The Darkside of The Moon
#14 of The Moonrise Chronicles
A little longer than most, but I had no cutting point for two separate ones. Sorry.
I
rubbed my hip. That accounted for the pain then. I knew about the effects of a
catalyst, but I wasn't very well versed in inhibitors. In my head, I recalled
Maggie saying that silver catalyzed a werewolf back to their human form before
they died. But what if they were already human? I guess it kept them there,
locked into that form. If that were true, then it went far to explain so many
things. That's
when I really got scared. A silver bullet, by all accounts, was enough to kill
a werewolf. This coin had around a bullet's weight in silver in it. So why
hadn't this killed me already? I suppose it might if my body was forced into a
full transformation. But it couldn't do that with this here. So she was right;
a pebble in the gears. I could have been a werewolf for a long time, except
that my dime; my old lucky silver dime prevented it from happening. I sat
and wondered. My father must have known about it. I mean, I never saw them
change, but if they were werewolves, they must have known that the coin would
have kept me normal. I had to believe that maybe, if they knew it was in there,
that I would grow up ignorant of my lineage and live a normal life. But maybe
they didn't know, and felt I was a failure. I was so confused at the moment,
and I wanted to cry. Verona
had me strip again, and she showed Maggie the long and faint scar on my leg.
"Put your hand over right here." She held up the x-ray. "See, it's right about
here." Maggie
was running her hands over my skin, and it was sending electricity through my
nerves. At one point she elongated a finger to feral form, complete with a long
sharp claw. "I bet I could get it out!" Verona
hushed her. "Don't be such a child! Removing it now might do more harm than
good. But at least now we know why you aren't changing Edward. You ARE a
werewolf, but you're stuck like this. I don't know of any other case like this
before." I wiped
my eyes. "Why would you? If a person never turned into a werewolf in the first
place, wouldn't that just make them human like I was before all this happened
to me?" The
girls actually felt bad for me and that was good because I was feeling pretty
low. All this time I was ready to blame all of my new problems on them. I still
sort of blamed them, because if I hadn't met them, I would still be living my
old normal life. My old, simple, boring life. I sucked in a breath and blew it
out. I was
now living in New York City, two million dollars richer, I had two hot girls at
my disposal, and I was finding out that instead of being an average guy, I had
the potential to be something greater. I think that is what was scaring me. If
I had grown up with being different, I would know how to deal with it. But now,
what would happen if I had the coin removed and I went berserk? I stood
up. "I'm not really certain where I should go from here. This all makes
horrible sense, but I don't think I'm ready to have the coin removed. You both
have some experience being who you are, but I have no taste for killing." That
was a lie of course. I had a vague recollection of the two punks in the park. I
remembered the smells. I remembered the hunger. Verona
stood up. "In the end, the decision will have to be yours. But I'm calling my
parents in on this now. I'll be on the phone a while, because I know I'm going
to get an earful, but I going to try talking them into coming here." Maggie
was nosy. "Where do they live?" "None
of your business little one. Over time you'll find that sometimes you don't have
to lie, but you do have to keep secrets. You are all too loose and fancy free
to suit me." I think
that despite their differences, Maggie was coming to respect her elder
werewolf. There was a moral element to life that superseded religion and
species. Maggie wasn't devoid of it, but she did tend to delight in the deaths
of her victims. I could hardly blame her. And for that matter, we had yet to
discuss Verona's killings. Maybe she wasn't so different. I went
and lay down. The past few days had been a strain on my brain and it felt heavy
and tired. Maggie climbed up on the bed with me. Since she was naked, I figured
she was looking for some action. I was amused and thankful when she turned
feral and curled up next to me, her nose tucked under her tail. But she still
managed to speak. "Are
you angry with me for dragging you into this?" "I
don't know yet. I'm not in a comfort zone anymore. I'm confused and scared
