Young Writers Society

Sally looked up from her paperwork to see the face of Annie. ''What now?''

''I need to research the myths, legends and anything you have on lycanthropy.
I know this is a Poetry library... but it's still a very special library...''

''You can skip the flattery. I have a few essays on the subject, but note that they are not public volumes that you can take out. Be careful.''

Annie sat calmly and waited for Sally to return with the essays.
She did not know if Sally would have anything useful or not, but she did know that Sally was not a completely orthodox librarian.

A suede blue car pulled up and from it emerged Deanie, @Letiki and @Payne.
"Thanks @NoirLumiere " Deanie said over her shoulder.
He nodded and began to wheel away. "I won't forget to tell @Dutifulwriter and @thewritersdream that you want them to meet you in novel city.'' Noir said as he drove away.

"Annie, wait up!" Payne called as she saw her in the library window.
The group followed to see her seated at a desk, bending over some papers eagerly.

"This doesn't look like poetry," noted Letiki.
"I'm so confused! A florist who sells flour. A poetry library in the storybook sector that has essays and YWS has werewolves?! This place definitely needs some fixing," said Deanie.

Annie never thought to ask what became of Jager.

Deep in study mode, Annie silently read, drinking in everything one sentence at a time.
''Now, we know that the werewolves are still YWS citizens, so we have to be careful not to unecessarily hurt them. We should try to find a cure, or at least find out what influenced the change.''

''It seems that the only way to change them back to themselves,' she said,
'is to find Blackwood and the Lunar Code.''

'Did you find anything useful?'' asked Payne.

''I'm not sure. All I got was some disturbing legends and speculative fiction.
The problem is we don't know what to believe. Myths and legends are laced with hysteric hearsay, and fiction is fiction.
And anyway, I don't think any of it is helpful.

If we're looking for a weapon, modern fiction says silver.
If we're looking for a cure, myths and legends say aconitum, better known as wolfsbane.

But I do not think it will be of any help at all. It is only considered a treatment for werewolfism because it is extremely toxic and dangerous, and used to be used to poison wolves.
If it is correctly processed it can be carefully used for medicinal purposes, but it will probably be no use as a cure.''

"English please?" Deanie asked.

Annie looked up from the papers, and her face was very serious.


'We have seemingly no help from my research. If we are to do any good, we will have to find things on our own.
We must find out how and why our citizens, our friends were changed.
What caused them to attack? And most importantly, how to change them back.''


Deanie had an idea. ''When morning comes (and I think it's coming soon) and they change back, maybe we could ask them. They could remember.
That is, if we knew who was who....''


Letiki glanced up from the article he was reading. ''Any good news?''


Annie theorised again.
''The idea of werewolfism being contagious by bite only appears in modern fiction, not folklore or mythology. Therefore, I think anyone who may be bitten is quite safe from becoming a lycanthrope.''



''Let me ever so humbly remind you,'' quoth Payne, that we are in modern fiction.''

Rydia was sitting up front in the ambulance when the werewolf @Hannah took it to pieces and took off with her patient. She didn't normally drive the ambulances, being a nurse and all, but since her last driver was now scratching flees out of his fur, what other choice did she have?

"Hey, get back here!" Rydia shouted angrily as she pushed open the door. Rydia put both feet on the ground and the wind whipped at her blue scrubs as she set off after the creatures on foot. She didn't have a weapon. She didn't need a weapon because Rydia was... resourceful.

A sound over by the florist's drew her attention and suddenly the scene was bathed with light as @Lumi hurled a flaming bottle at Hannah and then launched himself at her.

Rydia's feet pounded across the ground and she kicked down the door of the florist's and pulled a hose out of a bed of plants where it had been left mid-flow. Rydia turned the hose on the fighting shapes, even as Lumi's body went limp and Hannah let out a loud howl that was either mournful or triumphant.

"Step. Away. Now." When the flames were sufficiently soaked, Rydia threw the hose aside and advanced on the werewolf, the smells of singed flesh and wet dog permeating the air. "I will only say this once. Down girl!"

Blackwood had a gut feeling. Something was wrong.
Usually instinctive hunches were something to be dismissed, but in this case it was different. The pressing matter required urgent attention.
Blackwood had temporarily retreated to the secret hideout in poetry. In it had been set up various surveillance camera screens and sources as so in a more successful situation, he could have sat back with popcorn and watched the chaos unfold on YWS.
But this was not a successful situation.

