I'm submitting this story to Novels and Novellas because it is long but it could just as easily be in Sci-Fi and Fantasy or even Erotic Horror, especially this first part. I have a lot finished so I should be submitting chapters weekly. Enjoy!
T.
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Chapter 1
Vera loped through the muggy midsummer woods. The sun was setting and the low orange rays seemed to set the edges of every leaf on fire. Vera picked up the pace, feeling her long legs stretch and her claws dig into the soft earth, shredding years of dead leaves. She inhaled the scents of the coming night and turned her path towards the town. She was fairly certain it was a Friday; she's been a wolf too long. Tonight Vera wanted to wear her human skin again. She wanted to have some fun.
The world was turning from orange sunset to blue twilight when she reached the outskirts of the town. Vera changed beneath the trees; she stretched luxuriously, exulting in the feel of her human body after so many days as a wolf. She slunk, naked into the back yard of a likely looking house. She could see the family sitting around their dinner table inside as she snatched some clothes off the wash line. She donned a pair of cutoff shorts, a little big for her, they rode low on her hips, and a black tank top. Shoes were always the hardest part. She scanned the back porch but didn't see any shoes. It was summer; maybe she could get away with it.
Vera crept past the house and onto the sidewalk. Standing under the orange glow of a streetlamp she raised her face to the hot breeze and inhaled. To the west she sensed the likely smells of cheap beer, sweat and cigarette smoke. Perfect. She sauntered towards the bar, combing her fingers through her thick brown hair. It was getting long now, almost to her waist in the back. Vera's blood sang with excitement and she broke into a run, just to feel the wind against her skin. Her feet gripped the rough concrete of the sidewalk and her human legs were just as strong as those of her wolf form.
When Vera reached the bar her skin was covered in a fine sheen of sweat and she was grinning with excitement and anticipation. This night was hers. She swung open the door of the grimy little bar and strode inside, tugging down the front of her shirt to expose the tops of her firm, tanned breasts. She paused inside the door, surveying the dim interior; Friday night for sure. The place was full, for such a small town. Groups of older people sat around tables while young folks crowded around the bar. The girls tarted up and preening, reeking of hairspray and perfume, the men sipping beers and trying to look tall.
Vera's lip curled in a smirk as she swaggered to the bar. Eyes turned to follow her and she waited for someone to buy her a drink. She flashed her teeth in a smile at a dark haired young man by the bar and he obliged her by turning away from the furious girl he'd been talking to and asking Vera if she wanted a drink. She nodded and leaned against the bar while they waited for her beer. The young man kept stealing glances at her skimpy outfit. She could smell his excitement and it thrilled her. This was way too easy.
He handed her a slick plastic cup and Vera took a sip, savoring the cool, bubbly liquid. She smiled again, "Thanks," her voice came out as a low growl; she hadn't used it in days. The boy didn't seem to mind. He introduced himself and chatted at her as Vera scanned the room for something better but she was disappointed. This one would have to do. She drained the rest of her beer and felt a familiar lightness in her head, fluidity in her joints. She hadn't eaten recently and she could feel the alcohol already.
She interrupted a story the young man was telling by snagging the front of his shirt with her finger and pulling him close. She stood on her bare tiptoes to whisper in his ear, "You wanna go outside?" she held his surprised blue eyes with her dark brown ones and she could almost feel his arousal. He nodded, dumbly, and allowed himself to be led out of the bar.
Vera felt better outside. She walked around the bar into a wooded area, out of sight. The air was thick with moisture and smells. She could hear crickets and cicadas, frogs croaked somewhere nearby. Vera sank down onto the ground and lay back, stretching. The boy seemed reluctant to join her; perhaps he didn't want to get his Friday night shirt dirty.
