Chapter Text
The human world was stupid, illogical and unfair. Jongho had known this all his life, from the very beginning. Even as a tiny kitten at his mother's side, he understood that everything that happened around him was wrong and cruel. There was no way humans could not understand this. And even if they didn't before, the birth of Jongho should have told them. Hybrids were born only where animals needed help and a mediator between them and humans.
The fact that he was immediately taken away from his mother and hidden was a clear indication that humans simply did not care. They did not want to do anything. They did not care that the animals suffered in unbearable conditions, they only cared about profit.
With his mind Jongho understood that he should be grateful even for the simple fact that he was left alive at all, but he did not feel capable of feeling gratitude to those through whose fault he was deprived of his family, a normal life and the opportunity to fulfill his purpose. Jongho felt many times happier when he was living alone on the streets, terrorizing the neighborhoods around the zoo, than when he was raised in a closed, dark room in the middle of nowhere, and that said a lot.
Of course, now everything was immeasurably better. Jongho was nineteen and had been living in the kennel, along with other hybrids with similar fates, for three years. His purpose had been fulfilled, even though no one in his family had lived to see it. He had even managed to finish school, although he did not particularly like the process, and now he had to free up his place in the kennel and go out into the world, to find a new purpose in life and become a worthy member of society.
There was one small «but». Jongho did not want the life that was offered to him, did not see himself in it. He did not want socialization either, and fought it with all available methods. He preferred to live in his natural form most of the time, did not allow anyone to touch him and behaved wildly when communicating with strangers. He never attacked the workers or hybrids living there, but the volunteers suffered from his claws regularly. As a result, he was forbidden to go outside without supervision and a leash. Staff feared that he might start attacking passers-by. Jongho did not like going outside from the beginning, but after this condition he stopped doing it altogether.
During the first year, Jongho tried to make friends among the local hybrids, but they all left him after a couple of months and never visited him again. After a dozen such breakups, Jongho no longer had the desire to meet new people. They would leave him anyway, so what was the point of trying?
He had hoped that they would simply send him into the forest, that would have been a fine option. But no, hybrids couldn't survive in the wild, they said. Humans had no right to tell him where he could and couldn't survive. It wasn't their business. But all humans did was tell him what to do.
And that's why they were going to give him up for re-training. Him, Jongho. To some human he'd never met.
The kennel staff must have hated this one, otherwise why the hell would they have condemned him to such a horrible fate?
It was none of his business anyway. Jongho wasn't going to pretend to try. They would have to release him into the wild, sooner or later.
Rather sooner. It was unlikely that a human could stand him for more than a few days.
🐾🐾🐾
The day had started out badly. Jongho was sleeping in his cozy corner under the bed when he was unceremoniously dragged out by the scruff of his neck and shoved into a carrier. Jongho only had time to hiss and hit the door with his paw. The paw responded with a dull pain. The carrier was big, hard and unloved. It was his personal one, but he was categorically not allowed near it until he was inside.
Jongho was inside often. Too often, in his personal opinion. Few wanted to deal with his intractability and intolerance for events like doctor's examinations or, God forbid, grooming, so most often they simply dragged him in by force. The same applied to attempts at socialization.
This time, however, everything was a little different. The carrier wobbled especially strongly, as if the one carrying it was in a hurry, and there was his stuff in his other hand – he saw the familiar backpack, very new and almost unworn. Jongho felt the anxiety tightening into a lump in his chest and hid in the far corner of the carrier, closing his eyes. He really was being given to someone. To an unknown person with whom he would be left one on one.
Jongho didn't want to admit it, but he was scared. He didn't like this place, but at least it was familiar. He had a room, he knew the rules, he knew the locals. What would happen there, he didn't know.
The best option would be if he managed to escape along the way.
Jongho was going over the options in his head in panic when the carrier was suddenly placed on a hard surface. He huddled tighter into himself. What would happen next was unclear. He had just been told that he would be «sent for re-education» and that whoever would re-train him knew his job and would «knock the arrogance out of him» in a couple of weeks. They hadn't even named a date. He convinced himself that everything would be fine and that no human was scary to him, but the closer he got, the less he believed it.
Especially when he heard a man's voice, angry, low, almost growling.
“What the hell is this?”
Jongho tried very hard to be small and inconspicuous. His tail wasn't long enough for him to hide his face, so he hid it in his side, curling up into a ball.