There had been bugs set up in various areas of both allies and enemies. These places included the HQ, houses of @Snoink, @Carina and @Iggy, the Flourists shop, the cafe... the list went on. What sparked interest was the footage of the house of @Carina.

Blackwood scanned through the footage, fast-forwarding through all the sections where Carina was doing embarrassing stuff until it arrived at the moment of her breakfast time.
Carina has drunk half of the immunization from the milk bottle!! The antidote was only supposed to be applied in a minor dose. The amount Carina had taken in was lethal.
Like much medicines, small doses could prevent the effects of werewolf-ism and cure it. But a large dose would send all the perfectly ordered chaos out of control. A large dose would turn one into a mega-wolf. More powerful than the average furry menaces, with green skin and fur in a hulk-like bulge. The mega-werewolf would destroy anything in its path, human and wolf-kind alike, and Carina was already undergoing the transformation.

Blackwood tapped into the megaphones that had been positioned around YWS in prominent places.
"Dear friends, enemies and hairy-patrons." Blackwood started to announce.
"I understand that many of you may not be in agreement with me due to my recent actions, but I fear we have a problem that demands our immediate alliance." It was then proceeded to explain to all listeners about the imminent Hulk-Wolf @Carina.
In order to stop her they would need all the power they had and no more unnecessarily conflict between the humans and minor wolves.

However one could not take too many precautions. After the announcement Blackwood called the bounty-hunter number. A female voice picked up the phone.
"Bounty hunters limited, how can I help you?"
"I need the best bounty hunter you have!" demanded Blackwood. "I will pay handsomely."
"Ok, we will be sending @Paracosm your way."

Paracosm sat at his desk, shuffling through resource books and random doodles. His office in the Resource Section was quite a mess, as he hadn't been around much to keep things nice. Just as he was about to pack up and leave, his trained monkey-secretary buzzed him on the intercom.

"Paracosm, there's been quite a disturbance in the Storybook District. A client has dispatched you there." Linda said. Paracosm sighed, he was just about tired of bounty hunting and private-eye-ing. But, that being said, money was money, and fellow YWSers needed help.

He reached into his desk and pulled out his hand bounty hunting chainsaw. "Linda, what manner of trouble will I be facing?"

"Werewolves, it appears."

Luckily, he had a silver chain made just the other day. Paracosm rechained his chainsaw-katana with the silver chain and hopped on to his motorcycle. He revved the engine and made way for the Storybook district.

Just as his trip was going nicely, he realized he was running out of fuel. Up ahead he saw bright lights, a dense city not too far off. He would have to stop and get fuel there. Something seemed familiar about the odd place, it seemed to seduce him into it's depths.

He realized he was walking, his bike was gone, and his chainsaw had icing on it. How long had he been out? Where was he? Paracosm searched his frazzled mind for clues. That was when he saw... it. The tell-tale sign, the ultimate landmark... Forum based games.

He was trapped like Odysseus by the Lotus-Eaters. He was in Randomosity. "Oh Jesus @freakforchrist ..." Paracosm revved his cake coated chainsaw again, unless someone pulled him from the depths of the internet itself, he was going to have to cut his way out.

A black scarred wolf walked forward as he he had been in randomasity for to much for his own liking. He would have to make a return trip to the Storybook district soon, the Black Wolf's name was Dante. A lone soul who was watchful of those who come and go, he saw the warrior ahead with a Chainsaw like Katana. Dante's ears perked up as he watched the warrior, ensuring he was not a threat but soon realised, he knew the Warrior.

Dante approached no care for his own safty if he was wrong, "you know @Paracosm, I can guide you out of here if you so wish," Dante said though a telekinetic voice that boomed in Paracosm's mind.

Paracosm turned to Dante raising his weapon for battle, but then lowered it recgonizing Dante. "Dante, try not to sneak up on me like that," he said. "I'll be more careful not do so," Dante replied. Dante turned to a path that suddenly appeared seemingly out of no where. "Follow me and stay on the path," Dante said.

