Chaeyoung was unlike anything under the morning’s twinkling lights.

It was a few hours past dawn, a couple minutes succeeding the end of their morning patrol, and the matter of a new day was just beginning to click in Tzuyu’s head. Dahyun had left a while ago, escorted by an overly exuberant omega that couldn’t stop yapping about some strange rocks she’d discovered at the river’s shore. When the two were well on their way, Tzuyu heard Chaeyoung snicker and mumble something about blatant lovebirds. The younger forced out a short laugh as the atmosphere shimmered down into a soothing silence that blanketed them both. Chaeyoung pointed her muzzle up to the sky, smoky gray eyes softening in contentment with whatever had caught her attention from above. Tzuyu found herself locked into the older’s face, very conspicuously staring, although Chaeyoung was distracted enough not to notice. Tzuyu cocked her head curiously when a small but bright smile began to emerge from the corners of the medic’s lips.

“Look, there's one that looks like you.” Chaeyoung almost whispered.

Tzuyu raised her own head, peering up at the huddles of cotton candy clouds in the hidden white sky. The younger frowned disappointedly when she couldn’t make out what Chaeyoung had seen. Every cluster looked the same to her—ordinary in their puffy formation with the exception of a few thinly stretched outcasts. Tzuyu gave up pretty quickly, lowering her gaze defeatedly when she could no longer target her supposed cloud version.

But Chaeyoung had been watching her, eyes shining insistently when she patted a paw to a snowy spot next to her. "Come closer."

A beckoning gesture, one that lifted Tzuyu on her feet in the span of one millisecond. The younger plopped down stiffly, ridiculously charmed by the presence of the pondering medic whose wandering eyes returned pointing upward at the scenic sky. Chaeyoung possessed an intense curiosity that she’d never seen before—the kind that seemingly belonged to a mature child, naïve and creative yet capable of possessing a rather extensive comprehension. The natural world had never been of any interest to Tzuyu. The younger knew her place, understood her small existing purpose in the vast encompassing universe around her, and never truly questioned anything else that went on. Half of it was because she didn’t have the energy to bother, the other half being that she never had the time. She’d grown up in the capricious hub of danger, a place so erratic and bustling with activities that halting time to smell the roses seemed suicidal. Everything became a potential threat—a parked car, a one-eyed feline, a flock of young humans, even an inanimate object such as a metal waste bin. The tall containers, Tzuyu had remembered, held an abundance of food but were also infested with raccoons and red-eyed rodents. Especially being the leader of a rugged dog gang at such a young age, she had been challenged by literally everyone on the block. Older canines denied her success for a matter of pure luck and chastised her inexperience brutally until she was no more chief than runt. Every waking moment of her day was some sort of test. She could boast that she’d made it and survived with all her limbs intact, but she could never properly say that she’d lived. But now with Chaeyoung, sitting idly shoulder-to-shoulder and glancing up at the possibly brightest sky they’d seen all season, she was granted a sour, fulfilling taste of living. Tzuyu, although subtly, was starting to gain an awareness of the medic's life. The peacefulness of it made the younger delta realized that she liked it. She liked it very very much.

“Look there.” Came Chaeyoung’s voice, soft in many degrees even in its most commanding form.

Tzuyu glanced up, spotting the slowly drifting clouds again while attempting to follow the older’s eyes. She searched and searched, but her mind could not identify anything among the white puffs that would remotely look like her.

“Do you see it?” She felt the medic’s eyes on the side of her face as hers were still determinedly fixed above.

“No.” Tzuyu huffed dejectedly.

“Well, that’s alright. It passed. We can find another one together.”

“Another one?”

“Yeah, like another animal or something.”

Tzuyu turned her head to be blinded by the most refreshing smile in all 4.5 billion years of Earth’s history. “Sure.”

And Chaeyoung kept the smile, the small mole slightly below her muzzle stretching. “Can you see that bloated one over there?”

