A few weeks later, Mila and Marcus were now fully accustomed to Leo’s wereroo form. Though it felt a bit uncomfortable for Leo to shift in front of two live humans for the past few days, this was something that he had to get used so they’d not feel too in the dark. But for the most part, the three friends went back to their normal routines, almost acting like the day they discovered Leo’s secret never even happened, or just acted like they knew all along, which was Leo’s main concern put to rest. Even his aunt Ruby was relieved to her his friends being so accepting. Of course that didn’t mean there would be no conflict. Most werebeasts in Phoenix were natural, so Leo was among the minority to be a human turned werebeast, not to mention he was an outsider from another state entirely. Their levels of trust would not be strong with Leo as natural werebeasts are bound by their traditional ways, and if they were to find out Leo not only revealed himself, not to one, but three humans entirely, they would likely chase and turn them their selves, and Leo would face serious consequences.
The three friends were hanging out at Marcus’s dorm room after finishing classes. “… so after the fumes engulfed the whole room, Mrs. Conner sent everyone in our group to the principals office. In my defense, she wanted us to make a chemical reaction.” Marcus told his story of one of his middle school science projects. “Maybe because it was a volatile reaction?” Mila giggled. “Volatile my ass. All we did was stink up the room… for three days.” Marcus snickered at his last addition to his comment. While the two were laughing at their stories of the past, Leo had his eyes on the clock. Mila happened to notice Leo spacing out watching the clock. “Hey.” Leo reacted to Mila’s call out and turned to her. “What’s with the eyes glued to the cock? Got a hot date or something?” Mila joked. “If only. Tonight is the monthly gathering.” Marcus and Mila looked at each other in confusion. “Werebeasts… C’mon guys, don’t be slacking on me now.” Leo turned back to the clock. “Hard to when you give to much information at once and expect us to remember-“ Mila put her hand over Marcus’s mouth to shut him up.
“Right then… when do you have to leave?” Mila asked. “A few minutes.” Leo responded. “You don’t have to go… don’t you?” Leo sighed. “It’s not exactly required, but if I wanna keep trust with these guys, this’ll be the best way. They have ways of monitoring my moves if they suspect me of anything.” Leo saw the clock tic 7:50pm. “Remember, I’m still an outsider to them, and they have every right to find me suspicious.” Leo grabbed his bag and headed for the window. “I gotta go.” Leo stood at the window as his body started to shift. His muscles bulged tight against his jacket as fur raced all over his body. His head shifted to the familiar marsupial as his tail lunged out from the top of his jeans. Once in his kangaroo form, Leo slipped off his clothes other than his boxers. “I… don’t have room in my bag… do you mind if I-“ Marcus grabbed his clothes and threw them under his bed. “Whatever, roo boy. Don’t go having too much fun out there.” Marcus leaped on his bed relaxing. If fur wasn’t covering Leo’s face right now, he’d be blushing. “Pay him no mind. Just come back safely.” Mila petted Leo’s fur. After a nod, Leo opened the window and left out landing on one foot and a knee like a superhero and dashed into the forest. “Okay… now he’s just showing off.” Mila said shutting the window.
After a few minutes of traversing the wilderness, Leo stumbled upon an array of small creatures like squirrels and birds scattering away from an area followed by the scent of burning wood. Either the gathering was close, or someone set up a camping spot. Leo would have to be cautious not to get caught if humans had found the site of the gathering. The worries faded however as a scent of a familiar lion caught his nose. “Joey?” Leo whispered. A second later a large anthropomorphic lion man in dark blue jeans landed right in front of Leo. “You recognized my scent finally.” Joey the werelion crossed his arms at the sight of Leo. Joey was a man in his 20s who became a werebeast 4 years ago. He had a bulky muscular build, stood at around 6’5, and had a shaggy brown mane followed by tan fur that covered the rest of his body. “I honestly am surprised you still show up to these.” He commented picking leaves out his mane. “Only for the same reason you do, gaining trust.” Leo shot back. “We’ll be sure to be a bit early. For these guys, if your on time, your late. C’mon.”
