Call Me Arthur (Or Fengy)

Growing up is a rough enough journey as it is. Imagine having to do it as a werewolf...

Astrofengia was six years old when his parents sat him down for “the talk”. Mr. B had been with them, so he knew that this was important.

The boy sat there thinking just how funny Mr. B looked with his smooth face and hands. He didn’t have the hair that all the other grown-ups had, and his face was so flat! Mr. B looked like an overgrown child, but he was nice, so Astrofengia didn’t say anything mean. Besides, all the people in the movies looked like Mr. B.

“Are you having a good day?” Mr. B started off.

“Uh huh. I lost a tooth last week, and my new one’s starting to grow in. Look!” Astrofengia pulled down his lip to show the pointed little tooth coming out of his gum. “My first grown-up fang!”

“Wow, you’re getting to be a grown-up!” Mr. B looked over at Dad, who smiled proudly, and Mom, who gave Astrofengia a little loving squeeze and a lick on the head. “You know, that’s actually what I want to talk to you about today.”

At this, Dad spoke up. “Fengy, when young lycanthropes get to be about your age, they get to leave the compound to go to school.”

“Ohhh… does that mean I can do show-and-tell stuff? And a science fair?”

“Yes, you can do all those things, and much more!” Dad smiled. “Before you go though, we want you to know what to look out for.”

“Look out for?” Astrofengia looked up at Mom. “What do you mean?”

She obviously caught on her voice. It was a terrible thing to say, but it was for the best. “Well… some of the other kids might not be very nice. So we just want to make sure that you know what to do.”

“Other kids can be tough,” Dad added. “See, most people aren’t like us. They don’t grow up to look like… well, this.” He chuckled and gestured over his face; a protruding snout, pointed ears, and dark fur made him stand in stark contrast to Mr. B.

Astrofengia furrowed his brow. “You mean most people look like him?” He pointed at the case worker, which prompted a laugh from him.

“Yes, I know, very shocking. But I want you to know that my department and I are all here to make sure you are taken care of. You always have the lycanthrope compound here, and you have your parents. Plus, most of the kids will be really nice.” He offered a smile. “I promise.”

“But in case they aren’t,” Dad spoke up, “you make sure to tell the teachers. And if the teachers aren’t nice…”

---

Astrofengia was nine years old. Their teacher was out, and the substitute read through her list of names for roll call. He hated when this happened.

“Aaron Pastor?”

A hand raised into the air.

“Ashley Finnigan?”

Another hand raised into the air.

“Ah…” Astrofengia cringed as the teacher struggled with his name. “Ah-straw-fin-jea?”

The kids all snickered as he blushed. This always happened. “That’s me, ma’am. You can call me Arthur.”

“Right, thank you Arthur. I’ll just - just make a note of that…” The teacher’s voice caught for a second as she spotted the fangs as he spoke. She didn’t remark, or even grimace, but just the pause was enough. “Charlie?”

Arthur sank down in his seat, embarrassed, as the sub finished roll call. Sure, Astrofengia was a “traditional” name, whatever that meant. Experience told him that “traditional” meant being a big fat target.

As the substitute turned her nose down to the binder to read the lesson plan, Arthur felt a flick on his hand. A little crumpled spitball fell by his shoes. He glared up at Nate, who was hunched over his paper studiously: too studiously for the kid who never turned in any homework. Arthur stared down the back of his head for a minute before turning to the pencil on his desk.

“So… we’re supposed to be reviewing fact families today? Worksheets are in top left drawer…” The substitute turned to search.

Nate whipped around. Another sting on Arthur’s hand, which shot into the air. “Nate keeps hitting me with spitballs!”

Nate stifled a snicker with his hand. His fellow troublemakers also snorted and laughed as the substitute gave a stern glance. “Nathan Lewis, I will have no disruptions. Would you do this in front of your normal teacher?”

“I dunno,” he answered. He was doing his best not to laugh, especially since the answer was in fact yes.

