Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

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The trees danced in the light autumn breeze as the sun moved down the horizon. The marshland inhabitants went quiet as darkness settled in. The moon showed its face in full, the light infiltrating the dark. All stood still in the valley. A village stood alone surrounded by marshy woods. While the people slept in the safety of their homes, their cattle and stock were left in pastures. Tonight, however, cattle were missing. Placed on the outskirts of town, three large and healthy cows were tied to a tree. They mingled around, unable to go past the confines of their rope. They stood unaware of what lurked within the forest, hungry for meat.

The man who owns the cattle was sent by the town to take them to the tree. He was making his way back. He’d lost more than a fair share of his cattle and he was paying the price. It was taking a toll on everyone in the town. These livestock sacrifices are the best they had to protect everyone. On his way back into town, he heard the cries of the cows as some creature was ripping them apart. He heard the growls and snarls of the beast that they all feared. He made his way quicker and quicker, trying to put as much distance between himself and the noise as possible.

He rushed into the safety of his house, the door rattling on its hinges as he flung it open. He made sure to lock it quickly. He breathed a sigh of relief. He had done his job and made it back without a scratch. The night's events left him on edge, so he decided to stay up for a while, feeling the adrenaline would keep him up. Most people stayed up during the full moon to keep watch. He sat on his chair and kept an eye outside. Candlelight illuminates the confines of his home, and the warmth of orange fills the darkness. The final shrills of the cattle could be heard, silence taking its place. The man could feel himself drift off.

A commotion outside disturbed his moment of tranquility. More animalistic screams could be heard coming from his pasture of cows.

“No no no,” he whispered in a panic.

Looking out, outlined by the moonlight, a creature could be seen ripping and tearing apart his livestock, teeth and claws bloodied. The animals were defenseless with nowhere to run as the creature descended on them. The man wanted to run out and save his livestock and livelihood, but he knew it was a fool's choice. He could only watch as the beast feasted. Once finished, it turned its attention to the house, eyes piercing into the man’s soul. Frozen in fear, he dared not move. Luckily for him, the beast had eaten its fill. It receded into the cover of the forest, leaving a trail of carcasses in its wake.

—————

The town of Wartwood. A small village that lies in the forested swamps of the valley. It has harsh terrain and even harsher weather. The people are rough around the edges, living the hard life. Farmers, bakers, woodsmiths, and hard-working laborers. They work to live. And living is a nightmare for this town. The murky swamps hold their fair share of trouble. Creatures of death and danger lurk around every tree. This town is haunted by one in particular. One they call “The Beast.”

The villagers live in fear as every month this creature torments the town with its insatiable need to kill. They’ve tried to hunt it, but it has proved far too dangerous. The villagers learned to satiate the beast with their livestock, feeding it, so it doesn’t attack them. It’s worked for years and years, every month like clockwork. But their time of peace has come to an end. The creature has decided it’s no longer satisfied with their offerings. An attack on the livestock left most of them dead. It had overstepped its bounds of truce. The people could be next. Panic ensued, and their feeling of security crumbled. What they thought was working had begun to falter, and if they didn’t deal with it, their lives would pay the price.

Outside help was the answer they sought. They called upon high places, the kingdom of Newtopia, where the king was informed of the situation. King Andrias was said to be a gentle and wise soul, maintaining solitude while stretching his powerful influence through his many resources. Now his influence was needed for a town so far from the world of royalty, but a part of his kingdom nonetheless. Due to its reach, however, the king could not see to the situation himself. Andrias knew the perfect person for the job.

Marcy Wu, head of research on all things magic and monsters. Her intelligence and curiosity led her to become enamored with all things supernatural in the land of Amphibia. Now it was time to put that knowledge to the test within his kingdom.

“Lady Olivia, fetch Marcy for me, please. I’ve got news for her.”

“Yes, sire.”

Lady Olivia, the king's royal advisor, walked along the coral-covered hallways into the living quarters. Lady Olivia politely knocked on a door with Marcy’s name engraved on it. When no answer came, she peeked in the room to find the girl head down on her desk fast asleep in a book. The room had books and notes strewn about littering the floor in organized chaos. Olivia quietly moved over to her, shaking her lightly.

“Master Marcy,” she whispered.

A groan was all that was given.

“Master Marcy, the King has called for your presence.”

Another groan, but this time with a wave of a hand.

“Five more minutes,” she mumbled.

“Marcy, he says he has news for you. It’s best if you get up.”

“Mmmok”

With that Marcy slowly rose from her position, never once opening her eyes. She stretched her sore limbs and yawned. Olivia made her way to the exit.

“I’ll give you five minutes, but don’t try to go back to sleep young lady.”

“I won’t, I won’t”

After Olivia closed the door, Marcy finally opened her eyes and then gave them a rub. She had spent all night researching again. A habit she’d tried to break, but it seemed she’d found her way back. It relieved anxiety for her and was always entertaining, but she always managed to get in too deep and sacrificed her sleep. She learned it from Andrias. Speaking of which, she’d better get ready.

She put on her usual rangers outfit, as it was useful in all situations, and cleaned her hair up. Sleeping at a desk certainly didn’t do wonders for her complexion. A knock at the door signaled that her five minutes were up.

“Coming!”

She popped out the door, looking more energized than she felt. Olivia smiled at her and they made their way back to the throne room. Marcy looked around the halls that she’d known all her life, adjusting her eyes to the light of the morning. The throne room doors stood tall and imposing, slightly ajar for the two to pass through. The room centered on the king sitting idly on his throne, caressing his beard in thought. As he noticed the two entering the room, his face lit up immediately.

“Hey kiddo! Sleep well?” He said as he got up from his throne to hug Marcy.

“Hi dad!” She ran into his arms, the large man giving her a crushing hug.

“I slept like a rock,” she giggled, releasing the hug.

“Books make great pillows I suppose,” he mused.

King Andrias had adopted Marcy when she was just a toddler. She had needed a home as she was orphaned and alone, and he had decided he needed an heir. And he had always wanted a family. He wanted to be a father unlike his own. Marcy filled a hole in his heart and he gave the world to her. She was smart, and adventurous, and had returned a sense of light to his world. A perfect heir for the throne, and a perfect daughter.

“Now, best I tell you what I’ve called you for. A new assignment that I think is perfect for you!”

Marcy’s eyes widened with wonder and twiddled her fingers in anticipation and excitement. Missions from the king were always fun and rewarding.

“A little farming town called Wartwood that lies in the far reaches of Amphibia is seemingly having a monster problem. A monster they can’t seem to identify.”

Now he was hyping her up. Marcy’s main research was on the supernatural in Amphibia, both physical and not. She had encountered and cataloged hundreds of different creatures. For it to be one they can’t identify was exhilarating. The King pulled out a letter from his pocket and pulled out his decorated pink reading glasses.

“Looks like they call it ‘The Beast.’ Rather vague if you ask me.”

He looked at her questioningly. Her mind raced with possibilities of what that could mean. It could either be something she’s seen before, but the possibility of it being a new species was even more exciting.

“It’s up to you if you want to go. I can always send someone else, but I figure you always love a good mystery.”

Andrias smiled, and he wasn’t wrong. Marcy nodded.

“I’ll do it!”

“Very well! Then it’s your job to visit this town and help them out. This beast has been terrorizing the town and is apparently very dangerous. You’d best be careful.

“I promise I’ll be extra careful. This opportunity is too good to pass up!”

“Yes, but you know how you can be.”

He gave her a parental look. One of worry and care.

“I just want you to let me know as soon as possible if something goes wrong, understand?”

“I promise Dad,” she smiled.

“Excellent! Now go get your things ready. You’ll probably want to head out tomorrow morning.”

“Sounds good! Thanks for letting me go! And are you still on for a game of flipwart tonight?”

“As always my dear.”

—————

Marcy slept long and hard that night, despite her excitement. Her energy was depleted from the previous night, and she knew she needed her sleep for the trip. She sprang up from bed at dawn and got ready as quickly as possible. It was going to be a long trip so she packed a case full of essential gear. Saying goodbye to Andrias and Olivia, she went by carriage. A long three-week ride to the valley. Along the road, Marcy made sure to document her travels, flora and fauna alike. She’d stop in a few towns along the way, keeping her identity mostly under the radar to keep things moving quickly. This was like any other of her mission trips that stretched far into Amphibia.

Finally, she had reached the valley. Frog Valley to be more specific. Named after the marshlands and its inhabitants, keeping with the amphibian name scheme of the land. Despite Marcy’s many journeys, she had never visited the area, sticking mostly north of Newtopia. The air had shifted noticeably, the humidity of the swamps seeping into every aspect of the land. It was a nice change of scenery for Marcy. A lot more trees than she was used to, that’s for sure. All the more to catalog.

She looked out at the mountains surrounding her. Off in the distance, they covered most sides. She knew about how they froze up in the winter. She was counting on it. It’s early fall right now, so they should freeze up soon. This was going to be a long mission, but she was determined. The valley would have to be her home for a few months.

Marcy was finally coming up on a town. Swamp Shire was first. One of many quaint little towns that lay in the valley. Swamp Shire was full of mushroom houses. Marcy thought it was adorable. The mushrooms sat high on stems, elevating them a decent amount. The town’s whole thing was mainly mushrooms. Farming mushrooms, selling mushrooms, living in mushrooms, etc. They were also surprisingly a decent amount of astronomers. Lots of telescopes. Probably due to the elevation. Closer to the stars.

Marcy spent a decent amount of time there doing as much research as possible. She was most interested in the mushroom houses, wondering how they were built. They were actual mushrooms that grow to enormous sizes due to the surrounding swamp conditions. The astronomy focus was also very fascinating. Despite being a farming town mostly, astronomy was a big hobby for most.

Speaking of the folks, they were wary of Marcy. They seemed pretty isolated in their community, never seeing many new people. Marcy asked some locals if they knew of ‘The Beast’ in Wartwood. Most seemed to avoid the question, steering the topic, but some knew of the situation. They seemed to believe it was paranoia or some kind of legend. They all collectively agreed that they wanted nothing to do with Wartwood.

Marcy didn’t have any other stops, but she guessed the feelings that Swamp Shire had about Wartwood were mutual with the other towns. Marcy wondered how the people would react to an outsider like her. Even though they asked for her help, she doubts they’ve had a new person in forever. Hopefully, they’re kind. Marcy may love missions, but she isn’t the best with people.

Back on the road again, the forests kept getting denser and denser. The air was filled with tension as she got closer to her destination. She had been on many missions, many with dangerous creatures, but she wondered if this would be something above her capabilities. She was confident, but doubt was bound to creep in.

On the horizon, she saw the little town. It stood alone, surrounded by mountains and woods. Main buildings stood huddled in a central town area, while houses stood more on the outskirts. Marcy got a good look at it thanks to the mountain trail she was taking. Her nerves were starting to take hold, but they were of both excitement and fear.

Finally, after the long trip, Marcy had made it. Her arrival attracted the attention of the villagers as she expected. All of them looked on with fear and uncertainty. Marcy slouched under the attention. She stopped her carriage at what appeared to be the town hall as it stood out from the rest with an air of prestige. And the sign saying “town hall.” As she stopped, a large man made his way over. She hopped down and prepared herself for first impressions.

“Finally you’re here!”

There was a sense of urgency in his voice.

“It’s about time the kingdom sent someone. I’m the mayor of this here town. Mayor Toadstool.”

He gave a slight bow.

“Who do I have the honor of speaking to?”

His country accent was thick, carrying a sense of posh to it.

“I’m Marcy Leviathan, here sent by the king himself to aid in your troubles.”

“My oh my! The daughter of the king himself has come to our town? This truly is an honor.”

Marcy blushed at the praise.

“Of course! As your situation is that of supernatural origin, I am the most experienced in the field.”

“That’s wonderful news. Yes, yes, we are very grateful someone came at all.”

Marcy could tell he was anxious. She couldn’t quite tell why, but everyone in the town seemed to hold some tension. All staring.

“We have a room available for you at our local tea shop. I’m not sure how long you’ll be staying, but hopefully it’ll provide suitable living.”

“Oh that’s wonderful! Thank you very much. I’m not sure how long I plan on staying either, but expect a while.”

He nodded in understanding.

“I have quite a few questions for you mayor if you’ll allow me.”

“Oh yes of course. How about you get settled in and then meet me back here.”

“Sounds good!”

With that Marcy bid him goodbye and took her carriage to the bed and breakfast. As she made her way, the people of the village kept their distance, eyes still glued to her. Marcy chilled as she felt their stares, but shrugged it off the best she could. The tea shop, or Felicia’s Tea Shoppe, was in the shape of a tea kettle. Marcy couldn’t help but gawk at it. It was so cute.

The owner met her at the door.

“Hello deary, let me help you with that.”

The woman helped Marcy with her baggage, carrying it to her room.

“Thank you so much for your help. And thanks for the room.”

“Of course. You're doing our town a great service, it’s the least I could do.”

Marcy smiled at the praise. At least the people all seemed grateful.

“Names Felicia by the way. Hope you don’t mind the space. I’ve had the room out for rent for a while, but no one’s coming round here these days.”

Felicia was a middle-aged woman, wearing a green dress and ginger hair tied in a long, beautiful braid. Her voice had a country accent but had an air of properness.

“I’m Marcy! I’m glad you made space for me at all.”

“Aren’t you the king's daughter?” Felicia asked in awe.

“Oh, yeah that’s me. Don’t get hung up on etiquette though. I try to avoid the term “princess” as much as possible.” She put her hands up in air quotes.

“Even though that’s technically what I am, it just feels kinda dehumanizing I guess. I work as a head researcher of sorts. Kinda the reason why I’m here.”

“Oh yes! Well, it’s incredible that we’ve someone as important as you come our way. I should warn you that the people here are a paranoid sort. They may be wary of you, and untrusting. Not everyone was open to the idea of outside help. But I for one think we need it more than ever. That beast has been terrorizing us for much too long.”

Marcy nodded in thankfulness.

“Oh, that reminds me! I have a few questions about the “beast” as you call it.”

“I would be glad to, but shouldn’t you meet with the mayor first?”

“Oh shoot you’re right! I’ll make sure to ask them later then. Thank you for your help, Felicia!”

Marcy headed out the door as she waved goodbye. On her way out she saw two little heads peeking into the window of the shop. They saw her notice them and quickly ducked. Must be some of the town's kids, she thought. As she walked out she heard whispering by the window.

“Do you think she saw us?”

“Pfft, I’m a master at stealth. No way she saw us.”

“Uhhh hello?”

“QUICK MAKE A BREAK FOR IT!”

With that Marcy saw two kids sprinting away from their hiding spot. Weird. She shrugged it off, chalking it up to small-town curiosity, and headed to the mayor's office. She was let in by a small man, a servant of some kind. Led to the office through a hall that reminded her somewhat of the palace. Once in the room, the mayor spun around on his swivel chair and motioned for her to take a seat.

“Now then, how do you plan to help us, Ms. Marcy?”

“Well, I was hoping to first ask some questions. A lot of what was on your note was very vague and I need to get a better understanding of how your beast works to properly handle it.”

Marcy brought out her journal and a pencil.

“Right, I can answer your questions. I don’t have much personal experience myself but I have heard plenty.”

“That’s fine. Tell me what you know for now.”

“The Beast, as we’ve been calling it, is a predator, unlike anything I've ever experienced. It only comes out once a month, feeding on our livestock. Luckily we’ve been smart about this. We’ve kept our distance, and even fed it ourselves with cattle of our choosing. We always switch who gets the job every month to share the burden. It was working for a while. But last month was a scare. It took more than we gave and now the whole town’s gone silly. I’m losing their trust.”

“Once a month huh? What does it look like?”

“Accounts vary, but everyone agrees it’s very canine. Almost like a wolf. Although some say they’ve seen it stand up on its hind legs. You’d best talk to the folks if you want stories.”

While he was talking, Marcy had been cross-referencing different notes. She went off his descriptions, and luckily enough they were specific to a special kind of creature.

“I‘ll make sure to. From what I gather this beast is a very rare creature known as a werewolf. There’s very little info, but what you’ve described matches what information there is. I’m hoping to gather as much info as I can and stop it from bothering the town.”

“Oh that sounds lovely. We do appreciate you coming all this way. I’m desperate to get things back in order.”

They shook hands and Marcy was off to investigate the town. She was extremely excited that she had put together that this could be a werewolf. She wasn’t kidding when she said they were rare. She’d never seen one in her 18 years of living (though she doesn’t remember much till age 3). This was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to fill in never before known info on this thing. And It was up to her to do it.

She had till full moon to prepare (about a week), so she needed as much info as possible. The townsfolk weren’t easy to talk to. She tried a couple, but they either ignored her, ran, or said some mildly hurtful words. She tried an older-looking lady who seemed to have a dead eye. She had a small dog perched comfortably in her arms.

“Excuse me, ma’am?”

“What? What is it? What do you want?”

“Hi, I was just wondering if you could answer a few questions for me. About the Beast?”

“Oh, you’re that outsider Toadstool brought in. What makes you think you can help?”

“I’m the head of research in all things magic and supernatural at the capital. I’ve been almost everywhere in Amphibia doing my best to discover everything this land has hidden, and it is my duty to help your town with its supernatural creature.”

“Hmph, don’t get too cocky now. I’ve seen a fair share back in my day, but the Beast is nasty. I’ll give you a shot. I’ll answer your questions.”

“Thank you. I was wondering if you’ve had any encounters with the Beast. Anything to give me information on how it acts?”

“Oh, I’ve had encounters all right. I run a dairy farm, so my cattle had to be put out for it occasionally. I’ll stand watch as the Beast tears my cows apart and turns them to nothing but bones. It’s big, bigger than cows, and it has teeth and claws longer than knives. It looks like a four-legged wolf, but that thing could stand on two for short periods if it wants. Its eyes are bright blue. Piercing your soul and striking terror in your heart. It’s smart too. I’m certain it knows about our silent agreement to feed it, so long it doesn’t harm us. I don’t know what‘s changed, but it crossed a line and sent a warning last month. Killing more than it should have. It didn’t even eat the extra cattle. It’s toying with us. Testing us. I hope you know what you're dealing with girly. And keep your wits about you. I’ve heard stories about what the Beast may be, and some say it’s one of us normal folk. Hiding among us. These fools are just too scared to admit it.”

“Oh wow. That’s a lot of really good information.”

Marcy was finishing up writing and drawing in her journal.

“Thanks so much for sharing.”

“Don’t say I didn’t warn you.”

“Noted. What’s your name by the way?”

“Croaker. Sadie Croaker.”

—————

After a few hours of trying to talk to people and failing, Marcy was getting tired. Sadie was the only one who opened up to her. Her and the mayor. She had gone door to door to people's houses, but that was also proving to be a bust. She was coming up on one last house. It was more out of the way. Farther out than most. It looked to be a small farm. Vegetables of all kinds are growing from the plots of land. Coming up on the door, a wooden sign swung above, the letter “P” carved into it.

Marcy knocked on the door and heard a commotion from the other side.

“Sprig would you please get the door?” An older man said on the other side.

More rummaging ensued and the door swung open. Standing there was a young boy with ginger hair poking out of a hat with goggles on the top. His eyes grew wide then narrowed suspiciously.

“U-um hello, I’m-“

“Who is it, who is it? I wanna see!”

Ramming into the boy was a young girl. She also had ginger hair that was tied up in a yellow bow. She mimicked the motion of eyes going wide and then narrowing.

“Hey wait a second. Aren’t you those kids who were spying on me?”

The kids acted like they’d been caught in some crime, each sweating, and fidgeting.

“Uh, uh, nuh uh!” The boy, Sprig, shook his head.

“I’m pretty sure that was you.”

“You can’t prove anything!”

From somewhere in the house she heard another voice.

“Would you guys knock it off??”

The kids were picked up from the side by an older woman who appeared to be Marcy’s age.

“You guys are being rude.”

“Noooo! Anne put us down!”

They wiggled and squirmed in her grasp.

“Fine, but go help Hop Pop. I’ve got the door.”

“Fiiiine,” they both whined.

She dropped them out of her grasp and they scrambled away, looking back at Marcy.

“Ugh, sorry about them.”

“It’s fine…”

“Hey, you’re that new person! The one they sent to do the thing! Stop the Beast or whatever.”

“Uh yeah! That’s me!”

Marcy was caught a little off guard by the casualness. She seemed nicer than a lot of the other people in town. She was dressed in overalls and a red plaid undershirt. Her curly brown hair was tied back into a neat ponytail. A very rustic look.

“I’m Anne! Anne Plantar. And this is the Plantar home. The two losers you saw earlier were Sprig and Polly. What brings you here?”

Chapter Text

Darkness

Darkness was all she saw at first. It was disorienting. Her senses were dulled, clinging to whatever they could yet finding nothing. She found herself hugging her sides, curled in on herself to ground herself. Slowly but surely, her senses came to her. She could feel the air touching her skin, a signal for her eyes to open up. Looking around, slowly opening up her arms and legs, she found herself in a forest. But it wasn’t her forest. It was foreign.

She’s been here before though. She recognizes the way the trees loom over her, so high you can’t see the top, branches littering their trunks. The sky was dark yet no stars could be seen. Just a deep, dark blue. She finally stood up from her spot. Looking down, she was dressed in her pajamas. The situation felt familiar.

The sound of snapping twigs behind her caused her to jump. Turning, she saw nothing but trees. She huffed in annoyance, regaining her composure. She began to walk in a random direction, hoping to get out of the woods.

“Helloooooo?” She called.

The echoing of her voice bounced against the trees. She was getting agitated. She’s done this before. But she was forgetting something. She always forgot something. Another snap behind her. She froze. Turning slowly and carefully. There before her was a wolf. A big wolf.

“Holy shit!” She screamed.

She fell backward, landing hard on her back. She got up quickly to see the wolf had not moved. It stood between the trees, head lowered, ears up, eyes deadly. It stared at her with a terrible look. Pupils the size of pinpricks, unnaturally so. Not only that but its eyes were bright blue. They glowed against its face, revealing brown fur. She dared not move.

They stared each other down for what felt like hours. She finally gained some confidence to say something.

“Wh-what-“

It rushed at her. She didn’t have a second to scream before she felt its jaws lock around her head. It bit down hard.

————

Anne woke up screaming. She managed to fall off her bed in the process of waking up. She lay there, groaning in pain as she hit the floor head-first. She heard the latch open to her bedroom in the basement.

“Anne!?”

It was Sprig. He was always the first one to check up on her.

“Anne! Are you ok?”

He rushed down to her and helped her up. He always frets over her. Anne thinks it’s really sweet.

“Yeah, I’m ok, dude.”

“Another nightmare?”

She sighed and sat on her bed. Sprig joined her, swinging his feet above the ground. He was short for his age, but he was banking on a growth spurt later.

“Yeah…”

“Same one?”

“Yeeeeah…”

They stayed in silence for a bit. Anne slumped forward, head in her lap. Sprig rubbed circles on her back. Once he stopped, Anne looked over to see his head slumped and eyes closed. She didn’t know what time it was, but probably much too late. She tapped him on his head, causing him to wake back up.

“Sorry, sorry,” he said, wiping some drool from his mouth.

“You can go back to sleep, silly. I’ll be fine.”

“But what if you have another nightmare?” He looked at her with pleading eyes.

“You’re not subtle…fine. You can sleep with me tonight.”

“Yay!!”

Her little brother climbed under the covers of her bed and got cozy.

“I’m going to get some water, want anything?”

“No thank you,” he mumbled, eyes already drooping.

Anne headed up the stairs and towards the kitchen. She leaned against the counter and put her face in her hands. She had been hiding her shaking from Sprig to not worry him. Tears began to fall, but she stifled her sobbing. She just let out a shaky breath and wiped her tears away. Her nightmares had always left her like this. She’s gotten better at hiding how it affects her. And in the end, she always seemed to forget what happened in them. She knew they were related to her stupid condition though.

She had grabbed a glass and was filling it up with water when she heard someone walking down the steps. It was Hop Pop. The old man was rubbing his eyes of sleep. He seemed slightly shocked to see Anne up from her room. She must look like a mess.

“Everything ok, Anne?”

She nodded, water in her mouth. He hummed, probably seeing her shaky hands and tear-stained cheeks. He walked up to her and wrapped her in a hug. Anne crouched a bit to reach his height, returning the hug. She began to cry again. He reassured her with pats on the back and words of affirmation. A routine she knew well. She was so tired. The hug lasted for about 5 minutes before Anne pulled back, wiping her nose and eyes.

“Is Sprig with you?”

“Yeah,” her voice cracked.

“Good, good,” he mumbled.

“Goodnight, Hop Pop”

“Oh, uhh goodnight, Anne.”

They said their awkward farewells and Anne made her way back down to the basement. Sprig was all curled up under the covers and sleeping. Anne smiled and curled up next to him. She had a hard time falling asleep, but in the end, she couldn’t fight it forever.

———

Anne is a werewolf. She has been for a while now. Or rather has always been, she supposed. When she was 13 she had her first transformation. That was an awful night. Ever since then, she changes every full moon. 5 years later, it’s only gotten worse. She has no memory of when she’s a wolf, but her family keeps her updated. Her family has been the biggest help imaginable. They’ve helped keep her secret and supported her. They convinced the town to give their livestock so she wouldn’t hurt anyone. They take care of her in the aftermath of each night, making sure she’s ok. She would give her life for them.

She’s not biologically related to the Plantars, but she’s known no other family. She was adopted very young. Before Sprig was even born. She’s grateful every day for their love. She just wished she didn’t have to put them through such trouble. They don’t know much about what she is, but she doesn’t care to know. She just wants it to go away. The town has taken to calling it “the Beast.” Fitting. She felt terrible for what she’s put the town through too. This town has so little already.

Anne woke up from the morning after her nightmare. Sprig was still nestled into her arms. She looked out her window to see the sun coming up and heard Hop Pop in the kitchen. She stretched, cracks and pops sounding from her limbs. It stirred Sprig awake. He looked around confused, then plopped his head back on the pillow. Anne shook him.

“Come on dude, we gotta get up.”

Sprig groaned in response. Anne giggled. She sniffed the air, smelling something sweet coming from the kitchen. A “perk” of being a bloodthirsty monster was having a heightened sense of smell.

“Smells like Hop Pop’s making chocolate chip pancakes.”

At that, Sprig shot up. He clamored out of bed and ran up the stairs, tripping as he went.

“Jeez, careful!”

Anne followed behind him, taking her time rather than racing up. Once in the kitchen, she saw Polly already at the table eating pancakes.

“Hey, save some for the rest of us!”

“You’re the ones who got up so late,” Polly said with a mouth full of pancakes.

Hop Pop was at the stove flipping pancakes.

“Got some fresh ones right here for you kids.”

“Ah sweet! Thanks, Hop Pop.”

Sprig was tapping his hands at the table excitedly. Anne grabbed both of theirs and set them down. Pancakes were always a special treat. Hop Pop sat down with his own and they all dug in. Moments like this were Anne’s favorite. They were filled with familial comfort and a sense of normalcy that made Anne’s anxieties melt away.

“I’m gonna be doing some shopping today. Sprig and Polly, I’m taking you with me. Anne, I want you to stay here and do some chores if you don’t mind”

“Sure thing, Hop Pop,” She gave a mock salute.

“Whaaaat! Why do we have to go shopping,” Polly huffed.

“Cause you two won’t leave Anne alone and she has work to do”

It was true. Sprig and Polly always liked to get distracted and often pulled her down with them.

“No more arguing. Anne can join us if she finishes her chores early. Now go get ready, we leave in 10”

———

Anne actually did manage to get her chores done early. She decided on going into town to see her family. They took the horse, Bessie, but she didn’t mind the walk. The woods around her made her feel calm, surprisingly. They’re familiar to her, a reminder that she’s home. The trail to the town wasn’t too far, so she got there soon enough.

Anne looked around for her family, saying hi to all who passed her. She knew she was something of a town favorite. She always helped around whenever she got the chance, much to her siblings' annoyance. She did it mostly out of guilt. Maybe then she’ll hate herself less.

She made it to their local market, the Grab & Go. She figured Sprig and Polly would be in there trying to find something new to play with. When she walked in, she was surprised to find Hop Pop. She thought he’d be at the seed store.

“Hey, Anne! Finish all your chores?”

“Yeah, I did. Where are Sprig and Polly?”

“Oh, they went to the center of town for the meeting.”

“Meeting? What meeting?”

“I didn’t tell you?”

Anne shook her head.

“Mayor Toadstools havin’ a meeting about…”

Hop Pop stopped. He scratched the top of his bald head.

“I forgot what it was about actually.”

Anne just smiled.

“Huh. Well, I think I’ll go check it out too then. Must be important if Sprig and Polly actually went on their own merit.”

Anne left as Hop Pop was still fighting with his memory. Town meetings weren’t common. Things got around easily enough in a small town. No point in having a whole meeting. Sometimes, though, if the issue was urgent enough, meetings were the way to go. Anne made it to the fountain at the center of town. This was the designated meeting spot since it was the center. A crowd had formed, all of them murmuring among each other. Anne looked for Sprig and Polly, spotting them fairly quickly.

She snuck up behind them. Sprig jumped as she spooked them. Polly just turned and slapped her on the side.

“Ow! Polly!”

“Don’t sneak up on people like that!” yelled Polly.

Anne frowned at her, rubbing her side. Sprig was holding his chest, breathing quickly.

“Sorry, Sprig. Thought it’d be funny.”

“It was pretty funny,” said Polly. “Sprig screamed like a girl!”

“You’re a girl!” Retorted Sprig.

Polly just blew a raspberry at him.

“What’s going on anyway? What’s the meeting even for?”

“We dunno! It’s so exciting!” Sprig bounced up and down. Polly just crossed her arms.

“It better be good! We were supposed to look at toys.”

