_____
Adrenalin shoots through Jimin's body, as his feet touch the forest floor, all Jimin can feel is the rough texture and his feet ache from the uneven ground and the eternal running. In his wolf form, he moves quickly and evasively through the forest, hoping that this will somehow distract the bear that is chasing him. Panic overtakes him as the black bear somehow manages to catch up with him in a few strides and snaps at him with its mouth, catching him by the leg. A sharp pain shoots through his body, and he has to grit his teeth to keep running and fighting to stay alive. Jimin is quick enough to free himself from the bear's clutches. However, it has left a larger flesh wound on his leg.
A fearsome deep growl escapes the large creature, and it sends a shiver down Jimin's spine.
Even the earthy smell that surrounds Jimin and has always made him feel safe cannot calm him. The fear of being caught by the beast and being at its mercy alone in the forest is too great. It would be impossible to defeat this creature alone. His pulse throbs high up into his ears, and the abrupt sideways stitching is painful and makes it harder for him to hold on. Even breathing becomes more strenuous. Jimin will soon have to give up.
Branches cracking under the bear's weight make Jimin startle each time and slalom around the thick tree trunks and root again, hoping the bear will stumble and give him enough time to run away. The only question is: where to?
Jimin has been wandering through this forest for what feels like an eternity, away from the pack, and has yet to find anything that can help him. The sound of the flowing river nearby, which he can hear, will be of no help to him. The bear has certainly crossed it before, and if Jimin tried to get through it, he would certainly not be able to fight it and would be swept away by the current. All he wanted to do today was hunt in their territory and find food before the snow arrives when the bear surprised him out of nowhere.
If this continues, he will be at the bear's mercy, which could certainly suit Seoyeon.
Fatigue weighs on his joints, and he slows down. Attempting to jump over some brush, he trips and falls on the wound, howling in hellish pain. Attempting to get up and keep running proves impossible at first, as his fur is stuck in some brush, and he may have injured one of his paws. Jimin feels like crying. It was not a good idea at all to try to jump over it. This is certainly not how he had imagined his last day of life. The bear is getting closer and closer, and the brush is still clinging to his fur. He feels short of breath, and a soft yelp escapes his mouth.
He pulls himself free as the bear suddenly emerges from between the trees and runs towards him as if Jimin were its prey. Run!, his subconscious screams. The increasing lack of oxygen in his lungs is like a burning sensation and makes it harder to breathe, as if something has wrapped itself around his neck and is constricting him tighter. It feels like he could pass out at any moment. Jimin lets out another yelp, this time louder, desperate and filled with pain. He doesn't know how to muster up any more hope that someone might hear him or even rush to help.
Jimin is about to accept his fate when his tired eyes fall on a kind of cave made of stones. It reminds him of the shelter he had been in with Jungkook and Taewoo, waiting out the rain. This shelter, or cave, is smaller and deeper, Jimin realises disappointedly, so that he has to force himself in with fear and with the last of his strength. He barely manages to press himself against the cold wall so that the sharp claws of the bear's paw cannot touch him.
Reality crashes over him and he whimpers as tears form in his eyes and his vision blurs slightly making his eyes sting. The cold of the cave causes him difficulties and he begins to shiver after a short time. He feels limp and at the end of his tether before his eyes fall shut with fatigue. Only half-consciously, he notices the sounds of other, familiar wolves that seem to be approaching and luring the bear away before the darkness engulfs him.
The next time Jimin regains consciousness, the smell of various herbs hits his nostrils and he blinks in confusion until the hellish pain sets in. This time all over his body and not just in his leg after the bear had struck. He grimaces, squints his eyes, and waits for the pain to subside.
He takes a deep breath and opens his eyes. To his surprise, he realises that he is no longer in the stone cave where he fainted, nor in wolf form. His gaze wanders to the side, from the direction where he hears noises. The sunlight streaming in through the window gives Jimin no trouble in realising that he is apparently in the healer's hut and that his grandmother seems to be making tea. She must have noticed that Jimin has moved, because she gets up from the chair, drops everything and squats in front of him, her eyes glazed over with a sparkling look of concern.
"Grandmother?"
"Thank God, you're awake again. I was so scared for you when I heard about the news. I dropped a bowl in shock," his grandmother says in a brittle voice, tears welling up in her brown eyes. The crack in her voice makes Jimin realise the gravity of the situation. "I was really scared for you when one of the pack members came to me and said you had been chased by a bear and just barely escaped. My heart sank hearing those words. I saw Jungkook carrying you into the hut and immediately came to you. I'm so glad nothing worse happened."
