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Chapter Text

Nighttime had fallen and the stars were scattered across the night sky. The moon was concealed behind a layer of clouds. In the Bad End Kingdom, Joker and the trio were having dinner. Majorina ate her frog legs, Joker was daintily working on his corn, Akaoni was having some chicken, and Wolfrun chowed down on some ham.

Suddenly, Wolfrun raised his head and emitted a howl without even meaning to. The others looked at him weirdly.

“I’ve heard belching after a good meal is a compliment to a chef, but that’s something new,” Majorina commented.

Wolfrun chuckled awkwardly and shrugged. “I dunno, it just kinda slipped out. Anyway, is there any chicken left?”

Akaoni burped loudly and smiled in satisfaction from such a good meal. “Sorry, nope. Just had the last of it.”

In the blink of an eye, Wolfrun became extremely indignant. As his eyes darkened, he raised his hackles and bared his teeth, snarling in frustration. Akaoni’s smile faded, and before he could say a word, Wolfrun sank his teeth into his hand. Akaoni hollered in pain and tried to pull his hand out, but Wolfrun had a very tight grip on him.

Shocked by Wolfrun’s outburst, Joker and Majorina grabbed Wolfrun by the shoulders and yanked him off Akaoni. Akaoni looked at his hand, which had quite a bad mark on it, but the skin itself was not broken.

“What has gotten into you?!” Majorina shouted.

Wolfrun got on all fours and growled at her. To protect her, Akaoni grabbed Majorina’s broomstick and smacked Wolfrun on the head with it. All this did was make Wolfrun even angrier, and he snatched it out of Akaoni’s hands with his teeth before shaking his head around like the stick was a chew toy.

“Drop it!” Majorina ordered Wolfrun, and she held onto the broomstick, but Wolfrun refused to let go. Joker took a piece of ham off Akaoni’s plate and threw it. Wolfrun’s furious look gave way to one of excitement and he let go of the broomstick. He ran over to the piece of meat, devouring it ravenously.

After he ate it, his eyes went back to normal, and he looked around the room, seeing the teeth marks on the broomstick and Akaoni’s hand. “What the heck just happened?” he inquired.

“You happened!” Joker yelled in exasperation. “You utterly lost your mind!”

“I did?” Wolfrun said in confusion. “I don’t remember that. It felt like I just blacked out.”

“Oh, don’t you dare lie to me!” Joker boomed.

A realization dawned on Majorina. “Hold on,” she said, rubbing her chin pensively. “He said just a bit ago that he didn’t mean to howl. His eyes changed, and he has no memory of what happened. Don’t you know what this usually means?”

“Oh, no, is it that time of the month?” Joker asked. Akaoni let out a loud laugh-snort at how strangely he worded that.

“Let me check the moon first,” Majorina said, and she ran to the window. The clouds had moved out of the way and the moon was in its waxing gibbous form. She then went to a drawer and pulled out a lunar calendar. “Hmm, according to my calculations, twenty-eight days have passed.” Her eyes widened. “So that must mean a full moon is coming near! His werewolf transformation is almost upon us!”

“Oh, that’s terrible!” Joker griped. “He’ll make a horrendous mess if we keep him in the castle!”

Wolfrun cocked a brow. “Uh, priorities?”

“Well, in any case, you’ll have to sleep outside tomorrow night so that you won’t attack us,” Majorina told Wolfrun.

“Aw, I wish we could just pet the big ol’ puppy,” Akaoni cooed. “If he wasn’t so cranky, anyway.”

“Don’t call me that,” Wolfrun huffed. “Wolves are much higher-class than those pathetic critters.”

“Most importantly, we can’t let him bite any of us once he’s fully transformed, and we all know why,” Majorina reminded Joker.

Joker rolled his eyes. “Whatever.”

The next evening, before the sun had set, Wolfrun was in his quarters, listening to heavy metal on his sound-cancelling headphones. Majorina approached him. “Come on, we don’t have much time.”

Wolfrun just bobbed his head to the beat, as he could not hear her over the music. With a huff of exasperation, Majorina yanked off his headphones. “Hurry up!!”

Once again, Wolfrun’s eyes blackened, and he tried to nip at her. Majorina knew this meant the moon was close to coming out, so she grabbed him by the collar of his shirt and dragged him out of the castle. He grumbled and squirmed as she hauled him along.

“Bad boy, bad boy!” she scolded, and then she slammed the door. Wolfrun shook his head, and once again, he couldn’t remember what had just happened.

He looked up as the sky became dark blue and the sun got out of sight. The stars and the moon appeared. True to Majorina’s calculations, it was full. Just then, Wolfrun’s pupils enveloped his irises until his eyes became jet-black and his fur stood on end. He let out a yelp of agony as his transformation began. His height increased by two feet, his claws became much sharper, his legs became digitigrade, which tore right through his boots. Wolfrun’s muscle mass expanded, which tore his leather shirt and only left him in his pants, and his fangs increased in length. He raised his head and belted out the song of his people; a great howl. Wolfrun got on all fours and ran off into the distance.

In Nanairogaoka, Akane and Yayoi were together. They were having a nighttime hike in the forest and watching the stars.

Yayoi held Akane’s hand, looking nervous. “Y-you’re sure nothing’s out there?”

“Yup,” Akane responded. “There aren’t any aggressive critters for miles around. We’re in the safer neck of the woods.”

Right after Akane had said this, they heard a howl. The very startled Yayoi squealed and clung to Akane, whose smirk faded. The sound of footsteps pattering became louder and clearer, especially since it was mixed with the sound of the grass rustling. The girlfriends heard the snapping of a twig, and they whirled their heads around. Stepping out of the shadows was Wolfrun, baring his teeth as drool dribbled out of his mouth.

Horrified, the girls began to back away slowly. Akane squinted and she could tell it was Wolfrun due to his distinguishing white mane and tail, but she had no idea why he looked like this. Wolfrun stood up, bringing himself to his full height, and unleashed a mighty roar.

“RUN!” Akane yelled. Though Yayoi briefly froze up out of fear, she was knocked out of her trance from Akane’s shout, and they both darted off. Wolfrun got back down on all fours and bolted after them, snapping his jaws.

The strap of Yayoi’s shoe became caught on a tree’s root, which tripped her. Akane initially didn’t notice and continued to run. This allowed Wolfrun to catch up to Yayoi and he lunged at her. She screamed in alarm, alerting Akane, who hadn’t gone too far. With a great yell, Akane became Cure Sunny and tackled Wolfrun before he could lay a clawed hand on Yayoi. They wrestled on the ground. Wolfrun swiped at Cure Sunny, but she moved her head out of the way and punched him in the nose. With a grunt, he bit her on the arm and his fangs sank deeply into her flesh, which broke the skin. She shrieked and clutched the pained area, and this distraction let Wolfrun knock her off and pin her down with his paws. Cure Sunny gave Wolfrun a terrific kick to the stomach that was powerful enough to send him flying far away. Panting, Cure Sunny turned back into Akane.

