Taekwoon was barely awake, and still rubbing the sleep from his eyes, when Youngmin startled him almost as soon as he walked through the Hunter’s door. “Woonie!” the blonde young man beamed, elbows propped on the desk and eyes crinkled far too delightfully for the literal break of dawn.

                Knowing that meant something was up, Taekwoon paused on the threshold, glanced at the still smiling aqrabuamelu – his evening shift brother had almost the exact same expression, and abruptly turned around. “Nope,” he stated simply.

                Only one foot was on the next step before he jumped again as Youngmin practically appeared behind him. Seriously, for as large as they were in their magical creature form, they could be frighteningly quiet when they wanted to. And they enjoyed such shenanigans on occasion. Like now. “Oh no,” he crooned, deftly grabbing Taekwoon’s shoulders and steering him around with enviable ease. “Newbies don’t get to say no,” he teased, poking at the hunter’s cheek playfully.

                “Ugh…” Taekwoon groaned with a side eyed glare at his companion that was earnest but not particularly cold. It wouldn’t do to piss off one like Youngmin at any time of day.

                “That is always a good look for you. So cold but so cool,” Youngmin laughed, guiding the hunter in front of the desk to put him in place before he swung around and fell back into his sliding chair with gleeful abandon. The wheels rolled as he slid backwards and he propped his feet on the desk in a scene like something you’d see in a movie. “You’ve got a shift switch holdover to check on,” he announced, chewing lightly on his bottom lip.

                “Where?” Taekwoon asked, trying to hurry things along.

                “You’re no fun,” the other man scoffed, sitting upright and shrugging in the next moment. “Probably nothing serious but Jaehwan said he saw something odd in the buffer zone near Haven on the human side. Something about moving shadows but no one’s called anything in so it’s probably nothing too crazy,” he laughed, a reassuring smile on his face.

                “Why didn’t Kyuhyun or Lisa check it out?” Taekwoon wondered, crossing his arms and not even bothering to hide the confusion on his face.

                Youngmin wagged his finger at the question and raised one brow. “Now now. Not your place to wonder about things like that just yet. Suffice to say they had more pressing concerns.”

                Taekwoon took a breath and nodded, schooling his features into a neutral expression. It was unhunterly of him to break the always ready and collected façade but around Youngmin, it was easy. The other man never really minded and actually seemed to enjoy it. “When do I leave?” he asked when he was back in control of his appearance.

                “As soon as you check in with Kevin. Xiumin’s off on another errand right now, following up from last night’s findings,” the secretary shrugged before gesturing at the stairs to the second floor.

                “On it,” he nodded once and turned to begin his task. It really some days to be just out of his training period…

                Kevin was leaning over his desk when Taekwoon entered. His light brown hair was pulled up in a messy ponytail and by the tension in his shoulders, he was thinking hard about something. One hand moved over whatever was on his desk and he muttered under his breath as if he was thinking out loud. “Taekwoon,” he called, other hand swinging out to gesture for the younger hunter to come closer.

                By now, he was no longer surprised about the other hunters’ ability to sense each other when they were nearby. It was just the way things were. He couldn’t do it yet but they assured him it came in time. He figured it had something to do with being modded so many times. “Yes?” he answered immediately, drawing close to see a map and papers of notes scattered on the surface. It was Tradeborough but he also saw Ignis Falls and Wandermoot amidst the pile. His eyes narrowed in thought and then relaxed as the older hunter spoke again.

                “Youngmin probably told you but we’ve got a strange sighting in the buffer zone we need you to check out. Grab your gear and head out first thing,” he murmured, brown eyes still focused on the paperwork. His profile was almost soft with a touch of the feminine, but his tone was anything but.

                “Anything I should be concerned about?” he wondered, already moving to his desk so he could retrieve his Hunter’s pouch and get a refill of the mod serum. Since he was just out of his trainee period and he didn’t have an official donor yet, his samples were standard aqrabuamelu vials for now. Though the creatures themselves were quite powerful, their serums didn’t sync the best with humans which was why trainees got them until they found or were recruited by a higher level donor. Kyuhyun’s donor was an archon and Lisa had managed to attract the attention of a Valkyrie. Xiumin had made friends with one of the local weres, the wolf that most would consider the alpha no less. And Kevin… well he was paired with an incubus. Taekwoon didn’t know who he’d prefer to have as a donor but probably not that one…

                “Not that we’re aware of. Should be an easy run. No complaints, but something odd and since it’s in the buffer zone, we should be the ones to investigate instead of the Peacekeepers,” he shrugged, eyes twitching as he tried to piece things together.

