4 comments/ 9125 views/ 14 favorites Celebrating Monsters By: Monster_Kitten ***Author's Note: This is my submission for the 2014 Halloween contest, so if you like the story, please give me your vote!*** Aaralyn walked into the Tooth and Nail tavern and sniffed the air, picking out the scent of several different species as she strolled through the room. She walked with the grace of a dancer, and all eyes were on her, if only briefly, as she made her way to the back, near the kitchen. "Aaralyn, babe, how's it going?" Justin, a waiter, asked as he passed by. "Your usual table, sugar? Or I can move some wraiths around, if you prefer to sit at the bar..." "My normal spot is fine, Justin," Aaralyn said, and she continued on to her normal table without a second glance at him. She sat down at the table closest to the kitchen, her back to the wall, so that she could see everyone in the room. This was her normal spot because near the kitchen, the scents from all the different foods wafted out and helped to mask Aaralyn's own scent from her enemies, if any of them happened to come in. Aaralyn had another sniff of the room and looked around, making sure there was no one nearby who might threaten her. There were a couple of wraiths at the bar, as Justin had mentioned. There was a group of humans at two separate tables near the front of the room, their scent strong and spilling out into the street, no doubt attracting the attention of many monsters as they passed by, enticing them to come into the Tooth and Nail that night and try to get some easy prey. There were no werewolves in the room yet, but there were a couple of vampire ladies in another dark corner, not very far from Aaralyn. She glanced at them and then looked away. Vampires were not her natural enemies as werewolves were, but still, as the only werecat in town, Aaralyn was not fond of mixing with their type. "Hey, sweetie, here are your usual drinks--one glass of water, and one glass of milk," Justin said, placing the glasses in front of her. Aaralyn studied the young man for a moment before she took a sip of the water. Justin was about her age, somewhat muscular, with dark hair and deep brown eyes. He had sparkly white teeth that he flashed at her often, when he smiled. He was seven-eighths human and one-eighth something else, supposedly imp. He had told Aaralyn once that he was the seductive kind of imp, but she had promptly put him in his place by telling him that no imp was seductive, and she'd just as soon cut him into little bite-sized pieces and eat him as go home with him. Aaralyn had never really meant that, but it helped to keep Justin's flirting a bit more under control. He had always hit on her, but he had never really been serious about it since that discussion, knowing that Aaralyn was usually a loner. "So, we have a couple of different types of fish on special tonight," Justin said. "Fish?" Aaralyn said. "It's Halloween. Who eats fish on Halloween?" "Actually, all the meats are on special, tonight," Justin said. "Steak, ribs, pork chops, chicken, you name it, if it originally had legs, it's on special tonight. Halloween is one of our busiest nights of the year." "I can imagine," Aaralyn said. "It's the one night when all the monsters can just be themselves, in front of humans or anyone else, and no one thinks twice about it." "Exactly," Justin said. "So what can I get for you?" "I'll have tilapia tonight," Aaralyn said. "With my usual white rice and fried bananas on the side." "Palate cleansers," Justin said, winking at her. He and the owner were the only people who knew what Aaralyn really was. She had never officially told them, 'Hey, by the way, my species is werecat,' but they had seen her around enough, and fed her enough times, that they had figured out some of her habits. For example, Justin knew that the glass of milk she drank, just one glass, never refilled, was her special treat that appealed to her cat side. And the glass of water, refilled often, was to clear out her mouth of the taste of her food so that she could keep her senses very alert. She was always quietly smelling the room and picking up the identity of people who walked in, always on the lookout for werewolves, her enemies, and exercising extreme caution around them. Fish was her favorite food, and she ate different kinds--catfish, tilapia, sea bass, whatever, depending on her mood. With it, she always had white rice and a few slices of fried bananas, palate cleansers, again to help keep her sense of taste and smell pure and alert. Aaralyn watched the room again, noting how many of the creatures seemed to be pairing off. The two wraiths at the bar seemed to be a couple. The large group of humans was composed of a mixture of men and women, and many of them, as they got deeper into their drinks, seemed to be showing preferences toward certain members of the opposite sex. The two vampires in the corner were both female, but that didn't necessarily mean anything... There was just something about the freeing power of Halloween. It had all the monsters wanting to find kindred spirits and make a bond for the evening. "Here's your fish, babe," Justin said, bringing Aaralyn her plate from the kitchen. "Justin," Aaralyn said, touching his arm. "When is your shift over?" "Not long," Justin said. "Why? Will you miss me when I go home and leave you here all alone?" He smiled with those dazzling white teeth. "I just wondered if you might sit down with me," Aaralyn said. "It's been a while since we just had a meal together and talked." "Awwww, babe, don't tease me," Justin said. "You don't like when I sit down with you. You always want to enjoy your meal in peace and quiet and watch out for that big werewolf with the leather jacket that you like to spy on." "I'm not spying on him," Aaralyn said. "You know he eats humans sometimes. I watch him to make sure he doesn't walk off with any of your customers." "I'm sure he's pretty busy elsewhere tonight," Justin said. "Halloween is probably his favorite time to go trolling for prey, but he doesn't have to come down to the local bar for that. He probably has his own favorite haunts somewhere." "Exactly," Aaralyn said. "Which is why I don't have to worry about him tonight. Will you sit down with me or not?" "Maybe later, babe," Justin said. "Right now I have to go take care of those two ladies in the corner. They have a lot of demands tonight." Aaralyn watched Justin walk away. He chatted and laughed with the two vampire women and topped off their drinks. Aaralyn knew that Justin had worked at the Tooth and Nail since he was a kid, and he knew how to handle the monsters and weirdos who came in there. But something about the way the vampire women were looking at him unsettled her. They had meat, very rare, on their plates, but they weren't eating it. They had some kind of red drinks, but they weren't drinking them. When Justin came around, they smiled and touched his hands and arms and acted every bit as if they were mesmerized by Justin. Aaralyn was used to him flirting with her and giving her all his attention, so this made her a little jealous. Yet she was happy for Justin when other girls paid him genuine attention. However, this just didn't seem genuine to her. As the hour got later, more people began flocking into the bar. Aaralyn