My name is Darren Shan. I've always had a weird obsession with spiders. My best friend, Steve, is a bit different; his thing is werewolves. In this story, our obsessions get us into loads of trouble.

Now, let's begin.

It all started in the library.

I was browsing the shelves, looking for something to read. Steve stood behind me, probably making faces. I loved to read, especially mythology and stuff about cryptids. Steve hated it, but would sometimes read comics.

"Hurry up," he whined. "I'm bored."

I sighed, looking at the last few books on the shelf, when I noticed a peculiar book. It looked like it was bound in leather. I grabbed it, and noticed a large paw print on the front. Opening it, I scanned the first page. It read:

'Wolves are not to be taken lightly. Their bite is deadly, and hunting as a pack is fearsome. I warn you to never copy anything this book describes.

Long ago, a man walked alone. He was hunting for a lone wolf that had killed his wife and stole his only child. Suddenly, the dire wolf burst from the undergrowth and dug its fangs deep into his arm. It was infected with an unknown disease that caused the man to turn into one of the beasts, which allowed him to-'

"Hey!" Steve punched my arm.

"Ouch!" I grumbled. "I was just checking this out. It's about werewolves. Do you think we should-"

Steve immediately snatched the book from my hands and examined the front. "Of course! I don't have a card, you get it."

I stuck my tongue out at him as I took the book back. "You should get one."

"Maybe later."

When I talked to the librarian, she told me that the book can't leave the library.

"Why not?" I asked.

"It's too big, and it's very valuable. We prefer to not take any risks." she answered.

I walked back to Steve, still holding the book.

"She said we can't take it home."

"Too bad. Put it in your backpack." Steve said.

I scrunched up my nose. "Steal it?"

"If you're too scared, I have a plan." Steve took the book and put it back on the shelf. "Find another one, and check it out. I'll hang out here and take it once you leave. That way you won't get into trouble."

I nodded, and did as he said. I waited for him to catch up. Steve always had plans like that, but we never got into trouble. He always got out of it, or never got caught.

Steve and I talked about the book on our way to his house.

"D'you think it says about how they kill?" Steve asked.

"The part I read only talked about how they were made." I responded, adjusting my backpack. "Some guy was bit by a wolf, but it describes it weirdly- a 'dire' wolf, I think it said."

"A dire wolf?" Steve stopped and stared at me. "Those are extinct!"

"Woah," I breathed. "So werewolves must be very, very old."

"Duh," Steve said, lightly smacking the back of my head. "They were just like wolves, but super-sized. They were around sometime after the dinosaurs, along with saber tooth cats n' stuff."

"Cool," I said and began to walk again. "It mentioned that the wolf was infected with a disease that caused him to turn into one."

Steve nodded. "That's what werewolves are, dummy."

I grinned at him, and shoved him lightly. He pretended to be hurt, then began chasing me. We laughed the entire way home.