As always, the twins wake Iridessa up. They're structurally adjusted to the dryad's school schedule and because of such it's six in the morning. Dess, waking up, groans in complaint. She hears a grunt and nearly jumps out of her skin. The boys are still calling for her to get them out of their playpens when she realizes that Kris is, spoon style, cuddled up to her. His right arm is firm against her stomach and her back is sweaty from the heat. Her cheeks flush red and in attempt to save her sanity she tries to jump up out of bed. She fails miserably (she slept against the wall with him on the outside) and trips over his lanky legs and falls face first on the floor.

"Oh my god, kill me now." she wails into the hardwood.

   The twins are bursting from laughter and she silently calls them traitors as she tries to sit up right. Her face hurts, her neck is stiff, and she feels like she needs a cold shower.

"I am so sorry, Kris." she scrambles, trying to adjust her pajamas before standing.

   She s the boys bags to grab clean sippy cups before River tells her to shush. She looks up, about to scold him, when she notices him pointing at the bed she was just on.

   Kris is still asleep.

   She leans up against the wall and sighs in relief. It's met shortly with Phoenix telling her that he's hungry. One hour later, Dess is at the stove cooking with the twins in highchairs pushed up to the kitchen table. They're all dressed for the day and Dess decided it would be useful to have her hair up in a bun for the day. She has music playing from her phone and is dancing, making the boys clap and laugh. She flips a pancake and uses the spatula as a microphone.

"I'll eat you up, your love, your love. I'll eat you up, your love, your love. Woah, I'll eat you up," she sings as she skips to Phoenix, rubbing her belly comically, "Woah, so yum yum. Woah, can't get enough, Woah-oh-oh I think I'm in love."

   She turns back to the stove during BoA's small instrument break and flips the pancake onto the plate that's resting on the adjacent counter. The little toddlers are cheering her on, clearly not wanting her to stop. She pours more of the batter into the pan and resumes dancing, this time facing the food to keep an eye on it.

"Can't stop thinkin' 'bout the things I wanna do to you. If you move any closer you'd be asking for it too. I want your love, I need your touch. So much I think I'm in love." she continues. 

"Oh, are you?" Kris asks.

   Iridessa yelps, dropping the spatula onto the kitchen floor. She whips herself around and is met with Kris holding up his cell phone, standing between the kid's highchairs. 

"Oh my god, are you recording me?" she shouts.

   He has the widest smile on his face and begins to laugh. The all-out famous laugh and it's enough to the point where he snorts. Her sons joining in, laughing harder than before, with River shouting Again Mommy! and she feels like her life is officially over. Her face flushes deep red. She turns off the stove and launches across the kitchen, arms stretched out.

"Delete it! Give it here! Kris come on!" She wails, chasing him around the kitchen table.

"I'm so sending this to the group chat." he heaves with each shaky breath with tears running down his face.

"You sound like a dying whale, you overgrown child!" she insults.

"Well at least I don't dance for the whole pack!"

"Wu Yifan!"

"Too late!"

   Instantly, her phone dings the signature ringtone for the pack conversation app. She drops her knees to the floor and groans, still red in the face.

"My life is over. Just kill me now." she whines.

   Kris smugly picks the spatula up off of the ground, rinses it, and resumes Dessa's cooking. Her phone is still playing the rest of the song and he dances, mocking her. The dryad rolls her eyes and grabs the finished pancakes on the counter. She brings it to the kitchen table with a knife and begins cutting them into small pieces aggressively, as if it personally offended her. She generally doses syrup on top places some on each tray of the high chairs. The boys begin wolfing- ha- their food down, getting their hands sticky and giggling in delight.

"Okay, so what are the plans today?" she asks afterwards, back at the kitchen table.

"I was thinkin-"

   Kris is cut off when Iridessa's phone start dinging repetitively along with his vibrating in his pants pocket. The alpha begins laughing all over again and enthusiastically takes his phone out to check the notifications.

"Oh this is good."

"Don't." Dess warns.

   The phones continue again and the dryad conclusively gives up in defeat. She unlocks her phone, her cheeks flushing once more.

 

From: Chen

LMFAO OH MY GOD

From: BaKon

LOLOL DUDES I'M ING CRYING

From: Sehunnie

That's my girl! Great taste in music! * claps *

From: Tao

ROTFLMAO I CAN'T BREATHE

From: Channie

What makes this even funnier is that I can hear the twins in the background laughing too XD

From: Joon-Joon

Seriously Kris? Uncalled for.

Super funny tho lol.

