[fic] Kyuhyun/Zhou Mi – SJM – The Path Untraveled – Chapter 1/9

[rabenhorst]

Title: The Path Untraveled
Author: fonulyn
Rating: NC17? (overall)
Pairing: Kyuhyun/Zhou Mi
Other characters: side!Han Geng/Heechul, Ryeowook, Sungmin, Siwon, a lot of brief mentions of others (suju and shinee, mainly)
Warnings: (overall) blood and violence, hunting etc.
Wordcount: 4316 words for this part (~37k overall)
Disclaimer: I own no one, only my dirty imagination.
Summary: For as long as Kyuhyun can remember life has been the same in their village. Yet when their monotonous life is disrupted, when another pack settles on their territory, Kyuhyun can’t help but be drawn to them. Drawn to one of them especially. (wolf shapeshifters!au)
Comments: This is for Eva ♥ I would’ve never finished this without her. Also, huge thanks to Becky, because without her I would’ve never started this, and to Piu, because without her I never would’ve posted this ♥ Lots of love to you all~
(I didn’t want to call this a werewolf au because they don’t really live by the moon or, well, go by many other werewolf legends either, but basically they shift into wolves so I guess you could call it that, too :3)

Sungmin hadn’t intended on running this far, not alone. He knows that there’s hardly any danger for him in these woods, not when he can practically kill anything that might attack him, bare handed at that. Still it’s never a good idea to go very far from the village alone. It’s been proven several times and it isn’t only the foolish kids that get hurt but even grown ups, those who are supposed to be able to take care of themselves. Maybe it’s the fact he knows he shouldn’t be there that makes Sungmin pay closer attention to his senses, listen a little more carefully and take in the scents that float into his nose. He’s alert, and that is why he notices something is up before it’s too late. There are sounds, along with strange smell of something that doesn’t quite belong, and in a mere heartbeat Sungmin has already jumped up on his feet from where he has been kneeling next to a small pond. Sungmin takes a quick look around before he decides to climb into the nearest tree, one that is only two steps away from him. It should give him enough shelter with its thick branches, and he knows the wind is in his favour as it is blowing against him, from the strangers. There is no way they will notice him if he’s careful enough. Not even if they’re the Shadow People. In all his life, Sungmin has only heard stories of the frightening, ruthless monsters, but he has no desire to change that. As much as there’s a part of him that hopes for the opposite, is curious beyond belief, he could go all his life without seeing even a glimpse of them and he’d be happy. He knows they’re there, lurking on the edges of the forest, and that is where they belong. These thoughts on mind, Sungmin presses himself against the rough bark of the tree. It scratches his naked skin, presses uncomfortably against his soft, vulnerable side, but he doesn’t care. He spreads his arms far and flattens himself against the tree, practically hugging the trunk as he peeks around it. Over the pond to the more infrequent part of the forest that clashes with a meadow. Sungmin breathes a sigh of relief. Wolves. Not just any wolves. He knows those aren’t the regular kind, but the same as he. Same as his pack, back at the village. They aren’t exactly anything people talk about, nothing that fits any kind of folklore around. They aren’t werewolves, they aren’t shapeshifters, but something in between. Those stories always make Sungmin huff, though. They get more wrong than they get right and he has never identified himself in the stories old ladies tell in front of the fireplace to their little children to scare them witless. No, Sungmin doesn’t like the lore. He doesn’t like the eerie glow that people try to cast over them when essentially they aren’t much different from them. He doesn’t like labelling what he is, either. He rather just is. Until labelling comes necessary for moments like this. He has to describe the intruders in some way, and that is the best he manages. They are like him, like them. There are only five, varying in size even if they all seem to be more on the large side. They are also all male, and all but one are carrying small bundles of cloth, one even dragging something like two young birches bound together as a sleigh. They aren’t just on a run, they are moving. Otherwise they would be like Sungmin, have nothing with them but their skin. Sungmin watches the wolves run by, making a mental note on the direction they are headed. Even after they are gone he stays still, unmoving, until his limbs are numb and he needs to get down from the tree. Easily he jumps down, never minding the scratches he gets from the sticks. He needs to get home, right now. Smooth chestnut brown fur ripples over his body, over his bent back and muscular arms, his fingers sharpening into claws. Within minutes the young man has vanished and on his place stands a large wolf, throwing its bulky head from