Hauru let out a long sigh and reclined back in her chair. She had an interesting month to say the least. She had met thrice more with Riku, and much of her time besides had been spent in battle with Heartless and Nobodies. Her most recent date ended a bit earlier than intended, since she had lost track of the time. Their last date ended when she ran off the second the sun set. She found herself now in Halloween Town, which was mercifully empty of any nobodies. It was a substantial risk, given that the moon over Halloween Town was ALWAYS full whenever it rose, but Dr. Finklestein was a brilliant man, and Hauru figured that he would at least be willing to help find a way to stop the change entirely until she could learn to control herself. Finklestein gladly accepted the challenge, out of his own scientific curiosity if nothing else, and let Hauru stay at his lab. He also had a lab table with built-in restraints. As much as Hauru loathed the idea, she knew her options were limited. And the peace of mind was worth the hit to her pride. It was that pride that caused her to recoil at Terra's suggestion of being chained up once a month. She had always known that Ansem the Wise was a remarkable scientist, even as the ruler of Radiant Garden. The upside of that was that his notes on his studies, the published ones at any rate, tended to be thorough. Unfortunately, it also meant a lot to read through. She went back to the book.
The Corvinus Virus is, in and of itself, a fascinating phenomenon unique to the Country of Immortals. Four strains are known to exist. In its purest form, the strain grants the host true immortality. The werewolf strain is known to be mostly extinct, with only one host known to live. That being one William Corvinus, the Father of All Werewolves. The vampire strain, born within Marcus Corvinus, is the most difficult to properly study, given the insistence of vampires to conceal themselves. My first attempt to approach their coven resulted in me being attacked by dogs. The local lycan clan was far more forthcoming and decided to let me take four volunteers…
Hauru's attention was torn away from her reading by the sound of shattering glass. She turned to face the source of the sound. Her sensitive nose smelled disinfectant and a number of other chemicals. The combination smelled like something burning. "Blast it, girl! Now look what you've done," Finklestein shouted. His creation, Sally, was a kind and patient girl, but also somewhat clumsy. "Now we'll have to start all over again".
"I'm sorry. What should I tell Hauru?" Sally asked, picking up the pieces of the flask.
"That she'll have to deal with the change tonight. Again. Still can't think of a reason she'd want to stop it. A good reason, anyway". The two acted as though they were out of earshot. Had Hauru been human, they might have been. As soon as Sally entered Hauru's field of vision, Hauru held out a finger to silence Sally.
"I heard you. You should know my hearing is well beyond even yours. I am a lycan". Hauru tried to get back to her reading. "Just do what you have to. I don't want you to rush this". Sally nodded and Hauru flipped a few pages over.
Despite being descended from the werewolf species spawned by William Corvinus, lycans have little in common with their forebearers. Chief among differences is the ability to return to their human forms. Younger lycans are, as far as I have observed thus far, forced into their wolf form by the full moon. However, the exact reasons for this are unknown. Older lycans told me of the use of, frankly, inhumane devices known as "moon shackles" that were used by the vampires to keep lycans in their human forms.
Hauru turned the page to reveal a sketch of the device mentioned. Silver spikes on the inside pointed toward the neck of the wearer. Regardless of how effective it might be, Hauru would never be caught dead in such a thing. Dr. Finklestein rolled up behind her and Hauru turned to face him as he stared at the sketch. "Now that looks like it would work. Would be far easier to build than any chemical option".
"It's also a symbol of everything Lucian fought against. I am willing to let you and Sally keep me restrained here, but a moon shackle is out of the question," Hauru snapped. "Besides being inhumane, it's humiliating. I might as well hang a sign around my neck that says, 'Hi. I'm a dangerous animal'. And I am not okay with that".
"Seems better than hurting someone when the wolf takes over if you ask me," Finklestein said in his usual dry and clinical tone. Hauru glared at Finklestein.
"I don't have time to explain the story of my people, doctor. Now please let me get back to my reading". Hauru turned back to the text and the good doctor left her again to her own devices. The early morning light helped. A lot.
Usually, a lycan's control over their transformation is proportional to their age. At a minimum, lycans can learn to prevent the change under a full moon without the use what's known as the "anti-change enzyme". How this control is achieved differs between individual lycans, but only comes after lycans have learned to control themselves in their wolf forms. The rage brought during…
Hauru slammed her head against the desk. And groaned loud enough to distract Sally. She got up and took another look at the text before her. "If this is what Ansem calls a 'Concise Treatise', I'd hate to see what he calls a 'Thorough Examination'. Hopefully there's an index". Hauru flipped back to the beginning of the book. Another blessing of Ansem being so thorough took the form of a well thought out index. Hauru looked it over and managed to find a section labeled "control techniques". She quickly flips to that section and starts reading.