had finished her fish, but she still sat at her table, not wanting to leave yet. "Aaralyn, my dear," Marlon Fitzgerald, the bar owner, said, coming out from the kitchen. "How are you? It's been a while since you've come by to see us." "Hello, Mr. Fitzgerald," Aaralyn said. "I couldn't possibly stay away on Halloween." "Excellent," Mr. Fitzgerald said. "Have you eaten yet? Where is Justin?" "He's over there with those vampires," Aaralyn said. "I've already eaten. I was just enjoying sitting here and people-watching." "Ah, my own favorite past-time," Mr. Fitzgerald said, winking at her. "I should go say hello to everyone, but you stay here as long as you want and watch everyone coming in." He patted Aaralyn on her shoulder and then walked away, making his way around the room and stopping at different tables to chat with the patrons. Aaralyn waited around for a while longer, watching the people come and go. Finally, Justin came back by her table. "Hey, sugar, you still here?" Justin said. "I figured you'd be long gone by now." "It's Halloween," Aaralyn said. "Like I said, all creatures can just be themselves tonight." She looked at Justin, staring into his eyes. "Be themselves, huh?" Justin said. "And what do werecats do on Halloween?" He leaned in close and touched Aaralyn's golden-brown hair. "Shhhh, don't say that word. Someone could hear you," Aaralyn said, whispering in Justin's ear. "Which word?" Justin whispered back. "Werecat?" He laughed softly into Aaralyn's hair. "What's the matter, cutie? Don't want all the other monsters knowing what you are? I thought you said monsters could be themselves on Halloween." "That's right," Aaralyn said. "We can be ourselves. Are you done with work yet?" "Yeah," Justin said. "I just have to finish with the two ladies in the corner. My shift is ending now, but I've been their waiter this whole time, and I should make sure they're satisfied before I go." "Justin!" Aaralyn said, grabbing his hand before he could walk away. "Please be careful. Those vampires give me the creeps." "Oh, babe, don't worry," Justin said. "I've handled vampires before. You know those ladies don't bother me." "I just don't have a good feeling about them," Aaralyn said. "Awww, babe, don't get jealous," Justin said. "You aren't getting jealous... are you?" He smiled at Aaralyn, a mischievous sparkle in his eye. "I... Why would I be jealous of some trashy vampires?!" Aaralyn said. She quickly looked around to see if anyone had heard her say that. Justin laughed. "Alright then, babe. I'll just go get rid of them." Aaralyn watched him walk away, noticing the ripple of Justin's muscles beneath his shirt as he loaded the vampires' untouched dishes on his tray, piling them up and bringing them back toward the kitchen. He had to walk back by Aaralyn, since she sat there near the kitchen door. On a whim, Aaralyn reached out and pinched Justin's butt as he walked by her. "Ouch!" Justin cried, jerking around and nearly dropping the tray of dishes. His eyes landed on Aaralyn, and she put her face down, drinking from her glass of milk that was almost gone. "Did you do that?" Justin asked, leaning low, his face at Aaralyn's ear. "Do what?" Aaralyn asked, as if she didn't have any idea what he was talking about. "Did something happen to you?" "No," Justin said, standing up straight. "Nothing at all." He went on into the kitchen and dumped the dirty dishes. When he came back out, he stopped by Aaralyn's chair. "It amuses me that you're feeling like being such a bad girl tonight," he whispered. "But I'm afraid you're too late. Those nice ladies in the corner have already asked me to walk them out. If only you were nicer to me the rest of the year, I might have felt like being nicer to you tonight..." "Justin," Aaralyn said. "I'm not sure what you're accusing me of. And good for you, I suppose. Those are pretty ladies. But usually I'm the one you want to walk out." "Yeah, and usually you ditch me right at the door," Justin said. "I'm just learning to respect your wishes, dollface." "Is 'dollface' a compliment or an insult?" Aaralyn asked. "Well, for most people, it's a compliment," Justin said. "It means you have a beautiful face just like a doll. But I'm sure you're offended by it. You're usually offended by me and the things I call you." He smirked and pulled a strand of Aaralyn's hair in a playful way. "I'm not offended," Aaralyn said softly, staring into Justin's eyes again. His warm chocolate irises looked like they were melting right in front of her. His face was very close to hers, and for a moment, she wondered what his lips tasted like... "You're quite the tease tonight, you know that?" Justin said, soft and deep. "If I didn't know any better, I'd think you were trying to hit on me. But that's just not your style." "It isn't?" Aaralyn asked. "How do you know what my style is on Halloween?" "The moon isn't full," Justin said. "But you definitely aren't acting like yourself. If I let anything happen tonight, I'd feel like I was taking advantage of you. You never let me get anywhere... Like..." He reached down and put one hand on Aaralyn's leg, stroking upward gently, slowly... Aaralyn wore tight jeans, and he could feel the warmth of her body through the fabric. She didn't stop him, and this surprised Justin. "Seriously... what's gotten into you, kitten?" he asked. "I... I don't know," Aaralyn said. "Just tired of being lonely, I guess. You get out of here and do whatever you were going to do with those vampire girls. Forget about me. You're right; I'm not being myself." "Or maybe..." Justin said, taking his hand up from her leg and placing one finger at her navel, then tracing a slow line up to stop at the base of her bra. "You're being completely yourself for once and showing me the real you at last." He dipped his head down and placed a soft, hot kiss on Aaralyn's neck, and then he was gone before she could say anything in response. Aaralyn watched Justin go over and chat with the vampires again, still laughing as if he were having a really good time. I've got to get out of here, Aaralyn thought. Justin has a much better shot with those girls than he does with me. They couldn't see him touch me from this angle. They think he's just being friendly to me the way he's friendly to everyone. I better leave before I ruin something for him. He's totally right, this won't be me tomorrow. After Halloween has passed, I'll be right back to my old behavior, hiding in corners and rejecting people because I can't let anyone get too close, can't let anyone see the real monster on the inside. I'm the only werecat around, and only another werecat would understand me. Justin isn't one, and if I did anything with him tonight, we would both just end up hurt tomorrow, because nothing can ever come of this. She stood up and put some cash on the table. It was enough to cover her meal and a nice tip. Then Aaralyn walked back across the bar, waved a goodbye to Mr. Fitzgerald, and went out the front door. Outside, Aaralyn climbed up into the nearest tree. Her preferred method of traveling was running through treetops like a giant squirrel, in her big leopard-like cat form. In her human form, she just looked a bit ridiculous pouncing from tree to tree. But near the bar, she could never be sure who might see her, so she