The Little Prince and The Dragon

2. Naked Stranger & Nicknames

Jimin eyed the setting sun with wariness; it was the full moon tonight and he could already feel the effects of it coursing through his body. Lack of control, violence and worst of all, loss of his humanity. You see, even though Jimin preferred his wolf skin because he felt at home in it and it was painful to shift from wolf to human and vice versa, he was still glad for his human thoughts and memories. Yes, there were memories he wished he could get rid of but he thought it was a price to pay if he wanted to never lose himself. With his humanity he felt intact, he felt wholly himself, he felt... he was Jimin.

The full moon took that away from him and all the other werewolves. No one was safe tonight unless they were behind closed doors, because if a rogue caught you, whether you’re human, animal or werewolf, there’d be a bloodbath.

Hoseok, a wolf with auburn fur, came to stand next to him, playfully biting Jimin’s ear to reassure him that they’d all be okay. Jimin barked in response telling the older pack member to not worry about him. They went into their den, going further in than usual where they hid their manacles. Fastening themselves was easy and getting themselves out was only a little bit of a hassle when they were all in their right minds. During the full moon however, the call for violence drives out their humanity, which in turn drives out their ability to think logically.

All locked in place, the six wolves waited. The den reeked of sweat and the pack’s anxiety and this was one of the few times you could see Jungkook afraid. The poor pup was shaking, his fear coming of in waves, bathing and coating everything in the den with that scent so Jin began howling. The others followed right after him, creating an eerie and beautiful chorus which they hoped would calm the youngest member.

Jungkook was the first to stop howling, replacing his part with a snarl that was so vicious Jimin could’ve wet himself. Despite the pack’s restlessness there was a moment of relief that Jungkook was the first to be affected. That way the pup didn’t have to go through feeling trapped in a den watching his family turn into monstrous versions of themselves.

Yoongi was next and Jimin watched his fox-like eyes go empty, black and bottomless as a pit, with a starving viper lurking somewhere in the darkness. Yoongi went for Jin but his manacles stopped him and then... and then...

Jimin became a bottomless pit with the demon his parents had tried to kill years ago, pacing in the darkness, hungry for its release.

                                 ***

Flashes. His memory of the night came in frustrating flashes, the memories there within reach for a second and then gone, as fast as a stroke of lightning. So it was natural for Jimin to feel utterly lost when he woke up on something hard, the sun peeking above the trees, rising to bring another sunny day and the morning breeze leaving Goosebumps on his pale bare skin where it had touched.

Wait... pale bare skin? Skin not fur? Jimin sat up, his head spinning from the disorientation. He was naked and on someone’s porch, no not someone else’s, this was Taehyung’s porch. What the hell?! What had happened last night? Again, as he tried to piece together his memories, they came and went in a flash.

The den filled with the pack, ready to kill each other.

His manacles, rusted then, now broken, abandoned by him.

Jimin’s teeth bared, spittle flying as he snapped at Hoseok.

Something – a noise – distracting him, sending him rushing out of the den.

An unfortunate badger caught between his teeth.

All those pieces but nothing about how he’d come to Taehyung’s house. He could’ve come across his friend lying down on the grass watching the stars with wonder and this faraway look Taehyung got when he was imagining himself somewhere else, and he could’ve hurt him. He could’ve killed his friend. The turn of his stomach was almost unbearable, aching and clenching with nausea—he needed to get out of here.