Work Text:
Soyeon doesn't remember much about the night her parents died.
Just the dark.
And the cold.
And the hands of her neighbor as they carried her through the night to her grandmother.
She remembers the warmth of Grandmother's arms when she was finally placed in them, her soft voice piercing through the ringing that seemed to have taken permanent residence in her ears. And the eyes of a little girl peering out of the shadows of one of the bedrooms before her own finally fell closed as she succumbed to exhaustion.
Soyeon can't remember what exactly happened to her parents that night (Grandmother says it's for the best), she just knows that they're no longer around and she lives with Grandmother now.
Unlike Soyeon and her parents, Grandmother lives in a village of spirits. She'd never say it to her, but Soyeon overhears Grandmother telling a neighbor once that that's why what happened to them happened. Because humans can't be trusted.
Humans can't be trusted.
Most other spirits can't really be trusted either.
Only foxes.
Which is in part why it's so strange that there's another little spirit taking residence in Grandmother's house currently.
The little girl, she comes to learn, is called Yuqi, and she lives with Grandmother now too.
Yuqi is not a fox spirit. This, Soyeon can tell immediately. Grandmother says Yuqi is not from here, and that she's not a fox spirit, but some sort of dog spirit. Soyeon's never met a dog spirit before. But she's heard stories. And she's not sure why she's here.
Initially she's skeptical of the girl. Unsure why Grandmother would be harboring a dog of all spirits.
Grandmother tells her that something similar had happened to Yuqi's parents. And unlike Soyeon, she had had nowhere else to go.
Yuqi's family had apparently traveled here from China, and had sought refuge in the village after being attacked by some humans. Much like Soyeon, many of the villagers had been unsure. Hesitant to allow dog spirits into their fox village, especially ones that were being hunted by humans. But Grandmother and some of the other village elders had convinced them.
(If we can't stand together, we'll fall apart, Grandmother had told her solemnly.)
It wasn't supposed to be a permanent thing.
But Yuqi's parents had apparently gone out in search of some village they'd been told of, in which spirits of all kinds lived together in harmony, promising to return for their pup as soon as it was safe, and had never come back.
No one had ever told Yuqi what had happened exactly, but at some point she tells Soyeon she'd overheard two members of the hunting party talking about what a shame it was, what had happened to those dogs. She'd ran away before she could hear any more.
The first thing Soyeon learns about dog spirits is that they're unable to understand the concept of personal space.
Or at least Yuqi is.
And Soyeon is comfortable basing her perception of the entire species off this one annoying girl.
She's timid at first. Eyeing Soyeon wearily from the shadows of the house before deciding she poses no immediate threat and quickly growing confident in her curiosity.
Yuqi is endlessly fascinated with the differences between them.
Which Soyeon thinks is strange because she's clearly been living among an entire village of foxes for some amount of time now, so why does all her curiosity have to pinpoint on Soyeon.
They're sitting outside of Grandmother's house, Soyeon in her fox form and Yuqi as a human, when the last of her apprehension seems to dissolve.
Yuqi's hand inches towards her tail and Soyeon whips it around herself and out of Yuqi's reach before she even realizes what's happened.
"Hey!" she calls, indignant.
"Don't touch my tail," Soyeon scolds. "I don't like it being touched."
"But it's so fluffy!" Yuqi whines. "I'll let you touch mine!"
"Why would I wanna touch your tail?" Soyeon scoffs.
"I don't know," Yuqi grumbles.
The next time Yuqi grows confident enough to reach her human fingers out is to pluck lightly at one of Soyeon's ears. Soyeon once again in her fox form (she wonders if the sight of her seemingly small and unthreatening form is what keeps giving Yuqi the nerve to reach out) and Yuqi in that somewhat halfway state between forms that they can all achieve; tail visible and ears sitting at the top of her head in the soft little triangles of her dog form. It's a state children typically take more comfortably to before they come to learn how to better control their shifting forms.
She twitches them away immediately, pulling back and snapping lightly at the invasive digits.
"Ah!" Yuqi yelps, snatching her hand back. "Sorry, they're just so... big."
"Well they're not for touching," Soyeon snaps. "And they're not big. They're correctly sized."
"They're bigger than mine," Yuqi says.
"Well maybe yours are small."
She's quiet for a minute, seemingly thinking over Soyeon's words as she studies the small fox's ears, fingers now rubbing lightly at her own fuzzy ear.
"My ears are really soft," she murmurs eventually. "Do you want to touch them?"
"No," Soyeon growls.
Yuqi doesn't try to touch her unprompted again.
Living with Grandmother has both its perks and annoyances. Soyeon hasn't quite finished tallying up which side of that list is longer just yet.
The best part about living with Grandmother now is Soojin.
Soyeon had met the slightly older girl a handful of times throughout their young lives, and they'd always gotten along like a house on fire. That's what Grandmother had said at least. Soyeon's not entirely sure she likes that phrase.
Soojin shows up to play several days after Soyeon's arrival to the village, her parents having held her back in an attempt to give Soyeon time to acclimate to her new change for as long as possible.
Yuqi perks up the second the older girl appears, tail wagging lightly as Soojin greets them both in her uniquely soft way.
"Soojin!" Soyeon calls excitedly, launching herself into the other fox's arms.
"Soyeon," Soojin says quietly, burying her face in the younger girl's shoulder. "I'm happy to see you."
"I'm happy to see you too," Soyeon murmurs. "Now we get to play with each other all the time."
"Yeah."
They pull apart, sharing a soft smile, before Soojin's gaze redirects over Soyeon's shoulder. "Hello, Yuqi, would you like to play today too?"
Soyeon scowls, ears pressing flat against her head, before rolling her eyes and dashing off, bursting into her fox form as she goes. "Let's go!" she calls.
"Hey!" Soojin calls from behind her before bursting into her own fox form and chasing after her. "C'mon, Yuqi!"
The sound of their little paws padding against the dirt drifts through the forest, mixing with their laughter, as they tear through the brush and trees.
Soyeon leads them deeper into the forest, weaving her way through the branches and underbrush with ease, Soojin hot on her trail. They run for a long time, looping throughout the trees but never straying too far from the village.
Yuqi has more stamina, but the foxes are nimble and quick, and she quickly loses sight of their bushy tails in the brush. She relies on her nose, following their scent once she can no longer see or hear the pair of foxes.
Eventually though, even her sense of smell fails her. She slows her pace, wandering aimlessly for a minute, ears and nose straining for any sign of the foxes.
Soyeon's tail sways lazily as she snickers quietly, both her and Soojin's eyes on the little dog wandering around in confusion below them. The pair of them perched quietly atop a branch in one of the large trees.
The small dog darts in and out of the brush, small angry yips coming out of her mouth as excitement turns to frustration, before eventually giving way to dejection. A soft whine breaks from her chest as she sniffs around, attempting to locate the pair. Her ears droop back against her skull and her tail hangs low, tucking in around her legs as she frets.
