HAGATANA @i-am-hagatana - Tumblr Blog

Jan 21, 2021

Welcome to the Pack

(It’s finally done, I feel so dumb for not finishing in October, but I hope you still enjoy it!)

Chapter 1 (Mistakes were Made)

The morning sun shines between the silky curtains, lighting up a small room with little furniture present. Ethan, lying in a bed under the covers, takes a deep breath and squints his eyes open. He slowly rolls from his side onto his back and brushes his blue hair off of his face while staring at the partially blurry ceiling. He blinks a few times to force the sleepiness away and the ceiling becomes clearer. He turns his head to his left to find his glasses resting on a small bedside table. He pulls his left arm out from under the covers, revealing a blood-stained bandage wrapped around his forearm, and grabs his glasses. Ethan sits himself up and puts them on. Wait… That’s weird.

Ethan squints in confusion and takes the glasses back off. Everything around him in the room looks as clear as day. He can see the uneven paint strokes covering the door. The bumpy texture on the walls around him was more prominent. He can even see the smudges and dust particles on the lenses of his glasses. He places the glasses back on, his vision becomes blurred. He takes them off once more and stares down at them with bewilderment. He then shifts himself to the side of the bed, drops his feet to the wooden floor, and places his glasses in his shorts pocket while sitting on the edge.

Ethan’s attention then switches to his left arm, more specifically, the bandage with a large bloodstain in the shape of the letter u. He studies it for a brief moment, his heart rate quickens and his lips slightly part as the memories suddenly begin to rush back. He leans forward to rest his elbows on his thighs. A memory appears in his mind, he remembers laughing to the point his chest got sore. Around him were his new friends, the whole gang was gathered. Amy, Kathryn, Tyler, Sean, Bob, Wade, and… Mark. They all hung out in the living room, drinking beverages and munching on some snacks, sharing multiple stories and jokes, but also doing their hardest not to choke from laughter. They all celebrated the new memories and videos they all made together, and their newest member of the group, Ethan, who had been working for Mark for about a month now. Ethan was then standing beside Mark, thanking him for everything and the opportunity, and emphasizing the joy he felt working with them all.

Mark gave him a big smile in return, then quickly looked to the right to notice Amy look over at him. The two exchanged nods, then looked around and did the same with the others, causing Ethan to raise an eyebrow. The room grew quiet.

“Ethan,” Mark spoke. Ethan turned his attention back to Mark and answered, “Yeah?” He watched as Mark’s expression became a bit serious.

Ethan suddenly shakes his head, snapping out of the memory and back to the bedroom he was sitting in. He looks at his bandaged arm once more with a scared shaky breath, his expression now filled to the brim with anxiety. His breathing gradually slows back to normal. He drops his arms to his side with a sigh and forces himself out of bed, not wanting to relive the rest of the night…

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Ethan exits the bedroom and stares down the empty hallway. He walks across to the bathroom and shuts the door behind him. He flicks the light switch on and pulls his phone out of his other pocket. He presses the home button and the screen displays the time, 8:45 a.m. Underneath were a few notifications, but he lets his screen go dark as his attention switches to the mirror in front of him. Ethan notices his face and immediately freezes. His phone drops out of his hand, landing on the counter with a thud. One hand shoots to his face, feeling that his skin was smooth… he couldn’t believe it, his acne was gone!

“What the…” Ethan mutters to himself. How on Earth? No person’s face could just do that overnight… Not wanting to stress himself, and not wanting the memory to return, Ethan shakes his head with a sigh, leaves the bathroom, and quietly heads down the stairs, praying he could head out the door and away from this craziness without seeing Mark again…

Ethan enters the kitchen and turns toward the living room to see Amy and Chica chilling together on the couch and watching TV. Amy turns her head to him and sits forward.

“Hey!” Amy gets up from the couch and walks over to the now nervous Ethan, who could not make himself at least grin, and he was trying. “I was just wondering if I should go check on you, how are you feeling?”

“Uh… I’m ok…” Ethan absentmindedly looks at the floor as his right hand grabs his arm, gently gripping the bandaged area. Amy looks down at his forearm, her smile fades for a moment, but she forces it back on. She carefully grabs his bandaged arm, causing him to slightly jump and look at her with a bit of surprise.

“You know,” Amy tells him, “you don’t need this anymore.” Ethan raises an eyebrow as Amy begins to unravel the bandage. “If you've ever seen any werewolf movies, you might remember that most of them could heal fast. In the real world, though, that’s the case for all of them.” Within a few seconds, the bandage is peeled off, revealing a wound free arm, causing Ethan’s jaw to drop. He pulls his arm back to study it, his right hand up and down his forearm a few times. Not a single touch or squeeze causes any pain, his arm doesn’t even feel sore. It was as if he was never wounded, he wishes that was the case...

Ethan’s heart rate picks up, the word “werewolf” becomes stuck in his head... yet he also feels a bit confused why she sounds so calm? Does she not understand what happened last night? Pausing the questioning for a moment, he sighs, “This.. is really happening?... And Mark is actually…?” Amy sighs but looks him in the eyes with a reassuring smile.

“I know exactly how you’re feeling, I know what’s going through your mind. This is all really strange, and somewhat scary at first. But trust me when I say you don’t have to feel scared, you can trust us.” Meanwhile, Chica jumps down from the couch and walks over to them with a wagging tail. Amy turns to her and greets her with a grin. Ethan looks at her as well, but doing so causes her to freeze in place and stop wagging her tail. Confused, he holds his hand out to her, giving her permission to come closer for some head scratches. However, Chica’s eyes stare at him with a bit of fear and confusion. A small whimper escapes through her mouth as she backs away and goes to lay beside the couch and out of Ethan and Amy’s sight. Amy looks back at Ethan with pity, seeing him look down and pull back his now slightly shaking hand.

“You hungry?” she asks to temporarily take his mind off the situation. Ethan picks his head up to look at her.

“Well.. yeah, but-”

“Then come sit, I’ll make breakfast,” Amy cuts him off and leads him to the dining room table. Ethan tries to turn around.

“No, you really don’t have to.” Amy continues to nudge him towards a seat and urges “It’s alright, I insist. You’re gonna need food anyway.” Amy smiles at him, causing him to give in and sit in a chair at the table.

“Thanks, Amy…”

“Don’t worry about it.

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The kitchen and the rooms nearby are filled with a constant sizzling. The aroma of eggs and sausages fill the air, some slices of bread are toasting in the toaster as well. Amy works her way around the kitchen, grabbing plates and cups from the cabinets, using a spatula to scramble the eggs and rotate the sausages. Every batch in the frying pans and toaster are transferred to three large plates that are piled high with the separated breakfast foods and resting at the center of the table. Ethan is sitting at the end of the table, enjoying his fairly large plate of food. Amy quickly walks through one doorway with a frying pan filled with eggs and empties it onto the egg platter. Suddenly, in the other doorway that leads to the kitchen, Sean enters and greets the two with a big grin.

