Prologue
Jungkook lived a life of solitude. He preferred to be alone, unbothered by the politics and the antics of those younger than him.
He did not want to get involved, nor did he want to be bothered.
So he lived on the edge of the woods.
Closer than most would dare to go.
They say that once you enter the woods, you can never leave. The woods hold you hostage, the woods are a place where trees live, predators, far greater than the mightiest warriors could ever kill, roam, and where witches cast their cursed spells.
The barrier between the vampires and humans.
The two species had long been at war, only seperated once the great forest had erupted from the earth long ago.
Those who were old enough to remember were long gone.
Except for one.
The new age of vampires spouted nonsense, about crossing the forest, reclaiming the land that was once theirs, the supremacy they'd once had, the free reign to feed.
Those with ideals such as that were fools.
Jungkook spent his days sitting out on his patio, the old wooden chair resting in it's usual place. He would stare into the woods, enjoying the sounds of nature, letting his ears strain to hear as far as they could.
Today was much like any other day. The birds would sing their songs of greetings, the wind would rustle the leaves, the snap of a twig occassionally, when an animal passed by.
And then, the small pattering of feet.
Jungkook opened his eyes, sitting up from his relaxed position, his sharp eyes scanning the area. Many stayed away from him and his home, not wanting to be close to either the vampire nor the forest.
He had not had a visitor in centuries, having gotten his social interactions on the rare occasion he would go outside.
Jungkook stood slowly when the rustling of the trees got stronger, the snapping of twigs more frequent. The birds ceased their singing and then...
Silence.
And then there he was.
A small boy, a beautiful boy, clutching a small, stuffed kitty in his arms, looking haggard and wartorn.
The old vampire quickly made his way over, but stopped, about a dozen meters from the boy, still encased in the woods.
For even the old vampire would only dare to go so close.
The little boy was simply walking, his big eyes gazing around, still holding curious innocence in them. He was small. Young.
Very young.
Jungkook cared little for humans, but he was empathetic enough to realize that the small human was far too young to survive on his own.
The boy finally looked up and his gaze found Jungkook's.
And then the most amazing thing happened.
The boy smiled and ran towards the vampire.
"Tokki!" The slurred speech of a toddler spoke out. Jungkook reeled back, startled by the sudden enthusiasm coursing through the boy. The boy ran up to the vampire and hugged his legs tightly, giggling.
"Tokki." He repeated.
"Jungkook."
"K—tokki!" Jungkook sighed and looked around.
But of course no one was around.
"What is a little one such as yourself doing all the way here?" Jungkook muttered.
"Tata..." The boy began. "Tata walk...b-butterfly!" The child giggled and clapped his hands together, proud to have formulated the barely legible sentence.
Jungkook sighed once more.
"How old are you, little one?"
"Tata...t-two!" The little boy suddenly raised his hands, clenching and unclenching his fists.
Jungkook realized that the boy wanted to be picked up.
He refused to do so, and when the child realized this, he pouted. "Upsie!"
"I am a vampire, you should be afraid of me, not want me to pick you up."
"Upsie!" The boy merely demanded once again in reply. Jungkook sighed, turning from the boy and walking back towards his home, entering the cabin.
But when he turned to shut the door, the boy was standing there, a look of frustration on his face. His cheeks were puffed, a firm pout placed on his lips. "UPSIE!" He all but screamed.
Jungkook flinched, his hearing sensitive.
But finally, he conceded, lifting the boy up and looking at him in the eye. "You're a troublemaker, you know that?"
But all he received in response was a large eyed stare. And a small, mumbled, "Tokki."