Soyeon buries her muzzle in her paws, muffling her quiet snickers as she watches Yuqi slowly head back the way they'd come.
When she's finally far enough away to no longer hear them, Soyeon stops holding back her laughter and trills happily.
"Dogs are so stupid. What should we do now?"
Soojin eyes her quietly, a small sigh huffing from her chest as her eyes trail in the direction of their village.
"I don't know. It's getting kind of late, I should probably head home before my mom gets mad."
"What?" Soyeon whines. "But we just got rid of the dog!"
"I know. But she's really not that bad, Soyeon," Soojin says softly. "In fact, I rather like her." She jumps down from the tree branch they'd sequestered themselves onto, throwing a look over her shoulder at Soyeon as she imparts her final words. "You should give her a chance."
Yuqi's lying outside the house when she finally wanders back, chin atop her paws and ears still pinned back as she gazes out across the village. Her gaze quickly darts away the moment she catches sight of Soyeon, and she can tell the little dog is trying her best to hide the fact that her feelings are hurt.
Soyeon pauses once she's close enough to the house, a mere several steps away from the moody puppy curled by the door.
Soojin's words drift through her mind as she eyes the small dog, along with Grandmother's, telling her that Yuqi's also lost her parents and that maybe they can find comfort in one other though this. She sighs.
"Check the trees, next time," Soyeon murmurs as she approaches, avoiding Yuqi's large brown eyes as they gaze pitifully at her. "You think too much like a dog, you need to think like the creatures you're chasing when they're outpacing you."
Yuqi says nothing, watching as she disappears into the house. But Soyeon can hear the soft swish of her tail against the porch as she disappears down the hall and into the bedroom.
Grandmother's house is not very big.
Aside from the main living areas such as the kitchen and general living room, she only has two rooms that function as bedrooms. Unfortunately this means that Soyeon not only has to share her Grandmother with Yuqi, but also her bed.
Which wouldn't necessarily be too much of a problem. But Yuqi is clingy. They spend their first several weeks together with Soyeon constantly shoving the small girl back to her side of the bed.
Yuqi whines and cries and tries to tell her that puppies are meant to sleep in piles, that it makes them feel safe, and warm, and like they're part of the pack. But Soyeon will have none of it. Yuqi can survive just fine on the opposite side of the bed.
Occasionally though, Soyeon will awaken in the middle of the night to the soft sound of Yuqi's quiet whines. At first she assumed that it was a ploy on the younger girl's end to get Soyeon to allow her to cuddle her as she so desperately wanted. But she quickly learns that that's not the case.
Apparently Yuqi is occasionally plagued by nightmares. The first night it happened, Soyeon snapped at her to stop whining, slowly losing her temper until she eventually realized that Yuqi wasn't awake to hear her scolding. She'd watched her fret and whine before eventually falling silent, at which point she was able to finally give into her sleepiness.
She doesn't bring it up. Not until it becomes somewhat of a regular occurrence. At which point she asks her when they're eating breakfast the next morning what her nightmares are about and why she has so many of them.
Yuqi stills, food halfway to her mouth before she averts her eyes and attempts to act like she doesn't know what Soyeon's talking about.
"I don't have nightmares," she mumbles.
"Do you not remember them or something?" Soyeon asks.
"I don't have nightmares!" she snaps.
They stare at each other in silence for a moment, a challenge waiting behind each of their gazes. Their staring contest only broken when Grandmother returns from outside.
"Fine," Soyeon mutters. "Whatever."
Soyeon's awoken from her own slumber several days later by the rumbling of thunder.
Her eyes snap open, mind thick with confusion and the lingering grip of sleep as she tries to piece together what woke her.
A flash of lightning illuminates the room and everything slots into place in her mind. Her gazes trails across the bed, landing on the form of the dog spirit beside her.
Yuqi's eyes shine in the darkness as she watches Soyeon from the other side of the bed. She's in her halfway form. Dog ears pinned back on her human head as she meets Soyeon's gaze.
Another rumble of thunder shakes the room and their eye contact breaks as they both throw their gazes to the small window. Another lightning flash follows and Soyeon pulls the covers up to her chin, closing her eyes.
The thunder rumbles again and the bed shifts with a light tremble as a soft whine falls from Soyeon's chest. She didn't used to be afraid of thunder storms. But this is the first one she's experienced since her parents died, and something about the rumbling thunder and flashing lights triggers the memories she's been repressing since that night.
"Soyeon?" Yuqi whispers, voice quiet in the wake of the rumbling storm. "Are you okay?"
She wants to snap at her. Tell her of course she's okay. But her jaw locks up. And another shiver runs through her body as the thunder rumbles again, louder than ever.
Instead, her only reply is a small whimper.
Yuqi scoots closer. Tentatively. She's still wary of all the times Soyeon's snapped at her for getting too close. She lingers, just at the edge of Soyeon's personal bubble, until the next round of thunder claps, and the fox spirit turns, tucking herself into Yuqi's chest.
Her arms fold around the smaller girl, pulling her tighter against herself as they both flinch at the following flash of lightning.
The sound of a muffled sob reaches Yuqi's ears and before she can question herself, she begins to hum quietly. Her fingers stroke gently at Soyeon's trembling back as the words of the lullaby her mother used to sing to her when she was small and scared come to her, and she begins to sing softly.
Soyeon's fingers curl tightly in the material of her shirt as Yuqi tucks her head into her neck.
They stay like that for a while, Yuqi singing softly as Soyeon's sobs and trembling gradually subside. The storm reaches its peak and begins to peter out, quieting to a steady thrum of rain, and with it Yuqi's voice fades away.
"My mom used to sing that to me when I got scared," she whispers, fingers still trailing gently along Soyeon's back. "I'd cuddle my Gigi and rub her ears and my mom would sing and all the bad things would go away."
"What's a Gigi?" Soyeon asks with a sniffle after pondering over Yuqi's words for a minute.
"Oh," Yuqi laughs softly. "Gigi is... was... my stuffed bunny. She's... I lost her... when we... during our journey." They fall silent for a moment, the quiet pattering of rain the only noise before Yuqi adds, "I miss her."
"I'm sorry," Soyeon murmurs.
"It's okay," Yuqi says. "She... she made me feel safe, but... I'm learning to be brave without her. She was a good listener. And her ears were so soft. Softer than mine even."
One of Soyeon's hands frees itself from the cocoon they've tucked themselves into, and her fingers reach out to rub tentatively at Yuqi's fluffy ears. They're soft, softer than Soyeon's, and velvety to the touch.
"Your ears are soft," she mumbles, fighting the wave of sleepiness suddenly washing over her.
They lay like that for a bit, Soyeon's fingers gradually losing their strength. "Maybe you can be my Gigi," is the last thing either of them hear before her fingers fall away and sleep claims both of them.
Most of their playtime is spent in spirit forms. Tumbling around as a fox and dog is just way more fun than bumbling around as a clumsy human could ever be.