On queue, the Mayor stood up in front of the crowd of people. The murmurs stopped everyone waiting for the announcement.

“Good evening people of Wartwood! I am here today to make an announcement. As you all know, The Beast has struck again. Last moon it took more cattle than we bargained for.”

The crowd made sounds of agreement. The Plantar kids were put on edge at the mention of The Beast. Anne started sweating.

“If the attacks continue unpredictably, we aren’t going to be able to survive! We need a solution. I have called upon the capital for help!”

The crowd made more noise. Some disapproval and some agreement.

“We can’t handle this ourselves any more people. This is our chance to free ourselves of this monster. I thank you for your understanding.”

The mayor waved and stepped down from his stand. Some went to talk to the mayor, while the rest of the crowd fizzled. The kids started walking back to the Grab & Go, tense. Sprig was eyeing Anne, a little too obviously. Polly was also surprisingly silent. Anne was just kinda zoned. The implications of what the mayor said was running through her mind. They needed to talk to Hop Pop.

————

Hop Pop was back in the carriage with Bessie. They had told Hop Pop they needed to talk about the meeting, and that it was urgent. They told him the news in the house.

“They’re getting someone from the capital! They’re gonna kill me!”

“Anne, calm down! Did the mayor say it was to kill the Beast?”

“N-no. Just deal with it.”

“Ok, so we don’t even know if some sort of hunter is coming or not.”

“But what else would it be, Hop Pop? The town wants the Beast gone. I don’t blame them!”

“Now, Anne, they don’t know it’s you either.”

“You’re not suggesting we tell them are you??”

“No, no! I’m just saying the town just thinks it’s some animal. Look, if this person from Newtopia turns out to be some sort of hunter, we leave Wartwood, ok?”

Anne widened her eyes in shock.

“Leave Wartwood? Where would we even go? This is our home! I wouldn’t make you leave just for me!”

“Anne, our family is more important than where we live. We’ll find a new place to stay.”

“But it’s not worth it!”

“Enough! This Newtopia person isn’t even here. We just need to lay low for now. I know you’re upset, but we’ll be ok. I promise I won’t let anything happen to ya.”

Anne had tears forming in her eyes. She hated putting her family through any of this. Having to move would break her. She honestly thinks it would be better if she just ran away, but she knew Hop Pop would knock that down fast. Hop Pop gave her a sad look. Sprig and Polly gave her a tight hug which she returned.

They had always taken care of Anne. She couldn’t imagine people with bigger hearts than theirs. And no matter what, she would do anything for them.

————

The nights leading up to the full moon were always restless for Anne. A week before is always when it starts to get hard. More nightmares, restless sleep, increased appetite, the works. More wolfy traits loved to pop up closer to the full moon too, much to Anne’s annoyance. Fangs, claws, and even patches of fur. It was beyond difficult to deal with. She always did her best to hide them. Trimming down her nails whenever she got the chance (they always grew back by the end of the day), wearing clothes to cover her whole body (no matter how hot out), and she couldn’t do much about the fangs. She tried to talk less around others, but luckily she doesn’t think anyone has noticed yet.

Another night of no sleep led to Anne staying up and reading on the couch. She wasn’t exactly paying much attention to the words, her mind was awake, but her body was definitely in need of sleep. After re-reading a page for the hundredth time, she heard a creek from the staircase leading upstairs. It was Polly. Polly definitely wasn’t one for late nights, and by the looks of it, something must’ve woken her up.

“Hey Polly, what are you doing up?”

Polly was uncharacteristically quiet. She was fiddling with the hem of her pajamas, staring down at the floor.

“Nothing,” she mumbled.

“What was that?”

“I-I uh…I had a bad dream.”

Polly’s eyes were watery. Despite how tough the girl was, she wasn’t immune to fear. No one was.

“Oh, Polly. Wanna talk about it?”

Anne patted her lap, inviting Polly to sit. Her little sister said nothing as she sat. Anne stroked Polly’s head in reassurance, waiting to see if she wanted to talk. Polly’s breath was shaky, sniffling every so often. Anne waited for Polly’s panic to subside before prying further. She doesn’t think a nightmare has ever affected Polly this badly.

“M’sorry.”

“For what?”

“For being such a big baby.” Polly curled in on herself.

“I would hardly call this being a big baby.”

“But it was just a dream.”

“Hey, I get scared of scary dreams all the time. You know that. Am I a big baby?”

“Yeah,” Polly giggled.

“Very funny.” Anne poked at Polly’s sides, tickling her, and causing her to laugh more.

“Why don’t you tell me what it was about? If you want.”

Polly frowned. Rubbing her arm, she looked down.

“I feel bad about it…”

“That’s ok. You don’t have to tell if you don’t want to.”

“But…it was about you.”

“Me? What about me?” Anne had already taken a wild guess.

“You…had hurt Sprig and Hop Pop. Or the wolf did.” Anne’s heart sank.

“And you were gonna hurt me too. It was really scary.” Polly started to cry again.

“A-are you scared of me, Polly?” Anne asked hesitantly.

“No! I know you would never do that. It was just my stupid brain being stupid.”

Anne was feeling horrible. She wanted to reassure Polly, but she wasn’t exactly reassured herself. She had stopped stroking Polly’s head, now conscious of the claws that adorned her hands. Polly’s arms were wrapped around Anne in a hug now, face buried in her neck.

“Anne?”

“Y-yeah?”

“I’m sorry.”

“It’s ok! It makes sense! Just let me know if there’s anything I can do to make you feel better ok?”

Anne wanted to curl into a ball and hide away. She was trying to logically explain that it was ok for Polly to be scared a little, but she beat herself up over the smallest things. Polly had a nightmare. If she wasn’t here then she wouldn’t have had a nightmare. Therefore it’s her fault.

She waited for Polly to stop crying, waiting for her to speak again.

“Could you tuck me into bed?” Polly looked at her with pleading eyes.

“O-oh! Are you sure?”

She nodded. Anne sighed and picked her up. She carried her back to her room and plopped her into bed. She pulled the covers over her, tucking her neatly into bed. Anne wiped the remaining tears from Polly’s eyes and sat on her bed.

“You gonna be ok?”

She nodded, sniffling. Anne smiled and kissed her on the head.

“Sleep well. Let me know if you need anything.”

Anne got up and walked out the door, closing it behind her. She then walked back downstairs, back to her room, and promptly started crying. It felt like something had been shattered inside her. Polly was scared of her, no doubt in her mind. They probably all were, they were just hiding it. Maybe it would be better if some hunter just shot her down. Everyone might be better off. She wasn’t thinking clearly. She was sleep deprived, depressed, and suffering from a stupid curse. She was a mess. She cried herself to sleep that night, wishing tomorrow would never come.

———

The next morning she woke up an absolute wreck. Her curly hair was matted and puffed up in all directions. Her eyes had bags that could put Hop Pops to shame. Her mind was fuzzy. She heard people walking upstairs, in somewhat of a panic. How late was it? She looked at her clock. 3 pm?!? That was way too late! Why hadn’t they woken her up?

She got up and quickly brushed out her hair and put it in a ponytail. She got on her work clothes and headed up the stairs. As she was about to open the hatch, Sprig opened it up.

“Anne, Anne, Anne! The-come-look-person-here!”

He was frantic, barely stringing his words together.

“Whoa, whoa slow down!”

Sprig took a breath.

“The person from Newtopia is here! Polly and I saw her!”

Anne’s eyes widened.

“Really? What are they like??”

“She doesn’t look like a hunter! She looks like a ranger or something! No chance she could take you on.”

“What do you mean by that?”

“She’d easily get taken out by your wolf!” Sprig smiled.

“That’s not a good thing!”

She brought her hand up to her face.

“What’s even going on? Why didn’t you wake me up?”

“Hop Pop Said to let you sleep. Said you needed it. And looks like he was right,” he giggled.

Anne pulled Sprigs hat over his eyes in annoyance. She made her way to the kitchen to see Hop Pop with some leftover pancakes.

“Got some food for you here.”

“Thanks, Hop Pop.”

As she took her seat to eat, Sprig and Polly rushed over with a look like they were gonna tell her something.

“What?” She asked with her mouth full.

“The person’s going around town asking people questions!” Polly said.

“Ooook?”

“She might come here!”

“What makes you say that?”

“Cause she’s on the path here right now!”

Anne almost choked.

“What?!”

With that, there was a knock at the door. Hop Pop looked questioningly

“Sprig would you please get the door?”

———

Anne and the Plantars! Art by Spix_Rave

Chapter Text

“I’m asking questions around town about the Beast.”

Marcy was at the Plantar household, looking to ask the family questions.

“Gotcha, gotcha. Hope the town hasn’t been too mean to you.”

“They were fine. Got more out of them than I thought.” Marcy pulled out her journal ready to ask questions and take notes.

“Would you mind answering some questions?”

“Sure thing! Um, my house is a little much right now, but if you want we can head into town. I’ve got some stuff I need to get from there anyways.”

Anne turned and yelled into the house.

“I’m going out guys! Be back in a bit!”

“Be careful!” Hop Pop yelled back. “Get some dinner while you’re out!”

“Ok!” Anne closed the door behind her and motioned Marcy towards the cart. Marcy obliged and hopped in.

“Thanks for the ride uhhh…”

“Anne.”

“Anne! And my name’s Marcy.”

“Nice to meet you, Marcy! And no problem. I can answer questions on the way if you’d like. I’m shocked you even came all the way out here. The town’s pretty far.”

Anne hopped into the cart and tugged for Bessie to start moving.

“Yeah, well I wasn’t getting many answers from the town, and I need all I can get.”

Marcy huffed once again pulling out her journal.

“Now then, let’s ask some questions.”

Anne put up a hand.

“Hang on a sec. You can ask me questions only if I can ask you some. I wanna know more about you!”

Marcy was shocked. Everyone else in town wanted pretty much nothing to do with her. She shrugged her shoulders.

“Yeah, ok!”

Anne gave her a thumbs up, turning back towards the road.

“Ok, first question. What do you know about the Beast?”

Anne cringed a little bit.

“Man, that’s a loaded question. Um, I know it’s a scary creature that comes around once a month to kill cows and stuff. I think people say it’s a weird wolf or something. My family and I are close to the forest, so we hear it the nights it’s out. Other than that I don’t think I know much.”

Marcy was writing what Anne said in her journal. She needed more than that.

“Are you sure nothing else?”

Anne looked conflicted. She raised her eyebrow in thought.

“Uhhhh, I know that some people in town think it’s a person. Like somehow it’s a person that shifts during full moons…or something.”

Marcy had also heard that. She was starting to think it may be true. Since it only comes out once a month. It wouldn’t make sense for a creature to only come out once a month to feed. It couldn’t live that way. Old werewolf lore also talks about how the full moon is an instigator for the creatures' attacks. She wondered if a person changed under the moon, losing all human consciousness. She would investigate it for sure. Best to wait till after the first moon though.

“Ok, ok, my turn! Ummm, what’s it like back in Newtopia? The big city sounds crazy!”

“Oh, it’s not that crazy. Once you’re used to it. I’ve lived there my whole life. Honestly living out in the country like this is crazier to me.”

Anne nodded, showing that she was listening.

“My dad always used to tell me stories about how the land was full of so many magical creatures. They always fascinated me. The supernatural always felt so close yet so out of reach. I had to find out more about it. You’d never see anything crazy like that in the city.”

Marcy smiled at the memory of when she wanted to study the supernatural. Anne hummed in agreement.

“That’s really cool actually. What does your dad do?”

“Hang on, it’s my turn to ask a question,” Marcy pointed out.

“Oh! Right, you’re right. Sorry.”

Marcy smiled. “Right, since you don’t know much about the Beast, why don’t I ask more about you? What do you do?”

“Ah, well, my family and I are farmers! Since it’s almost winter we aren’t doing much farming right now. Honestly, I’m not that interesting.”

Anne rubbed the back of her head and laughed.

“Are you kidding? Farming is super underrated! Farmers are the backbone of society and don’t get enough credit for it!”

“You think so?”

Marcy nodded vigorously. “For sure! Farming is super interesting too.”

Anne frowned. “Now I know you’re lying.”

Marcy looked at her questioningly. Anne looked at her like she was crazy.

“There’s no way you think farming is interesting.”

“No, I do! I swear!

Anne shrugged. “If you say so.”

They continued along the path, the town within view. They sat in silence for just a bit before Anne continued.

“I forgot my question.” Anne frowned.

“What question?”

“I forgot! The question I was gonna ask before you stopped me.”

“Oh, you asked about my dad I think.”

Anne snapped her fingers. “That’s right! Tell me about him.”

“Um…I don’t know if I should.” Marcy fiddled with her cloak.

“How come?”

“Eh, you might think differently of me if I tell you.”

“Well, If you don’t wanna tell you don’t have to.”

They sat in silence again, Marcy thinking.

“Uh, my dad’s the king.”

“Really?!? That’s crazy! What, does that make you a princess?”

Marcy nodded. “Yeah, technically, but I don’t like the title too much.”

Anne shrugged. “That’s fair. That seems like a lot.”

Marcy nodded. “You could say that.”

They were coming up on the town. It was busy, people moving along the stalls. Anne parked the cart in an open spot, hopped off, and patted Bessie on the snout.

“Say, did you want a tour of the town? I know you’re new, so I could be your guide.”

Marcy climbed out of the cart, but she slipped. She almost hit the ground before Anne managed to catch her.

“Whoa, you ok?”

Marcy blushed. “Ah, yeah I’m ok.”

She stood up and brushed herself off.

“I wouldn’t mind a tour.” Marcy smiled.

“Sweet! Let’s get going!”

————

Anne had shown Marcy all around. Every shop, every stall, every house, etc. They went to a restaurant called “Stumpy’s” for dinner. Anne told her that she actually helped out at the diner once. Anne was apparently a good cook and helped out with the menu. Marcy found Anne to be very endearing. Very welcoming, like she could tell her anything.

“So, what about your parents?” Marcy asked.

“Oh, I actually don’t have parents. They went missing when I was 13. We never found out what happened.”

“Geez, I’m so sorry.”

“Eh, it’s ok. I still have my Hop Pop! He’s my grandpa. I also have my two sibs. Sprig and Polly. You’ve met them briefly.”

Marcy nodded.

“You know I’m adopted. My parents found me a long time ago in the woods. I don’t even remember anything before. It’s crazy to think about.” Anne took a sip of her drink.

“Huh. Well, it’s a good thing your family found you. I’m adopted too.”

Anne looked at her curiously. “Really?”

“Yup. King Andrias adopted me as a baby. So I’ve never known anything else.”

“Strange how that works out.”

“No kidding.” Marcy tapped against the table.

After dinner, Anne ordered some takeout for her family. They headed back to the cart. Back on the road again, Marcy decided to strike up more conversation.

“You know, I don’t think I want to kill the Beast.”

Marcy noticed Anne’s expression shift.

“How come?”

“Well, I think the Beast is something known as a werewolf. And as you said, it might be someone in town. That would kinda suck to just kill a person. Plus, I’d rather research to find out more about it than just kill it and know nothing.”

Anne smiled. “That’s pretty cool actually.”

Marcy waved her hand around. “It just makes sense.”

“Yeah, well, you’re giving it more kindness than anyone would in this town.”

“I’m probably gonna try and trap it. Where did you say it normally hangs out?”

Anne’s shoulders stiffened.

“Uhhhh, around the forest. By my house, I think. Be careful though, it’s really dangerous.”

“I’ll be careful. I know you guys use cattle to lure it. Should I use that?”

Anne shifted in her seat.

“Yeah, probably. You may have to ask someone in town though. We don’t have cattle.”

Marcy was writing this down in her notebook, she didn’t notice Anne’s worried look.

————

They made it back to the Plantar house. Anne invited Marcy inside. She decided against it, but they agreed to meet up tomorrow to talk again. Marcy needed to figure out how she was going to catch the Beast. She didn’t have much to go off of. She didn’t know how smart or strong it was, etc. She knew it liked cattle, but would something as simple as a bait trap work? It may be her best bet.

She came up with a game plan: lure the werewolf using bait, and catch the werewolf with the indestructible trap. She decided on a cage. A cage made of steel set to fall on the wolf while it was eating. There were a lot of unknown variables, but this would test the wolf's speed, and strength.

The only issue: where was she gonna get a giant steel cage? Looking around town, she didn’t see any steelworks of any kind. She came upon the wood works instead. She doubted wood would be enough, but she took a look inside. Anne had shown her this place a little bit, but the owner, Loggle, had been out. Now, the man was at his workbench behind the counter, whittling at something.

She approached nervously. “Hello?”

The man turned around, green goggles on his eyes. “Ah, hello! Come in, come in!”

He adjusted his seat to move to the counter. He was mostly bald, with some white hair on the side of his head. He had a very neat handlebar mustache. “What can I do for you?”

Marcy smiled. “Yes, hello! I was wondering if you could help me in making a cage?”

The man put a hand to his chin. “Hmm, a cage you say? How big?”

“As big as you can?”

He nodded. “You’re trying to catch the beast I presume? I’m not sure wood is going to do the job.” He sat in thought for a moment. “You know, I used to work as a smith. I know a thing or two about steel.”

Marcy’s eyes lit up. “You’d do that? I’d pay very handsomely!”

“That would be greatly appreciated. I’ll make sure to get it to you before the full moon.”

Marcy sighed in relief. “Thank you so much.”

————

The woodsmith had worked fast. Marcy had gotten the cage within the next three days. She had more than enough time to plan. She had asked the old woman Mrs. Croaker if she could borrow one of her cows. Luckily she said yes, on one condition. She had to help out on her ranch for a few days. She thinks she could handle that.

Now all that’s left is to set up. She needed to keep her spot a secret. If it was someone who was in town, it was possible they could find out about it. Her best bet was the forest, but she needed to be sneaky. How she was going to be sneaky about moving a giant steel cage into the woods was beyond her. Loggle had it at his shop, so she was going to have to move it.

She needed help. She decided to ask Anne. She was the only person Marcy had any relationship with. Plus she liked Anne. And she seemed like the kinda person who would help her out. To the Plantar farm, Marcy went. A knock at the door revealed a short old man.

“Who are you and what do you want?”

He held the posture of someone who worked 24/7. Old, achy, and tired. But his face held a sense of strong will and wisdom. Arms crossed, he tapped his foot. Marcy realized she hadn’t said anything yet.

“Oh, oops. Hello, I’m Marcy. You must be Hop Pop.”

Hop Pop nodded sternly. “That I am. And what do you think you’re doing here?”

Marcy already got the sense that he didn’t like her. “I’m here to see Anne? I wanted to ask her for some help with something.”

Hop Pop seemed to eye her up and down suspiciously. “Anne’s not here right now.”

“Oh, ok! Um, I can just come by later then if that’s ok?”

“I’m not sure if that’s the best idea.”

Marcy frowned. What did he mean by that?

“Hop Pop!”

Turning around, Marcy saw Anne walking up to the front where they were standing. Her sleeves were rolled up and she was covered in stray dirt.

“Would you be nice?” Anne crossed her arms.

Hop Pop just shrugged in confusion. Anne sighed.

“Sorry about Hop Pop. He’s just cranky.”

“I’m right here!” Hop Pop scowled.

Anne stuck her tongue out at him. Hop Pop rolled his eyes and went back inside. Anne was brushing off her clothes as she talked to Marcy.

“Whatcha need? I overheard that you wanted to see me.”

How on earth did she hear that?

“I was wondering if you could help me move something. I’ve recently been able to get a cage for my trap and it’s gonna need to be moved to the forest.”

Anne looked blank for a moment.

“Suuuure…yeah I could do that.”

“Are you sure? I hope it’s not too much trouble.”

Anne raised her hands. “No, it’s fine! Give me a sec, I’m gonna go change. You can come inside if you want.”

Anne made her way past Marcy and opened the door, inviting her inside. Marcy shuffled inside nervously, taking in her surroundings. The house was a decent size, taking on a very stump-like appearance. The living room was cozy. It had a couch, coffee table, rug, and fireplace. From the living room, Marcy could see steps leading up to other rooms in the house, as well as an entrance to what appeared to be a kitchen. Standing in the doorway, she noticed a hatch to the left of her, most likely leading to a basement.

Marcy felt a tap on her shoulder.

“Are you gonna go in, or just gape like a fish at everything?”

Marcy jumped forward, almost falling flat on her face. She luckily caught herself.

“My bad! I just like your house!” Marcy gave an awkward smile.

“I mean it’s no palace, but yeah it’s cool.”

Marcy’s eyes widened as she was suddenly pulled at her cape from behind. She fell backward, hitting her head on the floor.

“POLLY!” She heard Anne shout.

“Oops…”

Marcy opened her eyes to see a small red-haired girl with a bow. She was holding Marcy’s cape in her hand.

“Sorry. I thought it would come off.” The small girl, Polly, shrugged.

“Polly! Why would you do that?” Another voice jumped in.

“I wanted to see it!”

Anne had helped Marcy up from her spot on the floor. A young boy was now arguing with Polly. He had similar orange hair, only it was covered mostly by an aviator hat.

“Sprig, would you mind getting Marcy some ice? I need to change.”

Sprig stopped arguing with his sister and instantly went into the kitchen.

“You can take a seat for now, I’ll be right back.”

Anne turned and opened up the hatch in the floor and made her way down the steps, closing the hatch behind her. Marcy sat down on the couch, now with a headache. Sprig came running in with a bag of ice in his hand.

“Here you go!” He handed her the ice.

“Thanks.” She applied the ice to the back of her head. She hissed at the slight pain.

“Sorry about that,” Polly said as she walked up beside her brother.

“It’s ok. I’m no stranger to falling over. You said you wanted to see my cape?”

Polly nodded. Marcy unclipped her cape from her neck and handed it over to Polly.

“You can take a look.” Polly excitedly grabbed the cape and wrapped it around her shoulders. It was laughably too big for her. She just chuckled and proceeded to run around with it, the cape flowing behind her.

“Don’t trip, Polly,” called Sprig.

He sighed as she ran outside for more room to run. Sprig hopped up on the couch next to her. They stared at each other for a moment, the awkwardness rising. He looked as if he were studying her. On what, she wished she knew.

“What’s your deal?” he said accusingly.

“Uhhhhh, what do you mean?” She was very confused.

“Why do you wanna spend so much time with Anne?”

Now Marcy was really confused. “I haven’t spent that much time with her?”

“Well, why are you spending more time with her?”

“I need her help with something.”

“Why’d you ask her? Why not someone else?”

“Uhhh because she’s the only person I know in this town?”

“Why are you in this town? Why don’t you go back to Newtopia? We can handle ourselves.”

Marcy was getting very nervous. What was his deal? She was here to help his town. And why did he care if she wanted Anne’s help?

“Sprig!”

Sprig jumped in his spot. He turned to see Anne glaring at him from the hatch. Sprig shrunk under her gaze.

“Knock it off!” Anne walked over and picked Sprig up from under his arms. He wiggled in her grasp, trying to free himself, but she didn’t budge. She took him into the kitchen, where they shared words Marcy couldn’t hear. They came back with Sprig walking up the stairs in a huff.

“I’m so sorry about him. He’s just weird about new people.”

“It’s fine, I get it.” Marcy sat up, ready to go. Marcy removed the ice bag from her head and Anne held out a hand to take it. Marcy smiled and handed her the bag. Marcy walked to the door, opening it only to narrowly avoid Polly flying through it. She was giggling and running in circles, the cape still attached to her. Anne caught her and threw her in the air.

“What do you think you’re doing,” Anne chuckled.

“The lady let me play with her cape! I look awesome!” Polly swung her legs happily in the air.

“That was very nice, but I think you should give it back since we’re leaving.”

“Awww do I have to?”

Anne just gave a nod. Polly sighed and Anne helped her remove the oversized cloth. She handed it back to Marcy who threw it back over her shoulders.

“Now take care of the house while I’m gone, k?”

“Ok!” Polly jumped down and ran upstairs. Anne sighed, rubbing her tired eyes.

“Ok, let’s get going!”

————

They made it to Loggles where Marcy was storing the cage. It was laying out back behind the shop. Loggle had told Marcy she could take it whenever she wanted. Marcy had managed to pay him a hefty sum thanks to her royal relations, and she felt he deserved it for his quick work. Anne and Marcy were standing in front of it, neither of them speaking.

Anne whistled. “That’s uh-that’s really big.”

Marcy nodded. “Yeah…I figured if the Beast was big enough to take down dozens of cows then it would need something big enough to trap it.”

Anne walked up to the cage and banged on the bars. “And you want me to move it where?”

“The forest. I can help…” She realized they may have needed more than two people.

“No, no I can do it.” Anne rolled up her sleeves and gripped the bars of the cage. She made a grunt of effort as she hoisted the cage from the ground. It lifted with relative ease.

“Oh, hey it’s not too bad! Can’t see much in front of me though.”

Marcy was stunned. She had tried early to see how much the cage weighed and couldn’t move it an inch. Maybe she had been slacking off too much in the exercise department. Anne was a farmer after all.

“I can guide you!” Marcy placed herself in front of Anne and the cage. Anne was using a lot of her chest to help her, so the cage was at an angle. Anne had to stay looking up.

“Ok! Try not to lead me into a ditch or something.”

They managed to make it about halfway to Anne’s house before they needed to take a break. Anne sat down in a sweat. Marcy was impressed she even made it this far without a break.

“Sorry, give me a sec,” Anne said breathlessly.

Marcy took out her journal. “Take your time.”

She had scouted out the forest earlier looking for a good spot. She was checking her map to make sure they were headed the right way. She chewed the eraser on her pencil in thought.

“What’s that journal for?” Anne was still catching her breath.

“It’s just a journal for anything really. I have quite a few. This one’s mostly for my time in Wartwood. Also notes on anything I find interesting.” Marcy absentmindedly flipped through the pages, most of them empty.

“That’s pretty cool! You must take lotta notes.” Anne slid her finger along the dirt.

“I do! I think there’s a lot worth studying. So much knowledge in the world, both known and unknown.”

Anne nodded. “You’re really ambitious. That sounds like a lot of work.” She blew a raspberry.

“I could see that, but it’s something I care about, you know? That’s why I’m here. To pursue more knowledge.”

Anne looked down vacantly at the line she drew in the ground. “I wonder if I could do something like that.”

“Like what?”

“I dunno. Pursue something? I guess I feel kinda stuck. Being a farmer doesn’t offer me a lot in terms of personal enjoyment. I like it, and I’m good at it, but maybe I wanna do something more. But I don’t exactly have many options.”

Marcy looked at her sympathetically. She sat down crisscross in front of her. “Well, if you wanted I could help you out. Get you started. Maybe you could even come back with me to Newtopia! They’ve got loads of opportunities there! I’m not leaving for a while though. And I suppose you have your family here. And you don’t have to! It was only a suggestion. Geez, I’m rambling aren’t I.”

“You’re ok! That’s really generous of you. Seriously! But I don’t know if I can…”

Marcy jumped in. “That’s ok! You don’t have to! You’ve just helped me out with this and I thought I’d return the favor.”

Anne waved her hand. “I don’t mind helping.”

“I know, but I feel bad. I’m so nervous about catching the Beast and stuff, and you’ve helped without any protest.”

Anne smiled. “You can make it up to me by catching the Beast then!”

Anne patted Marcy’s back and stood up. “Come on, let’s do this!”

————

Marcy and Anne managed to move the cage to Marcy’s designated spot. She even helped her tie it up, ready to fall when the rope was cut. Marcy had access to the rope via a little hiding spot where she would watch for the wolf. Anne and Marcy spent the rest of the day together at Anne’s house. She said she didn’t have any work left, so they could hang out. She got to see around the Plantar household which offered some very good notes on Wartwood architecture.

Marcy enjoyed Anne’s siblings. Polly was an energetic joy, always asking questions, and had a good sense of humor. Sprig still seemed to have some sort of grudge against her, but he let his sour mask slip in front of Anne. He wasn’t mean, he just seemed protective. Hop Pop was distant when Marcy was over. He remained in his study pretty much the whole time she was there. They eventually said their goodbyes, and Marcy made sure to get a good rest for the next night.

The morning of the full moon Marcy prepared a bag full of anything she may need. She had lots of stuff to cover up her scent, her crossbow in case she needed to defend herself, and plenty of water for hydration. She was walking around the village gathering things she may need when she came across Anne and her siblings. She waved, and when she got a wave back, she walked up to her. The first thing Marcy noticed was the terrible bags under Anne’s eyes.

“Whoa did you sleep ok?”

Sprig seemed to hold on tightly to Anne’s side. “Oh yeah! No, no I had a bad night.” Anne rubbed her head. Marcy noticed her skin was covered in sweat despite the cool weather. She looked like she was sick.

“Geez, I’m sorry. What’re you doing out?”

Anne shuffled in her spot. “Oh you know, just getting some last-minute things before tonight! Everyone’s up on the full moon so we need some extra food for staying up.”

Marcy nodded. “Ok, well, take care of yourself.”

Anne smiled. “Thanks. Good luck for tonight.”

They said goodbye, and as Marcy walked away she heard whispers shared between Anne and Sprig.

Marcy’s last stop was Mrs. Croakers for the cow. The old woman helped her handle it, and Marcy was on her way to the woods. It took a while, what with the cow and heavy luggage, but she got there eventually. She tied the cow to the tree, which stood underneath the cage hidden in the tree. Marcy got comfortable in her spot, readying herself. She would pass the time with her journal. As she wrote, the sun began to set over the horizon.

Chapter Text

It was getting late. No matter how much she didn’t like it, time was moving forward, closer and closer to something she dreads. She’s getting anxious and her family knows it. She feels sick. It doesn’t help that she’s terribly tired. She’s already snapped at Hop Pop a few times today, and boy does she feel bad about it.

