Your chest heaves up and down laboriously as questions fly left and right in your mind. The group of seven in front of you stare at you with alertness - especially the four large predatory felines in the front of the group. Their stances are protective with most of their weight resting on their hind legs so that they're ready to pounce at any given moment.
You know you should be turning around and running for your life, but you're frozen in your spot. You can't rip your gaze away because you can see a thousand emotions running through each and every one of their eyes. The longer you analyze them, the more you begin to realize they don't have any intention of hurting you. They're scared - probably just as scared, if not even more than you are. They're only defending themselves. But that also goes with the implication that if you make the wrong move, they will hurt you out of self-defense.
Finally, movement from one of the felines, the one that looks like a white panther, makes you flinch. You instinctively close your eyes shut tightly, just waiting for the impact of being bitten or run over - or both. But nothing ever hits you. Slightly confused, you open your eyes again to find that in the place of the white panther is a tall man with a muscular build. You don't deny that he's handsome but the look he's giving you right now makes you tremble in fear. His eyebrows are pinched together in concentration and his jaw is locked tightly as he watches you from afar.
"Why are you here?" the man finally asks you, his voice low and close to a grumble. That's when you notice the white ears flicking softly on the top of his head in your direction. You let out a small gasp when you finally realize why you were able to read the seven of their emotions so well. They're not animals - they're hybrids.
You blink slowly before realizing you had been staring at the hybrid in his human form longer than you should have. So you hurriedly clear your throat and straighten your posture a bit before responding, trying your best to hide the tremor in your voice.
"I'm here to check out this land," you say in your best attempt at a formal, stern tone.
"This land?" the hybrid quirks an eyebrow at you. "It's not for sale. It's already been sold, in case you couldn't tell from the sign you passed getting here."
"I am well aware," you nod briefly. "But I never said I'm looking to buy this land. I was given this land as an inheritance."
"Inheritance?" the white panther frowns, testing the word on his tongue as if it's a foreign language. You quirk an eyebrow, when the other hybrids glance around at each other with confused expressions. "Where is Mr. Han?"
Your heart suddenly wrenches at the mention of your late grandfather. You had been doing pretty well coping with his death. Granted, you have cried on several occasions this past week at little things that reminded you of him, but altogether, you've been getting through your days and trying your best to continue with your life.
"How do you know him?" you ask, voice barely above a whisper. A small lump is forming in the back of your throat and your clench your hands into fists, squeezing tightly on your thumbs, to keep yourself from tearing up.
"He's the man who bought this plot of land after finding us here. He wasn't like the other humans that reported us to Hybrid Services whenever they spotted us here. He bought this land and gave us some supplies to survive. He had told us he was going to come back soon to give us a better life," the hybrid explains carefully.
That's why your grandfather had insisted on you keeping this plot of land. He was protecting this group of hybrids.
Your vision begins to blur as tears begin to pool in your eyes. This sudden revelation brings a new wave of emotions that hits you so hard.
"Mr. Han passed last week," you mumble, quickly wiping away the tears that managed to slip down your cheeks. At the news, you notice some of the hybrids' tails tense and their ears droop. Their expressions hold unreadable emotions but you manage to catch sight of some of the fleeting emotions dancing around in some of their eyes. You can tell they're trying their best to put on a brave face in front of you despite struggling to hide their own grief.
A calm silence settles in the clearing as you take a few seconds to recollect your thoughts. It seems as if the group of hybrids does just the same because you notice their postures visibly relax and some of the larger felines in the front of the group sit down on the grass.
However, when a white tiger hybrid hesitantly steps out from the group towards you, everyone's head turns to look at it.
"Taehyung! Get back here!" A new voice shouts out of concern. Your eyes scan the group to see a man, a little shorter than the white panther, in the place where a fox had previously been standing. You can tell by the look on his face that he isn't too thrilled about his friend leaving the group and you can't tell whether it's because he's scared for you or scared of you.
When the feline hybrid is standing a foot in front of you, it stops and looks up at you with a specific glance almost as if it's asking for something. You tilt your head to the side in confusion as you stare down at the hybrid, unsure of what to do or what it wants.
"He wants you to hold out your hand," the white panther hybrid chuckles, amusement dancing around in his irises as he watches your interaction alongside the rest of your group.
