That first day, neither Henry nor Ryeowook managed to get anything done besides talking.  The younger male helped his guest settle in, giving him the grand tour of the cabin with four sizeable bedrooms, two dens, two work rooms, a dining room, kitchen, and three and a half bathrooms on two separate floors.

                “This place is huge!” Ryeowook gasped, inspecting the pictures on the wall above the mantle.  The large, stone fireplace was unlit but it looked well used and he imagined it was probably very warm and pretty in the winters.  His focus however was above it and he smiled seeing Henry’s picture among those present.  He saw Yoochun too and lots of other people he didn’t recognize.

                Henry was generous enough to point them out one by one, explaining how they were related, or not.  Some were distant cousins and others had simply earned their placement by being good friends.  “The Jungs and Kims are actually good friends of the Parks,” Henry pointed out a few of the prominent pictures and smiled.  “They give aide here when they can and just stop by to say hi occasionally.”

                “Are they conservationists too?” Ryeowook asked, looking up at his friend earnestly.

                “You could say that,” Henry agreed with a slow smile, chuckling in the back of his throat with an amused twinkle in his eye.

                Ryeowook had no idea why it was funny but he smiled anyway and went along with it.  “Is that why there are so many rooms here?”

                “Mostly,” Henry confirmed with a quick nod, urging Ryeowook back towards the kitchen when he heard Yoochun whistle sharply.

                “You guys hungry?” he called, voice sounding easily through the interior.

                “Coming!” Henry announced, leaning close to his friend.  “Yoochun’s actually a pretty good cook so don’t be shy.”

                “I heard that…” Yoochun surprised them, causing Ryeowook to look at Henry incredulously.

                The younger male waved his hand dismissively and assured, “You’ll get used to it.”

                Ryeowook wasn’t sure how true that was since he didn’t know anybody that had hearing as sharp as Yoochun’s but he was at least a little bit hungry and curious to see what smelled so good.  When they walked into the dining room, he looked at the table in surprise, seeing a massive pile of some sort of grilled meat taking the center of the surface, surrounded by mashed potatoes and a large bowl of fresh salad greens.

                “Have a seat,” Yoochun gestured, snagging one of the pieces of meat and dropping it off for Luna on a plate near the table.  “I don’t know why you’re being shy,” he chided her quietly, ruffling her fur as she gnawed on the piece of meat in contentment, to Ryeowook’s surprise.

                “It looks great,” he offered, still taken aback by the wolf eating the same things they did and wondering what in the world Yoochun was talking about Luna being shy.  She seemed pretty friendly to him…  He was in for an even bigger surprise when Henry promptly filled Ryeowook’s plate for him with a cheeky grin and then piled his own high.  Neither of them had anything on Yoochun though and Ryeowook watched in absolute amazement as more food than he thought possible disappeared into the other male.

                While he wasn’t surprised like Ryeowook, Henry noticed it too.  As he urged his friend to eat up, since he’d barely touched his food, he regarded Yoochun curiously.  “You getting ready to head out on a run?” he asked around another mouthful.

                Yoochun paused and set his silverware down, second plate nearly demolished.  He nodded sharply with a quick glance at their guest and elaborated, “I got wind of hunters nearby.”

                As Henry’s surprised expression, Ryeowook looked between the two and murmured, “Isn’t that… normal?”

                “Eh.  Just gotta make sure they’re not hunting something they shouldn’t be,” Yoochun assured him confidently with a quick smile.

                Still confused and feeling very much as if he was missing something, Ryeowook tried again, “Like what?”

                “Wolves,” Henry answered quickly, reaching over to pat his friend on the shoulder.  “Nothing to worry about, Wookie.  Yoochun will make sure things are good to go,” he winked confidently, focusing on eating.

                Uncertainly, Ryeowook started eating again as Yoochun added, “I’ll be heading out in the morning after I check on the critters in the barn.  Can you guys stick around until Ken and his sister show up tomorrow?” he asked, glancing between the two as he grabbed another piece of grilled meat.