Arthur looked down at his smooth hands sadly. The little dark part of his brain was wishing his claws would grow in already.

---

Astrofengia was eleven years old, and regretting his wish.

When a boy starts growing a beard freshman year of high school, he immediately gains the respect of his peers. When a boy starts growing a beard in sixth grade, like Arthur was, the opposite happens. His hairline slowly creeped down his cheeks, around his chin, and under his nose.

That’s not why the girl across from him was screaming though.

“WHAT IS THAT?!” Julie shrieked, pointing at the lunch table. “WHAT IS THAT?!”

“It’s, uh… one of my fingernails? Don’t worry, it’s normal.”

“That is NOT NORMAL, oh my GOD!”

Arthur gave his fingers a self-conscious rub. The hard, dark keratin grew from their tips to form his claws. Unfortunately, that meant the fingernails were now useless, so they fell off like a scab from a healed wound. “Look, it’s… it’s not really a big deal.” He grabbed a napkin and swiped it over the tabletop, removing the offending nail. “See, it’s gone.”

“I can’t even eat now. That, was disgusting.” Julie marched off, visibly shuddering. At the round table across the way, Arthur could see Nate and his cronies giving him jeering glances. Nothing vulgar, but the way they smirked at him and nodded their heads up at his glance… he just turned his eyes to his lunchpail, twirling the jerky around in circles on his Tupperware lid. Julie’s abandoned pizza slice sat in the chair just across from him… well, pizza should never go to waste. That’s the reasoning he used at least as he slid it towards himself.

He kept staring down at the tray when the seat across from him filled again.

“Are you the werewolf?” a feminine voice asked. Arthur looked up at her annoyed.

“It’s ‘lycanthrope’. We don’t like being called werewolves.”

“Oh, sorry…” She turned her eyes down and to the side. Her dark curly hair draped down around her face.

“Eh, it’s fine. Sorry, just having a bad day.” He took the pizza again and tore a hunk from it. “Wha’s ur nae?”

“Maria,” she took the top off her sad-looking school-provided sub sandwich and fiddled with a mustard packet. “Sorry, I’m new here and those guys were talking about you.”

“Hmph?” Arthur swallowed. “What’d they say?”

“I’m not sure you want to know,” she shot them a dirty look. “If half of it was true, I don’t think you would be here.”

“Thank you… I think.” Maria snorted at his joke, and Arthur couldn’t help but smile. “So where did you move here from?”

---

Astrofengia was fourteen years old, and feeling the same dread as his fellow freshmen as the high school loomed above them.

“You ready for this?” he asked Maria right beside him.

“Nope,” she shook her head. “Let’s do this.”

His furry, clawed fingers grasped his backpack straps as he walked through the doors. Arthur had grown used to the reactions; some people coming in from other junior high’s gawked. Some, including Nate, smirked as he approached. Some, though, greeted him amiably.

“Hey, wow, did your ears start growing?”

Arthur put his finger behind his ears, which were now pointier and further up along his skull, and pressed them out. “Yeah, they did. Plus,” he turned profile and ran his finger along the contours of his face. The claws lingered on the tip of his nose; it had started to flatten and rise up higher on his face.. “Gonna have that snout soon, which I’ve heard is the most fun part of puberty for me.”

“Okay, dumb question?” Maria asked as they walked off again.

“You already asked your one dumb question for the week. Gotta wait.”

“Come on, for a friend?”

Arthur rolled his eyes. “Fine, but you’re gonna owe me a dessert at lunch.”

“Fine. When your snout grows out, do you get a strong sense of smell too?”

Arthur bobbed his head side-to-side as he measured the question. “Truth be told, that’s not bad. I mean, we’re born with a good sense of smell already, but it’s not really anything superhuman? And it actually doesn’t improve when I get my snout.”

“Huh. So you get all the pain without anything from it?”

“Pretty much.” Arthur’s grin revealed his sharp teeth. “By the way, you never told me how last night went with you and Brian?”