Yayoi finally freed herself from the root and went to Akane’s side. “Are you alright?”

Akane slowly got up and winced. Her arm was very sore, and the teeth marks were a sight to behold. “Yeah.”

“Oh, that looks bad,” Yayoi said in concern, and then she put her hands behind her back shyly. “Thank you for saving me.”

“No problem, sparky,” Akane replied, wrapping her good arm around Yayoi. “I did what I had to do.”

“I think we’ve had enough excitement for one night,” Yayoi said. “We should head home.”

“Good call,” Akane agreed.

Later, after Akane returned to her house, she tried to disinfect the bite mark by washing it out in the sink. When she went to bed, it started to get very itchy. She scratched it, but the itch would not go away, so it kept her awake for a while before she finally drifted off to sleep.

Chapter Text

When the morning came, Akane woke up. She checked her arm and found that the bite mark had not faded. She was a bit confused, as she thought it would’ve healed at least a little bit by now. Her thoughts were interrupted by an ungodly roar from her stomach, reminding her that she still needed breakfast. She went to the kitchen, where her father Daigo was cooking, her mother Masako was sipping some tea, and her younger brother Genki was rubbing his eyes.

“Hey, guys, what’s cookin’?” Akane asked.

“Mornin’,” Daigo greeted her. “We’ve got grilled fish.”

Akane grinned and took a seat. She had a craving for meat, and this was just what the doctor ordered. A couple minutes passed, and she started to get impatient as her hunger pangs grew. She drummed her fingers on the table. “How’s it coming along, dad?”

“It’s almost ready,” Daigo answered.

Akane still could not wait much longer. She had the urge to gnaw on something, and without thinking, she chewed the tablecloth. Genki gave her one of those “what the heck?” looks. Realizing what she was doing, she let go of it and blushed slightly.

“You are so weird,” Genki deadpanned.

Daigo, who was still rather befuddled, handed each family member a plate of salmon. With a look of glee, Akane pigged out on the salmon very messily, covering her face in fish juice. Her family looked on with expressions of bewilderment and disgust.

“Someone’s got an appetite,” Daigo commented.

Masako was exasperated. “Oh, where are your manners today?”

“Sorry, I don’t know what came over me there,” Akane said, wiping her face with a napkin.

After breakfast was over, Akane went to her room. She was confused by what had just happened, but she was distracted by an itch near her ear. She would’ve scratched it with her hand, but she scratched it with her foot instead. This weirded her out even more.

“Why did I do that?” she wondered to herself.

Akane then heard a very grating noise from outside, the siren of a fire engine. Typically, sirens didn’t bother her too much, but this time, she found it unbearable. Her pupils shrank down to tiny dots before she turned her head upwards and let out a howl. She slapped her hands over her mouth, surprised that such a sound came out of her. Shaking her head, she decided to go to the volleyball court to clear her mind. She knew she couldn’t be late for practice anyway.

When she arrived at the court, the other team members waved at her. Soon, they started their game. One girl spiked the ball, and it bounced off a guy’s shoulder, much to his annoyance. Another guy served the ball, and it flew above Akane. When Akane saw the volleyball sailing over her head, a strange instinct overrode her judgement. She ran after the ball and jumped into the air, catching it with her teeth. Several team members stared at her blankly. On the other hand, some of them looked rather amused.

“That’s…kinda impressive,” one girl commented.

Some of the players laughed at varying levels of volume, others remained silent. Akane’s eyes widened once more, and she dropped the ball. She blushed even redder than before and flashed an embarrassed grin, rubbing the back of her head.

Later, Akane was walking down the street. She was getting even more suspicious about her recent behavioral changes, and she knew she’d have to talk to someone about it. She decided that consulting the group chat would be a good place to start.

“hey guys, weird things have been going on,” she typed.

Reika was the first to answer. “What is it?”

Akane thought for a moment, and then she texted, “it’s prolly best if I tell y’all in person, so can we meet at the park by 6:30?”

“sure,” Miyuki replied.

At that scheduled time, the girls, as well as Candy, all assembled by a picnic table.

“So what’s this all about?” Nao asked.

Akane explained what had been going on all day. “And just before you guys showed up, I felt like scratching a tree! I don’t know, man! I can’t seem to control it, it just pops up outta nowhere!”

“Maybe you should play with Latte, she’s a fun puppy too, kuru,” Candy commented. Nao gave her a stern look, and Candy quickly shut up.

Yayoi looked at the wound on Akane’s arm. “Shouldn’t that have healed up at least a little bit by now?”

“Wait, where did you get that?” Reika inquired.

“Wolfrun bit me yesterday, but he looked oddly huge and buff,” Akane said. “I could barely recognize him.”

“You don’t think your bite mark got infected, do you?” Yayoi wondered worriedly.

As they discussed the situation, the sun set, and the sky went dark. The moon came out, and though it wasn’t full this time, it affected Akane in a weird way. Her friends suddenly gasped and stared at her, utterly gobsmacked.

“Huh? What is it?” Akane asked.

“A-A-Akane…your teeth!” Miyuki stammered, pointing to Akane.

“What? Do I have something between my-” Akane began, putting a hand to her face. To her shock, sharp teeth were protruding from her mouth. Her horror only increased when she sported a dark brown muzzle, and her nose turned black as her body became covered in orange fur, though she kept the red hair on the top of her head. The others could do nothing but watch.

Akane yelled and writhed as she continued to transform. Her fingernails grew into claws, she increased in height, she sprouted a tail, and her ears became pointier. She clutched her head, squeezed her eyes shut, and continued to yelp until her voice became deeper and more animalistic to the point where it was unrecognizable. Her hands and feet turned into a pair of brown paws. She stopped thrashing and opened her eyes, revealing that they had turned black.

As she lifted her head skyward, Akane howled at the moon. She turned to the girls and approached them, snarling menacingly.

“Akane?” Nao asked uneasily.

With a roar, Akane charged at them. The girls screamed and ran for their lives. However, due to Candy’s small size and shorter legs, she could not run as fast as the others. Akane grabbed her and got her face quite close to Candy’s, baring her teeth.

“HELP!” Candy shrieked.

The girls stopped running and turned around to see Candy at the mercy of a very close friend. They glanced at each other with looks of great reluctance and shame. The others hated to fight their trusted ally, but they knew there was no other choice. Yayoi, who was the most affected, briefly looked at her feet and closed her eyes. She knew Candy had to be saved, but it pained her to go through with this deed. With that, they turned into their respective Cure forms.

