A/N
Because:
1) I'm a dumbass who can't move on easily
2) It literally demolished my heart knowing our Minari is going through such a hard time :(
I decided to make a finale(?) closure(?) for this wolf x fox AU lmao
If this doesn't meet your expectation, I'm so very sorry! >.< But I hope y'all can enjoy huhuhu I love you all!
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Three years after her departure from her clan, Mina comes across a figure from her past.
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"Mina?"
The sudden appearance of this particular fox must have been the highlight of Mina's day. Or month, probably even her year. The vixen was just tending her pup along the riverside, teaching little Lisa how to hunt for fishes. It hasn't even been an hour, the sun hasn't risen enough that the morning dews haven't evaporated, when a painfully familiar, white-pelted fox shows up at the other side of the river.
Lisa yips and immediately moves behind her mother's legs when she sees the newcomer fox. The young mixed-race pup is terrified; understandable considering how rowdy this Omega fox appears like. Her snow-white pelt looks dirty, with scars and dirt covering her skinny body. Those bright yellow eyes that once shined proud now look tired, but also glowing with pure happiness at the sight of a friend.
"No way," Mina mutters, taking a few steps back. "Jihyo?"
"You remember me!" the white-pelted vixen–Jihyo–howls, effortlessly leaping across the river to Mina's side. She seems like she's about to hug Mina to death, but she stops once she recognizes a trembling pup between Mina's legs. Jihyo approaches Mina slowly, a look of disbelief and joy filling her feature. "Is that really you, Mina? I'm... I'm not mistaken, right?"
Mina nods, still wary. Upon the other's confirmation, Jihyo lets out a laughter, raising up her paw to wipe a single tear escaping her eye.
"Three years... holy shit, after three whole years," Jihyo says, her voice hoarse. She looks like she's still having a hard time to accept that she meets Mina again, with her eyes repeatedly going all over the younger fox's figure and the little pup with her. "I can't believe you're... you're alive..."
Jihyo sobs then, her frail body shaking uncontrollably as she collapses on the ground. "I... I thought you're gone... Mina–"
Feeling her heart crumbles seeing her once proud leader breaks in front of her, Mina pats Lisa to tell her that the other fox is not a threat and approaches Jihyo. She instinctively curls her canine body above Jihyo to provide her some kind of comfort. The older vixen sniffs, nuzzling Mina's furry neck with her face. Lisa, albeit her hesitation, joins her mother to curl beside the foreign Omega fox.
After a few minutes of cuddling each other, Jihyo clears her throat, wiping the remaining of her tears and stands up on wobbly legs. She puffs air to Lisa as an act of greeting even though the pup avoids her.
"Your pup is so pretty," Jihyo absentmindedly praises. A smile forms on her lips at the sight of Lisa cuddling Mina's hind legs. She looks up to Mina then, noticing how Mina stares at her worriedly and chuckles. "You don't know how happy I was when I saw you across the river. After everything that happened... so this is where you've been all this time, Mina?"
Mina nods. "Yes, this is where I've been living for the past three years. Jihyo I... I admit I, too, was surprised when I saw you there. What are you doing here?"
Jihyo's expression falls after that. "I... left. I left the clan almost half a year ago. After you were gone, Mina, everything just kinda... went wrong. The clan leaders were becoming so toxic and so full of themselves. They don't care about us so... a lot of us left. It just doesn't worth anymore to fight alongside a clan that only cares about their own greed."
Silence engulfs them for a while. Mina finds herself drawn to the scars lining Jihyo's once beautiful coat and the visible shadows of her ribs. She feels bad to her fellow Omega. What happened to Jihyo? How did the once proud leader of the foxes' scout team become like this?
"What happened to you?" Mina asks, nosing the newest-looking scar right above Jihyo's shoulder.
Jihyo laughs again as she rolls her eyes. "Well, traveling alone is worse than I think it is. I'm a good scout but I'm bad at fights, hence the wounds."
Mina whimpers in pity. Jihyo seems to notice this because she nudges Mina away from her body. "Hey, enough about me. What about you?"
