First Moon

[pinkroses]

“They give us a lot of food to try to make us sleepy. Some people use them,” Caden said with a small shrug at her comment about the bed but his focus was quickly moved to her offer.  He paused for a moment then leant back against the wall, gesturing at her slightly before clipping his hands into his pockets.

“Go for it,” he said, a small smile playing on his lips. He was really very interested to see her change, and to see how she would act when she was in animal form, wondering if it would be much different.

[Existentially Odd]

She was surprised, because she hadn't necessarily meant right then - she wasn't entirely sure she'd have the instinct to change back at the right time - but she cocked her head and thought about it once he looked so challenging, leaning against the wall with what she interpreted as a smirk.  The lack of awareness as a cat would be a hindrance but this building wasn't going to appeal to her feline side like it did to her human sensibilities so she was pretty sure she'd come back soon enough.  She would go first, then!

"I kind of meant later, but okay," she grinned, sitting up and pulling her shirt over her head.  She dropped it on the bed behind her as she undid her bra and discarded it, too.  Her skin was tanned a smooth, golden brown, flawless and taut, advertising that she spent a fair amount of time in the sun - whether as a cat or a human wasn't clear but either way she never wore anything when it was happening for there were no tan lines on her whatsoever.  Laying back, she unclipped her jeans and began wriggling out of them, her firm, full breasts jiggling as she did.  Her light brown nipples hardened in the cool air and it quickly became apparent that she was wearing no underwear beneath her jeans as she kicked them off.  Her pubic thatch was a slightly darker colour than her tawny auburn hair; Caden would get a fleeting look at it as she flipped over onto her hands and knees.

The change was quite lethargic, by Nebi standards (because she was always in a rush to get somewhere else).  Her long, lithe legs shortened first, her tail extending from her spine at the same time.  Fur sprouted all over her body as her breasts were sucked back in, their bulk contributing to her shoulders' obvious strengthening.  Her arms thickened and her skull began to change as well, the sounds of cracking bones becoming much louder as her skeleton rearranged itself in a jarring, grinding display that many people found nauseating to listen to.  Within a minute a full-grown she-cougar stood atop Caden's bed, tail flicking, ears twitching and smelling the air in his direction.  Not liking what she smelled, she wheeled away and headed for the other end of the bed, only to be distracted by her own scent on her clothes.

Lifting her head again, she huffed a high-pitched yowl, uncertain about where to go and watching Caden warily.

[pinkroses]

“I won’t remember if you do it later, I’ll probably just piss me off if I’m a werewolf,” Caden said, but as she began to strip off Caden began to realise this might not have been such a great idea. She looked young, too young to be stripping in front of him, definitely too young for him to be wanting to watch her. He couldn’t tear his eyes away and he felt a spark of relief as she began to shift so that he had a reason to be watching her.

Caden flinched slightly at the sound of her bones cracking but didn’t turn away from watching her change into a cougar. It was amazing, he’d never been so close to a large cat and she was a beautiful specimen. But at the same time being so close to her sent adrenaline through his blood and he felt the hairs on the back of his neck rise warily, especially as she turned away from him to move away.

The sound of her cry brought a soft growl from deep in Caden’s throat and all the other werewolves milling around the large room stopped what they were doing to look their way. Caden stepped closer, drawn in like any human would be seeing something new and exciting, but there was a big part of him also screaming at him to get away and a voice behind him echoed that sentiment.

“Caden, step back or you may change too early. Come out of the room,” Caden glanced around with a scowl at the sound of Dom’s calm voice as the shifter reappeared thanks to Nebi’s cry.

“Why don’t you just shut us in together, new exciting exhibit at the zoo?” he snapped at Dom, his fists clenching at his side as Dom tilted his head to one side slightly. If Caden started to change he might be forced to shut the door on both of them, but he would rather not try to explain to Tau why one of his children was locked in with a werewolf. But if Caden wouldn't come out he could only hope Nebi would, or she would shift back soon. Why the hell did children feel the need to show off?

