{"id":383,"date":"2014-10-31T11:22:26","date_gmt":"2014-10-31T18:22:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.hidden-shelf.com\/?p=383"},"modified":"2014-10-31T11:40:17","modified_gmt":"2014-10-31T18:40:17","slug":"hunters-moon-ch-04-tf-f-werebat","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.hidden-shelf.com\/?p=383","title":{"rendered":"Hunter’s Moon Ch. 04 [TF \/ F \/ Werebat]"},"content":{"rendered":"

At the conclusion to the story, Heather succumbs to her thirst and learns what happens when she loses control.<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Heather lost track of her dreams, memories and reality.\u00a0 She thought Teri tried to wake her up twice but she wasn’t sure whether she was dreaming it or remembering the morning before.\u00a0 She dreamed she was flying and it was as glorious as she remembered.\u00a0 Wind buffeted her face and fur and she spiraled down to the ground before swooping back up.\u00a0 Catching prey in flight.\u00a0 Claws rending flesh.\u00a0 The smell of blood filling the air.\u00a0 The rush of excitement from the chase and the kill.\u00a0 The near sexual pleasure she felt as she drained the-<\/p>\n

“Heather,” Teri whispered.\u00a0 An echo of the day before.\u00a0 “Hey.”<\/p>\n

“No,” Heather rasped.\u00a0 Her back was to the other woman.\u00a0 She’d curled up in a fetal position under her covers while she slept.<\/p>\n

“Heather, it’s almost 1 pm.\u00a0 Tell me the truth.\u00a0 Are you sick?\u00a0 Or just tired?”<\/p>\n

“Tired,” Heather said faintly.\u00a0 The young lady could barely think and she was sure she couldn’t move.\u00a0 Her body didn’t exist to her; only her mind was there and that only faintly.<\/p>\n

“Oh, Heather.\u00a0 I’m worried about you.\u00a0 You’ve gotten worse since yesterday.\u00a0 I’ve got the room for another day but I think I’m going to ask for a doctor.\u00a0 I’m really seriously worried about you.”\u00a0 The bed moved as Teri sat beside her friend.<\/p>\n

“No,” Heather said again.\u00a0 She pulled her knees closer to her chest and the move tired her.<\/p>\n

“I’m sorry, Heather.\u00a0 I have to.\u00a0 You haven’t been right since-” Teri screamed.\u00a0 Her hands flew to her mouth as she stumbled up and away from her friend.<\/p>\n

In her sudden fear of being found, adrenaline surged through her and Heather found the strength to face her friend.\u00a0 Heather’s eyes were an endless black and her fangs glistened in the dim light filling the room.\u00a0 Her long, curved ears twitched in irritation.<\/p>\n

“Jesus Fucking Christ!” Teri screamed.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

“Be quiet!” Heather hissed.<\/p>\n

Teri slumped to the floor.\u00a0 Her expression and will drained from her, leaving her staring far into the distance.\u00a0 Heather sighed.\u00a0 The outburst had cost her dearly.\u00a0 She hated the way her friend looked.\u00a0 She hated what she’d done to her, even if it so far appeared to wear off without a trace.\u00a0 Heather swallowed and her throat clicked.<\/p>\n

“I’m tired, Teri,” Heather rasped.\u00a0 She closed her eyes.\u00a0 Her mind was sluggish and she barely realized what she was doing or saying.\u00a0 The world felt no more real than a vivid daydream.\u00a0 “Tired and weak and so thirsty.\u00a0 So…”<\/p>\n

Heather slipped back into her dreams.<\/p>\n

Teri was there with her.\u00a0 Smiling, happy Teri.\u00a0 They were chasing each other, running and laughing through a brightly lit forest.\u00a0 Heather slowed, leaning against a thick tree trunk.\u00a0 She waved breathlessly at Teri and then sat on an old, gnarled felled tree.\u00a0 Green moss and huge, flat mushrooms spiraled around the massive log.<\/p>\n

“Are you okay?” Teri asked.\u00a0 She had flowers braided through her curly black hair.\u00a0 Her eyes glistened with amusement and her dimpled cheeks wore storybook rosy red.<\/p>\n

“Yes,” Heather answered.\u00a0 Unlike her friend, her cheeks were chalk white.\u00a0 “Just tired from running.\u00a0 Worn out.\u00a0 That’s all.”<\/p>\n

Teri grinned and knelt before her friend.\u00a0 She cupped her hands and Heather was unsurprised to see clear water shimmering in the sunlight.<\/p>\n

“I brought water for you,” Teri said.\u00a0 Her voice was as steady as her hands.<\/p>\n

“Thank you.\u00a0 I am<\/em><\/strong> thirsty,” Heather told her.\u00a0 She bent to her friend’s hands and sipped the water being offered.\u00a0 It was cold and sweet and terrible.\u00a0 A faint grimace flickered across Teri’s face but Heather didn’t notice.\u00a0 She hadn’t realized exactly how thirst she’d been.\u00a0 She reached for her friend’s wrists, tilting her hands to drink more easily.\u00a0 Her claws (claws? A part of her mind wondered) dug into her friend’s soft wrists while her heavy black wings shaded the kneeling woman.\u00a0 Teri gasped, pleasure and pain mixing on her face.<\/p>\n

Heather woke to the deep, rich scent of blood.\u00a0 Teri lay cradled gently in her arms, writhing and moaning as Heather drank deeply from her.\u00a0 Pain and anguish cut through Heather’s heart as she realized what had happened.\u00a0 She could feel her friend’s heartbeat slowing.<\/p>\n

Teri was dying in her arms.\u00a0 Heather tried to pull herself away but her body refused.\u00a0\u00a0 She railed and cursed herself while savoring every single moment.<\/p>\n

Please,<\/em> Heather prayed.\u00a0 Please, I don’t want this.\u00a0 Not Teri.\u00a0 Please.<\/em>\u00a0 No one answered her.\u00a0 There was no small voice arguing against her.\u00a0 No tiny devil sitting on her shoulder, forcing her to kill her friend.\u00a0 It was just her.\u00a0 She was the one doing it.\u00a0 Please.<\/em><\/p>\n

Heather struggled against herself.\u00a0 Again and again she threw reasons at herself.\u00a0 Reasons to stop.\u00a0 And, still, still she drank.<\/p>\n