Cure March ran up to Akane and kicked her in the stomach, causing her to fall on her back, losing her grip on Candy in the process. Candy fell harmlessly into the grass. Akane sat up, even more incensed than ever. She pounced at Cure March, only for the latter to jump out of the way. Akane took a swipe at Cure Beauty, only for the latter to grab her by the wrist and throw her down.

Akane’s fur became even more bristled due to her frustration. She opened her mouth and attempted to bite Cure Happy on the leg, but she kicked her away before she could sink her teeth into her and spread the curse.

Cure Peace approached Akane. The last thing she wanted was to attack her. “Listen, I know you’re in there somewhere. Don’t you recognize us?”

Akane growled in response and tackled Cure Peace. She wrapped her claws around Cure Peace’s neck and tightened her grip. Her breathing was restricted, and she began to emit choking noises. The others witnessed this, and fright was a feeling shared by all of them.

“Akane, it’s me!” Cure Peace whimpered, both terrified and devastated. Her eyes welled up and tears began to go down her face. “Please. I love you.”

Upon witnessing Cure Peace’s tears and taking in her heartfelt words, Akane’s expression went from wrathful to confused. When she saw the tight spot Cure Peace was in, as well as the aghast looks on her friends’ faces, horrible guilt flowed through her mind as she realized her grave error. She loosened her grip on Cure Peace and took a few steps backwards, shaking her head.

“No, oh, no,” she whispered, as her ears drooped. “What have I done?”

The girls, upon seeing that she had gone back to her normal mindset, turned back into their civilian forms. Nao walked up to Akane and reached out a hand towards her. “Are you alright?”

Akane stared at her clawed hands for a moment. When she saw Nao approaching her, she shook her head again and drew back. “No, no! Don’t touch me! I don’t wanna hurt you!”

Though Yayoi was still shaken by what had just happened, she did not hold it against her. “Akane-”

“Get away from me!” Akane screamed. She turned tail and began to race home.

“Akane, come back!” Miyuki yelled after her, but Akane did not stop.

Akane brushed away her tears as she continued to sprint. So many thoughts were going through her mind, and it was more than she could stand. What if her friends would never forgive her? When she arrived at her house, she climbed in through the window of her room, not wanting her family to see her like this. She crawled under the blankets of her bed, trembling.

“It’s just a dream, it’s just a dream, it’s just a dream,” she whispered to herself. “Go to sleep, go to sleep.”

Chapter Text

When morning came, Akane had turned back into a human. She opened her eyes, which were quite red, and groaned. She did not sleep very well the preceding night due to her immense remorse. Her phone buzzed, as she got some texts from the group chat, but she just put her phone on silent and turned it upside down. She couldn’t bring herself to read them, as she thought they were furious with her about last night’s incident.

“hey, how you doing?” Miyuki texted.

“we just wanna check in on you,” Nao typed.

Akane peered out the window and saw a mail truck passing by. She felt an atypical feeling of territoriality within and bared her teeth, growling ferociously. She put her hands over her mouth and shook her head. She then heard a knock on the door.

“Akane, breakfast is ready,” Masako said.

Akane sighed. “Keep it in the fridge for later. I’m not really in the mood.”

“Are you feeling okay?” Masako asked.

“Yeah, I’m good,” Akane fibbed. “I’m just not hungry right now.”

“Well, if you’re sure,” Masako said as she walked away.

As an hour went by, Akane continued to stare off into the distance. She felt the urge to gnaw on something, but she did her best to resist the temptation. She then heard voices from outside and realized it belonged to the other girls, including Candy.

“You think she’s asleep, kuru?” Candy wondered.

“No, it’s not like her to sleep this late,” Reika disagreed.

“Yeah, she seemed all shaken up last night,” Miyuki noted.

Akane couldn’t bear to face the girls after what she had done. She dove under her bed with her face in her hands. The girls approached the window, and they could not see Akane.

Nao was puzzled. “Where is she?”

“Maybe she’s playin’ hide-and-seek, kuru!” Candy suggested unhelpfully.

Nao elbowed Candy, nonverbally telling her to shut up. Akane remained silent, waiting for them to give up and leave. However, it was very dusty under her bed, and though she tried to keep it in, she sneezed, giving away her position. Still, she did not move. Not knowing what to do, she trembled, and the others could hear her whimpering. It was rare for them to witness someone as strong as her so vulnerable, so utterly frightened and distraught. They all felt terrible for her, and they looked at each other, wondering what to say.

“Come on out, sunburst,” Yayoi offered gently. “We’re not mad.”

With a sniffle, Akane slowly came out from under the bed and walked up to the window. She looked down at her feet in submission. “I’m sorry, guys. I put you all in danger. I was a monster.”

“We forgive you,” Reika said, nodding her head in understanding.

Akane looked up, quite relieved. “You do?”

“That’s right,” Yayoi said, taking Akane’s hand. “What’s important is that we’re all safe.”

A scary thought crossed Akane’s mind, and her face fell. “But what if I transform again? Then no one is safe from me. What if I hurt my family? Or everyone in town?”

“Right, about that…” Reika began. “We’re going to look up some information about werewolves at the library so we can find a way to reverse this.”

Akane’s face lit up. “Oh, thank God. I’ll be right with you.”

Akane left the house, and they went on their way. When the girls arrived at the library, Candy approached the entrance, only for Miyuki to pick her up and point to a sign saying, “No pets allowed”.

“So?” Candy huffed. “Candy ain’t no pet, kuru.”

Yayoi kneeled to her level. “We’ll be out soon, okay?”

Candy pouted, crossing her arms. “Fine, kuru.”

The rest of the girls entered the building and made a beeline for the nonfiction section. They scanned the spines of the books. Akane saw a book about dinosaur skeletons, which piqued her interest. She took it out, and when she saw the bones on the cover, her canine instincts went into overdrive. She very nearly bit the book until Nao noticed the look in her eye and grabbed her by the shoulders.

“Akane, what are you doing?” she demanded.

Akane frowned. “I dunno. The wolf inside of me is hard to contain.”

“You just sit this one out, okay?” Nao said. “We’ll let you know when we find it.”

A voice was heard from behind the girls. “Find what?”

They turned around, and there was none other than Yuri Tsukikage. “Which book do you require? I’ve practically memorized this place top-to-bottom.”

“One about werewolves,” Akane answered, and then she caught sight of a book about caring for dogs. On the cover was a Shiba Inu with dog treats. Her tongue hung out in excitement like a puppy, and she almost bit the book again until Reika snatched it away from her. Akane snarled until she shook her head and snapped out of it.

Yuri was already quite suspicious, but when she saw the bite mark on Akane’s arm, she knew without a shadow of a doubt what this meant. “You’ve been bitten by a werewolf, haven’t you? Oh, no. This is not good. Not good at all.”

“You mean there’s no antidote?!” exclaimed Miyuki.

“No, there is,” Yuri began to explain, “but it’s far up a mountain known as Mt. Obsidian just westward of this town. You must find a Lupinecone within three days’ time.”

