Zelda let out a gasped as the werewolf like creature started to charge towards them on all four limbs, like an animal. Murderous rage fills his eyes to the point that his brown eyes were blood red. With such fury emitting from such a creature, any sensible person would just run so far and fast that their bodies would have died from such attempt at it.

But Daren . . . didn’t even move back from his spot. He just stood there, not even looking at the creature. Even the paws pounding steps and the loud breathing noises getting closer don’t cause him to flinch one bit. Like a wall, he just stood there.

Zelda and Mr. Medicus were behind Daren and while they stood there, Mr. Medicus was fidgeting.

“I think its best that we run!” Mr. Medicus told the other two.

Daren just rubbed his left forearm while Zelda looked at Mr. Medicus with an eyebrow up. The werewolf lunged at Daren and-

Moving so fast that it was a blur; Daren kicked the werewolf squarely in the chest. For a second the werewolf looked wide-eyed before he collided with a brick wall. The wall cracked, with some of them falling off to the ground. The werewolf slid down, head to the side, with eyes closed.

Mr. Medicus face’s clearly quizzical. “What the Hell was that kick!?” he nearly shouted with arms flailing at the wall.

Daren put his leg down, looking quite bored. “That was just a normal kick,” he explained as he walks away.

“A norn- You’ve just cracked a brick wall!”

“Thank you for summing it up.”

“No. No,” Mr. Medicus said as he cut in front of Daren. “No living human can kick that hard. So how did you do it? And where did you get that thing?”

Mr. Medicus pointed at the TF Scriúire, which was still beeping. “I built it with Zelda help,” Daren answered, passing around Mr. Medicus, who grabbed Daren arm.

“That’s impossible,” Mr. Medicus stated. “That’s an Athrú technology. It’s impossible for a human to replicate something like that.”

“It’s true that humans can’t create such technology like this, but,” Zelda answered, looking at Mr. Medicus while gently getting him to let go, “what do you think we are?”

Mr. Medicus pale green eyes were wide and reflected on Daren, then Zelda, then the TF Scriúire. He then gazed at the brick wall, with the werewolf leaning on it. They then brightened as he let go of Daren.

“Hello,” He said, making a great bow. “I’m Mr. Medicus. I’m honored to be at your presence.”

“Thank you. You can stop bowing now. I’m Daren and she’s Zelda.”

Daren broke away from Mr. Medicus gripped and, extending his right arm, fire burst out of there. Mr. Medicus jumped back, arms up, while Zelda didn’t bat an eye. The fire solidified into a longsword, with Daren gripping the red handle.

“Now to destroy this gun,” he said and with one fell swoop, the white blade sliced the gun in half. The gun flickered and the glowing red faded away.

“Is that your Spiorad form?” Mr. Medicus asked.

“You are good at identifying Athrú stuff,” Zelda commented as Mr. Medicus looked closely at the cross-handle fire designs.

“Thank you,” Mr. Medicus said, looking away and when he looked back, the sword was gone. “I was observing it.”

“So I see,” Daren said, picking up one half of the gun and tossing it to Mr. Medicus. “Care to identify this?”

Daren raised an eyebrow as Mr. Medicus just glimpsed at it for one second and tosses it aside.

“That’ll be a Nex Mut . . . at . . . io?”

Mr. Medicus hard shoes clomp hard on the ground as he scrambled for that piece again. “It is a Nex Mutatio! Oh my! This is the first one I’ve seen, but . . . I thought they also died in the war . . . with their technologies render useless. How?”

The words barely escape his lips when a moaning sound is heard. Mr. Medicus shivered as he turned around. The werewolf is waking up.

Zelda white and black shirt floated as she ran to the werewolf side. Her hands smoothly brush the gray fur, sensing. Her eyes closed, but seeing light red.

“What should we do with him?” Daren asked, with his back facing the werewolf. “Should we euthanize the poor person?”

“I don’t think so,” Zelda responded. “It’s just a minor one this time. We can still save him.”

“Right!” Daren said cheerfully, spinning around, yet his gazed is not towards the werewolf. Daren spun his TF Scriúire around as he walked towards the werewolf. He kneeled down, points the TF Scriúire at the werewolf, and pressed it. A yellow light glowed and a buzzing sound is heard.