Anne was biting at her long nails (claws?) when Hop Pop walked in. He was holding a bowl of beef stew he made for dinner. Anne slightly shrunk back at the sight. The thought of eating did not appeal to her right now. Hop Pop seemed to see her reaction and set it down on her dresser.

“You should eat, Anne.” He seemed to say it more as a suggestion rather than a demand. Anne shrugged uncomfortably. She could feel her skin crawling with each movement she took. Hop Pop not-so-subtlety checked the time, and then looked outside. Anne hated having to leave the house.

“You’d best get going. Don’t wanna wait too long.” Hop Pop guided her upstairs to the front door. Sprig and Polly were sitting in the living room silently waiting. They stood up when they saw Anne, anxiously fidgeting in their place. Anne gave them a weak smile of reassurance. No one liked it when Anne had to leave.

“Now you remember. We’ll be here for you in the morning. Always.” Hop Pop gave her a loving smile.

Anne’s lip shook. “I know.”

She avoided hugs, no matter how much she wanted to, due to her overly sensitive skin. It always gets bad on the day of the full moon. Anne took a heavy breath and headed out the door. The air was frigid. Anne’s breath clouded in front of her face instantly. She took a look back, her family giving her a thumbs up. She took that support and held it with her.

She made her trudge into the woods by her house. The darkness crept quickly with the branches of the trees blocking out all light. The swampy ground was muddy and cold. Despite it all, Anne was getting increasingly warmer. Her body temp was rising and rising as the sun showed its last light over the horizon. Anne had a designated spot that she liked to go to. It was a tree with an opening within its roots. The roots made a cave-like structure, a small space for her to lie in. She wasn’t sure why, but she preferred the small comfort it provided, compared to being out in the openness of the forest.

She took in the quiet before the storm. The orange light of the sun slowly faded. Anne’s heart rate was continuously rising with each passing second. She could feel her skin itch and sting, her body temp rising. She guessed it was time. She wanted to cry.

It started with her bones. Twisting and turning, cracking and crunching. The pain was hellish. She groaned in pain. Her muscles were next. Ripping themselves apart and mending themselves over and over. Her arms and legs stretched, her feet twisting and morphing. Her hands stretched, fingers adorned with long claws. The process is grueling and tormenting. Her skin was like fire, curly brown fur sprouting along it.

Her spine elongated, a fluffy brown tail forming at the end. Her ribs expanded, organs shifting uncomfortably. Her face cracked as a muzzle shot out from her skull. Her teeth sharpened and her jaw snapped as she clenched them, growls escaping her morphed throat. Her ears rose to the top of her head, flicking in irritation. Her mind was spinning, the pain too much for her to bear. She didn’t have to worry much longer as her consciousness was slipping further and further away. Her eyes changed from dark brown to a light, glowing blue. She was no longer in control of her body, as the wolf took hold.

———

Marcy had been waiting for hours. The full moonlight trickled through the cracks in the leaves above. She began to doodle in her journal while waiting, figuring she wouldn’t be able to miss the werewolf. The air was cold and humid, causing Marcy to shiver. The only sounds she could hear were the wind and the swaying of trees. Also the cow.

Marcy wasn’t exactly keen on watching a poor animal get mauled, but she didn’t have much of a choice. Luckily, Croaker gave her one that was already on death's door. It was a long time coming, but the cow had reached its peak long ago. Now, all Marcy could do was hope it would be over quickly.

Marcy was getting antsy. She guessed she didn’t expect it to take this long, but it was getting easily close to midnight. She downed an energy potion that she brewed earlier to help her stay vigilant. Her limbs were becoming sore, and her eyes were heavy. She glanced down at her journal, full of nothing but silly sketches and drawings. How much longer was she going to have to wait?

She seemed to get an answer when she heard the howl of a wolf from somewhere in the woods. It was spine-chilling. Marcy quickly got into position and watched more attentively. The forest got quiet and still, waiting for lightning to strike.

In a flash, the cow was tackled to the ground. Its screams were cut short as the wolf ripped into the cow's neck in an instant. Marcy was stunned in fear. The wolf’s mouth was covered in blood. It began to gorge on the cow. Marcy’s brain was trying to process the quickness of it all. Luckily, she snapped out of it in time to reach for the rope of the cage and begin cutting. The wolf made no notice of her yet.

With a snap, the cage fell. It slammed against the ground, the wolf jumping in surprise. Marcy waited for the ground around it to settle when Marcy saw it. The wolf stood on top of the dead cattle snarling at Marcy. It looked like a regular wolf…almost. It was very large. Taller than even her father, who stood at about 6,7. Its front feet were like human hands, splayed out to support its weight. They were adorned with sharp claws and had paw pads along the bottom. The rest of the wolf seemed all wolf. Its fur was curly brown, with dirt, leaves, and sticks scattered throughout. Its eyes were the most striking. Bright blue and glowing, its pupils were pinpricks staring angrily at Marcy.

Marcy was nervous to approach, the wolf’s eyes never leaving her. She had done it. She’d captured the Beast! Marcy laughed triumphantly. She raised her fists in the air.

“I, Marcy Leviathan, have done it! I have capt-“

Before she could finish her sentence, the wolf ripped through the bars of the cage and flung itself at Marcy. She could barely react as it bit into her arm. She hit the ground hard, pain flaring in her skull and arm. The wolf sliced her leg with one of its clawed hands, jaw never leaving her arm. She thought this was it. This thing was going to tear her apart. She was going to die.

———

Blood

She smelled blood. Blood meant meat. And meat meant food. She had to devour and eat or she would die. Right? She had to kill to live. Everything was against her. If she didn’t kill, she would be killed.

Tonight she killed again. Another cow, another life, another meal. Something nagged at her though. Something in the back of her mind told her something was different. The cage had caught her. It frightened her. It angered her. She saw a person. She knew this person. And now the person has caged her.

She attacked. Escaped from the cage. She bit into flesh and smelled blood. Meat. Food. She clawed at the person, ready to kill.

You’re not supposed to

Her mind had changed. She was doing something wrong. This was wrong. This meat was not food. She released it. It reached for something. It shot something at her. It hurt. An arrow pierced her skin. She roared in pain. Anger flooded her brain. She took the arrow out and snapped it in her jaw. This person was dangerous.

You can’t kill her

Her mind fought her. She was not supposed to kill this person. She ran. If she couldn’t kill, she needed to run. She would find food elsewhere. She would continue to kill.

———

Marcy was stunned. The wolf hadn’t killed her. It had fled. She had managed to shoot it with her crossbow, and it hit, but it did little damage. It took it out like it was a splinter, and the wound healed quickly after. She was lucky the wolf even got off her in the first place. She thought she was a goner when she provoked it, but it just left.

She lay on the ground, breathing quickly. She was having a panic attack. She hasn’t had one in years, but she supposed something this frightening is worthy of one. Her heart pounded in her chest, her blood pressure rose, and her blood loss increased. She was slowly losing consciousness.

Despite her situation, her body moved on autopilot. She reached for her bag and pulled out medical supplies. With shaky hands and a hazy mind, she cleaned up her wounds. They hurt like hell, but her mind was so detached from her body right now she didn’t care. She bandaged her leg first, then her arm. They bled through quickly, but they were bound tight enough to reduce the blood loss.

When she was done, Marcy laid back down, slightly calmer. She took in deep breaths, and let them out slowly. Over and over she did this until she felt her heart rate lower. She’d begun to cry at some point. She wasn’t sure when. She let sobs escape her chest. For a small while, she let herself cry. She felt small and stupid. She’d let herself get too confident. She hadn’t been careful enough. And she could have died.

She let that thought resonate with her for a bit. Maybe she needed to take a step back. She wasn’t going to give up on the mission, but she definitely needed to take a moment to examine the situation. Good thing she had a month to do so. She hoped she wasn’t going to see the wolf again tonight, so she would have to try again next full moon.

When she was sure she wasn’t going to pass out, she grabbed her journal from her bag. She began to write down everything she learned about the werewolf: Its size, speed, strength, and a sketch of its appearance. She couldn’t believe how powerful this thing was. It broke through solid steel, took an arrow point blank, and healed extremely quickly. It was fast too. A perfect killing machine.

Once she’d finished jotting down the essentials, she got her things and tried to figure out how she was going to get back to town. Her arm and leg were in terrible shape. She tried walking on her leg only to fall in pain. She looked around her surroundings for anything, and lo and behold there was a sturdy-looking stick long enough to support her. She scooched over to it and grabbed it, using it to lift herself. The strain on her arms hurt her bite wound, but she managed to make it up.

She walked a few steps to see if she could walk at all, and with the help of the stick, she was able to make it ok. To make it all the way to town though was another story. She realized her best bet was going to the Plantar’s house to rest. The sun began to rise over the trees, the moon fading away in the sky.

———

Anne woke up somewhere in the forest. She was covered in dirt and blood. An experience she’s come to know well. She sighed and stood up, her body aching like crazy. She looked around, trying to recognize where she was. She did know, thankfully. She walked in the direction of home. These moments were always a little relieving. Even though she had blood on her face and hands, she knew she was going to be able to go back home and see her family.

The autumn leaves crunched beneath her feet as she made her way to the edge of the forest. There she saw her house, a warm glow coming from the window. The door opened before she got to it, Hop Pop stood there with a blanket ready for her. He wrapped her up and guided her to the couch. The kids weren’t up yet, so the house was quiet. He sat her down and handed her a cup of water. She drank it quickly and curled up in a cocoon of her blanket.

Hop Pop went to the bathroom and started a warm bath. Anne was close to passing out. Her body was freezing, and everything hurt. Hop Pop helped her to the bath. The water was warm and soothing. He helped her clean off all of the blood and gunk, dunking her messy hair in the water. When she was done, Hop Pop got her a warm pair of pajamas. She wanted to thank him for everything but it came out in a mumble. He hushed her and brought her to bed.

He tucked her in, bringing out a heap of blankets to help warm her up. He kissed her on the forehead and said ‘I love you.’ Anne drifted off into a dreamless sleep, warm and cozy.

———
Anne’s wolf form!

Chapter Text

Marcy hobbled through the woods slowly. Her leg was throbbing in pain, her arm more so. She had to take breaks every now and then. When she finally made it to the edge of the forest, she was out of breath. It was late in the morning when she saw the Plantar farm. She knocked on the door, but a response didn’t seem to come. She didn’t have a choice, so she kept knocking.

“Hellooo?”

She heard footsteps running up to the door. It swung open and revealed Sprig. He looked at her accusingly. It seemed to fade quickly though when he noticed the state she was in.

“Oh geez, are you ok?” He asked.

“Not really…do you mind if I rest here?”

Marcy was beyond tired. She just hoped he could get past whatever grudge he had against her.

“Yeah, yeah of course. You can sit down. I’ll go get Hop Pop.”

Marcy walked into the house as Sprig ran into Hop Pop’s office. She slumped down onto the couch in pain, the stick clattering to the ground. Hop Pop and Sprig emerged into the living room. Hop Pop gasped in surprise.

“Good frog! What happened?!”

Marcy flinched in surprise. “I got attacked trying to catch the Beast.”

Hop Pop gave her a sad look. “Well, then it’s a good thing you survived. Here, let me help re-bandage those.”

Hop Pop got out a first aid kit he had in the kitchen. Sprig sat down next to her. He looked as though he had something to say, but he hesitated.

“Give me your arm.” Hop Pop held out his hand.

Marcy offered him her bandaged arm. He took it and unwrapped it. Getting a better look at the wound in the light, it was grizzly. It looked as if the wolf had bitten down to the bone. It had been very close to biting it clean off. Hop Pop examined it for a minute and sighed. He got disinfectant from the kit and applied it to the wound. It stung like crazy. Marcy let out a hiss.

“Sorry,” Hop Pop mumbled.

“It’s ok. Thank you for helping me.”

“Of course! I wouldn’t just let you bleed out. You’ve been real kind to Anne, and if she likes ya you’re ok in my book.”

Marcy smiled. She could tell he cares very much for his family. It was touching. Then a thought crossed her mind.

“Say, where is Anne?”

Hop Pop froze for a second. “Oh, she’s still sleeping. Rough night.”

“That sucks. Is she ok? It seems like she’s been having a lot of trouble with sleep.”

“It’s always been like this. Sometimes she just has some trouble sleeping.”

It wasn’t much of an explanation, but Marcy didn’t pry. He finished up her arm and gestured to her leg. She gave it to him, and he unwrapped it. It wasn’t as bad as the bite, but the slash across her leg was deep. It needed some hefty stitches, as did her arm.

“These are pretty nasty. You’re gonna need more than just my help. I can take you to the town doctor if you’d like.”

“That’d be wonderful. I’d really appreciate it,” Marcy sighed.

Hop Pop cleaned off her leg and wrapped both of the wounds back up in clean bandages.

“You rest now. I’ll make you some tea. We’ll go into town later.”

“Thank you, Mr. Plantar.”

“Please, just call me Hop Pop.”

He walked into the kitchen, the sound of water running signaling the start of the tea. Sprig had stayed with them through the whole process, not saying anything.

“Hey, Marcy?” He finally spoke up.

“What’s up?”

“I just wanted to say sorry. Sorry for acting the way I have been.”

“Don’t worry about it. Was there a reason you had?”

Sprig fiddled with his hands. “Not really, I guess.” He seemed to not be telling the whole truth, but Marcy was just glad he wasn’t suspicious anymore. She was too tired to worry much about it now.

Footsteps were heard coming from the basement hatch. It popped open revealing a very tired-looking Anne, and a sleeping Polly in her arms. When Anne noticed Marcy her eyes widened in shock.

“Hey, Anne!” Marcy waved.

“Uhh, hey Marcy. What are you doing here?” Anne walked over and sat next to Sprig, sleeping Polly in her lap. Sprig got up and walked to the kitchen, leaving the two alone (mostly).

“I got attacked last night. By the werewolf.”

Anne seemed to pale. She looked at the bandages on Marcy’s arm and leg.

“I-I’m sorry. That must’ve sucked,” she said quietly.

“It’s ok. It was really scary! You shoulda seen it! The wolf was huge! It managed to break out of the cage. Can you believe that? Solid steel! It was crazy fast too. I’m lucky I even escaped. Speaking of, I thought I was totally a goner but it just left! It was so strange but so interesting.”

Marcy continued to ramble about her experience. Anne’s face shifted to a mix of horror and relief.

“Thank frog it didn’t kill you,” she sighed.

“Yeah, yeah! I’m so curious as to why it didn’t.”

Marcy moved her hands when she spoke again, but as she did she winced. She squeezed her bitten arm. Anne reached out as if to say something but retracted. Anne instead looked down as Polly shifted awake. She yawned big, eyes blinking awake. She looked up at Anne and smiled tiredly. And when she saw Marcy she gave a little wave.

“Whoa, you got messed up,” she mumbled.

Marcy laughed at that. She supposed she did get ‘messed up.’ Polly wiggled off of Anne’s lap and walked to the kitchen. Hop Pop came out with the tea.

“Anne, what are you doing up?”

“Sorry HP. Couldn’t sleep.”

Hop Pop mumbled something. “I’ll get you some tea too, and I’ll make you girls some breakfast.”

“Aww thanks, Hop Pop,” Anne smiled.

With a wave of his hand, he went back into the kitchen. Marcy and Anne sat in silence for a bit, Anne curled up, knees to chest. Marcy thought she looked tired. She probably didn’t look much better. Marcy was never good at striking up a conversation. Not a small talker.

“Why do you guys say frog?” Marcy asked

“What?”

“I heard Hop Pop say it, and you said it. Why?”

“Oh, like ‘what the frog?’”

Marcy nodded. “It’s just something silly Hop Pop does, and I guess I picked it up somewhere along the line.”

“That’s cute.”

Anne nodded and smiled. They sat in silence again. Something about it didn’t feel awkward or strained. It was just silence.

“Hey, do you mind if I-,” Anne gestured to Marcy’s shoulder, signaling she wanted to rest her head.

“Oh, yeah sure,” Marcy said nervously.

Anne carefully slumped her head onto Marcy’s shoulder. It wasn’t her bitten arm so it didn’t hurt. Marcy couldn’t stop the weird feeling in her stomach as Anne’s eyes slowly closed. She could tell she wasn’t sleeping, just resting her eyes. Marcy thought she looked cute. She pushed that thought away quickly.

“I’m sorry,” Anne mumbled.

“About what?”

“That you got attacked.”

“It’s ok. I wasn’t careful enough. Besides, it’s not your fault.”

“Yes, it is.”

“Why?”

“I hurt you.

“What?”

“What?”

“You said you hurt me?”

Marcy was confused for about a split second until it clicked.

————

“What?” Anne shot up from Marcy’s shoulder. Her heart sank as she realized what she said.

“You said you hurt me?”

The look on Marcy’s face spoke volumes as it morphed into a look of realization.

“No, I didn’t!!!” Anne blurted out.

“You’re the-“

“NO, I’M NOT!” Anne freaked out. She hopped off the couch and looked around frantically.

“Wait, Anne!” Marcy tried to calm her, but she couldn’t follow her off the couch.

“Ahhhhh no no no no no! It’s not me!!!”

Anne swung open the front door and left. She didn’t make it far before she face-planted the ground. She decided this was it. She was going to die. Marcy was going to kill her. I mean what better opportunity? She was easy to kill like this. She started crying. Why did she say that? Why did she give it away? She’d been so good at hiding it, why did she slip up now? Was she just guilty enough that she wanted to apologize? Or did she trust Marcy enough…

Marcy was there to get rid of the Beast. What is wrong with her? She may have trusted her, but Marcy was here to do a job. She heard panting next to her. Marcy had gone after her using a walking stick to support her. Marcy sat down next to her.

“Don’t kill me,” Anne cried.

“What?!? Is that what you think I’m gonna do?” Anne nodded, tears falling down her face. Marcy looked at her with a face like she was crazy.

“I would never hurt you, silly.” Marcy patted her head. Anne sniffled.

“Really?” She asked pathetically.

“Of course not.” It sounded so genuine it made Anne want to cry harder. She sat up from the ground and sat next to Marcy.

“B-but I thought you were supposed to get rid of the Beast or whatever.”

“That was the job, but as I told you earlier, I wasn’t looking to kill it, I wanted to capture it. I want to learn more about it. And now that I know it’s you, that just makes it easier. I can help you, and you can help me.”

Anne nodded in understanding. She was so scared of letting anyone know, and even though she had her family, she was glad she had someone new she could trust. Anne hugged Marcy. She felt Marcy go stiff in her hold, but quickly loosened up and hugged her back.

“Thank you.” Anne felt Marcy hug just a little tighter.

Anne heard the door to the house swing open, and Hop Pop’s shrill voice. They released their hug in surprise.

“What are you two doing out here? Come back inside! I don’t want Marcy walking on that leg.”

Anne’s nerves rose again. What was Hop Pop going to think about her telling Marcy? She could hear his scolding now.

“Just a second!” Marcy called back.

Marcy looked at Anne and nodded. She didn’t know what they were nodding about but she nodded back. Marcy gestured for Anne to help her to the house and Anne obliged. Marcy put her arm over her shoulder and Anne hoisted her up. They walked back over to the house, and back inside. Anne put Marcy back down on the couch and sat next to her.

Hop Pop gave them weird looks. Anne shuffled nervously in her spot.

“I’ve got breakfast ready for you girls if you want it.”

Anne nodded furiously and got up to go to the kitchen.

Anne turned back to Marcy, “I’ll get you yours, Marce.”

“Thank you,” she said. As Anne walked into the kitchen, she heard Marcy say something to Hop Pop. She picked up her pace, not wanting to hear what was about to happen. She saw Sprig and Polly eating their breakfast at the table. Sprig waved excitedly, happy to see his older sister. Polly just gave her a thumbs up as she stuffed the food in front of her into her face. Anne gave them a wave back as she got her and Marcy’s food.

“SHE WHAT???”

I’m so dead.

Sprig and Polly shrunk down at the table, recognizing an angry Hop Pop. Anne stood stone still, and teeth clenched at the counter. She heard Hop Pop’s furious stomps to the kitchen.

“ANNE PLANTAR! What was the most important rule I have ever made!”

“Don’t tell people you’re a werewolf…”

“And what did you do?!?”

“Told someone I’m a werewolf…”

Anne never moved from her spot. She slowly turned to him, face lowered in shame. Sprig and Polly just sat in shock. Hop Pop walked up to her and sighed.

“You must trust Marcy a whole lot to tell her that.”

“It was an accident…” Anne shrugged.

“Anne, in all these years it’s been like this you’ve never let it slip once. And now you ‘accidentally’ tell someone you just met a week ago. I think you trust her more than you realize.”

Anne blushed at the comment.

“But you need to be careful with that trust. I’m fine with Marcy knowin’ so long as she doesn’t tell anyone else.”

Anne nodded. Hop Pop shocked her by bringing her into a hug. She returned it happily. After their embrace, Anne grabbed their food and returned to the couch. Marcy looked nervous and confused at the sudden outburst Hop Pop had, but she smiled and took the food.

Hop Pop turned to Marcy. “Marcy, if you’re gonna know about Anne, you absolutely cannot tell anyone else about it. Anyone. Understand?”

“Yes, sir!” Marcy gave a salute.

“Good, now you eat up. We’ll go get those wounds checked by a doctor.”

————

Marcy learned that Wartwood didn’t exactly have an official doctor. The best medical expert they had was a woman named Tuti. She was also apparently a part-time bounty hunter. And masseuse. She gave Marcy’s wounds more of a proper cleaning as well as stitching. That hurt like hell. Marcy had been hiding it, but she was extremely excited that Anne was the werewolf. It was prime for research. She couldn’t wait to find out all there is to know.

Tuti gave her a pair of crutches till she healed. To Marcy’s surprise, Hop Pop offered Marcy a place to stay at his house. He said she’d have to sleep in Anne’s room. Marcy was hesitant at first, but Anne said she’d be ok with it. She had to tell Felicia that she would no longer be using the room. On her way, she stopped at the mayor’s office to update him on her plan to stay another month. Toadstool had been shocked at her state and was even more grateful for her continuing the mission. He especially seemed grateful that he didn’t have to pay for her room anymore.

They got to Felicia’s shop, Hop Pop, Anne, and Sprig stayed in the cart while Marcy went and got her stuff. When she got inside, Felicia was surprised to see her.

“Oh my! What happened to you dear?”

“Eh, I got attacked by the Beast when trying to catch it. I promise I’m not giving up though.” Marcy tried to do a power pose but fumbled with her crutches.

“I wouldn’t blame you if you did, deary. That Beast is nasty.”

Marcy nodded in agreement. “Hey, Ms. Felicia? I wanted to let you know I’m moving out of the room. I’ve got somewhere else I’m staying.”

Felicia looked a bit shocked. “Well, that’s all well and good, but where are you staying?”

“With the Plantars.”

“The Plantars? A strange family they are. But well-meaning, and hard-working. If you’re moving you’ll need some help getting your stuff down. I’d be happy to get it all for you.”

“That would be great actually. Can’t really get upstairs.” Marcy gestured to her crutches.

“Very well. I’ll get that for you.”

Felicia had gotten her stuff all very neatly organized and brought it downstairs. Marcy gave her thanks and headed outside to the cart. When she went outside, she saw Sprig talking to Ivy, Felicia’s daughter. Marcy had met her while staying at the tea shop. Anne helped Marcy get her stuff lifted into the cart.

“What’s up with Sprig?” Marcy asked Anne.

Anne turned to look. She smiled mischievously. “Ivy is Sprig’s girlfriend.”

“Whaaat? No way!”

“Yeah, he acts embarrassed about the whole thing. It’s sweet though.” Anne let out a small laugh.

Marcy watched as the two kids shared a kiss on the cheek and wave goodbye. Sprig hopped up back on the cart with them, brushing the interaction off. As Hop Pop stirred Bessie to move, Marcy shared a silent thought with herself about love. Seeing Sprig and Ivy seemed to bring it up to the forefront of her mind. Something she never realized she ever put much thought into. Not much of a point she guessed. Maybe one day.

———

Marcy moved into the Plantar household with ease. They set up a roll-out mattress next to Anne’s bed, and Marcy would live out of her suitcase. Marcy had a plethora of questions to ask Anne, but Anne wanted to do it tomorrow rather than now. That night, as Anne went to bed, Macy decided to write a letter to her dad updating him on how things were going. She made sure to leave out certain details, but she did mention she had gotten hurt. She didn’t want to break his trust on that end. When she was done, she sealed the letter up in an envelope and would send it off tomorrow.

She stretched at Anne’s little desk (which Marcy thought was adorable) and got up to get ready for bed. Anne was already snoring away as she got comfortable in bed. She grabbed her journal to jot a few things down. She noticed something as she skimmed through her pages. Lots of things started to click as she looked at past entries: Sprig’s suspicious demeanor, Anne’s seemingly super strength (and super hearing), and Anne’s sickly look on the day of the full moon.

Marcy looked at Anne's sleeping form. It rose and fell with her breathing. She wondered what other secrets she may be hiding. Marcy had been slow to recognize the signs of Anne’s otherworldly traits, so maybe she was missing something else. Marcy had always prided herself on her smarts, but sometimes you can miss the answer when it’s right in front of you if you think too hard about it. She’s learned that a few times, but it never seems to stick. She let her eyelids slide shut as her mind continued to race, the moon outside beginning to wane.

Chapter Text

Anne was nervous. Marcy had set them up in chairs facing each other. Marcy had her journal in hand and a pencil at the ready. Anne bounced her leg anxiously.

“Alright, are you ready to answer some questions?”

“Uhhh, I guess?”

“Excellent! So, how did you become a werewolf?”

Anne scratched her head. “I’m not actually sure. I think maybe I was born one?”

Marcy scribbled something in her notes. “Interesting. Very interesting,” she mumbled.

“Next, how long have you been transforming? Has this just been something that’s always happened?”

“No. It didn’t start till I was about 13 I think? Polly had just been born. I don’t remember much about that night…” Anne didn’t like talking about that. Her memory of it was fuzzy, to say the least. She remembered her parents, or the Plantar parents, had gone on a trip the day before. They never returned after that. Hop Pop had said they got jumped by bandits. With that, and this new werewolf thing, she had been in such a bad mental state.

“…Anne? Anne?” Marcy had been calling her name.

“Huh? What?”

“You zoned out on me. We don’t have to talk about that if you don’t want to.”

“Yeah, best not to. Hit me with another one.”

Marcy nodded. “Ok, so you must need to transform into a wolf in some way. How does that work?”

Anne cringed. “Uhhh painfully. Next question.”

Marcy seemed to understand and wrote it down. “Right, so I’ve noticed you have some abilities that some would say are beyond human. Super strength, hearing, stuff like that. Any others?”

“Caught that huh? Umm, I also have a good nose.”

Marcy noted it. “What about physical traits while human? Any differences?”

Anne nodded. “My fingernails never stay short for long. They grow into claws. See?” Anne showed Marcy her hand. Marcy made an ‘ooo’ sound and wrote something down.

“Uh, I’ve got sharper fangs too. They like to stick out sometimes if I’m not careful.” Anne lifted her upper lip to show Marcy. She gave a ‘whoooa cool.’ Anne thought it was funny.

“The most obnoxious is the fur and ears. I’ve got patches of fur on my arms and legs that I like to hide. And I can’t exactly hide my ears. Even with my hair down.” She gestured to her noticeably pointy ears. She also rolled up her sleeve to reveal a patch of brown fur along her forearm.

“I just like to say the ear-thing is genetic. People around town don’t seem suspicious of anything, so I think it worked.” Anne shrugged. Marcy was writing like crazy.

“We can slow down if you want,” Anne offered.

Marcy hissed as she suddenly clutched her arm.

Anne’s stomach sank. “You ok?”

Marcy took a minute to respond. “Yeah, I’ll be fine. Hurts like crazy though.”

“Should you be writing?”

“Probably not.”

“We should take a break. I’ll make us some lunch or something.”

Marcy made a pouty face. “Fine. But after I wanna run some tests! Would we be able to go into the woods?”

Anne nodded. “Yeah, but why the woods?”

“I wanna see if we can test your limits.”

“My limits?” Anne was curious, if not a bit worried.

“Well, all this time you’ve had to hide the werewolf side of things. But now, I want to see it in action, no restraints.”

Anne laughed nervously. “Greeeeat.”

———

After their lunch, Anne brought Marcy into the woods as she wanted. Marcy had been struggling to walk. Maneuvering crutches with a hurt arm wasn’t easy. Anne came up with a solution: carry her everywhere. And so, through the woods they went, Anne carrying Marcy bridal style. Marcy didn’t seem to mind. She even looked relieved not to have to walk through the swampy landscape with a torn leg. To Anne, it was like carrying a small cat.

The forest was calm and cool. The late autumn air was still. They made it into a small clearing, where the trees surrounded a grassy patch of land. Anne liked to come here with Sprig occasionally. Anne set Marcy down on one of the large tree roots nearby and sat down next to her. Marcy pulled out a few things from her bag: her journal, a steel bar, two pans, and what looked like a flower. Anne was thoroughly confused but didn’t question it, but she did know that the flower smelled terrible, even at the short proximity.

“Ready to start testing?” Marcy asked.

“I guess?” Anne shrugged.

Marcy handed Anne the steel bar. “Try and bend that.”

Anne did as she was told and folded the pipe in half with mild effort. She presented it back to Marcy who took it and nodded. Anne tried to read her expression, but it remained neutral. Marcy then picked up the two pans. “Tell me how this sounds.”

Marcy banged the two of them together as hard as she could. They sounded like the world exploded. Anne covered her ears in pain. “It sounded loud?!?” Anne said as she hesitantly removed her hands from her ears, not sure if Marcy would do it again. Marcy wrote something down and then picked up the flower. Anne recoiled almost immediately as it moved closer.