To control themselves in wolf form, lycans have developed several techniques to mitigate their rage during the transformation and keep their composure while in their wolf form. This section details some of those techniques that my volunteers shared.
"Score!" Yelled Hauru. This was it. What she needed. She took a moment to laugh at the bitter irony. Ansem had written the book before her while she was wandering the worlds alone. She could have had it after any of her trips to Radiant Garden. But she never even thought that anybody around her even knew what a lycan was.
The most effective method I have observed for retaining control of themselves during and after the transformation is affectionately called, "Emotional Anchoring". It involves holding on to one's humanity and reason by focusing on those they care about, those they wish to protect, or anything to keep their mind occupied during the change. Focusing on the pain tends to heighten the rage of the subject. This technique is all the more effective when the subject is holding on to a trinket that bears the scent of loved ones. It has been shown to have a wonderful calming effect that soothes the savage nature of a changed lycan with ease. Of course, it also helps not to undergo the transformation on an empty stomach, but…
Hauru took out the wayfinder that Riku made for her during their last date. He game upon some scrap metal and old stained glass and fashioned a rather lovely charm out of it. He used blue glass that matched her eyes and at its center was a replica of the Fenrir charm. It was something he'd made just for her. Something he crafted by hand. And even this long after he had, it still carried his wonderful scent. The necklace she wore served more as a physical reminder of her mother, but Venra's scent lingered. She had her anchors. Her beloved, whom she could not think to harm. Her mother, whom she left in order to protect. Hauru closed her book and finally stood up. Knowing at long last what had to be done. This, however, did not escape the notice of Dr. Finkelstein. He rolled up to Hauru as she put her book into her satchel. "Going somewhere?" he asked. Hauru simply nodded.
"I need to find somewhere else to change before nightfall. Keep working on that anti-change potion, okay?"
"Of course. Let it never be said I backed down from a scientific challenge". Hauru gave the doctor a smile and walked out of the lab. The afternoon sun still hung in the sky as she made her way out of the town itself to the hinterlands. It occurred to her that she'd never seen the area surrounding Halloween Town before. And it was just as eerie as the town itself. The landscape dotted by gravestones and the trees gnarled and twisted. It was clear that there was no prey to be found. She went further out, to a place the locals called the Hinterlands. A rather curious tree caught her attention. A tree fitted with a door that looked almost like...
"A Christmas tree?" She asked aloud to nobody. She had an idea. Having heard stories of Christmas Town and an event known only as "The Incident", she thought that maybe a winter realm would be a better place to change safely. Perhaps the cold snow could even help with the pain associated with her transformation. Hauru took a deep breath and opened the door. She stepped inside and immediately started falling, her screams echoing throughout the tunnel she found herself trapped in. After what felt like at least a half-hour, Hauru fell onto her front in freshly fallen snow. With a frustrated groan, Hauru got up and dusted herself off, already shivering. "So cold. So freakin' cold. Alright. Gotta find somewhere nice to change before the moon rises. Assuming it's full every night here, too".
The lights and sounds from a nearby town immediately captured her attention. There was no mistaking it from not only the sight, but the wonderful scents as well. Hauru smiled and ran toward Christmas Town as the sun only just began to set. It had been a long time since Hauru had last experienced the winter. And she thought, perhaps, that the cold snow might even help ease the pain of successive transformations. Assuming that Christmas Town was ALSO stuck with a perpetually full moon. Hauru spotted the house in the center of town and ran to its door. She was certain that such a large house must belong to whoever is in charge in Christmas Town. She knocked three times on the green door and waited for an answer. The door opened, revealing a fairly rotund figure in a red coat with white fure trim and a VERY long beard. It was clear to Hauru who this could be. "Ooooh Ho ho hooooooly mother of God!", the figure shouted before slamming the door. Hauru sighed and knocked on the door again. When the door opened, it was still attached to the locking chain.
"Excuse me. Are you Santa Claus?" Hauru asked nervously.
"Of course, I am," he said. "You Hallowierdos got your gawking in last year".
"No. I'm not from Halloween Town," Hauru explained. "I guess you could call me an off-worlder". The door shut again and Hauru heard the chain sliding off its rail and the door swung fully open again. Santa's expression softened a bit.
