[13+] Taezan & the Mice [Kim Taehyung] Christmas 2022

December 9th

There, in the back, just barely visible...

A light.

A moving light - swiping back and forth.

It was as if it was searching for something-!

Or someone?

Throwing himself out of the nest, Taezan ran as fast as he could. The mice had already gone to sleep for the night, and as he entered the town square, he was surrounded by darkness. Through the ceiling, the moon looked down at him, giving him just enough light to stumble his way through the abandoned area.

Reaching the exit, he pushed aside the cloth cover, and pressed on - crashing, head first, into something soft, yet firm.

"Where do you think you're heading at this hour?" A deep voice boomed from above.

Taezan froze in fear as he realized he was face-to-face with danger.

"Relax, kiddo." A warm laughter filled Taezan's ears. "I'm just kidding with you. But, why are you out here? Alone, and in such a hurry?"

Taking a couple of steps back, Taezan let his eyes glide up the big body of fur in front of him. It was so tall, like a building, but as he finally reached the top, he was met by the face of the huge mouse they had called Ivan.

The guard. Of course. They wouldn't have let the entrance be unprotected.

"I..." Struggling to find the words, Taezan realized that he couldn't exactly tell him the truth, so he instead did something he normally wouldn't do: he lied. "I just needed some fresh air. And... I got scared in the dark..."

"Is that so?" Ivan didn't look like he bought the excuse, but let it be with a knowing look. "Well, you're welcome to keep me company." He said, wrapping a protective arm around Taezan's shoulders and pulling him close. "Wandering any further than this isn't safe."

Silently agreeing, Taezan stayed with Ivan. However, although the mouse gave off warmth, it didn't protect his fingers, and soon they felt like ice cubes. "I think I've gotten enough air." He said as he blew on his slightly blue fingers. "I think I'll be able to sleep now."

"You do that." Ivan patted his back, before letting him go. "Good night, Taezan."

It warmed his heart that Ivan remembered his name. And so, after wishing the guard a good night as well, he felt a bit better as he headed back to his nest.

Sleep didn't come easy, however, the little light dancing before his inner eye and making him restless. He eventually fell asleep, but that night, all of his dreams were of home.

The dreams stayed with him, and as he woke up the next morning, he knew what he had to do. Taezan wasn't sure why, but he felt that yesterday's light had something to do with Namzoom.

It frustrated Taezan that he had been stopped yesterday. He knew Ivan had been right - that it would have been too dangerous to head into the dark and alone - but he needed to find his friend, and for that to happen, he needed to get out there.

To his luck, he had overheard Ruby telling Otis that they needed more purple thread. From what he had understood, she needed it as soon as possible, so there was a good chance that they would look for it soon - maybe even today. And, with Otis being hurt, the gatherers would be lacking a forager... And that might be his chance.

Approaching the group of gatherers, he took a deep breath. This was it.

"Oh, hey, new guy." One of them waved at him. "We haven't been introduced yet. I'm Alex."

"Oh, h-hi." Walking up to the happy-looking mouse, Taezan shook his paw. "I'm Taezan."

"Nice to meet you." Stepping to the side to reveal the others, Alex gestured to each of them in turn. "This is Slim and Slim Jr., and that's Noah."

A 'hello' came in unison from the group of gatherers.

Giving them each a careful smile, Taezan then put his plan into action: "And Otis?"

"Yes, that's right! He's also one of us." Alex nodded. "He's still stuck in bed, I'm afraid. Liam told him to heal, so he's not allowed to go outside until he's better."

"Are you okay to go out without him?" Taezan tried to make the question sound as innocent as possible. "Or...Ehm... Do you need someone else?"

"It's definitely more dangerous without him..." Noah put a paw to his chin. "So we should probably do one of the simpler, more familiar routes today."

"Oh, so you're heading out today?" Taezan asked, as he casually straightened his back to seem bigger, stronger. "To get some thread, yes?"

"You're a clever one." Slim commented as he eyed Taezan with interest. "We could use someone like you."

Just as Taezan got his hope up, the opportunity was shot down.

"He's no gatherer." Slim Jr. protested, crossing his arms as he frowned at Taezan's clear lack of muscles. "It's not safe to bring someone who hasn't been trained for it."

"Come on." Alex insisted. "It's a short and safe route." Gesturing for the window, he then crossed his arms. "In broad daylight."

"Yeah." Noah agreed. "It shouldn't be a problem."

"It would be good to have some help." Nodding, Alex turned to Taezan. "If you'd want to come, of course."

"I do!" Jumping in excitement, Taezan was relieved it had all worked out as he wanted - and even without resorting to use his overwhelming cuteness. "When do we leave?"

"As soon as Sado's done packing our lunches." Slim smiled. "I'll let him know we'll need something for you as well."