Jungkook? Jungkook carried him into the hut? Does that mean...
"How did I get here? I remember running away and hiding in some kind of cave."
His grandmother lets out a sigh, with a soft gentle expression on her face. "I don't know in detail what happened. What I do know is that you ran from a bear that almost got you as its prey and then a patrol group came, led by Jungkook, they distracted the bear and probably killed it. After that, Jungkook brought you here."
Again she mentions his name and Jimin doesn't know how to handle it. Jimin squirms at the thought of Jungkook suddenly acting so differently. For years he's been wary of looking him in the eye properly or even ignoring his existence and now he's even carried him here after Jimin fainted? Bewilderment begins to spread through his chest and his hands clenched into fists.
"Did he say anything?"
Jimin curses on the inside, curiosity seeping through in his voice. He wants to laugh at himself. Jungkook has treated him terribly in the past, but he can't help but let his mind wander and think about the possible reasons that make him ramble why Jungkook took the responsibility of bringing him here. Was it to improve his image? Did he do it with sincere intention?
Or maybe Jimin is just thinking too much. Maybe Jungkook only did it because everyone was watching, which means they must have seen him naked too...
Immediately, his eyes wander down to him, a hint of panic flashing in his eyes, but he is lying on the couch, dressed in his own clothes and covered with a blanket. Redness rises in his cheeks, and shame spreads through him. With a confused and questioning look, he looks at his grandmother, who at first does not know what he means. But when his gaze lingers on his clothes again, nervously tugging at them, she understands what he means.
"Don't worry, as far as I know, no one saw you undressed. You were wearing a garment when he came out of the forest. I assume he put it on you before he brought you here. I brought you your own clothes. He just told me to take good care of you and that you have a wound on your leg, but I've already taken care of it."
"Okay," Jimin replies more quickly than he thinks about what his grandmother said, because considering that Jungkook put something on him, that means he must have smelled like Jungkook and Jungkook must have really seen him naked-
He gasps in horror, his eyes widening as his cheeks turn pink again with the shame he feels. Does this mean the others have seen more, too? He feels dizzy and swallows nervously at the thought that this could be true. Thousands of questions circle around his head. Should he ask Jungkook about it? Should he pretend that nothing happened?
Irritation burns inside him, and he feels like something is being kept from him. No sooner does he wake up than he is confronted with something that turns his emotions into such a storm that he wishes he could go back to sleep, and when he wakes up, everything is as it was when he was little. There is nothing he longs for more, even if he does not know exactly what it is or contains.
Jimin turns his head more to the right to get a better look at his grandmother and also to surreptitiously see if he still smells like Jungkook. Why does the feeling of disappointment flow through him when he can't even smell a trace or hint of his soothing sandalwood scent? It's better this way, he tells himself. It is better for everyone involved.
"Jimin, what's bothering you? I can see you have something on your mind."
Her delicate fingers slide through her brown hair, and it makes him pause for a moment. Only now does he realise how much he has missed the gesture.
"I was just thinking about how-" Wait a minute. Is he really about to tell his grandmother about what was going through his mind? He bites his lower lip with an uneasy feeling in the pit of his stomach. This would be his chance to tell his grandmother everything. However, he doesn't feel ready, but will he ever be ready? In his grandparents' eyes, he must just seem studious when it is so different. Sometimes, he can't help but wonder if they haven't heard the rumours and just pretend they don't know.
But he can't just accuse them like that, and he doesn't dare bring up the subject for fear of where the conversation might lead.
Jimin swallows hard and turns his gaze to the ceiling of the hut. "I was just thinking about my childhood, how things used to be and how they are now... Feels like everything has changed," Jimin says with a soft sign that leaves his lips.
If his grandmother knows he's lying, she doesn't comment on it.
"Hmm, I see. You're thinking about the past? It's good to look back and think about what you've been through. What mistakes you made and how you can prevent them and learn from them in the future. The world and people are always changing, so don't let your past be the main guide when making a decision for the future. No matter what you do though, we will always be on your side."
"Thank you, I appreciate that," Jimin murmurs with a soft smile and snuggles deeper under the covers. A contented sigh escapes his lips again, and he closes his eyes to enjoy the moment, despite the throbbing and pressing pain he tries to ignore.
"I made some tea before you woke up. Would you like some?"
His grandmother's voice makes him blink and look at her with wide eyes. He had already forgotten about the tea. Thinking about it, his throat is a little raw. A little tea would certainly help with that. "Gladly."
