The next year was just like the last. They went camping almost every weekend, they had sleepovers once every two months, they went to school every weekday (and survived through the hellish conditions). It wasn’t good and it wasn’t bad. They were both perfectly content. It wasn’t as if they expected much else from life.

“It’s almost your birthday again.” Shaun pointed out as he sat on a log near their fire. They were out camping again. It was early May and about a month until Finn would turn fourteen.

“I know. It’s going to be so good.” He smiled happily as he tended to the fire.

“You aren’t inviting everyone again are you?” Shaun narrowed his eyes in mock suspicion.

“Not at all!” Finn laughed. “Just us, like I said last year.”

“Good, good.” Shaun nodded. “What will we do?”

“I was thinking of just camping? Something casual, you know.”

“Yeah that’d be good. I’d like that.”

“Doesn’t matter if you’d like it. It’s about me.” Finn giggled and poked Shaun.

“I matter too man. We are basically the same person.” Shaun laughed and play hit him back.

“True.” Finn nodded. It was indeed true. They were the type of childhood friends who were each other's shadow.

“I might go to sleep soon.” Shaun said after a while.

“I’ll stay out here for a while. Catch you later though.”

“You aren’t going on a walk are you?” Shaun asked. Where he loved early morning walks, his friend loved late night walks.

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“Just a short one.” Finn admitted.

“Alright. Stay safe though.” Shaun said pointedly before climbing into their tent.

“Yes, mother.” Finn laughed before putting out the fire and heading off.

It was a beautiful night. The stars were out and there were no clouds at all. The trees were illuminated by their white light causing them to be a washed out sage colour instead. The grass was in a similar state and it was beautiful. The full moon finished the picture completely, it was really the finishing touch.

“Sorry son!” A man exclaimed when a dog suddenly jumped on Finn causing him to fall backwards. “Jensen’s very excitable!”

“It’s alright, I love dogs.” Finn said as he stood up from the animal which had jumped off of him and decided to circle him instead.

“Ah, who doesn’t?” The man laughed heartily. “Such fine creatures.”

Finn nodded.

“What are you doing out so late then? Are you alone?” The old man asked.

Finn suddenly became uncomfortable.

“No, I’m just trying to catch up with my parents. They're ahead that way a bit.” He motioned to a small track off the path. “I should go to them.”

“Of course. Stay safe though. It’s a full moon. The wolves are out.” The old man said cryptically before laughing.

Finn laughed as well before leaving. Wolves? They didn’t live anywhere near wolves. And there had been no sightings either. So why was the man talking about them? Trying to scare him no doubt. Well, Finn was going to prove the man wrong. Finn wouldn’t be scared. He was almost fourteen. He was basically a man now.

He wandered around for most of two hours. There were no wolves. None had showed up, as predicted. His walk went on a lot longer than he had intended just for this reason. He wanted to prove to the old man that he wasn’t some dumb kid that believed in monsters. The old man wasn’t even there anymore but still. He had to prove it. Maybe he was proving it to himself now. It didn’t matter. He was proving it to someone.

It was very late by the time he decided to go back. He was halfway down the track when he heard a noise from the trees. It wasn’t a big noise really, just a break of a twig. But with his heightened nerves it was enough to scare him.

“Who’s there?” He asked the trees.

There was no answer. He walked on.

He had only managed a few steps by the time another noise came from the same trees. This time he was well and truly spooked.

“Shaun is that you? This isn’t funny.” He asked. He thought back to the troll story Sandra had told a year ago and then told himself off. That was ridiculous. Trolls aren’t real.

No answer again.

He walked on.

He had only managed a few steps by the time he fell unconscious. The last thing he remembered was growling, pain, and the fall.