A/n- Mature themes ahead please beware. Non-descriptive violence and gore, non-consensual mating and bonding. But it's consensual eventually. 

Summary- Seokjin, when a child saves a tiger cub from the clutches of the poachers in the mountains where his grandfather lives. But after his grandfather passed away, he had to leave with his parents to the main town. Years later he returns back to the mountains to continue his study in herbal medicine, unknowing to him what lies ahead in the desolate mountains. 

"Nana!" A child whined in protest as he was forced to trudge along the uneven dirt path of the mountains where his grandparents have been living for the past 30 years. The duo have been walking ever since the sun rose in the morning in the east, the sky clear and the weather pleasantly chilly. 

The old man, dressed in loose black trousers, a white long shirt and a straw hat laughed heartily at his grandson's adorable protests as he scooped him up in his old but sturdy arms. The man never let his age affect his dreams and health. Even at the age of 71, he manages to lift heavy weight with absolute ease and can walk over 10 miles a day. And he does so everyday to let him feel what nature has to give him till the very last breath. 

"My beautiful Jinnie, as far as I recall, who was the little rascal that crept underneath my covers to wake me and your halmeoni up so that he could see the sunrise and go fishing later on?" he patted the grumbling child's back who refused to look up at him, his face buried in the crook of his neck, the duo trudging along the messy dirt path too narrow for even bicycles. 

"I caught two fishes though. Now gimme money, wanna buy the chocolates" The seven year old grumbled as he fisted his grandfather's shirt with one hand while the other dangled with some of the supplies which were packed in a cloth bag securely. 

"Children these days I swear" Old Mr.Kim grumbled underneath his breath but his face shone with nothing but nostalgia and happiness, "As a child of the mountains, you ask for money to buy chocolates? Your grandmother makes sweets much better than those cheap commercial products you get at the village market. And here your father is planning to take you to the town for your further studies. Useless fella." 

Seokjin laughed when he heard his grandfather scolding his father, a fun sight to see. Usually Jin gets scolded by his parents when he gets caught doing something mischievous but it's even more amusing to see when his grandparents scold Jin's father and scorn a look at his mother when they do something wrong. 

Noticing that his beloved grandfather was now sweating and he was breathing quite heavily, guilt pooled within Jin's stomach which made him feel uncomfortable.

"Nana, put me down, I will now walk" he pouted and batted his eyes to look as if he really means it, which he does. Jin's cheeks were rosy at this point from all the exertion and the chilly weather. Nana paused for a bit to catch his breath as he observed his surroundings. 

"It's going to rain" It was not a question. 

Jin tilted his small head in confusion as he looked up in the sky and his lips made a small 'o' shape when he saw the dark clouds enclosing the once clear skies. Squirming in his hold, Nana was forced to drop Jin on the ground and he made sure they both were steady. 

Jin immediately fumbled with all their belongings as he tried his best to gather as much of their fishing things as possible with his tiny hands. Nana chuckled, but he realized it was pretty strained and nervous. The sun was setting early as it usually does here in the mountains even though it was barely 4pm. Rain in the mountains is hazardous; Not only for the risk of slipping into deep grooves and ditches, but the rumored tigers here in the mountains are said to venture out to hunt. Many disappearances have occurred only to find a stray leg or a hand, all rotten but the clear deep canine impressions can never be mistaken. 

And to top it all, there are only two such tigers here, where people from the developing towns have been trying to capture. These tigers were once harmless, only trying to steal the villagers cows, chickens and donkeys. But for the past 10 years, there have been disappearances of villagers only to find their bodies in pieces. 

Nana knows them by heart- The tigers come out at 9pm sharp to hunt. But during rainy days, they venture out early because they know that their prey is bound to fall and hurt itself. 

Nana was a poor man- he only owned a large piece of land and his house that was passed down from ancestry. He did not own a phone, not that it was popular either. It is year of 1999 and flip phones were just in market, too costly and a luxury for villagers like him. 

"Jin, we need to get moving, now. Give me all of that, I will carry them. Just be close to me. And if you get lost, pointedly remember to find a covered safe place and stay there, we will find you. Although I'm sure you know these mountains by heart by now. Here take this-" 

Jin carefully took the familiar item into his satchel, a silver coated seven inch dagger. Ever since he was three years old, his training to live in the mountains had begun. By the age of seven, Jin was able to learn some of the most common self defenses used against wild animals, which was heavily mandatory.   

Nana's both hands were loaded with their heavy bags as he began leading their way home. They still had to walk a little over three kilometers, which would take 30-35 mins maximum. 