[Existentially Odd]

When Caden growled at her, the cougar dropped to her belly on the bed, poised to spring and watching him carefully.  If it'd stayed just the two of them things might've gone differently but Nebi wasn't deep enough into her cougar form to be oblivious to the goings-on beyond the cell.  Dom's reappearace had her sniffing the air beyond the werewolf and it triggered a sensory memory that started her changing back almost immediately, a small, pained yowl emitted as the sound of bones cracking again permeated the space around them.

Before too long, there was a naked young woman sitting on the bed before the eyes of everyone who'd stopped to see.  Her right leg was curled beneath her, her left curled over the top in the other direction so that her modesty in that sense was mostly protected.  With a smile, she casually picked up her discarded shirt and held it over her breasts, regarding her audience (everyone but Caden, who was supposed to see) with a smirk.  "What?" she demanded innocently.  "Like you've never seen anyone shift before?"

To the highly observant, she would look slightly different; a tiny bit older, her hips a smidge wider, her breasts even fuller.

[pinkroses]

Dom’s shoulders relaxed as he saw Nebi beginning to change back and Caden turned to watch her change back at the sound of her bones cracking. Caden stared at her in amazement, noticing the small changes but still overwhelmed by seeing her shift so close up. He’d only seen Dom in one form or the other, not actually mid shift.

Dom glanced around at the audience which had gathered then down at his watch.

“Fifteen minutes to lock down, get your stuff put away, clothes ready for tomorrow and find a room, like always,” he said in a soothing but loud voice which held the attention of the weres and they obeyed, heading off about their business as though they hadn’t stopped at all.

“Nebi, the threat of danger can make the werewolves change,” Dom said, turning his steely gaze back to the young woman. He hadn’t examined her that closely before so didn’t notice the changes to her body, but he knew leaving her here alone with a werewolf, especially Caden, was probably not a good idea any more. He’s assumed she would be more sensible for some reason.

“Get dressed and I don’t want you doing that again unless necessary. Your father would agree with me. Caden, go get yourself ready,” he said, glancing sideways at the werewolf who was still watching Nebi, trying not to let his gaze wander over her body too much.

“Why do you look different now?” Caden asked, ignoring Dom’s command to get moving.

[Existentially Odd]

Nebi tilted her head and smiled alluringly at Caden, liking that he didn't run off just because he was told to.  "Because it ages me.  I'm almost three now, which is fully grown in cougar form but not human.  Every time I shift, it's like a trigger to advance me faster in human form, though I'll stay looking like this until I shift again.  I wish my boobs would stop growing every time, though," she sighed, having felt a greater weight on her chest and more filling her hands as she held the shirt there.  She looked down at them and cupped them around the shirt, hefting them impatiently.

"Ah well, hopefully that's the last time it happens," she told Caden wryly and smirked at Dominik as she withdrew the shirt from her breasts to be sure it was in the right way before she pulled it on.  There was no point putting the bra on again, it would be uncomfortable; even her shirt was pulled far more tautly across her breasts as she leaned down to get her jeans and wriggled nimbly into them upon the bed.  Very soon she'd sprung off the furniture, leaving it looking like someone had taken a very pleasurable tumble on it (especially considering the abandoned undergarment she'd carelessly left behind).

Not wanting anyone to get into trouble, she walked up to Caden, her hips rolling with innate grace, her bare feet making next to no sound on the flooring.  "Thanks for letting me look around," she told him cheerfully before grasping his upper arms loosely and leaning up onto her tippy toes in order to whisper in his ear, unfazed that her breasts were heavy on his chest too, now.  "And I meant shifting for you later as in another night," she clarified before pulling back, brushing his cheek with a passing kiss as she did.  She was all innocent looks and obedient intent as she walked towards Dom, her hands clasped behind her back as she prepared to watch the process of werewolves changing.

[pinkroses]

Caden didn’t bother from stopping his green eyes drifting to her breasts – Hell, she brought them up. And she’d grown up a bit… Caden didn’t feel quite as much of a dirty pervert watching her now she was a little older, physically at least.