“Hey guys!” he says with slight cheer and walks over to them. The two return his greeting with quick smiles, then Amy returns to the kitchen and Ethan returns to his meal. Sean takes a seat in the chair beside Ethan, sits back, and rests an arm on the back of the seat.

“How’s it goin’, Ethan?” Ethan looks up from his plate and swallows the food in his mouth.

“I’m as good as I can be, I guess..” Ethan looks back down at his plate with a sad look and pushes his food around with his fork. Sean stares at him for a moment, seeing and sensing Ethan’s mental distress… Amy quickly comes back into the dining room and hands Sean a plate, utensils, and a glass of water, then heads back to the kitchen.

“Hey, Ethan.” Sean stares at him with a smile forming on his face.

“Hm?” Ethan responds and looks up at him while taking a sip out of his cup. Sean quickly giggles to himself, then looks up and leans in a bit closer to Ethan.

“Wanna hear a story?” Sean asks, hoping in his mind that a bit of humor would help. Ethan places his cup down, places his arms crisscrossed on the table, and leans in to listen closely. Through many occasional chuckles, Sean begins.

“This one time when I was at Mark’s, he was taking a nap in the afternoon. I decided to pull a prank on him, and boy was it pretty good. And you’d think that since he was in his wolf form, he would be able to sense me comin’. But luckily, the night before, Mark stayed up ‘til around 5 in the mornin’ to finish editing. I warned him not to ‘cause he had been workin’ all day, but he didn’t listen. Then at around 7 AM, he went outside to the woods in his wolf form for a bit of exercise, thinking it would give him energy for the day. When he returned, he had burned himself out, so he just frickin’ plopped on the couch and was out cold quick. So I decided to mess with him for not listenin’. I snuck to the kitchen and filled a bowl with ice-cold water. Then I snuck up behind the couch, yelled his name as loud as I could to make him jump and then I dumped the whole bowl all over him. He stood up shivering and growing frustrated. I was already laughing hard, but then he tried to run at me and ended up slipping on the water on the floor and landing on his face. It reminded me of a frickin’ cartoon and I nearly died laughing. I know it seems kinda cruel, but it was also sort of payback for him messing with me in a game a few days earlier”

Ethan politely lets out a fake giggle, he fins the story was funny, but picturing werewolf Mark destroyed his pleasure... His fake laughter quickly ceases as the image continues to haunt him. He quietly sighs and looks back down at the bit of food remaining on his plate to clear his mind. After Sean fills his own plate with some breakfast, he places his fork beside his plate and looks at Ethan.

“You wanna know somethin’ else?” Ethan looks back up at him and slightly tilts his head.

“Like Mark, I have a little secret too, but don’t go runnin’ off after I show ya,” Sean demands. Ethan lets out a sigh through his nose and gives him a nod. Sean grins at him, then turns his head to the kitchen and notices salt and pepper shakers sitting on the counter. Sean lifts his left hand in the air a few inches from his body. Suddenly, a green glowing energy surrounds them, lifting them off of the counter and into mid-air. Sean moves his raised hand slightly closer to himself in a pulling-like motion, causing the shakers to float towards him and land on the table next to his plate. The green glow disappears, Sean grabs the salt and sprinkles a bit on his food. With a small grin, he looks over at Ethan, who’s eyes are nearly bulging out of his head, and the fork in his hand falls and lands on the table with a clatter.

“Magic exists too?!” Ethan shouts with surprise.

“Yup. When I was young, my father taught me and my siblings magic he learned from his father. He told us that his side of the family possesses power, and he could sense a bit of it inside of all five of us. Then he trained us and taught us about everything else that exists” With that last sentence, Amy enters the room with her own tableware and sits in a chair across from Sean. She serves herself some food while Sean digs into his plate.

“Wish I knew some magic,” Amy comments, “it would make work a little easier.” Sean giggles in response.

Ethan, however, sits back in his chair with shock in his eyes, his mind flooding with questions that cause his head to ache. Was there anything else he didn’t know? Is anyone else that he knows keeping secrets from him? What’s going to happen now that he wasn’t human anymore?...

In the same doorway Sean walked through, Bob and Wade come into the dining room with upset looks on their faces.

“Hey, guys…” Bob says, obtaining the attention of Sean and Amy.

“Any luck talking to Mark?” Amy asks with some worry.

“He wouldn’t talk to us, and he wouldn’t let us into his room.”

“He’s not taking this situation very well, but I guess we can’t blame him…” Wade adds with a sigh.

As they talk, Ethan continues sitting there, lost in his thoughts and feeling overwhelmed with unwelcomed emotions. He unintentionally begins to think back to last night once again. He sees himself surrounded by the others, they were all silent as they watched him and Mark.

“Ethan,” Mark spoke, “we’re all just so grateful to have you with us, we’re really glad you’re enjoying time with all of us, and we really enjoy our time with you. I’m glad we became friends and that we’re able to make videos together.” Ethan showed him a big smile. Mark took a few steps away from Ethan but still faced him. “We really appreciate what you add to our group, and we trust you a lot. And because we do… There’s something I want to show you, something that I believe I can trust you with at this point.” Mark stopped a few feet from him and took a few deep breaths.

“Mark, what is it?” Ethan watched him with a raised eyebrow.

“Look, this is gonna be very weird,” Mark responds while he pulls off his shoes, “but please just stay calm.”

“I don’t understand...” Ethan looked around at the others, hoping someone would explain or at least give clues.

“You will.” Tyler stared at Ethan with his arms crossed and a calm, yet serious expression.

“Just trust us,” Amy added. Ethan’s attention returned to Mark when he took one last deep breath and closed his eyes.

“Ethan!” Sean exclaims, causing Ethan to snap out of the memory and look up at everyone in the dining room with a gasp. Ethan composes himself and sits up.

“Yeah?” Ethan’s voice cracks.

“You okay?” Bob asks with concern. Ethan clears his throat and stands up, grabbing his tableware.

“Yeah, yeah, I’m just gonna.. go put my other clothes back on.”

“Hold on,” Amy tells him while getting out of her seat, “your other shirt got a bit of blood on it, I’ll lend you one of Mark’s.”

“..Ok, thanks...” Ethan walks into the kitchen, Amy follows behind him. The other three stay in the dining room and look at each other. Sean sighs, “Ethan isn’t doing very good either.. What’s Tyler and Kathryn up to?” Bob and Wade sit at the table.

“They wanted to try and talk to Mark too, not sure if it’ll work though..” Bob answers. The three sigh and look down at the table. Sean then suddenly looks up.

“I think Ethan needs somethin’ to temporarily take his mind off of this while the rest of us help Mark, and then we’ll figure out what to do, and quick. Tyler said the next full moon’s tomorrow.” Their faces become filled with concern, they occasionally tap their fingers on the table, trying to make themselves think.

“What if we take him out for a walk?” Sean and Bob look at Wade. “Maybe fresh air is what he needs, and maybe me and Bob can talk to him to help him feel better about this situation.”

“Alright,” Sean responds, “just be careful not to say anything that’ll freak him out more.”

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“What’re we doing?” Ethan asks in confusion as Bob and Wade lead him to the front door.

