Despite being a relatively unwilling prisoner, Boa figured her situation could have been infinitely worse.  It was uncomfortable being directly connected to the thing, whatever it was exactly, and she didn’t like being physically separated from the others, but she was neither hungry nor thirsty and she didn’t feel the cold or tire like they did.  That last surprised her the most.  Given what she’d been through, and that strange, almost forced sleep she’d experienced when it had first picked her up, none of the exhaustion that had plagued her before could touch her.

                That wasn’t to say her companions shared her newfound strength and energy though.  They’d been traveling for what was probably hours now, heading into full dark where the others could barely see anymore.  Their pace was relegated to what the boys could manage and it had been getting slower as their reserves continued to flag.  From her strange view within – it was too dark to see much but when she closed her eyes, she could get an overlay of what the creature probably saw, it was beginning to become obvious that the others were exhausted.  From the snippets of quiet conversation that she was able to glean by way of the tendrils connecting her, she knew the boys in particular were tired and hungry.

                Their voices were carried to her like vibrations along the vines that became a translation of sound in her head, much like her sight functioned when she wasn’t staring into the dark.  And while she wasn’t entirely certain if her own words reached the creature, she figured it at least understood something from her.  “You should stop,” she spoke in a quite voice, glancing around the interior uncertainly.

                Nothing happened and the creature took one, slow step after another.

                Frowning, Boa tried again, adding more force this time.  “They’re getting tired and if you don’t stop or find some way to help them rest, they might get sick.”  Her words didn’t seem to register exactly but when the mere thought of anything happening to them made her heart clench in response, the creature slowed.

                Tendrils shifted and Boa felt the vines brush against her body, curious.  It had been a frightening sensation at first, but it had become more familiar over the time she’d spent inside.  Closing her eyes, she forced herself to relax and allowed the thing to sift through her thoughts again.  The surface level ones were easy and it groaned softly when she knew it registered her concern.

                “Exactly,” she whispered, hands tightening on the pseudo throne she was cradled in.  “Help them.”  Willing it to understand, she envisioned it carrying them somehow, giving them a much needed reprieve from their struggles.

                She wasn’t quite ready for the backlash of transference that hit her as they shared memories.  Boa cried out sharply as she was nearly overwhelmed by a myriad of images flashing through her mind.  Humans in vehicles, wolves running in packs, fighting between them both with armored transports and guns, makeshift carrying contraptions, piggyback rides like strange backpacks, and others she couldn’t quite make out but that looked vaguely liked gutted jeeps and empty frames.  It took her breath away and left her gasping as the images receded quickly when the creature sensed her distress.

                “Boa?”  Dara’s voice reverberated through the creature and she took another breath, trying to shake herself free of the disorienting visions.

                “I’m alright,” she panted in response, frowning when she knew her voice wouldn’t carry outside.  But apparently her will did and she felt rather than saw the creature extend a gentle vine towards Dara, twining around her hand as if to offer reassurance.

                “What the hell?” she responded in obvious confusion, pulling away uncertainly, but giving up after a moment when it didn’t let go.

                “What’s it doing?” Namjoon asked, bewildered and tired sounding.

                “I have no idea,” Dara answered, poking at the vine with her other hand.

                “Looks like it’s holding your hand,” Jimin pointed out, leaning close to Hoseok as usual.

                “Why?” she snorted, twisting her wrist with a glance at Bom and the others.

                “Maybe it’s Boa,” Jungkook hoped out loud, turning to look at the plant monster as well.  Boa had to smile at that and as if she’d conjured it to happen, another vine reached out to do the same thing for Jungkook, offering silent reassurance.  He jerked in nervous surprise at first, but when the tender vine simply held loosely, he offered a tentative smile while the rest of the boys stared at it suspiciously.  “See?” he laughed, smiling brighter when it pulled away and shifted to the side.

                Vines began to sprout en mass from the core, twining out as they searched for debris and more material to work with.  The other plant creature moved from the front to do the same and they all watched in nervous awe as bits of detritus were strung up between the towering forms near them.  Vines slithered around fallen trunks and anchored platforms of rock in a latticework of netting that slowly but surely took on the form of a strange but relatively comfortable looking haven.

                “Is that what I think it is?” Yoongi called out, scratching his head in confusion.

                “It’s a transport… thing,” Dara gestured as she searched for a better descriptor.  “I think.  I don’t know.”