A final memory came to mind.\u00a0 Five years ago it’d been reversed.\u00a0 Teri had held Heather in her arms as gently as she was now held.\u00a0 There’d been a bottle of pills and a crushing depression that wouldn’t end.\u00a0 Bullying and a feeling of hopelessness for the future.\u00a0 Teri had cried and begged her to stay awake until the ambulance arrived.\u00a0 Heather couldn’t remember how her friend had known.\u00a0 Had she called her after she’d taken the pills?\u00a0 Or come over randomly to hang out?\u00a0 She’d wanted to sleep so badly but Teri wouldn’t stop.\u00a0 And then lights and noise and she woke up in the hospital.\u00a0 Her mom and dad were there and so was Teri.\u00a0 Her friend’s face was puffy and red from crying and so unlike her.<\/p>\n

Tears streamed down Heather’s face, mixing with the sweet, coppery taste of Teri’s blood.\u00a0 Heather threw her head back and howled.\u00a0 Everyone within a mile of the inn collapsed senselessly at the powerful scream.\u00a0 Electrical lines surged and popped, filling the air with an acrid smell while starting six house fires.\u00a0 A large jetliner, on descent to Cluj International Airport lost power and rapidly descended several hundred feet before the engines roared back to life.\u00a0 Wild animals fled the area while pets desperately tried to hide.<\/p>\n

Teri’s heart beat faintly in her chest.\u00a0 Blood continued to pool down her neck from two large, round wounds that refused to close.\u00a0 Heather bent over her friend.\u00a0 Her lips touched the wounds and she kissed them lightly.\u00a0 Power moved between them.<\/p>\n

“Please,” Heather whispered, rocking back and forth with her friend held tightly to her chest.\u00a0 “Please don’t go.\u00a0 I’m so sorry.\u00a0 I’m so sorry, Teri.”<\/p>\n

“I’m,” Teri said faintly.\u00a0 “I’m.\u00a0 Cold.”<\/p>\n

Heather cried out.\u00a0 Her friend’s heart was slow but steady and the bite marks had closed.\u00a0 But, more than that, she could feel<\/em><\/strong> Teri.\u00a0 As with the bats, there was a place in her head now that she knew belonged to her friend.\u00a0 She could feel the other woman’s pain.<\/p>\n

“Cold,” Teri repeated.<\/p>\n

“Shh,” Heather whispered.\u00a0 “I know.”\u00a0 As gently as possible, Heather pulled the other woman into bed with her, covering them both with her blanket.\u00a0 Teri pressed herself against her friend and immediately fell asleep.\u00a0 Heather kissed Teri’s hair.\u00a0 She fought against the inevitable and lost, sliding into her dreams once again.\u00a0 When Teri whimpered in her sleep, Heather subconsciously brought her closer.\u00a0 The sun climbed into the sky while they slept.<\/p>\n

—–<\/p>\n

Heather’s eyes snapped open.\u00a0 She hadn’t moved while she slept.\u00a0 Teri was still pressed against her, soft and warm.\u00a0 Heather’s right arm wrapped protectively over her friend.\u00a0 In her mind, Teri was a bright point of light, warm and happy and healthy.\u00a0 She didn’t need to feel her friend’s heartbeat against her hand to know she’d recovered.<\/p>\n

Various animals stirred restlessly as she woke.\u00a0 She felt them more strongly now.\u00a0 Rats had come from far away to join nearby packs, pulled in by her influence.\u00a0 At her unspoken command, they kept their distance respectfully.\u00a0 With her eyes closed and her will focused on them, she caught snatches of conversations and oddly distorted images.\u00a0 The large colony of bats had relocated.\u00a0 Southwest of the inn, she knew.\u00a0 Closer to her.<\/p>\n

Bran Castle lay nearly directly south.\u00a0 She felt its presence as a dull pressure at the base of her neck.\u00a0 Heather felt tethered to the castle in some way.\u00a0 As darkness began to fall, the link between her and the castle strengthened.\u00a0 And, in turn, it fed her the energy that she felt racing through her veins.<\/p>\n

Teri stirred against Heather.\u00a0 The young woman stretched her legs, murmuring something sleepily.\u00a0 Heather felt their connection shifting subtly as her friend woke.<\/p>\n

“Oh,” Teri whispered.\u00a0 She was still but Heather felt her anxiety as it mixed with fear and curiosity.\u00a0 “It really happened then?”<\/p>\n

“Yes,” Heather answered quietly.\u00a0 As she focused outside of her mind, she became aware of the activity in the town.\u00a0 Red and blue flashing lights crept through the edges of their curtains.\u00a0 Heather closed her eyes and a thousand tiny black eyes showed her a scene of chaos.\u00a0 Fire trucks, ambulances and police vehicles littered the village. It was difficult to tell through the eyes of the rats but it seemed that police or other government officials were interviewing people.\u00a0 Residents huddled under gray blankets with steaming cups held in their hands.\u00a0 Four buildings lay in smoking ruins.<\/p>\n

“Does it- does it hurt?” Teri asked.<\/p>\n

“No.”<\/p>\n

“Are you…”<\/p>\n

Heather could feel her friend’s sudden rush of worry. \u00a0The small woman trembled in Heather’s arms.<\/p>\n

“No.\u00a0 No, I’m not dead.”\u00a0 Heather replied.<\/p>\n

“Oh, thank god,” Teri whispered.\u00a0 “Thank god.”\u00a0 The young woman relaxed noticeably.\u00a0 “Was it the bats after all?”<\/p>\n

“I think so,” Heather said.\u00a0 “I don’t remember anything but what else could it be?”<\/p>\n

Teri shook in Heather’s arms.\u00a0 Heather could feel her overwhelming sadness before the woman’s tears fell against the arm she had under Teri’s neck.<\/p>\n

“I’m s- so s- sorry,” Teri hiccupped.\u00a0 “It’s all.\u00a0 All my fault.\u00a0 All my fault.”<\/p>\n

“Stop.\u00a0 It is not,” Heather told her gently.<\/p>\n

“It is so!” Teri wailed.\u00a0 “I made you come on this trip!\u00a0 I made you go out that night!\u00a0 If you hadn’t come this wouldn’t have happened.\u00a0 Oh god.\u00a0 Oh god, Heather!”<\/p>\n

Heather pressed her forehead against the other woman’s neck.\u00a0 Something stirred deep inside of her at the closeness of the woman’s skin.\u00a0 The gentle curve of Teri’s smooth neck was so close.\u00a0 All she’d have to do is open her mouth and take her.\u00a0 She’d want you to do it,<\/em> a small voice said.<\/p>\n

