Bad Moon Rising - Chapter 12

Fall was drifting into winter, and the first snowfall had turned the ground white. A kind of peace settled over the woods and the town, the broken only by occasional howling. Demarco found herself increasingly walking in the snow-shrouded woods. Often, she found herself wandering across the bridge to hang out with Etta and little Freddie.

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"'Arco, ahhwwoooo," Freddie howled a greeting. 

"Hey Cub," Demarco smiled as the little werewolf pulled her into a fierce hug.

 "'Arco, Etta," Freddie babbled cheerfully, gesturing toward the old log that made a seat at the edge of the Collective's garden where he was playing. 

Accepting the boy's firm - if not entirely clear - instructions, the pair of them took a seat. Freddie continued to explain his, obviously very detailed, plan before returning to joyfully tossing handfuls of snow into the air.

"Well, he's happy," Demarco chuckled.

"I like watching him play," Etta said, a little sadly. "He just gets to be a little kid and have fun."

"You OK?" Demarco asked. In the time they'd been friends, she'd come to expect moments of gloom, topics avoided and sentences left unfinished from the other woman.

"Yeah," Etta lied.

"You sure?" Demarco pressed gently.

"I'm thinking about my mom," Etta admitted.

"Oh," Demarco said cautiously. Etta's family was one of those unspoken topics.

"When I was young, we used to play together all the time," Etta mused with unexpected openness. "We lived out in the mountains... actually over there a-ways... a place called Forgotten Hollow. There weren't really other kids my age. Father... he had his Great Work and he wasn't to be disturbed. So, for a while, it was just me and my mom."

"Are they witches, your mom and dad?" Demarco asked gently.

"Mom isn't," Etta said, bitterness in her voice. "Her family, the Blackwoods, are one of the Lost Families... that's what they call the witch families whose magic has faded over time. I'm the first Blackwood daughter born with magic in generations.

"Father is a powerful warlock but he wasn't born with magic. Like some werewolves are born and others are bitten, some witches are born to our magic and others get their power... in other ways. Thinking about it now, I guess he married her because her family was an old and respected one... and because there was a good chance that their children would have power."

"I remember the day he told mom he was going to start my training. It was the first time I remember seeing them argue. She said I should have more time to just be a child, more time to play. I remember I was angry with her for saying that. I was so much in awe of Father and I wanted so badly to be part of his Great Work."

"The next day, he started my training. Mom never objected again. Once my training began, she and I never played or even really hung out together anymore. It was as if she was gone, but I know she was there... in the background, like... cooking meals or cleaning the house. Looking back, I remember she was so pale and quiet that I hardly noticed her anymore. I spent most of my time with Father."

"Etta..." Demarco wasn't sure what to say, especially in light of the creeping sense of horror she felt.

"Like I said, Father was a powerful warlock... but he wasn't born to magic," Etta continued, her distant eyes focused on some point in the past. "You have to understand the importance of the magical bloodlines... the power and prestige of the Old Families - the families who trace their heritage and their magic back to the days of the First Empire. The Council of Sages and the Old Families are the leaders of the Magic Realm, and between their magic and the timeless Otherworld they rule, they are practically immortal.

"My father taught me that they are tyrants... oppressors who decide what is and is not acceptable based only on preserving their own grip on power. He said they conceal themselves and the magic world from mortals, all the while pulling strings from the shadows. 

"But there are other powers in the shadows - like the Dark Court, the master vampires who are ancient enemies of the Council and the Old Families and his allies in his Great Work to oppose them.

"My father presented me at the Dark Court and to his other allies among the shadows. I was his apprentice, his student, heir to his knowledge and power... his weapon against the Council. That's what he trained me to be. Not just a witch, but a soldier, a spy, a weapon in a secret war."

"Oh Etta," Demarco breathed.

"In the end, I threw it all away," Etta sighed. "I told you I seduced, betrayed and kidnapped a friend... all done on my father's orders. It was my first real mission in his shadow war. But I couldn't do it... I couldn't let him hand my friend over to the vampires, who would have killed her. I helped her escape and I turned myself over the justice of the Council I was raised to despise. They took my magic... and now I'm here."

