Chapter Text
A dozen teenagers thundered down the dirt road, shoes pounding in rhythm as dust puffed around their ankles. The afternoon sun warmed their backs, turning every breath into a hot gasp. Green trees arched overhead, their leaves flickering like applause, while shrubs and tall grass blurred past in streaks of summer color.
One girl surged forward, inch by inch gaining on the lead runner. The finish line came into view, a banner fluttering between two poles, surrounded by cheering teens and adults. The crowd’s shouts rose into a chaotic roar.
They crossed the line in a blur, stumbling into a slow jog before finally stopping. Sweat dripped down their temples as they bent over, hands on knees, lungs burning.
“One point for team Clear Water leveling them at twenty-eight points. Two points for team Doonsberry leveling them at thirty-one. Three for team Monico leveling at twenty-five. Four for team Hill High leveling them at thirty-nine. And five for team Bliss leveling at forty-six.” The announcer’s voice crackled through the set up speakers at the cross country location, echoing across the meeting field as the crowd erupted in cheers.
The girl from team Clear Water breathlessly laughed in relief at just barely making first. She turned around and held out her hand to the boy that came in second, brushing a strand of hair off her damp forehead. “You did good. You didn’t even seem to be breaking a sweat over that.”
The boy grinned sheepishly. “Yeah. Thanks. You did good to.” They high fived before walking over to their teams.
One of the blond boys in the Doonsberry gathering grinned at the runner. “You lost by three inches to a girl, dude!”
The runner laughed, still catching his breath as he wiped sweat from his forehead. “She would’ve plowed you into the dust, Taylor. She’s got a faster jump and sprint than half the guys here.”
Taylor snorted. “You’re just saying that to save your pride. You’re slower than a stop sign, man.”
A brown‑haired boy chimed in, jabbing the runner in the shoulder. “Your little sisters can leave you in the dust.”
“My sisters are fast, okay?” the runner protested, throwing his hands up.
Taylor grinned. “They’re complete computer geeks. They don’t even practice and they can still beat you.”
The boys exploded into hoots and laughter, some doubling over, some slapping each other’s backs. The girls sighed loudly and rolled their eyes, exchanging looks that said boys are exhausting.
The camp speakers crackled overhead, cutting through the noise. “Next set of cross‑country runners to the line!” The team perked up as one name from their team echoed across the field to their attention. “Chris Bowen, also known by his friends as Speed Demon!”
A fiery red-haired boy with intense green eyes at the starting line raised his hand to wave at the crowd so they knew which of the runners he was. He then went back to standing with his arms crossed. He was dressed like the rest of the runners but he stood out not only in hair color but in the air of confidence, control, and strength that vibrated off of him. Which was strange since his physique was thin and not visually telling of the strength that he was slowly gaining. He was taller than the other sixteen-year-old boys in line but not full height yet as his recent growth spurts were proving.
A few yards away, the brown‑haired boy tapped his smartwatch and hit call. Taylor leaned in, blond hair falling into his eyes as he watched the screen. It buzzed once before Chris’s face appeared. “We’re in second place,” the brown‑haired boy said. “Think you can get us in first?”
Chris huffed out a laugh, glancing down the line of runners before looking back. “I’ll be in first as usual. The other teams will struggle, but I can’t promise we’ll take first overall.”
Taylor snorted and elbowed his friend. “Sheesh. You’re humble.”
“Think you can handle the mountain rise?” Fallon asked, dark tan catching the sunlight as he leaned closer to the smartwatch.
Chris’s bored expression cracked into an excited grin. “Chill, Fallon. That’s the part I want to run.”
Taylor threw his hands up. “You’re crazy!”
“Totally!” Fallon laughed. “But I can’t wait to see our Demon finally die on something!”
Chris snorted and ended the call. He dropped into a crouch at the starting line, fingers brushing the warm dirt. The smell of sun‑baked earth and trampled grass rose around him as the announcer’s voice crackled through the speakers. Everyone wanted him to choke, even his friends, but it was friendly. The Doonsberry team called him a Demon because he could sprint distances that made the rest of them collapse.
