just in case you guys wanted to know what runs through my head when i think of puppy wannie. she has big puppy energy all the time but particularly in these lol. it's not fair.

ho ho ho it's store brand santa here to gift you another chapter in a day.

sorry, this chapter is a doozy. it's also in many sections, so sorry if it's confusing. i kinda wanted to make it like an action movie. haha.

enjoy!

... ...

The room lapsed into a dreadful silence as Joohyun was transfixed by the red pin unsettlingly close to the outskirts of town. She could just about marry the three girls who’d taken it upon themselves to track her precious Seungwan down, but something about where that pin landed on the map caused an uncomfortable bubbling inside her. The way it was settled on the outskirts of town left a sour taste in .
 

It just didn’t sit well.
 

And right now she was wracking her brains as to why.
 

Yerim’s exhilaration had drowned into something of a muffled hum as the realisation kicked in. That’s what that was. It was an awful, seedy part of town. Notorious for its unexplained disappearances and pertaining to several of the more recent hybrid kidnappings. It was so untraceable that the authorities were never able to find leads of any kind.
 

“What’s the time stamp on this?”
 

Joohyun’s sharp question sliced through the beginnings of happiness. Yerim looked up at her as Seulgi prodded the screen in search. Joohyun anxiously scrunched the thin material of her trousers at the knee, as it began to bob up and down impatiently, making Seulgi focus even harder.
 

“Uh… it was recorded about 10 minutes ago… why?”
 

Thank god. There was still time. She still had a chance.
 

Oh god no, she cursed, shooting up off the bed and pulling a jumper over her thin pyjama top, I’m not letting that happen.
 

Cupping each girl by the face, the oldest vampiress leaned down and planted a firm, thankful kiss on all three heads. She’d make it up to them later, but right now, Seungwan was in a danger graver than anyone but Joohyun understood. She was out the door before any one of the flushed, pink-cheeked vampiresses could open their mouths to ask.
 

“Seulgi! Sooyoung! Yerim-ah!”
 

They came running to the landing, leaning over the railing to see an obviously frazzled Joohyun already halfway out the door.
 

“Help unnie, okay? Go home and tidy up for me?”
 

The vampiress hid her fear under the fragile mask of optimism.
 

“Seungwannie’s coming home today.”
 

She shot them a quick wink before disappearing behind the doors.
 

Joohyun tore down the street, maxing out her vampire speed with Seulgi’s phone tightly clutched in her uncharacteristically sweaty palm. She still had a long way to go, both distance and health wise, but the reminder of what lay at the end of the road if she was to be a mere second too late spurred her on.
 

So she ran.
 

The closer she got, the angrier she got. Pure, unfiltered rage brewed at her core when the image of the map and pin flickered through her mind. That ghastly area she recognised sickened her to her stomach.
 

Werewolves.
 

Not normal ones, at that, the werewolves from this part of town were particularly nasty.
 

And Joohyun would be damned if she just stood by and let them so much as glance at Seungwan the wrong way.
 

Sit tight, Wannie, mummy’s coming.
 

… ...
 

Back at Seulgi’s, things were moving swiftly. Bags were being packed as the three girls hurried to comply with their unnie’s wishes.
 

Seulgi glanced at Sooyoung from the rear view mirror as she sped them down the road to Joohyun’s house.
 

“You and Yerim tidy up. And give me your phone. I’m gonna follow Joohyun unnie.”
 

“Huh? Why?” Yerim turned to face Seulgi, who was gripping the steering wheel unbelievably tightly.
 

The vampiress in question stole a couple of quick glances to the girl in the passenger’s seat.
 

“You know; in case she needs help. She may be angry, but she’s still tired. I don’t know what’s down there but it can’t be good.”
 

“We’ll be fine, don’t worry unnie. We’ll be waiting for you guys to come home.”
 

Sooyoung responded with an understanding nod, and that was that.
 

… ...
 

