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The sun shone bright on Pirate Island. The nice weather made its residents want to eat their breakfast out on the beach. The table was light with chatter as the plates emptied. Despite the calm atmosphere this morning, Jake couldn’t help but feel a buzz of anxiety.
A month ago, while on a camping trip, Jake had discovered the moon gem. He also discovered the hard way that anyone who touched it would be turned into a werewolf. The transformation had stunned him, he wasn’t quite sure what to do. He had tried to go to his friends for help, but it didn’t end well. They didn’t recognize him. All they saw was a vicious monster. They screamed and hid in their tent.
Jake didn’t stick around after that.
Somewhere in the back of his mind, Jake faintly remembered hearing a story about the moon gem. More importantly, he remembered how to break the curse. All he had to do was return the gem to Midnight Hill. Then he’d go back to being human. Then his friends wouldn’t be scared of him anymore.
However, the journey to Midnight Hill wasn’t easy, and his wolf instincts made things so much more difficult. By the time he had finally made it to the Stonewolf, the sun had risen. It was too late. While Jake did return to a human form, he could tell that the moon gem’s spell had not broken.
For the rest of the month, Jake had tried to do as much research as he could. One thing he learned was that the half wolf form that Jake had taken on that horrible night was only the werewolf equivalent of peach fuzz. Tonight, his first true full moon, he would fully transform into a wolf.
This entire situation felt more nerve wracking than when Jake was put under a fear curse. Unlike that time, however, Jake couldn’t confide in his crew. It was tearing him up inside. He wanted nothing more than to hear Izzy calm him with the facts of the situation and her belief in him. To have Cubby walk him through calming techniques and offer gentle reassurances. To listen to Skully make light of the situation and make it seem like Jake’s entire world wasn’t being flipped on his head.
But he couldn’t.
Every time he thought about it, Jake just remembered the fear in their eyes and the sounds of their screams.
“-ake. Neverland to Jake.”
Jake jolted back to reality. He looked around the table to see everyone staring at him with concern. Izzy had been waving her hand in front of his face, and now lowered it.
“Sorry, what?” Jake asked, his face warm with embarrassment.
“Are you okay?” Izzy studied Jake’s demeanor, “You were spacing out pretty bad.”
“Yeah,” Jake’s voice cracked and he cleared his throat, “Yeah, yeah, I’m fine.”
Izzy, Cubby, and Skully shared a look.
Cubby hesitantly spoke up, “Are you sure?”
Jake sat up a bit straighter, trying to summon his facade of confidence, “I’m sure. I just didn’t sleep well last night, that’s all.”
“Well, if you’re sure…” Cubby relented, “Do you still feel up for going to the market today?”
Here is where Jake took some time to think. He didn’t feel great, but he didn’t feel horrible either. Sure he was tense, his head had a dull ache, and he wasn’t completely convinced that his meal would stay down, but he could handle one little market trip. Right?
{…}
Turns out a simple market trip wasn’t so simple. It started that way, but the hustle and bustle of the crowd wasn’t kind on Jake’s newly heightened senses.
The Neverland Market was the largest collection of vender stalls on the island. It was the best spot to get anything from food, to clothes, to even potions. Jake and his crew came here regularly to restock on items they couldn’t gather or make themselves. They always made sure to go earlier in the morning and today was no exception.
However, Jake could still hear everything in the market. A couple was arguing a few rows over, an exhausted parent was dealing with their toddler’s temper tantrum, and why was everyone breathing so loud? That wasn’t even mentioning the smells. The baked goods in the stands Jake passed by smelled nice on their own, but not when combined with the potion stands across the market. And was it just Jake, or was the sun getting brighter?
Jake shook his head and tried to focus on his crew. He had no idea how they were able to pick out the items they needed when every item was competing for visual attention. Regardless, their baskets got fuller and more and more items got crossed off the shopping list. ’We’ll be done soon,’Jake thought, ’Just stay calm.’
“Jake?”
Jake yelped, nearly jumping out of his skin. He spun around and saw Cubby looking at him, concern evident over his features. Cubby said something, but Jake missed it over the sounds of the market.
“S-Sorry,” Jake tried to say, though he struggled to get his voice to work, “What-What did you say?”
“I asked if you were alright,” Cubby repeated, “You’ve been quiet.”
Jake nodded automatically, “Mhm. M’fine.”
Cubby looked like he wanted to argue but before he could, there was a loud clatter. All heads turned towards the noise. Two people had bumped into each other, scattering their belongings on the ground. A few others were already swooping in to help them collect their things, but that wasn’t the problem.
The sudden noise shot through Jake like a bullet and was toppling his carefully balanced composure. He covered his ears with his hands and screwed his eyes shut. His breaths became quick as he silently begged everything, every sound and smell to just go away. There were voices close to Jake, but he couldn’t make out what they were saying. Then, there were hands on his arms and shoulders, guiding him to a quieter part of the market.