Maggie. Dealing with you is one thing, but dealing with the fact that I'm not
who I thought I was is terrifying." She
leaned forward and licked me. "Yeah, it sucks, doesn't it? Verona is lucky. She
has her parents to fall back on. I mean, I've got you, but who do you have?" I
absentmindedly began petting her like a dog. She seemed to like it. "I haven't
had anyone for a few years now. It must be nice to have someone to talk to who
knows what being a werewolf is like." " I
suppose you have me for that." She said quietly. "I
scratched behind her ear. "Yes, but you know damn well that you don't have any
real experience. Running around at night getting raped and killing people isn't
what I would call an ideal childhood." "It
works for me!" "That's
what bothers me sometimes. Isn't there more?" That
shut her up. She was a good kid at heart, but she needed guidance I wasn't in
the position to give. Up to this point I was powerless to stop her. But the
tables were turning." "Father?" "Yes
Maggie?" "I have
an idea." "I'm
listening." She
laid it out for me, and while I found it to be a terrible plan, I could find no
flaws in it. It both appalled me and thrilled me and that was a feeling I was
sadly getting used to. There seemed to be no middle ground anymore, just highs
and lows. No wonder why a less than full-blooded werewolf might go crazy. The
emotions seemed to run to high to manage in a human body. But
when she was done telling me her plan, and I had listened to it and had
cogitated for a while, I had to agree that there were worse things. I didn't
know if Verona would go for it, but all I could do was ask. After all, in the
long run, it was only a piece of metal. Since I
had gone with her idea, Maggie proposed another one. I sighed, smiled and
stripped. I don't care what Verona thought about our relationship. Maggie was
the one who seemed to have her hormones running on high. If silver was bad for
werewolves, I wondered if there was something that had the opposite effect on
them? If there was, maybe Maggie had it inside her. She
stayed in feral form, a decision I hoped she didn't regret. The last time
hadn't worked so well. I had to make a conscious effort to hold back this time.
Me ramming a knot into her body wasn't the pleasure she thought it would be. Oh
ok, she had no idea I was going to knot up and neither did I. It was learn as
you go. She
grabbed my clothing in her teeth and dragged me of the bed. I actually felt a
little lighter in the heart for her playfulness. Trust me; there is nothing
more outré than seeing a werewolf acting like a puppy. Once I was in the middle
of getting undressed, her tail was wagged incessantly. Like I said before;
extremes. I'm not sure I was ever going to get used o them! I stood
there naked. "Are you happy now?" She
said nothing, but sat down in from of me and started licking my cock, tail
still wagging. It didn't take much to get me stiff. Having learned her lesson
the hard way (pun intended) she was taking a safer route. Her tongue was wonderful, and I was quick to
lay my hands on her head. She kept moving around for the longest time, working
my balls, and then the length of my cock before slipping her mouth over the
whole thing. I didn't know for certain, but I think she was working me into a
frenzy first, causing the knot to swell, before slipping back over it with her
own body. A wise choice! Perhaps she had learned a thing or two from Verona. There
is nothing weirder than the sensation of getting blown by a dog. Ok, not a dog,
a wolf. They aren't designed for it, but Maggie was doing her best to try. I
closed my eyes as she forced it down her throat, probably an easier task for
her in this form, since her mouth and throat were longer. She
worked for a few minutes until I was slathered in saliva. Then she pulled off
and jumped on the bed. She rolled onto her back and gave me those big puppy dog
eyes. I so wanted to turn into a feral form right then. I even felt a shudder
run through me, but to no avail. The harder I tried the more my hip hurt. I was
tempted to rip the offending disc of silver out myself. But I restrained
myself. There would be other and probably better times than now to deal with
it. I told
myself to chill and climbed up. Like some of our previous trysts, this was
pretty damn kinky. I worked the head of it inside her, but it wasn't as easy as
before. I felt her do something internally, it became more relaxed, and I pushed
until I was up to my knot. She put
a paw on me. "Now this I think I can deal with!" We were
