Chapter Text
Living on the outskirts of the city wasn't really your plan, never was. But when you received that scholarship to study at the most prestigious university in the state? Of course you didn't say no. Finding a room to live in was difficult- but you found one. Relatively cheap, and affordable from the part time job you worked at. And hey- it was only a forest that you lived besides, right? Wasn't that bad. The city was so different from the city you came from. It was bigger, and more importantly- had different types of people. Werewolves, vampires... your city had been a closed knit community, mostly filled of humans.
Anyways, living next to the forest had some benefits, atleast. For example, you had managed to plant a few plants on the outskirts of the forest, and somehow, they had fared well. Today, you had some time after work to actually go check on the produce Well, time for some harvesting.
The sun was settling for the day, the sky painted in vivid tones of orange and yellow. It looked ethereal, almost like a shot from a cinematic movie. You snapped a picture of the sky, feeling a little joyous from inside at the imagery.
Right now, the forest starts to grow quieter. After all, you were accustomed to it after having spent nearly 4 months here. You didn't intend to live here initially- at the outskirts of the city, but you didn't exactly regret it either. It's peaceful. And it's not like you lived in the forest- you were relatively safe. You had unexpected visits from curious deers sometimes, making for an adorable sight.
Anyways, you grabbed your basket, putting on some proper covering and then a few weapons just in case. A gun. You've never had to use it so far, and you don't intend to today.
Stepping into the forest, each step is filled with the satisfying crunch of a leaf. You knew the spots for the plants you wanted, and some of which you had planted. You walked to them, finding them bustling with fruits. After all- you hadn't been here in a few weeks.
Unfortunately, the tomatoes were hollow in a lot of places. Damn those birds. But the other vegetables, such as beans, okras, eggplants, and some peppers had been doing well. You quickly pluck them off their respective plants, your basket filling up with veggies. You felt proud, after all it was an accomplishment that all these plants had been doing well.
Then, suddenly, you smelled a strong scent. Not of any plant you knew. No, it was... blood. Some animal, who was bleeding. You then heard grunts, and pained winces.
You shouldn't stray too far into the forest. That's basically a death trap. But- the grunts and hisses... you cursed under your breath as you walked deeper into the forest. The path was narrower, more stuffed with bushes and plants. Still, you persevered.
Then, you suddenly found the source of the sound. It wasn't just some animal- no. It was a... wolf..? What's a wolf doing out here? They typically lived much, much deeper in the forests...
Neverminding the confusion, you quietly head forward. The wolf's head snapped to yours, and you froze like a deer in headlights. It growled, loudly. You trembled.
You could see the wound. It was a nasty gash on its leg, bleeding like a fountain. The forest floor was covered with it, and if you knew anything, the wolf would die. Either due to bloodloss or due to the predators its attracting.
"....calm down. I'm not gonna hurt you..." You whispered, taking a step closer. He growled again.
"Calm down! You're gonna die if you keep making noises." You kept speaking, as if it was understanding you somehow.
Suddenly, a weird flash of energy surrounded it. As the mist cleared, you saw not a wolf- but a man. A man with a long mullet type haircut, two big wolf ears perked on top. The ears were drooping, obviously due to the pain. Amethyst eyes met yours, brows furrowed and scared. He kept trying to growl, but to no avail.
His tail lied matted on the floor, claws outstretched. You were closer than ever before with a werewolf, but you didn't know what to do.
"I can help you if you stop fighting. Or I can walk away and you can try and fend off the animals.." You crossed your arms, giving him an ultimatum, trying to gather whatever courage you have.
The man paused, breathing hard and heavy. He closed his eyes, letting out a deep breath. He finally relaxed, closing his eyes and resting his head against the tree. One eye peeked open at you, gesturing at his leg.
You walked forward, your steps more urgent. Once close enough, you kneeled down, eyeing the gash on his calf. A look of revulsion passed over you. It looked bad. Having less time as the seconds ticked by, you looked around the forest, hoping to find something atleast.
There- a medicinal herb. You ran to the plant, taking off several leaves. You brought them back, then tore off a piece of your own shirt. The cool air kissed your skin, making you shiver, yet you didn't falter. You dabbed the plant into the wound, making him howl in pain. You flinched, apologetically.
