2063: Humanity is on the edge of a new age. However, just like all other ages, this one is being met with fear. As mutants are becoming noticeable, governments are in turmoil as to what to do. While people want laws to severely restrict them, others don't want to do anything because after all, an overwhelming majority of these mutants are children.

As he laid in his bed, he was perturbed about his situation. He felt his life was over as it was. He felt that he had been normal and was treated as such, but now, that was all different. Being a werewolf wasn't exactly normal. The sound of crickets outside his window was pleasing, singing their lullaby. Josh yawned and somehow fell asleep.

He awoke to the sound of birds. He rubbed his eyes and realized he was human again. Last night seemed very real, but could it still have been a dream. He then glanced left at his chair and saw the mangled jeans and realized what had transpired was definitely not a dream. There was no time to dwell on last night because he had things to do, he had school. After taking a bath, he got dressed and went down for breakfast.

Josh Jecong set about to cope with what he was by saying what he was, but he wasn't sure if the outside world would accept him. He heard about cases of mutants being hurt and worried for his safety, but then it hit him. He was a werewolf and with the proper training, he would be able to protect himself because his father told him so. He was also told that he should be careful as to who he tells about his secret. He wasn't a mutant, but he knew people would probably treat him like one. He couldn't blame society because people where afraid of the unknown and what was feared was also hated.

The kitchen was very busy. His mother already left because she was a lawyer and held long hours, she left early and came home late. His father on the other hand worked regular hours managing his bookstore. He'd drive Josh to school and then go on to work. His grandmother would pick him up.

The bookstore dealt in the subjects of history, magic, mythology, and similar subjects. The MH wanted a place to have meetings, but also a place to buy stuff. Stuff unavailable to the general public and had the public known about the secret stuff that went on, they'd have cried cult. If the MH was their only business, John would be sunk, but the general public came for regular books, out of print books, and other rarities. The public loved this strange bookstore in the Heights. His wife knew about the hidden business, but said nothing really about it. Josh knew nothing of it, yet.

"Dad did you tell anyone what you were?" Josh asked as the blue car moved along to the local Middle School. John said, "No, for years the only people that knew was my family. Your Uncle Joey was only five years old. I must of been frightening to him. I asked him if he was afraid of me. He said a little bit, that he had to remember hard that no matter what I looked like, I was his kind brother. However, he knew that it was important not to tell anyone. It wasn't until I was well in High School that your other relatives were notified. I also notified Monsignor Clarence, rest his soul, and my doctor. Of course he passed the secret file to my new doctor. I've asked him to start a file for you, he's been prepared for this since you were born. In college, which was perhaps difficult to navigate, stories circulated about the creature who roamed the campus and now it's become somewhat of a legend because I hear that students are still talking about it. Your Godfather Mike shares part of the blame. Now, you just go about your normal routine at school. Don't try to listen to everything. The ability to smell and hear can overwhelm you, so just try to pay attention to the important things."

John stepped out of the car and said, "Bye Dad. See you this evening." He went to class and while he was paying attention, his mind was more focused on the beast within trying to keep it calm. He felt that it could emerge at anytime. His third class was Biology and their teacher said that he had a surprise for them. Dr. McPherson said, "Okay. Here's what you've all been waiting for, the secret. Tada, Guinea Pigs. For the next week, we will study its habits because as you will discover, they are creatures of habit and will eventually act according to what we design." Josh looked at the guinea pigs intently and he wanted so much to leap out of his chair grab one from the cage and eat it, but he came back to his senses. He wanted to eat live animals? Yuck, but they looked so scrumptious and he was so hungry. His mind was becoming a mess. Oh, no. He could feel fur starting to creep out of his skin and his teeth were just starting to become pointed. He had to think fast before the transformation began to become noticeable. He said, "Dr. McPherson? Can I go to the washroom?" The teacher said, "You may, but be quick. You may miss out on something." Josh darted out of the classroom and into the nearest boy's bathroom trying to pacify the beast telling it to rest and that it could make itself known that night, but the beast wanted to roam free now. He locked himself in the stall and got out of his clothes. He let the transformation happen telling the beast half of him that it could let itself go. All he was thinking was that he would be a werewolf for a few minutes and then go back to class. Perhaps those few minutes would satisfy it until he got home.

Dr. McPherson looked at his watch, tapped his feet, and said, "Mr. Hidalgo. Go to the bathroom and fetch your lost classmate." Doug left the classroom and went to the nearest restroom.

Josh heard the door opening and tried to be silent as possible. His heart pounded in his chest and prayed that whoever it was would leave quickly.

Doug looked under each stall and called out, "Josh are you here?" Josh was thinking, "Oh, please leave." He then spotted a mosquito flying around his head. Closer and closer it darted. It landed on his snout. He didn't want to be bitten. That didn't happen, but it did tickle it. Try as he might, he sneezed. Doug was about to leave when he heard an odd sneeze. "Josh? Is that you?" he called out. It came from the center stall. He banged on the door and said, "Josh, the teacher wants you to come back to class now. Don't be hiding. What are you afraid of?" He got no reply and banged louder and shouted, "If you don't come out, I'll get the teacher to force you out!"

Josh was scared. Just anyone else finding out was bad, but a teacher was worse. He unlocked the door, whimpered, and waited for the scream.

Doug sighed, "Oh Josh. Is that what's wrong?" Josh's eyes widened. Was Doug mocking him? His secret was found out after one day and knew his father was going to be angry. Doug said, "Can you try to be human again? We have to get back to class before Doc sends another student. The less people who know about this, the better." Josh concentrated and he went back to being human. He put his clothes back on and said, "Please don't tell anyone my secret." Doug laughed and said, "Sure, just as long as you don't tell people mine." Josh said, "Huh? You have a secret?" Doug said, "Yea. Look." He had his hands side by side with the index fingers against each other. He parted them and a stream of electricity connected the two fingers. Josh said, "Are you what I think you are?" Doug said, "Yea, I'm a mutant. As you can tell, I have powers of electricity. The only people that know are my parents. So don't tell anyone." Josh asked, "Why tell me? You didn't have to tell me." Doug laughed and said, "Come on amigo. You're like my best friend. Think of it as making us even. You have a secret I know, you have a secret that I know. A fair exchange." The two friends went back to class. Dr. McPherson was a little perturbed, but forgot about it because he was more interested in the fact that they came back.

At lunchtime, Doug and Josh were in the line. They couldn't see what was offered for the day, nor did they know what was going to be served. Josh sniffed the air to try to guess what it was. He turned to Doug and whispered, "There serving chicken and cheese enchiladas. There's also rice and refried beans." They entered the serving room and that's what was being served. After they handed their meal tickets to the lunch lady and headed to a table, Doug said, "How did you know?" Josh smiled and said, "The nose knows." Doug groaned at the pun. They sat down with their friends and didn't talk about what had happened. Josh's mind was clear and the beast didn't trouble him for the rest of the day. The two friends said that they would see each other later. Josh went to the library so that he could study, but that was until 3:30 when his grandmother would pick him up. At that time he went outside and found his grandmother was already there. His 7 year old cousin Bobby was there as usual.

He got in and said, "Hello Grammy Sue." Susan Jecong said, "Hello Josh." Bobby said, "Hello Josh." As she drove them to her house, where he would wait until 5 when Josh's dad would pick him up, she said "So did it happen?" Josh said, "What? Oh, you mean the transformation? Yes." Bobby said, "What transformation?" Susan said, "Becoming a werewolf." Bobby said, "A werewolf? Are you kidding?" She said, "Didn't your Daddy tell you about your Uncle John?" The younger boy said, "I guess not." Josh said, "Is there a picture of my Dad as a werewolf? He said there was." She said, "Yes, but we kept it hidden so that no one would find out about his secret. I mean we told the entire family, both blood relatives and those married to them, but no one else except your father's friend Mike, your father's former doctor, and our late priest. They vowed to take the secret to their graves. Except of the people I've said, no one else knows. However, he was kidnaped when he was 16, but nothing became of that, at least not yet. When we get home, I'll show you a picture. You may think you have it rough, but your father had no family with that condition for support. At least you and your father can communicate while in your other forms. It was difficult to tell was he was saying for months until we developed hand signals.

The first thing that they would usually do would be to start their homework, but they went with their grandfather into the attic. "Is the picture up here Grampy Al?" Albert Jecong said, "Sure is Josh." He turned on the light and looked around. The attic was full of old stuff including old video game consoles. Albert Jecong said, "Here's where it is." He twisted the combination lock and opened the leather-bound trunk. He took out old photo albums and took out a simple steel box. He inserted a key, opened it, and said, "Here we go." The two cousins looked at the photo. There in the picture were their grandparents, Joey, and a large black werewolf wearing jeans and nothing else. The humans were smiling, but it was difficult to determine if the werewolf was smiling. Their grandfather then put everything back.

The cousins got out the TV trays and got out their books. Bobby said, "Can you show me your werewolf side?" Josh said, "Some time later, but a little for now." He concentrated on his eyes and soon all the world's color disappeared. Bobby said, "Your eyes are yellow now. What do you see?" Josh said, "The same stuff, but its all colorless. A bit brighter in here." His eyes changed back and Bobby was satisfied with this. They continued their homework until their fathers picked them up.

