That day, Rapunzel, Varian, Eugene, and Lance were discussing how to find the werewolf in the most humane way possible, as well as clues to look out for. The princess flipped through the "Lycathrope" to show her friends a wolf print symbol.

"It's the called the Mark of the Wolf, and Creighton's book says that a werewolf in its human form has this blue paw-shaped blemish somewhere on the person's hands, arms, or face." Rapunzel read.

Pascal then turned himself white with blue wolf marks all over his body as if to provide a visual example. The princess couldn't help but chuckle and neither could Varian.

"Very funny, Pascal." the teen giggled.

"The only other clue is that Creighton said the curse feeds on someone with a repressed rage?" the sundrop went on.

"You know, someone who tends to bottle up their anger until they unpredictably lash out at someone." the boy simplified before clearing his throat. "H-hypothetical speaking."

"I'm gonna go into town to see what I can find. Why don't you guys stay here and keep an eye on the castle staff. And report back to me if you notice something amiss."

"You got it, Princess." Lance replied saluting.

Rapunzel then pulled Eugene aside as Varian looked forlorn out the window towards the forest.

"Eugene, can you check to make sure Varian doesn't have the mark while I'm gone?" the princess whispered to her boyfriend.

"The kid's got a lot of marks on his body albeit fading ones. And I doubt any of them are shaped like wolf prints." the dark prince replied.

"Yeah, but, better safe than sorry." Rapunzel told him as she was about to head out. She glanced at the young alchemist and said, "I'll only be gone awhile."

As soon as the princess was gone, Eugene came up to Varian. "All right, kid. I'm not seeing anything too troubling on your face, but you might wanna take off your gloves and roll up your sleeves."

"What's this about, Eugene?" the alchemist asked.

"Rapunzel wants me to check and see if you have the wolf mark on you or not. That way, we can determine whether or not you're the werewolf." the dark prince explained.

Varian couldn't help but feel a little hurt when his friend assumed that he was the werewolf. And it couldn't be him anyway. Why would he be the werewolf if he saw the wolf last night?

"But I'm not the wolf, Eugene. I can't believe you would think that I am." the boy said, turning away from the young man, tears stinging his eyes.

"Varian, I'm not saying that you are. Anyone in Corona could have that mark, heck, even me. Innocent until proven guilty, you know?" the dark prince talked him down.

"Okay." Varian let out a long sigh as he removed his gloves and rolled up his shirt sleeves.

After a thorough investigation, Eugene confirmed that the kid had no wolf mark on his person, much to the alchemist's reassurance. Then, Varian and his friends asked around the castle of anyone was acting unusual as of late, but nobody had anything to report. But the boy did notice that Red was more closed off than she was yesterday, especially from Angry. He decided to take a chance and joined her side.

"Red, is something wrong? You've been pretty distant since this morning." Varian asked the girl.

"No, the castle is great, but I just... don't feel like I belong here. It's not that I don't trust Angry's judgment, but..." Red answered.

"Maybe it would help if you told her how you really felt." the teen suggested. "Unless..., you don't want to tell her."

The young girl's words then got caught in her throat. She looked like she wanted to say yes, but thought that she would get in trouble for it.

"Look. No matter what happens, I want you to know that you can always come to me or our friends if you and your sister have issues. Then we can help you both, okay?" Varian said compassionately.

Ruddiger then hopped down from his best friend's shoulders and rubbed on Red's legs affectionately while the girl scratched the raccoon's head.

"Thanks, Varian." she told her friend sweetly as the older kid returned her smile.


Later that afternoon, Varian was staring at the wolf mark in Creighton's book and putting his hand on it. Just then, Rapunzel came running into the war room looking almost entirely out of breath. Her friends quickly noticed how winded she was and rushed to her side.

"Are you okay, Rapunzel?" the kid asked. "You look like you just ran from the city to the mainland and back again."

"I couldn't be better." the princess panted with a breathless laugh. "I know who the werewolf is! It is none other than... Monty!"

At first, the others didn't understand why Rapunzel would jump to that conclusion. But, the princess went on to explain that when she was walking by the sweet shop and bakery, Monty wanted to extend an olive branch. A literal olive branch made of green licorice and everyone knew that Rapunzel loved green candy. As he did so, the sundrop noticed a blue smudge on his neck that looked an awful lot like the wolf's mark. Creighton was in the same area, stalking the princess so Rapunzel turned the candy man down. Then out of the blue, Monty blew up in her face without warning. And that was all the evidence she needed.

