[fic] Kyuhyun/Zhou Mi – SJM – The Path Untraveled – Chapter 7/9

[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: 3349 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 probably the last update before Christmas, so merry Christmas to you all! :)
Previously; Chapter 1, Chapter 2, Chapter 3, Chapter 4, Chapter 5, Chapter 6

It’s a bright and sunny day. The sky is intensely blue, only a few white fluffy clouds floating across the wide open space. Birds are chirping, joining each other in the song like a well practiced choir. Yet despite all of that, Zhou Mi can’t help but feel a little sulky. He sits on the riverbank with a huff, quickly rolling up his pants so he can dive his feet into the crisp and clear water. It feels nice, especially how it contrasts with the burning sun up above, and he closes his eyes as he drops backwards on the soft grass. It’s a brilliant day, all in all, Zhou Mi thinks. It’s a perfect day for a long run, too. And that is wherein the problem lies. That’s exactly why he can’t help but huff a little at the birds instead of joining the song with a soft hum of his own. He’s restless. He wants to let the shift wash over himself, wants to run through the woods until his legs hurt from it and he’s ready to collapse with exhaustion. The need to move burns in his bones but no, they’ve been told to stay in the village for the day. Not even in the company of others can they go further today. Suddenly there’s movement a bit further away, and Zhou Mi automatically focuses on it. He doesn’t move a single muscle but he pays closer attention to his senses, even reaches out towards the person approaching. It doesn’t take much more than recognizing the hint of affection and amusement twined together that he knows who it is. “Stop lurking in the shadows, Kyuhyun,” Zhou Mi calls out. A smile is tugging his lips, finally, and not even the slight grumpiness can ruin the little skip his heart makes. Kyuhyun laughs, but doesn’t comment and instead quickly makes his way to the riverbank as well, sitting down right next to Zhou Mi. He doesn’t test the water, though, but crosses his legs and then carefully lies down on the grass. He’s so close that their elbows are touching, and for some reason that already makes the smile on Zhou Mi’s lips grow wider. “I thought you left with the others.” “I almost did,” Kyuhyun answers easily. “But I didn’t feel like it.” “How could you not feel like it?” Zhou Mi can’t help the question bursting out on its own. “Today is a perfect day!” Kyuhyun growls. He tries to aim for frustrated, but it would’ve been a sad attempt even if Zhou Mi couldn’t sense his feelings. He reaches out to slap Zhou Mi’s side weakly. “Today is a perfect day for taking naps and enjoying the sun, too.” Zhou Mi stops to consider the words for a second. “I… guess you’re right.” The tightness in his limbs seems a little looser now, too, like his muscles aren’t coiled tight and ready for a sprint either. For the first time all day he actually notices how wonderful the sun feels on his skin, and how the splashing of the water creates a perfect background for the birds singing. “Of course I’m right,” Kyuhyun huffs. “I always am.” Like accidentally Kyuhyun lets his hand drop next to Zhou Mi’s, and inches it closer until he can twine their fingers together. He’s obviously trying to be subtle about it, with the way he acts all nonchalant and doesn’t say a word. It startles a laugh out of Zhou Mi, but he doesn’t comment either. He only focuses on the warmth of Kyuhyun’s palm against his own. The days seem to go by so fast that there’s no keeping count anymore. Sungmin sighs, closing his eyes as he tries to force the tension out of his shoulders. Personally, he doesn’t mind having Han Geng and his pack around, but he knows not everyone shares his opinion, and despite there having been no open conflicts for now it’s so exhausting to try to make sure it stays that way. Some time alone, that’s exactly what Sungmin has needed for days now. Even if it means sneaking out in the middle of the night. He’s sitting outside, leaning against the biggest tree that hasn’t been carved into a house or storage, and sort of feels like he’s hiding from the world. Thus the sudden light knock surprises him. As he glances up it doesn’t take him more than a split second to recognize Ryeowook, and he nods a little to acknowledge his friend’s presence. Ryeowook doesn’t move from his spot, instead leaning a little against the trunk of the tree. “Do you have a moment?” he asks, lowering his voice not to attract any attention. There doesn’t seem to be anyone around, but it’s not like someone couldn’t easily