Hunter's Moon

Teri blushed. She looked down at her toes while red crept up along the sides of her ears. "It's all I have. There's already too much pain in the world, Heather. If all I can do is make people smile then that's what I'll do."

"I," Heather hesitated. She wanted to tell Teri to wait at the inn while she looked for the man but she worried about her. Alone in the chaos she caused.

Go, she told the waiting rats. Find him. She guided her small army through the forest.

"Heather?" Teri asked.

Here. Here. Here. Here. Here, they told her. Heather couldn't remember burying the man but he was not as she left him. A small pile of dirt marked his grave. She briefly considered having them dig but if they weren't fast enough or strong enough to stop him, what would happen?

"We have to go," Heather told her friend. "I have to find the man from last night. I can feel his hunger and he's not even awake yet."

"How?"

Heather dressed herself quickly, tugging and pulling at her jeans. She was larger but, thankfully, not too big for her old clothes. The claws at the tips of her toes wrecked her socks and her shoes refused to fit. She hadn't realized but, in addition to the claws, her feet were wider and her soles were tough and leathery. Her toes also seemed longer and she was pretty sure there was an extra joint on every single one of them. They curled in in a faintly obscene way when she flexed them.

"Like this," Heather said finally. Her nipples pressed against her thin white top. The shirt did little to hide the swells of her larger breasts.

"Umm. Ummm," Teri said, blushing again. "Maybe a jacket, too?"

Heather blinked. "Right. I, uhh, don't feel the cold much anymore. I'm going to go without. It doesn't really matter."

"Well, now I am jealous. That's super handy. Won't people notice? The fangs... they're kinda... and your ears..."

"Watch."

The two women left their room. The hallway was empty but Heather could hear people talking on the ground floor. Teri followed behind her nervously as they made their way downstairs. As soon as Heather stepped into the open, the conversations stopped. Every single face was turned to her.

"Heather!" Teri hissed. "They're staring at you!"

"I know," Heather answered. "Look at their faces."

Everyone from small children to grandparents were devoid of expression. Nobody moved. Nobody spoke. They breathed almost as one, steady and even.

"Are you- are you doing that to them?" Teri asked. Heather felt a sense of awe coming through their connection.

"Not on purpose. Let's go. We have to hurry."

The faces turned to follow them as they passed and, exiting the inn, they found the same thing outside. Everyone within eyesight tracked their movements silently.

"Holy crap. Holy crap. That's... that's... hey, how come I'm not doing the same thing?" Teri asked, ever curious.

"I think maybe because of what happened to you. What I did to you. You were caught by it yesterday. The effect of it." Heather led her friend through the town towards the forest. She began to walk more quickly as the dead man stirred in his deep grave.

"Whoa, seriously? I don't remember... oh. Ohhhhh, okay. That's nifty. But creepy. But ultimately nifty." They walked in silence for a while, deeper and deeper into the nearby forest. "Wait. Wait. Heather, oh my god, am I going to grow fangs?"

Heather turned to look at her friend. "No?" she answered, unsure of herself. "I don't know. I don't think so. Do you feel any different? Any urges or things pulling at you?" In her mind, she spoke to the rats. Go, hide yourself.

"No," Teri said with a frown. "Just you. Kind of. I'm not going to lie; I'm a little disappointed. What do you think it'd take to-"

"Shh!" Heather whispered, her hand low to the ground. "We're here."

"Where? I don't- Oh, shit."

A small pile of dirt lay in a clearing ringed by trees. As they watched, the dirt shifted and moved. More dirt pushed up and out of the ground. A single gray hand reached through the mound. Teri hid herself behind Heather as a second hand pushed through. Thousands of small eyes joined with the two women to watch the dead man pull himself from the ground.

Dirt clung to the man's lanky, matted hair. Bones protruded from his face and through the holes in his clothes. His eyes were milky white and but they swiveled as he looked around. Sharp fangs jutted from under his top lips.

Heather could feel the man's rage. And his hunger. It consumed him, leaving nothing behind.

The fur along Heather's back began to thicken and spread as her body responded to the creature in front of her. Her creature. Small bones popped in her jaw and at the base of her spine.

The dead man screamed as he freed himself completely. He turned to face Heather. He'd known she was there. He could feel her nearly as well as she felt him. The man crouched and ran. Dirt and leaves shot up behind him at his incredible sprint. Long ropes of drool slid from his fangs to his lips as he charged, arms held wide.

