That One Unlucky Night

     My name is Nor. I am a shadow Lupe. Some call me gruff, others call me a mute. I may be gruff but I am certainly not a mute. How would I be a detective if I was mute? I got up and slowly walked to the door, whilst the knocking continued. I opened the door, to see a young orange Lupe standing there. He was a bit on the paranoid side, and was almost shaking.

     "Can I help you, son?" I asked the shaken fellow. He stared at me as if he shouldn't be around me. I motioned him in. He sat down, still a bit off. "What it is it, son? I'm off duty right now, so it better be urgent."

     "I'm sorry, but I needed to see you. Erm...Someone told me your a great detective, and I was hoping you could do something for me," he mumbled a bit. He didn't want to make eye contact with me, which was natural. Almost no one wants to make eye contact with a detective of my sorts. He also seemed to be covering something up on his arm, a scratch it seemed.

     "What is that there, son? On your arm, a scratch I presume? And why do you need my help?" I questioned. He was nervous now. He settled down, but was nervous.

     "Well...this mark...I don't know what it's from really, but it was big, furry, and it growled so viciously," he explained. He stopped covering the mark, since I had seen it. I leaned in to look at it. It was deep, but it seemed to be healing.

     "Well son, can you tell me when this happened? What specifically do you want me to look about?" I asked, trying to tone my voice as to not scare the boy. He looked at me now. His eyes were full of fear, I could see it. He sighed, then he began to talk.

     "Last night I was walking home from the Battledome, and I turned into an alley I normally take as a shortcut. It was dark, and there was a big full moon out. I just kept walking, like I always do. But then, this huge thing jumped out at me while it growled and roared. I didn't really see it since it was dark, but I could tell it was Lupe like. I tackled me and bit my arm...I ran as fast as I could, till I got home. I haven't seen the thing since," said the boy. He sighed again and stared at the ground. I could tell he was keeping something from me.

     "Son, I feel like there is something more. Speak to me," I slightly demanded. He looked at me slowly, then said....

     "I think it was a Werelupe sir," he moaned. I was taken slightly aback. "Werelupes? Nonsense." I stood up and walked back over to my stool, sat down, and took out a notepad. I wrote notes down. The boy was confused.

     "Why sir? There have been reports of them...I've heard. Will you help me? I want to find this thing...If it really is a Werelupe then I must know. You understand right sir?" begged the boy. He looked at me with great interest, waiting for my reply. I looked at him.

     "Alright son, I'll help. And, oh, forgive my terrible manners, my name is Nor," I said. He smiled a bit, and headed to the door. He looked back before he shut it.

     "My name is Charlie. Thank you, sir," he said, then left. I set down the notebook, and stared in abyss for a while. I leaned back on my stool, tilted my hat, and unbuttoned my coat. A case. On a Werelupe.

      * * * *

     The next day I got ready to head to the local cafe for a cup of coffee. I was heading down a flight of stairs out of the office when the boy, Charlie, came running up to me. He smiled. I could tell I had made his day yesterday. I met up with him.

     "Hello Mr. Nor. I wanted to come and talk some more, you know. Where are you going?" he asked, skipping along, trying to keep up.

     "Well Charlie, you can call me Nor. I'm heading to the cafe for a cup of coffee. Would you like to join me? Cafes are the best place to chat a bit. Sure. I know," I said, looking at him. He liked the idea, I could tell. We left the building and walked down the street. In the light of day he was different. He stood tall, had broad shoulders, yet he was easy in his walk. He showed confidence, and he also showed kindness. Detectives have got to know their stuff.

     As we entered the cafe, the little door bell rang. A plump, cheeky Kau behind the counter turned around to see us come up.

     "Oi! 'Ello, Nor! Good to see ya again, my friend! What can I do fer ya today?" she said in a strong accent. She was a kind soul. I've known her for years, since I come in here at least 4 times a week to think about cases.

     "Hello, Sybil. I'll have a light caramel, and for my friend here, I think he will take a shake please," I said. Charlie must have thought the same thing, since he had no objection. Sybil smiled and went into the kitchen to make the orders. I turned to Charlie to ask him some questions.

     "Charlie, seeing as how this isn't a normal case for me, I'm going to go about this differently. I need you to take me to that alley and tell me every detail of this creature. Also, have you seen any suspicious fellows around lately?" I inquired.

     "Well, not really. I've seen you but that's normal...But there's this one old guy. But he's really old, he probably can't do anything, but he does like voodoo and stuff. And the creature, well, it was too dark, but it was like 7 foot, hairy, muscular, had claws, fangs, red eyes, and that's it," he listed for me. I wrote it all down, but of course it wasn't much. Suddenly an idea popped into my head.

     "Son, I'm going to have to see you at night on a full moon night. You know, to see if it's true that it was a Werelupe," I quickly stated, getting to the point. He was a bit shocked by this proposition.

