Part I: Following an encounter with one of Safe Haven's most polarizing residents, an exchange student named D'kala N'chaba, Koko begins to struggle with her identity and beliefs. Haunted by a persistent hallucination, she finds herself searching fo...
In the followingchapter (set before "Ep. II: Division, Pt. II" in "P E A C E K E E P E R S"),Koko will be referred to as a female to avoid confusion, as well as to givefurther weight to the transformation that takes place in the aforementionedtext.
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"One! Two! Three! Four!"
Koko's nose almost touched the ground as she performed a rapid series of pushups, sweat dripping down her muzzle. Remaining in werewolf form allowed her to do more pushups that her human form could take, but that didn't mean she was any more immune to the effects of working out for two hours straight.
The door to Koko's room opened, revealing her sister Mint, who had just woken up. She was in human form, and her green hair was suffering from a severe case of bedhead.
Mint yawned and stretched. "Koko?" she asked in a drained voice. "What are you doing?"
"Exercisin'," Koko answered, not stopping to look at her sister.
"No, I mean... what are you doing here?" Mint clarified, rubbing her eye. "Shouldn't you be at your apartment?"
"Couldn't sleep," Koko responded without missing a beat. "So I came here last night."
"Oh." Mint smacked her lips and walked into the bathroom. "I didn't hear you come in," she called from inside.
Koko grinned. "You've always been a heavy sleeper." She finally stopped her pushups and stood up, arms akimbo, before letting out a satisfied sigh. "Nothin' like a two-hour workout to get your blood pumpin', huh?" she asked, walking into the bathroom behind Mint.
"Well, I for one don't want my blood pumping at eight in the morning," Mint answered, pulling a brush through her hair. "Aren't you tired?"
Koko didn't respond. Her eyes were fixed on the mirror and seemed to have taken on a haunted expression.
Staring back was a male werewolf, lean, muscular, looking just as haunted and... afraid...
Mint frowned and turned to her sister. "Koko?"
"Huh?" Koko snapped out of her stupor and looked at Mint. "Oh. Uh... yeah," she said, forcing a smile onto her face. "I... I guess I'm a little tired."
"How long did you sleep?" Mint asked, looking concerned.
Koko shrugged. "I dunno. A couple hours?"
"That's not healthy," Mint scolded.
Koko snorted. "Who are you—Mom? I'm fine, sis."
Mint rolled her eyes and went back to brushing her hair as Koko began rummaging through the cabinet next to the shower. "Got any gigs today?" she asked.
"Uh... not today," Koko answered, pulling out another hairbrush. "Just thought I'd go out. Do some shopping, maybe."
"Well, take a shower first. You smell like a wet dog," Mint said teasingly.
