EDIT: REWRITTEN 7-12-2022

WARNING!: Graphic depictions of body horror and the killing and eating of animals.

It's not in this chapter, obviously, but I wrote heavy citrus for this story and I'm scared. Body horror? No problem, i can write it like a champ in disgusting detail. Smut? *hides*

~Star

P.S.- I should be sleeping.


"Milo?"

Julieta gasped in disbelief, turned her head to where Mirabel had just been, and found her gone. 'No!' She turned back to the scene, heart pounding in her ears and hands shaking as Mirabel stood no less than ten feet from the trio of beasts. 'What is she thinking?! We don't—' Julieta bit back a sob. Fisting her hands against her chest, she remained silent, fearful of somehow making the situation worse. Instead, she reached out to Agustín and held onto him as if her life depended on it.

Outside Casita, Mirabel stopped walking the moment she had the attention of her primo and his amigos. It was still drizzling and her clothes were damp, but she shook with fear instead of the cold. Her heart was pounding, palms sweaty, and her eyes were still red from crying. Despite all appearances of the madness from before having disappeared, there was no denying that Camilo, Juanse, and Alejandro terrified Mirabel. They had viciously demonstrated what their new claws and teeth could do.

The warmth near her heart—the stronger flutter of magic that Mirabel was still getting used to—it remained calm and soothing, even when Camilo had forgotten himself. 'He won't hurt me. None of them will.' She thought, and took another step towards them.

Camilo felt giddy upon his prima's appearance, his tail wagging unashamedly at a furious pace. Juanse moved to greet her, but Camilo snapped his jaws at him when the blonde beast moved too quickly. He snarled in warning, but his tail never stopped wagging.

Juanse whined in response, his own tail wagging gently. Instinctively, he rolled onto his back.

Once again, Camilo calmed down at the display. He sneezed, shaking his head with it. He whined, nipping playfully at Juanse's ear before refocusing on his prima. Mirabel had frozen at the display, and her eyes were wide. Camilo sniffed the air again and whined when the scent of her fear seared his nose.

Mirabel watched, holding very still, as her giant primo seemed to crawl towards her, his stomach dragging across the damp grass. His tail was wagging, ears down, and he was constantly letting out whines that almost sounded reassuring. The other two remained back, Alejandro pouncing on Juanse to restart a wrestling match. When Camilo was a few feet away, he rolled onto his back, his wagging tail tucked between his legs as he bared his stomach and throat to her. He continued toward her, his hind legs pushing him through the muddy grass. He looked ridiculous, and she let out an involuntary snort.

"Lo siento," Mirabel let out a slightly hysterical giggle. She kneeled down until her knees touched the grass. She grinned when Camilo gave her a soft howl. "I have no idea what you're trying to tell me." The fear was gone, and she squinted her eyes in thought. "Are you…trying to tell me to…not be afraid?" When he nodded, her eyes widened in surprise. "You understand me?" At another nod, she looked up at the rest of her family and waved. "Hey—"

Mirabel shrieked as she was suddenly barreled over by a large thing covered in blonde fur. Before she could further react, the weight above her vanished and she dazedly gazed up at the night sky as playful growls sounded. Lifting her head up, she saw Camilo pressing Juanse to the ground by the back as the smaller hybrid struggled to get up. She let her head flop back to the ground with a stunned laugh, the adrenaline giving her a rush. 'Holy shit, that happened.' Then she noticed Alejandro right next to her, the black hybrid sniffing at her face. Taking a deep breath, she blew into his nose, causing him to jerk back with a snort as he sneezed. Rolling to her side as she laughed, Mirabel got up into a crouching stance before standing up with a jump. She wooed into the air and threw her hands up before tackling Camilo. It didn't do much, and somehow she could see the amusement in her primo's eyes as he just stared down at her. He had already been taller than her by a few inches, and it annoyed her that he was even taller now.

The laugh that burst from Bruno was a tad delirious with relief and humor. When Julieta and Marlena gave him matching incredulous looks, he shrugged with a giggle. "Mirabel is fearless; I'm not surprised she's out there playing with— With—," he gestured towards the four, "whatever they turned into."

