Is the Moon Lonely Tonight

by James Layton

Prologue

Ariel eased back into the comfortable softness that was the passenger seat. The ride to school in her mother's car was a dull and often done thing. Ariel knew that the day ahead would be equally boring. Sure she had friends at school that she could hang around with but that's all it was, just "hanging-around". They didn't feel like real friends to her and she always felt like an outsider. That was pretty much Ariel's life, false friendship and love. The only person she felt she could really relate to was her mother.

Ariel looked across to the woman in the driver's seat. Her mother aged at thirty (only twice that of Ariel) was a very beautiful woman. She wore a silk blouse that clung to her woman's breasts and a blue skirt. The colour of the skirt often reminded Ariel of the sea. Ariel hoped that one day she could be like the person next to her. She could never imagine having a child at the age she was now, that was an experience her mother lay sole claim to.

Ariel's admiration of her mother was interrupted by the sound of her mother's beautiful voice. "Come on, we're here. Time to get into all that hard studying." Without saying a word Ariel smiled (an action quickly mimicked by her mother), kissed her on her soft face and then got out of the car and headed into the main quad.

Further up ahead, Ariel could see the backs of her friends as they walked towards the main building. "Hey, wait up guys!" Ariel called out across the quad. She quickened her pace to catch up with them. "Wait a moment" she repeated.

"Go away Ariel" Stephanie said in a cruel tone.

"Yeah, Ariel leave us alone" said Jennifer leaping to Stephanie's side.

Ariel didn't know what to say. Not only had her friends just told her to go away but they had done so with out even turning around to say it to her face. "I don't understand" said Ariel, a faint quiver in her voice.

"We don't want you following us around any more, we don't like you". The words bit in and Ariel could feel the tears brimming on her eyes.

"Don't you get it, you're not part of the pack!"

With that said the girls suddenly spun around. Gone were their pretty faces, replaced with horrific, inhuman wolf heads with sharp teeth. They reached out for Ariel their hands now ending in long claws dripping with blood.

Ariel screamed...

Part 1: The Beginning

Ariel awakened screaming. She soon realised that it had just been a dream. This realisation was quickly followed by the realisations that she was cold, it was dark and she was wearing very little. She sat up to survey her surroundings. She was on the beach, sitting on a towel. She looked down and realised that she was wearing only a white one- piece swim suit. The strangest thing was it was the middle of the night. No one else was around.

As the horrid memories of the dream drifted away, the realisation of what was going on dawned upon Ariel. She had come to the beach around three o'clock in the afternoon to get a bit of sun. She always wore a one-piece as she didn't like showing off any of her body. She must have fallen asleep.

Ariel looked up at the night sky. The moon was full and it's light bathed the beach in an eerie glow. She found herself staring at the silver sphere for a while as she had done many times before. She looked at the stars in the sky and thought to herself. *It looks like the stars are so close to the moon when in reality they're billions of light years away. I wonder if the moon is lonely tonight?*. Ariel found it hard to believe that anyone, or anything, could be lonelier than her. Still, she realised that she still had her mother.

Taking her glance away from the dark sky she began looking around for her things. "Shit!" she exclaimed out loud. Some asshole had stolen her walled and her clothes. What sort of a low life does that. Now she couldn't even afford a cab home. She would have to walk it. In what? A swim suit and a towel?. Still, she had little choice. She stood up and wrapped that towel round her waist and began the long trudge home.

As Ariel walked through the empty night streets she began to quiver. She tried to convince herself it was because it was cold but inside she knew that it was really fear. As she stalked slowly past the unlit windows of house and past the dark alleys, she could feel the eyes of millions upon her young body. Never had Ariel felt so alone yet so surrounded at the same time.

By the time Ariel got home she was sobbing heavily. With shaky hands she rang the doorbell. A few moments later her mother opened the door and Ariel just fell against her and began to cry.

Ariel's mother knew something had upset her daughter a lot but it was quite obvious she was to upset to talk about it at the moment. Carefully, she helped Ariel up the stairs and into her bedroom. She striped her daughter down and then helped her into her nightie and then into bed. Ariel slept as soon as her head hit the pillow.

The next morning, Ariel woke with a start. Something felt wrong in her biological clock. She leaned across and checked the clock-radio. 8:42 was the time. Shit she thought. Because her mother had put her to bed last night, she hadn't turned on the alarm. She knew she was going to be late for school.

Quickly, Ariel sprang out of bed and began her usual morning ritual (at about twice the speed). When she got down stairs, she found her mother standing there holding out a plate of breakfast. "I'm sorry, I'm late, I don't have time," protested Ariel.