in the middle of having some very nice fun when in walked Verona. I heard a
"tsk tsk" and turned. She was standing there like a schoolmarm, tapping her
foot on the floor. I liked the woman, but she could really cramp my style. "When
you two horndogs are done doing whatever it is you're doing, please come see
me. I have a few things to tell you." My
brain wanted to follow her back out to the living room, but since it was stuck
inside my head, it couldn't. My body told it to fuck off and everyone would go
together when we were done. Maggie
sighed and shook her head. "We can stop if you like." "She
can wait. I hate breaking off in the middle!" I'll
just abbreviate the story by telling you the Maggie was a true trooper, and
Took every bit but the knot for a good
twenty minutes. We would have made it last longer, but we both felt like we had
Damocles' sword hanging over our heads. We finished up, cleaned up and took our
places on the couch. Verona
was still looking displeased. "First off, I know I have no say over what you
do. I invited you here. But my parents will be arriving tomorrow, if all goes
well, and I'd like them to have a good impression of your character. They don't
know all the much about what I do here, and if they did, it would shock their
sensibilities. So I am asking you to please refrain from doing anything
awkward." Maggie
had the "don't tell me what to do" look on her face. I intervened. "I get what
you're saying. Why don't Maggie and I moved back to the hotel for the duration,
and let your parents stay with you. Just give me warning before coming over,
and we'll be on our best behavior!" She
nodded. "Exactly what I was thinking. I will need to talk with them a while
before they see you. So whatever you need to get out of your system you've got
about twenty four hours to do it!" I felt
Maggie's hand in mine. I gave it a squeeze. "Good enough. It's been a crazy few
days and I don't want to make it any worse. We'll grab our things and head back
for now." Verona
gave me a wry smile. "Besides, I have to do laundry. I don't want them sleeping
on those sheets after what you guys have been doing. Remember, we have better
noses than you do. They'll smell the sex from a mile away. Now get your stuff
and get out! I'll see you sometime tomorrow!" Verona's
parents didn't arrive until the day after. I guess I should have figured that
being as old as they were, they would have problems getting on flight, even
within the US. Homeland Security might not find the age matched the looks. I
didn't know how old they were, but it was probably enough to raise suspicions
unless they were using aliases. This is all speculation and I wasn't about to
ask. Maggie and I met them over at
Verona's apartment, just like proper, well mannered folks. Maggie chose a conservatively
cut dress, at Verona's suggestion, and I put on a sport jacket and a tie. I
hardly felt like a werewolf, but it seems her parents played down that aspect
of their lives. I don't
know what I was expecting, but the couple from American Gothic were not it.
They looked every bit as Midwestern as my parents had. They were graying, but
looked like they just reached retirement age. I could see them in an Airstream,
crossing the country, living out their retirement. Her
father, Reynaud by name, had a firm, no nonsense hand shake. He looked me in
the eyes as he spoke. "We had quite the discussion about you young man. My
daughter is many things, and many of those I disapprove of, but she has an innate
ability to pick out the gene. I am eager to learn more about you." Feeling
a little cocky, I thank him and asked, "So if I don't pass inspection, what
happens then?" He
still had a grip on my hand. "Well son, I don't know. Self preservation is very
important to us. We do our best to live and let live, within the parameters of
our abilities. But if what you're asking is if I'd have any qualms about
killing you,, then the answer is no. If you are deemed a threat to us or our
daughter, you can rest assured that I will go to great lengths to preserve my
family." Verona
was appalled. "Daddy!" I held
up my hand. "It's all right. Your father is laying his feelings right out there
for me. I like that. It leaves me with no illusions about what the future might
hold. And I agree with him. I feel like an outsider looking in." He
nodded in agreement and said no more on the subject. Her mother meanwhile was
fawning over Maggie."So young lady, are you still an innocent?
Children seem to grow up so fast these days" "Innocent?"
