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long long ago, the world was known to only have one season: spring. days were always warm and sunny, while the grass was green as can be. flowers were never shy to bloom and the smell of fresh rain would permeate the air. in the middle of it all, was jaemin, the god of spring himself.

he lived a life of free spiritedness, normally prancing among the fields of flowers and grass barefooted while playing with the nymphs and satyrs of the land. and occasionally, the mortals who happen to stumble upon his divinity.

"jaemin!" called one of his dryad friends, namely donghyuck. the boy ran towards the god with open arms, a bright smile curved across his sun kissed features.

jaemin looked up from his place sitting in the grass and returned the smile, standing to capture donghyuck in an embrace. "what brings you here hyuckie? did you get mark mad again?" he asked, slightly sniffing in the dryad's woody scent.

donghyuck looked up from jaemin's chest, where he had buried his head during impact, with an expression of mischief. "maybe, maybe not. we'll see." jaemin only rolled his eyes at the dryad, familiar with his playful ways and things with annoying mark, a naiad who was almost always the target of his pranks. "will you protect me if he comes?"

"it depends," the god decides. "what did you do today?"

a giggle bubbles up donghyuck's throat as he retold the story of how he replaced mark's whole shell collection with carved up wood chips. "the shells are still safe," he adds. "just hidden."
shaking his head and feigning disappointment, he gently flicks donghyuck's forehead which elicited a whine from the other.

later when they did see mark, the poor boy was sitting on one of the bigger rocks that protruded out of the stream. he was curled up in a ball, a pout on his face as he rested his chin on his knees. at the sight of donghyuck, his pout seemed to only deepen.

"looks like you really upset him this time hyuckie." jaemin says, giving donghyuck a pointed look. usually, mark would be chasing donghyuck around by now, threatening to drown all of his saplings but now, he was just sitting there sulking. he made no move to even run after donghyuck.

"oh c'mon, he's just acting. right as i step close to him, he's gonna tackle me. i'm sure of it." donghyuck squinted his eyes at mark. skeptical or not, jaemin knew the two would make up after whatever 'fight' they have. that's just how it always worked.

jaemin looked at donghyuck, then over at mark, an idea brewing in his mind. "hey mark!" he calls out, giving out their spot near the bushes.

donghyuck nearly screeches as he is behind him and all jaemin could do was giggle at the boy's antics. mark on the other hand, looked up from whatever he was tracing along the rock and grinned seeing as it was jaemin who called him. he raises his hand to wave at the other, only to have his arm stop midway once he saw a familiar tuff of brown hair behind the god.

jaemin noticed and reached out behind him to pull the dryad out into the open. donghyuck yelped at the sudden force while trying to squirm out of jaemin grip but stopped when his name was called upon.

"hyuck." just from mark's tone alone, donghyuck knew he was in trouble.

the god simply chuckles at their exchange and pats donghyuck's back sympathetically, "just work things out with him alright? i have to head back home before mother goes on a rampage trying to find me." he turns to leave, but before doing so, he gives donghyuck a slight push towards mark.

after leaving the two, he couldn't help but let a sigh leave his lips. looking up at the sky, he finds the trees swaying gently above him, covering up most of the sunlight. though he loved the blue skies and warm weather, it was about time that he'd get bored of the same scenery.

his mother, demeter, had addressed this before saying that he didn't need all that action. messing around never led to anything good and she lived by that. jaemin never even knew how bad anything could get. all he knew were sunny days, lazing around while soaking up the spring air. the most 'action' he got was from his two nymph friends, which really wasn't much honestly.

what jaemin needed was a change in scenery.

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back home, where demeter's palace lies, he lets himself in the entrance located beyond mother's garden. the entrance was kind of hidden behind overgrown grape vines. in a way, it served as a door and a food source for when jaemin was feeling especially peckish.

as he brushed past the vines, he was greeted by the familiar sandy walls of his mother's palace. torches were already lit, casting his shadow against the walls. the walk to his room wasn't far from the garden entrance, so by the time he got there the sun was merely brushing against the meridian. just on time.

his room was bare compared to the rest of the palace, only his bed, a bedside table, and a bookcase occupied it. if he could, he would've gotten a smaller room, but his mother insisted on having one of the best rooms so he was left with this.

jaemin plopped himself on the cotton sheets, pressing his face into the fabric and inhaling the faint smells of roses. just as his eyes were getting heavy with sleep, he heard a meow off the end of his bed. raising his head up, jaemin pulls himself to the edge of his bed to see a black cat lying down while licking at its paws leisurely.

a smile bloomed on his lips. he always had a soft spot for small animals, and was used to coming across them on his everyday adventures.

"hey there little one, when did you get here?" he asked gently, while adjusting his position to where he was resting his head on his arms.

the cat looked up at him with its mismatched eyes, wide and innocent. it cocked its head to the side and jaemin mirrored the action.

jaemin watched silently as the cat sat up on its haunches, still facing him. there was something odd about the cat, jaemin decided. its tail, that swished side to side lazily, left a faint trail of smoky shadows everytime it moved. and he'd never seen a cat like this until now.

curious, jaemin reaches down his hand in front of the cat, but not moving to touch it just yet.

"don't worry, i won't hurt you." the cat stares at his hand before it leans in, nuzzling into his palm. jaemin silently cooed at how soft the fur felt against his skin.

"jaemin!" both jaemin and the cat flinched at the voice, with him turning to the entrance of his bedroom and the cat dissipating into a pool of shadows.

there stood demeter in all her glory. her forest green peplos draped over her tall figure, blonde hair that looked more like thinly woven gold cascading down in curls, not to mention the scent of cinnamon that now permeated the air around him. sometimes, jaemin wondered how this eternal youth thing worked, because even though his mother was centuries old, she looked to be as old as a maiden.

"mother." he replied, pushing himself up from his rather awkward position. "is something the matter?" now that he took a good look at her, her brows were furrowed and her lips were turned to a frown.

"what was that?" she asked, as her eyes practically bore holes into jaemin's head.

"what was what?" jaemin was genuinely confused. last time he checked, he didn't go far from her reach. he'd always stayed in the same area for ages, scared to venture further due to the stories of god eating monsters waiting for a naive soul to wander into their clutches.

"that creature you were playing with."

"the cat?" jaemin averted his gaze to the floor where he supposed the cat would be but there was nothing. hm, i guess it ran away.

demeter sighed heavily, pinching the bridge of her nose. "my dearest jaemin, that was no cat. that was a god. a god that reeks of sorcery." her eyes narrowed at the spot where the cat—no, god, stood moments before. if he was still there, jaemin was sure he would've gotten obliterated by his mother's glare no less.

jaemin's eyes widened slightly. a god?

the next thing he knows, his mother is in front of him and cupping his face in her hands. the pads of her thumbs run across his cheeks in feathery strokes as she said, "remember what i told you jaemin. never will you venture beyond our land, no matter what or who says. you will stay here where you are safe and under my care, understood?"

"yes, mother. of course." he answers obediently, yet his mind swirled up curiosities that were sure going to leave him restless.

"that's what i like to hear. now, goodnight my son. rest well." demeter presses a kiss onto her son's head before exiting his room, leaving him in the wake of night.

and while his mind wanders, a shadow of a cat passes across his balcony and into the darkness.

. * ･ ｡ﾟ☆🌺☆ﾟ. * ･ ｡ﾟ