Dante broke into a run as he made his way down the path, Dante's mind forced order and Randomasity to bend to his will to create a path out of the chaos that it was. Paracosm was barely keeping up with him as he ran on to continue to create the path out of Randomasity. Finally a bright light was ahead as Dante continued to run, he charged straight for the light, he lept and hoped Paracosm would follow him.

Dante found himself on the other side of the bright light and into the Storybook District, he was breathing heavy from his sprint though the Storybook district. Waiting for Paracosm to leap out, Dante was starting to wonder if he strayed from the path he had created. Then finally Paracosm appeared as he came falling out of the portal and landed on Dante.

"Get off me!" Dante said angirly.

"Sorry, sorry," Paracosm said "next time don't stand in the way of the portal,"

"I wasn't expecting you to come flying out you know," Dante retorted.

"Anyways, we're in the Storybook district now I have to go meet with @Blackwood about his werewolf problem," Paracosm said.

"I might as well follow, the Chaos of Randomsity was nice and all but I prefer the Storybook district," Dante said.

GROWL.

She charged straight into the florist shop and pounced on @Rydia. Both skidded across the floor, straight through the fire and out the other side into the counter. As a result of her ambush, however, the hose Rydia was holding pounded into Jabber's chest, and the werewolf had no excuse except to back off and dodge the torrent.

In the process, she smelled a lot of human.

Her partner, @Hannah, had Jabber's last prey in her hands, but she had no time to dwell on the matter as Rydia redirected the hose right at her back.

Jabber roared and turned. She breathed heavily and glared at Rydia. Then she stepped forward. And stepped forward again. And again.

Rydia hesitated, checking around for what else she could use. Somehow cat-like, she magically hopped over the counter and behind it without redirecting the hose off of the approaching Jabber and reached for the nearest glass bottle.

Jabber didn't care. She believed in her strength, clawing at the counter and breaking the wood to pieces. She bounded onto the stools, ready to leap--

"AH-ROOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"

Jabber perked up. She looked behind her. Hannah also looked around curiously.

"AH-AH-AHROOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"

"AHROOOOOOOOOO!" responded Jabber.

With one last evil snarl at Rydia, Jabber bounded away, Hannah following her after having dropped @Lumi carelessly into the flames. Jabber's ears could detect a slight groan from his human body.

That roar, however, wasn't just any roar. No, it was a call-to-arms. @Blues and @Carina had a plan.

And Jabber wasn't missing out on it. But she certainly guessed it had something to do with their Creator.

Sally turned up the radio to drown out the talking from the group at the table. She couldn't help being a little annoyed at Annie for using her poetry library as some wolf-research-lab. She enjoyed listening to classical music before it was suddenly interrupted.


Annie's head snapped up and the group was hushed as they listened.


"... despite differences," Blackwood was saying. He explained why he needed everyone;s help and the situation with @Carina. Deanie's hands twisted together as he finished.


"@Carina is transforming into a major wolf. A large dose of the cure is causing it..." Deanie gushed, although everyone had been listening. "We need to get @dutifulwriter and @thewritersdream This time we really do need a doctor. Get @Seraph and @megsug They're the best I know!"


"Calm down!" Letiki said. "I'm going to call @AfterTheStorm She knows some guy called the Doctor who'll give us a lift there in his machine because @NoirLumiere must be far away by now. Sally, please call those doctors. I'm not sure why though."


"The phone's there," Sally said, pointing without looking up. Annie smiled.


Suddenly, a loud noise sounded in the room as a police box appeared. This caught Sally's attention as she gaped at the box


@Dragonette poked her head out of the door.


"Anyone need a lift?"

"Did someone call my name for help? My Stormsie senses are tingling!" AfterTheStorm abruptly stands, knocking over her very comfortable desk chair in the process. She grabs her iPhone with a racing mind, dialing @Dragonette's number while tapping a quick note onto her YWS wall about... winking men GIFs.

Dragonette's confused voice crackles through the cellphone. "Hello?" she questions, sounding distracted.

Storm's eyes light up, and she quickly responds, "Hey! It's Stormsie!"

"Storm, I - ..." Static overpowers Dragonette's voice and strange noises crescendo in the background. Storm hears @letiki shouting some incoherent command, a few doors slamming, Dragonette trying to speak again, and @Deanie talking about @Seraph.