 

"Ugh!" Iridessa grunts, throwing her hands up in exasperation. Her phone dings twice more.

 

From: Tao

Oh btw you're out of chips

From: Tao

And ice cream

 

   The dryad slams her head into the tabletop.

 

~~~

 

"Okay, so I just sent out a message to the group chat. We are all going to meet at your mom's in twenty." Kris confirms, slipping his phone into his leather jacket.

Dess sighs, "We are about to fix her house and she doesn't even want to see us probably."

   The boys were watching television again (thank heavens they get distracted so easily, prevents them from running around and causing chaos) and they were still too close to the screen after Dess told them twice already to sit back. She was sitting on the floor with several items spread across the table. The map, her branches she plants to turn to arrows, and the notebook she keeps detailed notes in. She was currently rereading through the most recent entry and researching different omens on her phone.

"So you still think it wasn't a dream?" Kris asks with disbelief in his face.

"I feel it inside me. It was more than that."

"Well like what?"

   He crouches down next to the dryad looking over her shoulder. He unintentionally breathes against her neck and she fails at trying to cover up her shiver. He awkwardly coughs and pops down onto his next to her.

"Uh, like here," she points at her handwriting, "this, ganiyegi, means be warned or be careful. It's the thing I remember most and I found it weird since I didn't recognize the language. Wa-ya means wolf."

   Kris exhales sharply, and she can tell that he's finally starting to get concerned.

"Now it is possible that it was a vision, but I find it unlikely. There was- it was- it felt... timeless. No time, no place. Plus I have never heard of dryad's having visions. You would only see those kind of events with mediums, mages, witches, or even druids. Not saying it's impossible, because we are all magic per say and it seems there's no limit to our kind, but it's just highly unlikely."

   Kris utters a grunt of understanding with a quick single nod.

"Personally? I think it was just my kind of magic. The kind that's inside me, and other dryads."

"What do you mean?"

"Our lives, our souls, our very beings, are one with the earth. With nature. Nature is a force and it constantly communicates with us. I think it was trying to find a way to speak to me, to tell me something is coming."

"Like...like manifestation?"

"Yeah! I mean, kinda, you get my drift."

   Kris mutters something under his breath along the lines of werewolves being much easier to understand while Iridessa clicks the next link on her search results.

"A-ha! Here we go, look here."

"Dragonflies and what they mean," he reads, "seriously Dess?"

"Look! Right here! It says that a dragonfly perched on any object means that guests are coming and may be hard to get rid of. And down here it says a dead dragonfly means bad news."

   Kris looks at Dess like she has two heads and she hers to the side, not understanding why he's confused. Then he gestures impatiently to keep going. She rolls her eyes.

"In my dream- vision- dream thing there was a perched dragonfly, and then it died."

"It just...died?"

"God, do you ever listen to me?  I told you before that in my dream a bog filled with tar swallowed it."

"Oh."

"Ugh," she continues, "and I saw cross bones. Which you should obviously know that's bad."

"Duh, but what does it exactly mean?"

"That I, or you, will be troubled by the evil influences of others."

"Wonderful." he says sarcastically

 

~~~

 

   The drive there was quick thanks to Kris jamming kids music via Bluetooth for the boys. For once the children didn't fight and Kris sang along with them at points, giving the dryad serious butterflies. Dess has never heard him sing before and she regrets not hearing his voice sooner. For such a hard exterior that cloaks the alpha, his voice is smooth and melodic. If possible, her eyes would be the shape of hearts. Then she remembers that none of this is truly real, her and Kris aren't together. They don't live together and they aren't raising her sons together. He's just helping her, because that's what friends do. Her stomach drops, and she mentally slaps herself for thinking there could ever be anything more. She's a single mom with two kids. A relationship just isn't in the stars for her.

"What's wrong?" Kris asks suddenly, making her jump in her seat.

   Damn werewolves and their senses.

"Nothing. Look, I think just about everybody is here." she gestures beyond the windshield.

   She personally sighs in relief that they were pulling into her driveway at that exact moment and that the subject has been dropped. Several cars were parked within proximity and a pang of love and pride floods her emotions. The pack is here to help her, to help her babies. She comes to the realization that she has no idea what she would be doing without the pack. How she and her boys would be surviving all of this.

"Your emotions are all over the place today. Are you feeling well?" Kris asks with such sincerity.

   His voice is soft and low and she grins knowing that if she was sick Kris would be aware that the dryad wouldn't want her sons to know. She wouldn't want their little minds to worry.

"I love our pack." she decides to say. Sighing contently.

   The alpha his head to the side in wonder.