"Can I see now, Lolo?" Antonio asked in a loud whisper, his face still hidden against her chest.

Dolores looked towards her parents; they were close enough to hear Antonio's question. Félix and Pepa shared a look before their papá nodded. Nodding, Dolores squeezed her little brother. "Sí, you can." She said in a soothing tone, brushing his tears away with her thumbs. Together, the two of them turned and Dolores gasped at the sight.

They were huge, towering over even Luisa in height and build. The blonde canine creature was at least seven-feet-tall, while the black one was a foot taller and broader in the chest. The brown one, whose color was very familiar to Dolores, was the tallest by far, having to be at least ten-feet-tall when standing at his full height. There was a slight curling of the fur around his head that hinted at tighter curls.

'That one's Camilo.' Dolores thought with certainty.

"Wolves?" Antonio muttered to himself, eyes wide in awe.

"What?" Dolores gently asked.

"They look like wolves!" Antonio exclaimed, eyes bright as he watched Mirabel cling to the back of the largest one. "It's from one of my books—their heads look like a wolf's head!" In his excitement, he unconsciously pulled at his Gift and waved when all three of the now named wolf hybrids turned to him. "Hi!"

Antonio was unprepared for the rush of emotions he felt instead of the normal communication he had with animals. He didn't understand his brother and his friends the way he was used to, but he understood their feelings. He had to laugh, 'They're so happy!'

There were a few startled gasps and yelps when all three started to approach the Madrigals on all fours despite their humanoid frame; it ended up looking like an odd crawl-walk. Some bravely held still, like Luisa, who tentatively petted Alejo's head as he passed her. Others, like Agustín, tried to move out of the way, only to be accosted by Camilo. The larger beast crouched by his tío and wrapped his arms around Agustín. His tail wagged as he pressed the top of his head against the side of Agustín's hip and sneezed playfully.

A fond smile made it past Julieta's apprehension at the sight. 'Animals always love Gus, of course they'd cling to him.'

"Ah, ha ha," Agustín laughed nervously and hesitantly petted the back of Camilo's neck. This seemed to make his sobrino very happy, as his tail wagged faster and he let out a growl-whine. "Uh, good Camilo?"

"He's just happy to see you." Antonio pipped up, latching onto his hermano's arm. 'He's huge!' Camilo instantly let go of Agustín—much to his tío's relief—and pulled Antonio with him as he rolled over. The eight-year-old squealed with laughter as he landed on Camilo's chest, his hermano sniffing at him and sneezing as he went. "I'm happy to see you, too!"

"You can understand them, Papito?" Félix asked, kneeling by his sons and reached out to pet Camilo's head. This made the hybrid buck his head into his padre's hand. Félix smiled and wiped at the tears still clinging to his lashes.

Antonio shook his head. "Not like I can with Parse and the others, but I can guess 'cause I can feel their feelings. Like right now, Milo is really happy Papí is scratching his head."

"They can understand us, too!" Mirabel added. She squeaked when Julieta pulled her into a tight hug. "Ma—"

"Don't do that!" Julieta said fiercely, eyes shut as she hugged her youngest close. "You gave me a scare, mí vida."

"Milo would never hurt me." Mirabel said softly, returning the hug.

"We didn't know that." Agustín added just as softly, hugging them both.

Mirabel leaned her head against her papá's chest. "Lo siento…I didn't mean to. I just…." Her sentence pittered off at her mother's shuddering breath. 'I'll tell them about the Miracle later.' She closed her eyes and hugged Julieta harder.

The wolf hybrids socialized with every single family member, whether the Madrigal wanted to or not. Pepa and Félix endured sloppy licks to the face from their son, much to Bruno's amusement. Isabela and Dolores endured the same from Juanse and Alejo. Camilo sniffed at Marlena, pushing his nose against her abdomen before giving a soft howl. He then tackled Bruno to the floot, giving his tío excited licks. Bruno gave up after a few seconds, much to Marlena's amusement. Juanse stood on his hind legs to hug Luisa, while Alejo licked Mirabel's face in retaliation.

"They certainly are….different." Julieta mused as Camilo sat against her leg and looked at her. Even sitting he was taller than her, and she had to reach up a little to scratch under his chin. She smiled when he grumbled happily.

