i dont know where my inspiration for this really came from, but i wrote it in one night and one day cos i love this idea uwu
Arthur had never believed in werewolves. Leprechauns, fairies, and unicorns, sure. But not werewolves. Such a creature seemed impossible. How would man be able to morph into such a beast in the first place? Why did the moon cycle control the transformation? It seemed a little flimsy to even his mind.
Arthur had never believed in werewolves. Right up until one attacked him.
He had been sent out from his home to pick up some late-night groceries from the local convenience store. Naturally, he went alone. Arthur had never gotten on all too well with his brothers, sister, and even his father and mother. There were moments where they seemed to tolerate each other, but those were far and few inbetween.
Arthur looked up, seeing the lights of the store illuminating the dark street that he walked. Ah, he was almost there. He continued to walk, right up until there was a massive blur that knocked him to the ground. He let out a cry as this thing pinned him, its claws digging into either arm. Arthur took a split second to examine what he was facing here.
This was insane. The beast had mottled gold-oaken fur covering it, and it seemed to take on the form of a wolf, for the most part. Besides a hideously deformed wolf snout, paws, and tail, the general furried shape of the creature seemed to resemble that of a human. And those squinting wolf eyes, they were as blue as the daytime sky. It was a right and true monster.
He let out a scream of fear as the creature parted its jaws, revealing crooked and yellow fangs. In an instant, the fangs were at his throat, and he feared that this may just be the end. Arthur waited for the razor teeth to crunch into his neck, eyes screwed up in utter terror. However, that killing blow never came.
There was a small thump, and a whimper from the creature on top of him. Arthur opened his eyes.
"Go home, boy! Go home!"
It was a voice Arthur recognized, but couldn't put a finger on right now, as his head was too clouded. Another stone was lobbed at the beast, and it turned, tail between its legs, and scampered off into the night.
Arthur rolled over on the pavement to try and see who had saved him from that wicked creature, but they had already left. He stumbled up to his feet, cringing as he noted that his arms had started to bleed. There were short and shallow claw marks on either shoulder, and he bit his lip as they stung. For now, he decided to forgo getting groceries, and just go straight home.
There was no point in telling his family, they wouldn't believe him. He could already imagine Allistor. Oh, seein' more illusions, are ye? Just thinking of that damned Scottish accent made him feel like he was going to be sick. Once home, he passed them in the living room, thankful for once that no-one paid much attention to him. They wouldn't ask for the groceries, either. He knew that the whole shopping escapade was just a reason to get him out of the house for a little while.
He headed straight to the bathroom, and washed his bloodied shoulders using water from the sink. Arthur bit his lip to keep himself from letting out a squeak of pain. He reached into the medicine cabinet and extracted some bandages, which he didn't know how to apply properly, but tried nonetheless. Finished here, he retreated to his bedroom, locked the door, and just fell onto his bed. What had just happened tonight was still fresh in his mind, and his thoughts ended up keeping him awake all evening. Although he didn't know at what point exactly that he fell asleep, Arthur woke when his alarm sounded.
"Alright, so I was just going out last night to get some groceries, and you'll never believe what happened." Arthur said quickly. He sat across from his two friends at the cafeteria table as per usual at lunchtime. "I think it was a werewolf. Some kind of ghastly creature leapt onto me, and dug its claws into me!" He exclaimed, wide eyed as he unwrapped the bandage on his shoulder to show. "And someone was there, and they tossed some stones at the beast, and they saved my life." He nodded, crossing his arms after fixing the bandage.
"You sure it wasn't just a big dog?" Matthew asked, bearing a bit of a worried expression.
At the Canadian's voice, Arthur tensed, and his jaw dropped. "It was you! You were the one who threw the stones, weren't you? I recognized your voice-"
"It looked like a big dog to me." Matthew sighed, violet eyes directed away.
"Thanks for saving my life, Matthew," Arthur nodded quickly, smiling ever so slightly. "I owe you one."
"Erm, thank you, but you don't owe me anything. I just did what I had to." Matthew stated, brushing a hand through his pale blond curls. "No biggie, eh?" He laughed softly. At the time, he had not realised that the boy attacked was Arthur. Now, he felt increasingly sick.
"Can we change the subject?" Alfred murmured, after being oddly silent for so long. "I don't really care about Arthur's fantasies and illusions."
"Hmmph, what's with you today?" Arthur puffed, grimacing. "And they're not fantasies and illusions, they're as real as you and me."
