Chapter Text
The night of a full moon was not as scary as it usually was for Shelby.
Normally, this stage of the moon cycle would bring about a rush of mixed fear and curiosity. Maybe this would be the night she’d see a werewolf, she used to think.
Okay, she still thought that. Now that she was a vampire, it confirmed all of her theories. Werewolves were totally real and she could see one.
The fear came from her own wonder at what had happened to her father. Was he afraid under a full moon, at the mercy of a creature of the night?
But now, as a vampire, Shelby was the creature of the night. Wow!
Nothing could scare them as they went out to hunt by themself. They corked a bottle of crimson that they just collected, mumbling a quiet apology to the animal they just killed. As good as blood tasted, Shelby didn’t really like that they had to drink it. But they were a good vampire! No people!
Even if Owen was always weird whenever she refused to drink from humans, Shelby wanted to keep true to her principles. He would mumble in his edgy prince-of-darkness voice about how inevitable the hunger was. What does he know, anyway?
Pyro had fed from her, and it was awful. Shelby thought she’d forgiven them, but her neck still ached. She didn’t want anyone else to feel that way. Like a meal.
…Maybe hunting alone was a good way to get out of the castle.
But! She liked the castle! Everything was better there! No one called her crazy… even if they did still talk about her like she wasn’t there… but they took her in after turning her!
Shelby was doing fine. As long as no humans attacked, they and the rest of the castle wouldn’t have to hurt anybody! They could keep their new home and live forever and write as much as they wanted! Everything’s-
Something is watching her.
Shelby flinches and can’t stop the immediate thought of please don’t be a vampire. She’s not doing anything wrong! She’s not looking for the cure!
No, no, none of them would hurt her! Even if Pyro thought Scott would. Even if sometimes it felt like Owen might, if she didn’t start drinking from humans.
Or it could be a human… and they’d catch her with the blood and think she’s hurt somebody and maybe capture her… Owen and Scott were adamant that the humans wouldn’t leave them alone!
…Okay, maybe they are still afraid of the night of a full moon.
“Hey, hey, who’s out there? I’m friendly! I haven’t hurt anybody!” they assure frantically.
They see it then. Slitted eyes under the foliage. They step back, and it steps forward.
It’s-
…a wolf.
“Oh my gosh,” she whispers in disbelief, because it’s not just a wolf. It’s huge, and its front legs are more humanoid than its back ones. “Oh my gosh, are you a werewolf?”
The definitely-a-werewolf doesn’t respond, maybe because it can’t in this form. Its eyes are fixed on Shelby, and its nose sniffs at the leftovers of the animal she just hunted.
“You’re hungry, aren’t you?” Shelby wonders aloud. The werewolf is getting closer, and as much as she wants to have the chance to talk to a werewolf, its ears are pinned back. It’s not looking very friendly.
Shelby can’t assume that it wants to hurt them, they’d be a bit hypocritical if they did, but maybe it can’t control itself right now.
“Sorry!” she yelps, then bats out. She flaps her russet wings and lands on top of a tree so she can observe. Once the werewolf is back to a human, she really wants the chance to talk to it! But she also isn’t looking for a fight, so she’ll just wait up here.
The werewolf startles at her escape, but it then lunges at some of the bats in her swarm. The ferocity startles Shelby. It catches a couple and begins to eat.
It wasn’t bloody before, but it certainly was now. Crimson stains its muzzle and front… hands? Paws? It doesn’t really look like it’s enjoying the food, though. It looks more desperate than triumphant.
She would be a little grossed out that it’s eating her bats, but she’s not really in a place to judge eating random animals in the woods.
As the werewolf has its meal, Shelby takes a closer look from their bat’s-eye-view. They realize with a start that the werewolf has to be someone they know. No one else has come into Oakhurst, so someone in town’s been keeping a secret!
Well… she can’t exactly blame them.
So, who is it? Is Shelby able to tell?
Ragged brownish-gray fur encloses a worn but muscular frame. Its eyes are intelligent but still animalistic. Shelby notices that the left eye is blind while the other is a vibrant green. Most notably, a faded scar dives diagonally down the werewolf’s face, from its temple to its cheek.