“I didn’t have to go,” Heather said.\u00a0 “You don’t control my life.\u00a0 I make my own decisions and I won’t let you have this one.\u00a0 I am my own person.\u00a0 I told you before; I would’ve come anyway.\u00a0 Somehow.\u00a0 So, stop.”<\/p>\n

Teri cried in Heather’s arms and Heather felt her own tears fall.\u00a0 She hadn’t stopped to wonder at her loss.\u00a0 And how much her life had changed suddenly.\u00a0 At what it might mean for her.\u00a0 Eventually, they calmed.<\/p>\n

“Are you okay?” Heather asked.\u00a0 “Do you remember what happened earlier?”<\/p>\n

“Only a little,” Teri answered.\u00a0 “Pieces of it.\u00a0 You-\u00a0 You-”<\/p>\n

“I’m sorry.\u00a0 I’m so terribly sorry, Teri.\u00a0 I didn’t know it was happening.\u00a0 I dreamed.\u00a0 I dreamed of us and in my dream you offered me water to drink but… But…”<\/p>\n

“Will I die?” Teri asked.\u00a0 Her voice was small.<\/p>\n

“I don’t know.\u00a0 I don’t think so.\u00a0 I don’t know what any of this does or what it means.\u00a0 I thought you were dying earlier.\u00a0 It was so hard to stop, Teri.\u00a0 You have no idea.\u00a0 I almost didn’t stop.\u00a0 But, I did and you were so weak and cold but you’re better now.\u00a0 I can feel you.\u00a0 In my head.”<\/p>\n

Neither woman spoke for a while.<\/p>\n

“I think,” Teri said, hesitating.\u00a0 “I think I can feel something, too.\u00a0 It’s hard to explain.\u00a0 I think if we were apart, I could close my eyes and point to where you were.\u00a0 It’s… it’s oddly comforting.\u00a0 Your presence.\u00a0 I thought I’d be scared but I’m not.\u00a0 Is it the same for you?”<\/p>\n

“Almost but more.\u00a0 I can feel your emotions.\u00a0 I can feel how strong you are, how healthy you are.\u00a0 You’re afraid but relaxing a little.\u00a0 And something small is hurting you?”<\/p>\n

“My knee,” Teri said.\u00a0 “It always hurts a little when I spoon with people.\u00a0 That’s… that’s crazy.\u00a0 I guess hide-n-seek is out, isn’t it?”<\/p>\n

Heather laughed quietly.\u00a0 “Yeah.\u00a0 I don’t think that’ll work.\u00a0 Do you-”\u00a0 Heather stopped.\u00a0 Among all the things quietly living in her head, a new thing was growing.\u00a0 Where Teri was bright and warm, this new sensation was cold and gray.\u00a0 And yet, she felt a small boost of strength from it.\u00a0 And a sense of familiarity.\u00a0 “Oh, no.”<\/p>\n

“What?\u00a0 What is it?” Teri asked.<\/p>\n

“Last night,” Heather said, hesitating.\u00a0 “Last night I… changed.\u00a0 I couldn’t control myself.\u00a0 I don’t know.\u00a0 Maybe because it was the first night?\u00a0 I killed someone, Teri.\u00a0 A man.\u00a0 I drained him completely and dumped his body deep into the woods.\u00a0 I can see it clearly now but at the time, I couldn’t stop myself. Oh, god.”<\/p>\n

“Oh, Heather,” Teri said.\u00a0 Her voice was low and sympathetic.\u00a0 “I’m so, so sorry.\u00a0 You… you weren’t yourself.\u00a0 I know you’ll-”<\/p>\n

“No,” Heather interrupted.\u00a0 “I think… I think he’s coming back.\u00a0 I need to go to him.\u00a0 He’s in my head like you are but it’s different.\u00a0 He’s so cold.\u00a0 So full of anger and hunger.\u00a0 Teri, I think he’s dead.”<\/p>\n

Heather removed herself from her friend and turned to hide her face when Teri looked over.\u00a0 She felt unusually awkward in her nakedness even though Teri had seen her naked many times over the years.<\/p>\n

“Don’t,” Heather said.\u00a0 “Please don’t look at me.”<\/p>\n

The bed creaked as Teri stood.\u00a0 Heather flinched as the other woman’s hand touched her cheek lightly.<\/p>\n

“It’s okay, Heather.\u00a0 It’s okay,” Teri said.\u00a0 “I know who you are.\u00a0 You could’ve killed me but you didn’t.\u00a0 It’s okay.\u00a0 Please.”\u00a0 Heather turned slowly.\u00a0 Teri’s eyes searched her face as if she were memorizing it.\u00a0 “Your eyes are super creepy like that but I think your fangs are cool.\u00a0 See?\u00a0 I’m not afraid.”<\/p>\n

Heather didn’t correct her friend’s lie.\u00a0 She could feel the other woman’s fear through their link.\u00a0 But, it was subdued, almost hidden under a layer of compassion and love.\u00a0 Heather’s heart hurt as she watched her friend subconsciously touch the two faded marks on the left side of her neck.<\/p>\n

“And look!” Teri continued, looking down.\u00a0 “You have hips!\u00a0 Is it… is it too soon for a ‘Monster Mash’ dancing joke?\u00a0 Yes?\u00a0 No?\u00a0 Or are you supposed to do waltzes and ballroom dancing instead?\u00a0 Is there a manual somewhere do you think?”<\/p>\n

“Oh, Teri,” Heather sighed.\u00a0 “I don’t know how you can do it.\u00a0 How you can live through all of the terrible things in life and still smile.”<\/p>\n

Teri blushed.\u00a0 She looked down at her toes while red crept up along the sides of her ears.\u00a0 “It’s all I have.\u00a0 There’s already too much pain in the world, Heather.\u00a0 If all I can do is make people smile then that’s what I’ll do.”<\/p>\n

“I,” Heather hesitated.\u00a0 She wanted to tell Teri to wait at the inn while she looked for the man but she worried about her.\u00a0 Alone in the chaos she caused.<\/p>\n

Go,<\/em> she told the waiting rats.\u00a0 Find him<\/em>.\u00a0 She guided her small army through the forest.<\/p>\n

“Heather?” Teri asked.<\/p>\n

Here.\u00a0 Here.\u00a0 Here.\u00a0 Here.\u00a0 Here<\/em><\/strong>,<\/em> they told her.\u00a0 Heather couldn’t remember burying the man but he was not as she left him.\u00a0 A small pile of dirt marked his grave.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 She briefly considered having them dig but if they weren’t fast enough or strong enough to stop him, what would happen?<\/p>\n