They're roughly the same size when they take their animal forms.
Which strikes Soyeon as odd, because dogs are supposed to be bigger than foxes from what she understands. But Grandmother tells her that dog pups and fox kits start out the same size before dogs outgrow them.
She thinks this is kind of unfair; that Yuqi will keep growing once she's stopped. But it does make playing together more fun for now. Soyeon likes being able to wrestle with Yuqi on even footing. Dogs are a bit clumsier than foxes too, and it definitely shows in the way she's able to evade Yuqi's stumbling limbs as she twists and turns around her.
"Your feet are too big," she notes idly one day after they've finished wrestling and lay panting quietly in the grass. "That's why you're so clumsy."
"Mama said I'm going to grow into them," Yuqi retorts, eyeing her mis-sized paws. "It means I'm gonna be big someday. Bigger than you."
"Tch," Soyeon clicks her teeth in reply, ear flicking softly against the breeze. "Bigger and clumsier."
"Says you," Yuqi growls. "When I finally grow into my paws you won't have such an easy time getting away anymore."
"We'll see."
Winter comes and with it, Soyeon falls ill.
"What's wrong with her?" Yuqi asks quietly, watching nervously from the doorway.
"She's got a fever," Gran says, running a gentle hand through the hair at the small girl's sweaty temples.
"Is she gonna be okay?"
Her gaze leaves her granddaughter for a moment as she turns her attention to Yuqi, small and scared in the doorway. They'd grown closer over the last several months, as she'd hoped they would, but she's hesitant to point it out to either of them on the off chance that they hadn't exactly noticed themselves. A soft and gentle smile breaks across her face as she reaches a hand out, beckoning the young dog spirit towards her.
Yuqi approaches timidly, climbing slowly up onto the bed to settle next to Gran at Soyeon's side.
"She's going to be alright," she murmurs, one hand holding Yuqi close as the other continues to stroke Soyeon's sweaty temples. "Let me teach you how to break a fever."
Yuqi learns diligently. She's always been a good learner. And she quickly takes Grandmother's place as Soyeon's primary caregiver for the remainder of her illness. She sits attentively at her side, watching for signs of discomfort, and bringing and feeding her soup whenever Grandmother prepares it for her.
Under her patient and watchful eye, Soyeon regains her health in no time.
They grow bolder as they grow older.
A friendly sort of rivalry blossoms between the two of them, much to Soojin's chagrin. Both of them being headstrong and competitive by nature naturally results in them goading each other into pushing the boundaries more and more in multiple aspects of their lives.
Their expanded area of exploration and play being one of those boundaries.
It's also pushed further by the sudden emboldened nature of the village boys.
The coming of age has forced them all into wanting to prove themselves to one another, boys and girls alike. And today is no different.
The three of them had been on their way out for a much needed game of chase when they're stopped at the gates by none other than the two most annoying boys in the entire village. In their humble opinions at least.
The two boys had been hanging around the village entrance, jumping in their way the moment the girls attempted to slip out to the forest.
"Hey Soojin," Hui drawled, positioning himself beside the quiet fox.
"What do you want, Hui?" Soyeon asked, rolling her eyes.
"Aw, Soyeon, don't be like that, we just wanna chat!" Wooseok grins, slinging an arm around her shoulder.
It was no secret that Hui was harboring a crush on Soojin, and Soojin suspected Wooseok maybe had a secret thing for Soyeon, though he was terrible at expressing it with how much he constantly antagonized her. Thus they were hanging around the girls in increasing frequency. Much to their annoyance.
"Well, we're busy right now, so maybe some other time," Soyeon deadpans, slipping deftly from his grip.
"Busy doing what?" Hui asks.
"We're going to play chase in the woods," Yuqi replies.
"Chase?" Wooseok laughs. "You guys are still playing those baby games?"
"What's it to you how we spend our time?" Soojin asks quietly.
"I dunno, thought maybe you'd wanna play a real game... with us."
"Tch," Soyeon scoffs, "I don't even wanna ask what kind of game that might be."
"Well it'd certainly be better than chase. What're you guys, four?"
"I think you guys just hate chase because you've never been able to outrun the girls," Soyeon drawls, rolling her eyes.
"Pft. That's not true and you know it," Wooseok growls.
"Mm..." Soyeon hums. "I'd tell you to prove it, but since we already have, I'll save my breath."
"You're so full of yourself, Soyeon," Wooseok scoffs. "If you weren't so damn uppity maybe you could learn a thing or two from us."
"We don't need boys around to teach us anything," Soyeon snaps.
"That's what you think," he growls, pushing into her personal space.
"What d'you guys want?" Yuqi asks, angling herself at Soyeon's side in a way that just barely places her between the two foxes.
Wooseok and Soyeon hold one another's gazes for a moment longer before he finally steps back with a sneer. "Tch. Nothing now that we know you're all still a bunch of babies. We were gonna invite you to come with us to the unclaimed plains."
"We're not babies," Soyeon snaps. "If anything, I think you've just proven you're the ones who are still babies. And if we wanted to go to the unclaimed plains, we'd go ourselves. We don't need you guys for it."
"Yeah?" Wooseok taunts. "I bet you're not even brave enough to go to the edge of the far hunting grounds."
"Tch," Soyeon scoffs. "What's there to be afraid of, if a couple of whiny kits can do it?"
"Hm." He laughs. "If it's so easy, then why don't you do it? At the end of the hunting grounds, there's a red cloth marking the edge of our territory. Bring back a scrap of it and prove you're all as tough as you say."
"We will!" Yuqi barks.
As such, they're running through the woods, well outside of their typical zone of play (if Grandmother knew where they were she'd undoubtedly have their hides), Yuqi doing her damndest to catch them. She's gotten better at keeping up, one of these days she's going to actually snag one of them.
This thought lights the fire Soyeon needs to pull ahead once more, slipping through the brush and darting across the fields as fast as her little fox legs will take her.
Soojin holds pace well at her side, and they pull ahead of Yuqi just enough to dart into the forest at the other side of the clearing before Yuqi can burst into it herself.
They continue running for several seconds before a loud yelp rings out through the forest and Soyeon and Soojin fall still as they turn their attention towards the direction of the noise.
"Yuqi," Soojin breathes, before they both go tearing off in the direction of the sound.
Yuqi's at the edge of the forest when they find her, just past the clearing, her paw tucked tightly against her body as she whines.
"What's wrong?" Soyeon asks.
"My paw..." Yuqi cries. "I cut it on something."
"Let me see," Soojin murmurs, examining the pads of Yuqi's foot. Soyeon and Yuqi wait patiently as she eyes the damage. A soft hiss slips from her chest as she pulls away, allowing Yuqi to tuck it against her chest once more. "It's not good. I can see a piece of what looks like an old hunting trap lodged in there. We need to go home. You shouldn't change back though, we don't know what damage it could cause to your other form in the process. It'll take a while, but it's the safest bet." She sighs, turning to Soyeon. "She's probably gonna need help walking."