"It's ok, I'll give you a lift to school".

Ariel took a moment to calm down and then sat down and began eating her morning meal. She felt her mothers dexterous hands begin to gently massage her shoulders. "Do you want to talk about what happened last night?" she asked. In the confusion of being late, Ariel had pretty much forgotten about what transpired the previous night.

"No, it was nothing really, I just got a little scared. Come on, we better go." With that Ariel and her mother went out to the car and began the drive to school.

Sitting in the car, Ariel began to think about her dream. She quickly looked across at her mother. Green dress, good thought Ariel. Soon the car pulled up at the school gates.

"I love you," said Ariel's mother kissing her daughter on the side of the face. Ariel just smiled and got out.

The school day had already begun so Ariel hurried to her first class. She went in and sat next to Stephanie.

The class was dull but during the lesson, Stephanie handed Ariel a note. Ariel examined the piece of paper and found that it was an invitation to a party that night. Ariel looked across to Stephanie and nodded.

During second period, an announcement was made for Ariel to come to the principal's office. She went in past the secretary and into the large room she seldom visited. Mr Burrows' office was covered in school memorabilia and awards. Mr Burrows himself sat in his high chair on the other side of his desk, a solemn look on his face. Also in the room were two police officers, a man and a woman, each with equally solemn faces. "Are you Miss Ariel Wolfe?" asked the male officer. Ariel wasn't sure what was going on so she merely nodded. "Miss Wolfe, we're afraid that there's been an accident. Your mother's car was involved in an accident on the way from this school to your home." Ariel was speechless, she moved her mouth, trying to form words but all that came out were a series of short, quite sounds. The officer continued "I sorry, your mother didn't survive. We've contacted your father and he'll be here soon to pick you up. Miss Wolfe, I am...". She didn't listen to the rest of his words. She had already buried her head into the breast of the female officer and was crying, deep, painful tears. She knew that the one thing that gave her life meaning was now gone.

Part 2: The Call of the Wild

The next few weeks were the hardest. Ariel spent the first three days alone in her room crying. Her father told her that he couldn't not go to work as his work was too important and so he was there very little. Ariel sank to new depths of loneliness. About three weeks after the accident, Ariel's father explained that his company wanted him to move to a small town down south. He would become the company's chief representative in the area. Ariel wasn't sure about moving at first but then she realised that it was just one of the steps in moving on. And so, a week later they had sold the house and had packed up the car ready to leave.

Ariel looked out the window of the sedan at the house that had been her home her entire life. Tears of sadness once again came to her eyes. The drive was long and hot and boring. It took about eight hours to arrive at the new town. Her father had to drive the entire way and by the time they arrived it was pretty obvious he was tired.

The car pulled up in front of their new home. It was late and the darkness coupled with the fact that the house was old and had no lights on sort of gave Ariel the "haunted house" impression. She helped her father carry the luggage over the threshold and then he begun turning all of the lights on. The house was quite nice inside, a bit old. Her father's company had supplied them with furniture and all that was required was their own personal touch. However, there was time for all that tomorrow, right now, Ariel just wanted to sleep. She went up to her room and slid into her nightie and settled down for a long rest.

That night Ariel was woken by a sound out in the forest. She could hear wolves howling. She got up out of bed and went to her window. Opening it, she pushed her head forward to try and hear the sound better. The sound echoed through her soul. The howling had the same sort of sadness and loneliness that she felt in it. The sound touched something deep within her. She felt a primal feeling come over her body and she began to feel her crouch getting wet.

Not knowing if she was fully in control of her body she removed her nightie bearing her naked body on the verge of woman-hood for all to see. However, the only eyes cast upon her were the moon's. Did it feel her sorrow too? Was it lonely tonight?

Slowly she slid over the window still and perched on the roofing for the next floor. She made her way silently across the tiles to the edge and eased herself to the ground. Not caring if anyone saw her naked form she began moving through the town towards the forest, towards the wolves, towards her kin.