She smiled at him and pulled her tank top over her head in one fluid motion, her full breasts bouncing free. The young man watched, mesmerized and sank down beside her. Vera grinned and wrapped her arms around him, eagerly capturing his mouth with her own. She felt amazing. She liked the taste of him, the feeling of his warm hands on her waist. She wriggled closer pressing her chest against him. She was aware of another hunger, below her empty belly. She hadn't been with a man in a long time either.
Vera unbuttoned the young man's shirt and ran her hands over his chest. His skin was smooth and warm and suddenly she couldn't wait to have him. He was touching her, tentatively, meekly. It made her angry but she needed something from him now. Resisting the urge to grow her claws and rip his clothes from his body, she deftly unbuttoned the young man's jeans, letting his hard cock spring out. Wriggling out of her shorts and tossing them away, Vera straddled the man again, coaxing his hot flesh into her very ready opening.
He was making some noises about a condom but she blocked his mouth with her own, savoring the taste of him, beer and something else, something sweet and human. She rode him, slowly at first, gripping him with her muscles and soon he was kissing her, pawing at her breasts with his soft palms. Vera broke the kiss and looked down at her human lover. His eyes were glazed over with lust and his mouth hung open, pink and wet. She could feel herself getting close, her breathing came hard and fast, as though she had been running all night. She leaned back, feeling his cock stroking deep inside her, over and over. She let out a soft moan, almost there. She knew what she needed to get her over the edge. She leaned her head back, and a howl ripped itself from her lengthening jaws. She savored the slight pain as her teeth grew and her tufted ears poked through her brown hair. The young man thrust himself to his own release inside her, eyes clenched shut.
The young man hadn't been the worst lay of her life; Vera decided to make his death quick and painless. A strong snap of her jaws to the back of his neck when he turned around to pick up his shirt. He never even knew it was happening. Vera transformed the rest of the way as she fed, gorging herself on the warm, rich meat. When she could hold no more the young man's body was a red ruin of bones and flesh on the forest floor. She licked the blood from her chops with a long tongue and sauntered off into the nighttime woods.
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Vera knew she needed to put distance between herself and the kill. When the young man's body was discovered it wouldn't be long before the villagers dusted off their torches and pitchforks and took to the woods, hunting the beast. She didn't feel safe staying in her human form either, in case someone from the bar remembered her. The residents of small towns have a habit of noticing strangers.
After half an hour Vera's run had turned to a lope, then to a walk. Her full belly was slowing her down; she needed sleep. Coming up on an isolated farm, Vera curled up in a shed to sleep off her meal before getting out of town. She slept for longer than she had intended and awoke in the chill grey light of early morning to the sounds of shouting and feet crunching through the undergrowth. She nosed open the shed door and slunk into the gloom in her wolf skin. She scented the searchers heading her way from the direction of the town. She took off in the opposite direction, a dark shadow streaking through the silent farmyard.
A motion-activated security light on a building blazed to life as Vera ran past, illumination her and casting a hulking shadow on the building opposite. She heard shouts as the searchers spotted her. She dug her claws in and ran harder, she could outrun any human in her wolf skin. Vera was confused by the roaring of an engine gaining on her. Quads, she realized, dodging to the right as the lights on the vehicle hit her face, disorienting her and ruining her night vision.
Vera found a patch of woods and dove into its sheltering darkness with relief. The woods were only a strip, though, and she broke through the other side only to be met by the roar and light of another quad. A gunshot rang out behind her and Vera changed direction again, confused and disoriented. Dodging the quad she jumped a low wall. Soaring over the wall Vera was blinded by lights once more. The car collided with Vera the wolf but she hit the pavement in her human form. Instinct told her stay an animal, her stronger form, but experience had taught her that humans were more likely to help a naked girl than a giant wolf.
She slammed into the pavement hard, scraping the skin off her shoulder and hip. Vera lay still, trying to catch the breath that had been knocked out of her. She felt a bruise forming where the car had impacted her side but nothing seemed broken. A pair of red converse sneakers ran into Vera's view and then a young man's face was looking into hers.
"Oh God. Oh my God. Are you...are you OK?"