“We have to go,” Heather told her friend.\u00a0 “I have to find the man from last night.\u00a0 I can feel his hunger and he’s not even awake yet.”<\/p>\n

“How?”<\/p>\n

Heather dressed herself quickly, tugging and pulling at her jeans.\u00a0 She was larger but, thankfully, not too big for her old clothes.\u00a0 The claws at the tips of her toes wrecked her socks and her shoes refused to fit.\u00a0 She hadn’t realized but, in addition to the claws, her feet were wider and her soles were tough and leathery.\u00a0 Her toes also seemed longer and she was pretty sure there was an extra joint on every single one of them.\u00a0 They curled in in a faintly obscene way when she flexed them.<\/p>\n

“Like this,” Heather said finally.\u00a0 Her nipples pressed against her thin white top.\u00a0 The shirt did little to hide the swells of her larger breasts.<\/p>\n

“Umm.\u00a0 Ummm,” Teri said, blushing again.\u00a0 “Maybe a jacket, too?”<\/p>\n

Heather blinked.\u00a0 “Right.\u00a0 I, uhh, don’t feel the cold much anymore.\u00a0 I’m going to go without.\u00a0 It doesn’t really matter.”<\/p>\n

“Well, now I am jealous.\u00a0 That’s super handy.\u00a0 Won’t people notice?\u00a0 The fangs… they’re kinda… and your ears…”<\/p>\n

“Watch.”<\/p>\n

The two women left their room.\u00a0 The hallway was empty but Heather could hear people talking on the ground floor.\u00a0 Teri followed behind her nervously as they made their way downstairs.\u00a0 As soon as Heather stepped into the open, the conversations stopped.\u00a0 Every single face was turned to her.<\/p>\n

“Heather!” Teri hissed.\u00a0 “They’re staring at you!”<\/p>\n

“I know,” Heather answered.\u00a0 “Look at their faces.”<\/p>\n

Everyone from small children to grandparents were devoid of expression.\u00a0 Nobody moved.\u00a0 Nobody spoke.\u00a0 They breathed almost as one, steady and even.<\/p>\n

“Are you- are you doing that to them?”\u00a0 Teri asked.\u00a0 Heather felt a sense of awe coming through their connection.<\/p>\n

“Not on purpose.\u00a0 Let’s go.\u00a0 We have to hurry.”<\/p>\n

The faces turned to follow them as they passed and, exiting the inn, they found the same thing outside.\u00a0 Everyone within eyesight tracked their movements silently.<\/p>\n

“Holy crap.\u00a0 Holy crap.\u00a0 That’s… that’s… hey, how come I’m not doing the same thing?” Teri asked, ever curious.<\/p>\n

“I think maybe because of what happened to you.\u00a0 What I did to you.\u00a0 You were caught by it yesterday.\u00a0 The effect of it.”\u00a0 Heather led her friend through the town towards the forest.\u00a0 She began to walk more quickly as the dead man stirred in his deep grave.<\/p>\n

“Whoa, seriously?\u00a0 I don’t remember… oh.\u00a0\u00a0 Ohhhhh, okay.\u00a0 That’s nifty.\u00a0 But creepy.\u00a0 But ultimately nifty.”\u00a0 They walked in silence for a while, deeper and deeper into the nearby forest.\u00a0 “Wait.\u00a0 Wait.\u00a0 Heather, oh my god, am I going to grow fangs?”<\/p>\n

Heather turned to look at her friend.\u00a0 “No?” she answered, unsure of herself.\u00a0 “I don’t know.\u00a0 I don\u2019t think so.\u00a0 Do you feel any different?\u00a0 Any urges or things pulling at you?”\u00a0 In her mind, she spoke to the rats.\u00a0 Go, hide yourself.<\/em><\/p>\n

“No,” Teri said with a frown.\u00a0 “Just you.\u00a0 Kind of.\u00a0 I’m not going to lie; I’m a little disappointed.\u00a0 What do you think it’d take to-”<\/p>\n

“Shh!” Heather whispered, her hand low to the ground.\u00a0 “We’re here.”<\/p>\n

“Where?\u00a0 I don’t- Oh, shit.”<\/p>\n

A small pile of dirt lay in a clearing ringed by trees.\u00a0 As they watched, the dirt shifted and moved.\u00a0 More dirt pushed up and out of the ground.\u00a0 A single gray hand reached through the mound.\u00a0 Teri hid herself behind Heather as a second hand pushed through.\u00a0 Thousands of small eyes joined with the two women to watch the dead man pull himself from the ground.<\/p>\n

Dirt clung to the man’s lanky, matted hair.\u00a0 Bones protruded from his face and through the holes in his clothes.\u00a0 His eyes were milky white and but they swiveled as he looked around.\u00a0 Sharp fangs jutted from under his top lips.<\/p>\n

Heather could feel the man’s rage.\u00a0 And his hunger.\u00a0 It consumed him, leaving nothing behind.<\/p>\n

The fur along Heather’s back began to thicken and spread as her body responded to the creature in front of her.\u00a0 Her<\/em><\/strong> creature.\u00a0 Small bones popped in her jaw and at the base of her spine.<\/p>\n

The dead man screamed as he freed himself completely.\u00a0 He turned to face Heather.\u00a0 He’d known she was there.\u00a0 He could feel her nearly as well as she felt him.\u00a0 The man crouched and ran.\u00a0 Dirt and leaves shot up behind him at his incredible sprint.\u00a0 Long ropes of drool slid from his fangs to his lips as he charged, arms held wide.<\/p>\n

Heather lowered herself while her body changed.\u00a0 Her face cracked, pushing out into a flat-nosed snout as red fur raced up and over to cover her head.\u00a0 Claws pushed through her fingertips as her tail pushed at her pants and shirt.\u00a0 A line of skin grew from her arms and down her sides, black and thick.\u00a0 The young woman’s shirt tore as she changed, falling to the ground to expose her wings and thick fur.<\/p>\n

Teri stepped between the two, mere seconds before the man reached Heather.\u00a0 Teri’s arms shot out lightning quick and she shoved.\u00a0 As quick as the young woman was, the man was faster; he gripped her wrists and pulled.\u00a0 The two crashed to the side, slamming against a huge old tree.\u00a0 The man howled, clawing and snapping at Teri but the young woman held her own until the man’s hands raked down her chest.\u00a0 She screamed but latched onto the man’s wrist.\u00a0 Her arms trembled as she fought to contain the immense strength of the vampire above her.\u00a0 Slowly, the insane creature’s hands reached closer and closer to Teri’s chest.<\/p>\n

