Once in a blue moon

This is . . .well hehe, it's a comedy of sorts. It's a satire of parts of my life that were particularly stressful I like making normal things supernatural because it makes them more fun.

School was over and summer had just begun. Naturally that meant one thing . . . Fun. By fun, specifically parties. This party was at Frances’s friend Maddie’s house and there was a new friend to meet so she was especially excited. As well as nervous. For that is how she tended to be in such situations.
She pulled to a stop at the curb in front of her house and leaped out, stopping to toss her towel over her shoulder and grab the twenty pack of Dr.Pepper before padding barefoot to the door.
As she brought her hand up to press the doorbell button an odd smell caught her attention. Her head tilted back slightly as she sampled the air. It wasn’t human but it wasn’t exactly not human. After a few moments of thought she dismissed it as being her own suspicious nature.
Inside the house in an upstairs bedroom a similar phenomenon was taking place. A girl with aquamarine eyes and mahogany colored hair stopped mid-sentence and inhaled. Her hesitation was dissimilar to the other girl’s in that she was sure of what was in the area.
“Werewolf” she muttered under her breath.
“What?”
“Nothing Madds. What were you saying?” She quickly recovered her calm and returned to the conversation. That was when the doorbell range. She had hoped the beast was just passing through, an odd coincidence perhaps. She was not so lucky.
Before she could stop her, Maddie thundered down the stairs and threw open the door. The other girl glided down the stairs behind her and into the back yard, choosing to ignore the excited squeals of her best friend and the new girl at the door.
At the door, Frances glanced over Maddie’s shoulder and caught an unfamiliar girl slipping out the back door. As she passed she inhaled the same scent. This time there was no mistaking it. In a similar tone of voice she growled under her breath
“Vampire.”
“Huh?” Maddie questioned and gave a look that she commonly dawned when her lesbian friend did something.
“Oh ah . . . Nothing” She replied quickly and bounced passed her friend into the house. “Is anyone else here?” she asked and silently inhaled through her nose. She really didn’t have to ask, the information flooding into her brain from that breath of air told her all she needed to know.
“Just you, Sam, and Meghan” Maddie replied with a delighted smile.
Frances returned the smile and her stomach tightened. It seemed she wouldn’t be a meeting a new friend today. If anything she’d have an enemy by the time the party was over. None of these fears showed on her face however as she squealed “Great! Need any help setting up?” With that they headed towards the door.
Outside on the wall surrounding her bestie’s patio, Sam sat staring at the door. This isn’t good. I can’t have my best friend mingling with some dog! She mentally spit out the word like a curse and made a face. I’ll have to scare her off somehow . . . She mulled the thought over, face pensive until she spotted them through the window. How dare she speak to her? Acting like she’s a human. Ha! She belongs tied to a tree in the yard.
This thought cheered her up enough that she could put on a neutral expression and scrutinized this intruder. She didn’t seem that much of a threat. Wasn’t even that tall in her opinion. Not any taller than Maddie who was around five foot three. Her hair was chocolate brown with reddish streaks. This dog has a groomer. She chuckled.
The sound drew the attention of the werewolf girl. No normal person would hear it but she was as far from normal as they came. Her head turned slightly as she glared out of the corner of her eye at the unassuming girl sitting outside. What is your plan bloodsucker? She growled under her breath and nodded enthusiastically at something Maddie was saying. Searching for victims? Well . .  I’ve got a stake for you corpse girl. Her snicker was loud enough for the vampire outside to hear and Frances watched as her eyes narrowed.
“So ah . . . Maddie, is that girl outside Sam?” Her head tilted innocently to the side and she glanced out the window to make sure the girl was listening.
“Yup. That’s Sammie.”
“Wonderful! I’d love to meet her!” The wolf girl gushed, false sincerity dripping from every word like honey. Or blood in her case. She snickered again and covered it up by giggling.
“Oh of course!” Maddie replied and walked towards the door. “Come on”
Frances padded along behind her but just before they stepped out of view in the window she brought up her hands and made little clawing motions behind Maddie, her lip curling in a silent snarl. Outside, Sam stood up and was about to throw herself through the window at the girl when she saw her put her arms down and stick her tongue out at her. Ohhh she’s gonna get it. She scowled and sat back down.
Giggling like a hyena Frances stepped out the door and rushed over to Sam. “Why hello! Boy have I heard things about YOU!” She cried and hopped excitedly from foot to foot, her hands having grabbed one of Sam’s. “I’m sure we’re gonna be greeaaattt friends” She purred and gave a lop-sided grin. Her back was to Maddie at the time so only the vampire girl saw the elongated canines return to normal.
“Oh I agree. I hear your Maddie’s lesbian. She adores you like a pet.” Sam replied in an equally sickly sweet tone, her eyes flashing delightedly at the yellow tinge her opponent’s eyes took for a moment. Her pleasure was cut short as something sharp jabbed into the back of her hand in several places.
She quickly pulled back her hand and stared at it. On her palm were four small punctures marks that, while healing, still bled slightly. She hissed slightly and looked up at the girl who wore an innocently bewildered expression. “You’ll pay for that” She breathed softly so only canine hearing would pick it up.
Frances’s only reply was a slight smirk as she turned to help Maddie put up decorations.
The party progressed and other friends arrived. Patrick, much to Frances’s delight was one of the first and she spent a good half hour animatedly discussing with him why werewolves were far superior. “Well werewolves don’t have to kill people! And if they do they don’t need to use tricks to do it. They use their strength, speed, and human cunning to take down their prey. Plus! They can be completely normal during the day. Oh! And they aren’t cold like a corpse!” She said in a rush and listened as Patrick elaborated on those points, nodding excitedly and agreeing with enthusiasm.
Sam followed Maddie around and allowed herself to be introduced to all the people she didn’t know. When they’d gone around the circle and were heading back to meet Patrick she leaned forward and made as if to bite Maddie on the side of the neck. Much to her amusement Frances made to leap forward and only managed to catch herself before it was too late. It ended up looking like she’d randomly fallen out of her chair and everyone who saw laughed heartily. Only the vampire caught the wolf’s glare and she threw back a slightly seductive smile.
The smile caught the werewolf off-guard and she blinked in confusion. Unbeknownst to her that was exactly the reaction Sam had been looking for and it caused her to laugh again along with everyone else.  
She quickly regained her balance and sat back in her chair. “Oh! I forgot! I think I left something in the jeep. I’ll be right back.” She sprang up and slipped into the house muttering under her breath about the leech infestation.
Sam waited for the click of the front door before she excused herself. She took the side gate instead of the back door and as soon as she was out of sight, sprinted with inhuman speed at the wolf strutting down the driveway. The girl had just enough time to catch the vicious look in the vampire’s eye before she went sprawling on the concrete with a sickening thump. Any human would have been killed but both werewolves and vampires are made of stronger stuff and Frances simply landed on her back with a loud grunt and the air knocked out of her.
The wind knocked out of her, the wolf was unable to speak and Sam took her chance to hiss at her. “What are you doing here, Fido? You don’t belong with the humans. Now I’m going to be nice and let you go but if I see your fuzzy little tail around her again, you're cat food.”
Frances sneered and howled with laughter, having obviously regained her ability to breathe and speak. “You think you scare me? I doubt you’re even a full vampire! Just one of them fang bangers. Do you like to be bitten? Do you enjoy being a little snack? I have more right to be here then you. I’m not the one who eats humans.” She intended to throw her attacker off with a sharp jerk but it seemed she was prepared for that and all she received was a smack. “Get off me mosquito or I’ll rip you to shreds.” Her voice came out as a deep growl.
The sound of a door slamming distracted both girls and they turned their heads to find Maddie standing on the porch watching them. From her point of view they appeared more intimate then she’d hoped they would be. What else would a logical person think when they found their best friend straddling their other best friend, both breathless and eyes wide with surprise.  Especially when one of them was a notoriously out lesbian.
“I ah . . . I’ll just . . . Go back inside then” She stuttered and backed through the door and into the house. Both girls looked from the door to each other and back again. However, it took less time for the ever devious Sam to regain her senses. She lowered her head so her mouth was right next to Frances’s slightly pointed ear “If I can’t scare you away with threats, I have another idea.” Satisfied with the shudder she elicited from the girl she stood up and walked back into the house, hips swaying saucily as she went.
“Oh damn it . . .” Frances moaned and laid on the pavement for a few moments before she returned to the backyard and the confused looks that Maddie kept giving her.