usually stayed in human form for a while, until she could be certain she was out of sight and scent range from the other creatures who frequented the area. On that night, Aaralyn had just gotten up into a tree and moved out of sight behind the leaves, when she saw Justin come outside with the two vampires. Aaralyn sat very still, watching them. The two women were all over Justin, one on each of his arms, whispering in his ears and kissing his neck. Aaralyn instantly felt pangs of jealousy to see their vampiric lips on Justin's smooth, tan skin. She shifted quickly into cat form, her clothing disappearing and being replaced by silky grayish-white fur and dark brown spots. She dug her claws into the tree limbs to keep from lashing out at the vampires as they walked beneath her tree with Justin. Aaralyn followed carefully, her large paws silent against the bark of the tree as she stalked along above the three people. Justin and the two vampires walked down the sidewalk and out of sight of the bar. They kept going for a little while, until one of the vampires said, "Let's turn in here." They were in front of an empty parking lot that no longer had any building associated with it. There were tall grasses and bushes and weeds growing up in cracks all throughout the pavement. There was barely even a parking lot still there, nature had so thoroughly retaken it. The streetlights along the sidewalk at the entrance to the parking lot were broken, and the whole place was shrouded in gloom. Aaralyn thought it was almost too cliche to be real, but nonetheless, here it was--an abandoned place where these vampires were about to take Justin to prey on him. "What are we doing here?" Justin asked. "This place looks dirty, and it isn't even lit up." "Come on, sweetie," the dark haired one of the vampires purred at Justin. "You know our kind doesn't like light. Don't you want to come in here with us? We'll show you our secret place..." "Okay," Justin said. "But I can't stay long." The other vampire with light hair laughed. "Don't worry, sugar, you won't have to," she said. "Just long enough to have a little fun with us. You DO want to have fun with us, don't you?" She ran her hand through Justin's hair. "Yeah, of course I do," Justin said. He grinned at the vampire and leaned toward her for a kiss, but she wiggled away before he could make contact with her face. "Not so fast, waiter-boy," the dark haired girl said. "Kelly doesn't kiss on the lips." "Neither does Karen," Kelly said. The two of them looked at each other and fluffed each other's hair. Aaralyn decided maybe they were lesbians after all, and this was just another way that they were toying with Justin, luring him into their trap. The vampires led Justin over to a beat up empty dumpster. Behind it, there was a lumpy mattress with lots of old brown stains on it. Aaralyn could smell it from where she sat in a nearby tree. She was completely grossed out, and she couldn't believe Justin was still standing there with those sleazy vampires. "Um, ladies," Justin said. "You seem like nice girls, but I really don't think a dirty mattress behind a dumpster is sexy." "Sure you do," Kelly said, hooking one leg around Justin and kissing along his neck. "You don't have to get on the mattress if you don't want to," Karen said, running her hands over Justin's chest and hooking herself around his other side. "But you'll probably want to lie down after we drink all your blood." She sank her fangs into Justin's neck before he had time to react. Kelly bit him on the other side, both vampires pinning Justin in place with their legs and sucking hard, making his face go pale. Justin tried to struggle, but he was no match for the strength of the vampires. Aaralyn had seen all that she needed to see. With a loud wildcat screech, she leaped from the tree and smacked into the closest vampire with her claws out, shredding at the girl, as she bit at the vampire's neck. The vampire in Aaralyn's clutches screamed, losing all her grip on Justin and falling away from him. "Yeah, how does it feel having your neck bitten, bitch?" Aaralyn asked, slapping the vampire in the face with her big paw, cutting off her scream. Then she whirled around and lunged at the other vampire, who released Justin before Aaralyn landed on her, causing him to fall back onto the dirty mattress. Aaralyn gave the second vampire a bit of a mauling to match her friend. "Get out of here," she hissed, "before I decide to finish you off. And don't come back around Tooth and Nail, or I'll hunt you down and burn you inside your own coffins." Aaralyn wasn't even sure if vampires really slept in coffins during the day, but she seemed to get her message across because the two blood-sucking bimbos scraped themselves up off the pavement and beat a hasty retreat, disappearing into the night. Aaralyn went over to Justin and stood over him, still in cat form, her face close to his as she checked his wounds. He had two large vampire bites, one on either side of his neck, and he was already getting some dark bruises that were appearing where the vampires had sucked some of his blood before Aaralyn had been able to stop them. Justin was very pale compared to his normal warm shade of tan, and Aaralyn wondered if he was in pain. She leaned down and began licking the wounds on Justin's neck. Celebrating Monsters Justin groaned and opened his eyes. "Aaralyn..." he said, looking up at the leopard face above him. "I hope that's you..." Aaralyn shifted back to human form so that Justin would recognize her. "It's me," she said. "How do you feel?" "Well, your whiskers were tickling me," Justin said. "But now I just feel like I've been stabbed in the neck a few times... And I feel weak. What were you doing just a second ago? That was soothing." "I was licking your vampire bites," Aaralyn said. "Werecat saliva has some healing and strengthening properties. I thought it might help with the pain." "It was helping," Justin said. He reached out and found Aaralyn's hand and squeezed it. "Babe," Justin said. "You SAVED me." "I told you to be careful with those stupid vampires," Aaralyn said. "You should have stayed at the bar with me." "Yeah," Justin said. "I really should have. You just always give me the brush off, and I've been lonely for a long time..." "Me too," Aaralyn said. "But werecats can't get involved with other species. It's too dangerous for everyone concerned." "You always have your walls up, don't you, babe?" Justin asked. "Even out here with no one else around, just you and me and a smelly mattress..." Justin looked down at the mattress for the first time since he had fallen on it and wrinkled his nose. Aaralyn smiled at Justin. "Do you think you can stand up?" she asked. "You lost a lot of blood..." "I think I'm okay," Justin said. Aaralyn stood up and gave Justin her hand, helping him up beside her. Justin stumbled and clutched his head. "Wow, I'm dizzy," he said. "It's the blood loss," Aaralyn said. "I can't let you be by yourself tonight. I want to watch you and be sure you're okay. Our first priority is to get some food in you and get your body started recovering. Do you think if I shift back into cat form, you can sit on my back and hold on? If you can, I'll let a few of my walls down and take you back to my place." "Let me ride you