“Thanks for walking me,” Austin said, his eyes baby blue as he stared at me in his usual trance. The collar was one of those thicker, studded ones I’d often see on mean-looking dogs, and the leash was something simple I’d picked up at the pet store. 

“Where do you need to go next?” I asked, ignoring the weird stares from people passing by. 

“I’m good. Let’s go home. Gotta get to work.”

“What are you working on now?”

“A house. Wanna put something nice in the backyard.”

“You—you want a doghouse?”

“Sure do. I bet you could teach me all kinds of tricks.”

“Austin, you’re not a dog.”

He stopped and got on both knees, laying his head against my stomach as he looked up at me with those sad eyes. 

“Come on, man. Everyone’s looking at us.”

“I wanna be your loyal, obedient dog, Art.”

I jerked awake and set up in bed next to a snoring Simon. The dreams I’d been having lately kept getting weirder. While the elder magic may have been good for Austin’s mental health, it was driving me insane. 

Rubbing my eyes, I pushed away the blanket and scooted to the end of the bed before creeping out into the hallway. Deep snoring vibrated the walls in surround sound as I made my way through the house, Austin in bed with Adam and Derrek on the couch. 

I offered to sleep in the living room and let him and Simon sort things out in our bed, but he insisted he didn’t want to put me out. The guy barely fit, his legs hanging off the arm of the sofa and his arm dragging on the floor, half of his body teetering on the cusp of crashing to the floor. 

I knelt next to him, lightly shaking him awake. 

“Derrek, go sleep in my bed,” I whispered. “You’re gonna break the couch.”

The huge werewolf sat up, the sofa complaining under his weight as he rubbed the gunk from the corners of his eyes. 

“What are you doing up?” 

“Can’t sleep.” 

“Want a swimming lesson?” he whispered in a slurred voice, his eyes half open. Even when tired, it was all werewolves thought about.

“Derrek.” I shoved him and sat back against the cushions. “Happy Halloween, by the way.”

“Can’t believe the luck. It’s a full moon, too.” 

“What did you bring for the costume party?”

Derrek stood up and stretched. “Oh, you’re gonna love this.”

He unzipped his large duffel bag and fished around for a moment before pulling out a gray covering. Firmly shaking out the creases, he slipped it over his head and pulled it about halfway down. 

“What do you think?” he asked.

It was the cutest shark costume I’d ever seen. The head was like a hoodie with spaced rows of little plastic pointed teeth and large eyes with big, black pupils. Derrek’s head poked out from the mouth, and the rest of the costume covered him like a snug-fitting armless jacket. It even had a long shark tail with enough space for the werewolf to tuck his own tail into. 

“That is…uncharacteristically adorable.”

“Right? My surfer buddy’s wife made it custom for me. What are you gonna wear?”

“I—” I hadn’t given it much thought. “I don’t know. Simon said he wanted to go with a theme, so I’m leaving it up to him.”

“Uh oh.” Derrek slipped out of his shark costume, folding it neatly before stuffing it back into his bag. 

“What do you mean by ‘uh oh?’”

“Simon’s themes are always—interesting. He really likes to get into character, too.”

“When am I ever going to learn?”

“It actually turned into a fun tradition. Simon would dress up as something elaborate, get piss drunk and get into character. I remember one time, the host of the party bent over to grab something out of the cooler and he shouted ‘this is Sparta’ before kicking him head-first into the pool.” Derrek rubbed his chin as he recollected. “He did that about three times before people got fed up with his shit and kicked him out.”

“Christ,” I muttered under my breath. “At least he won’t be drunk.” 

“Sounds boring, though.” He folded his arms. “Maybe I should have a talk with this mayor.”

“Let’s not make waves with him. I’m trying to keep the peace as it is.”

“I’m surprised he hasn’t tried to abduct you,” Derrek said, sitting back down on the couch. “That’s what elders do to half-turns that show the signs. Indoctrinate them early.”

“What do you mean?”

