Chapter 1 – The Moon Calls

A/N: Hey everyone, after having this idea for nearly a year, I'm finally writing it. In case you're wondering, this takes place in the same universe as my other DS fics such as "Solace Around the Fire" and "Little Flower" during a certain point in time, but you don't have to read either in order to understand this one.

Disclaimer: I don't own the DS games.

Enjoy!

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Woodie huffed as they trudged out of the forest with a stack of logs in his hands, completely sore. "Sorry, buddy. Went a little overboard with the chopping," he told his friend with a sheepish grin, who was carrying two stack of wood.

He was sure enraging two treeguards was far from "little". They had been scared out of their minds when the lumbering beasts burst out of the ground and came after them.

"Is okay," Wolfgang shrugged. "What to do with creepy face logs?"

Woodie paused and held up one of logs with a thoughtful look. The thing looked pretty ugly, with a wailing face permanently stuck on it. "Well, we can put'em around the camp. They will make a nice, little trophy, eh?"

"NO!" Wolfgang cried.

"Alright, alright. I'm just kidding," Woodie teased. "I'll probably drop them off at the other's place. They will surely have a good use for it,"

While his friend went on grumbling, Woodie perked up when their camp came into view, just on the edge of the forest. "Here we are!" he dropped the stack right near the fire pit. He was proud to see their "home" growing. Along with the supplies and items they came across on their previous travels, much had been added to this place during their stay here. Two big logs were place around the fire pit as seats. An old pot, which they found submerged in swamp water and used it for cooking since. Woodie knew such a thing probably belonged to people who were once trapped here like they were, but the thought was too somber to linger on.

While Wolfgang was trying to light a fire, Woodie reached for his sewing kit and went on working on the fur coats he was making. "Wolf, we're running out of silk. We're gonna have to make a trip to the spider dens soon,"

Ever since they learned of the dreadful winter and the snow storms that tended to hit the land, he wanted to make sure they survived the worst of it.

His friend shuddered. "Wolfgang hate evil, scary bugs!"

"I know, buddy. I know. Tell ya what, if we gather enough, I'll go the extra mile and make you a nice hat as well. Sounds good?"

Thinking hard, Wolfgang gave a sigh. "Fine,"

"There ya go!" he smiled and went back to work. Never in his life he imagined being stuck in the middle of the wilderness with a strongman from a troupe, but he supposed it wasn't strangest thing he experienced over the years.

Doubt flickered within him at the thought and he looked at Wolfgang who was growing frustrated with the fire lighting.

"Hey, buddy, you…you could always go, you know,"

"Huh?" Wolfgang dropped the sticks to stare at him in puzzlement.

Woodie rubbed his neck. "I-I mean join the guys at the fields! Their place is much bigger and safer than out here in the woods," Finding other survivors in this monstrous wilderness had been a huge relief for them, but sticking around with them was out of the question for Woodie. But the fact Wolfgang chose to remain by his side was…bittersweet to say the least. "If you wanna stay with them then I won't-"

"No!" Wolfgang firmly shook his head and beamed. "Only go where Wood Man goes. Wood Man is best friend,"

"Hey, come on. Don't say that, eh?" Woodie laughed, ducking his head. Really, this guy…He couldn't have run into a better companion in such a place.

But the fading light in the sky reminded him of what he had to do. "I'll be heading out tonight. I have something to check on,"

Wolfgang's smile dipped. "Again?"

"Sorry, important lumberjack stuff," He immediately felt guilty at the disheartened look on his friend's face. He knew how much Wolfgang hated being on his own. "On the bright side, you don't have a lot to be worried about. Tonight's a full moon, so it won't be dark at least,"

That got him a confused glance from his friend. "How do you know?"

"I try to keep track of time. Helps me know how long I've been stuck here, I guess," he said, which was half the truth.

And even if he didn't pay attention, he always felt it in the air. One day he would wake up and something would feel different; his senses would be sharper, making him hyperaware of his surroundings. He would be moodier and weaker against the call of trees. There was more to their encounter with the treeguards earlier than Wolfgang thought.

Picking up his backpack and axe, he turned to his friend. "I should be back by daylight. You gonna be okay, right buddy?"

"Um, y-yes! Of course! Wolfgang fears nothing!" Wolfgang puffed up his chest, but Woodie could tell that was far from true.

Woodie couldn't help going over and gave him a sided hug, if only to reassure him. It was awkward considering the strongman was nearly twice his size and Woodie's arm could barely wrap around him, but he tried his best. Wolfgang seemed to appreciate it and patted him on the back in return. "Alright, take care then,"

"Wood Man be safe, yes?"

Giving him a nod, he began to leave. "Save me some grub, eh?" he called.

The lumberjack ventured into the woods just to find a spot where he could hide for the rest of the night, somewhere no one could find him. He stopped and admired his surroundings when he deemed it safe enough. Water was rushing from a river nearby and he made it just in time as the sun had long since dipped beyond the mountains.