"Understatement of the year." Marlena said in a shaky tone. 'I was just getting used to the jaguar, too…'

When Camilo made it to Alma, she felt no fear as he merely rested his large head in her lap and looked up at her with deep soulful amber eyes. His eyes closed when she started to tentatively pet his forehead.

"Oh, Milo," Alma sighed softly as she ran her fingers through his surprisingly soft fur. "I'm so sorry, mijo. We'll fix this." He whined softly when she kissed the top of his head.

After they had reacquainted themselves with the Madrigals, the trio became antsy. Camilo would look up at the moon and sniff at the air, while Juanse and Alejandro would pace every now and then. If those two wandered too close to the stairs, Camilo would snarl and snap at them until they were herded away. At first, it was met with whines and sneezes, but the sounds became less and less friendly as it continued to happen.

While the madness and rage were gone, the hunger had remained and had steadily gotten stronger as time passed. Camilo could smell prey up the stairs of Casita, but knew those were Toñito's friends. 'Not food.' Juanse and Alejo seemed to have forgotten that. Having no way of communicating this to them, all he could do was drag them away from the stairs and they were growing increasingly annoyed with him.

They needed to find food elsewhere; they needed to hunt.

Dolores frowned as she watched Camilo bite Alejo by the scruff of his neck and tug him towards the still-open back doors. Alejo growled as he went, the sound sharp and a few members of the family jolted awake at the sound. Antonio, who had been napping in Pepa's arms, startled awake and rubbed at his eyes.

"Camilo?" Dolores gently called, and managed not to flinch when his head jerked in her direction. "Is everything okay?"

'Hungry' Camilo thought as he trotted back to her and pushed his nose against Dolores' stomach, then sneezed. He mentally snickered at her disgusted face, but his own frustration was growing. He understood them, but they didn't understand him. He could scent their concern, especially his mamá's. 'Hunt. No worry.'

'Ew.' Dolores squinted her eyes in disgust and pushed his head away. "Milo—"

"I think they're hungry." Antonio mumbled, and got a nod from Juanse.

Julieta looked back at the kitchen and bit her lip. "I can make something—" She was cut off by Alejo, who had wandered near her only to head-butt her hip gently and shook his head. "No?"

Camilo shook his head as well before he stood to his full height. The whole time, the three wolf creatures had been getting around on all fours, appearing smaller than they really were. Now, all three stood on their hind legs—reminding the Madrigals just how large they had become—their eyes on the opened back door of Casita. Camilo started to sniff the air again, and Antonio finally understood.

"I think they're going hunting."

'Yes!' Camilo howled when Antonio finally voiced his thoughts. 'Follow!' The pitch changed mid-howl, becoming sharper to communicate his intent, before he lept towards the open back door and out of Casita. Juanse and Alejandro quickly followed after him, and they were gone in a handful of seconds.

After some were jarred awake from the sudden howl, the Madrigals all looked at each other with wide eyes. A tense silence settled over them, none of them quite sure what to make of the fast exit. Bruno was the first to break the silence.

"Uh."

~o.8.o~

As the trio of wolf hybrids raced through the jungle, their movements were an odd combination of leaping on all fours and swinging from the trees like monkeys.

Camilo let loose another howl and the other two followed suit, eyes shining brightly with excitement in the moonlight. Adrenaline pumped through his veins, the rush unlike anything he had ever experienced.

He felt invincible.

'No!' Camilo snarled when Alejo tried to wander off towards a farm. They were circling around the edge of the Encanto through the jungle in the direction of the mountain path. 'Not food.' He made a whining type of snarl, pushing Alejo forward. They were hungry, but it felt wrong to take what wasn't theirs inside the Encanto.

Outside was a different matter. Nothing out there belonged to anyone, and was theirs for the taking.

They reached the mountain passage within minutes, launching themselves across the river. Any uncertainty about crossing the river faded as instinct took over. They were hungry and impatient, and it led to Juanse biting Alejo hard enough to draw blood when the larger beast got too close to the blonde. It took Camilo reasserting himself for both Juanse and Alejo to settle and refocus on hunting.

