"Can you believe it?" came the voice of a certain regal mummy, "Two whole months cooped up in a cabin in the wilderness!" She shuddered.

"Oh Cleo, I'm sure it won't be that bad. We'll get to learn about nature and everything that lives there!" The pink skinned vampire tried to assure her.

Cleo murmured and crossed her arms, letting her body sink down into her bus seat.

"But I won't be able to see Deucey as often as I want," she pouted, referring to her gorgon boyfriend.

Clawdeen rolled golden hues and shook her head. "You act as though you two are gonna be a thousand miles away. They boys are gonna be right across the lake."

"That might as well be a thousand miles!"

The werewolf scoffed and returned her attention to the scenery outside of the window. Frankie's voice faded to a droning buzz as her mind began to wander. She heard her mention something about high school and seniors, but she wasn't paying too much attention. The thought of spending two months in a small cabin with some of her closest friends didn't really seem to bother the werewolf. Despite having known most of them for years, it wasn't until recently that she had begun to notice just how beautiful and attractive her friends were. She'd never noticed just how curvy Draculaura was, or how full Frankie's lips were, or just how firm Cleo's a-

The bus jolting to a stop tore the werewolf from her thoughts. She, along with most of the other ghouls on the bus, thought that the stop they had last made was their final one. She watched the door to the brick, one story home open and almost instantly did her jaw drop. Standing at five foot eight, sporting shoulder length onyx tresses and bright emerald hues which now seemed to be protected by a pair of black glasses, was one of Clawdeen's newer friends, Cerena Berus.

The hellhound called back to someone inside before closing the door and looking to the bus. She hefted a fairly large bag onto her shoulders and began walking towards the vehicle. She was tall, but by no means was she scrawny. Clawdeen could see every lean muscle in her arms and torso working together beneath her shirt. The bus driver hopped off and met her outside the doors to help her store her bag in the compartment. Once she was settled, she followed the bus driver on board. Almost immediately, her ears twitched and perked to the cacophony of squeals that filled the air. She looked to the back of the bus and immediately her heart leapt. The familiar faces of her old friends assaulted her eyes. Pearly white teeth showed themselves in a wide smile as she practically ran to the six pairs of arms waiting for her at the back of the bus. She melted in the warm embrace of the six girls as they all greeted her.

Once they had all settled down and Cerena was comfortably seated beside Clawdeen, the catching up started.

"What have you been doing since you left?" Lagoona asked, eyes wide with curiosity as strong as the rest of them.

Cerena brushed her bangs from her face and leaned back into the seat. She rested her arms behind her head and rolled her shoulders. "Honestly, not anything nearly as interesting as when I was with you all at Monster High."

Back when she was a freshman, her mother had enrolled her in Monster High after numerous complaints from other schools. Despite it being the middle of the year, her mother convinced her that this school would truly be good for her. During the first day, she had met Clawdeen, Frankie, Draculaura, Lagoona, Cleo and Ghoulia. In the week that followed, the girls had become almost inseparable. She and Clawdeen formed the strongest bond. At the end of her sophomore year, she had to move away to stay with and help her uncle since his old battle wounds were acting up and he wouldn't be able to take care of his home and duties by himself. While she was staying with him, she was able to attend school and finish her junior year at a school near where she was staying.

"And at some point while I was staying with him, he found a lady friend and things got serious between them. With the help of us both, my uncle Orthrus was able to get back on his feet by the end of the school year and told my parents that I could come home when I wanted." She chuckled. "I took the first opportunity I could to come back. After this summer, I'm gonna finish my senior year at Monster High with you guys!"

They all cheered, glad that they would be walking out of Monster High together. When they finally quieted themselves, Cleo leaned into Cerena with a playful smirk on her lips.

"So, did you find a handsome young monster while you were away?"

Cerena's eyes widened as she noticed the others looking at her expectantly. She scoffed loudly and lightly pushed Cleo away.

"Me? Please. As soon as I mention the other sides of me, they're either totally confused and I have to spend the rest of the time explaining myself, or they pretend to get it but are still just as dense. Either way, there wasn't a second date. Ah well. Not something I need to stress myself with." Her eyes trailed to Clawdeen. Leaning in, she laid herself across the werewolf's lap, legs crossed in the aisle at the ankles. "And what about you miss thing?"

