the voice insisted on pulling on Jihoon’s sleeve until they both ended up on the floor. Groaning, Jihoon felt the smaller body roll off of him before it began to continue pestering him. “Pleaaaaase.”

          “Fine,” Jihoon gave up, uncovering his eyes and looking at the young werecat in front of him. She had dark brown hair and mottled ears and was the youngest member of his Clan. Much like how werewolves had packs, werecats had their own Clans. Although werecats were mostly solitary, the young and old often lived together in the forest and created a home space for the roaming members of the Clan to go back to. Often many families would join together to form a Clan which would control a certain piece of territory. Right now however, was one of the many seasonal festivals so almost all of the Clans on the continent had gathered together to trade, catch up, and find potential mates.

          Sighing, Jihoon told the girl, Yeri, to wait outside for him so he could change and get ready. As Yeri happily skipped out of the room, Jihoon threw the blankets back onto the bed and shuffled through the various boxes around the small tent. In one of the boxes was a variety of formal clothes, from suits to vest to even simple collared shirts, his mother (well, act in mother, everyone took care of everyone in a Clan so most werecats had numerous ‘parents’) had packed them for him hoping that he would find a mate at the festival but Jihoon wasn’t very cooperative. He hadn’t worn a single garment from the box and had practically run away from every potential mate the elder werecats would suggest. He knew that it was only for the good of the family and clan. If he married someone from another, richer, Clan, then not only would the two Clans have good relations, they’d also be able to trade and become allies. However, Jihoon was not the type of person (or werecat rather) to let others make his decisions for him. He was stubborn and clever. Putting these two traits together caused a headache for the elders but it allowed Jihoon to avoid his potential mates and spend time enjoying the festival with Yeri instead.

          “Yeri, where do you want to go first?” Jihoon asked as he ducked out of the tent. The little girl jumped up from her spot on the ground and instantly attached herself to Jihoon’s side. The two werecats were close, much closer than a lot of the actual brother-sister couples in the Clan, and could often be seeing walking hand in hand. Jihoon was fond of the younger girl, she lost her mother when she was born and her father died trying to get the both of them back to the Clan (the family had been travelling). She finally arrived, crying and on the verge of death, at the gate of the Clan and was officially taken in by Jihoon’s aunt. Of course, as mentioned before, the girl, even though she had lost her parents, instantly gained twenty more as she became the youngest in the Clan. Jihoon especially had taken care of her when he wasn’t travelling and Yeri took a liking to him immediately (despite being wary of almost every other werecat – you couldn’t blame her though, considering the fact that she was used to travelling alone).

          “I want to go see the dancers!” Yeri announced, throwing up her arms – causing Jihoon’s arm to go up as well since Yeri had forgotten that they were holding hands. “Sorry,” she apologized, laughing brightly, when Jihoon rubbed his shoulder in annoyance.

          “The dancers aren’t set up yet,” Jihoon pointed out. “They start near dusk. You’ll be able to see them before you go to sleep but they’re just going to be roaming the festival at this time.”

          “Well then where should we go? This is my first festival!” Yeri pouted, leaning her head against Jihoon’s stomach. Only a select few from each Clan was allowed to come to the festival, not only because it was so far away, but also because it was the time when the Clans were the weakest. If every able bodied werecat were to go to the seasonal festivals, the elderly and young at home would be prey to anyone with evil intent. Jihoon had always gone so he could ‘find a mate’ and because he was Bijou. Yeri, however, managed to narrowly slip onto the list of travellers this year so she didn’t know how the festival worked.

          “I’m hungry, how about we go look at the snacks? I heard they have this salt water taffy from the Eastern Sea,” Jihoon suggested, patting his empty stomach gently. At the prospect of food, Yeri jumped up and down excitedly and began to pull Jihoon in the direction of the food stands because he was ‘too slow’.