“We’re pretty rare, Art. All werewolves have magic, but only a few can tap into it like we can. A huge sign is usually when a half-turn shifts later in life.”

“Did you shift later, too?”

Derrek shook his head. “Nah. It doesn’t always happen like that. For me, I started showing at about sixteen, but I could do things that the other half-turns couldn’t. Got found out and had to lie low. That was when I met Simon. Say what you will about the guy, but he knows things that he has no business knowing.”

“What do you mean?”

Derrek shrugged. “I don’t know whether the guy plays dumb, or if he really can’t remember certain things, but he has this innate sense I can’t figure out. Like, he’s really wise while also being a complete idiot.” He eyed me and smirked. “Confused yet?”

“Very,” I said. “But I know exactly what you’re talking about.” I stood from the couch and headed into the hallway. “I’ll be right back.”

Tiptoeing into the room, I opened our top drawer and pulled out a leather sack one of the feral werewolves traded us that night Simon and I were in the woods. I crept back out and gently shut the door behind me before also shutting Adam and Austin’s door. 

“Here,” I said, tossing the bag onto Derrek’s lap. “He knew what this was. I think Simon used to be feral, at least the mayor seems to think so. He mentioned it a time or two.”

“That wouldn’t surprise me in the least.” He opened the bag and pulled out a pinch of the herb. “What the hell is this?”

“Some kind of psychedelic the ferals use. Simon and I got high off of it that night, but while we were using it, we could understand what they were saying.”

“Arthur, dude,” he said, dropping the herb back into the bag. “You can’t go out into the woods like that.”

“I know that now.”

 “Simon should have known better, but he probably just wanted to get high.” He eyed the bag on his lap. “So, uh…what’s it like?”

“Incredible,” I said, sitting down, scooting up next to Derrek in anticipation. “Simon and I use it sometimes when we’re fucking, and holy shit. It enhances everything.”

Derrek glanced toward the hallway. 

“Can it help you get to sleep?”

“If I smoke it, yeah, but the high lasts longer. It sucks to use in the house, so Simon and I usually smoke it next to the fire. The last time we did it in the house, that ugly couch in our bedroom started talking to me.” I grinned mischievously at him. “Wanna get high?”

Derrek scrambled to his feet. “Don’t have to ask me twice.”

---

The morning birds echoed through the woods as dawn painted the sky an orangey-blue. Derrek and I lay next to each other on the grass after spending most of the night tripping. We also did a little more than talk, but I didn’t really feel weird about it this time. It was less like a gross one-night stand and more like spending a really nice evening with a good friend. 

“That was incredible,” Derrek mumbled in a nasal tone, still not able to move much. “These butterflies won’t leave me alone.”

I turned toward him. “Fuck, are you still high?”

“I may have taken a little too much.” He sneezed. “Ugh, I feel like my head is full of snot.”

“Yeah, that happens to Simon, too.”

He sneezed again, and the back door opened. I slowly turned to watch as a smirking Simon stepped outside. 

“I knew I heard something last night,” he said, walking over to us before picking up the sack of herbs. 

“God damn Simon, your head is huge,” Derrek said, still lying flat on his back. “You look like a Funko pop.”

“Still high, huh?”

Derrek sneezed again and groaned, closing his eyes. 

“What’chu guys want fer breakfast?” Simon asked, giving me an unusual stare as I sat up and rubbed my eyes. “Got lots of eggs. One of the guys at the end of the street raises chickens.” His stomach gurgled. “Man, I’d love to raise some chickens.” 

“You?” I asked. “You’d raise chickens?”

“Nah, I’d end up eatin’ ‘em before they’d lay any eggs,” Simon said with a laugh. “But I am thinkin’ about it.”

“The answer’s no. Knowing you, I’d be the one taking care of them.”

“But think of all the eggs!”

I stood up and reached down to help Derrek up, but he brushed my hand away. 

“I’m gonna lay here for a little while longer. I feel nauseous.” 

“Are you going to be okay?” I asked as Derrek swatted at something invisible before closing his eyes again. 