Despite their overly large sizes, the three were unnervingly silent as they searched and navigated the dense jungle for scent trails.

'Prey.' Jusnse thought, mouth watering when he found a scent trail. He licked his maw to keep from drooling, and huffed to get the attention of the other two.

Camilo let out a low rumble in his chest, whining in a low tone as he looked in the direction the trail went. 'Follow.' He led the way as they followed it further away from the Encanto, leaving their own scent markers along the way. Eventually, they came upon a herd of at least twelve adult collared peccaries. Crouching low to the jungle floor, the three silently stalked their way as close as possible before holding still, using the foliage as coverage. They waited for a few minutes, eyes trained on their targets. At an unseen signal, they pounced simultaneously onto their prey.

Unskilled as they were, absolute chaos ensued as they relied on instinct and the element of surprise. Excited yips and snarls were in abundance as they chased the peccaries. They somehow managed to catch two adults each, mainly because of their human-like arms and hands. Equal parts delighted and disturbed by their struggles, Camilo quickly killed the pig-like mammals by ripping their throats out. He snarled at Juanse when he got a little too close to his kills before settling down to eat.

The feel of his teeth sliding through flesh and sinew still warm with life, the taste of its blood fresh on his tongue; it lulled Camilo into an instinctive trance that was pure animal. There were no thoughts as he feasted, no qualms over consuming things he had never eaten before, and no concept of time. All he cared about was his hunger fading with each mouthful. By the time they were done, a few hours had passed and what bones were left were stripped clean of any flesh. They were the only evidence of their meal, along with the blood smeared onto their fur.

Camilo scratched an ear with a hind leg before wiping at his face. He stared at his bloodstained beastly hands, and titled his head. 'Bad?' Shrugging in a distinctly human manner, he turned to his friends. Alejo had fallen asleep on his back, completely stretched out, while Juanse was gnawing on a peccary skull. Camilo yawned, feeling tired himself now that his belly was full. 'Go home.' Standing up, he moaned with a stretch before landing on all fours. Trotting over to Alejandro, Camilo pushed at the black wolf hybrid until he woke up with an annoyed growl. Camilo snapped at his heels to get him up and received a snarl for his efforts. Camilo merely gave him an unimpressed look before letting out a soft howl, signaling they were heading out. The journey was slower, more relaxed as they followed their scent trail back to the Encanto.

When they reached the river, they were a little further down from the entrance. Camilo huffed in amusement. 'Need practice tracking.' His breath caught when a strange scent hit his nose, his hackles raising immediately. Alejo and Juanse watched him curiously as Camilo pressed his nose into the dirt, aggressively sniffing. He growled menacingly when he found what triggeredhim.

It was the scent of another wolf hybrid, just like them; male.

'Intruder!'

The intense anger that thought evoked nearly consumed Camilo, and he snarled viciously. Juanse whimpered, and the scent of his fear kept Camilo from reacting further. He huffed and head butted Juanse, licking the blonde's cheek in a comforting manner.

Reassured, Juanse crept closer and sniffed at where Camilo was, only to snarl when he caught the foreign scent. Curious, Alejo inspected it and reacted much the same. Their rage was different from Camilo's, less personal, but either way—the thought of intruders on their land didn't sit well with them. Once they were all on the same page, Juanse and Alejandro joined Camilo in searching the area for a trail. When Alejandro paused with a low growl, Camilo went to investigate and became visibly more upset. It was a different scent—female.

Camilo bristled further. 'Two?!'

The trio spent the next hour trying to locate the unknown beasts. The more they went in circles, the more agitated Camilo became the longer they couldn't find them. 'Dangerous.' He seethed, further down the river than when he started. The trail ended at the river and didn't pick up on the other side. 'Further down?' Camilo growled in frustration, worry lurking underneath. They didn't have time to search further; they had to be home before sunrise.

Camilo reluctantly stopped the search and led them back to the mountain passage. The trio stopped up short when they ran into something unexpected.

The mountain passage laid open before them, and yet they couldn't pass through. Something they couldn't see was blocking them. Camilo sat on his hunches and pressed a hand to it and tilted his head to the side when he came across something unseen and solid. 'Blocked?' He pushed, and it gave a little, but kept him out. Huffing in frustration and confusion, the trio paced in front of it for a few minutes.