“Yeah, fingers crossed,” he murmured sarcastically as she mentioned hoping her breasts would stop growing, earning himself a scowl from Dom. The bear shifter really wasn’t pleased with this turn of events – if Tau disapproved he might not come again and without him backing it Dom wasn’t sure how many of the other shifters would turn up.

Caden found himself leaning down a little to make himself more accessible to Nebi as she leant up to whisper in his ear, his head tilted towards her a little, breathing in her scent and trying to make sure he would recognise it again. It wasn’t an especially pleasant smell to his nose, but he got the feeling he could get used to it.

“You’re welcome,” he murmured at her thanks, a little taken unawares by what sounded like a proposition from the shifter. Fuck, that would definitely piss off a few people and probably wouldn’t be a great idea. Of course, that didn’t mean it wouldn’t be a hell of a lot of fun and he felt a spark of arousal at the thought of it and the feel of her body pressing against his.

His eyes narrowed slightly as she wandered off towards Dom, eyeing up her behind for a second before scooping up his things and stepping out of the cage.

“Will you be here in the morning?” he asked, grinning when he received an answer in the affirmative before he headed off to the changing rooms to lock away his things. The rooms had a two way system where items could be placed in a box which would then be pushed through the wall into the room, or back out, which was where they put their clothes for the next morning. Caden put his clothes in there before heading into his room wearing a pair of cheap boxers which he’d shuck out of just before changing. This was all humiliating enough without having to be completely on display before he had to be.

As the time drew near Dom moved away from Carrie’s room and moved to lock the doors after Lucy has wandered up and down checking the names off again to make sure everyone was inside. She then left the warehouse and the shifters could hear her car drive away as the clock ticked on and the sense of expectation in the room grew. Some of the werewolves had lay down on their beds, some were sat in the chairs, some naked, some still fully clothed or wearing bathrobes. One older woman was sat in the corner of her room crying gently, as usual.

Caden stripped off his boxers and stood near the glass, looking out for Nebi and giving a smile as he saw her bright eyes, full of interest and anticipation, watching him intently. Caden kept his gaze on her until he felt a shudder of rage and pain rush through his body and he stumbled back a few steps, clutching an arm across his stomach as he let out an angry roar. Up and down the room others were starting to react to the moon as well, whilst others listened wide eyes as their changes hadn’t quite being yet.

Unlike Nebi, Caden stayed standing as his body changed, his muscles bulking up and his arms growing as hair began to sprout over various parts of his body. He growled loudly before howling in pain as his head changed shape, his snout lengthening and his body hunching over but staying on two legs as he turned into the monster he couldn’t control.

As his transformation completed Caden stood in the centre of the room for a few seconds, his body shaking before his gaze settled on his audience and the werewolf flung himself at the glass wall, smashing into it and leaving a smear of drool across the glass as he attacked again. The glass was strong though and although it shuddered it gave no hint that it might crack or give away.

[Existentially Odd]

Her hackles rose as he threw himself at the glass, all semblance of the man he'd been completely gone.  It quickened her pulse regardless, her feet planted firmly and her body lowered with tension, ready to spring.  She was aware of herself though, where Caden was not, and she could see that her presence wasn't having a positive effect on the beast now caged behind reinforced glass.  Expecting to keep a wolf in was one thing, withstanding repeated pressure as he hurled himself at a visible target was quite another.

Choosing the better part of valour, Nebi retreated from the warehouse, eyeing off the werewolf specimens as she went but really enjoying the night air when she got out into it.  She grinned as she took a deep, senses-clearing breath, though it faltered as her father materialised out of nowhere, sniffing at her.  "What did you do?" he growled.

"Played a game of, 'Show me yours, I'll show you mine'," she answered sassily.

Arik came around behind her, also sniffing at her but nipping at her throat and grasping at her waist too.  "You shifted," he accused, scraping his tongue across the sensitive skin of her throat and causing her to sigh and drop her head to the side to give him better access.