"Tell that to Tinkerbelle." The American sneered softly, rolling his eyes.
Most of the day passed liked this, with Alfred acting all sullen and Arthur having no idea why. For such a usually cheery boy, it was quite odd. And honestly, he felt a bit worried. As they passed the school gate to walk home together, Arthur took this chance.
"Alfred, dear chap, are you alright? You've been acting rather off today." He started, raising a brow to the American.
"Dude, I'm totally fine." Alfred answered, although his eyes were glued to his brother beside him.
"Er, right. Maybe I could pay you a visit this afternoon? Make you some tea, and we could chat?" suggested Arthur, pouting a little.
"Alfred and I are going out this evening," Matthew interjected, before Alfred could even open his mouth. "Maybe some other time, sorry." Arthur hesitated, but nodded, and continued walking in silence.
Alfred slumped down on the couch that afternoon, his brother beside him.
"I feel so awful," he whimpered, staring to Matthew as if that would give him some comfort.
"He doesn't even seem that upset now, alright?.. If anything, he was excited." Matthew uttered in an attempt at consoling.
"But I still-.. I can't control myself when there's fear in the air!.. But if people see me, they scream and yell, and I get so afraid, and the wolf takes over-"
"I know, but please, Alfred, don't be too hard on yourself. You two have been dating for how long now?.. I'm sure if you told him, he'd understand."
Alfred just covered his head with his hands. "A-and I almost killed him!.. I don't think I can do this anymore, I really can't.." he sniveled. Matthew's arms went around him in an instant. "And I definitely can't tell him! He looked so terrified.."
"You can, Alfred. You're strong. You can get through this." He insisted.
"I have a mark from one of the rocks," Alfred stated, voice cracking.
"I'm sorry, Alfie. I really am." Matthew whispered, nuzzling against his brother slightly. "I'll patch it up for you later, 'kay?"
".. 'Kay.." Alfred murmured weakly. He buried his face into his brother's chest, and let out a choked sob. "I've never hurt anyone before.. Why the hell was the first person him?.. I mean, I try to keep my distance as best I can.. b-but he just smelled so delicious, and I couldn't control my feet-"
Matthew was quiet now, as he had no answers.
"I don't want to hurt Arthur, I really don't-.. I love him so much.." He cried. "I hate this sickness, I hate everything about it!.."
"I know, Alfie. We'll find you a cure someday, I just know it."
Alright, so Arthur's family hadn't forgotten about the groceries that he neglected. And, he was sent out again tonight. He took a different route this evening, one that led past his dear boyfriend's house. He considered stopping in and saying hello, but remembered that Matthew and Alfred were supposedly going out tonight.
There was a rustling of bushes as he passed by, and he paused dead in his tracks. After consideration and taking to mind the fantasy of it all, he didn't find himself as afraid of this apparent werewolf anymore. At least, not as much as previously. He would defend himself if he ever came across the beast again. With that thought, he was determined.
"Hello?" He called, glancing around. More rustling. "You can come out, whatever you are," he stated nervously, although as the sounds grew louder, his confidence began to dwindle. Now, they disappeared into the air, leaving Arthur in pure silence.
With a burst of leaves further down the path, Arthur caught sight of the creature that had burst out. At it came running towards him without a moment's notice. Arthur stayed calm, trying not to let the fear overwhelm him. Just as he thought that the creature was to barrel him over, it stopped.
Arthur had closed one eye in his bracing for impact, but opened it when that impact never came. The wolf stood in front of him, brutish arms drooping in front of it. Perhaps he had a chance now.
"Er, hello." He greeted quietly. "This is probably rather strange to you, but I know what you are, and I'm not afraid of you." Well, that was not exactly true. He was terrified, but he refused to let that show. After all, it wasn't everyday that he ran into a new creature of fantasy.
The beast seemed to twitch a little, and let out a quiet sound. It was something like a soft bark, like that a dog would elicit. "My name is Arthur. Do you have a name?" He attempted, giving a weak smile. No response. He doubted that the beast could talk, but even a one-sided conversation was something. Perhaps in attempting to befriend the creature, he was making mythological history. "Do you live around here?"
