STORY 3: SON OF THE WEREBEAGLE

STARRING:
Charlie Brown
Frieda Rich
Lucy Van Pelt
Linus Van Pelt
Sally Brown
Patricia "Peppermint Patty" Reichardt
Marcie Carlin
Snoopy
Fifi
and Snoopy, Jr. as the Son of the Werebeagle

VERONA: And now a familiar classic. You remember the Werebeagle, don't you?
DAMIEN: Well, he had a son. Let's take a look!

It had been years since the werebeagle terrorized early 1900s Sparkyville. Many of the wolves that had been in the town were driven out, so their dog wouldn't become a werebeagle, or any kind of "weredog". Many folks were relieved that Snoopy and his brother Andy was cured of their affliction. And there had been no sightings of werebeagles anywhere.

Snoopy had since hooked up with a beautiful poodle named Fifi, and they had a litter of 6 puppies. The runt of the group was named Snoopy, Jr., and he had his father's face and his mother's ears, though instead of being pink, they were black. Charlie Brown and Sally were trying to find homes for the puppies, as they couldn't take care of all of them. Snoopy was a handful all by himself. Though they did decide to watch over Snoopy, Jr. as he was the smallest of the puppies, but he was as rambunctious as his old man.

One particular day, Frieda, Charlie Brown's girlfriend, was over their house looking at the puppies. She noticed that Snoopy, Jr. had a cut on his paw.

"Hey, hun," she said to Charlie Brown. "Junior has a cut here on his little paw."

"Let me see," said Charlie Brown. He examined the cut, cleaned it, and bandaged it for the young pup. "All new, little guy." And the puppy licked Charlie Brown's face and went on his way.

"You're so good to these puppies, sweetie," said Frieda. "That's why I love you so much! You're sweet kind heart you have." And she kissed Charlie Brown, making him smile and blush.

"Thanks, Frieda," he said. "You want to head to town and see the rest of the gang?"

"Sure." And the teens left for town to meet up with their friends.

Later that night, it was a full moon out. Junior was sleeping with his siblings inside his father's house. He started feeling weird. He went to a mirror and watched as he started getting longer teeth, shaggier fur, and longer claws. To Junior's shock, he had turned into a werebeagle! But the biggest thing that happened due to his transformation was a hunger for dog food like no other dog had experienced.

Charlie Brown was awaken by the crashing of stuff outside. He ran into the backyard to see a small werebeagle eating up all the dogfood.

"Good grief!" he shuddered. "It can't be! We gotten rid of the wolves in Sparkyville! We drove them all out!" At that time, his sister Sally came out.

"What's all the commotion, big brother?" she asked. But then she saw what Charlie Brown had saw. "Oh no! Is that another werebeagle?!"

"Yeah, but this one is smaller than what Snoopy and his brother Andy was," said Charlie Brown. His friends, Peppermint Patty, Marcie, and siblings Lucy and Linus, also came by when they heard the ruckus.

"Hey, Chuck!" said Patty. "What's happening over there?"

"Is that another werebeagle, Charlie Brown?" asked Linus. Snoopy headed over and saw his son had transformed into a werebeagle himself. He yelped in shock.

"Snoopy, I think this is Junior," said Charlie Brown. "Did he go out venturing far from here?" Snoopy shook his head "no".

"I wonder how he turned into a werebeagle," wondered Marcie. All of the sudden, another animal showed up, but it looked different. I was like the werebeagle, but not actually a werebeagle. It had the fangs, claws, and long fur, only the fur was curlier. Charlie Brown recognized the creature.

"Guys, I think that Fifi, the puppies mother," said Charlie Brown.

"Wait a minute!" said Lucy. "You mean to tell me we have both a werebeagle and a WEREPOODLE?!"

"It looks that way, Lucy," said Linus. Frieda was the last to arrive.

"Oh my goodness!" she said, shocked at the scene. "Not again!"

"I'm afraid so, Frieda," said Charlie Brown. "That cut on Junior's paw had him turn into a werebeagle. And now Fifi has the same affliction and is now a werepoodle."

"Wait!" Frieda then remembered. "My daddy gave me two silver bracelets. Remember, that's what turned both Snoopy and Andy back when they became werebeagles. Franklin's medallion was made of silver and both times it worked. Maybe this silver will, as well." And Frieda pulled out two silver bracelets. She put one on Junior and the other on Fifi. Then both of their original features returned. Though Junior's belly was swollen from the food he ate as a werebeagle. Luckily it didn't get as far as the Brown's backyard, this time. But how did they become like that when the wolves were driven out.

"There aren't any wolves in Sparkyville anymore!" shouted Lucy. "How did they turn?!"

"Wait a minute!" said Linus. "Old man Gruber owns a dog, well he says it's a dog, but it could be a wolf that he kept for himself and called it a dog."

"Yeah," said Charlie Brown, now remembering. "He swore to everyone that it was a dog, but it didn't act dog-like. It growled at everyone and anyone that walked by, but never really barked. Plus it had a howl like a wolf!"

"Maybe both Junior and Fifi got too close to it and got scratched," suggested Marcie.

"That is a possibility," said Frieda. "Junior here had this cut on his paw." She pointed to Snoopy, Jr.'s bandaged paw. "Fifi, let me see if you have a cut on your paw or anywhere else." And she looked at Fifi's paw and saw a cut on it.

"Well that seals it," said Patty.

"But how do we tell old man Gruber that his dog is a wolf?" wondered Sally.

"We need to get the town involved," said Linus. And soon enough, the kids told their parents about Gruber's wolf that had turned Snoopy, Jr. and Fifi into a werebeagle and a werepoodle, respectively. The next day, both dogs were treated and the townsfolk went to Gruber's place to take the wolf out of his place. He tried to fight it, but after being threatened with arrest, he relented. And with Gruber's wolf gone, there were no more reports of werebeagles or poodles in Sparkyville. But then the vampire birds came around, but that's another story for another time.

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