“I get that you can swim, Chaeyoung, but…” Jihyo looked Tzuyu over from head to toe, forehead wrinkling from intense contemplation. “How exactly did you manage to save her?”

The rest of the pack, gathering around for the late evening, shared a similar expression. Chaeyoung shrugged and looked up at the den’s ceiling as if she was pondering about it herself. Among them, Dahyun seemed to be the only one least surprised about the entire episode. The third youngest of their pack raised a paw and apprised matter-of-factly, “Chaeng may be small but she has crazy muscle strength.”

“I do?” Chaeyoung blinked.

“Remember that one time when you dragged a whole log out of the forest and threw it across a creek so that I wouldn’t have to get my injured paw wet?”

“Oh.”

Nayeon suddenly shot up, disbelief evident on her face. “But this is Tzuyu! She’s the size of Jeongyeon.”

“Well, Chaeyoung turns into some deity in dangerous situations,” Dahyun laughed.

“I found them alone, both soaking. Since Tzuyu can’t swim, I don’t think anyone else could have done it.” Jeongyeon joined in. She was seated on the right side of Chaeyoung while the medic’s left was occupied by Tzuyu. Nestled in the middle of them, the smaller delta was comforted with a lot of circulating warmth, however, she was frowning at how towering their heights were compared to hers.

~~~***~~~

That night, despite still shivering a great deal, Chaeyoung slept soundly between Jeongyeon and Tzuyu. There was an obvious shift in temperature as the furious midnight wind disappeared to be replaced with a much softer breeze. Nayeon was thankful for that because she couldn’t sleep that night and would much rather go outside than shuffling restlessly in the den. She gravitated immediately to the top of her favorite rock, which was situated a few feet away from the entrance of the cavern. Habitually, she crossed her front paws right after lying down. Her eyes moved to the twinkling sky and soon enough, she was mesmerized by the limitless galaxy above. A nostalgic feeling hit her abruptly, but she did not reject it for she was sure that her mind had missed it just as much as her heart. She had been here way too many times before. Through all those countless sleepless nights, she’d discovered that stargazing was the only remedy. The stars provided her a safe haven, and she admired their invincibility since nothing could seem to reach or touch them. Amidst their glowing presence, the boundless world with all its possibilities and enthralling prophecies became apparent to her. She inhaled a sharp whiff of the night air and closed her eyes, allowing herself to be transported back to a moment in time. Slowly but surely, she was drifting home.

\\\*///

The cool gales were fanning her face and ruffling her fur. Before her, the sea spanned breathtakingly in several majestic shades of blue. She was looking at it then—and still would have looked at it now—with a fiery curiosity that beat soundly in the depth of her heart. A moment of fleeting skepticism went by, then came the grand epiphany. She felt the roaring waves crashing in on her despite being a whole yard up the shore. In that brief moment of impact, the restlessness of the tides hypnotized her. Boiling within her were every passion that had marked her youth, all seemingly on the verge of exploding now. She felt like swimming but had never set foot in the ocean before. In fact, she was forbidden to even go near the shoreline. The borders were, of course, invisible but her callow fear of the unknown had always kept her from daring to cross them. Now, every last ounce of such hesitation was gone. She begged for it to come back but could find nothing aside from the dying urge to step into the water. Her legs were involuntarily inching closer as if possessed. She trotted down the coast until the wet sand underneath her paws halted her. It was a new feeling but a very good one nevertheless. Another foamy, white wave rolled in and she stared at it with bright eyes. The water tickled at her toes, an alluring invitation that dared her further down the waterline. Even if she tried, she was too speechless to describe the feeling of cold water embracing her up to the neck. All she knew was that her legs began paddling on their own accord once contact with the ground was lost. The waves her chin and despite drifting slowly into the uncharted sea of blue, she closed her eyes with tranquility.

Peace was hard to find but alas, it did not last long.

A sharp tug from the back of her neck hurled her back into the gritty sand, and she instinctively grimaced from the shock. She opened her eyes to find her father’s face peering down, looking almost foreign with the way he scrunched up in a petrified expression. His usual calmness had abandoned him as he shouted phrases that sounded muffled to her ears. She took the initiative to get up and shook herself. When he asked if she was alright, her answer came as a delayed dip of the head. Physically, yes, she was fine. Inwardly, however, a void had opened up and threatened to swallow her whole. The other seawolves began gathering on the beach to witness the commotion. They stared at her as if they’d seen an alien and perhaps to them, she was. Her focus shifted to her father’s eyes—originally a vibrant gold that she’d inherited—noticing how the years had turned them into a dull pale yellow. His whiskers were droopy and the color of his fur was fading into a plain white. None of this truly reflected his age for he was still quite young. While she would never know nor understand the cause of his debility, it pained her terribly. Fortunately, she didn’t have time to dwell on the feeling as he scooped her head into his chest.