Camilo looked up at the slowly brightening sky and let out a frustrated growl. Standing up on his hind legs, he braced his clawed hands against the invisible wall and pushed.

The wall gave, but it was like pushing through molasses and took tremendous effort—even with his enhanced strength. The progress was slow, his fur and skin tingling as something warm and familiar seemed to cover his arms at a congealing pace. Camilo ignored it and kept pushing forward, growling and snarling as he went. When the tingling sensation reached his face, he ignored it and remained undeterred. When it reached his chest, he yelped in shock at the sudden spike of warmth near his heart. The resistance was gone in the next second and Camilo quickly fell forward with a startled yip, just managing to catch himself before he landed flat on his face. He ignored the other two huffing at him in amusement, and sniffed around. Not finding any trace of the barrier, Camilo dismissed it and leapt forward with Alejo and Juanse following after him. They passed where the barrier had been effortlessly.

Sunrise was eminent by the time they made it back to Casita, but the sun itself had yet to peek over the horizon. The trio was shocked at the sight of the back door still open, Camilo more so when they came upon everyone sleeping by the entrance.

'Safe?' Suddenly alert, he briefly searched the area and only calmed when he spotted an awake Parse. The big cat merely yawned when it noticed the three wolf hybrids. 'Safe.'

Satisfied, Camilo quickly made his way to his mamá and licked her face with a happy whine. She sputtered awake, nearly shrieking at his face so close to hers.

"Camilo!" Pepa's exclamation woke the others. "What— Why is there blood on you?!"

'Oh. Right. Blood bad.' Camilo wagged his tail and whined again, rolling onto his back. 'I okay. No cry.'

Pepa took a deep breath and let it out slowly. She slowly reached out her hand. 'It's— Lolo said they were hunting. It's okay. It's—' Just before she could scratch at Camilo's chin, he jerked away from her with a pained whimper. Juanse and Alejo, who had greeted the rest of the family, also began to whimper.

The sun was rising.

"Camilo?!" Pepa shouted again when her son further retreated from her in pain. Alejandro let out a sharp cry and her heart dropped. 'No,' Pepa pleaded desperately, 'not again. Please—' She cried out in despair when Camilo howled in pain, the sounds of bones breaking and rearranging mingling with the sounds of their agony. Once again, Casita was filled with screams.

Unbeknownst to them, this second shift was smoother than the horror of the first—as if their bodies were already adapting to the curse upon them. In seconds, three young men laid unconscious, naked, and covered in blood in the morning dew as the sun peeked over the mountains.

Pepa immediately rushed over to Camilo, falling to her knees beside him as it began to pour. She hesitated to touch him, a cold fear suddenly gripping her until she couldn't breathe. 'He's so s-still…!'

"They're alive." Dolores choked out in a gasp, her ear plugs gripped tightly in her hands. "I-I can hear their heartbeats. They're just unconscious. I can hear their heartbeats…!" The last sentence came out as a sob as she held Antonio closer to her, shielding him once more from the horror.

That spurred everyone into action. Félix, Agustín, and Luisa brought the three young men inside Casita while Mirabel and Julieta got basins and rags to clean them up with. Bruno and Marlena went to gather some clothes for them, while Isabela rearranged their sleeping area.

Pepa was with Dolores and Alma, Antonio in her arms as she tried to console him. They had managed to keep him from the worst of the transformation, but not all of it.

"It's okay, Toñito." Pepa murmured into his hair as she rubbed his back. He cried into her chest and said something, but she couldn't make out what it was through the sobs. Tears rolled down her cheeks along with her rain as her heart broke a little more, and she glared at the cloud above her. 'I hate this!' She closed her eyes and tightened her hold on Antonio, trying to steady her breathing. '¿Por qué? Why my babies?!'