                “Yes, sir,” Taekwoon saluted, the gesture half-hearted. Kevin didn’t say anything. Either because he didn’t see or didn’t bother to respond – probably the latter – but he waved once and went immediately back to his musings.

                “Good luck!” Youngmin grinned with a typical celebrity wave as Taekwoon headed out.

                “You too?” he sent back with a shrug. It made the other man laugh and shake his head.

                “Magic guide you, newbie,” the other man sent earnestly as Taekwoon stepped out.

                On the top step, he shook his head and shrugged. He appreciated the sendoff but it always felt strange. He knew Magic was very much real, or at least had been, but other than the world at large, he’d never personally seen or felt the creative presence. That was probably a good thing though… Most of the time it had shown up, according to history, it had made significant changes to the world. “Okay,” he exhaled, taking a breath and glancing up and down the mostly empty street. The Red District was strangely quiet in the early hours. It was at complete odds with most of the city that literally came to life when the sun rose. Nodding once, he started off at a brisk job to help warm him up on the way to the bus stop.

                It wasn’t an emergency so there was no need for immediate travel and it wasn’t too cold since it was late February, but it would still take him a bit to get to where he needed to go. It was on the other side of the city after all. The bus he hopped on wound its way through the Rainbow District and headed towards the outskirts of Hospitality Haven. Like Tourist Square on the magical creature side, it was a designated safe zone for nonhumans to visit and mingle with a majority of humans. Plenty of Peacekeepers were present in this zone, and one or two nodded in his direction. Hunters didn’t wear uniforms exactly but their gear was basically their badge.

                For those that knew about Hunters, it always earned a second glance, especially among humans. The ones that noticed him in Hospitality Haven immediately became a touch more wary. Taekwoon wasn’t sure if it was an unconscious response, the way that the humans drifted towards each other and away from any noted nonhumans, but it was predictable. Made his travels easier too. He was neither entirely human nor nonhuman so he made both sides a little unsure some days.

                Using his newfound freedom, Taekwoon strode along, wandering towards the buffer zone. Eyes followed him as he went and then dismissed him when it was obvious he wasn’t going to be staying in their area. He noted the signs that demarcated the changing areas and looked ahead to see the human residential and commercial zone about a half a kilometer on the other side. The buffer zone wasn’t empty but it was the last line of safe comingling between humans and nonhumans. Any magical creatures from here needed an to visit those in the human zone. Ironically, at the edge of the buffer zone, there was a barrier that a Mage had established in order to keep out magical creatures that weren’t welcome. As far as he knew, it was literally an amplified threshold binding. Fortunately, hopefully, he wouldn’t have to deal with it today.

                Taekwoon made his way to a quiet spot where the morning sun could warm him on a bench. He sat down and took a breath to listen and feel what was in the area. Though he was nowhere near as sensitive as the other four Hunters, he had been learning to hone this particular ability. It was one of the perks of continued modding in that it made you sensitive to magical creatures. In that, he was actually quite lucky his mission was in the buffer zone today. It was one of the easiest places to find someone that didn’t really belong. He flinched though when he got a much stronger reaction than he thought he would.

                “What the…?” he trailed off as his eyes snapped open and he looked around. It was rather like a punch to his weak senses and all the more unnerving because he couldn’t tell where it had come from. No. Nothing unusual in the immediate vicinity. A couple humans. Definitely a magical creature disguised as a human there, and a couple cyclists going by, but nothing that immediately jumped out at him. “Okay,” he hummed to himself, taking one more look around before he closed his eyes and decided to try again.

                The nervous tension bled from him slowly as the half-expected punch to his awareness didn’t return. Instead, there was a curious emptiness that gradually became full of a… strange sensation. It felt more like that sense of being half awake – there and not. “Huh,” he snorted once, opening his eyes and turning in the direction he felt it coming from. That was worth checking out.

                He stood up with measured grace, trying to act normal. Kyuhyun had warned him he looked too much like a literal hunter when he was tracking something – too focused and tense. For baddies, that was fine when they found them, but for everyday travel, it was not reassuring. He was working on it. For now, he tried to project a calmness he didn’t feel and started walking along the length of the buffer. At least they weren’t located too near the humans. It felt like it was coming from closer to Hospitality Haven actually. Still not indicative of anything but less to worry about when it came to conflicts with humans.