"Uncle Monty, the werewolf? Come on! No way!" Eugene laughed.

"Forgive me, Princess, but that's- I mean that's just... That's just crazy talk." Lance chuckled in agreement.

"I don't know the identity of the wolf, but it's definitely not Monty. And I have a shrewd amount of evidence to back that up." Varian brought up.

"Come on. You've never once suspected Monty had a darker side?" Rapunzel asked persistently.

Eugene and Lance shook their heads, but Varian didn't have any input on the matter. So many people in Corona most likely held a grudge toward him. He wouldn't put it past Monty to be the same.

The princess's face fell and she let out a heavy sigh, accepting that her accusation may have been a little personal on her part. "Okay, fine! But, he has the mark! We should at least investigate that."

So, her friends decided to humor the sundrop on this in order to make her feel better.


That night, Rapunzel, Varian, Eugene, and Lance all went on a steakout outside of the sweet shop just as Monty was closing up the shop.

"Alright, it's closing time." the princess said in a hushed tone as the quartet hid behind some barrels.

"I still think this is ridiculous." Varian whispered.

"Oh I know, but you look so cute in a cloak." Rapunzel cooed, lightly squishing his face to which he grinned and blushed.

"Shhh. Here he comes." the boy alerted her as the door opened.

Everybody ducked behind the barrels and watched Monty lock up the store. But then, the man saw the reflections of the group's heads in the window. They ducked down, but Monty was already suspicious of their presence. So he boarded his wagon and rode off quickly.

"He's trying to get away!" the sundrop exclaimed as she whistled for the horses.

The group swiftly mounted as they arrived. Rapunzel, Eugene, and Varian mounted on Maximus while Lance took Fidella. As they continued to pursue the candy man, Monty threw some of his sweet merchandise in order to throw them off.

"Evasive maneuvers!" Varian called out as the group dodged the obstacles.

Lance eventually fell way behind, but the others were still on Monty's tail. They soon brought the chase to an end by heading him off.

"What? Hol- Princess? What is wrong with you!?" the candy man asked incredulously as Rapunzel, Varian, and Eugene dismounted.

"I know your secret." the sundrop scrutinized.

"All right! All right, fine! I found a bunch of stale licorice in my back room. I was just trying to get rid of it! Lock me up! It's wrong! It was wrong!" Monty confessed guiltily like he had just broken a law and held his hands out so that he could be arrested.

"No! Wait, what?" Rapunzel didn't have the foggiest of what he was talking about. "No, I'm about talking about the wolf's curse."

"The wolf's cur- Hold on. Wait, you think I'm the werewolf?" the man said, catching on.

"I saw the wolf's mark on your neck." the princess explained, pointing at his neck area.

"What, this?" Monty spoke, rubbing his neck and revealing blue smudges on his fingertips. "No! Th-this is paint! Paint from the renovations this morning!"

"See? Now that, I believe." Varian pointed out as Lance finally caught up.

"But, wh- Why did you run away from us?" the sundrop inquired.

"Well, four people hopped out of the shadows and came after me! What would you have done?" the candy man answered. "Besides, if I were the wolf, shouldn't I be sprouting fur and fangs about now?"

And then, everyone saw the ominous omen up in the sky.

"Oh no, the full moon." Rapunzel spoke, her heart sinking.

That was when they all heard a spine tingling howl echo through the landscape.

"That's coming from Old Corona!" Varian pointed out.


Quickly, Rapunzel, Varian, Eugene, and Lance hurried over the farming village to find its people in a state of panic. The group had shed their cloaks, except for Varian. He felt an odd sense of comfort from wearing it and couldn't bear to disrobe it.

"Lance, help these people out of here!" Rapunzel ordered her friend as he ran to usher the villagers to safety.

There was a bunch of smashing and then, the wolf appeared in the cover of fog. Varian's hair stripe glowed when the beast came into his view.

"Look. There she is!" the alchemist pointed out to his friends/guardians.

The creature noticed them too and started approaching them. They all huddled together as she came closer and closer, growling while doing so. Rapunzel and Eugene held onto Varian extra tightly.

"You know, Old Corona should really consider enforcing leash laws." the dark prince commented.

"Wait!" Varian spoke out as he broke away from the huddle. "Remember, under all that wolf fur, there's an innocent person inside. Maybe... I can get through to her."

