Like Father Like Son (TF)

Like Father Like Son

by TheTyphlosionMaster and Kit-The-Wolfy

~~~

Taz simply could not believe it. At all. No way in heaven or that other place.

He was being adopted. He was actually being adopted.

"Finally I can get out of this dump!" The young 14 year-old teen crowed while packing away his clothes and belongings into the small suitcase he had gotten not too long ago. "No more sleeping on a rickety old bed, no more mushy mystery meals, and best of all, a parent or parents to be around!" He cheered to himself.

"Can it," his sourpuss of a roommate grumbled, turning over in bed.

"Sheesh...no need to be all cranky about it..." Taz growled softly and closed up the zippers on his suitcase. "Just because you're not being adopted doesn't mean you have to go all cranky on someone who is," he explained.

"Meh." The roommate grunted and covered his head with a pillow. Taz disregarded him and padded out of his room, going downstairs to the adoption office like he'd been asked.

"I'm here with my stuff Ms. Rosette," Taz smiled once he stepped into the office and set his suitcase down near the door and took a seat near the brown oakwood desk with several papers scattered around on its surface. "Sooo...where's my adopter?"

Ms. Rosette, the orphanage matron, looked up from her newspaper. "Ah, he's sitting over there in the waiting room. He's already filled out your papers, so you can leave whenever you like."

"Oh sweet! Thanks Ms. Rosette for all you've done for me," He smiled happily and run to her and hugged her tightly. "I'll be sure to visit sometime, okay?"

"Thank you, Taz." Ms. Rosette hugged back. "Go on, go see your new father. He was very excited to adopt you."

"Hehehe okay then!" Taz chuckled softly and grabbed his suitcase then ran out to the waiting room to look for his new father. He soon found him- a man wearing a soft brown cloak and a fedora, with brown hair and blue eyes, waiting patiently and reading what appeared to be a kid's fantasy novel.

"Uhhh...hello. I'm your new son, Taz." He softly said to the man and hold out his free hand to shake. "I'm glad to be your son...mister...uhhhhh..."

"Well, hullo there, Taz." The man smiled and shook Taz's hand. "My name's Matty."

"Nice to meet you Matty, so uh...will we be going now?" He asked and firmly shook Matty's hand then took it back.

"We will." Matty smiled. "I have a mind to get breakfast with my new son, introduce him to my home, and treat him to a very special surprise."

"Oh man! I can't wait Mr. Matty! I'd love to get breakfast right now!" He smiled happily while he thought to himself "It totally beats the mush they feed me here!"

"Alright! Let's go get IHOP!" Matty beamed, and walked out of the building, Taz following behind.

"Oh man, that sounds so good! I'm probably gonna have a chocolate chip pancake!" Taz happily followed Matty close behind with a big smile on his face.

~~~

True to Taz's hopes, at IHOP, Matty ordered chocolate chip pancakes for both of them, topped with cherries and whipped cream.

Taz nearly drooled onto the table once he saw his pancakes stacked perfectly on a platter right in front of him. He immediately grabbed the butter and maple syrup and nearly drenched his pancakes in the sweet tasty goodness. "Thank you, Mr. Matty!" he cheered, digging in.

Matty neatly cut a piece out of his pancakes and bit in, chuckling. "You're welcome, Tazzy."

"Hehehe I like that nickname, nobody really gave me a nickname before.It sounds really unique and awesome! I love it dad!"  Taz smiled and shoved more of the chocolate chip pancakes into his mouth and gulped down some of the cold milk in a nice clear glass.

Matty just ruffled his son's hair and smiled. "I'm glad you like it, son. Enjoying your meal?"

"Mpphh y-yeaw!" He managed to muffle out with a mouth full of chewed up pancakes. Slowly but steadily he began to swallow it down and eat the last of his syrup and butter covered pancakes.

When the meal was over, Matty patted his son's back, led him outside, and hailed a taxi.

"Where to?" the driver asked.

"Wizard's Keep, please," Matty requested.

"Wizard's....Keep?" Taz questioned and tilted his head slightly. "Where's that? The only places I've been to are the skate park and school."

"Ah, it's an old, old, old part of town." Matty chuckled. "It's where I live. There are rumors that an evil wizard used to live there and that he ruled the area from an old stone citadel. Of course, the citadel is in ruins now and the wizard, if he ever existed, is just a pile of bones rotting in a coffin. But it adds an aura of mystery to the place."

Taz shivered as he thought about the old citadel and evil wizard and thought to himself, "Now I'm having a few second thoughts about being adopted...and there goes my dream of living in a nice and clean house..."

But Matty patted his back as the two got in the backseat of the taxi. "It may be old, but it's a nice place. I keep my house clean and bright, to add a little cheer to Wizard's Keep."

"Oh ok..." His voice trailed off a little while he thought of what could go on at night in the Wizard's Keep district. "Maybe the ghost of that wizard is still lingering around that area, cursing people that see his ghost, or even worse! They become ghosts or the walking dead!" Taz thought to himself more and kept thinking of all that could happen while he lived in Wizard's Keep with Mr. Matty.