“STOP!” Heather screamed.<\/p>\n

Although her face was reshaped into a bat-like snout, the words were clear and loud and mixed with undeniable command.\u00a0 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.\u00a0 Thousands and thousands of rats surged from between the trees, only stopping for further commands from their mistress.<\/p>\n

The male immediately dropped to his knees with his head bowed and his body bent, cowering before her.\u00a0 Teri rolled to the side with one knee bent.\u00a0 Her shirt was in ruins and her bra hung between her bloody breasts.\u00a0 Four livid lines of red split her skin and she winced, holding her hand against the raw, open wounds.<\/p>\n

Insane hunger burned through the link between Heather and the vampire.\u00a0 Her command was the only thing holding him in place.\u00a0 The male threw every ounce of his willpower against her and she could feel each useless effort.\u00a0 The smell of blood permeated the air but Heather’s pure, black eyes focused on the male.\u00a0 She screamed again and the sky became pitch black, the moon and stars hidden behind a cloud of swirling bats.<\/p>\n

Heather took a step and found herself instantly standing directly in front of the vampire.\u00a0 He trembled in front of her, words pouring from his mouth as he perhaps begged for his life.\u00a0 Anger and rage and hate burned through Heather.\u00a0 Her deadly claws ripped the man’s head from his shoulders in one quick, savage motion.\u00a0 She lost herself in her bloodlust as she tore the man apart.\u00a0 Only when she burst his gray, shriveled heart did the dull light at the back of her mind blink out of existence.\u00a0 Heather screeched triumphantly and her eyes locked on Teri.<\/p>\n

Teri held a bloody hand to her mouth.\u00a0 Horror and relief flooded into Heather from the other woman.<\/p>\n

“This!”\u00a0 Heather screamed.\u00a0 “This is who I am! \u00a0Now tell me the world makes sense.\u00a0 Now<\/strong> tell me it’ll all be okay!”<\/p>\n

“It’ll… It’ll be…”<\/p>\n

“LIAR<\/strong>!” Heather screamed.\u00a0 Her red furred muzzle was wide, black lips pulled back to expose her fangs.\u00a0 “I can smell your blood!\u00a0 Even now… even now all I want is to take it all from you.\u00a0 It’s taking everything I have not to drain you like I drained HIM<\/strong>!\u00a0 You have no idea.\u00a0 NO<\/strong> idea!”<\/p>\n

Tears fell from Teri’s eyes but, despite it, Heather felt her resolve.\u00a0 Teri stood and pulled at her shirt, easily tearing the rest of it away from her.\u00a0 She stood exposed and bloody in front of her friend.\u00a0 Her new strength and speed weren’t her only gifts as the marks on her chest had begun to slowly heal.\u00a0 The young woman’s huge breasts hung low on her wide, curvy frame.<\/p>\n

“I trust you,” Teri began.\u00a0 “I-”<\/p>\n

“You shouldn’t!” Heather screamed.<\/p>\n

“I do.\u00a0 I trust you,” Teri said.\u00a0 “I… take it.\u00a0 I trust you not to kill me.\u00a0 If you didn’t before, you won’t now.\u00a0 I trust you.”<\/p>\n

Heather raised her clawed, furred arms wide, thick black wings spread.\u00a0 She screamed her frustration and anger and fears.\u00a0 The bats overhead fled from her and the rats followed, terrified at their mistress’s rage.<\/p>\n

Teri took a step towards her friend.<\/p>\n

“Don\u2019t!” Heather warned.<\/p>\n

Teri took another step.<\/p>\n

“Stop!” Heather commanded.<\/p>\n

Teri grunted, grimacing through the sudden urge to stop moving.\u00a0 She slowly forced herself another step forward.<\/p>\n

“Please,” Heather begged.\u00a0 “Please don’t.”<\/p>\n

Teri stood in front of her friend.\u00a0 Heather fell to her knees.\u00a0 The smell of Teri’s blood was overwhelming.\u00a0 She could feel the woman’s heartbeat without touching her.\u00a0 The part of her that was still human wept as her claws dug into Teri’s hips.\u00a0 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.<\/p>\n

“Oh,” Teri groaned.\u00a0 “Oh.\u00a0 That’s.\u00a0 Oh.”<\/p>\n

Heather’s claws dug further into Teri’s skin, holding her tightly as she cleaned the blood from Teri’s stomach.\u00a0 Teri reached out, gripping the thick tuft of fur along Heather’s neck.<\/p>\n

“That’s.\u00a0 Should it.\u00a0 Feel like that?”\u00a0 Teri moaned.\u00a0 Her hips worked in a small, slow circle as Heather cleaned her.<\/p>\n

The bright point of light in Heather’s head flared.\u00a0 Pleasure.\u00a0 Overwhelming pleasure.\u00a0 And trust.\u00a0 And love.\u00a0 Heather almost lost herself as her tongue licked slowly along the healing cuts in Teri’s chest.\u00a0 Teri hissed above her friend, strong hands pulling almost painfully against Heather’s fur.<\/p>\n

“Yes,” Teri sighed.\u00a0 “Oh.\u00a0 Yes.”\u00a0 Her small, pink nipples stirred and hardened.\u00a0 Biting her lip, she fought the rising lust burning within her.\u00a0 Heather is my friend<\/strong><\/em>, she told herself.\u00a0 “F- fuck.”<\/p>\n

Heather stopped.\u00a0 Her friend’s blood sang through her body and she wanted more.\u00a0 It wasn’t enough.\u00a0 It could never be enough.\u00a0 But, the bond forged earlier saved them both.<\/p>\n

“It’s enough,” Heather gasped.\u00a0 “Enough.”<\/p>\n

“Oh.\u00a0 Are- are you sure?” Teri stuttered.\u00a0 “It was… I… It’s…”<\/p>\n

Heather pushed herself away.\u00a0 Her long tongue made a quick circuit around her muzzle.\u00a0 Teri’s wounds were already half closed and no scar was left behind.\u00a0 Unlike earlier, when Heather fed from her, the young woman’s bleeding stopped as soon as Heather finished cleaning her.<\/p>\n

“I-” Teri tried to say.\u00a0 The young woman sat heavily and then lay down.\u00a0 “Holy shit.\u00a0 Holy shit, Heather.\u00a0 I… I almost…”<\/p>\n