Indeed, a very strange adjective to describe a cloud but Tzuyu complied nonetheless. “I can.”

“That’s the body.”

“Body?”

“Yep.”

“Of?”

“The rabbit. Its ears are above.”

Two extending clouds peeked out from the “bloated” one, and Tzuyu tilted her head to better angle the image. It wasn’t bad. The rabbit was a bit deformed on its left side, but she decided to take Chaeyoung’s word for it.

“Lovely, isn’t it?” The medic looked at her.

“It’s making me hungry.” The younger her chops.

“Tzuyu!”

“I’m kidding. It’s lovely.”

Chaeyoung huffed, pulling her lips downward in a dramatic frown but lifting it after a few seconds to flash the younger a small smile.

‘It’s lovely,’ Tzuyu silently thought to herself. ‘But you are much lovelier.’
 

~~~***~~~

She wasn’t even sure why or how long she’d been following the older. She certainly didn’t remember asking permission, though Chaeyoung hadn’t shown any signs of caring at all. Tzuyu only recalled sitting there fretfully when the medic announced that she was going to go gathering again, torn between extending the good company and giving Chaeyoung some space so she wouldn’t seem like a creep. Tzuyu had been interfering with her time a lot. She’d been sleeping over at the medic’s den on late evenings to escape the frost and the day’s weariness. She dug snow shelters on days when the heavy snowfall seemed endless for the two of them to crawl in. It was much more enjoyable to curl up next to Chaeyoung, watching the steady precipitation rather than doing anything else. Come to think of it, she probably had been aligning herself in Chaeyoung’s life way longer than she’d remembered. But it all boiled down to this attraction, this magnetism she had with the older that left her bored and aimless whenever she was not by Chaeyoung’s side. She didn’t know how to describe it, because the feeling of being attracted to the hickory-coated delta was just so different. Tzuyu couldn’t exactly pinpoint specific traits since that would be a crime as the older was so many good things in a neat, small package. Chaeyoung was like a treasure box full of goodies that had been hidden away too long for safekeeping.

Already, before they had even embarked in another outing to gather whatever Chaeyoung felt necessary for the further development of her medic den, Tzuyu had been too dreadfully distracted by the older to even pay attention anymore. Of course, in courtesy of just engaging in the environment, she wasn’t completely unaware, just very very distracted. Prior to growing conscious of this, she had caught herself in a guilty silence when the smaller delta inquired vaguely in a delicate tone about one of their morning patrols. Tzuyu had mentally shunned herself there, blinking excessively to dig her own grave and displaying obvious inattentiveness.

"I don't really remember." Was all that Tzuyu managed to muster out in a brief panic.

Chaeyoung hummed, seemingly not bothered by the delay of the younger's response, and strutted on with her eyes elsewhere. Tzuyu followed, scolding herself to be more alert this time.

"It's alright, you know." The medic mumbled.

"Hmm?"

"It's alright. You don't have to follow me."

"I know."

"Do you?"

"Yes." The answer was affirming and as always, Chaeyoung's expression was inscrutable.

Fascination was the world through Chaeyoung’s eyes. Nothing could falter her quizzical gaze when she sniffed the ground for a fresh scent, not even a rushing beetle who’d come out of hibernation prematurely beneath the snow blanket. The medic had patiently stopped for it—not growling and jumping back defensively as Tzuyu did—courteously waiting for it to fly back into its underground dwelling before moving on. Never once did she glance back at the younger to show off a smirk, which would bestow the intention of teasing Tzuyu’s fright or congratulating herself for being such a brave venturer. She simply moved on, knowingly and calmly under the sudden heat of the midday sun, as if her behavior