side to side as if trying to catch the last wafts of the pack just run by. Then he runs. Runs like the wind. “There is another pack running on our grounds.” Sungmin’s words sound almost too loud in the silence and he shifts, glancing around if there’s anyone to listen to them. It’s silly, he knows that anyone passing them by could hear them, especially with how sensitive their hearing is, but it doesn’t mean he hasn’t learned some habits from when he still lived surrounded by humans. Even if it feels like a lifetime ago. Siwon has been standing a few steps away from him, his back turned to him as he’s fixing a bow for one of the youngsters. The words catch his attention though, and he instantly spins around to face the smaller man. “Where?” One can see how he’s practically vibrating, thoughts frantic in his mind as he considers if he needs to do something to protect his territory, to protect his people. “West from here.” Sungmin nods to the general direction where he had seen the wolves, going on without needing to be prompted. “It’s a small one, we could take them on easily. Five males, no females. They have bags.” “No females?” Siwon repeats, stretching his back as he sets his work down. He rolls his shoulders, his muscles adjusting underneath tanned skin, flexing and tightening. “Sounds like a pack on the run.” That was what Sungmin had gathered, too. There’s no way anyone would just go on a hunt and drag anything with them. Sungmin gives his leader a moment to think it over, waiting patiently. When he finally sees a conclusion settle on Siwon’s features, enough to make him relax just the tiniest bit, he prompts slowly. “What do we do?” “We wait.” Siwon decides. “If they’re running from something, they could be long gone tomorrow. If they stay… we will see about it then.” Sungmin nods. The alpha has made his decision. It soon becomes obvious that the pack Sungmin saw isn’t going anywhere. There are more wolves that have seen a glimpse of them, some youngsters even almost running into them and only avoiding it in the last possible moment. They seem to have built a small camp a bit further away from the village and it’s getting harder and harder for them to ignore that. Especially the young wolves are getting restless, want to defend the territory and get rid of the intruders. Siwon has ordered that they should not go near them, though. He has decided to give them a chance to leave on their own, and if it won’t happen he’ll make a new plan then. He’s prepared to be patient, but unfortunately not everyone shares his views. With every day that passes, there’s more and more grumbling about it. No one is directly opposing the alpha though, that is completely out of the question. Sungmin is the only one who knows the reasoning behind the decision, but he isn’t about to go and shout it out from the figurative rooftops. Everyone should settle for the decision anyway, it isn’t his place to go and explain it to anyone. Then Kyuhyun brings up the topic when they are dragging the body of a young deer to where they’ll gut it and chop it to pieces, and he isn’t going to say no to one of his closest friends, either. “What’s up with that small bunch of wolves?” Kyuhyun asks as he practically rips the hind leg off the carcass, his fingers digging deep into bloody flesh. Blood splashes on his thighs and his chest, even some droplets on his face but neither of them notices. This is how they have always done it: first into bigger pieces by hand and then chopping it up neatly with the tools they had. Easy and effective, even if a little messy. Sungmin gives a small shrug at first, grabbing the head of the deer so Kyuhyun can draw a long cut along its stomach. It’s still warm, was alive only moments prior. The odour of blood is strong in the air, but it only serves to make them hungry. “What do you mean? They’re just there. Camped out, I heard.” He pauses for a moment, waiting for Kyuhyun to get to removing the intestines. “Siwon wants to wait if they’ll leave by themselves.” Kyuhyun makes a noncommittal noise, harrumphing a little as he sorts out all the edible bits and places them on large, carefully tanned animal skin. The other parts he throws to the side, for now. Ryeowook will come for them later on, and they will use the inedible intestines to make soap. The head will be boiled to make the meat come off, so that they get to use as much of the animal as they possibly can. “And what if they don’t?” Kyuhyun asks after a while, looking up at the other man. He wipes his sweaty forehead with his bloody hand, smears of it ending up even in his hair. “I don’t know,” Sungmin admits, shrugging a little. “I guess we will go there and make them go. But your guess is as good as mine.” He knows Kyuhyun is sharper than that, can see that he isn’t telling him everything. And he appreciates it when Kyuhyun doesn’t press the matter and instead just finishes his job, straightening to his full height right after. “Let’s get this back to the others. Maybe we’ll even get food sometime,” Kyuhyun smirks, rolling up the tanned skin with the