“Choi Jongho, nineteen years old, Pallas's cat. You were filling out paperwork, didn't you?” the second voice answered irritably. One of the volunteers. Jongho didn't remember their names.
“Are you kidding me?” Jongho couldn't hide more, but he would have tried if he could. “Jongho-ssi, I deeply apologize for the inconvenience. I had no idea that your center was staffed by idiots.”
Jongho flinched, opening his eyes. The unknown person was addressing… him? And like this too?
The lock clicked quietly. He heard a panicked scream.
“No! Don't open it!” the volunteer's voice was clearly filled with fear. Jongho felt a dark satisfaction. He had probably scratched this one with his claws once or twice. “Do you know how hard it was to put him in there?! He'll run away! Who will catch him then, you?”
The unknown man's voice became even more angry, but it was now obvious that he wasn't angry at Jongho.
“Of course it fucking was!” he barked, judging by the sound, pushing the volunteer aside. “You shouldn't be doing this at all! This is a rehabilitation center for hybrids who have survived severe emotional trauma! Intelligent beings, not wild animals! And you even talk as if it isn't right here! Who even hired someone like you?!”
“He's acting like a wild animal!” the volunteer shouted back, not at all ashamed. “Please, do whatever you want. But I won't help you to catch him! You can complain about your injuries to someone else later. I'm a volunteer, I don't even get paid for this.”
There was the familiar sound of a door opening. Jongho turned his head warily. The man was right there, kneeling in front of his carrier. He could see his knees and palms, but his face was higher up. Jongho really wanted to escape. And he could. But if he did, he would just prove the volunteer right. And where would he run anyway?
“Don't worry, Jongho-ssi,” the man's voice was much softer now. He was talking to him. Jongho still had trouble comprehending it. “No one will touch you.”
Jongho slowly rose to his feet and took a step towards the exit. Another one, then another. No one jumped on him. Which was also surprising, actually.
He walked out of his cage, tense and ready to run at any second, and warily looked up. The man was sitting on the floor, big and smiling. A black beanie pulled down over his ears, pleasant facial features: thin lips, straight nose, light, almost golden brown eyes. He had been behaving peacefully enough all this time, but something about him made Jongho tense up with his whole body. Maybe it was his size. Or maybe he was just used to being wary of people.
Before Jongho could take a good look at him and decide what to do, the man dropped down completely, laying face down on the not very clean floor, exposing his neck and face to him. There was a frightened gasp from somewhere behind them.
“My name is Jeong Yunho,” the man introduced himself, “nice to meet you, Jongho-ssi. I work with predatory hybrids, so my smell may cause discomfort. You can sniff me if this gesture is comfortable for you. It will make it easier.”
Was that because of the smell? Jongho approached cautiously. Before that, people had only offered him to sniff their palms. It was all very strange, but he was not going to refuse. He came closer, sniffing in with interest. From the hat, from under which a strand of black hair stuck out, and lower, to the defenseless neck. Yunho lay motionless, allowing him to study him properly.
He smelled very unusual. A mixture of smells of different animals, mostly predators, some of which Jongho smelled for the first time, but some he knew well. For example, the musky smell of large cats. Yeah, if Yunho worked with hybrids like these, Jongho would be like a kitten to him. They didn't have any of those here, only domesticated and herbivorous ones.
Jongho had just reached his neck when he heard a frightened cry from behind him, followed by hurried footsteps.
He only managed to turn around and freeze in place, scared and confused, but Yunho was not confused at all. A second later he was already sitting next to him, holding one hand on Jongho's back.
“Are you… okay?” Jongho looked up. It was Soyeon. Not a volunteer, a local worker. Quite a nice woman overall.
“Of course. We were just getting to know each other,” Yunho explained. There was a smile in his voice. Jongho didn't know a smile could be heard so clearly. “By the way, I have some questions for your administrator. I'll send the details via email, so please forward it to him directly, without further ado, okay? My man will visit you next week.”
“O-okay,” Soyeon hesitated slightly. Her voice sounded surprised. “But what… How could you… I've known Jongho for years, and he's never let anyone touch him.”
Jongho sullenly looked back. He wouldn't have allowed Yunho to do this either, but the situation was different. He wasn't grabbing him out of a desire to pet the big fluffy cat, he was trying to protect him. No unnecessary movements were made.
“That's exactly the issue I need to discuss with your administrator,” Yunho said calmly. “Jongho-ssi is acting much more sensibly than the reports said. I believe the problem wasn't him all along,” Soyeon opened her mouth, but he interrupted her, raising his voice, “no, let's not argue about that now, we'll discuss it later. I have other things to do now. Jongho-ssi?”
