Chapter 26: Interlude – Wolf and Witch

=::= Melanie's PoV =::=

"I bet it never gets this cold in Gensokyo," Marissa complained as she took off her long heavy winter coat. That was folded over and piled on the seat next to her, along with the scarf and mitts.

What really impressed me was she did all of that without dislodging the ridiculously large witch hat she insisted on wearing everywhere she went.

"Probably not," I replied as I pulled off my leather jacket and the thick hoodie I'd been wearing underneath.

I left them both in a heap next to me, then unwrapped my bacon-double-cheeseburger and started eating before it got cold. Marissa did the same, she had a bite of her chicken sandwich then munched on some fries.

It was Saturday night and the two of us were in a fast-food burger place not far from the grocery store where I worked. When I got off my shift I found the brash young witch waiting for me, she wanted to buy me dinner. We hadn't made any plans or anything, but I didn't mind hanging out with her. And now that the full moon was passed I was a lot more relaxed again.

After another bite of my burger I asked, "Hey Marissa? Is this supposed to be a date or something?"

"Sure," she shrugged. "Next time we can even plan ahead if you like."

"Next time?" I grinned, then had another bite of my dinner.

She just nodded confidently as she ate.

Out of everyone in Club Luna I liked Marissa the best, even though she was the one who originally wanted to catch me. Back in December she thought I was a dangerous rogue werewolf, so she was treating me like I was an Incident in Gensokyo. As soon as she found out I was a normal girl like her who happened to know what Touhou was she wanted to be friends. She wanted me on her team so we could resolve Incidents together.

She felt like the definition of chuunibyou, trying to be a real-life Touhou character. But the way she went about it felt genuine, there weren't any lies or deceptions about what she was doing. She was up-front and honest about what she wanted to do and who she wanted to be.

"So this is the second time in four days you've given me the gift of meat," I commented as I popped the last bite of burger into my mouth.

I still couldn't believe she did that, or that I went along with it. She didn't make a big deal out of it though. She just hung out in my backyard while I ran around the neighbourhood, and when I got hungry instead of going back to that farm again I went home where Marissa had a whole joint waiting for me. It was skinned and it was cold, but the meat was fresh and there was some bone in it and everything.

I looked at her and teased, "Does this mean we're girlfriends now?"

"Heck yeah," Marissa grinned.

No blushing, no hesitation, no shy deflection. She was straightforward and to the point. That was another thing I liked about her.

I smiled, "All right girlfriend. We're kind of an odd pair though. People aren't going to believe we're together."

Not that I cared what people believed, but on the surface we really didn't seem to have much in common.

She was into frilly blouses and skirts and her giant witch hat. She was chuuni to the core, even calling herself a Touhou-inspired name. Meanwhile I was basically a tomboy. I wore jeans, combat boots, t-shirts and my leather jacket. I didn't bother with jewelry or make-up, and my hair was usually messy.

My lack of style was actually one of the hardest things to deal with when I first came out. Like trying to convince people I was a trans girl when I had no desire to wear skirts or dresses or make-up. I actually had a couple people ask me why even bother transitioning, if I was just going to keep dressing and acting the same as I did before.

It's one of those things that was hard to explain, but clothes and make-up don't make you a girl or a boy. I knew I was a girl, I just wasn't the soft pink frilly kind of girl. At least that's one thing my uncle's potion didn't mess up. I got to be the kind of girl I wanted, instead of the kind everybody else expected or thought I should be.

Anyways there was one thing me and Marisa had in common that was way more important than how we dressed or acted. We both appreciated each other for who we were.

"Whatever," Marissa shrugged as she munched on some more fries. "If folks don't get it, they're just wrong."

She washed the fries down with a gulp of her drink then asked, "So have you thought more about doing what your wolf teacher suggested?"

I frowned, "No. Like I said at the club meeting I don't want to accept it or embrace it."