“Oh, it was great!” Maria chuckled. “He took me for steaks, and then we went to the movies. I managed to convince him to see Rising Dawn: Part 1.”

Arthur snorted and shook his head. “Poor guy…”

“Yeah, wasn’t really that good. Empty theater though, so we just made fun of it the whole time.”

“Crazy how things turn out.” Arthur put on his best fake dramatic face. “My parents and grandparents hated ‘werewolf’ because they worried about being associated with bloodthirsty beasts. I have to worry about being associated with poorly-written urban fantasy heartthrobs.”

“Hey, at least the actor was hot.”

---

Astrofengia was sixteen, and dealing with a very awkward situation.

The district had just implemented a sex-education program, and all his peers were required to go. His teacher had led them all to the auditorium, but after they were seated, an administrator had fetched Arthur and said he was not to attend. When he returned to the classroom, the teacher scolded him, and now the teacher was locked in a heated phone discussion with the front office.

Arthur sat in his desk, head in his handpaws, squirming in his seat. Not because he was nervous or anything; his tail was finally growing in, and he still had to figure out how to sit without the stupid thing getting in the way! He had been moved to a back row seat, because he had had troubles with the new limb thwapping people in the legs.

For now he tried to ignore the one side of the conversation he could hear, and focused on his physics book. They had a test this afternoon, and Arthur was going to take this valuable time to CRAM!

His phone buzzed in his pocket. Apparently he was going to use this valuable time to text instead.

Arthur pulled it out and read the text from Maria:

so boredddddd

His pads tapped over the screen:

Can’t be that bad

I alrdy know ALL THIS. where r u

Classroom. Apparently I’m not supposed to go?

y

I think it’s because I’m a different species altogether?

Things don’t work for us like humans…

TMI

Arthur couldn’t help but snort at this, stifling a laugh. The teacher gave him a funny look. He quickly propped up the book to hide the phone. His fingers kept flying over the screen.

---

Astrofengia was eighteen years old, graduation just around the corner, and he looked himself over in the mirror. His tuxedo fit perfectly.

“Oh, you look so handsome,” his mom fiddled with his bowtie. “I remember when I went to prom, it was wonderful. Anthony Tellerman took me, and he swept me off my feet…”

“Please tell me more, honey.” Dad came in with a thin smile.

“Oh, don’t act like you never had a crush before me.” She shook her head as he stood on the other side of Arthur. “Anthony absolutely fawned over me, it was like a fairy tale…”

“A human, right?” Dad shook his head. “Humans get into some weird stuff…”

“No one’s ‘into me’,” Arthur couldn’t help but shudder at the conversation. “Come on, I’m just going to prom because everyone else is going.”

“Aw, no, it’s gonna be special.” Mom gave him a kiss on the head. “Gimme a smile, come on.”

Arthur gave a grin despite the pain in his mouth. His jaws protruded a few inches in front of his face now, and silver wires crossed over his teeth to align them to their proper places. Braces were even more necessary for lycanthropes, the orthodontist had said. Yeah, Arthur thought, says the guy getting paid for them.

“Oh you look so nice, honey.” Mom guided his headfur around behind his ear. “Your prom is going to be a night of magic, romance, and stories you’ll tell for the rest of your life!”

A couple hours later, the only thing Arthur found magical was the free food.

The dance floor was so jam-packed with people. The way they were twisting and writhing, he wondered why there wasn’t an R-rating slapped outside the front door of the cafeteria. Besides, the music was so loud that he didn’t care to wade into the mess anyways. Colorful streamers ran along the ceiling and down the walls. A huge banner announced PROM, as if the seventy dollar tickets hadn’t already done the trick.

As Arthur bit into his fifth cookie that night, he at least took comfort in seeing Maria happy with Brian. They were sitting at a table on the other side of the room. Apparently Brian had just told a wonderful joke because Maria tilted her head back in laughter. Brian excused himself and walked towards the bathroom. With a small nod Arthur went for his sixth cookie. Suddenly he heard a cough behind him.

