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The stars shown brightly over the old camp in the small town of Moose Rump, Maine. The starlight illuminated the quiet wood cabins, the raccoons searching for ways into the messhall, and the Welcome to Camp Kikiwaka sign as it swayed in the light wind. For a camp that is usually faced with natural disasters and money problems, this was a rather peaceful night. The only sounds to be heard were that of nature, the snores of campers and counselors fast asleep, along with the occasional creek of wood. Ah yes, and the blaring alarm in the director’s cabin.
The alarm had no effect on Ava, as she stirred only slightly. The Kwami of the Wolf Miraculous, Lunna looked back and forth between the alarm clock and her holder excitedly.
“Finally! You can stop sleeping now!” Lunna hurriedly raised all the window shades in the cabin, despite the fact that there was no sunlight coming through. “I don’t know why you insist on doing it so much, it’s much more fun to do stuff!”
The alarm continued its blaring, causing the kwami to fold her ears down onto themselves.
“And does that thing have to do that every time?” Lunna grumbled.
Despite the offensive noise, and her overwhelming desire to ‘run’ (or float quickly, rather) around the camp, Lunna waited patiently for her holder to turn it off herself. Okay, ten more seconds was long enough. Lunna hovered over to the alarm and pressed her weight on one of the top buttons. The racket finally stopped. Her ears immediately straightened up again and she turned to Ava, tail wagging.
Ava hadn’t moved. Lunna’s tail stilled and she felt her ears begin to droop again. Shaking off the disappointment, Lunna joined her holder on the bed.
“Ava, time to wake up,” she urged. No response. Lunna began pushing on Ava’s cheeks in an attempt to stir her. “C’mon, the loud noise happens and you get up, that’s the deal.”
Finally showing signs of life, Ava lifted her hand to push the kwami away.
“Five more minutes, Lunna,” Ava murmured, not bothering to open her eyes.
“But you said we could get up early today,” Lunna whined.
“That’s not a privilege, it’s a burden,” Ava clarified while pulling the blankets closer to herself. Lunna retaliated by tugging the blankets back.
“But you were so excited about the First Full Day of Camp celebration yesterday! And you said to make sure you were up in time to set it up!” Lunna crossed the nubs that kwamis have for arms and stared down her holder with determination.
“The counselors can begin setup while I get a few more minutes of shut-eye.” Ava held a weak thumbs-up. “Perk of being Camp Overlord.” Her hand dropped whilst she buried her head deeper into the pillows.
Lunna blinked in confusion.
“But, you didn’t tell any of them to help with setup,” the kwami reminded.
At last, Ava opened her eyes to find her kwami.
“I didn’t?” she asked nervously.
“You said the party was for them too, so you’d take care of it,” Lunna confirmed.
Ava slowly sat up in the bed as Lunna continued.
“And when Finn and Matteo asked if you needed help, I believe you said-” the kwami’s straight stature leaned back and she put on the ‘cool girl’ tone she uses to imitate Ava “-’nah, I got it. You two just rest up and enjoy the events’.”
“Oh no,” Ava groaned.
The girl urgently threw off the remaining covers as she stumbled out of bed. Now that her holder was finally standing, Lunna didn’t waste any time grabbing anything she could from around the cabin.
“Why would I do that?” Ava chastised herself.
Lunna handed her her hairbrush.
Ava continued griping at her reflection as she got dressed and put on the shoes that Lunna laid out for her. She huffed as she scarfed down the granola bar that Lunna brought over to her.
“How am I even supposed to set up everything in time?” Ava asked rhetorically as she picked up the to-do list Matteo made her for setup.
Holder and kwami exited the cabin and made their way through the darkness to the silent Great Lawn of the camp. Ava didn’t bother pulling out a flashlight or her phone, instead opting to use the glow that Lunna provided (when she wanted to).
“I need to set up the activities, make sure breakfast is in order, put up streamers, insure that the medical supplies are fully stocked,...” Ava read out the list.
“I’m sure you could easily get it all done if you just quicken your pace,” Lunna insinuated, her tail so high that it nearly reached her head.
Ava shook her head, causing Lunna’s tail to drop.
“No,” Ava refused. “No using powers for personal gain. That has always been a rule.”
“Is it really personal gain if you’re doing it to ensure others have a good day?” Lunna challenged.
