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Having a creative crisis. Don't mind me...

Finished this book about ten minutes ago, and it packs so many conversations into so few pages. It imagines such a bright future in such a specific way. Like much of Chambers’ other works, it employs characters who are kind and good to begin with, but who must make sense of their place in something bigger. This, Chambers seems to suggest, is the great work of our lives, even when we do not feel that we are “doing” anything.

- A Psalm for the Wild-Built, Becky Chambers 

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New short story up!! Around 1800 Words. An altruistic millionaire and a geologist get into a disagreement on a construction site.

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LETS TALK: WORD COUNT

TO BEGIN:

I myself have had problems with word count. Today? I still do. It’s hard for me to not look every 3 seconds at the bottom of my screen where the total word count shows, but i’m trying. I’m getting better at it. But let’s stop talking about me, and continue on. 

WE CAN GO 2 WAYS ABOUT THIS

I can either tell you the market’s answer, OR I can tell you my own personal answer. You can say most writers agree with me actually. 

WHAT DOES THE MARKET/EDITORS/ETC TELL YOU ABOUT WORD COUNT?

Depending on which genre you go into, and what type of work you’re trying to make. According to wiki, these are the categories:

Novel:  40,000+ words

Epics: 100,000-110,000+ words 

Novella 17,500 to 40,000 words

Novelette 7,500 to 17,500 words

Short story under 7,500 words

There is way more, but these are just the ones you see very often. Also, some genres have a certain amount. Fantasy is usually 75k+ (no, it’s not that heavy) while Romance can start from 40k+. You could use these guidelines to help you structure your novel. Unfortunately, most agents/publisher’s stand by this (although it’s changing now since there are ebooks). If you wanted to publish your novel, you can go by these word counts. But there are exceptions. Always. So don’t be down if your story does not fully fit into the word count! There are ways to increase or decrease your novel’s word count, but make sure it’s important. Don’t add fluff when you know very well that nobody will read it. Don’t take out necessary stuff that further develops your plot. 

MY ADVICE?

Word count does not matter. Word count is only a guideline and that’s all it ever is. Not everyone can work within those guidelines, and I surely one. What matters is the quality of your work, NOT the quantity. If quantity was the main focus, then I wouldn’t be reading and writing. Yes, word count has a big impact on a story, but the story itself is what you're trying to show the readers. If your story is good and you believe in it, fuck the word count! When you first decided to write, did you write for the love of it, or are you writing to prove a point? You don’t need to prove that you can write an 80k novel! If you can’t increase your novel, and you want to keep it at 39,000 words, then so be it. If your novel is 131,000 words and you can’t decrease it, so be it. There are so many things to worry about other than the amount of words you put into your novel. 

STILL NEED MORE ADVICE?

There are more videos I looked up online to explain word count. From the publishing POV to my POV. Here you go!

Writing Tips: Word Count

Word Count!

Word Count & Book Length

Word Count? How Long Should My Book Be?

How Long Should My Novel Be?

If you still need help, you can always chat or message me! Or even reply to the thread. Thanks everyone!

THRU THE LOOKING GLASS

•°. *࿐ քʀօʟօɢʊɛ ➻

.·:*¨༺ 𝘼 𝙂𝙖𝙯𝙚 𝙄𝙣𝙩𝙤 𝙒𝙤𝙣𝙙𝙚𝙧𝙡𝙖𝙣𝙙༻¨*:·.

Thru The Looking Glass is a creepypasta x f! reader fanfic I started writing months ago but only just now published. Now, I'm here to do the same for this silly little site! Warnings and story under the cut.

WARNINGS: This story contains content that may not be suitable for any of my younger followers. This story contains heavy depictions of gore, violence, murder, death, abuse, childhood abuse, SA, derealization, mental health issues, and other topics. + my over the top writing (oops)..This is a more realistic approach while also having fun with it. I needed something new to work on while I go about with my other stories.

word count: 5,722

summary: In this OC-worthy tale of horror and pain, we follow the story of Y/N, a young woman whose life has been shattered by tragedy and abuse. Haunted by hallucinations and plagued by violent outbursts, Y/N is trapped in a cycle of torment, unable to escape the clutches of her controlling and abusive father. A retired doctor with a zealot's faith, he subjects his daughter to a range of experimental treatments in his quest to purge her of demons that he believes have sought refuge in her pure form.

As Y/N struggles to retain her grip on reality, wonderland and real life alike, she must unravel the thick web of her father's madness, and reclaim her identity before it's too late.

A large building loomed over the street, its windows black and empty. The darkness outside was all-encompassing, the kind that seeps into your bones and fills you with a deep sense of dread. The wind howled like a wounded animal, rattling the windows in their frames and sending shivers down the spines of anyone brave enough to venture out. The streetlights flickered sporadically, casting an eerie glow over the empty sidewalks. There was no sign of life, no sound except the wail of the wind. It was a ghost town, a place where nightmares come to life. And for Y/N, it was hell.

Y/N stumbled into her old cramped bedroom, her heart hammering in her chest. She locked the door behind her, feeling a fleeting sense of safety. But the feeling was fleeting indeed, as the dark room seemed to close in on her. The vintage wallpaper, once vibrant and lively, now peeled and faded, hung like a veil of sadness around the room. The creaky floorboards groaned in protest beneath her feet, as if they too shared her burden.

She let out a ragged sigh and collapsed onto her bed, her limbs feeling heavy and uncooperative. The mattress, worn and lumpy, offered no comfort, and she winced as fresh pain shot up from the bruises on her arms and legs. Her eyes, swollen and red from tears, took in her surroundings: the small desk and chair, both rickety and unsteady, pushed up against one wall; a dresser with a chipped mirror in the opposite corner; and the twin-sized bed with a faded floral bedspread, now more depressing than cheerful. The room was still and quiet, save for her ragged breaths that echoed off the walls. It felt like a prison, and she was the only inmate.

Soft eyes slowly opened to the sight of an unfamiliar space, filled with nature and elegant wildlife. The plush bed she lied in was covered with a down comforter and fluffy pillows, the area's furnishings exuding a timeless charm. A vintage dresser with an ornate mirror stood high, while a side table held a delicate antique lamp that cast a warm glow that seemed to produce a warm barrier of protection despite its irrelevancy,  the sunlight covering the wooded area with a blanket of warmth. She could recognize these items as her own, however they seemed to look brighter. They looked as if she had just gotten them. As she sat up, Y/N felt a soft breeze settle against her skin, rustling the trees--almost like a nurturing embrace from mother nature.

She looked out into the forest beyond, where the trees stood tall and majestic, their leaves a riot of colors in shades of green, red, orange, and gold. The forest was kind of quiet, yet alive with the soft sounds of chirping birds and other forms of wildlife. There was an atmosphere of mystery and enchantment within this queer place. She looked around, noticing she wasn't in her bedroom, or even in a building. Her bed, the dresser and the table were placed in the middle of a plethora of trees in which surrounded her, a long, endless pathway splitting feet away. Curious, the young woman pulled the covers over her side, kicking her legs over the bed as she further took in her surroundings.

She shivered as she stood up, the lace at the bottom of her nightgown flowing with the breeze that swept over her body. She took a deep breath, the scent of damp earth and crisp leaves filling her lungs. The forest seemed to stretch out endlessly, the trees towering over her like sentinels. The ground was soft beneath her feet, the fallen leaves cushioning her every step. She wondered how she'd gotten here, and why she was in the middle of a forest. The last thing she remembered was falling asleep in her own bed, her father's voice echoing in her mind. Here she is now, surrounded by the beauty of nature. She felt a sense of calm wash over her, a feeling she hadn't experienced in a long time. In this moment, a blurry cloud filled her mind. All she knew were the sights before her.

As she looked around, she noticed something strange. Moving along the brown trail, she began to see dolls. These dolls hung by thread, some even from rope with a tight loop around their necks, creating a noose. They were a mixture of old and new, ranging from simple cloth dolls to elaborate porcelain ones. The closer she looked, the more she realized that some of the dolls had an uncanny resemblance to her. Most were in one piece, while there were also random doll parts such as heads and legs, swinging with the wind.

She continued, the dolls on the branches seeming to multiply as she walked further. Some of them were cracked and broken, their once beautiful, fresh features now twisted and corrupted. The air grew colder, and the sky turned from a calming blue to a deep, foreboding red. The trees themselves began to ooze from their trunks, a mysterious liquid easing into the forest floor. This liquid was rich and thick, possessing a deep shade of red, matching the sky. Y/N could feel her heart sink as that calming feeling dissolved, replaced with a painful twist in her stomach.

The dolls seemed to come alive, their heads turning to watch her as she passed by. Their once happy faces twisted into expressions of anger and disgust, their eyes seeming to follow her every move. The path became more treacherous, the ground uneven and full of roots and rocks. Y/N stumbled, her foot catching on a branch and sending her tumbling to the ground. As she picked herself up, she noticed a doll lying on the ground next to her. It was cracked and its eyes were closed. Its skin was pale and its hair was tangled, a familiar red liquid oozing from the creases of its broken cheeks. She rushed away from it, stumbling as she made her way deeper into the infinite amounts of trees.

Y/N felt like she had been wandering for hours, the path ahead of her only seeming to stretch further. The forest grew darker as she pressed on, the sky overhead seeming to darken its hue. The once tranquil sounds of nature had been silenced. It was quiet. Too quiet.

She stumbled upon a clearing, the ground beneath her feet soft and spongy. She looked around, noticing that the trees here were different from the rest, their bark gnarled and twisted. As she stepped forward, a voice suddenly spoke from the shadows, causing her to jump in surprise.

"Who are you? What brings you to my domain?"

The voice boomed, deep and menacing. Y/N looked around frantically, trying to locate the source of the voice. She saw a large wolf-like animal standing before her, its coat a deep red with a black mane and tail. Its glossy white eyes glinted in the dim light, and its sharp teeth were bared in a grin that sent shivers down her spine. The dog took a step forward, its powerful muscles rippling under its sleek fur. Y/N couldn't help but feel both confused and unsettled by the sight of the creature. It was like no other canine she had ever seen, and the way it spoke only added to her confusion

"I-...I appear to be lost," she stammered, her heart pounding in her chest.

The dog stepped closer, its eyes seeming to glow in the darkness as it revealed itself further from within the trees. "Lost, you say?" it hissed, its breath hot against her face. "Perhaps I can help you find your way."

Y/N took a step back, unsure of whether to trust this hound. But with no other option and a clouded mind, she nodded.

The hound turned around and began to walk, its massive form barely making a sound as it moved through the forest. Y/N hesitantly followed, her senses on high alert as the silence around them grew deafening. The once beautiful trees now looked twisted and gnarled, their branches stretching out like long fingers. The ground was littered with fallen leaves and broken twigs, and the red hue of the sky made the forest appear even darker.

As they walked, Y/N couldn't shake off the feeling that she was being watched. Every now and then, the hound would pause, as if sensing something that she could neither see nor hear. She shuddered, feeling as if the forest was closing in around her.

Her head was spinning, and the scent of blood grew stronger, overwhelming her senses. She felt her stomach churn, and a wave of dizziness washed over her. Something felt terribly wrong about this place. Just then, the hound stopped in his tracks. He turned his head, and Y/N watched as he silently dissolved away into a mist. The mist surrounded her, and she was left standing alone in the darkness. She couldn't see her own hands in front of her face, and the smell of blood was suffocating. The mist, thick and ethereal, stretched out before her, obscuring her vision like the veil of a widow.

"Hell- Hello?" She croaked in a small voice, seeking out for her new friend. Where could he have gone?

She pressed on, eventually giving up. Determined to find her way out., time seemed to blur as she walked, her senses stuffed with cotton. After what felt like forever, she began to notice the mist was starting to clear. In time, she found herself deeper in the dim-lit forest. The sun, barely visible through the dense canopy of towering trees, cast fragmented rays of light that danced upon the forest floor. The air was heavy with the earthy scent of rain, hinting at the recent downpour that had bathed the woods.

As Y/N ventured deeper, the bark of the trees became darker and more weathered. Their branches reached out like gnarled fingers, seemingly whispering secrets to one another. Shadows played tricks on her eyes, making it difficult to discern the true path ahead. Despite the sickening feeling inside, Y/N's building fight or flight sent her forward. She yearned for the warmth of sunlight on her skin, or better yet, to find herself entangled in the covers of her thick blanket in her own bed. The mist persisted, swirling around her like a cloak, but she refused to be once again consumed by it again.

A sense of relief washed over her as she found herself in the presence of this quieter, more secluded part of the forest. The soft filtered sunlight offered a flickering respite from the shadows. The air was gentle and easy on the senses, scents of rainwater and fresh grass replacing the stomach-churning scent of blood. It felt familiar, comforting. But as moments turned into minutes, a growing unease crept back into Y/N's consciousness. It started as a prickling sensation at the nape of her neck, an instinctual warning. She strained her ears, trying to decipher any peculiar sounds within the natural symphony of the forest.

Suddenly, a faint snap shattered the growing atmosphere of ease. Y/N's head snapped in the direction of the noise, gasping involuntarily. Her eyes darted through the dimly lit surroundings, searching for the source, but all she saw were dancing shadows and swaying branches. It was as if the forest itself played tricks on her, taunting her, keeping its secrets hidden from view. A shiver raced down her spine, casting a chill in the air. The forest, of which was peaceful and quiet, now seemed to become more ever twisted than before. Y/N quickened her pace, fear fueling her steps. She refused to be consumed by fear or doubt. All she wanted was to get home.

She pressed forward, her eyes scanning the surroundings for any signs of danger. She knew she had to keep going, as the answers she sought lay somewhere within the heart of the trees. A darkness loomed in her mind, urging her to turn back, but she refused. Guided by a glimmer of hope that rested deep within her trauma-trenched soul, she ventured deeper, making sure to follow each step of the path that only seemed to stretch further and further, edging her with the chance of safely finding her way.

The world around Y/N felt as though it had ceased to exist beyond the immediate circle of shadows and rustling leaves. Every nerve ending tingled with an acute awareness of impending ruin. As she strained her senses to decipher the source of the sounds, she felt herself submerged in overwhelming dread. It was an inexplicable dread, one that didn't just linger in the air but seeped into her flesh and clawed its way into her core. Then there was a smell. The stench intensified—a putrid mixture of decay and coppery undertones—coiling around her like a serpent. 

Feeling sick to her stomach, Y/N couldn't bear to move. Her mind raced with fearful thoughts. Was it a wild animal? Was it a corpse?

A twig snapped with a crisp sound, closer this time. Y/N's heart lurched into her throat, rendering speech and movement impossible. The forest seemed to hold its breath, the silence now an unbearable weight pressing on her shoulders. She strained to pinpoint the origin of the noises, but the darkness thwarted her efforts, rendering everything beyond a few feet an empty abyss. Each and every second felt like an eternity, as if time itself had chosen this moment to stretch and distort. Her breaths came in shallow gasps, the cold air burning her lungs. The once comforting rustle of leaves became a taunting chant, mocking her. Daring her to move.

Summoning every ounce of energy and courage she could possibly find, Y/N willed herself to move, to break free from the shackles fear had locked on her fragile limbs. But her limbs felt heavy, unresponsive, as if held by an unseen force. The forest seemed to converge upon her, the trees closing ranks, confining her within them. Desperation clawed at her chest as she fought against the panic threatening to consume her entirely. She had to escape, had to find a way out before whatever lurked in the never ending darkness closed in on her. But with each passing moment, the forest's malevolence seemed to intensify, never ceasing to remind her she wasn't alone. 

She slowly brings her leg to push forward, taking a step. She slowly rested her foot upon the dirt trail, like a child sneaking into the kitchen to find their way to the cookie jar. With a shallow exhale, she pushes her body forward, gently resting her other foot beside her left. Although tense, she seemed to relax, convincing herself if she were quiet, she wouldn't startle whatever it was that had desired to make itself known. In the thick shroud of the oppressive darkness, just before she was about to take another step, a queer and haunting clicking noise pierced through the silence, sending shivers down Y/N's spine. It was a sound that liquidated explanation—a disconcerting blend of a whine and the creak of an old, rusted door. The unsettling cry echoed around her, the trees seeming to tremble in fear.

She kept still. Nothing. She then took a few hesitant steps forward, her pulse thundering in her ears, each beat she felt in her flesh. But as her foot grazed the forest floor, convinced she would make it out, a sudden, heart-wrenching cry shattered that hope. It was a mournful sound, tinged with an unbearable sadness that clawed at the deepest parts of her soul (not to mention her ear drums). The cry seemed to emanate from the same entity, the trees now beginning to literally shake in shared anguish of the young woman.

Y/N's steps faltered, her breath hitching in her throat. Despite her fear, she felt a surge of empathy flood through her—a strange connection to the mournful sound from what could have been an injured animal. Her heart ached, entwined with the dread that held her. As if in response, the darkness seemed to coalesce, thickening around her. The forest itself seemed to draw even closer, pressing in on her from all sides.

She strained to discern any movement. But the more she strained herself, the more the shadows seemed to morph and shift, concealing whatever lurked just beyond her line of sight. Time seemed to warp and twist, elongating the moments into an eternity of psychological torture. The air around her crackled with an otherworldly tension, growing bitter and cold. Her every muscle tensed, ready to bolt at the slightest provocation. Yet, she found herself stuck by some force, held captive by an invisible barrier.

The cry echoed once more, only this time, it was closer. It was as though the injured creature sought solace in her presence.

She wanted so badly to run. A foreboding sensation crept up her spine, adding on to the building tension, causing her muscles to tense, locking themselves up so tight it was nearly painful. Her eyes widened in alarm, the adrenaline urging her to move, to flee. Yet, her strength allowed her only to do the bare minimum—a cautious, subtle glance, an attempt to discern the source of her dread without confronting it head on.

Slowly, her gaze shifted, almost sidelong, toward the space behind her. She dared not make direct eye contact, fearing whatever it was that lurked from behind. Her heart pounded furiously, echoing in her ears like a funeral drum, while her throat ran dry. The air was freezing by now. She felt as if she could get frostbite, feeling nips on her fingers and her bare toes, rendering her limbs tremulous and her breaths shallow. The clicking sound persisted, as the creature crept in from behind her. 

An ache spread within her skull as she tried to catch a glimpse of what it was, only met with moving twig-like parts, what she could only assume to be arms. Her vision was obscured, offering mere glimpses of disjointed blotches. She discerned the unsettling silhouette of blotchy limbs, strange colors melded together. The creature's form appeared surreal, an amalgamation of beige tainted with splotches of crimson that resembled dried blood, twisted in abstract patterns across its strange horror-novel-esque frame.

Her breath hitched as she briefly caught sight of its torso—a bony structure, taut around its ribs, adorned with protruding spikes that seemed to glisten in the faint dim source of light. The sight sent her fear into overdrive, a primal instinct warning her of imminent danger. And then, she thought she saw its face—or what could pass for one. Black voids for eyes seemed to peer into the depths of her own, unnerving in their emptiness, devoid of any emotion or life. A hole of a mouth gaped open, revealing jagged, serrated teeth that protruded like sharp daggers.

In the shifting darkness, her gaze traced what she could only assume were its arms—twig-like appendages that moved sinuously. They were twisted and unnaturally long. The creature appeared to be tall, taller than her, and for its arms, hooked at the very edge where its hand would be, to touch the ground, she realized this was no wild animal. Y/N's mind reeled at the sight, grappling with the horrifying reality that stood before her—she was in a nightmare. She was in hell.

In her mind she screamed at herself to run before it was too late. Yet she still couldn't. Her bones felt fragile, as if the weight of her fear could shatter them into a million shards. She stood, transfixed by terror, caught between the compulsion to confront the creature and the overwhelming urge to book it. Straining her senses, specifically her sight and her hearing, caused her physical damage as she snapped her gaze back ahead, shutting her eyes tightly. 

Suddenly, her ears began to ring. It numbed the back of her eyeballs while also sending a sharp pain through them. Instinctively, Y/N throws her hands up to her ears in attempts to blocking out the noise. She's unsure of whether or not that was the extra push she needed, but regardless, she found herself running. Her joints were unlocked, each movement swift and fluid. She just kept running, running through the dark, the tips of her fingernails digging into the sides of her head. She could feel herself scratching her hair follicles, digging into her skin as her faced scrunched in agony. She didn't dare open her eyes just yet, allowing her legs to carry her wherever they ended up. 