Both foxes flank her sides, pressing against her in an attempt to help take some of her weight as they begin the long trek back to the village.
The boys are hanging around at the gate when they arrive, snickering quietly.
"Knew they couldn't do it," Wooseok remarks, loud enough for them to hear.
"Shut up, Wooseok," Soojin snaps. "Yuqi's hurt."
Grandmother is waiting for them when they finally arrive home, hands on her hips as she watches them approach.
Soojin meets Soyeon's gaze with a small nod before she ducks off in the direction of her own home, no doubt about to receive her own earful from her parents.
Ears pressed back against their heads, Soyeon and Yuqi slowly limp their way towards her.
"Let me see," Grandmother says quietly, sticking her hand out once they've reached her.
She examines Yuqi's foot silently, disappearing into the house and returning with a salve.
"What have I told you about playing around near the hunting grounds?" Gran murmurs scoldingly as she pulls the shard from Yuqi's pad and begins applying the salve.
"It wasn't our fault!" Soyeon cries. "If those stupid boys had just left us alone!"
"And if those boys had dared you to wrestle a dragon spirit would you have?" Grandmother scolds.
Soyeon bites her tongue, ears pinned flat against her skull as she grumbles loud enough for only Yuqi to hear. "Maybe."
It's enough to make her smile, the pain in her paw temporarily forgotten as she snickers at the fox's quiet petulance.
It's not the last of their terse interactions with the boys. But it's also not the worst.
That comes a little later.
They're in one of the centermost fields of the village, part of a large gathering of the local kits. Various ages and genders playing together in one giant chaotic pack.
They weave through the group together, intent on seeking out Soojin. Everyone is in their spirit forms, tackling and cackling and chasing and tumbling, and Soyeon and Yuqi are no different.
"Bet you can't catch me before we find Soojin," Soyeon says over her shoulder with her signature fox smirk before darting off into the fray.
"Hey!" Yuqi barks, immediately giving chase.
Being a fox, Soyeon's good at weaving her way through her fellow foxes, but Yuqi's gradually learned to be more graceful as they age and she keeps a decent pace, Soyeon only managing to stay just barely out of her reach.
That is until she collides with a fox she hadn't seen and they both go sprawling into the grass and dirt.
"Hey! Watch where you're going you stupid dog!" Wooseok snaps, scrambling to his feet.
"Oops, sorry Wooseok," Yuqi says, pushing herself up as well.
He bares his teeth in a show of aggression and Yuqi takes a step back before a voice breaks the tension.
"Woogie!" Soyeon's small fox body darts from behind a group of kits, pulling the attention of both Yuqi and Wooseok to her.
"Soyeon," he says, standing up a little straighter.
"Woogie, what gives?" Soyeon asks, her attention fully fixed on the small dog.
"I ran into Wooseok," Yuqi mumbles. "But I totally would've caught you if I hadn't!"
"Uh huh," Soyeon snickers. "Sure."
"You should keep better track of your pet," Wooseok snips, finally capturing the attention of the smaller fox.
"Yuqi isn't anyone's pet," she snaps.
"Yeah, well maybe she should be. It's all dogs are good for anyway. I don't know why you spend so much time with her, honestly. Nothing but a stupid mutt," Wooseok grumbles.
"What did you call her?" Soyeon growls, whirling around.
"You heard me," Wooseok says louder. "A stupid fucking mutt!"
Foxes are naturally quick, and Soyeon's always been faster than average. She's on him before anyone can react. Biting, scratching, yelling.
The yard fills with voices as everyone starts shouting. Some voices attempting to stop the fight, others cheering for one side or the other. Soyeon's speed coupled with the fact that Wooseok was not expecting a physical assault immediately puts him on the defensive, and it's all he can do to attempt to dislodge himself from the angry whirlwind of claws and teeth that is Soyeon.
He eventually gets a good bite in, causing Soyeon to let out a loud yelp, and Yuqi immediately reacts.
"Soyeon!" she yells, throwing herself at the larger fox before she can think about it.
The three of them tangle viciously before he manages to get another good swipe in, this time across Yuqi's face, just barely missing her eyes.
Another yelp rings out as Yuqi instinctively turns her face away, leaving her neck open to attack. Teeth bared, Wooseok lunges for it, but before he can catch it, Soyeon's teeth sink into his ear instead and yank.
A painful wail explodes from his chest as Soyeon rips into his flesh, splitting the outer edge of his ear in a vicious tear.
And suddenly they're all three being yanked apart.
An hour later and they're all three sitting outside the elders' hut as they confer with one another and Wooseok's parents.
Wooseok's ear has been wrapped in a crude bandage and he sulks quietly to himself as Soyeon fumes, Yuqi fidgeting nervously beside her.
Eventually the doors open and the elders begin exiting. Grandmother shoots them a stern look when she appears, and they both hear the silent demand to start walking as they turn to begin slinking off in the direction of their home.
The walk home is silent.
"I'm very disappointed in you, Soyeon," Grandmother says the moment the door shuts behind them.
"He called Yuqi a stupid mutt!" Soyeon yells.
"I know," Grandmother says. "And his parents and the village elders have been made aware and will handle his discipline. But what you did was not without repercussion yourself."
"He's always messing with us, and he's always mean to Yuqi, I've had enough! It's not fair! Just because she's not a fox doesn't mean she doesn't belong here or deserve kindness!"
"I know, Soyeonie, and you're absolutely right about that. It's admirable that you wanted to defend your friend, but violence is not the answer."
"Well it's the only answer that will get through his stupid thick skull!"
"Enough!" Grandmother chides. "Go sit on the porch. You're grounded for the next two weeks and you'll be helping around the village with various tasks for repentance starting tomorrow. You really hurt that boy, Soyeon. You're lucky they're letting you off so easily."
A wail of frustration and anger bursts from Soyeon's tiny fox lungs before she throws herself out the door in a huff.
"Yuqi, dear, are you alright?" she hears Grandmother's voice ask softly as the door closes behind her.
"I'm okay," Yuqi answers quietly. "Soyeon was just defending me."
"I know she was," Grandmother answers. "And I'm proud of her for that, but she really hurt Wooseok, and even though what he said was out of line, she needs to face the consequence of her actions."
Yuqi doesn't respond and Soyeon can hear Grandmother sigh quietly, can imagine her cupping Yuqi's cheek with a gentle smile.
"Why don't you go outside and play for a while, huh?"
"Yes Gran," Yuqi murmurs.
The next thing Soyeon hears is the door opening and closing behind her before Yuqi settles quietly at her side.
"You don't need to sit here with me," Soyeon mumbles. "You're the one who got called a mutt, you're the last person who deserves to sit through any punishment."
"I don't mind," Yuqi says, glancing at her from the corner of her eye. "Not like there's many interesting things to do on my own anyway."