Joseph asked, "So, how did Josh take it that he was a werewolf?" John said, "He took it pretty bad because we didn't tell him. Hopefully, he'll get over it. Did you tell Bobby?" Joey said, "No. Remember how I took it. I didn't feel he was ready to know." His brother said, "Well you were only five and you handled it well." Joseph laughed, "Well, I had to. We shared the same room. Well now my son knows, so I guess it doesn't matter." John approached his son and asked, "How did school go?" Josh said, "Okay I guess, but I almost lost myself." John said, "You didn't transform in class did you?" Josh said, "No. I felt it beginning so I asked to be excused. I went to the restroom as fast as I could. I got in a stall, took off my clothes and transformed." John groaned, "What caused you to transform?" Josh said, "Guinea Pigs. Lunch was still an hour away, and I was getting hungry." John said, "I see. So no one found out." Josh said, "Only Doug from my class." John said, "How did he find out?" Josh said, "Dr. McPherson sent him to get me. I tried to be silent, but a mosquito caused me to sneeze. He found me and got me to get out of the stall. He asked if I could change back because the teacher told me to be quick so I changed back." John said in a normal voice, "Was he scared?" Josh said, "No. In fact he was kinda surprised by the fact that being in my werewolf form was the reason I didn't want to leave. Am I in trouble?" John said, "No. I hadn't anticipated that you'd see fresh prey the day after your first transformation. It must of looked delicious. I'll need to train you on keeping watch on your urges because they can be overwhelming especially for a young werewolf like you." Josh leaned into whisper, "Doug is a mutant because he felt that if he knew a secret of mine, I should know a secret of his."

Father and son drove back to their house in near silence, the only thing talked about was what he did in school that day besides transforming. Josh told his mother what had happened and while she was concerned, she was glad that nothing serious had happened.

Doug told his parents what happened. They had been shocked a few months ago when their son started to develop strange powers. It happened when he helped his dad change a lightbulb. Doug started to hand him it when it lit up in his hand. They had read the news about mutants and feared for their son's safety. He told them how his secret was found out. He said, "I was in Biology class when Josh left suddenly to go to the bathroom. Dr. McPherson told me to get him when he didn't show up. I went to the nearest one and called out to him. I heard nothing and was about to leave when I heard a sneeze. I knew he was there and asked him to reveal himself. I managed to get him to open the stall. The stall opened and I saw a werewolf sitting on the toilet in nothing but underwear." His mother said, "There's no such thing." Doug said, "There is. He was covered in brown fur. His clothes were folded neatly on the floor. I told him if he could become human to so because I didn't want the teacher to get angrier. So he did. He put his clothes back on and we went back to class." His father said, "That doesn't explain how he found out about your power." Doug said, "He asked if I could keep his secret. I felt that it was only fair that he kept mine. That's how he found out." His parents were a little disappointed, but they felt their son acted appropriately and besides that was in the past. If one person revealed the other's secret, he'd only doom himself.

That night, John and Josh transformed and then walked down. Josh wasn't trained yet in how to control the changes and John changed despite knowing how to control the changes because he didn't want his son to feel bad. Lucy Jecong had gotten two chickens out of the oven. She set them in front of the two werewolves and they began to eat. She prepared a microwave meal for herself. After years, she'd know when her husband talked in his wolf form and now father and son were so preoccupied with eating. Soon the chicken became a pile of bones. Finally the two started to talk. She took the plates and threw the bones in the trash and went to go clean the kitchen.

"We'll begin training this weekend and I'll teach you to alternate between forms easily. You need not fear the beast coming when you don't want it to. Then we'll begin on learning how to fight as a werewolf. Hopefully, you'll break my record." Josh said, "Why do I need to learn how to fight?" John said, "Even though we live in different times, there are those that adhere to the old ways. I want you to be prepared." Josh said, "I see. Oh Dad, will you teach me to hunt?" John said, "Sure, but it won't take that much because it's mostly instinct. You just need to identify smells. Do you remember what those guinea pigs smelled like?" His son nodded. Who could forget a smell like that? John said, "Well everything has it's own smell. In the summer we'll go camping and we'll hunt and eat. Nothing's more delicious than raw prey." Josh rolled his eyes and exclaimed, "Oh, dad." John snickered and the boy went back upstairs to complete his homework. John sat next down to his wife to watch TV. As much as they wanted satellite, there was no way that they could afford to have a luxury item such as that and feed one, now two werewolves at the same time. Besides they had their DVD player and their assortment of DVDs. They liked all sorts of movies and had at least one title in every category. They did have local cable because the real money was to be made in satellite which would pick up stations from around the world, and there was no money to be made from cable subscriptions any more, so it gradually became free as compared to the early 21^st century. Lucy leaned against John's furry shoulder. He put his arm around her and they watched their favorite shows. They then watched the news and then it was time to go to bed. Josh came in and said something. John replied back. Lucy got closer to her husband and quickly fell asleep. John started to close his eyes when he heard a howl. Lucy woke up startled, but John motioned her back. He motioned in the air to indicate that it was their son. They then fell back asleep.

In the morning at breakfast time, John said, "From now on, don't get the urge to howl late at night. Your mother was startled." Josh said, "Sorry, I couldn't help it." John said, "Well try not to." John started to look grim and Josh said, "What?" John said, "What happened? Certainly those dogs said something sad. I wasn't paying attention, but it sounded bad." Josh looked sad and said, "Well one of them said that an old homeless dog got run over earlier today. Been homeless since he was a pup. Didn't even see it coming." John said, "That is sad, but we all gotta go at some time."

The next day, Josh and Doug talked about telling their parents the secrets. They were glad that they didn't get into too much trouble and their secrets were safe. Josh said, "Last night I heard about the saddest thing." Doug said, "What?" Josh said, "I heard that an old homeless dog got run over." Doug said, "How did you find that out." Josh said, "The next door neighbor's dog told me. Dixie said it happened during the day." Doug said, "You can talk to dogs?" Josh said, "Yes. I found out the same night I became a werewolf. You see I ran away because I was scared at what my parents would do. I passed the neighbor's backyard and she wondered who I was because she never saw me before. I said, 'It's me Josh. I live next door.' She said, 'But Josh is human.' So I said, 'It turns out I'm a werewolf. Don't know how though' She said, 'Where are you going?' I said, 'I'm running away from home. I don't want my parents to see me looking like this.' She replied, 'Good luck.' I had only gone a few blocks when I ran into my dad. I didn't even know it was him until my mother said so." Doug said, "Wow, I wish I could do that." Luckily no one heard their conversation or their secrets would of been found out. That day proceeded normally as possible.

Two weeks later on Tuesday, John asked his son to come with him. Josh asked, "Why Dad?" John said, "We have a meeting to go to, and I don't want to be late." Josh asked, "What meeting?" John said, "You'll see." The two got in the car and drove off. The boy wondered where this meeting was, but then saw that they were pulling into the parking lot of his father's bookstore. They got out and went around into the back. John reached into his shirt pocket and fished out an old key and inserted it into the keyhole. The door opened, but not into the store, but another place. John said, "If you go down that hall, you'll find yourself among people your own age. I have to go to that other hall."

Josh stood there while his father walked away. Sometime later other people came in. Young people went left. Josh could have stood there, but he took a deep breath and went down the left hallway.

Music was playing and adolescents were talking to each other about things that Josh hardly knew about. He spied a table with refreshments and his dinner nearly came up. He wished his father told him about these things. Some of the refreshments were ordinary, but the others didn't look right. It looked like some of the plastic cups were filled with blood. Some even took a cup. One teen came up and took a chunk of raw meat and put it on his plate. He sniffed the air and turned around looking at Josh. He approached him and said, "I don't recall seeing you here before. What's your name?" Josh said, "Uh, Josh Jecong." The teen said, "Your father John T. Jecong?" Josh nodded, "Yea." The teen reached out for a handshake and said, "My name is Byron Cornwall. Our fathers are old friends." Josh said, "I recall my dad mentioning that name a few times." Byron said, "Dad moved away after my grandparents moved , but he came back to raise a family. Your dad won the election last year beating my dad by about 500 votes. Alpha wolf is a 6 year office, City MH offices are 3 year. Your dad is the current leader of the both. Your dad can tell you more. Let's have some fun." Josh followed Byron into the crowd.

John conducted business. Luckily, there wasn't much. Once business was finished, the crowd broke up. Wyatt Cornell approached John and said, "So, how did Josh take it?" John said, "Not at well at first, but he's okay with it." Wyatt said, "Hopefully the other kids can help him. The MH has youth meetings for a reason." A few hours later, the meeting came to an end and father went home with son.

A few months later, during Winter Break, Doug called and wanted to know if Josh wanted to come to his house for a sleep-over. Josh said, "I'll have to ask my parents. Are your parents okay with this?" He said, "I asked them last night. They said it was." Josh said, "Even though I'm a werewolf? Are you aware that I have special dietary needs?" Doug said, "They are okay with you being one. Just what are these dietary needs do you have?" Josh said, "I'll call you back, but I eat after I transform and I like to eat a lot of meat or a whole chicken. It doesn't need to be raw, but it'd be nice." Doug said, "I'll check with my parents. But the idea is for the first night to be at my house and the next night at your house." Josh said, "I'll call you back." Josh went to the living room to ask his parents. His father said, "Well just as long as they know what they are getting themselves into."