Then Stormsie hears it. She'll never forget what it sounds like. She's heard it plenty of times over the past six months... The noise was unmistakably a Time and Relative Dimension in Space machine.

"OH MY LANTA, IS THAT A TARDIS? WHAT ARE YOU GUYS DOING WITH THE TARDIS?!" Storm shrieks, trying to calm her fangirliness. "I'll be over there in five minutes, Dragonette." She closes her laptop and prepares to leave, then adds, "With a camera, my Doctor Who t-shirt (which is very cool, mind you), and @Carina! She'd enjoy seeing the TARDIS!!!"

Storm hangs up directly after a distinct, frightened "NO!" erupts from the cellphone. She logs back into YWS to find out where Carina went off to...
---------
Deanie slowly turns to the rest of the group, growing pale. "We have a problem."

@Blackwood arches his eyebrow questioningly, waiting for her to elaborate. "We're experiencing quite a few problems currently."

After a deep breath, Deanie continues, "Dragonette just got off the phone with Stormsie. She's coming over here to help us."

"But-"

"That's not the bad part," Deanie goes on to say. "SHE'S BRINGING CARINA WITH HER." She starts pacing frantically, murmuring something about calling more doctors. "She doesn't know about the curse yet! Storm heard the TARDIS, and freaked out about Doctor Who! Now she's rushing over here," Deanie moans.

"Oh, dear. Geronimo."

Megs looked around the storybook sector. @Deanie hadn't made much sense on the phone. She could have sworn Deanie had said there was a poetry library here... Then there was some nonsense about wolves and needing a doctor.

She'd been busy writing her Squill's article all day. Hannah had been a bit... snappish lately, and Megs didn't want the Roundup to be late.

Megs was kind of surprised she had been called. She called herself a doctor, but really she just repeated things she'd heard on Grey's Anatomy and sold overpriced herbs. Sometimes they were just random leaves she'd picked out of her lawn or spices in her pantry . She'd recently found this piece of equipment from the 50's that had supposedly worked. Something to do with electricity or something. She hadn't read the label that carefully. Man, was she making a million off of that piece of quackery. ...She'd never really thought anyone had taken her seriously. She certainly hadn't. Apparently she did a better acting job than she thought. She smiled proudly to herself.

Now... Maybe Deanie had said storybook library in Poetry Village... Were there storybook libraries?

She was about to make her way to Poetry Village when she saw @AfterTheStorm and @Carina hurrying towards her. @AfterTheStorm was waving a very convincing replica of the sonic screwdriver around and @Carina was... barking.

GROWL. Snap.

"AH-ROOOOOOOOO!"

Pause! Rewind.

[cue tape sounds rewinding]

"Guys, guys!" Carina called in frustration. "Aren't we supposed to, you know, save YWS instead of pigging out?"
"Are you tryin' to be funny?" @Snoink mused, cracking a grin. "'Cause that was kinda funny."
"Oh, I know. I'm hilarious." She flipped her hair back for dramatic effect. "And fabulous, too."

"Anyways," @AriaAdams went on, rolling away the huge pile of nachos, chimichangas, flan, and truffles on a shopping cart. "Carina's right. Can we be done with food and get on with it?"

"You should have seen her devour all those chocolate truffles a couple minutes ago," @Blues cackled softly, nudging Carina. "She was totally loving it."

Aria shot him a glare and pretended that she didn't hear that. "The antidote, Carina?"

"Got it." Carina carefully took out the half-empty milk carton in her bag and handed it to Aria.

Too bad she immediately noticed that it was not full. "Wasn't this filled to the top yesterday?" she questioned.

"Mmm, uhh, bark, yeah." Carina nodded. "Yeah, it was. Kinda. Maybe. Bark." She cleared her throat. "Yes."

"Then why is it—"

"Guuuuuuuuuuys," Blues interrupted. "My arm has been savagely bitten by some werewolf. Can I be cured now?"

"Hungry?" Snoink chimed in with a plateful of fresh chocolate chip cookies.

"NOYES."

Blues and Aria stared as Carina awkwardly took three. Make that five. Then the whole plate.

Aria went on, once again pretending that she wasn't working with a bunch of idiots...which was namely Blues, duh. Carefully, she took a plastic cup and poured a little bit of the antidote into it. "You don't want a lot," she blabbered. "If you take in anymore than this..."