Lowering her gaze in an attempt to hide her smile, Soyeon doesn't miss the way Yuqi's tail wags gently behind her.
They're barely fourteen and fifteen when the village is attacked.
Yuqi's hand is sweaty in Soyeon's as she pulls her through the night. They run. As fast as they can and as hard as they can. Until the distant screams and shouts are lost to the winds behind them and the burning orange hue seeping into the sky of the night is no longer visible.
They don't stop running until Yuqi stumbles over a tree root and her legs give out beneath her.
"Soyeon-" she gasps, trying to push herself to her feet.
"Yuqi," Soyeon calls, leaning down to look her in the face. "We have to keep going."
"Soyeon. I think we're far enough away. I think we're okay. I think we can rest."
"No we can't, Yuqi! You have to get up!"
"Soyeon, we've been running for hours," Yuqi pants, barely managing to keep herself from falling face first into the dirt. "I can't... I can't go any further."
Soyeon studies her for a moment, eyes wildly darting between her panting form and the direction from which they came.
"Change," she says.
"Huh?"
"Change. Take your dog form. I'll carry you."
"Soyeon you can't carry me; you're exhausted too. We need to rest!" Yuqi cries.
"We can't rest, Yuqi!" she yells. "They'll catch us! They'll catch us and they'll kill us! We have to keep going!"
"Soyeon..." Yuqi cries. She hangs her head for a minute, before her body shrinks in on itself, and a small dog is left where the human girl had once been sitting.
Soyeon scoops her into her arms and takes off once more.
Yuqi drifts in and out of consciousness. Laden with exhaustion but unwilling to leave Soyeon alone in her current state, her body wars with her mind as her vision swims.
The sun is beginning to break over the horizon when Soyeon finally stumbles to a stop. Legs giving out from under her, she barely manages to keep a hold of Yuqi as they both go tumbling into the dirt.
"Soyeon!" Yuqi calls, wriggling free and retaking her human form. She scoops the older girl into her arms, cradling her to her chest as she lifts her from the dirt. "Are you okay?"
"We have to keep going," Soyeon murmurs. Feverishly. "We have to find someplace safe. We can't stay in the open like this."
"Soyeon, we're far enough away. We need to rest now." Yuqi cries.
"No, we have to keep going. They're going to catch us. They're going to finish us. They're not gonna let us get away again."
Suddenly, it clicks.
"Soyeon," Yuqi calls gently. "Soyeon, it's okay." She pulls the small girl into her arms, running a gentle hand over her back. "It's okay. I know you're scared. I am too. But we're okay. I know... I know our parents didn't... couldn't... but we did. We did, Soyeon. We're okay."
A quiet sob falls from Soyeon's chest as she clutches at Yuqi's back desperately. "They're gonna kill us."
"No, they won't. I won't let anything happen to you," Yuqi whispers, burying her face in the older girl's shoulder as Soyeon clutches her tighter. "I won't let them take you, Soyeon."
"I won't leave you," Soyeon sobs quietly in return.
Yuqi squeezes her eyes shut against the wave of tears she can feel threatening to spill over. "I love you, Soyeonie."
"I love you too, Woogie."
They learn to take care of each other.
They spend more of their time in their spirit forms. Living in the wild as they are, it makes things easier.
They'd learned a lot from Grandmother growing up. They're able to find a workable hovel, near enough to a flowing stream that they have easy access to water, but far enough that anything or anyone else who stops for a drink won't easily stumble upon them. They dig it out, opening a space enough for the two of them to sleep comfortably (in spirit or human form) with enough room left over for the meager tools and other assorted objects they manage to collect.
They manage relatively well, to their surprise. However, there's one area they have yet to excel in. Have yet to have any luck at all in, if they're being honest.
Hunting.
Soyeon's managed to nab them a rabbit or rodent here and there, but for the most part they're surviving off berries and other forageables. It's enough to keep Soyeon healthy, but they both know Yuqi needs more meat in her diet. She never complains though, more than happy for the meager offerings Soyeon manages to catch them. But Soyeon worries about her health.
It all comes to a head one day when the rabbit they'd been hunting evades Yuqi's carefully planned attack, skittering off into the bushes and disappearing from sight.
Yuqi howls in frustration, stamping her paw against the dirt. "I'm no good at this! Why can't I get it! What's wrong with me!"
"Yuqi..." Soyeon calls quietly. "It's alright. Hunting is a skill. It takes time. You're not going to be amazing at it from the start."
"But I'm not getting any better!" Yuqi wails. "I'm bringing us down! I've been nothing but dead weight!"
"Yuqi!" Soyeon chides. "Hey! You're not dead weight. Where is this coming from?"
"You've been doing everything for us and I can't even catch a simple meal!"
"Yuqi," Soyeon murmurs, stepping closer. "Don't ever think that you haven't been integral to our survival. I never could have made it this far without you. Okay? I need you to understand that."
"I'm sorry, Soyeon."
"It's alright," Soyeon whispers, nuzzling against the fur of her chest. "You'll get it. And even if you don't, that would be alright too. I take care of you and you take care of me, okay? That's how we survive."
"I take care of you and you take care of me," Yuqi whispers.
They make it to the end of winter before Soyeon falls ill.
"I'll take care of you," Yuqi whispers, running her fingers through Soyeon's sweaty hair.
She recalls the lessons Grandmother taught her about breaking fevers; collects water in a crude bowl they've made to keep cool cloths pressed against Soyeon's sweaty forehead, gathers the correct plants Grandmother had shown her to make a cleansing tea that she gently feeds to Soyeon every few hours.
The majority of their chores fall to her shoulders as Soyeon regains her health and she completes them with focused diligence.
Hunting still evades her, but she brings home an abundance of berries and fruits and nuts that she can gather from throughout the forest (as far as she’s willing to venture from their home while Soyeon lays defenseless inside).
Eventually the fever breaks and Yuqi breathes a sigh of relief.
It takes a while for her to fully recover, but they're both relieved when Soyeon regains enough strength to at least sit outside the hovel and enjoy the fresh air of the season.
She's lying outside their hovel on one of those warmer days when her fox senses pick up Yuqi's soft pattering steps. Her ear swivels in the direction of the noise, perplexed by the extra sound of what appears to be something dragging.
She raises her head, turning to watch the area in which Yuqi's struggling grunts can be heard growing closer.
It doesn't take long for Yuqi's reddened fur to break through the brush. Soyeon watching curiously as she drags something into the clearing behind her.
Soyeon pushes herself to her feet, watching in wonder as Yuqi drags the carcass of a small deer towards their home.
"Yuqi!" Soyeon exclaims. "What-"
"I caught it!" she announces, tail wagging proudly.
"You did?" Soyeon asks, taking a small step towards her as Yuqi deposits the catch at her feet.
"I did! I had to stalk it for a long time and wait for the best opportunity, but I did it, Soyeon! I caught us meat! I thought like the animal I was chasing!"
