Walking along the trail the next moonrise with Silas was awkward and the conversation was forced. The light spilled out over the lightly forested countryside and even cast our shadows out before us as we clipped along in silence, giving up with the talk and concentrating on making distance. The lovemaking we shared that morning weighed heavily upon my mind and I was still trying to sort it out, and the implications were myriad and confusing.
Here I was, a small furry humanlike canine with a voluptuous figure and a sizable male member…walking along a moonlit trail with a tall, slender nobleman who just happened to be a vampire. It was like a scene from some anime film from Japan.
My name’s Phaedrah...Phae for short. And this realm into which I found myself cast has held many surprises. Some were pleasant, others not so pleasant. But after waking up in the middle of the forest a week ago I have learned to adapt. The first and biggest blow to my shaky sanity was finding myself in a body that defied all normal conditions in nature. It is half-human, half dog, and more interestingly, a hermaphrodite. It is a far removal from the mundane life of a computer programmer and all around normal guy that I used to lead, to be sure. But I digress, and right now I was trying to figure out why I kept wagging my tail and pricking my ears up at Silas each time he looked at me with those burning yellow eyes of his.
“You don’t have to be embarrassed, little one. What happened between us is our secret. No one will know, for it is of no one else’s concern.” He spoke softly to me as we rested by the wayside of the trail, supping on hard bread and jerky.
“What makes you think I care if anyone knows, Silas. It was a wonderful experience, but one that I never dreamed would happen.” I added a note of petulance to my voice as I gnawed at a crust and then blinked at him. His lack of a reply goaded me.
“Why do you eat regular food, anyway? I thought vampires only fed on fresh blood?.” I did a little goading of my own.
“Oh, there is plenty of that in the bread, Phae.” he said.
I sputtered and threw the crust from me, looking at him horrified disgust. He laughed merrily and reached for me, taking my forepaw and holding it in his delicate hand.
“I’m sorry, little one. My sense of humor sometimes makes me cruel. I was only jesting about the bread. I get the blood I need from this.” He held up a wineskin for me to see.
“ And that is full of b-blood? Whose?” I shuddered to think.
“ No, little furball. This is Bloodwyne, a vintage developed by my ancestors that gives my kind the sustenance we need, without the loss of life to our subjects and friends. My people have become rather proficient at genetics and breeding.” He took a sip and tucked the wineskin back into his cloak. I felt like a supreme idiot and refused to answer his gentle smile with one of my own. His gaze pierced me and held me fast.
“ You still look at me with disgust, little one.” His tone was mournful.