...Oh, great. She didn't even finish her sentence, Carina thought. Are the effects that bad? No, it can't be that bad. Maybe she meant to say, 'If you take anymore than this, you'll sprout wings' or something cool like that. I wouldn't mind sprouting wings. I'd be the coolest kid ever.

Aria let Blues drink the antidote in the little cup.

"So, how do we know if this stuff even works?" Snoink questioned.
"Because of the Creator." Aria grinned.
"Ohhhh," Snoink replied back, even though she didn't have the slightest inkling of what Aria was talking about.
"Oh, whoa, look! It's working!" Blues chimed.
"Then we have no time to waste," Aria said. "Let's save YWS."

And it'd be the coolest walk-out ever, but then—

Ring, ring, ring.

"Oh, um. Uh." Carina checked called ID: @AfterTheStorm. "Oh. Gotta answer this. Sorry." She could just feel Aria rolling her eyes at her.

"Yeah, Stormsie? Kinda busy here. Is your wall being vandalized again? Sorry, can't kick butt with you this time. Maybe—"
"You're in Blogs, right?!" Stormsie interuppted.
"Dude," Carina whispered. "How do you know that? That's supposed to be a secret!"
"Meet me outside then," she went on anyways. "WE'RE GOING TO SEE THE DOCTOR!"
"OH MY GOSH BARK THE DOCTOR BARK UM REALLY BARK ARE YOU SURE BARK WHERE OKAY NOW OKAY BARK GOTCHA," Carina screamed while suddenly whizzing past Snoink, Blues, and Aria. "I'll meet you up later!" was what echoed back to them down the long secret corridor.

* * * *

"DOCTOR!" Storm and Carina both yelled in unison once they saw the magical blue police box that was unmistakably the TARDIS. Both girls were wearing rather fabulous Doctor Who shirts, and Storm was waving a replica of a sonic screwdriver around that Carina was very very very jealous of, but that was okay. She barked instead. Yes. She barked.

They both tackled-pounced—no way! It was @megsug!

"Megs?!" Storm called out.
"No way!" Carina said.
"You're the—"
"Bark!"
"—Doctor!"

"Uhhh?" Megs said in a daze. "Yes. Sort of?"

"AND YOUR TARDIS!" Storm announced, hugging the police box nearby.

Suddenly the headache that was plaguing Carina's mind came to life and shook her whole body.

"What's a TARDIS?" Megs questioned.
"Haha, you're so fuuuunny!" Storm giggled. "Okay, but foreal."

Shaking. Trembling. Bulging. Fur. Green.

"Can you show me inside? Puhhhhleeease please please?"
"I don't get it. Why do you want me to show you inside a police box?"

Growing. Bigger. Faster. Stronger. Beastly.

"Doctor! I want to see it!"
"Oh no, not this again. Why does everyone do this to me?"

Growl.

Snap.

"AH-ROOOOOOOOO!"

"Doctor," Storm whispered to Megs. "I think there's an alien in front of us."

Paracosm did not know the Storybook District half as well as Dante, so he mostly followed him around lugging his chainsaw katana. The unfortunate thing about such an awesome weapon was, it was quite hefty. His skinny writer arms ached as he jogged along behind the wolf that was Dante... then he remembered his purpose in coming to the Storybook District anyway.

Was Dante a werewolf, or a normal wolf? Paracosm nervously fingered the pull-start of his chainsatana. He couldn't be sure if he could trust Dante, but he did need to find Blackwood, and Dante seemed to know where he was going.

Dante lead Paracosm into a library in the Poetry Village, or something. His brain was still fogging from Randomosity. He couldn't be sure he'd ever recover. Paracosm peered into the library and saw... a blue phone booth? Who used phone booths anymore? Was Clark Kent around? Paracosm decided something had to be wrong. He kicked the door in and ran into the room, chainsaw blazing, cake and icing slinging every where off of the blades.

Then he saw the hulking she-wolf, Carina. "@Blackwood, I was just stopping by to apologize. I can't take the job...." Paracosm shut off his chainsaw and ran into the streets, nearly tripping over @Dante. As usual, he was in over his head.

@Rydia had @Lumi stretched out on the ground, his ripped and bloodied shirt pulled to the sides. From the ambulance, she retrieved a large needle, big enough to stab a man straight through the gut and out the other side. She knelt beside him and juggled the needle. "You're low on regen juice," she said.