eavesdrop or watch them from one of the houses. The question itself is completely innocent, but the way it’s spoken sounds somehow so eerie that Sungmin already prepares for the worst. He sighs. “What is it?” “I think there’s something you need to see.” Ryeowook’s mouth is pinched into a tight line, and as carefully as he tries to keep his expression blank he can’t completely hide the worry. He knows better than to create panic, though. The fewer know about this the better. “It’s not far. But come quick.” Sungmin doesn’t need to be told twice. He has no reason not to trust Ryeowook, and so he follows him in silence towards the other end of the village. They slip into the forest, only a few paces away from the nearest house, and there Ryeowook crouches down to pull some leaves aside to reveal what he’d found. “I figured it’d be best to hide it,” he explains, still uncharacteristically silent, “I’m not sure what it is, but it can’t be good news.” Sungmin kneels on the ground, careful not to smudge the symbol that’s been traced on the sand. It’s an oval shape roughly the size of his hand, and there are symmetrical lines slashing through it on both ends. Right in the middle, there’s a little circle and another oval shape. The ground is dented on each side of the drawing, and Sungmin reaches out to scrape off the loose ground. It only takes him a moment to dig through the dirt with his fingers before he hits something smooth. Gingerly he pulls his hand back, only to reveal a long, white feather. It makes his heart skip a beat, and he hears Ryeowook’s sharp intake of breath. Ignoring it for now, he reaches for the next dent, and the third, and the fourth, digging up an identical feather from each. Swallowing hard, Sungmin sits back on his heels. “How did you find it?” “I didn’t find my knife so I figured I’d dropped it somewhere when I came back from the river,” Ryeowook answers, his eyes still directed at the symbols. Instinctively he’s shrunken a little into himself, hunched over in a clear sign of being intimidated by the situation. It makes Sungmin reach out and place a hand on Ryeowook’s knee, hoping it’ll calm him down. He gains a grateful smile, and Ryeowook goes on. “I did find the knife. It was right next to this, sticking out from the ground like a trap.” The words make Sungmin shudder. It sounds like they have been followed and watched for a while now. How could it be none of them noticed anything? No strange smells, no strange sounds, nothing. “I’ll…” he trails off, trying to decide what the best course of action would be. “I’m going to tell Siwon. But don’t mention this to anyone else.” Ryeowook nods solemnly. “Wouldn’t dream of it.” Heaving himself up from the ground Sungmin kicks at the drawing, effectively ruining it. He remembers it by heart now anyway, and can produce an exact copy for Siwon. He hesitates for a second, but then grabs the feathers as well, sliding them into his sleeve to keep them out of sight. This is not going to end well, he thinks. Siwon’s decision is as predicted: they don’t tell anyone. Panic and chaos would be the last thing they need, especially with the village so divided to those who like the newcomers and those who are against them. Yet there’s no helping the fact that literally everyone in the village knows that something is up. The mood is anticipating, nervous, restless, only to name a few of the least worrisome qualities hanging in the air like storm clouds. It’s contagious, the worry spreading like wildfire. No one speaks of it aloud, though, none of it is mentioned anywhere else but in hushed whispers in the darkness of the night. That’s how Zhou Mi brings it up. He’s been tossing and turning on his bed for so long that he’s sure the night is almost gone already. At first Kyuhyun had been pretending to sleep anyway, but then he’d only huffed and dragged his beddings closer until they were lying side by side. Not that it helped much. The frantic beat of Zhou Mi’s heart does calm down, but he can not only smell but also sense Kyuhyun’s anxiety in addition to his own and it gets his mind into an overdrive. “Kyuhyun?” he asks, carefully, keeping his voice down so it’s almost inaudible. The only answer is a grunt, but it’s enough to push him to go on. “What do you think is going on?” He has come up with wild scenarios during sleepless moments, but he’s pretty sure that none of those have anything to do with reality. Besides, Kyuhyun is the one who knows this area, knows this forest, and he should be the one who can figure it out. There’s a sigh, and a rustling sound as Kyuhyun shifts and rolls over until they’re facing one another. Not that they can see