“If this shit ever wears off.” 

“I’ll get ya some hair of the dog,” Simon said as he stepped into the house. 

I ran in behind him and closed the back door. “We don’t have any gin.”

“Don’t need any for my recipe.” I followed him into the kitchen, and he reached into the cabinet for a lowball glass before gathering a bunch of different ingredients in bottles. 

“Is that the ghost pepper sauce you tricked Adam into eating?”

Simon didn’t say anything as he squeezed a fresh lemon into the glass before dumping in about a tablespoon of the hot sauce. 

“What’s wrong?” I asked. 

“Huh?” He seemed to force a smile. “Nothin’s wrong.” He reached into the fridge for a couple of eggs before cracking them into the glass. 

“Dude, that looks really gross.”

“Yeah, but it’ll work,” he said, scooping some horseradish sauce into the cup with finely grated ginger. 

“You’re going to kill him.”

“Nah, he’ll love it.” Simon cracked open a can of vegetable juice and poured it in before stirring vigorously. “Now for the hair of the dog.” Simon pulled some loose fur from his armpit and sprinkled it on top. 

“Are you fucking serious?”

“It works, I swear!” He trotted out of the kitchen and made his way down the hall, his tail wagging. 

I eyed him suspiciously as he disappeared, but shrugged it off and reached into the fridge for sparkling water. Though it was hard to tell, there was something off about Simon. He was good at hiding certain things, but he seemed annoyed. Was he upset that I got high without him?

“What the fuck?” Derrek shouted before gagging loudly. He then went into coughing fits as the spigot connected to the water hose outside the kitchen window squealed. The backdoor opened and Simon trotted proudly back into the kitchen holding an empty glass. 

“It worked,” he said, pulling out ingredients for breakfast. 

“He drank all of it?”

“Sure did. Drank it all in one gulp.” He didn’t look back at me as he pulled down a mixing bowl. “Gonna make us one big-ass omelet.”

More coughing fits from outside pulled my attention before finally ending in a finale of retching. 

“Jesus Christ, Simon,” I said, running to the door. “That sounds bad.”

Before I could grab the knob, the door flew open, and Derrek stormed inside. 

“Where is that bastard!”

Rapid footsteps shook the house before the front door opened and shut. 

The door to Adam’s bedroom swung open as the half-turn ran into the hallway, looking both ways in a panic. “What’s going on?” 

“Why did you drink that shit?” I asked. 

“I didn’t,” he said. “He poured it into my mouth while I was lying on my back.” His eyes went wide as he grabbed my shoulders. “I’m sorry, Art. I’m gonna have to put him down this time.”

Simon peeked in through the living room window, and Derrek snarled, about to run outside before I pulled him back. 

“I give you full permission to kill him after he makes breakfast.”

---

“Don’t know why yer so upset. Look at how spry you are,” Simon said, shoveling in a forkful of eggs. “My remedy works every time.”

Derrek said nothing, his angry glare never leaving Simon as he slowly chewed on a piece of leftover sausage from last night. 

“You stopped hallucinatin’ right?”

The larger werewolf held another sausage to his mouth before meticulously biting off the end of it, his reddish-orange eyes still fixated on Simon. It didn’t take a genius to figure out the symbolism. 

“Oh yeah,” I said, remembering something from earlier. “What’s the theme of our costume?”

“Oh yer gonna love it. It’s a surprise.”

“And you know how much I love your surprises,” I muttered. Simon had all the telltale signs of pissing me off. His body language always gave him away. “I’m not going to the party looking like an idiot.”

“It’s Halloween. We’re all gonna look like idiots,” he said, his tail wagging through the gap in the oversized dining room chair. “It’ll be great, I swear.”

“He did a good job on ours,” Adam said. “I didn’t know you played video games.”

“I don’t. Got my inspiration from some porn I saw online.”

“Alright,” I said, standing from the table. “I want to know what you’ve done.”

“Nope. It’s a surprise.”