In a sudden burst of light, a flash erupted from the depths of the forest. The light filtered through her eyelids, nearly blinding her as they shot open. She could feel herself stumble back, completely caught off guard. She stood there, head darting around the area. She found her footing light and her breath heavy, heart racing as she tried to process it all at once. It was as if the world around her transformed, and she found herself in a clearing bathed in filtered sunlight. The forest gave way to a serene oasis, where the gentle sounds of rustling leaves and distant birdsong filled the air. Y/N took a moment to absorb her surroundings, her senses recalibrating to this sudden peace. The trees, though still towering and ancient, now seemed to share a quiet wisdom rather than wicked darkness and sheer terror. The ground beneath her feet felt soft and mossy, inviting her into a haven of comfort and warmth.

Every ounce of unease and fear slowly but surely began to melt away as she calmly strolled through. All of this was too much—all she wanted was to go home. Perhaps it's this way? 

It was fairly uneventful, her journey. She would take occasional twists and turns, following the path etched into the dirt that was awfully gentle on the skin of her bare feet. In this strange contrast to the previous forest, Y/N wandered along the winding paths, enveloped in its atmosphere of charm. The vintage allure of the surroundings added a familiar home-like touch to the scene. Oil-lit street lamps cast a warm, golden glow, illuminating the path as if guiding her through a bygone memory. The air was filled with fluttering butterflies, their vibrant wings painting the air with kaleidoscopic hues.

As she ventured deeper, she was swarmed with curious sights that felt oddly enchanting. Hanging delicately from branches were dolls, but not suspended by rope around their necks as she had seen before. Instead, they dangled by slender pastel and rich-colored ribbons tied around their wrists, and sum even by the cuffs of their blouses and shirts, their porcelain faces serene yet haunting in their stillness.

Elegant decorations adorned the foliage, ornate carvings and nostalgic old trinkets nestled amidst the tapestry. It felt like a stroll through a forgotten memory, deep within the core of her mind, where time stood still.

However, as she tip-toed further along the trail, the ambiance began to shift once more. The air dropped, becoming cooler, and the light dimmed ever so slightly as if a cloud had passed over the sun. A peculiar sensation settled over her, a feeling that she wasn't alone. It wasn't all that threatening, however. Strange noises began to merge within the symphony of the forest. Heavy footsteps echoed in the distance, accompanied by laughter that seemed to reverberate from somewhere unseen. Intrigued, while also apprehensive, Y/N couldn't resist the urge to investigate.

The noises grew closer, drawing her towards the edge of the path where it abruptly ended. Peering around the corner, she encountered an inexplicable sight—a fuzzy distortion, as if the fabric of reality blurred before her eyes. Through the haze and the surrealistic feeling she felt brewing inside of her, she captured glimpses of an odd scene—a pair of dark pants, knives glinting in a faint light. She strained her senses, having recovered from earlier, picking up what she could only discern into screams. They were faint and muffled, though, before she could hear something more. A low, infernal growl, or was it a groan? It settled into her ears, bringing a physical sense of warmth over her, however it wasn't anything positive.

Splashes of crimson caught her attention, vivid against the strange blurry backdrop. Then, from the distorted void, something popped itself forward, its head emerging through the blurry portal, locking eyes with hers. Y/N gasped, her breath catching in her throat.

Without a second thought, she turned and fled, her heart pounding in terror. She ran aimlessly, jumping over twigs and large rocks, completely disregarding the rest of the trail that seemed to go in many directions until, by sheer chance or fate, she nearly ran into a rusted brown door reminiscent of the one in her bedroom. It rested, open just a crack. Without hesitation, she yanked the doorknob back and leaped through, the metallic clang echoing behind her as she slammed it shut.

She had practically jumped into the open space, and her body went rigid, her muscles tensing on impact. But instead of the anticipated collision with a harsh surface, she found herself sinking into something soft, almost cushion-like. Confusion began to cloud her fear as her hands met the padded interior of what seemed to be a room. Her movements were sluggish, almost as if she were submerged in water, every action a struggle against unseen resistance. Crawling on hands and knees, she blinked repeatedly, allowing her eyes to adjust to the dim, eerie glow that emanated from the sparse lighting in the room.

A solitary window perched high above caught her attention, moonbeams casting soft shadows across the room. The faint glow of moonlight offered her some kind of comfort. At least she wasn't in a ditch somewhere. The light, guiding her unsteady steps towards the distant window, felt kind of warm compared to the awfully cold air that nipped at her skin. Disoriented and off-balance, she stumbled, her senses still reeling from the transition.

As she approached the window, her hands brushed against the padded walls, seeking stability. She raised her gaze, fixating on the distant glimmer of the moonlight filtering through the solitary window.

Fumbling and uncertain, she traced the contours of the walls with her hands, feeling the padded surface in an attempt to ground herself. But before she could fully process her surroundings, a sound—a shuffle, perhaps footsteps—outside the door snapped her attention away. Her breath hitched as she stared at the door, her heart thundering in her chest. The faint glimmer of light danced across the space as a slider on the door moved, revealing only a pair of eyes peering in at her. They glinted with curiosity, holding her gaze in a silent exchange.

Y/N's mind raced with questions, her mouth parting as if to speak, yet no words came. A chill crept down her spine as a surge of apprehension washed over her. Her hand involuntarily pressed against the padded wall, seeking a false sense of security as she struggled to comprehend the oddity of her situation. 

Y/N watches intently as the person on the other side of the door turns the knob, the hinges creaking as it swings open. A blinding light spills into the room, causing Y/N to instinctively avert her gaze and squint against the sudden brightness. Slowly, her eyes adjust to the illumination, allowing her to steal a side glance at the figure that stood just at the doorway.

Recognition flickers across Y/N's mind as she discerns the person before her—a woman with fair skin and ginger hair elegantly tied up with swept, fluffy parted bangs. Despite the strangeness of the situation, she notes the woman's attire—a surgeon's uniform—with a mask loosely hanging under her chin. However, the most startling detail catches Y/N off guard—the absence of the woman's eyes. Instead, there's an unnerving expanse of smooth, featureless skin where her eyes should have been.

Confusion mingles with disbelief in Y/N's thoughts. She blinks repeatedly, hoping to dispel this surreal image that feels like a figment of her imagination. Her mind races with questions, her mouth opening as if to voice her bewilderment, yet still, she was silent.

Desperately seeking some form of reassurance, her hand instinctively presses against the padded wall behind her, though it offers no comfort against the unsettling reality she's confronted with. In a state of disbelief and growing unease, Y/N froze. Her eyes were wide, eyebrows high. She felt so cold, despite the warmth that spilled into the room from the other side. The woman's plump, glossy pink lips held a cigarette. She seemed confused, arms crossed as she leaned on her hip. A dent formed in which her eyebrows were meant to be, as if she was contemplating how this stranger got here. 

For an eternal moment that feels suspended in time, Y/N remains frozen, unable to process the nightmarish sight before her. Yet, as she blinks, a sudden change unfolds. The woman, initially standing at the door, now leans in, her hands extending around the doorframe as her body seems to elongate. Her foot juts forward as if ready to step inside, but something is different.

The woman looms taller, her head protruding into the room, and a ghastly grin spreads across her face, her jaw extended to an inhumane rate. Y/N's horrified gaze fixates on a single, glistening eyeball resting upon the woman's tongue. The eye seems to fixate directly on Y/N, the same tint of amber from the slider on the door. Unable to contain her ever-growing (and never ending, it seems) fear, Y/N chokes up, her breath catching in her throat, a primal instinct compelling her to scream. But before the scream could tear from her throat, the woman, now twisting her body with a series of bone-cracking sounds, begins to crawl into the padded room. Her movements contort unnaturally as if defying the laws of physics, each bone-crunching twist amplifying the discomfort building in the atmosphere.

The cigarette that dangled from the woman's lips moments ago falls, landing on the padded floor. Strangely, it doesn't extinguish upon impact but continues to burn, creating a sizzling sound against the padded surface. The acrid scent of burning material adds to the sensory overload of the scene before the innocent woman, feeling herself begin to slip from the fingers of reality. If, that's what you could call this.

As the woman morphs further, her form distorts into something incomprehensible. The room seems to warp around her, shadows elongating and contorting with her every movement. The mask that rested underneath her chin disintegrated, along with her fair skin that seemed to burn away in Swiss-cheese like patterns until patches of the meat and muscle became apparent, her skin just barely hanging on. Her hair seemed to thin and fall out, while the cap dissolved, the faint sound of cracking bones intermingles with a low, guttural growl emanating from the creature, now towering over Y/N, its jaw hanging for its eye to continue to stare down upon her. 

It drew nearer, emitting a stomach-churning odor of decaying flesh and bone and blood that overwhelmed her senses. Tears welled in her eyes, her brows and lip quivering as she recoiled, attempting to move as far back as possible while the creature advanced. In the depths of its mouth, its eye swiveled around, a soft clicking resonating through its towering form. Y/N's fingers dug into the wall behind her, desperately seeking something to hold onto.

"N—No. . ." A feeble protest escaped her parched throat, the words torn from her with the anguish of a thousand blades slicing through her vocal cords.

"NO!" A shriek tore from her throat, a mix of revulsion and fury contorting her face as she glared up at the creature.

Sliding down the wall in a final attempt to escape, she scrambled to the corner of the room. Only upon huddling up into the corner and snapping her gaze toward where the creature would have been did she realize that it was gone. The overpowering stench that had made her wanna hurl had dissipated, leaving a heavy silence in the air.

Reluctantly, Y/N lowered her gaze, turning her attention to the woman by the door. Standing with arms at her sides, instead of moving forward, she was stepping back. Her wide amber eyes shook with fear, her cigarette burnt to the butt, a small mound of ashes on the cold floor beneath. Her skin remained intact, her entire form unaltered. If anything, she seemed just as terrified as Y/N. Before Y/N could comprehend what just had happened, the woman forcefully shut the door, the lock clicking into place. Breathing heavily, Y/N was left in her confusion. She squeezed her eyes shut, the sounds of heavy footsteps and soft creaking floorboards settling into her ears, the light fading away, dominated by the darkness.

For a while, the world remained distant, her mind a jumble of fragmented thoughts and sensations before it all began to slip away. She felt herself floating, while she began to feel her limbs spread underneath a warm, familiar fabric. The creaking of the floorboards continued, accompanied by the gentle click of an opening door. Then, a soft breath caressed her ear, and a delicate touch brushed against a strand of her hair. She froze, every muscle tensing as a gentle hand continued, tenderly stroking her hair. As the fingers trailed down the strand, Y/N remained motionless, her body unresponsive. A voice, momentarily unfamiliar, deep and paternal, settled through her eardrums like melted butter.

"It's time for your medicine, my dear," the man's voice resonated softly, hardly above a whisper.

Colorblock Interlude - Novelette/Novella WIP ⏳️

Genre: MLM Romance, Time Travel, Action & Adventure

Stage: Drafting/plotting (More info to come)

Playlist

Cover reveal below!

Cover made by mgsdesiigns

Heads Up Seven Up

Thank you for tagging me, @maddstermind !

Rules: Post seven lines (or paragraphs, etc) from your WIP, and tag seven people!

Tagging: @enne-uni @iloveanimalsmorethanhumans @sm-writes-chaos @awleeofficial @dyrewrites @unmellowyellowfellow @petals4soho

After the cut is a recent excerpt from Colorblock Interlude!

In each nanoscopic slip of time, he transverses the bare limits of their outcomes. One glance at his star-splattered blue eyes and we'd aim to recover what’s lost from others; even if that meant losing ourselves along the line. Yet, that was the mere start—the mere start of how he roped me into another one of his schemes.

Afternoon sun slits through the window blinds into our apartment, an iridescent glow painting across the living room. Half-eaten plates of yakitori rest on the tabletop–a cold reminder that it has been nearly three days since we were absent from the present.

"Ready to take a risk, Astin?" Harper asks, a smirk playing at the cusp of his lips while his hand extends in my direction. I look up hesitantly, avoiding eye contact as much as possible or we'd fall back into a loop of the past.

The Bite

Ethan amused himself in the least amusing of ways. Jake thought so, anyway. He had nothing to do, so of course he was staring at Ethan from behind the curtains. Being so close to the window at night made him a little chilly, but it was worth it. After all, watching Ethan read an academic article without knowing anyone was watching him – that was the peak of amusement. He made no expression, he did nothing out of the ordinary, so Jake knew for a fact that he didn’t know that Jake had been hiding in the curtain since before Ethan had gotten back to their shared apartment.

If that wasn’t entertaining enough, the third of their trio, Max, wasn’t home yet. That meant that Jake would be able to watch him unseen while he was watching Ethan unseen, if he was lucky. He actually wasn’t sure where Max was, so it might not be for some time that he would get to watch the two of them, but it was worth the wait. Jake just had to be still enough not to alert Ethan, but to be honest, Ethan was too absorbed in his article to notice some slight curtain rustling.

Soon enough, though, he made quite a bit more than a little curtain rustling. It was unintentional, and there was nothing he could do to stop it. After all, he had just heard a scream, and it sounded close by. It startled him so thoroughly that he fell out of the window, his fall being slowed, though not stopped, by the curtain. Nevertheless, the ‘thud’ at the end of it, plus the earlier scream, were enough to pull Ethan out of his article and force him to acknowledge Jake on the ground, still tangled up in the curtain.

“How long have you been in that window?” Ethan asked, not seeming surprised in the slightest. That irked Jake, who had only stalked people from behind a curtain a handful of times so far that year. He was about to make a snarky comeback, which would have been immaculately articulated and would have put Ethan to great shame, but Ethan was saved by the sound of something large hitting their door.

The couch, where Ethan sat, was positioned with its back to the door, so Ethan had to twist around to glance at it. Jake had fallen to one side of the armchair that sat in front of the window, and he was lucky that it was the door-side, affording him somewhat of a view of the front door from his position on the ground. With both of them staring at the door, the sound of rustling metal made the situation more ominous. First the scream, then something hitting, and now what? Chains? Coins? Nunchuks? Jake couldn’t tell, but it was sure to be sinister.

Unfortunately for the pair, the door then began to open. Since it was locked, that meant it must have been a lockpick set! Jake thought. Now some murderer was going to be in their home, and Max would come home to find them both dead. If he was unlucky enough, he would come home just in time to witness the murders, causing the murderer to kill him also, leaving no witnesses to the crime.

When the door opened, however, Jake was disappointed to see that the murderer was Max. Or rather, it was Max instead of a murderer. That spoiled the whole event. What’s more, Max didn’t even have an opportunity to be confused or amused at Jake’s position on the ground. After all, he was dripping blood all over the floor, so he was really in the stranger and less explained position, between the two of them. Also he probably needed some first aid.

Though Ethan’s position was worse for viewing the front door, it was better for reaching it, so he got to Max and closed and locked the door before Jake could finish untangling himself from the curtain. Jake was not unused to detangling himself from curtains, however, so it was only a moment until they were both fussing over Max.

“What happened? Are you okay?” Ethan asked.

“NO! What do I look like, do I look fine? I am not fine, Ethan! I am staining the floor red and we aren’t going to get our security deposit back and I’m freaking out!”

“Let me see it,” Jake said, holding out his hands to take Max’s arm, which Jake assumed to be the source of the blood based on how tightly Max was curling it into himself. Max was refusing, still in a panic, trying to get the words out to explain what had happened.

“I was just trying to take a walk and all and it’s a nice time of year for that and all, but then I’m dying, so maybe it wasn’t a nice time of year for it after all! And I’m gonna lose my arm, and DON’T TOUCH IT JAKE THAT HURTS and I can’t even go to the hospital because they’d kill me or something and I didn’t want to be bitten on a nice night, why couldn’t it have been some other night so it didn’t get all ruined by this?” Max said in a rush, starting to sob a bit.

“Bitten?” Ethan asked. “By what?”

“Um…by a…skunk,” Max said. Both Jake and Ethan were suspicious of that, but decided in tandem not to push the issue before the wound was treated. Jake ran into the bathroom and came back out with a first aid kit while Ethan guided Max to the couch so he could sit down.

“You have to let me see it or I can’t help you. You want to stop bleeding, right?” Jake said, unintentionally imitating his mother when she faced a similar situation with child Jake. Though, Jake considered, he had never bled this much from any wound he’d had. It worked, though, and Max held out his arm. The damage was bad, not just a couple of punctures, but some ripping, like Max had forcibly freed himself from the jaws of a creature much larger than any skunk. Jake scrambled to find enough disinfectant to cover the wound, wondering if he should take the time to wash it out first.

“Well, you don’t have the…skunk, with you, so you’re going to need to get rabies shots,” Ethan said.

“What? Why? It wasn’t rabid, I don’t think,” Max said, distracted from his hysterics by the introduction of the topic of rabies.

“You don’t think,” Ethan said. “That’s the problem. Rabies can sit dormant for years before making an appearance, and once it does, that’s pretty much curtains. You can’t afford to gamble on it, and they can’t test the animal for rabies since you lost it, so you can’t forgo the shots. Besides, rabies causes an increase in the instinct to bite, so going straight to biting is more or less an indication the animal may have been rabid, at least if it was showing any other symptoms. Point is, unless you can prove the animal did not have rabies, you need the shots. Don’t avoid them.”

“I can’t, no, I can’t go to the hospital,” Max said. Jake thought he was calming down slightly, starting to come down off the adrenaline high caused by the animal attack. Jake worked a bit faster, trying to get the ointment on and the blood stopped before the sensation of the wound being touched started to really become painful. Oddly, though, as Jake had started treating the wound, he found out that it wasn’t bleeding all that much anyway, which is why he hadn’t been rushing to stop the blood first thing. Max must have gotten lucky with where the teeth had hit.

“Why can’t you go to the hospital? Give me a good reason by the time Jake has that bandage taped up or else I am driving you straight to the ER,” Ethan threatened.

“NO! Don’t do that! It might still be outside, and besides, I cannot go to the hospital!” Max protested.

“You’ll need a better reason. Look, Jake has those little bandage scissors out. He’s already cutting the tape. I’m going to go get my keys here in a second,” Ethan said.

“Alright, alright, don’t do that! Sit down, I don’t want you to freak out and pass out and hit your head and make Jake deal with me alone. Just promise me you won’t tell anyone else. You have to absolutely promise me,” Max said. A concession just in time, since Jake was just tightening and securing the tape, earning a yelp from Max, who really was starting to feel the injury now that he was in safety.

“I promise,” Jake said, though Max was directing his attention to Ethan, the less likely of the two to make that sort of promise before he knew any details about a situation. Ethan sighed.

“Fine. I promise. Unless you’re in danger of rabies specifically, I won’t tell anyone anything, and even then I’ll be light on the details. Now what happened?”

“Could that be any looser? That really hurts,” Max said. Jake raised an eyebrow and pointed to the drops of blood everywhere, which made Max drop the issue. “Alright. So I was taking a walk.”

“Skip to the biting part,” Ethan said.

“Fine! So there was like a dog and I said something to it because I thought it was friendly but it was back in the woods and it was not a dog it was actually a werewolf and it bit me and now I can’t go to a hospital because they don’t have shots for lycanthropy like they do for rabies and I’m pretty sure my life is over anyway. Happy?” Max said, all in one breath.

“What.” Jake said.

“Lycanthropy isn’t like rabies at all. Well, except the mode of transmission,” Ethan said, thinking.

“Well, if there is a way to prevent it, please do tell,” Max said.

“There aren’t any reported sightings of a werewolf in this county, right?” Jake said. “I don’t think there are any werewolves close enough to have bitten you.”

“Then what the HELL happened to my arm, Jake?” Max said, giving Jake the dirtiest of all looks.

“Hold on, I’ll check if there have been any recent sightings,” Ethan said, pulling out his phone and going to the official government sight where sightings of supernatural creatures were reported. Jake decided to beat him to the punch using an unofficial website, remembering that the government sight had no good search features, unlike the version he used, which filtered by creature type and recency of the report. Unfortunately, Jake had forgotten that he had blood all over his hands, so he got it all over himself. Also, the fingerprint verification didn’t work due to the blood, so it took him extra time to unlock his phone, and he had to clear the screen of blood to see the dropdown menus. Those were hampering him.

“Just tell me if I’m a werewolf now, please,” Max said, staring at Ethan in desperation.

