Collision

Chapter 122

Yoongi remained crouched low, muscles coiled tight and tail still and ridgid behind him. The sound of the bubbling river pricked at his ears, the crunch of nearly silent hooves against the lush grass and thick scent of musk and damp fur and meat hung in his nose.

The heat was blistering. For once, Yoongi was grateful for his silvery coat in the middle of summer even if it meant that hunting could be a bitch when the deer or other animals could catch him easily since he stood out so well, unlike Namjoon or even Taehyung.

The sun was bearing down on the forest, and the deer were all gathering at the river for some fresh water, and Yoongi was determined to catch that buck that had been making a fool out of Taehyung, Namjoon, and him.

Peering through the dense underbrush, Yoongi peeled back his lips as he caught sight of the deer wading through the shallow, clear waters. His ears were pricked on his head, antlers grazing the ripples of the water.

A twig snapped.

The buck raised his head, and Yoongi froze. How did a twig snap? He hadn't moved! Before Yoongi could make a move to attack, the buck turned and dashed into the forest.

Groaning, Yoongi turned around just as he saw a flash of speckled puppy fur. "Dal-ah, what are you doing out here?" he growls, recognizing the single patch of white fur on her left ear.

The pup perked up her head, gangly limbs stumbling from one of the dunes and patches of her light brown puppy fur missing, giving her an uneven, somewhat amusing look.

"Daddy told me you were out hunting! I wanted to hunt too!" Dal says, clambering back to her feet and bouncing over to where Yoongi settled back on his hunches to glare back down at the pup sternly.

"Does your mother know you are out here?" he asks, flinching at the scolding he was sure to receive from Seokjin for letting his eldest daughter go running off. God, his pelt would be skinned for this!

Dal looked away, whining. "No. Mommy doesn't let me go with you for hunts."

"And there is a reason for that, young lady," Yoongi scolds. "It's dangerous. You're just a puppy still. You don't even have your adult teeth yet!"

Dal huffs, puffing out her tiny chest and shaking out her patchy fur with pride as she scrambles to her four paws. "But Taehyungie says I am a big girl, and that I have to be brave since I am the eldest of the puppies! Plus, the triplets go into the forest."

"With their father," Yoongi reminds her firmly. "They aren't allowed to go without Taehyung, and you know that, Dal-ah."

"But, Yoonie..."

"Dal-ah, I love you," Yoongi says, sighing as he leaned down and nuzzles her hard enough that she tumbles back into the grass. "You're my special girl, but you're still too little."

"That's no fair," she whines, stomping her paw.

Chuckling, Yoongi clambers to his feet. "Life isn't fair, bug. Come on. We should go before your mother figures out that you're gone."

"He won't," Dal says simply. "Seyeonie promised to cover for me."

Yoongi groans. He should have known that his daughter would do that for Dal, considering the two were nearly inseparable, along with Hani- the only female out of the triplets.

Seyeon, despite being younger than Dal, was also much more reserved. If it wasn't for Hani and Dal, she probably wouldn't do much at all.

Jeongguk liked to joke that Seyeon was Yoongi's female clone, and Yoongi wasn't arguing. She already had a dark undercoat under her puppy fur, and even in human form, she had a slender build and fair skin.