Soon, he wasn't all so sure he wanted to be adopted.

Taz twiddled his thumbs a little as he sat and waited patiently in the taxi, occasionally looking out the window and watching a few passing cars drive by. He whistled to himself a bit, watching Matty read.

"Dad, what are you reading?" he asked.

"Well I'm reading this new book I borrowed from the library a few days ago." Matty smiled and kept reading away at his book while softly ruffling Taz's black hair.

Taz was only able to make out the words, 'nology' and 'chron' on the front of the book while he went back to looking out the window. He just shrugged to himself. So what if Mr. Matty was a little weird? Just because he lived in the scariest part of town and read kid's books didn't make him a bad person. Did it?

~~~

The taxi slowly pulled to a halt near the curb in the slightly darkened streets of the Wizard's Keep. "Your fare is $12, cash or credit?" the driver asked in a gruff voice as he turned to the father and son in the back seat.

"Cash." Matty handed over four green bills, which the driver took and put in his cash box with a grunt.

"Thanks. Have a nice day." Matty and Taz exited the car, and Taz shivered as he looked around the shady streets. It was only late morning, but the streets of Wizard's Keep were shrouded in the shadows of tall old oak trees that lined the sidewalks.

"Y-You sure we're in the right place dad? I think the cab driver dropped us in the wrong place..." He shivered and kept looking from side to side quickly.

"No, this is the right place. I live a few streets down." Matty, holding Taz's hand tightly, walked him down the lane.

Taz gripped his father's hand tightly as they walked together down the lane while he looked at the scenery. "Y-You sure no robber or thief is gonna come out of an alley and snatch your wallet dad?"

"I'm sure." Matty smiled. "If any robber tried to attack me, I'd show them a very special surprise. There's a lot that I can do, son."

"R-Really?" Taz tilted his head and looked up at his father and thought about what his father looked like under that brown coat of his. "Maybe he's really strong under that coat...or he has some kind of tazer, like a cop!" He thought to himself. "My papa, the cop! That would be so cool!"

Soon, they came to a large two-story house, more like a manor than anything. "Welcome to Monaghan Manor, son," Matty said cheerfully. "My ancestral home."

"Wow...impressive!" Taz smiled and admired the house from top to bottom then the outside gardens and topiaries. "Man...you must hire several professional gardners to make the yard and garden beautiful."

"Actually, I do it all myself." Matty smiled serenely. "I don't have to do much work to keep it all nice, to be honest. I spend most of my time at work or swimming."

"You must have a lot of time on your hands Mr. Matty." He looked and slowly walked up to a few of the well cut topiaries and some of the beautiful flowers in the garden. "I still can't believe you even have a pool here in this duuuu...I mean wonderful area!" He managed to save himself from saying something really mean about his new home.

"Were you about to say "dump"?" Matty laughed. "I don't blame you. A lot of people hate Wizard's Keep because it looks creepy."

"N-No I didn't mean that sir! I meant that you have a really nice house in such an old part of town!" Taz chuckled nervously as he scratched the back of his head.

"I heard you about to say "dump", son," Matty gently admonished. "Don't lie to me, now. But it's honestly okay. A lot of people in this town consider Wizard's Keep a horrible place because of the legend and because it's so dark and creepy looking."

"N-No sir I wasn't about to say dump!" Taz tried to insist on covering up his lie even more. "I just meant it was nice!"

"C'mon, son, don't lie." Matty looked stern.

"I-I'm not dad!" Taz looked around and tried his best not to make eye contact with his father. "I-I..."

Matty sighed. "Son, if there's one thing I hate, it's dishonesty. Please don't lie to me, Tazzy. I want to raise you to be a good and honest boy." For some reason, he looked.. guilty? "Something I learned when I was young is that you should never lie unless it's critical that you do. If the situation doesn't warrant a lie, don't tell one."

"Errr...o-ok..." He sighed and looked a little sad for lying to his father about calling his district and house a dump. "So...uhh..."

"Yes?" Matty hugged his son gently. "I'm not mad, son. Just a little upset. But I forgive you."

"Oh ok...can we get inside now? My bag is a little heavy with my clothes and stuff I brought." Taz grunted softly as he rested his suitcase on the ground.

"Okie-doke." Matty picked up the suitcase like it was nothing, and led Taz down the paved pathway through the gardens, through the oaken doors of Monaghan Manor.

~~~

Noontime approached as the two were sitting down in the dining hall of the manor, a cup of tea on a platter next to both of them. Matty was still reading away at the same book he was reading earlier while Taz was sitting there looking around and occasionally taking a sip at his warm cup of tea.

"This is good... what kind is it?" Taz asked Matty, concerning the tea.

"Orange black with honey," Matty said absently. "You like your new home, son?"