"You did good, Yuqi," Soyeon murmurs fondly, nuzzling at the fur of her chest. "I knew you could."
Yuqi's tail doesn't stop wagging for the rest of the night.
It's not the last time Yuqi drags something home.
Hunting comes easier to her after she makes her first catch, and having a fresh deer every week or so significantly helps take the stress about food down.
Soyeon is once again sitting outside the hovel dozing lightly when Yuqi comes into the clearing in her human form, dragging something behind her.
It's only been a day since she dragged her latest hunt home, so Soyeon's not entirely sure why she would be bringing another deer home so soon. Wastefulness is something Grandmother had taught them to never tolerate where they could.
Soyeon's ear twitches as she watches. Whatever it is Yuqi's dragging, it's not food. She's a little perturbed by this, but she says nothing for the moment, simply watching as the eager girl drags her findings closer and closer.
"Soyeonie!" she calls once she's close enough to catch sight of the small fox with her weak human eyesight. "Look! Look what I've found!"
She's close enough now that Soyeon can see that the object in question is a rather large chunk of tree bark. Clearly stripped from one of the larger trees of the forest. The ones that they couldn't reach the whole way around even if they took to their human forms and spread their arms out together as wide as possible.
"Why?" Soyeon asks, head tilting as she watches Yuqi struggle.
"Why!?" Yuqi parrots. "Look! Wait!"
She drags her large chunk of bark towards the group of sticks she'd been gathering, lashed together in a crude line. Soyeon watches as she fits the bark atop them, patiently and carefully securing it to the rest.
"Ta-da!" she calls when she finishes, arms thrown wide and hands gesturing proudly.
Soyeon stares blankly.
"Tsk," Yuqi clicks her tongue angrily, grabbing her bundle of sticks and propping it up against the entrance of their hovel. "It's a door! See?"
"Ooooh..." Soyeon trills. "Ahh."
"Lookit, lookit!" Yuqi exclaims, tripping over herself in her eagerness to show off her handiwork.
She spends several seconds dragging it open and pulling it closed. Proudly demonstrating its usefulness.
"How do we open it without hands?" Soyeon asks idly.
"Well... we can change into our human forms when we need to open and close it."
"Seems like a lot of work."
"It'll be nice to have in the cold months though," she chirps. "It'll help keep the heat in and the cold out."
This, Soyeon cannot argue with. They've made due through the past cold snaps by collecting pelts from the animals they kill for their meals, and snuggling close together in their spirit forms. But the cold winds do occasionally blow through the opening of their hovel and having something to block that intrusion maybe isn't such a bad idea.
Yuqi approaches her as she's considering this and her fingers trail gently through the fur of Soyeon's tail, swaying idly as she contemplates her thoughts.
Her gaze flickers to the invading touch, watching as Yuqi strokes her with a soft sort of wonder.
Normally Soyeon does not like to be touched by humans while in her spirit form, but something about the reverent way Yuqi caresses her has come to make her feel small and safe. A soft purr drifts out from her chest before she can stop it, and Yuqi's human eyes crinkle in happiness at the sound.
"Your tail is so fluffy," she murmurs. "Remember how you used to not let me touch it?"
"Mm..." Soyeon hums. "You were a clumsy-fingered child who didn't understand gentleness at the time."
"Pft, and you weren't?"
"I'm a year older than you."
"Oh please!" Yuqi laughs.
"And foxes are naturally more mature than dogs."
"They are not!" Yuqi barks.
Soyeon just laughs, enjoying the gentle strokes of her "clumsy" fingers as they continue to stroke through her tail.
Yuqi's gotten bigger.
They're laying outside their hovel, enjoying the evening sun, when Soyeon really takes note of it. Her gaze lands on Yuqi, whose face is turned up towards the warm breeze, and she studies her quietly. Eventually her eyes track to her paws, resting in the dirt in front of her as they lay stretched out beside each other, and she absently thinks to herself that Yuqi has finally grown into her feet.
It makes sense, Yuqi's not terribly bigger than Soyeon, but she has continued to grow after Soyeon herself seemed to have finished. Just like Grandmother said.
Soyeon's heart twinges vaguely at the memory. She thinks about what Grandmother might say if she could see them now. Wonders if she'd be proud of them.
"What're you thinking about?" Yuqi asks her quietly after a bit.
"Hm?" Soyeon hums, shaken from her thoughts as she meets those wide and shining eyes.
"You looked like you were deep in thought," Yuqi comments. "More so than usual, I mean."
A fondness blooms warmly in her chest as Soyeon holds Yuqi's inquisitive and caring gaze. "You've finally grown into your feet," she murmurs.
Yuqi's attention shifts to the paws in front of her, and she absently digs her toes into the dirt a few times as she studies them. "Hm." She huffs a quiet laugh. "I guess you're right."
"Still clumsy as ever though," Soyeon teases and Yuqi shoots her a glare before scrambling to her feet.
"Oh yeah? I'd watch what I was saying if I were you, little fox. You're a lot easier to catch with these right-sized paws now."
"Ahaha!" Soyeon titters, subtly pulling herself into position to spring away at a moment’s notice. "And here I thought all this time spent with clever foxes would have cured you of your dumb dog brain. Guess not."
A playful growl rips from Yuqi's throat as she launches herself after the laughing fox, but Soyeon's just as quick, and immediately takes off into the forest, laughing all the way.
They're sixteen and seventeen respectively when they share their first kiss.
They've been growing closer. In a different way. Eyes lingering a little longer when they take their human forms lately.
Soyeon had caught Yuqi's eyes lingering on her legs the last time they went down to the stream to bathe. The younger girl's cheeks had turned as red as her fur and she'd averted her gaze immediately, mumbling something about moving downstream for a better location.
And Soyeon would be lying if she said she hadn't caught her own eyes lingering around Yuqi's rear as she scuttled away.
There's always been an underlying attraction there. What was initially childlike curiosity slowly evolving into a more poignant sort of fascination as they came to age.
There's a reason Yuqi craved Soyeon's approval and attention.
There's a reason Soyeon never took much of an interest in the village boys.
They're out hunting when the sky suddenly breaks with a spring rainstorm, popping up from seemingly nowhere. And something about the rain brings out the playful side of them.
The desperate run home to get out of the rain turns into an impromptu game of chase, something they haven't played in years, and their laughter mixes, echoing through the trees and the rain.
A low rumble of thunder sounds just as Soyeon ducks beneath the sheltering leaves of one of the bigger trees near their home, Yuqi barreling into her after. The collision sends them both tumbling, laughter mixing with the quiet pattering of the rain. They wrestle playfully for a moment before Soyeon slips into her human form, Yuqi following.
She's pinned underneath the younger girl. Yuqi's hands on shoulders as she grins triumphantly down at her.
"Caught you!" Yuqi exclaims.
"No you didn't, I stopped running," Soyeon laughs.