The starting horn blared. Chris lunged forward, legs exploding into motion. His grin stretched wide, almost manic, as he surged past runners who were pacing themselves with controlled jogs. Dust spiraled behind him. Fallon and Taylor’s voices cut through the crowd. “Go Chris! Go Speed Demon!”
A portable speaker crackled to life, blasting the beat of the song they’d declared his theme. The music thumped across the field like Chris had his own soundtrack, pushing him faster, farther, higher toward the mountain rise he’d been waiting for.
Chris laughed silently as he pulled ahead, the cheers fading behind him. He drew in deep breaths, lungs filling with the sharp scent of pine and damp earth. His eyes skimmed the woods beside the road, catching every flicker of movement. A bird darting, a branch swaying, sunlight breaking through the canopy.
His legs ached to go faster, and he gave in, grin stretching wider. Distance runners were supposed to pace themselves, but Chris lived for speed. That was why they called him Demon because he could sprint long distances that left others collapsing. His coach had nearly torn her hair out trying to slow him down, but Chris thrived on the rush, the way time stretched when he was flying. The wind stung his cheeks, exhilarating, alive. At the mountain rise his stride shortened, muscles burning as the incline pressed against him. The challenge only made him laugh harder.
At the checkpoint, paramedics and video crews waited. Chris slowed to a jog, raising a hand in greeting. “Can I have some water?”
“Sure,” one of the women said, popping open a cooler. She tossed him a bottle. He caught it, tipped it back, cool water spilling down his throat and dripping onto his shirt. With a quick grin, he capped it, tossed it back, and launched forward again, faster, freer, unstoppable.
Before he could fully get out of range of the check point he heard the announcer’s broadcasted voice excited exclaim, “Wow! I’ve never seen anything like this before! Bowen’s hair has turned white!”
It took a moment for Chris to realize that the announcer was talking about him. “What?” His hair was white? Adults did have a weird sense of humor but in the middle of a meet? The red continued to run as he began pushing his fingers through his hair to see if there were any differences. It did not feel any different and neither did he in any physical way.
One of the drones broad casting the meet zoomed down to focus on him on his left side. On the other end of the feed he could almost imagine the comments being made, the muttering an things the other kins an adults were saying. The ends of his hair that he could see were the normal red color. Taking a hint from the drone’s position he glanced at the locks he could see on the left. He inhaled sharply as he spotted one of his bang locks that was now a bright silvery white.
He glanced at the drone and sped up to a dead sprint. Swiftly he raced along the road trying to keep away from the drone’s lenses. Away from the thing that was going to fuel all the talking behind his back. The red pulled the foreign lock forward so that he could look at it better. It was not just the ends but the entirety of the hair strands in that area. He could not see what other areas had changed.
The next checkpoint came into view as he forced himself to keep the sprint. “What’s going on with Bowen?” The announcer was saying. The green-eyed boy knew that he was definitely going to be teased horribly about this in school. “I’ve got to get a look at that crazy hair.”
Then he was away from the checkpoint. The next stop was the finish line, where every one could gawk at him. He looked up and found the drone that was following him.
Then he was skidding across the rocky ground. Chris hit the ground hard, gravel scraping across his skin. He hissed as pain stabbed into him, the sharp scent of iron rising with the blood. Carefully he sat up and looked at himself. Small rocks were imbedded in his arms and legs that had blood starting to swell from the scraped raw wounds. A pounding headache blurred his vision, and warm wetness trickled down his temple. The world tilted, spinning for a moment before he forced himself upright. Other areas over his body carried the sharp ache. Apparently sprinting while being completely distracted was a very bad idea.
He waved that he was okay to the drone. The finish line was not too far away but that would mean everybody would be watching. Yes, his team would loose if he forfeited, but he did not care. Slowly he crawled into the thriving shrubbery out of the drone’s sight.
The teams at the finish line watched the feed anxiously. Taylor and Fallon shared a look before nodding. “Let’s go get Chris,” The dark-skinned boy said as they began to jog down the road.
