Thank you so much for all the reviews, favorites and alerts! ^_^ I can't believe how many I've gotten!
Disclaimer: The Secret Saturdays does not belong to me.
Please note that this story is Major AU.
Summary: The Saturdays are sent to a town to investigate some black wolf sightings. They meet Zak, a kid who roams the forest next to the town. But Zak is the black wolf and also has Cryptid powers; can the young hybrid keep his secrets safe? Especially after Argost seems to know that he's hiding something. And on top of all that the Saturdays and the Secret Scientists are starting to get a little suspicious.
Reviewer Questions: First of all I'd like to thank everyone who answered my questions and of course anyone who reviewed or even read this! ^_^
Ms. Idea Maker, I don't think you have to wait before posting new chapters, I have posted a couple in a very short time span before and it never told me I had to wait.
Luke 93, thanks, and I've never heard of them, why do you ask?
Howl Of The Wolf
Chapter 17: Zak, Have You Met Zak?
During the couple weeks after Zak's rescue from Weird World, he and the Saturdays had bonded. Now that the eleven year old wasn't playing anymore tricks, the family found that they really enjoyed his company. Sure, he was perhaps a little too energetic, and things sometimes still explode, but at least they were all accidental.
They had also noticed some weird behaviors. Like sometimes if he's confused Zak cocks his head, he finds you wherever you try to hide and Fiskerton has tried some crazy spots during hide and seek, and if by chance you make him angry sometimes he seems to growl; and not like any human growl. He also has a weird knack for finding something lost, like one of the mobile video phones.
Drew also wondered why his weapon of choice, which he called The Claw, had The Hand of Tsul 'Kalu on the end. Not that there was anything wrong with that considering that the artifact really helped focus his powers, but where he had gotten it Zak wasn't saying. In truth, Zak's parents had met Tsul 'Kalu once when Zak was little and he'd given them the Hand of Tsul 'Kalu to give it to Zak when he got older to help with his powers.
Perhaps one day he'd tell the Saturdays about his wolf parents, who were also hybrids, but after the accident that took them away from Zak they could no longer switch forms. And now that their DreamWalker powers have run out, there was absolutely no way Zak would ever see them again. Zak guessed that he'd tortured the family that'd taken him in with tricks and pranks because subconsciously he was jealous that they were a happy family and he was all alone, or at least that's what it had felt like to him before the Saturdays had rescued him from Weird World even after all he'd done to them. Now, however, he wasn't so sure anymore. Was he really all alone in the physical world? Or was he starting to become part of another family? He was definitely having fun. Part of him would like to be part of a family again, but another part would think he was just forgetting about his wolf parents and replacing them as if he'd never even loved them. He didn't know, and he didn't want to think about it.
In the span of a couple weeks Zak had met a lot of new people. The Secret Scientists, including the ones he'd heard talking to Doc and Drew that one night, for example. Dr. Arthur Beeman had quickly nicknamed him because of his unique hair, much to Zak's annoyance. He'd had a lot of fun playing with one of Dr. Miranda Grey's portal ray things before it had been taken away from him by the angry scientist. He'd been scolded, but it'd been worth it. He'd had a lot of fun sticking an arm through one portal and watching his hand come out of the other one. He'd made some friends too, King Ulraj of Kumari Kandam and Wadi, of the Hassi. And for some reason that Zak didn't understand Wadi had said that he was cute when she'd left and had an odd habit of taking his belt. Why she did that he didn't think he'd ever know. It could also be argued that he'd also made an enemy, Francis, who Zak knew something was off with because his scent was too identical to his supposed father, Epsilon. Sure if they were father and son their scents would have similarities, but they were too similar. Zak wasn't quite sure, but he guessed they were clones.
Anyway, today they were going to look at an artifact, the Smoke Mirror of Tezcatlipoca. Though, it was only Zak, Doc, Drew, Fiskerton, Komodo and Zon that day. Doyle was on some training vacation he'd been looking forward to.
