Change Can Be Good - Encanto Fanfic

Chapter 4

Evening came too fast... at least that's how it felt for Camilo.

Before he knew it he was standing just outside the valley, with his siblings and cousin watching anxiously for what he was to become.

Not human.

He smiled awkwardly, trying to act like this was an easy peasy task he was undertaking, after all, he had shapeshifted into three animals at this point, why couldn't he do it once more?

"You okay, Camilo?"

He looked up, as he'd been mentally preparing and was so much in his own head he had just been staring down into thin air. As he gazed at who said that, he swallowed when he saw Mirabel. She was holding both her hands up in thumbs up... was that meant to be helping? He could see from the mere sweat on her forehead that she was nervous too of the transition he was about to undertake.

"If you can't," His sister Dolores said simply, peeping to herself and folding her arms in slight arrogance, "We won't feel lesser of you... we don't think much of you, to begin with," She smirked in her teasing and Camilo frowned heavily at her words.

"You don't realize what you're saying, Dolores," He replied back cockily and gulped with deep hidden bravery... he didn't want to prove her right. He was able for this, he really was.

His little brother Antonio stood beside Mirabel, holding her hand nervously – more so for his brother than himself. He saw Camilo as almost a superhero... someone who could do and BE anything.

And Camilo knew his younger brother admired him in this way... the only one who did. He was going to be that daredevil hero his brother knew he could.

Just relax, he told himself from within, just BE the dog...

He closed his eyes and felt his particles start to vibrate. His lids clenched tighter as he felt the process go underway immediately and within seconds he was on his all fours, fur enveloping him, a snout having been made and his eyes a deep chocolate brown.

"Whoa," Antonio whispered underneath his breath and gently let go of Mirabel's hand, approaching his brother slowly and appraising him immediately, "You're... you're a dog."

"See DOLORES," Camilo said back to his sister, smirking a canine grin, "Told you I could do this-"

Bark bark!

That's all Dolores and Mirabel heard come out of Camilo. The two girls' mouths dropped open and Camilo arched his forehead up confused, tilting his head slightly to the side, his big dog ears flopping forward in puzzlement.

"Er, girls?-"

Bark bark!

"What's he saying?" Mirabel asked in fascination and Antonio looked back over his shoulder, startled at the lost expressions on his two family members.

"You don't understand him?"

"I don't speak dog." Is all Mirabel could answer with.

"Change back, Camilo." Dolores said back anxiously, "You've proven your point."

"Ha ha! YES, I have."

Bark bark!

Camilo then winked at Mirabel and she stumbled back a little in surprise before realizing, she had to scare him somehow so he could return to human form.

"Well, go on!" Dolores insisted, waiting to see her brother back in his natural state. All she heard in return was some more shallow annoyed barking.

"He said he's trying!" Antonio told her quickly, nodding back at the dog and Camilo grinned another canine grin, "You can do this Camilo!"

"AHH!"

"AH!" Camilo yelped to himself when Mirabel suddenly jumped before him, and he literally stumbled back, tripping over his tail and falling on his doggy rear.

"Did it work?" Mirabel asked instantly and Camilo slowly raised back to his all fours. Mirabel swallowed and pointed nervously back down to the dog, "It didn't... didn't work?"

"Try again!"

BARK!

"He wants you to try again-"

Before Antonio had finished translating, Mirabel was already on it as she hurried behind Camilo and yanked his tail, making her cousin howl in fright but still nothing changed.

"Oh no," Dolores whispered to herself in fear, "No, no, no..."

"Guys-?" woof, "-what's wrong with me?"

"You'll be okay, Camilo," Antonio told his brother quickly, approaching him and patting his furry back to ease the frightened trapped young man inside, "Mum and Dad will know exactly what to do."

"Mum and Dad?" Camilo replied, but the two girls only just heard doggy whimpering. Camilo panted heavily, nodding his head, and suddenly sprinted back home to find his parents and find a cure. A miracle.

As he reached the window which was belonging to his parent's room, he slid to the side of the wall. He slowly jumped up onto his hind legs, using his front legs to see into their room.

And they looked exasperated.

"I worry for him," His father said to his mother as she tried to shoo away a dark cloud over her head. She was obviously worried over something too.

"I know, Felix," She said and waved the cloud away as best she could but it only thundered in response, "But Camilo will find himself one day."

They... they were talking about him? Why?

"I just feel..." His father said, patting his chest sadly with his dark hand and sighing as he looked to the ground in some internal pain, "He's always pretending to be someone else... he's never knowing fully himself,"

Pepa slowly looked to her husband and sighed, the cloud fizzling out only slightly as she sat down and uttered, "One day... he'll know himself... one day."

Camilo dropped down from the window sill and only sat there in deep pain. He was always trying to impress others, be the clown, the daredevil... but who was he? Really? Who was he?

And the sad truth was, right now, he could be no one else... but, a dog.

He walked away towards the woods once more and climbed to a high cliff in the distance. He saw the moonlight hitting his warm scruffy fur and he gazed up high to the stars. He was always a star in the village because he could be someone, anyone else. Now... right now, all he was couldn't change.

So he closed his chocolate eyes and howled into the night.

Antonio heard his cry for help as he, his sister, and cousin headed home and he widened his eyes, looking up at the cliff where his brother had howled from.

He needed help – he needed it!

But when Antonio looked at the cliff once more... his brother... was gone.