and take me back to your place?" Justin asked. "Oh, babe, I'm all over riding you at your place. Are you sure YOU'RE up for that?" Justin laughed weakly at his own joke, holding onto Aaralyn's shoulder for support. "Well, it is Halloween, after all," Aaralyn said. "The one day of the year when we can celebrate monsters for everything they are and appreciate them in spite of, and maybe even because of, all their quirks and flaws." "I'll definitely celebrate you," Justin said, all joking gone from his voice now, his face right next to Aaralyn's ear as he leaned on her for support, his breath fluttering strands of her long silky hair. "Well, let's get you home then," Aaralyn whispered back. She changed into cat form, standing on her back legs, and lowered herself down onto all fours very slowly so that she didn't throw Justin off balance. He put one leg over her back and fell into a slump with his arms wrapped around her neck. "Hold on really tight," Aaralyn said. "I don't want to lose you..." She waited for Justin to get a hard grip in her fur, and then she sprang up into a tree, struggling slightly with his added weight to pull herself up. She steadied herself on a branch and waited a minute while Justin readjusted his grip. "You okay back there?" Aaralyn asked, unable to look over her shoulder because of his arms tight around her neck. "Yeah, I think I'll live," Justin said. "But no more vertical jumps. I almost got sick just then..." "No more vertical ones, but there will be some long horizontal jumps as we go from tree to tree," Aaralyn said. "Think you can make it?" "I'll survive, babe," Justin said. "Do what you gotta do, and I'll try not to fall out of the trees." Aaralyn was more concerned about Justin than ever now, so she moved through the trees as gently, but as quickly, as possible. They went way outside of town and into the thick forest. It took them nearly an hour, which was more than double the amount of time that it usually took Aaralyn to get home, but she couldn't afford to go at her normal speed with her passenger in tow. Finally, they came to an area of rocky hills and cliffs. Aaralyn went over the top of one big hill, and below, water cascaded off one side of the rock and fell down into a stream at the bottom of a concealed ravine. Aaralyn climbed gingerly down the side of the rock, putting her feet in places where a human would not have managed to hang on. It was very difficult trying to keep Justin clinging to her as she did this, but at last, they reached the bottom of the little hidden canyon. The stream ran down the middle of the opening, and next to the waterfall, there was a cave that couldn't be seen from above. "Justin," Aaralyn said. "We're here. You can let go of me now." "I don't want to," Justin said, but even as the words came from him, his grip was slipping. Aaralyn changed back into human form, catching Justin's hands and pulling him upright with her. "Hey, don't give up on me now," Aaralyn said. She steadied Justin and waited for him to open his eyes before she made him move again. Justin looked at Aaralyn and waited for things to come into focus. Then he had a look around. "Where are we?" he asked. "Home," Aaralyn said. "Or at least where I'm living right now. If you can stand on your own, I'll give you the tour." "I think I'd better hold on to you just in case," Justin said. He managed a weakened version of one of his suggestive smirks, and Aaralyn smiled too, glad to see him at least attempting his usual humor. Very little moonlight penetrated the narrow canyon. This was no problem for Aaralyn with her cat-like night vision, but she knew Justin wasn't able to see in the heavy darkness. With that in mind, she held on to Justin's arm and led him over to the cave. "I'm going to let go of you for just a minute, but it's worth it, okay?" she said. "You promise it's worth it?" Justin said, nuzzling against her ear. "Do you want to see where you are or not?" Aaralyn asked, turning toward him and placing a little kiss on his cheek as she released him. Justin reached through the dark, wanting to catch Aaralyn and get more of her lips, but he couldn't see anything, and he stumbled, going down on his hands and knees. When he looked up, there was light in the cave. Aaralyn had lit a candle next to Justin, and she was walking around with a trigger-style lighter with the stem that reached out, lighting more candles all over. The candles were in little nooks and crannies, or on pieces of rock that stuck out like little shelves, and soon, the whole cave glowed. Justin looked around and noticed that there was an area at the back of the cave where Aaralyn had lots of blankets spread in layers, with a few pillows scattered around. He stood up and made his way over to that area, lying down, propped up on one elbow, watching her move around the cave. "You were right," he said. "It was worth it. But you still need to come over here and apologize for making me fall down just a second ago." "That was your own fault, not mine," Aaralyn said. "And I told you, you need nourishment before anything else. Just stay right there, and I'll take care of you." She walked over to an area of the cave where she had some boxes and crates sitting, and she pulled out a Gatorade. She walked over to Justin slowly, her shadow swaying in the candlelight. She stopped just short of the blankets and said, "Promise me that you'll behave for a little while. Nothing crazy until you're feeling a little better..." "Awww, babe..." Justin said, reaching toward her, but unable to touch her without getting up from the bed area. "Promise me," Aaralyn said. "I'm trying to make sure you're okay. I'll take very good care of you, in all ways, I promise. But you have to do what I say first..." "Fine," Justin said. "I can't refuse that kind of promise." Aaralyn came a little closer and put the Gatorade in Justin's open hand. "Drink this entire thing," she said. "You're dehydrated from the blood loss. I'm going to fix you something to eat, and when I come back over here again, I want to see that bottle empty." "Yes, dear," Justin said. He opened the bottle and began drinking the Gatorade. "Good boy," Aaralyn said, patting him on the head and laughing when he stuck his tongue out at her. She walked back over to the boxes and began bringing out food. She found some grapes and other fruit and took those over to Justin. "Here," Aaralyn said. "Eat some of this until I can make something hot for you." "You're hot enough already," Justin said, pulling on her hand and trying to get her on the blankets with him. "Let me nibble on you for a little while." "No, no," Aaralyn said. "You promised to behave for a little while. Eat some of this fruit, and I'll come back after I cook something." She went away again and built a campfire just outside the cave with some sticks of wood that she had stacked in her supply area next to the food. Aaralyn went down to the stream and pulled on a rope that was tied to a rock, bringing up a cooler that had been under the water. The water of the stream stayed cold year-round, and Aaralyn used this as her refrigeration system. She took some meat and vegetables out of the cooler and then replaced it in the stream. Over the campfire, she cooked a meal for Justin in a big pot. "Aaralyn, honey, that smell is