Heather lowered herself while her body changed. Her face cracked, pushing out into a flat-nosed snout as red fur raced up and over to cover her head. Claws pushed through her fingertips as her tail pushed at her pants and shirt. A line of skin grew from her arms and down her sides, black and thick. The young woman's shirt tore as she changed, falling to the ground to expose her wings and thick fur.

Teri stepped between the two, mere seconds before the man reached Heather. Teri's arms shot out lightning quick and she shoved. As quick as the young woman was, the man was faster; he gripped her wrists and pulled. The two crashed to the side, slamming against a huge old tree. The man howled, clawing and snapping at Teri but the young woman held her own until the man's hands raked down her chest. She screamed but latched onto the man's wrist. Her arms trembled as she fought to contain the immense strength of the vampire above her. Slowly, the insane creature's hands reached closer and closer to Teri's chest.

"STOP!" Heather screamed.

Although her face was reshaped into a bat-like snout, the words were clear and loud and mixed with undeniable command. Her long, curved ears picked up the tiny angry shrieks of bats as they flew into a rage, racing toward her to offer their support. Thousands and thousands of rats surged from between the trees, only stopping for further commands from their mistress.

The male immediately dropped to his knees with his head bowed and his body bent, cowering before her. Teri rolled to the side with one knee bent. Her shirt was in ruins and her bra hung between her bloody breasts. Four livid lines of red split her skin and she winced, holding her hand against the raw, open wounds.

Insane hunger burned through the link between Heather and the vampire. Her command was the only thing holding him in place. The male threw every ounce of his willpower against her and she could feel each useless effort. The smell of blood permeated the air but Heather's pure, black eyes focused on the male. She screamed again and the sky became pitch black, the moon and stars hidden behind a cloud of swirling bats.

Heather took a step and found herself instantly standing directly in front of the vampire. He trembled in front of her, words pouring from his mouth as he perhaps begged for his life. Anger and rage and hate burned through Heather. Her deadly claws ripped the man's head from his shoulders in one quick, savage motion. She lost herself in her bloodlust as she tore the man apart. Only when she burst his gray, shriveled heart did the dull light at the back of her mind blink out of existence. Heather screeched triumphantly and her eyes locked on Teri.

Teri held a bloody hand to her mouth. Horror and relief flooded into Heather from the other woman.

"This!" Heather screamed. "This is who I am! Now tell me the world makes sense. Now tell me it'll all be okay!"

"It'll... It'll be..."

"LIAR!" Heather screamed. Her red furred muzzle was wide, black lips pulled back to expose her fangs. "I can smell your blood! Even now... even now all I want is to take it all from you. It's taking everything I have not to drain you like I drained HIM! You have no idea. NO idea!"

Tears fell from Teri's eyes but, despite it, Heather felt her resolve. Teri stood and pulled at her shirt, easily tearing the rest of it away from her. She stood exposed and bloody in front of her friend. Her new strength and speed weren't her only gifts as the marks on her chest had begun to slowly heal. The young woman's huge breasts hung low on her wide, curvy frame.

"I trust you," Teri began. "I-"

"You shouldn't!" Heather screamed.

"I do. I trust you," Teri said. "I... take it. I trust you not to kill me. If you didn't before, you won't now. I trust you."

Heather raised her clawed, furred arms wide, thick black wings spread. She screamed her frustration and anger and fears. The bats overhead fled from her and the rats followed, terrified at their mistress's rage.

Teri took a step towards her friend.

"Don't!" Heather warned.

Teri took another step.

"Stop!" Heather commanded.

Teri grunted, grimacing through the sudden urge to stop moving. She slowly forced herself another step forward.

"Please," Heather begged. "Please don't."

Teri stood in front of her friend. Heather fell to her knees. The smell of Teri's blood was overwhelming. She could feel the woman's heartbeat without touching her. The part of her that was still human wept as her claws dug into Teri's hips. She leaned forward and her black lips brushed against the other woman's wounds. Heather closed her eyes and her long, thin tongue reached out to lap at her friend's blood.

"Oh," Teri groaned. "Oh. That's. Oh."

Heather's claws dug further into Teri's skin, holding her tightly as she cleaned the blood from Teri's stomach. Teri reached out, gripping the thick tuft of fur along Heather's neck.