"Varian, no! You don't what it'll do to you!" Rapunzel cried out in a motherly way.

"It's okay, Rapunzel. She won't harm me." The boy promised her as Eugene put his hand on his girlfriend's shoulder. Varian then slowly reached out to the beast. "Um, hi. Remember me? I-I know you're in there somewhere. You don't have to be afraid. You can control this."

The wolf stopped growling as her muzzle edged closer to the child's gentle hand. But just as they were about to make contact, an arrow whizzed between them barely missing the teen's fingers. The creature snarled when she realized that Creighton was here. The huntress was up on one of the rooftops firing her crossbow at the wolf. She immediately ran off to get away.

"No!" Varian cried out to her.

"Eugene, keep Creighton busy!" Rapunzel told her boyfriend. "Varian and I are going after that wolf. Let's go!"

She took Varian's hand and they both ran in the direction of the fleeing beast. The two of them soon ended up in a dead and spooky part of the forest. Judging by the proximity of the howls, the werewolf sounded close. Maybe if closer than they thought. Rapunzel and Varian soon found some rocks and used them to hide as the wolf stalked through. Just when they thought they had lost her, the wolf came up from behind. The princess pressed her back against the rock as the beast snarled in her face.

"My! What big teeth you have." Rapunzel commented with a nervous smile.

"No, stop!" Varian cried before the creature could come down on the sundrop. He wrapped his arms around the wolf like he was giving her a hug. "Please don't hurt her! Rapunzel doesn't deserve this!"

The wolf stopped in her tracks, panting. That was when the young alchemist noticed something under the wolf's mane. He pushed the fur back and saw a familiar necklace.

"I recognize that pendant." Varian breathed. All of his very recent experiences started to come together. The wolf whimpered and pulled away, disappearing into the darkness. The kid then turned to Rapunzel with a solemn look on his face. "Rapunzel, Red is the werewolf."

"No, it can't be." the princess gasped.

"But if that was Red, then where is Angry?" the young alchemist thought.


With this new information, Rapunzel, Varian, and their friends raced back to the castle and made a beeline for Red and Angry's guest room.

"Angry! Where is Red?" Rapunzel asked urgently, waking the raven haired girl.

"What's- what's wrong?" Angry said groggily.

"Okay." the princess sighed. "Oh, how do I say this? Um... Red- Red has been hiding something."

"Lemme guess, she doesn't wanna settle down in Corona?" This didn't exactly come as a shock.

"No. W- yes, yes, she is hiding that, but this is something else."

"The point is, we think your sister's in danger." Varian explained. "We need to find her before she gets hurt."

"Okay, I'll take you to her." the girl responded.


So Angry led the others into the woods just outside of Old Corona. There, she brought them to the tree house that the girls were talking about yesterday. It looked chaotic like whoever built it was in a rush.

"If Red's anywhere, this is where she'd be." Angry said.

"Let's hope you're right." Varian replied as he and Rapunzel pulled back the blanket that acted as a door. They then ventured higher into the tree house. "Red?"

And there she was. Red curled up in a ball on the floor, wrapped in a tattered looking blanket. An oil lantern was the redhead's only source of light. The alchemist's hair stripe glowed the moment he saw her.

"I'm not the monster." Red spoke fearfully.

"No one said you were a monster." Rapunzel tried to console her.

"And we're not going to hurt you." Varian added as he and the princess joined her side.

Rapunzel pulled down the blanket that was covering Red's face and there were tears in her eyes. It broke the boy's heart to see the little girl cry. The princess cupped Red's check as she dried her tears. And there, under her left eye was the blue wolf mark.

"I- I'm sorry." the redhead apologized tearfully.

"So it is true." the sundrop stated.

"Red... how did this happen?" Angry asked joining her sister.

"Last month, when you decided we needed to settle down, I wanted to tell you that I liked it out here. I wasn't ready to move, but... you wouldn't hear me." Red recalled. "I went for a walk that night, and that... was when it found me."

"The spirit of the curse." Varian breathed.

"It told me it could help me be heard." the young girl continued. "That it could use all of my angry feelings and give me what I want. All I had to do was let it."

"You should've told me, Red." her sister said.

"Wait, if you were the werewolf all along, why did you abduct me last night?" the teen alchemist wondered.