Mr. Medicus eyes glimmered as he observed Daren using his free hand to rub his left arm. “Having a bit of trouble Daren?”

“No,” Daren answered. “My arm is just sore. That’s all.”

Mr. Medicus cocked his head to one side as he walked to Daren side, watching where Daren is watching. “May I ask why you’re looking that way?”

“You may,” Daren answered as the werewolf move around. “Just not now because he’s waking up. Zelda?”

“Well, it looks like you have at least restored his mind, but there are still Nex Mutatio influences,” Zelda responded, her eyes still closed.

“OK,” Daren said. “Can you two keep him calm while I finish?”

“Sure,” Zelda said.

The werewolf fingers fidget a bit as his brown eyes opened. They reflected onto Daren, Zelda, Mr. Medicus, and back again. They opened a bit wider as they focus at Zelda then at Daren, his head moving slightly.

“Zelda? . . . Daren? . . .”

“You two met him?” Mr. Medicus asked, his head looking at Zelda.

“Yeah. . . . My name’s Cooper. . . . Cooper Versipellis. . . .”

“Cooper!” Zelda said, her eyes opened and looked at him again.

His hair was a bit on the shaggy side, Zelda thought, with a tint of blond on it. The clothes, or what’s left of it, were a bit on the suburbanite style with the same colors Cooper wore. The voice and the eyes were the same too. In fact, without the wolfish side, he does look like him.

“Oh, I didn’t recognized you for a bit,” Zelda explained, closing her eyes again.

“It’s OK,” Cooper responded with an attempt to smile. “Those guys really thrashed me up, didn’t they?”

“Who?”

“Those guys that dragged me here,” Cooper explained to Zelda. “I can’t really remember now, but one said something about a gun and using it on me. I think they fired it at me and . . . I can’t remember. Sorry. . . .”

“Don’t be,” Daren replied, looking at the dead bodies. “In fact, I can imagine what happened next. . . .”

---

When the laser hit Cooper, it hurt like Hell. Every single one of his cells from the tips of his toes to the top of his head screamed loudly. His hair was standing up as his body collapsed onto the street below him, shaking violently.

The men around him smiled with glee as they saw it begun. Fur begins to sprout from Cooper forearms, like thousands of needles poking out of a sheet. The bones and muscles underneath the fur and skin shifted and thickened as Cooper thrashed around his arms. He then felt his palms getting hotter and hotter, akin to holding fire without gloves, where pads were thickening. Then large claws seem to have pushed their way out of his fingertips, similar to a large nail piercing out of the skin.

He breathed heavily as he put his hands on his chest where more furs were sprouting, tearing off a bit of the light-colored shirt. Then, like his arms, the bones and muscles shifted and thickened, as he coughed in the vein of drowning. Cooper mouth opened to scream, but only a barking-like voice escaped his throat. Cooper grabbed his neck as he felt the throat and bones inside it shifted. He tried to scream again to no avail. Cooper then coughed deeply as teeth were falling out of his mouth with deep red blood coated over them and being replaced by larger and sharper teeth.

He then covered his nose as it shifted and changed, similar to crashing into a wet wall made out of steel. His hands quickly covered his mouth too as it and the wet and squashed nose moved forward, as if a strong hand was pulling out his jaw to the point of ripping it out, until it formed a muzzle. This was quickly followed by fur piercing out of his face and his hair changing colors to the color of the fur. Then he heard a mocking laugher and covered his ears, but the sounds still entered them. He felt his ears moved upwards, the laugher became clearer, as they become triangular shapes, similar to swords poking out of his head.

Cooper teeth gritted as he felt more fur forming down to his legs. He, with what sense he had, went down and ripped out the lower part of the dark pants, the fur exposed. Cooper barked like there’s no tomorrow as the bones and muscles in his legs also shifted and thickened. Cooper legs moved and bang on the street, but nothing helped.