That Friday, Josh pack a bag of things he needed and walked across the street. Doug's mother, Mrs. Miranda Hidalgo, opened the door. She smiled and said, "Come on in." Doug walked down the stairs and said, "Come to my room. Do you want to wait until after you change to eat with us, or should we go ahead and eat." Josh said, "Well that depends on you want me to be. Remember I told you I can control the changes." Doug said, "You're the guest. We're fine anyway you want. We got you a rotisserie chicken. Is that fine?" Josh said, "Yea, it's okay." Doug went out of the room to tell his parents to start cooking. Josh looked at his watch. It was only a few minutes away so he changed into his other clothes. Doug came up back to the room and said, "They've started. Can I see you transform? Josh said, "Are you sure you?" Doug said, "Yea." Josh said, "All right, but don't scream or anything." Josh then laid upon the floor and relaxed as he let the changes happen.

Doug was mesmerized by his friend's transformation. He promised he wouldn't scream and he didn't. Josh got back up and stretched a bit. Doug said, "Well, are you ready to eat?" His friend nodded. They walked out of the room and went downstairs to the dining room." Doug had told his parents if they wanted to talk to Josh they would have to ask questions that were answered with a yes or a no. Even though he willingly changed, it was the night of a full moon and wouldn't be able to go back to being human. The parents were a little shocked when they saw a werewolf walk down the stairs behind their son, but diminished quickly. While they knew their son's friend was a werewolf, it was their first time actually seeing one. No one could prepare for something like that because the human mind was wired to believe that such things only existed in works of fiction. Doug and John sat together and the parents sat on the other side. Mrs. Hidalgo placed the large plate with the chicken before Josh. Doug and his family talked mostly and Josh just listened. Josh wanted to be on his best behavior and rather than just eating without pausing, he acted as if he was participating in the conversation. He'd rip a piece out of chicken and eat it and turn to the person who was speaking. Then Mr. Alexander Hidalgo asked Josh a question. He asked, "Josh, when you're in that form, are you pretty much the same?" Josh nodded yes. Mrs. Rosa Hidalgo said, "Is that chicken delicious?" Josh nodded yes again. Mr. Hidalgo asked, "Do you get cold at all during the winter?" Josh shook his head no and rubbed his fur. The father said, "So the fur's that warm?" Josh nodded yes. The family finished the dinner at almost the same Josh finished the chicken. He picked up the plate to go throw the bones in the trash, but Mrs. Hidalgo said, "No. You're our guest. You boys go upstairs and play."

Doug said, "Do you want to play some video games?" Josh shook his head no and held up his paws wiggling his clawed fingers. Doug understood because how can one hold a controller made for human hands? He said, "How about a board game?" Josh nodded yes. Doug took out all his board games and pointed to each one. Josh nodded yes when Doug pointed to Monopoly. Despite the game being in existence for over 100 years, it was still popular after all these years. Besides the tokens of old like the hat and the car, new tokens had been added over the years such as the money bag and the most recent token was Uncle Pennybags. That particular token was added to commemorate the 100^th anniversary of Monopoly's creation and unlike the other tokens which looked silver, this one looked gold. Doug laid out the tokens on the floor and said, "Choose one." Josh wanted to be funny and chose the dog. The two boys laughed, but Josh's laugh sounded stranger. Doug chose Uncle Pennybags, divided the money and the game started. They set on a system that when Josh wanted something he would point it out. It took some time, but in a few hours, Josh won. It was then time to go to bed, so Doug put on his pajamas and Josh just got out of his pants. They two boys then went to go brush their teeth and took turns using the bathroom. Doug turned out the light and got in bed while Josh got on his sleeping bag and curled up.

In the morning, Doug found Josh back to his human form starting to wake up. They took their baths and went down to breakfast. Mrs. Hidalgo asked, "Did you sleep good?" Josh smiled and said, "Sure did." After breakfast, they went back up to Doug's room to play some video games. They played for a few hours, but it was time for lunch. They had sandwiches and potato chips. Afterwards, Doug packed his bags and the two boys went to Josh's house.

His mother was starting to make a chocolate cake. Doug whispered to Josh, "I though chocolate was bad for dogs." Josh said, "Yea, it is, but then again, I'm not a dog. Besides, I've eating chocolate before in both forms. My dad has eaten chocolate for years. Our doctor says that because we're different from both humans and canines, our body chemistries are different. Diseases have a difficult time affecting us because a disease has to have the ability to affect both human and wolf. However, just to be safe, our doctor has this veterinarian relative who gives us gives us the necessary medications for our wolf half while our doctor gives us what is needed for our human half." Doug tried to understand somewhat what Josh went through as a werewolf and hoped someday that he would understand his friend's lycanthropy so well, he could imagine what it would be like to be one without actually being one.

John Jecong returned home and said hello to his wife and the two boys. He went upstairs to change into more relaxed clothes. They had grilled salmon, mixed vegetables, and a roll. Doug already knew about them and a little about the MH, so there was no need for discussion about that. Talk was more about John's life as a teen because Doug has asked how he had dealt with it. The two teens kept their secrets for years, but there were times when they were almost were revealed. Life was good for the Jecongs, but that life almost was changed for the worse when Josh almost died.

Josh had recently got his driver's licence and had been driving for a few months. He spent one Friday evening at a friend's house. It was late and he decided to call it a night and went home. Little did he realize that he was going to get caught in crossfire.

HPD were alerted to a suspicious driver who was operating his vehicle oddly probably due to intoxication or influence from narcotics. The officer pulled the driver over and asked the routine questions. The driver tricked the officer by cooperating some, but then he sped of at an alarming rate when the cop was out of the squad car. The siren blared and the squad car took off in pursuit.

Josh was driving along minding his own business when he glanced and saw a car come at him at a reckless pace. He had no time to react and the car was smashed.

The grandfather clock chimed and it was getting late. Lucy sighed, "Honey, its getting late. Our son should of been back by now." John went to the phone and called the house where Josh went to spend the evening. The classmate said, "He left about an hour ago Mr. Jecong." John hung up the phone and proceeded up the stairs starting to take off his clothes. Lucy said, "Where are you going?" John said, "To find my son. You take the car and I'll search the streets." She nodded, but then the phone rang. She screamed and John raced down the stairs. She sobbed, "He's at Herman Hospital in severe condition due to a car wreck." John put his clothes back on and the couple went downtown.

The parents rushed the desk. The attendant told them where to go. They went up the floors and were told he was in surgery. A police officer came in and said, "Are you Mr. and Mrs. Jecong, the parents of a Joshua Ryota Jecong?" John nodded, "We are?" The officer said, "Your son was involved in an accident caused by a drunken man who was evading arrest. We've got him locked up. It was the worst accident that I've seen in all my years. I expected the boy to die since I've seen people twice his size die in lesser accidents, but somehow he lives." The parents knew that his being a werewolf was the reason why he was alive. John asked the desk attendant if he could use the phone to call Dr. Arthur Bradshaw who was his and Josh's personal physician.

Dr. Bradshaw was in his study when his phone rang. He was deeply troubled and he said, "I'm on my way." His wife stopped him and he said, "Personal doctor business." He drove to Herman and was going to go the ICU ward when he was stopped by a nurse. He said, "I am the boy's personal physician. You can check my records." He promptly gave her his doctor ID number. He proceeded to Josh's recovery bed and muttered, "Poor boy." He knew the doctors did a fine job and was confident that he was going to recover.

John asked, "How is our son?" Dr. Bradshaw said, "He's fine, but still unconscious. Even though he's different in you know what way, he still won't come out of it for another 3 days. I remind you what tomorrow night is." John was deeply concerned because there would be a full moon tomorrow night and his son would transform because he was unconscious and would be unable to prevent it. He went to his car and dialed a number. The woman at the other end said, "How may I help you?" He said, "This is John Jecong. Alpha for the city of Houston. We need damage control here at Herman Hospital. Tomorrow is the night of the full moon and my son is in intensive care and he won't be able to leave for a few days. During that time he'll will most likely be visited by outsiders." The woman said, "We are sending a mage who will monitor the situation and perform memory erasing when there is a need. I hope your son recovers soon."

He regained awareness of the waking world and the first thing he sensed was his father. Josh moaned, "What happened?" Before his father could respond, he remembered. He stayed in the hospital for another day and spent the whole summer recovering. The person who did this to him was sent to prison, but something strange happened to him. While he was jailed mentally sound, he gradually became insane. It was the magical world's way of exacting punishment for his crime against an important person.

During the Junior year of High School, Josh and this girl named Jessica Miller had been going out for awhile and she wanted to go steady. It had been difficult to coordinate dates so that she remained in the dark about what he was. Josh really liked her and felt that he couldn't keep her in the dark forever especially if she wanted to go steady.

Jessica was driving him home because his car was being repaired when she asked if he'd go steady with her after heading home after the winter dance. They could of gone home later, but each had early curfews. He said, "I have something to tell you. If we are going to go steady like you want, I have to tell you a secret that I hope you'll keep." She said, "Sure. What's your secret?" Josh said, "Well, I'm a werewolf." She said, "Yea right." Josh said, "It's true. I'll show you at my house." They drove to his house and they went inside. There was a note that told him that his parents went out to eat and there was some leftovers in the fridge. Josh said, "Go to the living room and wait." Jessica waited nervously on the couch. She knew there was no such thing, but who knows what he had in mind. He came back down wearing nothing but ragged jean shorts. He stood in front of her and she stared with her eyes wide open as he became misshapen.