Chris tried to even out his heavy breathing as he curled up against one of the trees in the woods. He could hear the announcer slightly as the other runners finally finished. Gently he picked the rocks out of the bloody mess that his arms and legs had become, the pain even more terrible. He was certain that nothing was broken or strained but that did not stop it from hurting. Once it lessened he would run home. It would take a few hours on foot but running was his favorite thing to do, especially now that it would allow him to avoid people.
He sighed as he tried to look at his hair again. It still looked like he had bleached it. But how? His hair was completely red when he began the race. So how did it turn white in the middle of the meet when no one was around and he was running? Maybe it was some kind of premature male baldness thing. Except he wasn’t bald. Some of his hair was white and he had never heard of someone’s hair instantly doing that. Especially at the age of sixteen.
“Chris.”
Chris turned around quickly in surprise at the unexpected voice. “What!” Instantly he was on his feet and backing away from a huge black dog. Its fur was standing straight up and scraggly. Large sharp teeth were on display as its eyes glowed red. The most frightening thing though was probably the smoke that was wafting off of it. A pale red glow came between cracks in the canine’s body with small flames occasionally licking up, reminiscent of fur. Pure terror shot through the teenager as the thing stepped closer.
“Yes. I’m talking to you,” The hideous dog said in a grating voice.
The red’s mind stalled for a second at the fact that a dog was talking to him. A dog that was on fire. An intense itching where his scrapes were was also very distracting. He gasped as he glanced down at his hands. The raw flesh was quickly stitching itself back together. Quickly he wiped away the blood and stared at a perfectly whole and undamaged limb. He was dreaming. He had to be dreaming. The pain must have been so bad that he had just passed out.
The monstrous creature chuckled. “Don’t panic. You can heal fast.” Chris just stared at it. What was there not to panic about? The large dog trotted up so that it was beside the teen. “Come on. Your friends are worried about you.” When Chris did not move it lifted up a paw that was not smoldering and gently pushed the boy forward.
The red began walking forward with the thing guiding him through the woods. This seemed real. Everything felt real. The sounds, the wind, the scent of plant, the hot heat of the thing that came up to his ribcage. But it couldn’t be. The sound of his friends calling for him soon could be heard. The dog suddenly began to trot away. “Wait!” Chris called. What was happening?
“We’ll talk later,” The creature said before disappearing into the woods. The terror of before was gone but the confusion was even worse.
For a moment the red head stood still before snapping out of the daze. Chris stumbled out of the trees, dirt clinging to his scraped arms, and hurried toward his friends waiting by the road. “Chris! You’re alive!” Taylor exclaimed. “How much gravel did you eat?”
“Wow! Gnarly hair, dude!” Fallon joined in.
Chris shot them a weary glare, shoulders tense, one hand tugging self‑consciously at the strange white lock. They never meant harm with the careless comments and insults but right now was not exactly the best time. “Guys.”
“What? Its weird! Cool weird, but weird. Though not as weird as Dylan’s hair. He really needs to redye it,” Fallon stated.
“Is it only right here?” Chris asked, pulling the silvery lock forward. It gleamed unnaturally against the rest of his fiery hair.
The other two boys circled around. “Yeah, that’s it,” Taylor said, circling him with wide eyes. “But seriously, man… what happened out there?”
“I don’t know. But, it gets weirder. I was bleeding really bad, and then I was perfectly fine. Then a really scary dog, like huge German Shepard height with huge teeth and red eyes, talked to me. We… actually had a conversation.” Chris told them still slightly dazed.
Taylor threw his arms wide. “Wow! Instant healing? A talking dog? Mysterious white hair?! Dude, you’re basically a Netflix pilot! There’s something deep and intense going on here.”
“Yes,” Fallon agreed, “Like a deep and intense concussion.”
Trust Fallon to keep Taylor in reality. “I’m fine,” Chris muttered, already backing away. “I just… I need to go home. I’ll call you later.” He turned to run off into the woods in the general direction of his home many miles away.
“Okay…” Fallon said, glancing down the dirt road. “But if you start seeing double, have Rijan drag you to the hospital.”