driving me crazy. Get back over here and feed me whatever is in your pot..." "Feed you, huh?" Aaralyn said, coming back into the cave and letting her silhouette dance in the candlelight. She put the food on a plate and grabbed a fork. "If I'm going to feed you, you'll have to sit up." She sat down on the blankets beside Justin, and he sat up as she asked, leaning his head on her shoulder. Aaralyn scooped some meat up on the fork and put it in Justin's mouth. "Oh, babe!" he said. "That's GOOD!" He sat up straighter and held his mouth open for the next bite. "Look..." Aaralyn said. "We could get to other things a little faster if you feed yourself..." "But that's not as much fun," Justin said. "What kinds of other things?" "Well, first we'd have to bathe you and get the nasty mattress and vampire funk off you..." Aaralyn said. "Bathe me..." Justin said. "Hand me that fork!" He ate with vigor, and Aaralyn laughed. When he was finished, Justin set the plate aside and waited, watching Aaralyn's face. "Are you ready?" Aaralyn whispered. "Oh yeah," Justin said, leaning in and kissing Aaralyn's lips. "I've been ready for a long time." He wound one hand through her hair and kissed her harder, brushing her lips with his tongue and getting just a little taste of her. Aaralyn kissed Justin back at first, but then she pushed him gently away. "Are you sure you're feeling okay?" she asked. "Eating helped me," Justin said. "I'm already feeling better than I was. I promise you, babe, I'm fine." He reached for her again, but Aaralyn wiggled away. "In that case, we have to get you clean before anything else," Aaralyn said. She ran outside the cave, past the campfire, and out beyond its glow. Justin saw her shirt, then her pants, and then something small, maybe a piece of underwear, fly by and get picked up by the glow from the campfire before disappearing again into the darkness. Then he heard a splash. Justin didn't hesitate; he ran out of the cave and began peeling his own clothes off, dumping them near the campfire where some of Aaralyn's pieces had landed. He looked around, but he didn't see her. "Babe, where are you?" Justin called. "Behind the waterfall," Aaralyn said. Justin fumbled along in the dark and walked by the edge of the stream to the waterfall that cascaded down from the rocks above, following a faint glow that came from that direction. At the base of the waterfall, there was an area where the water pooled before moving on into the stream. Behind the waterfall, Justin found a natural shelf in the rock where Aaralyn had placed some soap and shampoo and a little battery operated lamp, all of which were wet from the spray of the water. Aaralyn herself was down in the pool of water, only her face above the surface, looking Justin up and down. "Hey, no fair!" Justin said. "You get to check me out before I get to check you out!" "Then get in here, hot buns!" Aaralyn said. "You've got to be kidding me," Justin said. "I'm full frontal here, and you're thinking about my buns?!" "Hey, I like everything I see there," Aaralyn said, but I already had my hands on the buns earlier tonight, so I know they're spicy. Maybe if you hurry up and get in here, I'll have some other things to entice me..." Justin hopped down into the pool of water, which came up to his chest, and gasped. It was extremely cold, and for a moment, he couldn't breathe. "Justin...?" Aaralyn said. She came toward him. "Are you alright?" "F-freezing my b-balls off!" Justin wheezed. "You didn't tell me this water was so cold! It even hurts my lungs!" "I'm sorry," Aaralyn said, reaching out and putting her arms around him. "I always jump in fast and force my body to adjust quickly. I didn't really think about you not being used to it." Aaralyn's breasts were pressed up against him, and Justin started to forget about the cold. "Well, I guess if you stay really close to me," he said, squeezing her and making her squeal, "then maybe I'll forgive you." He grabbed Aaralyn on her round little behind and lifter her up, bringing her legs around his waist. He bent his head down and kissed Aaralyn hard, smashing her lips and forcing his tongue in, roving around and tasting her. Aaralyn moaned slightly, the noise vibrating against Justin's mouth, and she put her hands behind his neck, running them through his hair, pinning his face against hers, pulling, tugging, scratching even. Aaralyn's excitement was contagious, and Justin could feel his manhood swelling, in spite of the icy water. He shifted Aaralyn slightly so that she felt it, too. Aaralyn gasped and held Justin tighter with her legs, grinding her hips on him and letting her body feel his length against her. "That's all for you, babe," Justin whispered against her skin. "I thought you were suffering from blood loss," Aaralyn said back, kissing along Justin's jawline and down his neck. "I've still got plenty in the places where you want it," Justin said. "I thought we came in here to get clean," Aaralyn said. "I can still smell vampire on you." "No way," Justin said. "I don't smell bad." Aaralyn raised her head up and looked into Justin's eyes. "Do you really want to smell what I smell?" she asked. "See what I see? Hear what I hear? Feel what I feel?" "I want to know everything about you," Justin said. "I want your mind, your heart, your body... I want to be inside you." He moved his hips against her again. "Be mine tonight, baby. Let the walls come down." "Okay," Aaralyn whispered, leaning into him again and kissing Justin's lips, his cheek, his neck. "The last wall is right about... here." Aaralyn's head changed to the leopard, and she sank her teeth into Justin's neck. She pumped her saliva into his veins through her hollow fangs like snake's venom. Justin cried out when Aaralyn bit him. The vampires' bites had hurt, but he had almost instantly lost so much blood from them, that he had gone numb and been unable to function. But when Aaralyn bit him, she didn't take anything away; she put something in him. Her fangs pricked Justin, and something warm from her shot inside his veins, moving like liquid fire, burning at first, and then going through him like a shot of whiskey, packing a punch, but bringing comfort, and making him feel high as if he had been shot up with some kind of drug. The next thing Justin noticed was that it changed him. Aaralyn pulled her teeth gently out of Justin's neck, and her human face reappeared. She leaned back and looked at him, watching his veins swell out of his skin briefly as her juices coursed through him, changing him, making his muscles grow and his senses heighten, and she would swear, even his penis against her inner thigh got larger than it already was. Justin breathed in and out deeply, his muscles clenching and unclenching as he tried to adjust to his new strength and incredibly strong senses. "I can see everything," he said. "The darkness doesn't bother me anymore. I can hear everything. The tiniest sounds are easy... I can hear the bubbles at the very bottom of the stream, coming off the waterfall... And I can smell.." He took a big whiff at Aaralyn. "You... Babe, you're the best smelling thing in the whole world." He breathed her in deeply. "That's my pheromones," Aaralyn whispered. "You have a bunch of werecat hormones in you now, and it's affecting all your