Oh No Werewolves

Breath caught in his throat and paws shaking, Ephraim peeks through the crack of the door to the outside. It’s brightly lit, thanks to the full moon shining high in the sky, making it possible to make out the other buildings and roads that are nearby, but despite the peaceful appearance… He knows what’s out there. Shivering, Ephraim slowly closes the door to avoid any sounds it may make, and he finally stands again after what feels like hours of sitting by that door, waiting to see what horrible monster might come by next. What to do, what to do, on this horrible night…

It takes a good few minutes of scrambled thinking and planning, but eventually, Ephraim comes to the conclusion that surely, there must be a cure for this… Disease? Curse? Whatever it is, it isn’t permanent, surely..? Of course, there has to be a cure! Ears perking up, Ephraim scrambles to the nearby bookcase, and begins flipping through the various tomes he’s collected over the years. The Art of Pancakes, How to Make Any Garden Beautiful, Funny Jokes and Gags… No, no, these wouldn’t help at all! Ephriam’s brow furrows as he continues to dig through his collection, until he finds a strange book pushed into the back of the bookshelf… Huh, this looks promising… And it’s dusty as heck!

Nose wrinkling slightly, Ephraim opens the book, and starts reading it. Werewolves and Other Legends… It takes a moment of reading and flipping through the pages, but soon enough he finds exactly what he’s looking for. At least, it’s more than he had before. Ephraim perks up as he reads the list of ingredients and how to best mix them, and starts building a plan in his head. Archie has been all over the place, he must have something in his store, and for the flowers and plants… Well, he had a few guesses as to where one could find them. There was greenery everywhere around his home, plus, plenty of other waterdogs nearby know more about plants than he does…

Now the real trick was getting Ephraim to step outside. After gathering a few basic supplies in a small bag, he stands in front of his door, and stares for what feels like an hour. He ponders and worries and pumps himself up, until finally, he grabs the doorknob and pulls it open. Ephraim is swift and quiet with his motions as he steps outside and closes the door behind him, still fearful of something, or someone, spotting him…

Nervously, Ephraim takes a brief look at the map he brought, if just to confirm where he was going first. Archie’s Emporium, Archie’s Emporium… Yes, that’s it. Start slow, start small, and just make it to Archie’s. Ephraim stuffs the map back into his bag, and after one more glance around, he steps out of the shadows and into the moonlight. Head hanging low, Ephraim walks down the street, trying his best to remain inconspicuous and discreet. Passing building after building, he takes brief glances into the windows he passes by. Dark, empty, and lonely… It’s more than enough to make Ephraim shiver in fear.

Ephraim slowly grows more confident as he walks, and eventually he’s able to walk down the street without stopping to look down every alley and between every building he goes past. Soon, he can see the building for Archie’s, and he grows more confident still. He’s almost there..! 

A shrill howl pierces the night air, stopping Ephraim in his tracks.

Oh, god..!

He runs, and runs, and doesn’t stop until he arrives at Archie’s door.