"Are you coming?"

San looks up and his heartbeat feels as if it comes to a halt for a second, seeing Seonghwa come into his vision. Seonghwa is dressed head to toe in ornate traditional robes of the Chrysalis, his hair adorned with colorful beads.

"I-" San stutters, at a loss for words when he sees how breathtaking Seonghwa is when dressed like this.

Seonghwa's lips curl into a subtle smirk, his cheeks getting rosy from the unwavering attention San's eyes are giving him, "Everything is all set up now," Seonghwa explains, coming closer to San, but not too close, "You're my... er-..."

"Date?" San finishes for him, finally calming himself down from Seonghwa's beauty.

Seonghwa's face heats up and he just nods and turns around, embarrassed. He starts walking off towards the decorated buildings and the groups of people bustling around the center of the grounds, knowing that San will follow after him.

San catches up with Seonghwa, walking side by side through the festival with him as they observe the various activities.

Seonghwa's eyes soften when he sees the pack children painting on large banners, noticing that Wooyoung and Yeosang are crouched by Seungsik and Namjoo. They're helping them open the paints and trying to get them to use the paintbrushes rather than their hands.

"You guys having fun?" San asks, a big smile on his face seeing the children having a good time.

Wooyoung looks up with a cheerful face, a nice and welcome change from how he was when Sunghee first left. Even the veins on his neck have subsided and aren't pulsating anymore, "So much fun! Isn't that right?" He asks Seungsik, who he's helping.

"I love the festival!" Seungsik cheers, looking up at San and Seonghwa giddily, showing the blues and purples of the paint he got on his face.

"Here, Sik," Wooyoung hums, handing Seungsik a wet wipe to clean himself up.

Seungsik takes the wipe and cleans himself, "Thank you, Woo~" He sing-songs.

"Yeoooo! Help me fill this sunflower in!" Namjoo whines, shoving the cup of paint into Yeosang's chest.

San chuckles at the children's antics and looks back at Seonghwa, seeing the admiration in his eyes as he watches them.

Seonghwa's eyes are suddenly taken away from them and to a frantic Eunji running around the grounds in her traditional robes as well, holding onto the small bamboo shaker that she will use to perform the dance she and Areum usually do together.

Eunji sees Seonghwa and her eyes widen, rushing up to him, "Seonghwa, could you please fill in for Areum? Please?" She begs, her eyebrows curved inward with worry.

Seonghwa takes a deep breath and glances over to San, who has a comforting smile on his face, offering a small nod to tell him to go with her.

"You know how much this dance means to her, Seonghwa," Eunji continues pleading, "Please?"

"I'll do it," Seonghwa says, thinking that she's right. Areum always has loved performing this special dance in front of their pack with her best friend, and if she can't do it this year, the least Seonghwa can do is stand in for her this time.

San lights up, "You two will do great!" He says, overflowing in joy, "I'll watch you, okay?" San whispers to Seonghwa after Eunji scurries off to prepare on the stage, "You'll be incredible, I just know it, Hwa," he encourages further.

Seonghwa blushes and smiles at San, "Maybe if I look at you the whole time, I won't be as nervous about ruining it."

"You could never ruin anything, Seonghwa... Now, go get 'em," San winks, and watches as Seonghwa hurries after Eunji to get ready. The dance performance must be happening pretty soon if Eunji was racing around like she was, so San starts making his way over towards the stage to stand in the already-formed crowd.

"I heard Seonghwa is taking place of Areum this year."

"It's so sweet how Seonghwa and Eunji are doing the dance together, don't you think?"

San listens to the arrays of conversation happening around him, hearing how a few of the pack members are gushing about Seonghwa and Eunji. He doesn't let it bother him though... Well, his wolf is a slightly different story, but he tames his inner alpha with ease. He knows that Seonghwa wants him from what he revealed to him the other night, so he has nothing to worry about.

San is willing to wait as long as it takes to be with Seonghwa, he doesn't care if it will take years. Just knowing that Seonghwa is trying and will one day be his is enough for San to be happy with where they are.

"We'd like to welcome our very own Han Eunji and Park Seonghwa to the stage for the annual dance to bless our pack grounds for the ok coming year."

Applause and cheerful shouts echo through the crowd when Eunji and Seonghwa emerge on the stage with their bamboo shakers and additional special ornaments decorating their hair. San notices how Seonghwa now has what looks like glittery tears on his cheeks, and he can only assume Eunji has the same, but he just can't take his eyes off of Seonghwa.

His inner wolf purrs at the sight and wants to take Seonghwa away and have him all to himself.