“Or the zoo!” Taylor added brightly.
Fallon blinked at his other friend in confusion. “The zoo?”
Taylor shrugged, hands shoved in his pockets as he strolled toward the parking zone. “I love the zoo.”
Fallon shook his head, muttering under his breath. “Pretty sure your parents dropped you on your head as a baby and just left you there.”
~
Later that afternoon Chris sat on his bed staring at his reflection in the mirror. As bright as daylight the silvery lock of hair shown out of his vibrant red hair. He tugged his white jacket tight and raised the hood, as if hiding could erase the change. A knock came at his door. “Come in,” he called, half‑hearted.
A small beautiful Chinese origin woman opened the door and stepped in. “Hey! I heard that you took a pretty hard fall... Are you alright?”
Chris sighed as he turned on his bed to look at his family, “Aunt Rijan? When you ran cross country… did anything… I don’t know… weird… ever happen to you?”
Rijan smiled slightly, “Well, that depends. Is it, both soles of your shoes simultaneously drop out, weird? Or the boys decide to blow up all the water bottles and the water cooler weird? Or they added salad vinaigrette on top of your cheese cake weird? Or weird in how certain boys, or maybe for you, girls, make you a nervous flustered mess even though you know that you are more than capable of taking them down?”
Chris laughed as he was reminded that his aunt was awesome and had gone through a bunch of weird stuff. “How about this weird?” He asked as he nervously flipped the hood of his jacket off to show his hair.
Rijan blinked in surprise as she picked out the silvery lock. “Oh! You dyed your hair.”
“No, I didn’t! This just happened in the middle of the meet! I tripped and got really scrapped up but then it instantly healed! Then a huge, creepy dog spoke to me.” Chris exclaimed as he flopped backwards onto the bed as he wanted to give up on all the insanity that he must have imagined.
“Oh.” Was all Rijan said as she slowly sat down on the side of his bed.
“What’s happening to me? Am I going crazy?” The red head desperately asked, begging for anything.
Rijan sighed with a heavy weight in her voice, “No. You’re not crazy. You just didn’t… know.”
That was different. Chris slowly sat up in confusion. “Didn’t know what?”
“I told you how you first came to live with me, right?” Rijan asked.
“Yeah. After my parents died when I was a baby,” The red remembered.
Rijan nervously tried to smile, “Yeah. Well, it's actually a bit more complicated than that. You see… your dad was always one for telling stories. So, when he told me that he had fallen in love and married a werewolf… Well, I just thought that it was another one of his tales. When I met your mother, she looked like any other woman, just with a certain kind of feeling about her.”
Surprised and skeptical was what Chris could say he was so far. Rijan rose, her steps restless, fingers twisting together as she paced the room. “But then a few months after the accident. Before I had Ton, I was warming up on the lawn outside of our house for my morning run. I know that there had been no one out there, I checked. But suddenly a voice a few feet behind me spoke. Rijan? I swear my heart stopped and my spine crackled in a hundred different ways when I turned around. There was no one there!”
“I asked who was there. Slowly a boy, around the age of five or so stepped out of the shadows. He had silvery white hair and green eyes just like yours. Only thing was that he had big black canine ears, a tail, claws, and really sharp teeth. I’m Luke. I think my dad told you about me. He said to me. I remembered that your dad had mentioned that he had had a son that they had named Luke but I had never been able to meet him.”
“Everything that your dad had told me was real. Luke was literally a werewolf. The only thing that he had not told me… was that he had a second son. Your brother had brought you with him. You were the cutest little baby I had ever seen. His name is Chris. Luke had told me. I noticed that you didn’t have any of the wolf characteristics and I mentioned that to him. Yes. He’s human. Which makes it dangerous for him in Transylvania. I’m sorry, but I have to ask. Will you take care of him? He’ll fit in better here, and he’ll be safe.” Your brother had asked.”
“Of course, I said yes. We had been planning on having a child and we were more than willing to take you in and raise you. I loved you the second I saw you. Your brother did too. He hated to leave. But before he left, he gave you your claw necklace. He said that it would always keep you safe.”
