Chapter 2

The Truth

Daphne let out a scream, Scooby's hair stood on end. Normally he would have run, but Daphne, Velma, and Fred would be in serious danger if he did. It wasn't Shaggy's eyes that stared back though his werewolf form. They were wild, almost like a wolves. Fred had stopped breathing, his eyes wide. Velma's hands where over her mouth, holding back a shriek as the best friend advanced on them. Scooby backed up slightly, letting out a snarl. Warning Shaggy in the only language he'd understand at that moment. He lunged.

"Shaggy!?" Daphne shrieked, Shaggy seemed to stop in mid air and fall back.

He stayed slumped, his eyes returned to the light brown they normally where as he began to back up. His clawed feet maneuvering on the ground, his eyes looked scared, not at them, but he'd caught site of himself in the mirror. He'd almost... he was going too. The images still flooding, but not as strong. He froze as his back hit the wall under the window. The full moon beaming brilliantly on his multi-colored fur. He looked at each of them, fear wafting towards him, and defense from Scooby, protectiveness. Fred's smell changed to worry and he took a small step forward as Shaggy began to whimper.

"Ro!" Scooby snapped at Fred, causing him to stay in place.

"Shag? Is... Is that you?" asked Fred, though he knew it was, he'd seen him change before his eyes.

Shaggy looked at them, and slid up the wall and towards the window. He needed to go, he could feel his body shifting, wanting food, needing it. The girls where still in shock, Fred tilted his head, trying to figure out what Shaggy was doing, but Velma beat him too it.

"Shaggy. No." said Velma, as his legs pulled up on the sill.

Too late, Shaggy jumped, sprinting towards the wooded area not to far from the house, the old tree house. He froze, his mind shifted again, he smelt it, delicious. He spun back towards the house, not hearing his friends yell after him. Fred looked out the window, but in the dim street lights, he couldn't see anything. He heard a metal trash can fall in the yard.

"The yard." said Fred, the girls followed after him as they headed down the steps.

The four of them crept outside towards the edge of the house, they could see something on the back porch. Fred turned on the light and their shoulders all fell, it was almost humorous. Shaggy's upper body was stuck in the trash can as he rolled around the yard trying to get it off. At the same time, they where still in slight shock. Daphne giggled as Shaggy began to kick the air.

"Oh no." said Velma, as the can rolled off the porch, and Shaggy let out a strange yelp, "Shaggy?"

"Oh my god!" yelled Fred.

"What?" asked Daphne, looking in the same direction.

"It couldn't have been anymore than two minutes and he ate the tire off the van!" yelled Fred, looking at the van in the space between the garage and house.

"Shaggy?" Velma leaned over the porch, a clawed hand grabbed her wrist, "YAH!"

"Velma? I can't get it off." came the muffled voice of Shaggy, as a large sauce can was over his head.

"You nearly gave me a stroke!" yelled Velma, grabbing the can.

"Velma?" asked Fred, looking at her in concern.

"I think the cans knocked him to his senses, he's talking after all." said Velma, yanking at the can.

"I know that, but the van... I think we should leave it on for a little while." said Fred, Velma glared at him, and Shaggy's frame turned towards him.

"Like, what I do to the van?" his muffled voice echoed from the can.

"You ate it...." said Fred.

"I what?" asked Shaggy as he and Velma yanked the can off.

"Oh my..." Velma looked at her now extremely fuzzy best friend.

"What?" asked Shaggy, his ears seemed to droop.

"... your covered in ketchup." responded Velma.

"Can someone explain what is going on, in detail?" asked Daphne.

"Rits rifferent ran rast rime." said Scooby, sniffing Shaggy.

"Last time? Last time!? How many times have you been a werewolf?" asked Fred, eyes wide.

"Including this time?" asked Shaggy, as he looked at the kitchen counter through the window.

"Yes..." said Fred, brow raised as he followed his eyes.

"Twice... is that meat?" asked Shaggy, licking his lips.

"Yes..." said Fred opening the glass door.

"What do you mean twice?" asked Daphne, following him inside.

"I- I just can't believe your a werewolf...." Velma was staring at him.

"Like... I don't know where to begin without sounding crazy." said Shaggy with a sight as he raided the fridge.

"Shag... your a werewolf, I don't think it gets much crazier..." said Fred, with a shake of his head.

"Oh, like... it does." said Shaggy taking a gulp of food.

"How can you only be a werewolf twice?" asked Daphne, thinking back to horror movies she'd watched.

"Were you bit..." Velma felt like an idiot for saying it, but its the only thought she could fathom.

