Dal sat in the back of a cab on his way home from another doctor's visit. The prognosis for him was the same; his heart a ticking time bomb within his chest. A chest rattling cough came over him as he tried to dispel the tickle he felt in his throat. The cough sounded bad enough that the driver of the cab looked at him in his rearview mirror.

"I'm fine," said Dal with a smile. "Just a cough."

The cab driver could clearly tell that it wasn't 'just a cough', but he wasn't paid to do anything but cart people about so he let the matter drop. The cab driver turned the dial on the radio up in an attempt to drown out the coughing as the thunder overhead started to rumble.

'...Breaking news. Citizens are warned to stay in their homes as a tiger is currently on the loose...'

'Tiger?' thought Dal, leaning forward a bit so he could hear the radio better.

'...The tiger was last seen running from a coffee shop after having disarmed the thieves there. No deaths have been reported, but citizens are to stay away from the tiger and to call the proper authorities if it is spotted.'

Dal leaned back in concern. Surely the news wasn't talking about his tiger. When he arrived back at the book shop, he couldn't pay the cab driver fast enough, half sprinting towards the door despite every part of his body protesting. He noticed the 'closed' sign and the darkened shop that only heightened his concern. As he jammed his key into the lock, he felt a few raindrops fall from the sky and hit his face.

"Namjoon?" Dal called out as he entered the book shop, not receiving an answer back.

Dal turned on the light switch, making his way down the aisles to see that the entire place was empty. When he reached the apartment, he unlocked the door to see that that too was empty. Namjoon and Ember were no where in sight.

Dal's heart panged when he realized that Ember was more than likely the tiger the news was warning people about. Ember was his family and had been his main reason for hiring Namjoon. He could care less if the book shop had to close when he died. What he cared about more was that Ember was taken care of.

A wave of exhaustion washed over him, but that didn't stop Dal from grabbing a raincoat and umbrella. He locked up the apartment and headed back through the book shop as his cough rivaled the thunder in the sky outside.

"I'm going to find you, Ember. Don't worry," said Dal as he hastily scribbled a note incase Namjoon returned in the meantime, leaving it on the front counter.

Dal moved to shut the light to the book shop back off, locking the door and rushing out into the storm to look for his family.

- - -

The four of them were all drenched as they ran from Yoongi's car to the book shop, especially since it took a while for Namjoon to be able to find the keyhole since the rain made it impossible to see anything in front of them.

"Glad we're not out in that anymore," mentioned Yoongi as he shut the door behind them once they had all entered. "No one should be out in that."

Namjoon made his way towards the front counter, freezing when he saw the hastily scribbled note there.

"No...no...no..."

"What's wrong?" asked Taehyung.

Namjoon grabbed the note off the counter and moved to hand it to Taehyung. He looked down at it and paled.

"I have to go after him," said Taehyung. "He could die out there."

Taehyung moved to walk towards the door, but sighed and came to a stop. He couldn't go too far from Gemini or he'd be a tiger again.

"I'll go with you," said Gemini before Taehyung could even ask her.

"Um, no you're not," said Yoongi.

"I appreciate your concern, Yoongi, but Tae can't go out there alone; not when all the cops in town are looking for a tiger."

"We'll all go," said Namjoon; Yoongi whipping his head around to look at him.

"Why are you volunteering me?" asked Yoongi.

"You're the one with the car," said Namjoon, "And you can't tell me you'd rather stay here while there might be someone out there in trouble."

"Fine, fine..." grumbled Yoongi. "Lets go before this storm gets any worse."

Namjoon quickly moved into the apartment, grabbing an extra raincoat there and giving it to Gemini. After grabbing up some umbrellas, the four of them left the book shop again to go hunt for Dal in the storm, knowing full well that it would be like looking for a needle in a haystack.

- - -

Dal lost track of how many alleys he had tracked down; his shoes like sponges now that squealed under him as he took another corner and ended up tracking through another lake worthy puddle. Water ran in rivers down his face as he continued to cast his gaze about for a tiger.

"Ember! Ember where are you?" called out Dal, shivering violently.

A cough overtook him that was drowned out by the thunder overhead. He didn't want to face the reality that his tiger was gone. Dal took another step forward, loosing his footing and ending up on his butt with a groan. He pressed his back against the brick wall nearby as he felt a few tears mix with the rain on his face.

"Ember...oh, Ember, where are you?..."

He didn't understand why Ember was at a coffee shop in the first place. Namjoon knew not to let him out and to keep him safe. Dal allowed his heavy eyelids to close as the water continued to numb him to the pain he was feeling throughout his entire body.

'Maybe I can just take a brief nap and then get back to it,' thought Dal as he passed out.

- - -

"Lets check this alley next," said Taehyung as Yoongi moved to pull up against the curb once more.

They had been searching for Dal in the storm for the last half hour and still hadn't found him. Taehyung and Namjoon refused to give up though. Taehyung looked over at Gemini who was just as sopping wet as him despite having a raincoat on. He felt badly that he was using her so much. They hadn't had a chance to breathe ever since what had happened at the coffee shop.

"Gemini, why don't you stay here for this one?" asked Taehyung. "You're shivering."

"I'm...I'm..."

"Don't say fine," said Taehyung. "You've been through a lot today."

"Tae, you can't go out into the storm without her nearby or you'll turn back into a tiger," said Namjoon.

"Well, it's lucky that the cops aren't around right now," said Taehyung as he moved to slip out of the car.

Yoongi still didn't believe this whole tiger nonsense, turning to look out the window at Taehyung as he moved to walk towards the alley. Right before he was about to enter the alley, he ended up on all fours again. Yoongi watched wide-eyed as Taehyung turned into a tiger right before he ran off down the alley.

"I told you," said Namjoon as Yoongi turned his shocked gaze to look at him.

- - -

Taehyung ran as fast as his limbs would allow down the alley, making sure to pay careful attention to every nook and cranny he passed. With each passing second in this storm, he started to worry more and more for Dal's safety.

'This is all my fault,' thought Taehyung as he rounded a corner and came to a stop.

Dal. He was lying on his side on the ground in a puddle of water; his face white and semi-pruny from how waterlogged he was. Taehyung quickly rushed to be by his side, nudging him with his nose.

'Come on, Dal. Wake up. Please.'

No amount of prodding made Dal open his eyes though. Taehyung moved to gently bite the hem of his coat, delicately dragging him out of the water he was in. He had to get Dal to the car immediately so he could be taken to a hospital. Even though Dal looked as if he was dead, Taehyung refused to give up hope.

He gently dragged Dal towards a dry spot in the alley before running back to where the car was. Gemini spotted him first, moving to get out of the car when she saw him reappear.

"I...I found him," spluttered Taehyung as he turned back into a human as Gemini came to his side; tears in his eyes. "We...we need to get him to a hospital..."

Namjoon moved to race with Gemini and Taehyung down the alley and to where Dal still laid completely dead to the world. Taehyung bent down, gently slipping his arms under Dal's body and picking him up. Tears were running in steady streams down Taehyung's face as he moved to start running with Dal in his arms back towards the car; Gemini and Namjoon quick on his heels. Namjoon helped Taehyung get Dal into the backseat; Taehyung moving to lay Dal's head across his lap as Yoongi sped towards the hospital.

"You're going to be alright, Dal," said Taehyung softly as he looked down at Dal's pale face; tears still trickling silently down Taehyung's face. "Please...just stay alive for me...please..."