Mythology AU
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Taehyng's favorite thing to do was interact with the nymphs behind his grandfather's estate. There was a large forest, inhabited by dryads and meliae who coaxed the birds from their nests and kept the leaves of the trees green, and the occasional oreads who lived for the soul purpose of tending to the environment. There was also a lake, the depths of which it reached a mystery to Taehyung. He would always wave to the naiads as they worked to keep the water creatures healthy and keep the current flowing strong. They were all beautiful maidens and Taehyung felt it deep within himself to protect each and every one of them from the dangerous of the greedy human race.
His grandfather had passed long ago and the land, containing thousands of acres, was passed down to Taehyung. He had spent much of his life at his grandfather's home when he was a young one, listening to his grandfather's stories about the magic that lay beyond the tree line. His dream was to explore outside, to walk the edge of the horizon to help his grandfather collect ingredients for his many potions. He had learned many recipes from his old man- bewitching, poisoning, growth, healing, love- but sadly, he couldn't experience the proud look his grandfather would give him before his old ticker stopped.
That was years ago, though.
Now, Taehyung lived his life in the footsteps of his grandfather, not in grief. He could mix his own potions, navigate with his own compass, stir up his own version of ambrosia- though it didn't have the effects of longevity and immortality- and cook his own meals. And he kept the nymphs safe. He provided them with genetically modified pomegranates that instead of sending them to the underworld, kept them happy and well, apples that tasted sweet, cups of nectar, and fresh, flaky rolls of bread.
He was always happy. He had his family of nymphs and his home, far away from trouble.
That is... until a naiad stumbled upon his door, knocking against it frantically with her scrawny little hands. Taehyung raced from where he sat at his work station, in the midst of crushing dried mint, and yanked the door open, worried. The nymphs never strayed far from where they belonged unless it was an emergency.
"T-There's someone at the lake!" She said, fear in her large eyes. Her skin was tinted blue and her ears were pointy, signature features of a naiad. Taehyung didn't question her and instead snatched his satchel off the hook beside the door, quickly throwing the leather strap over his shoulder as he followed the nymph down the hill to the forest. He dashed past the tree line and made his way to the lake in a rush, passing curious and concerned nymphs. He heard a few whispers in their high pitched voices but chose to ignore them in favor of focusing.
"Does he have a weapon?" Taehyung asked the naiad who led him through the trees. They stepped over mushrooms and mounds of moss, traveling on quick but careful feet.
"I didn't see one." She said. "He was in the lake master!"
"In?" Taehyung gawked in surprise. The naiad nodded and they broke through the trees, the wide expanse of glimmering water ahead. Taehyung scanned the lake and saw a naiad and a dryad pulling something quite large out of the water, and in fear of what it was he lashed out at them, yelling for them to get away. They dropped whatever it was immediately and scampered away, knowing that Taehyung said it for their safety.
As Taehyung approached slowly, a small dagger in his hand that he retrieved from his satchel, he studied the form. It's upper half was showing, its lower half immersed in dark water. Taehyung couldn't see what lay beyond its torso, so keeping his hand outstretched to keep the nymphs at bay, he crouched beside the form.
It was... a man?
His stomach was facing the star speckled sky, shining with water droplets, breathing shallowly. His face was calm, eyes shut, nostrils expanding slightly as he inhaled and exhaled.
What on earth was a man doing washed up on the lake shore?
Seeing that the man was unconscious, therefor possessing no danger, Taehyung sheathed his dagger and hooked his hands under his arms, pulling him further on land. A few gasps were heard and Taehyung looked up, seeing what was previously hidden beneath the water.
"A satyr?" He breathed in shock. The man's two feet were swapped with a goat's hooves, long, thick fur crawling up his legs and ending just below his navel. His fur was an ashy grey, a lighter shade of the damp tresses atop his head. "I can't believe it..."
But it was true. A satyr, horns and all, was right in front of him.