“We’re taking you out for a little walk,” Bob answers, “we thought it would be good for you since you’re feeling.. You know.”

“Just don’t go running off on us,” Wade comments as he opens the door. Ethan looks at them both, then heads out the door with a sigh of defeat. Bob and Wade quickly turn back to give Sean, who was watching from the kitchen, two thumbs up. Sean responds with a nod and a smile, then the two head out the door and close it behind them.

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“Mark’s still in there?” Amy asks when she comes across Kathryn and Tyler in the upstairs hallway.

“He’s really hard to talk to when he’s this upset…” Kathryn sighs and frowns.

“I don’t think we can convince him right now, it’s probably best to give him just a little more time. Sorry, Amy..” Tyler tells her and walks past her with Kathryn. The two head downstairs, but Amy heads for the bedroom with some determination. She stops at the bedroom door and leans against it. She lifts her hand with hesitation and lightly knocks.

“Mark?...” On the other side of the door, Mark, who is sitting hunched forward on the side of his bed facing away from the door, slightly picks his head up to the side and remains silent.

“Come on, Mark. I know this situation’s scary and stressful, but you need to talk to someone. Maybe let that someone be me?” A shaky sigh escapes Mark’s mouth as he turns his head away. He places his elbows on his legs and rests his chin in his hands, pressing his hands against his mouth as he struggles to hold back tears and avoid breaking down.

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“So uh, you heard about the new game coming out next year?” Bob asks the other two. Wade furrows his eyebrows and looks at him. “I dunno, which one?” Ethan, not paying them any attention, is walking in front of them, his hands stuffed in his jeans pockets and his eyes fixed on the ground. The three are walking down the sidewalk, Bob begins to explain with his hands while speaking.

“It’s the one where a group of alien warriors saves you, the main character, from the planet that went up in flames, they take you to their world and raise you to become a hero like them.” Ethan’s ears slowly tune their conversation out as he focuses on his thoughts and surroundings. He lifts his head up and watches a couple of small birds flies by. He looks at the trees along the sidewalk gently swaying in the breeze. Suddenly, a dog’s bark steals his attention. His head snaps to the left to see a woman walking a black german shepherd up the street on the opposite sidewalk. The dog stares at Ethan and lets out a few more barks before the dog and its owner are far behind them. That dog.. looked awfully familiar... Ethan looks back at the ground in front of him, his heart rate and breathing quickening as the memory continues in his mind once again.

He sees Mark closing his eyes as he takes one last deep breath. Ethan watched him with confusion, but suddenly… it started. Ethan looked at Mark’s hands in shock when he saw his fingers sort of stiffen as his nails lengthened and sharpened. He looked up at Mark’s face to see his face slightly scrunch with discomfort and his teeth lightly grit, only he saw fangs now in place of his canines. The stubble on the sides of his face thickened into sideburns as his ears grew pointy. Hair began to sprout on the backs of his arms and along the back of his neck. His muscles gradually grew larger as the hair continued to spread and slowly thicken into fur. There were audible cracks as his height began to steadily increase by a foot. His limbs lengthened a bit as well. Then his claws thickened and blackened as his fingertips and palms began to bulge into pads. As the fur covered his entire body, his clothes tore in some spots and a fluffy tail ripped through the back of his pants underneath the waistband. His feet stretched into wolf-like hindlegs as his jaw lengthened into a muzzle and his long ears moved to the top of his head. A relieved huff escaped his mouth, signifying the transformation was over. His eyes opened to reveal a pair of glowing amber irises that see Ethan standing frozen in shock with his eyes bulging.

Mark’s tail swished as he semi-nervously stared at Ethan.

“So yeah,” Mark spoke while taking a step forward, “this is it.” Ethan instinctively took a few steps back.

“Ethan?” Mark raised an eyebrow and walked a little closer. Ethan’s breathing picked up as he backed away faster. The others called out to him too, but he quickly spun around and took off away from them, heading for the front door. Mark ran after him, still calling out his name and begging him to stop. Before Ethan could reach the door, Mark suddenly tripped on a stray dog toy, lost his footing, and fell towards Ethan, who managed to spin around in time to see him falling. Ethan quickly held his arms up in front of his face in defense and Mark slammed into him, knocking him to the floor. Almost immediately, Ethan screamed out in pain and the others stared in shock. Mark noticed the taste of blood in his mouth, and he opened his eyes to see he had Ethan’s left forearm caught between his teeth. Ethan opened his eyes to see it too. Mark instantly dropped his arm, picked himself off of Ethan, and crouched a few feet away from him with ears lowered, allowing Ethan to sit up. Mark and the others were silent, some breathing and Ethan’s loud pained huffing were the only present sounds. Ethan grasped his wound, blood dripped between his fingers and splattered on the floor. His eyes grew red as tears welled up from the agonizing throbbing in his forearm. His stare went from his injury to Mark’s traumatized face. Ethan’s breathing endlessly quickened, but his vision began to blur. The pain consumed his mind, making him more and more lightheaded until... everything went black.

Ethan’s attention suddenly returns to Bob and Wade now crouching in front of him and staring with worry. Ethan’s body is tense and hunched forward while he sat on the ground with his back pressing against a tree. His breathing was now shaky and accelerated.

“Ethan, take it easy!” Bob spoke in an attempt to calm his hyperventilating. Ethan presses the bottoms of his palms into his temples and grasps his hair between his fingers.

“Just breathe!” Wade slightly shouts, causing Ethan to jump. Ethan forces himself to take a deep breath, followed by a set of deeper breaths that eventually slow his heart rate and allow his body to relax. Ethan slowly releases his hair and rests his forearms on his knees.

“There you go..” Ethan looks at the two, then lowers his forehead into his arms with a shaky breath.

“Ethan,” Wade says and places his hand on Ethan’s arm, “talk to us.” Ethan slowly lifts his head, his eyes growing pink. His expression becomes greatly saddened as a few tears escape his eyes.

“...I don’t think I can handle this.” Ethan’s voice cracks with panic as he pulls his legs into a tight embrace. “I don’t understand what the heck is going on, and why to me... Why did Mark do this?...” Bob and Wade look at each other with some surprise for a moment, then back at Ethan’s sorrowful expression.

“Ethan.. Mark never planned this to happen, he thought he could reveal himself and you would accept what you saw. But…”

“But he didn’t think you’d freak out like you did.” Wade cuts in, his comment earning him an elbow in the arm from Bob. Ethan watches the two, questioning whether to believe them as he still questioned everything else.

“Trust us, Ethan, we’ve been there. When Mark was still new to this, we were very skeptical when he tried telling us about it. But then the stress of college got to him one day and we witnessed him sort of freak out. Luckily, none of us got hurt, and no one else was around, but we were still really scared. But we knew Mark well, we knew if he were to ever hurt us, it wouldn’t be intentional.” Ethan stares up at Bob’s reassuring smile.

“The best thing you can do now is to try clearing the air, work things out with Mark ‘cause you’re gonna need to right away.” Bob stands up, holding out his hand to Ethan. He helps Ethan up after eventually, he decided to grab his hand. As Ethan stands up, they’re given weird looks from a jogger that runs by.