                “Wookie?” Henry asked for clarification before he arbitrarily volunteered them.

                “Huh?” the elder male chirped, laughing nervously when he realized both men were looking at him.  “Sure,” he nodded, setting his silverware down.  He had barely touched his food but he found he wasn’t very hungry after all.  A whine at his side followed by a pair of paws bracing on his leg surprised him enough to look down at an inquisitive Luna nosing at the edge of the table, obviously sniffing at the remnants of his food.  “Hello there,” he laughed once, petting her soft head as he kept her from trying to climb higher.

                Henry smacked his face with his hand and Yoochun watched the proceedings with narrowed eyes.  When she became too greedy and managed to get high enough to reach for the plate before her, he snapped at her in a deep, guttural sound, “Luna!”

                Immediately, she whimpered and bolted away, tail tucked between her legs without a second glance back.  “Did you just growl at her?” Ryeowook blinked, caught off guard.

                Yoochun shrugged and smiled, a slightly feral expression, “It works better when you growl at her.”  Quietly, he finished off his food, standing up to take his plate into the kitchen.  “I’m going to check out back and then I’ll call it a night.  Don’t wait up for me, ne?” he called, waving at Henry and Ryeowook as if nothing was amiss.

                “Okay!” Henry responded for both of them, glancing at his friend uncertainly.  When Yoochun stepped outside with the plate of meat in hand, he took a breath and apologized, “Sorry about that, Wookie.”

                “Oh, um…” Ryeowook floundered, not at all sure how to react.  He hadn’t entirely expected there to be anybody else here and having met Yoochun, he had no clue what to think of him.  Or Luna who seemed entirely too smart for her own good, even for a wolf.  And now he and Henry were supposed to stick around and wait for this Ken and his sister to show up to check on whatever was out back while Yoochun headed out into the forest.  “It’s alright,” he assured his friend timidly, clasping his hands in his lap.

                Henry sighed and grimaced.  “This isn’t normal by any means,” he promised quietly.  “He’s just worried about the hunters.  That’s all.  Don’t worry,” he urged when Ryeowook looked concerned at their mention again.  “They shouldn’t be a problem and at least you’ll get to meet our volunteers.  You’ll probably like Ken, actually.  His sister is interesting too but they’re good people,” he continued deftly, getting up to collect their plates as he spoke.

                “I guess I’ll take your word for it,” Ryeowook smiled, sitting in place nervously as he looked around for the missing Luna.  He wondered where she had run off to…  At the same time, he wondered what in the world he was doing out here again and what exactly he was missing.  It had felt like there was another conversation going on between Henry and Yoochun that he wasn’t supposed to understand and it was frustrating.

                He jumped in surprise when Henry returned and clapped both hands on his shoulders, leaning into his face with a beaming smile.  “You ready for a shower?  The bathrooms in this place are amazing!” he explained giddily, ushering Ryeowook up to the second floor and giving him no time to argue.

                Upon seeing it for himself, Ryeowook had to agree and then think that perhaps this made up for his isolation at least a tiny bit.  His own bathroom back home had a very shallow tub and a short showerhead, which was fine for him most days but he could take a bath!  A deep one too, with all the hot water he wanted in a tub that had more than room enough for him to completely submerge himself in.  “Oh that’s nice,” he exhaled in pleased surprise.

                “Told ya,” Henry chuckled, showing him where all the towels were and how to work the faucets.

                It didn’t take Henry more than a couple moments to get settled in and the rest of his evening quickly disappeared in a long soak, his usual nighttime routine, and a massive queen sized bed with several pillows and a plush comforter set all to himself.  This part he could easily get used to.

                The morning was a considerably more relaxed version of the evening before, though Ryeowook missed Yoochun entirely.  Henry called him down for a belated breakfast after he slept in past nine in the morning, something he couldn’t remember doing in far too long.  Luna was back in a more subdued manner, but she stared at him while he ate bacon and eggs with toast at the dining table, bright blue eyes pitiful in her begging state.

                “Ignore her,” Henry laughed, paying her no attention whatsoever.  “She knows better.”