Josh transformed and awaited a response. She soon came out of her daze and looked at him, her eyes roaming everywhere. She cried and she slapped him and he yelped in pain. She screamed, "I don't want to see you ever again!" and ran out the door. Josh followed her out but she was all ready in her car and driving off. He shouted her name, but knew that she wouldn't of understood even if she could hear. Josh slammed the door and fed on the leftovers. He was going back and forth between anger and sadness. These emotions were directed at himself more than anyone else. He retreated back to his room to release his emotions.

His parents came home after a nice dinner out and wondered if their son was home. They then heard howling upstairs. They went to go investigate. Their son was in his other form crying. John couldn't tell what was troubling to his son because he was muttering stuff, rambling on and not making any sense. He told his wife that he would talk to his son.

"Josh? What's wrong? Control yourself and let's talk about it." Josh sobbed, "There's this girl who wanted to go steady with me. Her name is Jessica." John nodded. He met her before when she had dinner with them. He said, "Go on." He said, "Well. I said that if we were going to go steady, I should reveal my secret." John understood and said, "That's when you transformed in front of her." Josh said, "Dad, It was terrible. She said that she didn't want to see me again and she slapped me. I wish I wasn't a werewolf." John said, "Well that shows that it wasn't real love. If she truly loved you, she would of accepted you as you are. Just be patient. It'll take longer to find someone to love you back since you're a werewolf, but you'll find someone. Commitment to such a relationship is a heavy burden. I'll be leaving now, but if you want to talk some more, it'd be better to do it as a human so that your mother can give advice." Josh wiped his eyes and said, "What about you and mom?" John said, "Oh, she liked me since she first saw me. Rescuing her strengthened her fondness of me. She didn't care about the werewolf. She only cared about the personal qualities." Josh nodded and settled down. John left and went back to his wife. She asked, "What's wrong?" John said, "Girl trouble." She said, "Go on." He then told her everything. She signed, "Poor boy. He really liked her too." Over the next few days they talked about it and Josh got over her. However, that wasn't the end of the issue.

Mr. Ned Miller was reading the paper when his daughter came in crying. She ran to him and cried on his shoulder. He asked, "What's wrong Jessica?" She pulled up a chair and sobbed, "It was horrible. Josh turned out to be a monster." Her father knew who she was talking about. In fact she couldn't stop talking about him. He met the young man on a few occasions and thought he was a good kid, but he said, "Did he do anything to you?" She said, "No. He said that he was a werewolf. He changed right in front of me and I couldn't bear to see him again." Her father asked, "But he didn't hurt you physically." She said, "No. He never touched me." He said, "All right." She sobbed her way back to her room. His wife Carmen came in and asked what the matter was. They became very afraid because of what he might be and decided to hire a private investigator to see if their daughter was telling the truth.

The investigator found the boy's room and set up a surveillance camera in the nearby tree while the house was abandoned for the day. He waited for days and nothing happened. Then one evening, the boy locked his door and took off all his clothes and then went to his cabinet to get out a pair of old underwear and ragged jean shorts. The investigator zoomed in on the clothes and found that they had a hole at the rear. The boy put them on and he soon showed signs of being in pain. Changes followed and he knew that the girl was right, the boy was a werewolf. The boy started to do some exercises and a few minutes later, left the room and the investigator tapped on the buttons to see where he went next and found him in the dining room. The two humans didn't seem to mind at all. Dinner was finished some time after that and the boy went back to his room. The investigator saw him doing his homework and then the boy went to sleep.

His work complete after a few days, he gave the tapes to Mr. Miller. He and Carmen viewed them and were aghast because the boy acted just like he always did even though he looked very different. They called down Jessica to show her the tapes and he said, "Jessica, I think it was mean to dump Josh because he was a werewolf. See, he's still acting normal." Mrs. Miller said, "That's right. You call him to apologize." She said, "All right."

The phone rang and Mrs. Jecong called Josh to the phone. He asked, "Who is it?" She said, "I think it's Jessica." Josh breathed deeply and said, "Hello?" Jessica said, "I'm sorry if I treated you badly. I didn't mean it. Knowing that a boy you like is a werewolf isn't something that an average girl is supposed to know." Josh said, "I'm sorry if I scared you. The kind of werewolves that people think of don't exist really. That's just the way movies portray my kind." They talked for a few minutes about how he became one and the Josh said, "Do you still want to be steady with me still?" Jessica said, "I don't think so because I don't think I can handle it, we can still be friends though. I hope you find someone who can".

They became stronger friends during that year than they had during the time that they dated. She kept quiet about his secret, as did her family because Josh told them that he didn't want the attention. Then came the senior prom which was the toughest thing Josh faced in his life so far.

Jessica got a new boyfriend named Evan, but he wasn't like Josh. While Josh was gentlemanly and honorable, this new boyfriend was crude and obnoxious. Josh and Doug didn't find any dates, so they went together and hopefully they could find girls that didn't have dates either. Throughout that evening, no girl wanted to dance with them. Doug wished he had psychic power so he could compel girls to dance with them, but felt that would be wrong. Josh got fed up and said, "I'm gonna walk home." Doug said, "But you'll miss the rest." Josh said, "I'm too tired to care."

He was heading out the parking lot when he heard signs of a struggle. He saw that Jessica was being raped by Evan and he got angry and said, "Let her go!" The guy's pants were down, but he was zipping them up and he went to Josh and said, "What are you going to do about it?" and then he shoved him to the ground and started kicking him around. Jessica's dress was in tatters, but she tried to get him to stop, but she was knocked to the ground. The beast inside Josh said, "If you aren't going to do anything about this, I will." Josh tried to keep himself under control, but it became no good. Evan proceeded to kick him some more. Josh's inhuman strength allowed him to sustain all these hits and Evan was wondering, why he didn't show signs of being hurt, but then got a big surprise. Josh growled, dodged the blow and rolled to the side, and then quickly transformed. Evan swore and started to run, but was knocked down by Josh. He picked him off the ground and made a lot of noise. Evan was struggling, but could not get free.

Doug heard something wolfish, yet not. He shouted, "There's something outside, come on." The noise got louder. The entire senior class, as well as members of the faculty saw a large werewolf holding up Evan, their star athlete. Doug shouted, "Josh, let him go." Josh dropped him and growled. Doug said, "Now change back, you're freaking everyone out." Josh did so and the teachers questioned him. Josh said, "Jessica was being rapped and I tried to intervene, but Evan knocked me back and started to kick me. He lifted his shirt and there were bruises all over, but they were light. The wolf inside of me came out to defend her which I did." The police came, but they didn't tell them about there being a werewolf. Jessica went to the hospital for observation and they confirmed through DNA that Evan was her attacker and they put him in jail. Still everyone knew what he was and it made him uncomfortable because word had spread quickly. Josh said, "I want to be left alone. I'm not a hero." His classmates left him alone, but they still considered him a hero. Soon after, they forgot about the incident. A wizard had been sent to remove their memory of the werewolf.

It was then time to go to college. He went to the same college as his father, but Doug decided to go somewhere else, but remained in the same city so they could still continue their friendship and communicate each other regularly.

Josh knew the stories about his father and didn't want to draw attention to himself. Although he wished that no one would know, he found out that the Director of Residence Life was a resident during the time his father was here. Director Randolph Sheraton phoned the Jecong household and John answered. He said, "Jecong residence. John speaking." Sheraton said, "Hey John, is your son there?" John shouted, "Josh, phone." Josh jogged down the stairs and picked up the phone and said, "Yes." Sheraton introduced himself and Josh said, "I know you. My dad's talked about you sometimes". The Director said, "Well, I see my crazy persona lives on." Josh said, "I guess so." Sheraton replied, "Well, I was just calling to see if you are ready for the coming school year." Josh said, "I sure am." Sheraton said, "Great. Hope to see you then."

The day after residents moved into Guinan Hall, they had their first hall meeting with all new residents. They all sat in the main lounge and Josh went early to get a good spot. Sheraton said, "Welcome to the University of St. Thomas. I am Randolph Sheraton, the director of Residence Life." He then introduced the Assistant Director, the Resident Advisors, and the Sophomore Assistants. He concluded with a preview of the hall events that were going to be held that semester. He then said, "Now are there any questions you may have?" One guy said, "My brother said that a creature roams the university. Is that true?" Josh nearly laughed, "That's no creature, that was a werewolf." He didn't though. Sheraton passed out packets and talked about upcoming events. There were plenty of snacks and Josh stuffed himself which was more than what a human would eat. He got some looks, but he said, "I'm hungry."