He raised his head. Yunho removed his hand from his back and tilted his head to the side.
“It will be easier for both of us if you'd shift. But if you feel more comfortable this way, we can think of something else.”
There was no pressure, again. Jongho was starting to feel a catch. No one had ever spoken to him like this. Still, he decided to act as decently as possible, just to irritate the volunteer still hanging around in the corner of the room.
He moved away, shifted and rose to his feet, squirming uncomfortably. All he had on were soft pajamas with a hole in the pants for his tail. One of his favorites, but not particularly appropriate for the occasion.
“Why are you in your pajamas?” Yunho asked him point-blank, looking him over. Jongho only now noticed his clothes: black jeans and a dark blue sweater. A bit too warm for early autumn.
“Because I was sleeping,” Jongho replied, frowning at the volunteer. The boy tensed and took a step back, hiding behind Soyeon. “They put me in a carrier straight from… from my bed."
“From under the bed. Because you don't sleep on it,” the volunteer immediately intervened. Jongho bared his teeth and took a step toward him. Someone's hand fell on his shoulder. Jongho sharply turned, throwing it off and growling lowly.
It was Yunho, of course. Jongho froze in fear, pressing his ears to his head. He wasn't going to snap at this seemingly pleasant person. He had hoped that he would be understanding enough to let him go into the forest without any problems, but if he irritated him, that was unlikely to happen.
“You need to stop letting random people handle delicate situations like this,” Yunho said sternly, clearly addressing Soyeon, “This particular «volunteer» is doing more harm than good to your charges. If everyone here is like this, it's surprising that you have any successful cases at all. Jongho-ssi, come with me. You need to change.”
And Jongho went, feeling even more confused than before. This whole meeting was not going as he thought. He no longer had even a rough idea of what to expect from the future.
🐾🐾🐾
The trip was not what Jongho had expected. They had only just stepped out, and he had already regretted ten times that he had refused Yunho's offer to wear the disguise that he had brought just for him
Jongho thought it would be a long, tedious journey in a carrier on the backseat of a car into the distant unknown. Half an hour or an hour, something like that. He hadn't even imagined that Yunho wouldn't have a car. And certainly hadn't thought that their wrists would be fastened with bracelets and a chain, reminiscent of strange handcuffs. Yunho said that this was required by law, since Jongho didn't yet have permission to go out alone, but he did have a «dangerous predator» label. Yunho kept their documents at hand and showed them to the police officers who came to ask if everything was okay. There were already three of them, and they had only been walking for half an hour.
This whole walk was terribly unpleasant. Jongho tried to stay as close to Yunho as possible, hiding behind his back and pressing his tail to his legs. People stared at him. He completely forgot that hybrids were rare. Especially ones like him. Most were domestic animals, like cats, dogs, or cows. It was good that he looked close to an ordinary cat.
At least that's what he thought until they got on the bus.
This was the first time Jongho had ever used public transportation. Before that, he had only ever been transported by car, and even then, he had been safely sealed off from the world by the carrier he hated. Now though, the carrier didn't seem like such a bad option.
People were everywhere. Jongho tried to keep track of them all, but he just couldn't keep up. They were staring, whispering, some even pointing fingers at them. And then someone grabbed his tail.
Jongho turned around, growling at the insolent someone in an insulted tone, but he didn't have time to do anything. Yunho had already grabbed his arms and pressed him to himself, leading him away and endlessly apologizing to the people around. Jongho continued to growl and hiss, baring his teeth and pressing his ears to his head. He wasn't ashamed and he wasn't going to apologize. He didn't care who grabbed him, what was important was the fact itself. He wasn't going to tolerate it.
As it turned out, his fangs and the sounds he made were no longer so similar to those of a normal house cat. By the time Yunho found a comfortable spot for them in the far corner of the bus, the people around him began to look at him with fear instead of curiosity. Jongho was fine with that. They were supposed to be the ones who were afraid, not him.
Despite the fact that they were completely alone in this corner, Yunho was in no hurry to let him go, continuing to squeeze his wrists tightly until the very end of the journey. Jongho would never admit it out loud, but he didn't mind. The low growl in his chest did not subside, the fur on his tail pressed to his legs bristled in all directions, his heart pounded loudly in his chest and Yunho was the only one he could rely on. He could not calm down completely, because he had known Yunho for less than an hour, but it was better than nothing.
