Traitor's Song

10. New Member

When Hobi arrived back at the wrecked apartment, he immediately went to check on Jimin in the bathroom once locking and resecuring the front door. Hobi had been worried the whole time he was disposing of the collar that something bad would happen to Jimin while he was gone. Hobi certainly hadn't been expecting to see the sight that he did when he got back to the bathroom. Hobi stood in the bathroom doorway watching as Jimin tried to pick up the man that lay on the floor in place of the wolf.

"Is that..."

"It is," said Jimin as he scooped up the man into his arms. He carried the man in his arms down the hall to Hobi's room.

Hobi followed after him, grabbing an extra blanket out of the bedroom closet to cover the man that Jimin laid down. There were tear tracks on the man's face that had turned his porcelain white skin pink. Jimin sat by the man's side.

"So you're telling me the wolf that attacked us was actually an enslaved werewolf?" asked Hobi.

"Apparently," said Jimin as he looked at the frightened man lying down.

"This is insane..." muttered Hobi, "And I know I keep saying that, but it is."

"Do you remember anything that happened?" asked Jimin to the man as Hobi moved to sit at the foot of the bed.

"No...I don't..."

The man reached up a hand to feel his throat.

"Hobi, is there a mirror in here?" asked Jimin, realizing the man wanted to see his reflection as his hand went up his neck and over his face.

"Is there a mirror in here?" asked Hobi as he got up from where he was sitting at the foot of the bed. "Do you hear yourself? Of course I have a mirror in here."

Hobi rooted around through the writing desk drawer until he found a hand mirror. Hobi walked over to give it to Jimin who in turn held it up so the waterlogged man could see his reflection in it. The man looked at his reflection in horror, yanking the mirror right from Jimin's hand.

"I'm...I'm older...that's why my voice sounds weird..."

"How old do you last remember being?" Hobi asked, generally curious.

"I...I was eight," said the man as he still stared at his reflection in the mirror. "My parents warned me not to play around near the forest's edge, but I did anyway. I...I always broke the rules or at least tested their limits. It was then that I was captured and...and the rest is a blur. They snapped a collar on me, and electrified me to bring out the wolf in me. I've been that way ever since..."

"Geezum..." whispered Hobi as he looked at the man that clearly was at least in his twenties now. Hobi's eyes turned to look at Jimin. "Are you sure you're not psychic too? I mean, how did you know this was actually a werewolf that needed saving?"

"I recognized that look of pain in his eyes," said Jimin, "He felt lost just like me."

The man cracked a paper thin smile then as the tears filled his eyes again. He dropped the hand mirror onto the blanket before sneaking a hand across the blanket to grab one of Jimin's hands firmly.

"Thank you for seeing the me that was lost to the beast."

"Of course," said Jimin as he turned to look at the other, squeezing their hand gently. "Do you remember what your name is?"

"Jungkook," he said as he looked at them both. "My name is Jeon Jungkook."

- - -

"How many years would it make it that he was stuck as a wolf?..." muttered Hobi as he and Jimin tried to clean the apartment before Henley arrived back home.

Jimin turned from mopping up the bathroom floor with towels to see Hobi standing nearby with one eye screwed shut, trying to count out the years on his fingers. They had left Jungkook to have some rest in the bedroom shortly after he had revealed his name. He had looked scared when they were leaving him to rest, but they had tried to convince him that he was safe here.

"I can tell that math is not your strong suit, Hobi," said Jimin. "You might want to stop it before you look worse off than the bathroom wall."

"Stop. I can figure it out."

"You won't be able to because you don't even know how old the man is now," said Jimin. "All you know is that he is somewhere in his twenties."

"I will figure it out," vowed Hobi before sighing, "But that's a battle for another time."

"Good because you need to come help me clean up this water."

"I don't understand why you can't use your magic water powers to make the water disappear down the drain."

Jimin sighed.

"I still don't know how that works. I'm surprised that I even did it once."

"Well, it saved your life," said Hobi. "And it more than likely saved Jungkook's."

"Do you think I have to worry about a hunter still?" asked Jimin.

"You'll always have to worry about a hunter," said Hobi, "But I think we're safe for now. This hunter just sent a wolf...apparently not just a wolf but a werewolf, out to sniff down a potential scent. I'm sure it was being tracked through the collar, and I took care of that."

"What did you end up doing with?"

"I pitched it into the ocean," said Hobi proudly. "Now it's swimming among the fishes."

"And you're sure that the hunter didn't realize the location of its wolf before we disarmed it?"

"We have to just have faith that the hunter didn't when it comes to that," said Hobi as he moved to grab a towel and get down on the floor beside Jimin.

"What I don't get...why enslave a werewolf?"

"They are amazing hunters and trackers," said Hobi. "They can sniff out any human or creature. It obviously was attracted to your scent. I'm sure the hunters trained him. Who doesn't want good luck? Hey...maybe that's why you were able to disarm the werewolf! Because you're mister lucky charm!"

"Maybe..." said Jimin, "But if I really was lucky, this apartment wouldn't look like it went through a war."

"Fair."

"Well, maybe it doesn't have to."

Hobi and Jimin lifted their head at the voice to see Jungkook standing in the doorway to the bathroom. He was wearing a bright yellow t-shirt that Hobi had left out and some white pants.

"I'd like to help since I'm responsible for this mess too," continued Jungkook. He still looked emotionally weary, but a small hopeful grin came over his face. "If...you'd like my help that is."

"Of course," said Hobi with a grin, beckoning Jungkook over. "You're part of the family now."

Jungkook's smile grew a little wider then as he entered the bathroom. He noticed the gaping hole in the wall and the busted pipe.

"I can help clean up the mess, but I think you'll need a plumber for that," said Jungkook as he jerked his thumb at the wreckage.

"Time for Mr. Lucky over here to try calling one," said Hobi as he dug out a cell phone and handed it over to him.

Jimin sighed as he took the cell phone from Hobi's hand, hoping that they would catch a lucky break.