"Stop that!" Tau ordered, smacking Arik on the head until he cringed and pulled away from his sister and then hitting her on the shoulder to move her a few steps away from him as well.  As they'd reached sexual maturity recently, the cubs' play had become more and more intimate, mimicking and even approaching the act that their instincts drove them to pursue.  They were too old to be living together, cougars were solitary animals in the wild, only coming together to mate and so their behaviour hadn't been completely unexpected by Tau but it was getting more and more difficult to keep them apart, simply because neither of them was pursuing other interests.  "Tell me what's going on in there," he ordered Nebi, nodding at the warehouse behind her.

"They've all shifted now, I watched it happen.  It was gross," she enthused with wide eyes.

"I knew that," Tau rebutted, for the tension in the air had been unmistakable, even outside the warehouse, "but is everything in order?"

"Was when I left," she answered, swinging her shoulders from side to side and glancing surreptitiously at her littermate, noting he was staring at her chest.

"Then I think you should go home," Tau declared.

"No!" Nebi cried, stilling and looking at her father appealingly.  "Please, Papa!  I told Caden I'd be here in the morning!"

Tau scowled, uncertain why she'd have done such a thing and could only suppose it had had something to do with her shifting in front of him.  She was shameless and her father could only assume she'd sparked some interest where it wasn't warranted, though he didn't believe there'd be any harm in it.  He turned to look at Arik.  "You go home, then, it does not seem like we all need to be here missing out on sleep, not with two more nights of this ahead."

Arik had no objection to being released to drive home; he promised to leave to get them when the moon set and pulled out of the parkng lot, leaving Nebi and Tau to curl up together to wait for trouble or the moon to fade (whichever came first).

[pinkroses]

Dom had been near Carrie’s cell when the first crash against the glass came and he instantly headed in the direction of Caden’s room. By the time he got there Nebi had made her exit otherwise he would have sent her away. He eyed up the werewolf who was now pacing back and forth by the glass door. Caden’s green eyes fixed on the shifter and his muscles tensed up again, looking as though he was about to pounce at the glass again but Dom moved on. The werewolf let out an angry howl which would have been heard outside before he turned to the rest of his room, taking out his anger on the table first by hurling it across the room where it smashed against a concrete wall with a satisfying crash. The monster was about to turn his attention on the bed when a panel in the ceiling at the back of the cell opened, dropping a pile of meat into Caden’s cell and all of the cells containing weres.

Caden fell on the food like a starved creature, ripping and clawing apart the meat until his muzzle and claws were covered in blood and his stomach was full. Unlike most of the weres who then curled up to sleep Caden turned his attention back to the furniture in the room, this time ripping up apart the bed angrily, throwing chunks of it at the glass.

Dom watched, somewhat worried from a distance but eventually the werewolf went back to the remaining meat and continued eating until he eventually curled up in the mess he had made, but he didn’t sleep and his tail flicked continuously as though he was waiting for someone else to appear beyond the glass. A few times throughout the night he became more alert again and Dom eventually released more meat into his cell before Caden hurt himself as he rampaged. Caden had never settled well, but the new place seemed to have him even more worked up than usual and Dom was seriously considering doping his meat the following night.

The moon finally faded away as daylight lightened the sky and Lucy’s car reappeared in the parking lot with a gentle rumble and she stepped out wearing jeans and a dark red shirt with her hair pulled back in a ponytail again. She headed inside to the canteen, where a few other humans had already arrived to start making breakfast for the weres.

A lot of the weres were awake and dressed in the clothes from the boxes which had been pushed through into their cells once they had shifted back. Some were catching another half hour sleep in their beds. Most hadn’t done too much damage to their rooms so they could still be comfortable enough in them until the doors opened. Caden had pulled on his loose jeans and a plain white t-shirt and was stood with his arms resting against the glass above his head, staring out at those milling around. He was surrounded by his debris and he couldn’t wait to get out of the mess.

