Blood Of The Moon (ch1)

EARLY RELEASE FOR ALL MY PATRONS!!

My goodness... If you follow me on twitter you may recall that I wrote this story about or over 2 years ago. I've been pushing it back because of commissions or other stories that were next on the list to get posted, but it is FINALLY time for this one!

Be aware, there are warnings and triggers for this story, and though not all of them are really fully explored or described to the worst extend, I'll still put the warnings up to be safe. Triggers will include animal abuse, physiological abuse/torture, and non-consensual sexual advances.

With all that being said, I really put my all into this story, even though it's nothing like the typical vampire/werewolf AU you might expect. The villains I made up aren't like anything I'd ever write for something Starlight-related, but for the intents and purposes of this story and the theme, I wrote them in.

If you choose to read, I do think you won't be disappointed overall. But do take care if you are sensitive to darker themes.

Disclaimer: I do not own Shoujo Kageki Revue Starlight.

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							 Blood Of The Moon

							Chapter 1. The Wolf


All around her, the bar's atmosphere is charged with the energy bred from late-night activities, the kind of entertainment that happens in the latest, hungriest hours unfit for half of humanity.

The area for dancing is crowded with people jumping and shouting and brushing against each other, hands roaming, eyes drifting. They writhe and jostle like schools of fish clustered together, unaware of the predator that watches from the depths.

The smells of alcohol and cigarette smoke mix together to form a terrible tang on the back of her tongue, which swishes restlessly behind her aching teeth, pacing inside the confines of her mouth. She swallows, eyes flashing down at the counter beneath her where a single shot glass sits, still full.

No one is particularly close to her, and she's kept it that way throughout the hours she's been here. But now, the necessity for a companion is becoming far too great for her to deny.

Rather, victim might be a better word.

Maya lets out a low, heavy moan as a wave of dizziness knocks around in her skull. Though she hasn't downed a drop of alcohol or any other kind of narcotic like everyone else here, her body strains from a different kind of thirst. She can already feel her fangs beginning to form from the usual canines, and as they elongate themselves she can feel the razor-sharp tips scraping her tongue. She salivates like a beast, no matter how desperately she tries to control it. Every time, the longer she attempts to put it off, the more ravenous she becomes.

By now she's learned that it's better to simply satiate herself sooner rather than starve herself to the point of madness.

The music buzzing and blaring through the air jars her heart, which has begun to pound from the natural urge for feeding. She clamps her teeth together to hold her fangs in, breathing out slowly through her nose.

It's time to hunt.

She straightens herself up and turns in her stool, away from the untouched alcohol. She'd been scouring the premises for at least an hour now to select an appropriate target to satisfy her needs.

There were several girls who had piqued her interest, though not by way of attraction or desire. She simply selected ones who seemed energetic and healthy, not only because the blood tended to have a better taste, but mainly because she didn't want to risk her feeding to affect them physically.

She'd learned from her mistakes over the years. By now, she knows exactly which girls will temporarily satisfy her eternal cravings without risking major consequence.

So after hours of observation, watching so many of them engaging in the most carnal antics possible while still remaining clothed, Maya begins her hunt. She vacates her stool and slips into the edges of the crowd.

Not many people will notice her until she wishes to be noticed. That was one perk of her condition, at least. The few who would come up to her and attempt to flirt usually sensed her disinterest and turned away naturally. And the fewer who would persist would have the most-recent moments of their memories erased until they'd forgotten all about their initial interests in her.

Maya did not keep contact with anyone. She did not exist in anyone's memory, and that is essential to her survival, being what she is.

Presently, she stalks the crowds. Colorful flashing lights streak across her vision, which has begun to shift red around the edges. She prowls slowly, sensing the clammy thickness of body heat coating her skin as she dares to venture more deeply into the cluster. The stenches of beer and perfume and various narcotics gradually fade, until the only scent her nose can pick up on is the tang of blood. Even when it's still beneath their skin, not even breaching the surface, she can discern the richness or lack thereof.

