"Alright, everyone, gather around!" Woobin announced, clapping his hands together in the hopes of drawing everyone's attention.

Mark stumbled off the bus and straight into Jeno's awaiting arms, his best friend thankful to have finally found some solid ground. His nausea meds would only work for another hour, but it certainly didn't make Mark's relief any less evident.

He had let out a quiet cheer, thankful that he was no longer sweating profoundly despite the cold, and his skin colour was already starting to return to normal. Jeno couldn't help but crack a small smile at his friend's behaviour.

He gently slipped an arm around Mark's waist to correct his posture and lightly coax him towards the assembling class.

Surprisingly, there weren't a lot of people present. Jeno knew that their entire class had been separated into smaller groups for the mandatory field trip, but he didn't think their group would be this small.

Typically their lecture hall would consist of just shy of 400 students, since it was a popular elective, but the group present today consisted of twenty, at most. Introduction to Archaeology was a first year module but it usually found itself on many third and final year student's timetable as it was believed to be a pretty easy A.

Jeno initially did not have any interest in the elective. He still didn't. Especially when he would usually find his schedule filled with other classes that were similar to his own chosen study path. Mark, however, had managed to coerce Jeno into straying from his path and ending up in a completely unrelated class filled with enough people to cause an anxiety attack.

When he found out that Stephanie was also present, Jeno was smart enough to be able to connect the dots.

"Welcome to South Korea's heritage park!" Woobin yelled, voice riddled with excitement. "I want you all to get sorted into smaller groups, I'm going to give out some work-sheets, and realistically this should help you with the assignment that is due in two week's time."

Mark's grip on Jeno's arm grew harder, his nails almost piercing through Jeno's skin. Jeno was somehow capable of forcing his best friend's grip from his forearm one finger at a time, while smiling politely at Woobin who unfortunately found his eyes through the crowd.

The whole class was quiet, listening quietly to Woobin explaining the security issues and the additional information regarding meet-up times and park trails.

Mark was obviously not listening, his eyes darting through the crowd, keeping his guard up for Stephanie, who could pop out like a serial killer at any given moment.

Jeno on the other hand had already put enough space between them, having clocked the girl when they left the bus. He somehow managed to grab two pieces of paper from the pile and pass them onto the next person while also wrestling against Mark's ridiculously unnecessary grip.

"I want everyone to meet back on the bus at 1pm sharp so we can have some lunch before we start making our way back to Seoul!"

Mark groaned, having finally zoned back into the conversation. He slumped against Jeno's side, already feeling the effects of his motion sickness, which would no doubt return with a vengeance when they begin to make their way back home later that afternoon.

Jeno was more than happy to be his best friend's pillar of support, even going as far as to shift his weight around to provide them both with a comfortable positioning. He was just grateful that Mark's nails were no longer trying to rip large pieces of flesh from his forearm, Jeno did not want to try and explain the situation to the campus nurse again.

Some slight maneuvering from somewhere to their left had grabbed Jeno's attention, the younger shifted slightly in his stance so that he could look around Mark and towards the movement. His heart leapt to his throat when he spotted Stephanie trying to ease her way in their direction, smiling politely to the students she stepped on in her path to them.

Jeno kept his groan to a low minimum. Immediately, he launched into operation SAVE MARK 2.0. He pulled his arm from Mark's waist and allowed it drop against the elder's shoulder. His best friend's eyes held confusion when he turned to look at Jeno who was already offering him a polite but strained smile.

"What's going on?" Mark had grown used to that look on his face.

They had been best friends for more than five years and he could tell when there was something going on around them, just by the look of concentration on Jeno's face.

"You're going to duck down when I tell you to, then we're both going to make a run for it around the edge of the group and we don't stop until we come up behind Woobin." Jeno explained his plan of action, but like always, Mark just grew more confused.

The only difference this time was that Stephanie was fast approaching, and Jeno needed to get them both out of there for his own sanity.

So, without any further prompting or explanation, he shoved his entire weight against Mark's shoulder, forcing him to keel over with a pained grunt. Jeno dropped immediately after him, his knees cracking at the sudden gesture.