“Don’t leave,” he chanted in broken whispers. She remained there, trying her very best to block out the sound of the ocean with his voice.

One week later, the weakness finally caught up to him. He coughed himself to death. She was there to witness the entire thing from the moment his legs gave out to his gradual descend towards asphyxiation. The den reeked with death and she couldn’t handle it any longer. There was no need to mourn him when she’d been doing that for years. Somehow, even through the immaturity of her young age, she sensed his impending fate. The pressures of life were never easy on a single parent. There were times that she pitied him greatly. The other males would sneer every time he came by. Several bachelorettes would come by their den daily, convincing him to move on and start a new life with them instead. He would always refuse, reasoning that he couldn’t for the sake of his “Little Nayeon” to which they would laugh at. His company was mostly reserved for her. She used to not question it until she saw the sadness growing in him as the days passed. Maybe, he knew that he had to make good use of his remaining time. Maybe, he feared something much greater than death—something like leaving his only surviving pup unprotected and not fulfilling the sacred promise to his dead mate. Nayeon stayed for him as he did for her. She heeded his words and avoided the sea for him. But now, there was nothing stopping her. The ocean—her freedom from this death-plagued, cursed island—was crying out her name.

\\\*///

“Nayeon.”

Her eyes shot open to find Jeongyeon gazing at her curiously.

“Jeongyeon.” Nayeon blinked.

“What are you doing out here?” The younger stepped nearer to the rock.

“I couldn’t sleep.”

“Is it because we’re snoring like pigs?”

“No,” Nayeon lightly chuckled, “I just can’t sleep.”

“Something keeping you up?” Jeongyeon climbed onto the rock and sat down next to her.

“Maybe,” Nayeon hummed with a half-shrug. “Why are you still up?”

“Well, something’s occupying my mind too.”

“You know, it’s ok that Mina likes Jihyo more than you.”

“I’m not thinking about that!”

Nayeon smirked cheekily. “But you’re still very bitter about it.”

“I don’t care who Mina chooses for a tag team partner.” Jeongyeon huffed.

“Whatever you say.”

“What are you doing out here anyway? I thought you complained earlier that it was cold.”

“It is cold. I just wanted to stare at the sky for a while.”

“Wishing on a shooting star or something?” The younger chaffed.

“Nope, nothing special. Just you and me in the moonlight.”

“It’s freeing, isn’t it?” Jeongyeon lowered on her belly and glanced upward. “Back in the forest, the trees blocked out most of the sky. I never realized how huge it was until I left.”

“That’s the same with the ocean.” Nayeon nodded.

“I’ve never seen the ocean.”

“Never?”

“Never.”

“Well, it’s also vast and blue like the sky except you can actually be in it.”

“I don’t know if that’s more or less scary.”

“Oh, definitely much more.”

“I’m guessing you’ve been in it before? Aren’t you a seawolf?” Nayeon nodded and Jeongyeon continued, “I’ve only ever heard of them in legends and myths.”

“Guess, I’m mythical then.”

“In the best way possible.” Jeongyeon beamed at her.

“Trust me, other wolves usually get freaked out when I tell them I come from a remote island in the ocean.”

“So, you literally swam all the way here?”

“For about four days, yeah. I rested on rocks along the way. I honestly have no idea how I made it. Everything looks the same when you’re at sea but you’re still aware that you can get someplace, so you keep going. If you’re lucky and actually got somewhere, you’ll feel that the trip was worth it.”

“I suppose the trip was worth it to you?”

“I feel that way now but not always. That’s why I traveled all over once I reached land, to remind myself that it was worth it.”

“I thought you simply just had it in you, an interest to explore the world.”

“I did very much.”

“Did?”

“We are prone to take on options that used to be foreign to us and see what we can make with them. For a time, exploration was what I wanted. It was what I needed so naturally, I pursued it. But there were days, although very few, where the sky seemed so big that it engulfed me. I questioned whether or not I had a place in it. It got worse every winter. I would have somewhere to stay and receive friendly company but once the weather warmed up, it was back on the run. I had no idea what I was searching for. Some nights, I would look for myself in the sky, wondering if my star was aligned in a cluster or stood alone.”

The words felt heavy in the thin air. Coldness made them heavier.