Seeing as this party was at the beginning of summer it was only expected that they swim. Being rather shy or so it seemed the wolf girl wore a wet suit top and board shorts. Sam however had no such inhibitions and wore a deep red bikini.

The party-goers milled about the edge of the pool, not wanting to be the first to get in but all equally eager to leap into the water. Frances stood on the wall around the back edge of the pool which overlooked the rest of the back yard. She chose this position partly because of its height and partly because she would clearly see anyone who tried to push her in. That is, anyone human who tried to push her in. The next thing she knew someone’s hands were on both of her shoulders and she was falling forward. In one desperate attempt to stay dry she spun around and reached out grabbing the person behind her but the wrist. Her surprise and anger quickly turned to delight for the split second she was falling and gave the girl a sharp jerk with her and into the water.
She hit the bottom of the pool, hand still keeping a vice-like grip on her saboteur. What she didn’t intend was for the person to wrap her arm around her throat and she burst through the surface of the water. If there had been any confusion as to who had pushed her there wasn’t now. The girl pressed firmly to her back was as solid as stone and as the wolf stumbled to the stairs in the shallow end of the pool the arm loosened. She thanked whatever god was watching out for her for the people laughing at the edges of the pool because it kept Sam from choking her to death then and there. When she had dragged both of them onto the top stair the vampire smiled pleasantly and patted her almost-victim on the cheek. “Wow, your strong babe! I’ll have to remember that!” She laughed with a mock-surprised tone and let her hand graze the side of her neck before she dropped it.
The unnecessary touch caused Frances’s cheeks to flare in anger. And possibly something else but most directly, and more easily admitted, anger. To everyone else, especially Maddie who had already caught them in one awkward position today, it just seemed as if their favorite lesbian had gotten herself a new crush.  
A few hours, and numerous in-pool battles later the majority of the party-goers sat in the spa, the cold pool water becoming just a bit too much for them. On either side of the wolf girl sat Maddie and Patrick, directly next to Patrick was Sam and next to Maddie, a girl Frances couldn’t remember the name of. The territorial werewolf wasn’t at all comfortable sitting so far from Sam, an unrealistic belief that she would suddenly lose control and go on a killing spree spurring her into endeavoring to sit closer.
This mission however, seemed much different on the surface. At least to the humans surrounding them. Saying Frances was not the epitome of subtlety was a gross understatement. Her tactic for getting closer was to fight with Patrick for position, shoving and diving in an attempt to slither around to his other side and to that of Sam’s. Seeing as Patrick was larger than her, she was forced to reign in her supernatural strength and without looking conspicuous or hurting someone she was forced to give in.
“Come on, P-track” She whined pitifully and rammed up against his shoulder. “Let me switch!”
“Nope! I don’t wanna” Was his spiteful reply. Maddie gave them a calculating stare before engaging in an enthusiastic argument with the other girls about who their celebrity crushes were.
With a huff of irritation Frances sat back. The act of trying to switch places had distracted her from the quickly setting sun and as she pressed back into the cement bench of the Jacuzzi an irritating itch began in the middle of her spine. As she arched into the rough cement, seeking an escape from the quickly intensifying itching, someone noticed her trouble.
“Problem, Frances?” came the casual drawl from Sam who had somehow managed to switch places.
“No” she grunted in return, sitting up straight and digging her nails into the tops of her thighs. “Just couldn’t reach an itch. It’s fine now.”
“Well that’s good. Oh . . . Would you look at how beautiful the moon is?” she gasped melodramatically and rested an icy hand on the wolf’s shoulder. Frances knew damn well how the moon looked. Its pull prickled all over her skin, leaving her restless and tense. Her spine cracked as she arched away from the unwelcome touch but her movement was restricted as Maddie was sitting close next to her.
“Y-yes it’s . . .” She struggled for words, her mind hazy as she struggled to hold on to her humanity. She’d originally assumed that being summer the moon would take longer to show, and she’d be safe at home before she lost it. How wrong she was.
A new werewolf was trapped in a Jacuzzi with a vampire that clearly disliked her, surrounded by clueless humans thinking she just had the hots for said vampire. This was far from good. So far from good in fact that good was in a different area code from where she sat hunched over. She felt her ears elongate and thanked the gods that her wet hair hung over them. In a split second of desperation she sat up and leaned over, her lips an inch or so away from the ear of the person she despised most at the moment.
“If you don’t help me get out of here many people will die. If you’re okay with that than my assumptions were correct. If not, then maybe I won’t inform the pack that we have a vampire in our territory.” She hissed in a rush, her voice lisping slightly as her tongue tried to work around the pointed teeth that were quickly forming.
A moment of silence passed as Sam thought over her options. If she loses it I can have her taken out. But if she loses it I’ll lose Maddie and who knows who else. She found that the cost was far too high for her to pay and quickly threaded her arm through Frances’s who sighed with relief and shifted to leap up.
“Hey babe, you wanna come with me? I need to get something out of my bag and I don’t wanna go alone.” Her question seemed innocent on the surface but most of the humans, thinking themselves clever, assumed that there were some less than innocent undertones. They were right of course but their guesses were completely off and they simply snickered as Sam dragged Frances into the house and up the stairs. Of course all except Maddie who frowned slightly before returning to her conversation.
Upstairs Frances collapsed onto all fours on the floor. Her fists clenching and unclenching as she struggled to hold in the sounds of pain. “Well you’re stupid. Very stupid. Even for a werewolf you are stupid.” Sam snarked and leaned against the wall, a small, pleased smirk twisting her features.
“Yes I’m aware of that. I didn’t know that would happen. I’m new at this” The girl on the floor rasped. Her elbows gave out and she hit the floor with a sickening thump, opting to rolling onto her back and gasp for air as she stared at the ceiling through glowing yellow eyes.
The half-dead girl leaning against the wall was not immune to emotions. She saw the pain, and sorrow, and what she thought was a hint of loneliness etched into the quickly shifting features of the supernatural on the floor. She refused to let any sort of pity show, however, reminding herself that this beast was her enemy. A rabid dog that deserves to be put down. She repeated to herself over and over.
But as the girl-gone-wolf writhed on the floor, holding on to as much humanity as she could, her smirk shifted into an apologetic grimace. “We don’t have long” She said, in a voice so soft it surprised them both. “Someone will become suspicious, most likely assuming we’re doing naughty things.” She smiled again, this time without malice, and Frances managed to return it through her pain. The situation lightened considerably after that and Sam sat on the floor, holding the sweaty, sometimes clawed hand of her “enemy.” She’s not much of an enemy. Sam inwardly sighed and winced as the paw she held clenched reflexively.
What seemed like ages, but what really only consisted of minutes, Frances managed to rein in her wolf and lay there on the floor panting. “I’m sorry.” She mumbled a heavy blush creeping up her neck. “I thought I could do it. I’ve been so good at controlling it I didn’t think the full moon would be any different.”
“Haven’t you been around the full moon before? I mean it shows up every month.” The vampire was confused, obviously. Wouldn’t someone who had to change every month know how hard it was to stifle a change at the time of the full moon?
“No. My first change was last full moon. I was so out of it I didn’t think that it might happen every time. I thought maybe it was just because the disease had finally taken hold.”
“What?!” Sam spluttered indignantly. “You’ve only been a werewolf a month?!”
She received a nod in reply and stood up. “Well we have to get back to the party. They’re gonna think we’re doin’ it or something. They already think you’re obsessed with me.” She held out her hand to help Frances up off the floor.
“Oh my god . . .” Frances gasped, the fact that she had about to turn into a large wolf in the middle of party in front of a vampire quickly slipping her mind for a much more important worry. “They think I . . .oh god . . . no” Her eyes widened and her voice raised a panicky octave.
“Really? You were just about to go on a killing spree and you’re worrying that people think you’re crushing on me?” Sam’s eyebrows were raised and her look of disbelief would have been comical if not for how deadly serious Frances looked.
“Yeah . . .now that I think about it that does seem kinda weird . . .” Frances shrugged and grasped the proffered wrist, dragging herself to her feet with a little help from Sam. As if some divine intervention had called her there Maddie stepped around the corner at that moment and found Sam and Frances chest to chest, hands clasped between them and matching shy smiles.
“What the . . . “ The two girls leaped apart as if hit with a bolt of lightening.
“Madds, this is not what it looks like. She was helping me find something.” Sam spoke softly as if speaking to an angry bull.
“You know what? It’s fine. You two can do whatever you want. It’s none of my business. I’ll just leave you two alone.” Maddie spoke in a rushed tone, which clearly said “it’s not fine” but the two girls were so surprised all they could do was stand and stare as she disappeared down the stairs and out the back door.
“This is gonna come back to bite me in the a*s . . .” Frances mumbled and ran her fingers through her hair. “I think we should return to the party before things get any more . . . scandalous.”
“You sure you can stay human?” Sam asked, her head tilted to the side and her jaw tense despite her casual tone.
“Yeah I’ll be fine for now. Time for damage control.” They both returned to the back yard, to numerous smirks and raised eyebrows. Frances took a spot by the spa, lounging on the rock wall that formed the edge. “Hey Maddie-kins.” She drawled innocently, all of her situation-diffusing powers going to work as she locked her puppy eyes onto her friend’s.
“Hey Franny” Maddie returned in a tense voice.
“I know what you’re thinking” she leaned in conspiratorially as she said this. “But we weren’t doing anything. You know how I am with physical contact. I also happen to know that you know that I’m extremely clumsy. I ran into the corner of your bed. Fell. She just helped me up. I mean you gotta notice how . . .sit-comy the whole thing was right?” She chuckled and stuck her tongue out slightly.
As she spoke her friend calmed, and by the time she had finished her explanation she dawned a face of bemusement. “You do like her though don’t you?”
If she’d had a coat Frances would have bristled indignantly. As it was, she flushed and clenched her teeth. Unfortunately it took her a second too long to reply and by the time she’d opened her mouth to speak Maddie had already made her decision. “It’s fine Fran. Just . . . don’t you hurt her.”
“Me?” She guffawed and covered her mouth to stop herself from laughing. “Hurt her? No of course not! You know how I am around people I . . .” She paused and steeled herself. “Like. They scare me to bits.”
Maddie nodded and patted her on the head, receiving a thankful smile in return despite the . . . canine-like feeling the whole situation gave off. From across the pool she heard a soft chuckle. With lightning fast speed she gave Sam the finger and grinned goofily back. Much to her surprise, and much denied delight the laughing only increased.
The party wound down. People left. By the time Sam, Maddie, Patrick, and Frances had strolled out to the front driveway to say their good byes the moon loomed straight over their head. The wolf girl stood with her shoulders hunched and eyes cast at the ground. She pretended not to notice when Patrick ran up and leaped on her back. A well-practiced “stumble” and she was standing there with hunched over with the weight of a one hundred eighty pound teen boy on her back. As her knees “gave out” she tossed him onto the grass laughed triumphantly. “Every time I’m gonna be able to carry you a tiny bit longer” she gloated and crossed her arms across her chest.
All their attention was drawn to street as a black car with tinted windows pulled up in front of the house. From where she and Maddie had been watching with amusement Sam announced. “That would be my ride.”