Dom checked all of the cells to ensure everyone had returned to their human state before entering the code to lift the glass doors out of the way. Caden was instantly moving, intending on going to the lockers to get his things and heading out. He didn’t want to sit around with the others chatting about how their nights had gone and eating breakfast, no matter how good it was. He wanted to wash the blood off his hands and face with a hot shower and then go home and had forgotten he’d asked Nebi if she would be around in the morning. It had been a long time since he’d caused that much chaos and it didn’t feel like he’d slept all night.

“Caden, a word?” Dom asked as the werewolf strode off but Caden ignored him as he stormed off. Dom gave a sigh, shaking his head as he moved to find Carrie and check on her. He wanted to discuss the possibility of giving a sleeping pill to Caden, but he had a feeling the young man wouldn’t agree if he even listened to what Dom had to say.

[Existentially Odd]

Arik had returned at about the time Lucy had and had stayed in the car while Tau went over to talk to him.  Their father wasn't sure whether he should farewell Dominik before he left so Nebi had the job of going in to do it for them and collect any remaining shifters who wanted a ride home.  The cougar shifter followed the neatly-presented human girl into the warehouse without saying anything but eyeing off her outfit from behind and unconsciously mimicking her manner of walking.

Nebi stopped just inside the entrance of the warehouse this time, her nose wrinkling instinctively.  The stench of werewolf was far stronger than it had been the night before and it threatened to overwhelm her, despite the somewhat appealing under-scent of raw meat she also detected.  She paced near the entryway, looking agitatedly for anyone she knew but unable to catch anyone's attention.  Dom entered her line of sight but he opened the glass doors and a fair amount of chaotic movement ensued after that.  The reek of heavily-scented werewolf bodies and open cells also became intensely stronger, causing her eyes to water and her to hold a hand to her nose.  She saw Caden heading away, towards the lockers and though she dearly wanted to go after him, she simply couldn't.

As a compromise, she moved into the foyer to wait for him to pass through, pulling a tissue out of a box placed on a nearby table and blowing her nose while she paced continuously in front of the doorway.  The smell wasn't so bad out here and her eyes stopped watering soon enough.  She was pleased she'd been there when the rooms opened, for she'd had a prelude of how badly Caden would smell to her (unless he was showering in the locker room, she supposed) and she was braced for it, the balled tissue being constantly rolled around in one hand while her other hand drummed and tapped and tugged and fretted at her clothes or other parts of her body.  Her hair was already mussed from dozing against her father through the night but she was young enough to still look fresh despite her lack of decent sleep.

When Caden finally appeared in the doorway, she pounced in front of him, calling out his name and grinning broadly at him, her bottom lip caught mischievously between her teeth.

[pinkroses]

Caden came to a halt as Nebi appeared in front of him, watching her for a moment before his tense shoulders relaxed a little. She looked so happy and excitable… and sexy when she bit her lower lip like that.

“Nebi, hey,” he said, running a hand through his hair which was still wet from his shower. He’d scrubbed himself all over speedily in the shower and dressed in clean clothes. His leather jacket was slung over his shoulder and his helmet under his arm again.

He wanted to ask what she’d thought of his shifting, how long she’d stayed, to find out how much she’d seen of him ripping apart his room. But he knew soon other people would be leaving and it always seemed to turn into a meet and greet outside after these things.

“I need to get out of here. Wanna come?” he asked, nodding towards the entrance of the building.

[Existentially Odd]

Nebi made a growly sound of reluctance deep in her throat, now biting on her lip in an indecisive manner, bouncing on her toes as if she didn't know what she should do.  "Ohhh, I do but my father needs to speak to Dom to see if we can all go first and I was kind of hoping - could you go back in there and get him for me?" she wheedled, pulling her saddest, most appealing face as she stepped close to him and lightly grasped his forearm.  "It's different this morning, if I went in there I'd have a sneezing attack, everything smells so much stronger!"

[pinkroses]

Caden’s eyes narrowed as Nebi asked him to go back in there, especially as the request was for him to fetch Dom. He definitely didn’t want to talk to the shifter again today – not until he had to come back again tonight at least.