The two did not look at each other, but perhaps they didn’t need to in order to share the same feeling. The words were heavy enough to lodge a crater within the atmosphere. The betas fell silent as if they’d both heard the impact. Something was seeping out of that crack and none of them had a clue whether it was bad or good, but they felt no need to suppress it from escaping.

“What do you think?” Jeongyeon whispered into the silence.

“I don’t know,” Nayeon reply in a matching murmur, shaking her head.

“Has this winter been as bad as all the others?”

The older widened her eyes as if someone had struck a nail on her head. She glanced at Jeongyeon, speechless as she tried to find the intention behind the question but was left empty-handed. She decided to be honest. “No, this was the best and worst winter I’ve possibly ever been through.”

“I would have to personally agree.”

“Really? Finding a dying stranger in the middle of the woods didn’t ruin your winter?”

Jeongyeon snorted but smiled warmly at her. “God, I cannot imagine anyone else trying to save you.”

“So no regrets?”

“Well...” Jeongyeon trailed off teasingly while Nayeon pouted. There was no way she could deny the older’s adorableness now. “No, none whatsoever. It may have been the best thing I ever did.”

“Serious serious?”

“What I would regret is not saving a great wolf.”

Nayeon’s ears retreated behind her head and redness spread across her cheeks. Jeongyeon saw it, was quite surprised, and cleared to distract herself. But when she really thought about it, there was one thing that just refused to get out of her head.

That really could’ve been the end of Nayeon.

She tried not to dwell on the topic because she wouldn’t be able to handle the torrents of emotion that came with it, but shoving the idea to the back of her head felt even worse. Either way, pain was inevitable and so she submitted to it.

Questions were flowing out of her mind as if a floodgate had been lifted without warning. ‘What would happen? Who would’ve found Nayeon instead? What would they do? Would she even be found? Would she disappear as another tragedy in this struggle for survival? More importantly, where would I be right now if not here?’

There was a moment of crushing agony when the older managed to catch her eyes again. Jeongyeon tried her best to block out the dark thoughts. She couldn’t do this now, not when Nayeon was staring at her like she was the best thing that ever happened to her. This was bad, bad, bad, bad.

Fear caught up to her in the end.

In a flashing minute, Jeongyeon saw the color drained out of those sparkling golden eyes. She saw Nayeon as she did on that fateful day—sprawled out on the snow, her ribcage visible from starvation, helpless, bloodied, and stiffly frozen. She thought about what would’ve happened if she hadn’t come across the sight. Jeongyeon would have never debated the precautions of taking in a stranger. She wouldn’t have hunt a second time that day. She wouldn’t have to carry anyone the following morning either. Then, no one would’ve chased after her and insisted that she stay with the most awkwardly cute and flustered expression ever. No one would entertain her about things she never thought about. No one would charm her. No one would kick her in the middle of the night and bark absolute nonsense into her ears. No one would need her protection to ward off the bad dreams every night. No one would have needed her.

A series of spasms in Jeongyeon’s muscles brought her on her paws, sent her front legs around Nayeon’s neck, and directed the rest of her body to clash down on the older in a desperate tackle hug.

“Jeongyeon?” She could only hear the shock from Nayeon’s shaken voice.

But she refused to let go, instead, she held on tighter and buried her face in the older’s neck fur. Jeongyeon took in Nayeon’s sweet scent, the warmth of her body, the softness of her neck, and the rhythmic beating in her chest. Nayeon was alive, fully, and she had been there to guarantee that.

Jeongyeon felt some pressure on her cheeks and realized that her face was being lifted up. Golden eyes, full of life and blinding in vibrancy, stared straight at her. “What is it?”

“You’re alive.” She didn’t expect Nayeon to get it instantly but as always, the older’s eyes softened to show that she did.

“I’m here,” Nayeon confirmed. She moved forward until her nose brushed against Jeongyeon’s and the younger’s snout. “I’m here because of you.”

Jeongyeon ended up giggling messily between tears.

“You’re so embarrassing,” Nayeon teased cheekily, pure affection radiating from her eyes.

“I literally just imagined that you died,” the younger whined.

“My dear, dear Jeongyeon.” Nayeon grabbed her by the neck and pulled them back into the embrace from earlier.

“I used to be very lonely and didn’t want to leave the forest because of that. The trees gave me comfort. Loneliness amplifies when you’re in empty open space,” Jeongyeon said between sniffles.

“So, I guess I’m more comforting than an entire forest?”

The lighthearted comment made the younger beta chuckled. “Yes, and I fancy you for that.”

“I’m swooned.” Nayeon moved to her cheek. “Thank you for everything, Jeongyeon.”

Perhaps, their stars were aligned after all.