“This is different from doing little favors while on patrol,” Ava explained. “If I were to use super speed to complete my responsibilities, I would just be taking the easy way out. And I think we both know how Barbara and Jess feel about that. Besides White Tail can’t be seen here. She’s supposed to only be in New York.”
“Barbara and Jess aren’t here,” Lunna mumbled, disappointed.
Ava seemed to think about it for a second. More than a second. Her face morphed into one of some kind of desire before she once again shook her head.
“No, someone could see me,” Ava decided.
________
Ava went about preparing for the day as someone without access to magical speed. However, by the time she had checked on breakfast and set up half of the activities, small rays of sunlight had begun to appear. Not much time before the camp’s residents started rising from their beds.
Ava’s breath quickened as she ran from one thing to the next. When she leaned over a picnic table to go over the list again, her head dropped beneath her shoulders. Lunna landed on one of those shoulders and patted the skin comfortingly.
“It’s okay,” Lunna said in a gentle voice. “The campers can wait till after lunch to start the celebration if needed.”
“It’s not okay,” Ava disagreed. A couple teardrops landed on the wood of the table. “It’s my first summer as camp director. Heck, my first day! If I can’t deliver on one of the first promises I made to the camp, how do I expect to be good at this? How can anyone expect me to be good at this?”
The tears started to fall more rapidly as Ava’s weight settled on the seat of the table.
“Hey, hey.” Lunna moved to wipe the tears from Ava's face. She then lifted her holder’s chin to look her in the eye. “You are good at this. It’s day one and you already want campers and counselors alike to have a great time!” Lunna assured.
“And I’m struggling,” Ava protested. “I can’t do this!”
“You can’t do this alone,” Lunna corrected. “And you are not alone. You’ve got a team.”
Ava blinked, trying to decipher what the kwami meant.
“You have your hero team in New York, and your camp team here,” Lunna explained. “Sure, Gwen, Destiny, Lou, and Noah aren’t here anymore, but that doesn’t mean you’ve lost your team. It’s just changed. You still have the other counselors. And Finn and Matteo. Well, Matteo.”
Ava’s small smile on her tear-streaked face lifted something in Lunna’s chest.
“You’ve got your team, and they will help you,” Lunna concluded.
Ava nodded. She wiped the remaining tears as she stood. “Okay, okay,” she breathed, trying to calm herself. “From now on, I’ll turn to my team.” she promised. “But I can’t get their help this morning.”
Ava studied the lawn. Then studied the list. Still no soul in sight. Still a lot to do.
“Lunna,” Ava called. Lunna perked up, anticipating what was about to happen. “Fangs Out!”
In a flash of light, Camp Director Ava was replaced with the young superheroine White Tail. The wolf ears on top of her head twitched as if they were a part of her and her hair lengthened while streaks of bright silver painted it. Fur shoulderpads rested comfortably on a blue and silver top. A winter blue belt held two dagger sheaths. Ava crouched into a running position; the athletic leggings shifted smoothly with the movement as her fur-lined boots dug into the ground.
“Sprint!” Ava commanded.
In the blink of an eye, she made her way all throughout the camp. She finished setting up all the activities, checked the medical supplies, patched up all the leaky canoes, and even had time to paint and hang a banner that commemorated the occasion. When she stopped, the grass finally had time to flatten itself to the ground and small whooshes of wind came from every direction.
“Fangs In.”
Now detransformed, Ava stood proudly. She worked on catching her breath as she admired her handy work. Any trace of doubt was now invisible on her face.
“Not too bad,” Lunna grinned.
“Not too bad at all,” Ava agreed.
Before they had too long to admire it, Ava’s phone chimed. A message from Barbara.
Knight Commish: You aren’t using your miraculous recklessly, are you?
“How does she do that?” Ava groaned before replying.
Ava: Not recklessly. Only when needed.
Lunna hid in Ava’s pocket as the first few campers and counselors began to enter the Great Lawn. They all admired the preparations and Ava could practically see the excitement and anticipation for the summer growing in their smiles. As she watched her campers and counselors- her friends- her team file in, a large smile formed on her face. She sent another message.
Ava: And it won’t be needed again, I’m sure of it.
Without waiting for a response or approval, Ava put her phone away. She clapped to grab the camp’s attention, ready to take on the summer.