Chapter III: Luna

Where am I? Opening my eyes, I found a fire raging before me. Looking around, I realised I was in a cave, pale, uneven stone bathed in the fire's warm orange glow. Looking out at the mouth, it was dark, though the deep black-blue of the night sky was giving way to the paler whites and cold blues of dawn’s light.

In my grogginess, I barely thought about how I had gotten here. The last thing I remembered was hiding behind the oak tree with Luna as my Father, Joe, and some other men from my village searched for me. My eyes widened as a horrifying thought struck me.

“LUNA!” I called, though all that came out was a panicked squeak, understandable only to me. Scanning around, I soon found what I was looking for.

Across from me, through weakening flickers of flame, a wolf was staring at me, her warm golden eyes like amber stones, almost brighter than the fire's flames. Rising to her paws, standing proud above the fire, she eyed me with a concerning stillness.

She’s huge! I panicked as my whole body tensed. Searching around, I had no idea what to do. If I ran away, she would catch me; if I tried to hide, she would sense me. I was getting smaller and smaller as I backed away towards the cave wall, pressing up against it, with nowhere else to go.

In her human form, as scared as I was, Luna almost enraptured me with her harsh beauty and charm. But now, our differences could not have been more obvious, more stark.

She’s a predator…

…And I’m her prey.

Watching me cower, Luna slowly moved around the fire towards me; her steps were measured and deliberate, though her golden-brown hunter’s eyes never left my shivering, weak body.

Looking past her, for some form of reprieve, my eyes fixed on something white beside where Luna had been lying.

Bones!

Still red with dried blood, tendons and sinew, the bones of a small animal, possibly multiple animals, lay disregarded, having been chewed and ravaged.

Thoughts racing at the inevitability, I closed my eyes, and finally my paws broke free of the ground. Leaping violently for the opening, I did not know what I wanted or how I felt at that moment. But regardless, something caught me.

Still in the air, I began to flail, stomping my paws against the air, occasionally striking whatever was grasping me, squeaking and squealing as I did.

“Ow! Shh. Shhh. Calm down, bunny.” A soft voice called.

Opening my eyes, my vision filled with Luna, who carefully held me and drew me closer to her, lowering herself to sit in front of the fire.

Still scared but unable to escape, my heart rate became fast and twisted. Until Luna let go and let me rest in her arm, like she was holding a baby. With her other hand, she slowly stroked my fur.

“It’s okay, I promise I won’t hurt you. I may be a meat-eater, but I’ve told you before I am no cannibal.” Luna spoke, reminding me of what she had said before, with an audible smirk. But the honesty in her words still managed to ring in my heart, clearing all its fear and anxiety. “You’re safe here. Do you want to come out or stay like this?” She asked, pausing, watching me, waiting for an answer. But before allowing me to respond, she spoke again. “To be honest, you’re just as cute either way. So I’m fine with this, too.” There was that confidence, borderline arrogance, but something about it sounded faltering, as if she were wearing it as a shield.

I stayed in Luna’s arms until my heart and breathing finally calmed, and my brain stopped racing. Thumping my paw lightly against her forearm, I signalled that I wanted to be let down.

“Okay, okay, I get it.” Luna protested with a smile as I thumped a couple more times, as she moved me towards the ground and let me go.

Hopping around, I took in my environment as Luna watched on with anticipation. Sniffing the ground, I smelt blood and death all around, making my fur stand on end and creating deep pits in my stomach, but I also picked up on Luna’s scent, not from where she was seated, but all around, making it clear I was in her domain. However, beyond all that, there was another scent in the air, something much more pleasant.

Near where Luna had been sleeping, there was a sack of some description. Moving closer, the pleasant scent grew stronger and stronger until, poking my head in, I found a treasure trove of carrots, lettuce, hay, and…

“STRAWBERRIES!” I exclaimed with glee, transforming back into human form in an instant and holding the bag open. Reaching into the bag, I pulled out a large, juicy strawberry. I wanted to eat it right there and then, but something compelled me to look in Luna’s direction. “Are these for me?”

She nodded, a warm, prideful smile plastered on her face. “Don’t overface yourself.” She added, signalling me to eat. “You were out for a whole day. I had no idea what to do, but I knew I needed to find you food.” She explained as I ate my fill. “There are quite a few farms around here. Usually I keep my distance, but sometimes dealing with them is better than hunting.” She continued, as I sat cross-legged, with the bag in my lap, holding a Carrot in both hands, nibbling on the tip.

“I hope you weren’t putting yourself in danger,” I said questioningly, concerned.

“No, no. I went in human form and traded for them.” Luna explained.

“Traded for them?” I asked, looking around the cave, Carrot still between my teeth.

“Favours,” Luna answered stoically.

“What kinds of favours?” My tone turned anxious.

“Protection of their livestock for a couple of nights.”

“Does that mean they know what you are!?” I shouted, flabbergasted with second-hand fear.

“I needed to get you food,” Luna responded matter-of-factly, but with a gaze of such genuine care that I found myself unable to uphold my protests. “Besides, they already knew. And we were already somewhat grateful to me for keeping many of the other animals in check from killing their livestock and eating their crops.”

We both paused, pondering the moment together.

While I ate, I found my eyes wandering back over to the bones piled up on one side of the cave. Even from looking at them, my anxiety rose once again, but this time, a question bubbled up to the forefront of my mind, one that made my heart race with fear once more.

“U-ummm? Luna?” I asked, looking Luna up and down.

“Hmmm.” She observed me with an expectant interest.