“Let’s just enjoy outside for a bit longer.” Bob grins at Ethan, who responds with a nod and another fake grin. The three once again head down the sidewalk, though some emotional pain still plagues Ethan’s mind...

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“Amy… please, I don’t wanna talk right now…” Mark hugs himself as he shivers from stress, unable to escape the thought of the pain he caused, and the pain he knows Ethan will go through soon...

“There’s no denying that mistakes were made, but we can’t change what happened. I’m not saying that what you did was ok, but I’m also not saying you should beat yourself up for it. Just.. just open up to me, please.” Mark stays sitting for another moment, then gets up and slowly walks to the door. His hand reaches for the doorknob, hesitates for a second, but then opens the door with a sigh and steps back, allowing Amy to enter. She looks at his hurt expression, his frown filled with pain, his eyes filled with sorrow and bright pink from the tears now building up. With a shaky sigh, his eyes shut, allowing his tears to stream down his face as he lowers his head.

“I don’t know what to do...” he says with a sniffle, “This is the worst I’ve ever messed up, I hurt him and I deserve to feel hurt for it… I never imagined this would happen, now it did and… he never deserved anything like this, he never should have had me in his life…”

Amy frowns and pulls him into a hug, resting a hand on the back of his head to pull it into her shoulder and gently rub his hair.

“No one deserves to go through this, but you both deserved to meet each other. You’re both good men, you’ve always deserved the best, no matter how many mistakes you’ve made. You’re his idle, and I don’t think anything in the world could change that. I know this is a very tough situation, but you can’t seclude yourself and drown yourself in this pain and stress for the rest of your life. Even if he never admits it, he needs your help to get him through this, and you need him to show that you can be forgiven.” Amy releases Mark and he looks down.

“But, he must hate me right now… He’s probably terrified just thinking of me…”

“Sure, maybe he is, but that isn’t going to last forever. Maybe soon he’ll realize he’ll need to forgive you, and that you’re not so scary after all. You just gotta take a chance and confront him.”

“I don’t.. I don’t know if I can talk to him…”

“Yes you can, because you’ll have all of us there to help you both get through this, no matter what happens.” Mark looks into her eyes with a grateful expression.

“You’re all too good for me…” Amy gently puts a hand on Mark’s cheek and wipes away the line of tears with her thumb.

“Everyone deserves good in their lives, Mark, especially you.” She quickly leans in and lands a heartfelt kiss on his cheek.

‘Now come on, let’s get you some breakfast.” Mark and Amy exit the bedroom together, happily holding hands.

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“You sure you’re doing ok for now, Mark?” Amy stands beside him, lightly hugging his arm, causing him to smile and finally feel at peace.

“I mean, yeah. You guys cheered me up a bit, and I think Ethan could be doing better too. All that’s left to worry about is tomorrow.” The gang’s conversation is interrupted when the front door opens, in walks Bob, Wade, and Ethan. Bob and Wade smile and laugh while Ethan is only showing a slight grin. Ethan spots Mark hanging out with the others in the living room, his eyes widen, fear consumes his mind as he freezes in the doorway. Silence fills the room as the others turn to the door, Mark’s smile slightly fades at the sight of a still scared Ethan. Despite the advice and reassurance from most of the group, Ethan still finds it hard to see Mark as the same guy. The kind legend he looked up to, the man he backflipped for despite the crowd watching. That man was replaced by a terrifying beast. Ethan’s mind still greets him with terrifying images of werewolf Mark knocking him to the floor, his open maw with large fangs growing closer with every moment. Mark opens his mouth to speak, but stays silent, not able to find any words. Even he still fears and finds trouble confronting his friend. Not knowing what to do and not having enough courage, Ethan rushes through the living room and up the stairs, avoiding looking at anyone’s face.

Mark’s face drops and his heart suddenly aches in a familiar way from the past. For a moment, Mark is also taken back to the night before. He remembers the fear he saw in Ethan’s eyes, a fear that he caused, and that causes him to feel like a beast. The cold pain grew in his heart knowing that moment changed Ethan, and no amount of wishing or regret could take that moment away... Mark lets out a shaky breath and walks away from the group, heading towards the back of the house.

“I need a moment…” he tells the others. Amy reaches a hand out to grab Mark’s arm but finds herself freeze before making contact, not knowing what words would fix this. Chica, who’s laying against the wall by the stairs, watches Mark walk and lets out a small whimper.

“So much for tomorrow being the only thing to worry about…” Sean comments while crossing his arms. A few others sigh, but Bob and Wade walk over to them.

“Alright guys, yes, it’s gonna be really difficult getting those two to talk to each other, but we probably can’t do much more to convince them at the moment. I think right now we should start planning what we need to do tomorrow.”

“Yeah, I’ve already got some ideas. Once the six of us come up with a solid plan, I’ll talk to Mark about it. Ok?” Everyone responds to Tyler’s announcement with nods.

“I think we can all agree step one is hoping this all goes right…” Wade sighs.

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Chapter 2 (Everything Changes):

A single bulb lights up a small room, a window in the back wall lets in the darkness of the night, along with a bit of moonlight. A table sits at the center, surrounded by everyone, but Ethan. While he is resting, the group is gathered and looking around at each other.

“Alright,” Tyler announces, “let’s go over this one last time. Bob and Wade are in charge of fortifying. They’ll head to the nearest hardware store to buy some silver that’ll prevent Ethan from breaking out of this room. Mark and I are in charge of fuel. We’ll head out to the supermarket to buy plenty of groceries. Amy, Kathryn, and Sean will stay here. They’ll set up the tech and the room, and comfort Ethan if needed until we all come back. Once we’re all prepared, Mark, despite how they both feel, will have a talk with Ethan. Then Mark will comfort him through his transformation and leave the room before Ethan can attack. Then the rest of the night is waiting around or sleeping, depending on how we’re all feeling. Everyone got that?” Nods are exchanged among the group.

“I promise.. I’ll talk to him,” Mark tells them, “even if it feels impossible, and even if he keeps trying to avoid me.” Mark looks down at the table while the others show looks of concern. Tyler, however, raises an eyebrow.

“No matter what?” Mark looks up at him, hesitating to speak for a moment.

“..No matter what.”

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The morning sun pours into the house’s windows. Ethan continues to rest, being kept in bed by lack of sleep due to the remaining trauma. The door of the bedroom quietly cracks open and Amy’s head peaks in to find him sound asleep. She slowly shuts the door and turns around to face Mark.

“Maybe you should just let him rest, maybe that will help him a bit.” Mark nods in agreement and the two sneak down the hall, heading for the stairs.

“I was hoping we could work things out right away,” Mark sighs, “maybe this is better?...” The two head into the kitchen and walk over to the counter.

“Maybe I could try in the afternoon?...” Mark looks nervous and stares down at the counter with uncertainty. Amy moves closer beside him and gently rubs a hand on his back.

“Whenever you can, I know you can do it.” Mark looks at her with a forming grin, Amy gives one too as Mark tilts his head to gently rest it against hers, feeling a moment of relief.