She looked to me. I shrugged weakly. She
was going to have to figure out what they were asking. I didn't want to explain
what I knew she meant. "You
know dear, do you still have your virginity? Kids seem to start earlier and
earlier these days." "No, but I still have the box it came in!" Verona's
mother chuckled. "I'm sorry dear. I don't think you understood me..." I
kicked before she could spit out what was on the tip of her tongue. She looked
at me and stopped. My eyes were glowing, just enough for a direct gaze to
notice. "Maybe I didn't. What were you asking?" "Oh
never mind dear. I'm just being silly and old fashioned. Of course you're an
innocent. Verona here was one for so long. Ruined her completely when she moved
here to New York. The big city's such a bad influence!" "Mother!" "Oh
hush darling. You know it's true!" I was
left standing in the hall for a moment thinking how painfully normal this was.
I couldn't for a moment see either of her parents being werewolves, any more
than I could picture mine. Yet I had no doubt in my mind that given a reason,
both of them would change in an instant if the need arose. They might look
harmless, but then so did Maggie. That was enough said on the matter. We sat
down. I had my box of childhood things and they looked at each and every one. "So
Edward (his accent on my name sounded just like mother's), tell me about
yourself." "Well,
I don't know how much you know already. What would you like me to tell you?" He
scratched his chin. He held up a photo of my parents. "Tell me about them." "I
could spend hours telling you about them. Mom was always sweet, and Dad was always
kind, and I never once heard them argue. As far as I know, they never ever got
in trouble with the law, and I don't remember problems growing up." "What did
you eat?" "Food,
Normal food." "Reynaud
dear, I'm sure they were using the old potion. We still do when we're
traveling." When she saw my curious look, she pulled out an old looking bottle.
"Something to help us live normal lives Edward. I won't tell you what's in it,
but it makes normal food palatable and digestible to us." "But I
can eat normal food. I have for years." Reynaud
snapped at me. "That's because you're not a werewolf. Verona tells me you have
a piece of silver stuck inside you. I'm telling you now that it's what has
prevented the Moonrise transformation. If you had gotten that coin embedded after
you had reached puberty, it would have killed you. Now, it holds the
transformation at bay. My daughter's reckless attempts at solving your problem
could have killed you. That has now left you in a precarious position." "I sort
of get that. But why?" He
sucked in a breath. "Son, you seem like a nice enough guy. But look at it this
way. Did you watch those horrific cartoon shows as a kid?" "Yeah." "Remember
those scenes where there's a hose, and it's backed up with water, and it bulges
and expands beyond its capabilities?" "I guess
so." "Do you
remember what happened when the pressure got too great?" "It
exploded." "Yes.
You see, you could have lived a normal human life until you died of old age. No
one would have known the difference. But now, thanks to my daughter, she has
forced the transformation. It's trying to get a hold on your body. The coin is
preventing it. " "So if
we take out the coin, then the transformation can take a hold of me?" "Yes,
just like that hose. You were supposed to have your first full change years
ago. After it, your body grows and adapts to the "were" stage as you grow. Now,
who knows what will happen? I don't. You could go on a bloody rampage and cause
massive destruction. We have enough problems with our kind already, we do not
need negative press because one man goes on a crazy killing spree." I
gulped. "So what do I do?" "Son, I
hate to tell you this, but my suggestion is that we kill you, sooner rather
than later, when it may be too late." Maggie
tore though her dress as she transformed. "Over my dead body!" Her fur was
bristling and she had her teeth bared. I
grabbed her tail and yanked her back. "Shut up and behave Maggie! No one is
doing anything right now." Neither
senior had moved an inch. Verona sighed. Reynaud shook his head in a slow nod. "The
impetuousness of youth. But then, I was going to ask for a demonstration, so I
guess my curiosity has been sated. Young lady, I think you ruined your pretty
clothing. Might I suggest grabbing a towel or something. We're not done
discussing matters here." She ran off to the bathroom in a huff. "Edward,
I don't mean to sound uncaring, but you and the girl are strangers to us. Yet,
if we go back far enough, we all must have a common ancestor. Tell me about
your mother's parents." "I grew
up in Wisconsin. As far as I knew, their last name was Rougarou. Verona told me
that wasn't a real last name." "It's
not. I think it was more daring to use that then their real surname." He
reached into my box of treasures. He pulled out an old irregularly stamped
disc. "Your grandfather gave this to you as well?" I took
is and turned it in my fingers. "Yes, I think he thought I'd like it because it
looked like it was old. He always said it reminded him of home." I was eyeing
the impression on the one side. It looked worn, but the image was clear. "It
doesn't only look old, it is old. Don't you know who this is?" I had
been told when I was a kid, but I had forgotten. Something to do with an old
tale. "Not anymore." "This is
the she-wolf caring for Romulus and Remus, the twin boys left out to die.