Nao was intrigued. “What happens in three days?”

Yuri then dropped a bombshell on them. “A lunar eclipse will occur. If she does not consume the Lupinecone beforehand, then she will stay in her werewolf form permanently. Her mind will be lost to the wolf within.”

The girls were stunned silent for a good several seconds. They had even less time than they thought. Yayoi’s brow furrowed, and she had a look of determination and resolve. “What does this Lupinecone look like?”

Yuri thought, trying to recollect its appearance. “It is a purple, sparkling flower. It can often be found by lakes in Mt. Obsidian.”

“How do you know all this stuff?!” Akane demanded.

“I read it in Lycanthropy for Louts,” Yuri responded, adjusting her glasses. "Also, I met a werewolf named Olivier once, but that's another story."

“We gotta get going right away!” Miyuki exclaimed.

“You must prepare for the journey first,” Yuri advised.

“Maybe I should stay home while you guys go, I’ll have less of a chance of lashing out at you,” Akane pointed out, but then she became more worried. “But what if I attack my family when I start turning?”

“You must tell your family about this,” Yuri instructed. “Their love can bring you back to your normal state of mind when you transform.”

Akane thought about this. She remembered that her love for Yayoi and her friends brought her to her senses. She was still apprehensive, but she knew she would cross that bridge when she came to it. The others nodded and agreed to meet each other at 4:00 after they were done packing so they could begin their trek.

They all split up and went home. Later, at their scheduled time, they congregated near the outskirts of town. Akane had come to bid her allies farewell.

“Good luck, you guys,” Akane said. “Take care out there, alright?”

“We will, we’ve all got each other to rely on when trouble arises,” Reika affirmed. “And be careful with the lupine impulses.”

“I’ll try.” Akane then looked into Yayoi’s eyes. “I love you, sparky.”

Yayoi kissed her on the cheek and gave her one last hug. “And I love you, sunburst.”

The others took turns giving Akane farewell embraces. When they were done, they waved goodbye to each other as they set off. Akane watched them go until they looked like tiny dots in the distance. With a prayer in her heart, she walked back to her house. She had told her family about the situation earlier, and they were very understanding about it, but she was still worried about injuring them in some way.

When she arrived home, her family was waiting for her. They were quick to notice the serious expression on her face.

“Hey, Akane,” Daigo greeted her. “We know you’re not feeling so great, so why don’t we watch a movie to clear our heads?”

Akane appreciated this. “Thanks, dad. How about Princess Mononoke?”

Daigo put it on. Masako had made some popcorn and she handed each family member their own bowl. The aroma of such an enticing snack awakened Akane’s canine instinct, and she gobbled her share up very sloppily, making loud chewing sounds in the process. Masako cringed slightly.

“Are you sure you’re not a werepig instead?” Genki snarked, but then he saw Daigo crossing his arms in disapproval. “…sorry.”

Just when the movie ended, the sun disappeared, and the moonlight came shining out between the clouds. Akane looked out the window, and her heart dropped into her stomach when she saw how dark it had gotten outside. She began to feel the familiar stabbing pain throughout her body and collapsed to the floor, screaming. The blood of her parents and brother ran cold at the sight of this and their mouths hung open as it continued.

Akane thrashed on the floor, howling in torment, as she changed in form. She struggled to regain her footing and she staggered throughout the room, knocking various items, including a vase, a lamp, and a table, to the floor in the process. In a strained voice, she pleaded, “Please…save…yourselves!”

At that moment, her eyes turned black, and she brought herself to her full height. She was even taller than Daigo, who was already a very burly man. However, Daigo overcame his shock and did not back down. With a serious expression, he stood in front of his wife and son protectively. Even when Akane roared right in his face, he stood his ground.

“Now, now, Akane,” he began. “We’re all here for ya. Just listen-”

Akane simply huffed in response and shoved him to the ground. Daigo fell right on his back and was momentarily stunned, but he regained his focus when Akane plowed towards Masako and Genki. The two of them yelled and made a break for it. Daigo followed Akane as she chased them into the kitchen.

By the time he caught up to them, Akane had cornered Masako and Genki, who were holding each other and trembling. Daigo knew it was now or never. Before Akane could strike, Daigo lunged at his daughter and wrapped his arms around her in a tight hug. Akane let out a grunt in annoyance and tried to squirm out of his grip, but he would not let go. Daigo gestured for Genki and Masako to join in, and they clung on to Akane. As the group hug continued, Akane stopped wriggling and took a deep breath as her usual personality returned to her. She then wrapped her arms and tail around her family as well. Her fur was very soft and warm to snuggle up to.

After some time, Daigo broke the silence. “You all good, Akane?”

“Me? I gotta ask you the same thing,” Akane said. “I didn’t hurt you, did I?”

“Well, we calmed you down before it went too far,” Genki stated.

Akane was deeply relieved. “Thanks. Needed that.”

Masako cleared her throat. “Though you will have to clean up the mess you made in the living room.”

Akane nodded. “Will do, mom.” She walked into the living room confidently, but she was quick to deflate when she saw the broken shards and pieces of wood scattered all over the area. She was less than enthused, but she figured the event could’ve turned out worse, so she got to work.

Later, on Mt. Obsidian, the girls had set up camp. They were all asleep in their sleeping bags. Well, almost all of them. Miyuki was about to doze off, but then she heard soft sniffles and hiccups. She opened her eyes, and Yayoi was sitting up with tears in her eyes.

Miyuki looked at her. "Oh, what's the matter?"

"What if...we can't find it in time?" Yayoi wept. "I don't want to lose Akane."

"Aww, Yayoi..." Miyuki inched over to her and gave her a hug. "We've got a lot to do, but we can't give up. We're a team, and a good team pulls through to the very end. Akane will get better, I promise."

Yayoi wiped a tear from her eye. "I hope so."

"Well, I know so," Miyuki reassured her. "We're the Pretty Cure, and we don't turn our backs on anyone."

"You're right, Miyuki," Yayoi said. "I'll do anything for my sunburst. We will not let her down."

Miyuki was quite proud of her. "That's the spirit."

With a renewed sense of resolve, Yayoi got back in her sleeping bag. She and Miyuki soon dozed off, and the night was peaceful again.

Chapter Text

It was a tranquil morning on Mt. Obsidian. The sun was just barely beginning to rise. For a good while, there was nothing but the sound of birds singing. Before anyone knew it, an earsplitting sound shattered the forenoon serenity and stirred the rest of the gang right out of their slumber. It was Miyuki, banging a frying pan with a wooden spoon.

“Come on, girls! Up and at ‘em, time to keep moving!” she announced.

Nao groaned and rubbed her eyes. “Someone came prepared.”

“Did you really have to do that, kuru?” Candy grumbled.