By some miracle, they managed to escape their former position without drawing attention from any of their classmates or from Stephanie, who had shown up just after their escape.

When they were safely standing across from her but hidden behind Woobin, Jeno noticed her head shift in all different directions. Her lips were pursed, but she was scowling, frustrated by having missed them.

Mark let out a victorious shriek, though it was quickly overshadowed by Woobin's loud exclamation. They were finally free to explore the heritage park, and Mark wasn't going to stand around and get noticed when Jeno had just saved them again.

Grabbing his best friend by his wrist, Mark yanked them towards the tree-line just behind them. Jeno was smart enough to refer to the map printed on their work-sheet, but Mark's only interest was putting as many trees between himself and Stephanie as possible. Which given the circumstances wasn't much of a problem right now.

"Okay, new rule!" Mark announced when he deemed them safe enough to halt in their escape mission, leaving them in the middle of a small clearing. "No more yanking, pulling or pushing for the remainder of the trip! I don't think I'll ever be able to wear this hoodie again after you yanked the hell out of it!"

"Oh, I'm sorry!" Jeno wasn't afraid to let his sarcasm slip through his words. "I apologize for the horrible situation that I placed your hoodie into! Do you not think that you should apologize for trying to skin me alive back there?!"

"I have no idea what you're talking about." Mark denied, shaking his head while his eyes found the sky.

Jeno let out a frustrated huff, lifting his sleeve to showcase the damage his best friend had caused. Three prominent red rashes clearly stood out against Jeno's skin. The puffed up lines looked violent, but thankfully, they hadn't caused him to bleed.

"Okay... I really need to cut my nails."

"You think?!" Jeno shouts, his voice echoing off the blanket of quiet around them.

"I would have done it sooner if you let up about your nail clippers-"

"Leave my nail care tools alone!" Jeno huffs, crossing his arms against his chest. The three gashes practically flashing up at him. "We both know what happened to my nail file after you asked to use it!"

"That was one time!"

"Once was enough!" Jeno retorts, but the rest of his insult gets swallowed by his throat.

His ears began buzzing, his heart pounding in his chest, palms growing clammy, and he could feel his body temperature rising rapidly.

The sudden change leaves him winded, his lungs desperate for air. He can faintly make out his best friend through the mist forming in his eyes. Mark looks concerned, approaching cautiously.

"Dude?" Mark's voice sounds so far away, like Jeno isn't supposed to be paying him the slightest bit of attention. His arms grow heavy and his head throbs. "Jen?"

It felt so strange.

It's like the entire world went away before his very eyes. Jeno could hardly see what was right in front of him, but he could hear so much. He could hear the sound of the students back at the bus discussing their groupings, he could hear Woobin lingering around the park representative, and he could even pick up on Stephanie's frustration when she had to return to her group of friends empty-handed.

But there was something else amongst the mix. Something that Jeno had never heard before, something that was making his entire body react like never before.

"Mark," he heaved, struggling to speak through the strange fit. "We need to leave."

"Yeah, dude, absolutely." Mark was ever so kind, snapping out of the playful mindset he had been in when fighting about Jeno's nail care moments ago.

Jeno coiled his fingers back into Mark's hoodie, keeping him close as they tried to make their way back to the bus.

They weren't allowed to leave the clearing.

Whatever had overcome Jeno was now waking up his fight-or-flight reflexes. Adrenaline was quickly forcing its way through his bloodstream and just as quickly as it appeared, the mist in his eyes was swiftly lifted.

It was like someone had turned down the dial on the rest of the world because all that Jeno could now hear was the soft, low growls of the wolf standing before them.

It stood with its front paws spread and its head tilted downward, bright yellow eyes staring right through them. Its snout was open just enough to witness the ridiculously sharp teeth lining its extended jaw. Saliva slipped through the crevices and dropped to the leaf covered ground with a light platter.

"Dude..." Mark whimpered, slapping his hand against Jeno's shoulder.

"I know!" Jeno hissed, keeping his eyes on the in front of him.

"No dude, look..." Mark stressed, pulling on the neck of Jeno's hoodie.