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The day grows closer to noon, Amy and Sean are sitting together on the couch, desperately attempting to get a camera working. Kathryn soon joins them with a laptop. Mark and Tyler quickly pass through the room and head to the front door. They stop for a minute and turn back to the other three.

“We’ll be back in a while, good luck with setting up.” Tyler waves goodbye as he opens the door, Mark gives a wave as well before they both step out. Bob and Wade rush through the room as well, grabbing the front door before it closes.

“Same from us,” Bob says as he and Wade face the three. They quickly turn back, head out of the door, and shut it behind them. Amy and Sean’s attention return to the camera while Kathryn types away. Meanwhile, Ethan momentarily eavesdrops at the top of the stairs.

“I don’t understand,” Amy comments, “we filmed with this camera a week ago.” Ethan slowly comes down the stairs.

“Maybe check the batteries?” Sean suggests while pointing. Ethan reaches the bottom of the stairs, causing the other three to look up at him.

“Hey man.” Sean shows him a grin. “Uh, how’re you doin’?” Ethan walks into the living room while stuffing his hands in his pants pockets.

“Well…” Ethan looks down and sighs. “You want it straight?”

“Yeah, just be honest,” Kathryn responds. Ethan looks up at their smiles.

“Alright. I’m still really terrified, kind of on edge, and pretty hungry.” The others stare with worry for a moment. ”Well, I can fix one of those,” Amy tells him, “Want some cereal?” Ethan looks at her with a nod as she puts the camera aside and gets up from the couch, leading Ethan to the kitchen. She grabs a bowl from a cabinet and a box of cereal from another. While she pours cereal, Ethan grabs the milk from the fridge and a spoon from a drawer. He pours the milk and places the spoon in the bowl. Amy gives him a smile and puts away the cereal and milk.

“Thanks,” Ethan says as he grabs the bowl and stands by the side of the counter. “So what’re you guys up to?” Ethan eats a spoonful of cereal while he watches Amy walk back over to Sean and Kathryn.

“We’re setting up this camera and laptop to keep an eye on you in the room tonight.” Ethan stops moving cereal around with his spoon and raises an eyebrow at Kathryn.

“... Keep an eye on me?” Amy’s expression slightly drops while Ethan takes another spoonful.

“Oh yeah, we didn’t really tell you about the first full moon yet…” Sean gets up from the couch, volunteering himself to speak with a partially nervous look.

“You see, every new werewolf turns against their will on their first full moon, and yours is tonight. I hate to be frank, but you’re not gonna be yourself. You’re gonna go through a lot of pain when you transform. And when that’s over, you won’t be in control. You’ll try to break out to attack and hunt for anything living you can find, and you won’t remember anything you did the next day.” Ethan stares with shock, his spoon drops out of his hand and into his bowl while he gulps the cereal in his mouth.

“... Well.. that’s relieving.” Ethan stares at the floor as he places his bowl on the counter. Sean walks over to him as he leans his side against the counter.

“I’m sorry, man.” Sean stands beside him. “I can’t sugarcoat it, it’s gonna start out really rough. But that pain won’t last forever, over time you’ll get used to turning. And ya don’t have to worry about hurting anybody tonight, we’re all making sure that won’t happen. If there was a cure, we would frantically search across the whole world to find it for you. But, unfortunately, you’re gonna go through this and all we can do to help is be there for you while you go through it.” Ethan nervously sighs and stands up straight. He slowly lifts his shaky hands, turning them to stare down at his palms, part of him wondering what he saw Mark do would feel like, but the rest of him fearing what’s to come.

“I know what I saw Mark do was real, but it’s still so hard to believe this is all happening. That I’m actually gonna… change.” Ethan places a hand on his head and lowers his other hand.

“I know, I know what you’re goin’ through. Trust me, my siblings and I felt a similar way when magic was revealed to us, and when we learned of what else exists in our world. But like I said, you will get used to it all after a while.” Sean gives Ethan a soft pat on the back. “Just try not to think about this too much, you can’t stop it from happening, you gotta try to accept it and let it happen.” Ethan stares down for another moment, then looks up at Sean’s reassuring smile.

“Ok…” Ethan sighs and walks over to the living room with Sean. “Is there anything I can do to help?” Sean sits beside Amy, who, with a bit of frustration, is fiddling with the camera.

“We can’t get this stupid camera to work.” Ethan sits on the couch and holds out his hands towards Amy.

“Here, let me see.”

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In the chilled fresh produce section of a supermarket, Mark and Tyler are in the vegetable section, searching around for ingredients on their list. Mark looks through the different bags of potatoes while Tyler places some green onions in the cart between them.

“It’s not too late to text Bob and Wade to add chains to their list, you know.” Hearing this causes Mark to pause for a moment before he grabs two bags of potatoes and places them in the cart.

“We won’t need that, Tyler.” Mark pushes the cart at a slow pace past several kinds of vegetables with Tyler following behind him.

“Mark, listen to me. Tonight is going to be a new werewolf’s first full moon, there’s no telling what will happen. For all we know, something could go wrong and then things will get really dangerous.” Mark abruptly stops walking, causing Tyler to stop too.

“I would appreciate it if you said Ethan instead of calling him a ‘new werewolf.’” Mark begins to grab some carrots while Tyler’s expression becomes a bit frustrated.

“And I would appreciate it if you weren’t stubborn for once. Just trust me on this!” Mark quickly drops some carrots into the cart and faces Tyler.

“Look, this is going to be extremely difficult and painful for Ethan, we of all people know that. Why should we take precautions that’ll add to his torment? I think that would make things worse.” Tyler huffs and turns away from him. “I want us all to get through this safely, and we will, as long as I can comfort Ethan without any problems. We can’t make this worse for him, just trust me a bit more to make this better for him.” Mark turns back to the cart and pushes it further into the vegetable section.

“You’re such a pain,” Tyler mumbles to himself with his arms crossed.

“And you know I heard that,” Mark said back to him.

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Hundreds of shelves stacked several feet high with hardware fill a warehouse-like store. Bob and Wade are walking down an aisle, the shelves stacked with different power tools. The two stop for a moment, Bob grabs a drill and places it into their cart filled with long screws.

“So that takes care of putting up the sheets, now we gotta actually find the sheets…” Bob says as his eyes start searching across the rest of the aisle. Wade joins in and spots a worker restocking a shelf. The two walk over to him and get his attention.

“Excuse me,” he says, “we were wondering where we could find sheets of metal, more specifically, silver.” The worker nods at them.

“Sure thing, just follow me.” The worker takes the two down a few aisles and into the back of the store. The three soon come across a few shelves filled with hundreds of different sheets of metal.

“You should find what you need right on these shelves.” Bob and Wade give each other relieved looks. “If you don’t mind my asking, I got a bit curious, what do you need this stuff for? I’m very interested in metalwork.” Their faces slightly drop as they frantically think of a lie.

“Abstract art,” Wade blurts out. Bob mentally facepalms but nods along with what he says.

“Yeah… We’ve been working on a special project and needed more supplies.” The worker stares at them for a moment, then gives a quick nod.

