NaNoWriMo Story Snippets

20. Excerpt from STRANGE ANIMAL

Author's note: Subject to editing, etc. I got so used to present tense for ENSNARED that switching back was hard. Anyway, this is either a sequel to MOONLIGHT DESIRES or yet another Becky/Seth werewolf AU.

Casting one last look at the eerie-hued sky, Seth grabbed the bag from the SUV and squeezed Becky's hands as they start to walk around the area, checking for any potential dangers. Anything from a trap to a rabbit hole could be perilous during a run. Once they've found a spot they both like, he spread out the now-tested blanket and sat on it, motioning for Becky to join him. "You know, we only tried it out in the hotel," he pointed out with a wink. "It might not hold up under harsher conditions. We really should—"

"Try it later," Becky interjected. It didn't stop her from sitting on his lap, though, and wrapping her arms around his shoulders as she kissed him. "Blue moons are special, remember? The last one was a few years ago. We should enjoy this one properly, as wolves. There's plenty of time for . . . testing blankets later."

Seth laughed hard enough that they almost both toppled over. "Testing blankets. Can that be our new euphemism for fucking?"

"Roman will see through that in a second." After one more kiss—then two, then three—Becky stood up and started to undress. It's a sight Seth won't ever not appreciate, and full-moon nights became a lot easier once he felt like he was allowed to watch her openly. As she put her clothes in the bag, Becky glanced up at him. "You planning to run or did you just come out to camp?" she teased.

"Enjoying the view," Seth replied simply, "like always." Once he's naked as well, he put his clothes in with Becky's and then stowed the bag a few trees away from their blanket so it wouldn't be as obvious. If someone happened to stumble upon the blanket, they'll see no other traces of activity and figure some amorous couple stopped for a quickie and forgot the blanket in their haste. "Ready?"

After looking up at the strange sky, Becky nodded. "Yeah.'" Then she pulled him down into a kiss, long and slow. "Happy blue moon."When she stepped away, she glanced back up at the sky and shook her head before getting into position to transform.

"Can we declare blue moons a holiday? We could pick a different location each time," Seth suggested, lowering himself into a crouch, "and we could—"

"Shift." Becky's voice was gentle but firm and she leaned over quickly to take the elastic out of Seth's hair, releasing his man-bun and letting his curls free. "You'll be wanting that later," she pointed out, tossing the elastic onto the blanket. It might not be there when they return—a brisk enough breeze could blow it away, or some small animal might find it interesting—but at least it won't break during his transformation.

"Thanks." Shutting his eyes, Seth buried his fingers into the leaves, the grass, the soil. Even before his body starts to change, he could feel the shift in his senses, like fiddling with the settings on a stereo. Becky's scent was both strong and sweet, her heartbeat accelerating as she started to focus. Owls were hunting in the distance and as his eyes started to change, he noticed that the green tinge was even more noticeable. "Be—" He wanted to point it out to Becky, ask if it seemed more vibrant to her as well, but his transformation began in earnest.

Now that he was shifting with another wolf regularly—there was the odd full moon here and there when they couldn't be together, and those hurt more than he liked to admit—Seth found the process was getting smoother and faster, almost like taking off one set of clothes and putting on another. Once his wolf form was complete, Seth shook his whole body like a wet dog and let out a small howl. It was a good way to ensure there were no other predators nearby, but more than that, it didn't feel right to see a full moon—even an oddly coloured one—and not sing to it.

Becky! Her name was a gentle chuff. Look at the moon!

"Seth?"

His first thought was that he must have been hearing wrong. While he's learned how to interpret Becky's wolf sounds into simple words and phrases, they aren't ever as clear as human speech, even with the accent he loves to tease her about. In wolf-speak, his name should start as a growl and end with the edge of a whine. Maybe there is something in the air, he thought as he turned to her.

He expected to see her dark auburn fur, the tight curl of her tail, the elegant line of her muzzle as she started to sing to the sky. Seth certainly wasn't prepared to see Becky still human, shaking and sobbing, eyes wide with panic. "I can't," she whispered, sitting back in a daze. Dirt smudged her hands and legs, but the rest of her was pale in the night. "Why can't I shift?"