                Ahead, he noticed what appeared to be a strip mall of sorts. They were buildings of mundane existence: food, clothes, general necessities, but spaced apart so that each place had an alleyway between them. Taekwoon slowed and frowned slightly when he approached the last alleyway between a small convenience store and a medicine shop. Nothing looked wrong as he approached but it felt… off. Glancing in the medicine shop, no one was present yet, but the lights were on for the convenience store. He didn’t see anyone acting strange or worried. Taekwoon glanced at his wristwatch and confirmed it was only around seven in the morning. Not many people out and about here at this hour.

               Taking a breath, he moved forward so that he could peer into the alleyway itself. “Oh…” he breathed, frowning as everything felt off and fuzzy. Shadows was right. It was dark anyway because it was between the buildings and the sun hadn’t risen enough to light the space up, but even then… His ears rang preemptively while listening hard and then tensed as something… skittered in the fuzzy shade. Wary and at least a little bit afraid, Taekwoon reached to pull a vial of serum out. The skittering happened again and he thought he heard a quiet hiss this time. “Hello?” he called softly, straining to see something, anything in the gloom.

                Silence greeted him. Taking a breath, Taekwoon edged forward. He shouldn’t use the serum just because he was nervous. Kyuhyun had been adamant about that. It was for actual fighting situations. He wasn’t sure if this was one of them though… He’d never encountered anything that made – he reached out to touch a bit of fuzziness on the wall – webs? The thought made him physically shiver and he froze as the skittering happened again, much too close for his liking. In reaction, he hit the serum vial against his neck and depressed the trigger. The sharp prick of the injection needle faded quickly as time seemed to slow and everything sharpened almost painfully. Dilated eyes darted about quickly and settled on a shadow moving within the darkness, multiple legs shuffling as it skittered again.

                “Ack!” he yelped, springing back and landing in a crouching position, ready to fight the spider thing he knew he’d seen. A genuinely amused laugh stopped him. Heart racing and eyes wide, he turned to look at the man standing directly beside him. “Ack!” he yelped again, nearly falling over save for the reflexes the serum gave him. It drew another amused laugh from the stranger.

                “I was wondering who they’d send to look into this,” he grinned, teeth white in a tanned and open face. Dark eyes danced with mirth beneath wavy brown bangs.

                “Who are you?” Taekwoon asked with still widened eyes, the morning sun almost painful now that he was looking beyond the alleyway.

                The stranger ignored his question. “I take it you’ve never seen an Anansi?” he stated, the words coming out as a question.

                “What?” the hunter blurted in genuine confusion, still caught off guard by the man’s sudden and unexplained appearance and the spider thing in the alley.

                “And this is just a tiny one. A child,” he mused, turning his head to peer into the shadows where the skittering had resumed.

                “A child?” Taekwoon murmured, his heart starting to settle at the thought. With magical creatures, it didn’t mean they were any less dangerous, but children were often innocents. And the sound of the movements had changed. They were nervous or perhaps scared now. Once again, his eyes drifted to the very human looking stranger, but Taekwoon knew he wasn’t. He felt too off.

                “It’s alright,” the stranger crooned, his amused tone shifting to something almost mothering in nature. He stepped into the alleyway and his hand moved. It was then that Taekwoon saw a flash of claws in the dim light, sharp and curved like some kind of very large cat. Some of the fuzziness fell away and revealed a truly unexpected sight. “Hello,” the stranger crooned, squatting so that he was eye to eye with the literal spider girl.

                In her magical creature form, her top half was humanoid and her bottom half resembled a large black spider. All in all, she was the size of a large dog. Her appearance was all the more creepy because she had two primary eyes where a human’s would be, but they were overly large and completely black. Six more smaller ones sat on her temples and dotted her forehead. “An Anansi?” Taekwoon whispered, knowing the name was familiar and realizing he’d seen pictures of adults in his Hunter classes, but they were rare. He’d never actually expected to encounter one.

                “Story tellers,” the stranger smiled, extending his hand towards the girl. “It’s alright,” he promised, completely still as he waited for her to respond. “The Hunter is new but they are good people,” he explained, nodding once in Taekwoon’s direction.

                The hunter stood up and watched, mildly offended by the comment, but more curious than anything. The Anansi girl held her human hands close to her chest but her spider legs crouched down as if she might leap at any moment. opened slightly and lips pulled back to reveal a mouthful of small fangs with her canines resembling more of a vampire’s teeth. She hissed at the stranger and bared her teeth in what was supposed to be a threatening gesture. Whatever she intended, it had the opposite effect on the newcomer. Taekwoon actually felt the low rumbling growl before he heard it and the quiet power that thrummed through him was intimidating to say the least.