“Then I’m not going.”

“Oh, yer going. I’ll drag you kickin’ and screamin’ if I have to. The costumes don’t work unless both of us wear them.”

“Simon, I swear—”

“I’m gonna make you have fun, Art,” Simon said, eying Derrek again. “Y—you excited, bud?”

“Oh, I’m not your bud at the moment,” Derrek said lowly, cracking his knuckles. “You should hurry and finish your breakfast.”

“My polar bear costume looks dumb,” Austin muttered.

“It’s cute. Ain’t it, Adam?”

“It’s perfect. His personality matches the character’s, too,” Adam said. 

Austin seemed to pout over his plate. “I don’t play stupid video games.”

“He shoots lightning from his claws.” Adam patted Austin on the back. “He’s the coolest champion.” 

“What the hell kind of porn are you watching that has polar bears?” I asked. “How are you even finding all this stuff? You barely know how to use a smartphone.” 

“I needed some inspiration, so I borrowed yer laptop.”

“We’ve been over this, Simon. That’s not mine! If there’s monitoring software on that thing, and I have to explain to Adam’s aunt why there’s porn all over the company computer, I’m going to kill you.”

“Uh…” Simon’s ears lowered. “There ain’t no monitoring software on it.”

“How the hell would you know that?”

“Cause, uh, there ain’t nothin’ on it no more. I got sidetracked and was jerkin’ to something hot, then I got some kinda weird warning telling me I had to pay six hundred dollars. Then it just stopped workin’.”

“Oooo,” Adam said teasingly. “Auntie isn’t going to be too happy about that.”

Now it was both Derrek and I glaring silently at Simon. 

“Aw, c’mon guys. It’s Halloween. Best day of the year! Turn those frowns the other way.”

I turned to Derrek. “Destroy his ass.”

“Oh, I intend to.”

---

Later that evening, Adam emerged from his bedroom wearing a shiny leather thong, a wide-brimmed hat and boots wide enough to fit his larger feet. Draped across his chest was a bandolier of fake bullets with a realistic-looking AK-47 strapped to his back. 

“What the hell are you even supposed to be?” I asked, confused by the mishmash of gay cowboy and Rambo. 

“Isn’t it obvious? I’m Jason from Leagues and Losers. I just had Simon make it more my style.”

Austin slowly wandered into the living room wearing an actual polar bear suit with gold-painted armor. 

“This is so embarrassing,” he said. “I look stupid.”

“No way,” Adam said, wrapping his arms around Austin while shoving his face into the bear costume. “I’ve always had a thing for Pawlibear.”

“That’s his name?” I asked, trying my best to hold back laughter, but a snort escaped and Austin snapped angrily toward me. “It looks great!”

“Nope. Not doing it,” Austin said, unzipping the costume. 

“Art, you idiot,” Adam said, trying to stop Austin from proceeding. “Come on, please. I wanna ride you into battle.”

“No,” he grumbled, and Adam turned to me. 

“This is your fault,” he whispered. “Fix it. Do that thing.”

“I just found the name funny, Austin,” I called out. “The costume looks fine!”

Austin disappeared into the room, and Adam folded his arms. 

“Damn it,” I muttered, following the lumbering werewolf. “Austin.”

He turned around, and the hue of the room turned a silvery-blue. 

“You’re going to the costume party dressed as…” I took in a deep breath through my nose, trying to keep a straight face. “Pawlibear. Understand?”

Austin’s eyes turned light blue, and he nodded. “Alright.”

“God, that’s handy,” Adam said excitedly. “Can I tell him what to do now, or does it just have to be you?”

“Don’t even think about it, Adam. I mean it.”

He grinned. “Fine.” 

“Art, yer costume’s ready,” Simon shouted from the bedroom. 

“And here we go,” I said under my breath as I walked toward the hallway. I entered the bedroom and Simon snorted like a bull, scuffing his foot against the floor like he was about to charge. He was completely nude, with thick leather and gold bands around his wrists and ankles. There were also a pair of horns strapped to his head, and a large gold septum ring hanging from his snout.