   Kris then grabs the diaper bag and River since that's who was behind him as Dess grabs her backpack and Phoenix. Iridessa moves her son to her hip and reaches to open her front door and it opens before her. Xiumin was behind it and happily chirps hello to them and then rushes in to grab Phoenix from the dryad.

"Put that baby down! You're not getting out of doing work with us!" Kyungsoo calls from somewhere in the house.

   Dess and Kris (with River) walk in and notice a house in pure and utter madness. There's loud machinery going on in the background and they see Anna, Sehun, and Tao on the living room couch. Iridessa asks Anna what she was doing there, since they were originally supposed to meet at the party, when she informs Dess that Suho invited her through text. On cue, he walks out of the kitchen and winks at the dryad. She could almost kiss the kind wolf. He knew how upset she was that Anna was never included in anything with the pack. Dess' mood immediately brightens. She looks over her shoulder and notices that Kris seems anything but pleased. Her smile is replaced with a small frown.

"No! I am the chosen one!" Xiumin calls back, lifting the child into the air mimicking that one iconic scene in Lion King.

   Anna approaches Kris and cheerfully asks to hold River. He hums in response and leans his shoulder down, allowing Anna to reach the child (even though she had to be on the tip of her toes, Kris is freakishly tall) and the baby squeals in delight. Kris asks Suho what he should do and the wolf points down the hall towards the nursery. They both head in that direction while Dess pulls out several items of the diaper bag to keep the babies occupied. Sehun and Tao say they have no problem helping with the twins and it makes Dess come up with a joke about how many people does it take to watch a couple of kids. She then walks into the kitchen and sees Luhan, Yixing, and Kai snacking on various foods with random cabinets opened and the sink filled. She rolls her eyes.

"You guys are cleaning up your mess when you're done. And buying food."

   They all make some noise in response agreeing. She then walks down the hallway and is met with her mother walking out of her bathroom. The dryad can tell that her mother feels super uncomfortable with a bunch of teenagers roaming around the house. Dess points her thumb backwards and her mother understands that she's motioning where Phoenix and River are. Her mom passes her and Dess takes the opportunity to glance into her bedroom and is mildly surprised. She suspected that the room would be trashed since her friends spent the night there, oddly enough it was cleaner than when she previously left it. Maybe she should have wolves over more often.

   She feels that since everyone else (besides the three in the kitchen) are participating with some sort of responsibility that maybe she should be doing something productive as well. She opens her closet door revealing her pile of dirty clothes at the bottom. Realizing that she won't be able to carry all of it, she walks to the laundry area in her house and grabs and empty basket. She then tosses the clothes into the hamper and merely pays attention as somebody behind her asks if she needs any help with it. She waves her hand in nonchalance, signaling that she's fine. Then she hears Anna walking towards the bedroom with River.

"Dess?"

"Yeah, what's up?" the dryad says over her shoulder, picking up the last sock she missed.

"I didn't realize everything was so...busy. Would you like me to take the boys somewhere so all of you can clean or whatever?"

   She stops herself from exclaiming no way, remembering that Anna has no idea what's going on around town. Luhan told Dess the night before that he scoured the internet making sure nobody posted anything about the water filtration department. Anna did ask a couple days ago if she could do something with them, and if Dess said no she knows that Anna will be heartbroken. If she says yes, they could be in danger. She has to come up with something fast.

"How about the park?" Xiumin asks, somewhere behind her.

"Yeah!" Dess exclaims a little too loudly, making her best friend jump.

"Okay, great." Anna says with a smile.

"Hey, how about you take...Kai and Tao with you too? The house is a little too cramped as it is and they're always breaking stuff rather than fixing it."

"I heard that!" Tao shouts from across the house.

   Anna makes an expression, as if she was wondering how Tao could have heard from so far. Not too long after, everyone hears Tao wail in pain, followed by Sehun yelling You idiot!, and it distracts Anna. Chen then walks into the bedroom, sweat dripping down his brow.

"Kai can't ago! He's been sitting on his all morning, he needs to work too!"

Dess ponders it for a second and then replies, "Okay, you switch with Kai."

"What?" Kai screams in a tone that could only be labeled as betrayal and Chen cackles.

   They end up leaving together after Chen takes a quick shower and borrows an outfit from Dess. Tao then sends her a quick text after saying that they are going to go to a grocery store first and turn it into a picnic. The dryad then remembers that the boys have dirty clothes in the nursery as well and decides to grab those as well.

"Oh, sorry, guys." she says when she enters her sons' shared bedroom.

