There was so much noise...

People yelling over each other to try and get food or whatever item they wanted.

Arguing.

Cursing.

Begging.

It was all so much...

And it hurt.

It made his head pound more than it already did.

But it was necessary. He had to find what he was looking for.

So he stumbled through the crowd, trusting his nose to lead him to the right stall to find the right herbs.

He needed them. His body craved them more than anything else.

A voice from behind him captured his attention and he forced himself to stop.

"Yeah, the herbalist is a little further down."

"And what do you need from there?" A deeper voice answered. He sounded nervous.

"A few different things. I'd like to trade for some plants if possible so we can grow our own. We're going to need it especially if you keep having nightmares." The first man's voice was soft and understanding now.

"Oh. Yeah..."

"Come on. Let's see what they have. Maybe we can get some produce too."

The couple walked past and it was all to easy to follow them. He made sure to stay close, hoping that this herbalist would have just what he needed... If he could just steal a little bit, then he could finally return to the state of mind he loves so much.

Numb.

.

.

.

.

Keonhee had never seen anything like this before. The market was so overwhelming but exciting at the same time. He couldn't help but try to extend his neck to take in as much of the view as he could.

There were other wolves everywhere. They had to have come from all over the place, some probably even several kilometers, just to come here to trade.

Leedo stayed as close to him as possible in the crowd. It was comforting in some ways, but it also made Keonhee nervous to have him standing so close.

He would probably be worse off if Leedo wasn't here, though.

It didn't escape his notice that there were several other alphas here. Some of them traveled in groups too, which had Keonhee shrinking away and finding another path through the stalls.

Never again...

"Keonhee, didn't you say you wanted some fruit?" Leedo asked, grabbing his elbow gently.

The beta's first reaction was to yank his arm away, but hearing Leedo's voice at the same time helped him control his impulses. "Yes. Thanks." He offered a small smile and followed Leedo over to a fruit stand.

There was a good selection, surprisingly, so Keonhee grew excited at the prospects. Apple trees would be easy to grow, and there were a lot of uses for them too. He also mad sure to get plenty of potatoes. If they ever had poor luck hunting, the potatoes would help fill them up. 

"You've almost reached your limit." The beta behind the stall said. She held one of their deer pelts in her hands that she had agreed to trade for.

"Ok, thank you." Keonhee smiled at her and shoved his tongue into his cheek while looking at what else she had. The basket he had weaved before coming here was almost full, so that was fine. He selected a few packets of corn seeds as the final then and bowed his head in thanks to the beta in front of him.

He took a moment to look around and saw the herbalist he wanted to go to. "Leedo, there she is. Can I have another pelt?"

"Here." Leedo squeezed in next to him. "I only have a few rabbit pelts and one small deer. So just take it and get what you need. We can always come back another day."

"Sounds good."

"Go ahead, I'm right behind you." Leedo gave him a reassuring smile and stepped a little closer.

Keonhee looked down at the ground out of reflex and nodded. But then he shook his head and started working his way through the crowd. He was jostled around a couple of times, but he finally managed to push his way to the stall.

"Hello, Dear." The older omega woman said. "What are you looking for?"

"A few different things. Marigold, poppy, and a few othe—"

"Ah, you know the art of healing." She perked up and started waving her hand frantically for him to follow her.

"Leedo, come on." He said, not looking over his shoulder before following her to the corner of her stall.

"How much do you know?"

Keonhee pursed his lips. "I'm kind of self taught, so I'm sure there's a lot that I don't know."

The woman paused and arched her eyebrows. "Self taught? That's really impressive. What can you make?"

For the next several minutes, Keonhee went over everything he had learned to make from the sleeping salve he used on Leedo to a paste that could be used to help protect cuts and scraps. He knew stuff for headaches, bruises, cramps, and even something that was supposed to help with colds.

The omega once more expressed her surprise and started gathering several bundles of herbs, both dried and fresh so he could plant them. "Come and see me whenever you need anything. Not many are gifted in the ways of a healer so I'm very happy to see someone as young as you interested. You'll find there is an endless amount of possibilities."

"I will. Thank you." Keonhee bowed at her and carefully placed everything in his basket. "I don't have much to trade with you, but I've got a few skins if you can make use of them?" He held them out to her.

The omega chuckled and selected only one rabbit skin. When Keonhee tried to protest she just held her hand up. "You take care of yourself, Dear."

"I will." The beta bowed one more time and then turned around to give the skins back to Leedo.

Only... Leedo wasn't there.

He looked around and stood up on his toes, trying to locate his pack member. "Leedo?"

There was no sign of him.

Leedo? Keonhee tried contacting him through their pack link, but there was still no answer.

His heart started to pound in his chest. Where did Leedo go? He could smell his own cinnamon scent getting stronger with stress and tried to tell himself to get control.

It was hard though... One glance from a passing alpha had Keonhee whimpering and looking for a place to hide.

He called out to Leedo over and over again through their link, hoping to hear the alpha's deep, gentle voice. Leedo... please...

The market filled with more and more people. It as getting to the point where Keonhee was having a hard time moving at all.

At one point, his arm got pinned between two betas. He had to work hard to control his sobs when his entire body started trembling.

L-L-L-Leedo... Keonhee was so scared he couldn't even keep the tremble out of his voice.

Spots started to appear in his vision right when he pulled his arm free.

"What's the matter cutie?" A man said next to him. "Are you lost?"

Keonhee yelped and shook his head frantically while stumbling through the crowd.

He had to get out of here... He had to run... or hide.

Why was this happening to him?

Why did Leedo leave him all alone?

Strong alpha pheromones started to invade his senses and Keonhee felt his knees trembling.

Suddenly all he could envision was his past. Everything he had been running from... Every single thing was flashing before his eyes.

The beta's chest tightened to the point where it felt like something was stabbing it. He was pretty sure he had dropped the animal skins somewhere because he used his free hand to clutch and tug at his shirt as if that would stop the pain. It took every ounce of concentration he could afford to not let go of his basket.

He finally managed to duck in between two buildings and he felt like he could sort of breathe again. Tears filled his eyes and he stumbled forward.

Where had Leedo gone?

Why was he all alone?

When more powerful scents filled the air, Keonhee sobbed again and forced himself to keep moving.

He had to get out of here...

His distress levels were too high, and in his current state of mind, he knew he wouldn't be able to defend himself...

Not when he was a weak, unmarked beta and there were several dangerous alphas right around the corner.

~~written by flamewhipper ~~