Zak was so-so excited about it, on the one hand, they were going on an adventure. On the other hand, they were only looking at an artifact not a Cryptid or anything very exciting in Zak's book.
"Ah, look at this temple." Drew said, admiring the temple-like structure. "You can feel the dark magic just radiating in the air and off the walls." She closed her eyes and concentrated.
Doc, naturally, was a bit more skeptical. Though he kept his scientific mouth shut and let his wife enjoy the moment.
"So this is the Smoke Mirror." Zak said, though it was more of a statement.
"Mmmhmm." Drew said, her eyes still shut. "Careful, that mirror is full of dark magic. I wouldn't advise touching it."
Sadly, she said that a little too late. Zak had already picked the mirror up.
Blinding light suddenly surrounded them all and Zak dropped the mirror. That was the last thing they remembered before everything went blank.
Zak blinked open his eyes.
Drew was looking at him and smiling. This confused Zak.
"Um, why are you looking at me like that…? It's kinda freaking me out..."
"Oh, I'm just happy you're all ok." She gestured to the rest of the family who were all standing in the room too, except for Doc, who was lying down. Though several of them had bandages on.
"Are you guys all ok?" Zak asked, concerned.
They all said yes in their different ways. Grunting, cawing etcetera…
Except for… "Bad copy!"
"Um, oooook." Zak replied, a little weirded out.
"Oh don't worry about him, sweetie. He's just a little shook up. He'll be fine." Drew said, still smiling a smile way too sweet for comfort.
'Sweetie? Since when does she call me sweetie?' Zak thought. Something really weird was going on, and Zak was going to find out what it was.
A couple minutes later Zak and Drew were in the kitchen-like area.
"Hot chocolate?" She asked, but didn't wait for an answer before handing him a cup and sipping her own. "Mmmmm…."
"Since when do you like hot chocolate so much?" Zak asked, still trying to think of what might be wrong with Drew.
"Do I have to have a reason?" She snapped unusually mean-like before suddenly turning way too sweet again. "Oh, I'm sorry. I guess I'm just a little on edge."
Zak wasn't sure what to make of this. No, he really wasn't. Drew looked like Drew, but Drew wasn't acting very much like Drew.
Something was going on; Zak knew that much, but he wasn't quite sure what... Until he noticed something very, very odd with her scent.
It was different. Way too different. It was similar to Drew's in a way, but it was definitely not Drew's.
And then there was the obvious sign that something was off. He smelt himself too, like himself, but not himself. Like Drew's scent.
He didn't know what was going on but one thing was for sure. This woman, whoever she was, was not Drew.
He set down his hot chocolate carefully so he wouldn't alarm the imposter.
"Where are the real Saturdays?" Zak asked casually.
The Drew imposter practically choked on her hot chocolate before her expression turned deadly. Sickly sweetness was long gone now, and Zak guessed that he was now seeing the Drew imposter's real personality.
"How did you know?" She practically hissed "I had to be nice to you! I was being nice to you! How'd you know?"
A new voice broke in before Zak could answer.
"Well for one thing, you acted waaay too sweet." The person the new voice had come from stepped in the room. Zak was almost looking at himself, except for his hair, which was reverse colored. And of course this Zak looked rather evil.
Then it suddenly occurred to Zak what was going on. This had all started after he'd touched the Smoke Mirror.
"You came out of the Smoke Mirror didn't you? All of you did…" Zak said, watching as the rest of the Monday family (as Zak had just dubbed them) entered the room and tore their bandages off, revealing differences from the real Saturday family.
"Wow, you're smarter than I thought you'd be… But not by much." Zak Monday (who Zak guessed had lost his parents and had Cryptid powers just like Zak had, but found it too confusing to simply refer to his double as Zak) taunted.
Suddenly really weird things started happening. Walls started melting and the hot chocolate was suddenly frozen to name a few.