"I know I am," Lumi retorted. "October's a bad month for me."

"Naturally."

"Naturally."

"Ready?"

"In the gut, please."

"Three."

"Two."

"One."

STAB!

Lumi yelped as she injected the glowing green fluid into his stomach, making his arms and legs twitch and convulse. He hated this. HATED it. But it was how mods stayed alive through such rigorous and trying times. He'd heard rumors that the Admin juice hurt even worse.

Minutes later, he was on his feet, buttoning together what remained of his shirt and jacket, and cracked his neck. Now was the time to sense out where everyone important was...and where the wolves were heading.

Lumi closed his eyes and scanned through his mind, expanding his vision across the city of YWS.

The Creator.

A cure.

The Code.

"@Rydia," Lumi said from the corner of his mouth, "how likely is it that mod regen fluid could--"

"Careful, Lumi. That's your own blood you're talking about."

"So you think it could work, too."

He climbed into the back of the ambulance and began digging through equipment. "I need you to drive. To the poetry quarter."

"You can't really be thinking of taking on those beasts alone, Lumi!"

"If I can get just one cured, that's one ally in our back pockets." He jabbed a needle into his arm, sending his blood through a tube and into a high-tech water gun that shot out like bullets. The truck was rolling, leaving scrap metal flying in its wake. Lumi sat against the back of the remainder of the truck and closed his eyes. Someone else had to be willing to be the hero of this story. If not, YWS could be cursed for eternity.

Jabber opened her eyes. Then yawned. Meetings were boring.

But it was finally over and Jabber sluggishly moved out of her seating position. She had been reclining against the wall the whole time and dozed off for maybe a minute.

Though @Hannah's look indicated that it was much longer than a minute. Jabber had to be filled in on some of the details.

It seemed like the Lunar Code was still a major concern. If it fell into the wrong hands, which it currently is, they could very well be finished. Kaput. Toast.

@Carina was the cleverest of them all, and Jabber admired her for that. She had an incredible plan, though Jabber could be biased. She was among the wolves selected to attack the humans attempting to take the Code for themselves. She liked attacking humans. It was even more exciting turning them wolf.

Though that one pesky moderator.... Doesn't know when to give in, that one. And his friend. @Rydia. Jabber hated cats and anything that looked, smelled, tasted, or moved like one.

Jabber, now staring in the direction of Poetry, looked behind her at the mob of wolves ready to accompany her for the onslaught. @Hannah. @Sachiko. @Lauren2010. @567ajt. @Auxiira. @Alvarin. @ShadowVyper. @Cailey. And so many more. She looked back.

"ARRRROOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"

[Insert howling chorus here]

She broke into a run, leaping up and gliding across the rooftops for Poetry. For the Lunar Code. The wolf pack followed suit, spreading out their own ways yet all eager to serve and protect their Creator. Jabber snarled. Time to take down humans.

And this time, @Lumi was hers.

As soon as they got outside, the werewolves were already back. There was nine or ten werewolves, he couldn't be sure how many more there could be. Two werewolves landed in front of Dante and Pasacosm, he barely recgnized the two, and he couldn't be sure who they were. Dante unconcerned with the two in front of him began making his way down the street where the other Werewolves are coming from.

"Hey where are you going?!" Paracosm nearly yelled.

"The werewolves will be unconcerned with me, I'm going to find the Creator and kill him, this won't end until he is dead. Even if the Mods do restore the Lunar Code, you can handle a few werewolves can't you?" Dante said seemingly without a care in the world.

"I can handle myself," Paracosm said confidently reving his Chainsaw Katana in preparation for battle.

"Good," Dante said as he began to walk down Publishing Street until he finally broke into a sprint as he heard the sounds of battle behind him. Heading for Notifation Forest where the Werewolves first emerged for the next wave of there attack. The Creator must still be there, along with whoever else didn't emerge for the attack, that was his target place. Eventually Dante arrived just outside of the forest, the night was bathed in Moonlight that lit up the entire area. Dante then heard a voice, gruff, aggresive, and hostile.

"Dan-te, Dan-te," the voice gave no hints to who it was, Dante turned to see the Werewolf, and readied himself for battle.

"You!"