“Too much?” Marcy asked.

Anne nodded. “What is that?! It smells revolting.”

Marcy smelled it herself with no reaction. “This is monkshood, otherwise known as wolfsbane. I’ve read it’s supposed to be a werewolf repellent. Guess they were right.”

“It’s making my nose burn! That’s stuff’s terrible,” Anne sneered.

“I hate to ask, but would it be possible for you to smell it? Like really take it in?” Marcy asked.

Anne really didn’t want to, but she supposed it was for research…or something. She nodded hesitantly and did as Marcy said and immediately gagged at the strong smell. It invaded her nose and made her eyes water like crazy. She moved away from Marcy in a coughing fit. Anne got up and away from the smell, trying to drown it out with the scent of the forest. She had gotten used to her overly strong sense over time, but overworking them like this was different.

“Sorry about that,” Marcy said apologetically. “I’ll keep that it mind. Thanks for doing it.”

Marcy seemed satisfied with the results as she stuffed her journal back into her bag, along with the other items.

“Are we done?” Anne asked.

“Kinda. I still want to try a few more things but we could take a break if you want.”

“Yes, please.” Anne wiped away the water from her now puffy red eyes. Anne perked up at the sudden sound of nearby croaking. Without telling Marcy, Anne walked into the forest to go to a nearby creek she knew of. It was small, but it was full of life. Anne listened closely as the croaking continued. When she spotted it, she quickly reacted, snatching up a tiny little frog. She brought it back to where she left Marcy. Walking up to her, Anne showed her what she caught.

Marcy’s eyes lit up. “Aww, little froggy.” Marcy tapped it on its head. It blinked its eyes awkwardly in reaction. Anne heard its heartbeat start to lower as it got calmer. Anne released it from her grasp and let it sit on her hand. The frog didn’t run but sat aimlessly in its strange predicament.

Anne stared at it fondly. “Sprig and I used to come out here all the time and catch frogs. We would always name them, then let them go. We don’t do it anymore. Things have gotten too busy I think. Or maybe he just doesn’t want to anymore.”

The frog hopped over onto Marcy’s lap. Marcy didn’t move for fear of startling it. “What should we name this one?” Marcy asked.

Anne thought for a moment. “What about Marcy?”

Marcy frowned. “That’s lame.”

Anne laughed, loud and hearty. Marcy started laughing too. It wasn’t even that funny. The frog had tried to hop away in the process. When she was done, Anne scooped the frog back up.

“Oh come on! Since you have to leave eventually, it’ll be like a little piece of you stayed behind.”

Marcy looked at her like she was crazy. “Fine whatever. Marcy it is.”

Anne smiled and looked at the little frog. She took it back to the creek where she found it and dropped it off. She watched as it took off into the water. Anne walked back to where Marcy was, now sitting on the grassy ground. She had brought out her journal again, vigorously writing.

“You never put that thing down do you?”

Marcy looked embarrassed. “I just wanted to write about the frog. That species is only native to the area, so I wanted to document it.” She held the journal close to her chest.

Anne rolled her eyes. “Your wrist is gonna fall off. And besides, you need a break, or that arm will never get better.” She poked at Marcy’s good shoulder.

Marcy huffed and put her journal down. She laid her head back against the grass, looking up towards the sky. Anne joined her. They lay in silence, watching the clouds as they slowly rolled along the sky. Anne’s mind wandered. It was strange. Something about Marcy caught her attention. For a big portion of her life, she had been so scared of opening up to people. This side of herself that she kept hidden in fear of being ostracized or worse. Even her family. Her family knew about her being a werewolf, obviously, but she never talked about it. Never did anything out of the ordinary around them. Why? Maybe she knew they were scared of her, in a sense. They just want to pretend it doesn’t exist. And who can blame them? She wants to pretend it doesn’t exist either.

But then in comes this strange person who is excited and ready to know all there is about it. She wants her to do everything she’s not supposed to do. Anne was afraid of it, but Marcy wasn’t. And it makes her comfortable. It makes her happy. She can tell this person anything without fear, and it’s strange.

“You wanna know something?” Anne breaks the silence. Marcy turned to look at her.

“I hate being a werewolf.” After saying it out loud, Anne realized she’s never actually said that before.

“It sucks,” she laughed. “A lot. And it’s not fair. Why’d I get stuck with this? I never did anything wrong…” she started tearing up. She wiped at her face, angry that she was getting so emotional.

“I just wish there was a way to stop it, y’know?” Marcy seemed to perk up at that.

“Maybe there is!” Marcy sat up excitedly.

“What? How?” Anne sat up with her, confused.

“I’ve been thinking, what if there was a way to control it?”

“Control what?” Anne was still lost.

“The wolf!”

“Huh? Whaaat do you mean?”

“Like, what if during the full moon, you still change into a wolf, but it’s still your mind in control.” Marcy pointed at her head for emphasis.

Anne put her hand on her chin. “That would certainly help…I think.”

“Ok, ok, ok, I need some more information. What’s it like when you’re a wolf? Like, what goes on in your mind?”

Anne shrugged. “I dunno. I pretty much lose consciousness through the whole thing.”

Marcy seemed even more intrigued. “So, if you’re losing consciousness, then who's in control?”

“Theeee wolf?” Anne answered, really not sure where this was going.

Marcy nodded. “Tell me one more thing. You said you suffer from nightmares? Tell me about those.”

Anne blew a raspberry. “It’s kinda hard to. I remember very little from them, but I thiiiink it always involves a wolf…killing me?” Anne shrugged again. “Seems to freak me out every time though.”

“I think I’ve figured it out!” Marcy raised her fist in the air, immediately retracting it in pain. She used the wrong arm.

“You need that thing tied up. We could put in a splint or something when we get back.” Anne put a hand on Marcy’s shoulder. Marcy seemed to tense up at the contact. Anne retracted quickly.

“Sorry,” Marcy mumbled. She shook her head. “Anyway! I think I’ve figured it out. Your mind is split!” Marcy said dramatically.

“Rude,” Anne scoffed sarcastically.

Marcy giggled, then continued. “There are two sides to your mind, it seems. You, and the wolf. Every full moon your consciousness is pushed into the backseat. And when it’s not, the wolf is in the backseat. Interestingly, the wolf still bleeds through in different ways, and I don’t mean physically. Your nightmares are the wolf’s way of interacting with you. It’s trying to take over, in a sense.”

“This all sounds very concerning,” Anne commented.

“What I find the most interesting is what happened to me the other night. The wolf had a complete opening to kill me. I provoked it, and it attacked me. It gave no signs that it was going to yield. And yet it ran away.”

Anne was catching on. “Oh…so like, I must’ve done something to stop it from attacking you. But I don’t remember anything.”

Marcy nodded. “And that’s what makes it difficult. We don’t know what would trigger it. I’m curious though. If you could control the wolf, would the wolf be able to control you?” Marcy seemed to ask the question more to herself.

“I sure hope not!” Anne shivered at the thought. Marcy definitely seemed to have the right idea. The thought seemed to send a signal somewhere at the back of Anne’s mind. Now that the idea of sharing a mind with this thing was implanted, a lot of questions were raised. She wondered if it could hear the conversation she was having right now. But maybe that was her being paranoid. After all, she lost consciousness when the wolf was in control, so why wouldn’t it?

A smile grew on Marcy’s face. “Say! If we figure out how to control it, theeeen there’s technically no more werewolf problem.”

“Hey! You’re right!” Anne was excited now. The thought of not having to worry about changing every month sounded like the best thing in the world.

“Could we take a break though? The thought of doing anything else today makes me tired,” Anne asked.

“Sure! Maybe one day we could try and access your wolf brain! I don’t know how, but I think it’s worth exploring. Ooooo this is all so exciting!”

Anne didn’t like the sound of that. She sighed and got up from her spot. She picked Marcy back up and headed for home.

———

Back in Newtopia, the king sat upon his coral throne. He had just finished a meeting with his royal court and was taking a moment to re-energize. It had been a long time since he heard from Marcy and he was beginning to worry. He knew it was a long trip, but not so much as a single note was unusual. He stroked his white beard in thought. Through the door, a messenger came through with a letter in hand. It seems someone read his mind.

“My lord, I have a message for you from Marcy Leviathan.” The messenger presented him with an envelope.

“Ah, wonderful! Thank you, I’ll read it myself.” He grabbed it from the messenger's hand. The messenger bowed and took his leave. Andrias opened the content and read the note.

Dear Father,

I’m sorry for not sending you a note earlier. I’ve been very busy settling into the town. Wartwood is a very interesting place! I think you’d like it. The people aren’t super welcoming, but that’s to be expected. I’ve met a few really nice people though. A wonderful family called the Plantars. I think you’d like them too. I figured out what creature The Beast is. It’s something known as a werewolf. A creature with very little recorded about it. I’m very excited to be the first to do extensive research on this creature. I should let you know that I have been injured while trying to capture it. I’ve been taken care of medically and will be fine after a few weeks. My arm and leg were what got hurt. I don’t want you to worry, and I promise you I’m ok. I hope you’re doing well, and I miss you.

Love, your daughter Marcy

Andrias was very happy to hear that Marcy was doing well, but he was concerned. To be injured badly enough that she has a recovery period bothered him. Marcy was never one for asking for help, so maybe he needed to take a step in. Andrias called for Lady Olivia.

“Yes, my lord?”

“Hello, Olivia. I need you to send a letter out to the southern Toad Tower. I’ve heard they’ve got quite the monster hunter in their midst, and I require their service.”

Chapter Text

It’s been about a week and a half since the last full moon and things have been going well. Marcy and Anne haven’t gotten any close to figuring out how to control Anne’s werewolf, but they’ve decided on a break. Marcy had been healing slowly but surely. She had been trying to walk on her own, without crutches, but it still proved difficult. Her arm was healing too, but it was sure taking its time. Things were moving slowly. Anne has been a really big help with things. She took over Marcy’s chores for Mrs. Croaker, as Marcy wasn’t capable of doing them.

The whole Plantar family has been taking good care of her. She felt bad just lazing around most of the time, but everyone insisted that she needed rest. She wasn’t one for rest, she realized. There was a reason she was always out on missions. She craved adventure and knowledge. It kept her mind busy. Now she was forced to stay put. She didn’t like it very much. Sprig and Polly often offered distractions. Sprig liked to play games, and so did Polly, although it always ended with the two siblings squabbling somehow.

While resting on the couch one morning, Marcy noticed Anne come in, looking like she was going somewhere.

“Where are you headed?” While Anne often left the house, Marcy was always curious about where she went. She seemed to be busy constantly, which is the life of a farmer she guessed.

“It’s market day in town, and Hop Pop asked me to run the stand,” Anne said as she put on her boots.

“Market day? I didn’t know you had a market day.”

“Yeah, it’s a thing we do every week. We set up stands in the square and sell stuff. We’re trying to sell out our stuff before winter fully hits.”

Anne was about to head out the door. “I’ll see you in a few hours.”

“Wait!” Anne stopped at Marcy’s request, confused.

“Could I come?” Marcy had barely been out of the house the past week. She only ever did it when she needed to exercise her leg.

Anne looked conflicted. “I dunno Marce. Do you think you’ll be ok? I know that arm is still pretty nasty.” Anne pointed to her arm which was now in a splint.

Marcy waved it off. “I’ll be fine! I don’t even really need my crutches anymore. And if I get tired standing, I’ll sit in the cart.”

Anne still seemed hesitant. “Yeah, ok. I’d enjoy the company. Sprig is too busy hanging out with Ivy today anyways.”

Marcy made a silent cheer. When Marcy got up, she felt a pain in her leg, but it’s become a lot more bearable. Anne smiled and held the door open for her.

“After you, m’lady.” Anne did a mock bow. Marcy chuckled at the gesture and bowed in return.

“Why thank you, kind lady.”

They giggled at their childish antics. As they walked towards Bessie’s stable, Anne gave her a funny look. “Did you ever have to do that kind of stuff back home?”

Marcy shrugged. “I used to. When I was younger. But ever since I became a ‘field worker,’ I haven’t had to worry as much about being proper.”

Anne nodded, happy with the answer.

————

The market was bustling. People left and right buying and selling. Everyone from town was there. Marcy wanted to explore every stand but Anne forbade it. She wanted Marcy to stay put and not overexert her injuries. Marcy figured she was right, so she sat in the cart right behind the stand. The stands were all rented out spaces already built. Everyone had a designated spot where they put up their stock. When they weren’t in use, most just covered them up with a tarp.

Anne was stocking up the baskets full of produce of many kinds. Marcy had asked Hop Pop what he farmed and he told her about how it always varied. It was an interesting choice, normally people would focus on one kind of product, but Hop Pop insisted he could grow everything and grow it better. He did stick to vegetables though.

The market officially opened at 8, but Anne and Marcy were a little late. Marcy had asked if she could help, but Anne wasn’t budging on anything. It was starting to get on her nerves. Once finished, Anne flipped the sign on the stand, signaling it was open. The first one to come up to the stand was none other than Mrs. Croaker.

“Hello, Anne dear,” she said in her old, gravelly voice.

“Good morning, Mrs. Croaker! How’s Brutus doing?”

Brutus was Croaker's bull. “Oh, he’s fine. Thank you for helping me out with him the other day.” Croaker took a look at the produce as she talked.

“And how’s that young girl doing? Marcy wasn’t it?” Croaker looked over to Marcy.

Marcy waved. “I’m fine. Thank you for asking. Sorry I couldn’t pay you back for the cow myself.”

“It’s no problem, dear. Anne has been taking care of things just fine. A very kind thing for her to do.”

Croaker picked up what looked like butternut squash. “I’ll take this gangly gourd.”

Gangly gourd? Marcy thought

“Making some Croaker’s stew, I take it?” Anne asked.

“You know it.” Croaker paid for the gourd and waved goodbye.

After Croaker, the day went by pretty slowly. People came and went without much interaction. The only other interesting thing that happened was an encounter with the town drunk, Wally. He put on a show with his accordion for Anne and Marcy. He even made a little song about Marcy. She thought that was pretty cool. Other than that, she was severely bored. There was only so much journaling she could do. She and Anne would make small talk, but that was about it.

Something very interesting happened near the end of the day, though. A notoriously rude customer came up to the stand. His name is Albus Duckweed. Anne said he was a food critic. Odd, considering Wartwood only had one restaurant. He resorted to judging the market stands now. Marcy could see Anne tense as he approached the stand. Not many people cared about what Duckweed said when it came to stands, but he was always just generally mean when it came to judging, and that wasn’t fun to deal with.

He grabbed some of the Plantar produce and hummed in thought. He turned it over once, then twice, and then scoffed.

“What kind of junk are you selling?” He said it more as an insult than an actual question.

“The good kind.” Anne held up a snarky attitude in defense, trying to keep her cool.

“Barely! You farmers are getting lazier and lazier these days, I tell you.” Albus threw the produce back in the basket.

That seemed to hit a nerve for Anne. “Are you gonna buy something or not?”

Marcy noticed the hair near Anne’s neck rise as if hackles raised. Marcy discreetly opened her notebook.

“I should have this place shut down with the kind of rubbish you’re selling! I will not be buying any of it.”

“Then leave! I’m not dealing with this!” Anne made a ‘shoo’ motion with her hand.

“Don’t speak to me like that, young lady!”

“Well then don’t sit there and insult me like you know jackshit about farming!”

Marcy noticed that during the interaction, small parts of Anne changed. Her posture and behaviors almost mimicked that of an angry dog. The “hackles” raised, and teeth bared were more clear signs. Her teeth seemed sharper too. Her hair seemed to crawl along her jaw, giving her what looked like sideburns. Her eyes seemed more reflective, showing a hint of blue. Duckweed was oblivious, thankfully, as he was more worried about what Anne had said.

“I should have you know I’m a master in all things food, and I can tell when produce isn’t fit for eating!”

“Then why don’t you go take your mastery of food and shove it up your ass! No one cares what you say about my stand, Duckweed!” She said his name with thick disdain. He gave a heavy harumph and angrily walked off. Anne sighed heavily and rubbed at her temples. As she did, all of the wolfish features receded in an instant.

“Sorry, you had to see that, Marcy. Not everyone around here is the nicest. Whaaaat are you doing?” Anne asked as she noticed Marcy feverishly writing in her journal.

“I think I’ve figured something out!”

————

Marcy decided to tell Anne later after they went back home. Marcy retold the events of what happened and her observations. Anne was unaware of any changes, just that she was angry.

“And I think that’s the key,” said Marcy.

“What is?”

“Anger!”

Anne still looked confused.

“We were trying to figure out if the wolf mind bled through at all while you’re human, and I think it does. Only when you’re angry. I think that’s its ticket to the forefront of your mind in a sense.”

Anne nodded slowly. “I think I get it. That’s bad then.”

Marcy shrugged. “Not necessarily. It seemed like you were still in control when you got angry, so it wasn’t a big deal. Although…”

Anne frowned.

“I wonder what would happen if-“

“Doooon’t finish that sentence,” Anne cut her off.

“But it’s for research!”

“Yeah, but that doesn’t sound like a good idea.”

“You didn’t even let me finish,” Marcy mumbled. “Plus, what if it’s the key to figuring it all out!”

“I’m glad we figured something else out, but that doesn’t sound right. Plus it could be dangerous.”

Marcy nodded. She then got an idea. She gave Anne a salty look. “I mean, you do kind of owe me for what you did.”

Anne’s eyes widened. “Excuse me?”

“It was technically your fault I’m hurt soooo…you could at least do this for me.”

Anne looked taken aback. “W-what? I thought…please don’t.”

Marcy shrugged. “I thought you wanted to find out how to control the werewolf thing, but I guess not. You just wanna go around killing cows all day and hurting innocent people.”

Anne didn’t say anything. She looked more baffled than anything. “Stop…” she eventually said.

Marcy needed to amp this up.

“And I’m sure your family wouldn’t be very happy if you couldn’t figure it out. I mean, there’s always a chance you could hurt one of them right?”

Now Anne’s face darkened. A look of sadness and rage, of helplessness. “Stop it,” her voice cracked.

“I mean what if you killed one of them!”

Anne started shaking, tears forming in her eyes. She put her hands over her ears, eyes closed tight. Fur started to grow along her jaw, like previously, as well as her neck. Her teeth grew sharper, and Marcy could swear she heard her jaw crack. Marcy knew she was getting somewhere but didn’t want to lose it. In a move of desperation, Marcy raised a fist and brought it down on Anne’s head. She immediately regretted it as soon as she did it. She heard a growl come from Anne.

“I didn’t mean it,” she tried to backtrack.

Anne lunged at her. Marcy shouted in surprise. Anne’s teeth gnashed as she tried to bite her, growling and snarling in a way no human could. Her eyes were bright blue, her pupils pinpricks. Marcy tried to defend herself, but Anne was too quick and strong. Marcy was quickly brought to the ground as Anne tried to bite. Marcy raised her arms to protect her neck, prepared for the searing pain. It never came, however, as she saw Sprig leap onto Anne’s back.

Anne released Marcy as she tried to grab at Sprig. Sprig held her tight as she tried to wriggle him free. Marcy tried getting up, but the shock had affected her functioning. She heard Hop Pop come in, yelling at Sprig to get away. Anne finally managed to grasp Sprig, flinging him across the room. Once he was off, she focused her attention back on Marcy. With her back arched, she raised a clawed hand. Hop Pop quickly enveloped her in a crushing hug.

It seemed to catch Anne off guard as her motions stopped completely. Hop Pop started whispering reassurances and muttering hushes. Sprig was to the side, recovered from his send-off, slingshot at the ready. Anne slowly lowered her hand, face untwisting from its snarl. Tears quickly started flowing as her eyes changed back to normal. She collapsed to her knees, Hop Pop still holding on tight. Marcy caught her breath as she managed to stand.

After a minute, Sprig lowered his slingshot. Hop Pop released his hug to look Anne in the eyes, but Anne never looked back. She rubbed her eyes, stood up, and immediately walked out the door. Sprig and Hop Pop were shocked, but they didn’t go after her. They instead turned to Marcy.

“What happened?” Hop Pop’s voice was low and threatening.

Guilt had settled deep in her chest. She messed up. Big time.

—————

Marcy explained what she did and what happened to Anne. Hop Pop kept silent and waited for her to finish. She had apologized profusely when explaining. Sprig had also stayed and listened, anger written clear on his face. Sprig was about to say something before Hop Pop cut her off.

“Sprig, go check on Polly please.”

“But-“

“Now, Sprig.”

Sprig grumbled and glared at Marcy. Sprig ran up the stairs to where Polly was. She probably heard all the commotion from up there and is confused. Hop Pop looked at Marcy with a serious expression.

“Marcy…you need to apologize.”

Marcy nodded. She was expecting him to say more but he seemed to be struggling with his words.

“I haven’t seen Anne like that in a very long time…I believe that you’re sorry, but you’ve broken my trust. Anne’s trust. You need to earn that back.”

Marcy nodded vigorously. Tears ran along her face. She rubbed them off quickly, not wanting pity. Marcy went out to go and look for her. She decided on the forest, where they had been about a week ago. When she got there, her leg ached in protest. She saw Anne on the top of a tree root. She can tell she’s been crying. Marcy said nothing as she took a seat next to her. The silence was tense, and Marcy wasn’t sure what to say.

“I’m…sorry,” she finally managed to croak out. Anne still said nothing. She didn’t turn to look at her.

“I made a mistake. I-I wasn’t…,” she kept fumbling.

She finally thought of the right word. “I was selfish. I didn’t take into consideration your feelings, and I didn’t listen to you when you said no. I was too caught up in getting information, that I hurt a person I care about. Whenever I do these missions, I never really work with people. It’s always some mindless animal or creature. I should’ve changed my approach. You’re a person first. I want to help, but I won’t ever do anything you don’t want to do again. But I understand if you don’t want my help anymore. I broke your trust, and I’m sorry.” Marcy finished with a shaky sigh.

Anne didn’t move or speak. She looked deep in thought. Marcy took that as a sign to leave. She started to get up when she felt a hand grasp her wrist. Marcy turned to see Anne holding on. Her face still hadn’t turned her head. She felt Anne pull her back down onto the root. She sat nervously, waiting for Anne to say anything.

“I just want someone to trust. And I thought…,” Anne sighed. “I like you, Marcy. And you’re right, you did break my trust. And that hurt. But I know why you did it, and I know you regret it, so…”

Anne had never let go of Marcy’s wrist. “I’m going to keep trusting you.” Marcy’s breath caught in her throat.

“You can’t play with my emotions like that again, ok? I know you didn’t mean it, but hearing someone say stuff like that hurts. We only do anything if I say it’s ok.”

Marcy nodded nervously. Anne took a deep breath. “Ok,” Anne sighed.

Marcy also let out a breath she didn’t realize she’d been holding. Anne turned to meet her face. Marcy tensed up all over again. Anne removed her hand from her wrist and brought it up to Marcy’s face. Marcy didn’t move a muscle. Anne hesitated before she brushed Marcy’s hair out of her face. Anne seemed to register what she did before she landed her hand on Marcy’s shoulder.

“Sorry…” Anne mumbled.

“What are you apologizing for?” Marcy was confused. Anne just gave a small laugh and shook her head.

“I have a question for you.” Anne removed her hand from Marcy completely.

“What?”

“Why did you hit me on the head?” She laughed.

Marcy blushed in embarrassment. “I’m sorry! I don’t know why I did that! It was mean and wrong and I’m sorry!” Marcy was quickly looking for a reason. Anne was just laughing.

“I think I was still trying to make you mad and the first thing I thought of was hitting you…,” Marcy rubbed her arm.

“Yeah, I guess that makes sense. It didn’t even hurt that bad so don’t worry about it. Are you ok?” Anne asked.

“Me? Why wouldn’t I be?”

“I attacked you. Did I hurt you?” Anne looked at her with concern.

“No, no I’m fine! Do you remember when you attacked me?”

Anne shrugged. “Kind of. It’s more of a haze than anything.” Anne brought her hands to her face and rubbed her eyes. “Man, I’m tired.”

Marcy nodded. “We should get home.”

Anne got up and scooped Marcy up. “Did you walk all the way out here by yourself?”

Marcy shrugged. “Maybe”

Anne rolled her eyes and smiled, carrying Marcy back home.

—————

When they made it home, the whole family was sitting at the dinner table, waiting for their return. When they saw Anne carrying Marcy, they assumed everything was ok. She placed Marcy down to walk on her own and wrapped Sprig up in a tight hug as he ran into her arms. She spun him around in a circle and laughed. Polly ran up to her next, demanding to be picked up too. Hop Pop walked up to Marcy.

“Everything ok?” He asked.

Anne picked up Polly. “Everything's ok, HP.” Anne tossed her into the air and she giggled.

Sprig looked at Marcy. “Are you sure? Cause I can beat Marcy up if you want.”

Anne scoffed. “Sprig! It’s fine, dude.” She put Polly down and ruffled Sprig’s hat. “Marcy is sorry, ok? So be nice.”

Sprig stuck his tongue out at her.

“Now, kids, it’s time for dinner so quit your dilly-dallying.” Hop Pop gestured to the kitchen where five plates were laid out for them.

“Ah sweet! Thanks, HP!” Anne said as she led the younger ones to the table. Hop Pop and Marcy stayed behind and looked at each other. He smiled at her and walked away to the kitchen. Marcy stood nervously, not wanting to intrude on the dinner. She still felt guilty, like she shouldn’t be in their home anymore. Like she was now taking advantage of their hospitality.

Sprig called over. “Are you coming, Marcy?” He looked at her confused. Marcy shuffled her feet over nervously and took a seat. She looked around the table, saw the smiling faces of the family, and realized something. She had been forgiven. And it made her want to cry.

After dinner, she talked to Sprig. She especially wanted to apologize to him.

Sprig just crossed his arms and gave her a smile. “If Anne says she forgives you, then I trust her.” His face went serious. “But don’t you ever hurt her like that again.” His face went back to cheery. “Plus, I like you! You’re fun to hang out with, so it’s ok.”

He walked off with a hum. Marcy was shocked he seemed to forgive her so quickly but didn’t want to push it. Polly seemed a little oblivious to the whole thing but says she was told what happened. Maybe she just didn’t care. The day finished quickly after dinner. Everyone headed to their rooms, ready for bed. Marcy felt restless, however.

She found herself sitting up on her little mattress in Anne’s room unable to lie down. Anne noticed her demeanor and sat up in her bed.

“You ok?” She asked.

Marcy just looked at her. “I’m sorry.” She couldn’t seem to say anything else.

Anne gave her a sad look. “I know you are. And I know you mean it, but it’s going to take more than words to make up for it. I don’t hold a grudge…I can’t hold a grudge.” Anne got up from her bed and sat down next to Marcy. Marcy leaned against Anne’s shoulder, fatigue starting to reach her.

“Hey, Anne?”

“Hmm?”

“I like you too…”

Marcy heard Anne mumble something in return, but she had closed her eyes and drifted off to sleep.

—————

Marcy awoke the next morning with a figure next to her. Anne hadn’t gone back to her bed during the night, it seemed. The mattress was only twin-sized, so Anne was sleeping on the floor. Marcy got out of her dazed, drowsy state before waking up Anne.

“Anne.” She shook her.

“Anne, wake up.”

Anne snorted awake. “Huh??” She looked around like she didn’t know where she was and then groaned.

“Did you sleep there all night?” Marcy asked.

“I think so,” Anne grumbled. She sat up with a loud crack as she clutched her back. “Holy shit my back.” Anne was frozen in pain as she waited for it to subside.

“Why didn’t you go back to bed?”

Anne rubbed the back of her neck, also in pain. “I think you fell asleep on me and I didn’t want to wake you.”

Marcy smiled. “You didn’t have to do that.”

Anne blew a raspberry. “I fell asleep by accident to be honest.”

They heard a knock at the hatch. “Who is it?” Anne called.

They heard it open to see Hop Pop peek inside. “You girls awake?”

“Yeeees,” Anne groaned.

“Good! Marcy had a letter delivered to her today, so come up here and get it.”

Marcy perked up at the news. It was probably a letter from her father. She sprung out of bed and went up the stairs, looking at the coffee table where the letter sat. She opened it with glee, happy to hear what her father had to say.

Dear, Marcy

It’s lovely to hear from you my dear! I’m glad you’ve accommodated well to the town. I shall have to thank these Plantar folk for letting you stay with them. I’m very glad to hear you’ve found out what the creature is. I bet you were excited. However, I am worried about you, Marcy. You’ve told me you’ve been hurt and that frightens me. I know you’re very good at handling situations yourself, but I know you tend to get carried away. These are words of care, not malice. I know you may not like it, but I have sent for a hunter to help you in your mission. She is renowned for her ability, and she is ordered to help in any way she can. I hope you understand why I am doing this. She should be there in a couple of weeks by the time you get this, so be on the lookout. I hope to hear from you again soon.

Love, King Andrias

Marcy’s stomach dropped.

A hunter? But why would he send a hunter? Does he think she’s going to kill the-?

“What does it say, Marce?” Anne had come up from the basement. She didn’t know how, but Marcy’s stomach sank even further. She turned towards Anne, and she must’ve seen the horror on her face, as her face dropped as well.

“What is it?”

Chapter Text

The waxing half-moon loomed over the marshlands. Its faint white glow is unable to pierce through the thick foliage of the forests. The valley was full of life in one form or another. Predators of all kinds were on the hunt as their presence was hidden in the darkness of the night. Winter was approaching, and hard times were ahead for the forest residents.

Along one of the man-made roads walked a figure through the woods. Two swords hung at her sides, a wolf head design at each of their hilts. The lightly armored figure walked briskly, her furry cape draped along her shoulders lightly grazing the forest floor. She paid no mind to the animal calls that cried out in the woods.