          “I’ll have two please,” Jihoon said, handing over the proper amount of coins as Yeri held onto his hand. The girl was swooning over the different scent of food and Jihoon practically had to chain himself to her hand to prevent her from running from stand to stand. He turned back around to see the shopkeeper make his order, however, he sighed as he realized that it was happening again. The other worker, a young girl around his age, couldn’t keep her eyes off of him. Same with the shopkeeper in the stand beside this one and the many passing werecats. They all kept their eyes trained on his hair, his vibrantly coloured ears and tail, and looked at him with a mixture of awe and jealousy. Jihoon was used to the attention; he was a Bijou after all. Bijous were a sub-group of werecats. While werecats were flexible and could all shape shift between their cat form and human one, Bijous were special. They had a higher affinity for magic and could be trained in the arts of their choosing. As such, Bijous were highly prized and extremely rare. Especially because the process of birthing a Bijou was entirely random. Just because two Bijous mated and had children, didn’t mean that their child would necessarily be a Bijou. In fact, Jihoon was the first Bijou in his family for generations. Much to Jihoon’s annoyance, however, this also meant that the elders of his Clan were much more active in their meddling. They constantly told him about his duties and reminded him every second of the day that he should hurry up and find a mate.

          Which was the exact reason Jihoon was so against the whole mate thing. Any werecat that took interest in him was only interested because of two reasons. One is that their elders told them to so that the other Clan could get a hold of a Bijou. Or two, they wanted Jihoon for their own desires. As Bijous were prized, any Clan with the possession of one instantly gained better living conditions. They would receive more trade requests, better allies, and more. Jihoon’s own Clan had upgraded their living status because of his birth but Jihoon didn’t want to be like that. He didn’t want to get things handed to him because of how he was born. Maybe others did but Jihoon was hardworking. He wanted to be recognized through his own efforts. Not because his Clan was already well-known and established.

          “I’m sorry, but are you Lee Jihoon?” a voice asked, causing Jihoon to turn around. The shopkeeper handed the snacks to Yeri, who thanked him cutely, causing the adult to smile at her sweetly.

          “Yeah, and you are?” Jihoon replied, observing the other werecat. He was taller than Jihoon, but still pretty short by werecat terms. They looked to be around the same age and instantly Jihoon knew why he was looking for him.

          “I’m Jung Dakho,” the boy replied, smiling awkwardly. Jihoon’s eyes stared at Dakho’s sapphire blue ears and inwardly sighed. Of course, Dakho’s elders and Jihoon’s elders probably had an agreement. Someone from Jihoon’s Clan was probably supposed to come and tell him that he had to spend time with the other Bijou. Usually Jihoon would ‘agree’ and then run off into the woods until night time came around so his pink hair wasn’t as noticeable but unfortunately, Dakho found him first.

          “Nice to meet you then,” Jihoon sighed. The two boys continued to stare at each other awkwardly before Yeri pulled on Jihoon’s arm gently. “Yes?” Jihoon looked down at the younger girl and saw her hiding behind him shyly.

          “Are you going to leave me now Jihoon?” Yeri asked softly, munching on the taffy. She looked up at him with wide eyes and clutched the back of his shirt tightly. Even though Yeri had been with the Clan for years now, she was still shy and wary of other werecats. The only reason she had made friends was because Jihoon was with her. He helped her open up and act more like herself. Jihoon could only imagine how stressed she would be if he left her alone in the middle of a festival with strangers.

          “I’ll come back okay,” Jihoon assured her, knowing that he would be forced to spend time with Dakho. “Here,” Jihoon took his money pouch out of his pocket and gave it to Yeri. “Buy yourself some more snacks, just make sure not to use it all this time hm?” Smiling at Yeri’s embarrassed look (the last time this happened Yeri had accidentally used up all of the money and was met in an awkward situation where she ordered food and couldn’t pay), Jihoon patted the little girl on the head and watched her run away happily – already excited at the strange snacks scattered around.