In a rush of goodbyes Patrick and Maddie descended upon Sam. Frances stood back, politely silent. That was, of course, till they noticed she was not with them. Patrick pushed her forward. Maddie scolded her for her rudeness.  Sam just stood there, unsure whether to be pleased or just extremely uncomfortable. She settled for a happy medium.
There was no debate. They would have to hug. In a brief moment of unspoken peace they shared an awkward hug. It started awkward that is. This isn’t so bad . . . It’s a nice transition from overheating. Hard and soft at the same time. Ran through the wolf’s head before she could stop them. More confusing still was that they both tensed at the same time. Almost as if  . . . oh my god you can hear me. Her hands, which had until then been flat against the vampire’s back clenched as her claws extended for a moment. There was a small cringe and not in return. That would have been nice to know earlier. She thought as angrily as she could.
“Sorry.” Sam whispered in her ear, eliciting another shiver. “It's not something I really wanna broadcast.” She did sound genuinely apologetic and after a moment of concentration Frances’s hands returned to normal and she was able to step back.
When she looked around it seemed they’d put themselves in another awkward position. Both Patrick and Maddie had twin expressions of confusion and discomfort. Both girls blushed and Sam made a quick escape to the car. “Bye guys!” She waved and disappeared behind the tinted windows. They all watched as she drove down the street and out of sight.
“Well I think I’m gonna go” Patrick drawled and headed towards his truck. “I’ll see you guys later.”
“Bye!” They both chimed in unison and waited till he disappeared around the corner.
“Well . . .” Maddie said from behind her. She turned around and cringed at the calculating gaze that was focused upon her.
“Yeah I think I should go too. Great party, Maddie.” She gave her a tight grin and resisted the urge to sprint to her jeep, opting instead for a brisk walk and gymnastic-style leap into the tall car. “Bye!” She called cheerfully and squealed around the corner and out of sight, relieved to be out of that judgmental gaze.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The girl in her jeep bumped along a dark, unpaved road. To most it would seem impassible but over the last month she'd grown accustomed to the bumps and holes in the path. She came over a small rise and out of almost nowhere rose a sizable house. Its appearance was foreboding to say the least, its Victorian style architecture warding off anyone who might accidentally (or not so accidentally) wander too close. With a spray of gravel the jeep came to a stop nestled against the side of the house.
Frances leapt out, sagging tiredly under the weight of the stress she'd accumulated that day. She slunk up the stairs of the expansive front porch and reached for the handle of the large door. Her ear twitched.
Someone was inside.
Someone that she didn't recognize.
She  puffed up her chest in an attempt to make herself larger and rammed the door open with her shoulder. The inside of the mansion was far different from the outside. In fact it was quite modern. She stepped into the living room and surveyed its contents. Dark, worn leather couch, large entertainment center against the wall, forest scenery paintings along the walls on either side of the large flat screen. Nothing out of place it seemed
"Hey wolf-girl." Came a lazy greeting from the couch. Frances instantly deflated and walked around farther into the room to inspect who'd taken her favorite spot.
"Jenn . . ." She greeted the girl on her couch.
"How was the party? I wanted to go but . . .alas . . .I was not invited." The girl sat up. She was rather unassuming . . .at first. Her shoulder-length white-blond hair hung lazily on either side of her face and she had blue eyes similar to Frances'. She fidgeted with her hoodie, pulling the collar up to hide half of her face as she inspected her werewolf friend.
"Must you put your boots on my nice couch?" Said werewolf friend replied. Her eyes were locked on the other girl's knee high, black leather boots. Although fashionable she had a sneaking suspicion they would do significant damage to her lovable sofa.
With a dramatic sigh Jenn sat up, crossing her legs at the knee. "Now answer my question."
"It was  . . . . okay . . . " Frances mumbled dismissively and ran her fingers through her hair.
"Don't make me spell it out of you, sweetie." Sweetie, in Jenn's book, was less a term of endearment and more a chastising admonishment. It tended to mean "you're acting retarded and I'm giving you a chance to fix that."
"You wouldn't" Frances squinted slightly, planting her feet as if challenged.
"Down girl. Don't think I won't. Now. Tell me . . . or I'll make you tell me and we all know how you hate that." She raised her hand slightly which to most wouldn't have been a threat at all but as Jenn was not your average teen girl her werewolf counterpart took a wary step back. The electric smell of magic filled the air, a promise as to what would come if she didn't behave. "Fine!" She barked and held up her hands, which had gradually shifted in her distraction and had developed rough pads on the palms and claws where her nails should have been.
"OOoohhh . . . I see" The girl's hand dropped back into her lap as she caught sight of her friend's paws. "How many died?" The non-chalant manner in which she said that phrase caused the Frances to scoff.
"No one! No one died! I didn't KILL anyone!" She quickly took to pacing back and forth in front of the couch. "I met someone-- NO not in that way. A vampire."
"A vampire?" The blonde's eyebrows raised in mild surprise.
"Yes! But not! She smelled like one but she was very much human."
"A Dhamphir then."
"A what?"
"A Dhamphir. They're only half vampires. They  have the urge to drink blood but they also need food, they can go out in sunlight though they are rather sensitive to it at times, and they have enhanced strength and speed. Not as much as a full vamp but still quite formidable in a fight."
The wolf came to a halt, pensively tapping her elongated canines together as she thought. "She saved me."
"Really? Why ever would she do that?"
"Well probably because if she didn't I'd have killed everyone in the area. Including Maddie."
"She's close to Maddie?"
"They're besties"
"Huh . . .interesting."
"I was certainly surprised. Even more so when she dragged me away before I could go all  . . . Furry on everyone."
"Speaking of vampires. Wanna watch Buffy with me?" The witch smiled slightly and magic crackled in the air.
Before she knew what had happened, Frances was on the couch.
"Really?! Do you have to do that? I coulda just walked."
"But that's no fun . . ." Jenn pouted and gave her friend a not-so-sincere apology hug.
The wolf growled half-heartedly and sunk back into the couch.  Today had been odd. Far more odd than she'd even grown accustomed to. Frances, for one, was a werewolf. That was quite odd. She also lived in a creepy, victorian mansion deep in the woods, with a witch for a roommate.
Things had become increasingly bizarre ever since that horrible night a month and a half ago. She sunk deeper into the couch, her heart thumping erratically in her chest as she flashed back to that night. She'd been walking back to her Jeep after having spent all day at her friend Ashley's house. Ashley lived a short drive up into the mountains and since parking was limited she'd been forced to park down the street amongst the trees. She dug around her pocket searching for her keys until a deep rumbling coming from the dark startled her out of her reverie.
She hadn't known it then but the huge black shape that hurled itself out of the trees and latched onto her shoulder was a werewolf. She screamed in both pain and terror, as the beast rammed her back against the side of her Jeep. The blow set off the alarm and surprised the beast enough that it stopped gnawing on her shoulder. By the time it had decided the car was no threat and had turned to the sobbing girl pinned against it, the attention of the inhabitants near by was caught. Before it could sink its teeth into her again a loud gunshot tore through the night air. The creature halted again. A second shot rang out and it dropped its prey before loping off into the dark again.
Unfortunately Frances hadn't been lucky enough to lose consciousness until she hit the ground. All she remembered of that period was laying on her side for a split second and the sound of thumping feet as Ashley and her neighbors ran over to her.
After that, she'd woken up in the hospital, her shoulder bandaged and a woman in a dark business suit speaking to her parents in hushed tones. Oddly enough Frances had no trouble hearing it.
"She's going to need therapy after this. I've seen this countless times and I think the best course of action would be if I took her and put her in my program."
There was a long pause as her parents though, the drugs they'd given her for her pain made her drowsy and incapable keeping her eyes open so she waited, vaguely wondering what would happen now.
"Trust me, she'll be better off in the long run."
Another pause, followed by a "thank you" and she'd been whisked away as soon as she could function again. She'd been driven deep into the mountains and taken to a large stone castle, which would have been distinctly out of place if they hadn't been so far from any other human-being. She'd been put in a room. People had come and gone. They'd told her what she was. For two weeks she'd been kept in her rooms, every night she'd be strapped to the bed and the woman in the blue business suit would stand over and watch as her body struggled to fight off the change. It was no use of course, the virus in the werewolf's spit would take its toll. Until the full moon though, the disease would just do its work, changing her body to make it easier for each subsequent changes.
First it started with her bones, each one breaking and reforming more pliable that it had been before. Then it had shut down her organs, one by one till she'd literally die, resuscitated later when they'd been strengthened. It was excruciating and through all this the woman stood watch over her, whispering calmly about what was happening and about how better it would make things later.
Finally the full moon came and she'd been allowed outside, something she'd been denied since she'd arrived there. After so much trauma she only vaguely remembered that night, the sound of paws thumping against the ground, the brush of fur and the warmth of bodies as they jostled for position.
After that she'd been moved here. Forest Haven, they called it. A place where young supernaturals were put until they were adults. With puberty already wreaking its havoc it was best for young otherkin  (a term more commonly used among people like herself) to be watched and nurtured away from other humans. Jenn and Frances both went to school in the town nearby, of course, but they also had lessons every so often with older supernaturals, called mentors. The two girls were the only ones actually living in the mansion at the time and they both preferred it that way.
"Would you not be so morose? I'm drowning in your angsty werewolf aura." Jenn snapped, which brought Frances back to the present.
"Sorry" She mumbled and returned to watching Buffy.
"So . . .this vampire girl." Jenn drawled casually. "You like her?"
"Why does everyone assume that?!" The werewolf exploded in frustration.
"It might be because your aura gets all dark red when you talk about her . . .or . . .You're just painfully obvious." The witch smirked and turned up the volume on the tv  to compete with the wolf's angry growl. "It's cute in a rather clichéd way. Is she hot?"
After a long stubborn silence Frances gave an approving growl.
"Does she like you back?"
Shrug.
"Well you should talk to her."
"I dun' wanna. Morrigan wouldn't like it."
"Screw Morrigan. If she's hot and she likes you go for it."
Another growl and the wolf girl stood up. "I'm going to bed. Seeya in the morning"
"Okay but I think you should tap that ice queen!" Jenn called after her as she stalked down the hall.
"Ugh . . that would so never happen." She muttered herself and slipped into her room. She flopped on her bed and let out a large sigh she hadn't realized she'd been holding in. It had been a long day. All she wanted to do was drift off too . . .
BUZZZZ
She groaned loudly into her pillow and blindly flailed around for her phone. Steeling herself for the bright LED light about to blind her she squinted at the text.
Hey there wolf girl.
"Wolf girl . .. .?" Frances checked the number. No one she knew. She sent a quick reply and flopped back down. Before her phone even had time to go back to sleep it buzzed again.
It's your newest girl crush ;D
Oh jesus. She sent a quick reply. "What do you want vamp girl?"
Now don't be mean. Remember I saved you.  Frances shivered at the wording, so similar to how she'd said it earlier.
The wolf took a deep breath and stubbornly replied. I am going to bed, stalker. So no more texts.
Yet another buzz. Alrighty then. Sweet dreams ;)
With an exhausted sigh Frances flopped back onto her bed, tossing her phone lazily into the drawer on the table beside her. Despite her previous statement she slept little that night, tossing and turning as the vengeful wolf inside struggled to tear its way out and have its own fun under the full moon.


