by K. Aten
Keller looked off in Annie’s direction, then back at Jesse. “It will keep getting better until eventually you’ll feel no pain, or at least you won’t notice it. As far as werewolves go, you’re practically a newborn. Stay strong, okay?”
The continually curious werewolf nodded in understanding. She began stripping down in the middle of the living room. Before they had come over to Keller’s condo, she had dressed with the thought that she would have to change. She was wearing form fitting boxer briefs and a sports bra under her clothes. Jill watched intently as Jesse dropped down to all fours. The younger woman cried out and gritted her teeth and the three watchers could see all the bones in her spine seemingly pop outward. The popping and cracking sounds happened faster as the changes became more evident. She purposely stopped early so Jill could see her in the half-wolf form of her earlier attackers.
Jill swallowed and couldn’t look away from the beast that was so much like the ones who hurt her. “Tha—that’s what they looked like. Except their fur wasn’t the same color.”
When Jesse spoke, her voice sounded slightly lower and had a rougher quality to it. “This is my halfway, I wanted you to see it. I’ll admit that Marcel and Marie are bad people, but not all of the monsters are monsters, Jill. I would give my life to protect any of you but like Keller says, I’m no match for them. I’m still new, still learning about all the things I can and can’t do. That’s why we need your help, because I can’t protect Annie by myself.” Her voice broke a little with that admission.
Jill gave her a hesitant look that still managed to be full of compassion. “I understand that; you make complete sense. It’s just hard to reconcile you being different from them, when you look so similar.”
The younger woman gave her a reassuring smile, or at least she hoped it was reassuring. It was hard to tell with partially protruded doggy-type jaws. “You can come closer; I promise I won’t bite. Well, I only bite Annie, but she asks for it!”
The younger Colby sister came back to sit down as she was finishing her statement. “Well, I do ask for it, but I bite too so it’s only fair.”
Jill rose with uncertainty and approached the half-wolf creature. She reached out a shaking hand to touch Jesse’s shoulder. Sarah noticed and her heart broke for her friend. She knew the fear would pass with time but on a deeper level the singer still felt responsible for Jill’s attack. Sarah was convinced that if she hadn’t invited Jill into their trysting, her friend would have remained untouched. Despite the shaking, Jill’s hands pushed forward into Jesse’s fur. At first contact her eyes widened in surprise. “Oh! You’re so soft!”
Annie moved closer and snuggled into her girlfriend’s side. “Yeah, she’s totally cuddly. And she keeps me warm when I’m cold.”
Suddenly it was the doctor looking at the werewolf, and not a frightened woman. “So like canids, your temp runs higher than humans. Interesting. How is your sense of smell and hearing, are all things enhanced the same way?”
Jesse nodded. “I heal fast, have faster speed, better hearing, and I can smell an amazing array of things I never even thought about before. It’s like an entirely new language! Sadly, my eyesight is exactly the same. Annie says it’s creepy that I have my human eyes when in wolf form. I think it’s cool!”
“Can I see your other form?”
The younger woman nodded. “Sure, but I won’t be able to talk and I won’t be able to change back while I’m here.”
The veterinarian gave her a curious look. “Why not? Do you have to stay a wolf for a while? Do you have to um, kill and eat something, just like the movies?” Jesse went quiet, and idly scratched at one furry ear. The Colby sisters and Keller all started laughing at her embarrassment. Jill looked to Sarah for an explanation. “I don’t get it, what’s the joke?”
Keller thought it would be a good teaching moment so she answered instead. “Jill, I want you to drop your shields just a little.” She had noticed that the taller woman had completely blocked herself off to everything. While it was good for someone who was new to all the emotions and sensations that would be bombarding them, Sarah’s ex needed to learn how to deal with those sensations at some point.