Heather leaned back with her eyes closed.\u00a0 She had to adjust herself to make her tail more comfortable but, eventually, she found a good position.\u00a0 Her thirst was nowhere near sated but, unlike the night before, she found she could ignore it.\u00a0 She felt at peace, almost.\u00a0 The forest was utterly silent.\u00a0 No large animals remained anywhere near her and her own creatures had left, giving her the space she needed.<\/p>\n

Teri touched her chest lightly.\u00a0 “Whoa,” she panted.\u00a0 “I’m a superhero.\u00a0 Look.\u00a0 Look at me.\u00a0 Healing factor.\u00a0 And.\u00a0 And I was strong!\u00a0 And fast.\u00a0 And.\u00a0 Holy shit.\u00a0 Hooooly Shiiiiit.\u00a0 I was like, bam!\u00a0 I’ll be good in a minute.\u00a0 Just need to lay here.\u00a0 Oh.\u00a0 Hey.\u00a0 I guess I can see pretty good in the dark now, too.\u00a0 That leaf looks like Abraham Lincoln smoking a crack pipe.”<\/p>\n

While her friend rested, Heather ripped her jeans from her body. \u00a0Her heavy, larger breasts lay against her chest but were now little more than curves under her heavily furred body.\u00a0 Even her sex was covered.\u00a0 The fur above her mound was darker, brown and black mixing with the tuft of red.\u00a0 She felt ashamed at the way she felt instead.\u00a0 At the way her nerves stood on end deep within her body.\u00a0 At how excited and turned on she felt.\u00a0 Teri was her friend but the experience had been highly erotic.\u00a0 Still, <\/em>she wondered.\u00a0 Why wear clothes at all when I’m like this?<\/em><\/p>\n

Eventually, Teri pushed herself up.\u00a0 She looked at her friend.\u00a0 Heather braced herself for the loathing she was sure she’d feel through their bond but, instead, found her friend’s familiar curiosity.<\/p>\n

“Does that<\/em><\/strong> hurt?” Teri asked.<\/p>\n

“No,” Heather answered.\u00a0 “I think it takes a lot to hurt me.\u00a0 It just feels different.”<\/p>\n

“Yeah.\u00a0 It looks different.\u00a0 But still, a bit.\u00a0 A lady bat.\u00a0 Oh.\u00a0 Oh my gosh.\u00a0 Oh my gosh.\u00a0 Can you fly?”<\/p>\n

Heather nodded.\u00a0 “I did last night.\u00a0 It’s-”<\/p>\n

“Can you take me flying?!” Teri blurted out.<\/p>\n

Heather’s wide, black lips curled into a mockery of a smile.\u00a0 “Maybe.\u00a0 I can’t hold you and the wings are attached to my sides so I don’t know how you’d hold onto me.\u00a0 But, I’m sure you’ll figure something out.”<\/p>\n

“Oh my god, please?\u00a0 Please can we try?”\u00a0 Teri begged.<\/p>\n

“No,” Heather said.\u00a0 She stood, brushing sticks and dirt from her fur as best as she could.\u00a0 “I need to see something.\u00a0 Will you come with me?”<\/p>\n

Teri stood.\u00a0 Her chest was whole and unmarked.\u00a0 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.\u00a0 Her mouth watered at the thought of it.\u00a0 Between her thighs, muscles relaxed and tightened, rubbing wetly against each other.\u00a0 Heather grit her teeth, fangs grinding against her lesser teeth.<\/p>\n

“Will I need a shirt wherever we’re going?”\u00a0 Teri asked.\u00a0 “I shouldn’t have ripped it.\u00a0 Lost in the moment, I guess?”\u00a0 She glanced down at herself and blushed.\u00a0 “It’s, umm, a bit cold out.\u00a0 That’s all.”<\/p>\n

“No, you won’t need one,” Heather said.\u00a0 “Nobody would notice.\u00a0 Not while I’m there.”<\/p>\n

“Oh?” Teri said sweetly.\u00a0 “Your figure fills out finally and suddenly you’re the bees knees and think you’re prettier than me?\u00a0 Psh.\u00a0 You’re just a jumped up hussy.\u00a0 My boobies are-”<\/p>\n

Heather stepped to her friend, wrapping her in her leathery wings.<\/p>\n

“H- hey,” Teri complained weakly.\u00a0 “Oh.\u00a0 You’re warm.”\u00a0 The young woman slid her arms around her friend’s waist.\u00a0 Heather looked down briefly as Teri pressed her face happily between Heather’s furry breasts.<\/p>\n

Turning slightly, Heather faced the unseen castle.\u00a0 She closed her eyes, remembering what the castle looked like. \u00a0She pulled details from her mind until they were as clear as the forest around her.\u00a0 Heather stepped through the darkness, emerging on the ground floor of the castle.\u00a0 She spread her arms, uncovering her friend.\u00a0 Teri was smiling happily as she rubbed her cheek lightly against her friend’s soft chest.<\/p>\n

“Um,” Heather said.<\/p>\n

“What?” Teri said, blinking.\u00a0 “Oh.\u00a0 Oh!\u00a0 Whoa!\u00a0 How… how did you do that?”<\/p>\n

“I did it automatically earlier.\u00a0 I thought I would try it again.\u00a0 I guess it wasn’t a fluke.\u00a0 I,” Heather blushed.\u00a0 “I walked through the shadows I think.”<\/p>\n

“Oh.\u00a0 Em.\u00a0 Gee!\u00a0 Heather.\u00a0 Heather, that’s amazing.\u00a0 That’s-\u00a0 What’s that thing?\u00a0 There’s something here.”<\/p>\n

“I know,” Heather replied.\u00a0 “That’s why I came.\u00a0 You can feel it, too?”<\/p>\n

“A little.\u00a0 It feels heavy.\u00a0 Oh!\u00a0 Like, standing in a big bathtub and feeling the draining water suck at you.\u00a0 Against your body.\u00a0 Kind of like that.\u00a0 Pull-y, suction-y kind of thing.”<\/p>\n

Heather tried cocking her eyebrow in her new form.\u00a0 Failing, she instead crossed her arms against her chest and her wings draped around her, covering her from the waist down.<\/p>\n

“Is… is that your skeptical look?” Teri asked.\u00a0 “Should I get used to it?\u00a0 It’s kind of hard to tell.\u00a0 Are you doing something with your eyes?”<\/p>\n