Her heart pounds a little harder, and another wave of wetness drenches the inside of her mouth. She keeps her fangs clamped on her bottom teeth, forcing them to be patient.

Finally, she spots one of her top-rated preys of the night. The girl has a pretty face and pretty hair like all the others, but all things considered her movements show the fewest signs of debilitating intoxication. Maya observes her dancing with a boy, and then turning away to dance with another girl, and then another boy. She doesn't seem to have any set partner.

Maya exhales. She's in luck.

She had often been forced to pull a girl away from a lover in order to have her way, and the few times she'd been caught hadn't been pretty. But luckily her power of memory erasure always mended things well enough for her to make her escape.

But of course she preferred targets like these; girls no one would miss for just five minutes.

She sets her eyes on her prey and advances at a slow, methodical pace.

Even with the tightly-packed mass of bodies, no one touches her who Maya doesn't touch first as she passes through. The girl in her sights catches her eye when she nears, and Maya recognizes a familiar haze there; a mischievous, careless gleam that confirms her interest in Maya right from the start.

Maya smiles, careful not to reveal her fangs, though in this hectic lighting and with how giddy the girl is, she probably wouldn't have noticed anyway.

Maya lures her in with a charming tone and an inviting attitude, reaching out to touch the girl's waist in a suggestive manner. After a bit of secretive words are exchanged, she leads her target out of the crowd and locates an open table and booth at the corner of the room.

Maya sits with the girl, who is already all too eager for her attention, planting herself across Maya's lap and touching her. Maya checks to ensure the isolated spot isn't being closely monitored before she allows herself to let loose.

Instinct takes over as she gives the girl a slight shove against the back of the booth. Maya ignores her flirty moans and comments - she isn't interested in attraction or love or whatever baseless version of romance this girl is after.

Maya makes quick work of closing her mouth on the girl's neck, receiving a shriek of delight in response. She drinks, though it's a rather disappointing meal. The blood is average at best, tainted by the tang of alcohol and other impurities, but it's better than living another night with that ache in her teeth.

With how mindless her victim already is from spending hours at such a place, she probably doesn't even realize what Maya is, or what she's doing.

Even so, once Maya is finished, she's sure to erase her memory of the past several moments, pressing her index finger to the girl's forehead. She slumps over, asleep and bound to wake again in a moment to continue her night. The holes Maya had left in her neck are already closing up, leaving just a bit of redness behind - something that certainly isn't unusual to see on a person at such an establishment at this hour of night.

At the very least, nature had been on her side when considering this sort of thing; whenever she feeds, the wounds always close up quickly to further help conceal what she is. Even if a passerby had spotted her with a victim, it would only ever be interpreted as intimate biting, nothing blatantly vampiric.

But in spite of the intimate nature of her feeding ritual, Maya has never fed off the same girl more than once. She keeps no company, no lovers, no friends, and it is for the best that way.

Slipping out of the booth, Maya makes her way back through the bar, cutting through the boisterous environment like a shadow. Now that her hunger has been taken care of, as unsatisfying as the taste had been, her usual senses return to her. The music bothers her ears, and the crazed atmosphere makes her unspeakably anxious.

She races for the doors, pushing past the last few people in her way before breaking free into the night. She rushes a few steps down the sidewalk before slowing, letting the reverberations of the bar's music fade behind her.

The city is still fairly active in spite of the hour, but the majority of it is cars passing on the streets. Not many people are out walking as she is, and she prefers to keep it that way, with no one around her.

Outside the air is cool, a welcome refreshment to the stifling heat of the sweaty bar scene. She'd only have to feed once every few days, so it's always a relief to finish doing so and knowing she has a bit of time before she'll have to go back to such a place for more.

She can still feel a tingling sensation in her hands, so for now she shoves them into her pockets and starts on her walk home.

Overhead, the moon is bright and half-full through a thin wisp of clouds, and the night in general is clear. Maya closes her eyes and breathes deeply before refocusing her vision on the dirty sidewalk.

There had been a time when she'd never been able to envision herself doing such things; visiting bars and clubs in the dead of night and then walking home alone.