edible intestines inside of it. Sungmin meanwhile uses the skin of the carcass to move all the meat back, as well as most of the bones. The words make Sungmin laugh. “You’re always hungry.” “Like a wolf,” Kyuhyun admits with a chuckle. Later in the evening, after taking a quick swim in the nearby lake, they finally get to relax by the fire in the middle of the village square, getting some food in their stomachs. Ryeowook, quite a close friend of Kyuhyun’s, makes the best stew in existence and he’s usually in charge of feeding the whole bunch. Even if they try to share the work, it always seems to be Ryeowook who ends up doing the cooking if they actually want to eat something that isn’t burned or completely raw every once in a while. They call the place they live in a village, but it doesn’t really have much a real village would have. Some of the houses are carved into huge trees, some are built in the branches and joined by thick ropes one can almost use as bridges. In the middle of the village there is an open area, an old forest clearing they had used until even the grass had stopped growing on the area they so frequently stepped on. There they have a place for a big campfire and there they also do most of the cooking. It’s easiest to feed almost thirty persons like that. Dinner is most likely everyone’s favourite time of the day. Not only because they get to eat then, but also because that is when they all gather around the same fire, voices mixing as they talk over one another and explode into raucous laughter every now and then. It’s like one big happy family, only silencing when their alpha clears his throat to make announcements. Which doesn’t even happen all that often, seeing how they’ve gotten comfortable in their routines there. This time, everyone is waiting for something though. Siwon walks there like any other day, his hair still a little damp from the swim he took earlier as well, to wash off the blood and dirt after the hunt. He has only thrown a vest and pants on, heading leisurely to get the food. Only when he settles on his place by the fire there is movement, everyone else practically climbing on top of each other to get to the food first. Of course in the end they end up getting food in the exact same order as always, but it doesn’t stop the youngsters from trying. Sungmin watches the whole ordeal amused from his place next to Siwon, his own bowl of food between his palms. “They’re getting restless,” he remarks before he even realizes he’s saying it out loud. That could be taken several ways and for a second he hopes Siwon will misinterpret him and think he just means they haven’t taken the young ones out on a run in a while. He should’ve known better, though. Siwon can sense his intentions better than anyone and it is near to impossible to fool him. “Their alpha should’ve contacted me already,” Siwon points out in a low rumble, so silently it goes unnoticed by everyone, the bunch still arguing over food and over the best seats as loudly as they can. Or almost everyone. Neither Siwon nor Sungmin notice how Kyuhyun freezes in his step, before practically melting into the shadows further behind them not to be noticed. He’s listening attentively. “What do you think they’re trying?” Sungmin asks equally silently, his clear eyes searching for any signs on the other man’s face he could interpret to figure out what he’s thinking. “They’re not leaving at all, are they.” It isn’t even a question, but a statement. Siwon gives him a humourless grin. “Why don’t we find out?” That is the end of discussion and he digs into his food with great appetite. In the end, Siwon decides he won’t go alone to meet the possibly aggressive wolves, taking a few of his own along as a safety precaution. Sungmin wouldn’t have stayed back, unless it had been a direct order from an alpha to one of his pack. He also takes Shindong, one of his largest wolves, and Kyuhyun, who is sharper than is good for him, since he likes the two and feels they are useful more often than not. Sungmin leads them all towards the place they assume the intruding pack is staying at. It’s surprisingly close to their village when they already catch the scent of the visitors, though, closer than any of them expected. It causes some restlessness amongst the small bunch, and Shindong is the first to start glancing around suspiciously. Soon after they catch the scent, they also catch a sight of the foreign wolves. Or men, at this moment, even if that doesn’t make much of a difference. They all know what their second form is and it’s as natural as the first. These two, they don’t even try to hide. They are standing there in clear daylight, as if daring Siwon and his followers to come to them. The redheaded man looks more delicate and fragile than he most likely is, and as soon as Siwon is a few steps away from them he straightens to meet them face to face. There’s an expressionless mask on his face, even if his eyes seem to reflect a hint of curiosity. “What do you want?” He asks in a surprisingly low voice. The man he’s with shifts but doesn’t