"Well I guess it's actually not that bad...my bed is much better than my old one, the area is much more spacious, and it's pretty fun exploring this huge and vast mansion!" Taz explained happily. I didn't explore the attic or basement yet, and some of the rooms on the first and second floor."

"Ah." Matty closed the book, slipping a silvery silk bookmark between two pages. "You didn't go through a white door with a padlock painted on it, did you?"

"Huh? No I didn't why do you ask?" Taz pondered on the details of the white door, where was it? What laid behind it? Some sort of taxidermy workshop? Maybe just a supply closet, or a room full of dead bodies! Nah, it couldn't be, it must be something reasonable and something that he just wasn't meant to see or know about.

"It's my study. I do a lot of design work in there, since I'm a cartoonist and an illustrator. "Matty grinned sheepishly. "My rough drafts always turn out ugly, so I keep that room forbidden to everyone else."

"Oh ok..." Taz chuckled nervously. "I wasn't thinking you hid dead bodies back there or you were secretly a killer or anything hehehehe..."

"Sure you weren't," Matty deadpanned. He patted Taz's hair down. "Why don't you go play in the playroom while I prepare a surprise for you?"

"Heh alright then! I hope it's an awesome dinner dad." He smiled and got up out of his chair and walked upstairs and looked at several doors lining the halls. "Which one is the playroom?" He thought to himself. "It probably has some old fashioned toys instead of the latest things like a T.V and a Wii U." Taz sighed softly as he walked up to a door looking like all the others.

As it happened, there was a sign on this door that read "Playroom", so Taz opened it and stepped inside.

He blinked.

Wait a second.

This wasn't right...

"Woah...you have got to be kidding me!" Taz gasped as he looked around the playroom. "Awesome!!! An air hockey table, a fooseball table, a T.V with 3 of the latest consoles attached, and 4 colored beanbags for sitting, sleeping, and resting on!!!" He was in heaven, no, more than heaven! In some kind of nirvanna heaven afterlife! Immediately, he sat down on the red beanbag and fired up the Wii U.

He was happily playing two hours later when Matty popped in. "Hey, son! Enjoying your game?" the man asked.

"Awww yeah dad! This is so much fun!" Taz grinned and didn't take his eyes off of the game pad for one second.

"Awesome!" Matty sat down next to his son. "I have your surprise ready."

"Oh cool, thanks dad! I'll go check on it later if that's okay with you. I just want to finish this level I just started." Taz smiled as he kept playing away on the Wii U, his fingers working the game pad like it was a keyboard. Matty nodded and waited patiently for his son to finish, and smiled when he cleared the level.

"Done, pup?" Matty asked gently.

"Heh yeah I'm done dad." Taz smiled then got up and paused for a second. "Did he call me...pup? Maybe I was so focused on the game it came out like that to me...whatever." He thought to himself and shut off the Wii U.