Clawdeen's cheeks burned slightly at the smirk her friend was giving her. She met her gaze and was able to make out just the smallest hints of possession. Or maybe she was imagining it. She stuck the tip of her tongue out and quickly reached to muss the hellhound's hair. She giggled as Cerena flailed and sat up.

"If you must know, I'm still a lone wolf looking for someone really worth the time. I had a few dates here and there but they never really led to anything."

The ravennette eyed the brunnette as she fixed her hair. She hmm'ed quietly before flipping her hair and deciding to leave it as is.

"Still? Ahh, doesn't surprise me. Not too many guys can handle someone as fierce as you." They shared a fist bump and a laugh before Cerena asked the others about their own relationships. She was elated to hear that everyone's relationships were still stronger than ever. It did surprise her to hear that Draculaura and Clawd would be moving in together sometime before their senior year ended but she congratulated her all the same.

The ride to the camp was a long one spent mostly catching up or sleeping. Clawdeen was busy reading a book when she felt Cerena slump over. Her head fell to rest on her shoulder. The werewolf glanced to the other occupants of the bus. When she decided they were all either asleep or not paying attention to her, she carefully shifted her arm to wrap around the slightly taller ghoul. She guided Cerena's head to rest against her neck, allowing her to settle her head atop the hellhound's. She felt her lips pull into a light smile. Cerena smelled like cinnamon. Clawdeen carefully curled up in the seat and went back to reading her book, slender fingers gently scratching behind one of Cerena's ears. Occasionally she would feel Cerena shift, but she never woke up.


After what seemed like an eternity, the bus finally pulled up to a wooden archway with the words Camp Nevermoor elegantly carved into the wooden banner. Intricate designs and patterns lined the poles. The bus driver turned to alert and rouse the girls.

"Wake up girls! We've arrived at Camp Nevermoor! Get up and file out!"

She honked her horn to startle awake the heavier sleepers. She chuckled to herself at the jolted gasps and light yelps she heard.

Amid the grumbling, Cerena blinked her eyes open slowly and yawned. The sound of a quiet, Brooklyn accented voice tickled her eardrums.

"Hey, we're here. Time to get up."

She turned to come face to face with a warmly smiling werewolf. Her cheeks brightened slightly and for a moment, her awakening brain forgot how to work. This prompted her to splutter, "Warmthnnicemmm…" She closed her eyes for a few seconds, then opened them again, now able to see Clawdeen far more clearly. Her ears perked at the sound of the brunnette's laugh. The sound was rich and full.

Once Clawdeen's laughter had died down, she coaxed the hellhound into a stand then playfully poked her off the bus. Only when they were out and able to properly stretch their legs did Cerena whip around and grab Clawdeen's hand. Her lips were pulled into a dark, playful grin. Crimson illuminated her eyes.

"If you poke me one more time…" the femininely gruff voice mockingly threatened.

"You'll what?" Clawdeen challenged. Her golden eyes smoldered slightly.

Though she couldn't be too sure, the hellhound felt as though those two simple words were the smallest bit… Seductive. Cerena, managing to fight the blush from creeping onto her cheeks, narrowed her eyes and smirked, face leaning into Clawdeen's.

"Test me, Clawdeen. I dare you." Her voice was a low rumble.

The werewolf took a step back, fully aware that her back would be pressed against the side of the bus. A soft growl was ready to escape from her throat, but their moment was interrupted by the sound of a car door closing and a voice with an irritatingly familiar purr behind it.

"Why don't you two love pups get a room? Preferably one far away from me."

Both Clawdeen and Cerena looked to see a red head emerge from the car. Dark stripes decorated her fringe. She was followed by a pair most people assumed were twins.

The hellhound glared as Toralei, Purrsephone and Meowlody walked towards the group. Her eyes flashed as she walked forward to meet the orange furred werefeline. Her arms crossed and she made no attempt to hide the frown on her face.

"If it isn't everyone's favorite little nuisance. I can see that you haven't changed much." Cerena allowed her eyes to subtly roam Toralei's body. While she would have hated to admit it, Toralei kept her body in amazing shape in the time she'd been gone. A mental grumble wafted through her mind. In the background, she caught sight of a large, male werecat circling around to the trunk, undoubtedly her father retrieving her bag. With a roll of her eyes, she returned her attention to the red head. "You all think you're too good to ride the bus with the rest of us?"