The next morning Jenn awoke. Well . . . It really couldn’t be considered morning, she mentally corrected. It was a bit past noon. Morning or not she stumbled out of bed and padded down the hall toward the kitchen. Her goal . . . nay her prize . . . was awaiting her arrival. It was, to say the least, the perfect way to start her day. This pleasant train of thought came to a screeching halt as she took a sharp left into the kitchen.
The place was a warzone. Every cabinet and even the refrigerator door were thrown haphazardly open. Empty boxes and packaging were strewn across the tile floor, and amid the destruction, sprawled across the long counter (using a table cloth as a blanket) was her werewolf roommate.
“She wouldn’t . . .” The witch breathws anxiously and picked her way over to the cupboard. She stood in front of the double doors. Closed? . . .That’s a good sign, she thought to herself as she flung over the doors. Her heart sunk as she revealed the shelves, every item atop them ripped to shreds by what looked like both teeth and claws. Her despair quickly burned into outrage and she slowly turned around, eyes landing on her unconscious victim. She raised her right hand, and it crackled with energy. Tiny blue sparks darted out from the tips of her fingers like angry snakes.
She stopped before the girl, who was curled up on her side with her back to her friend. In that moment the werewolf was completely unaware of the electrified hand slicing swiftly towards her rear. In the next moment, she was far too aware for her liking, the jolt of electricity spiking through her back-side and causing her to flail and fall off the high counter with a sickening thunk. She let out a girlish scream that quickly melted into a howl and writhed about for a few seconds, more out of surprise than pain. When she finally flopped back against the tile, panting heavily, her eyes settled upon Jenn, who was standing over her looking more like a demon than a teenage girl.
Her eyes glowed terrifyingly bright as she said, “You, sweetie, seem to have made a mess. Now,” She barked, causing the girl on the floor to flinch for fear of being struck again with her taser-like hand. “If I don’t get my blueberry frosted mini-wheats I am gonna make it so you have to wheel around in a little doggy chariot for the rest of your days!” Her voice gradually rose so she yelled the final words.
“Y-yes Jenn. I’m ah . . I’m sorry Jenn. I think it’s time to go to the store.”
“That’s right. We are going to the store right now. And you are buying me my cereal. And everything you ate while you were all furry. Right, sweetie?”
The evil smirk, combined with the multiple uses of the ever-feared “sweetie” encouraged the wolf-girl to leap to her feet and sprint off to throw some clothes on. With lightning speed that would have any super-hero frowning with jealously she sprinted back in, jeep keys in hand. “Your carriage awaits m’lady!”
A long jeep ride and several intimidating glares later and they were pulling into the parking lot of a shopping center. “Now . . . You’re going to replace everything you tore apart and ate. Got it?” Jenn growled as she slid out of the tall vehicle.
“Yes’m . . .” The werewolf mumbled, locking the door behind her.
They walked together towards the grocery store, the werewolf standing slightly behind the witch. This was a common position for Frances for it allowed to her stay very close to whoever she was with, and perhaps she even believed it would make people more inclined to ignore her. Of course if asked she’d boldy deny it, puff out her chest, and stated proudly that it was the station of a guardian. Such a vantage point was the best place to be for all was visible.
Jenn lead her new slave through the store, knocking things off the shelves and into the cart being pushed along in her wake. They continued this method until the steadily glowing green aura behind her shifted to an all too familiar shade of red. “What are you . . .” She followed the gaze of the girl behind her and raised an eyebrow. “Oohhh. This is Sam?”
Frances nodded silently, and then realizing that Jenn probably wouldn’t see it, she mumbled the affirmative.
“Hey there wolf-girl” The half-vampire purred as she leaned against the large silent man beside her. “What brings you out of the woods?”
“She is restocking my kitchen,” Jenn cut in as Frances opened her mouth to fabricate a lie. She ignored the dark tinge the wolf’s aura took on and tilted her head to the side to better inspect the girl before her. “You’re right, Fran. She’s hot.”
“I’m what . . .?” Sam drawled in a mildly interested tone, her arms crossing across her chest as the man who stood beside her stared with a bored look at his phone.
“Nothing!” Frances barked and dragged the cart backwards towards the front of the store. “Let’s go, Jenn! I have shelves to restock! Not to mention our mentors have business with us today! Don’t forget.”
Jenn was about to toss back a reply but at the mention of her mentor she nodded. “Oh yeah. Well we better get going. Nice to . . .” She pointedly looked over the alluring girl before her. “See you.” This elicited a deep rumble from the wolf next to her, her cheeks puffing out slightly in indignation.
After that Frances was careful to use her senses and avoid the vampire as they wandered around the store. More than once she dived behind an advertisement or similar form of cover in order to avoid her. Jenn found this particularly entertaining and continued to chatter animatedly with her as if oblivious of her actions.  She prolonged their shopping experience taking extra care in each decision and when they’d finally meandered out of the store Frances trotted to the jeep, tossed their bags into the back of the jeep and leaped into the car.
“Smooth, I think she likes you. With those moves how could she not?” The witch in the passenger seat smirked and buckled herself in, pointedly ignoring the angry tint her friend’s aura took on at the comment. “Well? What are you waiting for? We have a meeting with our mentors!” Her hand came down onto the dashboard in a small slap as if to prompt it into moving.
“Yes . . .we do.” Frances grumbled bitterly and started the car, screeching out of the parking lot and down the road.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