"Alrighty, come down with me to the den and I'll show ya."

~~~

Soon, Matty was standing in front of the fireplace in the den, his son looking at him curiously.

"What's the surprise, Dad?" Taz asked.

"Well, first..." Matty fidgeted. "It might be a little strange, and a little scary to you. But I promise, it won't change the love I have for you, and I hope it won't change the love you have for me."

"Huh? What are you talking about dad?" Taz tilted his head and looked at his father with a confused look. "Don't tell me you're abandoning me or leaving me! We just met!" He sounded a little saddened and slowly tried to piece together the mind puzzle set before him.

"N-no! No way! I'd never leave you." Matty shook his head fervently. "It's just... I don't actually look like this. This is a disguise. I really am Matty Monaghan, but I look different than this. A lot different."

"W-Wait what?!" Taz backed away slowly from his father. "T-Then what do you look like?!" Taz shivered and was prepared to run from his father and into his room at this point.

Matty took a deep breath, sighed, and snapped his fingers. Suddenly, he began (to Taz's eyes) to waver and fade away, and what replaced him was...

"This is what I really look like." The thing that had replaced him was a tall creature in Matty's clothes, speaking with Matty's voice. He had pearly white horns, a black nose, and brown and white fur all over. His face and lupine ears were marked with red markings, and a pair of large, red wings sprouted from his back. He resembled a cross between a dragon and a werewolf.

"A-Aaaahhhh!!!!!" Taz screamed out and darted for the door and quickly dashed up to his room. "N-No!!! T-That can't b-be my father!!! T-This has to be some kind of dream!!!" he mind was screaming out to him as he thought of many ways to rationalize that wasn't his father. It was an impostor. He was hallucinating or dreaming. He was having a fever dream and was sick. He was dying and in Hell. It just really couldn't be his father, the man he called Matty, his adopted father.

Once he made it into his room, he quickly slammed the door shut and locked it, then slid his still packed suitcase against the door and barricaded it with other heavy items he found around his room. "N-No....no...n-no it can't b-be..." Taz cried as he shut his window and closed the blinds that hung above them. His father, a monster.... adopted by a monster. A monster. He was the son of a monster.

The doorknob jiggled. "Son? Are you in there?" Matty asked, worry in his tone.

Taz shivered and whimpered softly as he ducked under his bed and didn't answer back to his father. "I-I don't even w-want to go to him...h-he's a monster...he could eat me at any second! Kill me for my blood like a vampire, or worse! I knew being adopted and taken to some creepy old dump for a district was terrible! Just wake up and end this terrible nightmare! I don't wanna be here any more!"

The knob jiggled a bit more, and soon, Matty groaned. "Barricaded." From his hiding place under the bed, Taz saw the door and the blocking glow with a sky blue aura, before the door unlocked itself and the blockade moved itself out of the way. Matty opened the door, and padded in, brown and white paws making barely any noise as they moved. "Son, please, don't be scared..." Matty pleaded, still sounding worried.

Taz's eyes opened wide with fear as he saw Matty pad in. He was frightened out of his wits as he saw those...paws, or claws...whatever they were on the ground. "G-Go away!" he bleated, horrified. "J-just go away! I don't want a monster for a dad!" Taz sobbed softly and covered his mouth quickly, not wanting to be found under his bed.

"...y-you really think that?" Matty sounded hurt. Taz could hear a soft sobbing noise, and saw a tear fall down to the floor.

"Y-Yes I mean t-that!" Taz sniffled and whimpered softly from under the bed unable to tell how he should feel. He couldn't tell if it was anger overtaking him, sadness that was falling on him, or confusion from all that had happened today up until this point.

Matty's crying became louder. "...I... I guess you're right. I am a monster. An ugly, scary freak that nobody should ever like. You don't deserve to be adopted by a monster like me." He fell to the floor, now wailing. "I just... I just wanted someone to love..."

"...." Utter silence is what came out of Taz's mouth as he thought about the words his supposed 'father' had said. He just laid there under his bed, listening to the sound of his father wailing and crying.

"It's not my fault I'm like this... my entire bloodline was cursed by my great-grandfather's great-grandfather," Matty snuffled. "The Wizard of Wizard's Keep. He's the one who made me like this. He cursed his defiant son so that he and all of his descendants by blood would be... be this." He gestured to himself helplessly.

"And that's why he wants me...so I can have this curse....no I don't want it!" Taz's mind concluded as he quickly scurried out from under his bed but slipped and flopped onto the floor right before the door. "Hnngh.. n-no! I-I don't wanna be like you!!!"

Matty looked up with shock. "W-what?" he stammered.

"You heard me! I don't wanna be a monster like you! You're trying to make me a monster by adopting me!" Taz cried out as he got up and quickly rushed out of his room and down to the den where he hid under a desk with a rolling chair in front of it and pulled it close to the desk so Matty wouldn't suspect him of being there.

"Wait!" Matty yelled, running down after. "That's not what I meant at all! You've got it all wrong!" He tripped on a flight of stairs and went crashing into the den, sliding right into Taz's face.

"Gaaah!" Taz jumped up and hit his head hard on the bottom of the desk and flopped down onto the floor next to Matty, completely knocked out and unconscious from the hard hit.

~~~

When Taz came to, Matty was tending to him. "Son? You alright..?" Matty asked. Taz could see his eyes stained with tears.

"Ugghhh...w-what the...w-where...am I?" Taz groaned softly as he looked around and saw Matty as a monster still yet. "Waah! N-No go away!!!" He cried out and screamed out loudly.

"Shush! Sh-sh-sh, it's gonna be okay, it's alright, it's alright..." Matty said hurriedly, trying to soothe Taz. "It's alright, Tazzy, I'm not gonna hurt you. You accidentally KO'd yourself by bumping into a desk."

"N-No! Everything's not gonna be okay!!! Y-You're some sort of beast and you expect me to be calm?! W-What do you plan on doing with me?!" Taz cried out and whimpered softly.

Matty shook his head. "Nothing. I don't want to hurt you, Tazzy. I'm your father. I'd never dare hurt you. I'm trying to help. Please don't panic, son. You might pass out again."

Taz whimpered softly and remained silent as his father spoke to him. Fear was still clearly present within his eyes.

"I didn't adopt you to turn you into a thing like me, son. I adopted you to prevent it from happening. My family's curse is passed down through blood. If someone becomes pregnant through me and gives birth, my child will be a monster. I can't change other people into monsters like me unless they specifically want to be changed. You're completely safe from my curse, Tazzy." Matty sighed. "I just wish I knew why the wizard cursed my ancestor like this. It's torment, son... I've had to learn magic myself, to disguise myself from the world, just so I can leave my house."

"I-I...never knew it was like that Mr. Matty...now I feel bad for running and causing so much trouble for you...if you want to...you can give me back and take a different boy that's much more well behaved than I am..." Taz sighed and looked sad at what he had done to Matty. How could he have been so horrible to a man who only wanted to love him?

But Matty hugged him tightly, shaking his head again, brown locks swaying. "I'd never give you up for all the world, Tazzy."

"R-Really? Y-You really mean it Matty?" Taz looked up into Matty's eyes and teared up a little.

