Hyunjin's seven pet wolves (SKZ werewolf AU)- OT8

Something good comes from Hyunjin's nightmare

Hyunjin's dad was an imposing figure. Even if he was only a few inches shorter than Hyunjin, he had a way of making him feel smaller. Hyunjin, apparently, got all of the height genes from his mother.

And apparently, none of the asshole ones from his father.

He had naturally charcoal hair, like Hyunjin, but none of the fashion sense because as long as Hyunjin had known the man- he always wore tattered flannels that smelled of alcohol and body odor.

He didn't really remember what he was like before his mother had passed away- but afterwards, he forced them to move into a two story apartment in the city- away from the cozy forest home they used to occupy. Hyunjin had missed it- he'd missed traversing the forest with the blurry figure of his mother (because he couldn't remember what her face looked like, no matter how hard he tried.) He missed their cabin, and he missed living in his own room instead of a small storage closet underneath the spiral staircase.

He missed when his dad didn't nearly beat him half to death on a daily basis. For looking at him the wrong way. For breathing too loudly. For looking too much like his mom.

Moving out had been the best thing that Hyunjin had ever managed to do for himself. He suffered his first year of college online while working his ass off at the local cafe. His schedule was too busy for him to have any friends, the only people he knew the names of were the regular customers- the old woman named Gertrude who visited after church every Sunday and the creepy dude named Glenn from America who tried to get him to go to the back room and make out with him during his shift. (He never did, because Hyunjin was a star employee and Glenn was a little too old for his taste.)

Hyunjin worked like a dog to move away from his fathers intensive presence, but even hours away from him- he still felt like a lingering figure in the back of his mind.

Like he was waiting around every corner for Hyunjin- to pounce on him and demean him just like he always did.

Hyunjin had taken to painting in his normal spot by the river after finding out that he no longer had a wolf pack to worry about. He was sure that they did more worrying about him than he did of them, anyway.

It was a peaceful spot where no one could bother him- only the symphony of cicadas and the chirping of songbirds above his head and the rushing of the river below.

It was cold outside, but not cold enough for a running stream to freeze over. (Hyunjin remembered the one time he had fallen in, and the others nearly had a heart attack when he showed up at their doorstep, shivering and smiling sheepishly at them.) They didn't let him stand on top of the overturned tree anymore after that incident.

The sun was starting to set low just enough for Hyunjin to not be able to see his sketch, so he packed up his items and carefully slid off of the tree to the riverbank. (He didn't hit the water this time, thankfully.)

The items in his bag were heavy against his shoulder, but he powered on anyway- climbing up the slight slope of the riverbank before stretching out his sore muscles and starting his way down the path of the forest.

Except- he was quick to discover that something was severely wrong.

Normally, he felt utterly safe in Chan's territory. All of the creatures inside were happy and healthy and the plants were green and vibrant. It was like a giant well kept garden. Walking through it made him at ease- except, something didn't feel right this time around.

The sun had set and it was becoming hard to see through the brush, and unluckily for Hyunjin, he forgot to bring a flashlight. He got lost in thought and hadn't ever intended to be out past sunset.