The second time he encountered those eyes, he was older. But definitely none the wiser. They had been chased out of their old pack, but that was what alpha wolves like Doo Jun have to go through. There was never any doubt that the five of them would stay together, and when it was time for Doo Jun to leave, then it was time for the other four to leave as well. It wasn’t violent, maybe except for the farewell from the pack, and the way the adolescent wolves played together for the last time. They would roam and settle down when they found a free territory that suits their needs, and that’s that.

However, in the meantime, Jun Hyung finds himself in a pretty awkward situation. See, they have yet to find a territory of their own, so they were pretty much still on the move, avoiding scent marked borders as much as they could, but they, have needs to fulfil. For example, their stomach’s need for food. As much as they wanted to avoid hunting in other packs’ territory, they have to eat, and the only way to do that is hunt. And hunt they did. This time, they were actually not too much at fault here. They had started out chasing that old buck in free land, but then when that old buck swerved into pack territory, they hadn’t thought much about the consequences and gave chase. By the time they caught and killed their prey, the residing pack had also cornered their own prey. Them.

So now the five of them are pretty much grovelling and posturing, whatever that can get them out of the pack territory with their hides still intact. Somehow or another, grovelling became growling, and posturing became a real fight. So while the other four are dealing with the other three patrol wolves of the pack they have accidentally invaded, Yo Seob dragged their hard won prize out of the territory borders. As soon as he was safely away, he howled a signal that had the other four scrambling to leave. Soon as they stepped out of the border, the patrol stopped chasing them, but they sure could still hear the insults and curses they threw at them. Not wanting to aggravate them further, they retreated to somewhere out of sight of the patrol and dug into their kill.

They were downwind in a clearing so they can have their meal in peace and not aggravate the patrol further. Somehow, even through the blood, Jun Hyung scented something familiar. Something he had not scented for a while, and never thought would be scenting again. The musky sandalwood scent burrowed into Jun Hyung, pausing him in the middle of tearing off a chunk of the old buck’s haunches. His ears pricked into alert, and he slowly raised his nose towards the scent.

Just in time to see the wolf step into the clearing. Being downwind, they had the advantage of masking their scent from the stranger, giving Jun Hyung a chance to observe the lone wolf longer. He was thin, his thick pelt doing nothing to hide the fact, and the way he walks is so silent, if not for his movements, Jun Hyung would’ve never thought he was even moving. The lone wolf’s nose was on the ground, most probably tracking prey, before a shift in the wind brought the stranger’s head up.

For the second time in his life, time slowed, and all he could see was the eyes of the lone wolf. He could almost taste the fear, even from his position a hundred yards away. He saw the shock came and went, and saw the moment the stranger would bolt. But this time, he was ready. He gave chase, ignoring the startled cries of his packmates and the barked order of his alpha and raced after the slate grey wolf.

He couldn’t believe he actually did that. He had never left his packmates like that. Yet here he was, chasing after some stranger whom he’d seen for less than five minutes, no, make that two minutes. That wolf was fast, he had to admit. Probably not as fast as Doo Jun or Ki Kwang, but he was sure that lone wolf could outrun him. Bringing his focus back to the chase, he realised his quarry had disappeared. There was no movement, no tell-tale shudder of the bushes, and the scent is so strong that he could only scent the sandalwood. He sneezed, trying to get the alluring scent out of his nose so he could properly track the stranger. Stalking forward, he entered a clearing. No signs of anything passing by recently, but yet the scent was strong.

A twig snapped, and footsteps behind him alerted him to the presence of his own pack. Ignoring them, he continued to search and scent the clearing, but he knew his quarry was gone. How he knew, he didn’t really know, but he was certain the lone wolf had escaped from him.

Frustrated, he kneaded his paws in the ground, unearthing small chunks of dirt. He got away again! The stranger had evaded him easily enough, and he had fallen into whatever traps or ruse set by the lone wolf. Even as he felt frustration, he felt the grudging respect. The lone wolf sure can run! And the way he evaded him at the same time. He shook his head, finally turning back to face his pack, and Doo Jun came charging at him. 

Doo Jun slammed into Jun Hyung, black and grey fur coming together. Jun Hyung’s leaner frame let Doo Jun’s muscular frame over power him, and he didn’t put up resistance of any kind. He knew he deserved the discipline. Pinned to the ground, he lifted his head so his neck was exposed to Doo Jun in an act of submission. Doo Jun’s muzzle clamped down on his unprotected throat, releasing a growl Jun Hyung felt more that heard. He remained motionless, waiting for the alpha’s permission to rise. Slowly the sharp teeth on his throat loosened their hold and Doo Jun stepped back.  He breathed a quiet sigh of relief and rolled to his feet, making sure not to meet the eyes of the alpha. Tail tucked and head lowered, he the alpha’s muzzle, a silent apology.