"I mean it, son." Matty touched his nose to Taz's. "I want you to be happy. I'll never dare abandon you or give you up."

Taz felt the cool wet nose of the monster who he could call father and smiled a little, tears streaming from his eyes. "T-Thanks d-dad....I-I'm glad you're my f-father!" He sobbed and hugged Matty tightly and cried happily.

"I'm glad you're my son." Matty started crying as well, hot tears brimming in his eyes and spilling down his cheeks, but this time, he was smiling.

"D-Dad?" Taz sniffled and clenched his father's back tightly. "I-I just want y-you to know that I-I'm sorry for w-what I've done..."

"I forgive you, son." Matty rubbed Taz's back gently. "I'll always love you, Tazzy."

"O-Ok dad...." Taz sniffled and cried happily into his father's fur, a small smile forming on his face.

~~~

Soon, Taz and Matty were playing video games together, happily battling in a round of pokemon. Taz was thinking to himself as they played,though. He wondered what it was like for Matty, to be all alone as a wolf dragon monster. He wondered if, maybe. ... maybe he should ask his new father to make him one also.

"Hey uh...dad? I was thinking for a while...and it just came to my mind...." Taz said bluntly as he looked down at the remote in his hands.

"Huh? What is it, son?" Matty paused the game and turned his head, looking at Taz with a confused face.

"Well...I uhh...it's kinda...ummm...hard to...explain..." He managed to get out as he thought of what it would be like to be a monster like his father. Maybe he could be awesome and fly around. On the downside he would be weird and strange to many of the kids his age. Plus he didn't want to deal with something called 'responsibility' that came with such a privilege.

"Yeah? " Matty raised an eyebrow. "Go on, you can tell me. "

"Well...ummm...I was wondering...no it's too stupid and it'll put you through a huge hassle dad..." Taz sighed and turned away from Matty and faced the other way.

Matty took hold of Taz's shoulders and turned him around. "Tell me what want, son. Nothing is too big of a hassle when it comes to you. "

"Y-You sure dad? It's kinda a big request from my point of view...and it might shock you...a lot." Taz sighed and looked down at the ground then at Matty's feet and how they were much different than his.

"I'm sure. Lay it on me, little buddy." Matty smiled and patted Taz's back softly.

"Well...I just wanted to ask you...if you could turn me into a monster...like you though!" He quickly corrected himself and looked a little sheepish after what he said. "I feel like you're gonna say, with a form like this, it takes a ton of responsibility and training to master disguise magic like I did, right?"

Matty blinked and stared. "You... want to be a monster like me? " he stammered. "I.... of course,son, but...why? "

"Well...I want to make you happy and I want you to know that you're not alone...plus I think it's an agreeable punishment for me running away and causing so much trouble to you." Taz explained and sighed softly.

"I see. .. well,  if you want me to change and teach you, I'll gladly oblige . Disguise magic is easy."

"Alright then...but first...will I ever be the same dad? I don't wanna go to school or the skate park and everyone starts laughing or teasing me because I'm different..." He frowned and looked a little worried.

Matty smiled cheerfully. "You'll still be you, son! You'll just look different."

"W-Well...I guess...but what if I don't like it dad? Can I trade it in for something else?" Taz asked and still had a bit of worry in his eyes.

"Of course. I won't force you to do this, son." Matty patted Taz's back. "Just tell me when you're ready to be changed."

"A-Alright...can I have until dinner to think about it?" Taz asked and looked a little sad for causing a lot of grief and trouble to Matty.

"Sure. In the meantime, let's play." Matty smiled and unpaused the game and quickly got a free KO on Taz's character.

"Hey! That was a cheap shot!" Taz giggled and quickly got back into playing the game with his father.

~~~

The time rolled on, and soon, dinner was on the horizon. Taz was sitting at the dinner table as his father cooked steak and vegetables for the both of them.

"Smells pretty good!" Taz smiled and sniffed the air deeply, inhaling the sweet and savory smell of the steak cooking.

"Alrighty." Taz soon found himself presented with a big platter of meat and veggies, as Matty sat down and placed the plates.

"Woaaaaahhhh..." Taz gasped as he saw the huge platter full of food in front of him. "I know I'm repeating myself, but this is way better than what I had before! Well...minus the veggies." He sighed while eying out the vegetables.

"You better eat the vegetables, son. Ya gotta grow up big and strong!" Matty chuckled seeing his son eye out the vegetables on his plate.

"Bleh...I'm already big and strong dad! Plus I hate vegetables, they taste weird...and gross." He gagged softly while sticking his tongue out at the vegetables.

"Not my vegetables." Matty puffed out his chest proudly. "Give 'em a try, at least?"

"Ughhh...noooo...." He sighed and slowly slumped into his seat. "I never liked veggies, never have, never will...."

"Just give it a shot, Tazzy. At least mine aren't like those horrible ones at the orphanage." Matty pleaded and begged for his son to at least give his vegetables a try.