She had a sip of her drink then pointed out, "From what you said the other day, it sounds to me like the wolf thing builds up while you're trying to suppress it, till the full moon comes and you can't hold it in anymore. I bet if you let off the pressure during the month then when the full moon happens you won't have it all built up trying to get out?"

I rolled my eyes and grumbled, "Yeah I guess. That's basically what she said. According to her I have to stop thinking of it like me versus the wolf. She says once I fully embrace it I'll just be me, whatever form I'm in."

"Oh and get this," I added. "She says once I reach that point where I've fully embraced it I'll unlock a third form, in between human and wolf. Basically a wolfgirl, like out of anime? That's actually how she looks most of the time. Her human form has really light blonde hair, her wolf form has silver fur, but her in-between form looks like a Hakurou Tengu. Like I'm basically getting tutored by the mom-version of Momiji Inubashiri."

"So she's Mom-iji?" Marissa asked with a wide grin.

I groaned at the pun.

She laughed, then gave me a funny look. Her eyes almost sparkled as she grinned, "I can't wait to see your Tengu form."

That made me grimace, "Don't hold your breath. I'm really not interested in embracing my inner animal or whatever Mom-iji wants to call it."

"So what are you doing tonight?" Marissa changed the subject. "Anything fun?"

I shrugged, "Not really. Just heading home. I've got some homework I could do, but..."

She made a face then asked, "Mind if I come along? I'll walk you home, we can hang out?"

"If you want?" I shrugged again. "I think my dad's working tonight, so we'll have the place to ourselves. At least till he gets home."

"Cool," she grinned.

She got back into her coat scarf and mitts, while I pulled on my hoodie and leather jacket.

As the two of us headed out she asked, "Don't you get cold?"

After glancing around to make sure nobody was in earshot I half-mumbled, "I do, but not as much as a normal human. I don't know, I guess it's like I get the extra benefit of a fur coat, even when I'm not furry."

I knew she could probably tell by my tone that I was embarrassed by that stuff. Like being a werewolf wasn't just fur and fangs at the full moon, there were all sorts of ways it made me weird or different.

You are reading story Club Luna at novel35.com

Marissa responded, "Huh. I know this stuff bugs you Melanie but I gotta say, I think that's kind of cool. Like the rest of us are all shivering and freezing, while you've got built-in magical insulation."

Before I could respond she added, "And I get maybe it'd be a problem if we lived in the tropics, but we're in the 'snow belt', and it sounds like a pretty neat benefit."

"Maybe," I grumbled quietly. "Are you just saying that stuff to try make me feel better about being a freak?"

"Nope," she stated. "I mean, I'm definitely trying to make you feel better, but that's not the only reason. I honestly think it's a cool and useful benefit."

She continued, "And I think Mom-iji is onto something? The stuff she's been telling you, about getting more used to your wolf form. May wouldn't have hooked you up with her if she didn't know what she was doing, and if she says that's going to help then it'll probably help."

I sighed and frowned, "So now you're going to start bugging me about that too?"

"Yep," she grinned. "I'll help you out though, however I can. I'm happy to hang out with you while you're wolfing around. Maybe we can even combine stuff? Like you do your wolf thing and I'll teach you more about the Word, the Way, and the Will."

Her eyes lit up a moment later as she grinned, "Oh hey! What if you can do spells while you're in wolf form? That'd be incredible!"

As much as I wanted to stay grumpy, her enthusiasm was contagious. And the idea of being some sort of spell-casting witch wolf was actually kind of kick-ass.

When we finally got to my place I let us in the side door then gestured at the stairs, "Let's hang out in the basement. I'll grab us some drinks and snacks."

"Sweet," she grinned as she headed down the stairs.

Our basement was more of an unfinished cellar, but I'd claimed a corner of it as my own private place. Normally nobody went down there but me, not even my dad. I showed it to Marissa the other night though, she was the first person I ever shared it with. I kind of thought of it as my den, not that I'd ever tell anyone else that, and I spent more time down there than I did in my bedroom. I had an old second-hand sofa and coffee table, and my TV and game console were both down there too.