Again, there was no reply, with the creature just taking a small and staggered step backward. Odd, it seemed that he beast was afraid of him, and not the other way around. And, whether Arthur knew it or not, it was doing its best to try and control itself. "Please, I ask you to wait here for a little while. I'll be back shortly." Waving a little, Arthur bravely turned his back on the werewolf, and trundled down to the convenience store. On top of purchasing a carton of milk, some eggs, and a bag potato crisps, he bought a hot dog, the closest thing that they had to proper meat there.
Plastic bag of groceries held in one hand, he made his way back to the path where he had encountered the beast. Ah, it was gone. He had expected this much. He sighed and took a small bite of the hot dog as he began to head home. It wasn't particularly pleasant, but he didn't want to have wasted his money.
There was a crashing sound, and perhaps the breaking of glass, followed by a thump. Just after, a blurry figure vaulted – fell down over – a part of fence. Arthur paused, halfway through a mouthful of frankfurter. "Is that you again? I would call for you, but I don't know your name." He hollered, trying not to be too loud. Arthur was quite familiar with dogs. His family had owned a corgi once. Ah, but cars and dogs do not mix well.
He held out the hot dog in the direction of where the sounds had come from. "I bought something for you." After a moment, a muzzle poked out from the bushes. Black nose sniffing, it only stuck out more, and was soon followed by the rest of the creature. "Sorry that I took a bite; I thought I wouldn't see you again this evening."
Arthur was trying to be very polite, and keep his courteous personality tip-top. First impressions were everything. Although, technically, this was a third impression, Arthur was trying his best anyway. The creature, now hesitantly approaching, had its cerulean eyes glued to the bit of food in Arthur's hand. To make it more accessible, Arthur held it out.
He was frightened that the werewolf would bite off his hand, but tried to stay brave as the beast's mouth came ever closer. In just moments, it had gulped down the hot dog, and was licking Arthur's hand to try and lap up whatever crumbs were left. Arthur couldn't help but laugh as the creature's tongue tickled his palm. Alright, perhaps this 'monster' wasn't so big, bad, and scary, after all.
With the hot dog gone, Arthur took a little step forward and lightly scratched at this werewolf's chin, as it rasped its tongue over his hand. There was a pause in the creature's behaviour, and it pounced on Arthur, pinning him to the ground again. Arthur grunted and tensed, but did not scream or anything as such. No claws dug into his shoulders. He just watched, and waited.
Much to Arthur's surprise, the beast began to lick at his mouth and face. Alright, that was actually kind of gross. "Stop that, you," he squeaked, although he didn't dare push it away. Since he had always been a bit of a messy eater, he realised that he'd probably had a bit of sauce or something left on his cheek. He turned his head to the side, and the beast pinning him down shuffled off him to inspect his bag.
"Oh, no, you can't have that," Arthur murmured, sitting up once paws were moved off of him. "This belongs to me." He stated, crossing his arms over the bag. The werewolf elicited a whine, and poked at Arthur's arms with its nose. In an attempt to get at the bag, it knocked Arthur over again, and moved his arms with precise nudges of its muzzle. As if making fun of him, it grabbed the bag in its teeth and shuffled off of Arthur, sitting down to examine it.
"Hey, give that back!" pouted Arthur, cautiously trying to reach over the creature's shoulder to take the bag back. It already had its muzzle buried in the bag, and it was nipping at the bag of potato crisps. "Wait, don't tell me you want to eat those," he murmured. For once, the beast seemed to understand, and turned, bag hanging from its nose.
Arthur sighed, and took the bag back, picking out the crisps and opening the bag. "These were for Allistor, anyway, so I don't really care if you eat them. Allistor is my brother, by the way." The werewolf dug its muzzle into the bag, beady eyes wide as it ate. "I forgot you're a human under all that fur," he murmured to himself. "Humans can't get enough junk food, can they?"
After the crisps had been devoured, Arthur decided to say farewell and head home, lest his family actually wonder why he was late back. "Alright, I should be getting home now. Perhaps we can meet tomorrow? We have some meat to spare in the fridge, and I can bring it for you." He bowed, and gave a faint smile. "Nice to properly meet you." Other people would've thought him insane, had they seen his conduct towards such a gruesome creature.
Proud of himself for overcoming his fears, Arthur turned and began to walk off. It was only as he got to his yard that he noticed the warm breaths over his shoulder. He turned, almost jumping. "No, no, you can't follow me here-" he whispered hurriedly, staring up to the creature, alarmed. "Go home."