It wasn't until Jeno allowed himself to take a quick glance at his side that he realised that Mark was standing and facing in the wrong direction. While Jeno was facing the path they had entered through, Mark was facing in the direction they had come.

Jeno wanted to let out a frustrated yell. He knew that wolves ran in packs. It became clear without having to turn his head, that they were surrounded.

"How many on your side?" He asked, surprised to hear how calm his voice was.

"Two..." Mark's voice cracked, his lungs drawing in more air. "How many on yours?"

Jeno scanned the tree-line. There were no obvious shadows or any other wolf forms. It seemed like they were lucky in that there were only three of them. "One.. it's strange, I thought wolf packs were typically bigger than just three wolves."

"That's what you're worried about right now?" Mark raised his voice just barely above a whisper, but it still got the attention of the predators.

Three howls went echoing off the dense forest, and Jeno couldn't help but close his eyes in frustration.

"Well, now there's going to be more of them!" He hissed, raising one hand up to slap against the base of Mark's neck. "What the hell are wolves doing in the public heritage pack anyway?"

"This is because I didn't look at the map, isn't it?" Mark aimed his question at the sky. Jeno struggled to keep himself from rolling his eyes. "We should have stayed on the trail!"

"Well, whose to blame for that one?" Jeno wondered.

He made it a point to keep his eyes on the world before him, not all that surprised when the predator's gaze remained fixed on him as well. A staring contest of sorts, that Jeno was certain that he was going to lose. Out of every possible emergency that he could have dreamt up for this field trip, getting mauled by wolves was definitely not on his bingo card.

"What the hell are we going to do?"

"Get behind me." Jeno announced. His hands reaching out to gently pull Mark towards him, never once allowing his gaze to fall from the wolf before him. "We have to stand back-to-back and keep staring at them."

"You want me to stare at them? Are you crazy?"

"Just shut up and trust me!" Jeno hissed. Once he could feel the heat of his best friend against his back, Jeno coiled his arm through Mark's and joined their hands.

"Are we going to die?"

Trust Mark to always try and jinx a situation.

"Maybe, with that attitude." He huffs. "Now, you're going to follow me. Take slow steps with me."

"What?"

"Just do it!"

Jeno continued to stare at the grey wolf in front of him, the creature looking more entertained than he would have expected.

Regardless, Jeno took the first step to the right, happy to feel Mark do the same. Slowly and surely, bit by bit, they managed to creep towards the tree-line that was set as a barrier between the three wolves.

Surprisingly, Mark never allowed himself to drop his gaze from both wolves. Thankfully, when they managed to get to the tree-line, all three of the wolves had joined together into a small group with Mark and Jeno no longer having to stand back-to-back to face them. Instead, they stood side-by-side, with Mark offering the wolves a small panic-filled smile.

Then something otherworldly happened.

Jeno released a painful yell, his hands rushing to his ears in a stumbled attempt to block out the sound. He fell back against one of the trees, with Mark rushing to support him as his legs gave out.

Through crinkled eyes, Jeno watched as the wolves before them reacted in the same way he did. Their pitiful howls drew Mark's attention. The two best friends watching as the group of predators flattened their ears against their heads before they stumbled against each other as they rushed from the clearing.

"What the hell just happened?" Mark yelled.

Jeno's fist pounded against his stomach, watching as his best friend bent over on himself to release a pained cough.

"Dude, my fucking ears!" Jeno scolded his best friend, gesturing to his ears for added effect.

He was thankful that the sound was gone because it had really affected him in a way that he had never experienced before.

"That noise was terrifying dude..." Jeno marvelled, his eyes fixed on the spots where the wolves had filled just seconds ago. "I've never heard anything like that before."

"What noise?" Mark wondered once he was capable of getting his breath back.

Jeno craned his head to look up at him. Mark's brows were furrowed and he looked at Jeno like he had grown another head.

"You didn't hear that roar?"

"What roar?" Mark questioned, his head tilting slightly as he looked down at his best friend. "Is that what caused the wolves to leave?"

Jeno observed his best friend for a moment. There really hadn't been any way of knowing if the sound he heard had been what caused the wolves to run off, but it had been so sudden that it brought Jeno to his ass.