"That's. Should it. Feel like that?" Teri moaned. Her hips worked in a small, slow circle as Heather cleaned her.

The bright point of light in Heather's head flared. Pleasure. Overwhelming pleasure. And trust. And love. Heather almost lost herself as her tongue licked slowly along the healing cuts in Teri's chest. Teri hissed above her friend, strong hands pulling almost painfully against Heather's fur.

"Yes," Teri sighed. "Oh. Yes." Her small, pink nipples stirred and hardened. Biting her lip, she fought the rising lust burning within her. Heather is my friend, she told herself. "F- fuck."

Heather stopped. Her friend's blood sang through her body and she wanted more. It wasn't enough. It could never be enough. But, the bond forged earlier saved them both.

"It's enough," Heather gasped. "Enough."

"Oh. Are- are you sure?" Teri stuttered. "It was... I... It's..."

Heather pushed herself away. Her long tongue made a quick circuit around her muzzle. Teri's wounds were already half closed and no scar was left behind. Unlike earlier, when Heather fed from her, the young woman's bleeding stopped as soon as Heather finished cleaning her.

"I-" Teri tried to say. The young woman sat heavily and then lay down. "Holy shit. Holy shit, Heather. I... I almost..."

Heather leaned back with her eyes closed. She had to adjust herself to make her tail more comfortable but, eventually, she found a good position. Her thirst was nowhere near sated but, unlike the night before, she found she could ignore it. She felt at peace, almost. The forest was utterly silent. No large animals remained anywhere near her and her own creatures had left, giving her the space she needed.

Teri touched her chest lightly. "Whoa," she panted. "I'm a superhero. Look. Look at me. Healing factor. And. And I was strong! And fast. And. Holy shit. Hooooly Shiiiiit. I was like, bam! I'll be good in a minute. Just need to lay here. Oh. Hey. I guess I can see pretty good in the dark now, too. That leaf looks like Abraham Lincoln smoking a crack pipe."

While her friend rested, Heather ripped her jeans from her body. Her heavy, larger breasts lay against her chest but were now little more than curves under her heavily furred body. Even her sex was covered. The fur above her mound was darker, brown and black mixing with the tuft of red. She felt ashamed at the way she felt instead. At the way her nerves stood on end deep within her body. At how excited and turned on she felt. Teri was her friend but the experience had been highly erotic. Still, she wondered. Why wear clothes at all when I'm like this?

Eventually, Teri pushed herself up. She looked at her friend. Heather braced herself for the loathing she was sure she'd feel through their bond but, instead, found her friend's familiar curiosity.

"Does that hurt?" Teri asked.

"No," Heather answered. "I think it takes a lot to hurt me. It just feels different."

"Yeah. It looks different. But still, a bit. A lady bat. Oh. Oh my gosh. Oh my gosh. Can you fly?"

Heather nodded. "I did last night. It's-"

"Can you take me flying?!" Teri blurted out.

Heather's wide, black lips curled into a mockery of a smile. "Maybe. I can't hold you and the wings are attached to my sides so I don't know how you'd hold onto me. But, I'm sure you'll figure something out."

"Oh my god, please? Please can we try?" Teri begged.

"No," Heather said. She stood, brushing sticks and dirt from her fur as best as she could. "I need to see something. Will you come with me?"

Teri stood. Her chest was whole and unmarked. Heather looked away, both out of respect for her friend's naked body and because the memory of what she'd done came back to her in vivid detail. Her mouth watered at the thought of it. Between her thighs, muscles relaxed and tightened, rubbing wetly against each other. Heather grit her teeth, fangs grinding against her lesser teeth.

"Will I need a shirt wherever we're going?" Teri asked. "I shouldn't have ripped it. Lost in the moment, I guess?" She glanced down at herself and blushed. "It's, umm, a bit cold out. That's all."

"No, you won't need one," Heather said. "Nobody would notice. Not while I'm there."

"Oh?" Teri said sweetly. "Your figure fills out finally and suddenly you're the bees knees and think you're prettier than me? Psh. You're just a jumped up hussy. My boobies are-"

Heather stepped to her friend, wrapping her in her leathery wings.

"H- hey," Teri complained weakly. "Oh. You're warm." The young woman slid her arms around her friend's waist. Heather looked down briefly as Teri pressed her face happily between Heather's furry breasts.