“Got it, got it! No werewolf sightings, like I said,” Jake exclaimed, more excited than the situation befitted.

“Hold on, not every report shows up on the unofficial sites. Just give me a moment,” Ethan said, still scrolling through an unfiltered and unordered plaintext list generated by the unmaintained government site. Tax dollars at work, definitely, especially considering the unofficial site was maintained by one person, who didn’t make any revenue. It was just a passion project, and still better than the official site. “All right, I have to agree. There haven’t been any werewolf sightings in the area in quite a while.”

“So that means I’m okay? What was that thing, then?” Max asked.

“Not necessarily, it still could have been an unreported werewolf. They hide more easily than other supernatural creatures,” Ethan said. “It’s possible you’re the first to sight it.”

“So I should report it,” Jake said.

“NO!” Ethan and Max shouted simultaneously.

“This is an instance where reporting what happened will get Max in hot water. It’s not worth it. There are rumors about the government agency that deals with all the supernatural stuff, but it is definitely true that werewolf sighting lead to a lack of werewolf in the area. And they can’t exactly get relocated, so what happens to them is a mystery. You can’t report this to the government,” Ethan said.

“I was going to report it on my site. The guy has an email account you send the sightings to,” Jake said, having stopped just after tapping the contact button.

“Don’t do that either. You promised, remember,” Max said.

“Oh, right. Well, okay, I won’t. But it’s still a full moon and you look human still,” Jake argued.

“Is that a good thing?” Max asked Ethan.

“Like any disease, it takes time to replicate and cause a bodily response. The immune system can sometimes fight it off, causing symptoms like the common cold for a few days. Otherwise, you’ll probably have to wait until the next full moon to be sure,” Ethan said.

“Then what am I supposed to do right now?” Max asked.

“I don’t know,” Ethan shrugged. “Try not to think about it, hydrate, and get plenty of rest.”

“I can get you some tea,” Jake said. “I think we might have some Monkshood herbal somewhere.”

“Yeah, tea sounds good. Ow. You know, it really doesn’t feel great, but it’s still not as bad as I would have expected,” Max said, tenderly poking the bandage on his arm.

“Jake,” Ethan said. “Don’t make Wolfsbane jokes at a time like this.”

“What? Jake, that’s insensitive!” Max protested. “When did he make a Wolfsbane joke?”

They continued to try to calm Max down and comfort him in their own ways until Max was finally tired enough to fall asleep, which took extra time given the fact that he was concerned about waking up as a werewolf in the middle of the night. However, eventually, nearing two in the morning, they finally coaxed Max to sleep, allowing them to get some rest as well. It was a good thing it was a Friday night.

I literally hate getting wet 99.9% of the time but today was a weird day so I biked in the rain. 10/10 would recommend. Don't know what it was about intentionally getting soaked, but great vibes, really.

In other news the next installment of Werewoof Undies is set to post tomorrow. I'm overly excited about that.

The Worry (part 1)

Jake did not get as much sleep as he would have liked. He was awoken at seven in the morning, criminally early for a Saturday morning. And for no good reason, either. It was Max, of course, screaming. Seemed to be happening too often in the past twelve hours. Jake tried to go back to sleep, but unfortunately for him, their apartment was a two-bedroom, and Ethan had one of the bedrooms to himself, so Max’s first course of action was to rush into their shared bedroom and ask him the dumbest question possible.

“Are you awake?”

“Yes, obviously. You made sure of that. What are you yelling about? Wait, why did you take off the bandage? You shouldn’t leave it uncovered right now, it could get infected,” Jake said, sitting up to lecture Max.

“No, it can’t get infected, it scarred over. And even if it hadn’t I am ALREADY INFECTED.” Max said, making Jake wince at his volume.

“You’re going to wake up Ethan,” Jake said, scolding.

“No I’m not, he’s already at the gym. And once again, I am already infected.”

“Infected with…Look, Ethan said to wait until next full moon. That’s almost a month away. Quit freaking about it.”

“You want to know why I screamed?”

“Because you’re overreacting to the idea that you might be a werewolf a month from now? Because you wanted to ruin the start of my weekend? Why?”

“I bit my lip.”

“Oh, go suck a lemon. You did not wake me up for this.”

“No, I mean…well, I mean, I did, but it’s not about biting my lip. I think it healed already anyway. No, I screamed because…well, because it hurt, but then I found out why I had bitten my lip.”

“Because you needed an excuse to keep me from sleeping? Because when you go suck that lemon I told you to, you wanted to be considerate and make sure it hurt? Why?”

“Look at my teeth,” Max said, and he pulled back his lips to expose his teeth as much as possible. Jake was not a morning person, and therefore did not have time or energy to guess what about his teeth was such a problem.

“What about them? They’re sensitive to cold water? You have a cavity? What?”

“Look at them,” Max said through said teeth, speaking while trying to leave them visible. “The canines are way vigger than they used to ve, and they’re supher sharph.”

“Alright, I get it, you can put them away. They really don’t look that different to me, but they’re not my teeth. So what?”

“So, obviously, I am a werewolf now,” Max said, allowing his mouth to move normally again. “Ethan was wrong. There are some changes before the moon cycles back around.”

“Anything else? Or is it just the teeth thing?”

“No, I mean, the bite in my lip healed super fast, and look at my arm,” Max held out the arm that had been bitten. It was healed enough that it was just a cool scar. It didn’t even look especially fresh.

“I’ll admit, those are something,”

“Something? That’s all you have to say about it?” Max said, offended.

“I was not supposed to be awake right now. You’ve upset fate and the rhythms of life. Give me a break if I’m not as articulate as we’d both like me to be.”

“Well, I don’t know what to do about it. I’m taking on wolfish traits, and that’s in human form. I really don’t want to know what is going to happen when the full moon comes, and I don’t even know if I’ll be able to hide these changes for all that long.”

“Hey, look on the bright side. Maybe now you can actually grow a beard.”

“Hey, it’s been three years since the last attempt, I probably could anyway. And it wasn’t that bad, even then.”

“It only wasn’t bad because you’re blond enough it was easy to forget that the patches of hair were there at all. Hey, at least your hair color hasn’t changed.”

“Why do you say that? Do you think it will? I don’t want to have to dye my hair all the time. That would be awful.”

“No, I don’t think it’ll change. But I don’t know, your teeth changing was weird to me, too. Not really a bad thing, though, and the healing’s cool.”

“I guess, but just think about when I turn all mindless and awful and start biting people. How am I going to avoid that? And what if I’m dumb as a wolf and I drum up all this attention and get reported, then what?”

“I don’t know, but it’s too early to worry about right now.”

“You’re right. I have a month to prepare,” Max said. Jake meant early in the day, but he wasn’t going to correct him. “But what do I do in the meantime?”

“Monitor the changes and go about your normal life the best you can, for now.”

“What is normal, anymore? I feel like I forgot.”

“Normal is letting me go back to bed.”

-:-

On Tuesday mornings, all three of them had to go to work at 8 am. Naturally, that meant that Ethan typically got up at 4, went to the gym, came back, showered, ate breakfast, and accomplished errands and read until he needed to go. Naturally, also, that meant that Jake typically got up at 7:30 and rushed to put socks on and leave. Max was the happy middle ground of the two. So it was that at 6:30, he should be getting out of bed. Max knew this, and was awaiting it with great anticipation, bags under his eyes and coffee in hand.

“What are you doing up already?” Ethan asked, walking into the kitchen to get his own coffee, already having done everything necessary to be ready for the time that he’d need to leave for work.

“Join me,” Jake said. It wasn’t intended to be ominous, but Jake really hadn’t gotten enough sleep. And his rhythms were all off, anyway. But it would be worth it.

“Doesn’t answer my question,” Ethan said, taking the seat next to Jake. “What are you watching for?”

“You will see. It’s about to happen.”

“What is? Did you do something?”

“Silver affects werewolves, right?”

“Yes. But as I have said, Max wouldn’t be a true werewolf until next full moon,” Ethan said, watching the door to the bedroom where Max’s alarm was going off for a moment.

“Max thinks he’s already a werewolf.”

“Well, he’s not.”

“We’re about to find out, aren’t we?” Jake said, not taking his eyes off the door.

“Are we?” Ethan said, looking to Jake in sudden concern. His concern was proven justified as a scream issued from the door. “What did you do?”

“Is there silver in my underwear?” Max’s voice came muffled through the door, but the anger was clear.

“You put silver in his underwear? So as soon as he started putting them on, he got burned?” Ethan clarified.

“It burns? I didn’t know that,” Jake said, bashful as he could be in his half-conscious state.

“Ow, ow, OW!” Max said.

“Good thing he probably felt it before they were all the way on,” Ethan said. Jake looked at the ceiling. “Because the silver was just, maybe, sprinkled on indiscriminately and so he got burned on his foot?”

“Sewn in,” Jake explained, embarrassed. “I got silver wire and stayed up most of the night.”

“To every pair? Where is the silver?” Ethan asked.

“Well, I started on the butt region, obviously. But then, you know, I was delirious and tired, and halfway through, I thought, the front would be really funny? I thought it would be irritating, like itch powder.”

“Oh no. So fifty fifty it was just his butt. Let’s hope-” Ethan was interrupted when Max slammed open the door, marching out without any silver-lined underwear on. Ethan and Jake make excellent eye contact with Max, apparently more concerned by his nudity than he was.

“You burnt my DICK!” Max yelled at Jake.

“Guess he wasn’t lucky,” Ethan said. “I will leave you two to it.” With that, Ethan gracefully exited the scene, retreating to his own room.

“I didn’t know it would do that,” Jake excused, though he knew it was weak.

“Well, how did you even know what pair of underwear I would grab this morning?” Max asked.

“I didn’t. I maybe, um…did it to all of your underwear. I mean, I couldn’t have done that if you didn’t sleep naked, not that that makes it any better.”

“You WHAT?” Max did a little turn, unable to find a proper outlet for his frustration. “Now what am I going to wear to work?”

“More than what you’re wearing now?”

“Yeah, I get that, but I have no underwear that won’t burn me, so then what?”

“I don’t know. I was thinking you’d end up going commando for a day.”

“To work?” Max said. His anger then started turning into tears, making Jake more uncomfortable even than the nudity. “I just didn’t want any of this. I didn’t want underwear to burn me, and I didn’t want to grow a beard that bad, and I didn’t get injured enough to need super healing, I want steak tartare and I never have before and I don’t know if it’s related or is I’m just psyching myself out, and now I can’t even go to the dentist because they have x-rays of my teeth and they’ll know they’re different and so I’d better brush and floss and do it three times a day, because once I get a cavity I’ll just have to have you or Ethan pull it and I want to keep my teeth, you know?” He was starting to devolve into sobs, and he took over Ethan’s chair to put his head on Jake’s shoulder.

“Maybe the super-healing heals cavities, too,” Jake suggested.

“But I’m gonna kill you guys when the full moon happens, and then what? I don’t want to do that. I don’t know what I’m gonna do,” Max said tearfully.

“Well, whatever it takes, we’ll help you. And maybe we can be an at home dentist or something,” Jake said. Slowly, sitting there, Max started to pull himself together.

“You really mean it?”

“Yeah, of course. We’re going to stick with you, maybe even after you kill us. Not that you’ll kill us. But for now, you really need to put on some pants.”

“I don’t have any underwear, you know that. You did that,” Max protested, unamused.

“Well, I didn’t realize it would burn you, so since it was meaner than I meant it to be, I’ll tell you now. I meant to keep this a secret for a day, but I actually kept one pair that has no silver. You can put those on, and then I’ll take the silver out of the rest, okay?”

“Okay. Thanks,” Max said while wiping away tears, and finally, after Jake provided the safe pair, put on underwear.

-:-

“I’m pretty sure people are catching on,” Max said Friday night once he got home from work. “Someone asked if I was doing something different with my hair.”

“Has your hair changed? I didn’t think it was any different.” Ethan said.

“Well, no, but she only asked because she knew something about me was different, obviously, so it’s a bad sign. Soon she’ll figure it all out and report me.”

“No one has reported the other werewolf yet, so I bet people don’t really notice any of the more subtle stuff,” Jake said. He had been checking somewhat regularly.

“Well, they’ll notice in three weeks, if we don’t figure out how to prevent that,” Max said.

“I was thinking about that. There’s an abandoned mine nearby, and I’m pretty sure a werewolf would get confused if it were in a mine tunnel deep underground. You’d basically be trapped by the mazelike tunnels, and then once you were back to normal, we could go in and lead you back out,” Jake said.

“That was an open pit mine. No tunnels,” Ethan said. “I’ve been trying to figure out whatever I can about werewolves. My first thought was silver handcuffs, because werewolves have enhanced strength, but silver cancels out supernatural effects. The problem is that Jake proved that, in either form, silver will just burn you. Probably because every bit of a werewolf’s body is supernatural due to the potential for healing and transformation. But anyway, we couldn’t count on the silver only burning the mindless werewolf form.”

“I’m telling you, it needs to be some kind of trap. Something that can be evaded by a human mind, but that a mindless beast couldn’t operate,” Jake said.

“I was still thinking I’d just run really far away,” Max said.

“The effective range of a werewolf is larger than you’d think,” Ethan said. “Actually, Jake’s idea isn’t a bad one. But I do think we’ll still need to incorporate silver to ensure that Max doesn’t just rip down a door or something to get around it.”

“Doesn’t the government have that branch that deals with the supernatural?” Max asked. “So someone knows how to deal with this stuff. There must be some kind of guaranteed method of trapping a werewolf, right?”

“Well, that branch is kind of a rumor, and either way, they might just not care if the werewolf gets a little burnt,” Ethan said. “I do have a cousin that’s studying the history of the supernatural. Everyone has told him there’s no way to make a career out of that, but I could always ask him if he knows anything that could help.”

“But how exactly are you going to ask without giving him the idea that I’m a fresh werewolf?” Max asked. “You can’t tell him, but even if you don’t, he might guess if you’re asking questions.”

“Well, he and I get together to catch up every so often because he lives kind of close by, so I’ll just try to subtly weave it into the conversation next time. It’s polite to ask a student about their studies, anyway.”

Max jumped when there was a knock on the door. He immediately went to hide himself, but there really wasn’t any reason for him to do so. Ethan opened the door momentarily, revealing that there was a man not much older than the trio standing outside. He carried a small basket of flowers in one hand, a bright purple.

“Good evening,” the man greeted. “I’m Adrian, and I’m new in the neighborhood. I am trying to make myself known to the residents and make sure they know how to contact me. I’m sort of an unofficial proxy for reporting supernatural creatures. Seen anything strange, lately?” the man asked, seeming to make it out like it was a joke, though Max was clearly trying not to panic.

“Oh, well, it’s nice to meet you,” Ethan said. “I certainly haven’t seen anything recently, but you’ll be the first to know if I do.”

“Excellent, glad to hear it! I’m passing out some fresh wildflowers also, so take this, and a business card,” Adrian said, pulling a business card from his pocket and handing it over alongside a sprig of the flowers he was carrying.

“Thanks! I think monkshood is one of all of our favorites,” Jake said, taking the flowers as Ethan took the business card.

“Oh, good. I’m always worried that I make the worst first impressions. If I had done that, I would have wanted to know right away. Well, I’ll leave you all to it, but remember, I’m just down the road if you need me, so don’t hesitate. I love hearing about anything supernatural,” Adrian said, and he excused himself. Ethan shut the door, at which point Jake had to physically restrain Max so that he didn’t start yelling about the situation while the man was still close enough to hear through the walls.

“Alright, so that was a problem,” Ethan said.

“At least the flowers were pretty,” Max said. “But otherwise I think I’m triple doomed.”

“Make it quadruple, since you still don’t know what monkshood is,” Jake said. “Hey, do these smell off to you?” he held the flowers up to Max for him to sniff, which he did.

“They smell fine, I guess. Not that great, though, on second thought. Almost bitter? Why?” Max asked, smelling the flowers multiple times to get a good idea of their scent.

“I cannot believe you just did that,” Ethan said. “Max, it’s wolfsbane. That’s what monkshood is. You just took a big whiff of wolfsbane. No wonder it smells a bit bitter to you.”

“No, it smelled like that to me, too,” Jake said. “I was really hoping it would do something interesting.”

“Well, it’s a good thing it didn’t. It is poisonous, though, so quit putting it in your faces. Do you think that man meant to find out if there was a werewolf in town using the wolfsbane?” Ethan asked, thinking things through.

“Yeah, obviously,” Jake said. “He didn’t exactly have access to Max’s underwear, so how else was he going to test it?”

“What if he already knew and he was just trying to prove it?” Max asked. “Oh no, someone must have reported me already. I knew my teeth would be a problem. I wish I’d been found out because I suddenly got buff, or something, instead of my teeth. Why don’t I have any super strength, anyway?”

“Well, that’s because you don’t go to the gym,” Ethan said. “I’ve invited you to go with me.”

“I’m not getting up two and a half hours earlier just to go to the gym with you,” Max said.

“Regardless, no one has reported you. I still think your teeth look normal,” Ethan said.

“That’s what I said,” Jake chimed in.

“Then what’s he doing showing up to our apartment with wolfsbane? He must know something,” Max said.

“Not necessarily. The local government has been incentivizing reports of supernatural creatures, recently, so he could just be trying to get some extra cash. Or…” Ethan trailed off.

“Or what, Ethan? It’s so much worse when you don’t even finish the thought,” Max complained.

“Well, congress has a bill up that has to do with certain changes to the laws about reporting supernatural creatures. For one, it would make reporting mandatory after a sighting. For another, it would implement a broader range of reporting methods and locations. You would be able to file a report anonymously, too.” Ethan said.

“I’m just now hearing about this?” Max said. “This is incredibly relevant to me specifically, why do you know about it and I don’t?”

“Well, it is publicly available to view. You just didn’t read it,” Ethan said. “But I didn’t tell you because it might not get passed, and even then, you can still hide. It’s only one night a month, that’s not so bad. I didn’t want to scare you for nothing.”

“Well, now I’m scared anyway. And I really have been craving something, like sushi or steak or a really juicy burger or something and I feel like I might even be able to enjoy it now because I’m half sure at this point that it’s completely unrelated to the wolf thing.”

“I’ll order some stuff and get it delivered, and then you can get it all out of your system,” Jake said. Ethan narrowed his eyes at Jake at that, but Max agreed, so they went about their business as normal until they got dinner, Ethan keeping up his suspicion the whole time.

Once they had everything arrayed at the table and they had all gotten partway through their food, Ethan’s suspicion waned. Just in time, Jake thought.

“Wow, Max,” he said.

“Don’t –” Ethan tried to interrupt, but Jake couldn’t be stopped now.

“You’re really wolfing down your food tonight.”

“I knew you had that evil little gleam in your eye, I just knew it,” Ethan said. Jake had to laugh, though, and between Ethan taking offense on his behalf and Jake being far more amused than he needed to be, Max was able to join in.

The Worry (part 2)

The second week passed without event, though Jake did pretend no one was home as Adrian came knocking at one point. No one else was home, so it wasn’t too hard to do. Now, though, it was Saturday, late afternoon, and Ethan had yet to come back from his coffee date with his cousin. It had been a few hours, so it was strange that he wouldn’t have come back yet. Max and Jake were sitting at the kitchen table waiting silently, both imagining how things might have gone, and what might be keeping Ethan so late.

Max’s mind, from the state of his shaking leg, was likely conjuring images of the government snatching Ethan and questioning him in a dark, steel room. Jake’s mind was conjuring images of a silversmith being astounded by the request for a silver bullet, Ethan coming home and deciding to hunt and kill the original wolf to reverse the curse. Of course, Ethan had said it was technically a supernatural disease, and had no reversal process. Jake’s mind easily changed course to Ethan busking on a street corner, scatting to get the money for enough silver to make chains. Of course, they had already ruled that out, but it was fun to imagine it.

Their reveries were finally put to rest when they heard the door open, and they tried to seem more casual than they were about rushing to hear what Ethan had found out and why he’d been gone so long. When they got to the door, though, they found the answer to why he’d been gone late.

Ethan’s arms were full of different bags, each from a different store, and none of them a store that Jake recognized. From peaking into them, Jake couldn’t figure out what the common thread was. There were herbs and spices, crystals, chalk, and deodorant, among other things.

“What happened?” Max asked. “What is all this?”