Chris touched the sharp claw that was around his neck. Never once had he taken it off. The black ribbon that held it on was still new looking despite the years and abuse. When he had been little it had hanged but now it was more like a choker.
Rijan noticed his gaze drifting, fingers tightening around the claw as if it might anchor him. “I guess I should’ve told you before, but I just thought that it would be too much for you to handle.” Chris was quiet. “Hey. Are you okay?”
“I’m great,” Chris stated as he looked at her with his voice sharp. “But you’ve had too many mega nasty wipe outs.”
“Chris,” Rijan tried to speak.
“You want me to believe that my mother was a werewolf? And that I have a brother that is too? And my dad was secretly… What? The Lock ness monster?” The red asked incredulously.
“I’m telling you the truth, Chris. I promise. Chris!” The small woman stated.
The red head huffed out a laugh as he stood up and headed over to his open window. “I’ve got to go.”
In a heartbeat, he swung out the window, sneakers scraping bark as he scrambled down the tree and hit the ground running. A block away from his home he pressed on his smart watch for it to dial. “Hey Fallon. You and Taylor still up for the Boulder? I need a major reality check.”
“See ya there, bro. Don’t take too long,” Fallon replied lightly.
“Get real,” Chris grinned at his friends. He never did anything slow.
~
Later, the three boys sprawled across the sun‑warmed Boulder, their secret hideout deep in the woods. It was the one place they could talk freely, away from everyone else.
Chris finished his story with a groan. “And that’s what she told me. So yeah. I’m officially losing it. Cause insanity clearly runs in my family.”
Fallon smirked. “Own it, bro.”
Taylor tapped at his phone, eyes gleaming. “Crazy doesn’t explain silver streaks, man. But half‑werewolf? That might.”
Chris rolled his eyes hard, throwing his hands up. “Werewolves. Don’t. Exist. Period.”
“But it might also explain your anger issues,” Taylor shot back, smirking.
Chris's fists clenched. “I don’t have anger issues!”
Fallon didn’t even look up. “Dude. You have anger issues. You’ve almost beaten a couple people to death.”
“The guy was bullying my cousin Ton,” Chris grumbled, jaw tight.
Fallon shrugged. “That’s probably why this is happening. Too many revenge beatdowns scrambled your brain. Now your hair’s turning gray and you’re hallucinating.”
Chris rolled his eyes hard. “Wow. Thanks for the medical diagnosis, Dr. Fallon. You’re so helpful. But really, that makes so much more sense.”
Taylor’s phone beeped before the boy himself excited shouted. “Aha! See? This site says that according to mythology werewolves come of age around sixteen and often experience physical changes like more, longer, or different colored hair. Ha! This proves it!”
Chris was getting tired of rolling his eyes but he did it again. Fallon sat up, “Yes. It proves that you can make up anything, and put it on the internet.”
“It’s not made up! Its real werewolf fact. Chris is proof,” Taylor defended.
“I’m not proof! I’m not a werewolf!” The red shouted angrily as he jumped to his feet. The other boys went silent not to draw out their friend’s anger. “Taylor! I need you guys to talk me out of this craziness, not further in! I thought I was hurt really badly out there and in a few seconds it was all gone! I thought a dog was talking to me!”
“There’s a reason for that,” A harsh grating voice said.
Chris whipped around, heart hammering, eyes widening as the massive black shape loomed below the Boulder. “What?” Taylor and Fallon chorused as they jumped up and also looked down.
There sitting below them was the ginormous black dog with red eyes and teeth naturally displayed. “You can spontaneously heal. And I can.”
All three boys stared down in shock. Taylor bounced in glee as he recovered first. “Yes! You didn’t tell us he was literally on fire! This is epic!”
The creature’s laugh crackled like burning wood, smoke curling from its jaws. “Thank you. I do have a name. Brim or Brimstone if you’re more formal.”
“Forget formal! Its awesome to meet you, Brim. What are you?” Taylor enthusiastically said.
Brim’s voice rumbled like stone grinding. “I am a hell hound. Born of fire and shadow.”
