Ill Met by Moonlight

Prologue

I stand by the dark, still waters of the lake. The night hangs in a deathly still, like an eager bystander, whose breath is caught with the anticipation of our dark ritual. The candles have long since burned out, and now the only light is that which is cast by the harvest moon, the only sound is that of the water quietly lapping on the shore, and the soft incantations of the coven which stands about me. I kneel within the circle, focusing on the plumes which my shallow breathing creates in the chill in an attempt to clammy nerves. It isn't working. Their chanting begins to crescendo, increasing in volume as well as tempo. This is it. As the continue, the chanting grows more intense, and I can see their faces underneath their goods begin to grimace, as if in agony. Suddenly I begin to feel an itching. Not externally, but inside, like when you have too much energy. I struggle to stay still as it grows, until it burns like a fire coursing through my veins. Suddenly I feel something snap within my mind, like something within me has broken free, and j watch in horror as I begin to transform, and I stand within the circle on four legs. I'm terrified, but my fear is quickly overruled by something else; hunger. I turn to the coven, and quickly their faces turn from an exhausted amazement to pure horror, they know what fate awaits them. After all, all living things must eat.