"Isn't it cool that matter and anti-matter coming in to contact with each other long enough tears apart the fabric of the dimension? But anyway, I'm not surprised at all you figured out the difference..." Zak Monday paused, letting the implication sink in. "Because of course, you and that family are doubles of us. Weak, pathetic doubles, but still doubles. And of course my powers are better than yours. Yours are stupid and pathetic. Mine are amusing. I like watching things hurt." Zak Monday smiled sadistically. Zak cringed at his double's viciousness.
The Monday family looked confused at the first part but didn't comment. Zak knew that his doppelganger was referring to the fact that they both were human-wolf hybrids and that the Mondays had no idea just like the Saturdays. He also guessed that his doppelganger's Cryptid powers hurt Cryptids instead of what Zak's did.
And as if the day couldn't get any stranger, Komodo Monday started talking... Like actual talking, not Komodo's usual hissing sounds. "None of us care about your commentary, Zak," Zak Monday scowled at this. "We just need to send them back to our world."
"Fine, fine, whatever." Zak Monday muttered under his breath clearly not happy about his taunting speech being cut short.
Zak didn't think 'our world' would be somewhere he'd enjoy. He needed to find the actual Saturdays.
Zak sprinted out of the room and about halfway down the first hallway he switched to wolf form in mid stride, not even slowing down a bit when he transformed. In fact, now that he had four legs, he was speeding up. He knew the Mondays were chasing him and he also knew that Zak Monday wouldn't be afraid to chase him down as a wolf either, which is why he decided to change first and get a head start.
Zak was running fast through the airship, evading Zak Monday, who Zak could tell was way in front of the other Mondays and from the noises of claw scratches on the metal floor, Zak could tell they were farther away. It also told him that his double was pursuing him in wolf form.
The eleven year old saw his window of opportunity… Literally. He actually saw a window. Ironically he was now about to jump out of the same window he'd snuck in when the Saturdays had left the town by the forest he'd used to live in. Luckily he knew that the airship was parked and he wasn't that far off the ground so he wouldn't get hurt.
He quickly switched to human form to open the window, deciding it was better to risk Zak Monday catching up than smashing through the glass and getting cuts all over. But he knew Zak Monday was getting closer for the walls started melting again.
After he opened the window he turned back to wolf form just in time to see a white wolf with a black star rounding the corner with an angry look on its face. It was Zak Monday in wolf form. Hybrids fur colors, and sometimes eye color, typically depended on what their hair color is when they were in human form. For example, Zak's mom in human form had white hair and icy blue eyes, just like her wolf form. His dad had black hair and dark brown eyes, the same as his wolf form. The only difference with Zak was that in wolf form his eyes were the color of his Cryptid powers. Zak Monday's eyes in wolf form were green, which Zak guessed was what the color of his evil, torturing Cryptid powers.
"Hey!" Zak Monday growled, now in human form, as Zak jumped out of the airship window.
Zak landed on four feet and took a millisecond to wonder if he had a little tiger in his blood before racing back in the direction of the temple he and the Saturdays had found the Smoke Mirror in.
It was the last place he'd seen the real Saturdays. And he was going to find them. Then he was going to send the Mondays back where they came from.
White Wolf: Yay! Chapter! ^_^ *White Wolf Victoriously Howls At Moon*
Zak: Yay! *Jumps For Joy*
White Wolf: I haven't victoriously howled at the moon in a long time….
Zak: Yeah I know….
White Wolf: I'll have to remember to do that more often. It's fun!
White Wolf: Have you guys noticed that I've been updating frequently! ^_^ *Happy*
Everyone Except White Wolf: Yeah, it's awesome!
Everyone: Yay!
I have been updating frequently haven't I? Yay! ^_^
And I've also added a segment at the beginning of chapters about things some reviews say like maybe a question. Though I will still reply to all reviews separately through e-mail anyway.
Also you probably noticed but this is like the episode 'Black Monday' when the Mondays were actually introduced, but don't worry! It's not going to be exactly the same as you've read in this chapter!
We had snow! ^_^ Yay snow!
Please review! ^_^
~White Wolf Out~