                It was a warning sound, nothing more, but the Anansi’s eyes – all of them – grew wide and she shrank down with completely closed. Her spider body nearly touched the ground in what appeared to be complete obeisance when the stranger moved close enough to physically pick her up. She whimpered pitifully and he held her close, letting her wrap all her limbs around his body as she hid her face against his chest. “Just a child,” he reminded Taekwoon as he turned to face the hunter, his arms enfolding the Anansi protectively. He seemed completely unbothered by the fact she was essentially a very large spider child.

                “Ah,” he blinked, remembering to close his mouth only a little belatedly. “Who are you?” he wondered, knowing he was not a human and this was not a standard zone for magical creatures, which left pitifully few options.

                “Hakyeon,” the strange smiled, smoothing the Anansi’s short black hair with a soothing . “Nice to meet you, Taekwoon,” he added, dark eyes rising to meet the Hunter’s.

                “How do you-?”

                “You’ll find out soon enough,” Hakyeon winked, stepping close. “Here, little one. Go to the Hunter,” he crooned, gently pulling at the Anansi around him.

                She shook her head just as Taekwoon stepped back reactively. It earned him a glare with a raised brow that literally froze him in place. Okay. This was definitely a large predator of some kind… “Sure,” he laughed nervously, extending his hands about halfway from his body.

                “I have to go now, but he will take you to a safe place, okay?” Hakyeon spoke, his voice a higher pitch than previously. She whimpered and shook her head again, but he simply smiled in response. “It’s okay. I promise you’ll be fine. You have my word,” he added, offering his pinky finger to her where she would see it.

                Taekwoon watched her look at it, measuring with a gravity that a child should not have, and then accept it gently. “Oh!” he gasped, freezing again when Hakyeon deftly slipped her into his hands and pushed her close so she could wrap all her limbs around him in turn. It was a creepy sensation, not the least of which was because he was not particularly a fan of spiders, but that was beside the point. “She’s not gonna bite me is she?” he couldn’t help but wonder, the sight of her fairly formidable fangs still fresh in his mind.

                “No biting, okay?” Hakyeon urged, patting her on the head until she nodded mutely. “Now as for you, take her to the Crone. She’ll know what to do with her,” he instructed with a wave towards the city.

                “I can’t take her through the city like this!” Taekwoon blurted, flinching when she tightened her hold around him at the sound of his raised voice.

                “Hmm.” The newcomer nodded in agreement and leaned close to whisper, “You need to at least look human for this next bit.” She whined quietly and he shooshed her with a gentle caress against her cheek. “You’ll be alright. Remember? We promised,” he smiled, leaning close so they could look into each other’s eyes. “There’s a good girl,” he beamed, lavishing praise upon her as her magical creature guise disappeared until she looked like a normal human child.

                “Huh,” Taekwoon sighed, realizing this was a new problem, albeit a better one than before.

                Hakyeon laughed and shook his head. “If it’s not one thing, it’s another, young hunter. You have much to learn,” he added, casually slipping out of his thin outer jacket to wrap it around her back until Taekwoon could hold it in place to keep it there. He had nothing but a thin t-shirt on underneath and though it wasn’t entirely form fitting, it was easy to see he had nothing but wiry muscle hidden beneath it. “Now. Off you go. To the Crone,” he instructed, winking and giving them both pats on the head before he turned and started walking away with not a care in the world.

                “Where are you going?” Taekwoon called, frowning at the sudden exit.

                “See you soon, Taekwoon,” the newcomer called back, waving a hand in response as he continued to walk away.

                “Ugh…” the hunter sighed irritably. But he brushed it away as quick as he could when the Anansi in his arms, now looking like just a human child, whimpered again. “Sorry,” he cringed, very conflicted about the whole situation. At least he’d have plenty of time to think about it on his way across the city. Anybody who was anybody in the magical creatures circle knew about the Crone. She ran an orphanage for magical creature children. But there were so many rumors about her and no one either knew or would tell the truth in that regard.