“But you said—”
Keller interrupted her. “It’s okay, we are all safe here. I just need you to feel what werewolves will feel like in your mind. They put off an incredible amount of energy and you need to learn how to sense that. I will teach you to do that and to feed off that power.” Slowly and tentatively Jill began lowering her shields. She was immediately aware of a low level kind of buzzing in her head. It wasn’t unpleasant, just unexpected. When Keller sensed that she was open she spoke again. “Can you feel all that power that is coming from Jesse?” Jill nodded. “Well she emotes all that and more when she’s in other form. So when she changes back to human, all those senses, power, and emotions are crammed into a small human package. So for most wolves, it can feel a lot like sexual over-stimulation. The bottom line is that it makes werewolves pretty horny.” Jill made an ‘O’ shape with her mouth. “Now, open yourself to us and feel what is all around you. Feel the energy coming from each of us.”
She was immediately aware of the three people with other blood. They felt different in her mind. If she had to assign animal breeds to each person, Jesse would be an Australian Shepherd. Quiet, intelligent, and high energy. Annie barely registered in her head compared to the other three but she was a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel. She didn’t like to be alone for long, she was affectionate with family, and overall just a very friendly person. Ironically enough Sarah was exactly like her best friend Duke. Siberian Huskies were known for not liking to be alone, and were known for their affection, friendliness, intelligence, and energy. But the last person in the room, Keller, she was different. Not realizing that she was staring, Jill continued to look at the small blonde in front of her. Despite the woman’s small physical size, mentally she was a giant. The image of an Anatolian Shepherd popped into her head and she had to admit it felt right. The golden giant was fiercely loyal and originally bred to guard sheep from wolves, bears, jackals, and even cheetahs. Her perusal was interrupted when Keller chuckled and the veterinarian wondered if the powerful vampire could actually read her thoughts. “What is so funny?”
Keller shook her head and smiled. “I find your analysis of us interesting, that’s all.”
Jill bristled a little. “Are you reading my thoughts right now?”
“No worries, Jill, empathy isn’t that…detailed. But when you dropped your shields I caught flashes of your impressions of each of us. I simply found it amusing; quite astute, but funny none the less.”
The singer cocked her head curiously toward her ex. “Analysis of us? Just what were you thinking?” Suddenly she burst out laughing, remembering a game Jill loved to play. “Oh God, which breed are they?” Jill smiled sheepishly and nodded.
Annie looked back and forth between the older women, clearly not remembering this game. “What the hell is that?”
Sarah snorted. “She was imagining us all as dogs.”
The only werewolf in the group grinned, looking a little maniacal in the process. “Cool! What am I?”
“Besides a giant hairy nerd?” Jesse playfully snapped her teeth at her girlfriend for the unflattering description.
Jill sighed, realizing that she was going to have to tell everyone what was going through her head minutes before. She turned her gaze back at the enigmatic blonde. “Thanks a lot!” Keller merely smiled and raised an eyebrow as if to say, “well, go ahead.” “Fine. Jesse, I see you as an Australian Shepherd…smart, work oriented, and energetic. Annie, you’re a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel…”
Annie grinned. “Ooh, fancy!”
Jill continued over the younger woman. “…affectionate, friendly, and a little needy.”
“Hey!” Jesse could be heard trying to cover a strange snuffling laugh.
Sarah looked at her ex, curious about what Jill had to say about her. “And what am I?�
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The veterinarian laughed. “Besides a huge pain in my ass? You’re Duke.” The Husky looked up from the chair he had taken over after she stood up. His duster tail began to wag as he sensed eyes turned his way.
“Duke?”
Jill ticked off traits on the fingers of her right hand. “Sure. You’re a lot like your sister in that you are both friendly, affectionate, and you don’t like to be alone for long. But unlike Annie you have a high amount of energy and a need to roam.”
“Interesting. And what about Keller? What is she?” Annie whispered the word, “pit bull,” and Jesse laughed again.
The veterinarian turned her gaze to the younger two women. “Actually, the American Pit Bull Terrier is an amazing breed of dog. They are strong-willed, obedient, loyal, friendly, clownish, stubborn, courageous, intelligent, and affectionate. That would also be a good description for Keller, don’t you think?”
Sarah laughed. “You sound like you have that whole speech memorized. Another one of your pet projects?”