To say Seungwan missed Joohyun would be a severe understatement. Yes, she’d been scared, but it was much scarier being out in the streets alone. Enough time had passed since, and she’d be lying to herself if she said she didn’t want to be cuddled up in Joohyun’s arms. Thoughts of doing everything and nothing with her mummy brought tears to her eyes every time. That night had shaken her badly, and that fit of instability landed her in the town-centre, not even knowing what she was roaming aimlessly in search of. Regret was something the young girl didn’t have time to linger on. As empty as she felt without the love she’d grown so fond of, her survival instincts kicked in.
 

The lost girl wordlessly pressed on.
 

Food, water and shelter.
 

She rocked herself to sleep wherever she was imagining Joohyun cuddling her from behind, kissing her cold, lonely ears goodnight. More than anything, Seungwan wanted to go home. Not to the way she was before, but home. Where Joohyun was, and where she was happy. But she couldn’t. She was hopelessly lost, disorientated by the lights and reflections of the vast town-centre, the crowds of people who just passed her by day after day, unsympathetic and unfriendly.
 

She’d ventured too far from home to be able pick up any scent to guide her back.
 

The first few nights were the hardest. Food was scarce, which went without saying. Whatever food scraps she was offered came from random restaurants or shops after closing time, which she accepted gratefully. She’d scarf it down; the scraps had usually gone cold by the time they reached her malnourished lips, but it tasted heaven-sent. Often, she’d try to sneak in to sleep in the dying warmth of the establishment, but the owners wouldn’t hesitate to shoo her away, reminding her how lucky she was they’d given her food to begin with.
 

Most places she visited had a zero tolerance for pets of any kind; and they were especially unforgiving when it came to stray, un-collared hybrids.
 

So hard park benches served as her uncomfortable mattress a few nights in a row. But that was before she coincidentally sniffed out solace in a surprisingly comfy hollowed out tree trunk.
 

It was as perfect as it could get.
 

Perfect, until she met him.
 

It shouldn’t have happened, really. He was just a passing stranger, nice enough to stop and crouch right by her little tree trunk, offering a helping hand.
 

“Why are you sleeping here, little one?”
 

His voice was deep and mellow, pleasant on the ears.
 

Seungwan just shrugged, cautiously glancing up at the smiling face; he looked like any other person. Stranger danger was persistently nudging at her instincts, but something about those superficially kind eyes lulled her into an odd sense of security; as if he had everything and nothing she was looking for. He smelt rather funny, but she couldn’t quite put it to words. She wasn’t wholly at ease with the idea of potentially wandering further away from wherever Joohyun was, but at the mere promise of a warm bed and meal, she found herself hand in hand with this stranger, as he led them away from the park.
 

Perhaps he’d be so kind as to help her find her way home.
 

… ...
 

Joohyun almost sped right past the park. But the faintest scent of her Seungwan and a godawful stench of werewolf clawed its way up her sensitive nose. She snapped her attention for a second, her heightened vision honing in on a small hole at the base of a tree trunk. There was no time to stop and investigate, though, Seungwannie neeed her.
 

The overwhelming smell of deceit told her that quite clearly.
 

The vengeful vampiress inwardly cringed at the thought. Seungwan was way too innocent and trusting. A couple of ear scratches and praise and she was putty in seconds, didn’t she know. And what more, in her pitiful, desperate state? She'd fall prey to anyone's evil scheme. Joohyun sure as hell didn’t want Seungwan putty in anyone’s hands but hers.
 

She narrowed icy grey eyes as her lip quivered in rage.
 

If they’ve hurt her…
 

… ...
 

The house was fairly ordinary, nothing too special at all. It was cottage-like, with scratched brown wooden walls and interior décor of a similarly neutral shade. The dishes on the counter were all mismatched primary colours and Seungwan caught a brief glimpse of what looked to be a large, antique table in one of the spare rooms.
 

A firm grip on her shoulder startled her before she could peer any further.
 

“Uh uh,” he tutted, shaking his head down at her, “You don’t go in there. You hear me, little girl?”
 

Everything was just very random; not in a particularly bad way, but it was certainly a stark contrast to the only other home she’d ever been in. It wasn’t run down by any means, but there were clear signs of having been lived in.
 