‘I told you to stop and explain before you went haring off after something we couldn't even see, and yet you just continued running like I didn't even exist! What the heck, Jun! You know I hate having to doing this with any of you, yet you disobeyed my orders outright!’

‘I’m sorry Doo. I know I was at fault, but believe me, I don’t know why I ran after him the way I did more than you do.’

‘What do you mean you don’t know?!’

‘It’s just that… I was almost compelled to chase after him. All I know is that I needed to find him, to… I don’t know, something.’ Frustrated, he huffed. Yo Seob quietly approached and lapped at his face, giving comfort. He back once to show his appreciation.

Doo Jun was silent. He knew his sensible brother, childish as he could occasionally get, was still a wolf who would be the last to undermine his authority. The five of them were so close that he usually couldn’t be bothered to display the usual alpha routine. He knew they were loyal to him and their pack, and that was enough. He didn’t need to be reassured that he is still their alpha and posture with them. Mealtimes were mostly peaceful, unlike the typical warzone like it could be with other packs, Doo Jun don’t always eat the pick of the kill, such as the nutrient rich organs nor the choicest bits. He might not tolerate fighting amongst themselves, but he was definitely not the kind of pack leader that micromanages everything. He was laid back, and pretty much relaxed as an alpha can get regarding his pack members. But Jun Hyung’s sudden chase had startled him, and he doesn’t like surprises. One minute he was right beside him tearing meat off the old buck, the next he was haring after something without any explanation whatsoever. His temper ignited and he took it out on the one at fault. Then he realised he still didn’t know what his brother was talking about.

‘What do you mean ‘he’? Who was it?’ He questioned.

‘Can’t you scent him? His scent is nearly overpowering to me, it made me so confused that I lost his trail.’ Jun Hyung’s eye met his and he could see the shock in them.

Taking a deeper breath, he tried to find what the black wolf was talking about, and all he could detect was some dead squirrel somewhere near, the fainter scent of their old buck kill, and maybe a whiff of something woodsy. Maybe sandalwood, if he had to guess. But what- Oh, he remembered now. The scent is similar to the lone wolf’s they saw a few years back. Jun Hyung had been more affected then too. He wondered what this meant for the younger wolf.

He had heard tales, as had all of them actually, tales told by the nursery caregivers who took care of the pups in the den and kept them occupied. Stories that had them wondering and in awe, but he knew those was just childhood fables and legends, and he didn’t put much stock in them. he shook his head, removing the ridiculous notion from his mind.

‘It’s the scent of the lone wolf we saw three years back.’ Ki Kwang quietly spoke up. The fawn colored wolf was their best hunter. His nose was keener than any of theirs and he can run faster than most of them, despite his lean frame.

‘You’re right. I remember the scent now. Jun Hyung, I only caught a faint scent, and obviously he only passed by here very briefly, so why do you say his scent is overpowering?’ Doo Jun was genuinely curious. His brother isn’t one that is much of a dramatic, and he couldn’t believe Jun Hyung was making things up. It was simply not possible.

‘I really do scent it very strongly. I don’t know why, but even with the blood of the old buck, I can still scent him across the clearing. I just instinctively sprang after him when he ran but he shook me off when I reached here. The scent was everywhere! I got confused and lost him.’ Jun Hyung sounded miserable. Yo Seob whined and nuzzled his ear, but the thought that he lost the stranger was eating him inside. And he didn’t know why. All he knows is that he needed to find the other wolf, to keep him near. The state of the lone wolf wasn’t good. Who knew when he last had a meal?

Doo Jun sent a look to Ki Kwang, but the fawn hunter shook his head. So even Ki Kwang hadn’t scent the lone wolf as strongly as Jun Hyung did. He decided not to push the black wolf any further until he could calm down from the encounter.

The black wolf thoughts were churning, and he could only be a victim to them. He felt like a lovesick teen yet he didn’t know why or how. Raising his muzzle, he sent a mournful howl to the sky, voicing out his turmoil and frustration, yet there was just a tiny note of happiness. He hadn’t forgotten those eyes since he first saw them years ago, and now that he found the owner of them again, he would make sure he get some answers. Namely, why the heck was he feeling totally out of character when they were talking about this particular lone wolf. 

[a/n: i hope this chappie is clearer for you guys! and yes, its a double! hehehe. the next chappie should be in the lone wolf's point of view, but nothing's confirmed until i actually write it and post it up here. XP comments? or you guys are still confused? hahaha i know i am pretty much as confused as Jun Hyung is... OTL]