Jill shrugged and smiled good-naturedly at her friend. “Actually it is. They get a bad rap across the country because of a few people training them to do bad things. But most every vet I know will tell you they are actually a good dog, that there are at least a dozen more aggressive breeds out there to watch out for. But anyways, we got off track. I think that Keller feels like an Anatolian Shepherd.” Three blank stares met with her statement.
“Huh? What the hell is that?” Annie was never afraid to speak her mind.
“The Anatolian Shepherd is a big dog—” Again she was interrupted by laughter only this time it was Jesse. Jill scolded her. “I didn’t say she looked like a big dog, you mangy mutt!” Jesse’s mouth slammed shut with a meaty snap. And she wore a look of utter surprise on her doggy face. Annie doubled over in laughter, knowing that her sister’s ex-girlfriend was kidding, but finding the look on Jesse’s half-wolf face too hilarious not to react.
“Oh God, your face right now!” She quickly pulled out her cell phone and snapped a pic. Jesse growled and made a swipe for it but Annie quickly scampered out of the way and hid behind Sarah.
Jill cleared her throat. “Like I was saying, she feels big inside my head. I’m guessing that has something to do with your age?” When Keller nodded, she continued. “The Anatolian Shepherd is one of the biggest breeds. It is rugged and strong, and has superior sight and speed for running down predators. They are fiercely loyal and have been known to guard sheep from bears, wolves, jackals, and such.” When Annie continued smirking, she addressed the younger woman directly. “I know I haven’t known Keller as long as you have, but let me ask you a question. Who would you count on to protect you from anyone, no matter who it was?”
Annie cocked her head in that distinct Colby way then nodded. “You’re right.”
Even Sarah agreed. “Yeah, she’s right, love. You feel very large inside my head.” Jesse nodded as well.
Keller began to slowly clap. “Congratulations, you’ve all just learned a very important lesson. There is a difference between how energy feels in your head and how large someone feels in your head. Think of energy as something that is quick and strong, and it has nothing to do with age, power, or skill.”
Jesse looked confused, her strong STEM background not fitting in with what Keller was saying. “I don’t get it, how is a lot of power not related to a lot of energy?”
Keller thought for a second, trying to put it into terms they would all understand. “Do you remember when I said that the energy that werewolves emote was a lot like a river?”
Three out of the four heads nodded, Jill not having been part of the conversation about what it was like for werewolves to perform in front of a large crowd. “Where do all rivers eventually end up? Large bodies of water. There is a reason that vampires drink deeply from werewolves. We collect that energy and either release it, use it, or store it up. The more energy we take in, the less we have to drink blood.”
“Okay, that makes sense. But what does that have to do with age?”
Keller smiled at how Jesse was always so curious to learn new things. The younger woman never stopped trying to learn about the world around her. “Well, the older we get, the more capacity we have. So while I would not have been able to store very much energy a few centuries ago, now I have a much greater capacity.” Sarah flashed back to when her lover repeatedly slammed Marcel into the concrete floor of the bathroom out at the farm.
Suitably impressed, Jesse merely gave a quiet “Oh.”
“Now back to the lesson. Jill, you can feel both how old the two vampires are, and how ‘hot’ the werewolf feels. Right?”
Jill looked at Keller and Sarah, and then turned her gaze toward the half-wolf. “You’re right, the energy she emotes feels like heat but it flows toward me like water.”
“Good. Now, we showed you how to feed on blood at your house this morning. I want you to remember how that felt. Think about the feeling of you opening your mouth wide and drinking down the flowing blood. I want you to open that hungry part inside your mind, and do the same with her energy.”
Jesse grinned at Keller’s words. “Hey, I’m like a Scooby snack!”
Annie pulled the brushy tale that was protruding out the back of the wolf’s underwear. “You’re an idiot, now hush!”
Jill concentrated for nearly two minutes and the silence was deafening. But she just couldn’t get it. She growled in frustration. “I don’t quite understand what you’re trying to tell me or how it should feel.”
Keller looked at the angry woman calmly, then turned to her girlfriend. “Sarah.” Sarah nodded and walked up to her ex.
