Moonlight Morning
#23 of The Moonrise Chronicles
Four
very tired and worn out werewolves were sitting on a couch, watching the
television. All were in human form, with the smallest among them bundled in a
blanket. The big screen's speakers seemed to blare the news out like a sideshow
barker.
...and eyewitness reports claim that a group
of animals broke loose from the Central Park Zoo and began terrorizing
bystanders. Zoo officials deny any of the resident animals are missing. Cars
along Seventy Ninth Street and Fifth Avenue sustained damage from what
witnesses say were two huge hairy beasts. One man described them as Sasquatch-like
in appearance, being inordinately tall and well muscled. Police have
confiscated as much footage of the incident as they can find, but still copies
of the event have been uploaded to social media sites and YouTube. As you can see
here, the film is grainy and out of focus, but it does seem to support the
witnesses' claims.
The destruction seems to stretch
all the way from Central Park to Staten Island. St Christopher's Catholic
Church suffered severe damage from an as of yet undetermined cause and appears to
be the terminus for this unusual occurrence. We go live to Bill Makin. Bill?
"Yes Carol, I'm here
on Staten Island with Father Joseph McLafferty. Father, what happened last
night?"
"I don't know any more
than you do. As you can see, the window is completely broken inwards,
indicating something large crashed thought it. The inside of the church is
sealed off, because the roof beams have been badly damaged. The place is a
disaster inside, and I pray to God for the souls of whoever did all this."
"But father, there were rumors
that this incident is connected with the downtown carnage. What do you think?"
"I don't know what to think, but
St Christopher is the protector of travelers and lost souls, so may whoever or whatever
did this find their way back to where they need to be. This goes equally for
animals as well as people. And may the
church find the funds to repair the damages."
"Thank you father. Reporting
live from St Christopher's Parish, this is Bill Makin."
Thanks Bill. We have just
receive breaking news here in the station of a problem in South Salem, were it
seems that all of the wolves at the Wolf Conservation Center have managed to
escape. Officials are warning all residents to stay indoors especially if a
wolf is sighted. These animals are part of a breeding program designed to re-establish
rare Mexican and Red wolves back into the wild and...
Click. Reynaud turned off the
television. He shook his head. "I was afraid of something like this happening.
Discretion. Without it, all hell breaks loose. This will not go down well."
Lupenia patted her husband's knee.
"It's not all bad. True he damaged a lot of property, but I don't think he did
it on purpose. And it would seem he accomplished his task. It's a small
consolation, but it's better than nothing. And perhaps it was an omen that they
stopped where they did."
Maggie was shivering under her
blanket. "Omen?"
"Yes
dear. Saint Christopher. "
"Why,
because that priest said he was the protector of travelers and the lost?"
Reynaud
sighed. "So much lore has been lost over time. I hope the Taborum gets here
soon so that you may learn of your heritage. You see, Christopher was one of
the kind."
Maggie's
eyes lit up. "A saint who was a werewolf?"
Lupenia
smiled and nodded. "Not all werewolves do bad things dear. We do what we can to
live a good life within the boundaries of our nature. You picked this up on
your own, and Verona learned it from us, and we from our parents. Kill for
food, kill for the good. Humans call it killing two birds with one stone. Mr.
Fish was not of that mind."
Maggie
was listening, but she was more eager to talk. "Do you think he'll come back?"
"Who
dear? Albert or Edward?" When Maggie nodded at her father's name, she continued.
"I don't know. The transformation is a
strong thing. At his age, being hit with the "were" for the first time can be
unsettling. All the while he had something to focus on, he might well stay in
control. But now that the fight is over, who's to say?"
Verona
was sitting on the couch, tears in her eyes. She had lost whatever nominal
control she had over her body, and the hormones were running high. She was
assuming the worse; that Edward was dead or dying somewhere. Her parents
refused to allow anyone to go looking. It was a wise decision, but it rattled
her emotions to think there was nothing she could do. For the short time she
had been near him in her feral form, she had been flooded with his own smells,
and they had been massively overwhelming. She was sitting on a towel to save
her cushions. It was totally unfair that the first real mate she had found was
now gone.
