Chazz's blood ran cold when Hassleberry and Jim claimed that there was an old blood smell coming from his backyard.
He didnt know what to think and it made him tremble slightly out of fear and anticipation as the three of them walked to his sliding glass door to his wide backyard which was fenced in with a large grassy area and a dog house in the middle of the yard.
the yard was mostly just there, Chazz wasnt a very outdoorsy type considering how pale complexioned he was, he didnt go out much except in the much warmer tempertures.
Except living in Willow it was few and far between, summer time being the only real time it got warm enough to even melt the large snow drifts completely.
His dog Lester looked up at the three of them as Chazz approached him running his hand over the fairly large dog. "Hey Lester. Who's a good boy." he chuckled the dog nipping playfully against his hand.
Jim looked at the dog intently as the two werewolves had an internal conversation with each other even tugging Johan into it through their pack mind link.
"Johan, keep Syrus and Judai upstairs." Jim informed the bluenette who took a glance out the window as he noticed the three in the yard. "You guys investigating the blood smell?" The bluette sent back through their link.
His gaze went back to the two who were on Chazz's bed laughing and were in the middle of showing Johan old photos of the three of them growing up.
"There might be more to it than that. Keep them up there no matter what you hear, last thing we need is for the three of them to freak out." Hassleberry instructed, and normally the wannabe army boy never gave orders as much as he followed whatever he was told so for him to give Johan an order, it was pretty serious in nature.
"Dont worry. Just try not to take too long." He met Judai's gaze giving him a smile as he stepped away from the window to approach the bed.
Jim and Hassleberry return their focus on Chazz who was sitting on the ground with Lester nuzzling up to him. "So, Chazz how did you get…Pardon me, whats the feller's name?" The Aussie interrupted the two catching the ebony male's gaze.
"Lester. And my brother kinda clocked him with his car a year and a half ago. So hes been my dog since then cause I made sure he got healed up. I had put up posters all over town and nobody called up so, I kept him." Chazz expained ruffled his dogs fur playfully.
Hassleberry kneeled down near the dog and ruffled his fur before smelling his hand. "So thats the blood smell…" Chazz and Jim looked at the tanned male in wonder.
"What chu mean blood smell…? You mean Lester did something?" Hassleberry confused Chazz further going into the dogs dog house and nearly leaped out. "WHEW! Nope thats where the real smell is coming from!" he held his nose in his hands as Jim knelt down next and dug his hand in.
He almost threw up dropping what he found on the grass outside the dog house. "Well…I think we know who killed Bruce Campwell now…" Hassleberry and Chazz look at the ground by Jim's feet and there on the ground was a decapitated hand with half the skin and muscle missing, with the finger's still in one piece.
Chazz and Hassleberry went cold and pale falling back on their asses in the grass. Chazz's blood ran cold once more as his eyes looked to Lester who was just panting with his tongue sticking out confusion and shock framed his face.
"No way….Lester, h-how did you…? H-how could..?" Chazz's voice almost trembled in shock. Lester's ears dropped and he looked down at the ground, almost as if he could understand what Chazz was freaking out about.
"Thats another thing, Chazz." Jim gets the attention of the blackhaired male once more, Chazz's face couldn't get any more paler. Chazz recalls back to the monday morning Bruce's body was found and his eyes widen heavily.
'His body was suspended from the flag pole…only a human could do that….yet his body was mangled as if attacked by a wild animal….Is..is it possible..??' Chazz's thoughts ran frantically as he gazed back at the dog…no, werewolf that was in his backyard.
"Hes a werewolf isnt he…?" Chazz spoke up after untwisting his tongue from the roof of his mouth. Jim and Hassleberry went to the black haired male's side helping him to his feet.
"I'm sorry to say this Chazz but you kept a werewolf as a pet all this time. And if I'm right, this is the same werewolf that went missing a while back." Chazz couldnt look more confused at the moment, but his brain was too fried to focus on the words coming from Jim's mouth.
"You mean, you've seen him before?" Chazz deduced from the tall male's words. He nodded in return looking at the brown werewolf still in his fur skin. "We know your a werewolf, so go ahead and show us who you really are." Jim commanded making the werewolf flinch away from him as within a split second where the brown furry fourlegged creature was, there was a naked male with dark brown eyes and ragged long brown hair that went passed his shoulders and bangs that covered his eyes slightly. His built was natural and slim and he was slightly taller than Hassleberry and Chazz, but shorter than Jim.
"I thought so…You've been missing for quite a while, Atticus Rhodes." Jim stated bluntly as the naked male doesnt make a move to stand. He raised his head to the two fellow werewolves confusion in his eyes.
"Is that who I really am? T-the only reason I stayed was because I didnt know who I was…I'm so sorry master for causing you trouble…" Atticus spoke apologetically to the black haired male. Chazz approached the naked brunette and touched his arms sizing him up in his human skin.
"You have nothing to be sorry for…" Chazz hugged Atticus in a comforting manner making the amnesiac werewolf tear up as he hugged his master of a year and a half. "Thank you for being such a good companion all this time." Chazz gave a solemn smile to Atticus.
