Heechul walked into the house and was confronted with the strangest sound: Silence. Having a toddler meant that he normally came home to happy squealing or sometimes even puppy barking if Daesung had shifted. But, there was no sign of the lively little alpha anywhere. Frowning, the delta moved through the different rooms, searching for the four-year-old. “Geng?” he finally called, unable to locate the little pup.

Coming out from the kitchen, his omega mate smiled and moved to steal a kiss. “Mm?” he hummed, tucking his arms around Heechul’s waist.

“Where’s Daesung?”

Within moments, the pair were frantically searching the area for their child. HanGeng took to the streets, checking the nearby houses, while Heechul checked the garden. Daesung’s scent was clear in the air, but because it was so close to where the family lived it was difficult to locate which scent trail was the freshest. Going to the alpha, the pair begged for his help in finding the alpha puppy, and soon an entire contingent of wolves were scouring the valley for the child. One of the best hunters, Eric, let out a howl: He had found the trail. Little Daesung, ever an adventurous little puppy, had apparently gone wandering into the large forest that ringed the southern end of the valley. Following his trail, the pack soon found him fast asleep under one of the large pine trees in the darker part of the forest. But, he was not alone.

Daesung had his tiny arms curled around the too thin waist of another: A rabbit, by the scent of him. Shifting from his wolf form, Heechul slowly approached the sleeping pair. The child next to Daesung bore an almost uncanny resemblance to him – they could easily be related but for the difference in their species. Hearing his parents approach, Daesung opened his eyes and gave them a sleepy smile, eyes crinkling into happy crescents. “Bao,” he cooed, wriggling in the pine needles and moss at the base of the tree. “I got lost.”

“Baby, why did you leave the house?” Heechul asked, just biting back the scolding that wanted to drip off his tongue. “You know you’re not allowed in the forest on your own.”

Carefully pushing himself upright, the puppy disentangled himself from the bunny and toddled over to fall into Heechul’s arms. HanGeng brushed a hand over Daesung’s soft hair as the little alpha sighed. “I saw a squirrel and I had to chase it and I didn’t notice where it was going until I didn’t know where I was,” he admitted, his tiny voice sad.

“And then you met your little friend?” HanGeng guessed. By this time, the bunny was at last coming awake. He blinked up at the gathered wolves in confusion before he suddenly realized he was completely surrounded by predators. Squeaking in distress, he tried to scramble practically into the trunk of the tree.

“It’s okay, Jinki,” Daesung called, waving a hand to him. “This is my pack. Bao and Kei, this is Jinki. He told me I should stay still and wait for you to find me.”

HanGeng smiled softly at Jinki and moved to crouch beside Heechul – making everyone closer to the same height. “Thank you for helping our Daesung, Jinki. That was very smart of you. How did you know to tell him to do that?”

The little rabbit shuffled his feet and tucked his hands up beneath his chin. “Because,” he hemmed, rocking back and forth, “my Kei told me if I ever got lost I should just sit and wait for her to find me.” He stared down at the forest floor, unable to meet HanGeng’s eyes.

“And where is your Kei? And your family? Do they have a den near here?” The wolves kept relatively close tabs on what sorts of shifters lived within their territory, and he could not recall any rabbits on this side of the valley. In fact, the only den he could think of was closer to the lake off to the east. The valley was largely run by the wolves with deer and elk at the fringes – buffalo to the northeast and bears to the northwest.

“I’m waiting for them to find me,” the little bunny said simply.

Taking in the sight of Jinki’s thin little body and the dirt coating his skin, Heechul frowned. “Geng..” The pair exchanged a loaded look. “Jinki, how long have you been waiting?”

A sigh whistled through the bunny’s teeth. “I dunno. I lost count of how many days, because I can only count to four.”

HanGeng looked over his shoulder to meet the gaze of the pack leader, who nodded. Going over to Jinki, HanGeng smiled softly. “Well, I have an idea. Why don’t you come home with us – for now – and we’ll leave a message here for your family so they know where you’ve gone. And we’ll make sure it’s fresh for as long as it takes. Would that be alright, Jinki? We can feed you dinner and put you in fresh clothes and make sure you were warm and safe.”

Tipping his head back, Jinki finally looked at HanGeng. “And you would make sure they knew where I went? Kei would be mad if I didn’t wait.”

“I promise,” HanGeng said, his voice thick and heavy, “we’ll let them know where to find you.”

Jinki looked over at Daesung. “If I go… do I get to play with Dae some more?”

Heechul nodded. “Of course, baby. You two could play together all you want. You’d be living with us…until your family comes for you.”

A wide, toothy grin broke out across Jinki’s face. “Okay!” Happily darting forward, the little rabbit slipped his hand into HanGeng’s and gave it a tiny, shy swing. “Dae told me about his toys and his pretty Bao and his pretty Kei and the valley. I wanted to see them so bad.”

“Well, I’m sure Dae will love to show you his toys. And the valley.” HanGeng carefully moved to pick the little bunny up, resting him on his hip. “You already got to see his gorgeous Bao.” A slight twist of HanGeng’s lips hinted at a smile.

The little bunny giggled. “Yep.” Trusting the wolf, Jinki tucked his head in against the omega’s collarbones and sighed happily. “Mm. You’re warm.”

Scooping up Daesung, Heechul moved to stand beside his mate. “Why don’t we get these two home and into a bath?” He sighed. “Then I have a feeling we’re going to need to make a lot for dinner. Poor thing doesn’t look like he’s eaten in weeks.”

Turning, the pair started back towards their home – the rest of the wolves moving around them in a comfortable ring. That day was the first time a non-wolf joined the pack, but it certainly was not the last. Eventually there would be Jaejoong the mountain lion, Taemin the buck, and even an eagle. But Jinki… Jinki was special. HanGeng went out every week to the pine tree where they had found the little bunny and rubbed Jinki’s scent onto the wood – for years. Until, when he was old enough, Jinki finally had his family help him build a cabin under the boughs of the pines, a little den where he could wait…just in case his bunny family came looking for him. But, Jinki returned to the valley every day – to his Bao, his Kei, to Daesung and all their other little siblings as they were born. He had become as much a part of the pack as the mountains and the Sulphur and the moon itself. Because home and family were not a place or blood; home was safety, laughter, and someone to love.

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It's not super great...but it's a thing and it is finished? That's something, right? I figured this would be just a fun snippet so you'd know more about the Jinki bunny when he comes hopping into the story. Which, come to think of it, he should appear in about two chapters. Woo! Also, sorry for the fact this is entirely unedited... I wrote it quickly before heading to bed so I wouldn't forget the story of how they met.