                “But she looks so sad,” Ryeowook commented, tempted to sneak her a piece of bacon anyway.

                “And Yoochun probably fed her plenty before he left,” Henry added with a sidelong glance at the pup.  She twitched her ear at him and then snorted, tail flicking in defeat as she actually sighed and wandered off.

                At her retreat, Ryeowook laughed and shook his head.  “I’ll never get used to a dog… er, wolf as smart as she is,” he admitted.

                “You never know,” Henry winked, finishing up so he could start cleaning the table, giving his guest a few more minutes to take his time.  When the phone rang, he hurried over to the landline to answer and grinned broadly, speaking to the caller animatedly.  At Ryeowook’s inquisitive look, he explained, “That was Ken.  They’re on their way up now.”

                “Oh!  That was fast,” Ryeowook chuckled, stuffing the last bit of toast into his mouth as he grabbed his plate and ran into the kitchen to deposit in the sink.  Taking a look outside, he smiled to see the way the sunlight filtered through the trees, casting intricate designs in the outline of the shade.  But goodness it was beautiful out here.

                “You ready, Wookie?” Henry called, jogging over to pause in the doorway, the usual boyish exuberance filling his features.

                Looking down at his pajama covered person, Ryeowook shook his head and yelped, “Let me get changed first!”  Hurriedly, he brushed past Henry and ran upstairs, ransacking his borrowed drawer for appropriate attire: jeans and a t-shirt it was!  Well, that and his jacket still.  While neither Henry nor Yoochun seemed to need the extra layers, there was a chill in the air that made him shiver.

                Henry was waiting for him downstairs, playing with Luna as she snapped at his hands, making these cute little frustrated sounds.  She stopped playing first and turned her head to smile at him, tongue lolling out the side of .  “I swear she’s adorable,” Ryeowook added again, earning an excited tail wag from Luna in return.

                “Ne.  She is that,” Henry agreed, standing up as he dusted his pants off with his hands.  “Come on then,” he waved, pushing the back door open for them so Ryeowook could precede him.

                It was a really nice day out, all things considered.  The sun was bright overhead with nary a cloud in the sky and there was just enough of a breeze to chase away most of the bugs.  Though Ryeowook did flail and slap at his neck as an unfamiliar buzzing sound drifted by his ear, followed by a tiny sting.  “Ow!”

                “Oops,” Henry ducked his head in embarrassment.  “I forgot to mention the mosquitoes.  Sorry,” he wrinkled his nose and slapped reflexively at his arm.

                Suspiciously searching for the biting offender, Ryeowook craned his head around and then shrugged in acceptance.  “Well, you did warn me after all.”  Another buzz near his ear made him flinch again and he just sighed, resigning himself to the pesky nuisance.  They were something he really didn’t have to deal with so much in Chicago.

                Easily, Henry guided them to the barn where he pushed the door open, the sliding mechanism easing open on well oiled tracks so as not to startle any of the creatures inside.  The entrance opened into a small enclosure which led to another door into the inner sanctum, making sure that none of the inhabitants escaped by accident.  “Just keep calm and take it easy, ne?” Henry smiled with a glance down at Luna who had slipped in behind them, her nose now nudged firmly against the crack in the door leading inside.  He laughed and bent down, pushing the door open so she could slide in while he held his hand to keep what looked like another puppy, no puppies, from rushing out.

                “Oh goodness!” Ryeowook gasped, following Henry’s gesture quickly as he stepped into the softly lit interior to be swamped by a pack of wolf pup who jumped on his legs with excited abandon.  “They’re so cute!” he whispered, cooing at the light brown and gray balls of fur as they yipped and growled at each other, vying for attention while Luna gnawed on them playfully.

                Henry laughed and stuck a hand down to separate the nearest two who were getting a little carried away.  “Yoochun brought them back after a run the one day.  The rest of their pack had been killed and they were all that’s left so we’re getting them ready to go back out again when they’re a bit more grown,” he explained, shoving at them playfully.