Miyuki shrugged. “It woke you up, didn’t it?”

An irritated squirrel stomped out of its den and threw an acorn, which bounced off Miyuki’s head. “Guess I deserved that,” she admitted.

They continued moving until they came across a rather steep slope. Nao looked upwards and saw how high up it went. Her heart began to race at the sight of this. With an anxious chuckle, she asked, “Uh, is there another way?”

“No way, that’ll take too long, kuru!” Candy dissented.

“Listen, we gotta do this for Akane,” Yayoi reminded Nao. When she remembered this, Nao became more determined, but she still had some worry in her eyes.

Reika offered her hand. “You can hold my hand as we ascend, if you wish.”

Nao took Reika’s hand. “Thanks, Rei,” she said with an affirmative nod. The support from her loved ones only increased her drive to move on.

They began to scale the slope, but it was hard to stay upright, so they used trees to pull themselves up. Nao held onto a branch, but an ant crawled on her arm. With a shriek, she let go of the tree, causing her to stumble. She nearly fell down the slope, but Reika grabbed her by the wrist and helped her up. Nao gave her girlfriend a grateful look and they continued to climb.

Without any warning, the ground began to shake. The girls clung to the trees for dear life. Nao squeezed her eyes shut, terrified of what would happen if she lost her grip. Cracks began to form on the ground. The branch Candy was holding onto snapped, and with a yelp, she began to plummet, only for Miyuki to catch her by the tail and hold her close.

Just then, the sound of a child sobbing was heard among the rumbling. This activated Nao’s sisterly instinct, which dashed any fear she had. She continued to scale the slope, and she never looked back. The others knew they had to save the child as well, so they followed suit. They soon reached a flatter part of the ground, and though it was hard to keep their balance from all the shaking, they pressed on. Eventually, they came across the source of the sound, but what they saw wasn’t anything close to what they’d expected.

It was a young griffin-like fairy who was the size of an African elephant. She was clutching her injured foot and hopping up in circles, yelping. This must have been the cause of the tremors.

Though Nao was just as befuddled and surprised as the rest of the gang, she knew that kids were kids, no matter what shape or size they came in. She cleared her throat. “Hey, little girl?”

“Little?” Candy commented in disbelief. Reika gestured for Candy to quiet down, as she could tell that Nao knew what she was doing.

The griffin stopped crying for a moment. “Huh?”

“Why are you crying?” Nao asked gently.

The griffin sat on the ground with a thump, once again causing the girls to stumble. “I stepped in some brambles, and I’ve got a big thorn in my foot! It hurts so much!”

She began to bawl again, and her tears came out like a sprinkler. The others managed to jump out of the way of the downpour, but Miyuki was not so lucky, and she was completely drenched.

“Oh, you poor thing,” Nao murmured, and she hugged the griffin- well, sort of, considering her size and all. “Don’t worry, sweetie. We’ll get it out and make your ouchie all better.”

“But how?” Yayoi wondered. “It’s huge!”

“We’ll all have to work together,” Reika declared.

They all held onto each other’s shoulders, with Candy in the way back and Miyuki in the very front of the line. The latter was holding onto the thorn.

“Now!” Miyuki commanded.

“Yeah, what’s up?” Nao answered.

“No, I mean, heave-ho!” Miyuki clarified in exasperation.

All the girls gave a terrific yank at the same time. They then fell backwards and ended up in a heap, right on top of Candy.

“Ow…” she muttered.

The griffin slowly got to her feet. Indeed, her pain was gone. “Oh, thank you, thank you, thank you!” she squealed with glee. She picked the girls up and gave them a big hug. She squeezed them tightly, which practically knocked the wind out of them.

“You’re welcome!” Reika groaned, sounding rather strained. “Now could you put us down, please?”

The griffin put them back on the ground. “What’s your name, kid?” Nao inquired.

“I’m Riff,” the griffin said. “Was great to meet you all, but I better get back to my Grythm Tribe. I gotta be back before my curfew’s over.”

Yayoi remembered something. “Wait, before you go, have you seen a Lupinecone?”

“Ah, keep moving north,” Riff told the girls. “You’ll find it by the lake with the waterfall.”

“Could you fly us there?” Miyuki suggested eagerly. “I’ve always wanted to fly on a big mythical creature!”

Riff looked sheepish. “Sorry, I’m not that good at flying yet, but if you need the help of the Grythm Tribe, I’ve got something for you.” She plucked out one of her feathers and handed it to Miyuki. It was almost as big as Miyuki herself, but it was still very light, hence the old saying.

Miyuki cocked her head. “What’s this for?”

“Our feathers are extra shiny. When we Grythms need help, we lift one of our feathers up to the sun and moon, and it makes a big beacon,” Riff explained. “Other Grythms will know to come by ASAP.”

“Maybe we should save this for an emergency,” Reika said. “We still have a few more nights to go.”

“And I don’t really like flying anyway, to be honest,” Nao admitted.

“Thanks again, and good luck,” Riff said as she lumbered away.

The gang went northward until they found a dark, shady part of the woods. It was completely empty, save for the tall trees that blocked out the sun, and not a single ray of light had passed through. The girls cautiously walked through, but then they heard a very sinister cackle.

Candy leapt into Miyuki’s arms. “What was that, kuru?!”

The giggling only intensified. The girls turned around. Black figures were crawling across the ground, and then they passed onto the tree trunks. They were living shadows! One of them grabbed Reika by the ankle of her shadow and started to drag her away. Nao knew that she had to repay the favor since Reika had helped her earlier, so she sprang into action. She became Cure March, and with her increased strength, she grabbed onto Reika’s arms and yanked her out of the grip of the shadow.

“Gonna need backup here!” she called out.

“Right!” shouted the others, and they turned into their Cure forms.

Cure Happy let out a beam of positive energy, sapping the creep factor of some of the shadow people. Cure Beauty turned several shadows into frozen statues, and Cure March unleashed a flurry of punches that flew faster than the wind itself, causing the shadows to fade.

Candy had to remain a spectator, as she had no powers of her own. Not that she didn’t like the show. “I wish I had some popcorn right now, kuru,” she thought.

A shadow creature went straight for Candy and lifted her by the neck. She emitted a strangled cry of fear. Noticing her little friend's distress, Cure Peace unleashed her Peace Thunder, brightening up the place in an instant. She shocked the sentient shadows, and then electrocuted herself by mistake, as she was often prone to doing. The shadows disappeared into nonexistence. Now that the danger was out of the way, they could keep moving.

Meanwhile, the Hino family was at home. Daigo had almost finished making dinner. Akane was in the bathroom, washing her hands. She had lost track of time and the moon was just beginning to rise. She stopped what she was doing, and her eyes widened as she knew what was about to happen; the familiar twinge was boiling inside of her.