"Well that's why I caught you!" Yuqi argues.
"It doesn't count as a win!"
"It does, too. You shouldn't have stopped running if you didn't wanna get caught!"
"Maybe I did wanna get caught," Soyeon says softly, eyeing the girl atop her fondly.
Yuqi's cheeks explode with a red hue as she holds the older girl's gaze before breaking eye contact with a quiet cough and helping her to her feet.
The thunder rumbles quietly again and they both glance out from beneath their shelter of leaves.
"How long do you think it'll last?" Yuqi asks softly.
"I dunno. Always hard to tell with spring storms," Soyeon murmurs. "We can give it a bit before trying to make it home."
Yuqi's gaze lingers as Soyeon brushes her wet hair away from her eyes.
"You're lovely... you know that?" she blurts out before she can stop herself.
Soyeon's eyes flick to hers in surprise, cheeks dusting with the prettiest blush Yuqi's ever seen.
"Y'know... I've always kind of had a crush on you," Yuqi whispers.
"That's a lie." Soyeon laughs.
"It isn't," Yuqi murmurs. "Part of the reason I wanted you to like me so bad was because you seemed so cool. And you were so pretty."
"I wasn't."
"You were. You are. You have no idea how lovely you are, Soyeon."
The older girl's cheeks bloom with a blush as her eyes dart around in an attempt to
hide from Yuqi's loving gaze.
"I've wanted to kiss you for so long, Soyeonie."
Her eyes dart back to Yuqi's, holding them in the dimming light of their room.
"So why haven't you?"
Yuqi opens her mouth, ready to respond, but the words die on her lips as she continues to hold Soyeon's gaze, reading the unspoken plea in her eyes. A quiet challenge.
Instead she pushes forward, fingers carding through the hair at the back of Soyeon's head to help pull her into her waiting lips.
It's a clumsy affair at first, both eager and inexperienced as they are, it takes them a moment to find a rhythm they both can follow. When they finally pull away, Soyeon presses her forehead into Yuqi's as they catch their breath.
"Well," Soyeon whispers. "Was it as good as you'd imagined?"
"Better," Yuqi murmurs, allowing them just a moment to hold each others' gaze before pulling her in once again.
They spend the rest of the night practicing.
In the summer months, they've taken to spending the nights in their human forms. Less fur means less overheating.
Soyeon's back is warm where it presses into Yuqi's side, curled in on herself as she is. Yuqi's gaze traces what she can see of her in the dark. Of the two of them, Soyeon seems to retain more of her spirit self when in human form. Soyeon would argue that it's the other way around, and Yuqi is the one to retain her more animalistic traits, but Yuqi begs to differ, as her eyes take in the curled and sleeping form of the tiny girl.
She sleeps the same way as a human as she does as a fox. Or as close as she can get at least. Human spines can't quite contort to the effect that a fox's can after all. But the way she lays, hands tucked delicately under her chin, spine curved into a gentle U, it all reflects the smaller form she typically sleeps as. And it brings an affectionate smile to Yuqi's face.
She leans forword, pressing a gentle kiss to Soyeon's shoulder before nuzzling her nose behind her ear.
Soyeon stirs, but only briefly, a quiet sound of protest falling from her lips before she curls herself a little tighter.
"I'm gonna go hunting," Yuqi murmurs, as she pulls away.
Soyeon hums quietly in reply. "Be careful," she calls hoarsely just before Yuqi slips from the shelter.
Yuqi still occasionally has nightmares.
Soyeon would be lying if she said she didn't have them occasionally now too.
But now, when she wakes up to Yuqi's quiet whining in the night, she takes her into her arms. Moulds her front to Yuqi's back as she pulls her close, enveloping her in her warmth, and sings softly the lullaby that Yuqi's mother used to sing to her when she was young. That Yuqi used to sing to her.
She settles right down every time.
It's the middle of summer, just at the tilting point where it begins its slow descent into autumn when their lives change again in the most unexpected way.
They've come to know their stretch of the forest as well as they know themselves. As well as they know each other.
They've met their share of threats in the wood, but they're good at knowing which fights to pick and which to hide from until they pass.
They're on the outskirts of their territory, their latest hunting session drawing them a bit further than where they typically prowl. Neither of them are on too high alert. The forest is rather quiet today, hence why they've ventured outside of their preferred grounds to begin with.
As quiet as the forest is, it's still very chillingly noticeable the moment it goes silent.
They both come to stop, ears pricked and muscles tense.
Soyeon's nose twitches against the breeze, her eyes darting around the foliage before briefly meeting Yuqi's.
"Move!" she makes to warn, but her call is interrupted by a large creature bursting through the brush.
The predator is upon them before they can run, a giant grey wolf who stills at the sight of them before immediately taking a defensive stance. They're left with no choice.
Yuqi takes her own stance, fur at the back of her neck raising as she positions herself between the wolf and Soyeon, ready for whatever outcome they're about to face.
The wolf growls angrily, the hair on the back of her shoulders raising in warning as she prepares herself for a fight.
Yuqi's own growl rumbles out to meet her and Soyeon's heart races at the sound.
The wolf is so big and Yuqi is so small.
She can't lose Yuqi. She's all Soyeon has, Yuqi is her everything. Soyeon doesn't think she could survive without her at this point. She ignores her racing fox heart as she positions herself, slinking around Yuqi and preparing to throw herself into the fray in whatever way she needs to to help tip the scales of the fight in Yuqi's favor.
Just then, a small fox bursts through the brush, slipping between the legs of the wolf and piercing Yuqi and Soyeon with her gaze. The wolf stills, eyes flicking down to the fox as it studies the creatures before them. They seem to be having a silent conversation before the fox tentatively breaks away, advancing on Soyeon and Yuqi for a few short steps before shedding her fur and taking the form of a woman.
"Soyeon?" she asks softly, a familiar comforting voice. "Yuqi?"
Soyeon's ears perk up immediately and the quiet rumbling in Yuqi's chest falls silent as she picks herself up from her defensive stance.
In a burst of fur, Soyeon sheds her own fox form, Yuqi following, as they meet the girl human to human.
"Soojin?" Yuqi breathes in disbelief.
"Sooj..." Soyeon whispers, voice breaking off halfway through.
The moment hangs in the air for what feels like both an eternity and a half second before they're both being enveloped in a pair of arms and pulled into Soojin's desperate embrace.
"Oh gods! Thank the gods," she exhales. "Thank the gods, I thought- I didn't- I can't believe-"
Her arms wrap around their shoulders, pulling them into her as she cries. Yuqi's fingers curl at the back of her shoulder blade, mindful not to hurt her, but clutching as desperately as she can. Soyeon's face presses into her collarbone, a quiet sob leaving her own lungs as her hands wrap tightly around the two bodies beside her.
"I didn't think you'd made it out," Soojin cries, "I thought they'd..."
"How?" Yuqi's own voice is thick with tears as she responds, pulling her foxes closer desperately. "We didn't think anyone else... how?" she asks, voice giving out.