"What about me?"
"Yeah," Jihyo nods, "You went missing the night when the raid happened. We thought the wolves got to you, and we were so afraid. Especially considering you were pregnant that time. We thought the wolves killed you or worse..."
Jihyo couldn't finish her words when a figure steps out from behind the shrubbery. It's a wolf, lean and small for its Alpha status with midnight blue coat and white paws. Its left ear is torn off, giving the wolf a menacing appearance as it advances at the two foxes cautiously. Its eyes radiate confusion for a few moments at the sight of Mina being so close to Jihyo. It looks back and forth between the two before it snarls at Jihyo who growls back.
Mina immediately jumps between them when she senses the agitation in the air. The wolf raises its eyebrows in surprise at the vixen's gesture but backs off slightly when Mina barks.
"Who is she, Mina?" the wolf asks, its tone suspicious but gentle.
"She's my friend," Mina answers sternly.
The blue wolf furrows its brow. It stares at Jihyo, who seems shocked that her fellow fox could talk down a wolf, then growls at Mina yet without any menace in its tone. "You know never to trust a fox."
Mina scoffs. "And I am a fox, in case you forget. Do you not trust me?"
The wolf opens her maw, about to retort but decides against it. It looks conflicted, seeing Mina defending the foreign, trespassing fox. But then it huffs, flicking its right ear once. "Apologies. I'll call Momo and the others."
With that, the blue wolf leaves the scene. Mina turns to Jihyo with an apologetic smile. "Sorry about her. Seungwan has always been so wary of any outsider around our area."
"I... think I've come across her before," Jihyo says, if a bit hesitating. "You know her?"
"She's the guardian of our pack," Mina confesses, much to Jihyo's surprise.
"Wait, what? You're in a pack? A wolf pack?"
"Yes."
"Oh, wait, don't tell me..."
"Yes, Jihyo." Mina meekly nods. But her eyes are directed downwards as if she's afraid to see the look of judgement from her dear friend. "The raid that night... was only a cover so I could escape with the wolves. There are also people from the wolf-kin who felt sick by our never-ending war and decided to escape. Momo asked me to come with her. So I did. They feigned a raid so Momo could fetch me. Then, we left with the Velvet Fangs pack and traveled here."
"I see..." Jihyo hums, tail swiping back and forth as she digests Mina's words. The white fox sighs, then, shrugging her shoulders uncaringly. "Can't say I didn't expect it, considering how you acted after you got pregnant with the wolf. So... Momo, isn't it? Your mate, I mean."
"Yeah.."
"And this pup is hers, right?"
"Yes. Her name's Lisa."
"Ah... a mix. She's cute," Jihyo giggles, leaning down to greet Lisa one more time. The pup seems to be less wary of Jihyo but still she hides behind her mother's legs.
Seeing Jihyo acting so kind to her pup makes Mina wonder. Is she not mad? Mina basically dumped her clan to run away with the love of her life. Despite how romantic it sounds like, there's still a bit of guilt in her heart knowing she had abandoned the clan that was once her home.
So she asks, inquiring Jihyo about her opinion which the other fox answers with a laugh.
"Considering how I also left the clan abandoning all my duties, I don't think I have the right to judge," says the white fox, shaking her head. "It's just... I'm glad that you're alive and well. Sana and the others must have been relieved if they know that you're okay. We left the clan together, but somehow we got separated. I wish they are also well."
Mina nuzzles Jihyo affectionately at the warm smile the older Omega gives her. They stay close for a while, sharing each other's scent until Seungwan returns with a group of wolves in her wake. The blue Alpha tugs Mina and Lisa to stay away from the newcomer fox. Knowing that it's not her place to interfere, Mina steps back, closer to Momo, who immediately wraps her body over Mina's significantly smaller one.
"Greetings, vixen." A massive wolf with dark orange pelt followed by an even bigger wolf with dark green shading her fur nods to Jihyo. She signals her pink-furred mate to inspect Jihyo while Seungwan stands to the side, ready to defend her pack mates if Jihyo decides to attack.
