⥼ meadow

@✦ sungchan j。 sensing the refugees' fears, taeyong held up an arm. the three immediately crowded behind his slim frame, as if that was enough to hide from sungchan's view. an amicable smile, albeit slightly apologetic, crossed the snow leopard's countenance, as if silently asking the wolf hybrid to excuse the nervous refugees.

taeyong nodded his head. he had, in fact, heard the whistles. he had assumed they were in place of wolves' howls—he was right, though anyone could make that connection if they observed enough.

a chuckle slipped from his lips at sungchan's comment, turning around to herd the scared hybrids. they seemed much more relieved now that the rebel leader appeared ready to leave.

"i'll be seeing you around then, sungchan." with a nod of acknowledgement, taeyong ushered the three refugees away, making their way back to base.

【 end 】

@✦ taeyong l。 Sungchan rolled his shoulders back, stepping closer to the other hybrid. His eyes find the refugees they'd been terrorizing not too long ago, sees the way they flinch when he nears, and it satisfies something primal within him seeing them cower at his mere presence.

"Oh, calm down, will you? I'm not going to eat you," Sungchan scoffs, regarding the skittish hybrids behind his new... friend. Shaking his head, he looks back at him, gaze softening just a tad bit.

"Jung Sungchan, pleased to make your acquaintance," he replies with a smile, looking as gentle as ever, as if he hadn't been just moments away from sinking his teeth into that poor bunny's neck. Just the thought of it again made him want to his teeth, his tongue dragging over sharp canines.

"My pack has no name, it keeps us safer. But we do recognize each other by whistle, you might have heard it when you were... observing us," he pointed out before crossing his arms over his chest.

"And please, I think it's about time you take them home," Sungchan gestures to the hybrids behind Taeyong with a nod of his head. "I'm sure they're sick of seeing me."

@✦ sungchan j。 And there it was—the pack protectiveness. With how the speaker handled the refugees or any other person, one would believe he was a heartless psychopath. However, Taeyong had been observing, and he knew that the man could not be described with adjectives as simple as “crazy” and “bloodthirsty”.

Put any of the hybrids in his pack in danger, and watch this “cold-blooded maniac” become a papa wolf.

“I look forward to working with you.” Taeyong opted to respond with instead, a respectfully low bow directed at the speaker.

When he straightened back up, he continued, “I believe we should exchange our names, seeing as we’ll be interacting a lot more in the foreseeable future.”

The snow leopard placed a hand on his chest. “My name is Lee Taeyong, leader of the rebel squad. How do I address you and your pack?”

@✦ taeyong l。 the rest of the pack huddled up naturally, forming a tight group behind sungchan as they came to an agreement. a chorus of curious noises erupts from the little crowd behind him, and sungchan shushes them gently before regarding the other hybrid once more.

"keep your end of the deal and i'll make the rest work," sungchan says, voice suddenly low as if worried someone might overhear. "but if i deem the situation way more dangerous than my wolves can handle, i'm calling them back. these pups are family to me," he clarifies, wanting to be clear that he wouldn't hesitate to protect his own first.

he didn't doubt their fighting prowess one bit, but not everything in the world could be won with their fists, and sungchan was absolutely not risking his only family just for the chance to get his hands on better prey. sungchan wasn't that desperate.

"well," sungchan starts, stuffing his now empty hands into his pockets. "if you need anything, i'm sure by now you know where to find us."

@✦ sungchan j。 the final refugee immediately ran towards taeyong, barreling into his open arms. the snow leopard stumbled from the force, but quickly pulled the bunny hybrid into a warm embrace. the poor thing was trembling like a leaf, and he hushed the scared being while stroking their head.

taeyong could not pour his full attention on the frightened refugee though. he returned his focus to the speaker, an amused smile gracing his lips after hearing the latter's question.

"what can i say? i've been doing my homework."

taeyong nodded his head, determination in his eyes. "you have my word."

"this year's ritual won't be until a few more months," explained taeyong as he let go of the bunny hybrid. they immediately went to the other two refugees, hugging each other as they cried softly. they must have thought they were going to expire right here. "however, there are always royal guards patrolling the streets and terrorising unsuspecting hybrids. you can rest assured that there are plenty to come by."

taeyong looked at the speaker. "can i safely assume that you and your pack will continue to be here in the upcoming future?"

@✦ taeyong l。 sungchan hums, genuinely considering the offer. just the mere mention of better prey had him rather excited, more so than the hybrids that were gathered behind him.

after all, he was the primary culprit, the apparent thorn in the stranger's side because he was the one snatching up their refugees left and right. his pack members were simply indulging in his tendencies by following in his footsteps like newborn puppies. as far as he was concerned, they didn't know any better.

"i like the way you think," sungchan replies, a relaxed smile gracing his features. "you sure know me well, don't you?" he muses, finally releasing his hold on the hybrid in his arms and letting the scared bunny scurry off and away from him. he immediately misses the warmth of his prey in his hands, but he knew the emptiness wouldn't last for long.

"deal," comes his simple, firm reply as he extends a hand out to the other hybrid. "but you better make sure all my wolves come back to me alive."