Seeing how unaffected Mark was after such a sound made Jeno momentarily wonder if he had dreamt the whole experience. The only certainty that he could admit to, was that something had happened and Mark did not hear what Jeno had. Mark was looking at him as if Jeno held all the answers, but he didn't. He was just as confused as Mark was, if not more.

One thing was for sure though, Jeno knew that whatever that feeling he had this morning, the feeling that almost prevented him from coming on this field-trip must have been related to what just happened. It was too much of a coincidence.

Something had just happened to them. They had been seconds from getting mauled by wolves. Perhaps there was something within him that was acting like a ... what was it that Mark always said?

A Spidey-sense?

But if that was the case... that was far too many questions that Jeno couldn't handle right now.

"We need to get out of here." Jeno decided, already in the process of trying to get his feet to coordinate with his brain, which was practically screaming to return to the safety of the hired bus.

His legs were a lot more jello then he wished to believe, but he powered through the pins and needles and offered a hand out to Mark as well.

As he was lost within his thoughts trying to comprehend what had just occurred, Mark had taken a seat next to him on the ground - probably for the same purpose.

Regardless, Jeno's sudden decision to bring them back to the bus had sparked his friend's reaction and again Mark sat frozen looking up at Jeno. Only now, something else had gathered his attention, something that stood behind Jeno.

Surprisingly, Jeno could sense the creature standing amongst the tree-line, just visible enough to draw Mark's attention. While Jeno could feel it's piercing gaze, he knew nothing about its swiftness.

In the matter of mere seconds, Jeno was flying through the air as Mark's terrified yell rang out amongst the trees. The slamming of his own body against the ground sounded painful, but Jeno was thankful to find that it dulled into a quick numbness.

For a moment, he couldn't breathe, body shocked into a momentary comatose state.

He was forced to stare up at the trees above him, their branches looking like long fingers stretching out to touch the beautiful blue sky. Despite there being a heavy grey cluster on campus, the mountainous heritage park swapped it for a beautiful teal blue with a few harmless cumulus clouds. For a second, Jeno marvelled at how peaceful his death would be.

But then he heard Mark's heartfelt scream and felt the sharp press of his bag against his back.

Jeno had no idea what brought him up from the forest floor. He had been ready to let his soul go on a pile of leaves. But clearly, the adrenaline was still in possession of his limbs. Jeno heaved himself up from the floor and took a second to breathe while the dark blotches clouding his vision quickly cleared.

The sight before him brought a sick feeling to his stomach.

A wolf stood taller than the other three he had experienced earlier. It stood on four equal legs and seemed to be lapping at a wound it had inflicted on Mark's abdomen. Its snout was covered in blood, and it would no doubt continue it's meal if Jeno didn't find something to even the playing field.

As his eyes cased the forest floor below him, his head turned almost as if his brain was leading him towards his solution.

A single large rock sat quietly amongst the Autumn leaves to the left of Jeno's impact site. He pushed himself from the ground and launched himself in the direction of the stone, landing against the ground with a less painful thud.

The creature seemed so lost in the taste of Mark's blood that it hadn't even realised that the friend it had sent into the air had come back with vengeance.

Jeno secured the larger rock in his hands before forcing his legs to grow accustomed to the additional weight. They carried him carefully and (surprisingly) quietly through the forest floor.

The creature only perked up when it was too late.

Jeno slammed the rock against the side of the wolf's head and watched perplexed as it tumbled to the ground next to him. It lay as still as a rock on the floor, its chest no longer inhaling or deflating, just a long wheeze escaping through its snout.

For good measure, Jeno took the stone to its head once more, only satisfied when its dark red blood was spilt on the yellow and orange ground below it. He left the rock to find its new home against the wolf's chest, turning his attention back to Mark.

His best friend was shallowly breathing and bleeding quite a bit, but he was alive and that was enough to ease a little of Jeno's worries. He collapsed next to him, a small smile on his lips when Mark's eyes opened to welcome him to his side.