Brushing the branches aside and almost slipping on the moist algae that grew here and there, Nana sighed in relief as he saw the familiar red cross that was painted on a specific tree. Only one more kilometer to go. But the smile immediately disappeared when he felt a stray water drop hit the side of his flushed cheeks, him slowly looking up in despair, only to gasp when all of a sudden a loud thunder jolted, followed by a heavy downpour. 

"Eeek!" Jin shrieked as he felt his daily worn pale blue hanbok getting wet in the oh so very cold rainwater, his woolen sweater doing absolutely nothing to prevent the shiver that raked through his tiny frame. 

It was clear skies one moment and incessant rain with dark clouds the very next. The nature, as beautiful as it can be, can also be very unforgiving at times. No locals in the mountains would entertain them either because of all the lethal threats that go about in the dense forests. 

The visibility was getting worse by the second as fog started to envelope their surroundings. Fishing the flashlight out, Nana motioned Jin silently but firmly to follow him very closely. 

The duo walked with extreme difficulty for a few minutes, both of them soaked to the bone. 

"Hold on Jinnie, just a few more minutes and we'll be home in no time. And guess what, your appa and eomma are coming home from town tomorrow afternoon. So you better be presentable to them"

That seemed to have risen the child's spirits up because Jin almost let out a squeal in happiness. After two long weeks, he could finally meet his parents- Apparently, Jin's father had secured a stable job out in the town and he had to be there to fix up their new home and Jin's school. 

Just when they were about to cross a very narrow stream, Jin heard something unusual. He looked here and there to find the source to the noise, but with all the fog and the rain, it was really hard to locate. 

A few moments later, he heard it again, like faint whisper against his red ears- it was a whimper, a plea for help, the person or animal in extreme pain. 

"help me...." it whispered gently against his ear, making Jin flinch out in terror and curiosity. The voice, it was so close to him yet so far. Turning around in circles, he found no one near his viscinity. 

And then the realization dawned upon him...

Seokjin was lost; he was just so lost in his thoughts that he had stopped in his steps to collect his thoughts while his old grandfather, hard of hearing, trudged forward thinking that they were safe to finally reach their home. 

Jin felt his breathing race up as panic built in his stomach, his chest constricting as he felt tears pile up in his big almond eyes. Trying to follow what his Nana taught him, he crouched down softly to the ground and tried to breathe in slowly to calm his nerves down. 

He wasn't lost per se, but he was scared. He has heard of the rumors that echoed through the mountains. 

 "Jin..."

Jin screamed this time as he stood up hastily on his trembling legs, knees about to give up with how fluid they felt. With tiny but firm fists, he raised them up in a defensive position, ready to fight whatever was out there to harm him. 

"I mean no harm Jin, but please help me" 

The voice again. 

It was of a child no doubt, probably even younger than Jin himself. There was just so many questions that Jin wanted to scream out, but after hearing the soft cries of the child, Jin couldn't help but follow the pitiful whimpers that directed him even in the darkness. It's as of he was in a trance. 

But because he was in a trance, Jin did not notice how the fog had cleared up in his path, how the stray fallen branches had magically shifted to allow the boy walk freely without tripping. 

Jin followed the voice, his body feeling pliant and lazy. After a few moments, the invisible force that was guiding him, seemed to drop all its reigns out of nowhere, making Jin abruptly stumble to the wet ground and finally allowing the poor boy breathe freely. Seokjin blinked furiously to observe his surroundings as much as possible. 

He couldn't stop the gasp that escaped his tiny mouth. 

This was the very place where he was born, as said by his grandfather. Before 7 years, his mother had an emergency delivery and hospitals were unfortunately over an hour away. With the help of a few local old experienced ladies in the village and the mountains and his father, Jin was born in this grassy area, all filled with his birth flower, the red Rumex flowers. A clear stream flowed just by it, the area rich in beauty and calmness. 

And that's where, just by the corner did Jin spot the most terrifying thing in his life. 

A white tiger cub, at the verge of almost fainting, was trapped oh so very painfully in a huge snare trap, the poor little thing's foot stuck within the sharp jaws, blood soaking his white fur into a crimson red. 

Jin felt his heart drop at the sight as bile piled up in his throat. 

He wanted to go back home, to his mother. This was a sight he just did not want to see. He knows the guilt will kill him alive but he knows that if he does not run away now, he won't ever make it back home because he felt like fainting. 

Not an ideal situation in the mountains, especially where wild animals roam about.