"Oh," you whisper before gently reaching a hand out to the tiger's head level. The hybrid then proceeds to lean forward a bit to sniff at the back of your hand and then at the inner corner of your wrist. When he looks back up at you, his eyes hold a lighter emotion, almost as if he's smiling up at you. He then walks forward cautiously before bumping his forehead to your hip and nuzzling against you.
You're slightly taken aback by the friendly hybrid and you're stuck in awe at the large feline chuffing gently against your hip.
"Hi, Taehyung," you giggle fondly, reaching down to scratch behind his ears. The hybrid lets out a deep chuff in response and a wide smile spreads across your face.
At the sight of the tiger hybrid chuffing in content, another brave soul decides to step out from the group.
"Jungkook, don't you dare," the fox hybrid threatens with his ears pressed back against his hair in anger.
You watch curiously as a black panther hybrid ventures up to you shyly, his gaze ducked down on the grass as if he's too scared to meet your gaze. You crack an adoring smile before the hybrid nudges your free hand with his head. You freeze at the sight of another predatory hybrid nudging you softly, but you're quick to get the hint when he nudges you again. You don't hesitate to quickly reach your other hand to scratch behind the base of his jet black ears. Upon doing so, the hybrid looks up at you with his eyes closed lazily. If his rumbling chuffs aren't a clear indication of his bliss, then his tail that snakes itself around your forearm and pokes at you gently is the icing on top.
"Hi, Jungkook was it?" you giggle as you bravely squat down so that you're face to face with the two large felines. "I'm Y/N."
The moment your name rolls off your tongue, Taehyung and Jungkook immediately stop chuffing and they tense under your touch. You're taken aback by their sudden change in demeanor but when you glance up at the rest of the group, you find them staring at you with wide eyes. The white panther hybrid's jaw falls slack slightly as his soft ears flick on the top of his head once again.
"Y/N? As in Mr. Han's granddaughter?" he asks slowly, his brain finally making the remaining connections to your previous comments. That's what you had meant when you said that you had inherited this land.
"I guess I probably should have started off with a proper introduction," you chuckle sheepishly, glancing at the two felines staring at you curiously. "But yes. I'm Y/N, granddaughter of Han Hyunki."
"Ms. Han," the white panther hybrid gasps before bowing respectfully. "It's a pleasure to finally meet you. My name is Namjoon."
"Hello, Namjoon," you smile. "But my last name is actually Y/L/N. Mr. Han is my maternal grandfather."
"My apologies, Ms. Y/L/N," Namjoon smiles back at you, revealing his deep-set dimples. "Where are my manners? Let me introduce the rest of the pack."
You giggle at the panther hybrid who seemed to be all tall and intimidating one second and then a flustered mess the next second.
"Well, you've met Taehyung and Jungkook already. Tae is a white Bengal tiger hybrid while Kook is a black panther hybrid. Jungkook is the youngest of the group at 23 and Taehyung is the second youngest at 25," Namjoon begins to explain. When your gaze trails to glance at the two hybrids you've been petting, they raise their heads and puff their chests out proudly. You snicker before continuing with more ear scratches, which they gladly accept.
Namjoon then turns to motion at the feline hybrid sitting on his right.
"This is Yoongi. He's second oldest at 28 and he's a-"
"Snow leopard hybrid," you answer before Namjoon can finish. To be honest, the breathtaking leopard had caught your eye the moment you spotted the group. Granted, all of the hybrids are extremely beautiful, but to see a snow leopard in the middle of the forest really surprised you.
Said hybrid bows his head at you slightly and you swear you notice his mouth pull up into a small smirk.
"Yes, correct," Namjoon chuckles before turning to his left where the rest of the hybrids are gathered. "The fox hybrid here is Jimin. He's 25 - only two months older than Taehyung, actually."
The fox hybrid glares at you just as he's been doing since the moment you've gotten here. You can tell he's only glaring at you to protect his friends but you can also tell he would've pounced on you by now if it weren't for the rest of his pack surrounding him. You gulp as the two of you make eye contact, making a mental note to steer clear of Jimin for now.