"Oh Etta," Demarco repeated.

"Watching Freddie play... it reminds me of my mom sometimes," Etta sighed. "I miss her. I miss being young, an innocent and not knowing about any of this. Damn, there you go, I guess ... my dark secrets laid bare - the wicked life of Etta Blackwood, ex-witch and criminal."

"Hey, don't talk like that," Demarco said. "It sounds like your dad is a real piece of work. He messed you up but you're free of that now... and you've got me and Freddie. So let me tell you, Etta Blackwood, what you are is my friend."

"Etta, 'r'end!" Freddie agreed with a smile. 

"Thanks, Lux," Etta smiled sadly. 

Bad Moon Rising - Chapter 11

"We have to stop meeting like this," Etta joked. "People are starting to talk."

Demarco smiled. Since the night of the Starlights, she and Etta had taken to meeting up at Grimtooth's every couple of days. While she was settling in well with the Wildfangs, it was nice to have someone to talk to who wasn't in the middle of the whole werewolf thing. She got the feeling Etta was also happy to have someone talk to. If the other woman was still a little guarded, especially about her past, she was getting more relaxed.

"Let 'em talk," Demarco replied cheerfully.

"They aren't really," Etta said quickly. "Well... Lily says she's glad I'm getting out more. She stops just short of saying she's glad I'm making a friend, but I know that's what she means."

"Well, I'm glad too," Demarco smiled. "Don't start," she added as the troubled cloud passed over Etta's face. "Whatever happened in your past, we can be friends, you and me."

"Right," Etta said, but the shadow lingered in her eyes. 

"So, you made it through another full moon," Etta continued, changing the subject.

"Yeah," Demarco nodded. "I think I'm getting a handle on it... mostly. You know, it's kind of like a party thing... getting together with friends..."

"Getting naked, turning into animals," Etta put in.

"Well, parties can be like that sometimes," Demarco grinned.

"OK, what kind of parties do you go to?" Etta laughed.

"So," Demarco said when she'd finished laughing, "I've been wanting to ask - what do you do? During the full moon, I mean..."

"Well, I used to lock myself in my room," Etta said. "But these days, usually I babysit."

"Babysit?!" Demarco said, startled. She'd have been less surprised if Etta had admitted to running naked under the moon with the werewolves.

"What?" Etta looked sidelong at her, as if she knew what Demarco had been thinking. "The Moonrunners... I don't know if you've really met them. They're part of the Collective... have this kid, Freddie. I look after him sometimes, especially on full moon nights."

"I just have a hard time picturing you with kids, I guess," Demarco admitted. "You don't really have a 'kids' vibe."

"Surprised me too, actually," Etta replied. "I mean, it's not like I want kids of my own or anything, but Freddie's fun to hang with. We play and read stories and stuff..."

"So, it turns out you've got two friends," Demarco smiled.

"Yeah, I guess so," Etta looked a little surprised.

A companionable silence fell between the two women, each lost for a moment in their own thoughts and comfortable sitting together letting the other have a moment of quiet.

"So, there was something else I wanted to talk to you about," Demarco said at last, breaking the silence.

"Sure," Etta said. "What's wrong?"

"No, it's not..." Demarco started. "Ok, maybe it is..."

"It's Kiril," Demarco continued.

"Oh God, what did he do?" Etta sighed.

"You know how he is," Demarco said. "He's funny and even a little charming sometimes but..."

"He's always a little too close," Etta finished for her. "His little 'jokes' and innuendos. Something behind his eyes..."

"Yeah," Demarco said. "I know the whole 'werewolves mate for life' thing but..."

"Bullshit," Etta said. "The guy's been trying to get into my pants for ages. I'm not surprised he's trying to get into yours."

"Yes, thank you!" Demarco sighed. "Then the other morning..."