                “Whoa!” Jungkook yelped when a vine wrapped around his waist and carefully picked him up.  Immediately, the rest of the boys and Dara surged to rescue him from the implied threat but then they too were hauled into the air, feet dangling like suspended marionettes.  They cried out weakly with the wolves whining and whimpering below, ears laid back and tails tucked low; they weren’t afraid but they seemed concerned for the boys.  As did Bom.

                “Hey!” she shouted, pointing at the creatures with a trembling finger.  The cold and combat from earlier were finally getting to her.

                Boa could feel the creature ignoring her for the most part, but she was aware of the other wolf – Wonshik, that was his name – moving close to nudge at her side carefully.  He yipped and jumped back when she rounded on him, swinging her hand as if to strike, but the motion upset her balance.  Without much control and lacking the energy to save herself, Bom crumpled to the disturbed ground.

                “I hate you,” she sniffed, long, black hair falling over her shoulder to cover her face while Wonshik returned to whine softly nearby.

                “Come on, Bom,” Dara called out gently from her new perch inside the makeshift shelter.  “Just let it go for now, okay?” she urged, leaning out precariously.  She gasped in surprise when a vine twirled around her waist to hold her steady and she swallowed her concern.  “We’re all tired,” she added with a heavy sigh.

                “Those things killed our brother,” Bom cried weakly, pushing Wonshik’s head away when he persistently moved close to nose at her ear.  “Go away,” she groaned, eventually just curling her fingers into his white fur when he refused to do as she said.  “Stupid wolf.”

                “Poor Bom,” Boa whispered, her heart aching for the other woman.  Her attention was pulled back by Dara’s voice speaking to her, the message conveyed through the vines.

                “Boa, love.  Bring the fur balls up here too.  It’ll be warmer with them nearby,” she explained as she pat the vine, fingers curling around the warm plant beseechingly.

                She looked towards the boys and Boa’s sight automatically shifted to follow.  Already, they were starting to lie down, spreading out over the somewhat comfortable layers of foliage and vines and what relatively soft things the creatures could find.  If she wasn’t mistaken, Jungkook was falling asleep.  “Oh, my poor boys,” Boa frowned, urging her captor to do just what Dara requested.  It didn’t take long for the message to get across and within seconds, the wolves were being hauled, stiff-legged and uncertain, into the air to join the rest of them.  At last, Bom was lifted up too, her fingers coming free from the white wolf’s fur with only the weakest of resistance.

                “I’ve got you, Sis,” Dara murmured, gathering her half-sibling into her arms and holding tight, rocking the other woman as Bom cried into her chest.

                “We just left him,” she whimpered, clinging tight to Dara’s clothes.

                “We buried him like we should have, hon,” Dara soothed, petting Bom’s hair with slow, easy .  “It’ll be okay,” she whispered, resting her cheek against Bom’s head as she exhaled, her breath only misting out a little bit in the warmer confines of the new shelter.  Adding the wolves had helped almost immediately.

                “Good,” Boa smiled, watching through closed eyes.  “Now they’ll need food and water,” she murmured, urging similar thoughts to the creature once more.

                Just as it learned from her, she continued to learn from it.  For a moment, both creatures stopped and took root, burrowing their vines into the ground.  Boa stiffened slightly when the connection between them buzzed as if she was privy to a phone call between people where she couldn’t quite make out the words.  She knew something was talking but nothing made sense… until silence fell and she felt a wave of emotion hit her.

                Anger, sadness, and pain crested first, nearly bludgeoning her senses like a club.  But then they faded like they had the first time when she saw flashes of all manner of people dying in their first merger.  After, hope surfaced with a persistent desire to help.  a fierce flash of protectiveness sliced through Boa’s awareness, sharp enough to take her breath away.

                “Whoa,” she exhaled, blinking in astonishment.  “What…?  No,” she shook her head, aware that it didn’t apply to them.  “Here,” she pointed out, trying forcefully to push the creature’s attention to her family nearby.  “They need help,” Boa reminded it again, unsure what it could do.

                For a long moment, she felt it sifting through her thoughts while still somewhat distracted.  It was almost like it was listening to two conversations at once.  But then it lowed, the sound rumbling through her, and both creatures started walking.  Through their connection, Boa realized it might have an actual location in mind.  When Wonshik yipped at the front, taking the lead, she shook her head and settled back in for the ride.