As it let out a loud whine, the creature sat down and his tail wagged a little, like that of a dog's. "Do you want my family to see you?!.." Arthur uttered. No response. Great. Hurrying, Arthur made a dash out of his front yard, and into the back one. The backyard was bigger, and wasn't lit up by the streetlights. Also, there was only one door that you could go through to get there from the house, and no windows to see it from.
The creature followed, just sitting down when Arthur paused. Sighing and trying to work out what to do, Arthur just cautiously pet the top of the beast's head with one hand. Well, that seemed to please it, as it nuzzled up against the boy's hand. "Perhaps you're tamer than I first thought," he murmured. "Even so, I think you're going to have to stay a secret. Alfred won't hear a word of it, and Matthew thinks you're just some dog."
It looked up, and let out a little whine.
"Oh, Matthew and Alfred are brothers. My best friends." He explained, reaching back and gently scratching behind the creature's ear. "And I love Alfred from the bottom of my heart, but he can be a real asshat sometimes." It felt nice to be able to talk to someone, even if they didn't reply. It was rather like venting to someone who would listen intently and not expect anything in return. "You need to go home, all right?.. Do you understand what I'm saying?"
Another long whine. Arthur took that as a yes. "Go on. I'll meet you, let's say, where we met this evening, but tomorrow. Okay?" He continued quietly, wary of his family hearing him if he spoke too loudly. After nipping at a strand of Arthur's hair, the creature turned, and scampered off into the night. What an odd encounter that was.
Arthur came back round to the front yard, and stepped through the door.
Allistor burst out laughing at the sight of him, as his hair was all puffy, dirt from the ground covered his back, and he looked disheveled in general. Arthur decided to ignore his brother and take the groceries into the kitchen.
"Jesus, what's your deodorant?" Allistor wheezed, clearly mocking his younger brother. "Wet Dog: Pungent Extreme? Go and take a bloody shower, lad."
"Oh, shut up." Arthur grunted, although he realised that after having that creature kind of sprawl all over him, he'd probably picked up at least a little of that scent. "I didn't get crisps for you." He sneered, before putting the bag on the counter, and heading upstairs.
"So, Arthur," started Alfred as he, Matthew, and Arthur began their walk home the next day, Friday afternoon. He had bounced back to his normal cheery self today, which was confusing Arthur extremely – although he was thankful. Matthew kept giving his brother little nudges and the like throughout the day, and Alfred only really took wind of them now. "D'ya wanna come over to my place tonight? I have something to show you."
"Last time you 'showed me something' at your house, it was a weird video of things I'd rather not repeat." Arthur mused, raising a brow. "I think I'll pass. I have somewhere to be tonight."
"Arthur, please, I'm being serious," Alfred whined, sticking out his lower lip in a pout.
"And, so am I." he retorted, giving his boyfriend a rather condescending glance. "I can't exactly shuffle about my appointments." It seemed he was grumpy about Alfred not wanting him to come over last night.
"Not even for me?" the American pouted.
"Not even for you, Alfred. An appointment is an appointment."
Alfred, of course, knew what the appointment was. Of course he did. Because even though Arthur didn't know it, he was the beast that Arthur had arranged to meet this evening. Alfred did his best to try and come up with some plan to tell Arthur, to confess, but his thoughts were running thin. Ah, but it was Friday. And that gave Alfred quite the idea.
He waited in his bedroom for the hour to come. When the moon first became highest in the sky, he would pay the toll of his sickness, and his body would begin to morph. It was painful, to say the least. With bones changing shape and moving about, his body was aching often, regardless of the form he was taking at the time. His skin being constantly torn and poked through by fur was agonizing, and he shuddered as each part of the transformation took place. At last, still in great pain, he was in his beast's form.
Prior to his morphing, he had told Matthew of his little scheme, and his brother very hesitantly agreed. Alfred was the type not to think things through, and to live in the moment. Kind of foolish, if you asked Matthew.
He waited in the shaded pathway outside of his house, hidden away in the shrubs as he waited for Arthur. He had to keep himself from slobbering at the thought of the meat that the Briton had promised.
After what seemed like ages of waiting, Arthur appeared, walking along the pavement with a small bag in one hand. He leapt almost instantly from the bushes, and ran towards the boy he loved, playfully knocking him over and giving cheery 'kisses' – soft licks – to Arthur's face. He thanked the gods above that Arthur was for one, crazy enough to believe in and try to befriend a werewolf, and for two, brave enough to stop being afraid.
