The wolves near the border [SKZ fanfiction] | HanJisung

Chapter 12

They all wake early on the day of summer fest. There's a festive mood in the air and they can feel it. Today is the day, so there's no time to waste.
The day starts off with a big breakfast filled with fruits and soft baked bread. A delicacy as most of the time they bake bread to last a longer time.
Jisung stuffs his cheeks full and hums happily with the taste of berries and the bread combined. Minho even offers him an extra piece, enjoying seeing his youngest omega this happy.
"At what time do you want us to come back?" Seungmin asks his pack leaders.
He planned to go out to the lake with his two mates to enjoy their free time. A ritual they have each year on summer fest. An annual date to celebrate their love and happiness.
"Be back before the sun reaches the hill tops," Chan instructs them. "I need your help lighting up the fire."
Seungmin nods and smiles at Hyunjin and Changbin who are eagerly waiting for their alpha mate to go.
"Wild daisies?" Jisung asks Changbin who nods and blows him a kiss.
"Thanks Ji, you know how terrible I am with tiny crafts."
Jisung rolls his eyes and waves them off. He's waiting for Heikin and Nelaya to arrive so they can go to the fields to craft the traditional flower crowns. Per tradition the omega of a relationship makes one for his mates. But with Changbin being so terrible at it, he asked Jisung to help him.
Jisung doesn't mind it. He enjoys making intricate weaves with specific flowers and twigs meant for the relationship ones. If he has time left, he'll make a simple version for himself and Felix as well. To feel included at least a little bit. It was Felix who asked him to make them some as well when they were younger and had not presented yet. After they did present, Jisung had still kept up with their own little tradition.
"The girls are here," Minho tells him and Jisung scrambles up from the ground to gather his needed materials to venture out to the fields.
The girls are already in their wolf forms and await them in front of their cave. Felix and Jeongin are helping them remove their luggage for staying over. Minho wanted them to celebrate with them and told the girls they should stay over as their plans were to drink the plum wine he fermented specifically for this day. It would be too much of a hassle for them to travel from and to their home when they could also stay over.
Chan and Jeongin had agreed with their mate and Jisung got tasked with clearing up one of the corners of their communal area in the cave for them to sleep. Because of course they had to ask him to do that...
"Will you promise me to take out the roast on time?" Minho worriedly asks Chan.
The two are talking closely to each other and Chan pecks his lover's lips while Minho holds onto the alpha's tunic to keep him close.
"Of course, my love. Jeongin and I have everything under control here. Just take Lix and Heikin with you and have a nice time out, hmm?"
Minho grunts and turns around to Jeongin to smother the younger one with kisses before releasing him.
"Such a worrywart," Jeongin shakes his head and gives his omega a push in his back. "Now go! I want to have the best flower crown there is."
Minho huffs but turns around to Jisung and Felix who are waiting for him with their heads moved away from the sappy scene of their pack leaders. Minho growls softly and both scurry away to go outside to transform.
"Girls, follow Felix closely. I'll be at the back," Minho yells to them before transforming himself.
The five wolves run out and Jisung glances over his shoulder once seeing the beta and alpha leader embracing each other and waving them off.

The fields are on the other side of the forest on the east side of their territory. Jisung yips happily seeing the colorful fields rising up in his vision and he can hear how Nelaya is as ecstatic as he is. Jisung can't help himself and takes a big leap to flop himself right in the grass and roll around sniffing up the summer smell of flowers and plants around him. Felix snickers behind him and stops to see if Heikin and Minho are following them.
"Let the girls transform first," he says to Jisung while he sits down and nods towards them to give them the confirmation this is where they will stay for now.
He turns his head away and Jisung stares up from under him and snickers when he notices Felix ears are moving, indicating he's listening to them changing. Felix gives him an angry glare, but Jisung ignores it and places his head on his paws, enjoying the sun rays on his pelt.
Minho nudges him with his snout when the girls are clothed and it is their turn to turn around. Jisung almost wants to stay like this, but work is calling.
He changes swiftly and throws on his clothes without problems.
"Oh my moon! There are so many flowers!" he hears Nelaya say.
Jisung shares her enthusiasm and pulls her with him towards a nice patch of grass with wildflowers forming a wall around them. "Look, we can sit over here and gather the materials. Have you ever woven a mate flower crown?"