Sarah understood what her lover needed. The singer also had trouble the first time, but through her bond with Keller was able to “feel” how the other woman did it. While it wasn’t a bond of soul mates, she and Jill also shared a bond of friendship and love. It would have to do. “Take my hand, and feel what I’m doing. Open up your mind and just feel it.”
Jill did as she was instructed and shut her eyes to block out other distractions. Even with her eyes shut, she could still sense the waves coming off Jesse. She could also sense that quiet power of the other two vampires in the room. She “felt” it when Sarah started opening herself. It was like she was opening her mouth in the middle of the pouring rain. With something other than her human senses she could see that hot river flowing into her ex-girlfriend. It was a slow stream and she sensed that the singer was holding back.
Quickly, before Sarah could stop her demonstration, Jill emulated her. She tried to open just a little, exactly like the woman holding her hand. However, without the practice and experience, she had no real control. Instead of opening just a crack, she fumbled wide open and quickly swallowed everything the young werewolf had to give. Jesse made a chuffing sound and immediately passed out.
Everyone moved at once, but quickest was Annie. She tried to catch her falling girlfriend as soon a she heard the strange sound but Jesse was too heavy. “Jesse!” She screamed the young werewolf’s name, then turned a furious gaze to Jill. “What the hell did you do to her, Jilly?”
Jill looked mortified and frightened. “I—I don’t know. I’m so sorry.” She turned anxious eyes to Keller. “What happened, what did I do?”
Keller raised her voice to get Annie’s attention. The distraught younger Colby was cradling her girlfriend’s furry head in her lap. “Annie! She’s okay, I promise.” Turning her gaze back to the two taller vampires she explained what happened. “I told Sarah about the possibility that we could drink a werewolf’s energy to the point that they would turn human again. You didn’t drink that much, but you certainly took enough for her to momentarily lose consciousness. You were aided by two things. One, that she was focused right at you and Sarah. And two, that Sarah was also drinking from her. Don’t worry though, she’ll wake up in a few minutes good as new. The question is, how do you feel?”
Reassured that she hadn’t harmed Annie’s gi
rlfriend, Jill took stock of herself. “I feel amazing! It’s like everything is alive and more vivid. I feel strong, like I could run a hundred miles or lift a truck. Is that normal?”
Sarah looked from Jill to Keller. “Um, why isn’t she, uh, you know?”
Annie snorted. “That was pretty eloquent for a musician and poet.”
“Shut up, you mutt-lover! I mean why isn’t she horny and wanting to hump the first thing in sight after feeding from someone else’s energy? I think I’ve been doing it all wrong here.”
Her younger sister snickered. “Or you’ve been doing it all right, heh.” Sarah stuck a tongue out at the younger woman.
Keller smiled at her lover. “It has to do with the type of energy she fed from. Typically we feed from the sexual energy at the club, and it tends to blend with our own, making us feel it intimately. However, if it’s just straightforward energy, like what you were both just doing to Jesse, it’s completely clean of emotional contamination. We don’t feed from that type typically, because it’s not as strong enough to satisfy us unless we take it all. Which based on Jesse’s reaction, it’s a bad idea if you don’t want to be found out. You can technically feed from any type of strong emotion, or other energy; you just have to be prepared for the aftereffect of the feeding. You can get “drunk” depending what, or whom, you feed from.”
A strange look came over Sarah’s face. “So can we feed from anger if we’re faced with it?”
Keller’s expression turned stony. “No. Never ever do that.”
Sarah looked at her girlfriend curiously. “Why, what’s wrong with it? What’s the big deal?”
Keller walked toward her slowly. “You know what it’s like after we feed at the club, how impossible it is not to be taken over by all the sexual energy?” Sarah nodded. “When you feed from strong anger or rage, you are also taken over by it. The taint of it will remain with you until you can expend enough energy to cleanse yourself again. It would be a lot like when you got caught in Marcel’s rage-fueled emotional loop. Trust me, love, you can do a lot of damage and you wouldn’t be able to control who you took it out on.”