“Do you eat rabbits?” My voice was quiet, and I felt bad for asking her something that implied so much, but if I did not ask, I did not know whether I stood to stay here much longer.

Luna stared at me, as if wondering how to broach the topic, despite knowing it was bound to come up. “Yes, I have eaten rabbits.” She began. “But! I don’t plan on any more. And those bones—don’t worry, none of those are rabbit bones, and I’ll remove them when I go out later, and I’ll try to make sure not to leave any more lying around in future. This is your space as much as it is mine,” She added with haste, her tone growing ever more hopeful as she spoke, before pausing again, her face growing weary with my lack of response. “You do want to stay, don’t you?” She asked all of a sudden, her voice almost desperate.

Looking at Luna, I said nothing at first. It was a question I had not even thought about. I had already decided that I had nowhere else to go. “Ummm… Yeah, I don’t have anywhere else to go. And I would much rather stay here than go back to my village now, especially after what happened. So, if you’ll have me, I’ll stay here?” I said at last, now beginning to sound desperate myself.

Luna’s eyes lit up as a bright, childish grin appeared on her face. “Of course you can! I would love to have such a cutie around.” She said with glee as she moved to close the distance between us. It was clear she had been having difficulty holding back, torn between her dominant predatory nature and wanting not to scare me or cross any boundaries.

Sitting down beside me, whether it was through newfound comfort or a lack of self-control, she shifted in close enough that our shoulders touched, allowing our body heat and scents to mingle. Staying close, I let my gaze drift to the last of the burning embers as a stellar, pale, bright orange glow replaced the den's light. I pondered my fears and feelings. I found it somewhat difficult to reciprocate Luna’s joy, but growing within me was a longing warmth that I wished to nurture.

As I brooded, through no conscious decision of my own, my head flopped onto Luna’s shoulder. Jolting, it was clear Luna was as surprised as I was by this development, but as we both calmed, that unfamiliar warmth returned within me, gaining momentum and emboldening.

“I’m sorry for asking you such a question,” I spoke at last, uncomfortable with guilt. “I-I… it was just those bones and knowing how my appetite changed as I transitioned. I got scared, wondering how you viewed me.” I kept my voice low as I toyed with the unfinished Carrot in my hands.

“Can I hold your hand?” Luna asked. Looking at her in puzzlement, I nodded before lifting my hand to hers. Luna held our hands up for a moment, before letting them fall into the space between our thighs. “You don’t need to apologise for that; of course you're scared of such a thing, and of course you’re scared of me. Heck, right now I imagine you’re scared of everything. But I just want you to know that I’m here; we're the same; we understand each other on a level no human ever could. And I will do everything I can to help you feel comfortable and safe.” As Luna finished, I stared at her, letting her words wash over me, and as each one met in my mind, my nose grew hot, and my eyes welled with tears.

Noticing this, Luna, with slight hesitation, brought me closer, wrapping me in her arms, keeping my whole body with hers.

We stayed like that for a good few minutes, holding each other, our mutual feelings and understanding, sharing ourselves along with our body heat. Before long, the morning sun’s shafts of light were crashing into the den, their warmth surrounding us like a shield against the world.

Basking in the comfort, the sun’s light gradually faded as it disappeared behind the clouds.

“I’m going to need to go out and get some food soon,” Luna said, breaking the silence at last.

Holding her a little tighter, I did not want her to leave. Pouting, I let my eyes drift to the bones beside Luna’s bedding, my heart producing an irregular rhythm before I turned away.

“Don’t worry, I’ll move those now; you just keep eating your breakfast,” Luna said, calming me by stroking my hair before rising.

Finishing off my Carrot, I stared away at the den wall as Luna moved to and fro behind me. Treating myself, I reached into the bag of food again, looking for the juiciest strawberry available. I lifted one to the light, marvelled at how big it was, then munched on it, making sure to savour each bite.

Removing the last of the bones, Luna started carrying them down the hill to dispose of them, and in their absence, I searched around the den a bit more.

Besides the fire at the centre and the two makeshift beds on either side, a collection of bags and boxes for storage, along with supplies such as firewood and water jugs, sat at the back of the cave. Crude empty sconces for torches lined the walls, waiting for torches to be placed in them so they could light the area.

How long has she been out here? I thought. She did not seem much older than me. She’s maybe a couple of years older than me?

The wind’s chill raced through the den’s entrance, reminding me of the fact that I was still naked. Before, I had been too wrapped up in all that was going on to notice, but now, without Luna there to warm me up, I needed something to protect me from the elements.

I could transform? I thought briefly before my thoughts were filled with the horrified and judgmental faces of my family when they first saw my transformation. Even with subsequent transformations as I tried to learn to control myself, they scrutinised me with a distasteful wariness, to the point that, eventually, the only person I ever transformed in front of became my childhood friend, Emi.

Just as Luna had done, Emi would often swipe some of her parents' produce for me and let me run around in the fields away from the village, keeping watch to ensure no one would interrupt me. With Emi’s smile in mind, I picked up Luna’s thick woollen blanket from the floor, which she used as a mattress, and moved it closer to my bag of food.

Once in place, I took a deep breath, closed my eyes, and transformed into my rabbit form.

As it happened, my whole body warmed as my fur grew, trapping heat close and shielding me from the winter winds. As I fell to all fours, I hopped around for a moment on Luna’s blanket, noting that it smelled like her, before flopping over on one side and moving around, allowing the thick, sometimes harsh fibres of wool to scratch against my body. After a few moments of self-satisfaction, I got up again and hopped over to the bag, burying my head inside before leaving with a giant leaf of lettuce in my mouth.

I’m in heaven.