   Kris, Suho, Kyungsoo, Kai, Baekhyun, Xiumin, and another man with his back turned are working on the window. By the sound of Chanyeol laughing about something from the living room Iridessa concludes that he switched places with Xiumin. The man then turns around and gives Dess a light smile. She then remembers that it's Kyungsoo's dad and that he's a contractor. He must be a good one too if he was able to already fix the wall with a bunch of hyper teenage wolves.

"Good morning Mr. Do." Dess bows, "How early did everyone get here? I thought we were all supposed to meet at the same time?" 

   Kyungsoo then explains how Chanyeol and Sehun got up early this morning at Kris' and decided to get a head start. Chanyeol then called Kyungsoo and asked if his father could help since they have little to no knowledge about redoing walls. They they called the rest.

"I think you should have sent an extra person to the park with them." Kris interrupts, and it sounds as if he's scolding her.

"I actually agree." Mr. Do says, "Kyungsoo explained everything to me."

"They should be fine." Dess says, trying to calm her sudden fast-paced heartbeat.

"I don't even know why you let them go." Kris says bitterly.

"Excuse me? Who are you to tell me what to do with my kids?" Dess shouts.

   She stomps out of the room forgetting about the twins' clothing. She huffs her way over to the washer and catches a glimpse of Sehun shaking his head in disappointment. She can't decide if it's because of her decision or the way Kris is acting. She slams the washer hood down.

 

~~~

 

   Chen acts like he's listening and nods his head in response to some wild story Tao is telling Anna and the boys about from when he was a child. They are all sitting on a large blanket on the grass next to the playground where the boys just finished a game of hide and go seek. After Tao helped Phoenix find Chen and River, Anna called them over to eat. 

   Chen took his food from the tiny cooler they bought at the store and unwraps it before taking a large bite. He notices a black car turn onto the road that runs alongside the park. He chews his food while the sedan slows down once they are within close proximity of the group. The vehicle comes to a quick stop and then drives away when Chen finishes his sandwich. He shakes his head in skepticism and decides not to mention anything about it.

 

~~~

   Iridessa finishes the laundry when Baekhyun comes up to her holding a credit card.

"Kris told me to grab you and go buy food for the party."

"What? Now he doesn't even want me in the same house as him?" she scoffs.

   He tries to give a reassuring smile but it ends up just looking awkward.  Dess pointedly looks at the ceiling before sighing and walking towards her backpack.

"Come on." she waves, opening the front door.

   Iridessa's mood quickly changes once they are walking on the sidewalk. The day is crisp and the sun is shining, every step of fresh air relaxes her mind. There are many people out walking down the streets along with them. She was so frustrated previously that she asked Baekhyun if they could park a little distance away from the hub of stores and markets.The wind was just what she needed to feel grounded again.

"Have you figured anything else out about what was in that sample of tar?" Baekhyun asks.

"Not really, besides the fact that it's a hybrid mixture of natural and manmade substances. This one really has me stumped. I mean, sure, we face hobgoblins and witches but this is like a huge game of Clue."

"Yeah, with less clues."

"Maybe it's a natural accident? Like runoff from some sort of factory mixed with a poplar plant?"

"Isn't that one of the tribes? Could we be dealing with another dryad?" Baek asks.

"I doubt it. That tribe has never been here as far as I know. That's one of the only ones you won't find as much in this area. However, dryads do try to hide who they are and what they can do."

"Why?"

"We were never a race that was built off of wars or conquering others. We're the protectors and the healers."

   The wolf then makes a joke about a roleplay game and it makes the dryad scoff. She then drags him by the wrist into a hunting store. Iridessa is a regular customer at the shop that sells products ranging from bows and arrows to guns and Kevlar. She immediately tracks her normal way over to the traditional section of the store.

"Would you at least try a compound?" a voice says from behind them.

   Dess jumps and Baekhyun whips his body around. Standing there is an older man with deep wrinkles around his face and eyes, expressing that he must smile a lot. He's gray-haired and a little bit on the rounder side and has a gravel-like voice that bounces off the surrounding walls. The dryad smiles and bows in respect, she then grabs Baekhyun's shoulder to do the same.

"You're always thinking you can break me Mr. Jung." she answers.

"Huh?" Baek wonders.

"This is where I get my arrows restocked, since I lose more than I'd like to. He's been trying to warm me up to carrying a gun."

"You don't like guns, you said it's against your...nature." Baekhyun snorts on the pun of the last word.