"Down, come on, get off of me," Arthur chuckled as his face was tickled by the creature's tongue. "Come on, I'll give you our treat once we get out of sight. The park's deserted right now, we should go there."
Mind hazed by the beast blood in his veins, Alfred did his best to make out what Arthur was saying, and act appropriately. He could smell the meat tucked away in Arthur's bag, and sniffed at it lamely. He was told 'later', and then was led off to the park by Arthur.
That night, it was almost as if Alfred was like any normal dog. They played fetch, Arthur gave him treats, and then they ended up sprawled out in the grass with Arthur fondly ruffling Alfred's fur. It would probably be very different if Arthur actually knew that it was Alfred beneath this form.
As the night drew on, Arthur started talking about it being time for him to go home. But, Alfred's goals came back to mind, and he grabbed Arthur's shirt collar in his teeth. There were commands to put him down, but Alfred ignored them for the most part, and began the short journey home, carrying Arthur as he went. Arthur's fear returned. Matthew was right, he hadn't thought this through.
Alfred's senses began to blur as he smelled the fright in the air. For Arthur's sake, he prayed that he could last out until he got back into his room. And so, he began the fight with himself. If he could've spoken in his form, he would've explained everything already. But he was limited now, and chained down by his own beast. Arthur let out a cry of distress as Alfred scaled the wall of his house. Oh, this really hurt.
"No, not this house! Stop it, put me down, and leave this house alone! Leave it!" Arthur commanded, voice shaky as he tried to free himself. Trembling even now, Alfred squeezed through the broken window of his room, and let go of Arthur. He just prayed that the boy he loved would understand.
Arthur's terror skyrocketed at the unkempt sight of Alfred's room, even more so at the empty bed. Alfred felt the beast's mind blur with his own, and let out a pained howl. He couldn't hold back, not right now. The horror in the air was fresh, and it was once again that Arthur looked to the beast like a tasty morsel waiting to be snapped up.
Arthur scuttled backwards across the floor of Alfred's room, until he bumped into a wall, and just stared up at the approaching creature. "No, don't do this," he mumbled weakly, shielding his face with his frail little arms.
The door beside him was pushed open in an instant, and Matthew burst through. He noticed Arthur in a sniveling ball on the ground, but didn't even look as he hastily embraced the creature on the verge of rampage. Everything seemed to confuse Arthur right now.
"Arthur, calm down!" Matthew ordered firmly, turning to look at the boy with wide eyes.
"B-but I don't understand-"
"Just, calm down! I'll explain everything later, but you don't need to be scared! Please, he's harmless if you just don't feel afraid!"
Arthur gulped and did his best to try and quell his fear, although it was hard when there were growls every now and then from the snarling beast in Matthew's embrace. Slowly, though, he managed to calm down. After a few moments, there was a whimper from the creature, and Matthew let him go.
Hesitantly, he stumbled over to Arthur, and leant his muzzle down. Smiling queasily, Arthur pet the creature's snout.
"You know what Alfred wanted to tell you?" Matthew started, but from the change of expression on Arthur's face, knew that he did not have to continue.
"I can't believe it, is it really you?" Arthur asked quietly, still in shock. Alfred… Alfred dipped his furry head, before furiously starting to lick Arthur's face once more. "Get off me, you twit," Arthur laughed, pawing at Alfred's cheek to try and get him to move.
Over time, Alfred became more accepting of the sickness that coursed through him. With Arthur's help, of course. The two would dork around during the day, and sit outside together at night. On the odd occasion that he stayed the night at Alfred's place, the two would end up curled beside each other, Arthur using Alfred's furry body as a pillow.
Alfred was forever thankful that Arthur didn't judge him or fear him. In fact, the Briton only became more fascinated in him, trying to understand just how the whole beast blood thing worked. Alfred didn't understand, but Arthur seemed to get the principles after a while. Arthur was there now when Alfred transformed, he was there to comfort and hold the boy, to try and lift the pain of his deformities.
Arthur and Alfred became near inseparable, with Alfred protecting Arthur from anyone who dared bully him at school during the day, and Arthur protecting Alfred from himself during the night. Due to his control and acceptance of his sickness, Alfred's transformations dropped in number, and he only morphed on nights of fuller moons, or nights where he actively chose to change. He didn't need to be afraid of who he was anymore. He was a wolf, tearing off the sheep's clothing, and howling his true colours.