Nelaya blushes and glances over to Felix - the glance not going unnoticed by Jisung- and shakes her head.
"We never celebrated with flower crowns. We made bracelets and necklaces instead. Can you show me?"
Minho places a hand on her shoulder and looks at Jisung with a big smile. "You'll pick up quick enough. Ji learned from the best, right?"
Jisung sticks out his tongue to his pack Luna and walks over to Felix who is taking stuff out of the basket he was carrying. Jisung hands Heikin a few pelts to lay down on the ground for them to sit on and asks Felix to help him unwrap the cloth around his beloved sickle they specifically use to harvest the flowers with.
"Bin wanted wild daisies for Hyunjin, goldilocks for Seungmin and a combination of both for himself," he mumbles to himself.
There are so many variations to choose from, but Jisung already has an idea which ones he wants to use for his own and Felix's. There are beautiful cornflowers which would pair perfectly with self heal flowers and hare-foot clover to make Felix his hazel eyes pop up. For himself he always loved the combination of the light purple chicory with white clover and tiny leaves of yarrow. And seeing all those flowers in abundance around him, he knows it will be a walk in the park for him to gather enough of them.
Minho shows Nelaya how to use the sickles and both Heikin and Felix sit down on one of the pelts to observe their family work.
Jisung jumps into the high grass and makes quick work of gathering everything he needs and carrying over arms full of different grasses with flowers towards the two alpha's. He flops down and eagerly starts off with his first project. A flower crown for Hyunjin.

Nelaya is watching his hands weave with great interest and tries to imitate small parts of it. After half an hour she starts gathering her own flowers and weaving in her own way to make crowns for herself and sister. Heikin joined in when she got bored and told her sister she would make one for her. So they could exchange them as both of them didn't have a mate. Nelaya had been purring with delight and scooted over to sit next to her sister to assist her. Leaving Felix alone to stare into nothingness and daydream to his heart content. Minho also sat down beside them and started working on his own flower crowns, chatting with the others and enjoying their time together.
Minho is the first to finish with his years of experience and expertise in making the weaves. He places his projects inside a basket with care and looks over to the two girls and his youngest alpha and omega.
"Minho, you could go home if you want," Heikin offers when she sees how the pack Luna is looking at the sun to estimate the time. "We'll be busy for a while and Felix and I can protect the omega's. Why don't you go home and have some time with your mates?"
It's a warm offer and Jisung can see how Minho is weighing his options. After a moment he sighs and smiles at the female alpha.
"Be back on time," he warns them while he gets up to undress himself to shift. Heikin places her hand in front of Nelaya's eyes and nods before looking down to give Minho his privacy.
Nelaya giggles and tries to peek through her sister's fingers to continue her weave.
"We'll be fine Minho-ssi," she softly says.
Minho blows warm air out of his nose and gives the tiny omega a small lick on her cheek before turning around and spurting away. Jisung watches, confused how his pack Luna gives the intimate show of affection to someone not part of their pack but quickly discards it as overprotection from his Luna. He always had a soft spot for the omega and she seems to enjoy it in contrast to Jisung who always nags at Minho when he attempts to give him kisses like that.
They continue chatting and weaving until everything is done and they place their work into baskets to protect them on their journey back. They follow Felix when they run back to their home base. Or at least, they intended to do so, until the alpha takes an abrupt turn and leads them away.
"Lix?" Jisung tries to ask his pack member. "Why aren't we going home?"
Felix halts when they reach the river and sits down to indicate to the girls to change. He walks behind some bushes himself and when he shifts back Jisung can see how the tips of his ears are bright red.
"Felix? Jisung?" Heikin asks from the other side of a tree and both boys look up to show them where they are.
"Why aren't we going back?" Nelaya asks her sister who pops her head through her tunic and looks around her sister.
"Dunno. Felix?" Heikin asks and they all watch the alpha searching for words.
"I-Uhm. Well...Home isn't— I mean—," he stutters and Jisung now understands their detour.
"Ah! Oh well, The others are still busy preparing at home. Lix thought we could take our time and go for a swim in the meantime? I mean, the water is nice and cool and we could wash off all the pollen and such."