His feet quickly shifted back and forth as he felt something like fire on the bottom on his feet. Following was roughly large nails pushing out of his toe tips, piercing out of his gray shoes. Cooper bends to look and saw large claws poking out of his shoes. He then shuts his eyes as the bones shifted in his feet and extends outwards. Cooper ears received tearing sounds as his shoes were torn apart by his own feet. Cooper then felt fur covering over his feet.

Cooper hands were pressed on the street when something was growing out of the seat of his pants. It was like a spear was being forced through. Cooper clutched it as his ears heard ripping sounds. His hands brush over the fur on it as a tail extends until it reaches his ankles.

His ears still hearing the same mocking laugher as fire spread throughout his veins. His eyes opened to a murderous gazed as a great chill spreads through the street and they stopped laughing. He got up so quickly it was as if he was a gray blur. Gazing at the men around him until he saw the man holding that laser gun, his teeth bared.

Then, just as quickly, Cooper’s claws slashes it way through that man throat as if it cut through butter. Blood gushed out of there, spraying blood on his fur, until the legs collapsed and the man was on the ground, unmoving.

The other men reacted quickly, but not quick enough, and soon everyone but the werewolf was dead, the air heavy with blood.

---

“Daren?”

“Oh. Sorry sir. I was in deep thought,” Daren said.

“Anyways, what did you think happened?” Cooper asked, cocking his head a bit. “My head is all woozy.”

“Well, from what I can see,” Mr. Medicus explained before either Daren or Zelda opened their mouths, “you’ve been changed by those people into a werewolf and, from your bloody claws, you’ve killed them all.”

All traces of wooziness disappeared from Cooper face and replaced with paleness, his eyes widen in horror.

“Hey!” Zelda angrily said, grabbing Mr. Medicus tweed jacket.

“What am I supposed to say?” Mr. Medicus retorted, shaking her off. “That everything’s alright and that some other werewolf killed them?”

“Am I really a werewolf?” Cooper asked, narrowing his eyes only to make them even wider. He places his hand on his muzzle and recoiled. “I-What-How-”

“Just stay calm!” Zelda ordered.

“How can I stay calm?!” Cooper demanded, showing his hands. “I mean, I’m a fucking werewolf with blood on my hands!”

“Yes, I believe we’ve noticed,” Mr. Medicus said.

“This blood, did they really come from those men I’d killed?!” Cooper asked, grabbing Zelda by the arm.

“You weren’t yourself Cooper,” Zelda pointed out. “You had no idea on what you were doing.”

“But that doesn’t change the fact that I killed them!”

“Yes, it does,” Zelda said. Cooper cocked his head as Zelda continued, “That creature that killed them wasn’t you. It made had taken your body and killed them all, but that doesn’t make you a killer.”

Water flowed down Zelda arm and onto Cooper arm; he doesn’t even noticed it.

“A gun may be used to kill, but that doesn’t make a gun a murderer; Just the person who used it. The creature used you as a weapon, just as the murderer used a gun as a weapon. So you’re not guilty, right Daren?”

“Right,” Daren responded as the light changed from yellow to blue. “And I believe the creature is gone, right Zelda?”

“Right.” Zelda opened her eyes. “You see, the blood’s gone.”

“Huh?” Cooper said, slackened his grip on Zelda. The blood’s been washed away. Cooper looked at his bloodless hands, his ears flattened to the sides. “How?”

Zelda smiled and helped Cooper up. “Does it need a reason?”

“Uh. . . .” Cooper uttered as Daren and Mr. Medicus got up.

“Just answer no,” Daren recommended.

“No.”

“OK then,” Zelda said.

Cooper eyes skimmed throughout his body as Daren pocketed his TF Scriúire.

“Daren,” Cooper asked, “can that also work on this?”Cooper gestured wolfish body.

“No,” Daren replied, shaking his head. “Its transformation abilities are only temporally. Even if it wasn’t, it would overload. You were lucky that that technology was only a minor one so we could save your mind.”

“Can’t you just try?”

“Not with this. But there is one way.”

“Really?” Cooper said, perking his ears up.

Daren took from his pocket a necklace. “If you put this on, you should be change back. But there’s something . . .”

Cooper didn’t hear the words since his eyes were reflected on the red gem connected to the necklace. Watching it wobble in the wind. . . . The power to change him back to normal. . . .