                As Taekwoon got on another bus, in which he earned more strange looks, he ignored them all and went over what he did know. Rumor had it was that the Crone was either several hundred years old or several thousand. A couple even thought she might be as old as some of the original Primes. It depended on who you asked. Some people said she was a vampire while others insisted she had to be something more. And there were those rumors about the Dark Ages too. By some accounts, she had been an absolute butcher in those days. Others said she hadn’t even been around yet and far fewer said she helped orchestrate the peace after the fighting. Almost everything about her was a mystery save for the single undeniable fact that, once she agreed to take care of you, you were her child from that moment on.

                Actually, Xiumin had told him about a story where one of her children had been kidnapped by a Poacher – something about live or fresh ingredients being more profitable. He’d heard it from a previous Hunter and so the tales might have been distorted a bit, but when she found the Poacher, she’d left nothing behind. And she got her child back. So if she did take the Anansi, it was probably one of the safest places in the world for her. “Lucky you,” he mused quietly, glancing down at the top of the black head of hair under his chin.

                Granted, it was hard to reconcile the rumors when you met the Crone in person. It was barely midmorning when they arrived in front of Serenity, the orphanage the Crone ran. Given her reputation, it was almost too mundane to be believable. On the outside, it looked like a large, two story structure that likely had anywhere from fifteen to twenty different rooms – bedrooms, dining rooms, learning rooms, etc. – and what was probably a large backyard that was fenced in like the front but that was impossible to see from here.

                “Let’s see if she’s home,” Taekwoon exhaled, hefting the Anansi in his arms. She was finally starting to get heavy and it would be a relief to hand her off. He rang the doorbell and stepped back to wait. He didn’t hear anything at first and wondered if maybe the button was broken. He stepped forward to try again and then jerked in surprise as the door opened in front of him, revealing what he could only describe immediately as a ruby haired vixen of a woman. She was mostly curves under the gently clinging floor length dress she answered the door in, but her warm face and instantly welcoming voice changed the feel immediately.

                “Oh! What do we have here?” she smiled, leaning forward a touch to subtly sniff the bundle in Taekwoon’s arms. “A Hunter, obviously,” she confirmed in bemusement, casting him a knowing look, but then her warm brown eyes literally danced in amazement and delight as she realized something else. “An Anansi!” she gasped, her beautifully manicured hands reaching gently, motherly, to guide the child to look at her. “There you are, beautiful girl,” she crooned, fingertips brushing at bangs and soft cheeks. “Do you need a home?” she asked, her eyes glimmering with hope as she looked up at Taekwoon and then back at her.

                “I think so,” he admitted, blinking uncertainly as he was confronted with a woman that seemed impossible to compare to the the rumors about her.

                The Anansi didn’t answer verbally but she nodded just enough to give a positive response and the Crone beamed, her smile rivaling the warmth of the sun. “Welcome home, then,” she encouraged, opening her arms to the child. It didn’t take more than a heartbeat for her to slide out of Taekwoon’s arms and into the other woman’s. The jacket fell away and the Crone soothed her, “There, there. You can be yourself here. It’s alright,” she promised, completely accepting, and delighted even, as the child shifted back to her spider girl form.

                “Um…” Taekwoon murmured, raising one hand as if he had a question, but he didn’t know what he’d ask.

                The Crone chuckled and favored him with an understanding smile, her energy partially subdued now that she’d gotten over the initial excitement of her guests. “It’s alright. I’ll handle it from here,” she assured him with a sage nod. “Tell Kyuhyun I’ll be in touch,” she added, moving to step away before she caught a whiff of something that made her pause. She sniffed again as she shifted back towards the jacket, one brow rising. “And Hakyeon,” she snorted, shaking her head. “Not sure why he didn’t come with you. Cad,” she frowned in obvious disappointment. “Either way,” she shrugged, her mercurial mood changing yet again. “Thank you, Hunter, and enjoy the rest of your day,” she winked, closing the door in front of him, but not before he saw a young cat person and a strange cat creature with an elephant like head glaring at him suspiciously.

                “Wow,” Taekwoon grumbled, shaking his head and stepping back. It had already been a day and it wasn’t even – he checked his watch – ten in the morning yet. “Magic help me,” he groaned, leaning down to pick up Hakyeon’s jacket from the ground. Kevin, or Xiumin, or possibly Youngmin, had some explaining to do when he got back to the Hunters’ Quarters. Seriously.

(a/n: Hello and thank you for reading! I do apologize that my updating has been sporadic. Work and life have been challenging to say the least. I am hoping that this year's NaNo will help keep me on track though so wish me luck there! haha If you have any questions or thoughts, please feel free to share them. Otherwise, thank you for taking the time to read and I hope you look forward to the next update!)