"Okay, like here it goes." Shaggy took a drink of water and a deep sigh, "Like, the first time was senior year. I did some race car driving that summer. Dracula needed a werewolf racer and I happened to be the next in line. SO he sent the hunch bunch, like these crazy monster brothers. They used a spell and the full moon to turn me into a werewolf. Like, jacked us and went to Transylvania. After like a series of some messed up monster meetings, Dracula totally agreed to like, return me to normal if I won. I won, there was like a fight, I stolen the book. Was returned to normal and the book was like destroyed. So, I think another spell."

"...." the others looked at him.

"Your right... that is crazy." said Daphne.

"I wouldn't believe it, if you weren't fuzzy." said Velma.

"You drove a racecar?" asked Fred.

"Yeah, like man, I was pretty good." said Shaggy.

"Guys! I think we have more important matter." said Velma, indicating Shaggy's snout.

"So... do you think Dracula's got something to do with it...." Daphne trailed off, this was a weird conversation.

"Like, who else man." said Shaggy, bitterly, "And like here I thought we'd gone passed that after the whole school thing."

"Why have you never told us any of this?" asked Daphne, earning an odd look from Shaggy and Scooby.

"What would you have said if my human self ranted about this?" asked Shaggy, brow raised and eyes wide.

"We would have laughed and thought it was a good joke," said Fred.

"I've always pictured werewolves more... beast like..." said Velma, tweaking Shaggy's ear.

"This isn't beast like?" asked Shaggy, eyes furrowed, what did they expect him to walk on all fours and not speak.

"No, its more just like a fuzzier you." said Daphne, with a half smile.

Shaggy listened to them discuss werewolf thoughts and ideas. He looked at Scooby, waiting for him to become alert, he seemed to know when Shaggy was going to snap. Scooby was contently wagging his tail, and looking at Shaggy, he breathed a sigh of relief. Fred grabbed Shaggy's empty plate, but dropped it quickly and backed up, Shaggy's brow raised. Why was everyone looking at him, did his snout get bigger. Scooby's tail slowed its wagging, and his head tilted. Fred's hand where in a defensive position.

"What?" asked Shaggy.

"You growled at me." said Fred.

"I did.... like, sorry Fred." laughed Shaggy picking up the plate himself.

"It's... okay....I'm fine." Fred whispered to himself, "My best friends a werewolf, but yeah I'm fine, even after he growled at me."

"So I guess we have to go to Transylvania." said Velma, Shaggy dropped the plate and spun to look at them.

"No." was all he said, as he shook his head.

"No, what? You don't want to be human again?" asked Daphne, now she was confused.

"No, I do. But, like, you guys can't come with." said Shaggy, picking up the plate.

"Why not?" asked Fred

"It's too dangerous," said Shaggy, 'Heck, its too dangerous with just me.'

"Shag, we're not letting you go alone," said Fred, "Besides, we've been in countless dangerous situations before, for instance. Zombie Island."

"Like, you guys don't understand..." said Shaggy, he stopped talking.

His thoughts where reeling, images flashing, bad images. While he'd been eating, he'd channeled them out, but now he was seeing it again. Hunting... hunting them all down in Drcula's castle, in the forest. In every image, he won. He shuttered in disgust, glad that no one caught the shutter.

"Shaggy, we're going with." said Velma.

"After all, what are friends for." said Daphne.

"I mean werewolf is never really in a friend description, but with us, we should have added it a long time ago." said Fred.

"Reah, Raggy!" said Scooby, joining in to try and cheer up the forlorn Shaggy.

"I.. I don't want you all to come," Shaggy's mind was on the images, and his nightmares, what if it happened.

"Shag, you can't stop us. I'll call my uncle in the morning, get us a private jet, and we'll be headed to Transylvania by that afternoon." said Daphne, than her expression changed, "When morning comes, are you going to be human again?"

"No." said Shaggy, he hadn't before and he knew this time wasn't that different.

"I hate werewolf movies." said Fred, with a sigh.

Scooby watched Shaggy's face fall and his claws ring his pant leg. He knew what was going on in Shaggy's head, he didn't know how, but he could sense his fear about the trip. What Scooby had more trouble understand was Shaggy's lack of control over himself. Last time, there'd only been a time here and there where he'd lunged or thought about it. This time... he was more wild.

"I'm.. like.. I'm going to bed." said Shaggy, standing up.

"No running away Shaggy. Your sleeping in the living room, where we can make sure you don't ditch us." said Daphne, Shaggy let out an annoyed growl, "And don't growl at me."

"This is going to be a very long and messed up trip," Fred shook his head, "Velma you havn't said much."

"Shaggy... Shaggy has a tail..." said Velma, watching the werewolf stomp into the living room.

TBC