Them and Us | Ateez

And appearance

Wooyoung crawls further away and stands up, shaking off the dust.
"Are you?"
A black muzzle rubs against his side, making the wolf turn his head.
The black wolf is bigger than him just as expected, his eyes glowing a captivating yellow in the night.
He steps closer to sniff him, being mindful of his neck. As the black wolf lifts his head up, their noses bump into each other.
"How old are you?" he asks.
"Three months."
"So a pup."
Wooyoung's ears lower at the name. He feels embarrassed and bare in front of the other.

"You will grow up to be a beautiful wolf, don't doubt it. Snow white fur with brown patches on your ears and muzzle, you look so pretty."
The male knows that the other is deliberately bringing his mood up to keep him calm and happy but his ears automatically go up, twitching occasionally as he basks in the compliments.
"Let's go for a run."
The black wolf squeezes past him, his tail hitting Wooyoung's chest.
"Tag, you're it."
Swishing his tail only once, the white wolf speeds after the other. The deeper in the forest they run, the more leaves lay on the ground, making crunching noises under their weight.

The male keeps leaving a small distance between them as if taunting the other, which in return spurs the wolf to chase after him with more vigour.
The white wolf's mouth once opens to bite at the black tail in front of him yet his teeth snap shut around thin air.
"Faster." says the voice in his head.
"I'm trying." he answers.
His wolf feels so much fun though. It's like aimlessly running after the black wolf is enough. He doesn't think of all the missed playdates with other pups.
Wooyoung feels mud beneath his paws seconds before cold water wets his fur. Letting out a grumble of dissatisfaction, he makes a mental note to listen in on the sounds around him even if it is hard for him to keep the concentration level up.

When he has reached dry grass again, he leaps forward. It looks like the black wolf slows down his pace due to tiredness, allowing the other to tag him. He presses him down but doesn't linger above to create a respectful distance between them.
"You're it now." he cheers.
"You have to run in that case."
The black wolf watches Wooyoung lean down with his chest almost touching the ground before jumping backwards, waiting for the other to run after him.
Seeing the alpha take a fast movement forwards, the white wolf jumps around and begins to run deeper in the forest. This time one of his ears is turned to hear his chaser. He doesn't get far, jumping over a bush and not even touching the moss as the black wolf catches him.

Wooyoung's tail is like a windshield, moving sideways as his blue eyes look up at the yellow ones.
"Caught you."
The heat of the moment slowly seeps out, leaving only laboured breaths.
"Why were you looking at me in today's lesson?" he ends up asking.
"Why were you watching me in the hallway?"
"Because your smell is attracting attention if you didn't know. You're bound to get it."
"I could say the same about your scent."
"If you would, it would make you a liar."
Wooyoung's scent was nothing eye-catching and head turning.

The black wolf nears his head to the other, to inhale a breath.
"If all my lies would smell so refreshing, I wouldn't mind."
The male doesn't answer as his blue eyes watch the alpha.
He hears a chuckle reverberate in his mind.
"Do you feel more in control now?"
"Yeah...thanks."
A wolf howls deeper in the forest.
"Let's get you back then. My packmates seem to be getting impatient."
The white wolf starts slowly running alongside the black wolf, back to the Academy.
"You're already in a pack? Are the two males that were with you today also in your pack?" the second question was meant to stay in Wooyoung's mind but it failed to do so.

"Yes, they are. We made this pack not long ago so it's a small one for now but a family nonetheless."
The male feels jealousy consuming his insides so he forces himself not to dwell on the subject for long.
"Sounds cool."
"Are you in a pack by any chance?"
"No, I can barely take care of myself."
"Isn't it understandable if you became a werewolf only recently? Late bloomers are not unheard of."
Wooyoung's head lowers.
"It still hurts."
There is silence as they cross the small stream.
"You will find a connection with your wolf and it will open your eyes to all the possibilities you can't experience as a human. It will stop hurting when you have become one."

"She doesn't want to cooperate." he gets out, sounding like a stubborn child going against his mother.
"Or are you too scared to try?"
"I can't control or even start a conversation with my wolf. She has a mind of her own, okay?"
"Okay." the black wolf answers.
The rest of the way back is filled with forest sounds such as insects buzzing around and wind rustling the leaves. A wolf sometimes runs by but always within a few kilometre distance. Everyone tries to go deeper inside the woods since they don't plan on coming back till the sunrise.
The last trees disappear as the two wolves stop by the courtyard. It's lonely with torch lights illuminating the corridors inside, making the windows look like small orange boxes from here.

"Thank you." Wooyoung says, turning his head to the other wolf.
The black animal steps closer and rubs his muzzle against the white wolf's shoulder and nape.
"Let the moon guard you."
He backs away, vanishing between the trees as Wooyoung's point of view grows higher. He stands on his two feet and feels his clothes not sticking to his body anymore but flowing freely in the wind.
The blond male sighs, watching the forest and later on the sky.
"If only the moon guarded me as much as the rest of you."

His scent of lime and mint grows disappointed.