“You are going to wear something to cover up, aren’t you?”

“There’s no clothes in the labyrinth.” Simon tossed a leather belt with a sword and hilt onto the bed, joining a few other thin leather straps. There were also two gold-colored shin and arm guards.

“Who am I supposed to be?”

“You ain’t never read about Theseus and the Minotaur?”

I sorted through the costume, trying to figure out what went where.

“Where’s the rest of it?”

“Yer lookin’ at it.” 

“Where’s the leather gladiator kilt thing?”

“Budget ran a little over, so I had to improvise.” That shitty smirk returned. “It’s completely in character.” 

“That bear costume had to have cost at least a couple hundred dollars, Simon! I’m supposed to just go out in my underwear?”

“Nah,” Simon said, pulling my shorts down around my ankles. “Let me put it on ya.”

After running a strap from my shoulder down to my abdomen, it attached to the thinner strap around my waist. He then fastened the thicker belt with the sword hilt and began snapping on the arm and shin guards. He coiled some thin golden rope and snapped it in place to the other side of the belt with a buttoned hoop, then took a few steps back and ogled me. 

“This is a fucking joke, right?” I said, looking down at my junk swinging freely between my legs, the belt partially covering my pubes. 

“Oh yeah,” Simon said, biting his lower lip. “I wanna be slayed by you, babe.”

“Careful what you wish for,” I said through my teeth while reaching into the drawer for a pair of boxer shorts. 

“Yer gonna ruin the theme.” Simon stopped my hands, but I pulled away and slipped into the shorts. 

“Find me something decent, or I’m just going to wear normal clothes.”

“Adam,” Simon shouted. A few moments later, our bedroom door opened and the half-turn walked in. 

“Theseus and the Minotaur,” Adam said. “Lose the boxers, Art. They’re clashing with the theme.” 

“See? Adam gets it.”

“I loathe you both right now,” I said, shuffling through the drawers for anything that would come close to matching. With no luck, I thought back to something I saw in one of the compartments of Mosavi’s briefcase. 

---

The autumn air clashed brutally against my bare skin, and I didn’t have nearly the amount of half-turn fur Adam did to buffer it. What a strange feeling. I should have been more embarrassed, but this look really flattered me. Simon may have been a complete idiot, but this wasn’t his worst idea. 

Even though it looked a little too modern, the studded leather loincloth I pulled from the case was the perfect addition. Part of me was a little worried if there were any magical tricks to this thing, but after scrutinizing it for nearly a half an hour, I took a gamble that it was just a normal piece of clothing.

“Kinda impressed,” Simon said, pulling at Derrek’s shark tail. “This is really well made.” 

“If there’s one good thing I learned from you, it’s how to pick a good costume.” The shark tail wagged. “Plus, it suits me. Always wanted to be a shark.”

A hand slapped my ass, and the taut loin cloth amplified the sound. 

“Ow, jees!” 

“This thing is amazing. I want to borrow it when you’re done,” Adam said. “God damn, I’m kinda jealous now.” He looked up at Austin happily lumbering along in his bear suit, his eyes still that empty blue. “It may not be as sexy as Simon’s costume, but I still love it.” He hugged Austin again. “He’s so soft.”

“That should have partially worn off by now,” I said, eying the werewolf with concern. “You okay, buddy?”

“I’m great,” he said with a creepy smile and an odd, cheerful tone. “I’m a bear. Rawr.”

“Hmm.” I examined him and scratched my head. “Keep a close eye on him tonight, just in case.”

“Of course,” Adam said, hooking his arm through Austin’s.

I didn’t like how okay Adam was with this, but this was helping—or at least I had to trust the word of a witch that it was. Austin would have never relaxed enough to have fun tonight anyway, so this couldn’t hurt, right? Then again, he’d never been out in public while under the effects of elder magic.