His tiny body quivered as he looked away and he finally let his self cry for his mother. He feared blood and judging by the poor cub's leg, that foot may have been already displaced from his body. 

"H-Help me please. I w-want to s-see my mother as w-well. Bad people, there are people with guns. Help m-me please" 

"Leave me alone!" Seokjin screamed as he brought his dagger out and staggered his way to the cub. He felt himself going insane with that voice begging in his ears, almost as if it was manipulating him. Jin felt as he was losing control of his own body, as if his soul was getting sucked out of him. 

He felt weak, both emotionally and physically drained. 

But when he raised his dagger to finally end his misery, as well as the cub's, that's where he saw it- the tiny twinkle in the cub's eyes, the round chubby small face, whiskers small and the black streaks across its face. What amazed Jin were the vibrant purple eyes, something he had never seen in his life. And to add to his misery, the eyes held so much of emotions, it's almost human. 

Hesitantly lowering his arms, Seokjin dropped to his knees as he bent down, his forehead touching the ground in apology, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to do that. Oh my god, what is going on with me? Why am I imagining stuff. Where is this voice coming from? I don't know and I don't want to. Guess what? I'll free you but after this you're on your own. I don't even know I'll live till tomorrow", the last part came out as a whimper, a soft drained out whisper. Crouching up, he used his dagger to cut the stingy net that almost rendered the cub paralyzed. Then he proceeded to ever so carefully open the tough jaws of the snare open, just a small gap enough for the cub to pull his body out. His arms screamed out in pain and legs almost gave away but not once did Jin stop. 

But during the whole time, Jin kept his eyes away from the gore scene because he didn't trust his body anymore. Jin was cold, hungry and tired and he was seconds away from fainting. 

The cub whimpered in pain as he squirmed on the ground. The young boy immediately sprung up in action, him tearing his woolen coat open so that he could wrap it around the drenched tiger cub. 

"I'm sure you will die by tomorrow but I hope you'll survive. When I grow up, I want to study medicine, become a doctor because I want to help people. Don't cry please, oh you poor thing. Here, I'll carry you to the nearby cave here. It's safe, I promise and no hunters can find you there. Your mum, if she's well, she'll find you" Seokjin kept on blabbering to himself because he wanted to comfort himself, well knowing the cub did not understand a single word he said to him. After a ten minute walk, the cave appeared. 

Jin placed the wrapped tiger cup gently on the ground and he stepped away from it. Wiping his stray tears away, Seokjin opened his satchel up to bring out a small bowl and he gathered some fresh water into it from the stream that flowed. Gently placing it in front of the sleepy cub, he then proceeded to bring out all of his homemade beef jerky that his granny had packed for him, which was quite a lot. 

"T-This is for you little baby. I don't have anymore. I'm sorry" Having said that, Jin let himself calm down as he crouched in front of the cub, now all silent and barely moving. Tears threatened to fall as he thought the cub must have passed away from all the blood loss. 

With his tiny crooked fingers, Seokjin let his tears fall as he raked his fingers through the silky fur now all wet with mud and rainwater but it was soft nonetheless. And he gave a soft sad smile when he saw how the cub leaned into his warm touch. 

"Hope to see you mighty and strong one day"

The child flinched suddenly when out of no where he heard angry screams of men.

"The snare!"

"We had caught an animal!"

"How the fuck did it escape?!"

"Hello! Is anyone here? Show yourself!"

'Hunters' Jin whispered as he hastily got up. Pushing some stray branches with leaves in front of the cave, Jin took a deep breath in as he composed himself. Allowing tears to drip from his eyes, he rushed forward with all his might and he allowed himself to bump into a man's leg.

"Oof!"

"Who the fuck-? Oh, it's a fucking child" 

"Don't curse in front of the kid Bomyeon"

The said man crouched down to Jin's level and his eyes immediately softened at the miserable yet beautiful child. He gripped Jin's chin and checked his tiny frame all over for any injuries. 

"You got lost kid" Not a question, a statement.

Seokjin wailed in the man's arms and screamed out for his mother. 

"I'm not having children ever" one of the five men whispered as they watched their gang mate struggle with the seven year old. 

"Okay okay, calm down jeez. Where's your home kid? Don't you know what dangers lie here in this wilderness? C'mon guys, let's drop this kid home. We already have one kill, we'll find the tiger cub tomorrow morning" 

Seokjin let himself be picked up by the buffy young man and he his his face in the man's shoulders. 

And as they walked away, Seokjin lifted his head back to watch the cave and he let out a small smile when his eyes met with the purple glowing ones.