"I don't know." Red answered. "There's something about you that entices the wolf for some reason."

"I think it's my moon powers." Varian speculated, looking down at his hands. "That's why the stripe in my hair was glowing around you."

"You have powers?" both girls spoke in surprise.

"I-It's a long story." the elder kid giggled sheepishly, rubbing the back of his kid.

"Guys, the important thing is that there's a way out of this." Rapunzel stepped in with Creighton's book. "This has a ritual that can't get rid of the wolf. But we can only do it on the final night of the full moon."

"That's tonight." Lance said solemnly.

"Now here's the tricky part." the princess added. "It has to be done on mystical ground, and the only place like that around is..."

"Janus Point." Eugene finished.


So the group made their way to the spooky ruins on the cliff that overlooked the sea. Lance and Eugene placed several lit torches in their proper holders. The light emanating from the torches made the ruins even more ominous.

"Hey, remember that art teacher who brought us out here for her painting class?" Lance asked, trying to lighten things up. "Whatever happened to her?"

"Well, she turned out to be a hideous she-demon who tried to steal your very soul." Eugene answered, killing the mood.

"Oh, right. Right." his best friend said dejectedly.

Varian remembered Rapunzel telling him about Janus Point from one of her adventures where she almost summoned Zhan Tiri. No, he had never actually been there before. Mainly because, it was one of the many places his father forbade him to go to. And the young alchemist could now understand why. The eerie atmosphere of the area was enough to send chills down his spine. But, that wasn't the only reason why the boy was on edge and Rapunzel could tell that his mind was somewhere else.

"Are you okay, sweetheart?" the princess asked him.

"Yea-yeah, I'm fine." Varian tried to lie. "This place just gives me the creeps. Dad would kill me if he found out I was here."

"Sounds to me like there's more going on than that." Rapunzel said, seeing right through him.

"I-It's just that... even-even if we do this ritual ri-right, it's not going to destroy the curse; it's just gonna dis-dispell it from Red's body. Then, it's just going to find another ho-host to inhabit. That person- that person c-could be m-me." the kid started to hyperventilate.

"No!" the sundrop spoke, rushing to hug him. "No. We won't let that happen. Besides, you have to accept the curse in order for it to take host in you. As long as you refuse it, you'll be fine."

Varian evened his breath out while Rapunzel rubbed comforting circles in his back. The little one looked into her caring, emerald green eyes and gave a sad smile as he went to join the other kids. The princess then went to retrieve the werewolf book and flipped it to certain page.

"Okay, Red. All you have to do now is repeat what I say." she told the redheaded girl as Angry took her hand. Red's free hand also grabbed Varian's as an act of consolation.

"Are you ready?" the boy asked.

"Yeah, I'm ready." she replied.

"I swear this wolf away." Rapunzel recited.

"I- I swear this wolf away." Red copied her.

"Not to give in to its rage. Wolf be gone!"

"Not to give in to its rage. Wolf be..." the girl could feel Varian's hand shaking in hers and stopped before she could finish the second verse.

"Huh? Why did you stop? What's wrong?" the alchemist asked.

"Red, you can do it. Just say it." Rapunzel endorsed Red.

"It's okay, kid, you're almost there." Eugene entreated her gently.

"Come on, Red. You have to!" Angry implored, holding her other hand.

"I don't want to!" Red snapped, jerking away from her sister. "I don't want to pass the wolf on to someone like Varian! He already has enough going on! He doesn't deserve that!"

Varian was a little caught off guard to hear that the redhead was refusing the ritual for his sake. The teen noticed that she didn't let go of his hand once.

"Besides, maybe I like being the wolf!Maybe- maybe I'm tired of everyone telling me what to do! And I'm sick of people assuming I'm okay, just because I won't say I'm not!" Red ranted as she and Varian climbed up on the pedestal where the scary tree used to be. "And another thing! I don't even like the name Red! I only went along with it because everyone expected me to!"

"Told you not to give them nicknames." Lance told Eugene. The dark prince shot him a look because of memory served him right, Lance was the one who came up with the name Red in the first place.

"What if I wanted to be the angry one?!" Red continued to rant. "Just once, I wanted to be the one to call the shots! Being the wolf lets me do that!"

"I know it hurts to be the quiet one. I lived that way for months because I was forced or threatened by someone to be that way. But, no one should have that kind of power over you. Not even the people who truly care about you." Varian spoke from his heart. He directed his gaze to Angry who obviously looked guilty.