                There were five of them in total and they were all awkwardly adorable, still definitely in the puppy phase and smaller than Luna for now.  Ryeowook had little doubt they’d outgrow her soon though and he carefully knelt among them, giggling as they immediately started to clamber over him.  “I want one,” he whimpered, picking the runt up and peering at him… no her, with an awed expression.

                “Then you can be on puppy duty for the moment,” Henry urged, getting to his feet as he started making the rounds.  “Keep them busy would ya?”

                “Yah!” Ryeowook squealed when two of them started tugging on his jacket with their teeth.  Luna came to his rescue and bowled the pair over, engaging them in a rough and tumble game of wrestling.  “So now you want to be helpful,” he shook his head with a wry twist to his mouth while he coddled the other three, playing with the runt in particular.

                As Henry checked the various cages, refilling the water where necessary and making sure the occupants were comfortable, Ryeowook watched him distractedly.  Most of the creatures he was familiar with, seeing a handful of birds in various stages of recovery and a couple small mammals as well.  There was a large pen in the back of the barn that had his attention too though.  “Is there anything back there, Henry?” he asked, nodding towards the sturdy looking compartment.

                Following his gaze, Henry stilled and became speculative, apparently thinking over his answer.  He glanced back at the main entryway to make sure it was clear and then waved Ryeowook over.  “That’s one of our grown wolves in recovery,” he explained, moving up slowly as he put a finger to his lips to signal quiet.

                Feeling as if he was doing something slightly dangerous, Ryeowook crept up behind Henry and then peeked over his shoulder when he opened the small window to get a glimpse inside.  He couldn’t quite stifle the small gasp that escaped his lips when he saw the massive wolf lying within, otherwise white fur marred by bandages and the remaining stains of pink from whatever wounds it had suffered.  “He’s huge,” Ryeowook whispered with an incredulous look at Henry, thinking that the wolf was likely as large as a small pony…

                “This one’s Ravi,” Henry explained.  “Hunters got him good not that long ago.  They weren’t able to finish the job though and we managed to find him on another one of our runs.  We don’t usually see this much activity from them in such a short period of time,” he added, giving the wolf a sad smile as one golden eye peeked open to look at them, his ear flicking at the sound they made when speaking.

                “Hey Ravi,” Ryeowook spoke soothingly, admiring the gorgeous creature with bated breath.  “Is he going to be alright?” he asked, blinking when it sounded like Ravi snorted in amusement at the sound of the question.

                Henry clapped him on the back lightly and responded, “He’ll be fine.  He just needs food and rest mostly.  Chaerin should be able to help take care of his wounds in the meantime,” he explained, waving at Ravi who appeared to grin at them, at least that’s what it looked like to Ryeowook who took one final peek before the window was shut.

                So maybe the human company was questionable but Ryeowook was rapidly falling in love with the animals here, even if that was the biggest damn wolf he’d ever seen in his life.  “Do all the wolves get that big around here?” he asked, pausing to turn his head quizzically when they both heard someone calling from outside.

                “Nah.  He’s one of the bigger ones,” Henry answered as he hurried to peer through one of the few glass windows high above the floor.  Easily, he pushed it open and called out, “We’re in the back!” before he shut it and turned to Ryeowook.  “Looks like Ken and Chaerin are here.  Come on,” he waved, reaching down to pick up two of the wolf pups.  “Help me keep them corralled until they can step in.

                “Sure,” Ryeowook grinned, accepting the little wriggling bodies hastily so that Henry could pick up two more while Luna grabbed the last one by the ear and tugged him away from the entrance.  “That’s mean,” he chided at her, though all she did was grumble at him.

                He looked up when the outer door opened, followed by a brief pause as it was secured before the second door revealed a beaming young man and a striking young woman.  “Hi Henry!” the male greeted enthusiastically as he rushed inside, flailing at the array of pups in their hands.  “Oh!  They’re getting so big!” he gasped, reaching down to rescue the fifth one from Luna.  “Come here, you little fluff ball!”