belonged to a routine of the ordinary. Then, it was time for Tzuyu to unfold some of her own curiosities. They were mostly about Chaeyoung, about the things the medic had seen, about what she wanted to see, and about a strange easiness that she inflicted on the younger without knowing it. Tzuyu kept these questions in her head, of course, because spilling it would be disruptive to Chaeyoung's leisurely mood. She preferred better to tag along, tailing alongside the medic’s rear and letting the older carry her through this forest with secrets Chaeyoung knew by heart. It wasn’t like Tzuyu had never been deep in the grove—her patrols required her to scale every part of their valley—but padding through it with Chaeyoung seemed to enhance all her senses to the maximum.

Before long, their gathering adventure came to an end—Chaeyoung appearing from a fallen log with a mouthful of brown and green roots and herbs. Tzuyu didn't need to ask whether if that was enough or not because she would never care if the medic decided to stay in the grove until midnight. Undoubtedly and surely, the younger would still accompany her in a heartbeat. The sun was piercing through the nest of evergreens from above with enough light that signaled the late noon. Compared to all their past walks, this wasn't unusual in the least.

"Tzuyu." The sound of her name, especially when it came out of Chaeyoung's mouth, snapped her attention back among the trees, sitting on a cool boulder facing the slow breeze.

The first and most obvious thing she noticed was that the bundle of plants was no longer in the older's jaw. Taking its place instead was a blue flower, half covered with snow while the other revealed a dull brownness of its stem. Chaeyoung stepped closer to her, and she got the sense that the flower was meant for her but sat tight to anticipate. Gentle and with surprisingly great precision, the older elevated herself on tippy toes to tuck the flower between Tzuyu's left ear. A fond grin vibrated off her face when she lowered, the depths of her dimples deepened within her cheeks. The warmth in Tzuyu's chest was too overwhelming that it blocked any gracious words that attempted to crawl up . Muted and red with shock, the younger only pulled back her ears to show some sign of gratitude.

"You look very pretty." Chaeyoung complimented.

Tzuyu could have used the opportunity to express some sort of a thank you but overwhelmed with the heat around her face and the drumming of her heart, she settled instinctively for a lighter witticism. "I know, you won't stop staring at me."

That and a roll of her eyes was all it took to transfer the blush on her cheeks to the medic's. Chaeyoung groaned, snatching up the previous pile of herbs before stomping away in the direction of her work den. "I was trying to be nice."

"I'll take half if you want." Tzuyu offered, catching up with the older in a few easy strides of her long legs.

"Don't need." Chaeyoung shook her head, lifting her chin and tail up high in a coquettish manner.

"Are you sure?"

"Yep."

"Why don't you look at me?"

"Don't wanna."

"Really? Was I just a pretty face for one minute?"

"No!" The sharp protest nearly washed Tzuyu's teasing front off, but she caught herself soon enough to continue.

"It's alright. If I'm ugly, you can tell me truthfully."

"You aren't and you know that!"

The younger couldn't help but smirk at the medic's struggle, talking with a mouthful of leaves while being so exceedingly adorable about it. "Then am I pretty?"

Chaeyoung nodded but it did not satisfy Tzuyu. She probed again. "Really?"

The medic knew she was losing it, however, she could not bring herself to deny that Tzuyu was not pretty. If she was going to go down, she might as well do so with honesty. "Yes, yes you are."

Luckily, her sincerity reached the younger, who softened remarkably under the tender truth flowing out of every word. Finally content, Tzuyu let her off the hook for the rest of their trail out of the grove.