Then blank.

“What the-” Daren managed to say. “Cooper!”

Sea blue eyes meet wolf on two legs. Then-

“GAHHH!” Daren screamed out, holding his left arm. It was spasming out. Daren gritted his teeth as he fell to the ground.

Cooper didn’t pay attention. He was too focus putting the necklace on.

“Daren!” Zelda cried out, running to his side.

She grabbed his arm and rubbed it. Daren breathing slowed, beginning to relax, and his arm numbed.

“Thank you,” Daren said.

“HEY!!”

Zelda looked up to an angry werewolf.

“YOU TOLD ME THAT-”

“Whoa, whoa, whoa,” The grinning madman in a professor suit said, getting between the two. “I’m sure there’s an explanation for this, so keep your head cool.”

“Who the Hell are you?” Cooper demanded, chest going in and out.

Mr. Medicus stopped smiling. “I’m Mr. Undecim Medicus, the eleventh owner of my Athrú shop and if you don’t calm down, I’ll personally change you into anything not a human for the rest of your life!”

Cooper paused as he looked at the three one at the time before focusing on Mr. Medicus. Then Cooper, still glaring at them, let his breathing slowed and his claws down.

“That’s better,” Mr. Medicus said, putting up a small smile as he pulled out dark glasses. He put them on and slid it up and down as he went around Cooper one time.

“I believe I found the problem,” Mr. Medicus declared, taking the glasses off and putting them away. “The necklace is working or at least is trying to work. The problem is that, while they removed all of the Nex Mutatio, that’s the technology that changed you, influences out, the damage is too much for one necklace. So, in order for it to work, I proposed you wear two necklaces. Do you understand?”

“Um, yeah,” Cooper said, his head cocked to one side and ears flatten.

“OK,” Daren said, getting up. “Now, before I give you another, I’ll tell you what you need to know. If you just put it on, just like you did, then you’ll be half naked.”

“Huh?” Cooper said. He looked down at his raggedy clothes, which are barely hanging on to him. He looked at Zelda, his face’s red. “Oh. Sorry.”

“It’s OK,” Zelda replied. “Right Daren?”

“Yeah,” Daren agreed.

Ringringringringring. . . .

“Oh God, no,” Cooper said, his face’s white as a sheet. “That’s my cellphone. That means Dad’s- Help me find it, please.”

“OK,” Daren and Zelda said in union.

Daren quickly went where the shredded clothes were on the ground with the others following. They pick then thrown aside the pieces until they found the phone. Cooper hands shook as he picks up the cellphone and flipped it open.

Immediately there was an angry man at the other end shouting. He was shouting so fast, Daren wonder how anyone can understand such gibberish. Then the shouting ends with a click.

“Dad’s angry at me for being late,” Cooper sighed.

“You can understand all that shouting?” Zelda asked; her eyebrow rose.

“I’ve gotten used to it,” Cooper explained. “You see, his brother had a heart attack and he wanted to visit him. But since he lived far away, we have to stay there overnight. I was supposed to come, but since I’m late he’s leaving without me and I got no key to the house. I guess you can call it punishment.”

“I’m sorry about your uncle,” Zelda said, patting Cooper on the back. “Heart attacks can be fatal, so I understand your father and your own feelings about it.”

“It’s his fourth one this year.”

Zelda raised her eyebrows so high they where covered by her hair. “Four heart attacks in one year?!”

“At least you can’t say that he’s not stubborn.”

“Daren!”

“Oh, right Zelda. I’m sorry Cooper.”

“It’s OK,” Cooper said. “I’m worried about him too. I hope they find out what’s been causing these heart attacks.”

“I hope so too,” Daren said.

“Now,” Cooper said, mostly to himself, “where am I going to sleep tonight?”

Daren stood up. “Mr. Medicus?”

“Shut up. I’m thinking,” Mr. Medicus said and continued to pace around.

“Couldn’t you just go forward in time with Cooper and send him home when his dad’s home?” Daren asked, ignoring the last comment.

“That only works once every 24 hours,” Mr. Medicus retorted.

“Who put on that kind of limitation?” Daren asked, pacing with Mr. Medicus.

