the turning

disclaimer: this story is from at least two years ago, when i became a lycan in the bloodlines system

"lay down, coyote."

the words were spoken softly, with love. she lay down willingly on the soft bed that was sitting in the room, more of a day bed for cuddling in than anything else. she was wearing a simple toga-like shift on her body, long black hair spilling across the pillows. her blue-violet eyes were large and trusting as she looked up at iolanthe and ezee, and they smiled back at her. "are you sure you want this?" iolanthe asked quietly, and coyote nodded. as she narrowed her eyes, coyote gulped in response and then said out loud, "i consent." they both nodded down to their wildling then, and ezee moved to the other side of the bed. "this will hurt ye, lass. but i promise the pain will pass sooner than later," he murmured, stroking a few errant strands off coyote's forehead.

she smiled at him, and took a slow, deep breath. out of the corner of her eye, she spotted the spike glinting in the moonlight coming through the windows behind the pillows. turning her head towards it, she barely had time to register its length before it was plunged into her body. the pain was immediate, and she cried out. clamping her eyes shut, she felt arms restraining her as she arched upward then sagged into the sheets. whimpers fell from her lips as she felt the metal being removed, wincing as the metal scraped her ribs before disappearing. her life's blood began to flow out of the wound, and through the haze of agony she felt a pair of lips press against her skin and begin to drink. a soft moan of pain sighed from her, and a hand caressed her cheek comfortingly. coyote could hear her heart pounding in her ears, and slowly she heard the pulse start to fade. in an attempt to open her eyes, the room spun crazily then faded to black as she gasped for one last breath.

"....ote..."
"...yote.."
"..coyote.."
"wake up.."

slowly, she opened her eyes. barely hearing the sound of her heartbeat in her ears, she blearily looked over at iolanthe. it took several moments for her to notice that a large paw with huge claws was there instead of the fae woman's normal hands, and coyote made a small sound of curiosity. as if waiting for that moment, the paw then reached out over her belly, and it was gently drawn across; breaking the skin and causing red welts to appear. in comparison to the spike the pain was nothing, and she almost didn't notice it. coyote sucked in a quick breath, finding it hard to concentrate on anything. as the paw lifted away, coyote felt a slight breeze brush against the wounds and she shivered a little against the suddenly icy sheets. she didn't understand why everything was so cold, but that was forgotten as her heart abruptly stopped.

it then pumped once, hard. her eyes widened, and she made a strangled sound in her throat. four sets of hands descended on her as her body began to shake and writhe violently, her heart suddenly beating much faster and stronger now. coyote couldn't help keening with the pain of her muscles rippling and changing, fur sprouting into being then fading away all over her body. her ears lengthened into points, and she felt her canines lengthen into fangs, then retreat back into her gums. she croaked in fear as her face snapped and broke forward into a muzzle, then painfully retracted back into her normal features. her eyes shimmered gold, bright with the light of the moon as it settled within her into a luminous glow. after a few blinks the gold shifted back to her normal irises of blue mixed with violet.

a few shaky testing breaths, and coyote found herself feeling normal again. well, as normal as one felt with a super moon in the sky, all but obliterating the stars. as she sat up, her eyes sparkled with mischief and she let out a howl. her song was musical as she greeted the moon with her new pipes, and she sang of her love for the people who had helped turn her. as the howl fell away she looked to the vampire and the faerie who were watching her with mirrored expressions on their faces. she smiled at them, a new-found radiance in her face. "thank you," she said simply, then exploded into the light of the moon and trotted out the doors in her furry form. the moon sparkled off of her tawny fur, hinting at the new changes within her as she set out to find what was new in this world.