   It's true. Dryads feel uneasy about extreme manmade items. Guns, bombs, and other such things are too catastrophic for nature. Some dryads are so prejudiced against it that they refuse to interact with any of the normal human race that support it. So many of these materials are made in factories that pollute the environment and bring harm. Some have been so horrible to the point where dryads and their trees die. It's even noted back in history that their race started to decline once the industrial revolution started. Her people are still trying to be on the rise, some purposely trying to have multiple kids to preserve their kind and pass down their culture. Many feel that it is their duty to preserve the earth and all its nature it has to offer. One of the best places to find a dryad in disguise is in groups or places like activists groups and conservatories. Dess has even done a protest once or twice a couple years back. 

   She ends up showing the wolf the different kinds of bow styles, wood types of arrows, and even demonstrates how to block someone with a bow. They end up walking out over a hour later with a bag in hand. 

"Man, you should take me shopping more often Dess." Baekhyun laughs.

"It feels nice not having to drag the boys around. I'm feeling a lot more stress-free."

"Why don't you ask one of us to watch them when you go?" Baekhyun suggests before opening the door to the supermarket, "Go ahead."

   The grocery store is also crowded and according to Baekhyun the two of them end up spending twice as much as Kris originally allowed. He did try protesting her on it but she made him understand that Kris would it up if she explained that some of it was food for the twins. Baekhyun's phone rings as soon as they step out past the glass doors.

"Yo. Yeah she's right here....do you wanna talk to her?....uhm okay....yeah...no...yeah we just left...no prob'...bye."

   Dess doesn't need to listen in to know that Kris is still angry, but that's not much of a conclusion since he's literally always angry at someone. Thankfully the sun is still shining high up in the sky casting rays of light warmth to her cheeks. After Baekhyun hung up the phone she leaned into him, wrapping her arm around his. As she was gently laying her head against her shoulder the wolf saw a reflection cast upon a glass display ahead of them. Down the street behind them was a sedan driving eerily slow down the road. As the car eventually came parallel with the two Baekhyun noticed that windows were way tinted beyond the legal limit. Squinting his eyes in suspicion, he protectively take his arm and safely wraps it around her lower back, glaring at whomever was hiding behind the darkness.

 

~~~

 

   Iridessa's mom only huffs in response once her and Dess see the remodeled room. Kyungsoo even went as far as to buy blinds and even a curtain for it with his own money and was awarded with a tight hug and a kiss to the cheek. He then informed Dess that Chanyeol, Tao, Chen, Anna, and her sons were already at Chanyeol's house. Chanyeol then simultaneously sent her text saying that River and Phoenix were passed out on his bed while they helped his parents clean the place for the party. So maybe her day was going to go well after all.

"Wow 'Soo, they even match the nursery theme!" Iridessa exclaims.

"Thank you, Thank you very much." he goofs while bowing like a performer

"You guys are the bestest friends I could ever have. An ordinary friend group would never do this kind of stuff." she gushes.

"Speaking of which, maybe you should take it easy on Kris." Kyungsoo says shyly.

"Kyungsoo..I-"

"I'm just saying that he didn't mean it in a way where he was trying to order you and your family around. All of us really care about you guys."

"I know, I know. We're humans of the pack. The most loved, blah-blah." she waves in dismiss.

"I don't think you understand," the wolf begins, "the humans are the easiest to lose and sometimes the first ones to die in a pack. So the werewolf inside of us will literally do anything we can to protect them. When a human officially becomes a pack member all the wolves feel pain even if the human is too far from them. They can't sleep, can't eat, their heart is too busy worrying or missing them."

"So what you're saying is the twins and I make the pack weak." she says with a frown on her face.

"Hey, don't look like that. Having humans is a good thing and it's more common than you think. They keep the rest of the pack...humane. It keeps their passion and their good morals in check. Wolf packs without humans are easier to get out of control, making them give in to their beast inside."

"I...didn't know that."

"So see? You're needed. Kris needs you, and the babies. He worries about you and them more than anyone else he cares about."

   Iridessa's mind goes blank, filled with emotion. Usually when someone joins a pack the alphas are supposed to tell them all about how the dynamic works. Why hasn't he told her about this? Why won't he tell her anything? She had no idea.

"So when I went up north last year to volunteer at the farmer's market that was going to close-"

"It was hell. The twins made it a little easier since they were with us, but yeah, it ."

"Kyungsoo why didn't any of you tell me? I would have stayed. I-"

"Exactly. We can't make you stay by our side for the rest of our lives, it's wrong. Selfish, too."

"But I love being with you guys! I love being pack!"

   Behind the frame in the hallway was Iridessa's mother leaned up against the wall. She heard everything, and when she looks over to the living room she meets eyes with the alpha who is currently sitting on the couch. The mother knows he heard, she knows what werewolves are capable of. Kris looks guilty and the mother believes that he should feel more than that. They're taking her daughter away, she realizes. Soon she will have no family left. She exhales sharply, easy for him to know she's furious, and she stomps her way into the kitchen and out through the back door, slamming it. Kris jumps, not from the sound, but from the yellow-green glow that formed around the door handle when she grabbed it. Kris hardly ever sees a dryad get that mad. Even when Dess is angry at him, it's never to the point where she glows. The alpha abruptly stands and takes a couple steps from the small living room to the even smaller kitchen. He stands next to Baekhyun and glances through the window and sees the woman kneeling, facing the forest. He can hear her sobs. Xiumin is frozen at the fridge, seeming like he was grabbing something to drink. Kris then looks back after he hears a rumble in the hallway. Dess and Kyungsoo are standing there, probably from hearing the door. Kyungsoo can hear the woman in the garden sobbing as well and his face looks pained while Dess' expresses just plain confusion.

"Uh," Kris mumbles, "we good to go? We need to bring the food to Chanyeol's."

   The rest of the pack was scattered across the town. Some were getting last minute things for the party, others were getting things for what they were going to be doing later on at night. The only other ones left at Iridessa's house was Sehun and Kai. They were outside the front of the house packing the food into the cars.

"Yeah, sure." Dess tightly says.

 