The soothing sound of woodwind and string instruments begin, and so do Seonghwa's movements. San is entranced by the way Seonghwa dances so elegantly on the stage, his hands turning the bamboo shakers in time with the music. His motions are slow, yet precise, as if he's studied this very dance all his life - and he may as well have. San could almost feel the dancer within Seonghwa, how the music coursed through his veins as he spun and how the appreciation for what he's doing really shined through.

In no time, the applause and cheers erupts again as the performance ends, taking San out of Seonghwa's electrifying trance he had put him in.d him in. Seonghwa begins to bow and San watches as he presses the bamboo shaker to his forehead, as if blessing it.

It's not long before Seonghwa is making his way back to San, finding him easily in the crowd.

"You were... wow..." San says, still amazed by the show he just witnessed, "I've never seen something so extraordinary, Seonghwa."

Seonghwa hides the smile that takes over his face as he lowers his head and holds out the bamboo shaker towards San. He doesn't say anything to him, but San knows to take it.

"Is this one of your pack's traditions?" San asks, curious of what he's now holding in his hands.

Seonghwa nods, "Keep that close to you, okay?" He says softly as they begin walking through the festival once more.

"Always," San smiles, walking with Seonghwa towards a large circle of people.

A lot of ruckus is coming from whoever is in the center of the circle, so San and Seonghwa ease their way through to spot Hongjoong and Jongho among the four that are standing there. There is another duo standing opposite them and one of the elders that sees over most of Chrysalis' sparring is talking to them.

"This will be partnered sparring, so that means you and your ally must work together in gaining power over your opponent. There will be no incidental injuries. No blood will be shed here, do you hear me?" The elder speaks with high authority and both parties nod in understanding of the rules.

Hongjoong and Jongho give each other a glance, a smirk hidden behind the cocky look in their eyes. They know how powerful each other are, so working together could go one of two ways. They either work like one another's other half, or they clash in dominance.

The elder tells them that they're allowed to shift, and they do.

Hongjoong and Jongho's wolf coats complement each other well, both being dark in color with shades of brown. Hongjoong's more auburn undertones mesh nicely alongside Jongho's light brown coloring.

"Finally you two made it!" Yunho says enthusiastically as soon as he sees San and Seonghwa enter the crowd.

San smiles brightly at the boy, finding his head nuzzled up against Mingi's arm, "You two missed Seonghwa's performance."

"Ah, they didn't miss much," Seonghwa dismisses shyly, his eyes lingering on the way Mingi holds onto Yunho so protectively and lovingly. It causes his wolf to inch himself closer to San, craving the same kind of affection.

"Don't be silly, Hwa," San smiles, turning to face him to see he's much closer than before and it warms his heart up.

Mingi chuckles under his breath, seeing the way the fated pair interact makes him wonder how he and Yunho managed to get together so easily when it seemed so difficult from an outside perspective. Their packs were soon to be at war, yet they were able to be together more freely than San and Seonghwa. He feels bad for the pairing, but he has faith they'll unite in the near future.

Mingi and Yunho have had many talks about San and Seonghwa, both boys having felt like they could sense eventual happiness for the two. Since they've been together, they've been able to predict various outcomes together. It's gotten so accurate, that it's become scary for them.

"Begin," The elder announces, allowing for Hongjoong and Jongho to finally face against the other duo.

"Where are Kyelin and Dongwoo?" San asks absentmindedly as he watches Jongho go for a head-on attack on the smaller of their opponents.

Mingi points over to a small group gathered behind the elder leading the sparring contest, "They'll be participating as well."

Yunho nods happily, "We've been hoping that they'll get to spar against Hongjoong and Jongho! Don't you think that would be an interesting fight?"

The others don't manage to get another word in before growling and loud thuds are coming from the sparring wolves. From what they can see, Hongjoong and Jongho are working together perfectly. It's as if they were made to be partners. They fit each other's fighting style to a tee, and that helped them quickly get the upper hand on their opponents, easily pinning them both to the ground.

"Hongjoong and Jongho win this round, they'll be moving on in the bracket," The elder says, writing their names in the dirt to face against whoever wins the next matchup.

Hongjoong and Jongho cheer immediately after they shift back, grabbing each other in for a tight hug from the joy.

They pull back from their hug with their faces just a little bit too close, but neither boy minds. They just smile and pull apart naturally, their hands lingering on one another's arms and down to their hands slightly as they go over to Dongwoo and Kyelin who were hyping each other up since they're next to spar.

"We're for sure going to win this one, right, Lin?" Dongwoo says, a confident smile on his face.

"You know it! We have to, then we can show Hongjoong and Jongho who's boss," Kyelin smirks as the two aforementioned boys approach them.

"Already talking shit, I see," Jongho scoffs playfully.

"As if," Kyelin hums, looking off to see the elder coming to the middle of the circle again to announce the next duo and their opponents.