much in the dark, but it’s nice anyway. “I have no idea. I asked Sungmin but I only got a stony glare. And Ryeowook got really jumpy when I mentioned it to him. If they’re not willing to share? I don’t think anyone would tell me anything.” “Isn’t it a bit dangerous, though?” Zhou Mi frowns. “You should all know what’s going on so you could protect each other and your home. That’s how we always…” Kyuhyun can’t help the surge of annoyance at the words. It’s not because he’d disagree. Contrarily, he agrees on the sentiment fully. If everyone knew what they were up against… Zhou Mi interprets the anger differently. “Although,” he adds hastily, accompanied by a little sigh, “I’m sorry, I always speak too fast. It’s not like our way of doing things is the only right way. I shouldn’t have upset you.” It takes a little bit of fumbling before Kyuhyun finds Zhou Mi’s hand in the dark, but when he does his fingers are squeezed back warmly. “You didn’t. I’m just…” Kyuhyun stops to consider his words, unsure of how to put it. “I like to know what’s going on. So I can do something. Not just… wait.” Zhou Mi hums. “I get that.” Absently he’s drawing circles on the inside of Kyuhyun’s wrist, his touch barely there. “It feels like people are scared. And Siwon… he is troubled by something. I don’t know what it is but it’s like he’s surrounded by this thick smoke of worry.” They fall silent after that, but neither of them manages to sleep. It’s Zhou Mi who breaks the silence again, clearing his throat. “Han Geng is restless too. I think we’ll be leaving soon.” The words settle like dead weight in the pit of Kyuhyun’s stomach. He stills, so completely he even forgets to breathe for a moment, and when he finally inhales it’s like pinpricks of tiny daggers dragging into his lungs. Why he reacts so forcefully, he doesn’t even know, and that makes it even worse. “Is he healed?” he asks, the only thing he can think of that might mean the little pack would stay longer. “Almost,” Zhou Mi shrugs a little, his hands stilling. “I don’t think he’s as good as he wants us to believe but he’ll be good to run soon.” Kyuhyun only nods. He doesn’t know what to say. He’s been getting used to sharing his home with Zhou Mi, going to sleep and waking up next to him, spending time with him. He likes watching Zhou Mi smile, likes listening to him sing. Feeling Zhou Mi’s warm fingers on his skin make him feel so full of life nothing else has done that before. Honestly, Kyuhyun is not sure how he could handle losing all of that. However, they know they both have their places, both have their packs, and both have their own paths to tread. Zhou Mi twines his fingers with Kyuhyun’s, tugging him a little closer until they’re sharing the same space, sharing warmth, yet not really embracing. “I’m going to miss you,” Zhou Mi breathes into the dark. Kyuhyun doesn’t reply. He’s trying too hard not to cry. Truthfully, Zhou Mi already knows what’s coming when Han Geng tells them all to gather in the little hut he and Heechul share already the very next day. They haven’t had a real meeting for weeks, and there’s only one thing that this could lead to. That’s the main reason he doesn’t even want to go into the meeting, keeps dragging his feet and lingering in practically every corner on his way. He doesn’t want to leave. Yet he has to, if his leader so decides. It’s not like he could stay even without a direct order, not with the way uncertainty keeps gnawing at him. He needs to know what’s happened to the rest of his friends, where they are, if they even are alive at all. And the only way to find that out is to head north to the assigned meeting place they’d agreed on months ago. Zhou Mi holds back a sigh as he steps in through the door. He’s the last one there, and the emotions emitting from the others hit him all at once. There’s anticipation, even a tinge of excitement, and yet everything is laced with worry, with a certain shade of reluctance. Silently he takes his place, sits down next to Donghae, who immediately smiles at him and reaches out to pat his knee softly. “We are leaving soon,” Han Geng begins, without any introduction to the topic. “We’ll just gather enough supplies in the next few days. Prepare for the trip.” He pauses, and when he goes on he looks up straight at Zhou Mi, an unmistakeably apologetic look in his eyes. “Say goodbyes.” Zhou Mi feels numb. No amount of mentally preparing for this could’ve made it any different, he doubts. Yet he only nods, entirely wordlessly. “Are we still headed to the glacier?” Jinki asks, tilting his head to make his overgrown bangs fall to the side. The answer is a nod. “We need to find out