As she began to move through the forest she began to feel at home. Soon she came upon the clearing where the wolves were. There were five of them, big wolves, although she wasn't afraid. She knelt beside the Alpha. She could smell that he was the Alpha. Again she felt a strange primal feeling in her soul. Her body rippled with pleasure and again she became wet. The male wolf began sniffing her. She could smell that she was omitting an aroma. Something in her mind told her that this was a smell humans could not make. She eased down onto all fours and begun to nussle the male with her face. A strange feeling came over her body and she felt as though her proportions shifted. She was more comfortable on all fours now. And she could see the moon with a clear "mystic" vision. She felt warm in her coat of fur. She felt the male mount her. She stiffened her body waiting for him to enter. His claws clamped onto her back and he gently dug his teeth into her neck. Suddenly she felt him enter her. A sheer ecstasy filled her body. She closed her eyes and gave into the sensations her body was feeling. Soon, when she felt like she could not take any more pleasure, he exploded inside of her. He collapsed back and began panting. She walked over to him and licked his face. Something inside her told her that she felt more than just animal desire for this wolf, she felt love. And she knew he felt it too. She would be his forever. She lay down against him. She could feel his warm body against her. Happy, for the first time in a while, she settled down to sleep again.

Part 3: The Change

Ariel awoke the next morning. She looked around and saw that she was lying in her bed. She examined her body and found that she was just a normal person. Then she noticed something strange, her nightie was on the floor by the window and the window hung open. She closed the window and picked up her nightie and slipped it on. *It can't have been real could it? she thought to herself, no, I must have been sleep walking*. Still, Ariel could not deny that she felt a strange, good feeling from within. She decided that it must have been a dream, all be it at very nice dream.

Ariel wandered down the steps into the main room. She spotted a note on the table. She picked up and began to read. It was from her father and it said that he had gone to begin familiarising himself with the local towns and the people who he would be doing business with and that he wouldn't be home for about a week. Ariel sighed a sort of "typical" sigh and began making her breakfast.

Once she had finished, she began looking for a box to open first. She found just the one. She carried the box right upstairs to the attic. She had refused to allow her father to throw away any of her mother's clothes. She began to unpack the clothes into neat piles. As she was doing this she spotted something very useful behind a few pieces of junk. A bust on a pole, the sort they use in shop windows. She pulled it out and stood it up. She had the perfect garment for this.

Her mother's wedding dress fit perfectly. She stood back to admire her handy work. Suddenly she felt a deep longing and she went over and removed the dress from the bust. She rubbed the silky material against the skin of her face. She couldn't help herself, she slid out of her own clothes and into the dress, veil and all. She then walked over to the dusty mirror and took a look at herself. It was amazing how much she looked like her mother.

Suddenly, she felt a sick feeling in her stomach she began to run downstairs. Suddenly she tripped on the hem of the dress and went sprawling, she quickly picked herself up and ran into the bathroom. She was vomiting for about a minute before she couldn't bring anything else up. She stood up wiped her mouth and surveyed the damage. The dress was torn in a few places from the fall this upset her a lot. There were also some stains on the dress from where she had missed the toilet. Also, her harsh fall had ripped a nice long cut in her right forearm.

She quickly got out of the ruined dress and into her old clothes. She examined the cut on her arm, it hurt like hell. She began to wrap a bandage around it when she noticed that hair was growing out of the wound. She looked closer and realised it wasn't hair at all but fur. At this revelation, she panicked. She ran into her room screaming and threw herself on her bed and began to cry. What was happening to her. When she finally came to her senses she went over to her mirror and striped to examine her body. The cut on her arm was now a patch of grey-black fur with some speckles of brown she could see that the rest of her body was beginning to grow fur. Her eyes were becoming inhuman, lupine eyes. She noticed that her breasts were shrinking and that she had four small moles on her chest. No not moles, teats. Her ass, fingers and toes hurt like hell. She went to wipe the tears away from her face and realised that her palms felt rough and leathery. *What is happening to me* she thought to herself.

"You're changing into a wolf" said a familiar voice from behind her. Ariel spun around and saw that her mother was standing behind her. She was wearing a long white dress and seemed to be glowing with an unearthly light. Ariel's mother put a hand on her daughters still forming muzzle. "Don't be afraid Ariel, you'll be complete soon. You don't understand do you. I was like you, I learned that I could change my form to that of a wolf at will. I was going to teach you but then my life was taken by an accident. The reason that the change is being forced on you now is because you a pregnant. Your human body simple would not be able to hold wolf pups. It is for the best."

Ariel thought about what her mother had just said. Last night had happened and now she was pregnant with her lover's pups. She felt a joy come over her. Her mother continued, "you should go now and join the rest of your pack, you won't be lonely any more. In a couple of months after you have had your litter you will be able to change yourself back as you please.

"But what if I want to stay a wolf?" Ariel tried to ask but all that came out were a series of yips and whines.