Turning slightly, Heather faced the unseen castle. She closed her eyes, remembering what the castle looked like. She pulled details from her mind until they were as clear as the forest around her. Heather stepped through the darkness, emerging on the ground floor of the castle. She spread her arms, uncovering her friend. Teri was smiling happily as she rubbed her cheek lightly against her friend's soft chest.

"Um," Heather said.

"What?" Teri said, blinking. "Oh. Oh! Whoa! How... how did you do that?"

"I did it automatically earlier. I thought I would try it again. I guess it wasn't a fluke. I," Heather blushed. "I walked through the shadows I think."

"Oh. Em. Gee! Heather. Heather, that's amazing. That's- What's that thing? There's something here."

"I know," Heather replied. "That's why I came. You can feel it, too?"

"A little. It feels heavy. Oh! Like, standing in a big bathtub and feeling the draining water suck at you. Against your body. Kind of like that. Pull-y, suction-y kind of thing."

Heather tried cocking her eyebrow in her new form. Failing, she instead crossed her arms against her chest and her wings draped around her, covering her from the waist down.

"Is... is that your skeptical look?" Teri asked. "Should I get used to it? It's kind of hard to tell. Are you doing something with your eyes?"

"I'm... no, not skeptical. It's my, uhh, 'where the hell do you come up with these things' look."

"Ohhh, that look," Teri said. "I see it now. It's different than your normal 'What the hell, Teri' look."

"It just feels like gravity to me. Like the center of gravity is off."

"Well, you would say that. Gravity. I don't think you've ever had a romantic bone in your body. And that's why you're always single. Men don't want gravity, Heather. They want pull-y, suck-y things."

"They-?"

Teri laughed loudly suddenly. "Oh my god. They actually do want pull-y suck-y things. You know, with the-" Teri pressed her tongue against the inside of her cheek over and over while jerking her hand back and forth in front of her mouth.

"Yeah. Yeah, I got it, Teri."

"Blowjobs. I'm talking about blowjobs, Heather. Poetic blowjobs. Not science blowjobs."

Heather sighed. "I'm a vampire ... thing... maybe... or something. I don't even know. And you're... not exactly human? I don't know what you are, either. And we're sitting in the middle of Dracula's-"

"Not actually Dracula's castle," Teri interrupted. "He was barely here."

"Dracula's castle," Heather continued. Her short, wide red tail twitched in irritation. "There's something potentially terrible in the castle's basement and you're making jokes about blowjobs."

"And turning myself on a little, too." Teri grinned. "Mark had the best tasting-"

"All right!" Heather said. Despite everything, she found herself blushing. "Come here. I don't think there's an easy way down."

Teri squealed and immediately pressed herself against her friend. "Gosh, you're just so soft."

"Just... Can you not... Augh. Leave my breasts out of it, all right?" Heather wrapper her arms around her friend. She had no images of where she wanted to go but whatever was pulling at her provided enough for her power to work. The young woman blinked and immediately found herself in a massive underground cavern.

Centered in the middle of the area was a gigantic black form. Heather released Teri and dropped to all fours, her arms and wings spread wide. Her small, stubby tail raised and she bared her fangs, hissing as her pitch black eyes shined. Teri kicked herself back, screaming as she caught sight of the figure standing before them.

He, for he certainly was male, had to be over thirty feet tall. Pure white chains, each link as big as a car held his arms, legs and neck in place. The ragged, hacked remains of what could only have been gigantic bat wings slowly worked back and forth. He growled, baring four fangs as his biceps strained against the chains holding him in place.

So, the figure said. His voice thundered through their minds.

"Oh god, Heather!" Teri said, shielding her eyes. "What is that thing? I can't... I can't even look at it!"

Heather's claws anchored her to the stone floor. Slowly, she relaxed and glanced at her friend. Her own behavior and posture had been automatic. Ever since she'd changed, she'd thought she was invincible. That nothing could stand against her. Now, faced with this creature, she knew how wrong she was.

I thought your kind long dead, he said, his eyes locked on Heather's prone form. My progeny.

"What do you-" Heather began.

Born of my blood. Have you come to free me or mock me, as your ancestor did?

Heather's ears ached from the creature's onslaught. Beside her, Teri leaned over and vomited loudly. The other woman pressed her face against her knees with the heel of her hands on her ears.

"Who?" Heather called out.

My Son, Aelius, and his creature, Vlad. Have you come as they did, Daughter?