Collision

Chapter 8

"Hi, uh... you've been out of it for around 3 days. Fever got you," the human explains, the low rasp of his voice soft and unsure. Jeongguk remains quiet. "I changed your bandages a couple of times. You're healing great, so I had a feeling you would be awake soon."

Quiet fell back over them. The human shifted, lips faltering, and dark eyes flickering towards the colored tapes. Long, slender fingers pick at the dark material that covered his body.

"Are you hungry? You're probably hungry." The words were muttered, the human's hand reaching up to cradle the left side of his cheek, long fingers tugging at his earlobe that glinted with metal. "You- you like meat, right? You've eaten it before."

Amusement trickled in Jeongguk's veins at the rushed question, watching as the human clambered to his feet and inched in the direction of a different room.

He taps the hardwood floors beneath his nail twice.

The human seems pleased. The tension that held his body captive loosened, allowing the human's shoulders to curl inwards as his breathing to even out.

"Okay. You look- you know what? Fuck it. I'm hungry, and I am going to cook the meat. You're going to have to deal with it," he guffawed, then slipped into the kitchen.

Jeongguk watches him go, the silence falling back over him. He could hear the shuffling in the kitchen, the sounds of things being moved, and then a rich scent of beef touching his nose.

He remains still, pushing aside the blankets to stare down at the wound. It was still covered by white squares, touches of scarlet ruining the white, and the light throb was the only other reminder that he had been wounded there.

The human seemed a lot handier than he had given him credit for.

Jeongguk still wasn't sure why he chose to take a human shape. It was forbidden amongst the pack to ever take human shape in front of humans, and taboo to do it amongst the pack.

Living on the mountain, Jeongguk never found a reason for it. The only time he ever did was years ago, when Jimin and Taehyung slipped away to head down to the creek to see what they would look like as a Two-Legged.

Jeongguk, of course, had morphed too.

It was a pointless endeavor. None of them knew how to work their lanky appendages, ending up tumbling amongst the leaves, and cold due to the bare skin with little cover to defend them from the frosts of winter.

Jimin was the first to cave, returning back to his wolf form and trying to help Taehyung stumble to his feet. Even with Jimin's help, Taehyung couldn't straighten himself up and fell back into the leaves.

They hadn't bothered since then.

This time, Jeongguk did it because his instincts demanded survival. If he needed help from a human, then some fraction of himself decided he needed to look human.

He didn't question his instincts, even if he felt foolish as he remained splayed against the mess of blankets and pillows, legs deemed unusable. Watching the ease in which the human walked, Jeongguk felt mildly jealous.

Morphing forms wasn't painful, but it wasn't always pleasant. It felt strange. Skin too tight, dry like winter air, and when his bones realigned, it felt as if the cold had bitten too much, sending little tingles to travel over his entire body as it warmed up.

And it wasn't a long process, much to Jeongguk's surprise. It happened briefly, a wave that came and went, and left him feeling slightly bereft.

This time, however, it was a bit more painful. He felt his wound stretch and then twist as his body returned to his wolven shape, black fur instantly incasing him in warmth.