“Your people before they died,” Mr. Medicus reminded him.

Daren stopped, looking at his left forearm. “Thank you for reminding me on what I’d lost.”

A hand patted Daren shoulder.

“I’m sorry for your great loss,” Mr. Medicus said. “But maybe, even in such bad things, there was as least something good that happened afterwards. Can you think of one thing?”

Daren turned to looked at the blond haired girl, consoling the werewolf, and smiled. “Yes. Thank you.”

“No problem,” Mr. Medicus replied. “Now, what to do to help our furry friend.”

Daren looked at the blue sky and said, “Well, maybe we can send him to Kory. You know, our little dragon friend. After all, they’re on the same page as Cooper is.”

A mad smiled began to form on Mr. Medicus face. “Right!”

His hard shoes when they meet as Mr. Medicus spun around. “Cooper, we’re going to send you to your friend for the night.”

“What?” Cooper barely uttered before Mr. Medicus picked him up. “Hey! Quit shoving me! Just tell he who-”

“Kory,” Mr. Medicus answered, his hands pressed against the grey back. “Don’t worry about how I met him. Just enter my shop and we’ll be there.”

“How can we get to Kory place in this little place? I feel cramp alr- What the Hell?!”

The door shut and only the wind made any sounds.

“I guess we should go to our hotel Daren?” Zelda asked.

Ri-ri-ri-ri-ri-ri-ring.

“Huh?” Daren said and pulled out his cellphone.

He flipped it open.

“Hello? . . . I wasn’t expecting you to- . . . You want me to fix an issue? But we only have a couple of weeks- . . . What about Coy- . . . They’re busy? . . . You really mean it or is it because we’ve caused too much trouble? . . . Yes sir. . . . Good bye.”

Daren knuckles were white as he shut his cellphones. He then looked at Zelda, her eye are narrow.

“Is that who I think it is?”

“Yes.”

“And he’s ordering us to come back?”

“Yes.”

The street has gotten colder. Daren hair was sticking up.

“Damn it!” Zelda yelled, kicking one of the corpses away. “He couldn’t just wait two more weeks until we came back?!”

“Zelda,” Daren said softly.

“What if there was trouble every time we came to a place?! At least we make sure it ended!”

“Zelda.”

“Who does he think he is?!”

Silence. Zelda face streamed with tears.

“Zelda,” Daren said, walking closer to her. “You know who he is and you know why we need to stay on his good side. Zelda,” he held her hands, “I’m sorry, but in order for it to work we must go back.”

Zelda blue eyes reflected Daren sea blue eyes. Her hands wipe away the tears and she threw her arms around him. His hand brushed through her smooth hair.

“Um, excuse me?”

They looked and saw Mr. Medicus standing there.

“I heard shouting and I wanted to see if anything’s alright,” Mr. Medicus said.

“Bad news,” Daren explained. “We are being called back to help with a problem.”

“Ah, I’m sorry,” Mr. Medicus said, correcting his red bowtie. “Is there anything I can do to help?”

A grin formed in Daren face. “There’s one thing you can do.”

---

Rita put down Kory cellphone and closed her eyes.

Cooper was coming to stay with Kory since he missed his ride, Rita thought, and was told from Kory parents that he’s staying with her. Cooper then called Rita and told her that he’s staying with her too. She didn’t even get to explain why she doesn’t want him to come. It’s not because of a family issue since they’re out for the week, but because of Kory’s . . . problem.

She opened her eyes and she saw herself in a bedroom. Not a speck of dust in there. Just the light colors from the paint.

She turned away from the mirror and bit her lip while tapping her feet on the floor.

Then she got up and exits her room.

“Kory?” Rita said.

The guest room door widens and Kory pokes his dark scaly head out.

“What is it?” Kory asked.

“Bad news,” Rita explained. “Cooper called to tell us he’d missed his appointment and is coming here now for the night.”

Kory green eyes widen. “What? But Cooper left on time. What the Hell happened?”

“He didn’t explain,” Rita told him. “I guess we’ll have to ask when he gets here.”

Kory pressed his hand on his hard face. “Just what we needed. First I got changed into a dragon and now I got to explain it to him. I was hoping to come up with something tomorrow, not tonight.”

