Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters of The Book of Life, if I did it wouldn't be as much as a beautiful film as it is. I own nothing but the plot.

Moonlight bite

As Manolo played his guitar, he tried to feel his deceased loved ones around him. He always felt comforted whenever they would be by his side, encouraging him every step of the way and doing whatever they could to help.

However, he felt that something was wrong with him and he couldn't explain what it was.

He stopped playing his guitar and glanced out the window.

Even though his eyes were tired, he knew that he couldn't sleep. Not as long as that wolf who inflicted this curse upon him was still roaming San Angel. That wolf could hurt María or even Joaquin if given the opportunity and there was no way -no way on his family's grave- that he would allow that to happen.

He shook his head and stopped thinking about it, closing his eyes heavily as he softly let his fingers run softly along the strings of his musical instrument. He knew he couldn't just keep thinking about this, he was exhausted enough as it was. He knew that with every transformation, his body would find it harder and harder to cope as time flew by.

It was a secret only he knew about and it was one he most definitely couldn't tell María. Manolo let out a long exhale of exhaustion as he slowly fell asleep against the body of his guitar and, as he let his consciousness fade, he let out a small relaxed breath.

Manolo, however, felt a very large oppression in his heart that made his instincts stir. He couldn't explain it but he had a few knots twisting in his gut, it was a feeling that washed over him in a full-blown realisation as he started to pick himself up to his feet; This feeling...there was something more...sinister going on in the background.

Even though the guitarrista had been afflicted by this monsterous curse, he had a feeling that something more was at play here and he didn't like it.

"...Hmmm..." He murmured quietly to himself as he continued to pluck the strings of his guitar so he could weave a beautiful seamless melody.

He closed his eyes and allowed the music to completely flow through the house of his friend and he even lifted his head when he heard an abrupt creaking pierce the silence that he had been experiencing before now.

Upon looking over at the door, Manolo spotted a certain pig whom he recognised immediately.

Chuy trotted into the room and regarded the man with a simple oink as he approached Manolo and proceeded to sink down to lay at his feet with a somewhat peaceful smile as he felt the soft carpet come into contact with his tummy.

The pet pig seemed to have been perfectly content as he lain on the soft carpet and at the feet of his owner's spouse.

But, unbeknownst to him, that very same person had started to take a very uncontrollable interest in the boar.

The man stopped playing and set his guitar aside as he was overcome by a sudden wave of animal instincts.

Manolo couldn't control it as he found his eyes widening at the sight of the pig laying at his feet.

His mouth watered and he suddenly felt his stomach clench in hunger as he looked down at Chuy with a hunger that couldn't be satiated; Manolo didn't know what was coming over him but he felt his teeth sharpening slightly and his eyes becoming more and more animalistic as he glowered down at a sleeping Chuy. He licked his lips hungrily and he felt all his instincts he had tried to suppress bubble up within him.

His nails even sharpened into claws as he reached down to dig them into Chuy's skin and tear him apart...But then the poor man stopped whence he realised what he was about to do and he looked down at his hands with a look of horror reflecting within his eyes.

His pupils shrank and his claws instantly retracted.

Those hands he would gently caress a guitar with, those hands that he would always use for selfless deeds and acts of compassion were just about to be used to slaughter some poor helpless animal.

His hands started to shake.

"What was I doing...?" Manolo whispered shakily to himself. He was horrified that he had suddenly considered doing something so monstrous...harming and devouring a defenceless creature! Not only that but he was thinking about eating an animal he had brought for his dearly beloved when he was a little boy and she was about to leave for Spain.

Just what was he becoming? Why was this happening?

He was disgusted with how he had just behaved. He vowed to never harm an innocent creature, he never even brought harm upon a bull when he was being forced to be a bullfighter like his ancestors before him!

He clapped his hands over his eyes and hid his face as he silently cried to himself.

"Manolo?"

Manolo's teary eyes brightened when he saw María enter the room whilst she carried a wooden tray that held a pair of cups filled to the brim with piping hot tea and there was a very compassionate smile plastered on her red-painted lips as she slowly approached him.

Manolo let his wife seat herself next to him and she set the tray aside and saw the look of distress on her husband's face.

She placed her hand on Manolo's shoulder and asked in a soft and gentle tone "Mi amor, what's the matter?"

The saddened and understandably frightened guitarrista sighed shamefully as he glanced down at the sleepy pet pig he had just attempted to rip apart into ribbons and reached down to scratch Chuy behind the ear.

"I...I don't want to hurt you, María..." Manolo confessed as he hung his head a bit, trying to hide the fact that he was crying.

María just knew that her husband was just as scared as she was about this strange condition. But, deep inside, she still couldn't bring herself to believe something like this; Manolo turning into a wolf was so incredibly surreal and she felt her heart ache that her lover was going through such hard times.

Yet she narrowed her eyes somewhat sternly as she let her hands reach to touch the sides of Manolo's face. She gently turned his head so the two lovers could stare each other right in the eyes, bright mahogany brown eyes staring into broken oak-coloured eyes.

"Manolo, look at me...you won't hurt me." She said.

"How do you know I won't?" He asked.

María smiled gently and caressed his cheek gently with a gentle smile, she stared compassionately into those beautiful eyes that were filled with kindness and goodwill and she even brushed a loose strand of her beloved guitarrista's jet black hair aside. She started to speak in a confident tone that was laced with a kindly whisper that had was well-seasoned with compassion.

"Because you are Manolo Sanchez, the man who always played his music from the heart. You died for me and tried to find me in the land of the dead, you travelled through two different realms just for me...you even broke off a centuries tradition not only for my sake, but for your dreams."

María gently leaned in and kissed his forehead gently "...You are my husband and one of my best friends, Manolo, I know you better than anyone; you would NEVER hurt me...Te amo tanto."

Manolo found his heart grow warm when he heard his wife say those words. Just like before, he felt blessed that such a kind-hearted and considerate woman was in his life. He was happy to have her and Joaquin by his side and he just wished that he could repay them for all they had given him and he was certain that if he were a wolf right now, his tail would be wagging a mile a minute.

He smiled softly and nuzzled the young lady's soft tan cheek while María crooned whilst she wrapped her arms around her soulmate's broad yet feeble form, slipping her arms around his neck and kissing his face all over to prove how much she adored him. She even closed her eyes as she hugged him, rubbing her cheek against his affectionately.

"We'll get through this together..."

But what neither of them knew was that, lurking around the boarders of San Angel, was a very familiar threat.

A threat that had dark brown fur, big pointy ears, a long muzzle that came with a set of very sharp teeth. It even had a bushy tail and it had honey coloured pupils and black whites with acid green glowing markings decorating its stick-thin hind legs and forelimbs and even its head. This snarling beast even sported a black collar that had been decorated with spikes.

This threat had a nasty howl that could make spines quake and full-grown men tremble. This creature had ears that could catch on to even the slightest sound, this creature had a powerful bite that could infect humans with a most terrible curse...and, worst of all, this was a creature that was hungry.

So VERY hungry.

A/N: Hi, guys. Sorry this update took so long, I am just very unwell right now but have a LOT of free time on my hands.

Anyways, it just took a bit of motivation to continue this chapter which I had been working on for quite some time and I thought to myself after watching Inside out, meh why not update this. Plus I had been meaning to put this up but so many other stories need my attention but I have trouble because I have so many one-shot ideas in the works.

Please forgive me for the long wait.

I'll try and get another chapter up sooner.

But please review in the meantime, hopefully Manolo won't end up eating Chuy before that happens. But at least he has Maria to help him.

-Chloemcg