Summary: The trio consults Nerris on proving if David might actually be a werewolf.
"I'm not shitting you! You didn't notice the cut?" Max whisper-yelled at Neil and Nikki.
The trio was huddled together in the boys' tent after curfew.
"What Max, do you think he's a werewolf or something? Supernatural creatures don't exist. I'm surprised you of all people would believe that." Neil scoffed.
Max gritted his teeth.
"That's the thing, I don't. Monsters and shit don't exist but I can't figure out why David and Rusty would have the same fucking cut in the same fucking place."
"Well, maybe werewolves are real? I mean, Harrison can do magic." Nikki pitched in.
Neil glared at her.
"Magic isn't real and you know it. It's a trick."
She shrugged. "I'm just saying, we've dealt with weirder stuff already. I think it would be awesome if David was a werewolf. He could give us rides through the forest or just be a fluffy friend. Do you think he's actually scary if he gets mad as a wolf? Or if he has sharp teeth and growls when he gets really angry?"
Max smacked his face with his hand.
"You know what? Sure, why not. Let's say he is a fucking werewolf okay? How do you find out for sure?"
Nikki grinned and made her way out of the tent. Neil and Max looked at each other in confusion before turning back to the opening when they heard struggling.
"Oww! Nikki, let go of my cape! You're going to make me lose HP if you keep pulling on it like that."
Nerris was thrust into the tent and Nikki followed.
"You're kidding…" Neil huffed.
"Now what's this I hear about a werewolf? I can make you a charm that can repel werewolves."
Max walked up to Nerris and put an arm on her shoulder.
"Listen Nerris, this is going to sound weird, but Nikki thinks David might be a werewolf."
Nerris let out a squeal. "That would be amazing! We'd have a supernatural creature in our party! That would give us such a huge advantage over other night creatures like ghosts and witches!"
Nikki shoved Max out of the way.
"We met a wolf yesterday that we named Rusty and he is bigger than Max! It had a cut on its neck that is a copy of one on David's neck! We want to know how to tell if David is a werewolf?"
Nerris huddled the others close.
"There are several ways to see if someone is a werewolf or not. The three easiest ways are to touch the person with wolfsbane, touch them with silver, or to see them transform."
Nikki frowned. "But David washes the silverware and sets up meals all the time. He's never been affected by it before"
Max rolled his eyes. "Nikki, it's cheap-ass silverware that Campbell bought. The asshole probably bought stainless steel shit. That wouldn't affect David in the slightest."
Neil dug a book out from his desk. "I have this book that David gave me about local plants and their properties. It's part of Science Camp."
He flipped to the Table of Contents and then to a different page.
"It says here that wolfsbane is a tall flowering plant that is best recognized for its sagging bell-like flowers. The flowers grow in clusters on tall stems and can be in many colors including yellow, purple, and blue. It is toxic to humans and should not come into contact with bare skin."
Max grabbed his hair.
"Goddamit! Now we're going to have to fucking walk through the forest to find this stupid fucking plant because I know there isn't any silver in the area and no way are we going to just catch David transforming if werewolves aren't fucking real!
Nerris laughed. "I have some wolfsbane."
Everyone just stared.
"I picked some up the last time we went hiking and have been growing a small bunch on the edge of the camp. I cast a growing charm on them and they are already flowered. I'll let you have some if you let me see if they work."
Max shrugged.
"Sure, Nerris. We'll try it out once you get the flowers. It won't be hard to break into David's cabin and since he should already be asleep, it's just a matter of placing the plant on him and seeing how he reacts."
Nerris grins and runs off to grab the flowers. Neil, Nikki, and Max walk out of the tent and head over to David's cabin. Max peers over the window sill to see David still asleep in bed.
"Okay, when Nerris gets back with the plant, I'll pick the lock, and Nikki will quickly touch him with the plant."
Neil raises his hand. "Do we even know what the plant does? How do we know if it's affecting him?"
Nerris pops out from the side of the cabin. "If he is a werewolf, it'll probably burn him if it touches him."