Woodie cared for his friend, he really did, but at times like this he was grateful that it was Wolfgang of all people that he met upon his arrival. The strongman was too kind and trusting, and this made it easy for Woodie to slip away whenever he needed to or cover up some of the weird things he did. There were several instances where Woodie didn't realize he was idly chewing and biting off bits of a twig until Wolfgang pointed it to him with a bewildered expression.

"Sorry, bad habit!" He would shrug with a chuckle, and immediately steer the conversation to Wolfgang's days in the troupe. Wolfgang's eyes would light up and he would boast about his feats in front of the audience in the past, much to Woodie's relief.

Wolfgang never questioned him and was always willing to buy his flimsy excuses. Anyone else would have had him figured out by now.

As Woodie stared at his shadow, casted by the fading light, his thoughts grew grimmer. It was better off for his curse to remain a secret from everyone, especially from Wolfgang. The poor man was already frightened out of his mind of this nightmarish world. He didn't need to be dragged into Woodie's mess as well.

"Well, it's one of those nights again, Luce," he finally said.

"Just…. try not to run off somewhere. I don't want to be left alone again," she said and he knew her long enough to hear the worry she's trying to mask.

"Gotcha," he set her down against a tree with a tender pat. Reaching inside his pocket, he took a piece of jerky that he had been saving for tonight. Changing would take everything out of him, so having a little bit of food around was a necessity.

His senses grew sharper, making him feel on edge as the sky darkened and the moon slowly poked from over the mountains. He winced, feeling something writhing inside him. He thought he would have gotten used to this by now, but the pain that burned in his chest proved him wrong. He hugged himself and fell to his knees as the pain coursed through the rest of his body. The pale light bathing the forest finally penetrated his mind and blurred his thoughts-

"Ahhhhhhhh!"

Woodie's eyes shot open at the familiar scream in the distance and he looked back dreadfully, his voice low and deep.

"W-Wolfgang?"

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Well, at least Woodie wasn't wrong.

Wolfgang stared at the moon hanging above. It was bright enough to drive any trace of the dreadful darkness and his imagination didn't plague for once, so he felt at ease at least. He took a bite out of his cooked drumstick and slumped. All of this failed to lift his mood.

This was not the first time the lumberjack left him alone. Wolfgang often wondered where he went, but he was always so secretive about it and the strongman never felt like pressing him about it.

When Wolfgang first came here, he had never been more afraid in his life, thinking he would be lost forever until the beasts of this world devoured him the second he turned his back to the shadows. But Woodie could always cheer him up. He made him feel safe. When the lumberjack was around, Wolfgang could almost forget about being lost at all. When he left, he worried he might not see him again.

He could only hope he would be back tomorrow.

A howl in the distance made him stiffen. He took a deep breath to calm himself down and focused on the fire. It's fine. This wasn't the first time he heard such a noise. He was in the wilderness for crying out loud.

He tried to relax and finish his food when the sound returned, louder and closer than before. His head whipped around and his heart leapt when he spotted several pairs of eyes shining through the trees. The hairy figures had glinting teeth and long claws, long enough to sink into his flesh. He had been trapped in this world for a while, but he never seen these creatures before.

Regaining his senses, his hand darted to his spear just as they lunged toward him. He screamed and smacked the first one across the head, sending it tumbling away. Another beast swiped at him, nearly tearing at his arm but he backed off just in time and punched it square in the face.

Somehow in his state of panic, he had enough sense to run away from the camp to avoid damaging it. The monsters gave chase, running on all fours and snarling with their shining eyes constantly locked on him.

"Leave me alone!" he shouted.

One managed to pounce on top of him and send him rolling across the grass. Wolfgang's eyes immediately sought the spear and reached for it, looking back to see five more beasts coming at him. There was no way he could fight them all without getting torn up.

He braced himself to fight his way through them when something massive burst through the forest, startling all of them. The new, hulking monster stood larger than any of them. Thick brown fur coated its body with huge antlers prodding out of its head. Its eyes shone with the same haunting glow as the feral monsters chasing him.

Wolfgang somehow felt smaller under its gaze. He couldn't muster up the will to scream. He just wanted to pass out and never wake up.

The ground shook slightly with every step the moose man took toward them, its breathing heavy and loud. The feral creatures growled in return and one of them pounced at it only to be sent flying back with a single punch from the hulking beast.

The moose man got onto all fours and charged. It sounded like an avalanche coming toward them as the beast slammed into two of the monsters, catching them both in its antlers and throwing them off.

So caught up in what was happening, Wolfgang forgot about the two other monsters until he heard their growls right behind him. The moose man glared back and charged again.

Frightened, the two monsters quickly scurried off out of its way, but Wolfgang didn't have the time to get up and run. He only got to turn around before air burst out of his lungs and sharp pain exploded in his side, in his arm, as the beast's head collided against him.