                Ryeowook couldn’t help but laugh as his enthusiasm, looking to Henry for guidance.  The young woman looked at him and then nudged her companion with her hand.  “Knock it off, Ken.  Henry’s got a visitor,” she chided with a long suffering sigh.  “Sorry,” she offered a tentative smile, tossing her long, brunette ponytail over her shoulder with a flick of her head as she regarded him with heavily lined, narrow eyes.  “I’m Chaerin,” she greeted, holding her hand out in welcome, her perfect bangs just short of actually getting in the way.

                “Hi.  I’m Ryeowook.  Henry’s friend,” he explained, shuffling in place as he tried to figure out what to do with the pups even as he was transfixed by her immaculately manicured nails, the hard tips a deep blue color.

                “Here,” she urged, taking one from him so he could finish his greeting.  “Ken!” she hissed again when the young man was still mostly absorbed with Luna and the pup now.  With a wry twist to , she shook her head and rolled her eyes.  “That is Ken.  My baby brother.  I know, right?” she laughed once when she noticed Ryeowook’s surprise.

                Immediately, he flushed in embarrassment and held out his hand in apology, “I didn’t mean-”

                “It’s alright,” Ken grinned, finally standing up to look down at him with an easy expression as he ran a hand over his messy brown hair.  “She’s used to it.  And at least she got the looks,” he admitted affably, not in the least bit offended.

                With the two siblings standing side by side, Ryeowook had to agree they were completely night and day.  Ken was dressed simply in a plain t-shirt and jeans, which Ryeowook was beginning to think was the style around this place, while Chaerin looked sorely out of place, choosing style over practicality.  He doubted the dark stretch pants would do well in the wilderness, rather like the partial heels would get her in trouble as well.  At least her shirt was more functional with some sort of yellow ladies t-shirt under a ripped denim half vest.

                “Glad you guys could make it,” Henry interjected, reaching out to lightly touch Chaerin’s shoulder.

                “Sure.  Yoochun mentioned that Ravi needed some more attention?” she murmured, tilting her head to the side as she looked at Ryeowook out of the corner of her eyes before she focused on the partition in the back.

                “Yep,” Henry agreed with a quick nod, gesturing at Ryeowook in mild apology.

                “Sounds about right.  Care to give me a hand?” she asked, focusing on Henry.

                “But I want to help,” Ken pouted, standing still when his sister shook her finger at him.

                “Not this time.  Keep Ryeowook?” she paused to make sure she said it right and when he nodded in confirmation, she finished, “Company.”

                “Okay,” he shrugged, turning another easy smile on the shorter male.

                Personally, Ryeowook was very puzzled.  Neither of them looked old enough to know much of anything about medicine and he said as much to Ken.  “Did you sister study medicine?”

                “Not really,” he shrugged, leaning over to play with one of the pups who had decided to attach itself to his shoelaces.

                “So how is she supposed to help Ravi then?” he asked, confounded.  “Oh!  Sorry!” he exclaimed when the pup in his arms nipped at him to be set down, seeing the rest of her packmates on the ground.

                “She’s just really good with animals,” Ken hedged, standing back upright as he leaned towards Ryeowook.  “Wanna see a trick?” he asked, bright eyed and calm.

                “Huh?  Sure,” Ryeowook shrugged, turning to focus on the younger male with a bemused smile.  His expression turned perplexed when Ken started buzzing and apparently following something in the air, locked onto it.  He was about to ask what he was doing before Ken suddenly clapped his hands in front of Ryeowook’s face and stopped buzzing at the same time.  “What was that?” he asked in surprise.

                “Pretty good imitation of a mosquito, right?” he laughed, obviously waiting for a response.

                Ryeowook couldn’t help but laugh and he offered, “I hope you don’t bite like them too.”

                Ken blew a quick raspberry and waved his hand.  “Not hardly.  Though,” he urged, holding up one finger before he leaned over and started shaking slightly.  “My grandpa might have a few pointers ta give ya,” he explained, his voice changing drastically to mimic that of an old man.