"No I don't wanna dad and you can't make me." Taz said sternly and turned his head then crossed his arms. "I'll never eat it!"

Matty groaned. "If you don't eat your veggies, I'll do the exact opposite of what you want when it comes time for you to decide whether you want to be changed."

"Heh...and then I'll just say yes so that you don't change me and I don't need to be like you." He grinned while he leaned back in his chair a little. "Plus I can just go hide again and this time you won't find me in my previous hiding spots." Taz thought he could outsmart his father by this point.

Not so. In a flash, Matty had wrenched Taz's mouth open and stuffed a piece of broccoli in. In response he of course gagged and coughed a few times trying to keep the broccoli from going into his mouth but failed and soon it was stuffed in. He had no choice but to chew... and swallow.

"Wait a sec..." Taz said slowly. "This is... pretty good!" He smiled as he gulped down the broccoli and started eating more and more along with his steak. "I wonder how this is so good, maybe it's a special sauce!"

"Nope. Just good home cooking like my parents taught me." Matty took a bite of his own brocolli and smiled.

"Mmm, well it's delicious dad!" He smiled and kept eating until he couldn't eat anymore of the amazing steak and vegetable dinner.

After dinner was done, Matty washed the plates, and turned to face his son. "Well now, cub, have you decided?"

"Uhhh...well can I have more time to think dad? I'm not quite sure yet..." Taz turned away a little. "Maybe if we play one more game I think I would have made up my mind by then." He smiled and looked at his father in the eyes.

"Sure thing. One more game, and we'll seal your fate." Matty giggled.

"Alright then, why don't we play hide and seek again?" Taz smiled and got ready to run. "You count to 100 while I go hide ok? I'll be much harder to find since I'm not in any danger this time!" He grinned and ran off away from the kitchen.

"Okay!" Matty closed his eyes. "One, two, threee..."

"Alright I know where to hide!" Taz grinned as he ran down the stairs leading to the basement and quickly ran inside. Once he got inside he looked around at all of the things that were kept down there. There were all sorts of art supplies and old relics, maybe spellbooks. It was a lot of stuff, and all very very dusty.

"Woah...wonder what kind of books these are." Taz smiled and slowly took one into his hands and started scanning and reading over the pages. "Wow...pretty cool."  The one he was holding was about spells to build homes and protect them. "I wonder if there's another one." He mumbled as he flipped through more pages and stopped on one with a magic circle. "Hmm...?" He raised an eyebrow. This was... this was the spell that would change him! There were details below. "Says here... absolutely pain-free, lots of fun, pleasure guranteed."

That sounded great to Taz! He kept reading. "The transformation is specifically designed to prevent pain and bring pleasure to the transformee." He could see Matty's handwriting in blue ink. "Drawing the spell circle with blue chalk increases pleasure levels, according to Ferdinand's Second Theorem."

"What the heck is Ferdinand's Second Theorem?" He tilted his head and then shurgged and disregarded it. "Whatever, let's see...what else is there about this magic circle?"

No other information. Taz shrugged and closed the book. "Well, I guess that decides it. It sounds like fun!" As soon as he had closed the book he heard footsteps upstairs and quickly turned off the lights and looked for a place to hide. "Oh shoot...there!" He smiled and ran under a pile of robes on the floor and slowly peeked out of it waited for Matty to come looking downstairs for him.

Matty soon lumbered downstairs, wings folded. "Tazzyyy, where are youuu," he sang.

Taz shivered a little thinking of the computer game Mad Father, and soon calmed himself down as he held his breath trying not to make any movements or loud noises that would epose or give away his location.

However, Matty soon found him. He lifted up the pile of robes and grinned. "Hey there, pup!"

"Gah! Ehehehehe...how'd you know I was under there?" Taz sighed softly and looked at a few of the robes.

"I saw you shakin' under there, silly." Matty ruffled Taz's hair. "Had fun?"

"Hehehehe of course dad!" He smiled and started to get accustomed to Matty's occasional hair ruffles, not minding one bit about it.

"Awesome," Matty said gently. "Now, have ya made up your mind?"

"I think I need one more game before I can make up my mind dad..." Taz answered and looked a little worried when he father had asked the question.

"...you're stalling for time, aren't you?" Matty guessed.

"N-No! What makes you say that dad?" Taz chuckled nervously and smiled as he turned away a little from his father.

"I can tell when people do these things. I have a good head for social situations."

"I-I'm not stalling dad! I swear!" He said nervously and shivered a little in place, not too noticeable for Matty to see.

"Oh, son. It's perfectly fine." Matty hugged. "I understand you're scared, and you have every right to be. I promise, though. If you say yes, it'll be fine. I'll always be here to protect you."

"O-Ok dad...." Taz sighed and looked down a little sad then looked up into his monster father's eyes. "I think I'm ready dad...to become like you..."