Josh's father told him about his roommate experience and said that it might be a good idea to tell him. It would avert trouble. Jake Spencer was a computer junkie and Josh didn't know if he would believe him. Seeing was believing though and one night, he showed him. Jake took it well, but wanted to know more. He asked, "What's it like being a werewolf?" Josh said, "I don't know how to describe it, but I'll try. Well, everything you see is monochromatic. The sense of smell, sight, and hearing are greatly improved. However, in my human form the senses of smell and hearing remain the same." Jake asked, "Is it painful?" Josh said, "The transformation? Yea, it hurts, but after all this time, I've gotten used to it." Jake then asked, "Have you killed anyone?" Josh said, "No. The only thing that I've killed in my werewolf form have been forest animals like rabbits and deer. They taste nice raw, but most of the time the meat that I consume have come from animals that have already died. Don't believe everything you see in the movies. Geez, there's a big increase of killings attributed to lycanthropes during the middle ages and the whole populace gets a bad rap for centuries. There are more peaceful werewolves than killers. The Mysticals report that there are fewer than five murders a year. Still, there are those that are changed. We can't determine that number because some might hide it or something. Being a werewolf requires a balance between man and beast. One can't let the beast dominate their life and the man can't tame the beast. Man and beast must learn to work together somehow." Jake asked, "How do you work with it?" Josh said, "I work with the wolf by sharing my human intelligence and humanity with its senses, physical prowess, and sense of loyalty. It's a fitting exchange. I'm told it's easier for a natural werewolf to be calm than one who has been changed." Jake asked, "Have you met any other werewolves besides you and your dad?" Josh nodded, "Yup, they come in all personalities." Jake then asked, "If there are werewolves, what about vampires, Frankensteins, mummies, and other creatures? What about Dracula?" Josh said, "Well, I haven't met any, but my dad did when he was younger. He personally was involved destroying Dracula once and for all. The Count was very tough, but was overwhelmed. Remember, Frankenstein was the doctor that created the monster, it wasn't the name of the monster. We call it a Frankenstein-class monster. Somewhat like a zombie, but doesn't need to eat live flesh and one that has been assembled from various people. A zombie is just one person." Jake had more questions, but Josh said, "Just read this book. Dad gave it to me a few days after my werewolf gene became active. Don't show it to anyone else and it mustn't leave this room. Remember, outside the dorms, no one knows that my kind exist."

Josh was starting to love college and loved the freedom he had now. For years he had to be careful getting out of the house to roam the streets, but now he could get out without detection and roam for an hour or two. Jake didn't ask why his roommate went on these weekly escapades. Josh sort of knew his concern and said, "I go out at night to accommodate the animal half of me. Being a werewolf in a room all the time isn't healthy for me. Why do you think that people put their cats out or why most dogs sleep outside?" Jake said, "I see." Soon Jake started to ask other questions.

There was a time when he scared a housekeeper. One Friday, Josh was so tired, he retreated to his room to take a nap before dinner. He locked the door, changed his clothes, transformed, curled up on his bed and fell asleep. He dreamt of chasing flying roasts and he was so deep asleep, he didn't even hear the door unlock.

Normally the maids came in the morning, but today they had to do the rooms in the afternoon. One of them knocked on door 233 and shouted, "Housekeeping." She shouted again and when no one responded, she unlocked the room with a master key. The maid took out the trash and then scrubbed the toilet. She was going out the door when she heard an animal-like breathing sound. She slowly turned around and saw something, some sort of giant wolf. She approached with caution.

Josh was still dreaming when he smelled ammonia. He woke up groggily and saw one of the maids.

The wolf looked at her and she didn't wait long to find out what it wanted. She shrieked her way out of there. She kept shrieking on her way to Sheraton's office. She said, "There's this large wolf creature in room 233. What are you going to do about it?" Sheraton said, "Huh?" She kept going on and on about this creature. Sheraton remembered back to when he was a student and there were rumors of a wolf creature. He looked up and saw Josh Jecong. He had left quickly and had followed the woman's scent to Sheraton's office. The maid looked at the clothes and said, "He's the creature. The clothes are the same." Randolph said, "Care to explain?" Josh closed the door and said flatly, "I'm a werewolf." Sheraton said, "All the pieces fit." Josh said to the woman, "I'm sorry if I scared you. School's been so hectic lately so I thought I'd take a little nap." She said, "So you weren't going to eat me?" Josh grimaced and said, "No, my parents paid good money for me to eat at our school cafeteria. You just startled me though." Everyone forgot the incident. That night he told what had happened to Jake. He said, "Well, next time you should be careful."

It was soon Halloween time and Sheraton came to him for help. He said, "I'm sure you know that we do a Haunted House kind of thing for the kids at the local church. Its a safe alternative to visiting houses. We'd like your help." Josh said, "What kinda help?" Sheraton said, "Well, we'd like you to do anything the pastor says." Josh said, "Well I don't want to be scaring little kids to the point that they need therapy." Sheraton laughed, "Well you wouldn't be going that far, you'll just sneak around the place behind the cardboard scenery." Josh said, "Like I'm stalking prey?" The Director said, "I guess if you want to look at things that way." Josh asked, "How long will I be doing this?" The Director replied, "Well, you'll be there all night, but mostly you'll be working late shift, 9 til closing. That shift would be kids older than 13. The rest of the evening, you'll be in human form supervising the go-fish booth. You will be paid 10 dollars for each hour."

On Halloween, Josh had a big dinner and drove to the church with his werewolf clothes in a duffle bag. Fr. Phil met him at the hall entrance and said, "You must be that young man with that special talent. The one Randolph Sheraton told me about. I've never met a real werewolf before." Josh said, "Well, were decent people. Just like the rest of the populace, we have our good and our bad." Fr. Phil said, "I see. Well come this way." The priest led him to the go-fish booth and there was a girl about his age there. He said, "This is Carrie." She said, "How do you do?" Josh said, "Fine thank you." Fr. Phil said, "Carrie works in our youth ministry department." He said, "Well, see you two later."

For the next few hours the two young people got to know each other as they attached paper bags of candy to clothes pin fishing rods. It was approaching 8:45 so he said to Carrie, "Well, nice talking to you." She asked "Where are you going?" He said, "Fr. Phil wanted me to work the last shift in the haunted house." He went to the restroom, changed his clothes and form, put his bag back in his car and headed to the haunted house. He then got into position. He gave many kids a good fright and the other workers thought his costume was very realistic. When the night ended, the priest gave his paycheck and Josh went back to his car. He changed back into his human form and drove back to the dorm. It was kinda late and he was very exhausted. He parked the car and made his way to his room. Once there he took off his pants and fell on the bed curling up to sleep, changing his form. Thankfully, Halloween was a Friday and he could sleep in. Otherwise he would have to get up early for classes.

When he woke up, he was still in his wolf form. Josh yawned, stretched, changed back to his human form and took a bath. He spent the rest of the day doing his homework and watching television. He went out to eat at a Mexican restaurant with his parents and came back to the dorm after going grocery shopping. He stored his food in his mini-fridge and played Monopoly against Jake. It was after midnight when the game ended. Jake went to his computer to play his shooting games online and Josh transformed to go on his nightly patrols around his territory.

Josh jogged down the abandoned streets on all fours. He then felt a presence, a lycanthrope presence. He then found himself being knocked down. It was another lycanthrope like himself, but it was unmistakably female. She growled, "You, you did this to me!" Josh threw her off and leapt onto the roof of a house. He said, "What did I do?" She growled, "It was your kind that made me this way." Josh said, "You can't fault us all for one individual's actions." She yelled, "Well, you're all bloodthirsty beasts." Josh said, "Well, you are now one of us 'bloodthirsty beasts' as you put it. So don't criticize beings that are like you. My recommendation is to make the most of it." He came down and said, "Can't we talk about this like rational beings?" He held up his paws and said, "I won't attack, but I'll defend myself and I've gotten several awards in both human and lycanthrope competitions." She roared, "Very well, but if you do anything suspicious, I'll kill you." Josh crossed his arms and laughed, "I doubt it because I've had 5 years of combat experience and you wouldn't be able to get close to me. Come on, let's hide." He went and went into a park's forest and climbed a tree. He said, "Now then, how long have you been a werewolf?" She said, "I was attacked about a month ago when me and my parents went camping. I got lost and I was attacked. I woke up days later in a hospital all bandaged up. I changed only yesterday. My parents don't even know about this." Josh said, "I understand." She said, "You? How can you understand? Were you attacked also?" Josh pointed to himself and said, "Me? No. I'm a natural one, just like my dad. Type 2 actually. There are three types. You are Type 1, Those that were attacked. Type 2 are those that have a human parent and a werewolf parent, and Type 3 are those whose parents are both werewolves. You see he's the product of a rape. My grandmother and grandfather went out camping decades ago. She went to the latrines to use the bathroom when she was attacked. She had no scratch on her, but I'm sure you can figure out the rest." She whimpered, "So your father was conceived on that night." Josh nodded, "Yes. For 13 years the gene lay dormant and then on the night of the full moon after that thirteenth birthday, he changed. I turned out the same way." She said, "Your dad raped your mother?" Josh said, "No. I was made through love, not primal urges. My parents are happily married." She almost fell out of the tree. She steadied herself and said, "A werewolf married to a human!" Josh said, "Sure. Sometimes it is difficult because my mom can't understand a word I or my dad say, but overall its a good life." She said, "How can being a werewolf be a good life?" Josh said, "Well, there are things we can do that no human can do. Well, I gotta go. My parents are coming early. We have to go visit one of my relatives. As sweet as you are, I will defend myself, so don't attack me when I'm not looking. I'm sure we'll see each other again because I do frequent these areas. Good night, sweet lady of the moon." He bowed his head, winked and jumped out of the tree and started to run east. She shouted, "Just who are you?" Josh turned and said, "How rude of me, I'm Josh. Who are you?" She said, "I'm Cynthia. I look forward to seeing you again. Also please show your parents what you are. If you can't voluntarily transform in front of them, try to make sure that they see it if they pass your room." Cynthia said, "What if they don't accept me?" Josh said, "I don't know. Hopefully they will. If not, I do know of a place where you can go. Try to make them see tomorrow." He turned and then ran into the night.