They stayed silent as Jeno worked to find the first-aid kit in his bag, having already wrestled Mark out of his hoodie to place it on the wound for pressure. Mark kept it there with his remaining strength, but Jeno knew that if he didn't get him to a hospital right away, it would get a whole lot worse.

"What did it do to you?" He wondered, letting out a victory screech when he found the gauze.

He unwrapped it from its initial packaging and bundled it up against his palm. Mark hissed as Jeno gently pulled off the hoodie, replacing it with gauze and pressed down, hard.

Tears flooded Mark's cheeks, his body shaking slightly from the mix of adrenaline and trauma.

"It, it" he stuttered, pausing to swallow the extra saliva in his mouth. "It bit me."

"You're going to need a tetanus shot ad stitches." Jeno explained, allowing himself to smile compassionately at his best friend.

Mark was strong. He was going to pull through this.

"It threw you in the air."

Jeno snorted. Yeah, he still hadn't fully comprehended that himself. "I know."

"Are you okay?"

"I probably have a concussion, but I won't know the extent of my injuries until my adrenaline wears off." Jeno pushes down on Mark's wound a little more, making the elder wheeze in pain. "Sorry!"

"Hopefully we'll be at a hospital by then." Mark somehow manages to break out a smile, his face growing pale as he winces when Jeno yet again applies consistent pressure.

"Well you two look like you're in quite the pinch!" A new unrecognizable voice states.

Mark has enough brain power for his reflexes to kick back in, his fingers latching onto the dressing as Jeno immediately turns around, bracing himself for another attack.

"Calm down Sparky! I'm a friend!"

"Who the hell are you?" Jeno demands.

He doesn't think twice to stand in front of Mark, blocking him from the stranger's view and potential attack.

"I told you, I'm a friend." The stranger explains, casting his gaze down at the body of the wolf next to them. "Fuck, you really let him have it, didn't you?"

"Him?"

"Okay, I don't have enough time to explain everything and I'm not exactly ecstatic to be in this situation again, but you are going to have to trust me-"

"Why the hell would we do that after what just happened?" Mark somehow manages to find his voice, and apparently is not afraid to raise it as loud as he could. "Who the hell are you?"

"You cannot take him to the hospital," the stranger speaks solely to Jeno. "They'll just ask questions that neither of you have the answers to right now."

Jeno finds himself turning his head back to the monster laid out on the ground next to him, the thought of more of these creatures in the surrounding area was definitely not a pleasant thought. Especially since Jeno was pretty sure he just killed one of them.

"Why the hell not?" Mark shrieks, desperate to be included in the conversation.

"Not a lot of time to explain," the stranger announces, pulling a phone from his jean pocket. "I need to get you both out of here as quickly as possible."

It must have been the blood loss, but Mark asks a follow-up question. "Why?"

The stranger stands taller, though Jeno quickly realizes that the stranger is just slightly shorter than him. He wears a leather jacket, skinny blue jeans and black boots.

"What your friend killed has friends and those friends are not going to be happy that someone just killed one of their own so easily. You heard that roar earlier, if you stick around, this is going to get a lot worse."

"What fucking roar?" Mark hissed, throwing his head back against the tree trunk. "I didn't hear anything!"

"How the hell did you know about that?" Jeno couldn't understand why he openly expressed that to a complete stranger, but still his mouth failed to notice the potential danger standing in front of his face.

It gathers his interest regardless, his eyes gazing at him from top to bottom. Jeno felt a little uncomfortable beneath the stranger's gaze, but he really didn't have the energy to deal with a potential panic attack right now. He could do that later when they were out of this goddamn heritage park.

"Can we please move on? He was just thrown ten feet in the air and got right back up!" Mark grumbles, drawing the stranger's attention.

When he's finished, the stranger's neck snaps back in Jeno's direction, the poor boy holding out his hands impulsively in case the stranger's eyes fall from his head.

"Well this is certainly an interesting turn of events..." he snaps a photo of the creature on the ground, moving in front of Jeno to get another angle. He straightens up and looks at him again. "Tell you what! I'll help you get your bitten friend to my car, and I'll send you both to a place that will help you, no questions asked."

"He needs a hospital." Jeno deadpans.