say anything, instead staying on the background silently. The nearly hostile question gets Siwon’s hackles curling, his instincts demanding him to show he is in charge. “This is my territory,” Siwon snarls. “You are intruding.” When the redhead looks down, averting his eyes, he does the polite thing. The only thing he can do to avoid a battle and bloodshed. Yet one can see defiance in the set of his jaw, reluctance in the way he doesn’t lower his chin. “We do no harm.” That isn’t exactly what Siwon wanted to hear and every member of his pack present can feel the way he tenses already before it’s visible in the straight line of his shoulders. “Take me to your alpha.” He commands, certain that the person he’s addressing isn’t the one in command, despite his attitude. “No.” Siwon’s eyebrows shoot up until they nearly vanish in the thick mop of his hair, and the others all take a step forward, as if they heard wrong. The answer shocks everyone. Except for the redhead who spoke and the tall man who is still leaning against the trunk of the large tree, only four steps away from them, watching intently. Somehow that catches Kyuhyun’s attention and while everyone else is focused on the redheaded guard, he lets his eyes wander towards the second intruder. He’s a tall, thin man, black strands of hair falling on pale skin in an almost artistic mess. There’s a certain kind of elegant grace in the man, in the way he holds himself. And when their gazes meet briefly, there’s a curious glimmer in those deep brown eyes that make something inside Kyuhyun rumble. It takes Kyuhyun only a second to inspect the other man, the same second it takes for Siwon to recover from his surprise. When Siwon speaks a growl bubbles up from his chest, his words resembling more a snarl than clear human speech. “I said, take me to your alpha,” he repeats from between clenched teeth. The redhead raises his chin, looking straight past the muscular alpha male standing right in front of him. “And I said no.” Everyone is holding their breath as they feel the clear violence radiating from Siwon, the need to answer to the clear challenge presented to him. He already takes a step forward, towards the guard that doesn’t back down an inch, even if he instinctively lowers his head a little and lets his shoulders hunch, as if preparing for an impact. Even the tall man straightens and inches closer, ready to back up his companion even if it means to fight two against four. “Wait.” The word is merely a breath, but it’s as good as yelling when everyone around is half a wolf with hearing ten times as sharp as any human’s. Sungmin emerges from the line, stops next to Siwon, only an inch behind him, and carefully places his fingers on the other man’s arm. “We need to go back.” He speaks silently but there’s certain firmness to his voice that’s impossible to ignore. The statement confuses Siwon and if it was anyone but Sungmin he would shake him off and turn back to the challenger in front of him, to the foolish wolf that doesn’t know who he is messing with. But this is Sungmin. Sungmin who is always perceptive, always reliable, and always knows what he is doing. Truthfully, as soon as Siwon reaches into the pack bonds he feels it too, feels what Sungmin felt already before as his senses weren’t clouded by anger and need to defend his pride. Someone is in danger. He doesn’t know who, can’t feel it from this far away, but he knows that one of the young wolves of his pack needs help and he knows he needs to be there now. Displeased, Siwon swirls around and gives the two strangers a sharp glare. “This isn’t the end of it.” He growls, before already speeding up towards the direction the bonds pull him to. One by one, the others follow him: Sungmin first, Shindong second. Kyuhyun is the last to leave and he can’t deny himself another glance at the taller of the two. Already turning around, he catches one last glimpse of the man, whose lips quirk into a hint of a smile. Kyuhyun doesn’t know why, but that smile stays with him for hours to come, lingers in the back of his consciousness even as he speeds into a run to catch up with his pack. Siwon is not amused. He abandoned his pride and left the scene to run to one of his wolves, who was supposedly in great danger. And for what? To find out that a bunch of the youngsters with too much energy to spare decided to go play in the water and one of them was foolish enough to almost get himself killed. Granted, it isn’t Taemin’s fault that his foot got stuck in a large chunk of driftwood that kept on pulling him down while he floated along the stream. But he should’ve known that the river is unpredictable, that the water flow is so strong it’s hard to swim against it even without a tree attached to your foot. At the same time, Siwon knows exactly how appreciated and admired those are who manage to swim across the river and show how strong they are. He has done it himself, several times, when he was still young and foolish and wanted to prove himself so badly. Even if he has grown out of it, he still remembers the flow