Eventually they pull themselves apart, wiping quietly at the tracks of tears streaking down all their faces. There's a fourth girl standing just off behind them as they separate. The wolf no longer anywhere to be found. Her amber eyes study them curiously.
"Shuhua," Soojin calls softly. "This is Soyeon and Yuqi, they were... we lived in the same village. They also managed to escape the night we were attacked. Apparently."
Shuhua's head dips in response.
"Sorry for trying to turn you into wolf food."
The last of the tension breaks, and they all break into overwhelmingly relieved laughter. The three of them can't quite seem to keep their eyes or hands off each other, clinging and lingering as if to make up for the years of separation.
"Soojin, what... how? How are you here right now? What happened?" Soyeon eventually asks.
"Those of us who got out managed to make our way to another village," Soojin explains. "Not a fox village, but a village full of misplaced spirits. I think it's probably where your parents were trying to get to, Yuqi. That’s where I met Shuhua. Her pack had been attacked, suffered great loss, and came to the village to seek refuge as they rebuilt."
Soyeon's eyes dart to Yuqi at the information, and she lifts a hand to tangle her fingers with the younger girl's own as she stares at Soojin, seemingly in shock. They'll have to unpack that one later. "A whole village?" she asks for the both of them.
"Yeah, I'd never seen so many spirits living together in one place in such harmony like that before. It's truly an incredible sight."
"You don't live there anymore?" Soyeon asks quietly.
"No," Shuhua answers. "They're still there and we visit sometimes, but... after what happened to your village, Soojin's understandably more comfortable... living in less populated areas."
"Hm," Yuqi hums.
"We live with our friends, Miyeon and Minnie, in a homestead tucked away in the slope of the mountains, just north of here."
"Oh," Soyeon murmurs. "I think... I can understand that."
"What about you two?" Soojin asks. "Where have you been all this time?"
"We have a small hovel a couple miles from here," Yuqi says.
"You've been alone all this time?" Soojin asks, darting between the two of them.
They murmur a quiet confirmation.
A soft chuckle drifts from her chest as she reaches her hands up, each one cupping one of their cheeks. "Honestly... why am I not surprised. If anyone could pull together and survive alone in this world like that, of course it'd be you two."
Their faces melt into a pair of gentle smiles, both of them eyeing the girl before them as if afraid that she'll disappear the moment they look away.
"You should come stay with us," she says, thumbs stroking their cheeks. "There's more than enough room for two more if you'd like."
Yuqi and Soyeon's eyes meet, and they carry out a silent conversation before Soyeon turns, taking Soojin's hands in her own.
"We'd love that, Soojin, really. Just let us gather up our belongings and we'll come. Can we meet you back here? Tomorrow?"
"Yes!" Soojin breathes, "Shuhua and I will meet you here at midday."
"Perfect." Soyeon smiles.
It's hard to pull themselves away from each other. After so much time spent apart, believing one another to be dead. But Soyeon and Yuqi must gather their belongings, as meager as they are, and Soojin and Shuhua must go notify their friends that they're about to receive two new roommates, and begin preparing a space for them.
They part with lingering eyes and quiet promises to see each other soon.
They're quiet during the trek back to their home. Thoughtful. Each of them attempting to sort through the tangled mess of emotions that have overcome them in the last couple hours.
It's nearing dark when they arrive, and they both slip through their makeshift door to their makeshift bed in silence.
They stay in their spirit forms, unusual for them in the summer heat like this but the raw emotions of the day leaving them feeling vulnerable and small. They tuck themselves beneath the furs and pelts they've gathered and curl around each other tightly.
"I can't believe Soojin is alive," Yuqi murmurs quietly.
"I know," Soyeon answers.
"How many others do you think made it?"
"I don't know." They're quiet for a moment, thoughtful, before Soyeon adds, "We'll have to ask Soojin to take us there when she gets the chance."
They fall silent once more, and Soyeon feels the tug of sleep pulling at her, but she can tell the gears of Yuqi's mind are still turning.
"Do you think they'll be happy to see us?" she eventually asks quietly.
Soyeon's eyes blink open (she's not entirely sure when she closed them) and she eyes the shadowed figure of her love for a moment. The acceptance of her pack has always been very important to Yuqi as a dog spirit, this she knows.
"I think they will be," she begins, carefully gathering her thoughts. "And if they're not, it doesn't matter. We don't need anyone but each other, I think we've more than proven that."
"Yeah," Yuqi murmurs. "D'you think Soojin's friends are nice? The wolf seemed nice."
Letting out a quiet chuckle, Soyeon nuzzles deeper into the warmth of Yuqi's side. "I think they must be, if Soojin has deemed them worthy of her company. I also think we should try and get some sleep, so we're not cranky and exhausted when we meet them tomorrow."
"Sorry," Yuqi says sheepishly. "It's just... a lot to think about all of a sudden."
"I know, baby."
They fall quiet again, and Soyeon's once again flirting with the edge of sleep when Yuqi's soft voice breaks the silence one final time; "I love you, Soyeonie."
"I love you too, Woogie."
Soyeon awakes to an empty bed the following morning, though her senses tell her Yuqi has not gone far.
Stretching, she returns to her human form and slips out into the dewy morning in search of her lover.
She's not far off, standing a handful of paces from their makeshift door, eyes locked on the sunrise.
"Y'know..." she says as Soyeon approaches. "I'm gonna miss this place, I think."
"We can always come back," Soyeon answers quietly.
"Yeah..." Yuqi murmurs. "I guess."
Soyeon's hand slides around her waist as she tugs Yuqi backwards, pressing herself into her back. "Think of it as someplace we can go when we want to get away. Our own private hideaway. It'll be here, waiting for us." Her lips press into Yuqi's cheek gently. Then she's pulling away, but not before catching Yuqi's earlobe between her teeth with a brief tug.
"Soyeon," Yuqi asks quietly, catching her wrist and tugging her back around herself.
"Hmm?" Soyeon hums, resting her chin along the slope of her shoulder.
"Do you think... Gran's proud of us?"
They watch the sunrise in silence as Soyeon ponders her question.
"I think..." she eventually murmurs, still drawing up her thoughts. "I think they all are, Yuqi. Grandmother... my parents... your parents. I believe they're all watching over us. Guiding us."
"Yeah..." Yuqi murmurs. "Maybe they helped lead us back to Soojin."
A soft smile touches Soyeon's face as her gaze turns to take in the girl beside her. "Maybe they did."
They've got a long morning ahead of them. Picking through their belongings, deciding what to take and what to leave behind, and making their way across the forest to the area where they'd met Soojin and Shuhua yesterday, then whatever journey they need to make after that to get to where Soojin and Shuhua live with their friends.
None of that matters right now though, as they hold one another and watch the sunrise through the quiet trees.
They're together.
They're safe.
They made it.
Everything else can wait for a little while.