A thud and agonized yelps were heard from inside, followed by a howl. Her mother and brother turned their heads towards the bathroom door, startled. Akane, who was once again a werewolf, kicked the door open, breathing heavily. Masako and Genki rushed over to try to give her a hug, but she pushed them down to the floor. Akane raised her clawed hand and prepared to slash Genki, but Masako threw her arms around Akane and gave her a tight embrace. This was ineffective, and Akane shook her off. Akane locked eyes with Masako and growled. Masako thought that now would be a good time to make a break for it, so she ran into the kitchen and passed by several photos of Akane and Genki when they were younger kids. Some of those photos included them at the beach, at the park, and at Akane’s tenth birthday party.

Masako pointed to the pictures. “Does this ring a bell?! It was Genki’s idea to give you a surprise party!”

Akane ignored this and cornered her mother into the kitchen wall. Daigo, who had just finished making okonomiyaki, heard all the commotion, and turned around. When he saw the spectacle that was taking place, he knew he had no choice but to step in.

“Akane, remember!” Daigo yelled. He held up a plate of freshly prepared okonomiyaki under her nose.

When the aroma wafted into her nasal passages, Akane’s memories of all the time she had spent helping her father cook his famous meals, and eating them, came flowing back to her. They had been eating it for years and it held a special place in her heart. Making the meals was not always easy, but the time they’d spent together, the heart they put into their work, and the taste that brought back so much nostalgia, made it all worthwhile.

Akane’s expression softened. “Oh, dad, how could I forget?” she whispered.

Daigo sighed in relief. “Now, how about we fuel our nostalgia and dig in?”

“Oh, yeah!” cheered Akane and Masako.

Genki peered into the kitchen and was glad to see that it was over, at least for now. As they ate dinner together, his smile faded, as he had noticed that today, it was harder to bring Akane to her senses than yesterday. He knew that he and the family would have to work even harder to snap her out of it. He also hoped that Akane’s friends would find the cure soon.

Chapter Text

The next day, the girls had reached a higher part of the mountain. This part was rather deserted and devoid of life, there were leafless trees on top of the dead grass. Candy was getting quite bored and impatient; the gang hadn’t seen anything new since yesterday.

“Are we there yet, kuru?” Candy sighed.

“Not yet,” Reika responded.

Candy kept mum. A few minutes passed and she spoke up. “How ‘bout now, kuru?”

“Nope,” Nao responded.

Later still, they were on a curvy pathway. They were adjacent to a very rocky part of the mountain, and there was another steep bluff to the right of them.

Once again, Candy wondered, “Are we there yet, kuru?”

Nao was getting quite annoyed by this frequent question. “Say that again, I dare ya,” she grunted through gritted teeth.

“Are we th-” Candy began.

“I didn’t mean that literally!” Nao huffed, rubbing her temples. “Look, the point is, we don’t know how far it is from here, so don’t ask, okay?”

“Now what, kuru?” Candy grumbled. “There isn’t even any internet up here, kuru.”

“Use your imagination,” Miyuki told her. “You can play with anything in nature.”

Candy thought about this. She picked up a big stick and tapped every rock and tree she came across, pretending to play musical instruments. The incessant noise went on for quite a while, and the patience of the girls was wearing thin. Miyuki was exhausted, Reika was covering her ears, and even the normally even-tempered Yayoi looked exasperated. Nobody, however, was more aggravated than Nao.

Nao heaved a huge sigh. “Look, could you just do something else?! Something that doesn't involve poking rocks with that stick, at least?!”

Candy stopped all the racket. The girls were all relieved that they finally had some peace and quiet, but it was short-lived when Candy slowly reached her stick out and poked Nao in the leg with it.

At this point, the limit to Nao’s self-restraint had been reduced to nothing, and she groaned in frustration. “KNOCK IT OFF!”

The sound echoed across the area. A rumble was heard, and the girls looked up, only to find that the force of Nao’s sudden shout had triggered a rockslide. They raced out of the way, but when the stones hit the ground, there was a particularly large boulder that began to roll in their direction. The girls screamed and sprinted down the path as it followed them. Candy tripped over a pebble and screamed in horror as the boulder got closer, but Miyuki pulled her out of the way and carried her the rest of the way. At the end of the path, there was a cave and no other way to escape the boulder, so they leapt inside. The boulder crashed into the entrance, blocking it.

Miyuki panted. “Is everyone alright?”

“I-I think so,” Yayoi said.

Reika looked back at the covered-up entrance. “Let’s hope there’s an exit to this cave elsewhere. It’s our only chance.”

The gang wandered down the passageway, and two tunnels were dead ahead. Miyuki sneezed, which awakened a colony of bats. They took off and flew right into Miyuki. She yelped and swatted at them, and since the other girls were already scouting ahead of her, they did not notice and took the left passage.

Miyuki fell to the floor and the bats finally cleared out. When Miyuki looked back up, she saw that the girls were no longer present. She was not sure which tunnel to choose, but after a moment of hesitation, she entered the one on the right.

Miyuki passed by the walls and saw some claw marks. Not wanting to know where they came from, she speed-walked past them. She then felt a droplet of water land on her head. She looked up and saw a tarantula-like entity with razor-sharp teeth and spikes on its back hanging from the ceiling. With a shriek, she hightailed it out of there. The entity leapt down from the ceiling and pursued her. As it moved forward, its legs were sharp enough to dig into the hard ground and leave holes in its wake. Miyuki reached the end of the tunnel, where the rest of the group members were. They saw Miyuki bolting out of the passageway, still screaming.

“Miyuki, where have you been?” Reika demanded.

The entity skittered in and hissed sharply. Nao nearly fainted at the sight of it, but she snapped out of it and retreated down the hallway, practically moving at the speed of light. The others yelled in alarm and followed her, moving as fast as they could go. There was a light at the end of the cave. The girls dove out of the exit, and on the other side, there was a rather narrow pathway by the cliff. This wasn’t going to stop the entity. It continued to chase them, and its heavy footsteps were so powerful that it caused the ground around the girls to crack.

A huge piece of the path broke right off while the girls were on it, causing them all to toboggan down the side of the mountain. The entity huffed in frustration and took off, defeated. The girls screamed as the platform slid down the bumpy surface at a breakneck speed. The platform bumped into a particularly large rock, causing it to spin around. The gang struggled to stay on it as it rotated, and a ledge was dead ahead. The platform dangled precariously over the cliff, revealing a canyon below them that had to be at least a thousand feet deep. The gang tried to stay still to prevent it from moving any further, but then it plunged forward, and the girls were sent plummeting into the chasm, shrieking.

In the Hino household, the day was drawing to a close, and the sun was very close to the bottom of the horizon. The family was in the middle of eating dinner. They were having casual conversations. Akane, however, was eating rather slowly, and she wasn’t saying much. She was worried about the safety of her friends.