"... after this last full moon," she continued. "I was on my way back to the trailer, after getting dressed and everything and there he was... still full wolf, blocking my way. He looked... like he was hunting. For a minute, we just looked at each other and I... I wondered if he was going to... then Rory howled, calling us in, and he loped off. I don't know what would have happened if she hadn't howled."

"Yes, you do," Etta said. "Be careful with him, Lux. He's dangerous."

"Well, so am I," Demarco said firmly. "I just would have hated to shift so fast I ripped up this shirt. I like this shirt."

"Damn straight," Etta replied. 

"I gotta get back," Demarco said after a moment. "Rory's got me watching her latest batch of home-brew. Who knew werewolves brewed beer?"

"Werewolves have to pay bills just like everyone else," Etta said.

"Well, later," Demarco said, not quiet getting up yet.

"Demarco," Etta said quickly. "Thanks... it's good, having two friends."

Bad Moon Rising - Chapter 10

"Tell me again why I agreed to this," Rory muttered.

"Come on Rory, it's the new moon," Lou grinned. "It's as quiet a night as we ever get... the timing couldn't be better."

"But the Starlight Accolades? You really want to watch this?" Rory demanded.

"It'll be fun," Demarco chimed in.

"I give, I give," Rory laughed. 

"I wish the screen was bigger," Lou commented as they settled into the small cabin that was Grimtooth's 'media room' and held one of the few working TVs in Moonwood Mill.

"Well, we could always pop down to S-Mart and lift one of those big flatscreens," Bianca offered.

"Oh no," Rory said firmly. "I'm not having either of these guys trashing the trailer over a damn footie match. Not again!"

"Quiet, they're starting," Lou said, bouncing to his feet.

"Hey, down in front," Demarco laughed. "I didn't know you were this excited about the awards show, Lou."

"Lou has a crush on an actress," Bianca teased.

"Yes, he likes to see her in pretty dresses," Kiril smiled. "Me, I like to see all women in pretty dresses... especially pretty dresses that show lots of leg, have plunging neckline. Maybe we get lucky. Have wardrobe malfunction."

"What happened to 'wolves mate for life'?" Demarco asked.

"Is exception for celebrity," Kiril said. "Freebie five. Everyone knows this."

"Guys, quiet, would you," Lou said, but he was grinning.

"There she is," Rory grinned. "The great Cassie Goth - musician, singer, songwriter, actress..."

"Cassie and Gwen," Kiril leered. "Imagine being lucky guy sharing bed with those two."

"Keep talking buddy, and you're sleeping in the yard," Bianca snarled playfully.

"I actually met her once," Demarco said. "Got her autograph and everything."

"I keep missing my chance," Lou moaned theatrically.

"And I keep telling you, Jake can introduce you," Rory said.

"And I keep missing my chance," Lou repeated.

"I just want to get my hands on whatever potion she uses to stay young," Bianca said. "I don't care how many newt's eyes are in it. I wanna look that good when I'm almost fifty."

"High priced beauty products and professional make-up artists," Demarco said confidently.

"Potion of youth," Bianca insisted. "Probably got like newt's eyes, frog parts, virgin's blood... the whole deal."

"You know the whole 'Raven Witch' thing is a just a PR gimmick, right?" Demarco laughed. "I mean, she's not really a witch. Witches aren't real."

The pack of werewolves looked at Demarco in silence.

"Wait, are witches real?"

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A passionate debate whether or not Curse of the Pirate Queen really deserved a Starlight and the accuracy (or inaccuracy) of its depiction of vampires had devolved into banter between the couples. Being the only single in the pack, Demarco always felt a little left out when that happened. Kiril's humorous (she hoped) suggestion that the big bed he and Bianca shared had room for three wasn't tempting.

She was good with being single. She just didn't want to stick around when the couples got all couple-y.

"Demarco, hey," Etta wandered over from the converted bus that served as Grimtooth's bar. "Umm, can I join you."

"Sure," she smiled. "As long as you promise not to talk about Curse of the Pirate Queen or try to proposition me." 

"Deal," Etta chuckled.