Both girls stare at the alpha who bites his lower lip and nods starkly. "Swimming. Yes, that was the idea," he mumbles and Jisung has to hold in his laugh.
Both girls look at each other until Nelaya giggles and scratches through her hair. "I could go for a swim! My head is all itchy. Last in the water is a stupid wolf!"
She laughs out loud while pulling off her tunic again and running towards the river bedding. "What?! Just keep your under layers on. Hurry!"
Jisung glances at his pack member who watches the female omega who doesn't seem embarrassed in the slightest. He only looks away when Heikin joins her sister without saying a word and both males have a good view of the curves of the girls.
"Couldn't come up with something better?" Felix mumbles with red cheeks and Jisung laughs out loud and nudges him in his side.
"It was swimming or having them witness a mating session sober. Don't act all prude."
Felix gives him an angry glare, but Jisung ignores it and playfully pushes him to the side.
"C'mon grumpy. You heard them, want to be called a stupid wolf?!"
Jisung hops on one leg, pulling off his pants and tossing his tunic aside before running into the water where the girls are already splashing each other.
"What are you waiting for!" Jisung calls after he emerges from the surface of the refreshing water. "Get over here, stupid! The water is nice!"
He sees Felix sigh and take off his tunic as well. Jisung can't help and whistles out loud to him and Heikin joins him in the catcalling.
"Can you be any slower?!" Jisung jokes and Heikin falls in as well.
"Nah, let the boy give us a show."
The three of them laugh and see how Felix stops stripping to look at them in disbelief. He shakes his head and decides to keep his pants on.
"Aw," Jisung teases him. "Just wrap a cloth around like me. You'll regret getting those wet."
The alpha ignores him and waddles over to the river side to only roll up his pants to step into the water ankle deep.
"I'll watch from here," Felix grumbles and the other three exchange looks before attacking him.
"Noooo!" they hear the alpha whine to no avail.
"Scary cat!" Jisung yells at him, splashing big waves over his pack member.
They all laugh and fight in the water to their heart's content, enjoying the refreshment of water on their skin. After their water fight they play some more in the water and Jisung truly enjoys their time together.
Nelaya proves to be just as good of a swimmer as her sister and they both tell the boys how swimming is part of their upbringing where they're from. Heikin and Felix even race each other to show off their alpha muscles while Nelaya and Jisung sit in the shallow parts of the river, playing with the water through their fingers and toes while their shoulders bronze up in the sunlight. There's idle chatting and Jisung feels content for the first time in forever. He truly enjoys this year's summer fest.

"I think it's time to go back for real now," Felix says, staring at the sun reaching the hill tops.
They are rosy from their outing and Jisung can't wait to fill his belly with the promised feast waiting for them.
He shakes his hair out like a dog and Nelaya screams laughing at him and holding up her hands to protect herself from the flying droplets. Felix is wringing out the water off his pants and Heikin is checking their belongings they left behind one of the trees.
They follow Felix all giddy from their outing back to the base and Jisung snickers when he sees the other mates waiting in front of the cave for them.
"Just arrived?" he smirks at Hyunjin who scrunches his nose.
"They were still at it when we came back. You arrived at the right time. They're airing out their room."
The girls exchange a look of confusion, but don't dare to ask what the beta meant. They just walk behind the cave to swift there while Felix and Jisung shift with their other pack members near them. When the girls get back, Jeongin walks out of the cave with rosy cheeks and a big smirk on his face.
"Uhm, Chan and Minho had...trouble with something," he explains vaguely and Changbin grumbles at the young beta.
"Trouble with you, you mean. Hurry up and get them out. I'm starving and the fire isn't even lit yet."
They all snicker when Jeongin rolls his eyes and slacks back inside to gather his mates.
"Chan hyung! Changbin threatened me! He's hungry!"
From inside they hear Minho scowl something, followed up with their pack leader laughing out loud. Yeah, summer fest is like no other this year.

The fire ignites like magic with the help of Chan and Seungmin who work hard making sparks with rubbing sticks on thondel, using friction to generate warmth. It's also the tradition of the summer fest. Appreciating the hard work that comes with making fire that keeps them warm and safe for the upcoming colder days. Normally, they use a smothering piece of coal -kept in a specific crafted tube made of a horn or hollow bone- if they need to get a fire started. Or clash flintstones together to generate sparks. But with the summer fest fire they get reminded that to deserve warmth in colder days, hard work is what keeps them alive. Thus, the two alpha's work themselves to sweats to get the fire lit.