“Well, my cousin can talk for quite a while when you get him started. He told me all kinds of things to try. So I got them all, and we’re going to try them,” Ethan said.

“Walk us through the conversation as you unpack,” Jake suggested. He was incredibly pleased with this turn of events. Nothing would make him happier than attempting to prove or disprove every legend ever recorded about werewolves, using Max as a test subject.

“He’s been taking a course on the history of herbalism as it relates to witchcraft, so several of the things he mentioned are plant based. One of the first was wood from the rowan tree, which used to have all kinds of relationships to magic and the supernatural. Witches were supposed to use rowan wood to make wands in order to increase their magic, but it was also good for weaving, and more importantly, warding off evil. A tree planted in a town would steer away the supernatural beings trying to enter the town. But more than that, supernatural creatures, including werewolves, were believed to be unable to cross a barrier made of Rowan wood.”

Ethan took out several sprigs of wood, placing them all around Max where he stood with Jake’s help. They both looked at Max expectantly, who looked back in confusion for a moment before getting the idea. He stepped out of the circle of the wood without issue and looked back at the other two.

“Not surprising, it sounded like no one could agree on what the tree actually does. It’s probably only wood. None of this is scientifically proven, you know, or at least, most of it isn’t. There have been a few experiments with silver, but really not all that many of that, either,” Ethan said. “Well, then he mentioned this man who was tried for witchcraft for using this plant,” he pulled a conical sprig of yellow flowers from another bag, “agrimony. It’s got an old rhyme essentially positing that if you sleep with agrimony under your pillow, you won’t wake up until it’s taken away. We can test that one tonight, but I was thinking if you went to bed early before the full moon, that might be useful.”

“So a person would never wake up if someone didn’t take it back out from under their head?” Max asked. “That’s kind of creepy. If that works, you had better not make me stay asleep any longer than you need to to test it.”

“That’s up to our interpretation, right?” Jake asked.

“Up to my interpretation, maybe,” Ethan said. “Don’t worry Max, I’m not going to let Jake use this willy-nilly. Next one was easier to find, given it’s December. Mistletoe, which was sacred because it grew from the sky. This one was just kind of a catch all to ward off evil, and some stuff about future husbands, which isn’t relevant right now.”

Jake took the mistletoe from Ethan, which was in plastic. Jake unwrapped it from its protective covering in case that would affect how it worked, then he held it out at Max.

“What is being repelled supposed to feel like? Also, I’m not evil. Maybe that affects things. Maybe it only wards of werewolves who are evil.”

“Well, just get really close and let me know if you feel anything,” Jake said, and he watched Max take a step towards him and the mistletoe. When he got close enough, Jake placed the mistletoe on Max’s head, watching for any reaction.

“I don’t feel anything. Except a little bit awkward because I have mistletoe on top of my head, but other than that, nothing,” Max said.

“I don’t think you would be okay with it sitting on your head if it really were going to repel you. Maybe these things don’t work properly unless you’ve already changed, so we can’t rule anything out, but so far this is disappointing,” Ethan said. “Rituals next, then.”

“Oh, this is going to be the good part, isn’t it?” Jake said.

“Well, not all of the rituals he mentioned are viable, but I took some notes to make sure we’re trying them correctly. But some of the ingredients really weren’t possible to get. Human blood, for one, and another requires that it be the blood of the werewolf,” Ethan said, looking at the notes he had. Due to his focus on the notes, he didn’t see Jake leaving the room, and Max was busy looking through the other supplies in the bags.

“Ow!” Max said after Jake sliced open his arm a bit using a knife from the kitchen. He pressed the edges, getting plenty of blood to well up, then wiped it with a cotton ball. By the time he’d finished, the cotton ball was half-stained red, and the wound was already closing up.

“Got the blood. What’s the next step?” Jake asked, holding the cotton ball out to Ethan.

“Dude. I didn’t take notes for those rituals,” Ethan said, frozen in confusion and a small amount of shock.

“Do you think you could remember them?” Jake asked.

“I don’t know why you thought you were allowed to do that,” Max said, also frozen in confusion.

“You’ve already healed, it’s fine,” Jake excused.

“Even if I could remember them, one of them was to bind and kill the werewolf. I think the other was about locating a werewolf, and I don’t think that’s especially relevant in this context,” Ethan said.

“Well, that’s disappointing. I guess I have to just throw this away now,” Jake said, and did, in the kitchen trash.

“Now there was no point in cutting me without asking,” Max said.

“There wasn’t a point to begin with. We have some much more realistic options here. Now, take this sage,” Ethan said, handing Max the sage.

“What am I supposed to do with this?” Max asked, holding the sage like a wedding bouquet.

“We’re going to light it after I draw this circle,” Ethan said, holding up colorful chalk.

“Where was this side of Ethan all my life?” Jake said in an aside to Max. “All it takes is an academic interest and practical causes to get him to do rituals in the living room. You should have turned into a werewolf ages ago.”

“Remember how it wasn’t intentional? Don’t know how you would do it intentionally,” Max trailed off.

“Oh, there were rituals for that, too.  Some people think that the origin of werewolves was rituals where warriors would consume the flesh of dogs and wolves to make themselves better hunters, and ended up gaining the ability to transform,” Ethan said, drawing a circle until he hit the edge of the couch. “Jake, can you move the couch, please? Thank you. Similar to how the origin of vampires was supposed to be early alchemical experiments, but there haven’t been any modern sightings of vampires, so either they were all killed or they were never real to begin with.”

“Do people hunt werewolves? I just realized I don’t know if that’s, like, a legal thing that people can do,” Max said.

“Well, they used to. That’s over half of what my cousin talked about. They had werewolf trials just like they had witch trials, though werewolves predate the concept that they’re evil,” Ethan said, finishing the circle. “Not now, though. The only ones who are allowed to deal with werewolves are government folks. And not the one secret branch, that’s just a rumor. So I wouldn’t call that ‘hunting’. What they do with werewolves isn’t public knowledge, though.”

“Can you go a day without making it obvious the government is going to hunt me like I’m bin Laden?” Max said. “It’s bad enough my murder will be unsolvable because I won’t even have dental records.”

“The only reason I decided against trying the teeth ritual is because you’re obviously too obsessed with them already,” Ethan said, handing a lighter to Max. “Light that bundle and hold it just like you were. Don’t burn your clothes.”

“There’s a teeth ritual?” Jake said in awe. “How are the teeth involved?”

“Don’t worry about it,” Ethan said. “This ritual is about to be finished, so focus on that.”

“What’s this one supposed to do?” Max asked, holding the smoking bundle like he wasn’t sure how it ended up in his hands.

“Well, the one inside the circle is supposed to be stuck there until someone on the outside of the circle breaks it. Try stepping out,” Ethan said. Max stepped out, towards the kitchen, sage still burning.

EEEEEEEEEET. EEEEEEEEEET. EEEEEEEEEET.

Jake tried to turn off the fire alarm, but with the sage still burning, it wouldn’t shut off.

“Take that thing outside,” Jake shouted over the noise as he repeatedly pressed the button to silence the fire alarm.

Max obeyed Jake, going and opening the front door to a surprised Adrian, fist raised as if he were just about to knock. Not knowing how to react, Max held the smoking sage out to Adrian, who took it automatically, confused at the sight of a chalk circle and sticks on the ground, furniture moved out of the way, fire alarm going off nonstop. Max panicked then, shutting the door on Adrian and running back into the kitchen.

“What did you just do?” Ethan said quietly.

“The fire alarm finally shut off,” Jake said, exiting the kitchen without understanding why Max had so suddenly entered it.

“Jake, Max just gave that burning sage to Adrian,” Ethan said.

“Adrian is here?” Jake said in alarm, rushing over to the door. He looked out the peephole to see the situation for himself. “Oh, he’s leaving. He looks a little out of it.”

“I can guess why. He just realized he has crazy neighbors,” Ethan said. “Look at all this.”

“All of this was your idea,” Jake said. “For once, being the crazy neighbors isn’t my fault.”

“Well, it’s a good thing he’s leaving. We will probably have to convince him that this never happened, or else make a good cover story,” Ethan said.

“We could say it was for Lent,” Jake suggested.

“This has nothing to do with Lent,” Ethan said exhaustedly.

“Then we really should convince him it never happened,” Max chimed in. Anyway, he’s gone now, so it all worked out. Are there any other rituals?”

“No,” Ethan said. “Not right now, at least. There are some that are dependent on time of day, and a couple that we can only try on the night of the full moon.”

“Hey, why was I the one holding the sage? Doesn’t it make more sense for the people trapping a werewolf to hold the sage? I mean, how many werewolves would be aiding with the ritual to get trapped?” Max asked. Ethan furrowed his eyebrows in thought, rechecking his notes.

“I definitely wrote that the werewolf holds the sage. Maybe my cousin got it wrong? Maybe we should try that again the other way around.”

“We lost the sage,” Jake said. “And besides, I don’t want to set the fire alarm off like that again. Hey, if we’re going to be trying out rituals, can I try some if I can find any?”

“If Ethan’s aren’t working, why would you have a ritual that works?” Max asked.

“Well, maybe I can find something a little more current. His are all muddled by the time gap and false reporting and all that kind of thing. But there are werewolves around now, so there are probably some more current sources out there,” Jake argued. He didn’t want to admit that he was only arguing this because it would justify his knowledge of several odd forums in the depths of the internet.

“If you can find a good source, then why not?” Ethan said. “We don’t have anything that works yet, so we can’t go limiting our options too much.”

“Is the rest of this for rituals, too?” Max asked.

“Most of it, yeah. There’s some holy water and salt for barrier creation, though I’m less sure of those, but we might as well try them on the night.”

“And the deodorant?” Jake asked.

“I needed deodorant,” Ethan replied.

The Worry (part 3)

Eleven days later, on Thursday the 21st, they had exhausted so many of Ethan’s rituals and ideas that they were finally trying one that Jake had found. The ritual had to be performed on an odd numbered Thursday, and the rest of the instructions were very specific as well, but Jake was intentionally keeping the details from the other two. He was worried that Max might decide that he didn’t want to do the ritual at all, and he was preparing to argue each element with Ethan individually, rather than all at once. Jake had the music prepped on his phone, the ingredients prepped, and he even had handouts. He watched the clock, waiting until it was about the right time to begin.

“Alright, Max. Take your shirt off,” Jake began. He pulled the two main components out of his bag.

“This is already off to a weird start. Why does it have to be eleven-thirty?” Max asked as he complied.

“It’s supposed to be close to the witching hour on an odd-numbered Thursday,” Jake answered.

“That sounds familiar. I think one of the rituals my cousin told me about was the same, but I can’t remember which one. It was one that we wouldn’t use, anyway,” Ethan mused.

“Now stand very still so I can get the sigil right,” Jake said, consulting a page where he had drawn the sigil he needed to draw. He opened up his Tupperware of blood and dipped his finger in.

“Where exactly did you get this blood?” Max asked.

“Oh, don’t worry, I didn’t bleed you or anything,” Jake reassured.

“That makes it so much worse. Do you know how many bloodborne illnesses there are?” Ethan said.

“What makes you think it’s even human? It just said ‘blood from a non-kosher animal’, nothing about being human blood. Although, I guess humans probably aren’t kosher, so that might work,” Jake said as he drew the sigil.

“So it’s pig blood?” Ethan clarified.

“Oh, yeah, that would have worked. I wish I had thought of that. Would have been easier to source, I bet, I was worried this wasn’t even going to come in time,” Jake said.

“What is it, then?” Max asked.

“Camel blood. See? Not all that weird. Now recline back a bit so I can put the glitter on,” Jake said.

“Glitter? Any ritual involving glitter could never work,” Ethan said as Max once again did as Jake asked.

“I know you say that, but probably a lot of these elements have several possible variants, or else it would have been really unlikely for any of them to have been developed in the first place. In this case, glitter is shiny, and the color is silver, so maybe the original used polished silver flakes or something. But that would burn him, so it wouldn’t really be worth trying it at that point,” Jake said. That was one of the two big hurdles he expected.

“Fine, I guess it can’t hurt. Except wasting camel blood,” Ethan said. “What’s next?”

“Well, then I draw a line from Max to each of us using the glitter,” Jake said. Ethan shook his head in continuation of his disbelief about the glitter, but Jake continued. “And then we have to fill our shoes with it and put them back on.”

“Right, obviously. You know, the only reason I’m still doing this is that you are reminding me of at least one of the rituals I heard about,” Ethan said, taking off his shoes for Jake to pour glitter into them. Jake did the same with his own shoes and drew the lines, opposite from each other and radiating away from Max.

“Do I have to have glitter in my shoes? And should I just be standing, or should I lay down, or something?” Max asked.

“No on the glitter, and it didn’t say, so do whatever seems comfortable for you, to be honest. You have the least active part. Except getting bloody, obviously,” Jake said. “Right, now take the handout, Ethan. We are going to need to do this dance, staying in the spot where the glitter line leads. Don’t mirror what I do, do it the same way I’m doing it, if that makes sense.”

“This seems familiar for a different reason,” Ethan said. “Anyway, it doesn’t look too hard. Is there a specific tempo, or is it just any synchronized pace?”

“Well, there is a specific tempo. We have to do it to Thriller, by Michael Jackson,” Jake said. Second big hurdle with Ethan.

“That’s a fully modern song,” Ethan said. He seemed to be giving up, though.

“As you said, it’s probably just for the tempo, so we might as well. And it’s pretty well themed, if I’m being honest,” Jake said.

“I think if you two are going to be dancing, it would feel weird if I was standing. I think I’ll sit, maybe,” Max said.

“Do you think you’ve got the dance down?” Jake asked.

“I guess so. I’ll have you to watch, anyway,” Ethan said. Jake knew his memory was really good, so he probably wouldn’t need the help.

“Alright, so when he sings the chorus, we start, and then we continue until either the blood catches on fire or the song ends, whichever comes first,” Jake explained.

“On fire?!” Max said. “I don’t know that I want to catch on fire.”

“Oh not you, just the blood. I don’t think it’ll melt the glitter, either,” Jake said, and he hit play on the music. He stood still, opposite Ethan, ready to start dancing – and then the chorus started.

The dance started with a twitch of the shoulder and neck, followed by a body twist and raising their arms to the side. Then there was a series of foot and hip movements, culminating in a clap. Slide right, stomp, look to the side and raise shoulders, slide left, swing one leg and arms to the side. Hips, superhero pose, hips, then Ethan and Jake pulled up their arms to the side, bending their hands like they were clawed, first on one side, then the other, standing on the leg opposite their arms each time.

“Is this really just the dance they do in the music video?” Max chimed in.

“It’s similar, but don’t interrupt,” Jake said. He and Ethan continued the dance, which required them to repeat the whole thing after they had finished going through it once. Jake was watching carefully for the blood to burn, which would indicate that they should stop the dance immediately, but it didn’t happen. Instead, the music stopped, and they stopped dancing when that happened.

“I don’t think it worked, but it did seem so familiar,” Ethan said. Just then the blood burst into flame, causing Max to scream and stand up, though he was ultimately unharmed in the process.

“Go see if there is anything different about you,” Jake said cryptically. Ethan’s eyes widened in recognition of why he had been finding it so familiar the whole time.

“This is the teeth ritual!” Ethan said. “You found a modern version of the teeth ritual! Why did this one have to be the one that worked, out of all of them? He won’t be happy.”

As if to punctuate the point, Max yelled “JAKE!” from the bathroom before stomping back out into the living room.

“So? Did it work?” Jake asked innocently.

“You did a ritual to make my canines even bigger?!” Max said, fuming.

“Well, the ritual was supposed to bring forward some of the most positive wolf-traits, just a bit, while you’re human. The teeth thing is probably just the most noticeable,” Jake said. In fact, there was debate about whether it affected anything other than the teeth, but he wasn’t going to mention that now.

“Well, they are,” Max said, pulling back his lips to show off his nearly animalistic canines, though they weren’t visible until he pulled his lips back. “If this is permanent, I’m going to kill you.”

“The site didn’t say it was permanent. I’m sure it’ll end either tomorrow, or after the full moon,” Jake said with a confidence that was entirely undeserved.

“Alright, fine, but if they are still like this after that, I really am going to kill you,” Max said, slightly comforted. “I’m going to bed, anyway. You kept us up this late on a Thursday night just to make my teeth bigger for a few days.”

Max marched into bed, leaving Ethan and Jake in the room together. They were silent for a moment before Ethan felt it was safe to talk without Max hearing.

“So…in the context I was told about that ritual, it was developed to mark a werewolf so that they couldn’t hide if they left to go somewhere else. So, yeah. It’s hella permanent.”

“Don’t say hella, it doesn’t work coming from you. And I’m prepared to die, anyway,” Jake said.

“Well, glad to hear it, because I’m not going to stop him. ‘Night,” Ethan said, leaving Jake in the room. Jake stayed in the living room for several more minutes in silence before standing to go to bed.

“Yep. I’m hella dead,” Jake said.

-:-

The next day, the moon was absent all the daylight hours. That didn’t mean very much, given the daylight hours were few and far between, but it still made it hard to track how full the moon looked. It made Jake uncomfortable how full the moon had looked the previous day, though he didn’t talk about with Max. Ethan kept reminding him that it wouldn’t truly be full until Saturday, but Jake wasn’t convinced. He was so unconvinced that he had to say something, which he did when they were all back at their apartment.

“I know the full moon isn’t until tomorrow, but it’s gonna look pretty full tonight. And I looked, and technically the last full moon was on a Thursday, not the Friday night that Max got bitten, so I really think we should set everything up and try it tonight, just in case,” Jake said. He had already started, actually, just before the others had arrived home.

“I’d prefer to be safe rather than sorry,” Max agreed.

“Alright, I suppose it wouldn’t hurt. Just until the moon has risen a bit, and then you’ll be able to get out anyway. The whole setup will only work while you’re not smart enough to deal with it,” Ethan said.

With that, they got to quick work, setting up their wolf trap. It was in the bedroom Max and Jake shared, which meant that Jake would have to sleep on the couch on any night Max actually was a werewolf, but that was a sacrifice Jake would just have to make.

The trap was a mix of a few experiments and a few certainties. The holy water they had mixed with salt and formed a line trapping Max in – or at least, trapping him if he were evil or if salt really had any effect on supernatural creatures. The more certain aspect was a padlock wrapped in silver wire. The key was also wrapped in silver wire. While that would burn Max, if he had the mind to, he would be able to cover his hands with something and unwrap the silver wire from the key, unlocking the padlock without issue. If the wolf even had mind enough to use a key, then the silver wire would probably prevent it from picking up the key. At least, that was the hope.

There was also a few strands of silver wire strung about the room in the hopes that it would prevent a werewolf from busting through the walls. There was a chance they wouldn’t be sufficient for that purpose, but they didn't have any better way to ensure the wolf couldn't thwart their efforts.  Max was already inside the room, and the key was on the floor. Max still had to close the padlock once the door was closed, but otherwise, they were ready. Jake closed the door and pressed his ear to it until he heard the telltale click of the lock snapping into place. Then he and Ethan went to the kitchen table to wait for the moon to be fully out.

It didn't take too long before they saw the moon, looking basically full. Ethan went to the door, informing Max that the moon was out. Max had a timer set for an hour, which was just to be extra safe and ensure that they didn't let Max out right before he transformed. They figured if he didn't transform in that hour, they'd be safe until the next night. On the way back, Ethan froze when they heard a crash from the room.

“Are you okay?” Ethan called out. There wasn't a response from the room, but there also wasn't any other noise, so Ethan came back to the chair he'd been sitting in. “Maybe you were right about setting it up tonight.”

“I don't know, I expected a lot more commotion from him changing. You know, the muscles growing and the getting taller and all of that. I would have thought he'd be moving around and be too big to fit properly in the room, and all that. So I'm guessing that was just Max being a dork and not wanting to admit it,” Jake said. Of course, he hoped he was right. It was kind of exciting to think that his bedroom would be trapping a giant murderous beast. “Oh, and a howl. I mean, wolves are pack animals, so werewolves probably are, too. So they probably howl to get together right after they all transform.”

Ethan looked only slightly skeptical, and the two waited to hear any kind of noise from the room after that. They spent nearly half an hour waiting before they heard anything, and when they did, it was the sound of ripping fabric. They waited a bit longer, expecting to hear any continued sounds of change. Instead, they heard the metallic click of the lock being reopened.