A snap, however, did catch her attention. She stopped and turned. Silence seemed to take hold of all that surrounded her. The forest was still. Once it seemed like nothing was going to happen, the figure began her trek once more. A humid fog overtook the land before her, as the swamp became denser and denser.

Nothing seemed to deter the woman from pushing forward as she showed no signs of hesitance. The swamp was uncharacteristically silent. No croaking of frogs, or chirping of crickets of any kind. That seemed to give the figure pause. She stopped and waited. She waited for a long while, her breathing was heavy through her wolf-shaped mask.

From the swamp, a large creature emerged. It roared and stomped out of the murky depths, water coating its slick fur. It was unnaturally large, its face resembling almost that of an otter or feline, but its body like a manatee. It had large feet, claws attached, and huge teeth. A long scaly tail waved back and forth behind it, not matching the rest of the furry beast.

The figure watched as the creature rushed towards her, intent on killing. In the blink of an eye, the beast descended upon her. She grabbed a sword and in one quick motion beheaded the monster. Its head and body fell lifeless to the ground with loud thuds.

A Bunyip, she thought.

The figure wiped off her bloodied sword and returned it to its sheath. She returned to her walk along the path, as if the interaction had never happened.

Haven’t seen one of those in a while. What a waste of time.

———

Sasha Waybright: finest monster hunter in all of Amphibia. Another name she goes by is The Wolfsbane Huntress. Known for her strength and efficiency, she’s killed all kinds of creatures. She comes from a long line of skilled fighters and killers. Her parents were killed when she was very young by the very monsters she hunts today. She was sent to the military base known as Toad Tower to live with her uncle, Captain Grime. There she rose the ranks quickly despite her young age. She stepped away from the tower and that life when she decided to travel the land and hunt the monsters that tormented parts of Amphibia. She was now on her way to a small town called Wartwood by direct order of the King himself.

Marcy had told Anne all she knew about Sasha. The more she learned, the further her stomach sank. This sounded bad all around. Looking at Hop Pop, he didn’t seem too confident either. Marcy finished her knowledge dump unceremoniously. Silence filled the living room.

“Sooo…” Polly began.

“We’re screwed,” Anne finished.

“Now, don’t talk like that,” Hop Pop scolded.

“This family's been through a lot and this is no different. And I’m sure with Marcy’s help, we can do this.”

Anne looked at Hop Pop doubtfully. “How? This ‘Sasha’ isn’t going to be like Marcy. Her whole deal is to kill monsters. How would we even reason with her?”

Hop Pop couldn’t seem to answer that one. They all looked solemn, minds racing to try to come up with a plan.

Marcy was the first to speak. “We have some time to come up with a solution. Let’s not get too worked up.”

Anne sighed, the idea of having time giving her comfort. A knock at the door alerted all of them. Anne felt her nerves spike. What if it was Sasha? She was done for. Hop Pop opened the door to reveal Maddie Flour, the baker's daughter, with bread in her hands.

“Delivery for Mr. Plantar?” She asked in a gravelly voice.

Anne internally breathed a sigh of relief.

Hop Pop took the bread and paid Maddie. “Thank you kindly, Maddie.” He closed the door as she left.

Hop Pop laughed nervously. “Almost thought that was Sasha come early heh.”

The family nervously chuckled. A loud knocking, almost banging, came from the door. Hop Pop nearly jumped out of his skin. He turned and shakily opened the door to reveal a bulky, masked figure.

“Is Marcy Leviathan here?” The figure said in a threatening voice.

Marcy walked to the door in feigned confidence. “Hi, yes that’s me. You must be Sasha.”

Marcy put out her hand to shake. What Anne didn’t expect was for Sasha to wrap Marcy in a crushing hug. It also seemed to catch Marcy off guard, her face scrunched in a manner that looked like she was losing breath. Sasha released the hug and took off her mask to reveal a young woman about Anne and Marcy’s age. She had long blonde hair tied back into a ponytail, and her pale face that held a wide smile had a single mole placed right below her eye.

“It’s so nice to meet you!” Sasha was grinning ear to ear, full of energy. Marcy was seemingly thrown off her groove as she stuttered for something to say.

“I couldn’t believe it when I got a direct message from the king! And that his daughter needed my help.” Sasha gave a small laugh. “Now, catch me up. I wanna know everything about this werewolf. What a find!”

Sasha put her arm around Marcy and started to drag her out, she seemed to block out everyone else in the room entirely. Marcy looked like a deflated balloon. She put up very little resistance to Sasha’s sudden kidnapping.

Anne finally decided to step in. “Uh, excuse me?”

Sasha turned and gave Anne a glare that could kill. Anne shrunk back. Sasha seemed to put her mask of friendliness back on. “Oh! You must be Marcy’s friend.” Sasha released Marcy and shook Anne’s hand. Anne wanted to get as far away as possible from her already, but she wasn’t about to leave Marcy alone with her.

“Haha yup, that’s me. Hope you don’t mind if Marcy stays here? She’s injured, so we need to keep an eye on her.” Anne knew Marcy would probably be fine walking around, but she wasn’t going to tell Sasha that.

Sasha frowned. “Huh. Well, that’s no good.” Sasha gave the living room a look over, face unreadable.

“Y-you can sit down too. We can talk over stuff together. My family and I have been helping Marcy out.” Anne was trying her best to get on Sasha’s good side.

That seemed to catch her attention and she gave a big smile. “Why didn’t you say so!”

Anne led Sasha, and Marcy, to the living room to sit down. They took the couch and the family took some chairs they brought in front of the coffee table.

Anne was panicking Sasha, but she thought she was hiding it pretty well. Sasha had raised some immediate red flags for her. The wolf mask had freaked her out. It looked like it was made out of leather, and mesh was used to hide the eyes. Anne was also very aware of the two swords Sasha had on her, their hilts decorated with wolf heads. Oh, the irony. It just made Anne all the more nervous.

Marcy fidgeted nervously next to Sasha, any confidence seemingly taking a backseat. Hop Pop was the first to speak up. “It’s nice of you to come help out like this, Sasha. We’ve heard you’re a great hunter!” He also sounded very nervous.

“Yeah, I’m pretty good at what I do,” she said confidently. “But enough chit-chat, I’m here to help Marcy out, and I need some extra info. I would get it myself, but you’ve already had some experience it seems.” Sasha gestured to Marcy’s bandaged leg and arm.

Marcy nervously laughed. “So come on, give me the details!” Sasha gave Marcy a nudge.

“O-ok. Um, so, what we’re after is a werewolf. It’s like a wolf, but bigger, and more deadly. Uh, it comes out every full moon at night. Um…” Marcy kept stumbling over her words. She looked to Anne, eyes pleading for some kind of reassurance. Anne smiled at her, trying her best to keep her going while also trying to keep herself calm. She knew Marcy wasn’t going to give away her secret, but that didn’t mean the situation was any better.

“It likes to kill the village's cows. It hasn’t killed anyone yet, luckily, but it does tend to attack anyone in its way.” Marcy finished her little info dump with little enthusiasm.

Sasha nodded thoughtfully. “Alrighty! Looks like we got a fun one. And the full moon is soon, so this should be a cinch. This town won’t have to worry for much longer,” Sasha smirked.

“Well, we need to be careful. It’s still very dangerous. We’re gonna need to set up another bait trap and-“

“Whoa, whoa, hold on,” Sasha cut Marcy off. “Bait trap? We shouldn’t need a bait trap.”

Marcy seemed very confused. “What? But we need a cow for bait…”

Sasha gave Marcy a pat on the shoulder. “We won’t need a cow, silly. We’re gonna use ourselves! It only makes sense if we wanna kill this thing, and by what you said, it’ll go after anything in its way.”

Marcy looked shocked. Anne and the family also had a look of horror. “Hang on!” Anne said. “That’s way too dangerous.”

Sasha glared at Anne. “Maybe for you, farm girl, but I can handle it fine.”

Anne wasn’t sure how to take the insult, but she kept her cool. “What about Marcy?”

“She doesn’t have to come,” Sasha refuted.

“I’ll come!” Marcy suddenly blurted. “We should do it together. It would be safer that way.” Marcy forced a smile.

Sasha gave her a funny look but shrugged. “Mmk, whatever. No skin off my back.”

Anne gave a funny look to Marcy, but Marcy just gave her an uncomfortable shrug. The Plantar kids had been sitting the whole time quietly, but Sprig finally decided to speak up.

“Can I see your swords?” He suddenly asked Sasha.

Sasha looked at him with an expressionless face. “No.”

Sprig deflated. Anne wanted to say something, but she didn’t exactly want Sprig looking at swords anyway, and Sasha was already getting up. “Great talk, but I think it’s best if I get going. Gonna scout around this crummy town,” she said, flipping her hair as she walked out the door.

The group was left in silence.

“What a jerk,” said Polly.

———

Anne and Marcy decided to go into town to see if Sasha had made her appearance. Hop Pop had discouraged it, but he let them go anyway. Once they got there, they could tell Sasha had stirred up interest. Sasha was at the center of town talking with the mayor. From the looks of things, she had made him nervous.

“-you’re lucky no one’s dead yet, this town barely has a chance against even the weakest of predators.” She seemed to be scolding the mayor.

“Hey, Sasha,” Marcy said while walking up to her.

Sasha turned, somewhat shocked to see her. The mayor took the opportunity to leave the conversation.

“Marcy! Glad you’re here. I need to talk with you.” Sasha wrapped her arm around Marcy’s shoulder and started to drag her away from Anne. Anne decided to listen from afar, silently thanking her super hearing.

“I’ve been assigned by the king to help you, ok? And I’m willing to do that, so long as you understand how this works,” Sasha said in a hushed voice.

“What do you mean?” Marcy asked.

“What I mean is that I mostly work alone. I’m my own boss, so don’t expect me to do everything you say. I have a certain way of doing things, and I don’t want it getting scuffed up because of you.” She said that last bit with a threatening tone.

Anne started to bristle. “Don’t worry, I’ll stay out of your way,” Marcy replied.

“Perfect! Then we shouldn’t have any problems. Now, how about you show me around this crummy town. Maybe even show me where this werewolf likes to hang out,” Sasha patted her shoulder and released her before walking ahead. Marcy scratched the back of her head and turned to Anne. Anne shrugged and walked over.

“She’s making me nervous,” said Marcy.

“Yeah, I don’t like her,” Anne agreed.

“I’m not sure what to do. I’m so worried.” Marcy put her head in her hands.

“Hey, don’t worry. We’ll figure it out. She’s just trying to intimidate you. Don’t let it get to you. I know that big brain of yours will come up with something.” Anne put an arm around her in a side hug.

Marcy leaned into it. “Thanks, Anne,” she smiled.

“Hey!” Sasha called and walked back over to them. “What’s farm girl doing here?”

“My name’s Anne,” Anne said, irritated.

“Ok, well, Anne, Marcy and I are gonna tour the town, so you can go home.” Sasha made a ‘shoo’ motion.

“It’s my town, so why don’t I give you the tour?” Anne said passive-aggressively.

“Yeah, Anne knows this place better than me. She can come with us,” Marcy backed Anne.

Sasha rolled her eyes. “Fine. Show me the way then, Anne.” Sasha motioned for her to lead. This was going to be a long day.

——

After spending the day with Sasha and touring both the town and the woods, Anne and Marcy went back home. Sasha was now the one staying at the tea shop, so she had her own place. Anne wasn’t about to invite Sasha into her home any time soon. Seeing as she looked tired and irritable, Hop Pop excused Anne from her chores, so Anne and Marcy spent time in the basement trying to come up with a plan for the full moon.

The best they had come up with was trying to keep Sasha away from the wolf. “But wouldn’t Sasha notice? I feel like she’d be able to tell if you were trying to distract her,” Anne pointed out.

“You’re probably right, but I can’t think of much else. If we keep her away then there’s no chance of anyone getting hurt.” Marcy put her arm over her eyes as she lay on her mattress. “That’s why I kept things vague when we were in the forest.”

It was true. Marcy had been very cautious in showing Sasha certain areas of the woods, never giving too much away about where the werewolf normally was, which was closer to the Plantar farm. “I just hope she doesn’t figure it out too quickly,” said Marcy.

“I definitely can’t think of any other plan, so I guess we’ll go with yours,” Anne smiled.

The days passed by much quicker than Anne would’ve liked, but it was to be expected. On the day of the full moon, Anne was beginning to feel its effects. She stayed home, hidden away in the basement while Sasha picked up Marcy for the hunt. The late autumn sun was setting quickly, and night would soon be upon them.

———

Designs of the girls :D! Art by my friend @TotallynotN00b2!

Chapter Text

Marcy anxiously walked behind Sasha. The full moon was covered by large puffy clouds, leaving the swamp in almost total darkness. The two of them carried flame-lit lanterns, quietly making their way through the treacherous terrain. Sasha had barely said a word to Marcy, and Marcy wasn’t one to strike up a conversation. The sounds of their footsteps through mud and the croaking of frogs filled the silence.

Marcy liked to believe she knew the woods well enough by this point to safely navigate them, but things were different at night. Familiar things cast in darkness take new forms. Marcy gasped as she managed to step into a deep puddle of mud. She silently cursed as she put her lantern down and tried to pry her foot out. It was stuck. Marcy groaned in frustration, about to take her boot off when Sasha walked up to her.

Without a word, Sasha put her lantern down, bent down and grabbed the top of her boot, and heaved, easily freeing Marcy. Marcy fell backward onto the ground. She scolded herself for looking like an incapable loser in front of Sasha. Speaking of, Sasha was above Marcy, looking down through her mask. That wolf mask made her expression unreadable, her eyes hidden through the mesh, but her mouth was exposed underneath.

“What’s with you?” Sasha asked, her hands on her hips.

“What?” Marcy asked as she sat up.

Sasha sighed. “How do I put this? You’re confusing. You’re, what, the princess, right? And here you are in the middle of a swampy, monster-ridden forest, getting stuck in the mud. You gotta admit, it doesn’t make a lot of sense.”

Marcy was taken aback. She felt the need to defend herself, but she was stun locked. Her mouth opened and closed repeatedly, but nothing came out.

Sasha huffed. “Y’know what? Nevermind. None of my business I suppose.”

Sasha promptly turned on her heel and continued walking. Marcy could feel her stomach hurt in anxiety. She decided to brush it off, not letting it affect her. They continued their walk in silence. The cold winds of fall gave Marcy a chill. The forest was almost bare.

“So what’s the deal with you and the farm girl?” Sasha asked.

Marcy nearly tripped. “W-what do you mean?”

Sasha kept walking. “You’re really bad at this.”

“Bad at what?” Marcy was really confused.

“Talking,” she said bluntly.

“I don’t know what you’re asking…” Marcy felt like this was going nowhere.

Sasha sighed, loud and annoyed. “What’s with you and the farm girl? Like are you dating or what? You seemed clingy to her.”

Marcy felt like her mind was being beat up and this was the finishing move. “No…we are not dating. She’s my friend,” Marcy said quietly as she looked to the ground. She could feel Sasha’s glare coming from over her shoulder.

Sasha shrugged. “Ok, whatever.”

At that moment, they both heard a howl off in the distance, in the opposite direction they were going.

Sasha pushed past her. “Looks like we’re going the wrong way.”

Marcy felt her stomach drop. “Wait, are you sure it’s that way?”

Sasha turned. “What makes you say that?”

“W-well, we are surrounded by mountains. That could’ve been an echo, meaning it came from the other direction,” Marcy said as she grabbed her arm in anxiety.

Sasha stood, lantern in hand flickering. The expressionless mask left Marcy handicapped, unable to guess what she was thinking. Sasha didn’t say anything, instead turning back and continuing moving.

“Uh, Sasha?” Marcy said as she followed her. She didn’t acknowledge Marcy as they sped through the forest.

“Did you hear me?” Called Marcy.

“Yeah, I heard you. I just know you’re wrong, which is strange considering you’re supposed to be smart,” Sasha said as she unsheathed one of her swords.

“I-I don’t think I’m wrong. I think that-“

“Why are you trying to lead me away from the wolf?” Sasha cut her off.

Marcy clamped her mouth shut, contemplating what to say next. “Uhhh, you ask a lot of questions, you know that?”

Sasha brought the tip of her sword up to Marcy’s neck in a flash. “I’m not stupid, princess. You’ve been acting weird all night, and I know a lie when I see one.”

Marcy held her hands up in surrender. She mentally scolded herself for being too obvious. Was she really this bad at this?

Sasha lowered the sword down to her side. “Now, you’re gonna shut up and follow me. I’ll stop asking questions, so long as you don’t put up a fuss. Got it?”

Marcy nodded. Now she felt out of options. Sasha continued moving forward, Marcy close behind. Marcy tried to think of a quick solution to keep Sasha from Anne, but the stress in her gut kept her brain from functioning. As she was walking, she ran into Sasha’s arm with an ‘oof’ which was out to signal Marcy to stop.

Sasha glared at her. Marcy backed up and silently apologized. Sasha ignored her, instead taking in her surroundings. Marcy fidgeted uncomfortably. After a moment of silence, Sasha moved again, and Marcy followed. This happened a couple of times, with Marcy being left in the dark about what Sasha was doing.

After about an hour or so, they seemed to have gotten nowhere. “I don’t think this is going well,” said Marcy.

Sasha turned. “What did I say?”

“Shut up and follow you?” Marcy stated.

Sasha nodded. “Mmk, so why are you talking?”

Marcy shook her head. “We’ve been at this for a while, and I’m not exactly getting the impression you’re any closer to the wolf.”

Sasha tapped her mask. “That’s why I’m the professional and you’re the princess. We’re getting close. If you’d noticed it’s quiet, you would’ve figured that out.”

Sasha was right. The forest was eerily quiet. “Oh..” Marcy panned.

Sasha took out her swords, planted them in the ground, and sat down. “What are you doing?” Marcy asked.

“Waiting,” she said bluntly.

Marcy hummed. Despite her nerves going haywire, she sat down as well. Sasha made no reaction. They sat in silence. Marcy’s heart was racing as she stared at Sasha. Marcy wasn’t one for eye contact, but the mask made it easier to look directly at Sasha.

A twig snapped. Marcy jumped. Sasha didn’t seem phased as she crossed her arms. Marcy could feel her breath quicken.

“We’ll be fine,” Sasha said.

Marcy glared at her. “Easy for you to say…” she said as she clutched her chest.

Sasha hummed. “Maybe. But if you’re gonna be doing this you need to pull it together.”

She wasn’t wrong. Marcy wasn’t usually this jumpy. Maybe she was affected by what happened last time. A near-death experience. She didn’t want to face the werewolf again, especially now that she knew it was Anne. And she was failing Anne now more than ever.

The wind whistled in Marcy’s ears, causing her to shiver. Sasha brought her hands to the hilts of her swords. Marcy immediately straightened up. It was nearly pitch black, their lanterns flickering in the wind. A rustle sent a jolt down Marcy’s chest and into her stomach.

Sasha made a grunt as Anne jumped out of the underbrush from behind. It happened in a flash. The sound of flesh and bone being sliced through with immense force, and then howling. Sasha cut Anne’s right leg clean off. The giant wolf fell to the ground in pain. It snarled as it tried to lift itself.

Sasha twirled her swords elegantly as she raised one to Anne’s head. “Wait!” Marcy yelled.

Sasha looked over at her in alarm. The opening was just enough for the wolf to stand and raise its claws. A quick, heavy slash to the side of Sasha’s face tore off her mask and bloodied her cheek. Sasha tumbled to the ground with a yell, knocking over the lanterns, extinguishing them, and raising a hand to quickly cover the wound.

The wolf growled in anger, ready to pounce on Sasha. Marcy had to think quickly. She readied her bow and shot. The arrow found its mark on the side of the wolf. It snarled in pain as it turned to face Marcy. Just like last time, she was cornered. The wolf lowered its head and growled, making its way over to Marcy.

She backed away as quickly as she could, fear gripping her muscles. The wolf held her gaze with bright blue eyes as Marcy slowly reached into her pocket. She was able to remember her backup plan. Marcy whipped out wolfsbane and held it in front of her.

In an instant, Anne recoiled. The wolf whined and backed away, the smell of the flower irritating its nose. With one last look, the wolf made a break for it. Marcy held on tight to the flower, her breath heavy. She could feel her eyes clouding with tears, but the sound of painful grunts snapped her out of it.

Sasha was curled on the ground in pain. Marcy rushed over to her, the wolfsbane still in her hand. Marcy crouched over her, seeing the blood seeping through Sasha’s hand.

“Shoot, shoot, shoot, hang on Sasha,” Marcy said in a panic.

She dropped the flower, reaching into the satchel she brought with her. She grabbed the bandages.

“Ok, ok, Sasha move your hand,” She said.

Sasha, despite the groans of pain, complied. Seeing the wound made Marcy almost gag. Three, deep gashes diagonally made their way along the right side of Sasha’s face, from her forehead down to her chin. Her eye was closed, luckily not taken out, but it was damaged.

Marcy carefully wrapped the bandages around her face. She had to lift Sasha’s head to make it all the way around. Sasha didn’t protest, only grunting in pain on occasion. Marcy’s heart felt heavy, realizing quickly that this was her fault, and Sasha knew it.

After the bandages, Sasha started to get up. “Whoa, hang on-“ Marcy started.

“WHERE’S THAT STUPID DOG!” Sasha yelled. She continued to clutch her face in pain.

“It’s gone, but we need to go. You’re seriously hurt.” Marcy tried to get Sasha to lie back down, but she was on the move.

“I’m gonna kill it,” she growled as she picked up her swords.

“Please don’t strain yourself. You’ll make it worse,” Marcy pleaded.

Sasha whirled around in a rage and pointed her sword at Marcy. “You! Why did you stop me?!”

Marcy raised her hands in alarm. “I-I didn’t mean to! I panicked a-and…”

“Panicked? Panicked! I had it! You…you…” Sasha began to stumble. Raising a hand to her face, she held it to her head. The blood was already seeping through the bandages.

She lowered onto one knee. “Dammit,” she mumbled.

“We should get back. You’re seriously hurt,” Marcy said as she moved to help Sasha.

“Don’t touch me!” She smacked Marcy’s hand away.

“I’m fine…this isn’t…even…” She didn’t get the next word out before she collapsed. Whether it was due to pain or blood loss, Marcy didn’t know.

“Oh shoot!” Marcy quickly checked Sasha’s vitals. She seemed to have just passed out, but she needed medical attention. Marcy rubbed her hands together and lifted Sasha by the shoulders. The best she could do was drag Sasha by her upper half. This wasn’t ideal, but she had no other choice.

She pulled and heaved Sasha’s limp body through the forest. Marcy was getting worried over the length of time Sasha was out. As she was catching her breath, Marcy heard a snap in the woods. A quick turn of her head revealed nothing. Marcy wiped the sweat from her forehead and continued pulling Sasha, two blue eyes staring at her in the darkness, silently watching.

———

When Anne woke up, the first thing she noticed was the searing pain in her shoulder. She shot up and went to apply pressure but something was immediately off. She looked and felt her stomach turn inside out. Her arm was missing.

She choked a scream. She tried pulling herself up from the ground, but any movement caused pain to shoot through her entire body. She couldn’t hold back tears as she helplessly whimpered on the cold forest floor. Another sharp pain was coming from Anne’s side. She noticed an almost healed hole on the side of her chest. It was a lot similar to last month. It must’ve been Marcy’s arrows.

Despite her quick healing, it still hurt. The healing itself caused pain. She shifted her attention back to her now stump. A closer look revealed it had stopped bleeding. It looked odd. It looked cut clean through. It was scabbing at this point. Anne wondered if she was stuck without an arm. She’d grieve for it later.

Anne heard footsteps in the woods. Human footsteps, from the sound of it.

“Hello?” She called. Her voice was dry and hoarse.

“Anne?!” It was Marcy.

“Marcy!” Anne called again. She was relieved, to say the least.

Marcy came stumbling through the trees with a blanket in tow. When Marcy reached her she wrapped Anne up in the blanket with a big hug. It hurt, but Anne let it happen without resistance. They stayed that way for a good while before Marcy released. Anne held onto the blanket, the cold still badly affecting her.

“Are you ok? I’ve been looking for you all morning.”

Marcy looked exhausted. She had bags under her eyes, her hair was a mess, and she was covered in dirt. Anne supposed she didn’t look much better.

“I’m fine…” Anne said, her voice hurt.

Anne remembered that she actually wasn’t fine. “Wait, actually I’m pretty hurt,” Anne revealed her stump to Marcy.

“Oh my gods I forgot,” she gasped. “I’m so sorry.”

“It’s ok. I’m guessing this is from Sasha. Where’s she?” Anne wondered if the two parted ways when daybreak hit.

Marcy scrunched her face. “She got hurt. She’s passed out at Tuti’s place.”

Anne nodded. Marcy put her hand on her shoulder. “Are you ok? Are you in pain? Because arm amputation is a very serious wound.”

Anne nodded again. “Yes, and yes.”

Marcy had a look on her face like she was scanning her. “Alright. Let’s get you home.”

Marcy helped Anne up, and Anne used Marcy as leverage to help her walk. They were a decent way away from the house. Marcy rambled to help Anne keep focus, per Anne’s request. Once they got to the house, Hop Pop was there like he always was, a look of worry in his eyes.

“Hey Hop Pop,” Anne croaked.

Hop Pop noticed the arm and looked like he had a heartattack. “Oh dear frog! Are you alright?”

Anne shrugged. “It hurts, but I think it’s healing pretty quickly.” She felt out of it, the pain barley registering as much as it should have.

Hop Pop still seemed concerned, but he stopped fussing. “I have a hot bath ready for you. I’ll be there in a minute. Could you help her, Marcy?”

Marcy nodded. They hobbled into the wooden house and the tub room. Anne practically crawled in, soaking up the heat from the water. Anne’s body was always cold after being a wolf. The fluctuation of body temperature was at fault for that.

Hop Pop came in soon after with some medical supplies. “Wanna help me out, Marcy?”

“Sure thing,” she said. Together they cleaned Anne up and got her bandaged. Anne felt pretty useless during the whole thing, but she didn’t feel guilty.

After it was all finished, Anne was helped into her bed. After Hop Pop left, Marcy was about to go to sleep herself.

“Wait…” Anne mumbled, sleep about to knock her out.

“What’s wrong?” Marcy asked.

“Come here,” she mumbled, patting the space in her bed with her left hand.

Anne missed the blush that appeared on Marcy’s face. Marcy compiled after getting into her pajamas. She awkwardly got under the covers next to Anne. Anne unconsciously wrapped her arm around her before she finally fell asleep.

———

The next morning was strange. Anne woke up feeling almost more drained than when she went to sleep. She looked over and saw that Marcy was gone, only slightly remembering that she was even there. She sat up and pain immediately jolted down her shoulder. She looked over to the bandages covering her arm and nearly screamed.

Her arm was slowly growing back. There was definitely more arm now than there was this morning. She waved it around experimentally. It hurt but was healing. The arm was growing back from shoulder to hand, but the hand wasn’t there yet. It was almost to her elbow, but when it had been cut off directly below the shoulder.

She scrambled out of bed in a hurry. Walking upstairs and into the kitchen revealed Marcy and Hop Pop talking. Anne heard her siblings playing outside.

The two in the kitchen turned to her in surprise. “Anne, what are you doing up this early? You usually sleep in longer than this,” said Hop Pop.

Anne raised her arm and pointed, her expression one of distress. Marcy immediately jumped up in surprise. “No way!” She yelled as she got closer to inspect it. “This is incredible!”

Hop Pop looked nervous. “Is that…is your arm uhh,” he trailed off. Anne nodded.

“This is some of the most intense healing I’ve ever seen in any creature. I’ve never heard of any mammal that can regrow limbs. It should be impossible,” Marcy cheered.

“Ok, so it’s not bad?” Anne asked.

Marcy shook her head. “I don’t think so. Your body's healing abilities must be so high that it can even regrow missing limbs. It’s unusual for sure, but it must just be another ability of werewolves.”

Anne sighed in relief. “Thank frog. I thought I was going crazy.”

Marcy smiled. “How are you feeling?”

Anne shrugged. “Still really tired now that I think about it.”

Marcy hummed. “I can imagine healing like this takes lots of energy. You should sleep as much as you can. It could speed up the process.”

“Yeah, ok,” Anne yawned.

Hop Pop got up from his seat. “You keep me updated on this. Get some rest kiddo.”

“Of course, HP. Say hi to Sprig and Polly for me.” Anne made her way back to the basement, the initial adrenaline of seeing her arm fading completely. Once she hit her bed, her eyes quickly fell shut.

———

Marcy returned to the table with Hop Pop after Anne went back downstairs. She had been talking to him about the Sasha situation.

“Do you think she found out?” He asked.

“No, I don’t think so. I think she’s just suspicious of me.” Marcy deflated on the table. “I feel so bad about what happened. I could’ve gotten her killed.”

“You were just protectin’ Anne, which in my eyes was the right choice. You best talk to Sasha when she wakes up. I don’t want her stomping back here,” Hop Pop sighed.

Marcy rubbed her forehead. “You’re right. I need to keep her away from Anne. What if she finds out?”

Hop Pop hummed. “Nothing good would come of that.”

The two of them jumped as the Plantar children ran into the house causing a commotion. They were yelling and bickering about something. “Keep it down you two! Anne’s sleepin’” yelled Hop Pop.

They clamped their mouths shut and quietly walked into the kitchen. Polly poked Marcy. “Can you play tag with us?” She whispered.

“Right now?” Marcy whispered back.

Polly nodded. Marcy rolled her eyes and looked back to Hop Pop who gave her a thumbs up. She nodded to Polly, took her hand, and tip-toed over to the door. Sprig followed just as quietly as if making any noise would be the end of the world. The second they got outside the two kids made a break for it, claiming Marcy was it. She laughed and chased after them through the front yard.

