Aaron awoke the next morning feeling rather refreshed, he suddenly felt rather awkward after realizing what he had done.
"I actually slept with someone!?!" Exclaimed Aaron in his head.
"This isn't weird right!? It's more like a brother, sister kinda thing right!?!"
Netsuko was already awake, and had walked back to check on Aaron.
"Hey Aaron you're awake!" She exclaimed.
"Are you okay? You look like you saw a ghost."
"Y-yeah I'm fine" Aaron began.
"Sorry about last night, I was kinda having a nervous breakdown."
Netsuko smiled and burst into laughter.
"Are you freaking out about last night because you slept with you!" She said through excessive laughter.
"Why are you laughing, isn't it kinda gross!?" Exclaimed Aaron.
"Don't be such a puritan Aaron!" She Replied to Aaron;
"It's not like we made out or something!" "All I did was comfort you for the night!"
"And for that I thank you, but you don't find it weird at all that you slept with a borderline stranger!?" Asked Aaron.
"Awww, you worried I'm going to tell someone that you came to me like a scared little kid?" Answered Netsuko snarkingly.
"N-no!! It has nothing to do with that!!" Aaron fired back.
"Well good! Besides I see you more as a little brother anyway."
Said Netsuko.
"Now shut up and get dressed, breakfast is almost ready!" she said as she walked away.
"Wait, little brother!?!"
Exclaimed Aaron.
"How old are you anyway!!"
"Fifteen, and I told you, shut up and get dressed!" She replied.
Aaron rushed to his temporary room and threw on his undershirt and jeans, before heading downstairs to join the Valentine family at the table and was greeted by Mrs. Valentine once he got downstairs.
"Good morning Aaron!" She said.
"Did you sleep well?"
"Ya, I managed to sleep pretty well." He replied.
"That's good." She said before turning around and speaking with Netsuko, who dashed up the stairs.
"Oh, you aren't allergic to anything are you Aaron?" Asked Mrs. Valentine.
"Nope, I don't." He answered
"Ok, that's good!" Mrs. Valentine replied.
Netsuko came down the stairs with Mr. Valentine in tow and the four of them took seats at the table.
Breakfast consisted of steaming hot French Toast, toast, sausages, scrambled eggs and orange juice with coffee for Mr. and Mrs. Valentine.
Aaron theft the table with a warm feeling and a full belly.
It was a beautifully sunny Saturday morning, and the Valentine's had planned to head to a local camp grounds and park to get some fresh air, something Aaron really hadn't gotten too much of recently.
They arrived at the park after a short drive.
Aaron decided to bring some books including the Bestiary and had simply planned to sit, read and get some sun and fresh air, but that plan changed once Netsuko dragged him off to show him a spot in the forest.
"Com'on! I think you'll like it!" She excitedly stated.
Aaron was really just a passenger as he was powerless to stop Netsuko, who was determined beyond belief.
"Aren't we going too deep into the forest!?" Asked Aaron
"Trust me, I know this place like the back if my hand!" She replied.
Netsuko brought Aaron deeper and deeper into the dim forest, until they were so deep into it, that Aaron couldn't make out the clearing of the park, but Netsuko finally stopped and turned to Aaron and pulled out a necktie.
"This is it?" He asked.
"Nope, we got I little more ways to go!" Said Netsuko;
"Do you trust me?" She said as she placed the tie over his eyes as a blindfold.
"I mean, I guess." Answered Aaron.
"Good!" She said.
Aaron felt a sharp yank on his arm, and he once again was moving through the forest, but this time in a pitch black darkness.
After a few minutes of being guided, the yanking stopped, and Aaron had come to a stand still.
Netsuko unravaled the blindfold, and as it came off, Aaron was blinded by the sudden introduction of the sun.
But as his eyes adjusted, what he saw was truly worth it.
The sun blasted the small clearing, while flowers of all colors bloomed at the very center of the clearing, while a small creek trickeld through around creating an island of flowers.
Birds chirped and the pine trees seemed to bow down as it looked as if the earth itself was in awe at the beauty that stood before it.
"Well, what do you think" asked Netsuko.