“Timer's not up yet,” Jake whispered, getting nervous.

“No, it's not. It seems the wolf might be smarter than we planned for. Let's hope the salt and holy water stop it,” Ethan said, more calmly than Jake but still nervous for what was about to happen.

There was a thud of the lock dropping to the ground, and the doorknob moved. The door opened, barely revealing the tip of a wolf's muzzle from inside the room, confirming their fears. The door opened wider, revealing Max in his full werewolf form.

“So what pisses me off about this,” Max said, his voice maybe slightly deeper or more raspy, but ultimately the same as usual, “is that it means whoever that guy was, he bit me, like, fully with the knowledge of what it would do and in his right mind. That's way worse than if he were some kind of mindless beast. Who does that?”

“So your mind is the same in every respect? Anything strange?” Ethan said, eyebrows raised at the unexpected sight of Max's werewolf form.

“Why are you only in your underwear?” Jake asked.

“I started changing and I took all my clothes off so they wouldn't rip. But then I didn't really get any bigger. The tail might have been uncomfortable with pants on, though,” Max said, looking himself over.

“But we heard ripping. What ripped?” Ethan asked.

“My underwear. It was intentional. I had to make a hole to put the tail through,” Max said, turning to show them the tail poking through just under the waistband.

That prompted each of them to give Max a proper looking over. His fur, which covered his whole body in a medium-length slightly fluffy layer, was a similar blond to what his hair had been. His face was a full wolf head, ears, teeth, and nose. His legs were an odd blend of dog and human, making it look like Max might have just been standing on the balls of his extra-long feet, were it not for the pads and claws. His hands also ended in claws, but were otherwise fairly human. He was maybe a few inches taller than he was before, but he didn't look larger in any other dimension.

“Did it hurt?” Ethan asked.

“No, it didn't really feel like much. It just felt weird afterwards, because of the fur and the tail. And I'll have to get used to the claws. The feet, surprisingly, not that hard to get used to,” Max said. “I only fell once.”

Jake was stunned by how different Max's werewolf form was from what he was expecting. So much so that he couldn't form the right words for a moment, but eventually he found his voice again.

“You're really just…” Jake said, searching again for the right words. “a cute little werewolf puppy.”

Ethan raised an eyebrow at Jake, but Max's mouth was hanging open in shock. It was surprisingly expressive for being so wolf like, Jake thought.

“I will BITE you if you say anything like that ever again!” Max said, clearly offended. “Wait,” he continued, clearly coming to some kind of realization. “Oh, man! I called that werewolf a cute puppy! And then I threatened to bite you for that, so I guess I get it now and that means I can't be mad at him! This is the absolute worst.”

The Werewolf

There was a knock at the door. Jake, being the only unoccupied person at that time, went to it and peeked out the peephole to see who it was, then opened the door.

“Hi Adrian,” Jake said to the werewolf standing there. He was about the same size and shape as Adrian, and wearing the same kind of clothes Adrian had worn, but mostly it just made sense, in hindsight to their previous interactions, that the werewolf would be Adrian.

“Hi. Look, I know it's stupid for me to show up at someone's door in wolf form, and I don't even know if the one I bit has told you that he's a werewolf, though I figured you might know by now, and I’m really sorry to bother you, but I really want to apologize to the guy, and I don't even know what his name is, but I'm the one who bit him.”

“Max. That's his name. Come inside,” Jake said, stepping aside to let him in. Jake led him towards the kitchen without saying anything else.

“Look, if he's-" Adrian started, but Jake shushed him. Jake pointed to a chair and took his own next to it. The chairs were off to the side of the kitchen table, were Ethan and Max were concentrating hard on their arm-wrestling match, both struggling and shaking, but locked dead center. Occasionally one or the other would lose a bit of ground, but they always made it back up again.

“What are they doing?” Adrian asked in a whisper.

“They're pitting their super strengths against one another,” Jake explained. “They've been at it for half an hour. Their endurance is super impressive, honestly, and they're a really even matchup.”

“How does the other guy have super strength?” Adrian asked.

“Ethan goes to the gym,” Jake explained.

“So do I,” Adrian said. “But I actually have super strength.”

“Well, currently, wolf-man super strength is perfectly matched against Ethan's strength, so his strength should also qualify as super.”

“But look at Max's skinny arm,” Adrian said. “It's half the size of Ethan's. That's what makes his super. There's more strength than there should be.”

“First of all, it's not half. It's less than half. And second, does that mean you have, like, super duper super strength?”

“Yeah, basically.”

“Cool.”

At that point the near-perfect concentration – and likely tunnel vision, since they had been staring at the point where there hands were clasped for half an hour – ran out. At least, they did for one of the contestants of the arm wrestle. Max looked over, just a glance, and saw Adrian. That, in turn, caused him to make an involuntary jump back away from Adrian. However, away from Adrian was the direction to the side of the chair, which didn't have armrests, so he ended up jumping where he was no longer positioned above anything solid. Ethan took the opportunity to slam Max's hand down and let go as Max was falling to the ground.

“Ethan still wins!” Jake declared, speaking in full volume now that the match was over.

“No fair,” Max complained, sitting up an wincing from having hit the ground so hard. “I got distracted. I wasn't even tired, I could have kept going for a good long while. I was wearing him down.”

“Well, I didn't get distracted,” Ethan said. “making me superior that time. Maybe you could have beaten me if you ever went to the gym like I keep telling you."

“Who is that and why is he here anyway?” Max said, getting up off the floor. Ethan gave a good look over to their guest for the first time.

“How did you immediately find another werewolf?” Ethan asked. “Did you plan this? Was he on one of those forums?”

“Hi, I'm Adrian. We've met, remember?” Adrian said. He saw the shocked look on their faces and must have realized they had missed something somewhere along the line. “I came to your house and gave you wolfsbane, and said to let me know if you see anything supernatural? I thought you'd eventually come to me, but then I decided I had to take matters into my own hands. Now I guess it took having me show up in wolf form for you to get the picture that I'm the werewolf that bit Max.”

“That was you?” Max said. “You do look kind of familiar actually, now that you mention it.”

“Yeah, I'm really sorry about that. When it's a full moon, biting seems like a way to solve some issues that you normally wouldn’t bite people about,” Adrian said, clearly feeling awkward about the whole thing.

“Oh no, I get it. I recently had that realization. Sorry about calling you a cute puppy. I really thought you were a dog until I got a better look.”

“Neither of you look anything like dogs,” Ethan said.

“It was dark, he was far away, and all I saw was a head and a tail, both doglike. It's not like a saw a bipedal person in a kitchen, Ethan.”

“He’s also not all that cute. He’s built almost like Ethan,” Jake said.

“Hey, why didn’t you tell me werewolves never lost their mind or anything? And why didn’t you tell me it starts a day before the moon? And why am I still in wolf form now that it’s morning?” Max asked.

“Well, I did try. I came over several times. You all either weren’t home or you were…busy. Doing whatever it was that you were doing. And as for the wolf form thing, you stay a werewolf for the three nights surrounding the full moon and the days between them. I guess it’s because, even though you can’t see it, the moon is still in the same phase as it was. I mean, you can’t prevent the transformation by avoiding moonlight, so why would the moon getting blocked by the earth change anything?”

“I guess that makes sense. Well, is there anything else I should know about?” Max asked.

“It’s really easy to forget you have claws until after you’re ripped something, don’t mess with tarot because now you can only draw the moon card and nothing else, and there is a teeth ritual that I don’t recommend,” Adrian said.

“Yeah, we know about the teeth ritual,” Ethan said.

“Right, well, don’t do it because you can’t undo it, and it’s a massive pain,” Adrian said.

“Someone already did it. But Jake said it’s not permanent,” Max said. Max saw the expression on Adrian’s face, one of a person who needs to break some uncomfortable news. “It’s not permanent, right? I mean, if it was, how would you know about it? Your teeth were normal, weren’t they?”

“Sorry, it’s permanent,” Adrian said. Max punched Jake in the arm, and Jake noted that he should be a little more careful around wolf Max, since the punch actually did really hurt. “The guy who turned me had done the teeth ritual. Very nice teeth, he whitened them really well, but they were pretty noticeable. He got comments a lot.”

“Wait, who turned you? Was it like what you did to me? You know, out in the woods at night, and you had to figure stuff out after that?” Max asked.

“Well, no. He was my roommate in college. He was a sleepwalker and a werewolf, which is a bad combination, by the way. So I knew all about the werewolf thing for a while, but at one point he bit me in his sleep. He felt bad, but there’s not really anything you can do about it.”

“Do you have the scar?” Jake asked. “Can I see it?”

“You probably can’t see it through the fur, but it’s right here,” Adrian said, gesturing to his shoulder.

“Cool.” Jake said.

“Oh, and you should also know that you don’t strictly need to sleep in werewolf form. Maybe a little bit helps, but any more than maybe a couple naps in there and it’s just passing time. Not that it’s a bad way to pass the time, but still, it’s nice if you need to get a lot done. That feature actually did help me in college.”

“Well, the drawback obviously being that you wouldn’t be able to go to classes or anything,” Ethan said.

“Oh yeah, I guess that would be a problem here. I went to college in a place that stuff like that was pretty run-of-the-mill, but I guess coming here, you wouldn’t be able to go to classes,” Adrian said.

“Wait, you went to a place where being a werewolf was common, and you left?” Max said.

“Yeah, I mean, it’s kind of limiting to be funneled into one area by something you can’t control. And before I went there, I wasn’t a werewolf, so that would have been a new limitation. I guess I wouldn’t have minded staying, though, if it weren’t for the fact that my werewolf roommate left.”

“Where did he go?” Jake asked.

“I don’t know. We kind of lost contact. Kind of unfortunate, we used to be pretty close, but that’s just the sort of thing that happens sometimes. Anyway, I thought it wouldn’t be too hard to stay hidden in a new place, but that hasn’t held true so far.”

“Well, there still haven’t been any reports of werewolves in the area, so I’d say you’ve been managing,” Ethan said.

“Yeah, I’ve had to move several times,” Adrian said. “I’ve been here less than two months and I accidentally made another werewolf, so actually, I haven’t been managing all that well.”

“Yeah, I can see that,” Jake said. “But you also do things like walk outside in broad daylight in wolf form.”

“Oh, I didn’t do that anywhere else. I’m trying something new here,” Adrian said.

“Which is…?” Jake prompted.

“Well…I, uh…I planted some seeds in people’s minds about why they might see me with a wolf head and all…” Adrian said, clearly feeling awkward about it.

“What kind of seeds?” Jake said, not letting him get out of this one.

“That I’m maybe, you know, a furry,” Adrian said, wincing at the word ‘furry’.

“I bet we’d kill it at a convention,” Max said, though Jake was soaking in the moment. It was just as good as he thought it would be. At the convention comment, Adrian was stunned into silence. After that, he looked at Max as if he were seeing him for the first time.

“Why are you in your underwear?” Adrian asked.

“Well, first of all, I knew I wasn’t going out like this, and I wasn’t exactly expecting company,” Max said, appearing to be equal parts flustered and offended. “And second, I had no idea what to do with the tail, and I’m not even sure how I would get a shirt over my heard right now.”

“Oh, I can show you. There’s a trick to it. Or you could wear button ups,” Adrian said.

“Well, while we’re on the subject, why are you even wearing clothes?” Max continued. “Where’s your tail?”

“I was coming here,” Adrian said. “I wasn’t about to walk around the neighborhood in my underwear. And my tail is tucked down my pants leg.”

“Well, take them off!” Max said, his offense growing in strength because he was realizing more and more that it wasn’t overly justified.

“…what?” Adrian said.

“That didn’t come out right. I think you should take your pants off,” Max clarified unhelpfully. Jake was watching like it was the season finale of his favorite show, and Ethan was blushing slightly with secondhand embarrassment, looking away.

“I don’t…” Adrian started, but he didn’t have a way to finish the thought.

“Oh no, no, I just meant, it must not be comfortable to have your tail stuck like that and all, I didn’t mean it in a weird way…” Max said, seeing the hole he’d dug himself.

“I should probably go, anyway,” Adrian said, standing.

“No, you probably shouldn’t,” Ethan said.

“Yeah, you’re totally allowed to stay and play board games and all,” Jake said.

“I meant, I don’t really think saying you’re a furry is going to cut it here soon,” Ethan continued. “There’s that bill that just passed congress. They’re trying to rush it into effect, so it’ll be active at the start of the new year. So while you might get away with being seen looking wolfy around your house, it’s not the best idea to be seen that way going to and from the house of another werewolf.”

“What? What bill?” Adrian asked, sitting back down.

“There will be a law in effect that will make it mandatory to report any sighting of a supernatural creature withing twenty-four hours. There will also be a monetary incentive for reporting any past sightings, so even though we’re not in the period where the law is in effect, someone might wait just long enough to get the money,” Ethan said.

“I guess I see your point. I wish I’d known about that sooner,” Adrian said.

“It’s been publicly available to read for a while now, just no one seems to read these things. Anyway, you really should stay here for a while. At least until night, when it won’t be as noticeable,” Ethan said.

“I’ll get the board games,” Jake said, excited to have werewolf vs. human Pictionary.

-:-

The wolves won Pictionary, not because their claws made them any more dexterous – in fact, they ended up ripping the paper half the time – but because Ethan and Jake had very different philosophies about how a person ought to play Pictionary. Adrian didn’t take off his pants, but he did adjust them to allow his tail out. After Pictionary, they each took turns choosing another game to play. Strip poker, Jake’s second suggestion, was vetoed by Max, who was in only his underwear, but otherwise they played all kinds of things until the sun went down. At that point, Adrian looked at the clock and stood.

“Well, thank you for letting me take up so much of your Saturday. I’ll be available if you need anything.”

“Do you have any friends?” Jake asked.

“Excuse me?” Adrian asked, confused.

“I only meant, you said you moved a lot recently, and I was wondering if you had any friends. I mean, you said you didn’t have a whole lot of contact with that roommate, and it would also be hard not to be able to talk about any of this stuff,” Jake expanded.

“Oh. Well, I guess not really. If I were too close to someone they would probably figure out the whole moon cycle thing, so I guess I kind of don’t get very close to people, these days,” Adrian said, awkward again. “I guess it was kind of fun to hang out with someone like this. But I’m fine, honestly, I’m pretty used to the whole thing by now.”

“Well, you could be our friend,” Jake said. “Or mine, at least, don’t mean to speak for these two.”

Max and Ethan both gave their agreement.

“If you wanted, you could come back tomorrow. I mean, there’s not much you and Max are going to be able to do anyway, so if you’re not busy with stuff at home, then you’d be welcome here,” Ethan said.

“Oh, well, I mean, I wouldn’t want to intrude or anything,” Adrian said.

“Seriously, it’s not like we would be able to go out on the town anyway,” Jake said. “And four players really opens up the options for activities.”

“Alright, I guess if you don’t mind,” Adrian said. “I’ll see you tomorrow, then, I guess?”

They said their goodnights, Adrian left, and in a short time, the trio were about to sleep. At least, Jake was. He assumed Ethan would be sleeping. Max, it seemed, wanted to try out the ‘not sleeping’ thing.

“Do you think I’m going to end up like Adrian?” Max asked after the lights were out in their room.

“What do you mean by that? You already ended up like him if you mean being a werewolf,” Jake said, flipping himself over to face Max, who was staring at the ceiling.

“No, I meant, like, having to move all the time. I mean, this time I’m only changed for the weekend, but the full moon isn’t always on the weekend, right? My boss will get mad if I never show up when there’s a full moon for two days. I don’t have enough vacation days for that. And even if I did, it would get suspicious eventually, so I’d have to quit before anyone called it out.”

“I guess that might happen, but you would have a few months before that happened. And you could get another job,” Jake said. “It could be a while before you really had to move, and that’s if you ever really had to.”

“Yeah, but eventually people will start to notice something, right? And then I’ll have to go. I guess what I’m really saying is, I think the part I’m not looking forward to is having to leave you guys and go somewhere I don’t have any friends.”

“Well, you’re assuming we wouldn’t move with you. And that’s a bad assumption, because we would. Whatever you have to do, we’ll be with you.”

“Do you think Ethan would, too? He has a pretty good job and he likes it here. Besides, he’s got his cousin in the area, so at least for a little while, he’s near at least someone from his family. Especially if we had to move every few months, that would make things really hard.”

“I know he’d stick around with us. He likes routine, obviously, but if he didn’t care about us, he couldn’t stand living with me. After all, I mess up his routine all the time. Honestly, it would take you a while just to catch up to me with that one. And his cousin is in college, so that’s not a permanent thing. I get that they like to keep in touch, but it’s more just taking advantage of the situation than something he’d choose over us.”

“I feel bad that Adrian doesn’t have anything like you guys.”

“I do, too. But then, maybe we can be that for him, too. I mean, if we have to move every so often for you, and he has to move every so often for him, then maybe we could go somewhere together, next time.”

“That might be nice. I think he could learn to communicate a little bit better, but he was really good at Pictionary.”

“Yeah, you both were. Next time we’ll have to switch up the teams to make it fair.”

“Just because you lost, right?”

“Well, it’s not as fun if you win every time. It’s supposed to be a challenge. Now if you don’t mind, you might not need all that much sleep, but I do. Goodnight, Max.”

“’Night.”

The rest of the night passed in silence, and in the morning, Jake woke to sunlight coming in the window. When he stumbled into the kitchen, he saw, as he expected, Ethan, Max, and Adrian. Ethan was fully dressed, of course, and Max was still in his underwear, but this time Adrian was wearing just a t-shirt and boxers. When he saw Jake, he looked a little embarrassed, almost like he though Jake might mind how comfortable he’d gotten. He clearly hadn’t thought about the fact that he shared a room with the only person in the room that had less clothes on than that.

They passed the day in somewhat of a similar way to the previous, but sprinkled in a couple of movies and some moments between activities that they spent talking. Ethan explained some of the rituals they had tried on Max, Jake told tales of some of his better pranks, Max surprised everyone by mentioning that he had been a baseball player once, which became less surprising when he said it was in elementary school, and Adrian told stories of all the places he had lived and all the encounters that had led to him being reported. Ethan looked through the government website confirming each one and reading the exact reports, which ended up making the group laugh, though that had not been Ethan’s intention.

At the end of the day, Adrian once again left them. The moon, ever so slightly less full than it had been the previous night, promised that after that night, the two would go back to normal. Except Max’s teeth.

The Government (Part 1)

For the trio, things went back to normal on Monday morning, and it was almost a shock to see Max without all the fur and the tail, but they quickly got used to it again. Even going to work wasn’t a worry, and Ethan assured them that there had been no reports of werewolves in the area. One month down, no issues.

Now that they knew the only danger brought the full moon was the threat of exposure, they weren’t focused on any sort of preparation, and they were able to go back to a kind of normal similar to what had been before Max got bitten by Adrian. They were concerned about the new policies when the new year came around, but Ethan continued to check for any reports, finding none each time.

For Ethan’s cousin, Andrew, the new year started a little differently. When the government announced that there were changes in effect to the policies on reporting supernatural creatures, his only initial thought was that it might increase the volume of reports available to view, which would help him write some of the papers on his syllabus for his next semester. He was taking a Comparison of Modern Supernatural Entities to Their Historical Records, which typically went by the slightly disappointing acronym CoMSETHR. It wasn’t meant to sound good, it was mostly meant to make it possible to use the name of the class in normal conversation. But in any case, he had to use primary sources for the modern supernatural creatures, which would most commonly be interviews from people who had encountered a supernatural creature or their official reports. Occasionally students had been able to use their own accounts, but that obviously wasn’t as common.

His first paper was on one supernatural creature currently in existence, one of his choice. He had been rolling around all the different options in his head, but a few days after the new year, he was looking through the official and unofficial reports to see what kind of entities might be common in the area. That would make it easier to get enough sources. He saw several which had been labeled unreliable, including one vampire sighting which, upon investigation, involved several bloody mary’s on both sides of the report. After all, vampires no longer even existed. A few others were labeled unreliable for other reasons – previously diagnosed schizophrenia, head injuries, etc.