"Look, I'm sorry I was such a bitch the other day," Etta said. 

"I was being nosy," Demarco replied. "I should have thought that maybe not everyone wants to share their life story. Hey, did you know witches are real?"

"Yeah, I did," Etta sighed. "Because I used to be one."

"I just stepped right in it, didn't I?" Demarco groaned. "Sorry!"

"It's OK," Etta said. "It's not like it I'm wearing my crushed pointy hat and carrying a broken broom."

"So..." Demarco started. "I have no idea what to say now."

"I misused my powers," Etta explained with a sigh. "I used magic to seduce, betray and kidnap someone who could have... should have... been my friend. Nearly got her killed. As punishment, the Council of Sages took my magic from me and exiled me.  The Collective gave me sanctuary. So, that's it..." [1]

"Ok... wow," Demarco replied. "I still have no idea what to say now."

"It's cool. I'll go," Etta said. "I just... you seem nice and I'm sorry for being a bitch."

"Kiril and Bianca used to rob service stations," Demarco burst out, "and they're my pack-mates."

"Ooooo'kay," Etta blinked.

"I'm saying, everyone has a past," Demarco said. "Doesn't mean we can't maybe be friends... unless you're planning on seducing, betraying, kidnapping or killing me. 'Cause then the whole friendship thing is a no go."

"Why?" Etta replied. "Not why can't we be friends if I'm going to betray you... that's pretty obvious. But what do you want to be friends at all."

"I don't know," Demarco replied. "I guess I just want to get to know you a little better."

"Look, I'm not into dating right now," Etta said firmly.

"Cool," Demarco said quickly. "I didn't mean... I mean.... Look, can we start again? Hi, I'm Lux Demarco."

"Etta Blackwood. Nice to meet you."

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[1] Wyrd Girls, Book 2, Part 4, starting here

Bad Moon Rising - Chapter 9

To Demarco's surprise, it turned out Moonwood Mill had a library - converted from an abandoned factory and with a respectable collection of books. She was actually more surprised to discover that Lou played chess.

The library computers might be the finest in thirty-year-old technology, but at least they could connect to the internet (after a fashion). It wasn't like Moonwood Mill had WiFi anyway. Demarco could barely get a cell phone signal up here. 

The head librarian was a friendly older gentleman named Wolfgang. (Demarco was immediately reminded of a line from an old Spiderman movie she'd seen - "Guy named Otto Octavius winds up with eight limbs... What are the odds?")

"It's amazing what you've done here," Demarco told him.

"Well thank you," Wolfgang replied. "I'm glad you appreciate it. Members of the community have given a lot of time and energy to make it what it is. Even Rory helped, by setting up a gymnasium in the back."

"Plus, you've got a great collection of werewolf folklore and fiction," Demarco added. "I guess that shouldn't be a surprise."

Wolfgang laughed. "Well, it's subject many of us here are passionate about... and a topic I've been researching for years. Also, there is a little 'cheating' in putting together the fiction collection. It's mostly publisher proofs of my own books."

"You wrote some these?" Demarco asked. 

"Yes," Wolfgang said. "In part I'm trying to provide some guidance to new werewolves, sneaking enough truth into the fiction to hopefully help those who don't have a pack to guide them. I'm also trying to encourage the idea of the 'friendly neighborhood werewolf' in popular culture. It will take some work, I know. The vampires have spent decades using the media to push the view that werewolves are mindless, savage beasts."

"Wow, that's really cool," Demarco said. "Wait, vampires? Vampires are real?"

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"Hey," Amid the surprising number of locals in the library, Demarco recognized a somewhat familiar face. "It's... Betty, was it?"

"Etta," the young woman replied stiffly.

"Right, sorry," Demarco winced. "When we met, I was kinda..."

"Semi-conscious, feverish, and generally going through a lot," Etta supplied.

"Yeah," Demarco said weakly. "Anyway... sit with me? Please."

"I wanted to thank you, and ask you to thank Lily for me," Demarco said, as Etta joined her on the couch. "You guys took really good care of me while I was... you know... and I just ran out on you. I feel bad about that."