Again, that weird smell.
 

What was it?
 

Poor tired, hungry little Seungwan hadn’t a clue.
 

All she knew was that her hunger was going to soon be satiated. It felt like ages since she’d felt this relaxed, eyes already beginning to form happy little crescent moons. The man had his back turned to her, preparing a small meal while she sat at the homely kitchen table, swaying excited legs back and forth in wait.
 

Her tail swished unconsciously when he turned around.
 

“Here,” the man nodded, setting a small plate with a toasted ham sandwich on it before a set of eager eyes, “Eat up, little one.”
 

She didn’t need to be told twice.
 

“Thank you,” she glanced up at him with appreciation, tucking into her first warm meal in days.
 

The man watched her stuff her cheeks for a while, then excused himself. He gave her a firm pat, flattening her twitching ears against her head and tugging at them lightly before ducking round the corner.
 

“I’m just going upstairs to get your blanket ready.”
 

… ...
 

“Oh god, the smell…”
 

Yerim scrunched her eyes up and fanned her nose in disgust.
 

The reek smacked them right across the face as soon as they opened the doors of the once pristine mansion.
 

This was certainly not normal.
 

“Joohyun unnie really hit rock bottom, huh,” Sooyoung joked half-heartedly, poking a playful elbow at the younger girl, but looking equally as devastated at the challenge awaiting them in the rest of the house.
 

Mindful not to tread on anything that could be of value (because let’s face it, with the mess it was almost impossible to distinguish what was and wasn’t), the clean-up duo scoured the room for anything that didn’t have to be either chucked straight in the rubbish chute or thoroughly deep cleaned.
 

What a surprise, there wasn’t.
 

 “Well,” Sooyoung shrugged, slowly turning to face a horrified Yerim, who was holding up a bowl of slush and hopelessly cringing at her, “Let’s get to work, I guess.”
 

“Yeah,” Yerim concurred, tossing her friend an unopened packet of gloves, “Get this over and done with.”
 

… ...
 

The sun was already beginning to set, and Seungwan was getting sleepy. Not having had a proper sleep in a few nights now, she couldn’t wait to snuggle into an actual bed this time. She shivered at the thought of another night spent in that tree.
 

Wiping the crumbs off her lips, the girl placed her dish carefully in the sink before dusting her hands off and heading out the kitchen.
 

Time to do a bit of exploring before bed, she decided.
 

Joohyun had always worried that Seungwan’s puppy curiosity would land her in a sticky situation, and the one time it was about to, she wasn’t there to protect her.
 

The girl just couldn’t help herself, she had to find out what lay in that spare room. A whole bag of treats, maybe? There had to be a reason she wasn’t allowed in there. There was definitely a reason she wasn’t allowed in there… for the time being. But it wasn’t anywhere nearly as enticing as the promise of an entire treat stash hidden away for later. She was about to find out where that weird smell had been coming from, too.
 

For the most part, the room seemed normal. The table situated in the middle of it was a rather strange use of the space, but it was fine. A few audible sniffs at the air led the girl right to the corner of the room. She knew she really shouldn’t be doing this, but quivering hands undid the huge black bags lying behind the door anyway.
 

God, it was horrifying.
 

She reeled back in shock when she realised what she’d just uncovered.
 

Rotting remains of small animal carcasses, some decomposing flesh, but mostly bones picked clean. Just… bundled up like that.
 

Trying her best not to dry heave, she got up to leave.
 

But a low, disapproving hum made her stop in her tracks.
 

Seungwan gasped, spinning round to come face to face with the man who’d taken her in.
 

Except this time, he didn’t seem so friendly.
 

His eyes; the kindness had been drained from them, replaced by a sinking darkness.
 

“Oh my,” he sighed, the way he folded his arms so meticulously made the girl swallow nervously, “Bad girl can’t follow simple instructions?”
 

Sharp clicks of approaching footsteps echoed from the hallway, causing her eyes to dart in the direction of the sound. Not two seconds later, a tall, domineering woman Seungwan definitely did not recall seeing upon entry rounded the corner behind him. She had this psychotic grin plastered to her face as she stared right into Seungwan’s shaking eyes.
 