Romulus went on to found Rome. This is an old Roman coin." "I see.
I guess that sounds familiar. What does that have to do with..." I let my words
trail off. A she-wolf. A werewolf. Taking care of humans. That could mean so
many things, like that they weren't humans at all, but the children of a
werewolf and came up with a story to cover their, uh, irregularities. "Are you saying that werewolves go back that
far in history?" "Son,
we go back a lot farther than that. And before you ask, no, no one knows who
the first ancestor was. There has been much speculation. But no, we don't think
it had anything to do with cross breeding with wolves. Trust me, a few of my compatriots
tried experiments while in feral form to mate with regular wolves. It didn't work.
So when it comes down to it, we are human, only so much more." I
thought of Maggie as a wolf. Then I thought of whoever these other guys were. Yeah,
I bet they had fun working over a regular she-wolf. I was getting hard just
thinking about it. "Well anyway, my grandparents came over a long time ago. All
those papers were burned up in the house fire, but I guess Verona found their
existence online." She
spoke up. "Yes, but only by the false name. I would have to have their real one
to find them in the immigration record." Her father
nodded. "That might not be necessary. Do you know where they were from?" I
nodded. "Yeah, somewhere in France. A place they called Jay-vue-don?" I said it
like a question because I hadn't heard it spoken in so long."Ahh, Gévaudan!""That's it!" "Son, it hasn't been called
that since the fall of King Louis and the French Revolution.""And when was that?" History
wasn't my strong suit, but I thought it was a long time ago. "Seventeen ninety. Gévaudan was an old Roman outpost. So maybe now you see
the connection." His look went dark. "I can't kill you Edward. Even though I
might want to do it, even if I feel I have to do it, I can't kill you.""Not that I'm complaining, but why?"He was holding the coin. "Because you could very well be
from the first family. To kill someone from the oldest pure lineage would be a sacrilege.
You don't have any siblings do you?""No, why?""Nothing. It's just that the "were" is passed down far
stronger through the female. But if your grandparents were both pure, then the
gene was strong in your mother. Was your father a werewolf?"I raised my eyebrows. "Until recently, I didn't know
anything about werewolves, so how would I know that?""True. My apologies. I'm just feeling excited. That doesn't
happen often anymore. You may actually be a Rougarou. They are the wildest,
strongest and most uncontrollable of our kind. Remind me to tell you the stories
about the killings in Gévaudan a few hundred years ago.""You're that old?""Tut tut boy, of course not. But tales get passed down
from generation to generation. I have a book of them. A werewolf often makes
quite the impression on the local populace, and those tales make their way into
fables, if not the lore of the educated. Beheadings, being quartered and drawn,
burning at the stake. It's a long and sordid history. "I just sat there, feeling my heart beating faster and faster. I had never complained before about life being too dull and boring. That was before, in my old life. Now, I was finding a little of that calm and predictability would go a long way in comforting me right now. I was scared out of my wits!