The sliding door opened and Jake turned from the monitor long enough to get fragged. He swore because he'd put up with this for so long, he should of know it would be Josh and no one else. He looked at the standings and he was bumped down to 5^th place. His character -a red haired troll doll wearing brownish camouflage fatigues- respawned and continued the hunt against his opponents. He then heard an odd sound, but a familiar one. Normally, he wouldn't hear the sound until the morning. Jake said, "Something the matter?" Josh said, "Female." Jake turned around and said, "A female lycanthrope?" Josh nodded and said, "Yes, of course I found it rather odd. I've met females before, but never one roaming these streets." Jake snickered, "Yea, I'm sure you found her very interesting if you know what I mean. Hee, hee, hee." Josh growled, "I'm a decent guy. She was attractive, but I wouldn't do that sort of thing, at least not until marriage." Jake held up his hands and said, "Just kidding." Josh said, "That's okay. I know you didn't really mean it. Hopefully she will frequent the area enough so that we will meet again. Who knows what she will do unguided. She's angry enough as it is." Jake said, "How are you going to guide her?" Josh said, "I don't really know. I've never done this kind of thing." He knew that he had, but that was a different time and place. No one outside the six should never know about what hopefully will never be.

When his parents picked him up, and after he made sure that the door was closed before he began to talk of important matters, he said, "Something odd happened to me last night when I roamed the streets." His father said, "What have we said about roaming the streets?" His mother said, "Someone could of seen you and it would of been on the news and then your father would have to seek a mage or two do erase all the evidence." Mr. Jecong said, "Anyway, what happened?" Josh said, "I saw a female werewolf." His father's face read surprise and he said, "A female, roaming the streets? Was she pretty?" His mother said curtly, "John!" His father gasped, "I'm joking." Josh said, "She was lovely, once I looked pass the anger." His mother asked, "Why was she angry?" Josh said, "She was made one, unnatural." His father said, "I see. What are you going to do about it son?" Josh said, "Well, I'm going to teach her." Mr. Jecong laughed, "Pretty bold statement. Do you intend to teach everything?" Josh said, "I was taught by the best." Mrs. Jecong said, "Well, you must invite her over for dinner sometime." Josh said, "As a human or as a werewolf?" His mother said, "However she want."

That night, he saw Cynthia again in the park's forest. He asked, "Well, did your parents see you?" She nodded and said, "I had them see me transform. I was screaming and they came to investigate. You can kinda figure out the rest. They took it kinda rough. I told them about you, through writing." Josh grimaced, "You? You told them about me? What did you tell them and what did they say?" Cynthia said, "Well, I wrote what had transpired yesterday. They weren't too enthusiastic knowing I met another werewolf. They do blame them for doing this to me." Josh said, "You did tell them that we're not all to blame for one's actions?" She said, "Yes, but they are reluctant to believe that." Josh said, "There's something I'd like to ask?" She said, "You're not going to ask to mate with me are you?" Josh said, "No. I don't do that stuff. I'm waiting to get married first before I do anything like that. No, what I want to ask is would you like to eat with me and my parents?" She said, "In what form?" He said, "Well, while you are free to choose, I'd prefer human so that my mother can understand." She agreed, but only if he would eat dinner at her house as a human that weekend. Josh agreed and they said their goodbyes and they left went their separate ways.

That Saturday, Josh drove to Cynthia's house. He hoped it would go well and knew that it would be the first time they would meet as humans. He wondered what she looked like and he knew that she probably wondered what he looked like. He took a deep breath and rang the doorbell. A girl with red hair answered and she said, "Josh?" The guy nodded and Cynthia said, "You don't look a thing like what I imagined." Josh, "What did you imagine me to look like?" She said, "Don't take this the wrong way, but I didn't imagine you would be an Asian." Josh said, "Well, I'm only one-fourth Japanese which comes from my paternal line. I'm told I look very odd because there aren't that many Asians with brown wavy hair like mine, nor those with blue eyes. You still look as lovely as a human as you do as a werewolf." Cynthia said, "Do I look like anything you imagined?" Josh said, "Well, I didn't know what you would look like." She said, "I see, well come on in." Her parents, Mr. Fred and Mrs. Jessica Macintosh, greeted him. Josh was afraid at first because he didn't know what they would do to him. Mr. Macintosh reached out, shook his hand, and said, "You must be Josh Jecong." Josh nodded and said, "Yes, sir. I am." Mrs. Macintosh said, "Are you hungry?" Josh said, "Yes ma'am." Dinner was modest and rather bland because everyone was focused on him and it ended in silence.

After supper, they went into the living room to talk. Mr. Macintosh broke the silence and asked, "How long have you been a werewolf?" Josh said, "About 5 years. I've gotten used to it. Being a werewolf I mean. The pain during transformation is something else. I've been able to not scream during transformation, but it's still painful." Mrs. Macintosh asked, "Have you killed anything?" Cynthia shouted, "Mother!" Josh blushed and said, "Well, not as much as you might think. No humans though, that's a stereotype. I eat wildlife, but that's very rarely. I tried eating city rats, but they don't taste so good. I once got a bad stomach ache so I don't eat them anymore. Me and my parents only go camping once a year. Despite this, I'm a good hunter. However, that first time was rough. My dad was laughing so much, that it got on my nerves." Mrs. Macintosh said, "I see." Mr. Macintosh said, "How many werewolves are there in the world? Do you know?" Josh thought for a while and said, "Well, if I remember correctly the census last year said that there were about 250 million in the world. Of course that's most likely an undercount. The true number is unknown because some don't know about the Magicals-Hunters and thus don't report themselves. We do try to find them all, but there will always be those that are not counted. The Magicals-Hunters, by the way, is a group that was founded centuries ago when there was an influx of attacks on humans by monsters such as vampires, werewolves, and the like. At first its mission was to destroy these creatures, but evolved to include the very monsters they sought to destroy. It was expected that monsters would be able to judge themselves. There are fewer homicides attributed to werewolves in a year than that in a month during the middle ages." Mrs. Macintosh said, "If you govern yourselves, why was my daughter attacked?" Josh said, "Just like any society, there will always be those that are without a conscience. I'm looking into the matter, but nothing has come up. As the alpha of this city, my father has made it a priority because changing a human without their consent and/or not knowing about beings like is a very harsh crime. If nothing does soon, Dad'll have to contact a local mage to use a time spell to determine who attacked your daughter. The punishment is quite severe. I think that in this case the accused would be made fully human and would have to do hard labor for seven years. When the accused is captured, I'll let you know." Mrs. Macintosh said, "If there's a way to reverse the condition, why not do it for my daughter?" Josh looked serious and said, "It's a very dangerous procedure and sometimes the person dies." She said, "I see. So, what's your favorite thing about being a werewolf?" Josh said, "Well, I like the fur. It comes in very handy during winter. My dad's is the improved senses. In my opinion improved senses don't do good when its freezing outside." The Macintoshes felt that Josh was a nice young man and deserved to be in their lives.

The following night Cynthia had dinner with the Jecongs. She was still amazed that a werewolf and a human could be happily married, yet here was the evidence. She then had questions about what Mr. Jecong did exactly as an alpha. He said, "Namely I'm the representative of all the werewolves that live in this city which would also include you. So if you have problems, just bring them to me. I get to go to state conventions and sometimes national conventions. We all go and Josh mingles with other young werewolves. He's become a role model for the younger ones and was even a counselor last year at a summer camp that the Mysticals run for young werewolves. This camp is basically like a regular summer camp, but has activities for werewolves specifically that strengthen the body, soul, and mind." Cynthia said, "I see. Is this a boy's only camp?" Mr. Jecong shook his head and said, "No its a coed camp. It's located out in the middle of nowhere far from civilization. We do have an alarm system of sorts that notifies us if there are human snoopers about. After all, we are supposed to be a secret." She said, "What about my parents?" Mr. Jecong said, "Well, all that we require is that they try to keep quiet about it and only discuss lycanthropy with those that are supposed to know about it. It's not easy because mages have had a tough time erasing the knowledge from some of the people that we've come across. Imagine the chaos if the world found out. There wouldn't be enough people to undo the damage and we would be facing a backlash that hasn't been seen since medieval times. If that was bad enough, just imagine it with modern technology. One would have to be aware of their surroundings all the time." Cynthia was shocked because she wondered would her neighbors turn on her if they knew. She said, "Maybe it would help to improve people's perception about us because after all Josh told me that the Hunters joined with the Mysticals which consisted of werewolves and other such beings to form one group." Mr. Jecong said, "Perhaps, but those were people that knew about us. This particular problem is twofold. One, people getting used to the idea of such beings and two accepting those beings." They had a good dinner and Mrs. Jecong said, "You're welcomed to drop by anytime." Cynthia said, "Thanks." Josh drove her home and they said their goodbyes.

The Macintoshes were waiting for Cynthia to come back and she did ahead of schedule. Mr. Macintosh asked, "How did it go with the Jecongs?" She said, "Fine, it was a very good dinner. I learned so much about what I am." Her mother said, "That's wonderful. We knew that you would learn something."

Josh and Cynthia would see each other regularly in both forms. Once, when they went to one of the university plays, she asked him, "Can I have a picture of you with me?" He said, "Sure." She asked a passerby to take two pictures of them. A week later the pictures arrived and had one for themselves.