It's been seven years now since her curse had been activated. Of course, over time, she's gotten better at navigating the towns she'd lived in and at how to work the crowds at the shadiest of establishments just for the sake of a meal.

But when she'd just started it had been quite terrifying.

For a thirteen-year-old girl, it was unheard of. But given the requirements of what her curse had turned her into, those sorts of places were the only ones where she could get away with it unhindered.

She'd only ever chosen girls from the start, and that wasn't about to change, especially considering the amount of men who had bothered her from night one. Hence why she is always as careful as she can be with her prey. She never wants to cause harm or distress. And the times when she'd sensed such things in them, she'd always let them go before doing anything, and seek out someone else.

By birth, Maya had never been a girl who wanted to inflict pain or draw blood or visit bars in the dead of night. But nature had other plans for her, and had turned her into something drastically different from what she'd been born as.

The thoughts pain her head, and she shakes them off as she continues her long walk home.

What she calls 'home' at the moment is merely an apartment where she's lived alone for several months now. Of course, when she'd first realized what she had become seven years ago, Maya and fled home for fear of ridicule and rejection from her parents.

After a few nights of living on the streets, she'd discovered her ability to erase memories, and as such had used that power whenever she'd fed. She would find a girl about her own age, earn her pity and beg her to let Maya stay the night. Then she'd use the residence for sleep and shelter, drink from the girl in the early morning, erase her memory, and disappear from her life forever.

It's only thanks to that ability that Maya hasn't been forced to move to too many different cities over the years. With no one to remember her, she has no one to fear discovering her secret.

After nearly a decade of living this way, she's begun to accept that it will be like this for the rest of her life. She will forever be a vampire amongst humans, cursed and helpless about it.

She just prays she will never lose her humanity and become some mindless creature who lacks empathy or any knowledge of herself or the world around her.

She doesn't know how the curse had started or why it had chosen her. She doesn't know if there is a way to return to being human.

But she wants to. More than anything, she wants to go back to being human.

Because of the curse, she had dropped out of school early and wandered the streets. All her knowledge was acquired from the many nights she'd hidden in the public libraries and educated herself on the books when she couldn't sleep.

But in spite of all she'd read and learned, she could never find anything much about vampires beyond the general fantasy. Nothing about it being a curse or how that curse might be created or broken.

She's now resigned herself to this fate at the ripe age of twenty, where she has already missed out on what would have been her best years of high school and college, making friends and falling in love, struggling and laughing together with others who cared for her as much as she cared for them…

Now, she walks alone at night down the street on her way back from a place where no one remembers her, and with no one missing her or waiting for her at home.

The rush of passing cars eventually peters out in exchange for the breeze. When Maya next looks up and actually sees her surroundings, she realizes she'd strayed from the way to the apartment. Rather than toward the residential area, she's ended up closer to a section of forest that opens up at the edge of town.

She stares off into the gentle darkness, the trees and their branches swaying in the night, cricket songs intermingling from a society of their own.

When she'd still been human, she would have been terrified of such a place at night.

But now it's the brightness of the passing cars and the voices of people she fears most.

A loud, rambunctious group is heading her way, shouting and running in a manner that makes her skin prickle. Maya's never liked people like that. Though she had acquired a fair amount of physical strength when her fangs had grown in, and there's no doubt in her mind that she could easily take care of herself if it ever came to a confrontation, she believes it best to simply avoid skirmishes altogether if possible. Especially with this group being all men, she has no desire to let them see her.

So with movements like a cat's, she maneuvers over the sidewalk wall and lets herself fade into the forest. She sinks several paces back into its depths, letting the yelling humans pass. If any of them had spotted her or taken an interest, they don't pursue her.

The sounds of their jarringly-loud voices tell her they were looking for something or someone, but not in the way of people concerned about the other's wellbeing. Whoever they were searching for, they were furious, and Maya pitied the poor soul at the other end of this if they were ever caught.

Her heart pounds until she's certain the men have gone.

Or at least, she'd thought as much.