~~~

 

"Tao I am going to murder you!" Luhan shouts, drenched in water.

   Dess originally wanted the party to be like a cook-out. Just family, friends, and food, but it turned into the place looking like a war zone. Tao dumped a bucket of water on an unsuspecting Luhan on the patio, Kai and Sehun were wrestling and getting muddy in the yard (just a few feet from the lit grill), Chanyeol was arm wrestling Xiumin (and losing), and Chen was chasing Baekhyun after he was given a wedgie. The boy's parents seemed unfazed, accustomed to the rowdiness, while the rest was playing the twins on a patch of lawn that has not yet been demolished.

"Are they always like this?" Anna asks, gesturing towards the madness.

"Yeah." Iridessa and Lay says in unison.

"This is nothing compared to the time they played baseball with fruit." Suho intervenes.

   Anna looks at him dumbfounded.

"All it took was one pineapple before it turned into an all-out food fight." Kyungsoo snorts.

"I found smashed fruit in my underwear when I went to shower." Kris says nonchalantly, giving Phoenix some of his chips to snack on.

   Iridessa's face turns red. Anna and Suho see her expression and smirk.

"Chanyeol! Come help me in the kitchen!" his mother calls from the patio, placing a towel around Luhan's shoulder.

   Kyungsoo's mother then comes up to the small group and smiles in adoration.

"May I please take them inside? I bought them some toys."

"Sure!"

   Dess hands River to the adult and the child is more than excited to be held. Phoenix then fake wails, jealous, until Kris picks him up and helps Kyungsoo's mother by adjusting the child to her opposite hip. Iridessa's brain fries at the sight and she has to shake her head to avoid her face become even redder.

"I was asked to help fill the cooler before the food on the grill is done. I'll be back." Kris says one the twins are out of sight.

   Before Dess can say anything Chen and Baekhyun approach them with recognizable -eating grins on their faces. Oh no Dess thinks, those are the faces of mischief and destruction. Yixing rolls his eyes.

"What?" Yixing asks.

"We were thinking, it's been awhile since Kris has been pranked." Baekhyun whispers.

   Iridessa groans, knowing that Kris is going to give them all hell after. It's always been this way. Kris is so easy to piss off and no matter what the entire pack has to deal with the aftermath. She notices Anna's face brightens, and she finds it so out of character that her innocent friends would be down for something dumb like this. Anna actually agrees with the boys and high five each other in success.

"Yes! Come on Dess, you in?" Chen pleads.

" no! Do you remember what happened last time?"

"What happened last time?" Anna asks with her hand raised in the air, like a student would in a classroom.

   Suho groans. Baekhyun chuckles. Chen outwardly snorts.

"He put a centipede in Dess' backpack." 

"He did what?" Anna gasps.

   Dess shivers, remembering.

"I hate centipedes! Any other bug, I'd have no problem. But he knew." she wails.

"And then he tossed a big spider in Chanyeol's." Yixing adds.

"I heard him screaming two classes over." Baekhyun cackles.

"Hey Anna?" Kris calls out, sticking his head out the patio door. The whole group freezes.

"Uh, yeah?"