———

(All art by @spix_rave on Twitter! Please, please, please go check them out)

(The front leg was the one cut off, but don't worry about it :3)

Chapter Text

Anne woke up disoriented. All around her were tall pine trees that shot up into an inky blue night sky. A familiar feeling of dread washed over her. She scrambled to her feet, looking around frantically. The place was eerily quiet. No wind, no animals, just quiet nothing. That feeling of dread never left though. She jumped when she finally heard the sound of footsteps behind her.

There between the trees was a large brown wolf. Anne felt the urge to run, but she didn’t. She felt it would be futile. Something was different. The wolf didn’t look menacing or threatening. It looked…sad. It was missing its front foot. What was left was a leg leading up to a stump, with the beginnings of a paw coming through.

Anne scrunched her forehead in confusion. In a moment of realization, she looked at her own arm. It was in a similar situation. Looking back, the wolf had begun to hobble away, seeming dejected. Something inside Anne swelled with sadness. Not pity, but self-loathing. A heaviness settled in her chest.

Anne woke up with a splitting headache. Her eyes felt heavy with crust. She groaned in pain. She sat up slowly, her bleary eyes barely able to make out her surroundings. She unconsciously raised a hand to rub her eyes, but she jumped when she bumped her eye with her wrist instead of a palm. Taking a look at it, she could see the hand beginning to form. She mentally shoved it aside and brought up her other hand to rub her eyes.

The sounds of footsteps could be heard above her room, signaling to her that people were up. She lazily grabbed a hair tie and put her messy hair up in its usual ponytail, and practically fell out of bed. She gave up on her appearance, heading up in her nightwear and a blanket. Hop Pop usually gave her a day to recover anyways.

Opening the hatch revealed Hop Pop in the kitchen and Marcy reading in the living room, eyes anxiously trained on the words. Even after Anne was fully in the living room, Marcy made no move to look at her. So, Anne casually took a seat beside her. That seemed to get her attention because she jumped at Anne’s sudden appearance.

“Geez, you scared me!” Marcy sighed.

Anne gave a breathy laugh. “How? I didn’t even try.”

Marcy frowned. “I guess I wasn’t paying attention,” she mumbled.

Marcy brought her hands up and rubbed her eyes. “Did you sleep?” Anne asked.

Marcy nodded. “Only a little. I’m just worried about everything.”

Anne furrowed her brows. “Why’s that?”

“Sasha’s still unconscious…I think, you’re hurt, and-“

Anne cut her off, “No, I mean why do you care so much?”

It came off meaner than she intended, but it had been nagging at her. Marcy looked at her with confusion.

Anne sighed. “I guess I’m just trying to understand. If you’re this worried, why don’t you just…” She trailed off, failing to find the right words.

“You think I would up and leave you right now?” Marcy asked.

Anne shrunk into the cocoon of her blanket. Marcy smiled. “Anne, I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but I would consider you my friend. And it would be pretty crummy for me to abandon a friend.”

Anne felt heat rise to her face, and a smile reached her lips. “Yeah, I guess so.”

Marcy closed her book and set it on the table. Hop Pop walked in with a plate of food and set it down in front of Anne.

“Eat up missy, or you’re not gonna be fit enough to heal that arm,” he scolded.

“Oh, how is that by the way?” Marcy asked.

Anne picked up the food plate and set it in her lap and moved the blanket off of her shoulder to reveal the arm. Hop Pop and Marcy stared at it. Hop Pop looked more horrified, while Marcy was in awe. The hand was nearly done as the fingers were beginning to sprout. It was…disturbing. Anne experimentally wiggled the nubs and they moved at her will. She was shocked it didn’t hurt.

“It took less than twenty-four hours for your hand to almost completely regrow…” Marcy said.

“Yuh huh…” Anne said as she put the hand back down.

Marcy had already pulled out her journal, while Hop Pop just gave Anne a funny look.

“You sure you’re ok, Anne?” He asked.

She nodded. “I’m fine, HP. Just a bit weirded out I guess.”

“You and me both. You rest up today, and let me know if anything’s wrong. Sprig and Polly headed into town,” he said.

“By themselves?” Anne asked with a mouth full of food.

“I asked them to keep an eye on things,” Marcy said as she tucked her journal away.

Anne was slightly confused. “Eye on things?”

Marcy shrugged. “Mostly on whether or not Sasha is up and walking. They’ll be able to get back and warn us.”

Anne had almost forgotten about Sasha. “What happened?”

Marcy and Hop Pop cringed. “She got pretty badly injured. But she’s just passed out! It’s not fatal or anything,” Marcy reassured. “Only thing is that she’s not gonna be happy when she wakes up. I got in her way when she was trying to kill you, and now I think she knows something’s up.”

Anne’s heart sank. While Anne was grateful for being protected, Sasha was suspicious now, and that will be hard to combat. Sasha had already rubbed Anne the wrong way when passive, but if they were an active target, she didn’t seem like the person to let it go.

“What…what do we do?” Anne asked.

Marcy rubbed the back of her head. “I…,” she sighed, “I honestly don’t know. I can take the blame. If Sasha hurts me, my dad wouldn’t stand for it. But I just hope it doesn’t come to that.”

Something in Anne stirred—something like guilt.

Marcy laughed. “We could fake our deaths and run.”

Anne laughed along with her. “Haha, yeah we could.” They wouldn’t, but it was a good joke.

Before Anne could say anything else, Hop Pop interjected. “I’m not letting that bully lay a finger on either of ya. This is my house, and if she thinks she can waltz in here and harm my family, then she’ll face the consequences.”

He huffed angrily as he finished. Anne tried to hold back a snicker, but she wasn’t doing a very good job.

“Thanks, Hop Pop,” she giggled.

The sentiment was sweet, but seeing her 68-year-old grandpa try and fend off a trained and experienced hunter was an outlandish thought.

———

Sasha woke up feeling disoriented. Her vision was fuzzy, and the right side of her face was numb. She brought a hand up to it, feeling the bandages that covered it. She sat up slowly, taking in her surroundings. She was in a care unit of some kind, surrounded by herbs and other medical gear. She didn’t remember how she got there, and that put her on edge.

The last thing she could remember was being out in the woods with…Marcy. Sasha was suddenly filled with rage. Marcy had stopped her. Why had she stopped her? And now she was injured. She looked around the room for her gear. All that was on her was her leather armor. Her cape and weapons were gone. She let her temper cool before leaving, but she was going to get to the bottom of this.

Stepping out of the room, she spotted a short woman manning the counter of the building. She had a stern look on her face. Sasha walked up and put a hand on the counter.

“Where’s my stuff?” She asked.

“You are still too injured to be moving. Go back,” said the woman in a heavy Slavic accent.

“I’m leaving, but I need my stuff,” was all Sasha responded with.

The woman sighed. “Fine, but you will heal slower. Not my problem I suppose.”

She went into a back room behind the counter and came back with her cape and swords, as well as something else.

“Use this to numb your wound. Otherwise, it will be too painful,” she said bluntly.

After Sasha returned her cape and swords to their proper place, she picked up the medicine. It was some sort of ointment that she guessed she applied directly to the wound.

“Huh. Thanks, I guess,” was all Sasha said before she went out the door. There was a part of her that wanted to head straight to that farmhouse, but she had something else in mind. As she began her walk out of town, she ignored the strange looks that the townspeople gave her. Some were of concern, some of confusion, and some of fear.

Sasha made it back to the swamp forest. She retraced her steps, looking for the spot where she was attacked by the werewolf. Sure enough, she found blood scattered across the ground, no doubt where it took place. She spotted one of Marcy’s broken arrows, its tip covered in blood. Further away is what Sasha was looking for.

An arm laid among the brush. It was sliced clean off from just below the elbow. Sasha picked it up and examined it. This wasn’t from a wolf, but rather a human. And Sasha didn’t have a doubt in her mind who it belonged to.

———

Anne stepped outside the house after getting dressed and ready for the day. Her hand had fully healed after a couple of hours of waking up, a truly impressive feat in Marcy’s eyes. Anne was just glad she had her arm back. Anne shivered at how frigid it was outside. She looked up at the dark clouds in the sky and wondered if it would snow soon. The mountains would be closed by now, and the valley’s ‘hibernation’ period would begin.

“Damn, it’s freezing,” she whispered as puffs of breath flew in front of her face.

She was never the biggest fan of the cold, but it brought about a time of fun for her family. They had a holiday period, Swamp Hallows Eve, that was a Plantar favorite. It was a time of relaxation for them, despite the difficult weather. Werewolf time was more difficult for the town during these months. They barely had livestock to spare, but they always managed.

Maybe this year it will be different. Maybe they could enjoy themselves without having to worry about the full moon if Marcy and Anne could figure it out that is.

Anne was jolted out of her thoughts when she heard the familiar sound of Sprig calling her name. Turning towards the trail revealed her little siblings running at full sprint towards her.

“Anne, Anne, Anne!” Sprig yelled as he barreled into her. She caught him, holding him up underneath his arms. His face held a look of fear. Polly clung to Anne’s leg, eagerly tugging at her overalls.

“What’s wrong with you guys?” She asked.

“Sasha! She’s…she’s out…somewhere…” he said as he caught his breath.

“What?” Anne realized quickly she was running out of time. To do what exactly, she had yet to figure out.

“Yeah! And she’s probably on her way!” Polly exclaimed.

“Shit…” Anne cursed under her breath.

“Language!” Sprig frowned.

“Sorry, sorry. Ok, you two go inside. Stick to your rooms ok?” She smiled.

“But what about you? We need to be there,” Sprig whined.

Anne placed Sprig on the ground. “No, you don’t. You need to stay out of it. No arguing.”

Sprig opened his mouth to retort, but Anne shut him down by walking away. Polly followed close behind as she went back into the house. Anne saw her bedroom hatch was open and heard a commotion from below. Polly and Sprig passed her and headed upstairs, not before giving Anne a big hug from each of them.

“I promise you guys, it’ll be fine,” she said.

After they left, Marcy came tripping up the stairs with her crossbow attached to her arm.

“Whoa, what do you need that for?” Anne asked.

“It’s just a precaution. I saw Sprig and Polly come back. Sasha coming, right?” She asked.

Anne nodded. “That’s what they said, but I don’t know how much time we have.”

“Not much, I’d guess. If we’re lucky, we’ll have a chance to talk it out with her, maybe even throw her off our trail. If we’re unlucky…” Marcy finished in a mumble.

At that moment, Anne felt a small spec of frustration nip at her. She wanted to yell at Marcy, scream at her to just…stop. Stop trying so hard. She wouldn’t do that, but she sure as hell wanted to. It only made Anne more angry at herself. She clenched her fist in an attempt to redirect the emotion.

“You ok?” Marcy asked.

“Huh?” She blinked away tears.

“Oh, sorry. You just looked upset. I didn’t know if you actually were or…sorry,” Marcy bashfully brushed it aside.

Anne smiled. “I’m good. Just thinking.”

Marcy nodded. Anne looked around the room. “Where’s Hop Pop?”

“He’s in his office,” Marcy answered.

Anne mentally checked off a list in her head. She nodded and looked out the window. To her surprise, it had started snowing. White specs of ice could be seen slowly floating to the ground.

“No way!” Anne exclaimed. She stepped outside with Marcy behind her and felt the cold flakes touch her skin.

“First snow of the season,” Anne grinned.

There was a part of Anne that loved the snow. She could remember how she and Sprig would play in it all day in the past. Even her parents would join in on occasion.

“It’s beautiful,” Marcy said next to her. Turning, she saw Marcy looking up at the dark clouds, the cold turning her nose and ears slightly red. Her raven-colored hair stood out against the gray colors of the sky, and her dark brown eyes were full of wonder. She looked…pretty. Yeah, pretty was the right word. Anne felt a warmth fill her chest.

“Hey, Marcy?” Anne sighed.

“Hmm?” Marcy turned to look at the taller girl.

Anne avoided eye contact. “Uh, I just wanted to say thanks.”

“For what?”

“For…I dunno, everything?” Anne laughed. “That you’ve done for me, I mean.”

Marcy perked up. “Oh, you don’t have to thank me. I’m happy to help.”

“I know, but still,” Anne shrugged.

Marcy smiled softly. “It’s no problem, Anne.”

Anne brought her eyes back to Marcy’s and that warmth in her chest only rose to her face. Something compelled her to move closer, to reach out to Marcy. Almost to see if she was real.

The pain was all she felt next as something pierced her arm. She staggered for only a moment and yelled in pain. A glance revealed the source. A pink sword lodged itself in Anne’s arm, almost completely through. Blood quickly covered the surrounding area as it spewed out.

“GODS!” She yelled as she grasped beneath where it hit.

“Anne!” Marcy was quick to her side.

Looking in the direction the sword came, Sasha was walking down the path, her other sword on her shoulder. Anne could see the large patch against her face, covering up one of her eyes.

“Hey! Good to see you again. Glad you’re still here, 'cause we need to talk,” Sasha said casually.

“Wait, Sasha, I can explain,” Marcy began.

“No need, princess. I figured it out. Although, I do have a question. Why are you protecting it?” Sasha said as she put her sword on the ground by the tip.

“W-what? I wasn’t-I didn’t mean to-“

“Save it,” was all Sasha said as she threw something to the ground in front of them. Anne’s heart sank. The arm that was cut off, slowly being taken by decomposition, was some pretty damning evidence. It wouldn’t take a genius to tell it belonged to Anne.

“I…,” Marcy was at a loss for words.

“I’ve got nothing against you princess. But I’ve got a job to do, so kindly get out of my way.” Sasha picked her sword back up and pointed it at Anne. “And as for you, farm girl, I hope you’re not thinking of running. It would drag this out.”

They were at a standstill. No one spoke, no one moved. Anne made the first move by taking the sword in her arm by the hilt and ripping it out. She stifled her scream, but tears welled in her eyes. She dropped it to the ground unceremoniously.

“Wait-“ Marcy started before Anne cut her off.

“It’s ok!” She strained.

Anne took a deep breath and straightened herself. She walked towards Sasha.

“Wh-Anne, what…?” Marcy whispered.

She made it to the tip of Sasha’s sword, Sasha hadn’t made a move yet, her face full of curiosity. Anne kneeled before her, head lowered.

“Just do it,” Anne sighed.

“What?! Anne!” Marcy yelled.

Sasha raised an eyebrow. “Really?”

Anne nodded. Anne had made a choice. In the end, it wasn’t worth it. She didn’t want Marcy to get hurt, or her family to get hurt, or anyone else to fight just for her sake. It was too much trouble when she believed herself a lost cause. She felt like a lost cause anyway.

Sasha brought her sword onto Anne’s shoulder. “Hm, you already have your arm back…” she mumbled.

Anne jumped when she heard the door to her house slam open.

“What in the flyin’ frog is going on?” It was Hop Pop.

She didn’t want Hop Pop to see this.

“Anne! What are you doing?” Now there was Sprig and Polly.

Anne turned and saw her family as horrified looks crossed their faces.

“Guys…,” she whispered.

“You get away from my granddaughter!” Hop Pop yelled.

“Wait! It’s fine Hop Pop!” Anne called. “Just…take Sprig and Polly inside. I’ll be fine.”

Who was she kidding? She knew Hop Pop wouldn’t do what she said, but a small part of her hoped.

Anne felt the sword leave her shoulder and turned back to see Sasha ready to strike. Closing her eyes, she braced for whatever came next. Nothing came, however, as Sasha let out a yell of pain. Opening her eyes in shock, Anne saw an arrow sticking out of Sasha’s shoulder. She dropped her sword in pain, bringing up a hand to grab the arrow.

Turning, Anne saw Marcy with her crossbow deployed, and another arrow already reloaded. She walked to Anne’s side, the crossbow pointed directly at Sasha’s face. Sasha ripped the arrowhead out of her skin and threw it to the floor.

“If you lay another scratch on her you’ll be considered an enemy of the king!” Marcy yelled in anger.

Sasha was putting pressure on her new wound. She gave a terrifying glare. “And why would that stop me?”

“I’ll shoot if you make another move…” Marcy threatened.

Anne stared in shock at Marcy’s sudden saving. She’d never seen her this upset.

Sasha sighed in annoyance. “Geez, princess. You’ve got a lot of nerve…”

Marcy’s face was stern. She was deathly serious.

“I thought you were supposed to kill that stupid beast,” Sasha asked.

“My mission is to stop the Beast. And I have not strayed from that,” Marcy said bluntly,

Sasha scoffed. “Well, I still have a job, and that’s to take her out. She still looks alive to me.” She pointed to Anne to emphasize the point.

Marcy stepped in front of Anne. “Then I’ll shoot. And the entire Newtopian guard can vouch that I never miss my target.”

Sasha narrowed her eyes. “All this just for a monster-“

“SHE’S NOT!” Marcy yelled, startling everyone.

“She’s not a monster! And I won’t let you hurt her,” she finished.

Silence filled the air. Sasha had a look of bewilderment on her face, while Anne’s family stood in shock. Anne felt like she was in a daze. A strange mix of gratefulness and despair filled her thoughts.

Sasha broke the tension. “…fine. Then prove it.”

Marcy raised an eyebrow. “Prove what?”

“That she’s not a monster. Give me a reason not to kill her. You’re making it enough of a hassle as it is…” Sasha grumbled.

Anne breathed a heavy sigh of relief. Marcy still aimed her crossbow at Sasha. “How do I know I can trust you?” She asked.

Sasha began to stumble. “You can’t, but I’m too tired for this shit.”

She kneeled to the ground in pain. Her bandages were beginning to bleed through. She was sweating profusely and looked just about ready to pass out. Marcy took that as a sign to put her weapon down.

Anne stood up next to her. Marcy looked over to her, and Anne felt her breath hitch. Tears were forming in her eyes as she breathed a heavy sigh of relief. Anne wanted to thank her, but she could do it later.

“Sasha…” Anne said.

Sasha’s shoulder was bleeding heavily through her armor, the pressure not doing much to stave off the blood loss. “What?” She said, her voice filled with venom.

“Would you like to come inside?” Anne hesitated, but something foolish in her heart told her not to leave Sasha like this.

Sasha laughed. “What, so you can kill me while I’m weak?”

Anne shook her head. “No, so we can help you.”

“Why?” She spat.

Anne shrugged. “Because I’m an idiot.”

That made Sasha laugh. “Yeah, you are.”

Anne gave Sasha her hand, and to Anne’s surprise, she took it. Anne hoisted her up, and let Sasha lean on her. Turning to Marcy, she had a nasty scowl on her face.

“Relax, princess. I won’t make a move,” she said.

As they began to walk to the house, Marcy whispered to Anne. “What are you doing?”

Anne smiled at her. “Proving I’m not a monster.”

Chapter Text

Sasha passed out as soon as she hit the couch. Hop Pop made sure she was comfortable and treated her wounds as much as he could. He complained the whole time about how he had to get more medical supplies, and that he’d been patching up too many people as of late. Anne felt all her energy seep out of her in one big sigh. Marcy was stiff next to her, her expression unreadable.

“Hey, you ok?” Anne asked her.

Marcy nodded but didn’t say anything.

When Hop Pop finished patching up Sasha, he wiped his forehead of sweat. “Ugh, that’s it, I’m done. I seriously need a break, kids. Watch her for me will you?”

Anne gave a thumbs up. “Sure thing, HP.”

He pointed at Anne. “And we need to talk later.”

“Ok…?” She questioned.

Hop Pop went to his room after that, presumably to nap. The other two kids nervously kept their distance from Sasha.

“Hey, if you two wanna go out and play, we can keep an eye on her,” Anne suggested.

Polly was eager to do so, but Sprig seemed more hesitant. “Are you sure?” He asked.

“Yeah, dude, we’ll be fine,” she reassured.

He looked conflicted like he wanted to ask her something, but he left it alone. He took Polly out of the house, leaving the three of them alone. Anne felt tensions rise as the room went quiet. Marcy had yet to move, her eyes peeled to the floor.

“Uh, Marcy?” Anne tried to pry her out of her trance.

“What were you thinking?!” She suddenly snapped at Anne.

“Huh!?” Anne was startled at the sudden outburst.

Marcy clenched her hands against her head. “Giving yourself up? That wasn’t the plan!”

Oh. Right. That.

Anne regained her composure. “Look, It was just a spur-of-the-moment thing, y’know?”

Marcy looked baffled. Anne realized that sounded like a dumb excuse.

“Spur of the…Anne, you were going to DIE!” She yelled.

Anne flinched. “I know, I know. It wasn’t a good plan.”

“Oh, ya think? Why, Anne? I thought…,” she sighed. “I thought we had a plan,” she finished sternly.

Anne could feel her chest lock up. She wanted to explain herself. To tell Marcy ‘Hey, wouldn’t it be easier if I was removed from the equation? Wouldn’t it solve everybody’s problems?’ But she couldn’t tell her that, because Anne knew it wasn’t a good enough reason. Marcy would refute, and argue. Marcy would make her feel worth the trouble.

“I’m sorry,” is all Anne could come up with—a pathetic croak of an apology.

Marcy’s face softened. A silence fell between them for a moment. “I don’t think I’m the one you should be apologizing to,” she said.

Anne knew what she meant, and nodded. Marcy held out her hand for Anne to take. Anne did so and was pulled into a tight hug.

“You scared me,” Marcy whispered.

Anne returned the hug. Something in Anne clicked at that moment. Something she was missing this whole time. She realized just how much she wanted to stick around for the people who cared. In that moment with Sasha, she was thinking of the easiest possible solution. Or so she believed. But as Marcy hugged her, she could feel just how much she cared. And Anne knew how much her family cared with the love they gave her every day.

Anne felt so foolish. Tears fell from her eyes as she hugged Marcy tighter. They stayed that way for a good while. Once they parted, Anne wiped away her watery eyes and sniffled her nose.

Marcy kept one hand on Anne’s shoulder. “You ok?” She asked quietly.

Anne nodded. “Yeah, I’ll be fine.”

She rubbed Anne’s arm. “Good,” she sighed.

Marcy’s hand fell from Anne and went for her satchel hanging up on the coat rack. “I need to head into town. I need to check in with the mayor.”

Anne glanced over at Sasha’s sleeping form. “I’m guessing I should stay and watch her?”

Marcy nodded. “Are you ok with that?”

Anne shrugged. “I guess…”

“Don’t kill her while she’s asleep,” Marcy smiled.

Anne scoffed. “I would never…probably.”

They laughed, and Marcy said her goodbyes, leaving Anne to pull up a chair and watch the fallen hunter.

———

As Marcy walked along the trail to town, she could feel the stress of everything all at once creep up on her. She was tired, to say the least, but she would keep trying her damndest to keep Anne safe. They were in it together now. She just needed to figure out how to get the werewolf under some form of control. Captivity wasn’t going to work, she already tried that. She was so close to some kind of breakthrough, that she could feel it. Just a bit more time…

Marcy was jolted out of her thoughts as she came upon the edge of town. A small pasture was in front of her, full of cows. Dead cows. All torn to pieces, leaving them unrecognizable. The snow had begun to cover them up. Marcy felt her hands get clammy. This must have been last night. She turned her gaze back towards the town and heard a commotion coming from within.

Marcy walked in cautiously, aware that everyone had gathered in the town square. The mayor was in front of a pedestal trying to calm down a raging group of townsfolk.

“Simmer down now, simmer down!” He yelled as people were spewing accusations and questions left and right.

“My animals have been slaughtered!”

“Why isn’t the Beast dead?”

“Someone’s gotta pay!”

The mayor looked panicked, unable to calm down the mob. When his eyes landed on Marcy, however, he lit up.

“Ms. Leviathan! Come on up here and tell these good people about your progress,” he said as he pointed her out to the people.

The crowd turned and glared. Marcy internally cursed at Toadstool but made her way up to the podium. She wasn’t quite sure what to say. Everyone was mad, and rightfully so. But, she hadn’t done what they wanted her to do. She hasn’t solved their problem.

“Hello good people of Wartwood,” her nerves rose as she spoke, but didn’t let them get to her.

“I have been trying to catch the Beast for two months now, and I should inform you I have not been successful. But, I am making progress.”

She swallowed as she saw the angry stares of the townspeople. “I will offer compensation for everyone who has suffered losses from the Beast.”

Her status certainly came in handy for situations like this. The people seemed to ease up a little upon hearing that.

Toadstool walked up to her. “That’s mighty kind of you, Ms. Marcy. I will handle the money personally for the people of Wartwood and make sure everyone is properly compensated.”

Marcy nodded and turned back to the crowd. “Thank you, everyone, for your patience, and for putting your trust in me. I promise that I will put an end to the Beast’s killing.”

The crowd gave a cheer at the end of Marcy’s speech. Marcy sighed in relief. While most of the folk seemed satisfied, there were a few stragglers who glared. She couldn’t win everyone over.

The mayor patted her on the back and she jumped. “You sure saved my skin, Ms. Marcy. I thought I was gonna have a full-blown riot on my hands. Excellent work!” He laughed.

“It’s no problem. I’ll make sure to have the King send money to Wartwood when I get back to Newtopia,” Marcy said as she was getting ready to leave.

He stopped her. “Now, I believe I have a question for you before you go.”

“What’s wrong?”

“I’m curious as to how the Beast situation is going. You said you’re trying to catch it, but that’s been a bust. What’s your next move?” He asked.

Great. Now she had to come up with a lie. “Oh, I’m busy tracking it right now…with Sasha. We’re looking to find its lair.” She smiled.

Toadstool nodded. “I see. Very well. I look forward to a Beast-free town!” He said as he walked off.

Marcy sighed. She wondered momentarily if Anne would ever tell the town. Unlikely, but Marcy knew Anne loved this town, and they loved her in return. They might even accept her as she is. But, that’s for Anne to decide. For now, Marcy will keep the secret.

Marcy needed to do what she came here for. Research. And that meant finding a library. Because of the town's small size, she wondered if they even had a library, but after asking Hop Pop, he told her about the town's archive. A whole collection of books is right there for reading. It sounded like a wonderland for Marcy.

It was further out than she imagined, but eventually, she stumbled across it. The door was just above ground, a structure of bricks with a statue of a man on top surrounding it. The man was wearing a fez and a monocle. Very scholarly looking. Marcy made her way down the staircase and into the underground library. It was much bigger than she expected, the place being two stories high. Hop Pop told her about the skylight timer, so she needed to be quick, as the day was almost over.

She skimmed the sections she was looking for and found a couple of books that might hold what she needed. Hop Pop had told her he already looked through the archives but wasn’t able to find anything on Anne’s condition. Marcy just wanted to try her luck. Looking through the books, they held lots of information on monsters that lived in the area: Bunyips, Kelpies, Grootslang, and even Wisps. Nothing about werewolves.

Werewolves aren’t found in specific areas. According to Marcy’s notes, they could be found anywhere. It seemed random. So, the likelihood of some town in the middle of nowhere having information on them was unlikely. She huffed in annoyance after about an hour of searching. She took a moment and looked around the space, wondering if she missed anything.

She pulled out the blueprints from one of the shelves and took a look at the layout. Taking a closer look, Marcy found something interesting. Behind the fireplace was a room that Marcy hadn't been in. It seemed that there was no entrance to this room. She inspected the fireplace, looking for anything out of place. Above it was a portrait of the founder of the archive. Marcy saw around the monocle was an indent line. She pushed on the monocle, revealing it to be a button.

The fireplace shook as some sort of mechanism was activated. Marcy jumped back in surprise as the structure shifted, opening an entrance to the hidden room.

“Whoa,” Marcy mumbled.

The hidden room was dark and dusty. It looked as though it hadn’t been touched in ages. Marcy brought in one of the archives lanterns for light. Inside was only one shelf full of a few books. Above the shelf was a picture of the sun and moon. Pulling out one of the books, the cover was blank. Inside Marcy recognized it as a tale of the gods. Marcy was familiar with all of them, but she read on, curious as to why this book was hidden.

It was the story of the sun and moon gods: Eikthyrnir the red stag, and Hati the blue wolf—two celestial beings who were at odds with each other. Marcy knew how the story ended. Eikthyrnir trapped Hati in the moon for all eternity, but the stag faced the consequences when Hati’s friend, Jörd the green frog, trapped Eikthyrnir in the sun, far away from the earth and moon. Jörd became the earth so that his friend would not be lonely. It was a classic creation myth.

As Marcy read on, she noticed a detail that was new to her. Hati granted a gift to the human creatures of Earth known as lycanthropy. Marcy’s eyes widened. It was more info than she was expecting, but not exactly useful just yet. She went further into the book, and it seemed the book could read her mind—pages of handwritten notes on werewolves. Marcy immediately got out her notes to do some cross-checking.

The information was still limited. Most of it was stuff Marcy already knew. It still had yet to give her a form of transmission. If it was hereditary like Anne had suggested, wouldn’t it be more common? The book wasn’t able to answer. What stood out to her was a poem written in old Amphibian. It was an archaic form of writing phased out over time. It could easily be translated into English, thankfully. It read:

Children of the moon
Who fight against the Night
Must be strong of heart
Lest the mind lose sight

Marcy read and re-read it over and over again trying to decipher it. ‘Who fight against the Night’ was a strange line. Maybe it was a metaphor. She wasn’t quite sure. The next two lines felt most important. They felt like an answer.

Marcy closed the book and walked out back into the main room. The sun was almost down, and the door would be closing soon. She grabbed her satchel and put the book in to keep studying. Maybe with Anne’s help, they could figure it out.

———

Anne was bored. She’d been watching Sasha for a couple of hours at this point. Sprig wanted to join her but Anne advised against it. She didn’t want him around Sasha. She was laying slack on her chair, staring up at the ceiling. She could feel her eyes begin to droop ever so slightly. She jumped when she heard Sasha finally start to wake.