"Sorry, I'm sorry... I need to apply this..."
Soon, you were wrapping the leaves around his leg, then wrapped the cloth around it. The bleeding had stemmed, for now. The man looked utterly exhausted. You sighed, tilting his chin up, gently rubbing his arm.
"Hey." You muttered. "Can you get up? We need to get you away from here... you're attracting predators...."
His eyes opened again, amethyst orbs staring blankly at you. He nodded slightly, and you swung an arm around him. You supported most of his weight, carrying him about half a kilometer away, deeper into the forest. You stopped when he started wincing, resting him down. The foliage here was thick, canopy preventing any light from entering. It was also nighttime. Predators lurked at every corner. You were deathly afraid. Most certainly he had felt you shaking as you brought him next to a tree trunk, making him sit.
You then took a few steps back. He sat there, silent. You hid from view, kept the gun trained at the surroundings, just incase. You didn't know what to do anymore- you had to leave soon, or else you'd be too much in danger.
Then, you heard running. Within a minute, several wolves appeared, eyeing him. Terrified, you aimed the gun right at them. But instead of charging at the vulnerable wolf, they walked gently, lowering their heads. Their muzzles tapped against his cheek, the others working on lifting him up. His pack, maybe. They were growling and grunting, nosing him, sniffing him.
Realising he was safe, you took off. The wolves didn't follow. And you went home, getting there safely. You made sure to lock the doors extra tightly, only falling asleep due to exhaustion.
Three days had passed since that day.
You hadn't returned to the forest, not once. Instead, you poured your energy into your studies. But even then, when the moment got too quite, your thoughts went to him. Would he be okay now? You surely hoped that your makeshift bandage had kept the leg safe until he pack treated it properly.
Today, this was happening during lunch. Luckily, your friend- Tara, who had been sitting next to you, elbowed you. Your gaze flickered to her. You had met her in one of your classes, and she had stuck with you after that.
She raised her eyebrow, poking your cheek.
"What's wrong? You're so distracted."
You sighed, rubbing the back of your neck.
"I don't know... I just... something happened in the forest next to my home. Got me thinking..."
Tara's eyes widened in curiousity, and she leaned closer, inquisitive. You told her the whole ordeal- of finding that werewolf, having helped him. After it was done, she leaned back, resting her cheek on her curled fist.
"You helped a wolf? Not knowing if it would hurt you? You're surely not that stupid-"
"I- hey..! It... it looked like it was in a lot of pain, okay. I didn't know it was going to be a werewolf..."
"Uh huh. Well, if what you said- about his pack finding him, he'll be okay. I mean, they heal fast anyways."
"Oh... they do? Then uhm... hopefully he's okay."
"Yeah. Anyways, have you heard about..."
Tara diverted the topic, and you listened. You felt way better- if they healed fast, then maybe he'd be okay. No point in wondering anymore, you spent the day hanging out with Tara. Just as you pass by the notice board, you see something highlighted in big bold letters.
"Clubs and Associations start today! Find yours at the gym!"
Tara's eyes widened, and she grabbed your hand, tugging you along. "Come on! We should go get in early- what if they fill out or?" She rushed, basically running through the halls. You giggled, following her with the same pace.
Inside the gym, it was bustling. There were stands and desks everywhere, with a few people standing behind each. On top of each stand or desk was the name of the clubs. Some people stood idly, handing out pamphlets. You took a few, reading through them. Tara gasped excitedly.
"Fencing! Hey, let's meet back here okay?" She held both of your hands, her eyes glimmering in the light. "I'm gonna go sign up and stuff-"
With that, she took off, leaving you alone. You wandered through the crowd, reading through the clubs, being interested in some. You saw a lot of werewolves, some faes, vampires, and much more. You felt almost intimidated.
Finally, you stumbled upon a club you did want to join. Volleyball. You stepped towards the table, nodding your head at the person sitting. She stood up, eyeing you up and down, smiling.
"Hey, you're interested?"
You nodded, mumbling. "I've played it a bit at school. Uhm, I'm not like that good but..."