But not a moment later, when she's about to return to the sidewalk and the glow of the streetlights, she hears their voices again. Judging from the snapping branches and plodding footsteps, they've veered off into the woods now.

Maya tenses. She's certain there is no way it's her they're after, as she'd never encountered any such group before in her life, nor had she ever upset anyone to the point of sending people after her. Even if she had, she'd erased their memories immediately afterward.

But even so, she doesn't want these people to find her here and start asking questions. She'll fight if it comes to that, but she'd really rather not.

She has no choice but to flee deeper into the forest for the time being, moving swiftly and gracefully, never stepping on a single twig, barely causing any leaf to rustle. In contrast, she can hear the men blundering about like blind bulls, destroying anything in their path that will break.

Maya feels a rush of something strange as she leaves them far behind. It isn't fear or excitement from being involved in some kind of chase, but rather just the enjoyment of running.

If she'd never been cursed with these fangs, she might've become an athlete or a dancer.

But as she is now, all she can enjoy is a quiet, lonely run through a deep forest in the latest hours of the night.

Though she is far out of the humans' range by now, she continues running, simply for the feeling of liberation it gives her.

After months upon months of spending so many nights and countless hours inside stifling, crowded bars, running freely is nothing short of a blessing. Though her younger human self never would have dared, at the very least the creature she had become is not afraid of darkness or any other animal that might lurk in the night.

She runs, and the moon shines slivers of its silver light down through countless branches that reach skyward for it. Maya clears every fallen log with ease, curving around every tree trunk, sensing each slumbering deer and avoiding them with care.

And for the first time in as long as she can remember, she almost smiles.

Almost.

But before it can fully form on her lips, a new sound reaches her.

It isn't like the peaceful breeze or the carefree song of the crickets, but rather it is like the sounds of the men earlier; hostile, angry.

Maya skids to a shuddering halt, her boots skidding in fallen leaves. With her eyes that have grown so accustomed to darkness, she casts her gaze to the side, following the source of the low, guttural growl.

Two reflective, narrowed eyes glare, furiously crimson.

Surely, to any other human it would be the stuff of nightmares. But to Maya, who isn't scared of much of anything these days, those eyes draw out an irresistible curiosity from her.

Against her instincts to avoid such a clear warning, she steps closer to the shadows of the thicket, where several trees and bushes have tangled together to create a tight, and no doubt thorny hiding place.

Immediately, she recognizes the smell of blood on the air. It makes her heart race just a little, but since she had fed so recently she's able to keep her fangs at bay and retain control of her senses.

Maya takes another step forward, and the growl deepens. Even with her nocturnal vision, she can only make out a ragged outline of the animal crushing itself into a defensive crouch, enough to confirm it is canine. A realization washes over her, and she uses her voice for the first time since the bar. But unlike before, when she'd merely used it to coax in a meal, now she speaks with meaning.

"Do not fret," she murmurs. "I would never turn you over to such terrible people. Any lost dog would be better off out here on its own than with such cruel men."

Maya stays put for a moment, and the growling continues. Though she does believe it lessens, just a bit. Again, the smell of blood is carried to her. She frowns.

"They did that to you, didn't they? I can tell you weren't hurt by anything in this forest. You're in hiding." She looks up, back toward where she'd heard the men earlier, giving a nod of satisfaction. "They won't find you here. And I won't turn you over to them. Please rest easily."

Now she realizes she can make out the fur of the animal. The pelt is the color of moonlight mixed with sunlight, not quite silver nor gold, but more beautiful than both. She can make out the shape more clearly now too, and she's able to tell the dog is huddled in on itself, tense and shaking. The smell of blood comes again, and now Maya understands there are multiple wounds.

Suddenly, the dog snaps its jaws at her. Maya takes a step back, looking up to the sky as it turns grey. Dawn was approaching. While it wasn't deadly to her, direct sunlight did make her skin burn, and it was something she tended to avoid ever since she'd changed. It would be best for her to get back to her apartment before much longer.

But something keeps her here, in spite of the dog's continued warnings.