Maggie
almost felt sorry for the woman. If the heat was stronger than the feeling she
herself had on a regular basis, then she was in a sorry state indeed. Maggie
wasn't feeling up to any fun right now though. The poison, while only on her
claws and skin, had still seeped into her body. Lupenia knew a cure for it, and
had wisely given it ahead of her applying the noxious plant juice. As she had
said,
"Plant
versus Plant. Poison versus Poison. A little Datura and a little Digitalis,
plus a few other herbs and I think you'll be fine. Just don't get cut and don't
lick your paws."
So now
her body was fighting the poison, but fighting it successfully. She felt like
shit, but that feeling would pass. She was more concerned with her father and
lover. He was out there all alone.
"Reynaud?"
she asked. "Why would father let the wolves loose? I mean, if it was him."
"We'll
not talk about it young one. It would not be for innocent ears."
"I'm
not innocent. I know more about life than you think I do. Has he tried to form
a pack?"
The old
man sighed. "Maybe. Back in the day, where his ancestors are from, there was
thought to be one true beast. Maybe there was. But there were many wolves of an
unusual size that were killed."
"Werewolves?"
Lupenia
spoke. "Not really dear. More like wolf/werewolf hybrids. They were wolves of enormous
size and ferocity."
"Are
you saying that a werewolf CAN breed with a wolf?
Reynaud
snapped. "Enough! We do not talk about..."
Maggie
growled. "Listen old man. I have a lot of respect for you, but not for your
stupid mumbo jumbo bullshit. If my father is out there fucking a bunch of regular
wolves, I WANT TO KNOW!"
He was
totally taken aback. "There is no need for vulgarity. Yes, he may be doing just
that. If his ancestor managed to cross breed, than it seems possible he could
to. But for most werewolves, this is not possible."
Maggie
got a nasty smile on her face. "Did you try?"
"No! I
know of those who did. The results were horrible."
Maggie was
sharp. "Horrible? You should have said fruitless. Horrible means that something
happened."
Lupenia
nodded slowly. "Yes child. You're right. Abominations. The kind was sworn to
forgo such experiments. The line of the beast was thought to be gone, and so
with it the only chance of successful interbreeding."
Maggie was
intrigued. "So, if a werewolf can breed with a wolf, and also with a human, how
does one get a werewolf child?"
Lupenia
held up her hand to quiet her husband. "It's like this dear. If two werewolves
mate as humans, their child will most likely grow up to be human. This is where
all the madness comes in. It's the "were" trying to break through. And breeding
as humans is far easier than as werewolves. If we mate as werewolf and
werewolf, and then the female delivers
as a human, you get what you and I are. Human bodies that can revert to the "were'
form."
"So
what if a werewolf delivers a child?
"Then
you have a werewolf than can revert to being human. It is not an ideal form in
this day and age, for the mind is wild and feral. Raising and teaching such a
child works only in the wilderness. It is difficult to teach speech and manners
to such a form. It does not happen often, and it causes many problems."
"Like
the Beast?"
"Perhaps.
Much lore surrounding the Beast has been lost."
"So then, how does one breed with a wolf? As
human or as werewolf?'
"That
is an indelicate question young lady. But to answer it, it could be as both.
But your father's present form is too large to breed. He would kill any female
he tried it with. So he would have to be able to control his changes and assume
his wolf shape. Even then I fear he may only achieve the Dire Wolf stage."
"Dire
Wolf?"
"Lupenia!
Enough. Wait for the book to get here. Allow the child to read it through and
through. I will not listen to any more of this supposition. If Edward returns,
then we can ask him what all transpired during his absence. Until then, please
leave the matter rest. I for one wish only for a bath and a hunt. Of those, I
think I will have to be content with the former.
He got
up and headed to the bathroom.
Maggie
growled.
"Don't bother
dear. It's just his way. He likes to keep secrets because he thinks that they
protect us. As you can see from the television, the world knows not how to
handle us when we are released upon it. In the old days there was fear and superstition.
Today there is technology. If our secret were to be learned, who knows what
terrors the scientists would accidently release? As it is, our existence is a
matter of only the thin wall of secrecy we are able to maintain. I fear that wall
has been torn asunder by last night's battle. If Edward has survived, we must
hope that he returns to us in his right mind. Otherwise, heaven help this city.
It will know terror in its rawest form."
"So if
he doesn't return?"
"Then we
have to hunt him down and kill him dear. Just like Mr. Fish."