~~~***~~~

"Careful." Chaeyoung had warned her, and she knew she should have listened the moment her front legs were placed above the ice.

In a fleeting moment, filled by confidence and a desire to impress, Tzuyu threw everything out the window. It never crossed her mind once that the temperature had been warmer, and that Chaeyoung must have spotted a change within the lake to have said anything at all. She had been rash, acting by her own conceited judgment to discard all the precautions completely. That was bad but new. A wolf like her—a former dog gang leader who knew the risk of letting her guard down all too well—had allowed herself to be reckless for the first time since her puppyhood. Naturally, she did not mind because it was Chaeyoung that made her felt relaxed, but nonetheless, there was an odd feeling that generated from slightly letting loose. But again, she'd chose to discard it. A bad choice in a very bad time, which she realized soon but not fast enough to save her from the disaster that was unfolding quicker than imagined. Before the hunter figured out that she was not in the safest of positions, before Chaeyoung could give her a harsher warning, and before any of them could do anything about it—the ice sheet below Tzuyu's feet collapsed.

She saw a reflection of the sky above them when she sank down. All she ever wanted to do was crack a small hole in the ice so that Chaeyoung could take a drink. She'd offered to do the honor because it was a nice compensation for her teasing the older all the way here. But right at the moment when Chaeyoung could actually rely on her to do something considerate, she forgot that the ice sheet had melted enough to refuse her weight. She didn't think—she just did it. And what she'd done was the worst thing possible, placing half of her whole weight onto the thin ice when the force from one of her paws could have been enough for it to break.

So in she went, floundering aimlessly in the freezing water and kicking her feet in an effort to float upward. An endeavor easier thought of than done, Tzuyu only descended deeper down the lake. It was getting increasingly dark—the only light that shone through came from the hole that she'd shattered. She wanted to work her legs but they would not move, rigid from the coldness wrapping all around her. What had started as a simple accident that precipitated from her carelessness had quickly escalated to a life-threatening situation. Her vision was starting to blur as her eyes stung from the water. She tried to pull herself towards the light-filled opening, but her coat—although partly water-proof—was getting heavier as the water penetrated to her skin. Then, she felt completely breathless. Her body pushed for her to breathe, yet she would not allow it for the threat of cold water filling up her lungs. Things were getting desperate. She paddled with whatever control she had left in her legs, unsure of whether or not they actually obeyed her, or whether or not they were making any progress at all. Tzuyu felt herself dizzying, not that it made any difference since she was already distorted anyway, and gathered all that was left of her focus to the opening above. The single source of light trickling into a pool of cold darkness. Her hope, her holy grail, her—

She didn't know if she should trust her eyes anymore, but she suddenly could not see the bright light. Something was blocking the hole, or at least that was what she assumed before closing her eyes for good. There was no point. She relaxed the muscles constricting her windpipe, submitting herself to the floodgate of coldness as an act of finality.

And yet, even her death was interrupted. Something strong and firm managed to drag her all the way back up to the surface. She remained clueless of everything until she caught the relief of air again with a gasp. She wasn’t aware of how much she was coughing, nor had any idea what strange force was hauling her onto dry ground before her chest ceased its heaving. First came the wondrous whiff of fresh air, then came the sight of an equally drenched Chaeyoung breathing right next to her. Tzuyu’s brain felt numb and half-dead, but it didn’t take a genius to arrange the puzzle pieces and deduct what had happened in the last few minutes.

She hadn’t listened, she fell, she nearly drowned, Chaeyoung dove down, Chaeyoung pulled her up, and Chaeyoung saved her.

Chaeyoung managed to save her.

Tzuyu blinked, soaked and freezing to her bones but not entirely because there was a meek smile appearing on the corners of Chaeyoung’s lips. So, calmly and rather carelessly, they both allowed themselves to laugh. They had plenty of reasons to be worried but all of that—all second thoughts of potentially getting hypothermia right then and there—was thrown away under the ice sheet that they’d just risen from. They were both shivering to the marrow, no doubt, but it was the act of sitting there, staring awkwardly at each other and shivering to death that lifted their spirits in a quite mortifying way. Soon enough, someone managed to spot them out, an urgent howl in the distance reporting to the rest of the pack that some potentially perilous predicament had happened. Even when she couldn’t hear anything, ears clogged and frozen with icy water, Tzuyu identified that it was Jeongyeon’s voice. Chaeyoung must have heard it too because she stopped laughing, eyes narrowing as she forced herself on her paws. The younger followed although it did spark a slight disappointment in her. ‘But the grip on life is more important’, she told herself, 'Or at least, it should be.'