The orange wolf clears her throat once before continuing, "My name is Kang Seulgi. I'm the lead Alpha of this pack. I have been informed that you are a friend of my pack mate, Mina. Considering how our clans clashed with each other back in the days, I must know your reasoning to come this far away straight to our pack. Please, do tell us."
Jihyo knows better than to lie about her journey, so she retells everything to the pack leader starting from her distrust to her own clan that ultimately leads to her leaving the clan. She adds a few explanations about her wounds whenever the pink wolf–Joohyun–asks about them.
After listening to her story, Seulgi turns to Mina, eyebrows raised in a silent question. Mina nods quickly as she could perfectly understand Seulgi after three years of living together. The orange wolf huffs to Seungwan, and the blue wolf's tense figure relaxes almost completely as she takes a few steps back.
"Mina told us that you're trustworthy enough. So I will let you roam around our territory until whenever you want. It seems like my mate wants to tend your wounds as well," Seulgi winks at Joohyun who smiles, "So you're fully welcome to rest in our nest. Sooyoung and I will take my leave. Wan, go with Hyun to get Jihyo to the nest. Yerim is there with the pups. Momo, Mina, can I trust you two for scouting duty today?"
At her pack mates' agreement, Seulgi smiles, and she turns on her paws toward the forest. The green wolf, Sooyoung, follows her dutifully. While Seungwan leads Jihyo and Joohyun to the other side of the forest after she brushes her body lightly to Mina, expressing her apology for acting so suspicious before. Mina answers with a light nip to the blue wolf's healthy ear, which elicits Seungwan's small laugh.
Mina watches until the three disappear among the bushes. A wet nose touches her cheek and she giggles, turning to her mate who is staring at her with her warm golden eyes. The vixen smiles and snuggles herself to Momo's chest. Momo chuckles and playfully bites at Mina's nape, before nosing her collarbone and licks her jaw.
"Shall we go?"
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No matter how many times she does this every day, nothing would be able to take away the happiness and serenity Mina feels every time she walks around the territory only with her mate and her pup. Momo walks alongside her, the wolf's gaze firm, but her hand is soft and warm as she holds Mina's own close. A few meters ahead of them, little Lisa runs around in her canine form chasing butterflies.
With a content sigh, Mina leans her head to Momo's shoulder, feeling a bit funny that her wolf mate isn't even a head taller from her. Yet that's what makes it comfortable leaning to Momo, as the wolf combs her black hair back before she rests her head over Mina's.
"What are you thinking?" Momo mumbles. She recognizes how Mina always cuddles to her whenever the vixen has something in her mind, and Mina giggles at the question.
"Nothing much." Shrugging, Mina plays with their intertwined fingers. "I'm just a bit surprised that Jihyo suddenly showed up like that. Just after I thought I've left everything behind."
Momo hums, placing a kiss on top of Mina's head once. "Well, it seems like you're not the only one from the fox side to leave everything behind."
The vixen laughs softly. "I agree."
Lisa returns to her parents with a bunch of flowers between her maw. As she's still only about two years old, she hasn't been able to change into her human form and could only prance around in her canine form. Her fur, mainly black with a tuft of orange at her chest and white at the tip of her tail, lustrous under the gentle morning sunlight.
Mina picks up her pup and tucks her close to her chest. Lisa barks, happy, offering the flowers she brings to her mother. The pup then curls to Mina's chest as her parents continue their journey across the wide plain. A soft kiss given to the fur between her ears has Lisa barking aloud, and Mina giggles at her pup's wild antics as the young mixed-race reaches up to her sire with her tiny paws.
"I couldn't believe it's been more than two years since she was born," Momo says, patting Lisa's head fondly. "We've gone through a lot of things before we reach this place. I'd say Lisa herself is a miracle."
Mina nods, finding herself agreeing with her mate's thoughts. After having her heat spent together with Momo, she was both surprised and terrified to know that she got herself pregnant. She's pregnant with a wolf's pup, and she's afraid just what kind of persecution she and her pup will face once she gives birth. But Momo showed up suddenly at the foxes' camp, stalking through the night only to check up on her, coming to an understanding that she's going to become a sire and requested Mina to run away with her.