        “You’re late.” Even Jenn had to sense to look embarrassed at that. The man who addressed them sat in an arm chair across from the couch. He looked rather like a professor, his square wire-framed glasses sitting low on his angular face. He wore a worn leather jacket and khaki slacks, and scuffed motorcycle boots peeking out from the rolled up cuffs. He ran his hand through his salt-and-pepper hair, leaving it more tussled than it already had been.  Despite his previous statement he shot a half-smile and a wink at the witch, which she returned with her trademark smirk. “We were just about to�"“
        “Feralan . . .” Frances stiffened at the name and bit the inside of her cheek. She hated that as a werewolf she was referred to by another name. The woman who addressed her sat on the arm of the chair the man with the glasses occupied. Despite the delicate way in which she perched upon the leather armrest, she radiated an aura of commanding.
        “Yes, Morrigan.” The young werewolf mumbled and stared at the floor, her angst over the morning melting away into respect and a small amount of fear.  She dared a glance towards the woman she was addressing and was met with the usual business-like persona she assembled when venturing into the human world.  Her suit was impeccably tailored and her dark raven’s wing colored hair was pulled artfully back into a strategically messy bun with a pair of what might have been obsidian chop sticks.
        “I would appreciate it if, in the future, you would arrive on time for our meetings.” From any other mouth the statement would have been read as a polite reminder. From Morrigan however . . . It was a thinly veiled command that promised a punishment if not followed in the future.
        This was not to say she was cruel. Morrigan was pack leader of the local werewolf pack. She practically oozed dominance and even humans tended to bow under her steady midnight-blue gaze.   Her earlier request was simply what she required and as a member of the pack her pupil was obligated (and very willing) to follow. When she’d received a nod she relaxed slightly, and smiled.
        The man next to her cleared his throat non-chalantly and raised an eyebrow at the exchanged.
        “Yes, Gregory?” Morrigan returned the eyebrow maneuver and smirked slightly.
        “Well I was just about to say, until I was so rudely interrupted.” He paused as Morrigan let out a very unlady-like snort. “We were just about to inform you that you two” he made a grand arm gesture at the two girls still standing in the doorway, “are the newest members of our rescue squad.”
        “Your what?” Frances tilted her head to the side and Jenn moved to sit across from them on the couch.
        Morrigan stepped in to explain. “Well, you remember when you were attacked? Since we’ve been a bit short of hands I had to step in and grab you. In most cases we have a group of otherkin who go in and do that for us. But . . .as I’ve mentioned before, we’re under-staffed. I had to go get you. So, that’s where you come in. You’re being promoted, yay!” She waved at hand at the exclamation and smiled, which made her look much more like the women in her late 20’s that she tried not to be. The change in her demeanor was enough for Frances to edge over to the couch and sit next to Jenn.
        “Why are we doing this? Is this gonna require more work?” Jenn, always the one to break to ice, drawled.
        “Well, we basically house you, feed you, and give you almost anything your young magical hearts desire. In return we ask you to help us out and round up the little beasties like you.” It was Gregory who spoke this time, his enthusiasm apparent in the way he leaned forward and rested his elbows on his knees. “Plus, this is the perfect way to hone your powers. The things I taught you will come in handy.”  
        “Then how am I supposed to help?” Frances shot a confused gaze back and forth between the two mentors sitting before her. “I mean I don’t have any skills . . .”
        “Feralan! You have the strength, agility, and senses of a wolf!” Morrigan snapped and stood up, eliciting a cringe from the girl she was addressing. She briskly glided behind the couch and rested her hands on her charge’s shoulders, leaning forward to mock-whisper in her ear. “You will use your wolfen abilities to protect Jenn and the young otherkin you are catching. Work it out! I don’t care how you do it; just make sure you get them back here, with as little damage as possible.”
        The werewolf on the couch, who had until then been sitting very still, and breathing very little, slumped in relief. She ignored the snort from the girl next to her and nodded. “Okay. When do we start?”
        “Right now!” Gregory barked delightedly and stood, clapping his hands together in a hurrying motion. “There is a vehicle outside for you. Only for the rescues, Jenn you naughty girl.”
Jenn smirked and held her hands up, palms out in a gesture of submission. “Got it, boss!”
screeching out of the parking lot and down the road.