That scar, those eyes…
“Dr. Legs?” she squeaks.
The werewolf – Legundo – glares at her from the ground. His teeth, dotted with red, shift into a grimace and he growls at her.
Shelby stays in her tree. “Hey now,” she says indignantly. “Why were you so stubborn about vampires when you were a werewolf the whole time!?”
Though that would explain why he was so helpful… He understood the vampires more than she realized.
The doctor and Shelby hadn’t really interacted much, but she knew he was adamant about aiding the vampires, even if it was mostly cure talk. But Pyro had seemed okay with him, and even Owen. Maybe the books were wrong and werewolves and vampires could really be friends!
On top of that, Shelby had been meaning to talk to a werewolf to get a better understanding of what happened to their dad, and Legs may be able to help! This was their chance!
Well, once he turns back. It seems like he’s not really himself right now. But Shelby’s not in a hurry, and wolf-Legs seems occupied with eating her bats.
Shelby turns back into their humanoid form and settles into the tree. At least they have time to get some writing done now.
After some time – and some of her best material yet! – the werewolf makes an odd whining sound. He rubs his head on the ground as if to get something out of it, then lies sideways on the ground in clear pain.
Shelby watches the detransformation in fascination. It’s a quick but probably awful process as Legs’s limbs make snapping sounds. They twist and reform into their normal humanoid shapes as the fur recedes back into his skin. His face loses the muzzle and rows of teeth. Before he shuts his eyes in agony, they expand back into round pupils. He grasps at nothing, making involuntary whimpers.
Once Legs looks fully human again (and naked, geez… it’s probably chilly out!), the blood still coats his form. He lies motionless in the grass. Shelby feels frozen in place.
Eventually, the body on the ground moans. Legs shifts and seems to force himself awake.
“Where…” he mumbles, moving a hand to his head. “Ughhhh… am I?”
The second his bloody hand brushes his scalp, he freezes. Legundo’s eyes snap open and he shudders violently. He raises himself to a sort of leaning position on his elbow, staring at the blood on his hands.
“No,” he whispers harshly. “No, no, no no not again no!” He starts to panic.
Oh no, Shelby should probably intervene. She supposes that waking up covered in blood wasn’t a great way to start the morning.
“Doc?” she calls. “It’s okay, you didn’t hurt anybody!”
Still breathing heavily, Legs’s head jerks up. He squints, trying to recognize them through the haze of fear. “It’s- I- What?”
Shelby slides down the tree to a lower branch. They’re about to get down fully when Legundo’s teeth snap at them with a growl. They flinch, claws twitching.
His glare melts as quickly as it arrived. “Sorry- I- God, I’m sorry. I’m still… I’m still agitated just after… Just stay over there!”
“Okay! I will!” she nods fervently.
Legundo takes a moment to pant. He switches between glancing at her and rubbing at the blood on his hands. At some point, he licks his lips and gags at the blood around his mouth. He tries to wipe it away on his bare skin.
After some time, he’s breathing a bit easier. “Shelby,” he finally says. “I’m sorry. I… I didn’t mean to snap, you’re safe to come down now.”
Shelby jumps down from the tree, bouncing on her heels. “It’s fine, can’t say I haven’t been there.”
Legs shakes his head as if to clear it. “Regardless, you have my apologies. You shouldn’t have to see me like this.”
“No, no, this is great!” she assures. “I’ve been wanting to talk to a werewolf!”
He grimaces at that. “Right… I’m afraid I’m not up for discussing my condition just after… just after it’s at its worst.”
Shelby deflates a little, but tries not to look hurt. “I- yeah, that makes sense. I get it.”
Legs waves a hand. “I assure you, I can answer any questions you have later. For now I need to get back to my house and recover.”
“Oh, right.” But her chance! She wants to talk a little bit! Maybe he’d be feeling better if he walked a little ways? “I can help you get back!”
The doctor cocks his head. “You’re sure? I understand if you’re reluctant to go to Oakhurst, even if I can promise you won’t come to any harm there.”