Meanwhile, Dolores focused on her abuela. "It will be okay, Abuela." The elderly woman turned to her, and Dolores' heart clenched with worry. Alma's face was an ashen color, a sheen of cold sweat across her brow. Dark circles rested beneath her exhausted, tear-filled eyes. Soft, uneven gasps robbed her ability to speak, matching the staccato of her pounding heart. Dolores blinked her tears away and reached for Alma's hand and gripped it firmly. A few tears trekked silently down Alma's face. "It will be okay."

In another part of Casita, Julieta sighed in relief as she wiped away some blood and found unblemished skin beneath it. "No injuries." She murmured, looking Juanse over once more to be sure. She, along with Agustín and Félix, were sequestered in the large bathroom cleaning up the three teens, having sent her daughters away.

"Same here." Agustín said as he inspected Alejandro.

"Gracias a Dios, Camilo doesn't have any either." Félix's voice was fragile and shook with emotion.

A soft knock sounded, and they looked up to see Marlena peaking through the slightly opened door, a pile of clothes in her arms. "How are they?" She asked gently as she stepped into the bathroom, closing the door behind her.

Julieta looked up at her, the relief clear in her eyes. "No injuries, thankfully. Just exhausted from—from, well…," she waved her hand in the air.

Marlena nodded in understanding and stepped closer. "I brought their clothes so we can get them dressed and warm."

"Gracias, hermana." Félix said gratefully, and Marlena smiled in response.

Marlena stayed and helped them dress the trio. Once decent, Luisa helped them bring the tree back to the sleeping area in the inner courtyard.

"You should go to your rooms, cariñas." Julieta said to her daughters as she tucked Juanse in on the bed of soft moss.

Mirabel determinedly shook her head. "I don't want to leave them alone."

Agustín sighed. "If there's another transformation—"

"They won't hurt us." Antonio butt in stubbornly.

"I know, Toñito." Félix said softly, kneeling before his son. "But we don't want you to…to see anymore of that." He hugged his youngest, letting out a shuddering breath. "If it was scary for us adults, I can't imagine what it was like for you and your sister and cousins."

"But—"

"No but's." Bruno said just as firmly. "Now shoo, off to bed."

"I know most of you are grown up, but please humor us." Marlena said as she placed a gentle hand on Isabela's shoulder. "We'll let you know if anything happens, lo prometo."

They underestimated the severity of the situation last night and their children had paid the price. Their thoughts and feelings were in unison:

'Not again.'

Kissing her parents and sisters good night, Luisa carried Alma to her room before going to her own. The rest of the grandkids reluctantly followed thereafter. Bruno offered to watch them, keeping an eye out for any "wanderers". Marlena insisted on staying up with him, but he shooed her away, too.

"You haven't been sleeping well, amor." Bruno had admonished gently. "You need it more than me." He grinned tiredly at her pout. They shared a brief kiss before she bid him a soft good night.

"I'll let the council know something happened." Agustín volunteered and gave Julieta a kiss. "Let them know there won't be any services today. We can give them more details once we've all slept more. I'll again send words for their parents to stop by." He gestured to Juanse and Alejo.

"It will be nice when electricity is fully accessible for the whole Encanto." Julieta murmured tiredly.

He kissed her again. "I'll be back soon."

When Agustín returned an hour later, both Pepa and Julieta were passed out. The sisters were leaning against each other with Camilo's head in Pepa's lap as he slept. Félix and Bruno were still up and watching Juanse and Alejandro. Tiredly, Agustín plopped down next to his cuñados.

"Go," he gestured to Félix in a shooing motion. "I'll watch these two, go be with your wife and son."

"Thanks, bro." Félix smiled gratefully at Agustín before getting up and joining the sisters and his son. Once settled, he gazed tiredly at Camilo, running his fingers through tangled curls.

After a few minutes, the only one awake was Bruno. Even then, as the sun rose higher in the sky, he remained awake only an hour longer before exhaustion caught up with him at last.

Casita remained ever vigilant as its precious family slept, hyper aware of the taint within its walls. There was nothing it could do, knowing that they needed the foreign magic to fix one of its own, but it still recoiled at its presence. As the sun rose higher, the potency of the taint diminished until it was barely noticeable.


Not gonna lie, I really like where this store is going. Now, if only I had the motivation to write it all! XD

These chapters are unintentionally long.

Until next time,

~Star