     "Oh, well, um. That's odd... Are you sure you would wanna do that? What if it was a Werelupe? I might...hurt you," he mumbled. He was afraid, I could tell. Poor fellow.

     "Yes, I understand that Charlie, but we have to. Besides, there is no avoiding it," I sighed. Sybil brought us our drinks, and we sat and drank the rest of the while.

      * * * *

     The next few days went on quite quickly as we waited for the next full moon. Tonight was the night. Charlie had me meet with his mother about all this, and she was just as confused as I was. She agreed to have him stay at my office for the night. We stayed up playing cards until the sun set. Then I went into action.

     "Well, Charlie, it's time to move you into the basement. Shall we?" I said as I opened the door. He followed me, nervously. I didn't blame him at all. In some way I knew how he felt.

     As we got to the basement's door Charlie had already started shaking, almost like it was the end of the world. I opened the door and we walked in.

     "Charlie, just sit in here until the moon rises. Then just let it happen. I'll be watching through this window. And don't fight anything son, it will just make it worse," I said. He walked in and sat down, not muttering a word. Poor fellow. I held his shoulder and wished him good luck. I left the room.

     Hours passed until the moon finally rose. I headed down to the basement and peered in the window. He sat there, shaking. He was afraid. Then I saw him go rigid. His orange fur started to turn darker, and he grew larger. His paws grew claws, and his muzzle lengthened. His teeth grew as well. His eyes, his soft, amber eyes turned blood red. I could hear him growling. It was true. It was a Werelupe. I locked the door tighter and went back up to my office. I locked the door. Sitting down, I tilted my hat, and thought. This case was now over. For hours I heard Charlie roaring and clawing at the walls. I fell asleep.

      * * * *

     The next morning I awoke in a bit of a jumble. I straightened myself out and went down to the basement. I was a bit nervous myself. I had something to tell dear Charlie.

     I opened the door to see him sleeping in a bundle in a corner. I aroused him and he startled. We sat down and talked about the night's events. To be honest, Charlie wasn't that "hurt", he almost seemed to like being a Werelupe. I could understand that feeling somewhat. We went silent, so I broke the ice.

     "Charlie...last night, while you raved, I found out who bit you..." I said. I stared at the ground, while he looked at me with great excitement.

     "Really? Who was it? I want that guy to know I'm still mad!" he said with triumph. I stared at him, in his eyes. He settled down, seeing something was wrong.

     "What is it, Mr. Nor? What is it?" he begged, leaning in, worried. I took his shoulder, and stared him in the face.

     "Charlie, promise me one thing before I tell you. Promise me that you won't think wrongly of me after this. Do you promise, son?" I sighed. He was scared, and confused.

     "I promise sir!" he said.

     "Charlie....I am...the one who...bit you," I whispered. His eyes widened.

     "But wait, no, it can't be. If you bit me, wouldn't you have changed last night too? I don't remember hearing anything else but myself. What do you mean?" he whined, wanting to know more.

     "Well, the same day you had been bitten, I was out in the Haunted Woods searching a case. An old man came up to me with a necklace of claws and teeth. He said it would give me great power if I wore it. He coaxed me into taking it. I was so foolish. That night I wore it, and the last thing I remember is seeing my paws turn into claws. That necklace was a Werelupe Claw Necklace. Since I wore it, it made me a Werelupe for that night. I'm sorry Charlie, it's my fault, I was foolish," I explained, ending it with a sigh. I looked at him. He was staring at me in a sad way.

     "Mr. Nor...Why didn't you tell me sooner if you knew? I would have understood. I like being a Werelupe!" he said with as much enthusiasm he could muster.

     "No son, it is my fault. I owe you an apology that I cannot pay. I'm sorry," I mumbled. He took my paw and shook it a bit.

     "No! Really sir! Please don't blame yourself. Please. I'm just glad your not evil and will eat me. I'm almost grateful sir!" he said trying to cheer me up. I looked at him....and smiled. He smiled back at that.

     "I wish there was something I could do. I had this feeling, deep inside, through the whole case, that it was me. I don't remember that night until I woke up the next morning with the taste of blood in my mouth. I haven't told anyone," I moaned. He jerked me into my senses.

     "No, Mr. Nor. Stop that. I'm fine, just promise me one thing, like I did you, okay?" he demanded. I nodded.

     "Promise me that you will be my friend and not like drive yourself nuts over this?" he said. He looked at me hard.

     "I promise, Charlie," I said. The two of us smiled. That was that.

      * * * *

     Later that night I was sitting on my stool, taking notes. It read:

      Ironically, I was the one who bit dear Charlie. He isn't upset, but I feel guilty nonetheless. I made a promise to him, and I will keep it.

     Case closed.

     I closed the notebook and looked out the window. The feeling inside me was clearing up. I zoned into abyss again. Like that notebook said, case closed.

The End