When the sounds became dull, Jake opened his eyes. Izzy and Cubby had led him to a small corner where the backs of three stands met. It created a small alcove that was much friendlier to Jake’s senses. At Izzy’s instruction, the crew sat with their backs against one of the stalls. Jake sat in the middle with Izzy and Cubby on either side of him. Skully perched on top of the stand, keeping watch over the young pirates.
Izzy looked at Jake, “Can you hear us?”
Jake nodded, lowering his hands from his head.
“Alright, good. Can you name five things you can see?” Izzy asked.
“Um,” Jake glanced around, “You guys, the stands, the clouds, my hands and the people outside.”
“Great, now four things you can hear,” Izzy instructed.
Jake closed his eyes and listened, “Your voice, my voice, a bunch of footsteps, and there’s someone getting scammed a few stands down.”
That made Izzy and Cubby chuckle.
“Three things you can touch?” Izzy continued.
“My shirt, the ground, and the wood of the stand.”
“Two things you can smell.”
“Flowers, I think a florist is near by, and…” Jake sniffed the air and was met with a scent that made his mouth water, “Someone at the butcher’s stand is cooking lamb chops.”
With his eyes still closed, Jake missed the looks of confusion and concern that Izzy and Cubby shared.
“How about something you can taste?” Izzy hesitated before asking.
This one took a bit longer for Jake to answer, but he managed it, “Salt, from the sea air.”
Jake knew they were pretty far inland, but so many years close to the sea had made sure its salt followed him wherever he went.
“Good job, now how do you feel?”
Jake slowly opened his eyes. Everything that had overwhelmed him earlier was still there, but it had faded into the background, “Better,” He answered, “Sorry.”
“There’s no need to apologize,” Cubby’s voice was gentle, “Everyone gets overwhelmed sometimes.”
“Absolutely,” Izzy agreed, “But was it just sensory overload or is there something else?”
Jake stiffened, “What do you mean?”
Izzy rubbed the back of her neck, “Well, it’s just that you’ve been…off lately. Did something happen?”
Something did happen. Every fiber of Jake’s being had changed forever. But, should he tell his crew that? They helped him out of the sensory overload, maybe they could help him figure out this werewolf thing. Jake furrowed his brow in thought.
Cubby took Jake’s hand, “It’s okay. You can tell us what’s wrong.”
It should be so easy. Just three words: ’I’m a werewolf’ But then Jake looked in Cubby’s eyes. They were wide with concern, but there was a time they were wide with fear.
”It’s a w-w-wolfbeast!” His voice had screamed.
The words caught in Jake’s throat, “I’m…I’m just tired.”
No one seemed to buy the poor excuse, buy they didn’t pry. Instead, they made plans to wrap up their shopping quickly so Jake can go home and rest. Jake only partially paid attention, the rest of his mind occupied with the guilt of keeping this secret.
{…}
The rest of the day went relatively smoothly. The crew decided to keep to Pirate Island and take time to relax. Though, anxiety still buzzed under Jake’s skin and the thought of the full moon weighed heavy on his mind. Jake had been able to slip away and find a secluded room in the hideout that was rarely used. He set down a pillow and blanket and made plans to hide there during the night. Otherwise, he joined his friends in calming activities, trying to assure them that he was fine. All in all, it was a nice day.
But the day didn’t last forever. The sun was dipping below the horizon as the crew ate their supper. Jake tried to contribute to the light conversation, but he couldn’t help but keep an eye on the sky. Just as the sun was almost fully set, Jake stood up.
“Well,” Jake cleared his throat, “Today was nice, but I’m really tired. I’m going to head to bed a bit early.”
With that, he tried to leave, but was stopped by a hand on his arm.
“Not so fast,” Izzy said, “We need to talk.”
Jake froze. He looked around the table, at all the stern, yet worried faces that were focused on him, “Talk about what?”
“You’ve been acting strange all day,” Izzy got straight to the point, “And we know it’s not just because you’re tired. We want to know what’s going on so that we can help you.”
Cubby nodded, “Yeah! You’re our matey! If something’s troubling you-“
Jake waved his hands, “I appreciate it, really I do. But I really am just tired.”
Skully scoffed, “Sorry, matey, but being tired doesn’t explain you being jumpier than a cat in a room full of dogs.”
Jake looked between his friends, then to the rapidly approaching night, “Can we talk about this in the morning? Please?”
“No,” Izzy’s voice was firm, “I know you, Jake. You’re just gonna keep pushing this conversation off until we corner you again.”
Cubby looked to the sky, “Why do you keep doing that?”
“Doing what?” Jake asked.
“You keep looking at the sun like you’re waiting for it to explode,” Cubby observed.
“I…” Jake searched his mind for a reasonable excuse, “I just like the sunset.”