Matty nodded. "Alright, son. I'll make you a monster. Come with me."

~~~

Taz found himself being led to the room with the padlock sign. "Dad, I thought this was your study?" he asked.

"It is indeed my study, but I think it's best you know what's behind it right?" Matty smiled and patted Taz's back softly.

So many questions were running through Taz's head again. "What was really behind this door? Was this really a study? Could there be other monsters behind there waiting to eat his head off?"

He soon found out. Matty opened the door, and led Taz into a brightly-lit room with a computer and a wastepaper basket overflowing with crumpled-up drawings.

"Wow...guess you were right...it is full of drawings and all your work dad." Taz sighed and admired some of the drawings Matty drew and smiled. They were very good! Even the bad ones were quite nice.

"Shucks." Matty blushed. He indicated a circle, drawn in blue chalk on the ground. "Step right in there, and we'll have you made into a monster in no time flat."

"D-Dad...I-I'm scared..." Taz shivered and looked at the ground before him which was the circle in blue chalk he read about.

"You''ll be alright." Matty picked his son up and placed him in the center of the circle.
"Just stand still, and it'll go smooth."

"N-No dad!!" Taz cried out as he tried to jump out of the circle but already an invisible barrier had been placed around the circle preventing any escape from it. "H-hrn...I-I'm scared...h-help dad!!"

"Easy," Matty said, voice soothing and soft. "Nothing's wrong. I'm here. I won't let you be hurt." He exhaled gently and clasped his hands together. "Cursed blood that runs in me, take my son and make his form like to mine."

"N-Ngghh....d-dad..." Taz cried softly and slowly heard himself start to whimper. "D-daddy..." He whimpered louder as he felt a slight tingle in his lower back while a soft and fluffy tail burst free and slowly wagged behind him. "Wah!"

"Haha!" Matty laughed. "A tail! It's so fluffy and big!"

Taz looked back at the tail in shock. "A... a tail... my tail.." he murmured while he wagged it from side to side, watching its every movement. "T-that's pretty cool..." he smiled and hugged it tightly while the next changes slowly started to take place. He felt his ears changing, rising up on his head, turning triangular and becoming coated with fur. The fur on his ears was a soft silver color, his tail powder blue with a white tip.

"O-oh....wow...it feels like I can hear a lot of things....like...a cricket chirping from far away!" He smiled happily while looking at his father right in the eyes. "Wow...to think I'm gonna be like my dad soon." Taz thought and looked happily at his father standing outside the circle.

Matty just smiled. "Looking good, son!"

The next thing Taz felt was his face changing. It elongated, turning his mouth and nose into a blue and white canine muzzle and a wet, black nose. He felt the fur of his muzzle spread across his whole head, covering it all but his dark hair. It was a tickly sensation that caused Taz to sneeze and giggle.

"Hehehehe achoo!" He sneezed softly and wagged his tail happily as he felt the sensation of fur all over his body. "Oh man this feels awesome and great!" Taz cried out and barked softly as his voice box slowly changed to that of a slightly higher pitch and now added things a puppy could do like whimper, bark, and even howl! "Wow! My voice sounds so cool!"

"It sure does, son!" Matty beamed. "I wonder what's next?"

"I-I think we're about to find out daddy." Taz smiled as he looked at his hands and feet that felt tingly next and they slowly started to sprout silver fur on them! His feet began changing into large, soft paws, just like Matty's. It made him giggle and very nearly trip over his own two feet, but he got back up, already learning how to balance and walk on his brand-new paws.

"Oh man they're so soft." Taz smiled as he sat on the ground and felt his new paws. He looked at them and wiggled both his toes and fingers. The rest of his body soon became coated in his warm, soft, blue and white fur, blue all over except for his white chest and tummy. A pair of ivory horns grew from his head, and he gasped, feeling them. "Horns!? Wow!" He barked happily in enjoyment while he shrunk a slight bit, his clothes becoming a little baggy thus causing him to evacuate from them. "Woah! I'm a fox! With horns?" He giggled and softly rubbed them with his hands.

"That you are. But there's still one more thing that's left!" Matty smiled and sat down outside the barrier, unfurling his red and white wings.

"Oh! My wings daddy! I need my wings!" The young fox barked and wagged his tail as he anxiously awaited his wings to sprout from his back. Soon, his hopes were granted- he yelped in joy as from his back, two big, draconic, blue and white wings burst, leathery and soft, unfurling like flower blossoms.

Taz soon let out a soft and cute roar of approval when his wings had appeared and unfurled. "Rawrrrrr!" he cried out in happiness as he wrapped his wings tightly around his body and wagged his new tail quickly.

The barrier shattered like lemon candy, and Matty rushed into the circle, wiping the chalk away and scooping Taz into a HUGE hug! "All done, son!" he cheered. "And I'll eat my hat if you aren't the cutest thing around!"

"Arf!" Taz barked and hugged his father tightly, with both wings and arms. "T-Thanks daddy...I'm so glad to be like this. It feels amazing with my wings, paws, and especially my tail!" He cried out happily and wagged his tail from side to side quickly.

"You're welcome, son!" Matty smiled and made a purring noise, cradling Taz in his arms like a little kid. "Y'know something? I think you're a bit too cute to call a monster. How about we make up a new term to call ourselves?"

"Ok daddy." The young pup smiled and wagged his tail as he was cradled in his father's arms. "How about Hellhounds?"

"Nah, too scary." Matty patted Taz's hair down, mindful of his new horns, tiny and blunt as they were. "We have horns and wings like a dragon.... maybe... draco-something?"

"Ok papa, how about Draco-puppies!" Taz smiled and giggled softly as his tail wagged happily behind him.

"Perfect! You're a draco-puppy." Matty snuggled Taz close. "And I can be a dracowolf!"

"If you're a draco-wolf daddy, am I a draco-fox when I grow older?" Taz smiled and wagged his tail hapily as he flexed and flapped his wings softly.

"Yup! And you make a fine draco-fox." Matty snugged Taz close. "Wanna go play again?"

"Hmm...o-" Before Taz could finish his sentence a bolt of lightning crackled in the sky causing a loud crash of thunder to boom and echo through the house. "Yipe!!" Taz whimpered as he jumped out of Matty's arms and quickly scurried away out of the study and up into the attic, the only other safe place he knew.

"Tazzy, come back!" Matty ran after.