“I’m… no, not skeptical.\u00a0 It’s my, uhh, ‘where the hell do you come up with these things’ look.”<\/p>\n

“Ohhh, that<\/em><\/strong> look,” Teri said.\u00a0 “I see it now.\u00a0 It’s different than your normal ‘What the hell, Teri’ look.”<\/p>\n

“It just feels like gravity to me.\u00a0 Like the center of gravity is off.”<\/p>\n

“Well, you would<\/strong> say that.\u00a0 Gravity.\u00a0 I don’t think you’ve ever had a romantic bone in your body.\u00a0 And that’s why you’re always single.\u00a0 Men don’t want gravity<\/em><\/strong>, Heather.\u00a0 They want pull-y, suck-y things.”<\/p>\n

“They-?”<\/p>\n

Teri laughed loudly suddenly.\u00a0 “Oh my god.\u00a0 They actually do<\/em><\/strong> want pull-y suck-y things.\u00a0 You know, with the-”\u00a0 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.<\/p>\n

“Yeah.\u00a0 Yeah, I got it, Teri.”<\/p>\n

“Blowjobs.\u00a0 I’m talking about blowjobs, Heather.\u00a0 Poetic blowjobs.\u00a0 Not science blowjobs.”<\/p>\n

Heather sighed.\u00a0 “I’m a vampire … thing… maybe… or something.\u00a0 I don’t even know.\u00a0 And you’re… not exactly human?\u00a0 I don’t know what you are, either.\u00a0 And we’re sitting in the middle of Dracula’s-”<\/p>\n

“Not actually Dracula’s castle,” Teri interrupted.\u00a0 “He was barely here.”<\/p>\n

“Dracula’s castle,” Heather continued.\u00a0 Her short, wide red tail twitched in irritation.\u00a0 “There’s something potentially terrible in the castle’s basement and you’re making jokes about blowjobs.”<\/p>\n

“And<\/em><\/strong> turning myself on a little, too.”\u00a0 Teri grinned.\u00a0 “Mark had the best tasting-”<\/p>\n

“All right!” Heather said.\u00a0 Despite everything, she found herself blushing.\u00a0 “Come here.\u00a0 I don’t think there’s an easy way down.”<\/p>\n

Teri squealed and immediately pressed herself against her friend.\u00a0 “Gosh,\u00a0 you’re just so soft<\/em><\/strong>.”<\/p>\n

“Just… Can you not… Augh.\u00a0 Leave my breasts out of it, all right?”\u00a0 Heather wrapper her arms around her friend.\u00a0 She had no images of where she wanted to go but whatever was pulling at her provided enough for her power to work.\u00a0 The young woman blinked and immediately found herself in a massive underground cavern.<\/p>\n

Centered in the middle of the area was a gigantic black form.\u00a0 Heather released Teri and dropped to all fours, her arms and wings spread wide.\u00a0 Her small, stubby tail raised and she bared her fangs, hissing as her pitch black eyes shined.\u00a0 Teri kicked herself back, screaming as she caught sight of the figure standing before them.<\/p>\n

He, for he certainly was male, had to be over thirty feet tall.\u00a0 Pure white chains, each link as big as a car held his arms, legs and neck in place.\u00a0 The ragged, hacked remains of what could only have been gigantic bat wings slowly worked back and forth.\u00a0 He growled, baring four fangs as his biceps strained against the chains holding him in place.<\/p>\n

So<\/em>, <\/strong>the figure said.\u00a0 His voice thundered through their minds.<\/p>\n

“Oh god, Heather!”\u00a0 Teri said, shielding her eyes.\u00a0 “What is that thing?\u00a0 I can’t… I can’t even look at it!”<\/p>\n

Heather’s claws anchored her to the stone floor.\u00a0 Slowly, she relaxed and glanced at her friend.\u00a0 Her own behavior and posture had been automatic.\u00a0 Ever since she’d changed, she’d thought she was invincible.\u00a0 That nothing could stand against her.\u00a0 Now, faced with this creature, she knew how wrong she was.<\/p>\n

I thought your kind long dead<\/em>,<\/strong> he said, his eyes locked on Heather’s prone form.\u00a0 My progeny<\/em>.<\/strong><\/p>\n

“What do you-” Heather began.<\/p>\n

Born of my blood.\u00a0 Have you come to free me or mock me, as your ancestor did?<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Heather’s ears ached from the creature’s onslaught.\u00a0 Beside her, Teri leaned over and vomited loudly.\u00a0 The other woman pressed her face against her knees with the heel of her hands on her ears.<\/p>\n

“Who?” Heather called out.<\/p>\n

My Son, Aelius, and his creature, Vlad.\u00a0 Have you come as they did, Daughter?<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

“I’m not your daughter!” Heather screamed.\u00a0 Rumbling filled the cave and Heather realized the giant was laughing.<\/p>\n

You’ve tasted my blood.\u00a0 You’ve received my gifts.\u00a0 You are mine.\u00a0 As eternal now as I am, bound here from before your human kind walked the earth.\u00a0 Are you come now to release me?<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

“Why?” Heather asked.\u00a0 “Why are you trapped here?”<\/p>\n

Silence filled the cavern.\u00a0 Somewhere, water dripped slowly.\u00a0 The figure watched her quietly.<\/p>\n

It is beyond even your ability to comprehend now.\u00a0 Release me.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

“How?” Heather asked.\u00a0 The young woman crawled over to her friend, covering her with her wings protectively.\u00a0 “What will happen if I do?”<\/p>\n

End my existence.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

“Will I be human again?”<\/p>\n

You will never be as you were.\u00a0 There is nothing in the whole of reality that can remove my gifts save Death’s artful hand and my own release.\u00a0 And even Death will find you no easy prey now.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

“Will,” Heather paused.\u00a0 “Will it heal my friend?”<\/p>\n

Again, no.\u00a0 Your own death will not free her of you.\u00a0 She is yours and no other will feed of her as you do.\u00a0 She would survive your death and wander, lost forever.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Heather lay against her friend.\u00a0 Pain and suffering radiated through the bond.\u00a0 The creature’s very existence was slowly killing Teri.<\/p>\n

Leave me, Daughter.\u00a0 I can see into my own child’s heart.\u00a0 If you will not free me then I shall not suffer your presence.\u00a0 Go!\u00a0 And be wary of the world you’ve crossed into.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

