Creature of The Moon

An Ann The Vampire short story.

    Ann was happy living in Coldfoot, Alaska. It was a small town, not a lot of people even during the summer tourist season. But tourist season hadn’t arrived yet since Ann and her little family had moved to Coldfoot. Right now Ann was drifting through the icy cold night air. It was a crystal clear night and the Aurora Borealis was flickering and hissing above her. She was heading for Stevens Village along the Yukon River to hunt. Eddie was staying with the boys getting their first dog sled team in order. They had gotten four Siberian Husky pups since moving. Their kennel had been constructed in no time and Tyler and Justin had been eager to get a dog team.

    Ann gazed at the red, purple, green and blue shifting curtains of the Northern Lights. She never got over how beautiful they were. She remembered her older sister had always wanted to see the Aurora Borealis and see Alaska. I’m the one that did, Ann thought a little sadly. Sometimes she wondered how her sister and the rest of her family were doing. Ever since waking as a vampire after her husband had murdered her in Beaverton, Oregon and she’d left with her biological son Tyler and her unofficially adopted son Justin, she had never returned. There was nothing for her in Oregon now.

    As Ann drew closer to Stevens Village with her attention wandering between her memories and the spectacular light show overhead she had been also scanning for a human victim. She didn’t plan on killing this night; she was just hungry and needed a meal. That was when she sensed a lone human male somewhere in the snowy night landscape below. And he had a couple huskies with him. Smiling now and totally focused Ann easily located him and dropped out of the cold freezing night sky and landed near him. Ann sent a silent message to the two dogs to scatter and whimpering they did just that.

    “Hey! Where you two mutts going?” The surprised man called after his fleeing dogs.

    The next second Ann had him in her arms and was feeding on him. He didn’t even have time to yell in surprise. When she was done she withdrew her fangs and wiped her blood stained mouth with the back of her hand. She let go of her victim with her other hand and he slumped to the ground unconscious. Ann called the two dogs back and silently told them to guard the man until he woke. They came whining and totally submissive to her with their tails tucked between their legs. They sat down beside the unconscious man. Good, Ann said to the two huskies with her mind. Stay with him and protect him until you all get home.

   The two huskies whined and nodded their heads. Ann smiled, satisfied the man would be protected and she prepared to launch herself skyward and head back home. That was the moment she noticed a creature coming toward them through the cold, wintry night forest. A pale creature that moved through the trees like coiling mists, like liquid water and Ann paused to watch as it gracefully approached.

    The creature was beautiful to Ann’s immortal eyes but to any human witnessing this creature they would have been horrified. The two dogs, sitting beside their unconscious human, turned their heads far enough to see over their shoulders and whimpered with fear at the creature’s approach. Ann waited, watching it glide over the snow toward her. The creature seemed to shimmer with the moon’s silver light and the icy frozen air.

    The two dogs crouched down as the creature went by them but didn’t leave their posts by their unconscious and defenseless human. But the creature was not interested in them. Its silver eyes did not once flicker upon them, not even for a moment.

    What is it? wondered Ann. She had never seen anything like it. But she hadn’t been a vampire for all that long so she didn’t have that much experience with otherworldly life forms. But she was not afraid. The creature did not act in such a way as if it intended to do harm. Ann crossed her arms over her chest as the creature came to a halt before her.

    Ann looked it over real well. It was canine shaped, with upright pointed ears, a long narrow muzzle full of thin long sharp fangs; its eyes were silver and sometimes flashed to an icy blue with a dark pupil in their centers that was only visible depending on which way the creature’s head was turned. The hair over its body was long and shimmered, sparkling moon drops clinging to every hair tip. Its tail was long and shaggy, also with sparkling moon drops on the end of every long tail hair. The creature stood at least five feet at the shoulder and looked eye to eye with Ann.

    Is it some kind of mystical werewolf or lupine? Ann wondered. And why did it show up now? What does the creature want? Behind them the two dogs whimpered in fear but refused to leave the man while he was helpless. Good dogs, Ann thought to them then turned her attention back to the mysterious creature watching her. A Moon Creature, the thought came to Ann’s mind. As soon as she thought it the creature blinked its silver eyes. Ah!, thought Ann. It’s communicating with me! It lives near Coldfoot as well. So is this an introduction, then?

    The creature, Moon Creature, blinked its eyes again. Then it tilted its head to the flashing Aurora Borealis above and howled. A long, thin musical sound. Kind of melancholy yet so very beautiful at the same time.

    Ann sighed and reached out a hand to touch the Moon Creature. The Moon Creature stopped howling and watched Ann, allowing the touch. As Ann’s hand touched its long hair luminous moon sparkles drifted away from where they had clung to the hair then settled back down again. “Wow!” Ann said softly.

    In the distance came the answering howls of Timber Wolves and werewolves. The two huskies cried even more in their fear, their bodies trembling now.

    The Moon Creature looked toward the dark frozen snowy forest then it looked at Ann. Ann understood and nodded to the Moon Creature. They’d be seeing each other again. The Moon Creature glided away like moon spun mists back into the forest, its huge canine paws just inches above the snow. How fantastic! thought Ann as she watched it disappear into the moon’s shadows.

    The man who had fed her was waking up. The two huskies gave out strangled cries of relief and joy. Time to move on, thought Ann as she launched herself into the frozen night sky. The Timber Wolves and werewolves were still howling back and forth. As Ann flew home toward Coldfoot she heard the answering howl from the Moon Creature. Then came several more howls from other Moon Creatures. Ann smiled, how cool was that?

 

Reviews

[Coyote Poetry]

Moon creatures? The story is getting more interesting. Alaska would be a hard life. But I believe it would be a good one. A very interesting chapter. I like Ann view of her life and memories. A excellent chapter.
Coyote

[Black Cat Fever]

A strange and mystic type of werewolf creature in this. I like this chapter.

[Star Wolf]

A rather different and mysterious story but an excellent addition to your Ann the Vampire series.