I would like to thank Syntax-N for beta-reading and editing this chapter, along with my friend
England, after half a day at parliament, shut the door and sighed. The morning seemed drawn out. He felt exhausted already, and it wasn't even tea time yet!
"She was right. It's probably from just from stress." He tossed his wet coat on the coatrack and leaned his umbrella against the wall. He slipped off his muddy, soaking shoes and placed them neatly next to the door. Then he walked into the living room, only to get something extremely sticky and sweet to the face.
"Yes! It worked!" A boy looking no older than the age of twelve pumped his fist in the air.
"Sealand!" England shouted while wiping the remainders of the pie away. Sealand jumped up and ran away laughing. "Why in the bloody hell did you do that?"
"Because it's Halloween, and if you don't give me sweets, I'll keep on playing tricks!" Sealand yelled. England grumbled, then collected his senses and washed off his face.
"What the bloody hell were you doing anyway while I was gone?" He asked.
"I was getting ready for trick or treating. Wy, Seborga, and I are going as Pokémon trainers." He blazed down the stairs with a plush Pikachu on his shoulder. "And I'm going to be Ash." He slapped on a cap and was about to sprint out the door, but England caught him by the collar.
"There will be no trick or treating right now. It's barely even one o'clock, and most people haven't set up yet." England dragged him back inside. As soon as he loosened his grip, Sealand dashed to the door, only to get caught again.
"If you won't wait, I have no choice but to make you." England pulled out his wand and gave it a flick.
"et nunc tu sis unicornis!" He uttered. A puff of smoke issued from his wand and floated over to the micronation.
"Not again! You know how embarrassing this is!" Sealand whined as the smoke swirled and enveloped him. He whimpered a bit from within while his shadow morphed and shrank. When the smoke evaporated, a cream-colored unicorn with a short blond mane and tail stood in his place.
"If you had listened to me the first time, I wouldn't have had to do this." England blew on his wand and slipped it back into his pocket.
"What about trick or treating!?" Sealand neighed and galloped around the living room. "I can't be a pony!"
"It will wear off when it's sunset, so you'll have plenty of time to get ready." England took a step forward, but a wave of dizziness suddenly knocked him off balance. He used a nearby counter to level himself and was almost able to make it to a chair before he collapsed to the ground.
"A simple spell like that shouldn't have drained me that much," he thought as he attempted to get up. His head pounded, and his stomach ached like he had swallowed rocks. "Unless…" He managed to push himself up on quivering arms, grab his phone, and check his calendar. Marked on that day was the full moon. "Of course, it had to be the bloody m-moon." England stumbled again and collapsed on the floor, face first, in front of a terrified Sealand.
"England!" Sealand fired up his horn and turned him over. It almost looked like he was sleeping, but Sealand knew this was not the case. Blue wisps of magic floated out of his mouth and drifted upwards. "You had to cast another spell," He sighed before levitating him onto the couch, pulling a blanket over him. "Now, how many things can a unicorn do?" A mischievous, glinting smile came to his face.
Japan poked at the Chinese stir-fried vegetables on his plate with his chopstick. The moment after sunset, his stomach had begun to cramp, and now the food that China had cooked up didn't seem as appetizing as before.
"Why aren't you eating, aru?" China asked as he popped another prawn in his mouth.
"I don't feel so good," Japan replied, placing a hand over his churning stomach.
"Here, you should try some tea. It helps." China pushed a mug of steaming water and herbs towards Japan. He took it and sipped. Its strong, bitter taste with a hint of honey warmed him up from the inside and sent tingles of pleasure coursing throughout his body.
"Thank you." Japan set the empty mug down. Suddenly, a gust of wind blew a curtain aside, and the full moon's silver light brushed Japan's back for a second before the curtain fell back again and covered it up. Something cold faintly touched the back of Japan's neck, as if someone brushed ice against him. His heart began racing, and an icy chill enveloped his bones. It flowed to his head, and his ears pinched and tingled.
"Hey, Japan, you ok?" Korea snapped his fingers in front of Japan's face. "You've been acting weird ever since the sun went down."
"Sorry." Japan shook his head, and two furry black wolf ears unfurled and twitched. Taiwan paled, and Hong Kong snapped a picture.
"Have you had those ears on all dinner Japan?" She asked.
"What ears?"
"She's talking about the ones on your head." Korea reached over the table and gave one a good tug.
"Ow!" He jumped back, and his ears flattened and pressed against his scalp. His stomach dropped, and his heart beat even faster. "Um, excuse me." Japan got up from the table and ran to the bathroom. He flicked the light on and touched the sides of his head in a desperate attempt to find his human ears, but the sides of his head were smooth. "But that's impossible!"