Daigo was quick to notice the dismal look on his daughter’s face. “Are you okay, Akane?”

“Well, I, uh-” Akane started to say, but then she felt a jolt of sharp pain coursing through her body. “GAH!”

She fell right out of her chair and onto the floor, convulsing and shuddering violently. Her family gathered around her in concern, bracing themselves for what would happen next. Akane curled into a ball and spasmed wildly as she changed. The moon once again brought the beast in her to light, and she slowly stood up; her head was turned downwards, and her fierce eyes were focused on her family. In a single swing of her arm, Akane knocked all the food off the table, and she charged at the others. They all ran in different directions, trying to stay out of her reach and to get something to refresh her memory.

Masako picked up an old orange stuffed dog that Akane had owned for years. “I got Mikan for you when you were little! She’s special!”

Akane grabbed Mikan with her teeth and shook her around before tossing her to the other side of the room. Daigo then held up Akane’s plate of curry rice, which was another childhood meal of hers, but she simply knocked the plate out of his hands.

Genki then spoke up. “Sis! Don’t you remember what you got me for Christmas?!” Akane cocked her head in confusion and emitted a small grunt. Genki then pointed to the T-shirt he was wearing; it had a robotic superhero on it. “It’s my favorite shirt! And it’s extra special coming from you!” He then gave Akane a hug. “I was a huge fan of robots back then, and though I’m not as crazy about them anymore, this shirt still brings back a lot of nostalgia for me. I still wanna thank you for it.”

Akane stood there silently. For a moment, it looked like his words had affected her, but those hopes were dashed when her eyes narrowed, and she bared her teeth. With a snarl, she drew her hand back and clawed Genki in the face. The force of her attack knocked him to the floor. Masako watched with her hand over her mouth, and Daigo held her close. Genki put a hand to his cheek, wincing. He gazed at his hand, which had some blood on it, and gasped. He looked back at Akane, utterly horrified.

Suddenly, Akane stopped in her tracks and her consciousness returned to her. She looked at her paw and noticed that there was blood on it as well. Akane grasped her head, hyperventilating in shock and regret now that she had come to the crushing realization that she had injured her younger brother. She then let go, wincing; her claws were sharper than before, which frightened her more than ever, as she found herself unable to retract them. Her werewolf instincts were getting more difficult to subdue day after day, and she knew that she was becoming more lupine than human in her mind as well as her body. She looked back at her family, who stared at her without a word. Worried that her family was now afraid of her, Akane barreled out the door, sobbing.

“Akane, wait!!” Daigo called out, extending a hand futilely.

Akane continued to flee. She had no idea where she was going, she just wanted to get as far away as possible to avoid hurting her loved ones again. She ran down the sidewalk on all fours as her tears made her vision bleary. The townspeople were inside their houses when they saw Akane, and in a panic, they called animal control. The authorities were on their way in no time flat.

Akane hadn’t gotten much further when saw the truck pulling in. She yelped and jumped into a tree to get to safety. The animal control officers surrounded the tree, holding up tranquilizer guns at her. Akane held up her hand and tried to explain that she meant no harm. "I-"

But before she could get any other words out, a female officer opened fire. The dart hit Akane right on the palm of her hand, and she began to feel incredibly woozy. A dazed smile appeared on her face as she lost her grip on the tree trunk and fell to the ground with a thump. Now that she was incapacitated, the officers hauled her into the back of their truck and drove off.

Chapter Text

On Mt. Obsidian, the girls were still free-falling down the seemingly endless abyss. Nao was flailing and screaming, but her panic attack was cut short when she saw Candy, who had tears of unadulterated terror running down her face. Knowing that she required comfort for what they thought would be their final moments, she took Candy’s hand. Reika had ceased her screaming; she closed her eyes grimly, quietly accepting the inevitable.

Yayoi came to a crushing realization; Akane would never go back to normal. There would be nothing but a hulking beast where she once was. Her eyes welled up, and tears streamed down her face and into the air above her.

The others noticed this and knew exactly what was going through her mind. Miyuki was just as demoralized, and she wanted to say something to cheer her up, but for once, she couldn’t think of any kind of bright side to their situation. She was inspired by how Nao consoled Candy, so with a solemn look, she glanced at Yayoi’s hand and reached out her own. Yayoi squeezed it tightly. Reika opened her eyes and took Nao’s hand, too. Candy then took Miyuki’s free hand. They formed a circle and squeezed their eyes shut.

Candy then broke the silence. “Oh, if only we could fly.”

Miyuki’s eyes snapped open as the gears in her brain began to turn. She remembered the giant feather she had in her backpack and her face lit up. Her heart brimming with hope, she held the feather up to the sky. It began to sparkle brighter than ever before, and the moonlight reflected off it, creating a huge pillar of light that could be seen from miles away.

In the nesting grounds of the Grythm Tribe, Riff was awakened by the gleaming. She nudged her mother and father, Adagio and Forte. Being fully-grown members of their species, they were as huge as blue whales. “Mom, dad!” she said in a loud whisper. “Look!”

Adagio rubbed her eyes groggily. “Ugh, how many times must I tell you-” she began, but then she noticed the beam as well.

Forte, who was quicker at shaking off the grogginess, got to his feet. “Let’s go!”

Forte then put Riff on his back. The two of them took to the sky and followed the light. As the girls continued to plummet, they heard an eagle-like screech. They looked up, and before they knew it, Forte and Adagio swooped down below them. They all landed safely on the backs of the giants.

Miyuki took a moment to let this sink in. A smile came to her face, and she began to laugh in relief. The others followed suit and cheered in triumph.

“I’d say we were just in time,” Adagio chuckled.

“Most definitely,” Reika agreed. “I don’t know how we’ll repay you.”

“No charge required, kiddos,” Forte reassured her.

Yayoi piped up. “Can you take us to where the Lupinecones grow, please?”

“Next stop, Kelpie’s Tail Lake!” Forte announced, and they went on their way. “Hold on tight, everybody!”

The adult Grythms took turns doing loop-de-loops, barrel rolls, and spins through the sky. The girls whooped and cheered in excitement, except for poor Nao, who squeezed her eyes shut. She was getting dizzy, and her face was turning the same shade of green as her hair.

“I think I’m gonna be sick,” she groaned.

Reika thoughtfully held Nao’s hair back, just in case. Nao glanced at her appreciatively. Kelpie’s Tail Lake was soon visible on the horizon. Adagio and Forte took a nosedive in the direction of their destination. All the girls screamed from the speed of their descent, but nobody shrieked louder than Nao. When the Grythms landed on the ground, they continued to skid forward due to the momentum. They very nearly crashed into several trees in front of them, but they managed to fully hit the brakes, inches away from the obstacles in front of them. Nao was so elated that she jumped off Forte’s back and kissed the ground. She then gagged and spat out grass.