By the time they got off the bus, Yunho was holding his hand tightly, intertwining their fingers, and Jongho was holding his hand back, his other hand clinging to his elbow. He felt like the ride had lasted at least an hour, and he hated every second of it. He hoped that this would be the end of their journey, but he was in for an unpleasant surprise. Instead of taking him to his apartment, or another kennel – whatever, Jongho didn't care anymore – Yunho took him to the train station.
They were supposed to go on a train. On a train. Where was he even taking him?!
Luckily, when they arrived at the station, the right train was not there yet and he had time to prepare himself mentally and physically.
Jongho had never been on a train before, and he was not eager to get on it. Especially in this form. He refused the offered snack and a walk to the restroom, not wanting to feel vulnerable in such a frightening place, but still found the strength to ask Yunho for help. Yunho listened to the request, agreed, promised to sort everything out, and led Jongho to one of the inconspicuous corners of the station building, covering him with himself and removing the handcuffs.
In theory, this was a real chance to escape. In practice, he suspected that Yunho was not that easy to run from. Besides, Jongho had no idea where they were. Running into the unknown would be complete idiocy. So, he did not make any sudden movements, calmly shifted and stood on his hind legs, allowing the human to pick him up.
It was still a long way off from winter, so he didn't weigh much, but he was still bigger than a normal Pallas's cat. Carrying all of his things (even though there weren't many) and his seven kilograms of weight wasn't easy. Yunho, however, didn't look like he felt the change at all. He settled Jongho on his shoulders, made sure he was comfortable, and placed the cuff under his paw, lengthening the chain. Jongho obediently placed his paw in the ring, holding it in place.
Sitting on someone else's shoulders was uncomfortable. Yunho stood for a few minutes, letting him find a comfortable position, then slowly walked from side to side. Jongho hugged Yunho's shoulder with his front paws, while his back legs held on to the other, and leaned on his head. The cuff bracelet dangled on his front paw, his back paws slid, and the whole situation felt dangerous and unpleasant, but it was still much better than when he was on two legs and everyone was staring at him.
“You can sit on your own seat on the train,” Yunho promised, holding him by the chest. Jongho eagerly leaned on the offered hand. The man laughed quietly, scratching him under the chin. “Or you can stay on my shoulders or sit on my lap, I won't mind. If it'd be more comfortable this way”
Jongho growled, low and displeased, but didn't hiss or fight. He really would be more comfortable on a familiar lap than on an unfamiliar seat. He didn't want to move away from Yunho until they were somewhere normal and safe.
The check before entering the train was thorough and a little strange. The conductor demanded that Jongho shift back, looked him over from head to toe, and then looked Yunho himself over in the same way, as if he was dangerous simply because he was near a hybrid. She looked him over even more thoroughly, paying special attention to the documents. They got inside only just before departure, Jongho did not even have time to shift and return to other's shoulders.
Yunho was not bothered. Having reached the place, he sat down on a huge soft chair by the window, put their things on the next seat and unceremoniously sat Jongho on his lap, without even asking permission. Jongho did not find the strength to argue. He silently shifted and curled up into a ball, hiding his face under his paw. A couple of seconds later, he was covered with something soft and warm.
This time, Jongho was more than sure that the journey had taken several hours. Maybe two. He had sat in the same position the entire time, feeling out of place. Yunho had left him alone and for that Jongho was grateful. He had managed to calm his nerves, albeit not very much, and by the time it was time to get off the train, he had managed to shift and grab his things without shaking in his hands and knees.
There was another surprise waiting for him outside, but this time the surprise was pleasant. The place in which they arrived looked like the very wild of all that Jongho had ever seen. Fields around, mountains on the horizon, and the forest, the very real, actual forest. Jongho took an involuntary step forward. The head was spinning. He took another step, and his wrist jerked back.
Ah, yes, that. He completely forgot about handcuffs.
“What is it?” Yunho came closer, looking into his eyes. “Feeling dizzy? Here the air is very clean, it can happen. It's another twenty minutes walking from here. Do you want to sit down, or do you prefer to be carried?”
Jongho took another step forward. They were still going to go somewhere. Why, if his goal was right here, in front of him?
“Let me go,” he growled low, jerking his wrist, “take it off.”
Yunho stood right in front of him, blocking the view. Jongho growled louder, higher, releasing claws.
“I'll take it off as soon as we get home,” Yunho said in the same even tone. He still didn't look frightened, although he really should've. “Come on, let's go. It's not that far.”