Izzy furrowed her brow in thought, “Today in the market…you said you smelled meat at the butcher’s stand.”
“So? They were cooking meat, the scent travels,” Jake shrugged.
Izzy met Jake’s eyes, “Jake, the butcher was on the other side of the market.”
Jake’s heart sank in his throat.
“You also said that you heard someone getting scammed,” Cubby asked, “But I didn’t hear anything.”
With a gulp, Jake opened his mouth to say…something. He wasn’t sure what. Just something to brush aside his friend’s concern.
But it was too late.
The sun had set. And the full moon was rising.
Pain shot through Jake, making him double over. There were exclamations of concern, but Jake ignored them. There was a humming under his skin. He was going to transform. He needed to get out of here.
Without a second thought, Jake turned and bolted inside the hideout. He was vaguely aware that Izzy, Cubby, and Skully were chasing after him, but it didn’t matter. If he could just get to the room he set up earlier, he could block the door until morning. After that…well he’ll figure that out later.
Unfortunately, he didn’t make it. Pain traveled up Jake’s leg like lightning, making him collapse in the hideout hallway. The last thing Jake saw before he was enveloped in a blue light was his friends skidding to a stop a few feet away from him.
The transformation itself was not as painful as Jake feared. It felt like stretching a muscle just a bit too far. In a flash of light, Jake’s hands and feet had shifted into paws. His teeth had sharpened and nails became claws. Black and grey fur covered his body. A loud howl echoed from Jake’s throat as he took the form of a wolf.
Jake flopped on his floor, his breathing labored. The shift had been straining and left him sore. Despite his exhaustion, a sharp gasp made his ears perk up.
Izzy, Cubby and Skully were there. Their eyes were wide and their jaws dropped. Jake jumped to his feet. His ears flattened against his skull and his tail tucked by his leg. His friends eyes burned into him. All he could hear was their screams from the last time they saw him like this. But this time, they knew it was him.
“Jake?” Cubby’s voice was soft with shock, “Is…Is that you?”
Jake took a few steps back with a whine.
Izzy held her hands out and slowly crouched down, “It’s okay, you’re okay. We’re not going to hurt you.”
What? Jake tilted his head. They…they thought he was scared of them. No, it was more important than that. They weren’t scared of him.
Hesitantly, Jake took a few steps towards his friends. He kept watching for any sign of fear, but he didn’t find any. Jake got within reach and nudged Izzy’s hand with his nose.
Izzy moved her hand up and scratched Jake behind the ear, “That’s it. See? You’re safe.”
Jake leaned into Izzy’s hand. Cubby knelt down as well, his blue eyes studying Jake’s new form. Jake looked at him, his head low to show he wasn’t a threat.
Cubby cupped Jake’s face in his hands and looked in his eyes. After a moment, Cubby’s head dropped with a sigh, “I’m an idiot. It was you, wasn’t it?”
Izzy looked confused, “What do you mean?”
“Last month, the wolf beast we saw,” Cubby explained before looking back at Jake, “We didn’t see you the rest of the night. We were scared that the wolf got you, but it was you, right?”
Jake solemnly nodded. A deep sadness fell over the crew like a thick blanket. No one said anything, but they didn’t have to for Jake to know they were thinking of how they reacted to him during the last full moon.
Cubby sniffled, “I’m sorry,” Tears rolled down his face, “It’s no wonder why you didn’t tell us. If I- Neptune, I should’ve known. You weren’t even fully transformed back then!”
Jake gently head-butted Cubby’s chest. He whined, trying to let Cubby know that it wasn’t his fault. That he shouldn’t feel guilty for being scared.
Cubby wrapped his arms around Jake and buried his face in the wolf’s fluffy neck fur. Izzy hugged both of the boys. Skully landed on Cubby’s shoulder and joined in the group hug the best that he could.
“I love you,” Cubby’s words were muffled against Jake’s fur. He lifted his head up and spoke again, “You’re like a brother to me, and this doesn’t change that.”
Izzy agreed, “Yeah, we’d still love you if you were a human, an animal, heck, even a worm. You’re still Jake.”
Jake’s tail wagged, swishing side to side. He nuzzled closer to his friends, relief washing over him in a wave. There was nothing more he wanted in this moment than to be able to vocalize just how much their support meant to him. He felt like he could finally breathe.
The crew stayed in their group hug for a while before Izzy spoke up again, “I’ve got an idea. How about we make a pillow fort? It’ll be more comfortable than the floor.”
Jake barked in agreement and his friends laughed.
An hour or so later, a pillow fort was built in the hideout lounge. The crew settled inside and were enjoying each other’s company. Jake listened contentedly as Izzy, Cubby, and Skully talked about this and that.
There were questions that Jake would need to answer, and there were things that he would need to figure out himself. But, as Jake drifted off to sleep, he knew he could handle them. After all, he had his pack by his side.