“Sorry,” Rita said, patting Kory on the shoulder.

“It’s alright,” Kory responded. “We should- wait. What’s that sound?”

A faint sound echoed in the walls. Then they got louder.

Kory and Rita looked around.

“Isn’t that-?” Rita said slowly.

It sounded like the bending of medals . . . .

“It’s him,” Kory said darkly.

Then the sounds stopped.

“Good,” Kory stated. “I wanted to give him a piece of my mind.”

They spun around in circles as their eyes gazed at the doors they could see. Rita shook a little as Kory nostrils flared.

A sound of a hand touching a brass doorknob from-

“There!” Kory said, pointing at a door.

“What? But that’s my room!” Rita stated.

Kory tail dragged on the floor as he quickly went to the side of the door. His eyes looked at the door like a cat waiting for a mouse to come out of its hole. Kory teeth gritted. His knuckles whiten.

The door opened.

“Hello Ri-”

Scaly fist hit furry neck.

The figure spun around. Then he collapsed.

Kory and Rita looked at the werewolf-like creature, their mouths a gasp.

“Um, oops?” Kory meekly said.

“That’s no way to greet someone,” the madman said, seeing the wolf on the round.

“I meant to hit you!” Kory retorted.

“My point still stands,” Mr. Medicus insisted.

Slap!

Mr. Medicus rubbed his cheek as he looked at the assaulter.

“I guess you want me to apologize to him, Rita?” Mr. Medicus asked.

“Yes,” she answered, glaring at him.

“Well, I did warned you two-”

“Mr. Medicus, what’s going on?”

Mr. Medicus turned around as Rita eyebrows raised and Kory cocked his head. A blond woman hopped out the store.

“Zelda?” Kory and Rita examined.

The name did not reach her ears. Instead she stared at the wolf. She sighed deeply as she turned to Mr. Medicus, her hands on her hips.

“I told you to stop at some empty house nearby, not in the house,” Zelda stated.

“That’ll be boring,” Mr. Medicus retorted.

“At least nobody-”

“Both of you shut up!” Kory said.

Mr. Medicus and Zelda stopped bickering.

“That’s better,” Kory said. “Now can you people explain what the Hell is going on?”

Mr. Medicus smiled and began his story as if it’s the greatest story ever told by man.

“Before you ask, no, your friend is not a victim of one of my products. You remember about the war that the Athrú fought in that result in both them and their enemy destruction? Well, I was a bit wrong.

“Your friend is a victim of the Athrú enemy of that war. They’re known as the Nex Mutatio. Like the Athrú, they’re known to transform their opponents. But their methods are . . . darker. The Athrú usually fought their battles by transforming in order to incapacitate their opponents, but the Nex Mutatio instead transform them and sent them to kill each other.

“Their technology cannot be used against them because the energies that are powering them leaks a little out. It messes their minds, makes them think thoughts they usually won’t think of. Eventually they’re corrupt, becoming no different than the victims. In a way, they are more dangerous than the victims because they can still think of ways to create more monsters.

“I thought they all died in the war, but I saw not only one of their technologies, but also a real, living Athrú with my own eyes. So, maybe if the Athrú survived, maybe the Nex Mutatio also.”

Mr. Medicus grinned wildly as he looked at his three audiences, his eyes wild and full of life.

Kory and Rita folded their arms, their eyes half shut. Zelda rolled her eyes as she lean against the wall.

“Oh, come on now,” Mr. Medicus said. “I thought it was an epic tale.”

“I’m more interested in his story,” Kory said, looking at the grey fur werewolf.

“Oh,” Zelda spoke up. “Don’t overreact, but he’s your friend Cooper.”

Rita eyes became wide as her hands covered her mouth. “Cooper?!”

Kory jaws hung down, his thin tongue showing. His eyes and face turn white as white can be.

“I-I-I-I-”

“Just come with me,” Zelda said gently, wrapping her arm on Kory back. She gently pushed him and his digitigrades feet move for him without any idea on where they’re going. They touched the rough carping as they walked out of the hall. The knees buckles as Zelda put him on a couch with the long dark tail on one side. The wings relaxed, covering much of the house.

