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Halara Nightmare knew very well that their observation skills were top notch. Nothing got past them and the truth always revealed itself under their gaze. So of course they noticed something off about the rookie detective from the first second that they met.
Yuma wasn’t entirely human.
To be exact, he belonged to one of the sub-human varieties in the world. His slightly pointy ears and sharper teeth were visual indicators. Then his mannerisms and stronger senses helped narrow down exactly what he was. A werewolf.
Halara had confronted the short detective about this early on, assuring that the answers given wouldn’t be revealed to the others so long as their cat picture remained a secret. And so Yuma had spilled, talking about his status that he had still known despite having no memories. It was instinct, he supposed.
But while the rookie explained all this, Halara had to actually fight hard to keep their composure. They had finally met one, an actual werewolf. It had been a secret goal of theirs to see them in their other form, so perhaps this was their chance.
It was originally for this reason that they let Yuma be their assistant for the past week. They had let Yuma know this up front so there was no deceit, and the rookie took it well. But during their various talks as they were together, something unexpected happened.
Halara… was beginning to enjoy his company.
Typically, the Master Detective only tolerated the presence of other people in order to get the job done. But for some strange reason, Yuma’s presence was no longer causing that prickly feeling. Instead, it felt soothing and comforting like a warm mug of tea on a cold day. It was certainly odd, but they weren’t terribly put off by it.
So Yuma stayed, becoming a new part of their routine. Things were going well with investigations and Halara almost had forgotten about the original goal until the rookie brought it up. “Uh… Halara? I think… it’s going to be a full moon tonight.”
The ace detective instantly sat forward in their chair, focusing intently. “You can tell? Since we can’t use technology and there’s the constant rain clouds covering the sky, it’s difficult to figure out the moon phases. But it makes sense that beings like yourself could feel it coming.”
Yuma nodded with a sheepish smile. “Yeah. I’ve been feeling jittery all day, like I just drank a strong caffeinated drink. So that’s how I could tell.” He glanced up to the older detective’s eyes, looking a hint unsure. “It’s going to be the first one since I lost my memories. I’m… a bit nervous. I know you said that you want to witness it when it happens, but… are you sure? Will you be okay?”
Halara crossed their arms and gave Yuma an unimpressed look. “Please. I, Halara Nightmare, will handle it flawlessly.”
The assurance seemed to calm the rookie, leading to him continuing to munch on his breakfast in a comfortable silence. Meanwhile, Halara was internally smirking with confidence. There was absolutely no way that they wouldn’t be just fine. After all, Yuma was a tiny little thing and his werewolf form was surely going to be similar. They mentally pictured their guess of what he would look like. Giant eyes, small body, and an adorable wagging tail. Like a cute purse dog that a rich woman would carry around. That fit Yuma pretty well, so Halara was very sure of this concept.
Regardless, the entire day was spent waiting with anticipation. Thankfully, werewolves didn’t require the moonlight to transform so it would be possible to witness it that night.
Still, Yuma didn’t want to risk being seen by other people, so he had requested to go somewhere secluded to transform. That was more than fine with Halara, as they would get to experience this all to themselves now.
Halara guided the rookie detective into the forest behind the church, as it was surely not occupied. Even though all the nailed dolls were gone, people still avoided these trees. Perfect for tonight, despite Yuma’s initial worries.
Those worries disappeared once it was time. The moon was surely at its peak, shining beyond the rain clouds. Yuma whined from the strain that was starting, glancing over to Halara before rushing away to hide behind some trees.
The Master Detective didn’t give chase, as they knew the werewolf would return to their side momentarily. All they had to do was be patient. They had waited this long, what was a few more minutes?
Their patience was rewarded as a howl rang out through the trees. Though… it had been far louder and more powerful than expected. How had such a sound come from such a tiny body? It didn’t make sense!
Their confusion grew as large footsteps approached, crunching the leaf litter and fallen branches with ease. It sounded bipedal, and growling grunts followed each step. And soon, the werewolf stood before them.
Instead of a tiny lap dog, the beast that stood before them was a hulking creature. Easily ten feet tall with broad shoulders and canines longer than an adult’s pointer finger. The silvery fur almost looked purple, and the dark violet eyes stared down at them as the large muzzle opened to speak. “Ha…la…ra,” the gruff voice growled.
It was about at that moment that Halara Nightmare truly was at a loss for both words and thoughts. This was a werewolf. This was Yuma. And this was… the fluffiest creature they had ever seen. Without thinking, they stepped forward and brushed their hands through the silvery fur. “Soft,” they muttered, then started petting more enthusiastically.
“Huh? Ha…lara? Are you… alright with this?” the werewolf asked with a confused tone.
“Yuma, I’m going to make one thing extremely clear. If you speak about this to anyone else, I will double your debt. So am I understood?” Halara stated firmly, voice contrasting the gentle touches and strokes to the soft fur.
Yuma nervously gulped, the larger and more physically powerful creature fearful of the human’s words. “I… I swear I won’t tell anyone.”
Halara smiled, briefly burying their face into the chest fluff before backing away and pointing to the ground. “Good. Now sit.”
“I’m not a dog,” Yuma muttered, but did so anyway. Now they were closer to eye level. But more importantly, those ears were now in reach.
Halara wasted no time in reaching for them, though in a careful way. They didn’t want to hurt Yuma by damaging his ears in their excitement. One hand eventually detached from the soft ears and moved to scratching the wolf head. And as they thought, it was just as soft.
A swishing sound started up from behind Yuma, prompting Halara to peek over the broad shoulders. They grinned when they saw the wolf tail wagging and stirring up the dirt. Applying a deeper head scratch made the tail wag harder, which prompted them to laugh. “You aren’t beating the dog allegations with this, Yuma,” they teased.
The rookie briefly whined. “I… I can’t control it! I guess… it just feels too nice.”
“Oh? It feels nice? Then I see no reason why you would have complaints if we continue for the entirety of your transformation?” the ace detective asked, pulling back to stare into those darkened, yet familiar eyes.
Yuma shook his head, fluffing up his fur in doing so. “I… suppose not. It does feel really nice.”
Halara grinned as their hands returned to the fur. “Good. Now, let me investigate this side of you some more.”