“Looks like we’re doing this now,” the man said matter-of-factly, turning to face the woman, who looked like she’d been starved for half a century.
 

“Call the others. It’s time to feast.”
 

F-feast?
 

The woman lowered her gaze to the petrified girl who stood, frozen to the spot, not daring to move a muscle. Seungwan saw several shadows belonging to even scarier men materialise behind the woman with a simple click of her fingers.
 

Werewolves…
 

They all filed into the room and began circling her, caging her in.
 

The disgusting odour of murder suffocated Seungwan as everyone in the room scanned her up and down with their hungry, predatory stares. Some were even starting to their lips, snarling at the way she smelt and cooing mockingly at her fearful little whimpers.
 

Seungwan’s fight or flight instinct kicked in and she tried to bolt, ducking under and in between one of the male’s legs. But she was easily caught.
 

“Where do you think you’re going, cute little thing,” he sneered hoarsely.
 

He grabbed her by the back of her jumper, roughly hauling her back into the circle. She cried out in pain when she felt calloused hands get unbreakable grips on each of her limbs as she was carried over to the middle of the room.
 

“No!” Seungwan yelled, thrashing violently in their grip, trying to kick her legs out.
 

But it was no use. They were too ridiculously strong.
 

Before she knew it, they had her helplessly pinned on the table.
 

The poor girl almost fainted with terror when the man and woman sauntered over to where her head was.
 

“You smell so good, little one,” the corners of his mouth curled up in the most menacing grin she’d ever seen, “And I bet you taste even better. It's been so long since we ate a hybrid this cute.”
 

“E-eat me?!” she squeaked in fear, looking up at her murderers with wide, watery eyes, “P-please don’t eat Wah-Wannie!”
 

But they were ignorant to her tearful pleas. The woman suddenly seized Seungwan by the throat, holding her in place, causing the girl to choke and splutter. She flinched and screwed her eyes shut when the man leaned in and took a long whiff of her chocolate ears flicking in terror, deflating against her head.
 

A broken yelp of shock and pain was torn from poor Seungwan yet again when he took one of her soft, velvet ears in between his sharp canines and bit down; hard. Searing rivers of tears ran down her face and pooled into her hair as she felt him draw blood. The man hummed against the warm, bleeding ear and over the fresh wound, smirking at the pitiful cries his actions were eliciting.
 

The girl jerked when she felt anonymous incisors tightening around her limp tail, threatening to bite it right off.
 

But a deafening slam at the entrance quickly put a stop to whatever was about to happen.
 

Two figures were standing by the door, with equally menacing looks on their faces. Seungwan was dangerously on the verge of unconsciousness, but just managed to make out one of the faces; the most important one.
 

Mummy.
 

And she was bloody angry.
 

“Mmm…” Seungwan tried, locking eyes with a shocked and furious Joohyun.
 

But the strain was too much, and she mercifully passed out before she could say it.
 

That did it.
 

Joohyun’s eyes blazed a blood-hungry red. She was twice as vehement at the sight of Seungwan’s wounds and now that she’d out, there was really no stopping this fuming, murderous vampiress. She was on the warpath, and she was unstoppable. They would be no pause until she had spilled the filthy guts of every single revolting werewolf in this room.
 

“Hey,” one of the males, angry at the interruption, stormed threateningly over to her, teeth gleaming and bared, “Get lost unless you wa-”
 

And that’s as far as he got with that cute little sentiment.
 

The rest of the pack could only watch in horror as their member clutched at his spurting throat, falling to his knees before the vampiress.
 

Joohyun narrowed her eyes at the two leaders. No one was allowed to so much as lay a finger slightly too heavily on her Wannie if they valued their lives. If they wanted to see the light of another day.
 

If you want to live, you…
 

“Don’t. ing. Touch her.”

...

..

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i finally know how to put images in yay! please forgive the grammar or spelling errors. okay, i'm exhausted, goodnight guys.