Jeongyeon arrived in great hurried sprints, spattering snow to fly in all directions around her as she practically slid down to the lower valley. It was quite impressive that she was able to spot them from such a height gap between the two valleys. Chaeyoung had been the one to explain when Jeongyeon approached. The black-and-white beta kept her cool even with an obvious amount of concern highlighting her face. She instructed the two to shake themselves off as much as possible, then to follow her towards the main den. The trip heading back wasn’t fun. Wind ripped across their damp fur and easily penetrated their skins. Jeongyeon, who had been carrying the collected herbs out of courtesy, prompted them to stay inside while she dropped the bundle off at the medic’s den. Even inside, comforted with the soft lining of the den’s floor arranged by Sana, the two were quaking uncontrollably. They naturally sank into a corner of the den, sides pressed into one another for warmth.

It was there, drowned in the tranquil silence, that Chaeyoung began to laugh again. Cold and miserable, Tzuyu didn’t think twice before joining her. Their soft mixed chuckles filled the air, and it wasn’t before long that a pent up curiosity within the younger delta slipped out. “Why did you do that?”

“Why did I do what?” One of Chaeyoung's ear twitched.

“Went down the ice for me. Why did you do that?”

“You expect me to stay there and watch you drown?” Tzuyu shrugged. Chaeyoung’s gray eyes locked with hers but the older’s gaze was tender, not dour like she’d expected. “I was a little surprised that you didn’t know how to swim.”

“City life never demanded it.”

“Well, I guess that is reasonable.”

“All I ever knew how to do was fight.” Tzuyu lowered her head and dropped her eyes to inspect her paws. “Never knew anything else until I got here.”

“Doesn’t mean you can’t start learning.”

“I know. You taught me a lot, Chaengie.”

“Me?!” Chaeyoung staggered back, disbelieving.

“Yes.” Tzuyu held her claim determinately through their locked eye-contact.

“But I’m just…I don’t do anything.”

“You’re Chaeyoung who does things exclusive to Chaeyoung, and the Chaeyoung I know loves knowledge. She pursues it until the end, never giving up when things get to her. She puts herself up to everything and always loves whatever she’s doing. I think I’m starting to love that too—learning with her and learning about her.”

It didn’t take long for Chaeyoung to warm up, for her face was a scorching red when Tzuyu finished offering her two-cents. was half-open. She blinked hard as if waiting for the younger to take back everything she just said—especially that last part—but nothing happened. Tzuyu matched her doubtful gaze with confidence, maintaining it long enough for the medic to sigh. It was nothing bad because Chaeyoung closed their distance even further, straining her whole neck to reach up and lay her chin on the top of Tzuyu's head. The younger leaned down and allowed her, knowing it would make both of them a little more at ease. She nuzzled gently into Chaeyoung’s neck, a gesture—the first one she had ever given and to the only wolf she would ever give it to—of pure affection.

The medic breathed into her ears, whispering words too soft for Tzuyu’s heart to not twist by them. “Why me?”

“Why not?” Tzuyu chuckled, apparently Chaeyoung had been reading her mind all along.

“What’s so special about me?”

“Everything.”

“Liar.”

"Well, did you lie when you called me pretty?"

"No."

"Then, why would I lie about that?"

"I don't know." Being pressed near the center of Chaeyoung's chest, Tzuyu heard her heart wreaking havoc. "It's a little sudden, that's all."

"Oh, don't act like I never gave you any hints."

Tzuyu had definitely been bolder than the average wolf, so that was an undeniable fact. "I don't know."

"So, you're doubting me."

"No, I—"

“If you don’t love me back, Chaengie, that’s fine, you can just say that.” Tzuyu pouted and took up a whiny voice.

Chaeyoung beamed, clear and genuine. “Oh, I wish I didn’t."

AN: chaeng has dimples n mole bc i CANT HELP IT
her mole is like the ones on german shepherds, like that lil black spot on their cheek
anyways
a cozy n soft chap for the end of winter