Footsteps approached the door, and a knock caught his attention just as the realization struck him in the chest.
He was turning into a wolf.
"Hey, are you ok?" China knocked on it.
"Y-y-yeah, I'm fine," Japan stuttered as a tight, throbbing pain built up in his feet. "I need to get someplace more private." He opened the door and ducked past China, then zoomed up the stairs to his room and slammed the door shut. Japan ripped his indoor shoes and socks off his feet.
He gasped. His feet were twisted and misshapen. Black fur had sprouted in patches and seemed to be getting thicker as each second rolled by. The pain returned, stabbing now, and a crunch filled the air as they stretched and narrowed, ankles popping and toes pressing closer. Japan fell to the floor from the sudden shift in balance. He scrunched his eyes shut but cracked one when his hands started trembling and itching with fur. His palms and fingertips burned as they swelled into dark paw pads.
His nails lengthened and darkened, curving downwards and denting the floor. "I — I am not fine!" He cried. A strange pressure mounted in his tailbone as his back cracked with a sharp, painful jab. Suddenly, the pressure gave way, and he arched his back like a cat's as his spine bulged from his skin and a furry tail tore through his pants. He howled, loud enough that he could be heard clearly downstairs.
"Do you think Japan is ok?" Taiwan asked China.
"He probably stubbed his toe, da-ze," Korea joked, earning him a glare from China.
"I don't think even you scream that loud when you stub yours," Hong Kong remarked while Snapchatting with one hand and eating with the other.
"I'll go check on him when I'm done," China grabbed his trusty wok and leaned it against his chair.
"There is no way that he had those ears on the whole time. They blended in with his hair way too well," Taiwan whispered.
"Wait, did he finally find a way to turn himself into a neko? Da-ze?" Korea asked, bouncing in his chair.
"Even if he did find a way, I highly doubt he did this on purpose." Hong Kong paused while keeping a straight face. " He also was surprised when you tugged on one."
"Ok then, what if he's a werewolf?" Taiwan suggested. "He's been acting weird the whole day, and it's a full moon tonight."
"If he's a werewolf, then why didn't we hear any news about disappearances in Japan? Da-ze?" Korea asked.
"Because," replied Hong Kong, "he only became one recently."
"So, this is his first transformation? That is so cool! I want to be one! Da-ze!" Exclaimed Korea. Hong Kong slapped his hand over his mouth. China looked up from his meal, raised an eyebrow, then focused his attention back to his food.
"Not cool, not cool at all." Hong Kong hissed. "There is a high chance he'll lose control and potentially attack someone."
"And how do you know that?" Korea asked.
"England once cursed France in the hope that he would go on a rampage and ruin his reputation." Hong Kong explained. "It didn't work, though England did have the last laugh. France went to the next meeting looking like an elf."
"So, any idea how to capture a werewolf if Japan does decide to go on the hunt?" Taiwan asked.
"I'll need these things. Can you get them for me?" Hong Kong scribbled a list of seemingly random items.
"Can we get this on tape as well?" Korea took out his phone.
"Fine." Hong Kong rolled his eyes and shoved the list into his hands. "Just get these items as quick as possible."
"Alright! Uri nara mansae!" Korea sped out of the room at superhuman speed and then zoomed back with the objects. "What do we need these for?"
"You'll see." Hong Kong smirked and whispered the plan into Taiwan's and Korea's ears.
The changes had stopped for a moment. Japan exhaled, out of breath, and glanced behind himself to catch sight of his newly-grown tail.
Out of curiosity, he willed it to move. The limb twitched frantically at first, then dragged across the floor. But every inch it moved, a burning pain shot through his spine, setting his nerves on fire. He let go, and his tail went limp as he struggled to catch his breath and his torture continued when fresh moonlight glistened off his sweat-soaked skin.
An electric prickling sensation tingled at the base of his spine where fur began to grow. It sprouted all over his back in a wave-like fashion and picked up speed as it wrapped itself around Japan's torso and neck, only stopping at the base of his head. Then his very insides started twisting and morphing, and with a horrible, muscle-searing sensation, his whole body began to grow. His shirt strained to cover his swelling chest, and when he gripped it, his claws tore the fabric apart like wet paper. Out of breath, he collapsed again just as his hands cricked into gigantic paws. His left ear twitched and picked up the sounds of someone coming up the stairs and the door creaking open.
China stood in the doorway, armed with a wok, seeing nothing but pitch-black.
"Japan, are you ok?" He cautiously flicked on the lights, only to find Japan almost completely transformed on the floor, trembling from fear and pain. China's eyes widened, and his mouth opened to say something, but nothing came out. When he managed to say, "What in the world is going on?" it came out as a horse whisper. Through his confusion, he forced himself to Japan's side.