what’s happened to the rest of us,” Han Geng elaborates after a second, echoing everyone’s thoughts out loud. He doesn’t seem thrilled to be leaving on that journey either, but whether it’s because he’d rather stay or because he fears the answers he might gain, well, that remains unclear. There’s a short pause when everyone seems to be processing the information, trying to come to terms with it. Eventually Donghae frowns a little in thought, before carefully speaking up. “Shouldn’t you feel it if they’re …you know.” “I should,” Han Geng sighs, “but I don’t know what’s wrong. There’s no trace of them. It could just be the distance, I’ve never been this far away from them before. I should’ve felt if they…” he trails off, finishing the answer with an uncertain shrug. There’s a clear frown on his forehead and it’s obvious he’s not glad about the lack of knowledge. Frustration is wafting off him in waves, intense enough to make Zhou Mi shudder. The one to break the trance of the moment is Heechul. “Now,” he claps his hands once, “enough nonsense. We need to talk to Siwon. The rest of you, go get some sleep.” Usually Ryeowook doesn’t wake up easily. Yet somehow it seems that tonight every single little sound makes him snap awake and leaves him unable to go back to sleep for ages. He doesn’t know how many times it happens before he gives up. As silently as he possibly can he gets up, only pulls a cloak on and sneaks outside without waking up the others. It’s cool outside but he doesn’t really pay it any mind, except for automatically looking up to the dark sky. Nights as chilly as this are the best for watching the stars, and he smiles at himself as he traces the constellations in his mind, tries to name every and each one he sees as he wanders mindlessly forward. He doesn’t know what draws in his attention at first, but suddenly he realizes he’s listening in on a conversation he probably shouldn’t be hearing. Sungmin’s voice is the first one he recognizes, soon followed by Siwon’s. They’re recounting the discovery Ryeowook himself made a few days ago, the signal that clearly had been a warning of some kind. As silent as he can, Ryeowook presses himself closer to the gigantic tree trunk and into the shadows, closes his eyes and listens. It’s only the walls of the house carved inside of the tree that separates him from the discussion so it’s more than easy to keep up with it. After Siwon stops talking there’s a longer pause, before Han Geng’s voice sounds in the air. “So what you’re trying to say is that it’s not safe for us to go now?” he asks, but doesn’t wait for an answer. “The way I see it is that it’s not safe for us to stay anymore. Your village is clearly under a threat.” It’s a statement, not a threat, but something in the discussion makes Ryeowook hold his breath and stay as still as possible. “You’re right,” Siwon replies at length, nothing but honesty in his tone. “It was a threat. We don’t know what kind, but it was. That doesn’t mean it’s safe for you to go, either. What if you walk straight into a trap? I’m not going to stop you from leaving.” Ryeowook can only imagine what’s going on in that room. He hears no noises, so obviously there’s some sort of a standstill. Finally, it’s Siwon who speaks again. “I am asking you, though. We could use everyone available to defend ourselves.” The pause that follows is even more grave. It’s like the night itself stills to listen in, like the darkness absorbs all sound so that nothing can, not even by accident, interrupt the decisions made. The next voice is Han Geng’s. “We will stay.” Ryeowook releases all air from his lungs in one exhale, only realizing belatedly that it might make too much sound to betray his presence outside the walls. Yet the talk goes on without a hitch, the alphas discussing details of what their possible courses of action are, of how long Han Geng’s pack will be staying now. Quickly, Ryeowook begins to trace his steps back to his own home. He doesn’t need to stay and listen any more. Somehow his mind flashes to Kyuhyun, then, and to the way his friend has been obviously upset about the small pack already leaving. It obviously isn’t his place to spread the information further, especially considering the way he gained it in the first place, but somehow he figures out that Kyuhyun would want to know that there is still some time before goodbyes. The restless night has taken its toll, though, and by now Ryeowook can barely hold his eyes open. He decides to go straight to bed now, and go talk to Kyuhyun first thing in the morning. As soon as he gets up. But first some sleep.

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