Toralei giggled. The sound of the twins snickering behind her reached everyone's ears. "You silly puppy. Those with true regality don't ride the bus." Her green eyes darted quickly to Cleo. The sight of the Egyptian scowling caused a smirk to grace her lips. "Remember that." With that, she patted Cerena's cheek before turning on heel and sauntering towards the main building directly behind the arch with Purrsephone and Meowlody in tow. She was lucky. Cerena's snapping jaw just barely missed her hand.

The hellhound growled loudly, tail swaying back and forth irritatedly. Bright crimson eyes darted to the side when she felt a hand on her shoulder. The green stitch working told her it was Frankie. She turned to look to the shorter girl.

"Don't let her get to you. A few years may have passed, but she's still Toralei. She's only trying to wind you up, that's all."

The ravennette grumbled and reached up to lightly pat Frankie's hand.

"Yeah. Yeah alright." She turned on heal and walked to retrieve her bag. Once she turned back to her friends, her eyes were their normal, emerald coloration. "How about we get started hm? I'm eager to find out who I'll be bunking with for the next eight weeks."

A round of agreeing voices followed her statement. Within moments, all of the girls had their bags and were walking towards the main building.

As they walked, Cerena wrapped her tail around her waist and thought back to mere minutes ago. How close she was to Clawdeen. She could smell the Brittney Gears sugar and spice perfume on the werewolf. The look in her eyes… Cerena quivered slightly. The tone of her voice… Had she imagined that? Her eyes subtly fell on the werewolf. They studied her. Was there more to Clawdeen than she let on? Cerena desperately wanted to find out.

Once the second bus arrived, the main building was full of teenage girls talking amongst themselves. The wall clock read 7:21. Cerena was excited to see that more familiar faces had arrived to the camp, including Avia, Sirena, Robecca, Venus and others. The girls all had a little while to talk and those that didn't know each other briefly got to. A sudden, shrill whistle like shriek filled the air and quieted the room quickly. All eyes turned to the front of the room to fall on a tall slender woman. She looked to be in her late thirties. Her tawny shaded feather like hair flowed down to her behind. Lining slim arms were large wings that were a lightly brighter shade than her hair. Her eyes scanned the room. Clutched between sharp, talon-like nails was a clipboard which held the names of every girl that was to be attending the camp. Her legs were covered by a pair of forest green shorts and her torso was clad in a grey and green fitted t-shirt, bearing the camp's name and logo. On the sides of the room, each seated at a fairly long table, were six younger looking ghouls in similar attire. Cardboard boxes of varying sizes rested behind them.

"Well. This year looks like it brought some girls ready to get down and have fun in nature." She paced at the front of the room. "I see many new faces as well as a few familiar ones. For those of you who don't know me, my name is Adriana Harpy. I am the head of Camp Nevermoor and you will all address me as 'Ms. Harpy' or 'Ma'am'. Understood?" She looked to the large group of girls so quickly and sharply that a few of them gasped in alarm. She didn't really wait for a true response before she continued. "These are your camp counselors." She motioned to the younger females. As they waved to the teens, she spoke on. "We do like to have fun here at Nevermoor, but there is a very low tolerance for those who don't like to follow the rules." She paused very briefly to let her sharp eyes fall on Toralei and a few other girls. "First off, there are to be no electronics of any kind here. If you are caught with them, they will be taken immediately and sent back to your residence." The grumbles and outcries were swiftly silenced by a shrill chirp. "Second, no camper is to be out of their cabins after 10:30 at night unless there is a schedule event between the camps, which leads me to my next point." She turned to face the girls. Her expression was set in a deathly serious glare. "There is to be no unsupervised contact with the boys from across the lake. No crossing the lake to enter their camp and by no means are you to have a boy in your cabin. If you're caught, you, said boy and any accomplices will be severely reprimanded." Her feathers bristled. "Is that clear?" Adriana's nails tapped at the clipboard at the resounding confirmations from the room. The harpy nodded and looked to her clipboard. "Very good then! Now that that is out of the way, you all will be assigned your cabins and your colors. Those of you with the last names beginning with A through L will go to the left side of the room. Those of you with M through Z will go to the right."

The girls once again began chattering amongst themselves as they stood. Clawdeen looked to Cerena and lifted on side of her mouth in something of a smile. "Hope we get the same cabin." With that, she lifted one of her hands.