She shook her head, extending a hand. "Simone."
You shook her hand, telling her your name. She sat back down, speaking in a quieter tone to comfort you.
"Don't worry about not being good, okay? We all start somewhere."
"Ah... thank you. I... can you tell me... more?"
She nodded, taking out a few papers to tell you more details about the clubs. There were two timeslots, where you could play. Luckily, one of them matched up with your few hours, so you felt even more hopeful. After a bit of talking, you finally felt comfortable enough to sign up.
"I think I want to sign up. Where do I...?"
"Right here." She slides over a paper. "Just your name, student ID number, mobile number and signature. We'll add you to a groupchat, okay?"
"Yes, okay.."
That's how you ended up here.
Inside a gym room, behind a volleyball net. In a uniform. Scanning the room, Simone stood at front, reading through the clipboard and her assistant running around arranging things. Others around you were chatting, excited about the first day of the club.
"I don't even know the positions of volleyball, I just watched Haikyuu-"
"Wait you too? I thought I was the only one like that..."
You heard the chatting from the bench besides you, chuckling silently. Just then, your phone pinged, a message from Tara highlighting your screen.
From: Tara!!
"Goodluck on your practice today!!"
"You're gonna kill it , fs :D"
You smiled at the encouragement, sending her a quick message of gratitude. Right then, an exasperated gasp left Simone's lips.
"You're kiddinggg," She pinched the bridge of her nose. "Seriously? They did that again?"
Everyone looked up, confused at the sudden irritation. She calmed down, looking around, apologetically. "Sorry. The university tends to mess up the rooms for volleyball and basketballs. We got basketballs instead of volleyballs, again."
You chuckled slightly, followed by others chuckling. Simone pushed the box of basketballs forward, when someone else asked,
"Can't we just play with these? Does it really affect anything?"
Simone looked slightly more annoyed. Before she could say anything, you spoke up first. "No... basketballs are like, way heavier. It'll break our hands." You stood up, heading to Simone. "I... I can get the volleyballs, uh... where... are they kept?"
A look of relief passed through her face, as she instructed you on where to go. You hauled up the boxes, and started walking down the hall. Right at the end of it, outside, was the courtyard. You saw some players warming up, so it probably meant most of them were in the locker room. Walking towards it, you heard the voices get louder and more rowdy. You kept the box down, and knocked. You heard the laughter die down, and then a set of footsteps approach the door.
Your eyes met amethyst ones, who looked curious. His hair was straight, slightly messy. He wore a lose basketball shirt, and some shorts. And wolf ears. A werewolf? Wait-
Before you could ponder further, he tilted his head down, and asked calmly.
"Yes?"
His voice was warm, carrying a boyish charm that made you feel more relaxed. You looked up at him, then pointed down at the box.
"Uh... I'm from the volleyball... club. We think that maybe you guys got the volleyballs, since we had basketballs..."
His eyes widened before narrowing.
"Huh? They did that again?" He chuckled, "Give me a second."
He then head inside the locker room, keeping the door slightly ajar. He came back soon enough, holding a key, dangling it. He walked past you, unlocking the door next to you. Inside, it were several boxes, lined up on different shelves. A storage room, you guessed. He put his hands on his hips, looking at the boxes.
Pulling one open, he spoke up. "Found it! They did mess it up again."
He brought the box back out, taking the one you had brought instead. He stored it away, then locked the door. You hauled up the new box, bowing your head thankfully.
"Thank you for the help."
He shook his head, waving his hand dismissively. "Hey, no worries, yeah? You need help carrying it?"
You looked up, shaking your head. "No, thank you. I hope you have a good day."
You quickly walked away. Heart racing. That had to be the werewolf from the forest, right? He looked better, definitely. But clearly- he didn't remember you. And you didn't really care enough to let him know. He was clearly vulnerable back then, so maybe he'd be embarrassed? Maybe he'd just ignore you. You felt content with knowing he was okay.
But a part of you did want to go and see if was actually okay.
So, you formed a plan. If he is from the basketball team, then you could simply drop by and see if he was playing. If he was, then surely everything is good.
A smile grew on your face, and you head back to the volleyball team.