“Ok, good luck with that!” The worker walks off and out of sight down a different aisle, allowing the two to sigh in relief. Bob quickly elbows Wade.

“I hope I never have to lie with you again.”

“Hey!” Wade exclaims and elbows him back. Bob lets out a small laugh as the two turn back to the shelves.

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Kathryn, now in the small room, is standing at the table that was moved against the wall. She types into a program on the laptop and presses a few buttons on the camera that is sitting on the table. Ethan stands in the center of the room, looking around as his mind imagines several different scenarios, despite his efforts to avoid those thoughts. Outside of the room in the hallway, Amy and Sean are dragging a fairly heavy couch to the room.

“Do ya know if anyone’s gonna be back yet?” Sean slightly grunts as he gives the couch a shove. Amy takes a deep breath through her nose and pulls the couch as he does so.

“Mark texted a little while ago saying he and Tyler will be a little while. The checkout lines at the store are huge, just our luck.” The two stop for a breather when they reach the door of the room.

“Great…” Sean mumbles to himself and crosses his arms. Ethan turns to see them and walks over.

“Here, lemme help.” Ethan places both hands in the best positions possible underneath one end of the couch. With a few, almost effortless tugs, Ethan drags the couch into the middle of the room by himself. Sean and Amy stare for a moment with some surprise.

“Huh, looks like your werewolf strength’s already kicked in a bit.” Sean stands in the doorway while Ethan looks down at himself, feeling a bit surprised as well.

“I had been feeling a bit off, but I thought it was just my nerves…” The sound of the front door interrupts their conversation. Sean and Amy turn toward that direction.

“We’re back,” they hear Mark call out, “the store and traffic were brutal.” Mark and Tyler enter the living room while carrying multiple plastic bags stuffed with food. They head to the kitchen and place them down on the counter. Sean and Amy walk down the hallway and into the kitchen, leaving Ethan and Kathryn in the room. Ethan once again feels his heart speed up a bit.

“Ethan,” Kathryn grabs his attention, “could you help me real quick?” Ethan walks over to her.

Meanwhile, the four in the kitchen greet each other.

“You guys hear anything from Bob and Wade yet?” Sean asks with some worry. Mark and Tyler sigh.

“No…”

“Well, maybe they hit traffic or something. Just try not to worry,” Amy assures them.

“How’s he doing?” Mark looks at her with concern.”

“He’s already startin’ to feel some changes…”

“Ok… Then I’d better start making dinner.” Mark begins to empty out the bags of produce.

“I’ll help you.” Amy walks over to a cabinet and reaches for a large pot.

Large plates of meat and vegetables rest at the center of the dining room table. The seats were filled by the group who each have their own plate of food. Ethan made sure to sit as far away from Mark as possible. Mark couldn’t help but constantly look over at Ethan as they ate. Ethan, however, forces his focus on his plate, avoiding the stares he felt coming from Mark. The others occasionally look up at the two, feeling some awkward tension in the air but remain silent.

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An orange glow fills the sky as the sun begins to descend toward the horizon. Ethan is sitting on the couch in the middle of the small room, his leg nervously tapping on the floor and his hands fidgeting. The sound of drilling catches him off guard. He looks up to see Bob and Wade finish drilling the sheets into the inside of the door. As the two walk to the back of the room, Ethan’s attention shifts to Kathryn on a step stool mounting the camera in the corner of the room. Sean stands beside her, occasionally handing her a different tool. Ethan looks behind him to see Bob and Wade drill two sheets of silver over the window, only leaving a small sliver of space between them. In the living room, Mark, Tyler, and Amy are gathered, waiting for the others. Soon, Bob and Wade enter the room while giving the three a nod. Eventually, Sean and Kathryn join them as well.

“Everything’s ready,” Kathryn tells them, “now all that’s left is…” Everybody looks over at Mark, he stares at them for a moment. He lets out a nervous breath and looks down.

“Hey.” Tyler puts a hand on his back, causing Mark to look up at him. Tyler shows him a grin. “You can do this.” Mark stares with some shock, not expecting this after all of their disagreement, then he smiles back. They all come in closer for a quick group hug, then separate, allowing Mark to march off the room with a bit more confidence. He walks down the hallway until he reaches the room and stops just before the door. He rubs the back of his neck, feeling some sudden discomfort. It’s probably just his worry getting to him…

Mark spends a moment pushing away any remaining doubt and worry before he approaches the door and sticks his head in. Inside he finds Ethan sitting on the couch staring off into space while fiddling with his fingers. He suddenly notices Mark’s presence and jumps a bit when he sees him at the door. Mark walks into the room, Ethan stares and finds himself freeze in his place. His heart rate rises, the instinct to flee enters his mind, but remembering the advice his friends gave him, he forces himself not to move anything but his eyes. Mark senses the fear he still feels, Mark feels his own heart rate quickens a bit as well. The tension in the room thickens with every step Mark takes. Then Mark clears his throat.

“Uh, hey…” he finally speaks.

“Hi…” Ethan manages to respond, but still looks away as a bit of sweat builds upon his forehead. Mark stops a few inches in front of him, causing him to look back up at him.

“So uh… did you load up on enough food? It’s important to do that ‘cause-”

“I know, Sean told me about that…” Ethan cuts in.

“Well then… are you ready?” Mark awkwardly asks, unsure of what to say. Ethan furrows his eyebrows, suddenly becoming irritated from the question.

“What the heck do you mean? How could I possibly be ready for this?”

“No no, I mean, are you feeling ok? Ethan stands up, his expression growing angrier.

“I haven’t been ok for days, you should know that since you caused this!” Mark’s expression shows a mixture of worry and some sadness.

“No, Ethan, listen-” Ethan takes a step closer and stares Mark in the eyes.

“None of this is ok, especially with what I have to go through tonight! It’s all freaking me the frick out, and I still can’t understand why it happened, or what you were hoping to do. I’m never gonna be ok again because of you…” Ethan’s words felt like a punch to Mark’s face. His heart grows sore as he stands there, feeling so small and useless. Even Ethan felt slightly taken aback, but at the same time, a bit relieved from finally venting. He turns away from Mark and stares at the window, seeing outside slowly grow darker.

“Look…” Mark breaks the silence with a shaky breath, “I can't express enough how terrible I feel for what I did. I didn't imagine there being any consequences in showing you my secret.”

“Then why did you do it? Can you answer that?” Mark looks at the ground, trying his hardest to think of an answer. Before anything else is said, Tyler suddenly appears at the door, gaining the attention of the two.

“Guys, the moon’s rising. I know you both know that Ethan isn't gonna start feeling it until midnight, but I wanted to make sure you guys aren't losing track of time.” The two stare at him for a moment.

”Ok,” Mark breaks the silence, ”let’s get ready.” Ethan sighs to himself and moves himself a few inches away from Mark while crossing his arms.

Outside the room, Kathryn places the laptop on the table. With a little more typing, the camera in the room beeps once and an image of the room appears on the laptop screen. Many in the group let out sighs of relief, then they all walk over to the door of the room. They all show Ethan reassuring smiles and wave their hands goodbye.