Max turns to Nerris. "Wait, so it's going to fucking burn him?"
Nerris nods. "In general, wolfsbane is a dangerous plant. It's poisonous to humans so you have to wear gloves like I am. It can kill if ingested and if touched, can cause mild to severe poisoning. I figure if we barely touch him he should be fine. We'll need to wake him up though so he can wash it off, it shouldn't do more than maybe make him slightly nauseous or dizzy. If he's a werewolf though, it will leave a light burn mark on his skin as well."
Nikki and Neil looked uncomfortable.
"I don't know about this Max. I was okay with it before but now? I don't think I want to accidentally poison if I get too much on him. And if it burns, he might get really hurt."
Neil nodded.
"I agree with Nikki. Maybe we should just call it off and leave him alone?"
Nerris holds out a single petal with her gloved hands.
"I only brought a petal. This won't be enough to poison him unless he ingests it somehow. I can touch him with it though since I know how to handle it."
Max frowned but tried to play off his worry.
"Alright fine. I don't care if the dumbass gets hurt from this and hey, if he gets sick, maybe I'll be able to use it as a distraction to get away from this shitty camp."
Max walked up to the door and picked the lock. He held it open for Nikki, Neil, and Nerris to walk through. Nerris walked up to David with the petal. He was asleep with one arm out from the blanket, hugging a piece of wood. She looked at Max and waited for him to signal he was ready. Just as she started to bring to petal up to David's arm, his face scrunched up. Nerris quickly backed away. David let out a sneeze and woke up in fright.
"Wolfsbane!" He shouted and backed into the corner between his headboard and his window.
The others just stared at him.
"I'd say that proves it," Nerris stated.
She carried the petal back to the garden and left the trio standing there. David relaxed when she left the cabin and turned his confused gaze to the remaining campers.
"What are you guys doing with wolfsbane and what does she mean by 'that proves it?'"
Max broke out of his shock.
"She means, that we proved you're a fucking werewolf."
David bit the corner of his lip in fear and nervously laughed.
"What are you talking about? Werewolves don't exist."
Max pinched the bridge of his nose.
"Don't fucking deny it. I noticed that you had the same cut as Rusty and there's no way you could've known that we had wolfsbane with us while you were asleep unless you could smell it with some fucking werewolf enhanced nose."
David stuttered and put his hands out in a 'hold on' motion.
"Yeah, can you transform back into Rusty? I want to pet a dog right now and you make a very fluffy wolf."
David rubbed his face with his hands and sighed.
"You know what? Fine! You're right. I am a werewolf."
Nerris walked back in and threw her gloves in the trash. David sneezed.
"Nerris make sure you wash your hands really well, alright? I really need to have Quartermaster get rid of your patch of wolfsbane. One of the campers could fall into it."
Nerris washed her hands and came back.
"Could you transform? I want to see what your wolf form looks like."
"Yeah, Rusty. I wanna see this." Max chimed in.
He made no attempt to hide the excitement from his expression. David saw the rare smile on Max's face and sighed in resignation.
"Okay, but please don't tell you anyone else okay? I don't want to get hunted down."
They nodded. David closed his eyes and the kids watched in awe as red fur started to appear all over his body. In seconds, there was a large red wolf sitting on the bed. Nikki grinned and jumped onto the bed. David laid down, tail wagging, as Nikki started scratching his ears.
"Who's a good boy? Who's a good werewolfie?!"
Max walked up to David and scratched his chin.
"I have to say, David, this is probably the coolest thing I've ever seen. You're not so lame after all."
David barked and licked his face. Max glared at David but backed up when he jumped off the bed.
"What's up, David?" Nerris asked.
"No Nerris! Wolf David's name is Rusty! You gotta call him Rusty!" Nikki whined.
Rusty gave then a stern look and gestured with his head outside. The kids groaned and didn't leave until Rusty pushed them towards their tents.
"Alright, fine. We'll go to bed."
Max turned and walked out of the cabin. He couldn't wait to see if he could use this to mess with David even more.