"When it gets lighter out, they might be able to find you if you can't move…"

With every passing second, she can see better and better. The beautiful fur is matted with blood, some dry and crusted and some oozing fresh. There are wounds and scratches across the animal's face, torso and back from what she can see, and Maya imagines there are plenty more she can't see.

The growling becomes louder, to the point where the animal is nearly breathless from it, and it snaps at her again. The red eyes burn hatred at her.

Get away from me.

And yet Maya lingers.

"I do not want to leave you…"

As if it understands her words, the dog gives a furious snarl and surges up from the thicket. It lunges at her, and Maya staggers back. But the animal is so weak she knows it wouldn't last a minute in a chase or a fight against her - or anyone for that matter.

The sky turns milky with morning as birds begin to chirp awake, replacing the crickets. Now, as Maya watches the dog scramble and limp from the shadows, she realizes it's not a dog at all, but a wolf.

Beautiful, even in her agony and disarray, the wolf faces Maya with one last warning in her eyes. She snarls, revealing fangs as sharp as Maya's, and also like hers they are stained with blood.

The wolf gives another lunge at her and bites the air at Maya's waist. A sound that's half bark and half whimper tumbles from her mouth as a shudder seizes her. The wolf's eyes tremble, and then roll back just as the sun breaks beyond the unseen horizon.

Maya watches as a wolf falls.

But when the beast hits the ground, she is something very different.

Now, a human girl lays before Maya on the forest floor. Her clothes are all tattered and torn and stained with blood, as is just about every visible inch of her skin. Maya catches multiple scents in that blood, meaning it came from multiple sources, though most of it is likely from the girl herself. Her long, wavy hair is the same color her fur had been, but even that is streaked with red. Her skin is pale white where it isn't stained red, and it's clear that she is Maya's age in human terms.

But this girl is no ordinary human.

She too, is horribly cursed.

Maya isn't certain if she's more shocked about witnessing a wolf transform into a girl, or by discovering that she wasn't the only one bearing a curse of inhumanity. She'd never known another like herself before. Even if their curses were different, the two of them as inhuman people were the same.

Now it's clear those men from earlier hadn't simply been looking for a lost dog.

There is no doubt in Maya's mind that she needs to protect her.

Dawn breaks, bathing the forest in soft gold, bringing colors to life that the night would never see. Maya crouches down slowly beside the unconscious girl and touches her forehead. She's startled to feel a burning fever on her skin, and has to wonder just where this girl had come from and for how long she'd been running.

Either way, with how much blood she had lost, her fever, and her evident over-exertion, Maya knows her condition is very poor.

This girl…

She is the only other one Maya has ever known to be cursed like she is. Maya has so may questions to ask her.

She won't let her die.

And not just because she is a kindred spirit, but because she truly wants to help her, regardless of what either of them are - or aren't.

For the first time in seven years, Maya uses her enhanced strength for something other than fighting or struggling.

Slowly, she slips her arms underneath the bleeding girl and holds her close, cradling her against her chest. Maya stands, careful not to jostle her too much. Her charge is breathing very weakly, and each breath wheezes in her lungs, which Maya can only assume had suffered as much abuse as the rest of her had.

Gazing down at this battered girl now as the first rays of morning touch her back, Maya's heart moves for the first time.

For all the years she had spent feigning interest in girls just to get a meal, this is the first time she's ever taken a real interest in one.

Because she is cursed, and very, very lovely.

Maya wants to know everything there is to know about her, for more reasons than she can properly explain at the moment.

So, keeping the girl carefully secure in her arms, Maya hurries back through the forest as quickly as she dares.

And even though the sunlight touches her now, it does't hurt as much as she thought it would.

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A/N: I wrote a Mayakuro vampire AU before, but that was with only Claudine being the vampire. This time, I gave it to Maya, and had Claudine be a werewolf to use both amazing tropes together.

I really enjoyed writing this beginning chapter, describing Maya's plight and how she's been forced to live in the darkness, how she hunts and how she keeps no company, how she used to live as a human before her curse awoke. I hope you've enjoyed the setup so far.