The Monster

6

When Jimin dreams tonight it is of two wolves, one as black as the night and one as white as snow.

It's a flickering dream, nothing happens seamlessly, it flits from one scene to another.

Jimin feels like he's watching from above, but part of his mind, the part he's trying hard not to listen to, is telling him that it's the wolf with his mate.

None of the scenes make sense to Jimin.

His dream continues to flicker and flit between scenes until it rests on the white wolf on its own in the middle of the forest.

It turns to look at Jimin, its white fur rippling over its body as it moves.

Jimin can see the pale blue eyes that are set within the wolf's features, they are so pale they almost lose the blue tone close to the iris.

The white wolf opens its mouth to howl and at the same time words reverberate through Jimin's mind.

"I am you."

Jimin wakes with a start, those three words still echoing through his mind. Sweat has made his hair stick to his forehead and neck and he can feel it run down his back.

It is daylight outside, but all is quiet as Jimin quickly dresses and heads out to the rest of his men, or what's left of them.

Instead, he finds a giant black wolf staring at him from his curled-up position just outside his tent.

"You stayed?"

He feels a little stupid because he's talking to a wolf, if he wasn't sure that the wolf understood him then he'd probably be feeling even more stupid.

The wolf's tongue lolls out the side of his mouth and to Jimin it's almost like he's trying to smile.

"Where is everyone?"

The wolf whines and walks over to Jimin, poking his nose into Jimin's stomach, then he lays his front end down ass in the air, tail moving slowly side to side.

"Do you know where they are?"

The wolf huffs and bows his body lower.

"Please don't tell me you want me to ride you?"

The wolf huffs again and raises and lowers his head just once.

Jimin stares into the wolf's red eyes and mutters to himself as he approaches Jungkook's back.

"I'm going to ride a freaking wolf." Jimin huffs out a breath and pulls himself up onto it's back.

Once Jimin settles and unconsciously curls his fingers into the scruff of fur at Jungkook's, he walks out of the camp and towards the base of the mountain.

Jungkook is feeling a little frustrated at the slow speed they are going but he can't think of any other way of making Jimin lay down and grab the fur further round his neck.

He stops a little way out of the camp, his frustration growing until he comes up with an idea.

He bucks his back end gently up into the air which forces Jimin forward, he hears Jimin squeak and arms wrap around his neck, grabbing fur in the process.

Jungkook hears Jimin draw in a breath, and he knows he may get shouted at for scaring Jimin like that, but he sets off and soon they are zig zagging through the trees, dead leaves and twigs cracking under his paws, the wind bursting through his fur. He can feel the dull warmth of Jimin's body across his back and his hot breath blowing through to the skin on his neck, if he was human, he thinks he'd have goosebumps there it feels so nice.

For now, he's going to enjoy having his mate this close to him, let Jimin tell him off for both his speed and his methods later.

Jungkook slows as they get closer to the bottom of the mountains. All Jimin's men are free to go once Jimin has seen them alive. Hopefully they will have no need to attack him.

He has treated them well, kept them fed and watered from their own supplies that they had brought with them.

None of them yet know what Jungkook is or what his human self looks like and he really wants to keep it that way until he's sure that Jimin accepts him and his past, he only killed to survive, anyone would have done the same.

Jungkook lays down on the ground and waits for Jimin to get off his back.

Jimin has registered that the movement has stopped but he's not entirely sure his legs will hold him up if he gets off Jungkook now. The speed his wolf moved with was phenomenal. The few times that Jimin lifted his head, his breath had been stolen from his lungs and brown and green blurred past him.

"Give me a second." Jimin mumbles into Jungkook's fur.

Jungkook barks a laugh.

"You better not be laughing at me."

Jungkook tries to calm himself and in the process of shaking his head as a no he almost knocks Jimin off his back when the rest of his body shakes as well.

When Jimin eventually slides from Jungkook's back he eyes the wolf sourly.

"Bloody stupid..." He mutters as he walks a few steps away.

He turns back to Jungkook.

"Are you going to shift?"

Jungkook huffs a growl and Jimin assumes that the wolf and Jungkook answering him.

"Ok. So, where are they?"

Jungkook tips his nose towards the mouth of the cave.

Jimin heads inside without sparing Jungkook another glance.

Jungkook can only hope that this will help towards his mate wanting to hear him out and accept him.

Jimin is relieved to find all nine men in one piece if not bound and gagged.

The relief in their own faces at seeing Jimin was evident.

"I'm going to untie them." Jimin called over his shoulder.

Of course, the wolf didn't answer him, and he got to work untying their binds and gags.

As Jimin is working to get the last of the men untied, the noise in the cave grows as the men talk about going after the monster or waiting here in ambush for it to return.

"You are all to go back. Tell the King that I am fine, and I will follow in a few days."

"You're straying here?"

"I am."

Jimin nods his head, not realising he had made this choice until it came out of his mouth just then.