senses. You can experience everything that I do. You can smell that I'm... all hot for you..." She leaned in and nipped at Justin's lip playfully, making him smile and bite back at her. "Aaralyn," he said, his voice coming out like a growl, "does this mean that I'm..." "Oh, no," Aaralyn said. She looked him in the eye, sadness all over her face. "I'm sorry Justin. This is just temporary. Werecat bites are used to give a human extra strength for a little while. Remember once when I told you that I protect people from creatures who are stronger than them so that they don't get eaten? A werecat's special ability, other than her own super strength and the ability to become a big leopard, is that her bite gives weaker people some of her super strength and heightened senses for a little while so that their escape is easier. It only lasts for a few hours. I can't actually change anyone else into a werecat. If I could..." She leaned her head against his chest and hid her face, but Justin could feel a few warm tears trickling down before they hit the cold water around her. "Hey, babe, it's okay," Justin said, putting one hand on the back of Aaralyn's head and stroking her hair. "We said all along that this was just one night, just Halloween, just the two of us celebrating the monstrous side of us and being ourselves, no barriers. I never even thought sharing this much of your experiences was possible. Now I can feel how you feel for a little while. I'm the luckiest guy in the world, just to get one night with you." Justin stood there, simply holding her. After minute, he said, "You're right, though. I can totally smell the vampire stink on me now." Aaralyn laughed against Justin's chest. She looked up at him, and touched his face. Justin took her hand from his cheek and kissed her fingers. Aaralyn unclamped her legs from around Justin and reached over to pick up the bar of soap. She came back over to Justin and began rubbing the soap over him, starting on his chest and lathering all over. She brought the soap up to his neck and touched the vampire bites very softly. Amazingly, they had already begun healing over, and the bruising around them had faded. "Justin..." Aaralyn said. "I think I should have bitten you sooner. I think my fluids in you are causing you to heal. That's the other ability that werecats have--the ability to heal at a very accelerated rate. I'm so sorry, baby. I could have ended your pain a long time ago..." She looked up at him and got sad again. "Hey, hey, hey," Justin said. "I wouldn't have changed anything about this night, Aaralyn. Not one single thing. Not even how cold this water is. But seriously, babe, we've been in here a long time. Hand me that soap, and let's get this over with before we both turn into prunes." Aaralyn smiled at him and handed over the soap. Justin washed himself quickly, scrubbing hard, and then he turned the soap on Aaralyn. He lathered up her neck and shoulders and worked his way down to her bouncy breasts with their nipples erect in the cold water. He held them and squeezed them and caused Aaralyn cry out happily. Celebrating Monsters "You're doing more playing than bathing," Aaralyn said. Her hands were under the water, and suddenly Justin felt her between his legs, caressing his balls and then working her way slowly up his shaft. "Hurry up and finish getting us clean like you said you would so we can get out of here." Justin complied, but it was very difficult with Aaralyn fondling him. He finished scrubbing her breasts and turned her around to scrub her back, but she didn't release him, putting her hand behind her and continuing to gently rub his genitals. "Baby, please," Justin whispered in Aaralyn's ear. "You're KILLING me!" When she didn't respond, he decided that maybe the best way to get a reaction out of Aaralyn was to give her a taste of her own medicine. He tossed the soap back onto the rock shelf and reached low in the water, finding Aaralyn's legs and moving up them, tracing up her inner thighs and just barely grazing her slit at the top. Aaralyn sucked in her breath and moved against Justin's hand. He went across her opening again, and Aaralyn turned around to face him. She repositioned herself in front of Justin, putting her arms around his neck. The movement caused Justin's hand to be on Aaralyn's hip, and he brought it to the front, finding his target again. Aaralyn lifted one leg, putting it around Justin's back, the movement causing his finger to slip inside her. She put one hand in Justin's hair and the other on the head of his member. "Please," she said, against Justin's ear. "We smell good, now. Take me out of here." "Gladly," Justin said, growling the word at her and lifting her in one quick movement, bringing both her legs up around his waist again. Aaralyn lost her hold on his genitals and settled for wrapping her arms around Justin's neck as he walked up out of the pool of water. On the dry streambank, the cool night air hit their naked wet bodies, and Aaralyn was immediately covered in goosebumps. She shivered against Justin, her breasts shaking slightly. He hoisted her up higher and put his face in the valley between Aaralyn's two creamy peaks, licking and kissing them. "Oooooh," Aaralyn said. "I like that, baby. Right there..." She put her head back, and Justin continued to go over her breasts with his face, taking one nipple into his mouth and sucking it and swirling his tongue over it. "Ooooh!" Aaralyn cried, even more excitedly this time. She ground her hips against Justin, and even though they were still wet from the stream, he realized that some of the moisture on Aaralyn was her own arousal. Justin could smell the pheromones radiating off her body, and he could barely stand it. He carried Aaralyn into the cave like a hunter bringing home his prize. He went over to the pile of blankets and put Aaralyn down on all fours, moving behind her, needing to get a better look at her juicy little cunt. "Ass up, please," Justin said. He grabbed one of Aaralyn's round buttcheeks and gave it a firm squeeze. She squealed a little and backed toward him slightly, wanting more. The smell of her arousal was completely clouding Justin's senses, now. He got down on his hands and knees behind her and put his face right in Aaralyn's slit, smelling it like an animal, and then running his tongue over it, tasting her sweet, sweet juices. "Oh, Justin!" Aaralyn cried. She leaned back against his face, unable to control herself. Justin licked across her hole again and put his tongue inside Aaralyn, now bringing his entire mouth over her. He rolled his tongue and sucked, and Aaralyn screamed. She thrust backward, and Justin put his hands on her hips to get a better grip. Aaralyn began pushing backward rhythmically, moving with Justin as he used his tongue to pleasure her and satisfy his own taste for her delicious werecat juices. If Aaralyn's saliva had been strong in Justin's veins, her nectar was even more potent as he sucked it in, turning Justin into a sexual fiend who couldn't get enough of her taste. As Aaralyn quickly began to orgasm, her smell and flavor came over Justin in waves, and he could no longer control himself. As soon as Aaralyn let out her last scream and slumped down onto her elbows, Justin pulled his face away and mounted her from