"I'm just glad it worked out for you," Etta replied, "and don't feel bad. I'm the one who's sorry... I should have done more to try and stop you from running off, but frankly getting in the way of a cranky werewolf - or even soon-to-be werewolf - isn't something I'm very comfortable doing."

"Yeah. No, I totally get that," Demarco nodded, "and, like you said, it worked out fine. So, thank you."

"Anyway, we never really got introduced," she continued. "I'm Lux Demarco. Everyone just calls me Demarco."

"Claudette Blackwood," Etta said, a little coolly, "but everyone here calls me Etta."

"So," Demarco added quietly, "you're a werewolf too."

"No," Etta said shortly. 

"Oh, I thought..." Demarco started.

"Listen, Ms. Demarco," Etta said. "I'm glad things worked out for you, and I'll be sure to pass your thanks along to Lily. I'm just not looking to share my dark secrets with a stranger today. I know you're just trying to be friendly, and you seem like a nice person. So, let me give you some advice - you don't want to be my friend. It just ends badly."

"It's just Demarco," she said to Etta's departing back.

Bad Moon Rising - Chapter 8

"Let's do this," Demarco said confidently.

Rory took a deep breath, releasing it slowly. "Feel your Power... your Fury. It's like an ocean, surging inside you. Some werewolves are afraid of it. They try to stay out of the water... until the full moon's tide drags them down. Some werewolves - like Greg - are drowning in it. I'm teaching you how to swim!"  

Rory shifted and Demarco shifted with her. The Fury of the wolf flowed through her, twisting her limbs, reshaping her body into an expression of that power.

With a wild howl, she hurled herself at the Wolf-that-was-Rory, testing her strength against another. It was play. It was sport. It was battle. This was what it felt like, to be alive!

There were no words... the Wolf did not have words... but Rory's approval was clear.

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"You're doing really well," Rory said later at Grimtooth's. "You've got control of the Change already. A lot of whelps struggle with that."

"I'm naturally gifted," Demarco grinned. "Plus, I've got a good teacher."

"Damn straight," Rory grinned back, "but you're right about being a natural. You're not fighting it... you accept it and work with it. I've seen others struggle with that."

"Did you?" Demarco asked. 

In the couple of weeks since leaving the Harbor, Demarco had lived and trained with Rory and the others - the Wildfangs, Rory called them. Her pack. Demarco's pack now. In those weeks Rory hadn't shown her introspective side often, and Demarco was curious about this fierce, powerful woman who had so effortlessly become her mentor, big sister and friend.

"You want to know my story, huh?" Rory said, with her usual insight. "I was an ordinary kid, in an ordinary family... until I wasn't. Most of us are bitten, like you... but the Fury is in your blood now. You can pass it on and not just in the bite. The Fury passes through families... to kids. Sometimes it skips a generation or two. If you thought puberty was bad, imagine getting hit with hormones, your period and lycanthropy."

"Pass," Demarco said earnestly.

"Anyway, I couldn't really explain to my folks how the living room got trashed," Rory continued. "They couldn't deal... so I split. Headed out into the woods. It just felt right. Managed it for a little while too... I always liked camping. That's where Kristopher found me."

"Kristopher?' Demarco mused. "I think I met him, that first night... but it's all a little fuzzy... no pun intended."

"Heh, yeah if Lily found you, she would have introduced you," Rory said, then bitterly added, half to herself, "Assuming he was around. He hasn't been lately... 

"Anyway, Kristopher is the big deal around here," Rory continued. "He's the leader of the Collective - the largest pack in the Moonwood Mill. In a real way, he's the leader of us all... the biggest, baddest werewolf, except maybe Greg."

"I wondered about other packs," Demarco admitted.

"Most are small, especially outside Moonwood Mill," Rory said. "Usually just mates and their kids... like my brother, Jake, and his wife."

"You have a brother?" 

"Adopted," Rory said. "Kristopher found him and took him in, a few years after he took me in. He taught us, like I'm teaching you. Makes us family."