Sasha groaned in pain, clearly dazed. Anne could see her eye open and blink groggily. Sasha brought a hand to her face and sighed heavily. “Man,” Anne heard her mumble.

“Uh, hello?” Anne nervously got her attention.

Sasha glared at her. “What do you want, wolf girl?”

Anne frowned. “I think I liked ‘farm girl’ better,” she mumbled. “Just wondering if you needed any help,” she finished.

Sasha sat up on the couch, clearly still in pain. She felt along the bandage on her face. “Who changed this?” She asked.

“Hop Pop, my grandpa. You bled through your old ones,” Anne stated, keeping her guard up.

Sasha looked at her, around the room, then back to her. “Well, you didn’t kill me at least. That’s a start.”

“I told you I wouldn’t,” Anne crossed her arms.

Sasha hummed. “You seemed pretty intent on doing so last night.”

“Not by choice,” Anne mumbled.

Sasha raised an eyebrow. “Really? You have no autonomy like that?”

Anne nodded. “Yeah, pretty much.”

They sat in silence for a moment. Anne was worried Sasha might make a move without Marcy here, but she didn’t seem interested in fighting.

“What are you gonna do now?” Anne asked.

Sasha shrugged. “You still have yet to prove that you’re not gonna attack the town every full moon. And sounds to me like you have no way of preventing that.”

“Marcy and I are working on it,” Anne retorted.

“Working on it?” Sasha asked.

Anne blushed out of embarrassment. “Yeah, we’re trying to find a way to stop the attacks.”

“And how’s that going?” Sasha crossed her arms.

Anne tensed her shoulders. “Fine, I guess. We’ve come up with some things.”

“You’re being vague on purpose,” Sasha scowled.

Anne threw up her arms. “I don’t know! It’s all so confusing! And I’m trying!”

She put her head in her hands. She wasn’t lying when she said it was confusing. To Anne, it still felt like they were miles away from an answer. But Marcy seemed to have some idea of what to do. Anne wished she was here to explain it.

“It has something to do with emotions I guess,” Anne sighed.

“Emotions?” Sasha inquired.

“Yeah, something like that. When Marcy first showed up, she got attacked by my werewolf. She was almost killed, but the wolf never went for the killing blow. I don’t remember any of it,” Anne explained.

Sasha looked intrigued, something Anne wasn’t expecting. “Sometimes when I get really angry, I black out. It hadn’t happened in a while until Marcy purposefully provoked me. When that happens I lose consciousness and become animalistic.”

Anne was very nervous telling Sasha this. She didn’t know if it was giving Sasha even more of a reason to kill her or not, but she felt it was important to tell her. If Anne was going to gain her trust, she needed to be as transparent as possible.

“Marcy said that the werewolf mind is like a separate thing. I guess what we’re trying to figure out is how to control it. Marcy said it seems to use anger as a drive of some kind,” Anne continued.

Sasha’s face was unreadable. “Are you an angry person?” She asked.

Anne shook her head. “No, I don’t believe so. I am sometimes but I don’t black out because of it. That’s only if it’s really bad.”

Sasha nodded. “And you said the werewolf didn’t kill Marcy. So it’s possible to control it.”

Anne was shocked at Sasha’s understanding. “Y-yeah, that’s our thought process. If it can control me through anger, then I should be able to control it through…something.”

It was coming together a lot smoother than Anne realized. “Wow, I didn’t think you would actually listen to me,” Anne commented.

Sasha squinted. “I don’t like the situation, but I’m not an unreasonable person, farm girl. Plus, if I tried anything, Marcy would make my life hell.”

Anne hummed. “I guess that’s true.”

Sasha stood up and stretched. “I guess the key is positive emotion then. Right?” She asked.

Anne looked at her confused. “Positive emotion?”

“Well yeah. Anger is a negative emotion. So, the opposite should let you control the wolf,” she stated matter-of-factly.

Anne furrowed her brows “How would that work?”

Sasha shrugged. “I don’t know. Just think of what makes you happy.”

“I don’t think that’s how it works. Plus, I can’t exactly turn into a wolf whenever,” Anne stated.

Sasha sighed in annoyance. “We have to wait a whole month? There’s gotta be something we can do.”

Anne thought for a moment. “Maybe there is, but I don’t like it.”

———

Marcy returned late in the day. The sky was dark and the air was frigid. She walked up to the house, seeing the lights on inside. When she opened the door, she was immediately tackled by small arms.

“Marcy!” Polly yelled.

“Ah! What!?” She said as Polly hugged her legs.

“The mean lady is eating dinner with us!” She said excitedly.

Marcy looked up at the dinner table to see the family all sitting down, including Sasha. Marcy tensed.

Anne waved. “Hey, Marcy! How’d the archives go?”

Marcy was shocked at how calm Anne looked next to Sasha, who was now glaring at Marcy.

“Uh, good,” she said as she walked to the table with Polly at her heels.

“Polly, you sit down. Come eat Marcy, the food’s getting cold,” said Hop Pop.

She nervously took her spot next to Anne.

“I’m gonna need a bigger table if we have any more people,” Hop Pop mumbled.

Marcy glanced at Sasha who was focused on eating. She decided to speak up. “How’s your injury, Sasha?

Sasha scoffed. “Which one?”

Marcy cringed. The arrow wound must’ve been nasty. “Both?”

Sasha rolled her eye. “They’re fine,” she said and then pointed at Marcy. “You owe me a new mask.”

Oh, right. Sasha’s mask had been slashed by the werewolf. “Ok…I can do that,” Marcy said.

After dinner, Sasha left to go back to her room at the tea shop. Marcy wanted to talk to Anne about her findings. As they were about to head to bed, Marcy brought out the book she found.

“The archives had a secret room,” she started.

Anne looked surprised. “Whoa, seriously?”

Marcy nodded. “Mhm. I found this book with info on lycanthropy in it, but it’s stuff we mostly know.”

She opened it up and flipped to the page with the poem. “The most interesting thing I found was this.”

Anne read the poem herself. “What does it mean?” She asked.

“I’m not fully sure, but I have a theory,” Marcy said as she pointed to the last two lines.

“I think it lies in what it says about being ‘strong of heart.’ Heart is usually a metaphor for emotions. To be strong of heart is usually talking about one’s ability to endure. Whether that be external or internal,” Marcy explained.

Anne’s eyes widened. “That’s what Sasha and I were talking about.”

Marcy raised a brow. “You and Sasha talked?”

Anne nodded excitedly. “Yeah! We came to a similar conclusion. I was pretty surprised.

Marcy smiled. “Huh, well that's good.”

She closed the book. “Then I guess the key is overcoming whatever is emotionally conflicting you.” She pointed to Anne’s heart.

Anne raised her hand to the spot. “Emotionally conflicting, huh?” She mumbled.

Marcy tilted her head. “Anything come to mind?”

Anne laughed. “Where do I start.”

Chapter Text

The next few days were slow. They were mostly focused on recovery. Sasha’s wound was slowly but surely getting better. It would scar, but her eye was still intact. The spot where the arrow hit was scabbing and was no longer bleeding. Marcy was still in rough water when it came to her injuries. The bite scar on her arm was flaring badly, as well as the scar on her leg. Too much overexertion as of late.

Anne was recovering mentally. The recovery of her arm and other wounds had made her very fatigued. Not only that, but she’d cried more times in the past couple of days than she could count. She needed a break. Her talk with Marcy included a lot about different emotionally concerning things. Most of them are related or directly caused by being a werewolf. But the real kicker had been her talk with Hop Pop.

It was the night after the full moon, and Anne had woken up from a nightmare. She had gone up to the kitchen to get a snack but came across Hop Pop at the table reading a book by the candlelight. He was mildly surprised, but this wasn’t the first time they’d been up this late.

“Hey,” she said awkwardly.

Hop Pop put his book down and took off his reading glasses.

“Hey,” he said back.

Anne remembered that Hop Pop had wanted to talk, but they never got the chance. While it was late, Anne decided she should use the time she had with him. She sat down in the chair across from him.

“Couldn’t sleep?” She asked.

He rubbed his eyes. “Not really.”

She hummed. “Yeah, me neither.”

The ticking of the clock filled the silence as Anne picked at the wooden table with her pointed nail.

Hop Pop sighed. “I should head to bed. You should too.”

“Wait…,” she hesitated.

He looked at her expectantly. “I just wanted to say sorry about today. I know I shouldn’t have given myself up to Sasha like that.”

She cringed at the memory of seeing her family watching as she nearly got her head chopped off. “I just…thought it made the most sense,” she finished.

Hop Pop took a moment, seeing if Anne would say anything else. “I just worry about you, Anne. What you did…scared the living daylights out of me. I thought I was gonna lose my granddaughter,” he croaked.

Anne felt guilt in her whole being. “Oh, Hop Pop…”

Hop Pop wiped away his watery eyes. “I‘ll always worry about you. But, you’ve got people in your corner who love you. Your family will always look out for you.”

Anne could feel tears on her face now. “I know. Guess I just wasn’t thinking straight,” she laughed.

“It happens. Sometimes your self-loathing can make you forget what you have. When your parents went missing…it was like that for me,” he bowed his head in what looked like shame.

Anne got up from her seat and gave him the biggest hug she could muster without hurting him. She had never been more grateful for him than she was now.

“I love you, Hop Pop,” she cried.

“I love you too, Anne,” he said as he patted her back.

As they finished their crying, Hop Pop chuckled. “I never got to thank Marcy for saving your life.”

Anne smiled. “I’ll make sure to let her know.”

He nodded and yawned. “You’re very lucky to have her as a friend, y'know. She’s proved herself quite the keeper.”

“Yeah…” she mumbled.

“Something wrong?” He asked.

Anne caught herself. “No, no nothing's wrong.”

Hop Pop smiled. “If you say so. You go get some sleep.”

They said good night and went to their respective rooms. Anne lay in bed for another hour before she slept, unable to calm her mind. She looked over at Marcy sleeping on the ground. She was curled up in a fetal position with a knitted blanket covering her. She looked peaceful. Anne smiled to herself and was able to close her eyes and fall asleep.

———

After their recovery period, Marcy thought it best they get back to working on werewolf stuff. When Anne stepped outside the house, her boot sank into about a foot of snow. It had been snowing consistently for a couple of days, but today looked like clear skies. Anne shivered in the cold air and went to pull out a winter coat.

Anne and Marcy were waiting for Sasha to show up to aid in their tests. Marcy was bundling up way more than Anne. Marcy said she hated the cold. Anne only found amusement in seeing Marcy in a big puffy jacket. She ran into Sprig on her way back outside.

“Hey, Anne! Can I come with you?” He asked excitedly.

Anne thought for a moment. “Ehhh I don’t know, dude. It might be dangerous.”

He frowned. “Aw man, but we never hang out anymore!”

“I’m sorry, Sprig. Here, I’ll make a deal with you. We can hang out tomorrow, and do whatever you want, ok?” She offered.

“Ok!” He smiled and ran upstairs.

Anne walked out of the house, now ready with her coat. The trees were covered in snow, painting everything with a powdered look. Anne always thought Winter looked pretty. Marcy waddled her way out into the snow with her oversized coat. She had a scarf around her neck, covering up her nose and mouth. She also had earmuffs covering her ears.

Anne tried not to crack a smile, but it was too difficult.

Marcy frowned. “What?”

“Nothing,” Anne snickered.

Marcy playfully tried to shove Anne, but her coat prevented her from using any real force. Anne had to catch Marcy from falling, the motion throwing off her balance. Anne laughed and helped her stand back up straight.

“Ugh, this isn’t gonna work,” Marcy whined. “I’m gonna go put on a lighter coat. Even if I’ll be freezing,” she mumbled.

Marcy shimmied back inside. While Anne was waiting, she saw Sasha walking the snow-covered trail. The only thing different about her clothes was that she was wearing gloves.

“Aren’t you cold?” Anne asked when Sasha got within earshot.

“No,” she said bluntly.

“Huh…ok,” Anne shrugged.

Despite Anne’s doubts, Sasha didn’t seem bothered. Anne had warmed up to Sasha more since their talk. She was still weary, considering Sasha had tried to kill her, but Anne was forgiving. She wouldn’t call them friends, far from it, but there was an understanding. Or at least she hoped there was.

Marcy walked out with a much more manageable coat, but she didn’t look pleased.

Sasha stretched. “Alright, are we ready or what?”

Anne’s idea had come down to making her mad enough to make her lose control and trying to calm her down. If they were lucky, they could keep her in that mid-form while also being in control.

“We should go to a more secluded spot,” Marcy suggested.

Anne had brought Marcy up to speed with the plan earlier. She seemed on board with it but was concerned about Anne going through with it. Anne explained that she was more comfortable with it since it was on her terms. She was nervous, no doubt, but she was willing to go through with it.

The three of them made their way into the woods. Anne had never expected to be in these woods as much as she had been. The only times she would go in the past was when she was forced to seclude herself while a werewolf, and when she used to explore with Sprig. Thinking about it now, she hadn’t spent much time with Sprig. The last time they went to their special patch of forest was years ago. Her heart ached at the thought.

Marcy started limping partway through the walk.

“Step on a thorn, princess?” Sasha teased.

Marcy stopped walking and sighed. “No, this stupid injury is flaring up again.”

Anne walked over to her and picked her up, Marcy making a noise of surprise. “Is it still bad?” Anne asked.

Marcy shook off her small shock. “Not as bad as it had been.”

Sasha gave them a strange look. “What, want me to carry you too?” Anne joked.

“I can walk just fine, thanks,” Sasha scoffed.

Anne had noticed that Sasha had taken off the bandage on her eye. The cut was swollen and scabbing. It looked painful. But Sasha still carried herself like it was nothing more than a small scratch. Looking at it made Anne’s skin crawl.

Anne continued through the woods with Marcy in her arms and Sasha at her side. She took them to an open field of grass that lay in the middle of the forest. It was a hotspot for wildlife considering there was a lake running nearby. But the field was empty now.

Anne set Marcy down on her feet. Marcy’s flaring was ebbing away, so she felt fit to stand. Anne took in the peacefulness of the field. It was covered with a blanket of powdery snow. The afternoon sun hung above, providing minimal warmth, but it made the snow shine.

*WHAM*

The next thing Anne knows is that her face is in the snow and her jaw hurts. It only registers soon after that she’d been punched in the face.

One of her ears is ringing, but she can hear Marcy yelling. “SASHA!? What is your problem?”

Sasha shrugged. “I’m trying to get her mad. That’s what we’re here to do right?”

Anne groaned as she sat up and cupped the side of her face. “So your solution was punching me?” Anne bristled.

“Is it working?” Sasha asked.

Anne worried that if she said yes, Sasha might take that as a sign to continue.

“No…” she frowned.

Sasha shrugged. “Fine, then how do you want to do this?”

Anne furrowed her brows as she stood up. She was a bit stumped on that part. It’s difficult to purposefully feel an emotion. She doubted being mean in verbal terms would do much. She wouldn’t be able to take it seriously. She didn’t want to admit it, but Sasha’s method might be the best solution.

Anne rubbed the side of her face in contemplation. She could already feel the punch begin to heal. “Alright, fine,” she sighed. “We can try it your way, Sasha.”

A flash of surprise crossed Sasha’s face, but a grin took its place. “You sure?” She asked.

Anne nodded. Marcy stepped in. “Whoa, whoa, hold on. Anne, are you sure this is a good idea?”

Anne wasn’t sure, not really. But she was running out of options. “It’s fine, Marcy. Just…nothing too drastic, ok?” She directed the request at Sasha.

“I won’t use weapons. How’s that sound?” She said as she removed her swords from her person.

Anne exhaled a shaky breath. “Good enough…”

Marcy looked nervously at Anne, but she respected Anne’s decision and stepped back. She turned to Sasha. “If you try anything deadly, I’ll stop you. Got it?”

“Yes, yes I got it. I’ll keep it tame,” she said in annoyance.

Anne tensed her muscles and readied her arms. “Ok, hit me!”

In a flash, Anne’s chest cracks as Sasha lands a heavy hit to her ribs. Anne stumbles back, gasping for breath, tears forming in her eyes. She begins coughing as the air finally returns to her lungs. Sasha barely gives Anne time to recover as she lands another punch to Anne’s shoulder. The pain shoots through her arm, the force of the punch nearly breaking it.

Anne’s instinct is to fight back, but her lack of experience and reflexes are a problem. She threw a punch in what she believed was the direction of Sasha, but her wrist was grabbed, and she felt an elbow to her spine. The pain was immeasurable shocks of agony all along her back.

Anne hit the ground with a thud, face planted in the snow. She couldn’t move. The blow had immobilized her. But it seemed to be working. She was definitely mad. Her heart pounded with panic and rage, and her vision began to cloud. Worry only gripped her for a moment before she lost consciousness.

———

Sasha was never one to do things out of the kindness of her heart. She did everything for herself. Why did she hunt monsters? For the satisfaction of revenge of course. Did she enjoy the prowess it gave her? A bonus for sure. So why was she here helping out a monster she was supposed to kill? Because the princess of the kingdom would put a big fat target on her back if she didn’t.

Luckily, the situation had piqued her interest. A werewolf was a very rare creature. Not much is known about them. Sure, she’d love to be known for killing one, but unfortunately there's the catch of werewolves being humans…to some degree. Anne, as a person, was of little interest to Sasha. She was stand-offish, seeming very protective of the princess, and vice versa.

But then Anne offered herself up to be killed. A sacrifice. Sasha would’ve taken it, but Marcy wouldn’t let her. Since then Sasha’s opinion of Anne shifted ever so slightly. Not only that, but Anne had asked Sasha for help. People ask for Sasha’s help all the time when it comes to killing monsters, but now the monster was the one asking. And she could respect that.

Now, as Anne lay in the snow unmoving, Sasha realized she may have hit too hard and knocked her out. She was prepared to hear Marcy chew her out, but Anne shifted. Sasha thought about another punch but maybe it was best to let her recover. Anne shook as she rose to her knees and elbows. Pops and cracks could be heard from Anne’s body morphing.

Sasha took a step back. She’d triggered the transformation. Sasha planned to pin her, holding Anne in place long enough for Marcy to get through to her. But before she could make a move, Anne leaped from the snow with terrifying speed. Sasha dodged by a hair, whipping around to face her attacker.

Anne was like a feral animal on all fours and snarling. It was quite the contrast. Her jaw and ears were now covered with fur. She was much bulkier, her sleeves having been ripped, fur also making its way through. Her eyes were a striking blue, bringing Sasha back to when she was attacked.

Anne growled and lunged again. Sasha prepared for a tackle but wasn’t prepared for the sheer force of it. She was pushed to the ground with ease, Anne now snapping her teeth at her. Sasha took her free arm and punched Anne’s stomach. It didn’t push her off like she intended, however. Anne only got more aggressive. Sasha was trying to push back with her arm, but Anne’s bite was getting closer and closer.

Marcy showed up just in the nick of time with an herb in hand. The same herb she used to ward off the werewolf: wolfsbane. Once she was near, Anne seemed to recoil immediately at the smell, forgetting all about Sasha. Sasha moved quickly, grabbing Anne’s arm to wrap her own under Anne’s shoulders. She needed to keep those claws out of reach.

Anne struggled to free herself, but Sasha summoned every ounce of strength she had to keep her from escaping. Sasha noticed Anne was taller too, her feet having become digitigrade. Anne tried to take advantage of this, trying to hoist Sasha up on her back, but Sasha pulled down hard.

“Marcy! Do something!” She strained.

Marcy put away the wolfsbane and held out her hands. “Anne, hey it’s me,” she said gently.

Anne’s focus shifted from Sasha to Marcy, but she was still putting up a fight. Anne was swiping and biting at the air manically in Marcy’s direction.

Marcy started approaching cautiously. “Anne, can you understand me?”

Anne continued growling and snapping. “Anne, it’s me, Marcy,” she said.

Anne only paused for a moment, but that moment was just enough to get their hopes up.

“I think it’s working,” said Sasha.

Sasha's talking seemed to remind Anne why she was angry in the first place.

Anne stomped her feet trying to hit Sasha’s own. “Oh come on!” Yelled Sasha.

Marcy suddenly ran forward and grabbed Anne’s face. “Anne, look at me!”

“Whoa! What are you doing!” Sasha said, baffled. Was Marcy stupid? She could easily get her neck snapped if Anne attacked.

“Anne, come on! You know me. It’s Marcy!” The desperation in her voice was potent.

Sasha prepared for the worst. But, as she braced, she felt Anne stop struggling. She had relaxed slightly.

“Ok, ok, you’re doing good. Just relax,” Marcy said gently.

More and more, like a puffed-up cat letting its fur down, Anne calmed down. Inhuman grunts and growls still came from her, but she was no longer in kill mode.

Marcy slowly released her hands from Anne’s face and took Anne’s own. “Let her go, Sasha,” she said nervously.

“Are you nuts?” She hissed.

“Just…we gotta try,” Marcy whispered.

Sasha internally screamed, but did as she said, and let Anne go. Anne barely reacted to Sasha’s presence having disappeared. Her eyes were on Marcy. Sasha stayed where she was and kept her guard up.

Marcy moved a hand up to Anne’s face. “Anne?”

Anne seemed to be in a trance. She began to move, her arm raising. Sasha thought she was going to attack, but Anne put her hand on Marcy’s cheek as well. Marcy let out a shaky breath. After a minute, Anne began to wobble.

“Anne?” Marcy said, confused.

Anne lost her balance and fell against Marcy. Marcy caught her and held her. Anne had passed out. Marcy stood stunned. Sasha was also stunned. She hadn’t expected that to work. It was small, but it was something. There was hope.

———

Marcy felt her heart stop when Anne put her hand on her face. She could see recognition in Anne’s blue eyes. Marcy honestly thought she was gonna die a moment before. But what a relief. Anne’s face looked full of what seemed to be panic. It broke Marcy’s heart. And then she fell. Marcy caught her, but boy was she heavy.

She could feel Anne begin to shift back to normal. Marcy looked over to Sasha who’s face held a look of bewilderment. Marcy smiled. There was a chance this could work. They could help Anne. She was filled with a sense of pride. For both her and Anne. This was a big risk, but it paid off.

Anne’s weight was starting to become unbearable. “Little help here,” Marcy strained.

Sasha snapped out of her shock and picked Anne up from under her shoulders. Anne was completely slack in Sasha’s arms.

“So…what does this mean?” Sasha asked.

“It means we have a shot,” said Marcy.

Sasha hummed. “I guess so. But how do we know this would work when she’s fully wolfed out?”

Marcy shrugged. “We have to try. You’ll be my backup.”

Sasha rolled her eyes. “Uh huh, sure. But that stunt you pulled wasn’t something I could save you from.”

Marcy rubbed her neck. “Yeah, I’ll be more careful.”

Anne groaned as her eyes slowly opened. “Dude…I have a killer headache.”

Sasha pulled Anne up to her feet. She helped support Anne as she found her footing. “You ok, farmgirl?” She asked.

Anne rubbed her temples. “Yeah, I’m good. Especially since you kicked my ass,” she said sarcastically.

Sasha shrugged. “Just doing my job.”

Marcy nervously fidgeted. “You sure you’re ok?”

Anne nodded. “Yeah, I’ll be fine. Just bruised I think. How’d things go after I passed out?”

“You don’t remember anything?” Marcy asked.

“Nope, sorry. Why? Did something happen?” Anne asked as she rubbed her eyes.

“You managed to hold off on killing Marcy,” Sasha said as she crossed her arms. “Was quite the tender moment actually,” she snickered.

Anne’s face lit up. “I didn’t hurt anyone?”

Marcy rolled her eyes at Sasha’s comment. “We managed to get through to you, yes, but it was only for a moment. We’d need a longer period to confirm this is replicable and permanent.”

Anne smiled. “I’m glad we made progress.”

“I think that’s enough for today,” Sasha said as she gave Anne a pat on the back.

“Yeah, I don’t think I can take another beating from you,” Anne frowned.

Sasha laughed and went to grab the swords she left in the snow.

Anne turned to Marcy with worry on her face. “You sure you’re ok?”

Marcy was a bit surprised at Anne’s concern. “Nothing happened, I’m good. I’m more worried about you.”

“M’ok, if you’re sure. Thanks for going through with this,” Anne sheepishly rubbed her neck.

“It’s no problem. You know I love research. Sasha was a big help though,” Marcy noted.

Anne looked in Sasha’s direction. “I’m still shocked she’s even helping us at all.”

Marcy shared the sentiment. Sasha was still on Marcy’s radar as a threat, but she’d pulled through. She wouldn’t say she’d forgiven Sasha yet, but she’d proven to be an ally to a certain degree.

“Yeah, well, it’s in her best interest,” Marcy sighed.

Sasha returned with her swords at her side. The three began home through the snow-covered forest with a more positive outlook. Marcy’s mind drifted back to the moment of Anne touching Marcy’s face. It was so gentle, and Anne’s face looked so…scared. Her hand drifted to where Anne touched, the phantom feeling haunting her.

———

Comic by @Ravespix on Twitter!

Chapter Text

Anne woke up back in a familiar place. The sky above her signaled that she was in a dream. Dreams haven’t been as debilitating ever since Sasha took her arm. They have their moments, but they’re few and far between. The air around her was cold, colder than normal. As she sat up, she could already feel eyes on her.

“Hello?” She called.

Looking down, she saw that the ground was covered in snow. Odd, considering her dreams have never coincided with the seasons before. She waited patiently for whatever sort of creature that was watching her to make its move by walking around. The trees around her were bare, their endless trunks like pillars in the sky.

A snap behind her made her jump. She spun around and felt her heart stop. It wasn’t the wolf, like she was expecting, but rather Marcy.

“Anne, what are you doing out here?” She asked.

Anne couldn’t speak. In these dreams, there’d never been anyone else, not even her family. What was Marcy doing here?

“Anne?” She asked again.

Before Anne could speak, from out of the woods the wolf attacked. Marcy was brutally killed in front of her, the wolf tearing into flesh and bone. Anne couldn’t move, or speak, or scream. All she could do was watch.

———

In the morning, Anne was very aware of the fact that her nightmare was still vivid in her mind. There was no forgetting something like that. She didn’t sleep well and refused to sleep the rest of the night. And so she was forced to face another day with her eyelids perpetually halfway closed. It’s not like she’s not used to it, but it takes a lot to keep her from passing out throughout the day.

Anne could feel her stomach do somersaults every time Marcy was in her field of view. Anne explained what happened to her, and Marcy was worried. More about Anne’s well-being than the fact her dreams were breaking their status quo. But Anne was having trouble being around Marcy. They both agreed to spend the day away from each other, and luckily Anne had something to do anyway.

Today, she promised she would hang out with Sprig. The little guy was held up in his room playing with his action figures when Anne walked in.

She lightly knocked on his open door. “Hey, dude. Wanna hang?”

Sprig immediately lit up. “Really?”

“Yes, really. I promised you didn’t I?” She smiled.

He excitedly put down what he was doing and followed Anne downstairs.

“What do you wanna do?” Anne asked.

“I wanna play outside! In the snow,” he said as he pointed towards the door.

“Ok, but you need to put on a jacket,” she said.

“Whaaat? But it’s not even that cold out,” he whined.

“Nuh uh, no buts. I don’t want you getting frostbite just because you don’t wanna wear a coat,” Anne said as she got his coat from the rack.

Sprig sighed childishly but begrudgingly put it on. Anne put on her winter wear and led the way outside. Once out, Anne immediately got pelted in the face with a snowball. Anne wiped away the snow from her eyes and saw Sprig stifling a laugh.

“Oh, it’s on,” she smiled.

The two engaged in a short but intense snowball fight. Sprig ultimately won with Anne not being able to compare to Sprig’s accuracy. After their scuffle, the two decided to head into the woods to find their old spot. Sprig would stop along the way and attempt to climb various trees, much to Anne’s dismay, but she would always catch him if he fell.

Once the two made it to the clearing, Sprig flopped onto the snow. “Wow! It’s been forever since I’ve been here,” he said.

Anne let herself fall into the snow next to him. “How come you never asked to go?” She asked.

He shrugged, the snow crunching as he did. “I dunno. Just didn’t think you’d want to. And then I forgot.”

Anne hummed. “Why’d you think that?”

“I guess I thought you seemed too busy. Or worried. I didn’t want you to have to worry about hanging out with me,” he explained.

Anne thought to herself silently. In the past few years, she had gotten progressively more anxious and depressed. Being a werewolf had started to take its toll like some festering disease. Her mind was close to succumbing to her fatigue. But then Marcy showed up, and she began to feel better. She began to feel more like herself.

Anne felt guilty for making her family worry so much. “Well, hey, I’m free now whenever you wanna hang, ok?”

“No, you’re not! You’re always hanging out with Marcy,” he said teasingly.

“Not all the time you goofball,” she laughed as she ruffled his hair.

Anne had to admit she had been spending a lot of time with Marcy. A strange feeling settled in Anne’s stomach. It wasn’t like they were spending too much time together, right? They were friends, but they were also working together. Well, not all their hangouts were work-related. It’s because Anne liked spending time with Marcy. She made Anne feel…happy. Safe. Normal. Like a normal person without some dreadful curse looming over her.

“Hey, Sprig?” Anne said as she fidgeted with the snow beneath her fingers.

“Yeah?” He said as he began to make a snow angel.

“How…how did you know you liked Ivy?” She asked. She mentally facepalmed at the question, but she was curious.

Sprig sat up. “What do you mean?”

Anne sat up with him. “You know…like…like like her.”

She couldn’t believe she was asking her ten-year-old brother this question, but she was desperate.

“How do you know about that?” He said, shocked.

“Dude, everyone knows you like her. It’s super obvious,” she laughed.

“Aw man. We were trying to keep it secret,” he pouted.