The hellhound quickly responded by swinging her own hand up to firmly grasp Clawdeen's. "So do I. If not though, I look forward to kicking your butt this summer." A playful smirk graced her lips.

Golden eyes rolled and a chuckle fell from her mouth as they both tensed their arms and pulled each other into a hug that seemed to linger longer than it probably should have. Once they finally pulled away from each other, Cerena watched Clawdeen walk to stand in line near Draculaura and Frankie. The girls all gripped hands and pulled close to each other in a way that only years of best friendom could have honed. The hellhound turned away and jammed her hands in her pockets. Her eyes trailed to the ground and her brows furrowed slightly in thought as she stood in one of the lines. She truly hoped that she would get the chance to be close to Clawdeen this summer. The werewolf came to be a true friend in the time that she had gotten to know her. Hell, all of them became some of the closest friends she had ever had. A soft smile pulled at her lips. She particularly enjoyed Draculaura's polite way of trying to cheer up a saddened friend and Frankie's words of inspiration. Her tail coiled around her waist and her ears lowered to her head. Maybe she could talk to one of them. She laughed to herself. Yeah. That'll happen.


Cerena laid on the top bunk of her cabin with her eyes closed and her head resting on her arms. Her tail flopped in time to the melody flowing through her wireless headset. A neon orange bandana was tied around her right bicep. Her cabin mates had yet to show up so she figured she would quickly claim her spot. She had already packed her clothing away and her bag was stuffed underneath the bunk. She mumbled the along to the words flowing into her ears, unaware of the cabin door opening. She exhaled slowly and rolled onto her side. Feeling the hair on the back of her neck stand up, she peeked an eye open to see a pair of bright golden hues staring right back. She flailed and jolted up into a sit. She tore the headphones from her ears in time to hear Clawdeen laughing heartily.

"You should have seen the look on your face!"

The ravennette glared and crouched atop her bunk. With a swift lunge, she leapt to the floor and quickly turned, pinning Clawdeen to the bottom bunk. Her tail whipped back and forth behind her.

"You see the look on my face now?" Her eyes narrowed, but it was clear that she was trying her hardest to keep the smile from her lips.

The werewolf smirked and playfully arched a leg up to brush along Cerena's hip. The sight of the sudden facial expression changed caused the shorter ghoul to giggle.

"You're looking kind of flustered."

The air around them slowly charged. Cerena gasped quietly and averted her eyes for a moment, only to quickly meet the golden gaze again and huff. Her voice was a low rumble as she moved her face closer to Clawdeen's.

"Yeah, I wonder why."

A slight growl formed in Clawdeen's throat when she felt the scaly smoothness of Cerena's tail begin to coil around one of her legs. This felt nice. It felt right.

Challenge and something else smoldered behind the eyes of both girls, but a jiggling knob soon tore them from their moment. Cerena looked to the door then stole another glance to Clawdeen before pulling away from her. She gasped loudly a feigned a loud laugh just as Cleo walked in through the door.

"That was really funny, oh oh hey Cleo! I see you're here with us."

The regal mummy nodded and tossed her bag onto the top bunk. "While I don't mind staying with my friends, I wish that they had somewhere a little less… Rustic and log cabin-y. And those outfits they gave us." She shuddered. "So gaudy."

She was about to open her mouth when the door opened revealing their final cabin mate. Cleo wasted no time in groaning loudly.

"Of all the people here, they had to put you in our cabin?"

A scowl crossed the redheaded werecat's face followed by a scoff.

"As if I asked to be here. Might as well get used to me sweetie. Looks like we're stuck together for the entire summer."

"And why is that?" Cerena asked, eyes narrowed.

Toralei sauntered into the cabin and tossed her own bag onto the top bunk near Cleo's.

"Because Harpy's word is law. I asked and she said that the people you're placed with are your cabin and teammates for the whole stint."

Before Cerena could respond, Cleo stepped forward and moved Toralei's bag to the bottom bunk. This quickly dissolved into the two girls arguing over who gets which bunk. Cerena moved her glasses up to pinch at the bridge of her nose before sighing and taking a seat next to Clawdeen on her bunk. The warm sensation she felt because of her lycan friend had dissipated as soon as Toralei walked in.

"Looks like it's gonna be a real interesting summer, hm?" Clawdeen asked as she watched Toralei and Cleo arguing.

Cerena bobbed her head in a nod and groaned as she flopped back onto Clawdeen's bed.

"Interesting and long."