“Are you always this hyper when it comes to flying?” Miyuki asked.

Adagio shrugged. “Oh, we just got a little carried away, that’s all. We can’t help showin’ off in front of new friends.”

Riff hugged her parents’ legs. “I can’t wait to learn to fly like you two!”

The others got off as well. A nice aroma filled the air; it smelled like all the sweetest pastries put together. The girls followed the scent, and they didn’t have to go far before they saw several Lupinecones growing on a bush. Yayoi did the honors and picked one off.

Candy licked her chops. “Wonder what it tastes like, kuru.”

“Well, we’ll know from Akane when she tries it,” Reika said.

Candy approached the lake. Wondering what the water was like, she almost dipped her foot in, but she saw the glowing eyes of a glaring kelpie in the water, so she backed away from it slowly.

“We’ve gotta hurry,” Yayoi pointed out. “We don’t have much time.”

“Want a ride back home?” Riff offered, climbing onto her father’s back.

“Yay, more free rides!” Miyuki happily exclaimed.

Nao gulped. “Could you, uh, be a little less wild this time, though?”

“Whatever floats your boat,” Adagio said.

Meanwhile, Akane was beginning to regain her consciousness. Grimacing, she rubbed her head. Blinking, she noticed that there was a stone floor under her and metal bars in front of her. Her eyes widening in surprise, she went straight to the bars and saw that there were other cages and cells with dogs and cats inside them. Several of them were barking and yowling, but they went silent the moment they saw her moving and trembled nervously.

It occurred to Akane that she was in the city pound. She tried to get the attention of an employee by calling for help. “Hello?! Is anyone out there?! Help!”

An employee was in his office when he heard Akane’s pleas. He’d just taken a sip of a cold beer, and he got up to see what the fuss was about.

When Akane saw him come in, she was quite relieved. “Oh, I’m so glad you’re here! Look, I don’t mean any harm. Please, you gotta let me out!”

The man was utterly confused to see what he thought was a talking dog. He looked at his mug and shook his head. “I gotta drink less.” Without another word, he began to walk back to his office.

“Wait, don’t go!” Akane exclaimed, but he ignored her and just closed the door behind him. Out of desperation, Akane tried to break down the bars, but even for a werewolf with increased strength, it was impenetrable, and she only left a few dents on it. She felt herself get more frustrated beyond her usual level of reserve, and she let out a monstrous growl before chewing on the bars herself. She got down on all fours and paced in circles, continuing to snarl, but then she realized she was letting her instincts get the best of her. Knowing that all she could do was wait, she just lay on her back and sighed.

Back with the girls, the Grythms were dropping them off by the town. The gang waved goodbye to them as they all flew away, and they began to make their way back to Akane’s house. Miyuki let Yayoi do the honors and had her knock on the door. Daigo answered, and he looked extremely frazzled. He was sweating bullets and his pupils looked tiny in his huge eyes.

Yayoi’s smile faded. “Wh-what’s the matter?”

“It’s Akane!” Daigo cried. “She’s gone missing!”

“What?!” shouted all the girls.

Masako and Genki came to the door. The latter still had claw marks on his cheek. “She hurt me by accident, and then she ran away,” he said solemnly.

“You should all come with us,” Nao suggested. “The more people searching, the better.”

With that, they rushed around town and began asking around to see if anyone had seen Akane. The town was conspicuously empty, as people were too afraid to leave their houses after having seen her werewolf form. However, there was one old lady sitting on a bench, tossing breadcrumbs to some crows.

Genki approached the woman. “Have you seen a werewolf around here?”

“No, but I did see a big, orange dog around here,” the old lady said. “It had red hair on its head.”

“That’s gotta be her!” Nao gasped. “Has she gone anywhere?!”

“Probably the dog pound,” the lady told her. “Animal control went after her.”

The gang scrambled away. The old lady scratched her head, wondering what that was all about, but she decided it was none of her concern, so she shrugged it off and went home.

Back inside the dog pound, Akane’s worries grew. She had no idea how her allies and girlfriend were doing. She didn’t want to be a werewolf forever, but what she wanted the most was for them to be safe. She sat on the cold, hard ground, turning her sad gaze to the wall.

“Please,” she whispered to herself. “Give me a sign. A sign that they’re alright.”

She did not have to wait long to get her wish. Right after she had said this, she heard Yayoi’s voice. “Sunburst!”

Akane whipped her head around. When she saw her fellow friends and girlfriend, her despairing expression became one of pure jubilation and her tail started wagging. “Oh, thank God you’re alive!”

“We’ve missed you too,” Reika exhaled.

Akane’s smile faded when she noticed her family. She was especially pained to see the scratch marks on her kid brother’s face and her heart lurched.

“I’m sorry, Genki,” she sniffled, her ears moving downwards. “I didn’t mean to hurt you.”

Genki put his hands through the cage and took her clawed hand. He looked at her gently. “It’s alright, sis. Everything’ll be back to normal soon.”

Her mother and father nodded in understanding. Yayoi held the Lupinecone between the bars. “Here you go.”

Akane sniffed it and was enticed by its scent, and then she bit into it. It tasted just as amazing as it looked; it was like all the sweetest candies in the world put together, and it began to take effect. Akane’s eyes were the first to go back to normal. Her fur and tail disappeared, and she went back to her usual size. Her canine snout became a human nose again, and her paws became hands.

Akane smiled. “Thank you, guys. So much.”

A big grin came to Yayoi’s face, which spread to everyone else in the room. Akane’s loved ones were so ecstatic to have her back that they all cheered and whooped. Hearing the noise, the same employee from before walked in. Still thoroughly befuddled, he commented, “What are you doing in there, kid?” He took out his keys and unlocked the cage, setting Akane free.

As soon as she got out, Akane’s friends and family took turns embracing her. Saving the best for last, Akane approached Yayoi and planted a big kiss on her cheek as she wrapped her arms around her. Yayoi blushed and cooed blissfully. Holding hands, the couple walked out of the pound with the others.

Everyone walked silently for a few minutes until Akane spoke up. “So, uh, what kinda things happened when you were on your trip?”

Without missing a beat, the girls recapped the story of their journey. Akane and her family members listened intently.

“Cool! Maybe we should hike there sometime, Yayoi!” Akane suggested enthusiastically.

Yayoi chuckled nervously. “Uh…maybe not for a while, but I would like to visit Riff again.”

“I’ve still got the feather to summon them!” Miyuki announced.

Akane howled in delight. She put a hand over her mouth in surprise. After a brief awkward pause, Yayoi began to giggle. Reika chuckled gently. Miyuki laughed out loud, and the rest of the group joined in. Akane snickered awkwardly, but she soon followed suit as well. In fact, one could say that they were all howling with laughter. Though it seemed that Akane still had a little bit of the wolf within her, the most important thing was that they were all together again.