of adrenaline, the intoxicating feeling of victory when he managed to overcome the nature and win against the strong stream. It doesn’t make it any less foolish though and he lets his anger show. “How many times have I told you it’s dangerous to come here!?” He gnarls at the frightened teenager in front of him. Taemin has his head bowed down, his hair still dripping water on his shoulders, and he doesn’t even try to say anything. He listens silently, only offering a silent nod or a short yes, sir whenever needed. Siwon is a fair leader, calm most of the time, but he can also be frightening when he chooses to. He’s tall and muscular, his dark eyes and expressive eyebrows underlining the stormy expression as he hovers above the smaller male, his anger hitting him full on. “If we hadn’t come early enough and gotten you out of the water you would be keeping company to the fishes forever.” Siwon growls, getting louder by the minute. “Do you understand!?” “Yes, sir,” is all Taemin manages to choke out, shrinking even more into himself as Siwon turns away only to step back right in front of him. Everyone else is silent, backing away from the situation as they know it isn’t their place to interfere. Except one of the teens that was at the river with Taemin earlier that day, who steps up when she sees how much her friend has to take. “You got here on time. Nothing happened. Just let him be,” she pleads. It sounds way too much like a command though, especially when Siwon is already agitated to begin with and his self control isn’t as good as it usually is. He spins around and gives the girl the deathliest glare he can possibly manage, his voice nearly rising to a roar. “Amber! No one asked you. Step back. Now.” Instantly she swallows, averting her eyes down obediently as she returns to the line up, zipping her mouth shut tight. They all know that Siwon is acting out of worry, doesn’t want to even think about how it would have been if he had arrived late and could have only fished the teenager’s body from the river. Still it isn’t like him to snap like this. It isn’t the first time the young ones do something stupid and reckless, and never before has Siwon been this furious. For a good while he still disciplines the young wolves, growling and grunting at them about being irresponsible and how they should listen to their elders. Finally he deems it done and spins around, practically storming off the place, Sungmin hot on his heels. In a few heartbeats most of the people gathered around start heading off to their respective directions, life returning to normal. Taemin is still a little shocked about the long lecture he received, especially since he doesn’t remember when he had last seen their leader this agitated. A few of his friends gather around him though, Amber wrapping a comforting arm around his shoulders. “Don’t take it too seriously. He’s just worried.” “I know,” Taemin frowns, “but it still seems kind of exaggerated.” He sighs, turning to look at Kyuhyun and Shindong who are still lingering around. “Where were you? Did something happen to get him on the edge?” He asks carefully, knowing that neither of the two owe him an explanation, won’t give one unless they want to. Kyuhyun feels quite charitable and he shrugs lightly. “We went to see the intruding pack.” It will come out sooner or later anyway so what’s the sense in denying it. The information makes the youngsters all look at him stunned, their eyes flying wide. “They weren’t exactly welcoming and then we had to rush back.” There isn’t any accusation in his voice, but it still makes Taemin flush. “It’s not like I-” “We know,” Shindong waves aside, offering the teen a soothing smile. “Bad timing. It happens. The pack is only five wolves anyway, we could take them on anytime. Siwon could probably tear them apart alone if he wanted to,” he smirks. “Or at least with a couple of helpers.” That makes them laugh, the tension slowly dissipating. For some reason thinking of an attack into the small camp makes Kyuhyun uneasy though, and he has no idea what it is. He feels anger bubbling inside of him, annoyance at himself as he can’t explain his own behaviour, is reacting in ways he never would’ve expected. It’s that annoyance that makes him snap, a little more fiercely than he planned to. “Shut up. No one is tearing anyone apart.” With that he spins around to leave, several sets of surprised eyes staring at his retreating back. “…what the heck is up with him?” Amber asks finally, voicing what everyone is thinking.

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I’ve literally worked on this for years. I started it… two years ago? Three? Then it was abandoned for a while and now I finally managed to get back to it and finish it. Such sense of accomplishment, haha! I do hope you like it :)

Also, I just want to leave Piu’s alternate summary for this fic here because yes:

[18:47:16] Piu: there are wolves but they're also people and then more wolves come and they are also people but they're different and also legends come true

much better than my summary tbh