"I-I don't know," Japan sobbed. He fell into China's lap and looked him in the eye just as the familiar prickling returned and the fur crept up his cheeks. He turned his face away and shoved China aside. His face creaked and pushed out as his cry morphed into a howl and his head fell to the floor.
"Japan?" China crept over and poked him with his wok. Japan's eyes snapped open and he growled, baring his teeth. His eyes glowed brown, but unlike before, no pupil could be seen.
China backed up as much as he could until his back slammed against the wall. Japan raised his paw and swiped at him, but China sheltered behind his wok just in time. Japan's claws tore through the metal like a knife slicing butter, and he snapped the handle in half with his jaws.
"Aiya! That was my best wok!" China hollered and tossed the piece of wood that remained, aside. Right when Japan was about to strike the older nation, Korea, Taiwan and Hong Kong burst into the room wielding laser pointers, a video camera, and a speaker blasting "Nya Nya Cat." Japan roared and pawed at his ears, trying to escape the whirlwind of chaos while China shielded his eyes.
"Surprise! You're on the Internet! You're going to be famous!" Korea pointed to Hong Kong, holding the camera. Japan charged at the nation, but Taiwan threw a lasso around his body, tying his arms up. She then ran around the beast's legs and tied a tight knot, bringing him to the ground with a loud thump. "Awe yeah! We caught a werewolf!" Korea stood next to Japan's head and snapped a few selfies like a hunter with his trophy while Hong Kong stood and video-taped.
Japan tried to break through the ropes, but they wouldn't rip. Instead, the fibers took on a silvery aura and tightened around him like a snake.
"How come he isn't breaking through, aru?" China asked.
"The rope is enchanted," replied Hong Kong. "It's as strong as titanium." He snapped a picture with the phone. Japan shook his head and roared in fury, snapping his mighty jaws at Hong Kong, who jumped away in the nick of time.
"Wait, flash him again," Taiwan instructed. Hong Kong snapped another picture, and Japan roared once again, but this time, his eyes flickered back and forth from human to animal.
"Come on Japan! Fight it!" Korea shouted encouragingly. Hong Kong flashed the camera one more time, and Japan let out an animalistic howl and stopped struggling. The magic faded completely, and his eyes returned to normal.
"What?" Japan whispered, startled by his deeper voice. "What happened?"
"Well, you lost control and attacked China, so we brought you down and tied you up!" Korea stated through a duck face as he snapped a selfie.
"Can you please let me out?" Japan tried to wriggle himself free, but it only caused the ropes to get tighter and cut into his skin.
"I don't trust you Japan, if that's even who you are right now." Hong Kong raised an eyebrow.
"Hong Kong!" China scolded. "Let him out this instant, aru!"
"Fine." Hong Kong replied. He rolled his eyes and muttered a few words.
The ropes lost their magical effect and slid off like wet noodles, and Japan got up, towering above China. He stared down at his paws in fearful disbelief, then stumbled backwards on his new legs and fell into the wall behind him.
"So! What's it like?" Korea gazed at him with stars in his eyes.
"W-what do you mean?" Japan asked.
"You know, being a werewolf?" Korea pointed at him.
Japan didn't know how to answer such a question. After the anguish of transforming, he didn't know what to say. The feeling was indescribable. "It is… weird," he finally answered as he cautiously checked out more of his body. His shirt was strewn around the room, but his shorts stayed relatively intact, despite having a large, furry tail sticking out of them. He gave it another experimental swish, and this time, it thankfully didn't hurt.
"I wish I could be a werewolf," Korea sighed, then a grin formed on his face. "Hey Japan, bite me!" He rolled up his sleeve and held out his arm.
"Japan will not be biting anyone! Aru!" China took him by the arm and led him out of the room. "I think he needs a little privacy right now."
"arigatō"(Thank you), but I—" Japan was cut off by China slamming the door. He huffed and swished his tail. His ears flicked. "I guess I have some time to myself, though I am unsure if I can get used to this."
Testing the mechanics of his new body, he crawled over to dig through his bag and take out his manga. Maybe reading could distract him from his wolfishness. He did his best not to rip the books in half, but of course, there were a few tears when he finished one. As he got to one of his favorite scenes, his tail began wagging and thumping on the bed involuntarily as his grip tightened on the book. Eventually, he tore it clean in half like a sheet of paper and groaned.
Tired of all the night's events, he stuffed his muzzle into his pillow while trying to find a comfortable position on the now too-small bed. He eventually gave up and fell asleep on the floor, curling up like a dog and falling asleep under the full moon's light.