"Ha Dongwoo and Kim Kyelin, please enter the center of the circle," The elder calls out and throughout all of the applause, Yunho's shouts and giddiness reigns over them all as he cheers -- mostly for Kyelin, his best friend.

Kyelin giggles when she hears Yunho and she waves happily at him, "We're going to win, Yun!"

The elder brings their opponents out soon after the applause quiets down, only for it to pick back up. The fight begins, and both duos are seemingly neck and neck for a while, but eventually, Dongwoo and Kyelin do come out as the winners. This victory allows for them to move up in the bracket and make their next fight against Hongjoong and Jongho. That fight will determine which of them goes on into the semi-finals for the festival sparring contest.

Finally, the time came for Hongjoong and Jongho sparring against Dongwoo and Kyelin. They're already facing each other in the center of the circle in their wolf forms. Jongho subtly puts his paw over top of Hongjoong's and gives him a hopeful look, as if telling him that they're going to do great just as they had before.

"We got this, Joong."

"Joong? How long has it been since you've called me that?"

"It's been a while, huh? Didn't you miss it?" Jongho's wolf winks over at Hongjoong before turning to once again face Dongwoo and Kyelin.

"Humph," Hongjoong huffs, keeping his affinity for the nickname quiet as he lowers himself down into a sparring stance.

"Ah, wolf got your tongue? I know you like it," Jongho's flirtatious voice echoes through Hongjoong's head and he shakes it away.

"No distractions right now."

With that, Jongho stopped, ending their discussion with a small pat of Hongjoong's paw to say they'll talk later that evening.

"Begin," The elder announced, letting the duos of friends start their attack on one another.

Dongwoo and Kyelin came in strong at the beginning of the fight, but one misstep and Hongjoong manages to get Kyelin on the ground. Kyelin bares her teeth at him and she snaps her jaws, more so to instill fear rather than to actually bite her friend.

Jongho lunged at Dongwoo who seemed to easily dodge his frontward attack, whipping around and aiming for Jongho's back legs. Dongwoo's tactics seem quite a bit more advanced than Kyelin's, or so they think...

Hongjoong gets distracted when he hears Jongho's internal gasp, which allows for Kyelin to make her move. She calculated this moment up until the very time it was for her to strike, rolling out from under Hongjoong with ease. This movement causes Hongjoong's footing to become shaken as his stance is disrupted, but he straightens himself out as he's soon cornered tail to tail with Jongho. They've found themselves surrounded by their surprisingly strong and tactful friend duo.

"Don't let up. We have got this, no worries."

"As long as you're my partner, I'm confident."

The two wolves retract the corners of their lips, making it look like they're smiling at their opponents as they both communicate when to attack. Hongjoong and Jongho's complementing fighting style really shines in this moment when they pounce at Dongwoo and Kyelin.

This time, Hongjoong side sweeps Kyelin and takes her down, making sure to not leave any room for her to get out like he did last time. He's always been good about learning from his mistakes and not underestimating his opponents. He keeps her pinned to the ground while Jongho works on doing the same to Dongwoo.

Jongho's agile footwork is his greatest strength against Dongwoo, so he uses it to his advantage and gets momentum over him. Dongwoo tries to do a similar move as to what he had done before, but it doesn't work this time. Jongho sees the identical pattern and cuts him off, finally pinning him on the ground as well.

"Hongjoong and Jongho win this round! That means they will be moving to the semi-finals," The elder announces and Hongjoong and Jongho nuzzle their muzzles into each other, ridden with joy at their victory.

After they shift back, Dongwoo and Kyelin congratulate them and tell them how good of a fight it was. Yunho ran over to Kyelin and hugged her tightly, telling her how awesome she was in action.

San and Seonghwa both look at each other with soft smiles before they go over to celebrate with their friends.

"Are you two...?" Yunho asks carefully towards Hongjoong and Jongho after having seen their more intimate exchanges.

Normally, the two would get a disgusted look on their faces at the thought, but they just shake their heads with a hint of a smile.

"So not yet?" Mingi teases and Yunho yanks on his arm, telling him to not play with them too much.

"Not yet," Hongjoong says, finalizing what they were all wondering. No one misses the sparkle of Jongho's eyes when he hears Hongjoong's words, so it warms all of their hearts to see the pair actually getting along and perhaps thinking about even more...

That evening, a large fire is roaring in the center of Chrysalis grounds with all of the pack members and guests surrounding it. The smell of the coals radiates through their noses as Gyungho and Hyejin stand up, willing all attention onto them.

"We're so glad to see everyone having a wonderful time at this year's festival. Seeing all of our members in traditional robes and accessories makes my heart full of pack pride," Gyungho booms, a big smile on his face as he speaks about his pack.