behind, thrusting his hard member inside Aaralyn's dripping vulva and causing her to cry out again. He leaned down over her back, wrapping his arms around her, and bit into Aaralyn's shoulder with a snarl, just as a real feline might hold onto its mate. Aaralyn let out a snarl of her own, completely turned on by Justin's animalistic behavior, and thrust against him just as she had when his mouth had been on her. Justin began humping her, and Aaralyn arched her back, loving the weight of him over her body and the feeling of his large erection boring inside her. Justin thrust in and out and in and out. He kissed and nibbled along Aaralyn's neck, and his hands found their way to her jangling breasts which were getting rubbed a little raw as they drug over the blankets, flopping forward every time Justin banged into Aaralyn. He grabbed onto Aaralyn's nipples to shield them, and she hissed at the temporary pain of his touch. But then Justin was squeezing and fondling the two mammaries, and Aaralyn was lost in ecstasy. She began to moan and arched her back even further. This pushed Justin over the edge. He gave several quick thrusts and spurted inside Aaralyn with a deep groan. She cried out in response and quivered around him as he pumped the last of his load into her. Aaralyn collapsed beneath Justin, and he rolled off of her and turned her over gently to place her in the crook of his arm. The two of them lay breathing heavily for several minutes, recovering themselves. The air around them smelled of pheromones and sex, and Justin decided that other than the initial scent of Aaralyn's arousal, it was his favorite odor. "Wow," Aaralyn said after a little while. "Yeah," Justin agreed. "Justin," Aaralyn said. "I've never felt something that... powerful... with anyone else before." "Same here, babe," Justin said. "I told you I'm the luckiest guy in the world tonight." He pulled Aaralyn closer, rolling her in on himself, her boobs coming in against him. She tossed one leg casually over Justin's legs and rested her hand on his chest. He kissed her forehead and ran his hand up and down Aaralyn's back. The candles flickered all around them, and the campfire burned low outside the cave. Through the opening, Justin could see the waterfall coming down outside and the stream continuing on beyond it. Here he was in the most beautiful place with the most amazing girl. He turned his face toward Aaralyn and snuggled against her hair. A little while later, Justin had dozed off, and he felt Aaralyn move next to him. He opened his eyes and looked down at her. Her eyes were closed, and she had a strange expression on her face. She groaned and squirmed. Justin wondered if he should wake her. She looked like she might be in pain. "Aaralyn... baby... are you okay?" he whispered. "Mmmm..." Aaralyn tightened her arm around Justin and nuzzled her face against his muscular chest. "I was dreaming," she murmured. "Oh?" Justin said. "What were you dreaming about?" "Well," Aaralyn said, sitting up and then turning around on her knees to face Justin. "You were right there, just like that..." She ran her hand from the top of Justin's chest, down over his abs. "And I was on top, like this..." She moved sideways and straddled Justin. "Oh, really?" he said. "And just what were you doing there?" "I was doing some kissing, like this..." Aaralyn said, leaning down and starting at Justin's chest, running a trail of little kisses up his neck and around his jawline, until she met his mouth, her breasts brushing against him the whole time. Justin met Aaralyn's mouth with his and kissed her forcefully. When her tongue parted his lips, he sucked it in hungrily, dueling with his own tongue, using it to caress hers, just as his hands began caressing her back, the round shape of her ass, and then back up to her breasts. "Mmmmm," Aaralyn moaned into Justin's mouth, and her kiss got wilder as he stroked her breasts and used his thumbs to stimulate their buds. Aaralyn broke the kiss, putting her head back, and Justin put his mouth on one breast, sucking it and running his tongue over the nipple. "Oh, yes!" Aaralyn said, and she began squirming, adjusting her hips, feeling with her nether lips, until she was lined up with Justin's growing cock. She used one hand as a guide, and then she pushed hard, impaling herself on him. "Oh, babe!" Justin yelled, grabbing her butt in both his hands and helping her slam into him for a second time. "Please don't stop!" Aaralyn said, leaning low over him and holding one breast up to Justin's face. He brought his mouth down on the nipple again and rolled his tongue over it, making Aaralyn let out a little scream. She slammed her pelvis against him again and then raised herself upright, beginning to bounce up and down on Justin. He put one hand on her boobs to continue stimulating them the way she liked, and he used his other hand to help brace Aaralyn as she rode him hard. Justin responded to her, thrust for thrust, pumping her up and down and making Aaralyn breathe heavily. "Yes, yes!" she cried. Justin began to grunt with each thrust, and the sound of his exertion drove Aaralyn wild. She pounded up and down and cried out in response to him, making her own little squeals and moans right after Justin's grunts. "Oh... oh... oh, yes!" Aaralyn cried. She felt like a cowgirl riding a wild bull, and she held one hand in the air, her other hand trying to hold on around Justin's abs. He saw what she was doing, and he thrust her high, lifting his butt off the blankets with the super force of their lovemaking. It was all Aaralyn could take. She screamed and began spasming around him. Justin came too, rocking Aaralyn hard and then holding onto her as she lay down slowly over him, exhausted. Aaralyn kissed Justin's neck and nuzzled her nose there, still lying on top of him, not wanting to move. "Was that like your dream, baby?" Justin asked. "No," Aaralyn said. "It was so much better than my dream. You fit my body in all the right places." She ran her hand through Justin's hair, using her nails to gently massage his scalp. He closed his eyes and enjoyed her tender touch. After a minute, Aaralyn got up and got a couple of Gatorades and brought them back to the bed. Justin took one from her, grateful for the refresher. "Am I wearing you out?" Aaralyn asked. "Oh, yeah," Justin said, taking a big gulp of the drink. "But I could go all night like this with you. You keep me filled with Gatorade, and I'll keep you filled with... me..." He crawled toward Aaralyn and kissed her mouth, her neck, and then back up to her mouth. She lay down flat, her arms spread by her sides, giving Justin full access to her body. "I like being filled with you," she said. Justin kissed along Aaralyn's sensitive collarbone and then down between her breasts. He slipped one finger against her clitoris and immediately had Aaralyn squirming for more. "So you like it when I fill you up," he said, his breath tickling against Aaralyn's skin as he spoke between kissing up and down her body. "Oh, yes," Aaralyn said, trembling from his touch. "I love it when you put your big... hard... oh!" Her words were cut off as Justin pushed his finger inside her. "Well, I can tell you like this," Justin said, stroking inside Aaralyn, but you were saying you like something big and hard even