Ellie's POV

"Dude, are you sure he's this way?" I ask, taping my finger on my thigh nervously as we walk. "We're cutting our rendezvous time a little close now if we want to make it to Evie's in time."

"Don't worry." he says, not slowing his trot. "I can smell something."

"If Ben's smell is moving this much, then I doubt he's asleep or stone." Carlos reasons. "Maybe he just can't hear us."

"True." I agree. "And then, shouting might actually help us."

"BEN!" Carlos calls, cupping his hands around his mouth. "BEN!"

"Oh, boy, something stinks!" Dude says out of nowhere, stopping to turn to us. "And it wasn't me this time!"

Something---or someone---suddenly roars. Loud. A furry figure wearing blue and yellow jumps out from behind a tree. Dude screams and runs away, the rest of us clustering in a group as the thing approaches, studying us with an air of anger.

He growls threateningly once more, as if deciding he doesn't like our look, then lunges for Gil. Carlos yelps and pulls him out of the way in the nick of time, sending the thing ramming into a tree.

"Thanks!" Gil says to Carlos.

"Don't mention it." Carlos pats his shoulder.

The thing whips back around toward us, recovering quickly. He runs for me, but I pull a move I remember learning from Jay recently when someone bigger and stronger than you is charging. I run for him as well, ducking at the last second and coming up from my roll on my knees. The weirdly-familiar looking thing runs right over me, tripping over a log and sprawling on its face.

"Oh, my gosh---" I gasp out, recognizing him finally when I see the Beast crest on his jacket. "Guys, it's Ben!"

"What?" Jay yells back. Ben growls low in his throat, drowning out my voice as I repeat it, then he suddenly sprints for Harry. Jay grabs his jacket and pulls him backward, sending Ben past them yet again. I remember when Endora turned all the guys into Beasts, but this is different. Now it's like he can't remember who he is, and is fully an animal. With Dori, all the boys grew in size and suddenly had fur, but Ben is roughly the same size, not nearly as imposing as Endora's Beasts.

"You need some serious nose adjustments!" Harry pants out as Ben stalks us, crawling up a tree root to get above our group.

"I'm not so sure." Carlos says. I get to my feet, dusting my knees off and joining them.

"Guys---" I say, spreading my hands in front of them to stop them. "It's Ben."

"Ben?" Carlos asks. Ben seems to calm a little bit, but is still freakishly set on hunt mode. "Did Audrey do that?"

"Huh. I thought I recognized those pants." Jay says.

Ben growls, but he seems to be coming back to himself. He keeps glancing down at his hand, which I now see has a large splinter poking out of one of the pads on his paws.

"Ohh, he's got a boo-boo!" Gil realizes. "That's why he's so cranky! You know, my dad said his dad did not handle pain well at all."

Ben's growl turns into a snarl, set on Gil.

"You're good with animals!" Jay suddenly says to Carlos, his fist raised as if expecting a fight. "Do something!"

"Wha---" Carlos huffs through his nose. "Yeah, one dog." He mutters, but he climbs around the tree roots anyway, approaching Ben slowly. I notice that Harry is slowly edging himself behind me. Against my will, my lips twitch as I fight a smile.

"Hey Ben." Carlos says carefully, coming up to him with his hands up in surrender. "It's me. Carlos. All right?"

Ben roars once more, swiping a paw toward Carlos. He ducks in time, all of us flinching with him. Kind of like someone does in a movie when you try to react like a character does without realizing you're doing it.

"Woah! Ben!" Carlos yelps, coming back up quickly. "It's Carlos! All right?" He edges close slowly, but Ben doesn't attack.

"You helped me once." Carlos continues slowly, one hand out. "All of us. When you brought us from the Isle. Remember? All right? Let me help you." He extends both hands, but Ben stubbornly keeps his injured paw away.

