Neil spent most every morning making the day’s breakfast for his family. ‘Night Owls’ his mother, father and sister called themselves. He knew what that really meant though and it was a curse his family had borne for generations. He often felt the inclination to spend those moonlit evenings alongside his pack, but staying awake beyond 9:00pm was rarely ever within his ability.
Instead, Neil ensured that mornings ran smoothly. Coffee pots filled, eggs fried and sausages simmered on the stove, all awaiting the rest of the family who would certainly rise famished and groggy. They always were following a full moon. Neil never felt groggy and had watched more sunrises than his family members had combined. He greeted alarm clocks with glee and rose from his bed wearing a smile. He was, to the best of his knowledge, the only werewolf to identify as a morning person.
Two days after his thirteenth birthday, on a warm June afternoon, his parents sat him down to explain what was going to happen that following Friday, when the first full moon of his teenage years was to occur. He believed every word they said. His body was going to morph into that of a wolf and he would lose some control of his actions. He was fine with that, accepted it without worry. He laughed at his parents thinking he would be awake to see a full moon in the middle of June though.
“Ma, the sun sets like 12 minutes before I go to bed. You three go terrorize a chicken coop or whatever it is you do at night. I’ll just lay down in the dog bed and wait this whole thing out, if you don’t mind,” he told them between gut busting laughter. So he did. He knew right away that a regular sleep schedule was far more important than the magic of lycanthropy.
When that first Saturday morning rolled by, Neil woke clinching a steak bone, but otherwise exactly where he was when he went to bed.
He went to the kitchen and poured himself a bowl of cereal and enjoyed some cartoon shows for a few hours before the rest of his family stumbled out of their bedrooms.
“G’morning!” He shouted.
“Morning,” the family replied in downtrodden unison.
His sister pulled a bird feather from her hair.
“Wait, do you guys actually terrorize chicken coops during full moons?” Neil asked. He was at once curious and grossed out, glad he slept through the night.
“Sometimes,” his sister replied.
“Anyone else want eggs?” His dad asked from behind the refrigerator door.
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