"A hospital won't be able to help him when it matters." The stranger speaks kindly, even offering Jeno an innocent smile despite the urgency in his voice.

"Jen..." Mark's voice sounds so light and airy.

Jeno falls back onto his knees, immediately inspecting the bandage. He feels his heart race when he realizes that no more blood has soaked through, but Mark still doesn't look good.

"I'm really not doing good right now."

"Can you help him?" Jeno wonders, looking over his shoulder. The stranger appears calm, taking a few moments to just observe them.

He just dips his head, and no further words are needed. Jeno hated how easily he was giving into this complete stranger. This was already the weirdest day of his life, and now he was potentially placing himself and his best friend in even more danger by actually allowing himself to agree to the help. But when he's helping Mark into the back of he car and the stranger drops the keys into his hands, Jeno's tension evaporates.

"I've already input the address into the car's mapping system. Just follow it and do not stop for any reason."

"You're not coming?" Jeno needed to be sure.

The stranger only smiles. He glances down at the phone in his hand and shrugs his shoulders. "I don't think I'm ready for a family reunion just yet."

He slams the door to the driver's seat closed before Jeno can even think to do it himself. He then throws their backpacks into the trunk before returning to Jeno's side and lightly tapping on the glass. Jeno finds the button with ease and the window pulls down fairly quickly.

"I think it is only fair that I learn the names of the two most peculiar boys I've ever met." The stranger's lips pull back and reveal his toothy box-shaped grin.

"I'm Mark Lee." Mark easily supplies the information from the back of the car, a pain-filled smile on his lips.

Jeno's hands grip tighter on the steering wheel, knuckles white as he too spills his identity. "Jeno Lee."

"Well, just a word of warning Jeno Lee," the stranger pulls away from the window allowing his hands to fall back by his sides. "From now on your entire life has changed. That does not mean that you have to restrict yourself to fit into it. Your best friend is now a special guy, but it's you that I'll have to keep my eye on." He winks, offering just one more piece of advice before he leaves. "When you get to where you're going, tell them you need Chanyeol, and if they ask who sent you, just tell them I'll be home soon."

Jeno steps on the alteration and speeds down the dirt-road, leaving the stranger on the edge of the woods.

Meanwhile

Unknown: [Files attached]

Unknown: Names are Mark and Jeno Lee. Your
primary concern is Mark - got bit by Caleb, so
transition is eminent. Jeno's the wild card -
protector - killed Caleb in self-defense.
WATCH HIM!

SmartASS: Where are they?

Unknown: I'm sending them your way
now, GPS on the car says they're
about 15 minutes out.
Careful, Jeno's jumpy.

SmartASS: This guy killed Caleb? How?

Unknown: I'm trying to figure it out

Keep him there

We don't want him getting in Chase's
claws when we don't know who he is yet

Mark needs medical attention, so make
sure Yixing is prepped.

SmartASS: I'll call the house now.

Unknown: You're not there?

SmartASS: Last minute call from work,
I'm leaving now. I'll should make
it in time to get the kids, relax.

Unknown: If I was stressed about
where you are I would have went
with them myself. To panic would
mean that I care and we both know
I don't do that

SmartASS: And yet you continue
to send me messages every
now and again.

Unknown: You never change your
number!

SmartASS: I never wanted to

Unknown: Not the time to get
mushy Park, I know you
secretly miss me

SmartASS: I'd rather take my
chances with Chase, thanks!

Unknown: Don't forget to send our
baby my new number.

SmartASS: As long as you
promise to keep it for longer
than a week. He loves
talking to you, it kills him
to not hear from you for
months.

Unknown: I'm just trying to keep
him safe.

SmartASS: Tell him that yourself
I'm not being the bad guy
anymore.

Unknown: Nah you shouldn't have
that title, I've done enough to earn it!

Anyway, he will love seeing two new
people I'm sending his way!

Let them distract him for awhile so I
can work some stuff out.

SmartASS: I'll believe you when
I see it

Be careful out there Baekhyun.
I don't want your death on my
conscience!

Jaemin will never forgive you

Unknown: I'll see him soon, I
promise.

Now I gotta go before I catch a
tail, I'll be in touch ;)