“Rest here,” Zelda said, patting his head.

“-I-I-I-I-”

Her shoes brushed on the rug, kicking the dust onto the air, as Zelda walked back into the room.

“Is everything OK here?” Zelda asked.

“Did you really met him like that or are you lying and changed him?!” Rita demanded, her hands firmly grasp on Mr. Medicus coat.

“I really did found him like that!” Mr. Medicus insisted, his hands around Rita wrists. “Oi, Zelda! Can you get her off me?”

Zelda walked passed them and instead kneel next to Cooper. Her hands brushed the back of Cooper head as she lifted it up slightly. His eyes opened and focus on the brown-haired figure.

“Rita?” Cooper said.

Rita turned her attention away from Mr. Medicus as she let go of him. Her hair flew slightly when she kneels to Cooper side.

“What was the car that hit me again?” Cooper asked.

“Oh, that’ll be your dragon friend Kory,” Mr. Medicus answered, straightening his coat.

“Kory? But he couldn’t hit. . . . Why did you call him my dragon friend?” Cooper asked, his elbows pressed on the floor.

“That’s because he’s one of my customers,” Mr. Medicus quickly explained. “I offered him one of my rings, he accepted, and when I’d checked him out, he had already changed into a dragon.”

“What?!” Cooper said, getting up quickly.

Zelda and Rita did the same with Cooper already in the living room.

Zelda, Rita, and Mr. Medicus followed and went besides Cooper, his ear flatten to one side.

“What’s wrong with him?” Cooper asked, looking at the even paler face of a dragon.

“He’s still in shock when he realized who you are,” Zelda answered.

Cooper eyebrow raised a bit as Rita asked, “Is there a way to snap him out of it?”

“Leave it to me,” Cooper said, cracking his knuckles as he walked to the dark dragon.

“-I-I-I-I-”

Furry fist hit scaly head. Kory shook his head a bit while rubbing his head, his face returning to it normal color.

“Thank you,” Kory said.

“No problem,” Cooper replied, shaking his hand as if he punched a brick wall.

“And sorry about hitting you.”

“It’s OK.”

“OK,” Mr. Medicus said, rubbing his hands together. “How about we take a seat on these comfy couches?”

Mr. Medicus then sat on a couch across the one next to Kory’s one. Rita shrugged as she sat next Kory with Cooper following at the other side. Mr. Medicus grinned as he patted on the seat next to him. Zelda grabbed a wooden chair and sat on it.

“You do like to take the fun away,” Mr. Medicus said, frowning.

“Anyways,” Rita said loudly as Zelda opened her mouth, “there’s something I don’t understand. Cooper, how did you get in that state?”

“I was going to say the same thing about Kory,” Cooper admitted.

“Oh, this?” Kory said, gesturing to himself. “That store we were going into before you left? That was his.”

The man with the bowtie smiled.

“When we met him, we thought he was mad as Hell,” Kory continued, “talking about Athrú and a war. He seems to really believe that the items could change people, but we didn’t buy it. We left with Rita nephew gift and my own from that man. We were just cutting through the park on our way home when we met her and Daren again.

“We talked about the ring and Daren suggested that I should test it out. I accepted and, well, you can guess what happened.”

Cooper ears were cocked as Rita continued the story. “After that, that madman appeared the same way you guys appeared. We argued when that . . . thing from Daren pocket was making noises and lighting up. Daren and Zelda then took Mr. Medicus to that place and disappeared. After that, we came here.”

“That’s interesting,” Cooper commented.

“What about you?” Kory asked. “What happened that cause you to change into that?”

“Well,” Cooper began, sighing, “After I left you guys, I was dreading with thought on what my dad will say if I was late. Perhaps I was thinking too hard because I didn’t notice anyone behind me until I got a hard hit to the head.

“I came to and these guys in these business suits were there, one of them holding a cheesy gun. They all seem mad, but that man holding that gun was mad in a dangerous way. He talked about how special that gun is and how it did something unusual to animals they use for testing. He wanted to try it out on someone, anyone, and choose me.