His vision darkened before he hit the ground, only catching a sharp animalistic cry before the world faded.

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No!

His mind screamed. His blurry thoughts, the urge to chase after the fleeing were-beasts, all vanished. He fell to his knees, feeling his strength seeping away as he stared in horror at his friend, sprawled on the ground. His body as well as his antlers shrunk and the fur disappeared under his skin.

Numerous things flooded back into Woodie's mind as his awareness fully returned.

"W-Wolfgang!" the pain in his stomach gave him the briefest pause as he messily shoved the piece of jerky into his mouth before crawling frantically over to his friend.

Wolfgang was completely knocked out. Woodie's heart twanged at the awkward position of the strongman's left arm. He pressed a trembling hand against his head, guilt consuming his every thought. "I-I didn't mean it! I'm sorry. I'm so sorry!"

He waited anxiously for what felt like hours until his friend moaned and blinked, looked at him blearily. "Wood…Man?"

Woodie sagged in relief, having feared the worst. "Yeah, it's me, buddy. It's me,"

"What happe- ah!" Wolfgang tried to move and gasped, biting his lip. "Hurts," he mumbled.

"Easy there. I think it's broken," Woodie said, grimacing. They couldn't stay here where those monsters might return. They had to go back and treat his arm. "Let me help you up,"

Assisting Wolfgang in getting up, he led his friend back to the camp. All the way Wolfgang kept glancing around as if worrying the hulking monster would come back any moment, and Woodie silently lowered his head.

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The next morning, Woodie was making his way back to the pot for the third time to fill Wolfgang's bowl with carrot stew. The meal was basically steamy, orange mush, since they didn't have much to spice it up with, but it certainly beat eating roasted food all the time. Putting on the biggest grin, he headed back to his friend.

Wolfgang was sitting on the bedroll with a relaxed smile, a makeshift cast they made from pieces of cloth securing his broken arm. The sight of it pained him deeply, but he did his best not to let it show.

"Here ya go, buddy!"

Holding up his other arm, Wolfgang shook his head. "Is enough, Wood Man," he said, patting his stomach.

"Nah, you gotta eat up. We need you back in full strength!" Woodie said. "And you have nothing to worry about. Those mutts didn't get any of our food thanks to you, so we still have plenty,"

"Well…" Wolfgang eyed the bowl of stew with interest, and it wasn't like him to turn down food on any occasion. "Ok!" he grinned and took the bowl, slurping away his third helping as if it was nothing.

While seeing his friend having not lost his appetite was good news, it did little in helping Woodie feel less awful. Guilt ate away at the lumberjack with every minute, reminding constantly that it was he who did this to him. Letting him have as much food as he wanted was the only thing he could do to make it up to him.

If only he managed to remain in control while in his beastly form, then none of this would have happened.

Steeling himself, Woodie spoke up. "Wolfgang, I…" he faltered when he looked him in the eye. "I'm sorry…I wasn't there to help ya out," he said, hating how cowardly he felt for not saying it.

But he couldn't imagine how he would be able to admit the truth. Where would he even begin?

Wolfgang smiled. "Is ok, Wood Man. Scary monster fault," Woodie winced. "Wait, how we get bug silk now?"

In the mess of all that happened, Woodie completely forgot about that. Wolfgang's face fell as he seemed to realize he would be useless for the task now. "I'll go. You focus on getting better, eh?"

"But is dangerous," Wolfgang protested, frowning.

"We can't have you run around and fight like this. It will only hurt your arm more!" Woodie insisted, putting his axe inside the backpack and taking Wolfgang's spear. "I'll get away if it gets too bad, alright? Besides, shouldn't you be happy since you won't be dealing with the spiders?" he added to lighten up his mood.

"Oh! Um, yes," The strongman mumbled sheepishly and then shook his fist. "Punch all scary bugs, Wood Man!"

Woodie laughed and headed out. As he expected, the second he was out of earshot a voice came from within the backpack.

"Woodie…"

"I know, Luce. I know," he sighed. "I messed up really bad,"

Getting the silk from the spider dens went about as he predicted, with him fleeing the moment they came swarming at him. He didn't get as much as he hoped, but it would be enough for now.

He gave a huge sigh of relief when he approached camp and saw Wolfgang still there. "Hey, buddy. I'm back!"

Wolfgang spun around, wincing slightly at the action. "Oh, Wood Man!"

The lumberjack raised a brow, immediately noticing how tense he looked. "Is everything okay, pal?"

"Um, yes. Everything fine,"

"Alright…" Woodie dropped his bag and took a seat on the log near the fire pit. "Managed to nab us some silk. If we're lucky, it'll be enough for our winters clothes, plus your hat,"

Wolfgang hummed excitedly in return.

Woodie faltered through his sewing and sniffed the air. There was an odd scent in their camp. He knew it was impossible, especially considering they were in a forest in the middle of nowhere, but he could almost swear the air held the smell of expensive cigars.

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A/N: Thanks for reading!