The bus rumbled through a winding back road, still vibrating slightly from its dramatic diner escape. Everyone inside was in varying states of recovery, dehydration, and denial.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Thane sat in the lounge seat up front, arms crossed, a headache brewing behind his eyes like a summer thunderstorm. He wasn\u2019t speaking. He wasn\u2019t growling<\/em> yet either\u2026 which somehow felt worse.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Gabriel was stretched out across one of the forward benches, tail flopped over the edge, trying to tune his bass in silence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cDude,\u201d Jonah said from the back. \u201cYou\u2019re tuned. The strings are fine.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI\u2019m not,\u201d Gabriel muttered.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Then \u2014 off in the distance \u2014<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIS THAT A GIANT INFLATABLE WEREWOLF HEAD??\u201d<\/strong> Cassie shouted.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Everyone crowded toward the windows.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Sure enough, as the bus crested the next hill, they saw it:<\/p>\n\n\n\n A tiny town. Maybe five stoplights total. \ud83d\uded1 \u201cFULL MOON FEST!\u201d And there, dead center in the town square: Except\u2026 it was wearing sunglasses<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n With a sign beneath it that said:<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cGET YOUR FERAL ON WITH GABE WOLFBOY!\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Thane. Froze.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Then slowly \u2014 very slowly \u2014 turned in his seat.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Everyone immediately backed up like they\u2019d just spilled blood in shark-infested waters.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201c\u2026they used my face,\u201d Gabriel whispered in awe.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThey used our name,<\/em>\u201d Cassie growled.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Jonah peered closer. \u201cIs that supposed to be me<\/em>? Why is the drum kit made of cardboard and sadness?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Diesel let out a low whistle. \u201cThis is either the worst tribute\u2026 or the best lawsuit I\u2019ve ever seen.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Thane stood.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Silent.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Dead silent.<\/p>\n\n\n\n He stalked toward the back of the bus like a beast on the hunt, claws flexing at his sides. His fur bristled down his arms and his ears were pinned all the way back.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Gabriel blinked and immediately launched after him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWhoa, whoa, whoa \u2014 my wolf<\/em>, hang on!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cSomeone is profiting off our image and playing canned music<\/em> next to a stand called \u2018Wolfy Wieners.\u2019 I will BURN THIS TOWN TO THE BEDROCK.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cOkay yes that\u2019s bad,\u201d Gabriel admitted, hands up, \u201cbut also, your vein<\/em> is doing the thing. The scary one. Breathe, \u2014 uh \u2014 my wolf,<\/em> I mean. Please?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Thane snarled. \u201cThere\u2019s a man in a papier-m\u00e2ch\u00e9 costume out there with a sign that says ‘Pet the Pack Leader.’<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201c…Okay, that\u2019s worse,\u201d Gabriel muttered. \u201cLike a lot<\/em> worse.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Mark wandered past holding a bottle of water. \u201cDo we want a distraction or a diversion?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cNeither,\u201d Thane snapped. \u201cI want their printer. I want their event permit. I want their town council.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Just then, a soft voice piped up from the side of the lounge.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201c…I\u2019ll go,\u201d Emily said quietly, already pulling on her crew hoodie.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Everyone turned.<\/p>\n\n\n\n She stood up straight, shoulders a little shaky \u2014 but eyes set with fire. \u201cI\u2019ll talk to them. You guys stay here. Just\u2026 let me try first.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Thane blinked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Gabriel opened his mouth \u2014 paused \u2014 and just gently nodded.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Emily stepped off the bus.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Fifteen minutes later:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n The door creaked back open.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Emily stepped in, holding a tray of funnel cakes and a gift basket full of handmade werewolf keychains. Her cheeks were slightly flushed and she had a few glitter stickers stuck to her hoodie.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Gabriel blinked. \u201cWhat happened?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThey had no idea we\u2019d actually show up,\u201d she said with a laugh. \u201cThey thought the band name was fake. They\u2019re just fans. Really, really bad<\/em> at branding.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Thane was silent. Still. Tense.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Emily walked over, placed the basket gently on the table near him\u2026 and handed him a handmade mug with paw prints and \u201cAlpha Coffee\u201d<\/em> scrawled in Sharpie.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Then she looked up at him and said quietly:<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThey really do love you, you know. Even if they\u2019re\u2026 kinda legally clueless about it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Thane stared at the mug. Then \u2014 finally \u2014 let out a slow breath. Shoulders relaxing. Ears untwisting. Just a little.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cDid you\u2026 tell them to take the inflatable down?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Emily grinned sheepishly. \u201cI may have\u2026 accidentally signed a few t-shirts instead.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n He blinked. Then chuckled \u2014 once, low and growly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201c\u2026Fine. We stay. One hour.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Gabriel whooped and collapsed onto the couch in relief. Jonah ran out the door yelling \u201cI\u2019M FINDING WOLFY WIENERS.\u201d Rico chased him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Emily smiled\u2026 then grabbed another funnel cake.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Mark raised a brow. \u201cSo we\u2019re doing the chaos with<\/em> consent now?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Thane grunted. \u201cI\u2019ll allow it.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" The bus rumbled through a winding back road, still vibrating slightly from its dramatic diner escape. Everyone inside was in varying states of recovery, dehydration, and denial. Thane sat in the lounge seat up front, arms crossed, a headache brewing behind his eyes like a summer thunderstorm. He wasn\u2019t speaking. He wasn\u2019t growling yet either\u2026 […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1085","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-tour-life"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/threewerewolves.com\/tourblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1085","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/threewerewolves.com\/tourblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/threewerewolves.com\/tourblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/threewerewolves.com\/tourblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/threewerewolves.com\/tourblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1085"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/threewerewolves.com\/tourblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1085\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3084,"href":"https:\/\/threewerewolves.com\/tourblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1085\/revisions\/3084"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/threewerewolves.com\/tourblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1085"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/threewerewolves.com\/tourblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1085"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/threewerewolves.com\/tourblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1085"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
Every telephone pole lined with handmade signs<\/strong> reading:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\ud83c\udf89 \u201cWELCOME, FERAL FRIENDS!\u201d
\ud83d\udc3a \u201cLIVE MUSIC & FAKE FANGS!\u201d
\ud83d\ude2c \u201cFEATURING: Feral Eclipse<\/em> (probably!)\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A giant inflatable werewolf head<\/strong> that looked suspiciously<\/em> like Gabriel.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\n