He turned to see Nate holding a cup. The hairs on his neck prickled, but he controlled himself. “Nate?”

“Yeah, it’s uh… pretty crazy night, huh?”

Arthur blinked his eyes in surprise. “Yeah, it’s… it’s really something. Food’s good.”

“Yeah, had some punch and a turkey sandwich.” He rubbed the back of his neck. “Clear night tonight, huh?”

He looked out the window. Silver moonlight whitewashed the courtyard. “Yeah, really nice.”

Nate swirled his cup around, staring inside. He threw it back and downed the whole thing. “Listen, I know we’re not in any classes together, so… if I don’t see you, good luck after graduation.” With that he walked away.

Arthur never knew what inspired the sudden turn around, but he knew what it meant. And deep in his heart, he managed to pull out forgiveness. He leaned against the wall, slowly munching his fourth ham sandwich. Feeling a bout of thirst he grabbed a cup of punch from the table. He lowered his muzzle inside and was just lapping at it when he heard screams. Maria’s screams.

“I CAN’T BELIEVE YOU!” His eyes darted to see her screaming at Brian, who had his arms around another girl. With a flip in his stomach Arthur realized what must have happened. “YOU LYING, CHEATING SACK OF S**T!”

Some muttering from Brian, something about “I meant to explain to you…”

“DON’T EVEN TRY TO EXPLAIN YOUR WAY OUTTA THIS ONE!” She stomped off the best she could in high heels to the back exit, slamming her hand on the door to open it. Everyone stopped to stare. The electro-pop music became a very inappropriate background to the drama unfolding.

Arthur jogged past Brian and his new girl, shooting them both an angry snarl as he continued to the door. In that moment he could see Brian instinctively recoil. He threw the doors wide as he called, “Maria!”

His ears perked around until he picked up sniffling in the football field. Arthur followed the sound to find her on her knees, her great white dress poofed out around her, and her head bowed and quivering.

“Maria?” He stopped about twenty feet from her, giving her space. “Maria, I… I don’t know what to say…”

“I should’ve known…” she ran her arm under her nose. “You know we’ve had trouble before with him cheating. I thought he would outgrow it, but… on prom night…” Maria picked up a section of her dress and blew her nose again. “God, I feel so stupid…”

“Hey, you’re not stupid. Mind if I sit down beside you?” She nodded and moved her dress. Arthur sat criss-cross beside her. He pulled a white handkerchief from his chest pocket. “Here. Dad said this would help me look fancy, but I think you need it more.”

Maria gratefully took it and blew her nose, folded it, and blew her nose again. For a long time they sat there in silence.

“Look, if he doesn’t appreciate you, then he doesn’t deserve you.”

She gazed over the field. “You really think so?”

“I know it. Your boyfriend should also be your best friend.”

“But you’re already my best friend,” she gave him a playful nudge.

“Okay, well besides me.”

Her sniffling was dying down now, and now she wiped her eyes with her hand. “Arthur, did my makeup smear?”

He looked down to see her mascara all over her cheeks. “Uh… is this one of the times where I should be fully honest or…?”

She gave him a playful whack on his arm. “Ugh, great, I’m a mess.”

“Hey, don’t worry about it. You’re still better off than Brian in my opinion.”

Maria looked up at the night sky. “Thanks Arthur, I… I really appreciate it.”

He followed her gaze. The full moon eyed them from over the distant treetops. “Hey… you ever howled at the moon before?” She shook her head. “How would you like to give it a shot?”

Astrofengia pointed his face upwards, opened his mouth, and let out a long haunting “Aaaaaaooooooohh!” The sound echoed back, mingling and dancing with muffled music from the cafeteria. Maria snickered and joined in with a less-powerful “Awooooooo!”

“Aaaaaaaoooohhhhhhhh!”

“Awoooooo!”

They sat there past midnight, howling at the moon and the invisible stars beyond, as the dew settled around them.

Author's Note

What do you think of how I built my characters here? Also, do I mix the realism with the fantasy well enough?