“We’ll see you tomorrow…” Ethan forces a smile that quickly fades when the door is pulled close. Sean locks the door with a key and the waiting begins…

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The bright full moon rises in the sky, only a sliver of its light shines into the room through the window. Mark is standing near the door while Ethan paces around the back of the room. Sweat begins to form and coat his skin, due to his rising body temperature and mixed emotions. He occasionally huffs, forcing himself to avoid panicking, but partially fails all the same. The others are watching the laptop, most with looks of worry, others with calm looks, but they all feel equally nervous. The time in the bottom corner of the screen reads 11:50 pm…

“If you feel like it.. maybe you should tell me how you’re feeling?” Ethan looks over at Mark and stares, stoping his pacing for a moment. He lets out a huff and continues moving.

“I feel like I’m losing my mind, and it’s starting to get too hot in here…” Ethan wipes a bit of sweat off of his forehead and stands in the back corner of the room with his back to the wall and his arms crossed. Mark takes a step closer.

“Maybe you should-” Ethan quickly looks at him, causing him to freeze in place.

“Please keep your distance…” Ethan grumbles and turns his attention to the window.

“Ethan, I’m just trying to help you.”

“But I don’t want to hear you, I don’t want to talk to you. I just want this to end!” Ethan shouts as he slams a fist into the wall with a loud bang. He looks at Mark’s surprised, yet very worried expression. He had never witnessed another werewolf on the full moon.

“Try not to think about it so much, thinking will make it worse.” Ethan’s expression becomes even more irritated. Mark feels a little sweat drip down his own forehead and wipes it from his brow.

“You telling me to calm down is making this worse.” Ethan stomps over to the table while pulling his shirt off. He tosses it onto the table and wipes his forehead again. One hand grips the edge of the table as he hunches forward, his pulse and breathing quickening. His senses begin to act up, the constant thumping of what sounded like several drums fills his ears and strange new smells enter his nostrils. His panic continues to grow.

“I.. I can’t breathe…” Ethan manages to get out between huffs. Mark walks closer.

“Just take it easy..”

“Don’t come near me!” Ethan yells, causing Mark to take a step back and stare at him. With a pained grunt and his body now shaking, Ethan leans a bit more forward. His racing heartbeat fills Mark’s ears, along with his own rising heartbeat. Ethan’s expression becomes filled with trauma, he shuts his eyes tight as he feels his insides burn up. With a louder grunt, he drops to his knees. He presses his hands into his temples as he lowers his head and arches his back. His hands grow sore from his fingernails lengthening into claws. His jaws partially separate and stiffen from his canines forming into fangs. He huffs as the pain calms for just a moment, then he grunts, feeling his body begin to tense. He releases his head and sits up a bit while placing a clawed hand onto the table to keep his balance. While doing so, his ears slowly grow pointy and sideburns begin to sprout. His eyes open, revealing a pair of amber orbs in place of his once hazel irises. They look down at his now raised hand, staring in horror at the claws at the end of his fingertips. Ethan suddenly grimaces and curls his fingers, causing the hand on the table to leave small claw marks on its surface. Mark’s heart aches at the sight of his transforming friends, but he then feels a different ache begin to spread throughout his body. A sharp pain shoots through his torso, causing him to wrap an arm around himself. He feels his spine crack and shift around as he stumbles forward with a grunt. He falls to his knees a few feet from Ethan. His hands become tight fists as he lifts his head to let out a pained yell, his canines becoming fangs.

The others stare at the laptop in horror and confusion. Amy gasps “What’s happening to him?” They all watch as the two writhe around and transform, Mark’s wolf features appearing slightly quicker than Ethan’s.

“Why is he turnin’?” Sean asks with wide eyes. They continue to stare, but Tyler looks to the side with his eyebrows furrowed, then looks back with realization all over his face.

“I think I know why…” Everyone else turns to him. “When I worked at the facility, something important they taught us is with enough trauma, werewolves could lose control again, even if they have maintained the best control for years straight. It’s like hitting a restart button... All it takes is a traumatic experience or something that causes strong emotional stress, basically something that’ll mess them up mentally. They taught us this so we could use it to our advantage and come up with ways to expose them or capture them…” The group stares at him with shock.

“Could you tell at all that this would happen to Mark?”

“No, there was no way to tell. It crossed my mind once, but I ignored it caused I figured he would be fine...” They all turn back to the laptop with panic, Mark and Ethan’s screams filling their ears as their voices beginning to sound more animal-like. Ethan looks over at Mark with confusion, but it is quickly blinded by more pain. With fur starting to completely cover his growing body, Ethan shuts his eyes and presses his forehead into the ground throughout the rest of his transformation. Meanwhile, Mark lets out a loud roar as his jaws stretch into a muzzle and his lowered ears move to the top of his head.

Silence fills the house for a few moments. Both boys, now wolves, stay where they are taking in deep breathes as their pain completely disappears. Ethan then slowly lifts himself onto all fours. His chest expands, taking in a great amount of air, he tilts his head to the ceiling and lets out a loud menacing howl, signifying his presence. His howl fills Mark’s now twitching ears. Mark rises onto all fours as well and looks over at Ethan. Mark arches his back and lets out a vicious growl towards Ethan, curling his lips into a snarl to reveal his fangs. His head snaps up at Mark, they stare at each other with their bright yellow eyes. Mark growls once more, causing Ethan to take a step back and growl as well. Without warning, Mark tackles Ethan and they attack each other with their claws

The group stares in horror, Amy is on the verge of tears. The two wolves tear into each other all around the room, knocking the furniture around and filling the room with animalistic snarls. Their swiping claws send each others’ blood splattering around the room and leave claw marks just about everywhere.

“I gotta get in there!” Tyler announces as he grabs the key off of the table and heads for the door to the room. His arm is grabbed by Bob, stopping him in place and causing him to look back at the others walking up to him.

“No, are you crazy? That’s suicide!” Tyler pulls his arm back.

“I’ve dealt with werewolves before, I’ll be alright.” Sean grabs his arm.

”But have ya dealt with two at once, let alone by yourself?”

“We can’t just sit here and let them tear each other apart.” Tyler rushes to the door while Kathryn, Bob, and Wade go back over to the laptop. The others follow Tyler to the door.

“Is it possible to snap Mark out of it?” Wade frantically asks.

“There’s a small chance... but it’s still a chance.” Tyler bangs against the door with a fist.

“Mark! Listen to me, you gotta fight this before you do anything else you’re gonna regret. I know you, something like this can’t bring you back down to this level.” The three at the laptop watch as Ethan momentarily gains the upper hand and shoves Mark against the door. The loud bang causes the group to jump back a bit and the silver on the door burns Mark’s back with a quiet sizzle, causing a quick whimper to escape his maw. Mark stands up straight with his claws ready at his sides. He stares at Ethan with rage and lets out a loud deep roar.

“It’s not working,” Bob shouts. Sean leans against the door.