"Then you may. But remember, the longer you stay a wolf the more like a wolf you become, the only way to return your human mind is to become human again, even if just for a short time. I love you my daughter." With her final words said, Ariel's mother faded away.

Ariel hadn't been paying much attention to her body. She turned around and examined the mirror. She looked like a bipedal, human sized wolf. She had a full coat of fur, her face was that of a wolf, her breasts had completely disappeared and her hands and feet were all but paws. Suddenly she fell forward onto all fours, she turned her head and noticed that her legs were now a wolf's hind legs and that she had a long tale. She turned back to the mirror. It was done, she was a wolf, a pregnant wolf.

She began to make her way through the town and towards the forest, she stuck to the shadows as much as possible. Eventually she arrived at the clearing where the other wolves were. She went over to her lover and nuzzled him again lovingly.

She spent the next two or so months with her pack in the forest. She would stay in the cave they called home with the other pregnant females while the males would go and get food. Eventually Ariel had a litter of five beautiful wolf pups, two males and three females.

Ariel lay on her side, her pups sucking her teats. She felt wonderful, so complete. She had stopped thinking human thoughts a while ago. Her lover came over and began licking her face. She looked up and licked him back. Life couldn't be happier for Ariel.

Part 4: Slavery

A sound like thunder rang out through the night. Ariel realised that she was covered in something warm and wet, blood! She looked across at her love. He was still, his head looked like it had been smashed by a falling tree. She nudged him gently but he did not move. Another crack broke through the sky and she saw a bit of dirt get kicked up off the ground. She looked in the direction the sound had come from, sorrow and rage building up in her. She saw two humans, one male, one female. The male one was carrying a smoking stick in his hands. He rubbed the stick and then pointed it at Ariel. The woman said something to him in human and then he put the stick down and pulled out another one. Quickly Ariel nudged the others trying to make them run away. They understood and helped by pushing pups along. When she was sure they were all running, she began to follow.

Suddenly a sound like rushing air assaulted Ariel's ears and a felt a numbing pain in her hind-quarters. She looked back and saw what looked like a large thorn in my rear. Ariel began to feel strange, tired. She couldn't help herself, she fell to the side and blacked out.

When Ariel came around she felt strange. Unwanted, human thoughts were rushing through her brain. She felt naked and cold. Ariel open her eyes and screamed. She was in a smallish room. The floor was covered with a thick down carpet the room was painted a drab blue and furnished nicely. The woman she had seen before was sitting in a comfortable looking arm chair. Ariel noticed that she was wearing a collar that was attached to a chain the other end of which she held in her hand. The most horrifying thing though was that Ariel was human again, lying naked on her flaw. The woman smiled a wicked smile at Ariel.

"Glad to see you've come round my little puppy. Don't bother trying to change by the way, you're changeling powers or no match for my arcane magic." Ariel was confused by what she said but after she tried to change she found that she was telling the truth. "You will wear whatever form I decide you will. For now you will remain a human. You will be my slave and will do everything I command of you. You will be called Fluffy and you will refer to me as Mistress. Do you understand?" Not sure what else she could do Ariel just nodded solemnly. "Good, now do you have any questions?"

"Why me?" Ariel asked weakly. "Why couldn't you just have gotten some other person?"

"My dear, you are the only person I know of in this area that can change into a wolf. And, even if I will make you remain human, at least I still know about the mystical ability below your young exterior."

That said, the woman stood up and tugged on Ariel's leash, hurting her neck a little. Realising that she had little choice, Ariel followed. As she walked silently behind the woman her thoughts went to her abduction and to the way her lover had been killed. Ariel began to cry.

The woman led Ariel to a small cage and told her to go inside. Ariel complied. "Good, it seems you understand your role as my pet. You will be required to cook and clean. When I wish sexual pleasures, you will give them to me. You will only speak when I tell you that you can. Do you understand?"

"Yes," Ariel replied. The woman's hand came down and slapped Ariel across the face.

"I did not tell you that you could reply with words!" she shouted. Ariel nodded, still crying and slunk back into the corner of the cage.

As the days went by, Ariel remained completely submissive to her mistress. She had lost any love or depth in her soul and didn't have enough strength to fight against her slaver. She would cook and clean each day. About once a week, she would have to make love to her mistress. Occasionally, if she had been good, her mistress would allow her some time as a wolf. The days rolled into weeks and the weeks rolled into months. Ariel lost all track of what day, or month, or year it was. However, she did realise that her body had grown into that of a woman. Ariel guessed her age at being around 17 or 18.