The ones labeled reliable or confirmed fell mostly into the typical categories. There were many gnomes, which were really just a nuisance that involved pest control services. They popped up whenever someone neglected their garden, mostly, unless the person involved false gnomes in preparation. Gnomes were mildly territorial, after all. There were two recent golems, which were always interesting. The modern ones were significantly different from their historic counterparts because they were significantly easier to create in the days of AI. A person no longer had to summon a spirit and bind it, they only had to link an AI to a body and animate that body. But because of the obvious changes in them, they would almost certainly be the topic of someone else’s paper. Even though there were only five students in the class.

As he got to the bottom and saw the hag that had been reported nearly a year prior, he thought about the fact that the monetary incentive must not be working yet. After all, there wasn’t a single werewolf on the list.

That made him think about something he hadn’t thought about for quite a while. His own encounter – one he had put aside due to a lack of certainty about what it was he saw. He had thought it had been some blond guy being bitten by a werewolf, but he had been in his car on the road, about to pay a quick visit to his cousin Ethan, and hadn’t been able to put too much focus on the sight as he was driving. In addition, investigating a werewolf was a bad idea, since even some of the strongest humans weren’t as strong as a werewolf, and he wasn’t one of the strongest humans. In fact, he had abandoned the trip entirely and kept driving, not wanting to risk encountering the werewolf.

He hadn’t reported it because he wasn’t sure he had enough details to report – it could even have been a wild animal attack, which wasn’t entirely unlikely. But just then, another event popped into his mind, one he never would have considered to be related to what he’d seen that night before, but that he now realized must be connected. Ethan had asked him about werewolves.

The werewolf attack had been very near Ethan’s house, which he shared with two roommates Andrew had met before, at least briefly. One of Ethan’s roommates was blond. And Ethan had taken notes. Initially he assumed it was a personal interest that brought about the line of inquiry, but now Andrew realized that it was a bit out of character for anyone to be so interested in what he studied.

Andrew rushed to open the official reporting website and type in what he knew. If Ethan’s roommate was a werewolf now, Ethan would be safer if the situation were investigated properly, but also, only official reports were usable for his paper, so unless he made his report, he wouldn’t be able to use it for his paper. Of course, this decided the topic of his paper for him, and since it was due at the end of January, he was glad to have a solid course of action, even if the paper wasn’t the most intensive that he had to write for the class.

He entered in the information required for the monetary bonus, a nice little cherry on top of the whole thing. Not once did he consider how werewolves were dealt with in the modern age. That would be a question for when he did more in-depth research for his paper.

-:-

The government outsourced most of the investigations of supernatural creatures to the police. Then they outsourced most of the actual dealing with the problem to whatever organization was best suited to it. Sometimes that was pest control, sometimes animal control, sometimes the police once again, occasionally other private organizations that were equipped to deal with a situation. The government offices that dealt with the reports of the supernatural did hardly any work except organizing these efforts.

There were a few exceptions, which were the source of the rumors about the secret government organization that experimented with supernatural creatures, or hunted them, or cured them, or whatever else the rumors might say. One of the most notable examples of the success of one of these endeavors was stopping the only ever vampire incursion into the united states, which they did primarily by observing the situation and quieting down rumors after the fact. Their success was so great that it was commonly believed that vampires did not exist, though that was, as far as anyone knew, currently true.

The existence of this organization, as it was rumored, was entirely uncertain, but the clerks who dealt with the reports of supernatural creatures knew that there were specific sets of circumstances that required passing the report up the line to some people they never saw. What happened after that was never public, so no one knew for sure what those people did, but it often led to an absence of the reported creatures involved. Hence the rumors.

Those kinds of reports weren’t overly common, partially owing to the fact that there were hardly ever any secondary reports. The creatures were dealt with before that could happen, possibly, or the creature was isolated to the point that no one would run across them. But the procedure for identifying the cases that should be passed up the line was simple, though it was also put in the form of a list of known possibilities. In general, transmissible curses and deadly, malicious creatures were passed up to the higher authorities. Vampires would easily qualify for both reasons, some supernatural artifacts could lead to one of these kind of reports in rare occasions, but the most common one was werewolves.

Werewolves were commonly considered to be rather dangerous, and the supernatural disease was transmissible to the degree that they were hard to eliminate, so reports of them weren’t unheard of. At the same time, any given region might not have any reports of werewolves for a few years or a few decades. Such was the case with the region Carl worked in. He had expected the job to be far more interesting than it had turned out to be, and he had hoped the new laws would make it a little more bearable. But he was sorely disappointed when the number of reports hardly went up, and there wasn’t a rush of good reports from before the policy went into effect.

So, as he opened a new report, his expectations were low. That was, until he read that it was a report of werewolf activity. He didn’t want someone to poach the report, so he tried to contain his excitement, but he enjoyed the mundane tasks associated with the report far more than he had the entire time he’d had the job. He extracted the information on the region, description of the victim/possible werewolf, and any other information, filling out the necessary forms for each. The last step was to notify whoever would deal with the investigation –

Except that Carl would likely never hear about the case again. His excitement plummeted, and he put his head in his hands, frustrated that the only interesting thing that had ever happened to him here was now being taken away from him. And yet, when he had gathered himself, he submitted all of the information, including the full report and the forms he had filled out, straight to the higher ups. And that was that. There was nothing else he could do for that report.

He hoped the next report might be a parallel report, a second sighting of the werewolf event, perhaps even from the victim. He was once again disappointed when he opened the next report and read it.

Gnomes. Again.

Carl really wished he could afford to quit his job.

The Government (Part 2)

Carla had never met any of the clerks who dealt with the supernatural reports. It wasn’t even allowed. The only contact she had with any of them was when she received the information from one of the reports that was too high stakes for anyone but the organization she was a part of. That information included only the name of the clerk who submitted it. This didn’t happen all that often, but now she looked at the new report and saw a name that made her do a double take. Weird coincidence.

The report was about a werewolf, which were typically one of the more straightforward cases, since they had nearly month-long periods of inactivity. Supernatural inactivity, at least. However, she was disappointed to see that this case was immediately more complicated than it needed to be.

The report had the typical problem with werewolves: the werewolf either looked like a person or they didn’t. The in-between period was short, and if the person wasn’t seen transforming, it was hard to figure out who it might be, or else hard to verify their status as werewolf or human. This report also contained a somewhat unfortunate possible transmission. The transmission wasn’t guaranteed by a bite, but it was very likely, so the report essentially contained the presence of two werewolves. She would have to make a note of both, which would be dealt with in parallel. The one who had been a werewolf at the time would be the far more difficult of the two to investigate. In fact, surveillance of the neighborhood was sometimes the only option in those cases.

So of course, when Carla divvied up agents for the two investigations, she placed herself on the investigation of the victim/second werewolf. They had a description and even a suspected identity. They would still have to deal with some paperwork and do some research before acting, but in general, it would be straightforward.

The only difficulty was that they couldn’t take in any werewolf without sufficient evidence against them, and while reports of seeing them transform would count as sufficient, accounts of a person being bitten were not. There was always that slim chance the disease hadn’t been transmitted, after all. So they would likely be on this case until the next full moon, unless they got lucky.

After doing their required prep work, the next step was to interview the people who were most often in contact with the suspect. Their research had yielded that their suspected second werewolf, Max, had an office job in town, so after she sent two agents to ask around the neighborhood to find out what Max’s neighbors had seen, all without being too flashy or disruptive, she dressed in plainclothes herself, going to Max’s office under the pretense of conducting a corporate review of his performance.

Though she had access to anything she could need to gain access to the office, a phone call proved sufficient. The person who had taken the call hadn’t taken any steps to confirm Carla’s position in the company. That was often the case, Carla mused, people not taking the time to investigate the claims of a confident person.

The day after the report had been filed, Carla arrived at Max’s office. She gave specific instructions that anything she talked about with any of the employees was to remain confidential, promising the same confidentiality in return. She wanted to avoid Max, if possible, so after being shown the small conference room, she set up her things, mostly props except her notebook and pen, and started taking employees one by one.

“Excuse me, do you have a moment?” Carla asked the woman whose cubicle was closest to the conference room – as good a place to start as any.

“Oh, yes, of course,” the woman said, quickly wrapping up whatever she had been doing and following Carla to the conference room.

“Will you please state your name for my records?” Carla asked.

“Willemina,” Willemina said.

“Thank you. Now, I am conducting a corporate review of Max, and I need some information from some of his coworkers. Please keep this information between us. Anything you say will remain anonymous, also, so feel free to be completely candid. Now, Max works Monday through Friday, I believe? Has Max ever missed a day of work, that you can remember?” Carla asked.

“Well, I don’t think so. He’s obviously had a couple of sick days, like everyone, but I don’t think he’s ever skipped out on work.”

Carla was unsurprised. Unfortunately, the last full moon landed squarely on a weekend, so Max wouldn’t have missed a day of work during the only moon he could have changed. If the condition weren’t so easily transmissible, it might even have been better to wait to do this part of the investigation until after the next full moon, but she couldn’t spare the time.

“Alright, excellent. Has he ever shown up to work late, inebriated, in a state of disarray, or with any visible injuries?”

“No, not really. Maybe a little bit of disarray a couple of times, but never drunk, and he doesn’t seem to get injured a lot. This is an office, so at least while he’s here, a papercut might be the biggest danger,” Willemina said.

“And what does he wear, typically?”

“Button up shirt and slacks, like the other men.”

An unfortunate industry and time of year for this investigation. Most of his body would be covered by his clothing, so unless he had been bitten on his hand or face it wouldn’t have been visible. He wouldn’t have needed bandages at any point while he was at work if he was a werewolf, due to the advanced healing process. The original bite always left a permanent scar, but that also would have been covered by his clothing, in all likelihood.

“Has his behavior changed at all recently, or has he told you of any recent life changes?”

“Well, I think he’s doing something different with his hair, maybe? I’m not sure, I think something’s different, but I don’t know exactly what it is. Maybe he’s holding his mouth differently when he smiles? Oh, I guess that’s not relevant, sorry.”

“Well, that will be all for now. Thank you for your time.”

Willemina had been very little help. Something vague was different wasn’t enough to go off of, and the rest of his behavior seemed to be normal. Carla got the next employee, going through the same routine. Once again, same result. There just hadn’t been enough time for the people he worked with to notice anything strange. That might mean that the neighbors would be a better source of information, but it was disappointing to have spent so much time with nothing gained.

Carla made the decision to end early, not interviewing all of the employees, since there seemed to be so little to have been noticed so far. She brought in one last employee. One of the other employees had implied that he was a bit of a gossip, so if there had been anything to notice, it likely would have made its way to him. Though Carla had low expectations, she figured she ought to do her due diligence by at least interviewing him before leaving.

“What is your name, for my records?”

“Sebastían, and that is with the accent,” Sebastían said.

“Alright, Sebastían, your fellow employees have let me know that Max is a pretty good employee, all things considered. Would you agree?”

“Yeah, I guess I would. I don’t agree with how he spends his money, but it doesn’t really affect his work, anyway.”

“And what is it about how he spends his money that you don’t agree with?”

“He got some veneers or something, I don’t know what it is. They look like they were custom or specialty, too, they’re not what I would have picked. But I guess they look fine. The work was really done right, too, the color match is perfect and everything.”

That was the first thing that interested Carla out of all the interviews. One of the potential, though not guaranteed, side effects of becoming a werewolf was related to teeth, not to mention the teeth ritual.

“And what do they look like?”

“Oh, mostly the same and all, it’s just a couple are sharper, maybe a little longer, and I think his teeth are straighter, but I don’t know how veneers would do that, so maybe I’m wrong. I think Willemina likes them a lot, though, but maybe it’s not just his teeth she’s staring at, to be honest.”

“And when did he get these done?”

“Pretty recently, it was this month, a bit before Christmas I think.”

“Thank you, that will be all. Just a reminder that everything said in this room stays in this room, understood?”

“Oh yes, of course,” Sebastían winked. That didn’t inspire confidence, but Carla assumed it was unlikely that the man would go straight to Max with the information, anyway. More likely it would be spread among the rest of his coworkers, but with any luck, that would inspire them to remember any odd behavior they observed in Max. Carla hoped it wouldn’t take that long to put this case to bed, but you never knew.

She packed up her props and returned to her office. She wrote up her notes – at least, the relevant parts. Willemina having a crush on Max didn’t qualify. Did qualify. Didn’t. She put it in. Who knew what might be relevant if Max started to spread the curse?

The two other agents working with her, Victor and Olivia, returned just after she had made that decision, stepping into her office to report.

“What did you find?” Carla asked them, turning her chair to face them.

“Most of the neighborhood hasn’t seen anything of note,” Victor said.

“The next-door neighbor reported seeing a wolf-headed man being invited into the house on the day before the full moon,” Olivia added.

“The fur color indicates that it was not Max,” Victor said.

“That’s relevant, but it doesn’t prove one way or the other if Max is a werewolf himself. Report this to the other group, it may have been the original werewolf. Still doesn’t give an identity for him, but maybe it’ll help,” Carla said.

“What are our next steps?” Olivia asked.

“For you, casual surveillance on the house. Don’t let anyone know you’re there, but see if you can’t catch them doing something odd,” Carla said. “Meanwhile, I think I’ll check if the one who reported the whole thing knows anything else about it.”

-:-

The semester had officially started, and Andrew was having the first cafeteria meal of the new year. It was a blessed meal for two reasons: firstly, he had forgotten how bad it could be, temporarily, and secondly, since there hadn’t been any meals served in the cafeteria for weeks, the food was all fresh, rather than an unholy amalgamation of old food and problematic new food. The new food was problematic, still, but at least it wasn’t quite as unholy.

“Mind if I sit with you?” said a guy about Andrew’s age, holding a plate of food and a drink.

“Oh, sure,” Andrew said. He hadn’t been expecting company, but he would feel awkward about refusing.

“Sorry, maybe you don’t remember me that well. I’m going to be in a couple of your classes this semester. I’ve seen you around before, but I guess I haven’t really introduced myself. My name is Liam, I’m a history major. I take some of the same classes as you, though I imagine you get to be in some really interesting ones.”

“Oh, hi, I’m Andrew, um, but yeah, I’m taking all the weird ones everyone says don’t give you any career skills,” Andrew says. Liam laughed at that.

“I can understand that. Everyone always says I won’t be able to do much else but teach, but obviously I wish I could be a museum curator or something interesting like that.”

“Oh, yeah, that makes sense. I’m more in it for personal interest, I actually don’t know what kind of career I’ll end up in.”

“Yeah, totally,” Liam said. “What class are you most looking forward to?”

“A Comparison of Modern Supernatural Entities to Their Historical Records, though everyone calls it CoMSETHR. It doesn’t sound that good, but at least it’s shorter.”

“Yeah, that’s a bit of a mouthful,” Liam said. “Anything interesting on the syllabus?”

“Yeah, absolutely! We have a bunch of papers we have to write, but the first one that’s due in a couple weeks is all about comparing one specific supernatural creature to it’s historical records. We get to pick which one, too.”

“Wow! That does sound interesting. What are you going to pick?”

“I’m thinking werewolves. It’s a hard one in some ways because the records of werewolves are kind of all over the place, though I learned a lot about them last semester. Did you know that there’s a historic ritual to make a werewolf’s teeth larger in their human form?”

“Whoa, there’s a teeth ritual? I definitely didn’t already know that,” Liam said, and if Andrew were a little more socially aware, he might have detected the barest hint of sarcasm in Liam’s voice. If he had known Liam a bit better, he might have noticed that his own teeth were looking a bit long and maybe a little sharper than normal, but Andrew really hadn’t spoken to Liam before then.

“Yeah, there are so many rituals in history and all that, it’s amazing – there’s even one to bind a werewolf to one location until released, but there’s debate about whether or not that ever actually worked.”

“Yeah, that’s really cool. I bet it would be really interesting if there was an actual werewolf around. You know, I don’t think I’ve ever met someone who has seen one in person,” Liam said.

“Oh, yeah, they’re not all that common, after all,” Andrew said, excited to impress Liam. “I’ve actually seen one, though.”

“Oh, really? That’s really cool! What did it look like?”

“Well, it was dark at the time, but I think it had like, dark brown fur, and it looked like it had just bitten somebody.”

“No way! Do you know who it was?”

“It kind of looked like my cousin’s roommate, actually, but I didn’t see for sure. It was close to where they live, though, so it could have been.”

“Have you asked your cousin about it?”

“Not really, but he did ask me about werewolves and all pretty soon after that. So I think he might know his roommate is a werewolf. But I didn’t think of that at the time, so I’ll have to wait until next time to ask him about it.”

“Well, what kinds of things was he asking about? Silver bullets, moonlight, all that?”

“No, I told him a lot, a bunch of rituals and stuff. He even took notes, so maybe he tried them out, too. I would really like to know if any of them actually work.”

“Did you tell him about the teeth ritual?”

“Of course I told him about the teeth ritual! I’ve actually heard that there have been a bunch of variants throughout history. It’s a really weird ritual, too.”

“Right, yeah. Well, let me know if you find anything out from him, that would be really cool to hear about. I’ve got to run, though, I have to get to a class across campus,” Liam said, taking a plate still mostly full of food with him as he left.

Andrew wondered why he’d never talked to Liam before. And why Liam had decided to talk to him now. Andrew was just glad that they both seemed to be so interested in the werewolf situation. He hadn’t thought Liam was one of the history majors that seemed really into that kind of thing, but maybe he had been wrong.

Carla, walking away, was counting the minutes carefully. She managed to get out of sight before she stopped looking like Liam. Except the teeth, which had never looked exactly like Liam’s. If that teeth ritual wasn’t benefiting her now that someone else was its victim, she would have vowed to kill its creator, however many centuries he had already been dead.

The Government (Part 3)

Jake was used to being stared at when he intended to be stared at. Typically, when that happened, the person stared openly. And Jake never really intended to be stared at when he left his apartment for work. In fact, the neighbors mostly just minded their own business, so Jake hardly ever saw them. It was just a residential neighborhood, so there weren’t many unfamiliar faces or visitors, either.

Jake’s expectations were subverted that morning, though. There were two people who had kind of been staring at him, though they were quick to go back to looking at their magazine, or continuing their jog after a pause. The jogging was also something Jake hadn’t expected to see, at least not at that time of day. Not that it was necessarily a bad time for jogging, but he just didn’t see people jogging at that time of day, typically.

When he got back, it was the same thing. He couldn’t be sure, but he thought it might have even been the same two people from that morning, except that the jogger was wearing something else and piloting a drone. He wondered if he was being paranoid.

“Hey, did you see the two people out there? I thought they might have been watching me or something, it was weird,” Jake asked Ethan as he got home.

“I didn’t notice, but I’ll look out for it tomorrow. As long as there hasn’t been any reports published, we should be okay, though,” Ethan said.

Jake was satisfied with that answer, but he still brought it up to Max when he got back, making sure he was aware, though there wasn’t much risk of anyone seeing anything out of the ordinary, since the full moon was still just over two weeks away.

The next day, though, one of their actual neighbors came to their door. It was out of the ordinary, but not unheard of. Still, to be on the safe side, Jake told Max to step out of sight before he opened the door.

“Hello,” Jake said. “Do you need something?”

“I just wanted to let you know, there were a couple of people going around asking about the skinny guy, what’s-his-name, with the blond hair. Asked if we had seen anything out of the ordinary. I don’t know if they’ve talked to you yet, but I thought I’d let you know. It sounded like he might be in trouble or something, and I don’t want you all to get caught in the crossfire if he did something you didn’t know about.”

“Oh, of course. Thanks for letting me know,” Jake said. He closed the door and turned to the others, who had listened in. “So those two people were probably actually watching the house.”

“But there hasn’t been a report!” Ethan said. “They haven’t published anything.”

“Well, who’s to say they publish the reports as soon as they get them?” Jake said. “I don’t know why they’d be asking the neighbors about Max if someone hadn’t reported something. Maybe it was just a suspicion they’re investigating, not enough for a report.”

“Well, if the neighbors don’t know anything, who would have suspected anything?” Max asked.

They couldn’t find any good answer for that, and abandoned the effort to figure it out. They didn’t have to worry about anyone seeing anything for a while, though if someone had reported a suspicion of a werewolf, the two people surveilling the house wouldn’t leave until after the full moon. Jake kept a casual eye on the two agents he kept seeing throughout the day, checking to see if they would leave. They did not.

In the afternoon, though, they received a different visitor. Jake opened the door, seeing someone he knew was familiar, though he couldn’t place him.