                Her control of the creature was minimal but they were moving again, her boys, the wolves, Dara, and Bom were all being carried along, and hopefully this thing was taking them somewhere they’d be able to find help.  It was better than nothing and that gave her hope.

~~~~~~

                From scattered thoughts, real awareness was slow to come.  Countless footsteps traveled through the ground and a flurry of activity approached with sniffing noses and loud voices.  One touched it and it recoiled, confused and unsure.  But then it returned and coiled around, sensing magic and understanding within.  And then they were gone after a reverberating cry, leaving it alone with nothing but fractured memories and a terrible, driving need.

                Protect.

                It was the single, most prevalent thought in its consciousness.  Protect, protect, protect.

                The word applied to one and then many, several times over.  This one hurt.  It was sad.  It was afraid.  It wanted to help those it saw.

                Recollection clicked as it took root, gaining understanding and memories once more.  Men and women.  Humans and werewolves.  Hunters and vampires.  Strange creatures that were neither one nor the other.  All mixing and blending inside, fueling the urge to rise up, to move, to stop the poison that forced a response.  The worst of it had already been absorbed or bled into the waters, neutralized from within but too much still remained.  Long would it take to clean it completely.

                But there was still the last, overwhelming memory when it… no, he had died.

                Protect.

                Protect who?

                Them.  Friends.  Pack.  Mate.  Her.

                More memories filtered through, branching from one person instead of many.  Sickness.  Anger.  Sadness.  Death.  Fear.  All of them present.  All pushing it to rise and gather the broken bits of self close.  Man and wolf and more.  The blood and magic howled through its vines and its body answered, rising up on four legs with a vague head and tail.  Shape did not matter and yet it did, formed from he who was still here.  He who still wanted to protect.

                It needed to go there.  It needed to protect.  To heed the desperate cry in the blood.

                They were there.  She was there.

                Resolutely, it started walking, moving faster in the smaller form until it could jog and then run.  It had no eyes and yet the path was clear, practically glowing along the path it traveled.  Residues of magic clung to the ground where many had passed; splotches soaked into the soil, tasting of anguish and sickness.

                Faster, faster!

                It needed to help.  It needed to protect.

                Subdued life teamed around, humming through the ground, the air, the trees.  They whispered their secrets and spoke of desperation.

                This way.  That way.

                Others have come.  Searching.  Hunting.

                It could feel them nearby.  Vampire.  That was what they were.  The light was not out so they were safe, but they were afraid.  It knew they were searching for something.  They were sick too though.  Did they not know it?  He did not know it.  But they were friend.  Pack but not pack.

                No time though.

                Protect, protect.  Must protect!

                “Hey!”  The voice rang out, sharp and clear.  It was familiar but as if from afar.  He knew them: talked too much and always nosy.  Wingless vampire.

                “What is that?!”  Another one is familiar, but only just.  Quiet.  Reserved.  Friend to wingless vampire.

                “I don’t know!  Cut it off, Kiseop!” the wingless one cried, moving closer.  He felt distinct in the evening, easy to see by the magic in his blood.

                “On it!”

                Coming from above.  Wings flapped, the sound like a bird.  No time.  It didn’t want to hurt them but they were in the way.  Sprinting harder, vines emerged from its body like writhing snakes.  Arching out, they snapped in the air, warding the flier off, cracking at wings with stinging threat.

                “Watch out!”  The flyer pulled up, angling away from a tree.  Bark scraped as claws dug in, and wings flapped hard, feathers rustling.

                “I can’t get close!” Kiseop cried, jumping back into flight.

                “I’ve got it!  Stop, damn you!”

                Wingless again.  Go away.  It must protect her.  Must protect Pack.  Tentacles flashed out once more, a blurring frenzy of defense.  The vampire could not dodge, seizing up strangely when it looked to try and jump away.  Tentacles hit, knocking him into a tree with a sharp cry.

                “N!”  Kiseop peeled off to help the other.

                A flicker of amused satisfaction sparked then died.  It was confused.  It did not think that.  He did.  No time to worry.  It had to keep going.  More running and listening to the whispers all around.  Sadness rose up like a fog surrounding them.  They were close.  The feeling dragged on it.  Pain, despair, anguish.

                The desire to protect flared again amidst surprised cries and startled howls.  It could feel her.  He could feel her.  She was there.  Pack was too.  People shouted in fear and panic.  Wolves growled in response.  There!