Leo followed Joey to the same meet spot that Leo had attended for 3 months now. They came to a large open area with a bonfire lit with an array of humanoid animals talking with each other and occasionally gives a wave to some familiar faces. Werebeast gatherings were basically like family reunions. They would often discuss their rolls in society, talk about personal lives, even compete in competitions to which would do nothing but assert dominance over the opposition. During these gatherings, Leo would observe many of the beasts talking about him and other turned humans about how they fit with their kind. Him and Joey being the most recent additions to the race often lead to many glowing eyes heeded in their direction. They try their best to ignore them as they only come to show their commitment to their trust. But often, Leo and Joey just hung around talking to each other about life in general as they could relate more than any other beast in the gathering. Even more than the other humans turned beast who have adapted to the traditions of the werebeasts.
Joey and Leo sat at a large tree trunk looking into the starry sky. “… I mean, come on. I’m a kangaroo named Leo, your a Lion named Joey. Doesn’t that seem backwards?” Leo joked about their names referring to the animals they are. “We should switch names and see how the others react then.” The two of them laugh off stargazing into the night. Joey looked at Leo for a moment and sighed. “Ya know… I think you’re the only trustworthy one right now.” Joey slumped down further into the grass. “Why? Something the matter?” Leo asked. Joey looked around to see they are still surrounded by werebeasts. “Not here. C’mon.” Joey got up and beckoned Leo into the forest. While hesitant, Leo complied as the two went deep outside of the bonfire area. “Joey, we’re already a couple of miles away. I don’t think anyone is watching.” Leo says watching Joey’s slim tail twitch every step he took. He knew Joey was freaking out about something. “You can never be too careful with these guys.” He says turning around.
“Right then, what’s the dragging into the forest gig for then?” Leo asked a timid Joey scratching his mane. “I… I feel like I’m putting people in danger here.” Leo was confused about Joey’s concern. “Who, me? Because I’m the most recent beast here? There’s no need to worry abo-“ “Humans, Leo… my sister specifically…” Joey interrupted Leo. Leo caught on as his heart started beating fast himself. Was Joey in the same predicament as him? “My sister… she goes to the same school as you. Her name is Hannah. She… She saw me change last full moon.” Joey stuttered. “She followed me on a night walk. And when she saw me transform, she was scared I was gonna hurt her… I…” Leo finished Joey’s thought. “You didn’t bite her.” Leo said an Joey nodded in response. “Yeah. She didn’t run. She was about to accept that it could be her last moment on earth. Little did she expect the hug I gave her.” Joey sighed. “I’m pathetic aren’t I?” He went to the nearest tree and started to claw it. “The first person who found out about me just had to be my own family! We never got along, and yet I can’t bring myself to do the one thing I’m supposed to!” Joey’s eyes started to well with tears. “She said she’d keep it a secret though. But, I’m still the one whose endangering her.” Leo felt sympathy for Joey. If anything, he would be considered more pathetic by that standard. He not only refused to turn his aunt, but his two friends who saw him.
“So… that’s it… I… I just needed to get my thoughts out. I can trust you to keep this secret… right Leo?” Of course Leo would keep it secret. Joey would more likely do the same for him, but Leo was still hesitant on telling him about the people who know about him. “Yeah. Of course. I couldn’t imagine doing it to my own family…” Leo patted Joey on the back. “Thank you…” Joey said trying to hold back tears. “Hey, if you do run into her…” Joey turned around. “Tell her I’m still her brother no matter what. It’s just… she ran from me before I could explain anything.” Leo held Joey’s shoulder. “Sure. But, I’ll need to know exactly what she looks like. Hannah was her name, right?” Joey nodded. “Here’s a recent picture of her.” Joey pulled a picture out of his jean pocket that showed a woman about Leo’s age with silk brunette hair and blue eyes. “You do this for me, I owe you big.” Joey said walking back in the direction of the gathering.
Leo just stood still thinking in the back of his head why couldn’t he tell him about his predicament. He trusted Joey as much as Joey trusted him. What could possibly be holding him back?