          “Shall we go then?” Dakho asked, extending a hand to gesture at the road away from the food stalls. Nodding, Jihoon fell into step beside Dakho and allowed the other Bijou to take control of the situation. They exchanged small talk, talking about their families, likes and interests, but avoiding the elephant in the room. There was no mention of the fact that this was set up, or that even though Dakho seemed pleasant, Jihoon was definitely not interested. Dakho was attractive, almost all Bijous were (Bijou did mean ‘jewel’ in the Ancient language), but he was the exact opposite of Jihoon’s type. Dakho was gentle, soft-spoken, and submissive. From the hour or two that Jihoon spent with him, never once did Dakho initiate anything other than small talk. He walked at a safe distance beside Jihoon and immediately changed the topic when Jihoon became hesitant to speak. It was a pleasant experience, a lot better than some of the other werecats Jihoon had been set up with (the last girl had practically thrown herself onto him when they were alone), but Jihoon’s type was more dominant. He liked someone who was strong, someone he could argue with but also learn from.

          Groaning silently as Jihoon and Dakho sat down beside each other, Jihoon watched the other man carefully. Jihoon had been forming a plan in his head now for the past thirty minutes but he needed to be very careful in his execution. He didn’t know what kind of magic Dakho was trained in and if his magic directly conflicted with Jihoon’s, this would end very badly. Jihoon drummed his fingers on the seat, randomly producing a beat and adding his own twist, changing up the rhythm every so often. He suddenly wished that he had brought along his guitar but Jihoon knew that the instrument would have gotten ruined on the trip here. It would have been useful for Jihoon’s spells though, as most of his magic centered around music. Jihoon concentrated, speeding up the beat of his fingers, and waited until Dakho stopped talking and stood up to go look at something. Jihoon waved him off, saying he was tired, and watched as Dakho walked a little distance away. Perfect.

          Jihoon slowed his beat, but the small noise continued. He looked down and saw that he had been successful in his spell. He had projected his magic through the music – Bijous often had to find mediums to create magic, in Jihoon’s case, it was music, but for others it could be speaking, dancing, or even chewing – and the low beat served as the base of his spell. Jihoon had been taught that everyone, no matter the race, used magic differently. In his case, Jihoon created spells like symphonies. The first beat was the base, but he wasted no time in layering it. Softly humming harmonies and melodies, the spell turned more complex, until an entire symphony was playing through Jihoon’s magic. At first, it had taken Jihoon multiple days to create a spell, having to carefully create the correct notes with his guitar, but now, due to endless practice, he could easily create high level spells within minutes. This particular spell however, was something Jihoon used often, so it was finished in a couple seconds. Pushing the spell forward, the tune stretched and drifted through the area. To normal werecats, they’d hear a soft song, and think it was their imagination. To anyone that could detect magic, they’d realize it was a spell, but Jihoon had added a layer of music that would automatically make them think it was a real song. The layer wasn’t perfect, it wouldn’t work against anyone with an affinity higher than the typical Bijou, but Jihoon was betting that there was no other race in the vicinity.

          Standing up, Jihoon watched as the spell reached Dakho. The other Bijou twitched his ears slightly, and looked around in confusion. Holding his breath, Jihoon watched as Dakho’s eyes landed on him. This was the moment of truth. If Dakho was trained in the arts of detection, he’d be screwed. Jihoon specialized in the arts of trickery and sneaking, he had cast an illusion so that he could slip away but leave an image of himself behind. The minute Jihoon managed to get far enough away, he would release the spell and the illusion of him would fade away. Luckily, Dakho seemed to be unaware of the spell and turned back around. Letting out a shaky breath, Jihoon waited a couple more seconds before ducking away. He couldn’t let anyone else see him or else they’d probably report him to his Clan elders. There weren’t a lot of Bijous so almost everyone knew which Clan he belonged to, plus, Dakho had taken them to the busiest part of the festival so many other Clans already knew that Jihoon’s Clan and Dakho’s Clan was in the talk of an alliance. Usually, Jihoon would have added a layer of sneaking in his spell but he had been too anxious to waste the extra time. However, Jihoon was confident in his skills and quickly made it to the edge of the festival (which was a lot easier since he didn’t have Yeri along with him, unlike last time he had to sneak away).