Anne patted his back in sympathy. “So? How’d you realize?”

Sprig began to fidget with his coat zipper. “Well, Ivy and I had been hanging out for a while, and I guess I just really enjoyed spending time with her and stuff. I thought she was cool, y’know? And I was cool with just being friends, but then she told me about her feelings. And, I dunno, we just mutually agreed we liked each other romantically I guess. I don’t understand much about it myself, but it feels right.”

“Awww that’s so sweet,” Anne cooed as she hugged her brother.

“Why do you ask?” He said as he jumped out of her arms.

Anne avoided eye contact. “Uh, no reason.”

Sprig narrowed his eyes. “You like someone,” he pointed in shock.

“What?! No, no I don’t!” Anne laughed.

“Oh, come on! You gotta tell me,” Sprig whined as he shook her shoulder.

“I don’t know, dude, I’m not even sure if I like her or not!” Anne frowned.

Sprig stopped, then smiled. “It’s Marcy, isn’t it?”

Anne could feel her cheeks flush. “You little brat, come here,” she said as she grabbed him and gave him a noogie.

“Ahhh, nooo stop!” He laughed as his hat covered his eyes.

Anne let him go after a bit and he fixed up his hair and hat, both of them laughing. “Don’t tell, ok? I’m still figuring it out.”

Sprig smiled and gave a thumbs up. “No problem! My lips are sealed.”

Anne sighed in relief. She didn’t realize how much the thought had been nagging at her. But was it true? Did she like Marcy? Love Marcy? Love was a big word, with a lot of weight behind it. It was all so complicated. She didn’t even want to entertain the idea. In her mind, it was a tragedy waiting to happen. She wished her parents were here to help.

“Yeah, me too,” Sprig said sadly.

Anne realized she said that last part out loud. Anne sighed. “Sorry buddy. Didn’t mean to ruin the mood.”

He waved his hand. “It’s fine, I get it. I miss ‘em too after all.”

Anne could tell he was brushing it off. “Wanna talk about it?” She asked.

Sprig looked at the ground for a moment before kicking the snow lightly. “Yeah, maybe.”

Anne sat crisscrossed and patted her lap. Sprig took a seat. They hadn’t talked about their parents in a long time. It was always a touchy subject. Sprig remembered them, but he tended to never bring them up. Anne wishes she knew what happened to them, but in all honesty, she doesn’t.

“Do you think…they’ll ever come back?” He asked suddenly.

Anne felt her heart ache. “Oh Sprig,” she sighed.

He looked away. “I wish we knew what happened,” he said and she could hear his voice shake.

Anne nodded. “Yeah, me too, bud.”

It was a mystery that loomed over the Plantar children for years. Polly never even got to know her parents. She never asked about them much, and when she did, she would only ask Hop Pop.

“Do you think they didn’t like us anymore?” Sprig asked suddenly.

Anne was shocked. “What? No, that’s not true!”
She wrapped him in a tight hug. “You know that’s not true. They loved us,” she reassured.

He sniffled into her side and nodded his head. Anne’s memories of their parents were the clearest. Her mom and dad were the kindest people she knew. Her dad reminded her of Hop Pop, and her mom was so caring. So giving. Sure, they had their spats as Anne grew into a teen, but she never felt they were mean. And then they just…disappeared.

Anne remembered that night only in parts. That was the first time she ever turned into a werewolf. She remembered going to sleep. After that…she woke up in a crying Hop Pop’s arms. She passed out again after that, waking back up in her bed, her body sore. Hop Pop had a talk with her about her parents leaving for a trip to Newtopia. He explained what happened to her that night, and Anne was horrified. He said they left to find a cure for Anne.

As Anne got older, she wondered if they left permanently because of her. Maybe they didn’t want to deal with a monster for a daughter. But Anne knew that those thoughts were unlikely, and it’s more likely they died on the journey. It wasn’t uncommon in these parts. She just wished she got to say goodbye.

Sprig finished his crying and wiped his nose. “You ok buddy?”

He nodded. “Yeah.”

She rubbed his head, ruffling his hat and hair. He giggled and swatted her hand away. She sighed. “No more sad talk,” she said gently.

He nodded. “Ok! Can we go to the stream?” He said as he wiped the last of the tears away.

“Of course,” she said as she picked him up in her arms. He cheered as she did, always enjoying the extra height. She took him down to the small stream they used to catch frogs at. Unfortunately, no frogs would be out in this weather. The stream was still running despite the cold. The two played by it for the rest of the afternoon, enjoying the time they had together.

———

The month went by very quickly. Anne’s nightmares got progressively worse unexplainably. Marcy was involved in all of them, always ending with her demise. It made Anne very on edge. It made her too nervous to try any more tests. Marcy respected this, but Sasha was skeptical, thinking they needed to practice more. Speaking of Sasha, she hung around more often. She said it was to keep an eye on Anne.

The full moon was creeping up once again, making Anne a nervous wreck. There was a lot of pressure this time around. Things needed to go smoothly. Marcy had made a suggestion that gave Anne a heart attack. Marcy and Sasha could accompany Anne on the night of the full moon. This way there was no ambush attack, and they could try and calm Anne down as soon as possible.

Anne was very hesitant about this. She had never had anyone with her when she changed. It was always a private matter. But Anne trusted Marcy, so she gave it the ok. Hop Pop was also very anxious about this, but if Anne said it was ok, he said it was ok. The night before, Sprig asked Anne if he could come with them on the full moon. She shot down the idea, explaining it was too dangerous. He pouted but left it at that.

The Plantar family and company got together in the living room on the night of the full moon.

“So what’s the plan?” Asked Hop Pop, Polly on his lap.

Marcy finished packing up her satchel. “We go with Anne into the woods, and from there we plan on taming the wolf.”

Hop Pop looked over to Anne who was huddled up in a fetal position on the couch. “Is that possible?” He asked.

“We think so,” Marcy answered.

Sasha put on her belt that held her swords. “If it’s not, we’ll have to come up with something else.”

Hop Pop hummed in concern. “You girls be careful. I can’t help you if something goes wrong.”

Sasha waved him off. “We’ll be fine.”

Sprig checked the time. During winter the sun went down sooner, and it meant Anne had to leave earlier. “You guys should probably go,” he said.

Marcy nodded and put her hand on Anne’s shoulder. She shook at the touch. “You ready?” She asked.

Anne pathetically nodded and got up. Her usual attire of overalls and undershirt was replaced with stitched-up old rags. Hop Pop would make clothes that were easily disposable for Anne to wear when she transformed, so nothing of value was lost. Marcy held Anne’s hand as they headed out the door.

Anne heard Polly yell a goodbye and smiled before nearly losing her breath to the cold. That mixed with her feverish sweat made the winter air almost unbearable, but she’s been through it before. Anne led the way with Marcy at her side and Sasha close behind. Once they came upon the tree with the cave at its base, Anne let go of Marcy’s hand.

“Ok, this is it,” Anne shivered.

“What’s this?” Sasha asked.

“This is where I usually go when I change,” Anne said as she made her way over.

“Do you want us to wait out here?” Marcy asked.

“Yes, please,” Anne said as she walked inside and sat down.

It wasn’t a very big space. Just big enough for her to sit. She supposed the wolf was too big for this space, but it hasn’t posed a problem yet.

Anne was beginning to feel self-conscious. “Um, could you guys…not be this close?”

“Why?” Sasha asked, confused.

“I’m just nervous. Maybe just go behind some trees or something. I don’t want you to see me,” she said as she shook in the cold.

Marcy placed a hand on Sasha’s shoulder. “Ok, we won’t go far, but we won’t watch.”

Marcy waved goodbye as she and Sasha walked away. Once they were out of Anne’s view, she relaxed only a little. But then the sun went down and she felt her body betray her as pain took over. Her breathing became erratic and her vision blurry. It didn’t take long before she lost consciousness completely.

———

Marcy wasn’t sure what she was expecting when Anne changed. She had been vague in her description. Marcy respected Anne’s request by not watching, but she could hear it. The yelling, cracking, and growling all painted a vivid picture. It was horrifying. She saw Sasha pull out her weapons as Anne’s yells became animalistic.

The two looked at each other nervously. Marcy decided to check and see if they could attempt their plan. She saw the fully changed Anne shaking her fur, heat rolling off like steam in the cold, and sniffing the air. The wolf’s eyes snapped in the direction of Marcy and growled. It was now or never.

Marcy walked slowly and carefully over, making herself as non-threatening as possible. The wolf raised her hackles and bared her teeth. Marcy held her ground and continued. She could hear Sasha moving behind her and Anne’s attention moved to her. The wolf seemed to get even more angry.

“Anne, it’s ok. It’s me, Marcy,” she said gently.

Anne didn’t waver, but she didn’t attack. Marcy was shaking, and it wasn’t from the cold. She could hear her heart beating in her ears.

“Come on, Anne. You know us,” she tried again.

Marcy stumbled as she was walking and almost fell. At that moment, Anne jumped. Marcy closed her eyes and braced, but Sasha jumped in front. Anne bit down on Sasha’s sword.

“I don’t think we can get through to her, we have to deter her,” Sasha yelled.

Before Sasha could use her other sword to attack, Anne bit through the first one, shattering it. Sasha cursed under her breath and swung her other sword, slicing Anne’s ear off. The wolf snarled in anger and pain. Marcy scrambled to get out the wolfsbane, but she wasn’t fast enough. Anne had shoved Sasha aside with a swing of her paw, flinging her against a tree.

Marcy was face to face with Anne, the wolf hunched down to look her in the face. The bright blue eyes made Marcy freeze. Anne lifted her paw, claws ready to strike, but she froze at the sound of a voice.

“Anne!” Sprig yelled through labored breath as though he had run a marathon.

“What the hell are you doing here, kid?” Sasha yelled as she recovered from her hit.

Marcy internally freaked. If anything happened to Sprig, Anne would be devastated.

“I-I just wanted to help!” He cried.

He was shaking with tears in his eyes. He looked terrified. Anne had frozen in place, eyes locked onto him. Her expression was neutral as though she’d been stunned. Everyone was still.

“Anne? Is that Anne?” He shakily asked Marcy.

Marcy nodded her head, unsure if she should move or not. Anne was still frozen in place, paw raised.

Sprig walked forward, his hand outstretched. “H-hey Anne. Um, it’s Sprig.”

Tears fell from his face. “Sorry for coming, I know you didn’t want me to, b-but I thought I could help.”

Anne put her hand down and moved towards Sprig. Sasha grabbed her sword, but Marcy put a hand up to signal her to hold. This could work. If Marcy couldn’t get through to her, Sprig could.

Anne moved slowly and carefully. She was showing no hostility, but curiosity. Sprig brought his hand back when she approached, nerves overtaking him. He looked to Marcy, seemingly for guidance. Marcy tried to reassure him silently, motioning him to put his hand out. She was very aware that If this went south, Sprig would pay the price, but she tried to hide that fear.

He put his hand back out, trying to present himself with more confidence. Anne sniffed his hand. Marcy readied an arrow in her crossbow just in case, and Sasha was also at the ready. This was their final shot.

———

Stupid. Stupid. Stupid.

How can you talk about love when you can’t even bring yourself to look at me? I can't stand you. I will take away what you believe you love. I will finish what I started.

Stupid. Stupid. STUPID…

Oh

It’s your brother. Your brother. Our brother. My brother.

———

Sprig had never seen Anne as a wolf. He realized this only as he saw her for the first time. He didn’t expect her to be so frightening. Watching as Anne nearly clawed Marcy’s face off, he yelled to try and stop her. He did stop her, but now Anne was looking at him, and it scared him.

But when she approached, there was a familiarity there that gave him confidence. And then he touched her head. She leaned into the touch, and let him pet her head. The fur felt almost exactly like Anne’s hair. His heart pounded erratically with anxiety, but he kept his composure.

When Anne moved back, she looked confused. Or as close to that expression as a wolf’s face could make. She backed away further, her eyes wide with fear. And then she ran. Just like that, she was gone. Sprig felt the adrenaline melt from his body, and he crumpled to the floor.

Marcy ran to his side and hugged him. He cried into her shoulder. Marcy whispered reassurances to him as he hiccuped and sobbed. Sprig cried until he fell asleep in Marcy's arms, exhaustion catching up to him. When he woke up, the sun had just risen. He was sleeping against a tree with Marcy’s satchel at his side. Looking up, he saw Marcy sleeping against her own tree, with Sasha guarding nearby.

Sprig got up groggily and alerted Sasha that he was awake. She walked over to Marcy and nudged her shoulder. She woke up quickly and nearly jumped up when she saw the sun coming up.

“We need to go find Anne,” she declared.

The three walked for about thirty minutes in silence before they managed to find her. She was huddled up in the snow practically freezing to death. Marcy pulled out a blanket and wrapped it around her.

Anne made a noise and opened her eyes. “Five more minutes,” she mumbled.

“I’ll carry her,” Sasha sighed as she picked Anne up with a grunt.

“Thanks,” said Marcy.

Sprig nervously watched from the side. He followed them quietly as they made their way back home. He felt like he was in a lot of trouble. He can already hear Hop Pop’s yelling.

Marcy moved next to him. “Hey, you ok?”

She startled him out of his thoughts. “Yeah, I’m ok. Is Anne ok?”

Marcy nodded. “Yup, she should be fine. Her ear will grow back.”

Sprig smiled, happy that she was ok.

“Y’know, you really shouldn’t have followed us. It was a very risky thing you did. But you did save us, and you may have helped out more than you think,” Marcy explained.

“What do you mean?” He asked.

“Well, a little something I noticed this morning is that Anne didn’t have any blood on her. If my guess is correct, she didn’t kill anything,” she smiled.

He was still lost. “Which means?”

Marcy smiled with pride. “Which means we’ve made our first big breakthrough!”

Chapter Text

I didn’t want this.

I didn’t want to be your enemy.

I didn’t want to be like this.

It was an accident, you know. I was so angry, and…scared. I guess that hasn’t changed much.

Maybe it’s all you’re good for. Maybe it’s what you want. And maybe next time it’ll eat you alive…

———

Anne woke up feeling off. Probably because she was hungry. So hungry in fact that she ignored any form of fatigue and scrambled up the stairs at a breakneck pace. Slamming open the basement hatch, she spared no time getting to the pantry.

This was a new experience. She’d never woken up feeling hungry after a full moon before, usually she was just tired. But this was worse. She was eating practically everything all because her stomach felt like it was on the verge of collapsing. Poor Hop Pop was gonna have to get groceries early. Unfortunately, she was eating too fast, causing her chest to spasm and heave, and the next thing she knows she’s throwing it all up in the sink.

Even with her stomach and throat on fire, she still felt hungry. She pathetically clung to the side of the sink as the terrible nausea ebbed away. As she was about to see if she could find anything else to eat, Marcy walked in.

“Anne?!” Marcy looked surprised as she ran over to Anne’s side.

The sudden noise caused Anne’s head to spin. She groaned as Marcy asked her a load of questions.
Marcy helped Anne to the table.

“Can you get me some…I dunno, bread or something? I’m still hungry,” Anne mumbled to her.

Marcy looked in the bread box, but it was empty. Anne had already eaten it. Marcy looked in the pantry, but that was also emptied.

“We’re out…did you eat everything?” Marcy asked.

“Ugh, it’s all gone? Thought I would’ve left at least a little bit of food,” she groaned.

Marcy sat down at the table and had on her thinking face. “So, you’re still hungry?”

Anne nodded. Marcy hummed. “It’s probably because you didn’t eat last night.”

Anne’s eyes widened. “I didn’t?!” She yelled in confusion.

Anne still hadn’t been informed on the events of the night previous. Marcy filled her in on what happened. When she found out Sprig was involved, she felt her heart drop. Marcy had to stop her from getting up to talk to him. She told Anne to wait a minute to let her stomach settle. She begrudgingly obeyed and let Marcy finish. When she was done, Anne didn’t know what to think.

“But I don’t remember anything,” was Anne’s first thought.

“One step at a time,” Marcy smiled.

“Well, what do you think? About what happened,” Anne asked, hesitance in her voice.

“I think Sprig acted as a trigger. Seeing him must’ve made you remember something I suppose. Brought you back to the forefront, if only slightly,” Marcy explained.

“So, what, we just need Sprig?” Anne asked, only slightly joking.

“I think it’s a bit more complicated than that. You said you’ve been spending more time with him recently right?” She asked.

Anne had been able to manage her time better now that she was coming to terms with herself more. She made more time for her family individually rather than sulking.

Anne nodded. “Yeah, a couple times this past month.”

“Maybe that has something to do with it?” Marcy theorized.

“But why would I have attacked you? I thought I didn’t last time we practiced,” Anne asked.

Marcy put her chin in her hand. “Good point. I don’t have an answer for that I’m afraid.”

Anne slumped slightly in her chair. “More questions,” she said sadly.

“Progress is progress. Now let’s go get something to eat. You need more food in your system,” Marcy said as she stood from the table.

“That sounds like a dream, I swear I feel like I’m dying,” Anne laughed.

Before they left Marcy gave her a funny look.

“What’s wrong?” Anne asked.

“Just…last night, Sasha cut your ear off,” Marcy said.

Anne put her hands on her ears to check. They were both there. “Are you sure?”

Marcy nodded. “It was gone when we found you. Maybe a little bit healed, but it seems it grew back while you were sleeping.”

Anne could feel a change in skin tissue where her ear met her head. It felt like a scar. Anne remembered that she had a scar where her arm got cut off as well. She guessed the healing wasn’t completely perfect, but it frightened her just how efficient it was.

“Weird,” Anne mumbled.

———

The pair had breakfast at the diner in town. There hadn’t been much commotion in the town until after they got out of the building. A crowd had swamped the town square.

“What’s going on?” Marcy asked.

Anne shrugged. Curious, the two made their way closer to the center. To Marcy’s surprise, Sasha was at the fountain.

She turned to them. “There you idiots are. Hope you’re ready to put on a good act, cause I think the mayor’s about to put you on the spot,” she finished while pointing to Marcy.

“Wha-“ she started before she was cut off by the mayors jolly voice.

“Ladies and gentlemen! Thank you for being here this morning, as I have a wonderful announcement to make,” he loudly proclaimed as the crowd of people quieted down to a hush.

“Last night was a full moon as most of you are aware, and I am pleased to say our livestock have been spared for the first time in five years!”

The crowd cheered in response, an applause accompanying it.

“Marcy Leviathan! If you could be so kind as to come up here and tell us of your accomplishments, we’d love to hear,” he said pointing to her.

Great, Marcy thought bitterly.

Anne gave her a thumbs up for encouragement, and Marcy awkwardly walked up to the stand, the people clearing a path.

She cleared her throat and spoke. “Yes, I’m glad that we lost no lives last night. Ms. Waybright and I were able to…” she paused. “…stop the Beast…”

“It’s dead?!” Someone in the crowd called out.

Oh shit, she thought.

“The Beast is dead!” Another yelled.

Excitement roared through the community. People were hugging and cheering. Marcy hadn’t seen the town this happy in the few months she’s been here.

“This is excellent news!” The Mayor came up beside her.

“B-but,” Marcy stuttered.

“This calls for a celebration!” He cheered.

“But we didn’t-“ Marcy started but she was cut off again.

“A party in your honor! Along with Waybright! Yes, it will be wonderful,” he announced. “It shall be held next week! Wartwood is finally free!” Toadstool yelled, the crowd returning his enthusiasm.

Marcy was now stunlocked, unable to speak. Even as the crowd began to disperse and the Mayor said something else to her, she didn’t say a word. Anne and Sasha had to walk up to her at the podium.

“Good work, Princess,” Sasha said sarcastically.

“Marcy, what happened?” Anne asked, concerned.

“I tried to explain…they just…,” She mumbled.

“They heard what they wanted to hear,” Sasha finished.

Marcy frowned. “And now they think the Beast is dead. If we don’t get the werewolf fully under control before the next moon, any slip up will ruin everything.”

“So?” Sasha asked. She seemed genuine in her question.

“Because…I don’t want to let them down. You saw how happy everyone was,” Marcy said.

Sasha shook her head in disappointment and sighed. “Then we won’t slip up, If it really matters so much to you that we keep up the lie.”

Marcy was rather surprised. “You’re…still gonna help?”

“I don’t want anyone dying, and I doubt I could change your mind with how stubborn you are,” Sasha grumbled.

Marcy smiled. “Well, thank you.”

“Don’t mention it,” she said bluntly as she walked off, supposedly to her place of stay.

Marcy looked to Anne who looked terribly lost in thought.

“Anne?” Marcy said nervously, touching her arm.

“Huh? What?” She said as she snapped out of it.

“You ok? You looked out of it,” she said, retracting her hand from Anne’s arm.

“Yes…no? I don’t know. I mean,” she laughed “imagine if they found out I was the Beast, right? They were so happy finding out it was dead. And if I do slip up…” Anne trailed.

Marcy put her hands on Anne’s shoulders. “Anne, you’re spiraling. It’ll be fine, I promise.”

Anne sighed shakily. “I’m just…worried.”

“I know you are. But I’ll keep you safe, no matter what,” Marcy smiled.

Anne had a look Marcy couldn’t read, but smiled in return. “Thank you,” she said softly.

———

Sasha’s armor clanked to the floor as she finished taking it off. She needed a moment of reprieve from it, and it needed a wash. There was rarely a moment she didn’t have it on. She practically slept in it. Luckily, Felicia had offered to take it and get it cleaned up. While the townsfolk mostly kept to themselves, Felicia was a bit more outgoing than most. She would check in with Sasha whenever she left her room, despite Sasha only ever answering bluntly.

Sasha’s general opinion of Wartwood was more or less indifferent. She was more focused on her job rather than getting attached to the people. Every village in the valley always praised Sasha for her efforts in helping them. This place was no different.

There was a knock at her door. “Come in,” she responded.

Felicia opened the door. “Delivery for you,” she said as she handed Sasha an envelope. “And I’ll take this for you,” she said as she took Sasha’s armor out of the room.

“Thanks,” Sasha mumbled as she opened the envelope.

She wasn’t expecting any mail. Opening it up, she recognized the handwriting immediately.

Dear Lieutenant Waybright,

It’s your uncle Grime. I’m writing this to check up on you. I haven’t heard from you in a while, and I found out you’ve made it to that Wartwood place. I’ve heard some nasty things about it, but at least you’ll have a good challenge. Stay safe, Lieutenant.

Captain Grime

Sasha was shocked to see a letter from her Uncle. He never wrote to her. They just stopped writing to each other one day. Maybe she should’ve made more of an effort, but it was good to see he still cared. Their relationship was more formal than anything. She worked for him for a while after all. Seeing him still calling her Lieutenant made her smile.

She lingered on his “good challenge” comment. She guessed he was right. Her situation was certainly a challenge. She couldn’t hack and slash like she was used to. It was becoming more of a hassle than she would’ve liked. So why was she still here?

Sasha could up and leave anytime she likes. Go and kill monsters like she’s supposed to. But she’s instead staying and helping one. Grime would laugh in her face if he found out. Oh well, she’s dug the hole deep enough. Might as well keep digging.

———

Anne and Marcy filled Hop Pop in on the latest development. He wasn’t thrilled about it, but he said he’d continue to support their endeavors. But…what was next for them? Anne was glad nobody was hurt last night, and no animals were killed, but she wasn’t sure she was comfortable if Sprig was involved.

Marcy had reassured Anne things would be ok, but she still wasn’t convinced. Marcy went to the basement to do some writing and note-taking, while Anne went to look for Sprig. She needed to talk to him. She found him sitting on the floor of his room playing with his action figures made of wood, straw, and burlap. The poor little guy looked so tired.

She knocked lightly on his door. “Hey, dude,” she said quietly.

He jumped slightly, but turned and smiled. “Hi, Anne!” He said excitedly.

He jumped up from his spot and gave Anne a hug. “How’re you doing?” Anne asked.

“I’m ok,” he said happily.

Anne hummed and picked him up to look him in the eye. “Do you wanna talk about last night?” She asked.

“What about?” He asked genuinely, legs swinging in the air.

“Well, I wanna make sure you’re ok. Was it scary?” Anne asked as she put him back down on his feet.

He seemed hesitant to answer. “Yes…,” he said.

Anne nodded in understanding. “Yeah, I’ll bet it was,” she said sadly.

“But I had to come! Marcy was gonna get hurt,” he justified.

Anne sighed. “I know, and you helped. You really did, and I’m so proud of you for being so brave. But if you had gotten hurt…I don’t know if I could have lived with that.”

Sprig had a sad expression on his face. Anne kneeled to his height. “But I can’t thank you enough for coming. I’m so sorry you had to see me like that.”

Sprig smiled. “It's ok, honest. I just want you to be ok.”

Anne felt her heart well with a happiness she couldn’t describe. She placed a hand on his head. “You’re the best brother in the world, you know that?”

“Yeah, I know,” he giggled.

“Alright, Mr. Humble, wanna go grab a treat?” Anne asked as she stood back up.

“Ooo, like what?” Sprig asked as he readjusted his hat.

“What would you like?” She asked as they began to walk downstairs.

“I want cookies! Oh, and hot chocolate!” He cheered.

“You got it, bud,” Anne smiled.

The two spend the rest of their afternoon baking cookies and eating them by the fire, with Polly joining them along the way. Anne would keep Sprig safe no matter what, but she felt truly lucky to know he would have her back in return.

———

Marcy tapped her pen against her head as she thought of what to write. The blank piece of paper stared back at her tauntingly, urging her to put something on the page. She looked to the clock in Anne’s room to see only ten minutes had passed since she made her way down here. She needed to send a letter to her dad. It’s been too long, and he was probably getting worried. But what was she supposed to tell him?

Ever since he sent Sasha, she hadn’t updated him. There was a part of her that wanted to keep it that way, mostly for Anne’s sake. She wouldn’t want her dad to get more involved than he needed to be. But she definitely didn’t want to leave him in complete darkness. He was probably worried sick. Best to keep things vague then.

Dear Father,

I’m sorry for my lack of updates as of late. I know you must be worried, but I have good news! I’ve made lots of progress on my mission. The hunter you sent proved to be quite helpful, if a bit difficult at first. I’ve made such strong connections here, it’s become very homelike. The Plantars have been nothing but kind, and I’ve made a great friend with a girl named Anne Plantar. I hope you get to meet her soon. With any luck, the werewolf will soon be dealt with, and I’ll hopefully see you come spring.

Love, your daughter Marcy

Perfect. Short and sweet, and not too revealing. She hopes that once this is all said and done she could maybe continue to spend time with the Plantars. Maybe there’s more missions she could take in the area. She’ll think about it more when the time comes. She finished the letter by putting her wax stamp on the envelope and put it to the side to dry.

Marcy looked over at the clock again. About an hour or so had passed. Yikes, it took her longer than she thought. An inviting smell drew her attention upstairs. Opening the hatch, the unmistakable smell of cookies filled her nose. Sitting in the living room was Sprig and Polly eating freshly baked sugar cookies.

“Marcy! Come have a cookie!” Sprig said happily.

“I don’t want to intrude,” said Marcy.

“Don’t be silly, come on! Anne made them,” Sprig said, pointing to the kitchen where Anne was finishing cleaning up.

“Alright, alright. I’ll have one,” she said, sitting down next to Sprig and taking one from the plate that was laid out.

“More for me,” Polly said as she took two, with one already in her mouth.

“Hop Pop will get mad if you ruin your appetite before dinner, Polly,” Sprig scolded.

“Well then you shouldn’t have made them,” Polly retorted playfully.

“No hot chocolate if you start fighting,” Anne threatened as she walked in the kitchen.

That made the two kids stop bickering immediately. Anne rolled her eyes and put down three mugs on the table, keeping one in her own hand. She sat down next to Marcy and handed the mug to her.

“Oh, you didn’t have to make me one,” Marcy said.

“It’s no problem,” Anne said, smiling.

Marcy put the mug in her lap and stared at the steam rising from the hot liquid. “Thanks,” said Marcy.

“You guys excited for the party?” Sprig asked.

“What, the town party?” Anne questioned.

He nodded. “Yeah! Don’t you think it’ll be fun? We get to dress up and dance around to music! I’m not sure if I’ve ever even been to a party before.”

“Huh, you’re right. Guess there was never a reason to have one,” Anne thought.

“Sounds obnoxious to me,” Polly sneered.

“Oh, don’t be such a downer. I’m sure it’ll be awesome!” Sprig stood on the couch excitedly. “You two could even go together!” He said pointing at Anne and Marcy.

Anne seemed to flinch next to Marcy. “Together?” Marcy asked.

“Yeah, why not?” Sprig said. Polly hit him on his side. “Ow, what?” He asked.

Marcy turned to Anne who was glaring at Sprig “Would you want to go together?” Marcy asked her, not really thinking about what she was saying. They were friends, so why couldn’t they.

Anne turned to her a bit shocked. “Y-you want to? To go I mean.”

“I’ve never been to a small town party. Seems fun!” Marcy smiled.

Anne laughed nervously. “And you’d want to go…with me?”

Marcy rolled her eyes playfully. “Anne, you’re my friend. Of course I’ll go with you.”

Anne seemed to relax. “Alright, if you say so. Mind if I go with Marcy you two?” She asked her siblings.

“Ew, I don’t wanna go with Sprig,” Polly said as she took the last cookie.

“Don’t worry, Hop Pop will take you guys,” Anne laughed.

“I don’t wanna go with Hop Pop either!” Polly yelled.

“You’ll be fine, Polly,” Anne sighed.

Sprig and Polly started to argue about the party while Anne just ignored it. Marcy smiled at the bond they had and took a sip of the hot chocolate. She cringed a little at the heat, but it tasted better than she could've imagined.

———

Thank you everyone for your patience and happy 1 year anniversary to The Beast of Wartwood! Pic above by @Ravespix on Twitter