Time flowed and they became very close, but didn't got beyond dates because they weren't ready for something more.

When Josh was 21, something miraculous happened. The Gene Pools of all the countries united. A Gene Pool was a database of all recorded genetic profiles of a particular country. With this, there would be no more filing special forms. Almost immediately Mr. Jecong received a personal call. It was Mandi Mavar who had moved up in the organization and she had good news. She said, "The instant the Gene Pools unified, we tracked down your mystery father. Well turns out that he came from an influential family and when he killed someone in his alternate form they exiled him rather than executing him." Mr. Jecong said, "That's when he made his way here and defiled my mother. If I ever meet him, he's dead." She said, "I understand that and that's your choice. Turns out that you have a rather large group of relatives living in Japan, but they know nothing about you. I can arrange for them to receive notification." John said, "No. I'll take care of the matter myself, just send information on where most of them live. I'll take my family along." That evening he told his wife and son what transpired.

Josh said, "That's great dad." Mrs. Jecong said, "You've always been wanting to know about your father's side. This is the chance for that to happen." He said, "You know Josh this will be a big responsibility for you considering you are the only one that knows Japanese." Josh said, "I'm up to the challenge." When he got back to the dorm, he called Cynthia and told her the great news. Not only was she happy for him, she wanted to go with him. Josh said, "You'll have to talk with my dad about it. No matter what he says, call to tell me what he said." The young man waited for over an hour, but soon got a call. She said, "Your father said no at first, but I managed to convince him to let me go." Josh said, "Oh, how?" She replied, "I said that this would be a great opportunity to meet werewolves in another country." Josh said, "Well that's great. I can't wait for this trip. I wonder what my relatives are like."

Once summer began, the Jecongs, accompanied by Cynthia Macintosh, flew to Japan. It was a very long trip despite the advancement in aerodynamics. They were met by a middle-aged Japanese man. He bowed and said, "I am Shigeru Fujiyama. I am the head of the Mystical-Hunters here in Japan." The Americans bowed back and Fujiyama led them to a limo.

The trip to Osaka was long and they spent the trip talking. Mr. Jecong asked, "I understand you have located my father." Fuijiyama shook his head and said, "No Jecong-san. You see, the man himself is dead. His name was Hiroshi Yamamoto. He came from the most powerful werewolf clan dating back to a time before the shoguns. No one knew he had a dark secret until after several murders." Mr. Jecong asked, "Why wasn't he executed as the law demands." Fujiyama said, "He came from a powerful family and they got the lesser sentence of banishment. He found his way to America and several months later we were notified that he was killed by a rancher protecting his cattle. However, what we didn't know was that he fathered you. The affair was so large, we had to shut ourselves from the rest of the Magical-Hunters while we reorganized." Mr. Jecong absorbed all this and was pleased that such a werewolf was killed. It was better that way because if he had met the man, he'd kill him in a heartbeat. However he said, "That is no excuse. No matter his station, he must be dealt with as our laws sees fit." Fujiyama said, "We realized our mistakes when the victims cried out." Jecong sighed, "Does his family know about me?" Fujiyama said, "No, they do not. For Yamamoto's crime, his family fell from grace even though they didn't know about it, but they are still an important family. I recall that a few of his closest family and friends killed themselves rather than live with the shame. We are going to the villa of Kenji Yamamoto, his eldest son." The rest of the trip was mostly silent except a few questions from Cynthia about lycanthrope traditions in Japan.

They eventually made their way to Osaka and came upon the Yamamoto residence. The Jecongs followed Fujiyama to the doorstep.

A little boy answered the door and Fujiyama showed them inside. Josh removed his shoes and reminded his family and Cynthia to do the same. The little boy yelled something and Josh whispered, "His father's coming down." A middle-aged man came down the stairs very surprised.

Kenji Yamamoto asked, "Fujiyama-san, what brings you here? Who are these people?" Fujiyama said, "I think you need to sit down for this one. I need to speak with you in private with this man." Yamamoto sent his son upstairs. Josh said, "Dad you need to talk to them alone. Mom, Cynthia, let's go outside."

Once the three men were alone, Fujiyama said, "This is Mr. John Takeshi Jecong of the USA. He's from Houston, Texas. He's been alpha a number of times. Not now though, but still very important." Yamamoto extended his hand and greeted him, "Welcome to Japan. A pity that you see us as we are now. Had you seen us 50 years ago, you would have been among equals. However, my father did a shameful thing and we were punished in retaliation. Still, with time we have recovered some of our former glory." Fujiyama said, "It's the sins of your father which brings us here today." Yamamoto was concerned. He was a boy when the whole thing happened and it was painful for him to understand, the memories came back to plague him, but kept calm. He said, "Go on." Fujiyama said, "You recall that your father was banished and sent to America in disgrace and killed some months thereafter." The man nodded. Fujiyama said, "While there he committed another crime which this man is personally involved. Jecong-san, do you wish to explain or should I?" John said, "The events that transpired weren't fully known until today. In the year 2025 on a cool summer night, my parents had gone camping to celebrate their 1 year anniversary. My mother had gone to the bathhouse to use the facilities when your father defiled her. She was unharmed, but I resulted. I am your brother." Shigeru Yamamoto was shaken and asked, "Has this been tested?" The other men nodded. Yamamoto was overcome with emotion and cried, "I have a brother, another brother. Those others with you. Your family?" John said, "Yes. My wife, son, and his girlfriend." Yamamoto wiped his eyes and said, "You must bring them in."

The fathers called their families in and the two families got to know each other. Yamamoto said, "I was unaware that I had an American brother. I hope that what my father did does not reflect poorly on us." Jecong said, "No, from what Fujiyama told me. The only one who knew was the man himself." Yamamoto said, "You must of been confused not being raised by those like yourself." Jecong said, "Somewhat, but I adapted as did my parents and brother." Yamamoto said, "Do you have pictures?" John knew this was probably going to happen and had brought a photo album profiling the previous 46 years. Yamamoto had his son bring down their photo album. They laid down the albums on the table and talked about the photos.

In the end, Josh discovered he had another uncle and two cousins named Nobu who was 25 and Koji who was 10. That was only the family that was in the house at time which wasn't including his other Japanese relatives. They exchanged addresses and promised to keep in touch.

When Josh returned to America, he told his roommate Chuck about it and he was ecstatic that Josh found the family he and his father had been searching for years.

College was tough but fun and he would regularly get email from his Japanese relatives checking up on him and from young local werewolves seeking guidance. He earned a degree in astronomy because it was very important to the Magical-Hunters. It allowed them to plan certain events.

When he was 25, he struck out on his own and got an apartment. His public business was assisting at the museum in the planetarium, but his other business was assisting the director take notes. Astronomy was very important to the organization and the most accurate records were kept about celestial events. It wasn't a perfect science, but it was better than the false psychics on television and their work didn't require payment from gullible people. Then one day he then received an odd message about a near unstoppable monster from Mr. Wellington his supervisor. He wrote, "Based on the recent notations you took yesterday, I've come to the conclusion that troubling times are ahead. They herald a terrifying creature of unimaginable power. A beast that was never meant to be, but they also foretell the end of the world. Be on your guard." Josh called Doug and told him what happened.

Doug was taking a shower when the phone rang. He finished as soon as he could and when he found that Josh called, he called him back. He said, "What's wrong Josh?" Josh said, "There's a good chance that you know what we prevented is going to happen anyway. We need to assemble the team. How about your place?" Doug said, "It is bigger isn't it?" Josh said, "And your place is in the middle of the rest."

That weekend, the six that defied the present met again to discuss things that they hoped wouldn't be talked about again. Josh opened the discussion. He said, "You are probably wondering why I still haven't contacted the MH about our little escapade. The truth is that we felt that it was prevented, but according to my supervisor, it's going to happen. If I know my astrology, the stars are where they are due to the progress of time, but what was going to happen was prevented, so it would give a false signal. However, I have doubts." Thomas asked, "What are these doubts?" Josh said, "Nothing is certain when dealing with time." Jeff said, "I read in a sci-fi book how the future is immutable." Josh said, "If so, why are there still cities. Didn't I tell you about the visions that my father had before his first transformation?" Doug said, "You told me, but I don't recall it ever being mentioned with the rest of the group." Josh said, "Oh. Well to summarize those event. My dad's counterpart came from a world ravaged by nuclear war. He grew up in a farm town and did much in his short time. He found his mother and her husband as well as his half-brother, but unlike this timeline, they were reluctant to accept him. They died, but managed to save his brother. Through a ritual, he became a werewolf and the two lived in the farm town for a few years. The counterpart was recruited by a mysterious visitor who claimed travel through time was possible. He did go into the past and prevented the nuclear war, but his life was forfeited. A new timeline was established, and everything is what it is. The counterpart's soul fused with that of the child to be. That is how my father knew of such stuff."

