chen tries not to let the fear cloud his judgment as suho’s scent begins to fade, clamps his sharp teeth against the panic overwhelming his entire being when the trail disappears altogether.

briefly pausing on a mound of earth risen slightly higher than the rest of the forest floor, chen tips his nose into the air, hopelessly sniffing around for that particular smell that he’s become so in tune to in the past few months, so familiar that the lack of its presence makes it feel like chen has lost his own limb.

the only thing that registers in his keen olfactory senses is the smell of resin, the wet rain-covered earth, the sharp tang of the pine trees looming high into the stormy clouds above.

chen should’ve seen this coming, should’ve kept a closer eye because suho hadn’t been adjusting to pack life very well, especially in the last few weeks, jerking awake in the middle of the night covered in cold sweat and a gurgled screamed caught in his throat.

he knew suho was having a difficult period of transitioning, having only turned half a year ago when a pack of rabid, starving wolves had descended upon suho’s family cottage, massacring every other member and unwittingly leaving suho shockingly mauled and left for dead under a pile of broken beams and rubble.

chen’s pack had been roaming about hunting for dinner, yifan at the head as alpha, when the metallic reek of blood and slaughter filtered into chen’s nostrils. curiosity had guided him to silently break away from his pack, sniffing out the little clearing in the forest where the cottage lay in ruins, the gruesome evidence of carnage and bloodbath still splattered all over the surrounding land.

curiosity, and something else, something more compelling, had him pawing through the piles of broken wood and leaves, digging his nose under large patches of thatched rooftop until he whiffed out the scent of fresh blood, living blood, still pouring through someone’s veins, albeit weakly, struggling to carry on.

chen found him lying face down under a collapsed wooden table, shards of window splayed all over the place. as he cautiously stepped closer to take a better look at the mangled human, blood matting his hair around his face, the ominous, warning growl of his alpha had chen rooted to the spot.

“what are you doing?” yifan asked, majestically phasing back into his human form with a sense of poise and dignity that could only be achieved through having been born into a royal bloodline.

“this human,” chen replied in a small voice, plucking at the hem of his simple long sleeve shirt as he phased back as well. “he’s still alive. i can hear his heart fighting to survive.”

yifan had briefly glanced down at the broken body lying on the floor, signaling over his shoulder for luhan to continue leading the hunt without him. “he’s been bitten,” yifan informed chen, sharp eyes zeroing in on the raw, flayed patch of skin at the juncture of the human’s neck and shoulder. “by the looks of it, he’ll be transformed within a night or two.”

chen held his breath nervously as yifan crouched on the ground beside the unconscious man, gently poking and prodding before dusting off his hands and rising back into his regal stance, broad shoulders straight and chin subtly lifted.

“would you have this man die out here on his own, or have him join our pack and live?” yifan asked, stern eyes carefully studying chen’s face, for what chen didn’t know.

“we can’t just let him die,” chen responded, gaze wandering back to the human’s face, traveling over the soft curve of his cheeks, the fine line of his little nose, all hidden under layers of grime and blood.

“then he is your responsibility,” yifan turned away then, ready to rejoin the rest of the pack for the hunt.

“what?” chen whined, pouting his lower lip before sucking it back in as yifan glanced over his shoulder with warning in his eyes.

“you found him, therefore he is your obligation.”

with that, yifan had phased back into a wolf, a tremor crackling down his spine as he gracefully dove into the air, silvery gray fur taking over the space where a human body had just been, landing on four paws before powerfully kicking off into the forest.

yifan left chen gaping at his quickly retreating back, impressively long tail swishing through the air, completely stunned into silence for a few minutes before returning his attention to the injured human. wolf. 

expelling a heavy gust of air through his nose, chen had carefully dug him out, gathering the broken man into his arms and carrying him to a nearby river where he painstakingly washed away the layers upon layers of crusted, dried blood, clouds of pink drifting along downstream.

chen carried him back to their campgrounds, gently settling the man inside his own tent and redressing him into one of his own sets of clothes. and chen had to admit, he kind of liked the way his smell lingered with this unknown man, reveled in the way their scents blended together to create a wholly new, intoxicating aroma.

