The First Time

Two hours before moonrise, Kate and Megan drive out of the woods and up a gravel road to the hunting lodge they’ll be staying at for the weekend. Kate parks the white Ford on a short patch of grass next to the front door and begins unpacking immediately. Megan gives the cabin a nervous glance as she gets out. The red-painted wood is peeling and shabby.

“Does your dad keep the place clean?”

“Him and his buddies,” Kate says, hefting a second bag out of the back. She’s all long toned limbs, their school’s queen of lacrosse. “It’ll be full of dead flies, but good news is that’ll give the spiders something to eat.”

Kate laughs at Megan’s expression. “I’m kidding! Come on and help me, I want to get the bags inside before dark.”

They unpacked the truck in short order, then Kate laid a picnic blanket outside on a flat spot and they enjoyed the subs they’d picked up from a gas station on the way up. After that they sat together, looking down the hill toward the forest, Kate telling Megan stories about fishing with her father as the sun slipped lower.

Megan saw deer, two of them, making a slow strut along the edge of the trees. “Do you think anyone else is around here?”

“Nuh-uh,” said Kate. “Hunting season won’t start for a couple weeks. No one’s around for a few miles right now.”

“I hope so.” Megan feels Kate’s hand on her back and smiles, lifting her arm and clasping her hand at her shoulder.

Kate’s watch chimed. “Oop,” she said, looking down. “Time to get ready.”

Kate nonchalantly lifts her sweater over her head. Megan jumps to her feet and steps away. “What are you doing?”

Kate looks up at her confused, her bare skin glowing in the dusk. “What?”

“No no no, I’m not doing this.” Megan starts walking away, her steps quick. She hears Kate calling her name and runs into the cabin, ducking into the nearest bedroom and slamming the door behind her. She drops to her knees with her back to door, and in seconds she can hear Kate pounding on it. Megan wraps her arms around her chest, feeling herself shivering uncontrollably.
“Megan? Hey, Megan, I’m sorry,” Kate says. “I wasn’t thinking. Are you okay to open the door?”

“No,” Megan says. She needs a few moments to speak again. “I don’t want to do this anymore.”

“Okay, that’s fine. But I don’t want you to stay locked in there, okay? It… it wouldn’t be good.”

Megan doesn’t say anything. The seconds draw out until Kate speaks again.

“Listen,” she says. “The first time I did this… I was alone. I didn’t know what was coming, I didn’t know what had happened. It was pretty scary.” Megan’s head thumps against the door. “The next morning, I was a mess, and sometimes I’m still not over it. I want you to have better memories, okay?”

Megan sniffs, dabbing at her eyes. “Can I have a blanket?” she manages.

“Huh?”

“I think it would help.”

“Oh. Oh! Okay, hang on.” Megan hears Kate walking around. “Got it. It’s on the knob. I’ll be outside, okay?”

“Thanks.”

Megan waits until she’s sure she’s alone, then opens the door a crack and pulls the blanket inside. It’s flannel. She removes her clothes, trying to suppress the feeling of her hair standing on end, and wraps the blanket around herself as quickly as she can.

She takes a deep breath, counts to ten, and walks outside. Kate is sitting at their impromptu picnic, waiting for her. She’s wrapped a blanket around herself as well, her clothes neatly folded on the ground next to her.

“Sorry,” Megan says, as she sits down.

“Don’t worry about it,” Kate says. “I should have thought.”

They sit beside each other a bit longer as the sun nears the horizon.

“There it is,” Kate says, pointing. The edge of the moon is just peeking over the trees. “Not much longer.”

“Will it hurt?” Megan asks, an icicle of dread piercing her heart.

Kate shrugs. “It doesn’t for me. Now.”

Megan shudders under the blanket. Kate reaches over and squeezes her knee. “Whatever happens, you’re not going to go through it alone,” she says. “I promise.”

Megan takes Kate’s hand, leans over and kisses her on the cheek. “I know,” she smiles. Now Kate blushes, and Megan giggles.

The moon crests the horizon.

“Oh,” Megan says, as a warm wave of air washes over her. Her form ripples like pale light on waves, and then she was… shorter. The blanket was an unwelcome weight on her fur, fur that felt like it had always been there. She shook it off, new muscles flexing under her skin.

Megan looks at Kate, who grins back at her, tongue lolling out. Instinct drives Megan to sniff at her, and when she smells friend-love-safe she nuzzles at the side of Kate’s neck. Her tail wags behind her, and Megan wants to laugh at the feeling even as it seems perfectly natural.

Kate’s ears prick up. She looks down the hill and barks. Megan can smell it too now, something to run after.

The two wolves fly down the grass, the moon shining brightly on their fur as the forest welcomes them in.

This was a flash fiction piece written for Moonlight: A Queer Werewolf Anthology. Out of 150 submissions, alas! it did not get in, so I'm presenting it here for your entertainment. Not my usual smut, but I hope you enjoyed it, and check out my Books and Stories page for more of my fiction.