Everything was spinning.

But that wasn't even the worst thing...

It was the pain that shot through his veins every single second of the day.

He needed to slam the fire... He needed it... He needed more.

Seoho scented the air, looking for any sign of what he was looking for.

One specific plant that could cure all his problems.

The omega stumbled forward, his limbs felt like he had no true control over them. They were heavy and numb.

And his stomach... It felt like hunger was ripping it to shreds, but he also felt like he could fall over and just start puking any time now.

There had to be something around here that he could use...

In his desperation, Seoho fell to his hands and knees and started pulling at all the foliage around him. He ripped anything he could from the ground and held it to his nose to see if it was what he needed.

Tears started to roll down his cheeks when he kept coming up short.

The ground started to sway around him and soon the omega was pulling himself forward by gripping the dirt and dragging his body.

A howl came from behind him and Seoho's head rolled to the side when he tried to figure out where it was coming from.

He felt something stir within him and knew his wolf was trying to come forward. That was the last thing he needed right now because then he'd definitely have no control.

A high pitched sound between a groan and a whine escaped him as he continued to drag his body through the now muddy ground. He must be getting close to the river...

And as if to answer that question, Seoho slipped down a hill, rolling through the mud and yelping when his side came in contact with a large rock. Within seconds he fell into the cold water and started flailing his weak arms to stay above the surface.

Water forced it's way into he lungs and the omega started to cough, but that only caused him to swallow more water.

He needed help.

Seoho's vision started to blur and everything started to numb in a different way. The water pushed him back and forth, slamming him into rocks and rolling him head over heels.

In a desperate way to save himself, Seoho let himself succumb to his wolf.

It surged forward and he broke the surface of the water. His tan paws scrambled to find footing in rocky river bed. His legs were long enough that he was able to push himself up out of the water and walk slowly to shore.

This was the first time he had been in this form in... he couldn't remember how long. It felt foreign, but so familiar at the same time. Almost like he was being welcomed home.

His water-soaked fur weighed heavily on him. Once he was back on shore, he shook it out, sending water droplets in all directions. Then he scrunched his nose at the sour apple smell coming from him.

Disappointment from his wolf made Seoho lower his head.

This was the other reason why it had been so long... His wolf destroyed all the progress and work needed in order for him to stay numb. That's all he wanted now. He wanted to forget about everything and just...

A branch snapped nearby and Seoho lifted his head back up.

An alpha emerged from the shadows. The wolf's coat was similar to his own. Both of them had tan legs, chests, and stomachs, but the alpha had more black along his back, making it darker than Seoho's own brown and light brown coloring.

The omega took a step back and let out a soft warning growl, but it was not needed. He watched as the alpha stepped behind a bush to shift and came back wearing just a pair of shorts.

He looked familiar, and so was his scent, but Seoho couldn't place where he had seen him before.

"Seoho?" The alpha took a couple steps forward and held his hands up. "Are you ok?"

So he knew the alpha. Seoho was scolded by his wolf yet again and he flinched. He slowly shifted back to his human form and stayed crouching when he realized he did have anything to put on.

"Who are you?" He asked. Even the sound of his own voice was strange to him now that he felt his body normalizing.

"Youngjo. The Head Alpha of the pack you've been staying with. You rescued my beta, Keonhee, at the market. Do you... remember any of that?" The alpha sounded incredibly confused, matching how Seoho felt about this entire situation.

Pieces of his memory started to flash in front of his eyes and Seoho did his best to piece them together. He remembered being at a market looking for herbs and running through a door... then faces he did know and gardening... and herbs. There were herbs in the garden.

"You've been pretty sick." Youngjo continued. "But we haven't been able to figure out what's wrong. And today you just wandered off. If you come with me I can take you back, but we need to go now. My other alpha was bitten by a snake and I need to make sure he's okay."

Seoho didn't really trust himself to speak. He was still trying to process everything that had happened, so he answered by shifting back into his wolf form and walking forward to follow the alpha.

He could feel the anger coming from his wolf when his mind went back to the herbs in the garden. And the longer he spent time in this form, the worse he knew it would get. He could already feel his body starting to return to normal, which meant that the withdrawal would hit him fast and hard.

The two wolves quickly made their way back through the trees and when a scream of pain came from in front of them Youngjo rushed forward in a full-on sprint.

The area that the alpha called home was in utter chaos.

Seoho stopped and watched as another omega ran from one hut to another. He sensed two betas as well, but neither were in a place that he could see.

Youngjo had already shifted and was running after the other omega toward a hut that the screaming was coming from.

"He needs medicine, but we can't figure out what." The omega... Seoho's memory told him that Hwanwoong was the omega's name... shouted over his shoulder. "Keonhee has tried a few different combinations, but nothing is working. He woke up so suddenly it caught us off guard."

"He doesn't have anything for venom?!" Youngjo yanked the door of the hut open and the pair disappeared inside.

Which left Seoho by himself and the omega let his eyes wander toward the garden situated on the other side of the pack's camp.

He started to walk forward when the screaming stopped.

The door to the hut opened and Youngjo, Hwanwoong, and Keonhee walked out looking incredibly stressed.

"What can we do?" Youngjo asked as he pulled Hwanwoong into his chest and rubbed the back of his head.

Keonhee signed and shook his head. "I don't know. Maybe the venom is working through his system and that's why he woke up? I'm not an expert when it comes to this though..." He gave Youngjo an apologetic look, then bowed his head.

"I know." The alpha's voice was thick and he pressed his nose to his omega's hair. "And it won't be your fault if he doesn't make it..."

"Don't talk like that!" Hwanwoong exclaimed as he stepped back. "He has to make it!" He covered his mouth to try and block out his sobs.

Youngjo immediately pulled him back and shushed him gently.

Keonhee bit his lower lip and gave the alpha a pained look, then turned his head and paused when he noticed Seoho for the first time.

"You're okay!" He said, running forward to fall to his knees in front of Seoho.

The omega's ears fell back and he took a few steps back.

"I was so worried. Here, let me get you some clothes." Keonhee pushed himself off the ground and scrambled to his hut only to return a matter of seconds later with a pair of loose fitting pants and a loose shirt.

Seoho took them in his mouth and went behind one of the huts to shift and dress. He had half a mind to run away and not look back, but part of him knew that was the disrespectful thing to do, so he walked back out to see the three pack members still waiting for him. "Thank you." He said softly, keeping his eyes on the ground.

"What happened? Why did you wander off like that?" Keonhee asked.

"I-" Seoho tried to think of an excuse. Thankfully he didn't need one because the other beta in the pack called out for help, distracting everyone.

Keonhee immediately ran over and disappeared inside.

"Get some rest." Youngjo said, turning to Seoho. "We will talk about things when we can."

The omega bowed his head and nodded. He noticed Hwanwoong sending him what looked like could be a glare before following his alpha back to the hut.

Seoho stood in place for a long moment, then went to hut he had been sharing with Keonhee to await the aftermath that was sure to come, all while wondering if he should just leave so he could be on his own once more.

~~Written by flamewhipper~~