I grabbed us a couple cans of soda from the fridge and a big bag of pork rinds then followed my new girlfriend downstairs. She already had the TV on and was putting a game disk in the console.

"So here's what I'm thinking," Marissa announced with a grin. "We'll play a few rounds of this, best two out of three. If I win, you turn into a wolf for me tonight. If you win, I'll stop bugging you about it until next week."

I rolled my eyes, "Seriously?"

"Yep," she nodded. "What do you say?"

"Make it best three out of five and you're on," I stated as I picked up my controller.

She grabbed the other controller as she laughed, "Deal!"

We talked about witch stuff while we played, and between games she gave me demonstrations and explained the Way and Will and the Whatever. Around ten thirty my dad got home, he called down the stairs to remind me to get some sleep but apart from that he left us alone.

It was around midnight when we finally finished our five games, and by that time we'd also finished off the snacks and a few cans of cola. And even though I won the bet, Marissa managed to talk me into trying the wolf thing anyways.

"Are you sure about this?" I asked her. We were still down in the basement, and I was worried about her being in an enclosed space with a wild animal. At the full moon we were outside, and I spent most of my time running around rather than hang out too close to her.

Marissa nodded, "Positive. I said I'm here for you and I meant it."

"All right," I sighed.

I got up and moved around behind the sofa, then turned my back. According to Mom-iji most weres didn't worry about public nudity, it was something we got used to along with everything else. I still felt a bit strange about it though, especially with Marissa since we just became girlfriends.

After mentally bracing myself I pulled off my shirt and bra, then down came the jeans and panties. That was another reason I didn't like wearing too many clothes, or stuff that was too complicated or fancy. I liked things I could get out of in a hurry.

Changing during the full moon was like I'd been straining to hold something back, like I was fighting to stay human until I couldn't fight anymore. With the full moon a couple days ago there was nothing, no pressure. It left me wondering if I'd even be able to change. I focused on what Mom-iji said though, the stuff she taught me.

I took a deep breath, held it for a second, then as I let it out I reached down deep inside myself and found where the wolf lurked. I sort of envisioned it curled up asleep, biding its time till the next full moon. And instead of letting it sleep, I imagined grabbing it by the scruff and hauling it up and out.

It happened a moment later, way faster than normal. And for the first time ever, the change didn't hurt.

One moment I was a naked girl standing behind the sofa, the next moment I was a large dangerous beast crouched down on all fours less than two meters away from my friend.

Except I didn't feel wild, I didn't want to run or growl or fight. I just felt like me, but a different me.

"You doing ok?" Marissa asked. She was standing by the sofa watching me, and there was no fear in her scent or her expression.

I nodded my head once, but kept my eyes on her.

"Cool," Marissa smiled. Then she turned her back on me and sat down on the sofa. She started messing with the TV remote as she asked, "Wanna sit with me and watch a movie?"

For the next few seconds I just stood there staring at her. Or mostly I was staring at her huge hat, which she still hadn't taken off.

She was in a dark basement with a large dangerous beast. She turned her back on me then sat down. I could have my jaws on her throat before she'd even know I moved, but she was navigating the streaming service looking for something to watch like all this was totally normal.

It took another half minute before I finally got it. She was acting like this was normal because she wanted to help me make it normal.

I slowly moved around to the front of the sofa, then hopped up onto it and sat down next to her.

She picked a movie and asked if I was ok with it. I nodded, and she started the stream. And she continued talking now and then, but she was careful not to ask anything that wasn't a yes or no question. At one point Marissa asked if she could pet me, I responded with a soft growl. She nodded once then went back to watching the movie.

Eventually she fell asleep, slumped back on the end of the sofa next to me. I drifted off not long after, and when I woke up in the morning I was still in my wolf form. My head was on Marissa's lap, she had one arm draped across my back, and she was snoring softly.

It was almost surreal, but at the same time I actually felt pretty good. It wasn't what I ever expected for my very first date, but it was very Marissa and me. And I liked it.