@✦ sungchan j。 Taeyong couldn’t help the slight lift to the corner of his lips—the speaker caught on quickly.

“You’re right, there is a catch.” His eyes briefly darted to the bunny hybrid when they were dangled as a silent threat, swiftly returning his gaze to the speaker.

“I’ve been observing your pack. You’re all skilled, and I believe I could use your expertise. My squad houses hybrids—survivors of the royal family’s rituals. Not many of them know how to fight. My fighters follow me to expeditions, leaving the non-combatant members. Even though they can throw a punch, they don’t excel in that field.”

“My proposal is: In exchange for your manpower, I’ll bring you preys—chew toys far better than my hybrid refugees.” Taeyong smiled, friendly and compelling. “While your pack ensures the safety of my refugees, my squad will return with the spoils of our expeditions. Then, you can chase and bite them to all your hearts’ content.” He opened his hands invitingly. “What do you say?”

@✦ taeyong l。 sungchan's ears perk up in interest, something like intrigue shining in his eyes as he listened. his hold on the poor bunny loosens significantly, but the claws hooked in the back of their collar remains, not quite allowing his prey to escape.

truth be told, he hadn't been aware of the fact that he and the pack had been hunting down refugees of all people. prey was prey to sungchan regardless of what they were, and he could only assume he'd mistaken a bunch of these innocents as strays—not that he really cared whether they were innocent or not, but he supposed he couldn't just kill off every living thing in his territory.

he should have known something was off.

"i'm listening," sungchan replies thoughtfully, but he'd be lying if he said he wasn't even a little bit skeptical. "but i feel like there's a catch to this, no?" he asks, gently dangling the bunny by the collar like a silent threat.

"you've gone through the effort to find us. is that really all you want?"

@✦ sungchan j。 as the wolf hybrids crowded towards the speaker, the cornered refugee found an opening. they quickly jumped away from the pack and ran to taeyong's side. he quickly grabbed their arm and hurled them behind him. that was two out of three now.

the corner of his lips twitched as the bunny hybrid struggled, but he reined in on his protective instincts. it was better to not make any sudden movements towards the speaker, lest the latter sees it as a threat and harm the innocent refugee.

"i'm here to make a proposal." taeyong announced instead, his raised arms now held out, as if he was giving up an offering. "i know your pack loves to hunt. however, my refugees have been the targets of your recent ventures." he nodded at the bunny hybrid to show his meaning. "instead of hunting the helpless hybrids, how about i offer you a better prey? a prey with the ability to fight back, who doesn't know how to preserve themselves?"

@✦ taeyong l。 sungchan watches one of his own roll into the grass as an unwelcome visitor suddenly appears from the clearing, stealing the poor boy's prey from under his nose in a matter of seconds.

his ears twitch where they've been resting on his head, every nerve in his body alerted by the newcomer's presence as he herded the rest of his pack closer to him.

in his arms, a quivering little bunny hybrid whimpers, and sungchan bares his teeth at them with a snarl, canines sharp and threatening. they cower and go silent, and it appeases the predator in him momentarily as he turns his head to regard the newcomer, brows raising at his request.

"talk about what?" sungchan scoffs, gripping onto his prey even tighter. the bunny struggles, but not a single noise leaves them in fear of meeting their demise at sungchan's fangs. "and what's in it for us?"

@✦ sungchan j。 when one of the squad members approached taeyong with the news of a few refugees being snatched by a certain wolf pack, he just about had enough.

ever since the first incident a month ago, taeyong had been keeping an eye on them. they were every bit like a wolf pack—close-knit and devoted to one another's safety, went on hunts together and never left anyone behind, and had excellent communication and coordination.

taeyong admired their teamwork. he just wished they would stop picking out the refugees under his squad's wings.

just like wolves, the hybrid pack hunted together. whether that was for food or for entertainment, taeyong was not sure. for all he knew, the answer could be both, but that mattered little.

what was important was keeping the refugees safe. perhaps their territories were very close to each other, which led to the pack inevitably finding the squad's refugees and chasing them down.

taeyong had an idea then. there were nine of them in the squad. though all of them could fight, the four left behind to care for the refugees didn't specialise in combat. they could use the extra hands to protect the weak.

with that in mind, he came up with a proposal. the news of the pack striking their refugees again was just the perfect opportunity for him to meet with them.

arriving at the meadow, where his squad member claimed to have last seen the pack, taeyong quickly spotted the wolf hybrids. he also noticed the three unfortunate refugees that were picked off—one of them being chased, another one being cornered and one more being held by the scruff.

taeyong's instincts kicked in and he charged at the running refugee. a yelp left them as taeyong wound his arm around their waist. then, in one fluid motion, he his heel and shoved the chasing wolf to the ground, allowing the momentum to fling the poor sod as gravity greeted them with the grassy ground.

he quickly brought the refugee to the edge of the meadow, keeping them behind him. he looked at all the other hybrids and raised his arms. no doubt his stunt earlier had made them aggressive, but he hoped this simple act of placating would keep them at bay.

"i'm here to talk," announced taeyong. "but first, i'd appreciate it if you return my people." he glanced at the two refugees that were still being held back by the pack. "please." he added, just because he was polite like that.