~~~

Matty found Taz hiding under a box of old books, whimpering in fear and curling his wings around himself protectively.

"H-Hrrrnn..." Taz whimpered and was shivering in fear. "D-Daddy...I-I'm scared..." the young draco-pup looked teary eyed as he trembled and looked to his father.

"I'm here, son." Matty scooped Taz up into his arms and hugged the draco-pup protectively. "Thunder and lightning aren't so scary, little guy. Don't worry about them."

"B-But....w-what if...i-it hits me...or s-shocks you..." Taz sniffled and hugged Matty tightly, his eyes still filled with tears.

"There is a one in three hundred thousand chance that you'll get hit by lightning ever in your entire life, son. No fear."

"O-Ok daddy...c-can I s-sleep in your room t-tonight daddy...I-I'm still scared..." He jumped a little as another thunderclap was heard and echoed loudly through the mansion.

"Of course, son!" Matty cradled Taz gently. "Anything for my Tazzy."

"T-Thanks daddy..." Taz hugged his father tightly and wrapped his tiny wings around him as best he could. Matty nodded and hummed softly, taking Taz down to his bedroom.

As soon as they were in the bedroom Taz jumped out of his father's arms and onto the bed. He quickly scurried under the covers and shivered fearfully of the rain, thunder, and lightning outside.

Soon, Matty was by his side, holding him and murmuring words of comfort and love in his ears. As he heard his father's reassurances, Taz relaxed, his pulse slowing, his shoulders slumping.

"Daddy...can you tell me a bedtime story?" He asked and slowly rested his head on a pillow while he started to look drowsy already.

"Of course." Matty stroked Taz's back gently. "Once upon a time..."

Taz yawned as soon as he heard those words while his eyes grew heavy and he curled up into somewhat of a ball shape near his father. Matty's story flowed into his mind like music, and as he drifted off into dreamland, it was like he was in the story itself.

Taz murred softly as he imagined himself as the main character of the story, with dragons and wolves by him, playing together in peace and harmony as he dreamed and snored softly.

~~~

When Taz woke up, he was being hugged softly and lovingly by Matty. "Mrr..... morning, Papa..." he murmured and wagged his tail happily.

"Good morning Tazzy, did you sleep well?" Matty smiled and hugged his son.

"Of course I did daddy, I dreant of dragons, and wolfies, and even draco-hybrid monsters too!" The young pup smiled and wagged his tail happily. Matty chuckled and held Taz tightly, lovingly snuggling him close.

"Wanna stay in bed and cuddle, or wanna get up and go have fun?" Matty asked.

"Well I kinda wanted to sleep in a little more...I'm a little tired after my first hectic day here papa." Taz sighed and rested his head down on the soft and very comfortable bed.

"Okay. We can just snuggle." Matty held his son gently, stroking his back with one hand.

"Muuurrrrr..." Taz closed his eyes, and the young draco-pup sighed softly in content as his back was stroked softly by his father, his wings spread a little as a sign of enjoyment.

Matty just kept on petting his son's back. Unbeknownst to Taz, tears of joy began brimming in the father's eyes, running down his cheeks silently as he cuddled his son.

"Hehehehhe muurrrrr...." Taz giggled softly as he slowly wagged his tail, enjoying every bit of Matty's rubs and cuddles. Soon, he began crying too, overjoyed that he had such a wonderful father. Both adult and teen held tight to one another, just staying like that for a while, absorbed in the wonderful love between father and son.

"I love you daddy..." Taz smiled and sobbed happily as he snuggled into his father's warm and soft fur.

"And I love you too son, don't you ever forget that." Matty smiled and snuggled back into his son's soft and comfortable fur.

The End