“It’s okay, I want to!” Truth be told, they kinda miss seeing the town. But they couldn’t be seen by any of the vampires, that’s for sure! They’d get in serious trouble! “You don’t look so good, Doc. I’ll walk you back.”
“...Thank you, Shelby.” Legs looks back at himself, looking ashamed.
“Oh, here,” Shelby starts before discarding her cloak and offering it to him.
Once Legs has tucked it around himself, Shelby helps him to his feet. He stumbles a little, looking exhausted. Shelby goes to one side of him to support him if he needs it.
“Other side of me, please,” the doctor instructs.
Shelby glances at his blind eye. “Right, sorry.” She switches over. “I didn’t notice your eye was that milky before.”
“I usually wear a prosthetic, but I took it out before tonight. The moon caught me unawares, but at least I didn’t lose the eye. Unlike my clothes.”
They start walking slowly back in Oakhurst’s direction.
Legs speaks hesitantly, voice raw, “Shelby, you said… it was just animals? You’re sure?”
“Yeah, you weren’t bloody or anything before I ran into you, I promise! You didn’t hurt anybody,” Shelby said sincerely. They out of anyone understood not wanting to hurt humans when the world thinks that’s all they can do.
Legs nods with his eyes closed, looking troubled. “Good, that’s good.”
“I batted when I saw you, and you ate some of the swarm. I don’t mind!” she assures quickly.
Legundo winces. “Still, that couldn’t have been easy to watch.”
“Eh, you get used to eating animals and watching people eat them,” she waves off. Now that he’s human again, his heartbeat is a lot more pronounced in her senses. The blood around his mouth isn’t helping.
Legs catches her stare, and something in her must look thirsty, because he hums. “How about I wash up before we return? I’d feel more comfortable without bat blood on me.”
Shelby nods quickly. “Yeah, good idea.”
The closest water to their destination is, funnily enough, the river. It’s not that funny. She can’t think of an excuse to not use the water, so she lets Legs crouch over the shore.
Shelby watches the river while Legundo cleans himself up. Before they can stop themself, they say, “This is around where they turned me.”
“Oh?”
Something in them keeps talking. “Yeah, we… We were fishing, and once I was alone with all three of them, they started drinking from me. They chased me and turned me. They..." They shake their head. “Sorry, I shouldn’t even be saying that. I forgave Pyro, I forgave all of them.”
Legs speaks somewhere a world away. “You don’t have to forgive them, Shelby. They didn’t ask you. They hurt you to turn you. They broke your trust. You don’t owe them forgiveness, and you can certainly still be upset about it.”
Shelby doesn’t know how to argue with him, so they just don’t say anything else.
Once the doctor has cleaned off all the blood, he and Shelby resume walking. Shelby doesn’t want to talk about her turning, so she thinks of something else.
“So… werewolf?”
Legundo sighs. “That is not an enjoyable conversation topic.”
“But it’s cool!” Shelby assures. “You’re a lot more like me than I thought! Creatures of the night. I’ve read a lot of stories about werewolves, but I really wanted to meet one for real, and now you’re here!”
“I didn’t think you had good experiences with werewolves.”
Shelby pauses. “I… Well, I’m pretty sure my dad was killed by a werewolf, but I don’t think you’re that one.” She looks at Legundo. “Are you?”
Legundo matches her stare. “Not to my knowledge. I have my sins, believe me, but that is not one of them.”
Ominous. No wonder he and Owen got along so well.
“Then we’re good,” Shelby confirms. “I just want to know more about the whole thing and get the word out so no one can call me crazy anymore.”
“I’m afraid I wouldn’t be much help. I keep my condition close to the chest for what I hope are obvious reasons.”
“Hm,” Shelby hums in disappointment. “I still think you could talk to me about it.”
“Maybe some other time,” Legs offers.
After some more walking, Legs is the one to bring up the next topic. “Are you at all interested in finding a cure?”
It’s very good luck that they’re not running into anyone else on the way to town. Too good.
Shelby glances around. “Oh, we shouldn’t talk about that. Scott doesn’t want us looking for the cure at all.”