"I forgot to ask if you wanted anything to drink earlier. I'm almost done with a cooler, is there anything you want?" 

   Dess nearly forgets to breathe. Chen is red in the face and Baekhyun's shoulders are tense. Kris squints his eyes in concern towards them.

"N-no, I'm good." she squeaks.

   He then shrugs his shoulders and starts to go back in the house.

"Wait!" Iridessa calls, the alpha's head pops back out.

"What?"

"Can you get me something to drink?"

"No."

   He disappears into the house and the dryad is left agape with Suho trying to hold back a laugh. 

"Okay, you know what? I'm in." Dess declares.

   Anna claps in delight and Suho facepalms so loudly it catches Lay's attention. Baekhyun tiptoes to the patio to make sure Kris closed the door firmly shut. He then tiptoes back with his ear turned towards the house, and the dryad knows he is trying to see if Kris is listening.

"Okay, I think he's talking to Chanyeol."

"How did you hear that?" Anna asked. Baekhyun pales.

"Guys! We have to plan!" Chen whispers.

"Hmmm...let's check out Chanyeol's garage. He has a ton of crap in there." Dess suggests.

   So that's how the group of four ended up rummaging through the Park's belongings in their garage. Suho decided to hang back, fearing the alpha's wrath, and Yixing said he would be on look-out as long as nobody rats him out partaking in it.

"Maybe we should do something simple. Something that won't get him too mad at Anna." Chen suggests.

"He won't because he's not going to find out." Baekhyun grinned.

"Yeah, I doubt that. Anna can't keep shut to save her life." Dess complains.

"Hey! Yes I can! I never told anyone that you're a dryad! Wait...you guys know she's a dryad right?"

   Dess sighs.

"We know." Chen and Baekhyun laugh.

"See!" Dess argues.

"What about this?" Chen asks.

   They walk to where he's at and sees a huge box of old used sidewalk chalk.

"What are we going to do with chalk?" Anna questions.

"Oh! Oh! His car is out front!" Baekhyun whisper-shouts.

"Your point?"

"Did you know if you mix chalk with a little bit of water it creates a mixture you can paint with?" Baekhyun rhetorically asks.

   Chen develops a devilish grin. Anna high-fives Baekhyun as Dess leans over and picks up a piece of the chalk.  She smiles and shows everyone.

"How does pink sound?"

 

~~~

 

   The food ends up being delicious and Dess actually has no interruptions eating due to Xiumin's mom offering to feed the boys. Anna questioned earlier in the day why so much meat was needed but soon understood watching each boy on their third plate of food. At least.

"What are you guys doing?" Kris asks across the backyard.

   Chanyeol, Kai, and Sehun formed a triangle and was all on their phones giggling. At the tone of the alpha's voice they shut up quietly and pretended to continue eating the food on their plates.

"I'm friends with idiots." Kris sighs. Tao punches his shoulder.

"Dessa-yah?" Chanyeol's father speaks up. Everyone quiets down.

"Yes?"

"Not that I mind, but why do you need us to watch the kids?"

   Dess is speechless, she never thought to come up with an excuse. Usually she doesn't have to explain to the boys why but she's not sure everyone's parents should know. Especially not Anna.

"Uhm-"

"We're rehearsing for the talent show." Kai bursts.

   Suho spits the water out of his cup and Luhan has to pat his back to stop the sputtering.

"The talent show?" Anna says, "What are you guys doing in the talent show?"

"Uh-"

"A dance routine!" Tao adds. Xiumin slams his head on the patio table. 

   Iridessa wishes somebody would just end her doom right there. Yixing actually looks excited.

 

~~~

 

"Ugh, this thing never works!" Chanyeol's father complains, stomping back into the yard towards the shed.

"What's wrong?"

   The sun was setting and the dryad was greatful that the twins were already passed out for the night. They were exhausted after all the running and playing they did with everyone. All the other parents have left and she could only feel how greatful she is. Nowhere else would you see friends' parents be so loving to her children. Her and the boys are so close that everyone's parents were like extra sets of uncles and aunts to her and the twins. She was filled to the brim with happiness.

"A friend asked me to borrow the lawn mower. I was strapping it in when one of my bungees snapped."

"I have some in my trunk, want me to grab them?" Kris offers.

   Anna and Iridessa freeze. They completely forgot, the chalk must be caked on by now. Baekhyun goes to launch himself out of the chair and trips. He faceplants in the grass and Yixing helps him up with a worried face. Chen was originally talking to Sehun but stops, his jaw hanging. Before anyone could stop them, Kris and Chanyeol's father head out of the back yard.