          “Thank goodness,” Jihoon smiled, climbing a tree and looking over the festival. Dakho hadn’t noticed his escape and although Jihoon felt a twinge of pity for the other Bijou, the sense of freedom that came with the forest was much, much stronger. Jihoon loved to travel, to explore at his own will, and although the festival was fun, Jihoon would much rather run through the forest. Turning his back on the other werecats, Jihoon dispelled his magic and began to run through the trees. Relishing the wind running through his hair and enjoying the slightly physical exertion of having to swing through the forest, Jihoon felt his troubles and stress melt away.

           Arriving near the edge of the forest, Jihoon landed on the ground and looked out of the tree line. He observed the large castle that stood a distance from the forest. There were a couple of human workers attending to the gardens around the castle, but there weren’t really any other signs of life. Curious as to who would own such a large establishment near a magic filled forest, Jihoon stepped out of the forest and tried to get a closer look. Watching the many windows, he saw a slight movement and spied a boy around his age, with black hair and watchful eyes, staring back at him. Startled, Jihoon moved back into the forest and watched as the other boy seemed to drop something and race away from the window. Interested, Jihoon prepared himself for another spell. Just because the boy was going to come out and find him, doesn’t mean that Jihoon was going to make it any easier for him. Casting a hiding spell that blended Jihoon into the forest, he crouched behind a bush and waited. Within minutes, he heard the other boy arrive at the forest line. Jihoon smirked as the boy walked farther away from him. Flicking his tail from side to side, Jihoon leaned back and watched as the boy came back. This was definitely more interesting than the festival and, no offense, to Dakho, but this other boy was without doubt his type.

          As Jihoon became lost in his thoughts, he failed to notice the stranger casting a spell until the werecat smelled smoke. Coming to his senses, Jihoon fell back as the smoke surrounded him. He rushed out of the bushes and twisted in the air as the stranger launched himself towards the smaller werecat. Regaining his balance, Jihoon jumped back into the trees and set off, the other boy close behind, and they began their first, out of many, game of tag.

~ ♦ ~

Jihoon’s such a little cutie. His pink hair is adorable and in Mansae he looks like strawberry shaved ice I cannot. I also may have based the werecat society on the Warrior Cat books by Erin Hunter. I loved those books as a child; don’t even get me started that was a dark time. I heard they’re making dog versions of it and I don’t know how I feel about that. Also, if you couldn’t tell from Seungcheol’s chapter, I’m JiCheol trash. I freaking tried to describe Jihoon’s ideal type as Seungcheol. Whoops. Sorry not sorry, they kissed okay. It’s canon. Says me even though I shipped JeongCheol at first.

It was a lot of fun to write Jihoon’s chapter. Maybe because he was my first bias (before Minghao baby stole me away) but I really enjoyed writing his spell casting. Maybe it was cliché for him to make spells like he produces music but I really like to play around with these things (like if a member likes to cook I’ll incorporate it in my story as an Easter egg or something) so *shrugs* don’t get mad at me for it. Speaking of Seventeen’s songs, I’m listening to “Rock” right now and please don’t tell me I’m the only person who had to search up what a ‘gyro drop’ was? It’s a ride in Korea I think, a lot like the Drop Tower in Canada’s Wonderland. But I actually had no clue before.

By the way, to those of you who actually read these, first of all, thanks for listening to me rant about basically nothing aha, and second, would it be helpful if I put up like, a chapter just for the different members and what their race is? 'Cause I feel like it can get kind of confusing since they're all different specices and I actually have a seperate word document myself that categorizes the members so I'm just wondering if you guys want that as well. Up to you though!

Once again, thanks for reading and I do not own anything in this story other than the idea and plot, any similarities to other works of fiction are purely coincidental or have been used as sources of inspiration. Please do not repost this anywhere without my permission; plagiarism isn’t nice!

Hope you’re smiling!

~ alateni