"Come on, let me see your hand." Carlos urges. Ben, not making eye contact, slowly reaches out his paw, reminding me of a pouting child. "Attaboy." Carlos says, then winces. "Beast. King. Uh---whatever." He takes Ben's paw with one hand, grasping the splinter with another. "Oh, yeah, that's a big one." He mutters, glancing down at us. We all nod encouragingly.

"I'm going to count, all right?" Carlos says to Ben. "One... two..." He pulls it out.

You missed three. I say to myself, as Ben lurches backward and practically howls in pain, falling to his knees.

"There it is!" Carlos says, grinning. "You did it!"

Ben unsteadily stands to his feet, and then I hear a weird squirting sound. Water comes spraying from nowhere, dousing Ben from head to toe. Glitter comes rolling off of him as we all turn our heads together.

"Jane?" I demand incredulously. She's standing off to the side, beaming at us all, holding a water gun. I hear coughing---human coughing---from behind me, and I assume Ben is back to normal. I push through Harry and Jay to run over to her. "What are you doing here? How are you not under Audrey's spell?"

She grins, holding up the water gun. "I was at the lake for my birthday party, remember? When Audrey showed up, I jumped in, and the spell didn't affect me."

"Wow." I nod, impressed. "Nicely done." I glance over to Ben, and I see he's back to mostly-normal, Jay helping him down to sit on a fallen tree trunk. Ben looks tired, and weird. I never really thought to imagine what King Ben would look like with a beard. Or fangs.

"Oh, that was funky." Ben manages, laughing.

"Was." Jay agrees. "Is." He pats his own jawline, then where Ben's fangs are. Ben's hand jumps up, and he laughs again as he feels his new vampire teeth.

"You need another blast." Jane decides, aiming up the gun again and squirting him.

He closes his eyes. "No, please---" His words gurble together through the water. "Please, stop." he finishes halfheartedly when Jane stops her stream.

"Huh." She says when nothing's changed. "It's Enchanted Lake water." She explains to everyone. "I guess it can only do so much."

"Well, well, well..." Harry suddenly says, his voice turning to his 'charming' phase. He creeps closer to Jane, grinning. "Harry Hook. And you, my little duckling, are... ravishing."

Jane doesn't answer for a moment, just blinks in surprise.

"You used that on me already, Hook." I sigh, putting my hand on his face to push him backward. "Losing its touch."

"Wait a minute." Ben says, standing. He points at Harry, then at Gil, because Gil is standing away from our side of the group. "Whose side are they on?"

Jay claps Ben on his shoulder. "He escaped and joined us." He says, gesturing to Harry. "And Mal has the ember, which is our only hope to stop Audrey. Details to follow."

"Hades' ember?" Ben asks in confusion. "Has Mal gone back to the Isle?"

"I said details to follow." Jay says. "We're meeting up with Mal, Evie, and Uma, let's go."

"Uma!?" Ben yells.

"Details to follow!" We all repeat together. Jay shoves Ben towards the general direction of Evie's house and all of us start heading that way. Jay and Harry bring up the rear, while Jane and Ben are in front talking about what they've missed. Carlos slows down to walk with me.

"Glad Audrey didn't Beast all of us like that." Carlos mutters to me, half-grinning.

"Same. Seeing you as a Beast was freakish enough. Seeing you act like one would be even worse." I shudder.

"Too bad Mal wasn't here." Carlos chuckles suddenly. "It probably would've been a lot easier to get closer to him with her here."

"True."

"Wuv." Carlos finishes, and I laugh. 

_______________________________________

FREAKING. OUT. RIGHT. NOW. 

ALL KEEPER FANS---WHO HAS SEEN THE GORGEOUS PICTURE SHANNON MESSENGER POSTED OF SOKEEFE ON HER INSTAGRAM!?!?!?!?!!? ITS SO BEAUTIFULLLLLLL!!!! SOKEEFE FOREVER!!!!

Also am I the only one who thinks Sophie's watching his Hair, and not his actual face? Just on where her eyes look like they're focusing on. Idk. 

Anyways. Hope you guys liked this chapter! :)