better..." he started to pull his hand away. "No, no, I like that, too!" Aaralyn said, reaching out frantically, not wanting Justin to take his finger away. "Aw, too late, babe," Justin said, removing his hand. Aaralyn gasped. "But don't worry," Justin continued. "I have something much bigger that I'm going to give you." He moved over Aaralyn and placed the head of his dick at her hole. "You'd rather have this, wouldn't you?" he asked, sliding it against her, using her juices to lubricate the sides. "Oh, yes, please, please," Aaralyn cried. "Give it to me!" Justin gave Aaralyn what she asked for, penetrating her and burying himself deep inside. "Is that what you wanted, baby?" he asked. "Yes..." Aaralyn said. "Yes, yes!" She wiggled beneath Justin, adjusting the angle of her hips so that she could accept him even deeper into her. He slid partway out and then pushed into her again, hard. "Oh!" Aaralyn cried. "More... oh!" Justin brought his mouth down and silenced her with a kiss. He began pushing his tongue in and out of Aaralyn's mouth similarly to the way he pushed his member into her vagina. She closed her eyes and wrapped her arms around him, trying to hold on as his strong body shook her. Aaralyn put her legs up around Justin's waist, using them as clamps around him. He was like an earthquake in her, shaking her to her core. She dug her nails into his back, scratching him and drawing blood as she struggled to hold on. Justin could smell the werecat pheromones as Aaralyn's body responded to him. He noticed her scent growing, and he could tell she was getting close... He was, too. He pounded hard into her, over and over, but before he let himself explode, he slowed down. He moved gently in Aaralyn, watching her face change as he held himself above her with one hand and used the other hand to stroke her hair. Aaralyn's eyes flew open. "What are you doing?" she asked. "Being gentle with you," Justin said. "We've been going at it hard all night, and I just thought you might like things slow and steady for a little while." He continued thrusting in and out of her softly while they talked. "Sweetie, in case you haven't noticed, I'm not a slow and steady kind of girl," Aaralyn said. "I need you power-drilling me, NOW!" She thrust upward and arched into Justin. Justin grinned at the beautiful firecracker beneath him. He leaned his head down and nipped at her breasts, immediately getting her fired up again. The peaks of Aaralyn's breasts were her instant turn-on zones, and Justin squeezed them and licked them, causing Aaralyn to moan and squeal as he hammered in and out of her. He pumped like a piston, and Aaralyn pumped with him, digging her claws into Justin's back again. He smelled her pheromones rise to a crest and begin crashing into his senses in waves. With Aaralyn orgasming around his cock, Justin began shooting his ribbons of semen into her. She arched up and then fell back, going limp beneath him. Justin finished and flopped off to the side so that he wouldn't crush Aaralyn. She let out a contented sigh, and Justin laid his head on her pillowy bosom. "I wish this night would never end," Aaralyn whispered. But she knew that eventually she would have to go back to being the loner werecat, and Justin would go back to being the friendly waiter at Tooth and Nail. It was too dangerous for Aaralyn to get attached to anyone. Werecats were the strongest creatures she knew of, but if the other monsters ever noticed that she had a weakness, they would find a way to exploit it. Anyone close to her would become a target, and she wouldn't always be able to save them. She couldn't fall in love because it would doom the other person. The responsibility of that fact weighed heavily on Aaralyn as the sun came up, rays of light starting to filter down into the canyon outside the cave. The campfire had burned out sometime during the night, as well as most of the candles. There was a chill in the air, and Aaralyn pulled one of the blankets from underneath her to cover herself and Justin. Justin felt Aaralyn put a blanket over him. He reached out and snuggled her in closer to him. "Does daytime make you sleepy?" he asked, his eyes still closed as he spoke to her. "Yeah," Aaralyn said. "Werecats are mostly nocturnal, and sunlight makes me drowsy. You're probably feeling that, too." "Yeah, I am," Justin said. "I know the night is over, but will you let me stay here a little while longer, babe? Stay here next to you and sleep the day away..." His last words trailed off as he rubbed his face against Aaralyn's skin, taking in her smell, even as he could feel the werecat powers starting to slip away from him. "Of course you can stay with me," Aaralyn whispered, scrunching herself as close as possible to Justin. "Besides, you'd never manage to climb out of my canyon. I'll have to carry you out later. Maybe we'll wake up again around dark, and we can go back to Tooth and Nail in time for your shift to start." "Aaralyn," Justin said. "I know this was just Halloween, just two monsters being free. And I know I don't even really qualify as a true monster. Having a great-grandpa who's an imp doesn't mean anything. Babe, I would never ask you to do anything like this with me again because I know it's important to you to keep your distance from people. And I also know that it's just your way of protecting everyone else. You have to push me away because you care. I want you to know that I understand all that." A tear ran down Aaralyn's cheek as she heard Justin say everything that was on her mind. "I'm glad that you understand," she whispered. "I wish it didn't have to be that way." "I know," Justin said. "Me too. But I told you already, I got to be the luckiest guy in the world on Halloween night. Now I get to take a really awesome nap with my best girl and keep the memories for a lifetime. I'll never forget any of it, babe." He kissed Aaralyn and wiped the tear off her cheek. "Don't you dare be sad about this," he said. "This was the best night either of us could have had. That feeling doesn't have to go away. You just smile sometime when you think of me, and remember that I'm probably somewhere smiling, thinking about you, too. Every vampire who walks in the bar, every pixie who orders a drink, every girl who smiles at me, I'll see you and remember this awesome time I had with a werecat hottie one Halloween." Aaralyn laughed a little and gave Justin a kiss. "And I'll always see you in every waiter who hits on me," she said. "Hey, don't you let other waiters hit on you!" Justin teased. "That's my thing. I'll punch any other guy who tries to get around you." "Hey, hey, hey..." Aaralyn said. "Don't be jealous. I let you walk out of the bar with those two vampires..." "Yeah, but then you stalked me and beat them up just when they were getting frisky," Justin said. "Yeah, well, I couldn't let them kill you before I had a chance to get my own teeth in you," Aaralyn said. They both laughed. Aaralyn rested her head on Justin's shoulder, and the two of them drifted off to sleep in each other's arms, dreaming about moonlight and candles and a cold stream at the bottom of a canyon, next to a dark cave... ***Author's Note: Remember, this is my submission for the 2014 Halloween contest, so if you like the story, please give me your vote!***