Of Stars and Wolf

by Kepouros

"What the hell is wrong with you, lady?" Stan asked cautiously. "I'd tell you," she bit out, "But you'll find out in about two minutes, anyway. Now, do you have a cage?" That was when Stan noticed her fingernails were visibly growing. *** In which a reluctant werewolf seeks a cure from our favorite Grunkles, and finds danger, adventure... and love.

1. Chapter 1

The night's ambient sounds are swallowed by the eerie, lonesome howl coming from the Mystery Shack. It is long, rising in a steady pitch from beginning to zenith, before falling off into silence.

Within the shack's walls, Stan growled and lurched up from his easy chair to bang on the vending machine. "Hey! Keep it down, down there! Ducktective is on!"

Within seconds, the vending machine door to the basement opened and revealed Ford, journal in hand, glare on his face, and cotton in his ears. "WHAT?" he yelled.

Stan plucked a wad of cotton from his brother's ear and repeats. "I said, keep it to a dull roar! I'm tryin' ta watch TV."

Ford winced as the howl's beginning pitch sounds, and quickly shut the vending machine. "I can't stop her any more than she can control it, Stanley," he huffed. "And you're distracting the science by complaining every three minutes!"

Stan gave an unwilling grunt. "Fine," he said, wandering back to his chair. "The freakin' howls are killing me, though! It's the third night in a row!"

Ford sighed. "They're different this month," he mused, glancing over his shoulder. "They mean something, I just know it," he said.

"Yeah, they do! They mean, 'I'm an annoying puppy that needs a newspaper to the ass!'"

The terse, annoyed face of the studious brother gave way to a slightly humored expression. "You bring that up tomorrow morning, she might be game."

Grumpily, Stan waved dismissively. "The way she's carrying on, ruining my beauty sleep," he groused, "She'll be lucky to even get a rise outta me."

"Stanley, can't you hear her? Can't you tell that she's trying to say something?"

Stan's jaw clenched momentarily. He slept through the usual fare like crickets chirping. These howls weren't the usual fare, he knew. He didn't have to be a nerd like his brother to figure that out. The way the sounds tonight tugged at his curmudgeonly heart made him uncomfortable.

He wished morning would break, already.

"Here," Ford said, holding out two more wads of cotton. "Watch it with subtitles."

"This had better be worth it," groaned Stan.

"If we can help her," Ford replied from the basement door, "And dodge this prophecy in the process...it definitely will be."