“Is Ethan home?” he asked.

“Yeah,” Jake said. He turned and yelled into the house, “Ethan! It’s for you!”

Ethan came quickly, seeing the person at the door and recognizing him better than Jake had.

“Hi, Andrew. What’s up?” Ethan said.

“Can I come in?” Andrew asked. “I guess I should probably talk about this in private,” Andrew whispered.

“Sure, come on in,” Ethan said, and Jake opened the door wider for Andrew, sparing a glance at the two people still outside before closing the door behind him.

“Alright, what did you want to talk about?” Ethan asked, taking a seat on the couch. Andrew sat on the chair by the window.

“Well, I think I messed up, maybe,” Andrew said.

“How’s that?” Ethan asked.

“Well, I mean…is your roommate a werewolf?” Andrew asked.

“What? No, no, what makes you think that?” Ethan asked.

“Well, I mean, you were taking notes on the werewolf rituals, but I also saw him get bitten, I think. I didn’t see very much, but it looked like it.”

“You did?” Ethan asked, shocked at the news.

“Yeah, and I reported it. I didn’t think about it, I didn’t think about what would happen after, I was just thinking how I should report what I saw, but then I was reading about the modern treatment of werewolves, and I thought it would be something really mild or something but I found out that no one actually knows because they typically just disappear. And I didn’t mean to do that to him, I thought he’d get help or something.”

“There hasn’t been a published report. Did you publish it to an unofficial site?” Ethan asked.

“What do you mean it’s not published? I reported it days ago,” Andrew said, confused.

“I guess they don’t publish them immediately, after all,” Jake said.

“Well, maybe they thought it wasn’t trustworthy for some reason,” Ethan said. “I mean, you think it was Max, but you didn’t see that clearly, right?”

“Well, I mean, I mentioned him in the report. I said it might have been him, but I wasn’t sure. But I am sure they’re investigating it,” Andrew said. “This is probably another mess up.”

“How are you sure they’re investigating Max?” Jake asked.

“Well, one of my classmates was talking to me and I told him about it, I was trying to impress him, and I know that was stupid, but then I was talking to him later and he didn’t remember any of it. And his teeth were different,” Andrew said.

“What does that mean?” Ethan said, confused.

“Well, you know the teeth ritual?” Andrew said.

“Yeah, I know the teeth ritual,” Ethan said.

“It was like that, but in reverse. His teeth were super blunt and straight across, and they weren’t like that when I was talking to him before. I mean, I assume the Liam in class is the original Liam, or the right Liam, or whatever, and I don’t know what was going on with the other Liam, but he was asking about you guys.”

“That explains those two out there,” Jake said. “And why they were questioning the neighbors.”

“Please don’t be mad at me. I wanted to let you know so I could help, since I already messed up,” Andrew said.

“I’m a little upset,” Jake said. “How did you not realize that whoever it was that looked like Liam was trying to get information out of you?”

“I mean, I didn’t realize that Ethan was doing that until afterwards, either,” Andrew said.

“I guess that’s fair,” Jake said. “Can’t be too upset if both sides used you the same way.”

“So is there anything I can do?” Andrew said.

“Well, you can’t un-tell them anything,” Ethan said. “If they question you again, maybe mislead them or something. And maybe research how a person might look like someone else. That sounds like nothing I’ve seen before.”

“Oh, I have,” Andrew said. “Changelings could do that.”

“So it was a changeling?” Jake clarified.

“No. There hasn’t been any of them reported for, maybe, four-hundred years? It’s less likely they exist than vampires, at least right now.”

“So we’re back at square one. Unless they just hide really well, which I guess they probably would,” Ethan said.

“They do, but there are some ways to tell. They’re super convoluted, so they’re probably fake, but I can make a list,” Andrew said.

“And are they unable to change their teeth or something?” Jake asked. “Or do they just look slightly off from whoever they’re copying?”

“No, that’s not written anywhere. That’s the other thing that makes me question the changeling thing,” Andrew said. “But I can look into it more.”

“Hopefully these guys give up soon, anyway,” Jake said.

“Where is Max, actually? And it seems like you don’t want anyone to investigate him, so is he really a werewolf now? Was that scary for you two?”

“Officially, Max is not a werewolf. And unofficially, werewolves don’t lose their mind, so they aren’t a danger to anyone unless they would be as a human, anyway,” Jake said.

“I guess the government doesn’t know they aren’t dangerous,” Andrew said. “Otherwise they probably wouldn’t be investigating like this.”

“Well, who knows why the government does anything? You know people say they experiment on some of the supernatural creatures that disappear, including werewolves,” Jake said, almost threateningly. “So I would hate if they mistakenly took Max away, wouldn’t you?”

“Yeah, yeah, of course. I mean, I never would have reported anything if I had known,” Andrew said, still apologetic.

“Good,” Jake said, satisfied that he meant it. “I mean, I guess you’re going to get some really good inside knowledge of how they deal with werewolves now, so your paper is going to be great,” Jake said, really looking on the bright side.

Andrew looked over to Ethan, unsure if the sudden drop in intensity was a good thing or not. Ethan put a hand on his shoulder.

“Thanks for letting us know,” Ethan said, and then, leaning in and whispering, “Jake’s fine now, but if you do anything again and you find an especially mean prank has been pulled on you, it was probably him.”

-:-

Carla awaited the reports from Victor and Olivia daily, and they reported everything. This included many details that weren’t useful, or at least didn’t seem to be, but it also meant that nothing important got left out. The benefits of having Victor and Olivia staking out the house was that they didn’t fatigue. They could go weeks without any sleep whatsoever without having any drop off in focus. Because of that, they didn’t switch off with other agents. However, that made it more likely that the residents of the house, and maybe even some other people in the neighborhood, would catch on to the fact that they never left. Carla was gambling that they would have no recourse even if they caught on that they were being surveilled.

She felt justified enough in that when she heard that Andrew had visited the house and yet the habits of the three had not changed. All cards were on the table, most likely, and that meant that the full moon was going to be the climax of the situation. Both sides would know that, so if there was any way to lose the surveillance before that time, a werewolf would have to take the opportunity.

Of course, if all cards were on the table, they would struggle to know who to trust. There were two agents who would never stop watching, so their comings and goings were obviously being observed, but with the addition of Carla, who could look like anyone, any individual they met throughout the day could also be watching them. There was no way to know. She couldn’t manage that with anyone they were close to, but she would never need to.

In fact, the threat of a secret agent among the people of the world was better than the reality, anyway. She could be any of them, but only one of them. If she were a clerk in a store, she would only be able to watch their movements if they went into that store. Their workplaces were difficult to stay in for any length of time without arousing suspicion, as well. But hopefully the threat would be enough.

She didn’t expect them to make any immediate changes to their routine. They would never have enough time to plan to evade notice on that short of notice. If they remained traceable after they fled, then they wouldn’t be able to go anywhere in society, at least without serious preparation. They likely didn’t have enough time for that, anyway, given their unshakeable deadline.

That left one obvious option. Going somewhere close by for the full moon, a place which wasn’t in society. Large parks or wooded areas, any wild outdoors where a person could avoid bumping into normal people who would report a werewolf. In addition, it would have to be a large enough area that they could move around, that they could run as well as hide. That was the worst case scenario.

Any unexplained movements could be followed, but to be on the safe side, Carla was putting together the best places for them to attempt to hide. Ranking them based on how good they were for the purpose, and considering how she might have thought about the situation, once. That personal aspect, the experience from both sides, made her much better at her job. She also had plenty of experience on this side of the hunt, giving her quite the advantage. It would be hard to do anything she couldn’t predict, and even then, she could find a way to react. There was no way for a werewolf to hide, she knew. She’d thought of every possibility, but at the end of the day, there were three nights and two days for her to find a werewolf who was far more limited than she was. And while the full moon limited him, it opened every possibility for her.

If Max was a werewolf, she would catch him, before the full moon waned.

The Government (Part 4)

Ethan, Jake, and Max all had to continue their normal routines to avoid suspicion, but that only meant that they had to spend the rest of their time wisely. They had noticed that the two agents outside never stopped watching, and with the full moon approaching, they had to find a way to be anywhere else while Max was changed. That was something that Ethan was trying to tackle.

Each night, he researched square mileage, traffic, and searchability of all kinds of different outdoor spaces in the area. He evaluated them based on how close they were to one of their normal routes, also. His hope was that they would be able to make as if they were going out as normal and evade the two agents in the process, who had thus far stayed with the house.

Of course, on Saturday, that might change. Assuming they knew the correct start date for the transformation, which seemed likely, they might abandon the house that day. So Ethan also evaluated the routes for the ability to throw off anyone following. The routes that were too straightforward would make it easier to be followed.

They also checked in on Adrian during that time, keeping him up to date on the goings-on and receiving updates from him as well. While his apartment was not being surveilled, he had been asked several questions by a ‘bouncer-looking man’ about what sorts of weird things he had seen in the area. He hadn’t given anything away, of course, and it sounded like there was a good possibility that they didn’t have any specific leads on his identity, only that the werewolf that bit Max might be in the area.

As the days rolled around and everyone hoped the agents would leave, they settled into the understanding that the full moon was going to bring about a bit of a hunt no matter what. They couldn’t stay, and leaving would ultimately confirm that Max was a werewolf after all, so they’d have to be prepared to evade the government for all three days, and then figure out what their next steps might be if they managed that.

In the few days before the full moon, while Ethan had narrowed down two spots that would make good options to hide, Andrew was trying to figure out what might be allowing the two agents to stay awake so long. He was still researching the shape-shifter, as well, but neither gave any solid leads. The only thing he knew was that they were likely some kind of supernatural creatures, themselves, and a kind that the public didn’t know about. Whatever they were, they clearly had a knowledge advantage in the situation.

-:-

Carla was careful in selecting what she would bring on the hunt. Sometimes, she would have to rely on some limited options, but with Victor and Olivia, she would be able to include silver netting and some other special items she wasn’t able to touch, herself. For her own use, she still equipped silver, but in such a way that she would never have to make contact with it. This was standard practice for her, so she already had her ammunition box full of silver bullets for her pistol. The gun wasn’t her first choice for handling the situation, but it was in her back pocket just in case.

She made sure to include some ritual supplies, as well, though there were so few situations where they might be usable. More than one of them also required the use of silver, so she wouldn’t be able to perform them unless Victor or Olivia were helping. Their ability to touch silver was the only thing she envied about them.

She packed up each of the items in a case that would be unassuming in public, one for each of the three of them, with the items they would each find most useful. She left the office to join Victor and Olivia, then, not worried about being noticed. After all, she had references for several of the neighbors in the area, and this close to the full moon, she could use their shape nearly as long as she wanted.

-:-

Eventually, despite all efforts to stop it from happening, Saturday came. They each went through their normal morning routines, which gave Ethan a chance to test if the agents would follow him early in the morning – they didn't. It was entirely possible that they would ignore anyone but Max, meaning that there would be no benefit to splitting up, at that point.

Jake kept a careful watch of the agents, trying to see if there was anything different about how they were acting that day. He noted nothing different in the morning, but just past noon, he noticed that one now held a tote bag and the other a briefcase that they hadn't had before. Jake hadn't seen where they had come from, and he didn’t get a chance to see what was inside them, either; the agents never opened them, as far as Jake could tell.

As the day stretched on, they debated the specifics of their plan once more, watching the clock as it marched its way towards sunset. If they waited too long, they would risk not getting into a place where they'd be able to hide before Max transformed. If they went too early, they would be adding time for the agents to discover their location. Their compromise, based on the option they agreed would be best, was a little after 3 pm. When that time rolled around, they found out about some slight oversights in the plan.

“I'll go out and start the car, and then you two will join,” Ethan said. “That way they won't be as prepared to follow, since they might think I'm leaving on my own until we're already driving away.”

“Wait, no way you're driving. We might have to shake these guys off, if they do follow us,” Jake said. “I should drive.”

“You're a bit erratic. We wouldn't want to attract extra attention.”

“You would follow all the laws even if there weren't cops around. Shaking a tail might involve breaking the speed limit.”

“We don't exactly want to add a tail by breaking the speed limit, either."

“Guys, quit arguing about it. It's a waste of time,” Max cut in.

“You are somewhat of an expert on shaking a tail, Max,” Jake joked. “Who do you think should drive?”

“Oh, man, don't make me pick between you two. Whoever I pick the other one will get mad.”

“Well, the alternative is arguing it out,” Ethan said. “And it's you who would get the consequences of a wrong choice, so it's only fair that you should get to decide. We won't hold it against you.”

“Fine,” Max sighed. “Ethan, you're a better driver for the most part, but Jake is willing to do crazy stuff, which normally would be a problem, yeah, but in this situation I think it really might be better to have someone who's a little more unpredictable because I don't know if we'd ever get clear of those agents, otherwise. I'm picking Jake. Sorry, Ethan, I really do think most of the time you'd be the better pick. It's just this time.”

“No, it's fine. I’ll be the navigator, then. I know the route, but I can tell Jake how to get there,” Ethan said.

“Alright, this is going to be the fun part,” Jake said, seemingly causing Ethan physical pain. “No grandma driving today.”

“I do not drive like a grandmother,” Ethan said, offended even though he knew Jake was just trying to get this rise out of him. “Men are more likely to be given a ticket for the same driving offense, especially younger men, so if anything, grandmothers have more leeway to drive however they want.”

“That makes sense. In that case, I'll be your grandma for this evening. See you in a moment.”

Jake left and got in his car, starting it up and waiting for the others to join him. He was watching the two agents as he did, and they were watching him, the pretense of going unnoticed apparently abandoned entirely by that point. He pulled his car out a bit, as if he were leaving by himself, and he saw their notice wane a bit. And then, the other two came out the front door, Ethan initially going to his own car before switching to Jake's and getting in. Jake paused a moment to let them in before whipping out of the driveway just a little faster than he normally would have.

“That was good thinking, acting like you were about to get in your car,” Jake said.

“I thought we would be taking my car. I didn't notice you had grabbed your keys instead of mine,” Ethan replied.

“No, mine's better anyway. Actually, I think I forgot to renew the registration, so maybe we're home free on being tracked that way.”

“That's not likely, and that's illegal. Now we have an even better chance of getting pulled over,” Ethan said.

“They won't check between here and where we're going. Right or left?” Jake asked.

“Left,” Ethan said.

“They following yet?” Jake asked.

“I don't see them,” Max said, twisting around in his seat to look behind them.

“Good start, then. Now what's next?”

“Go straight at this light, then left at the next one,” Ethan said.

Jake did so, following instructions and getting updates from Max, who hadn't yet spotted the agents. Everything was going well, until Jake saw them. The man had pulled in front of them from a side street, and the woman was coming up behind them. Jake pulled off without Ethan's instructions.

“Hey, that isn't the route. Are you just trying to be unpredictable?” Ethan said, confused.

“I don't know how, but they managed to sandwich us in, just there. One in front, even, like he knew we would be on this road. Max, is the other still behind us?”

“Yeah, I just saw her turn,” Max said, watching.

“Maybe she told him where we were so he could come around,” Ethan suggested.

“She wasn’t behind us until really recently,” Max said.

“Did you consider any factors that someone else wouldn't have access to?” Jake asked.

“I guess not. So you think they did the same thing I did, and narrowed down our options? In other words, they predicted where we would go?”

“Yeah. Which means it's time for a plan change,” Jake said.

“Any of the other options would have the same problem. All the good places to go would,” Ethan said.

“Then we'll go to somewhere that isn't a good option,” Jake said.

“There are some obvious problems with that,” Ethan said. “Did you have something in mind?”

“Yes, I do,” Jake said.

-:-

Carla was impressed with the group's ability to evade their agents. At first, their efforts seemed to be unhelpful, since they really couldn't have shaken off the agents from the start. But once Victor and Olivia were visible, they managed to lose them both.

That was fine, as far as Carla was concerned, because they might take any number of routes, but they were likely to end up in a very finite number of places. And since at least two of the group still needed sleep, unlike Victor and Olivia, they would be hard pressed to hide even in the two best locations she had marked. That's why she told Victor and Olivia to give up tracking them and split up, one in each of the two places, and start searching.

If they were there, then it was almost guaranteed that they'd be found while Max was still an obvious werewolf. That meant that the worst case scenario had now shifted. Now, the worst case was that they had gone somewhere that wasn't a very good place to be.

The hard limitations still applied. They still wouldn’t be able to go anywhere that they would run into other people. They could only go so far before they would have a fully transformed werewolf with them, likely to be spotted if they stayed on the road. And they would have to stay there for three nights and two days.

The benefit of checking the worse hiding places, Carla thought, was that each one would be fairly easy to rule out. The problem was that there were more of the mediocre hiding places than the good ones. She made her list, and she determined all the possibilities, but that list might take her more time than she had, if she wasn't careful. They'd have to be very smart or very lucky, but there was still a small chance that they could avoid her.

-:-

“So, why are we here?” Max asked. “It doesn't look large enough. Couldn't they search the whole thing?”

“Yeah, they could. But we'd have to be out here, rather than in there,” Jake pointed to a large building adjacent to the moderately sized open space park.

“An event center? The lights are on right now,” Ethan said.

“Yeah, and the moon is about to come up,” Max said, worried.

“In this one specific context, that is going to help us blend in,” Jake said. “For now, just go somewhere that's not out in the open so no one sees you change.”

“Okay, but I don't like the idea of shoving my tail in my pants and going into a crowded building covered in fur,” Max said.

“No, don't hide your tail. Let it hang over the waistband,” Jake said.

“Jake, what are you doing?” Ethan asked. “How is this going to help us evade those agents?”

“Just wait a second, you'll see. This place has a little bit of room for us to try and avoid people, but it also is going to give us until about ten tonight and most of the day tomorrow that we'll be impossible to find. After that, the building should be empty, so we could always break in as a last resort.”

“An absolute last resort,” Ethan emphasized.

They both waited as Max went into a poorly maintained bathroom, watching the moon just start to crest over the horizon. No one else was visible on this side of the park, which was good, Jake thought. It would be bad if they were even followed here, though there was still a possibility that the event would allow them to go unnoticed.

Soo enough, Max came out of the bathroom, wolf head, fluffy tail, and clawed hands the only real indications he was a werewolf. If they had any time, Jake might have tried to make it look like the wolf head was a latex prosthetic or something, but honestly, people would probably doubt that it was real even more if they were jealous at how good it looked.

“Perfect. Now to go inside,” Jake said, leading them across the small section of the park that separated the dirt parking lot they had parked in from the event center. As they approached, Max and Ethan were nervous about whatever Jake's plan might be, but Jake was confident as he approached the door and paid an entrance fee for three. He brushed off concerns that they had already missed most of the day, and led the other two inside.

It was a furry convention. As soon as they were inside the doors, they saw all manner of people trying to emulate what Max had naturally, though some of them in less-than-natural colors. Jake would have to remember to get some temporary hair dye for Max if they ever did this again. Not that it was likely. But even with the blond fur, Max was a hit.

“Really good commitment on the costume, that makeup must have taken all day. Where'd you get the claws, man? They look really natural,” said a man wearing less-than-natural wolf paw gloves. He also had a tail on, which happened to look fairly similar to Max's, with the way Max had his positioned.

“Oh, hi,” Max said. “Yeah, I'm late because of it, right? Always too much to get done, not enough time.” Max was obviously nervous at the attention, but he didn't seem to hate it.

“Yeah, definitely. I think the wolf fursonas are maybe a little overdone, but I have to admit, with the full moon coming up and everything, it's pretty thematic. And you did a nice job on it. There's a booth here somewhere that has a lot of wolf stuff, you should check it out. Even if you don't want anything they've got, I know they'd love to see your costume.”

“Oh, yeah, thanks,” Max said. “I’ll make sure to check it out.”

“I think this was one of my better ideas,” Jake whispered to Ethan.

“I don't think I could bring myself to confirm that, but I haven't found a way to deny it yet,” Ethan said. “Still, I have never been to anything like this before, so I am out of my depth.”

“Well, I’ve been to other conventions,” Jake said. “For other things. This is probably about the same. They have panels and activities and you can buy stuff. I am not entirely sure what you can buy here, but if you really want to get into the spirit, I’m seeing enough tails they must be selling them somewhere around here.”

“I don’t think I will get into the spirit,” Ethan said.