"And these two are Hoseok and Seokjin. Hobi is a red panda hybrid and Jin is a sugar glider hybrid" Namjoon continues, bringing your attention back to him. Your face practically lights up when the two smaller prey hybrids scurry up Namjoon's body, scaling his arms in a familiar manner until they're perched on either of his shoulders. "Seokjin is the oldest at 28 - turning 29 at the end of the year - and Hoseok and I are actually the same age. We're both 26 but Hoseok is seven months older than me."
"Well, it's very nice to meet you all. As you all know, my name is Y/F/N, and I'm 20 years old," you smile while bowing at them.
In the midst of your introduction, you fail to notice the fox hybrid that had previously shifted to his human form, shift back into his animal form. He then proceeds to stealthily sneak past his packmates and up to you before jumping to push you until you fall onto your bottom.
When you hit the ground, you let out a small "oof" and your breath is temporarily taken out of your lungs. You sit blinking blankly as you try to comprehend what just happened. However, those few moments of processing seem to work in advantage to Jimin because he quickly lunges forward to bite at you.
Within the blink of an eye, Yoongi comes barreling towards the fox hybrid and catches the smaller hybrid in his mouth. The snow leopard holds the fox hybrid by the scruff of his neck as he lets out a string of warning growls for the younger male to hear.
"Jimin! What were you thinking?" A new voice scolds. When you lift your gaze, you see Seokjin in his human form with rounded triangular ears on the top of his head. His soft-looking ears are pointed back in disappointment as he scolds the younger male.
By now, Taehyung and Jungkook have maneuvered themselves to stand in front of you protectively, ready to fend off their own friend. But they quickly shift into their human form and turn to glance at you with worried stares.
"Y/N? Are you okay?" Taehyung asks gently, resting a hand on your arm. The deep timbre of his voice surprises you but it also suits him perfectly.
Your mind is currently having trouble wrapping around how breathtaking these men are. Like seriously, how are all of these hybrids so handsome?
"I'm glad you think so, sweetheart," Jungkook smirks smugly. "But we just want to know if you're hurt anywhere."
"I did not just say that out loud," you groan while hiding your blushing face with your hands.
"You did," Taehyung chuckles deeply.
"Okay, check me for a concussion then," you try to joke as Namjoon walks over to help you up.
"But you fell onto your butt, not your head," Taehyung points out matter-of-factly.
"Okay, okay. Stop harassing the poor girl and let's get her closer to the fire so that she can take a seat and maybe we can talk more there," Namjoon chuckles while guiding you towards their makeshift camp at the center of the clearing.
"Oh, Yoongi? Can you check her for any wounds?" he asks as an afterthought. This causes Jungkook and Taehyung's eyebrows to furrow with worry and they begin to scan around your body for any visible injuries.
"No, that's okay. I'm fine," you quickly reassure everyone. "I just fell. Nothing that's never happened before, I promise."
"We just want to make sure everything's alright. Plus, I can smell the blood on your hands. You probably scraped your palms when you fell," the white hybrid points out and that's when you finally register the slight stinging sensation on your hands.
You hear a quiet grunt behind you before Yoongi is shifting into his human form. One of his hands clutches tightly at the scruff of Jimin's neck - who is still in hybrid form.
"I'll take a look at your wounds, Y/N," the snow leopard states gently in a deep voice that honestly shocks you. His height in human form is similar to Jimin's so you had expected him to also sound like Jimin. Yet his voice seems to make up for what his stature lacks.
"Thank you," you smile politely.
"Great," Namjoon smiles gratefully at the older hybrid before turning his gaze at the cowering fox hybrid. Even though Jimin is technically the one to blame for your small injuries, you can't find anything within yourself to feel resentment towards him. If anything, you feel bad for the trembling hybrid as Namjoon's next words ring through the air lethally. "I'll deal with Jimin in the meantime."
♡ ♡ ♡
Happy Monday, Dalgis! I didn't forget to update today, haha! I hope this chapter was definitely worth the wait especially with the cliffhanger I left off on in the previous chapter.
Question of the Week: "pineapple on pizza vs. french fries with ice cream?"
This question was actually suggested by joonversehigh and I loved it so much, I thought I'd include it, hehe. Personally, I love both, but if I have to choose one, I'd choose pineapple on pizza 🤪
I hope you're all having a good day and week! Thanks for the continuous love and support. I love you all so much!!
Until next week,
Dalgi Jungoo 🍓