---

The little group made their way outside, Gregory standing with his hands on Jenn’s shoulders, Morrigan with her arm linked through Frances’. “You see,” Moriggan explained “No normal car will hold an awakening otherkin. They’d shred it to pieces. Here” She waved her hand at the massive black SUV parked in front of the porch. “This will keep pretty much anything contained. There’s also a few things in there you might find useful�"

“I’m driving!” Cried Jenn, her mentor awarding her with a high five.

“Good thinkin, little witch!” He crowed. The anger he encountered when he met the pack leader’s gaze caused his goofy grin to disappear and he cleared his throat to hide his chagrin.
“Great, we have a driver. The location is entered in your GPS. This should be easy. . . in theory. There’s a new shapeshifter and if Gregory’s divining skills are to be trusted--“
“And they are” Gregory cut in stubbornly.
“She’s scheduled to begin her change at about 5:30 tonight�"“

“Change? She’s a werewolf?” Frances perked up suddenly.

A sharp glance silenced the over-eager wolf. “Not quite. You will see. Just get her out of there, into that large vehicle, and bring her back here to us.” Once she’d finished her instructions she’d checked her watch. “Holy s**t” Only Morrigan was capable of saying that phrase and while still looking professional. “If you two hadn’t been so late�"“

“It was the vampire’s fault.” Jenn murmured, spitefully, a slight smirk tugging at the corners of her mouth.
“Vampire?” Nothing got past a werewolf’s keen ears. Especially not the Pack Leader. “Nevermind, we’ll discuss this later.” The grip on Frances’s bicep tightened slightly and she inwardly cringed. “You two have little time as it is. It’s 4:30 and the play starts at 5:00.”
“Play . . .” Frances repeated in confusion, preparing a question. She took a deep breath, her mouth opened . . .
“No time for that. In the car! Go go go!” She was interrupted. Not only verbally but physically. Before she knew it she was being shoved bodily into the passenger seat of the large vehicle.  Jenn was already seated in the driver’s seat and Gregory was in the process of handing her the keys. “Now I took the liberty of preparing a little driving music. If you please” He waved a hand at the ignition and Jenn obliged, shoving the key in and giving it a good twist. The beast of a car roared into life and from the surround sound speakers (Most likely one of Gregory’s touches) thrummed a deep guitar riff.
“You didn’t!” Jenn squealed and took the liberty of leaning out the window to smack her mentor’s shoulder.
“Oh I did” Said mentor replied smugly.
Frances, never being in possession of a tv with HBO was clueless. “What?” She covered her ears and yelled, exchanging a glance with her own mentor who simply mouthed the opening lyrics of the song back at her: When you came in the air went out. The werewolf in the car flushed and quickly turned to Jenn, raising an eyebrow questioningly.
“Trueblood!!” Jenn practically screamed and revved the engine. “Let’s go, sweetie!” Frances assumed this was aimed in her direction. “We got a Supe to wrangle!”
If they had not been graced with superhuman speed Jenn would have killed both of their mentors as she skidded down the driveway and onto the dirt path leading to the town. As it was they both smoothly stepped out of the way.
“That was so badass” Gregory adjusted his glasses and tried to hide his childish grin.
“I withhold judgment until I’ve seen what they can do.” Morrigan had already turned away and was ascending the stairs back into the house.
“Ooh come on! That was movie quality cool right there!”
The comment was ignored as the women it was directed towards strutted through the open from door. “Come, we have a new room to set up. Goddess, knows what this new one will be like.”
Gregory nodded, looking much more professional that he had been and followed the pack leader inside. “I hear tigers are fond of modern, industrial design . . . .”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“So that’s what she meant by play . . .” The two girls stood in front of a modest theater, it’s sign proudly stating the closing night of Twelfth Night. “I love this play!” Frances squealed.
“Okay, nerd. Let’s get goin’. We got business to take care of.”
The wolf-girl scowled slightly and stalked through the double doors and into the lobby. “Wait . . . we’re in a theater . . .”
“Yes, we are! Good for you, sweetie.” Jenn cooed sweetly, and gave Frances a swift slap on the a*s as she bumped into her back. “Why’d you stop?”
Frances’s scowl deepened slightly and she took her usual position behind Jenn’s shoulder. “Well, what if she’s not a performer or in the audience? What if she’s back stage?”
Jenn’s eyes widened in surprise as the unusually astute conclusion her friend came to. “I suppose . . . we would need someone to go check that out.” Her arm snaked around the werewolf’s waist and slung her at a side door. “Go get ‘em, lesbo!” She hissed and strutted down the hall towards a folding table where they were selling tickets.
Frances has a moment of panic, hopping from foot to fight nervously as she watched her quickly retreating friend. The fact that she was a werewolf made no difference. This was freakin’ scary. When she’d finally lost sight of the witch she took a deep breath and straightened. “All right . . . This is your chance to please your mentor” She whispered to herself and hoped no one was watching. “Just . . . go in there, and keep an eye open.” She steeled herself and pushed through the door. It led to a white hallway and at the end was an open door which people hurriedly rushed past as she made her way towards it.
Twice people walked past her, seemingly too busy to pay her any attention. The first was a large teenage boy in all black, mumbling something about stuck-up actors. The other was a dark haired girl clad in an Elizabethan style dress who rushed, past and mumbled a quick apology as she bumped into her.
Frances stepped through the open doorway and immediately stepped back into the dark corner, crouching behind a rack of costumes. This had to be backstage . . . If it wasn’t at least there seemed to be plenty of people around. They rushed about, reciting lines, carrying props, and generally looking stressed. To her left through a thin passage was what she hoped was the stage. Perfect, She thought to herself I just have to hide here . . .and keep an eye out in case this girl is an actress or a stagehand. All there was to do was wait. She hunkered down behind a rack of costumes and snuck a glance at her phone. 4:56. Time to text Jenn.
I’m being all stealthy-like backstage. Haven’t found her yet, text me if ya see her before I do.
She rested her phone, screen down on her knee and waited for the reply. Two minutes later she received it. Nice job, big dog. Magic mama is in position, front and center. I’ll give a hoot and a holler if I see our target.
Frances rolled her eyes and settled in. Luckily she didn’t have to wait long. The lights to her left, the ones that lit the stage, brightened and the river of people rushing about slowed to a small, silent trickle. Two people, a girl and a boy strutted past her and stumbled onto the stage. Wish I could see the play . . . I love Twelfth night. Frances growled inwardly. From her angle she really only saw people who left and entered the stage.
The time seemed to pass by extremely slowly as she sat there, leaning against the wall. A cramp was starting to form in her lower back and she struggled to rid herself of it, arching from side to side. Her phone slipped from where it had been perched on her knee, and into her lap. A sudden buzz almost caused her to yelp softly and she quickly held the phone up to her face.
I found our little monster. Maria, I repeat, Maria. We’ve got T minus 6 minutes before she changes. Frances glanced at the digital clock at the top of the screen and tensed before continuing to read. White blonde, girl, thin, hair pulled up in a bun.
The werewolf risked a shift in positions, leaning to the side so she could peer around the rack of costumes. Oohh . . . Well she shouldn’t be too hard to grab, Frances thought to herself as she inspected the girl who bustled about the stage, following another woman in a veil. Maria? . . .  OH! Olivia’s maid . . . mmkay. But . . .oh crap. She’s on stage for quite a while. She quickly brought out her phone. How do we get her off stage? Distraction?
She continued to inspect the girl as she waited for a reply. From her angle it was hard to see much. She only caught glimpses when she neared the back of the stage. From what she could tell she was similar to her age, did indeed have white blonde hair, and seemed to be extremely uncomfortable. Why uncomfortable? She twitched (Nervously?) and her movements were sharp and forced (Uncomfortable?). No, no. Those were definitely some post-change symptoms. She could almost see the tightening of the jaw and the forced way in which the girl struggled to stand up straight. The spine did funky things when it was preparing to readjust.
BUZZ. This time Frances was ready for it and quickly opened the message. It won’t be pretty but I’ll get her. You be ready to catch her as she runs back there. Oh and . . . I hope you don’t like that shirt too much. My shirt . . .? She glanced down at her t-shirt, black with the word w00t! scrawled across it in white. I wonder what she�"Suddenly there was a swift tapping of heels. She glanced up only to find the girl she’d been watching, hurdling down the corridor towards her, hand clamped over her mouth. Oohh . .. damn. The girl rushed past her, too intent on finding a trash can to notice the girl stepping out from behind a rack of costumes. Said girl quickly caught her scent. Not a wolf . . . something else, She quickly registered before hurrying after her, silent despite her speed.
In the maze or backstage rooms and corridors she almost lost her. Almost. Using her sense of smell she followed the girl (Who smelled suspiciously like baked goods) out a door in the back and into an alley. She found her dry heaving into a trash can and grimaced in sympathy. She opened her mouth to provide some sort of comfort but nothing came out. She shook her head and growled impatiently trying again. This time she was more successful. “Are you all right?”