"He's right." the raven haired girl replied. "I'm sorry. I-I didn't mean to be so bossy. We can figure this out together, but let's just finish this."

"Doesn't matter if you finish." Creighton's voice said as she emerged from the shadows. "This whole 'ritual' is bunk."

"But the spell!" Varian interjected.

"I added it to the book so I'd know when and where the wolf would be." the huntress explained in a cocky tone.

Realizing that this was a set-up, Rapunzel tossed the book aside and leaped onto the pedestal with Red and Varian, blocking them from Creighton's view.

"Leave the girl alone!" she demanded.

"She ain't a girl anymore. She's a monster, and the sooner you realize that, the better." Creighton sneered.

The princess recalled Nigel saying something like that after he called Varian a parasite who should be back behind bars. And she sure wasn't about to let another adult ridicule an innocent child. But, the sundrop also wasn't prepared for the young alchemist to take a turn speaking out.

"Excuse me! Who are you to call anyone a monster just because they get angry?" he snapped, his hair stripe and eyes glowing. "If that's the logic you believe in then she's no more a monster than I am!"

In that fit of rage, some black rocks grew at Creighton's boots. Angry watched in astonishment and realized that Varian wasn't kidding about having powers.

"Well, looks like I've got two monster heads to mount on my wall tonight." the huntress said, aiming her crossbow at the boy who let out a shocked gasp.

Then, Red started to growl and snarl at the sight of him in danger. And her eyes flashed red. It was like the wolf was trying to come out of her.

"Oh no." Varian spoke uneasily.

Everyone watched as the girl sprouted fur, claws, and fangs as she transformed into a werewolf. She unleashed a howl into the night sky. Creighton was about to take aim at the werewolf until Rapunzel and Pascal intervened. Red growled at the princess and the huntress, scooped up the young alchemist, and ran off.

"Varian!" Rapunzel practically screamed like a mother whose child was just stolen.

"Oh, not again!" the kid exclaimed as the wolf jumped down the cliff and went from rock to rock across the sea, taking Varian with her.

Everyone except Creighton who had slipped away, looked out over the cliff as Red disappeared into the darkness.

"Wow, she's fast." Eugene commented shockingly amazed.

"Where could she and Varian be going?" his girlfriend asked, her worry for Varian skyrocketing. The dark prince put a comfort hand on her shoulder.

"Uh, guys? Where's Creighton?" Lance asked noticing the huntress's disappearance.

That caught everyone else's attention in a nanosecond. With Creighton on the loose, both kids were in serious danger.


Meanwhile, Varian and Red were deep in the woods trying to shake off the crazed hunter.

"Okay, okay, okay, okay, okay! I think we're far enough away!" the alchemist screamed after much running. The werewolf set him down once came to a stop. "Huh. Back in the forest again."

"We're not safe yet." the wolf's voice told him. "Follow me."

"Where are you taking me, R-" Varian stopped himself before he could finish that sentence. "Oops. Sorry, I know you don't like the name Red. So what should I call you? Everybody's got a name. What's yours?"

"It's Catalina. Someone had to know eventually."

Their walk was cut short when a crossbow arrow rushed past the teen's face. He yelled out in pain and put a hand to where the pain was blossoming.

"My cheek!" Varian cried out as he felt wetness there and his eyes stung with tears. He knew that it was blood, but he didn't want to look or he'd pass out. Catalina growled at the sight of the other kid getting hurt.

"Stay here and stay low." she told him as she left to deal with Creighton.

After about a minute and a half, the boy started hearing voices in distance. His friends had come looking for him and Catalina.

"Varian!"

"Red!"

"Kids! Where are you?"

"Guys, I'm over here!" Varian called out as loudly as he could. Rapunzel, Eugene, Lance, and Angry emerged from the mist.

"Varian! Baby! Oh, thank goodness we found you!" the sundrop cried, rushing to the little one and embracing him. But then, she saw the cut on the boy's face. "What happened? Did Red do that you?"

"No. One of Creighton's arrows grazed my cheek." the young alchemist answered, downplaying the incident.

That didn't exactly make the princess feel better, but at least Varian was true to his word about the wolf not harming him.

"Oh, and don't call her Red anymore. She doesn't like that. Her real name is Catalina." the kid added.

"Yeah. And my real name is Kiera." Angry vouched for him.