With a sharp, loud cry, Heather willed herself away.<\/p>\n

—–<\/p>\n

Heather opened her eyes.\u00a0 The sky was pure dark blue, aglow with an eternity of stars.\u00a0 She lay with Teri on cool, damp grass at the side of a hill.\u00a0 She knew immediately that if she looked behind herself, she’d find a familiar rock jutting from the top of the hill.\u00a0 Her ears twitched as the bats deep in the cave sang their joyous greetings.\u00a0 The young woman exhaled, unsure of how long she’d been holding her breath.\u00a0 Every time she blinked, she could see the onyx giant.<\/p>\n

“Teri,” Heather whispered.\u00a0 “It’s okay.\u00a0 He’s gone.”\u00a0 She felt slightly weaker and she knew it was due to the distance away from the monster under the castle.\u00a0 He gave her power but she was tied to him.\u00a0 Heather sighed.\u00a0 As Teri was tied to her.<\/p>\n

“Scared,” Teri whimpered.\u00a0 “Hurts.”<\/p>\n

“I know, honey,” Heather said quietly, she rubbed her friend’s back gently in a circle.\u00a0 “I’m here.”<\/p>\n

“I can’t.\u00a0 I can’t.\u00a0 I can’t.” Teri repeated.<\/p>\n

Heather covered her friend and pulled her closer.\u00a0 Teri instinctively nuzzled against Heather’s chest.\u00a0 Her pain slowly began to fade.<\/p>\n

“I think,” Heather said.\u00a0 “I think they have it wrong.\u00a0 Vampires.\u00a0 You know?\u00a0 Cursed to live in darkness while lamenting the loss of sunlight.\u00a0 Why?\u00a0 The stars are beautiful and the sun hides them away.”\u00a0 Rather than tiny, solid white pinpricks of light, the stars were large and opalescent.\u00a0 She wasn’t sure if she’d ever seen someone as visual stunning as the immense field of jewels glittering above her.\u00a0 The moon, nearly full was enormous and bright silver.\u00a0 A halo of pure white surrounded it and she smiled up at the light it gave to her.<\/p>\n

Teri shifted against her friend.\u00a0 She held her hands up under her chin like a small child would.<\/p>\n

“I’m… I can’t go home, Teri,” Heather sighed.\u00a0 “I’m pretty sure it would kill me.\u00a0 I think… I think the further I am from… him… the weaker I’d get until I just… stopped.\u00a0 I can feel it.\u00a0 I think I’d be okay with that.”<\/p>\n

Sadness and anger raced through their bond.<\/p>\n

“No, listen.\u00a0 I think I’d be okay with it if it was just me.\u00a0 Maybe.\u00a0 You saved me once, years ago.\u00a0 I thought, you know, after being bullied and told how much of a freak I was because I didn’t wear dresses and all that crap.\u00a0 You stayed with me.\u00a0 You taught me to live because people cared about me.\u00a0 That I mattered to other people.\u00a0\u00a0 You stayed with me then and afterwards, until I was safe on my own.\u00a0 I-”<\/p>\n

“Still here,” Teri whispered.\u00a0 “I’m still here.”<\/p>\n

“I know, Teri,” Heather said.\u00a0 She hugged her friend fiercely.\u00a0 “I think I’m going to need your help again.\u00a0 I’m scared, Teri.\u00a0 Scared of what this will do to me.”<\/p>\n

“Need you, too,” Teri said.<\/p>\n

“I need your laughter, Teri,” Heather said.\u00a0 “I need you to remind me to be human.”\u00a0 Hot tears mixed with the fur along her muzzle.\u00a0 Human,<\/em> she thought bitterly.\u00a0 Not so much anymore.<\/em><\/p>\n

“I will,” Teri answered.<\/p>\n

“Stay awake with me, Teri,” Heather whispered again.\u00a0 “Watch the stars with me.\u00a0 I’ll keep you safe and watch out for you.”<\/p>\n

“Just.\u00a0 Just like you always have,” Teri said, her voice small.<\/p>\n

“Just like I always have,” Heather replied, her throat painful with emotion.<\/p>\n

Teri shifted against her, turning to face the stars.\u00a0 Heather wrapped her wing around the woman when she shivered.\u00a0 Teri closed her eyes with a sigh and then opened them again.<\/p>\n

“Do you-” Teri paused.<\/p>\n

“What?” Heather asked, gently.<\/p>\n

“Do you think Uranus is out there somewhere?”<\/p>\n

“I- what?”<\/p>\n

“I was just wondering if your anus was out there.\u00a0 You know.\u00a0 Because it’s so big now.\u00a0 Your ass.\u00a0 Star-like.”<\/p>\n

“That’s- that was terrible, Teri.\u00a0 Way below your normal standards.”<\/p>\n

Teri sighed again.\u00a0 “So are you, Heather.\u00a0 But, I’m still here with you anyway.\u00a0 And I’m not going anywhere.\u00a0 You’d be lost without me.”<\/p>\n

“Maybe we’ll even get a house somewhere,” Heather said while they both stared up into the night.<\/p>\n

“With shutters?”<\/p>\n

“Maybe.\u00a0 Maybe shutters.\u00a0 Definitely lamps, though.”<\/p>\n

“Are you hitting on me, Heather?”<\/p>\n

The two friends bickered happily back and forth under the stars, their future as limitless as the night sky.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

At the conclusion to the story, Heather succumbs to her thirst and learns what happens when she loses control. Heather lost track of her dreams, memories and reality.\u00a0 She thought Teri tried to wake her up twice but she wasn’t Continue reading Hunter’s Moon Ch. 04 [TF \/ F \/ Werebat]<\/span>→<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[4],"tags":[22,282,286,287,60,283,281,285,138,21,30,276,284,194,93,9,57,280,279],"class_list":["post-383","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-story","tag-blood","tag-breast-expansion","tag-compulsion","tag-corruption","tag-demon","tag-dracula","tag-female-bat","tag-hypnotism","tag-infection","tag-magic","tag-mental-changes","tag-muscle-growth","tag-myth","tag-slow-changes","tag-tf","tag-transformation","tag-vampire","tag-were-bat","tag-werebat"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p42NMN-6b","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hidden-shelf.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/383","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hidden-shelf.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hidden-shelf.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hidden-shelf.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hidden-shelf.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=383"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.hidden-shelf.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/383\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":386,"href":"https:\/\/www.hidden-shelf.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/383\/revisions\/386"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hidden-shelf.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=383"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hidden-shelf.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=383"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hidden-shelf.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=383"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}