"He's bleeding master!" Someone shouted. Taehyung searched the satyr, rolling him onto his side. He saw a gushing wound against his rib cage, which he probably made worse by dragging him against the rough sand and rocks, and quickly pressed his hands over it, cursing softly when crimson seeped through his fingers. He held one hand there and dug through his satchel, pulling out a bandage. He was messy, wrapping the cloth around the satyr in a reckless fashion just to stop the blood from flowing. The nymphs chewed their nails and bit their lips anxiously, watching over Taehyung's shoulder as he practically man handled the injured satyr.
"Help me get him to the cabin." Taehyung grunted, lifting the satyr's shoulders. Two nymphs scrambled over and picked up each of his legs, slowly but surely making their way to the cabin uphill.
Taehyung usually kept most of his potions and medical supplies in there since he had so much of it. And it was big enough for him to host a few cots where the nymphs often rested when recovering from sicknesses.
Together they lowered the satyr down and Taehyung shooed them back to work, locking the cabin door. It was quiet, save for the satyr's light breathing.
"How did you get here...?" Taehyung pondered. He disliked the fact that he didn't know but he just shook his head and dug through wooden crates and drawers, collecting the supplies he would need to clean and suture the wound. It wasn't pretty and it left blood everywhere, but Taehyung had done a great job and when he finished, all he had to do was wait.
He pulled up a chair and sat in it, watching with narrowed eyes. The satyr was beautiful, his skin like creamy milk, all smooth and pale. His somewhat toned chest was covered in soft peach fuzz, which was quite rare in a satyr since they usually had wiry like chest hair. And his face, far too innocent looking. Satyrs were known for their lustful tendencies and drunken personalities, but then again, he was asleep and calm. His plump lips were dry and parted, his eye sockets sunken and dark, yet he somehow looked ethereal.
How strange...
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Taehyung shifted in his seat, leaning closer with wide eyes as the satyr stirred, his bold brows furrowing as his senses woke. When he blinked his eyes open they were foggy and brown, swirling with confusion.
"W-What?"
"You're awake." Taehyung smiled. "Here, now you can drink some nectar." Taehyung said, standing up from his seat to grab a small wooden bowl- kindly handcrafted and gifted by one of the meliae. He held it to the satyr's lips, tilting it despite his reluctance. A serene look washed over his face as he drank the sweet mixture, immediately feeling its relaxing effects.
"Thank you." The satyr croaked out.
"What's your name?" Taehyung asked, grabbing some more supplies to redress his wound.
"Jimin." He said. Taehyung hummed and worked with delicate hands, applying one of his healing potions to the wound with a swab.
"Didn't want to waste any of this. I had to make sure you were going to even wake." Taehyung chuckled. Jimin smiled crookedly and allowed Taehyung to wrap him with fresh bandages. His skin tingled but he knew it was just the ambrosia in the potion doing its job. "How'd you get that thing? How'd you end up in my lake?" Taehyung said. Glass bottles clinked as he organized them back together, just for the purpose of busying his hands as he awaited a response to the questions he had been thinking about for hours. But he never received one and he looked over his shoulder, seeing an array of emotions cross Jimin's face- betrayal, pain, anger, deep sadness. Taehyung concluded it was a more personal matter, something that made the satyr's heart throb. "Scared me half to death, you know?"
"Sorry. None of this was my intention." Jimin muttered, looking away shamefully. Taehyung sighed, a momentary silence falling between the two.
"You can stay here until you're able to get back on your feet-"
"They're hooves." Jimin joked. Taehyung laughed softly and opened the cabin door, letting a gust of fresh morning air drift in.
"If you need anything just holler. Don't be surprised if a nymph comes in to aid you."
"Thank you." Jimin said. Taehyung pursed his lips and gave a curt nod before stepping out into the morning sun's warm rays.
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My mythology obsession might have peeked through a little bit haha... Jimin would be a handsome satyr though and you can't change my mind :D