"We'd like to thank the gods and goddesses of the moon for everything we have and for our guests that came here to learn about Chrysalis. Our values and beliefs may not be widely accepted by all, but they're important to us. We hope that since you all have been here, you've learned more about Chrysalis and its people and that going forward, you will be more open-minded in your thinking," Hyejin stands right beside her husband, looking out at all of the people gathered around the bonfire.

"Now, let's feast," Gyungho chuckles and turns towards the dining hall to lead the pack to their long-awaited meal.

San and Seonghwa follow each other closely, San being in awe as soon as he enters the dining hall. It's decorated beautifully with colorful beadings hung on the wall and with the childrens' paintings decorating the, what otherwise would be, blank space. It sets the atmosphere just right as they all sit down together, San and Seonghwa choosing seats right next to each other.

The food is already prepared in front of them, and as soon as Gyungho and Hyejin say to begin, they do.

"This food is incredible, Hwa," San says, his mouth full of the delicious array of meats his plate consisted of.

Seonghwa smiles softly at San's stuffed mouth, "I'm glad you're having fun, San," he twirls his fork around on his plate, his mind preoccupied with his sister.

"You thinking about her?" San asks, and he's easily answered by Seonghwa's smile going sad with a nod, "We could bring her some of the festival food. Do you think that would be a good idea, Hwa?" San starts to make a small pile of food onto a plate and shows Seonghwa.

Seonghwa's eyes soften at San's idea, it warms his heart to see him care about his sister like this, "Yes."

San smiles, his dimples showing out as he carefully backs his chair up, holding the plate in his hands as he helps Seonghwa get up. Seonghwa doesn't miss when he sees the look his mother gives him as he stands there with San, but he looks away, defying her gaze.

San and Seonghwa leave the dining hall as quietly as they can, as to not disturb any of the guests or pack members, but Wooyoung sees them leaving together and giggles about it to Yeosang.

Knock

Knock

Seonghwa lets San knock on the door before they slide the bedroom door open to reveal a tired-looking Areum laying in her bed.

"Hwa?" She wonders, her voice coming out scratchy and low.

Seonghwa's heart clenches at the sickly sight of his sister, but he goes up to her bed with San, "I'm here."

San pats the top of the chair in front of Areum's bed, telling Seonghwa to take a seat with her as he stands behind him.

Areum smiles weakly when she turns her head to see not only her brother, but also the boy who barged into her room the other day. Choi San. She studies him for a moment before her eyes fall onto the plate that he's holding, "You two brought me some of the festival food?"

San nods and sets the plate down on her bedside table, "We thought you might like some."

Areum coughs when she tries to laugh, "You thought right."

Seonghwa flinches towards her when she starts coughing, the worried brother jumping out of him.

"Calm down, Seonghwa, I'm okay... Don't worry so much," Areum says, trying to brush off that she's obviously not okay, but seeing her younger brother worry so much hurts.

"He's the one, isn't he?" Areum asks in a hushed tone towards Seonghwa, and Seonghwa's face turns red as he shifts his eyes away, "I thought so... He's quite handsome."

San chuckles, hearing the conversation, but he knows that Seonghwa must be embarrassed, so he changes the topic, "Seonghwa danced for you today, Miss Areum."

"Oh did he now?" Areum lays back on her pillow that's propped up on her bed and she shakily sets the plate on her lap so she can begin to eat.

Seonghwa nods, bringing his eyes back to his sister to see her eating, "Eunji looked lost without you, Areum."

Areum's face settles in happiness at the taste of the food and the thought of Eunji dancing, "I'm sure she danced beautifully. She's the one that helped me perfect that dance, you know."

San listens as Seonghwa and his sister talk, admiring their sweet sibling relationship. He wishes he had brothers and sisters to talk to like this, but he's always been content with the elders and children of his pack. Coming here to Chrysalis has been the first time San was able to make any friends his age, but his heart sinks at the thought of having to leave everyone soon.

San comes back from his mind drifting off, noticing that he's likely missed a lot of Seonghwa and Areum's conversation.

"Thank you for that, Seonghwa... I'm so proud to be your big sister," Areum smiles, water threatening to fall from her eyes.

Seonghwa nods once, "I'd do anything for you, sis."

San smiles at their ending sentiment for the night, knowing that this moment must be important for them. He's happy to see how Seonghwa opens up his emotions further, especially around his sister whom he cares an immense amount about. Watching Seonghwa let his walls down the past few weeks has been eye-opening for him, seeing how with just a little caring and love, someone can feel like they're able to show how they're really feeling instead of hiding it away.

"We'll come to see you soon, Areum," Seonghwa says, getting up from his seat and looking up at San, "Right?"

San smiles and nods, "Of course."

End of Chapter Thirty