                Completely amused this time, Ryeowook couldn’t help but laugh and applaud, delighted by Ken’s performance.  He was a bit odd but harmless and utterly entertaining so far.  “That’s better than I could do.  Though I played an old man in a school play once,” he admitted with an embarrassed laugh.

                “Nice,” Ken nodded, reverting to his normal self with ease.

                Just like that, the pair fell into an easy conversation that very quickly explained how Ryeowook had ended up here in the first place with a similar story from Ken.  Though the former was only visiting, Ken lived with his sister in town, watching over their aunt’s house while she was off traveling in another part of the world somewhere.  The light moment was briefly marred though when Ryeowook didn’t know how to react to Ken explaining how their mother died when they were younger and their father killed himself shortly thereafter.

                Horrified, Ryeowook covered his mouth with his hand and apologized, “I’m so sorry to hear that.”

                Ken shrugged and turned thoughtful as he tapped his head.  “I don’t think they understood Taemin,” he murmured, glancing up as if he was looking for something again, only this time he didn’t have the theatrics to make it funny.

                “Who?” Ryeowook asked in confusion, looking back where Henry and Chaerin were at, wondering if he should be at all concerned.  He saw them getting ready to head his way and was at least partially relieved.

                “A friend,” Ken answered innocently.  “Usually,” he amended, face scrunching in thought.

                “Usually what?” Henry asked as he and Chaerin returned, one hand resting under her elbow while he supported her gently.

                “Taemin,” her brother chirped in response.

                “Aish, Ken,” Chaerin groaned, placing her free hand to her unusually pale face.  “That’s his imaginary friend,” she explained in a tired voice, the tone at odds with the amount of work he would have expected her to do.  “He never grew out of it,” she continued with a wry smile.

                “Neither did you,” he told her with a look at Henry who just shook his head slightly.

                “Okay!” Henry urged brightly, reaching out to pat Ken on the arm in a comforting gesture.  “I think we can handle the rest of it from here.  Yoochun took care of most of the grunt work this morning,” he explained with a nod at Ryeowook.

                “Come here, Ken.  Give me a hand,” Chaerin called, reaching for her brother who jumped to assist her with a concerned look.

                “You alright, Rin?” he asked, tenderly supporting her with gentle hands.

                “I’ll be fine,” she managed a bright smile for him, even if it was a touch on the wan side.

                “Thanks for your help, as always,” Henry called, slinging an arm over Ryeowook’s shoulder in a friendly manner.  Chaerin and Ken nodded in acknowledgment and then waved at the pups clustering around their feet again.  “Luna.  Take care of them,” Henry gestured to the off white pup, laughing as she herded them away from the door expertly.

                “So…” Ryeowook hummed to himself, craning his neck to look out the window where he could just seen the siblings heading for their truck.  Did everyone here drive one of those?  “They were interesting,” he offered politely.

                “That about sums it up,” Henry laughed in agreement, not even bothering to deny it.  “They’re good people though and Chaerin is amazing with the animals,” he explained.

                “Is Ken…?” Ryeowook trailed off, pointing at his head questionably.

                “Ayah!” Henry snorted with a friendly clap on Ryeowook’s back.  “He’s fine, Wookie.  Just a little odd some days.”

                “Gotcha,” the shorter male nodded in understanding, even though he had no clue whatsoever.

                “So!” Henry clapped in excitement as he stepped towards the door and turned around to face Ryeowook.  “You ready to head out?”

                Ryeowook simply shrugged and agreed without complaint.  After the morning he’d just had so far, why not?  It couldn’t get any weirder, could it?

(a/n: Yes!  I was hoping to get this one done before bed.  hehe

I hope you're still enjoying it so far, though it's safe to say you might be as confused as our poor Wookie for now.  Then again, maybe you've got just a touch more of an idea than he does.  ;)  hehe  We'll get to more explanations before too long, just not yet.  I will recommend that you pay attention to last names, for the most part though, as they tend have some importance for a large portion of the characters.

In the meantime, I always love to hear from you guys but I'm just hoping you'll wait patiently for the next update and sit tight until then!  Thanks for reading!  ^_^)