The girl jumped and looked up from her position. She looks like she’s hugging the trashcan . . .Frances thought idly and took a step forward. “Oh ah . . .” The poor girl laughed feebly and stood up straighter. “Yeah. Great.  I just ah . . . Needed some air.” She smiled slightly before doubling over again, this time not due to her stomach. A sound like an angry cat escaped her throat which caused the werewolf to step back for a moment in surprise.
Frances frowned at the girl, who had suddenly decided the least painful position was kneeling on the ground with her arms wrapped around her middle. Considering she didn’t seem to be able to get up the wolf pulled out her phone and checked the time. 5:28. “S**t . . .” She mumbled and frantically sent a message to Jenn. Got her. Meet me out back with the SUV, things are about to get a lot more complicated. She quickly shoved her phone back in her pocket and closed the distance between her and the girl on the floor, kneeling before her with her hands rested on the top of her thighs.
“Okay. I’m going to have to ask you to focus for me. I can help but you’re going to have to come with me.” Frances spoke slowly and softly, using the same tone one would use when trying to placate an angry animal.
“What?” The girl panted feverishly and watched Frances warily. “I’m not going anywhere with you! I don’t even know you.” Her eyes were a deep gold, a color that definitely signaled the girl’s imminent change.
“No you do not. But you’re going to need our help. So if you’d kindly follow me to�" Oh good. Here she is” The huge SUV pulled up a few feet away and Jenn leaned out the window.
“Come on! We gotta get this one home before she goes all crazy on us!” The witch called and hit the button to unlock the rear hatch. “Toss her in and let’s go!”
“Not helping, Jenn!” The werewolf shot back, noticing the way in which the girl before her was shuddering and glancing back and forth between herself and the large car parked near them.
“Just . . .come with me. I can help” Frances reached out to catch the girl’s forearm but she jerked backwards and scrambled up against the wall of the adjacent building.
“No! Leave me alone!” She gasped and pressed against the wall as if hoping it would absorb her.
“I just want to help!” This was getting out of hand. Her lack of subtlety became all too apparent as her temper snapped. She had no choice. Frances stood up, and moved forward at inhuman speed, wrapping her arms around the girl’s torso and lifting her up off the ground. Her prisoner wasn’t going without a fight of course. She kicked and struggled. Much to her would-be rescuer’s surprise she also let out angry snarls and as she leaped with her into the back of the SUV she let out a massive roar.
Jenn let out a whoop of delight and sped off almost before Frances had a chance to pull shut the door shut behind her with her foot. Her arms were occupied, still holding the girl firmly to her chest with her arms pinned at her sides. “Nice job, big dog! We got ‘er! TO FOREST HAVEN!” She cried and made a sharp turn into the highway.
“Uh . . . Jenn?”
“Yes, my furry lil’ lesbo?” Jenn replied sweetly and glanced in the rearview mirror. “Oh . . . You’re kind stuck back there huh?” There was a metal grate, similar to those in police cars separating the front of the cab from the rear. Her smile quickly faded, a triumphant grin didn’t fit well with the series of curses currently escaping her mouth. “I can’t really stop, hun. You’re just gonna have to hold on.”
“Oh yeah I can do that” Frances replied with the most sarcasm she could muster, the slight girl she had first grabbed was not so slight anymore. She jerked about and the werewolf had time to wonder if this was what it was like to ride a bull before she slammed into the side of the SUV.
“Little blondie back there seems to be quite the handful.” Jenn sighed and gripped the wheel tighter.
‘Little blondie’ was quickly becoming not so little. She curled up on the floor and  cried out. A trickle of blood oozed out of the corner of her mouth and ran down her neck.
With a sinking feeling Frances backed into metal grid placed between the front seats and the back, hands pressing against the cool metal behind her. She watched sadly as the girl trashed about. Her back cracked and lengthened, each vertebra jutting out for its own sickening moment. Her hands stretched and reformed into large paws. White fur bloomed in the middle of her back and worked its way out. If she hadn’t been so terrified Frances would have admired the snowy white coat the girl was forming. Not only white she noted. There were black stripes. “BLACK STRIPES” The girl screamed in a sudden revelation. “Oh my god she’s a tiger. She’s a f*****g tiger, Jenn!”
“Yes I can see that, sweetie!” The term of endearment was devoid of sarcasm or mocking for once.  “Just hang in there. You’re a big bad wolf what’s a big p***y cat gonna do to you?”
Reassured ever so slightly, the recently titled ‘big bad wolf’ took deep calming breaths. The girl she’d grabbed at the theater was gone and in her place a five foot tall, ten foot long white tiger. “I got this . . . we’re good . . .”
“That’s the spirit! Show that big p***y who’s boss!” Jenn cheered from the front seat, swerving through traffic at record speed.
The tiger crouched, finding that it’s bulk was too massive for the back of the albeit also massive SUV. This was good. It meant her movement was limited. They found out it was not limited enough however as the massive feline reached out and caught the leg of Frances’s jeans with its great paw. “No!” The wolf howled and slid towards the massive open jaws of the beast.
“I got ya covered, Franny!” Jenn cried and awkwardly waved her hand in what she hoped was the general direction of the tiger. It wasn’t hard to hit of course considering its massive bulk. Its huge legs gave out and it toppled forward pinning the howling wolf-girl under its weight.
Silence descended upon the car.
“Uh . . .Franny? . . . “ Jenn glanced up into the rearview mirror, reluctant to face the carnage that would certainly be revealed.
She saw nothing. Absolutely nothing but the view through the rear window. “Oh yeah, f**k me.” A quick readjustment of the mirror, allowing for a lower angle of viewing and the scene was displayed. The witch couldn’t help it. She burst into laughter, bordering on the hysterical. Her guffaws were cut short however as she was forced to alter the course of their getaway car which had drastically listed to the side. “Whoops!” She giggled feebly and glanced back at the other two passengers.
The snowy-white tiger was no threat to them now. Well . . . Unless she managed to shift slightly and suffocated Frances under her massive girth. You see, Jenn had tossed a spell she liked to call “the magical tranq dart”. In other words, a sleeping spell. The tiger, no longer able to hold herself up due to lack of consciousness, came crashing down on top of her would-be prey. A huge cat was now pinning the panting werewolf to the floor, the awkward position her arms were in (one across her chest and the other straight out at her side) left her incapable of lifting the formidable, although manageable weight off of her.
“You just hang tight, love. We’ll be home in a bit and we’ll get that big p***y off of ya.” Jenn giggled, she couldn’t pass up a chance to make as many jokes as possible.
Frances didn’t find it as funny and simply growled between soft pants, the body heat of the beast on top of her becoming increasingly uncomfortable.
The last mile or two up the dirt road that lead to their destination was horrible. Jenn sang along with the radio and drove at breakneck speed, magnifying every bump and dip in the road. When they finally pulled up in front of the house Frances was sweaty and sore and extremely itchy from all the cat hair lodged in her clothes.
The witch took her sweet time sauntering around to the back of the SUV and tossing that door open. “We’re home!” She cried and leaned forward, assisting her friend by tilting the humongous beast just enough that she was able to wriggle her way out.
“You look like you just wrestled with Taz.” Jenn supplied as she looked Frances over. Taz was Patrick’s white lab, he was known for shedding. Frances was indeed covered in so much fur it might have been possible to make another animal. She just glared, and turned around to leave Jenn with the task of removing the tiger from the car when she caught sight of her mentor leaning against one of the porch columns.
“So how did it go?” The woman questioned lightly, a slight smile tugging at the corner of her mouth as she looked her young pack member over. “There’s a lint brush in my purse if you need it. But first . . . bring your new roommate inside.” She ignored the obvious slump her request elicited and glided back into the house.
“You heard the lady! Help little ol’ Jenn get this big kitty in the house.” When Frances turned towards the car again, the girl who’d addressed her was leaning against the back of the SUV, on sole planted on the bumper and her forearm across her eyes as if to say ‘woe is me, how ever will I complete such a task?’
A snort more like an angry bull than a frustrated werewolf, escaped her. She shuffled forward, leaned inside the open rear doors and grasped the two paws closest to her.
“Careful now! Don’t want to hurt the little lady!” Jenn admonished, her hands coming up to her mouth in mock-concern.
“I will kill you and make it look like an accident,” was the growled reply. Once she had the tiger situated over her shoulders, a position that reminded her vaguely of carrying a young calf (Although she doubted anyone had ever carried such a large, dangerous baby cow) she lumbered up the stairs and stumbled through the door. The tiger was deposited quickly onto the couch where it grunted. For a terrifying moment they all stood very still, but the moment passed as the feline went limp again.
“Nice job, ladies.” Morrigan stepped forward, surprising both of the girls.