“This… cannot… be happening.” Fallon said in disbelief as he slowly looked around to see if it was a prank. Chris nodded in understanding at his friend.
“This is great! Brim is Chris’s werewolf spirit animal. Right?” Taylor dramatically fell full swoop in to the fantasy.
Brim seemed amused, “I’m just a friend. I was real close with Chris’s brother.”
That caught the red’s attention. Chris froze, heart thudding. He didn’t buy the werewolf story, but the word brother hit like a punch. He’d always wanted one. Yet was skeptical with everything that had been suggested of the one he was supposed to have. “You... knew my brother?”
“Everyone knew your brother,” Brim said gravely. “He was the Alpha of Transylvania. But then Haysin, once a member of your mother’s council, seized control. He rules with greed, draining the Umbra, creatures of shadow, and leaving Transylvania in peril. And if he continues, all realms of the earth may be destroyed.”
Fallon blinked as he studied the mythical canine. “So wait… you’re not just saying Chris is a werewolf. You’re saying he’s basically werewolf royalty.”
Chris’s voice cracked as he ran a hand through his hair. “Please don’t tell me you’re actually buying this.”
Fallon gestured at Brim, deadpan. “Chris. We’re literally talking to a dog made of smoke and lava. Reality check.”
Their dramatic friend spoke up, “A werewolf prince. That’s so fairytale. Do you have a princess somewhere?”
“Stop!” Chris shouted, storming to the far side of the Boulder. Brim trotted alongside, molten eyes never leaving him. “If all this happened years ago, why are you telling me now?”
Brim’s voice rumbled. “Because the wolf within you has awakened. You’ve come of age. Now you can return to Transylvania and defeat Haysin. Just as the Destinies have foretold.”
Taylor’s eyes widened. “That is so deep.”
Chris jabbed a finger at his chest, voice cracking. “Deeply crazy! My destiny is running, to be the best in America, maybe the world. This mutant werewolf garbage is getting in the way of that! And as for Transylvania… even if it does exist..."
Taylor grinned, phone still in hand. “Which it totally does.”
“Why should I care if its in trouble? I don’t. I don’t care about any of this! Not some make believe werewolf brother!” The red head angrily untied the choker around his neck and held up the claw to be seen. “Or his make-believe protective necklace!”
Angrily he threw down the accessory and glared at all present. Then the claw pulsed, and burst into a storm of glowing green strands, black haze curling like smoke. The boys froze as the light twisted, weaving into an image. It was a young man with silver hair and one stray lock of red in his bangs that had the ears and tail described of a werewolf. He had his chained hands stretched out in front of him that had a thick black fog coming off of them that formed into the glowing green strands that had made the picture.
Brim excitedly put his front paws on the boulder the get a better look. “Luke is alive! This image proves it!” He roared happily.
Chris did not take his eyes off of the being in the glow that looked so similar to him yet so different. “I don’t understand. Is this my brother? Right now?”
“Yes! Your necklace can create the image because Luke filled it with Magick, the essence of life.” Brim said.
Chris’s green eyes went to the chains around his brother’s wrists. Even though he physically looked strong there seemed to be a deep exhaustion coming from him. “Is he okay?”
“No ones okay. Not while Haysin rules. We actually believed that Haysin had killed Luke. And you’re the only one that can stop him.”
The red reached out to touch the cloud but it disappeared. His family was hurting. He may never have known them but he had always protected those he cared for. “I’ll go. I’ll help stop Haysin.”
“And fulfill your werewolf destiny!” Taylor exclaimed.
“No! If my brother can make a magic necklace, he can get me back to normal, and stop all these crazy changes. Then I’m back here for good, and we forget any of this ever happened. Sound good to you?” He directed the question towards Brim.
The hell hound bowed, “As you wish.”
Chris took a deep breath to brace himself before sliding off of the boulder. “Don’t die!” Taylor shouted dramatically. Fallon smirked. “Yeah, good luck, bro. We’ll hold down reality for you.”
“Thanks. Tell Rijan where I am, and that I’m safe.” The red ordered before he and the hellhound padded off into the woods.