                She growled, huddling with another female.  Fingers crooked into claws and teeth bared.  It’s alright now.  I am here.  The thought rang loudly, driving it forward, ignoring all others.  Even as she backed away uncertainly, confusion on her face when she wrinkled her nose, it bounded in and stopped, standing as tall as her at the shoulder with its head lowered to meet her gaze.

                Frightened, angry cries continued around and the female next to her – Sunny memory provided – looked confused, just like her.  “Sunhwa,” she whispered, shifting between standing aggressively and not.

                I am here, it thought again, waiting for her to recognize.  To know.

                The answer was writ on her bloodless face, pale in the dark.  “Daehyun,” Sunhwa whispered, standing in shock with one hand partially raised as if to touch, the other lingering in the defensive pose she had been in a moment before.

                “Get away!”  Pack this time.  Soft voice raised in anger.  Dangerous when riled.  Taekwoon.

                “Stop!”  Double tones.  Strange quality.  Buzzing with magic.  Blood answered: Chaerin.  Taekwoon snarled with an offended yelp as Chaerin jumped in to surprise him with a wicked punch to the face, her speed and strength more than a human.  Possessed.

                Angry and confused, Taekwoon recovered and rounded on her, snarling fiercely with one hand crooked, cruel claws ready to be used.  “Move puppet,” he growled through bared fangs.

                “Make me,” she spat back, L. Joe speaking through her with a quickly drawn dagger in hand and held behind at the ready.

                Others moved close and anger rose.  It knew that feeling.  Anger meant danger and pain.  He had to protect her from that.  Sunhwa inhaled sharply when it turned its back to her, crouching low with vines raised, head swinging from side to side defensively.

                “Stop, stop, stop!  Dammit!”  Daesung ran in.  Donghae spoke through him.  His hands were raised, held out to either side as if he could prevent anyone else from coming closer.

                “Wait!”  Baekho joined him as Hyukjae.  They moved to make as much of a protective ring around the thing as they could.

                “Just leave the damn thing alone!” Ken as Taemin ghosted in, crouched low like he might attack any who would come close.

                “It’s Daehyun,” Sunhwa breathed again, grabbing Sunny’s arm for support as the rest of the camp came to a standstill, all tension and uncertainty.

                “Can’t you tell it’s the same one you tore apart earlier,” L. Joe remarked with a sneer, gaze swinging from side to side though his sights returned to Taekwoon who seemed none too pleased about being attacked unexpectedly.

                A sound like a small explosion, followed by a blinding flash of light, made everyone jump and blink in wide eyed bedazzlement.  “Would everyone just shut the hell up and calm down?!” Kangin’s booming voice howled over the crowd, loud and clear in the silence that descended after his light show with Youngjae’s help.  Sparks still danced over his skin as he shook his head, apparently trying to clear it of some sort of sound in his ears.  But still he came closer, squinting at the creature in their midst suspiciously.

                If it wanted to attack them, it would have caused a great deal more mayhem than it had and their wounded would probably already be dead.  But it hadn’t and its posture spoke of nothing but defense as it crouched in front of Sunhwa.  Holy , it really did smell like Daehyun.  He might not have known it if the scent hadn’t been saturated into the ground earlier.  It was the same smell as then, but there was more to it.  Closer to the Venus fly trap monster they’d ran afoul of.

                “It’s not trying to hurt us!” Daesung spoke up again, maintaining his position between the creature and as many other bodies as he could interpose himself in front of.

                “If you would get your bloodthirsty minds off of killing for one moment, you’d realize that,” L. Joe muttered darkly, an annoyed grimace on Chaerin’s face.

                “This time,” Himchan added, trying very unsuccessfully to hide out of sight with his wings half furled but unable to take flight for their injuries.

                Kangin grimaced and made a silencing gesture towards the Cha.  He knew it would only be a matter of time before the wolves returned and with tensions running this high in the group, it was a miracle the thing hadn’t gone berserk yet.  Where the hell were the Alphas and the Elders when he needed them?  Oh right… Either dead or out trying to keep others from dying.  .  Trying desperately to gather his thoughts, he called out, “Sunhwa!  You alright?”

                “Yeah!” she announced rather shakily, somewhat hidden behind the massive, plant, wolf looking thing.  It didn’t resemble the Venus fly trap from earlier, which was nice, but it was very clearly one of those new things they’d been running into.  What was worse, it was the one, or what was left of the one, that had killed Daehyun.  What in the hell did that mean?  “I… I think it’s okay,” she offered after a tense pause where no one moved.

                “It hasn’t tried to hurt us,” Sunny volunteered as well, apparently under its protection too since she was with Sunhwa.