"Wow!" Aaron Exclaimed;
"This is incredible! I feel like I walked into a book or something!!"
"My family, planted the flowers and dug the creek when I was little." She said,
"I thought it would be kinda cool to show you!"
"I mean, ya it's cool!" He began;
"But did you really have to drag me through a forest blindfolded!"
"What, I wanted it to suprises you; ya big dummy!" She stated.
"Well, mission accomplished I guess." Aaron replied.
"So, what now?"
"I didn't think it through that far." She said with a embarrassed tone.
"Well, I guess since I showed you something, you have to as well." She said with a chuckle.
"Ok, that's fair!" Said Aaron nervously.
"So, what do you have?" Netsuko asked.
"Well, I have this.." Aaron said as he pulled the large book out of his backpack.
"Ok..." a confused Netsuko said.
"It's a mythical bestiary, and I haven't looked through it yet." He said.
"What's in it anyway?" She asked.
"I think it's supposed to have every creature that was put in a story, probably up to a point." Aaron replies.
"Ok, interesting." She said.
Aaron attempted to open the book, but the cover seemed to be welded shut.
"So, what's up?" Said Natsuko.
"No idea. It just won't open!" He frustratingly said.
Aaron suddenly remembered that the book needed to be unlocked with an Elvish word.
"Oh! Right!" Aaron said.
"láta"
The book's cover lifted.
"So, what do you want to look up?" Asked Aaron.
"There's nothing there Aaron." Netsuko said.
"Wait what!?" He said shockingly,
"There is something here!"
"It's all blank to me." She said confusingly.
Aaron turned around to see Netsuko surrounded by a purple smoke that led to the book. The same smoke he saw when he first opened the book.
Suddenly, the book itself flew to a section of werewolves.
"Wait what?" Said Aaron
"Did the wind blow your notebook or something?" Netsuko asked.
"Netsuko, this is going to sound incredible stupid," he began
"But, are y-you a werewolf?"
Netsuko chuckled, with a slightly disturbed look on her face.
"Of course not!" She began,
"Werewolves aren't real."
"Do you see any purple smoke Netsuko?" Aaron asked.
"What!? No!?" She replied
"Are you okay Aaron?"
"I have no idea" Aaron said,
as he scanned the page, and noticed a way to reveal creatures.
"Let me try something though
"Umm...Ok.." Netsuko said.
"Revelare animae viventis ipsum!!"
(Reveal yourself creature) Aaron shouted, book in hand.
Purple smoke bellowed out of the book and towards Netsuko as a stunned Aaron realised he had spoken Latin.
"How did I do that!?" He said.
"Netsuko, are you ok!"
The smoke had disappeared but it left a terrified Netsuko with claws, a pair of ears, a tail and a set of fangs.
"What the hell was that!!" She screamed.
Aaron screamed back, seeing the shocking morph of a human girl with some animal features.
Netsuko noticed what had happened and charged towards Aaron and pinned him down.
"Ahh, Shit!!! Please don't eat me!!" He screamed. As he tried to scamper off
"Calm down! We don't eat people." She said.
"Ok, yes I'm a werewolf, big whoop."
"Wait, why should I believe you!?" Aaron said angrily.
"Trust me, if I wanted to eat you, I would have done it last night." She said.
"And like I sad, you are kinda like little brother to me."
Aaron lied on the ground trying to process what had happened.
"If it makes you feel any better, there are more than just werewolves." She said.
"Wait, there are more of you?" He said.
"Every fantasy book has some form of truth in it." Said began,
"Almost every creature seen in those stories exists in this world in some way, shape or form."
Aaron sat there jaw dropped wide,st what he had heard.
"So that book is actually, like magic!?" He exclaimed.
"Apparently so." Netsuko replied.
"Anyway, we'll figure this out later, it's about time to head back now."
Netsuko picked up the stunned Aaron and transformed back into a perfect human.
"Just follow me this time." She said.
The walk back out to the park was in full silence, a feeling that was both terrifying and calming all at once.
Now all Aaron was waiting for, was to see the reaction on Netsuko's perents.