~~~***~~~

Momo glanced down at the icy surface of the pond, studying her reflection with a frown. She had gotten way past the point of anger. Instead, she was more devastated and exhausted than ever. As the days grew a little longer and warmer, so did her training with Mina. The point of the session was to exercise the younger’s physical abilities and worn her out so that she could build endurance. But more and more, Momo began to realize that she was drained the most after each activity. She didn’t mind it too much, even if it was very uncomfortable to be panting out of her mind at the end of it all. The truth—which she would never dare disclose to anyone—was that she had grown to tolerate, and at times enjoy, Mina’s company. Once in a while, she would feel a bit of pride swelling up her chest whenever the gamma successfully used a technique that they’d established together. It was strange but Momo accepted it as another aspect of being a mentor.

Then, there were times when she simply just wanted to die. Rough moments in her career as the lead hunter where the only possible way to escape total humiliation was to end it all. These mostly occurred during their virtual fighting training where Mina was obligated to literally take her down. And oh, she was taken down entirely almost every time. If that wasn’t bad enough, Mina found more ways to further annoy her. The younger would immediately bend down after her victory to check over Momo’s condition, helped her mentor up, and simply wouldn’t stop staring at the very embarrassed alpha until she was fully assured that everything was fine. When Momo did get hurt, typically it was because she’d pushed herself too hard, Mina would attempt to soothe the pain with the soft front of her paw. Nothing would make Momo feel worse than that. It wasn’t because she was in pain, but because Mina was effectively doing everything to make her feel better. The gamma would have this gentle worried look in her eyes that held the power to absolutely wreck her. Momo was the type of wolf that could ignore most of her feelings, but things like this were a little too much sometimes.

She had chosen to retreat to her favorite spot at the pond on a remote rock. She stretched with a yawn and turned to her left side to sleep. Today, there had been no training session so she had gratefully taken the occasion to rest. But before she could close her eyelids, an unexpected voice interrupted her peace.

“Momorin.”

The bluescale alpha snapped up from her position, eyes narrowing at the soft tone and the nickname. “Mina?”

The tundra-coated gamma trotted up to the pond, breaking a hole in a section of soft ice. From afar, Momo could smell the sweat coming off her. Mina dunked her head to lap hurriedly at the cold water. She peered up when she was done, amethyst eyes glowing gently in her mentor’s direction. “Sorry to disturb you.”

Indeed, she had disturbed Momo’s peace but the alpha didn’t really want to say that. It was always a battle between her mind and heart when it came to Mina. Weeks prior, she would never care what the younger thought of her. But now, something was forcing her to return some of Mina’s ridiculous politeness.

“No, I wasn’t going to sleep anyway.” A blatant lie but it would have to do for now.

“I see you hanging out here a lot.”

Momo stared at her, not knowing what to make of that observation. “Do you?”

“Yes. I don’t think it’s anything bad. It’s cool that you have your little hideout.”

“I wouldn’t call it a hideout.” Momo forced a laugh.

“You get what I mean.”

The alpha hummed. “I see you’ve been working out this morning, even without the training session.”