Demarco considered the look on Rory's face for a moment. "I don't get along with my dad either."

Rory laughed, "What I was saying before, about werewolves who are afraid of their power... Kristopher is like that. He has so much strength... so much... and he won't touch it. We shouldn't spend our lives being afraid of who we are."

"No, we shouldn't," Demarco agreed.

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"So, can I ask you guys what your story is?" Demarco asked.

In the beat-up old double-wide trailer in the woods that had become her home with the Wildfangs, Demarco sat with Kiril and Bianca. After she'd talked to Rory the other day, Lou had told her about how he'd gotten bitten by Greg while trying to impress a girl who, he said, had been really into werewolves. It had made her wonder about her other two fellow pack members... 

"Of course," Kiril replied in his broad, Slavic accent. "I love telling this story."

"He really does," Bianca drawled, her own accent pure Willow Creek. 

"So, I am a visiting a friend in Willow Creek and there I meet the love of my life," Kiril started.

"I think she wants to hear about how we became werewolves," Bianca put in.

"I am getting to that," Kiril smiled. "A good story needs context, background, to understand the people... Where was I?"

"Meeting the love of your life," Demarco smiled.

"Yes!" Kiril said passionately. "Our eyes meet and, in that moment, we both know there is no one else for us in the world. Nothing could keep us apart..."

"Except the cops," Bianca put in.

"If that bastard hadn't rolled on me, they never could have convicted. Car theft, pah," Kiril said. "But true love endures... Two years later I am paroled. She is waiting for me."

"Forever, baby," Bianca smiled.

"So, is nothing for us in Willow Creek. We hit the road!" Kiril continued. "Was going good too... until... We are on the highway, just outside of Evergreen Harbor. We are almost out of gas, of food, of drink... and completely out of cash. So, we find a service station... ummm, what was it?"

"Gas N' Gulp," Bianca said. "We go in... Kiril tells the cashier to empty the register while I pick up some food for the road."

"Wait... you knocked over the Gas N' Gulp?!" Demarco gasped.

"What, you think we rob banks?" Kiril said. "Service station is easier. No guards."

"I shop at that Gas N' Gulp," Demarco muttered.

"Is nice place," Kiril smiled. 

"So," Kiril continued, "I am getting money from register. Bianca is getting food... and there is this old wino, talking to himself. Off his head. Won't get down like everyone else. My beautiful Bianca, she goes to tell him to shut up... then all Hell break loose. Instead of crazy wino, there is huge monster! My Bianca, she is screaming. I run to help but I cannot get a clear shot... then monster is attacking me. Bang, Bang, Bang. I shoot him... and he runs off! 

"We're all beat up and bloody and the sirens are coming... bastard cashier hit the alarm... so we run," Kiril shrugged. "We go to this old cabin I know, up on the mountains. Safe place... Rory, she finds us there. Now we are werewolf.

"It is good, being werewolf," Kiril concluded. "We are strong. We are fierce. We can feared. Only problem, Rory will not let us become wolf to knock over any more service stations. Attracts wrong kind of attention, she says."

"Well, there were those guys in the black suits and dark glasses," Bianca said.

"That was one time," Kiril insisted.

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Alright, Demarco thought, maybe Kiril and Bianca wouldn't have been her first choice for roommates back in Evergreen Harbor. Still, everyone had a past and it wasn't like they were robbing service stations anymore... that she knew of.

On the whole, life with the Wildfangs was pretty good. In a lot of ways, it wasn't that different from her old life. Mostly they'd hang out and listen to music... there was no TV in the double-wide. Rory said it had gotten smashed after Lou got "overstimulated" watching a footie match and she refused to replace it.

Still, Demarco knew she had a lot to learn about her new life. It wasn't like there was a manual about how to be a werewolf. 

"An Insider's Guide to Being a Werewolf," she chuckled. "Yeah, right... this is... surprisingly accurate. Wait, someone wrote a manual about how to be a werewolf? Hey, Rory..."