“Don’t DO that!” Frances hissed tensely, hand over her heart. She quickly dropped her hand and her gaze at the eyebrow quirk she received from her mentor. “I mean . . . thanks.”

The pack leader took another step forward, edging her way in between them so she could better view the tiger over the back of the couch. “She’s larger than I’d imagined.”
“You knew she would turn into a massive tiger and you didn’t tell us!” Jenn barked and tossed her hands in the air.
“Well yes . . .  It wouldn’t be a test if you knew . . .” Morrigan replied smartly, gazing over the tops of her glasses at the witch as if she were inspecting something particularly ridiculous.
Both girls took on similar looks of frustration but said nothing. The blonde turned back to the tiger to make sure it was still asleep. “How long will she stay like this?” She asked.
“Well I have no idea. It was your spell.” Gregory, who had until then been silent and fiddling with his phone, answered.
Jenn rolled her eyes and waved a hand at the tiger. “I meant how long will lil’ miss tiger be all furry?”
“Well . . .” Morrigan stepped in, leaning forward to peel back the eyelid of the sleeping tiger. “Till dawn at least. But that spell won’t hold her that long. What we need to do is get her to exhaust herself. Jennifer”, there was a slight huff at that as Jenn despised the way Morrigan said her name. “I’m going to have to get you to take off the spell. First though, Feralan.”
“Yes?”
“Take her outside.”
“Again?!” She barked indignantly.
“Yes.”
The werewolf growled and resituated the tiger on her shoulders.
“Lift with your legs, dear.” Morrigan called after her as she stumbled out the door.
The mumbled retort did not go unheard by the pack leader but she simply smirked and followed Frances out the door and pointed her in the direction of the woods. “Take her to the clearing.”
“The clearing? Why? Do I have to change? I’d rather not . . . she’s so much bigger than me even in wolf form. How a girl so slight could change into something so massive I’ll never know . . .”
Morrigan, uncharacteristically, didn’t interrupt. She simply followed the girl through the trees and into a large, open clearing. “No, I will. I just didn’t want to get fur all over my clothes. Lint brush.” She added pointedly and began undressing.

Author's Note

I wrote this quite a while ago. I'd like to know if its entertaining to anyone other than the people who are written into the story of familiar with the people that are in it.