Jisung loves seeing the small flame climb up, grow and gather strength. It makes him believe that no matter how small you start out, you can get as strong as you need to be.
Jeongin opens their festive evening with a long howl into the air, paired by the rest of the pack. His howling transforms to a lovely laugh and hands raised into the air, reaching for the sky where the sun is still shining. They all stand around the fire and stare up to the sky, letting the warmth of the sunrays, combined with the blazing fire heat their skins.
Jisung is sweating lightly from it, but he knows he should appreciate it. Being warm is a blessing and before he knows it he will be wishing for those sweaty days when the earth is once again covered in snow and ice.
"Let's toast with some wine!" Minho yells, reaching for the pitchers he placed on one of the tables filled with their feast. He fills up a mug and hands it over to his two mates who appreciatively hold their cups up before making a small toast to each other.
Minho beckons for Jisung to come to him and Jisung bows a little when his Luna gives him a mug with a broad smile on his face.
"Here you go, pup. Enjoy the taste."
Felix is behind Jisung and frowns when Minho hands him two mugs.
"Go," is all Minho softly says whilst nodding over to Nelaya who has placed her chin on her hands and dreamingly stares into the flames. Minho gives the young alpha a small push in his back, waving him off before looking over back to Jisung.
"Oh C'mon, pup. Want to sit with us?" He grabs Jisung by his wrist and pulls him towards his mates who are sitting around one of the tables and softly whisper to each other. Jisung rolls his eyes, but lets Minho take him and even lets him push him down into the lap of Chan. His pack leader doesn't even stop talking with Jeongin and simply hugs Jisung and cradles him in his arms. It calms him and makes him feel protected. Chan's scent is lovely tonight and it makes him forget the wriggling feelings he gets, thinking there has been another year passed without him finding a mate, his own family.
This. This is also his family and right now - with the calm chattering and the mug of delicious plum wine in his hands - is all he needs.

With the feast started and them stuffing themselves with phenomenal foods, Jisung notices Minho has handed over his flower crowns to his mates. Jisung is already a little bit tipsy and with the cozy feelings of being near the fire and close to his leaders, he's not that sharp at the moment.
"I should get mine," he mumbles, scrabbling up and walking towards his basket where he placed them.
"Bin," he softly whispers to the other omega who is lazily lounging on a fur on the ground.
The omega takes over the flower crowns and studies them with an appreciative glance.
"Oh my, Jisung, you really outdid yourself this year," he replies, holding the flower crowns in his hands with delicacy. "I left some Lily pads tubes drying for you. I tried to get the thicker ones, like you asked."
Jisung smiles at him and gives a curd nod as a thank you.
"I'll look at them tomorrow. Now where's Lix? I—" Jisung stops mid sentence when he sees the young alpha with Nelaya.
She's holding a beautiful woven flower crown in her hands and holds it up to Felix who first tries to deny it before accepting the gift with red ears.
Jisung looks with mixed up feelings as he lowers his head, letting the female omega place her gift on his head and smiles at her with a soft expression. They both giggle and Nelaya takes his hands to squeeze them.
Felix looks up to Jisung who quickly hides his hands behind his back. The young alpha smiles at him and Jisung tries to force the corners of his mouth to lift up as well. He forgot. Felix doesn't need a normal flower crown. He's in courtship with the lovely omega. Accepting the gift says it all. Jisung is now officially the last one without a mate in his pack. The thoughts sting and he has to look away before his ugly feelings will show up.
"He deserves it," he mumbles to himself.
He inhales deeply, releasing his balled up fists and realizing he has been crushing his carefully made crafts.
"Great," he scolds himself, walking away from the fire to see if he can fix the crowns.
Some of the blue flowers have lost their petals and his own flower crown became undone. Jisung stares at the two crafts in his hands. One is useless, like how he feels right now. The other, damaged, but still usable. He glances over his shoulder if one of his pack members is looking, all of them not paying attention as he drops his own crown and places the one he intended to give Felix on his own head. He needs more wine.