The others took it in and they understood why Josh was the way he was. Eliza said, "You gotta go before the MH Josh. They may be able to do something." Minerva said, "What could they do? Five people were barely able to contain the Recombinant. Who's to say that it'll be that easy. The alterations of time may even make it stronger." Josh said, "Indeed, remember that my uncle erased all the date concerning the Recombinant project. Whoever was in charge would have to change their tactics. He knew then that they needed help. He asked for the phone and called Wellington. Josh said, "Sir, I know what the signs say, and I lived it." Wellington said, "What? How could you live what is yet to be?" Josh said, "There was an accident during high school and me and five others were thrown from space and time and landed in a future time that resulted from what you forecasted. The land was in turmoil and we came across the same monster you described. It's called the Recombinant. It was made of what can be best described as genetic junk shaped like an ogre with the ability to learn." Wellington said, "Why haven't you brought this before the local MH chapter, in fact you probably should of went before the world council." Josh said, "I was young and felt that the measures we took would prevent it." Wellington said, "Well, it's a good thing that you brought it to my attention. Hopefully, it is not too late. I might contact you again. It might also be a good idea to bring those that went on this journey with you if there should be a gathering."

Years of research gone in an instant. Timothy Donaldson, President and CEO of Omniplex found that the data to Project Recombinant was gone. He questioned everyone and knew that someone in the project destroyed the data, but why? The Recombinant Project was to create a being that would safeguard the public well-being. However, he blessed his lucky stars and found the last update to the project. Sure it was twelve years old, but at least he didn't lose it all. He ceased trusting anyone and worked endless hours rebuilding what he lost. Of course he didn't remember what half the details were and replaced it with new stuff. He was nearing completion and would be ready to show Recombinant to the public.

"The record starts now. State your name." Josh looked up at the man in the robe. Josh said, "Joshua Ryota Jecong." The wizard said, "State your affiliation to the MH." Josh said, "I am a werewolf. My father served as alpha for the Houston Metropolitan area a number of times during the sixties and early seventies." The wizard's eyes lit up and said, "John Takeshi Jecong?" Josh said, "Yes sir, the same." The wizard said, "Do I seem familiar to you?" Josh said, "No sir, you aren't familiar to me." The Wizard said, "I am Abraham Sawyer. I've been interested in your father for years. Ever since he was born to be precise. Do you know why?" Josh said, "He altered time." Sawyer said, "Ah, I see you know of your father's alternate life." The wizard smiled, "I'll tell you something. Years ago, sometime before your father was born, my wife Trista had been screaming her head off for hours. When she settled down, I asked her what was wrong. She told me that the superpowers were launching nuclear weapons at each other. Nothing happened, but you see, my wife is a seer of sorts. When we became aware of your father's memories, it soon became clear. It even became more evident when we picked up footage and other things. The interesting thing is that your father showed up in a secret film that was made by the military before he was born. Then some years later, more surfaced written by one Theodore Sorenson. We managed to take what shouldn't be known by normal people. Then a few years back, she did her same screaming act and told me that a monster was running around in Houston and that the world was being twisted. Mr. Abel Wellington then e-mailed me that you had something to do with that, care to tell me or perhaps one of your friends?" Josh looked back at the others. They motioned to him to continue talking for them. Josh said, "On November 6^th, 2066, we six snuck inside school to destroy a project created by the seniors with funds from OmniPlex. There was a discharge of energy due to the storm outside and we were transported across time and space to 3066 and landed in a prison floating on the water."

Josh talked for the next few hours and Sawyer and the other members of the 7 member panel of the Supreme Council of the World Order of the Magicals-Hunters were beaming with interest. Josh finished with, "When we got back, I told my Uncle Joey and he put an end to the Recombinant Project and quit some months afterwards, or so we thought. Sir, if Recombinant rises, he will be the toughest thing to defeat ever. What's worse is that we will have to reveal ourselves to the public. While erasing people's minds works on a small scale, we could never pretend that it didn't happen. The media is far reaching and we could never blank out the minds of everyone. We don't have the resources." Williamson said, "Your very knowledgeable for your age. Everyone take a fifteen minute break while we decided what to do." The audience shuffled out of the room as the council retreated to chambers.

The seven member panel included 3 magic users, a normal human, an incubus, a werewolf, and a vampire. They began debating the issue. While they all agreed that should the Recombinant surface that it must be stopped, they disagreed on whether or not they should be the ones stopping it. The vampire, whose name was Agatha said, "If we reveal ourselves, our lives would be in jeopardy. Just look how Hollywood portrays our kind." The werewolf, Justin said, "I agree. People would be packing pistols armed with silver bullets. I couldn't show my face at the police station. My son wouldn't be safe." The incubus, Jacob said, "I'm married to a human. She'd become an outcast." The lone human, Eleanor, said, "I was saved by a werewolf as a girl. I would hate to think what would happen to his family, but think of the rest of the world. From what that boy told us, the normal government tried to stop it, but failed. A group of teens having powers were able to stop it. Sure we would be revealing ourselves, but at least the world would be safe. One witch, Sophia, said, "I agree. Public knowledge of us is a small price to pay compared with the ruination of the world." The other witch said, "Indeed, if the public knew, we could erase the old stereotypes." Sawyer absorbed the opinions and said, "Then it's decided, we'll reveal ourselves, but only if the Recombinant shows up. The six that defeated it in the future are hereby compelled to help us should the need arise." They filled out of their conference room and told the audience of their decision.

It was a nice and shiny day in Houston. President Frank Duncan stood before members of the press as Timothy Donaldson had a big chamber behind them in a curtain. President Harris said, "My fellow Americans. Mr. Donaldson, a fine example of American patriotism has created this being to fight for America. We need not fear chaos. Donaldson, if you will." The curtain was pulled revealing a 25 foot tall creature. He pressed the button and the chamber doors parted.

Recombinant stepped out and camera clicked on the entity. It seemed like things were going fine until it flailed its arms and started to attack everyone. Secret Service's attempt to stop it were futile. Everyone ran in all directions screaming.

Josh and the others ran towards the creature. Josh ripped off his shirt and cast his shoes aside as he transformed. An Ice Beam shot out of Tommy's hand and the creature retaliated by shooting a ball of electricity. He had barely enough time to dodge it. His twin, Jeff brought both hands together and shot a wave of fire.

Cameras were recording all this from a safe distance.

Josh rushed towards the monster and knocked it back. Doug called down a bolt of lightning and stunned the creature The monster exploded and they thought that was the end, but it reassembled itself unlike last time." Eliza shot her hand forward and shouted "Psi Explosion!". The others went in and used their powers, but the monster continued on, Back up was brought in. Katrina Sawyer, the granddaughter of Abraham rushed forward with her hands waving and shot out a wave of plasma. Others appeared out of nowhere A vampire dived forward and started to drain the creature's energy, but was thrown off. Katrina backed off and other magic users used various spells. They got together and chanted a spell. It was a spell that required that several of them to make it work. They ended the spell with, "Singularity Damnation!" A void appeared and the monster was swept up in it and floated in a timeless void forever. The rest of the humans came back and looked at the young people who saved them all. Josh wiped the sweat off his brow as he gradually became human. He looked up and saw all the people before him; people who before this day didn't know that their kind existed.

Camera were on them and photographers were flashing their cameras. Reporters started to ask questions, but the President came forward and said, "I'll handle the questions." He asked, "Who are you people?" Katrina stepped forward and said, "My name is Katrina Sawyer. My grandfather is Supreme Chief of Supreme Council of the World Order of the Magicals-Hunters. The Magicals-Hunters are a group made up of magic users, supernatural beings, and humans dedicated to the well being of the world. We received forewarning that this was going to happen thanks to Josh here." Josh nodded and was asked to step forward. President Duncan asked, "Who are you?" Josh said, "My name is Joshua Ryota Jecong. I am a werewolf and my father is a well known lycanthrope in the Houston Metropolitan area." He studied the people's reactions. They were shocked, but that lasted a short time. "Me and my friends here traveled to a future where the Recombinant had killed thousands until he was stopped by my father at his own life's expense. All this was done by OmniPlex. Not only did they create the Recombinant, but they created a machine that wrecked the world in what was called The Upheaval. We stopped the creature then and now. It will not be coming back. That is all I have to say." Cameras continued to snap. Katrina said, "My grandfather will be releasing a statement to the world shortly on all media outlets. Good day." The magic users chanted and they all disappeared.

Josh and the others appeared at his apartment. His friends left and Josh sat down and watched TV. On every channel, what had happened was discussed heavily. Josh sighed. His social life might be wrecked with his coworkers and customers knowing, but at least he could live in a world that wouldn't suffer world wide calamities. Then the doorbell rang.

He got up and Cynthia was at his doorstep. She kissed and hugged him saying, "That was nice of you. Sure it cost you your privacy, but at least the world's safe." Josh said, "Yea. Hey can I ask you something?" Cynthia said, "Sure." Josh said, "Do you want to marry me?" Cynthia said, "Absolutely yes."

Six months later they got married and the President was invited to the celebration. He was never the same, no one was. He had to use a cane from the day of the attack onward because of injuries sustained. The United Nations debated on their response to the Magicals-Hunters and classified it as a recognized international group.

The Magicals-Hunters's theme changed from one of internal security to that of fostering understanding between them and humans. As for Donaldson, he was charged with crimes against nature and jailed while Omniplex's stock lost value and the company had to declare bankruptcy.

A year later, a bundle of joy entered Joshua and Cynthia's lives. Richard Wyatt Jecong made himself known to the world. Josh looked at his newborn son. He didn't know what was in his son's future, but he hoped it would be one where he could be a werewolf in an understanding world. Whatever his son chose to do with his life, he would do it as a Jecong and that would mean being an adventurous and courageous person.

Fin

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