“Mark, don’t let a mistake you’ve made control you like this. You’re stronger than this and you know it. Come on, man!” Ethan goes to lunge at Mark, but he quickly catches him with his claws digging into his flesh. As Ethan yowls in pain, Mark picks him up and sends him flying across the room. Ethan’s body slams against the silver covered window, then he falls to the ground with a thud. Sean steps back with a sad look, allowing Amy to go up the door as she wipes a tear from her cheek.

“Mark… We can’t fully understand how much this affects you, but we’re still here for you. We hate seeing you go through this and we won’t let you continue to hurt. We know you and we know you can do this because you taught us to stay strong no matter what.” Mark’s snarl slightly calms as his ears twitch and his attention turns to her voice on the other side of the door. Amy presses her forehead against the door, shuts her eyes, allowing more tears to run down her face, and places her hand on the door.

“I love you, Mark… Please come back...” Mark fully faces the door and takes a step closer, his eyebrows furrowed and his nose twitching. Her words linger in his mind as he begins to remember who it is he hears speaking and crying. A woman who matters to him the most…

Mark suddenly grabs his head with a growl and places his other paw on the wall beside the door. He growls some more and shakes his head around, fighting the beast for control. After a moment of silence, Mark releases his head and opens his eyes. He looks at his paw with shock and looks around the room, quickly remembering where he was and what was happening.

“Amy, you did it!” Kathryn exclaims with a surprised smile. Amy pulls her head away from the door with a sniffle and smiles with surprise herself. Suddenly, Mark’s ear twitches when a low growl is heard from the back of the room. Mark quickly turns around to see Ethan rising from the floor. Ethan looks over at him with a vicious snarl.

“Aw man…” Mark says with pity, taking in Ethan’s new form and realizing what he just did to him. Ethan leaps over the couch and claws at Mark. Mark dodges his attacks, knocks Ethan to the ground, and pins him down.

“Sorry about this, bud.” Mark quickly, but hesitantly, raises a fist and punches Ethan’s head, knocking him out cold. Mark releases him and slowly stands on two legs, staring down at his friend with regret and his ears lowered in sadness. He carefully lifts Ethan into his arms and gently places him on the couch. Behind him, Mark hears the door being unlocked. He turns around to see everyone standing there, showing mixed expressions. Amy is standing in front of them, a few tears still left in her eyes. Mark keeps his ears lowered from guilt and turns his head to the side, becoming filled with shame from their shock. Amy walks up to him and gently puts her arms around his torso to hug him. He looks down at her with tears forming in his eyes and wraps his arms around her. Soon they let go of each other and walk out of the room. Amy shuts the door behind them and Tyler locks it up.

“So uh… what now?” Wade asks out loud. The group all looks at each other in silence.

“Now… we continue to wait until morning.” Tyler answers while looking over at Mark to see him nod in response. The group heads for the living room, bringing the laptop with them, already hearing more growls coming from the room.

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Sunlight shines into the room between the sheets of silver. On the floor in front of the couch, which was left torn apart from claw marks and lightly splattered with blood, Ethan, now human again, lies unconscious under a blanket. His body twitches and his eyebrows furrow. His eyes slowly open to see the wooden floor he is laying on. He carefully pushes himself into a sitting position and his eyes take in his surroundings. The claw marks in the walls, floor, and furniture. The occasional splatters of blood spread out throughout the room. The bits of couch stuffing scattered across the floor. He lifts himself off of the floor and shuffles over to the couch to sit, the blanket wrapped around him with only his head and legs sticking out. His attention suddenly fixes on the door when he hears it unlock. It opens to reveal Mark on the other side, with a new pair of clothes and a nervous expression.

“Morning…” Mark finally speaks. Ethan just stares with a slightly tired look, then turns his head away.

“Hey…” he responds. Mark steps into the room and stands in front of him. Mark stares while carefully figuring out what to say. Ethan avoids his eyes and stares at the floor, remembering the unbearable pain of transforming, but struggling to remember even a second of being a wolf.

“Are… are you feeling ok?...”

“Just.. sore, and kind of groggy…” Mark feels the tension that still remains and sighs.

“I.. I never wanted to scare you or hurt you, and I never imagined that you’d think I would…” Ethan’s eyes slowly go from the floor to Mark’s hurt face that is now staring at the ground. “I just wanted to show you how much I trust you by revealing my biggest secret to you, but I didn’t think it would backfire. I just didn’t think enough, and I hate myself for doing so... I never imagined anything like what happened would happen, and now you have to suffer what I went through years ago… I get it if you don’t see me as the same guy or you don’t trust me anymore.. but if it means anything, I really am sorry…” Ethan stares, feeling pity for Mark that he hadn’t felt for a while. Mark contemplates leaving the room and giving Ethan some space and time to process last night’s events.

“Mark… I may have overreacted a bit, but you aren’t wrong, what you did was kind of too much of a shocker for me. When you’re like me, and never once in your life did you actually question if something beyond your understanding exists, you don’t know what to think or what to do when it’s suddenly presented to you… And I just couldn’t react correctly, and basically, fight or flight kicked in...” Mark lifts his head to look at him.

“I’m sorry, I’m such an idiot…” Mark looks away again.

“No.. you just… you made a mistake, and so did I.” Ethan immediately responds, a waving hand coming out of the blanket to stop and reassure Mark.

“Look, Ethan… I can’t do anything to cure you, but I can help train you.” Ethan slightly raises a brow while staring up at him. “You could stay here for a few days, or however long it might take. Sean, Tyler, and I know how to help you get through the nights and eventually get used to turning. And mostly everyone else will be around to comfort you. We can help you, but only if you want our help.” Ethan looks at the floor, thinking long and hard about his words. He then looks back at Mark.

“..I’ll stay, but it may take me a little while to get used to being around you.”

“I understand.. I’m just glad we can kind of make amends,” Mark says with a smile

“...Me too.” Ethan smiles back. Their attention suddenly turns to the door as the others walk in one by one with smiles and looks of relief. They all stand around the couch, Ethan smiles at all of them.

“Welcome to the pack,” Wade decides to joke. Bob quickly nudges him with an elbow.

“Shut up,” he says. The others respond with a bit of giggling. Ethan stands and keeps the blanket wrapped around him. Everyone stares at him for a moment.

“I’m just relieved that the full moon is finally said and done with,” Ethan sighs with relief, but the others’ faces sort of drop a bit.

“Well, ya did get through last night, but now you have to get through tonight as well..” Sean tells him. Ethan raises an eyebrow. “What?” he asks in confusion.

“You see, when you're a new werewolf,” Mark gets Ethan’s attention, ”after your first full moon, you're gonna transform every night until start to gain a bit more control. Even before then, you have to at least gain consciousness in your wolf form so you don't tear everything apart every night.” Ethan stares with wide eyes, then blinks

“...Is that all?” he fearfully asks.

“Not by a long shot, but let's not get ahead of ourselves, we gotta focus on the first few stages.”

“And we also gotta focus on you getting your control back, ” Tyler directs to Mark.

“Yeah, that too…” Mark sighs.

“Alright,” Amy announces, “we all have lots to do, but why don’t we all enjoy a meal first?” The group smiles at each other as they all exit the room.

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Hope you enjoy! =3

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