                “See?” Donghae blinked, gaze sweeping the others.  His back stiffened and he turned to look over when a thin, whining sound continued to get louder.  “Luna,” he winced, glancing between the other Possessed who nodded in silent understanding.  Immediately, he sprinted back over to where Luna was still being cradled close to a wide eyed Junhong with a tense Minsoo standing protectively in front of them.  Her attention, however, was on her brothers behind them.  “Dammit,” Daesung cursed, rushing past and earning the creature’s attention as vines followed his direction almost curiously.

                “Bloody hell.  Why me?” Kangin muttered through his teeth.  But as he looked around the frightened, tense circle of survivors and the dying – his gaze focusing briefly on Kyuhyun and Ryeowook in particular, the latter of whom had retreated into a self-induced stupor – he couldn’t help but wonder.  What was this damn thing?  Why was it here?  And more importantly, what the hell could it do?  To them or for them…

                “Should we try to talk to it?” Youngjae shuffled close and asked, echoing his thoughts rather irritatingly.

                “No,” he bit back, just to be contrary.  But a second later, he sighed, “Yes.”  Glancing at the other Cho, he nodded his head towards the outer perimeter, “Make sure when the wolves come in, they don’t just try to attack.”

                “Got it,” Youngjae nodded, obviously relieved about not being the one to step up to the plate.

                He hadn’t gone more than a couple steps before another familiar voice screeched over the distance, “Watch out, guys!  Something’s coming!”

                “N!” Kangin barked, scowling in the vampire’s direction as Kiseop hastily flew them in from above.  “It’s already here,” he pointed out icily as his arrival broke some more of the tension.

                “Oh,” the Cha wilted, rubbing his cheek where a fading welt still remained from when a vine had smacked him in the face.

                “Just stay there,” Kangin commanded, steeling himself to move closer with one final look at his downed friends.  Very cautiously, he approached, feeling every eye on him as he drew closer.  With wary looks, the Possessed reluctantly let him pass and then closed back up as he got by them.  As the tension in the camp started to decrease, so too did the creature’s posture, with the vines sinking lower in response.  “What do you want?” Kangin asked when he was a few feet from the thing, eyeing it through narrow slits.

                It didn’t respond verbally, but one vine lightly curled around Sunhwa, almost possessive in its action.  She chirped in surprise and looked down at it, holding very still.

                “Hey,” Kangin held up his hand, an uncertain frown crossing his face.  “How the hell am I supposed to talk to you?” he wondered aloud, scratching his hair quickly with his other hand, the gesture briefly reminding him of Kyuhyun.

                He blinked in surprise, head tilting just so when a vine extended slowly towards him.  It shifted near his hand and he left it raised in the air, gaze tracking the plant as it got closer.  He flinched when the tip brushed against his palm and the tendril jerked back.

                “Easy,” L. Joe murmured with a glance over his shoulder.

                “I am being easy,” Kangin muttered back without looking away.  He swallowed the words he wanted to say otherwise and tried again instead, inching closer to help bridge the gap this time.  “Alright monster.  What have you got to say?” he whispered, feeling the vine press into his palm as he curled his fingers around it, better securing their connection.  He jerked again when it felt like something tiny stung his palm in various locations, but he didn’t pull away.  Yet.  He did frown when his head twitched though, and not of his doing.

                “Kangin?” L. Joe called softly, a hint of uncertainty in the voice.

                “I’m… good,” he hesitated, frowning thoughtfully as he twitched again, this time getting a glimpse of images and rushed thoughts in his mind.

                Protect.

                Sickness.

                Healing.

                Balance.

                With a start, he realized that the thing was actually tasting him.  The sense of strangeness in his palm was from it drawing blood, but at the same time, it was transfusing with his own, imparting such thoughts that were not his into him.  A step closer, still twitching, and a glimpse at his palm showed tiny filaments of threadlike consistency extending into his hand.

                Help.  Heal.  Restore balance.

                “Heal what?  Restore balance how?” he frowned, eyeing the vine thoughtfully.  On impulse, he put his other hand on the vine and stepped up, biting down on the plant that smelled of blood.

                “Kangin!”

                He closed his eyes as power swelled, crackling into him as soon as the liquid hit his tongue.  It seeped into his body and drowned out all other sound, all other awareness, consuming him with the multitude of images, memories, feelings, thoughts that stormed in his mind.  Frozen, paralyzed where he stood, Kangin remained locked in concert with the creature as he learned from it while it learned from him.