With the mood he was in Caden set his jaw and was about to brush past her until she grasped at his arm. His green eyes narrowed slightly as he glared at her then he gave a sigh and shoved his backpack and helmet into Nebi’s arms.

“Fine, be ready to go after I’ve got him,” he said sharply, turning on his heel and heading back inside with a face like thunder.

Dom was in the cafeteria, sipping a mug of coffee and waiting for Carrie to come out after her shower and Caden managed to find him easily.

“Dom, Nebi’s dad wants to talk to you outside. The shifters out there won’t come in,” Caden explained sharply before turning to begin to head off again. Dom stepped quickly to catch up with him as the werewolf pretended he wasn’t there, but Dom began to talk none the less.

“Caden, how would you feel about taking something to help you sleep when you shift? You had a very disturbed night last night,” Dom said in a calm voice, knowing that with Caden there was little point in beating around the bush.

Caden stopped dead, turning to look at Dom steadily. He knew he’d been trouble that night, a look at the room he’d been in made that obvious, let alone the exhaustion he was feeling. But the thought of being made to come here and then being drugged, being at the mercy of the shifter who could well choose to keep him under, or give him too much, or something deadly, was not a risk Caden wanted to take.

“If you drug me tonight, I will not come back here Dom, and you don’t have those demons to chase after me anymore, just your shifters,” he said, his eyes flashing with anger. Dom had stopped and turned to face Caden, still cupping the mug between his hands and he raised an eyebrow slightly.

“Just think about it Caden, I don’t want you hurting yourself or anyone else,” he said softly and his grey eyes stayed fixed on Caden for a few more seconds until the werewolf nodded and they both headed towards the entrance again.

“Morning Tau, thanks for staying,” Dom said, approaching the shifter with a smile but not getting to close – he hadn’t been in close contact with Carrie but he had been in there all night with the building full of werewolves so he knew he might not smell so good to the shifter.

“Coming?” Caden snapped at Nebi more sharply than he meant to as he headed away from Dom and Tau, heading towards his bike, holding out a hand to either take her to it or take back his things.

[Existentially Odd]

Nebi gave a squeal as Caden re-emerged with Dom in tow, following eagerly after the two of them.  She hastened after Caden when he held out his hand, pushing his helmet into his fingers because she thought that was what he was requesting.

Tau frowned mildly as his daughter went off with one of the werewolves but he didn't call out o her or try to stop her.  He turned his attention to Dom.  "I just wanted to be sure we were okay to leave and that you were happy with the job we did?" he asked gruffly.  His beard had grown in fairly thickly overnight; like his hair now, it was mostly grey.  He looked quite tired but alert for the most part.

[pinkroses]

Dom glanced towards Caden and Nebi with a frown as well – but she had seen Caden turn, maybe if he spoke to her about his suggestion she would be able to convince Caden it was a good idea. And if she couldn’t… well, perhaps if Caden let off some steam he’d be a little calmer. He raised an eyebrow slightly as he turned his focus back to Tau, somewhere surprised the shifter was letting his daughter go off with a werewolf.

“Yes, you’re fine to go. There were no problems last night, but it was good to know you were here. Thanks again,” Dom said and the two shifters traded a few more words before Tau headed off with his son and Dom headed inside, looking forward to getting Carrie and heading home to their baby for some much needed sleep.

Caden’s gaze flickered towards Nebi as she passed him the helmet. He paused for a moment, then took it to place on the seat of his bike. He shoved the rucksack into the bag on the side of his motorbike then handed the helmet back to Nebi.

“Put it on,” he insisted, not letting Nebi on until she’d put on the helmet and he’d checked it was secure. If he was taking her for a ride he was going to make sure her father wasn’t coming after him because of a lack of safety if she went flying off his bike.

Before long Caden was riding off on the motorbike with Nebi’s arms wrapped tightly around his waist.

Continued in The Hunter's Moon