A/N: Prompt fic. 'Pale'. Featuring vamp!Willow.

Warning: Bloody.

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BY THE LIGHT OF THE MOON

Willow watched her friends drain the blood from a group of hapless druggies. No one would miss these ones. Willow always made sure to hunt the unwanted now, no one noticed when they suddenly disappeared. Her group had needed to hunt a lot more often lately, they were growing in numbers as the Master took more in, but quality prey was hard to come by when the Slayer was out protecting the weak humans.

Taking these druggies wasn't a pleasure, it was a chore. They tasted terribly and always left her feeling disconnected and cranky. But a vampire had to eat and they were all she could afford to take with the Slayer now prowling in Sunnydale. Take too many wholesome humans and the Slayer is bound to notice, bound to mark the hunting grounds, and bound to interrupt and stake those foolish enough to get caught by her. That's why Willow hunted all over the town, never taking too much from any one place, always mixing with other groups and often sharing a kill.

This prey had been easy to catch. Strung out of their minds and debating b-rated movies loudly in the alley, they had been prime targets for Willow and her group tonight. The stupid things hadn't even tried to run. They'd watched the vampires' faces transform and marveled at the sight instead of pissing themselves in fear. To be honest, Willow was pleased they hadn't wet themselves, the scent of urine always put her off her meal. But it was upsetting to think they were losing their touch, that people might not fear them the same way, so Willow had put the fear back in them by brutally decapitating one of the men and drinking from his fountaining neck. As she was coated in the man's blood and relishing in having something in her belly again she watched the other humans quake and scream in terror.

She took great joy in watching her friends toy with their food. She chuckled when the lone woman begged for her life and was silenced with a single deep bite. She watched fascinated as the woman turned sorrowful eyes on Willow, the moonlight creating interesting shadows across her skin and in the depths of her eyes, and the color drained out of her face leaving a pale shell of a being. That sight, more than anything, was one Willow would never tire of. Seeing their human faces lose their color as her brethren fed was Willow's drug; it enthralled and aroused her watching their life drain away to keep one such as her alive.

When the woman was dead and the body in Willow's hands was drained of blood she turned her attention to the feedings of her pack. She watched as elongated fangs bit and sank deeply into the smooth flesh of the bared necks. Heard the suckles and slurps of the blood pouring out and the strangled gasps of their prey. She smelt the heavy tang of blood as if she were swimming in it. She felt her hunger pangs slaked by the blood she'd drained from her headless man. And she watched as each human paled and died in the arms of her monsters.

Once fed they made their way back to the Master's lair quickly. The sooner they returned home the less chance the Slayer had of catching them out. On the way Willow caught sight of her hands, covered in drying blood, and she smirked. This was the most color her pale form had had since she'd been turned. She could feel that blood coating her face, neck, and arms. She laughed, a cruel harsh sound, and licked the blood from each finger. She felt that blood singing in her veins, giving her false life, and briefly putting blooms on her cheeks which would fade all too soon.

As they reached the cave entrance that was only one of the many openings into the Master's lair Willow hung back as the others went inside. She turned her yellow eyes to the moon and held her hand up as though reaching for the stars. She thought fleetingly that her skin and the face of the moon were equally pale. Then she smelled the blood drying on her face and was disgusted. Perhaps Xander would be interested in helping her...clean up.

With a devious smile Willow retreated into the rich darkness of the cave leaving the night and her thoughts behind.

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A/N: I don't even know what came over me.