"Why didn't you just tell us that when we first met you?" Lance asked.

"We didn't trust you enough back then." the girl answered.

"Eh, fair enough." Eugene shrugged.

"Guys, we gotta stop Catalina before she tears Creighton apart." Varian said.

"But she tried to shoot you, Varian." Rapunzel mentioned.

"Yeah, I know, but, that doesn't mean that Creighton deserves to be ripped to shreds." the kid argued. "I think that if we show Catalina that we truly care about her, she'll stop on her own."

So the group trekked through the fog and growth and soon, they found them. Catalina had Creighton pinned to the ground and her teeth bared at the hunter. Varian could see that Creighton had a look of fear in her eyes. He never thought that this big game huntress with this impudent ego would be reduced to a terror-stricken scaredy-cat.

"Please! I-I-I wasn't going to hurt you! I-I-I'm actually a dog person, and I... I... I-I love dogs..." she whimpered.

"Catalina, stop!" Kiera yelled as she emerged from the fog. Catalina turned her head around. "It's me, Kiera. Please don't hurt her. She may be a jerk, but you're not a monster. I'm sorry I didn't listen better. I promise I'll try harder, but please, let her go."

"I used to be just like you, Catalina." Varian spoke up, joining the younger kid. "I was clouded by anger and rage. And I took it out on other people because I thought it felt right, but it's wasn't. You're not alone. I know exactly where you're coming from. Please, don't make a mistake that you can't take back."

"It's okay to be angry and frustrated, but this? This is not the way you deal with those feelings." Rapunzel added as she revealed herself.

Catalina growled at those who faced her (with the exception of Varian,) still not convinced that she shouldn't proceed with attacking Creighton.

"We'll all help, Catalina. I promise." Lance assured her as he and Eugene joined the intervention.

"Please. I love you." her sister pleaded.

The werewolf's eyes widened. She clutched the sides of her head and then her ears dropped in submission.

"I love you too." Varian heard Catalina whimper.

"Yeah! Listen to her!" Creighton said fearfully as the wolf snarled in her face to scare her off. The huntress scampered into the bushes as she screamed, only to emerge covered in rabbits. "Bunnies!"

She shrieked as she ran away for good. Hopefully, she wouldn't be back in Corona anytime soon.

Varian was the first to approach Catalina who had her head hanging low and had given a sigh.

"She says she's sorry." the kid translated for his other friends.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa! Back up. You can understand her?" Eugene said to which the boy simply nodded.

"I know you're scared now, but it'll get better for you. You've got the best support group in all of Corona." Varian promised compassionately, looking back at the others. "And for the record, I like the name Catalina much better than Red."

"Well, you'd be the first, but, thank you." his friend grumbled.

Everyone came together for a big group hug. The tender moment was so interrupted when a noise sounded off in the teen's ear. He pulled away from everyone and listened carefully. The sound was multiple howls in the distance belting out like a choir. The others quickly noticed the alchemist's distracted demeanor.

"What it is, Varian? Do you hear something?" Rapunzel asked him.

"Not just that. I smell something too." Varian responded. He caught whiff of a floral scent, like perfume, but more natural.

Guiding by hearing and smell, he walked off in a particular direction and Catalina was right by his side. The others followed, not exactly what was happening right now. The aroma and howls led into a small, moonlit clearing with a pond. There were also white, circular flowers in the bushes, the source of the wafting scent.

"How beautiful." Rapunzel commented as she and Varian examined the flowers.

"They're moonflowers." the young alchemist recognized the flower species, but then, an epiphany struck. "Wait a minute. I know this place."

"Come again?" Eugene spoke, hearing him.

"I've been here before. In a dream." Varian explained before turning to the werewolf. "This is where you were trying to bring me before. But why?"

"Stand there where the moon can see you fully." Catalina instructed.

The boy did as he was asked and stood in the most moonlit part of the clearing. And then, several blue wisps appeared and took the form of wolves.

"Child of the Moon, we commend you on finding your way here. And for using your courage and empathy to protect one of our own." the matriarch spirit said as Catalina joined her friend.

"What are you?" Varian asked.

"We are the guardians of nocturnal creatures, created by the moon." a second wolf spirit answered.

"While she watches over those who sleep, we protect those that are active at night." a third added. "When we heard that the Moon Child was awakened, we knew that you needed our protection. That's why one of our kin was drawn to Corona."