Mina meekly smiled, her gums showing as apart of her charm point. “I’m just fooling around at the den.”

“Hope you hadn’t gotten too overwhelmed. Nayeon, Jeongyeon, and Jihyo are pretty into those games. They can get pretty competitive.”

“Oh, I’ve seen. They’re crazy about it but it’s bearable.” Mina sat down by the bank, appearing to be in deep thought about something before turning back to the older. “You used to play with them?”

“Sometimes, yeah, Sana would make me join. It was back when we used to travel a lot. If we weren’t out chasing rabbits, we were sure to be chasing each other.”

“You’ve known them for some time, didn’t you?”

“I suppose.” Momo shrugged.

“Why don’t you play anymore?”

“I rather reserve energy for the hunt.”

“We’ve added a team feature now. I’m sure it’s much more fun than before.”

“Are you having fun?”

“Absolutely.”

“They seem to like you, huh?”

Mina tilted her head at the alpha. “Do they?”

“Yep,” Momo answered in her usual monotone fashion.

There was a pause, a very uncomfortable one that left her a little shaken emotionally. Mina was staring at her with that thoughtful expression again. No words were exchanged between them, but Momo could almost swear that the gamma’s eyes were covertly asking her, “Do you?” And in all honesty, she was glad that Mina did not ask it aloud, for she would have no idea how to properly answer it. She wasn’t sure how she felt about the gamma. Of course, she didn’t hate her the way she did before Then again, she had no intention of letting Mina in closer than where they were now.

Momo cleared as an act to save them from the stiff tension. “Well, if they have you they’ll be fine.”

“Oh, I’m sure they would want to play with you too.” Mina was at it again, being extremely nice and assuring.

“No, I think I’m good.”

“Are you sure? You never know if you don’t try.” Something was off here. Momo felt her nerves jiggling and apprehension creeping up her spine. Even stranger, Mina pulled her ears back and stared at the ground. “Jihyo’s out building more tunnels, so I’m kinda in need of a new partner.”

Momo’s eyes widened slightly. She gulped uneasily. “Sana’s not in?”

“She is but she’s teaming up with Dahyun. Chaeyoung and Tzuyu are at the medic’s den.”

“Oh.”

Mina was acting strange. As the most reserved wolf in their pack, Momo had never imagined holding a conversation with the younger for more than two minutes. In fact, this was probably the longest and most genuine talk they ever had. The alpha was a little perplexed as to why Mina was beckoning her to join the game. The gamma had never openly begged nor complained about anything.

“Though, it’s alright if you don’t want to! You deserve to rest.”

“No, no.” Momo could hardly stop herself. “I’ll join.”

“Really?” Mina’s face lightened up immediately.

“Yes.”

Momo didn’t know when she’d grown this much tolerant of Mina. She thought she was going nuts when they arrived on the game field together. The rest of the players certainly thought so. It must be super serious for their lead hunter to partake in the match, and so everyone toughened themselves up for a challenge as they received the new pair. And oh, the powerful duo didn’t disappoint. Mina and Momo were never off beat, often accumulating some of their training tactics into diverting the taggers or cornering their targets. The only wolf who’d ever managed to tackle the bluescale alpha was Sana, unsurprisingly because the omega knew of an extremely ticklish spot under her shoulder. But nevertheless, Momo came out of the game with lolling tongue and a bright grin. was dry from laughter and quite frankly, she believed she’d laughed more in one match of tag than she ever did her entire life. It was a blast and even Momo’s stoic nature had to admit that. She was barely paying attention when Nayeon announced the winners—the hunters’ names no doubt—because Mina shot her a spellbinding wink that nearly blinded her.

Momo was going to lose her mind.

AN: I am alive

I want to say sorry for the delay but there has been like 20 delays sgdjhkjasdhhb

I wasn’t planning to add more 2yeon but I felt that their relationship was still a little dry

Nayeon’s history needed to be a bit clearer too

3 song references n I’m VERY proud of myself for it

Fun fact: I was inspired to write Frost after rereading White Fang (London’s writing is a gem)

Also, a weird thing but, I’m sorry that the spacing always looks outrageous n annoying

I write in Docs n am vry lazy to convert it to HTML or other text editors ;P