“ugh, no. we are not going there,” chen mumbled to himself, quickly stumbling out of the tent and putting as much distance in between as he could without actually leaving camp, awaiting the return of his pack for some semblance of normalcy.

this was all just too much.

and eventually, the man had woken up. and chen learned his name was suho.

chen remained with suho the entire time his body had jerked and quivered as the blood in his veins began to change, the very molecular structure shifting to accommodate the advanced speed, strength, and heightened senses that came along with being a wolf.

chen cradled suho’s shaking form in his arms, never once letting go for the duration of nearly three nights until the last blood cell finally converted.

and it was chen who had helped suho grapple with his inner wolf, patiently guiding him so that suho could bring it out at will, then phase back into human form without panicking that he’d be stuck as an animal for the remainder of his life.

chen was proud at how much suho had accomplished in such a short period of time, smiling with satisfaction whenever he witnessed suho’s agile arc through the air as he phased into a chocolate brown wolf. and as the days grew into weeks grew into months, chen’s fondness only grew stronger.

suho clung to chen like a baby koala would to its mother. and chen really didn’t mind.

suho was his responsibility. even if the alpha hadn’t commanded it, chen was willing to bet he’d have ended up gravitating towards him anyway, the natural instinct to take care of suho too powerful to deny.

and chen had failed.

“suho, please,” chen cries, begs, once again weaving between the trees as his voice echoes painfully alone throughout the forest. “please come back.”

the rain is making it especially difficult for chen to track down any one scent, the wetness amplifying the musky smell of the earth and drowning out everything else.

not ready to admit defeat, chen turns back towards the camp, steeling his shoulders to search over every inch of the grounds again, not a single rock unturned, when suddenly, there it is.

a subtle shift in the winds has chen bolting to the right, sprinting as fast as his legs will carry him towards the source of the warm, familiar fragrance that beckons him forward like a lighthouse would a lost ship at sea.

chen runs until his lungs squeeze and burn for oxygen, even then still running and running and running until his feet come to a sudden halt.

there he is.

chen finds suho curled under the roots of an enormous tree, gnarled and twisted with age, shoulders gently shaking with silent sobs.

"suho,” chen says quietly, taking slow and cautious steps closer, not wanting to scare suho any more than he already is. “suho, please.”

“i don’t know who i am anymore,” suho shudders a breath, words slightly muffled because his face is still hidden in between his shielding arms.

“you’re still you,” chen replies tenderly, crouching down to lay a gentle hand on suho’s hunched back. “you’re still suho, just, you know, with a bit of modifications.”

a small, slightly strangled laugh emits from suho’s throat, one eye carefully peaking over his arm. chen smiles down warmly, running his fingers through suho’s tousled hair, picking out bits of twigs and leaves that have taken home in between his locks. “i’m a monster,” suho whispers sadly, and chen’s hand freezes mid caress.

"you are not,” chen replies firmly, resisting the urge to yell and shout and tear trees from their roots. “you are not a monster, and neither are any of us. is that clear?”

junmyeon casts down his eyes, but nods faintly.

"good. now please, come home with me?” chen requests in a soft voice, lightly scratching at the sensitive spot just behind suho’s ear.

suho nods, tilting his head up a little to lean into chen’s warm palm.

chen breathes a quiet sigh of relief, rising up and gently pulling suho up with him. he cups his hands over suho’s cheeks, suho’s hands pressed on top of them.

"you know you can always talk to me,” chen rests their foreheads together, shutting his eyes and savoring the warm, honeyed breath fanning out across his face. “please don’t run away again.”

“i’m sorry. i promise,” suho whispers back, sniffling back the last of his tears before wrapping his arms around chen’s shoulders and drawing him in for a short, sweet kiss.