“So I got hit and . . . blank. Next thing I know, Daren, Zelda and that man there were around me, with . . . those men dead with claw marks.”

Cooper hanged his head, with a dark, scaly hand patting his back. Zelda closed her eyes as Mr. Medicus shook his feet around.

“I’m sorry,” Rita said.

“It’s OK,” Cooper said.

“By the way,” Kory said, looking around the room, “did Daren come with you guys?”

“Yes.”

“Then where is he?”

As if on cue, the Hawaiian shirted man stepped into the room, his arm filled with clothes. Mr. Medicus stood up, his face stern.

“Did I miss something?” Daren asked.

“What were you doing in there?” Mr. Medicus demanded; his face a feet apart from Daren.

“Admiring your work,” Daren said, casting a glance at Zelda.

Daren walked passed Mr. Medicus, who was slightly nodding.

“Here are some clothes,” Daren said, passing them to Kory and Cooper. “No, I had made sure they aren’t the type that transforms you and yes, Mr. Medicus, I’d paid for them at full price.”

They examined them and something dropped from both sets of clothes. They picked them up and let the necklaces dangled on their fingers.

“Those will change you guys back, but only if you’re wearing them,” Daren said, rubbing his left forearm. “Also, here’s one for your nephew Rita. I’m sure he’ll need one.”

Rita held it on her hand, looking at the red gem.

“Now then,” Daren said, “I think it’s time to go now. Mr. Medicus, can you take us home?”

Mr. Medicus smiled. “Sure.”

Zelda eyes opened and cast a look at the trio. Mr. Medicus slightly skipped a bit as he reached his store. He enters, with Zelda and Daren following. Daren looked at Rita and Kory as he was entering, with the corner of his eye looking at Cooper.

Kory, Rita, and Cooper take a glance at each other.

The door opened again, with Daren head popping out.

“By the way,” Daren said, “if you met your other friend, just tell him it’ll last until tomorrow.”

Daren head disappeared. The door closed.

The machine grinding noise began again. They looked at the hallway until the noise faded away.

They then look at each other.

“What was he talking about?” Rita asked.

The second after she said that, there was a knocking noise. They looked at the front door.

“OK,” Rita said, standing up and pulling the other two off the couch. “Get inside one of the room that’s not mine, get yourself back to normal, and put on those clothes. Now.”

“OK. OK. Quit shoving.”

Rita tapped her foot until she could no longer see them. She took in a deep breath and went to the door. The doorknob slightly shook as she opened it.

“Hello-?”

She saw no one until she looked down. Then she couldn’t choose whether to be awed or surprised.

There was an anthro fox that dwarfs even Kory. The fur was small and pale with huge ears that are flatten back. The clothes were too big for him, the biker jacket dragging on the ground.

“Rita,” Steven asked with a squeaky voice, “can I stay here for the night?”

Rita barely restrained a giggle.

---

“That’s what the Commander wanted us to do?! That’s something even a standard Greyhound can do!”

“Sorry, but orders are orders.”

“If something like this ever happens again Daren, I’ll give him a piece of my mind!”

“You do that, just without you shouting my real name Vixen.”

“Sorry about that Solid Fox,” Vixen said.

Fox sighed a little, rubbing the rusty red hair on the back of his head. “Yu know that I didn’t like the ‘Solid’ part. I prefer it to be-”

“‘Red Fox or just Fox’,” Vixen said, grinning patting Fox black overcoat. “I know. But then you’ll just let me get away with that again.”’

“Of course I will,” Fox admitted; his hand on Vixen blue hair.

“Anyways, why did you stay at that shop for so long?” Vixen asked, her silver ear flattened to one side. “It couldn’t be because the clothes shop part was hard to find because I saw it on the way in the first time.”

Fox sighed from his muzzle as he pulled out some sort of mechanical device. “For this to give to Coyote.”

“DID SOMEONE JUST MENTION MY NAME!?!?”

“Yes and stop trying to surprise me,” Fox said.

Coyote grinned wildly as he place his arms around both Fox and Vixen.

“So, you got some data for me,” Coyote said calmly.

“Yes,” Fox said. “I’m sure it’ll cut off several years from our Project Oncoming Storm. . . .”