"So, you do this every year?" Heikin asks Hyunjin who lazily rests his head on the lap of Changbin.
The beta nods and points over to his alpha mate. "Minnie always protects us. He has the best tolerance out of us three. But he's always the first one to fall asleep. So we try to entertain him until he's done with our behavior and drags us to bed."
Seungmin scoffs and crosses his arms. "Entertain, you say? You mean annoy me until you two are insufferably clumsy and a danger to yourselves and your surroundings. I swear, Heikin, if I don't try to stay awake, they'll burn this place down or something. Hyunjin burned off his whiskers last year!"
The female alpha snorts and Hyunjin makes an offended sound.
"Don't expose me like that!" he scowls his mate. "Bin told me he could smell the fire change when you put in a different kind of wood. I wanted to try!"
They all snicker thinking back to the very drunk beta who kept babbling about how the fire couldn't possibly smell different while the omega kept insisting it did. Seungmin had lunged at his beta mate when he shifted to his wolf and almost stuck his head into the fire. It was a funny sight. The alpha was clinging around the neck of the wolf - cursing loudly- while Changbin had almost peed his pants from laughing.
"He had trouble for weeks with his depth perception. It was fun," Changbin snickers.
"Bumping his snout into stones and sticks. And Seungmin stayed wide awake after that for the rest of the evening."
"No shit. I was high on adrenaline alone," the alpha answers.
Heikin raises her mug to that and the others follow her example.
"Come dancing!" Hyunjin pokes his grumpy alpha mate when he seems pouting about the past event.
Seungmin sighs, but lets himself pull up willingly to follow him closer to the fire where Chan is drumming and the others are dancing and laughing. Jisung watches with a fondly smile how the two swing their bodies around and how the stern alpha slowly loosens up and enjoys it.
"Shouldn't you join?" Heikin asks Changbin.
"Nah," the omega says. "I love watching them and I bet Seungmin will be back within time to ask me to switch with him. I let Hyunjin have him for himself for now."
He leans back on his arms and bops his head on the beat of Chan's drumming, drowsily closing his eyes from time to time with a smile on his face.
Jisung fumbles with the mug in his hand and absentmindedly stares into the fire. Having someone for yourself on a night like this sounds amazing. He also admires how the older omega is loving his mates openly. If he ever finds the right mates, Jisung would love to be as attentive. He doesn't know if he could be as selfless with his love, knowing he's a needy omega in his hearth, but dreaming of being in the same position as his pack member makes him wonder.
"Get up."
He is broken out of his thoughts by the hand reaching out for him in front of his nose. When he looks up, he sees Heikin staring at him. Her stare has something sad in it. Or maybe it is concern, he doesn't know. All he does is raise an eyebrow at which the female rolls her eyes and grabs his wrist to pull him up.
"Stop moping. You have to show me how you guys dance."
Changbin chuckles at him and waves them off while Jisung hurriedly places his mug on one of the tables outside. She pulls him to the others and claps her hands on the beat of the drum to hype him up.
He isn't really in the mood for dancing, but seeing Minho and Jeongin joining him he gives up and shows her how they dance.
His movements are powerful and free, where she shows them fluid movements with a lot of hand movements. They all laugh trying to imitate each other and combining the newly learned moves. Chan hollers above the sound of his drumming and Jeongin howls to join him in. Their random sounds and laughs fill the air while the last rays of sun disappear behind the trees. Jisung relaxes when Heikin gives him a big smile while spinning Minho around and Hyunjin grabs his hands to dance together when his mate has abandoned him just like Changbin predicted.
He looks up when he hears Seungmin and Changbin holler together and both Heikin and he look up to see Felix and Nelaya wander off inside of their cave. Heikin wants to go after her sister, but Minho pulls her back and shakes his head. She glances over to Jisung who also stopped dancing to stare at where the two left, before shaking his head and walking over to the table where he placed his mug. He walks back with two of them filled to the brim and hands the other over to the alpha female who stares at the drink.
"Bottoms up," Jisung mumbles before taking a big sip and continuing dancing.
She follows him and smirks appreciatively. All while Minho shakes his head and Chan howling in the air to set off a choir of howls from the others.
The night is young and Jisung needs some goddam distraction.