"I'm sorry, then. It's just that I've been especially wary of anyone with a similar dress sense ever since..." Santa's expression turned distant and somber, "the incident". Suddenly, his expression softened again. "But please, come on in. You must be freezing". Hauru nodded and crossed the threshold into Santa's home. "I hope you like gingersnaps. The Misses is always refining her recipe". Santa gestured to a plate of them laid out and Hauru grabbed a handful. They had always been her favorite. And the first bite was wonderful. Not since she left home had she tasted gingersnaps this good. She devours the rest of her handful in short order before coming to the living room. "Would you like some hot coco, young miss?" Hauru looked out the window. The sun was still over the horizon, but slowly creeping lower. She turned back to Santa and nodded while he had one of his elves make a mug for his guest.
"What's that on the table?" Hauru asked, pointing to the partially unrolled scroll. Santa took a seat in front of it and held it before him.
"That's the Nice List. I was working on it before you knocked. Do you want to see if you're on it?" Hauru nodded enthusiastically. This wasn't exactly why she was there, but she figured there was no harm in it. "Okay, then. What's your name?"
"It's Hauru. Hauru Corvinus". Santa's eyes went wide for a moment, his expression suggesting he knew the name "Corvinus" all too well. Santa put on his reading glasses.
"Let's see then. Hauru... Hauru... Ah! There you are. You're on the nice list. You've been most of your life. You've only ever been on the naughty list once. Do you know why?" Hauru looked down, a somber expression on her face as an elf brings her a mug of coco.
"That night... In the Land of Departure. The full moon. When I... almost killed Ventus..." Hauru sighs and sips at her coco.
"Heavens, no. Are you still beating yourself up over that?" Santa asked. Hauru looked up with a confused expression.
"I. Almost. Killed. Ventus," Hauru said, slowly.
"Yes, but you weren't you when it happened," Santa said. "It genuinely wasn't your fault. No. The only time you were on the naughty list was when you were four. Do you remember why?" Hauru sighed.
"The end table?" Hauru asked. Santa nodded.
"Yes. You broke it, and then you lied about it to your mother. You really should apologize". Santa set his list down and removed his reading glasses. "But you do seem… troubled. The life of a lycan isn't easy, is it?" Hauru shook her head.
"It gets really lonely sometimes. But… I'll get the hang of it. Better than being a vampire, I imagine. I don't think their kind make the Nice List all to often". Santa shook his head and gestured to a jet-black scroll in a glass case.
"They get a special list all their own".
"Anyway. I… wanted to ask you a favor. I'm trying to learn to control myself in my wolf form. Is the moon always full here?"
"It is. Makes it easier to work at night".
"Perfect. I just need a secure area to change". Santa stroked his beard and smiled to Hauru.
"We have an old practice for the Reindeer. It's fenced in and it's designed to deal with flying creatures, so not much risk you'll escape. But… Whay about the… appetite that such a change brings about."
"How much ham can you spare?"
"As much as you need," Santa told her. "Theo is always working on new recipes". Hauru smiled and finishes her coco. Santa stood up lead Hauru out into the cold twilight of Christmas Town and walked with Hauru to the practice field. The sun had set by then and Santa opened the gate for Hauru. Once Hauru was inside, she gestured for Santa to close the door and lock it. Hauru pulled out one of her Monkshood Potions. The last one she had. The last one she ever wanted to have to use. Hauru looked at it and held it up to the fading light as the sun began to set. Darkness filled the sky of Christmas Town and she uncorked the bottle before pouring it on the snow. The moon, perpetually full in this world, rose over the horizon. As her irises turned a pale blue and expand outwards against dark blue sclera. The first change of however many she would have to go through before she could control her wolf self.
The change this time seemed quicker, less painful, if only very slightly. Almost as if the monkshood wasn't so much keeping the wolf in check as much as it was holding her back from her true potential. Hauru fell to her hands and knees until she had finished her transformation. Her teeth sharpened and lengthened, skin changing to a very dark grey as her boots disappeared to accommodate her changing feet. Fur grew in, claws grew from her digits, and her face pushed out while her ears shifted. The whole time, Hauru focused on the scents of her mother and her beloved. And when it was over, she rose to her changed feet and let loose a mighty, echoing howl. The rage was still there, but further away. Hauru was surprised. For the first time, without her monkshood potion, her mind was mostly her own. It was a start, but a long overdue step in the right direction.