“Well, we really are here for Max, so if anyone thinks asks if you’re having a good time, just tell them you’re only here because of your friend. And make sure to be super defensive about it, that’ll sell the whole thing.”

“How did you know about this, anyway?” Ethan asked, giving Jake a dirty look.

“Well, someone mentioned it offhand a while back, and I thought it would be super funny to put a werewolf in a fursuit contest at a furry con. So I researched if there were any furry conventions around the full moon, and I found this one. I was going to suggest it before we found out agents were casing the house, and I figured it wasn’t appropriate anymore, but it turns out it actually was very appropriate.”

“So do they have a fursuit contest?” Ethan asked.

“I think it’s tomorrow. But we’ll be here tomorrow, so he might as well enter,” Jake said.

“That would draw a lot of attention,” Ethan said.

“I mean, it would, but having a hyper realistic costume and not entering a costume competition would raise a lot of questions. But if he enters, then at least he would be attracting the right kind of attention. Either way, people can’t just go to a convention and not participate in anything. You either have to show off your costume, buy stuff, go to panels, or play some of the games. Which reminds me, there is a game of Ultimate Werewolf tonight, and we should all join in.”

“Once again, a werewolf at a game of Ultimate Werewolf?” Ethan said, his concern not dropping at all.

“Yeah, obviously. It’s super fun to have a real werewolf, but also, you really think someone would dress as a werewolf and avoid werewolf-themed events?”

“So you know about what kind of events there are here. What are some that are lower effort?” Ethan said.

“For you, there’s a panel on doing your taxes. For me, I’m going to see about some of the music, maybe see about a comedy show, Max is going to Zoology 101 if I have anything to say about it, and then after that we are all going to play Ultimate Werewolf. Remember, we blend in the more we participate,” Jake said.

“How would I even know where any of this stuff is?” Ethan asked, desperately trying to get out of having to actively participate.

“Ask around. There’s probably also like a pamphlet or something somewhere. In any case, I’m going to get Max on the same page, and then we’ll meet back up for Ultimate Werewolf. Sound good?”

“Fine. The panel had better actually be about taxes, though,” Ethan said, splitting off into the crowd.

Jake had to wait a moment to get access to Max again, since plenty of people were giving him compliments on his costume. He seemed to be getting into the role well, responding as if he had really spent a lot of time and effort on the thing. Jake didn’t hear everything, but just as he got close enough to hear the conversation through the crowd, he found his opportunity to drag Max out of a conversation for a second.

“Dude, I just really appreciate the body type you went for in the costume. You could have done the whole muscle thing and all like most of the more masculine wolf ‘sonas, but I think it’s good to have some representation for the skinny wolves and the twink wolves, too, so I’m glad to see you went for that,” a man was saying. He himself was not skinny, and certainly not a twink. He was likely a little older than Max, too, and a bit taller. This man’s compliment was less than well-received.

“Well, you know, I’ve got a friend who did the whole muscle wolf thing, but that’s extra work, you know? But I don’t know that I’d say I’m a twink,” Max said.

“Hey, Max, you’re gonna miss the presentation,” Jake said, pulling Max away from the man before the situation could get worse. “You really will if you don’t hurry a bit.”

“What? What presentation?” Max asked, confused. “Where’s Ethan?”

“We’re blending in, so we’re participating. There’s a game of Ultimate Werewolf later tonight, so we’re all meeting up then, but I think you should go to Zoology 101,” Jake urged.

“What? Why?” Max said, confused.

“Well, if anyone’s trying to find us, they’re more likely to spot us if we’re out in the open, but also I think you’d like the Zoology panel,” Jake explained.

“Alright, where is it, then?” Max asked.

“No idea. Ask around, someone’s bound to know,” Jake said. “Just don’t get stuck talking to everyone.”

After that, Jake took his own advice, asking around for any live music or comedy shows and finding the room just in time for the start of the performance. He was a little worried about Max, but if someone did come looking for them, being split up might be better. They might not know who Max was immediately if he wasn’t near one of them. That assumed anyone would look for them here, which he hoped was unlikely.

He asked around for the game once the performance was over, finding out that it was further down a hallway, where things were quieter. He met up with Max in the hallway.

“Did you know what that was?” Max asked. Jake thought he might have been blushing under the fur.

“It was zoology, wasn’t it?” Jake asked.

“I mean, it was, but it sure wasn’t limited to what you learn in middle school biology,” Max said.

“Didn’t they ask for your ID? Didn’t that tip you off that it wouldn’t be a middle school situation?” Jake asked.

“Oh. I guess it should have. I didn’t know why they wanted my ID, honestly.”

At that point, Ethan rejoined them.

“Was your thing a little, um…” Max asked.

“No,” Ethan said, guessing what Max meant since it was what he had been afraid of. “It was just a lecture about how you can do your own taxes. I didn’t learn much, but it wasn’t all that weird, either. Except someone that I think was supposed to be a marmot, or something? And a bunch of tails, but I’m getting used to them.”

“Now will you admit that this was one of my better ideas?” Jake asked.

“No. I don’t think I ever will, at least not officially. It’s not very based in sound reasoning. Or maybe it is, but there are some leaps in logic to get there, so I won’t count it,” Ethan said.

“I guess I can accept an unofficial one. Now for a game,” Jake said, leading them all into the room.

The Government (Part 5)

Carla was tired from searching some of the lower-grade options for the group to have hidden in. She would have loved to have reduced fatigue like Victor and Olivia, though her shapeshifting was possibly more useful for the situation she was in. And yet, she had to stop at some point in the night, unable to continue through her sleepiness. At least, she knew it wasn’t wise. She couldn’t stay sharp for the three nights and two days Max would be stuck in hiding if she didn’t sleep.

Her searches inevitably brought back memories. The hunt always did, for her. She had learned to embrace them. Being the hunter could only be made easier with the memories of being hunted. Twice, really. Carla was very good at being on this end, though. She was in charge of her region for a reason. She intended, eventually, to rise even further in the ranks. She was unique, she was good at her job, and she would put in the work to deserve it.

Even if she was limited by sleep, she would make quick work of this case. She was good at her job.

-:-

After the game, they mingled for a bit longer, and then attended a dance. Unfortunately, after the dance, the event was over for the night, and everyone had to leave. There were places in nearby hotels blocked out for the convention-goers, but they were too late to manage to get in one of those, so they had to make their way out into the open-space park again.

They went towards the far end of the park, away from the parking lot with Jake’s car. That way, if his car was found, they wouldn’t be immediately found. There weren’t many areas to sleep, and it wasn’t exactly like camping, but they found a space between some trees and a short rock outcropping. They were hidden from sight, and would be protected from any wind, but it was still cold outside. They had jackets, but they didn’t have anything like a tent.

“Are you guys going to be warm enough?” Max asked.

“You’re not worried about yourself?” Ethan asked.

“No, I’ve got a fur coat on. And then another coat. I feel fine. But I don’t know about you two.”

“I bought something as we were leaving,” Jake said. He unrolled a blanket which had a picture of a cartoon wolf face on it. Ethan raised an eyebrow. “Well, it’s not like they were selling many plaid blankets,” Jake said. Ethan seemed to accept that. When Jake unfurled it, it was large enough for the three of them, and once they were all under it, they were much warmer.

“One of us has to keep watch,” Ethan said.

“I’ll do that, since I don’t really have to sleep much,” Max said.

“You need at least a little sleep,” Jake said. “Wake up Ethan once it gets close to morning, then get a bit of rest.”

“Alright, I will,” Max relented.

Jake and Ethan managed to fall asleep despite the somewhat uncomfortable ground. The night still wasn’t exactly warm, but it was bearable in the circumstances. When Jake woke up, Max had just woken up also, and Ethan pointed out that the sun was starting to lighten the sky. They dusted themselves off as well as they could and made their way back to the convention.

The morning started off much less busy than the evenings were, which felt like a mixed bag. Without as much of a crowd, they would be more visible, but there were also fewer people to worry about. There were still panels and events and games throughout the day, and they each went to some of them, with varying degrees of enjoyment. As the day went on, though, their enjoyment waned as a group. Jake did his best to mitigate it, but he was also seeing the end of the safety period that he had found for Max. After the conference ended, they still had most of two nights and one day that they would have to remain hidden. If someone were to investigate the small park while they were safely in the convention, perhaps they would have been safely passed over. But if not, the park was small enough that it would be relatively quick to search, and offered few solid hiding places.

In an effort to keep their mind off of it, Jake did enter Max in the contest, which meant that the judges spent some time evaluating him as he went across a stage in a sequence with many others. Of the costumes, Max’s was the most realistic, to be sure, but not the most creative or impressive, depending on the criteria. As such, Max only won second place. Jake was still satisfied with that, though he did have to wonder whether Adrian might have gotten first with his slightly more classic werewolf build.

Thinking of Adrian, Jake texted him to make sure he wasn’t being swarmed by agents himself. In response, Adrian explained that, though he couldn’t really leave his house, he wasn’t being singled out at all. The same agents that had been asking questions occasionally popped in to ask the neighbors other questions or just to take a look, but he had been lucky enough to avoid them.

The knowledge that Adrian was doing better than they were was heartening, and Jake got a second wind, dragging the others around to events with renewed energy. The final event of the convention was a dance called the Dead Dog Dance, and though that was a horrible vibe in the context, it eventually included a lowering of the lights. Better yet, it went until midnight, so they would have a decent chunk of the night spent safely inside. It was the last moments of the full moon that they wouldn’t need to be constantly on guard.

-:-

Carla was hoping that her target was in one of the original two locations she had found. After all, she was having no luck with any of the areas she’d searched, and she knew by then that she wouldn’t be able to get to them all. They might have evaded Victor and Olivia so far, but if they were in either of the areas with one of them, they would be found, Carla had every confidence. But she was limited in manpower and options by the secretive nature of her organization, and the trio seemed to have outthought her, somehow.

It didn’t make any sense to her. The city had more and more large swaths of nearly- unoccupied land further out, but they would only have been able to get so far in the time they had allotted themselves, and they hadn’t been seen anywhere. Further into the city made no sense. More people, smaller parks, and to top it all off, a wall keeping them in – or a giant lake, really, but in the circumstances, it was acting like a wall. No rational person would go further into the city, and yet she’d been having no luck outside it.

She remembered being hunted again, what it felt like to prepare for every scenario, to try to think through every way that something could go wrong and mitigate every danger. And then, in both cases, to fail. She was, after all, much better at this than she had been.

But then she remembered the feeling just when you’ve spotted your hunter. The moment you try to shake them off. The moment these three did manage to shake off the agents tailing them, setting everything backwards and threatening to bring the hunt into a second month. That moment when fear took over and propelled you forward, towards something that didn’t always make sense.

A moment when you weren’t really all that rational, after all.

Of course, she had been assuming they had stuck to preparations, done things the way they ought to be done. In that case, they were less and less likely to be successful the better their attempt. So, really, the best case scenario for them was some degree of randomness, or perhaps something that wasn’t a good idea at all. Like going towards a wall.

This was a great moment for the hunter. When the prey, in trying to evade the hunter, makes a trap for themselves.

Carla began tracing the basic direction Olivia had been following them before they had lost her, which trended somewhat North. Not only did that align with her theory about where they might have gone, but it also restricted the possibilities even further, had they continued the trend. She checked all of the possibilities, figuring that they wouldn’t have chosen any tiny park that wouldn’t offer any options to escape. That left several options.

However, they had spent enough time on their original route, in nearly the opposite direction, that they would have had to backtrack significantly, leaving little time for them to get further from their starting point. Based on the time they had last been seen, even taking the most direct route, they would have had only one option, if they were to have enough time to comfortably get away from the eyes of the public. Ironically, right next to a method of escape they would be incapable of using until the moon waned: an airport.

Carla was very good at her job.

-:-

After the dance ended, they stayed as long as they could before they were politely asked to leave so they could clean up. Even then, it was significantly in to the night, to the point that the full moon was almost directly overhead. That marked about the halfway point in the danger zone.

They made their way back into the park, trying to get as far as possible from paths and roads to minimize their chances of being spotted by random civilians. They expected none, this late into the night, so they were perhaps a bit more lax in their observation than they could have been. Still, they could only prepare so much for what happened – which was, almost not at all.

“Ethan?” came a voice off to the side of the path they were on. It seemed slightly faint, perhaps far enough off that the person hadn’t seen them all, or might decide they hadn’t seen what they did, but Ethan hadn’t been expecting to hear his name.

“That sounded like Andrew,” Ethan whispered, standing still.

“Did you tell Andrew where we are?” Jake asked, similarly quiet.

“No, I didn’t,” Ethan said.

“Then let’s move away from the false-Andrew,” Jake suggested, altering course.

They didn’t hear the voice again for nearly fifteen minutes, giving them ample time to calm themselves and to think they might have lost the false-Andrew. However, just as they had fallen into a false sense of security, they heard it again, coming from a different direction.

“I need to talk to you,” false-Andrew said. It sounded almost sincere, which made Jake even more wary. They altered course again, trying to speed up a bit without making too much noise. They could see well enough with the full moon, but that also allowed them little opportunity to hide at any point, so they kept moving.

This time around, they kept moving for half an hour. Jake knew that the park went north to south for some distance, but wasn’t very wide, so he was wary of hitting one of the edges and being trapped, but he couldn’t tell where they were, exactly, and with the moon so directly overhead, he also couldn’t tell what direction was what.

Even with the disorientated half hour of silence, they couldn’t get comfortable the same way they had the first time, so they kept on. They listened hard for any indication of the false-Andrew as they moved, and they heard him again.

“There you are,” the false-Andrew said, only about a hundred feet away. “I need to talk to you, Ethan, and I guess you couldn’t hear me, but I didn’t want to be too loud.” False-Andrew moved closer to them, being rather careful not to make too much noise. Though there was no way for Andrew to know where they had gone, the false-Andrew was good enough that it otherwise could have fooled Jake. Even the mannerisms seemed to be similar. However, rather than being comforting, the similarities raised their hackles – somewhat literally, for Max.

“Talk about what?” Ethan said cautiously, standing still as the false-Andrew got close enough to be within comfortable speaking distance.

“I needed to warn you about some people who found out where you are. It’s not safe here,” he said.

“I just have to say, Andrew,” Ethan said, getting a good look at the false-Andrew for the first time, “What big teeth you have.”

Even Jake had to cringe at the delivery of the line, though he was proud of the effort. Indeed, false-Andrew had teeth that were somewhat too large and sharp to be natural. That fact was only intensified when false-Andrew smiled, showing off more of those sharp teeth.

“The better to eat you with, I suppose,” false-Andrew said. “Better run.”

They did. Of course they did. Jake thought they might have some small hope of making their way back to his car, or else back to the event center and breaking in, or finding some other place to escape. Max likely would be able to outpace them, Jake supposed, given his wolf form, but before he could tell Max not to stop on their account, he realized that it wouldn’t matter. They found themselves trapped on one side by a pond of unknown depth. It shined brightly in the moonlight, almost threateningly. A glance back showed another glint, silver like the moon, though it wasn’t really silver. It was steel, the steel of a pistol.

They stopped where they were, turning to face the false-Andrew.

“I want to talk, Ethan,” said false-Andrew as his face and body morphed into a woman, taller, stronger, and more threatening. Less skinny, though still holding the gun. “Actually, Ethan, I want to talk to Max. If I had my other agents, we would trap him and talk in private, but I can’t touch silver, so my only options – and yours – are the gun or talking. I assume we’d both prefer talking, yes?”

Max nodded, rightfully afraid of the woman.

“Good. Well, since I already know your name and what you are, I’ll put us on the same level, though any of this conversation the other two leak will be silenced. Perhaps along with them. Now, My name is Carla. I am referred to as a false-changeling.”

“Not a real changeling?” Max asked.

“No. See, werewolves always get hunted, and then they have two options. The same as you. One, you are taken in, willingly, to be experimented on. A werewolf is never allowed to remain that way due to the danger of transmission, so you have to be something else if you want to live. Typically, that means that one aspect of werewolf-ism is strengthened to the exclusion of all others. Many agents need no sleep, or retain extreme strength, or other traits, some rare ones even retain the wolf form but can change any time, though they require sleep and aren’t much stronger. I am a one-of-a-kind case. For me, they played with the ability to change shape to recreate a version of an extinct supernatural creature.

“There are a few differences. A changeling changes at will, for however long they wish to. They often had no true form. I am limited in how long I can retain any form by the phase of the moon. I have this true form. And, as you may have noticed, the teeth ritual is permanent. And it only affects werewolves, so a changeling would never have had this problem.”

“So you don’t kill them, you experiment on them and let them go?” Max said.

“Not quite. You only get to take that option if you decide to join my organization. After the rituals and science-y stuff has concluded, and you are no longer a proper werewolf, you must work with us to capture the rest. That lasts the rest of your life.”

“What if someone doesn’t want to be an agent?”

“Then they find out what it feels like to be shot with a silver bullet. Often metaphorically, but for you, it’s literal.”

“So you were captured, too?”

“Yes. I managed to evade it for six years, but I was captured. And then I joined the cause. Never looked back.”

“But why do you hunt werewolves?”

“Because they’re dangerous, and they can infect others. It’s a combination that can’t be ignored. Just because they don’t go mindless, doesn’t mean they can’t be malicious.”

“Well then, why don’t you only go after the malicious ones?”

“As if we could predict that. Any that aren’t malicious may as well join the cause of hunting the others, so we do provide a way to prove your intentions, more or less.”

“It’s not much of a choice. I take it you didn’t choose to become a werewolf in the first place?”

“Of course not. I was essentially hunted by one, turned intentionally, and given no help in figuring it all out. So the choice to hunt werewolves was obvious, for me.”

“It sounds like you didn’t get much of a choice in any of it. You were forced to be a werewolf, which forced you to hide that, and then when you were finally captured, your only choices were death or being a slave to a cause? It didn’t have to be like that. Not everyone is turned by some malicious awful werewolf, not everyone has to go it alone afterwards. And if it weren’t for your organization, not everyone would be constantly on the run after they turned. Wouldn’t you have preferred being able to talk about what happened? Wouldn’t you have liked to navigate being a werewolf without a constant threat of being hunted?”

“I’m not a slave to a cause. I chose this, like I said.”

“It’s not a choice if it was that or death. You can never leave?”

“Of course not. Post-werewolves are still dangerous. Can you imagine someone like me, someone who can look like anyone on earth, being left alone, without being monitored? That’s why the original changelings went extinct. They bred so much fear and distrust by their existence that they couldn’t make any place their home. If people like me aren’t turned to some good cause, then who knows what kind of mess we could make?”

“None of us are any more dangerous than we were before. People who want to do awful things shouldn’t have all that extra power, but people who just want to live their life will still just live their life if they can. You could have just kept on living your life if it weren’t for your organization.”

“I couldn’t have just ignored the werewolf that turned me.”

“If you hadn’t been worried about being hunted, maybe you would have reported them. That’s kind of a problem with the system, don’t you think? If someone does get turned, they are very unlikely to report it because they’d also be reporting themselves. Either way, if I know there’s even one decent werewolf around, I can’t join an organization that’s hunting them.”

“You understand that I have silver bullets, right? They are designed to stay inside your body. For either of us, whose bodies are supernatural on a very basic level to facilitate shifting forms, silver is like poison. Being restrained by silver saps supernatural strength, things like that, but for us, it’s attacking the nature of our bodies. The bullet will destroy your body from the inside out.”

“I know what silver feels like, but I can’t hunt decent people just to save myself.”

Ethan and Jake were quiet through the whole exchange. There seemed to be nothing they could do, no way they could improve the situation. They just watched her resolve, steady until partway through the conversation with Max, when it flagged. She had her gun in hand the whole time, and at Max’s decision, she replaced the magazine, switching out the ammunition.

“I have silver bullets for werewolves, and I have copper bullets for the rest of you, to save on the silver. If I were to shoot you with a copper bullet, Max, it would hurt, but you’d be fine. Especially in wolf form, you would heal very quickly. But if it were silver, you would have to get immediate medical attention even to try and survive it.”

“I understand. I have a choice, and I made it. You have a choice, too. So make it.”

“I already have,” Carla said. She raised the gun, pointed it at Max. “This will hurt. Don’t scream. It will complicate the paperwork.”

Carla shot, and Max fell. Max did, in fact, scream.