"Wait!" Dess calls, but it doesn't matter.

   Seconds feel like minutes to the four of them. They're too scared to move while the rest of the pack, besides Suho and Lay, wonder in curiosity.

"Oh you are so getting it, now." Suho smiles.

"What are you guys talking about?" Chanyeol asks.

   Suho's statement jars them cognizant. The four of them dash into the house. On the way Chanyeol's mom shushes them from the kitchen where she's doing dishes. Chen nearly rips the front door open and they nearly fall over each other. They see Kris staring at his vehicle, back facing them, with pink chalk in his hand. His shoulders are tensed up. Dess gulps.

"You didn't hide the evidence?" Baekhyun hisses at Dess.

   He remains quiet. But then...

"Baekhyun! Chen!" Kris roars, drawing on the n's in their name.

   He turns around. The chalk crumbles in his palm.

"Oh !" Chen squeals.

"Run!" Anna wails.

   The entire property becomes utter chaos. They race as fast as they can back into the house, retracing their steps. Chanyeol's mom shushes them again. Iridessa is the first one out into the back yard when she is completely soaked by water guns.

"What the ?!" she screeches.

   Chanyeol, Kai, and Sehun are standing there, super soakers in hand and mouths open. They look surprised that it was her. Before she can do anything else, Chen pushes everyone out of the doorway with a shrill He's coming!, making everyone scramble again.

   Dess dives behind a thicket of bushes, landing on her stomach. Chen, not knowing where to go, is running back and forth pulling at his hair. Baekhyun nearly runs Tao over and trips Xiumin on the way to garage. Anna asks if she can come with and he flicks her off.

"Traitor!" she gasps.

   Chen ends up squatting behind the shed. Anna goes to run into the house and hide there when she runs head first into Kris. 

   He's pissed.

   Anna cries out and scrambles backwards off the patio, falling on her . Dess is peering out above the bushes and sees him slowly approaching the poor girl, like a wolf stalking its' prey (pun!), and stands over her. He crosses his arms against his chest.

"What the hell is going on?" Kyungsoo says from his seat.

"Anna?" the alpha questions, and everyone can tell it sounds absolutely venomous.

    She remains silent until he takes a step closer, nearly on her toes.

"Dess did it!" she cries.

   Kris looks up, scans the yard by sniffing, and stops upon the bushes were she's peeking out. Kris growls.

"Anna you loud-mouth!" she yells.

"I'm sorry!" the girl shouts back, scrambling out of the way.

   For a quick second he remains stagnant, glaring at the dryad. Then the corner of his mouth turns up in an evil grin.

"!" she screams for the second time.

   She jumps onto her feet as fast as she possibly can and starts running. The back of the yard is met with a dirt alley that the owners of the houses on the street have access to and she decides to head in that direction. Dess is screaming along the way, hearing Kris' large feet getting closer and closer.

"I'm innocent!"

   She protests, but it doesn't stop him. She then hears him rumble, followed by grunting and what sound like bones breaking. A howl rips through the air. He turned into his wolf form she thinks. It's over. She has no chance.

   She's ran from plenty of monsters before. Hobgoblins, poltergeists, skin-walkers, even minions, but they're nearly not as scary as a big wolf on your heels. She tries to sharply turn a corner when she's tackled from behind. They go tumbling, rolling like a log across twigs and rocks. Dess groans once they stop, her back against the ground, already feeling the bruises develop. 

"Jesus." she coughs, getting air back into her lungs.

   She isn't able to open her eyes fully when a long, wet, tongue drops on her face. She screeches.

"Ew! Stop!" she gags.

   He howls in victory. She tries to sit up and he pushes her back down with his paws. 

"I give! Mercy!"

   The wolf then freezes when he realizes that his paws are on her s. He barks, jumps back, and collapses on his . Dess is left there and she's way too embarrassed to sit back up, her face flushed more than ever.

"Uh, I'll go get you clothes." she falters.

   She then gets up, again, from the ground and runs (without a glance to him) towards the dirt alley from which they trailed off of. Half way, she sees a pile of clothes laying off to his side. She was so busy running he knew he could strip and take off. Her cheeks feel warm again. 

"Uhm I know you're still around here somewhere, so I'm going to lay your clothes on this stump and turn around." she calls out.

   Hardly any time is wasted when she feels a swish of air behind her. Kris hurriedly puts his clothes on and she doesn't turn back around until he clears his throat.

"Okay." he says.

   He is pointedly staring away from her at the ground. He's scratching the back of his neck.

"Let's go back."

"Okay." he repeats.