We entered the center lobby, which ceased to look like any kind of plain government building. The décor was lavishly over-the-top, fog machines and multicolored lights illuminating a path of cobwebs and realistic-looking dead trees with red eyes leering at us from the darkness. The main area was just ahead; however, in order to get in there, we had to pass through a narrow entryway. There were two figures standing on the other side, just visible to make out. 

“Oh, that’s an elder alright,” Derrek said, sniffing the air.

We approached, and I smiled nervously at Willa, who was dressed in a flowing red gown with a lace cape and hood draped over her head. I had to do a double take when I saw what was in the wicker basket she carried.

“I didn’t know it was that kind of party.” I looked through the basket containing an assortment of fun-sized dildos and buttplugs, a cat-o’-nine-tails, and travel-sized bottles of flavored lube. I glanced up at Mosavi who eerily wore the same collar and leash I dreamt about earlier. He also wore a black cloak and held a scythe. This was quite the odd take on Little Red Riding Hood.

“I had to make a little detour with the wolf on the way to grandmother’s house,” Willa said, holding up the basket before looking me over. “I am genuinely impressed.” She ran her fingers over the loincloth. “Careful with that. It could make a beast out of you.”

“What?” My eyes widened. “Is it dangerous? Should I take it off?”

“Maybe later, when the party really starts.” She licked her lips, but her expression turned to concern when she looked up at Derrek. “Oh, you’re new.” 

“You must be the witch,” he said, extending his hand, but Mosavi snarled, slapping it away. 

“Don’t touch her!”

“Relax dear,” she said, grabbing Derrek’s hand. “He’s not one of them.”

“Just here to spend Halloween with my friends,” Derrek said, further examining the two of them. “I’m only staying a few days.”

“You should make your stay shorter,” Mosavi growled out, now visibly shaken. The only other time I’d seen him like that was in that vision. 

“Is that any way to welcome a guest?” Derrek said, patting the mayor on the shoulder, even as the other werewolf’s hackles stuck straight out. We all filed in behind Derrek, but Willa caught my hand. 

“I hoped we could talk a bit in a more relaxed atmosphere.” She watched on as Derrek made his way to the bar. 

“I thought drinking was illegal.”

“All rules are suspended on Halloween,” Mosavi said calmly, his once raised hackles smooth again. “Humans know the risks, but if they join us, that’s their choice. We’ve never had too much of an incident at these events.”

“You guys really like Halloween.” I looked around the room, and if I hadn’t known we’d stepped into a building, I’d have sworn we were still outside. There was obviously no expense spared. 

Humans, werewolves, and a few half-turns danced together in the middle of the room, their bodies gyrating and rubbing against one another. 

“It’s a night of magic,” Willa said, weaving her fingers through the air, leaving behind a winding trail of glittering blue light. “Halloween in Norwich is legendary.”

I turned to Mosavi. “I really didn’t expect to see you here as a werewolf. Aren’t you afraid of being found out?”

“No human will recognize me.” He seemed a lot warmer than usual. “This is one of the few nights I get to be myself in public.”

“How is Austin?” Willa asked. 

“He’s doing okay. I think.” We turned toward the dance floor, and the bear suit stuck out in the most hilarious way. Adam guided Austin’s arms around him as they danced to the steady rhythm of the Halloween-themed house music pounding through the speakers. “I hope you’re right.” 

“Of course I’m right,” she said, her icy fingers tracing along my bare back. “You’re always so tense. I’m beginning to think Austin’s not the only one in need of therapy.”

“My cell is always open,” Mosavi said with a grunt. 

“I’ll pass on that kind of therapy, thanks.”

“I’m gentler with half-turns.” He reached into the basket and pulled out a darker, small bottle of what I first thought was lube, but upon closer inspection, that wasn’t it at all. “If you change your mind, bring this along. You’ll need it.” He pressed the bottle into my hand. 

“What is it?”

“You’ve never taken poppers?” Willa asked, slipping her arm around my waist before leading me to the middle of the room. “You’re like an innocent little boy. I am going to corrupt the shit out of you.”

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