He pulled away from the werewolf and took his coat off and handed it to the male to put on. It was snug on slightly taller male but it kept him from completely trembling. Chazz quickly went inside and fetched a pair of jeans from his older brother's bedroom. He guessed that Atticus was close to the same height as one of his brother so the pants should fit well enough.
"Time for you to return home okay?" Chazz gave the male a sympathetic smile as he gives him the pants as the brunette put them on. "Your taking this very well, Chazz." Hassleberry commented looking at him kinda surprised by the way Chazz reacting almost normal if not saddened slightly.
Chazz looked down as he spoke. "I knew he was special. He understood me better than my brothers and i never had to worry about him running away, and if he did managed to get out he always came back. Guess the day he got out last was the same time he killed Bruce…Why did you do it?" Hi gaze returned to the dark brown eyes that belonged to the dog hes known the past few months.
Atticus growled slightly as he spoke. "He was a bad man…The way you spoke of him, the injuries and the pained look in your eyes every day you came home. I smelt the blood on you when you came home Thursday ….I knew instantly…His smell still lingered on your clothes so… after you three passed out, I snuck out making sure the door was left unlocked. You know the rest…" Jim nodded understandingly. He could tell the genuine nature of Atticus's words from the expression he had on his face, mixture of anger pain and deep concern for the black haired male.
"You were protecting them…Thats why you killed Bruce." Hassleberry muttered under his breath, making the brunette nod his head. Chazz's heart clenched with joy, he was proud to have had Atticus as his pet even being a werewolf. He ended his and his friend's tormentor at school. He could enjoy the rest of the school years with smiles and excitement.
"I'm thankful. Because nobody was going to intervene with him. You gave us a chance to be free at school. If Bruce had been around… I don't think we would've been friends with Aster or Yusuke not even Stella she wouldn't even be here in Willow if he hadn't died." Chazz could only grin at the last part of his sentence.
"You have a sister who's been looking for you, young man." Jim jokingly pulled the brunette by the ear, acting almost motherly sounding.
"Take him home then come back here. I have a video you guys need to see and not tell anyone about." Chazz smirked remembering the video on his phone of the memorial of Judai dawning his disguise and sang with Stella on stage.
Jim nodded and escorted the half dressed male to the truck through the back gate as Hassleberry and Chazz headed up stairs as Johan's laughter resounded through the door.
"What even happened?!?" Johan was holding a picture that Judai had took of Chazz dressed as little bo peep one Halloween looking annoyingly pissed off in the picture.
"WHERE DID YOU GET THAT!?!" Chazz went hot red with rage as he chased the bluenette around the room Syrus having laughed his ass off the bed.
"Explain! Explain this picture, please!" Johan had tears in his eyes as Chazz wrestled the teal boy to the floor snatching the picture from him, Johan suffering from a giggle fit to fight him off.
"My older brothers dared me into it saying they would get me the worlds largest chocolate bar. AND I WON!" Chazz said proudly. It didn't stop the three males from bursting into another fit of laughter over his declaration of pride.
"Your brothers are ruthless!" Hassleberry wiped the tears from his eyes. "I still have it you wanna wear it Bumbleberry!" Chazz retorted jokingly, insulting his name as a bonus. Hassleberry tossed a pillow at the black haired male that had fallen off the bed hitting him square in the face with a light plop.
"Oooh your gonna pay for that… where my bean bag gun!?"
"Not that Chazz!" Judai was already out the door screaming Syrus running with the brunette as Chazz dug in his closest for a bean bag gun making the two werewolves look confused until Chazz shot Johan in the chest with the bean bag projectile knocking the boy off the bed from the surprised impact.
"Ow… That's like getting a sucker punch.." Johan let out a grunt as he got to his feet letting out a choked breathing noise. Hassleberry dudn't stand around as he ran out the door as Chazz gave chase.
"GET BACK HERE BRAMBLEBERRY!!!"
"IT'S HASSLEBERRY!!! WATCH THE HEAD!!"
"DON'T RUN DOWN THE STAIRS!!" Judai cried out from behind the kitchen island.
"Eat my bean bags, solider boy!" Chazz cried out as he saw Hassleberry jump down from the railing diving into a roll before he ran and jumped over the couch as Chazz narrowly missed his leg hitting the back of the couch.
Chazz aimed at Syrus who scrambled to get behind the couch as the front door opened to reveal Jim walking in confused. Only the bean bag meant for Syrus hit Jim in the stomach making the tall Aussie look at the bean bag on the floor.
"What in blazes are you idiots doing this time??" Jim countered which only made two of the boys throw fallen bean bags at the Aussie.
"Sleepover bullshit." Johan call out as he stumbled down the stairs holding the bean bag that Chazz hit him with as he tossed it at the back of the black haired male's head making him drop the gun.
Jim smirked reaching down picking up the bean bags off the floor. Flinging one in the hair and catching it in his hand as it fell back down, he looked at the boys in a playful manner. "Bullshit is the best kind of fun."