Jinyoung was not a fan of his hormones. This was something that came with adolescence and lingered into adulthood. Also, his senses became enhanced around the time of the full moon ever since his shift. As the boy grew older, he understood more and more why having a human mate was so glorified. Having to become wolf was the worst thing he has ever experienced.  Even at age twenty-two, he remembers his first transformation in vivid detail.

        September 22nd, his own birthday eight years ago had been a day full of angst and fear for the boy. A few of his friends had already started shifting so it wasn’t all foreign. Mother nature disregarded the Korean way of counting age. It had their kind begin the lifelong horror of shapeshifting at international age thirteen. They all became well educated about the process. The boys had been counting down the days for Mark to undergo the experience. All nervous, the year before anyone else in their group would have to do it.

        “Are you excited?” Jackson teased Mark as they all sat in the latter’s front yard.

           “You better be ready, because when I grow claws, you’ll be the first I go after.” Mark said, throwing his arm round Jackson’s neck and putting him in a headlock.

           “Everyone says it hurts, are you scared?” Yugyeom asked, worried for his friend yet relieved he had years until it was his turn. Mark just shrugged.

       “I mean, there’s nothing I can do. I just have to let it happen and toughen it out.” he said, having released Jackson and leaned back.

       “It happens at midnight, right?” BamBam asked.

       “Duh. Why does it have to be on our birthdays though? Why can’t it wait until the first full moon of the year or something? That way Jackson, Jin and I can all get it over at once." Jaebum said, wondering why it would have to be so spaced out.

        “You just don’t want all the attention to be on you when it happens. You’ll  be so scared that you’ll piss yourself.” Jinyoung said, teasing his friend. Jaebum looked at him and nodded with a scowl, inviting the boy to fight him. The other boys just laughed.

        The sun fell faster as the young boys sat around. They did their best to distract each other from the upcoming event. The moon was high in the sky before any of them dared to bring it up.

        “What time is now?” Youngjae asked. Jaebum pulled out his flip phone and check the time.

        “11:47.” he asked. The boy looked over at Mark who seemed tenser as the seconds ticked by. “How do you feel?” he asked.

        Mark just nodded and gave a weak smile. “Okay I guess.” he said while his inner voice was screaming at him that he was anything but.

        Seeing his friend under so much pressure, Jackson decided to lift the mood. He threw his head back towards the sky and started howling. “Ahhhooouuuuuu, aaaahhhhhoooouuu” the boy let out between laughs. He paused to look at his friends before continuing. A few of the other boys soon joined in. After a few rounds of this they all were looking at the sky and giggling between fake howls. Excluding the one who would be a real wolf before the night was over, of course.

        “You guys all .” Mark said as he laughed. The boys ke