Jimin slowly straightens up from the couch, making sure to place his foot gently on the floor. However, he doesn't particularly succeed and draws in a sharp breath, a slight radiating pain shooting through his leg that makes him clench his hands into fists. Only when his grandmother stands in front of him with a still steaming cup of tea in her hand does he loosen his hands.
Gratefully, he takes the hot cup of tea from her hand and enjoys the warmth and the soothing scent of cinnamon with a hint of vanilla. It smells delightful and soothing. Just what he needs. Unable to wait to taste the tea, he impatiently runs his tongue over his lips, his eyes fixed on the steam rising.
Jimin lifts his head and looks at his grandmother, who returns his gaze with amusement and puts a hand over her mouth. Jimin tilts his head and wonders what is wrong with her. Yet all he did was breathe in the scent of the tea. Okay, maybe he overdid it and showed how much he enjoys the scent by closing his eyes, but he can't help it.
Jimin furrows his brows, curious as to why she keeps giving him a look and then shaking her head, though her smile weakens as he asks, "What's wrong?"
It's as if... this question baffles her and makes her look even more vulnerable in Jimin's eyes. Jimin worries if he's said something wrong, when it's just a normal question. What is going through her mind?
"It's nothing..." She sighs, looking down at her fingers with a guarded smile.
"I'm worried, grandmother. Tell me, please."
"It's just-you're a lot like her. The way you breathe in the scent of tea or the way you wrinkle your nose. Sometimes, when I look at you, I see her."
Jimin swallows hard at the swelling lump in his throat, not sure if he should dare ask. But he does. "Who do I resemble, grandmother?"
"Her, your mother. You have her eyes and your father's determination."
This causes Jimin's feelings of anger and confusion to do a 180-degree turn. Maybe Jimin saw it coming. Maybe he just repressed his suspicions and buried them with denial, but talking about his mother-parents is a touchy subject for anyone in this family. Despite the visits in the past, it's not enough. Jimin has missed his parents for so long, he has felt incomplete his entire life. And the fact that he hasn't seen them for a long time doesn't make it any better. The last time he saw them, they were almost discovered by someone from his parents' pack. Time passed, and Jimin was busy with all sorts of chores that he hadn't been able to do for a few months.
Growing up and only seeing his parents a few times a year is not enough. Living here and not being able to do anything is not enough. He wants to see them, let them be a part of his , talk to them about silly things, joke with them, or maybe go hunting. He has made plans for what they will do when they leave their pack, but that may not happen until spring and winter started not too long ago.
Jimin's hands start shaking with the cup of tea, and he feels himself instinctively wrapping the blanket tighter around him, as if it's some kind of comfort closing around him. He needs air, Jimin decides. He needs some fresh air fast.
"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said anything."
"No, it's... It's okay," Jimin says more airy than he intended, "Just let me get some fresh air. I need to go for a walk."
"Jimin, I don't think it's good for you to go for a walk right now. Wait a bit until your leg is better."
Jimin feels his patience wearing thin, restlessness settles in him, and his leg begins to bob up and down slightly. It's best if he focuses on the floor and not on his grandmother. Otherwise, it will get worse.
"Please," he says, pressing out, emphasising the word please, he needs to get some fresh air. "Please-just this once."
Then there is silence, broken moments later by his grandmother, who sighs heavily and hums forcedly. She gives up trying to persuade Jimin to stay when she sees the determination in Jimin's expression and posture. It saddens her to see Jimin suffering in any way. "Please be careful."
His grandmother watches him leave the hut in a downcast mood, limping towards the nearby lake, careful not to strain his leg. Sadness flashes in her eyes, and the corners of her mouth pull down before she sighs and sits back down at the table.
Jimin, on the other hand, slowly breathes in the fresh forest air and feels like he can breathe again. He hears the thin layer of snow crunching under his feet and realises that it must have been snowing when he laid passed out in the hut. Snow always looks beautiful to his eyes, but the temperatures can drop quite low and make life difficult.
At first he doesn't know where he's going but his legs keep moving forward taking him to an unknown destination, still holding the blanket tightly between his fingers. But when he sees the lake, it makes sense. It is winter and no one will be there. He can take time to collect his thoughts and himself. And so he quickly sinks into thought, paying attention only to the path in front of him, until he stops in front of the lake, which now appears calm. The sound water moving slowly along the bed of the lake relaxes him. He knows soon that the lake will have frozen over, now that the weather has changed. Jimin takes the time to look and appreciate it for a bit longer before he lets his eyes wander into the distance.
"Shouldn't you be in the hut? Healing?"
Jimin flinches and turns around with his mouth open as if seeing a ghost. "What are you doing here?"
_______
A/N: so... who do you think is this person who snapped him out of his thoughts 🤔