He did not listen to him at all. Maybe he was also tired and wanted to get home faster, but that was exactly the point! Jongho also wanted to go home, and his home, a real one, was a forest, and he hoped that this understanding human would understand him in this matter too.
“I need you to take it off now,” Jongho repeated, trying to sound calmer too. Yunho was understanding all this time. He will definitely understand him if he'll explain everything properly. “I am not going to attack anyone. I'll just leave for the forest. I don't want to live with people. This is my home. I want to be there.”
Yunho stared at him silently. Jongho looked back, frowning. And then Yunho suddenly burst out laughing, loudly and not understandingly at all. Jongho growled offendedly and swung, intending to scratch the rude human's face, but he easily caught him by the wrists. When Jongho met his eyes again, there was not a shadow of a smile on Yunho's face.
“Sorry for my inappropriate reaction, Jongho-ssi. And I'm really sorry to tell you that. But a forest is not your home.”
Another one. The same as everyone, of course.
“Do not tell me what to think, human!” Jongho roared, trying to break free, but Yunho held tightly. “I can handle life perfectly among other animals, I'm stronger, I'm smarter, I…”
“Have you ever been to the forest?”
Jongho stumbled.
“Well, n-no, but…”
“Have you ever seen real wild animals, not hybrids?” continued Yunho.
“No,” Jongho did not like where it was going, “but I…”
“Have you ever hunted live prey?” the human continued.
“Yes!” Jongho barked. “For several years! I am not an idiot, I know how it is to live on the streets!”
Yunho was not impressed.
“You answered «yes» to one of three questions, Jongho-ssi. Once again: I apologize for such an inappropriate first reaction. I didn't laugh at your situation and I do not blame you for ignorance. But you should have been told this way earlier: hybrids do not survive in the wild.”
“They did!” now Jongho was almost screaming. “A hundred times! Who are they to tell me?! I survived on the street, I can handle it, I am not some kind of…”
“Jongho-ssi,” he was clearly not going to let him speak out, “you should have been informed about the reasons, and I clearly see that you were not. The local fauna respect hybrids only where they need their help, and only those hybrids who show themselves confident and strong, fix the territory for themselves and continue to do it. As soon as the need for help disappears, hybrids are rejected. You will not have the opportunity to find even one ally where your help was not needed initially.”
Jongho did not know what to answer. It was the first time he heard about it. But he did not feel much need in society initially. He never had anyone. Surely he can come up with something.
Yunho, however, continued to speak.
“There are hybrids who live in the wilds most of their lives. I am close with some of them. And I'm sorry, Jongho-ssi, but you're not one of them.”
Jongho bared his teeth again. How dare he?!
“Because you don't even know that manuls don't live in forests,” Yunho finished.
It was a low blow.
He was lying. Yunho was probably lying. He couldn't know such things, he was just a human. Jongho didn't want to listen to him or argue anymore. Why would he do that at all, if he could have just started acting?
He kicked Yunho sharply on the ankle, forcing him to loosen his grip on his hands and shifted, causing the handcuffs to fly off his paws. His target was close, and he could easily just run away. He wasn't the fastest in the world, but a human definitely wouldn't be able to catch up with him, much less catch him, if he found a decent hiding place.
Jongho rushed away without looking, but did not manage to run even a couple of meters. The arrogant human grabbed him by the scruff of the neck, this time completely unceremoniously and covered him with the same blanket under which he was sitting on the train. Jongho screamed and tried to tear the fabric, but it only became tighter, wrapping around his body from all sides, making it difficult to move and pressing on his legs. Jongho didn't give up, biting and scratching blindly, and he definitely felt that some hits were hitting the target, but Yunho clearly wasn't going to give up. He did not flinch, did not loosen his grip, and did not remove the fabric. Jongho struggled as best he could, but after a few minutes he found himself wrapped tightly in a blanket and wrapped in something thick on top.
Yunho hugged him to his chest, breathing heavily. There were a couple of deep scratches on his face. Why did he risk his face? Was he an idiot? It was so stupid that Jongho wasn't even ashamed.
“We're a few minutes away from home,” Yunho breathed out in a tone as if nothing had happened, “I hope you won't mind being patient, Jongho-ssi.”
Jongho barked in outrage. Right now that was all he could do. Yunho nodded silently and got to his feet.
Okay then. All Jongho has to do is seize the moment and escape. He will definitely have an opportunity.
He knew how to wait.