"But aren't you attracted to repressed rage?" the teen questioned.

"Yes, but you need one of us to serve as your corporal protector. As spirits, we can only do so much to keep you safe." the wolf matriarch responded.

"Keep me safe from what?"

"There are those out there who feel entitled to possess the magic of the moon from their own egotistical designs. And they won't hesitate to take you in order to obtain the powers you have. And by saving one of our own, you have now earned our protection."

"So I passed a test I didn't even know I was taking."

Without another word, the wolf matriarch pressed her ghostly paw on Varian's chest. The wolf spirits all howled as wispy magic flowed into the boy. His eyes and hair all glowed ice blue. He could see a paw-shaped symbol forming over his heart. Afterwards, the matriarch spirit drew back and the howling ceased, but the child's eyes and hair still glowed.

"Is this the mark of the wolf?" Varian asked as the symbol faded under his clothes.

"No, it is the Nocturnal Emblem." the wolf leader answered. "We would never take host in you, even if we were drawn to your anger. The moon would never allow it."

"But, you can now summon us if need be and the creatures of the night will also be drawn to you." another spirit spoke.

"And this where we leave you, Moon Child." the matriarch announced. "After all, you are still young and all growing children need their rest."

With that, the wolf spirits dispersed and vanished into the shadows of the forest. The glow in Varian's eyes and hair faded as a wave of exhaustion washed over him. Catalina braced him before he could fall as Rapunzel rushed to the teen's aid. The others were not far behind.

"Varian, are you all right?" the princess asked, cradling the child.

Varian looked up at her with half-lidded eyes and a hand over his heart and simply responded, "Just tired."

The werewolf and the sundrop helped him on his feet as they and their friends departed from the clearing.


After the werewolf event, Rapunzel and her friends came to the decision to fix up the girls' tree house. The princess had requested help from the pub thugs, along with a few others. Now, the tree house had three stories with a kitchenette, bedroom, and other essential accommodations. There were also interconnected bridges between tree limbs, a slide, and even an elevator instead of a traditional ladder. The elevator was Varian's idea.

"Thank you so much for fixing this place up for us, Rapunzel." Kiera thanked the princess.

"Aw. I'm just glad we found a way for you guys to stay close by after all." Rapunzel replied.

"Now you two don't have to worry about moving anymore. And you can still visit us whenever you want." Varian told the girls positively.

"Yeah! Not quite civilized, not quite the wild. I'd say it's picture perfect." Eugene added, getting down to their level. "But just promise me if you ever need anything, you know, like, help managing the... rawr, then you're gonna ask for it."

"I promise." Catalina said.

"That's good to hear." Varian grinned.

"Because the last thing we want is for you to bury your anger again." Rapunzel spoke before her mood turned somber. "That never helped anyone."

The young alchemist knew exactly who his friend/guardian was referring to and felt sad with her.

"Well, what are we waiting for? Let's get interior decorating!" Lance heartened the group.


Once all the decor was set up, Rapunzel and her friends had a little tree housewarming party with Lance serving a delicious lunch. While the kids chowed down, a thought came to Rapunzel's mind.

"You know, we all make a pretty good team." she said.

"Yeah, come to think of it, we are pretty awesome together." Eugene thought aloud.

"You better believe it." Varian agreed.

"I think we should have a name for this little club of ours." the princess proposed. "Something that everyone can recognize us as. Any ideas?"

"The Blondies? The Sunshiners?" her boyfriend suggested.

"The Wolf Pack?" Kiera said.

"But I'm the only the werewolf." her sister told her.

"The Lance-a-Lots!" Lance boosted.

"Yeah, we're not calling ourselves that." his best friend turned him down.

Varian racked his brains for a bit and then, it hit him. "What about the Fellowship of the Sundrop?"

"Hmm, I really like the sound of that." Eugene grinned.

"Yeah, it's got a nice ring to it." Lance added.

"Great idea, V." Catalina praised her friend.

"Then, the Fellowship of the Sundrop it is." Rapunzel declared as everyone raised a toast to the official name of their team. She wrapped her arms around Varian around lightly hugging him. "Nice suggestion, sweetie."

The young alchemist smiled in her embrace. It felt so good to be a part of an amazing group of friends. The sense of inclusion and acceptance was so inviting. Varian didn't what was next to come, but at least he could comfort in knowing that now, he wasn't going to face the unknown alone.