“That-” Legs looks at her with positive worry. “Shelby, Scott shouldn’t be able to control what you talk about. You have a right to know about the cure, even if you decide for yourself to not take it.”
“Yeah, well, Scott’s taken me in. He was my roommate. He… he helped me. So has Owen and Pyro. And Scott might stop that if he thinks I wanna give that up.”
The worry shifts to horror, but Legs seems to school his expression back into something rational. “Listen. That is unacceptable behavior from him. You shouldn’t be afraid of the people you’re living with, alright? It’s understandable that you wouldn’t feel welcome in town, but I don’t think it’s safe for you at the castle, either. They welcomed you because they turned you, Shelby. That’s not care, that’s control. You’re not their tool.”
“I… They’re not using me as one,” Shelby argues meekly.
Legundo just watches her sadly.
“Well, that doesn’t matter,” Shelby says firmly. “They’re my family now.”
Legundo sighs. “Even if that’s true, family isn’t necessarily welcoming, Shelby. Family can hurt you just as much as a stranger, if not more deeply.”
Shelby scratches the bite mark on her neck. They don’t want to think about this. They want to finally have a place to belong, and Legs’s words just can’t take that away from them.
“I won’t push it if you’re not up for talking. Heaven knows I’m worn out. But my door is always open, alright? And I know a place where we can speak more privately if you would feel safer there.”
Shelby hums in acknowledgement.
“Regarding the cure,” Legs continues. “Know I will never force you to take it. It’s your choice entirely. I’d appreciate help with finding it, but I understand if you want to keep yourself safe. There’s no judgement or threat to you from me if you want to remain this way. I swear.”
“I hear you,” Shelby says as quietly as they can.
They walk the rest of the way in silence. Once Oakhurst is in sight, Shelby activates her invisibility.
“I don’t want anyone to see me,” she explains while Legundo leads her to his house. “Not the townsfolk, not the other vampires.”
Legs hums in sympathy. “I’m sorry. I wish Oakhurst was more approachable.”
“Well, I wanna talk to Martyn really bad. He killed me and that hurt my feelings.”
“Oh,” Legs replies. “Yes, talking would be good. Maybe have someone you both trust there so nobody feels threatened.”
“That’s a good idea.”
The doctor’s house is soon in view. “Come on in,” he says. He’s been sounding increasingly tired on the journey and now sounds beyond relieved to be in relative safety.
Visible once more, Shelby looks around his home while he privately slips into his own clothes. She jumps when he returns her cloak.
“Thank you, Shelby. I truly appreciate your help in getting me back safely,” Legs states earnestly.
Shelby nods while she dons her cloak. “Anytime. I mean it. You owe me that info on werewolves!”
Legs laughs a little. “Sure. I’d be happy to see you again and talk.” He pauses, then says politely, “I don’t suppose you’re hungry after all that.”
“I… A little bit.”
“I’d let you drink from me, but I think I would pass out. I should have something…”
Shelby taps the blood bottles on their person. “Oh, no, I was out hunting when I ran into you. I’m all good.”
“Alright.” Legundo hesitates again. “Shelby, I hope this night demonstrates that none of us have to be enemies at heart. You’ve done enough for me tonight, and I don’t want you to put yourself in danger, but if you could… Try to explain that to your fellow castle members.”
Shelby avoids his eyes. “I… I want to. No, I will! They can listen! I don’t want us to hurt anybody. I swear I’ll help with that.”
“Thank you.” The doctor reaches out and adjusts Shelby’s cloak with gentle hands. “Don’t be a stranger, Shelby,” he says kindly.
She lets herself smile a little, unafraid to show her fangs to him. “Take care.”
Enough time has passed that once Shelby leaves, they’re able to bat away.
Oh man, what a night. But… could she even talk about it? Knowing the doc is a werewolf is huge for her, but it’s not really her secret to tell, is it? And who knows what the other coven members would think of it.
He’d put a lot of faith in her…
Shelby stares at the castle in the distance. They hesitate before making their way back to what has to be their home.
They don’t want to let that faith go to waste.