One morning, Ariel awoke to the sound of voices in the main room. Her and her mistress lived there alone and the fact she heard another voice peaked her interest. She watched the main door from her cage. Eventually it opened. The first to leave the room was her mistress. She was followed closely behind by a man. Ariel recognised him immediately. He was the man who had killed her lover. She wanted to leap on him there and then and tear him apart but she knew that even if she was on the other side of these bars even she couldn't over power that man. Oh, how I wish I was a wolf again Ariel thought to herself.

The sight of her lover's killer again began to stir Ariel's spirit again. What if she could escape, then she could come back and kill the ones who killed her lover. She could go and see her pups again. They would be fully grown wolves by now. Ariel decided that if she was ever going to try and escape that now would be the time.

Ariel waited until her mistress opened the cage and when she put her hand in to grab the leash, Ariel leapt forward and bit her on the wrist. If Ariel had been a wolf then this probably would have hurt the woman a lot more but even the teeth of a human can be painful and the woman recoiled screaming. Ariel leapt from the cage and ducked to the man's right towards the door to the main room. She sprinted through the room and out the front door. Escape had been so easy, had her mistress only kept her in before behind the bars of her broken spirit.

Ariel could hear the woman shouting from the front door as she ran into the woods. Although she was getting further away she could still hear the woman's mystical words clearly in her mind.

"Fine Ariel, run away, but know this: I curse you, curse you to always walk on four legs. Rest assured I will find you again Ariel, and then I'll make a fur coat out of you."

As the woman finished her curse, Ariel felt herself fall to all fours, the transformation had been quick and painless. She tried changing back but the woman's words held true. Ariel ran towards the town.

Part 5: The End

It was about midnight when Ariel came across one of the towns outer roads. She began walking into town. She looked up at the sky and noticed that the moon was nearly full. Tomorrow night she thought *I will bask in the moons light again. And then I will go to find my pups*. She could see houses on either side of the road now. She just wanted to get home and go to bed and then tomorrow she could leave to find her pups.

"Ariel!" shouted a voice from behind her. She spun to see that the man that had killed her lover stood about six meters behind her carrying a rifle. Ariel was scared and angry. She was tired of keeping her rage in check. She charged at him. He barely had enough time to raise his rifle and squeeze of a single shot before she was on his neck. With all the power she had left she tore the fleshy lump out. His screams were replaced with a low gurgling.

Ariel stood over the body of her fallen attacker. She noticed that lights were on in houses and people were pointing at her from windows. She decided that it was time to leave. As she went to take a step forward, she fell over. The shot he had fired had gone through her left foreleg. She couldn't walk. She just lay down beside the body and cried.

About ten minutes later she saw a van pull up nearby and two men get out. One was carrying a rifle, probably loaded with tranquillisers. She didn't fight. They shot her just to make sure and she quickly blacked out.

When she came round, she was lying in a metal cage. There was a man in a white coat talking with a police officer just outside her cage.

"This animal has killed a man. It's the council's decision that he.."

"she." cut in the man in the white coat.

"Whatever, that she be destroyed." The words cut Ariel like a knife.

Ariel was left alone for a while, she felt weak, she'd probably lost a lot of blood. About two hours later three white coat clad men came in to get her out of the cage. She tried to resist but she was too weak. She wanted to change so that she could tell them but the woman's curse still lay thick on her body. The men carried her to a table and held her down. She fought their grip with every ounce of strength but soon she felt prick her side. She stopped fighting and settled down. There was no point in resisting now, it was too late. She walked solemnly and co-operatively back to the cage and lay down. She felt so tired. Her thoughts returned to her beautiful pups. She could feel her eyelids getting heavy. She looked across at the small window in the nearby wall. Through it she could see the full moon staring back at her. It was so beautiful. *I wonder if the moon is lonely tonight she thought to herself, I hope that I won't be lonely much longer...* Her eyes closed and she drifted into sleep.

Epilogue

The highway outside of town was quiet. Suddenly a sound began to slowly grow. To the animals in the forest bordering the road it was like a sound of screaming and dying and evil. To the teenager behind the wheel of his hot rod, it was heavy metal. The car went screaming along the highway. And just as soon as it had come, it was gone and the music was already dying into the night leaving the highway quiet again. The edge of the forest nearby parted slightly and two young girls stepped out. Both looked to be about 14 and both were naked. Following close behind them were three two year old wolves. One female and two males. The girls helped there brothers and sister out of the woods. Soon they would change too. Then they could go out into the world, and look for their mother.

Is the Moon Lonely Tonight copyright 1997 by James Layton.