The journey to their current territory wasn't free of trouble either. With the tension lingering between her and the wolves also Joohyun who was also pregnant that time, safe to say that Mina only had Momo on her side back then. The winter that time was harsh, with the lack of food and the increasing number of hungry predators looming around. It was hard enough for a normal pack to go through, even more so when they have two pregnant Omegas with them; one of them being a fox.
They're lucky that their pack is such a kind, receiving pack that Mina didn't feel estranged once they spent some times together. They accept Mina as how she is, willingfully putting aside everything ever happened between the two clans for them to consider Mina their own.
Lisa was born a few days after they found this place, in the warmth of spring and into the welcoming hand of a family. Joohyun's pup, Jennie, was born before that, back when they were still struggling to pass through the unforgiving winter. They all celebrate the two pups' birth together, happy for each other and for themselves after being successful to find a place for their own.
"Mina?"
Momo's soft call tugs Mina back to reality. Without realizing it, they have arrived at the end of the area they have to scout today. Her mate is staring at her with a raised eyebrow, probably questioning why Mina got so lost in her own thoughts before. Mina giggles, leaning in to place a soft peck to Momo's lips. In her embrace, Lisa yawns, tired after the hunting lesson and playing around in the field.
"I'm so glad to be able to meet you," Mina says, her gum showing as she smiles as wide as she could. "And Lisa, too. You both are a blessing to my life."
The black wolf chuckles. Her nails elongate as she scratches a few new marks at a tree bark. She steps back after she's done, admiring her work, before she turns to her mate and once again kisses Mina on the lips.
"And you two are my blessing. I love you, Mina."
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Home is warm, like how it always is.
Lisa leaps down straight to Jennie who is playing with Jisoo, Sooyoung and Yerim's pup, totally forgetting her own fatigue for the sake of playing with her friends. Seulgi and Sooyoung just returned from a mini-hunt, bringing the pack their meal for the day before they have to hunt big prey tomorrow with Momo and Seungwan joining in.
Yerim, who is busy preparing their meal today, greets Mina happily.
"Minari, you should tell your friend to stay with us, y'know," says Yerim, snickering. "Someone seems to be interested in her."
The younger wolf tilts her head to the nesting corner, showing Mina a view of Jihyo in her human form. Joohyun seems to have done a great job patching Jihyo up. The girl, now clean from any dirt, is currently sipping her tea while reading a book belonged to Joohyun. She rests comfortably against the lumbering blue beast drifting to sleep behind her. Seungwan's one ear flicks when she hears Mina and Yerim stifling their chuckle, though the older wolf ignores them and closes her eyes again.
Mina giggles and whispers to Yerim, "Don't worry. I'll make sure to convince her later."
Feeling an arm sliding around her waist, Mina instinctively leans in to her mate's stronger figure. Yerim rolls her eyes at the two, mouthing, "PDA", but Mina only laughs as she tilts her head to let Momo nuzzles her neck. Joohyun knocks the Alpha's head once to tell them to cease the disgustingly-sweet-yet-sickening-scene; as described by Joohyun.
Though, leave it to Seulgi to annoy her own mate by doing the exact same thing to Joohyun, followed closely by Sooyoung who grabs Yerim into her embrace because she doesn't want to be left behind in affection. It earns Seulgi a punch on her face from a flustered Joohyun. Sooyoung laughs at them, before receiving a punch on her own, making the largest Alpha in the pack wheeze in pain clutching her stomach.
It's such a normal day in the house for the pack. Filled with warm laughter, loving kisses and excited barks from their pups, far from the cruelty and rage of war.
It's such a normal day at home, and Mina holds no more regret.
Fin...
A/N
This fluff is for you, Myoui Mina-neesan, as this is the only way I could show my support to you TT^TT
I hope everyone around surrounds you with love so you can recover completely and return to us as how you used to be! We love you once and forever! Fighting!