Crimson Moon

The moon rose over the village, bright and full and silver. The smell of blood lingered in the air, mingling with the sweet scent of wildflowers. A familiar hunger stirred in Lightning's gut, and her eyes narrowed into slits. She could sate her thirst later. This village – and its villagers – belonged to her, and no one was allowed to harm her property without punishment.

For centuries, she had ruled over these lands. She kept her people safe from all the monsters that waited in the shadows and all the human enemies that came from over the mountains. In exchange, they owed her everything: their lives, their loyalty, and their blood.

So when werewolves had the audacity to lay a hand on her villagers, she could not allow them to leave with their lives. She had already ordered some of her soldiers and fledglings to surround the village, but she wanted the pleasure of the kill herself. There was a certain satisfaction to be had in dispatching her enemies personally.

Lightning walked into the village square. Four large shapes peeled away from the shadows. The werewolves were each at least seven feet tall. They moved with the deadly grace of born predators, and they took a moment to take her measure before they attacked. How foolish. They truly thought they were the hunters. No, they were the hunted. Her hand drifted toward her sword and then stilled. She would do this with her bare hands.

She ducked under the claws of the first werewolf and locked one hand around its wrist. A normal werewolf was stronger than a normal vampire, but Lightning had lived for centuries and acquired the kind of the power that most werewolves could only dream about. She tore the werewolf's arm off at the elbow and then shoved her other hand through its chest. Blood sprayed onto her face, and Lightning savoured the taste of it, so different from human blood. She ripped the werewolf's heart out and then smashed its skull. Even with its regenerative powers, the werewolf was dead.

The second and third werewolf reached her together. One lunged at her legs, and the other leapt, hoping to catch her if she jumped. She did jump, twisting in mid-air to put herself almost parallel to the ground. As the werewolf shot through the air above her, she drove one booted heal into its face. The werewolf's skull shattered, and the blow flung the beast into the ground with enough force to crack the dry earth.

The werewolf that had gone for her legs snarled and came around for another attack. She lunged forward and launched herself at its throat. One hand shoved the werewolf's head up and back, and then her teeth were buried in its throat. A savage twist of her head shredded the werewolf's throat and she drank deeply, revelling in the savage thrill of the kill and the heady taste of its blood. The werewolf toppled back, and she stomped down on its head.

Wiping some of the blood off her chin, Lightning licked her fingers clean and turned to watch the last werewolf. All of its bravado was gone. Instead it lowered its head and whined pathetically. It was a gesture of submission, but Lightning was in no mood to accept it. She could hear the blood pumping in the werewolf's veins, and there was a part of her that wanted nothing more than to splatter it all over the ground.

Lightning threw her arms open and the air around her shimmered. A bloody red mist stained the air, and her body dissolved and gave way to something distinctly inhuman, something that was all teeth, claws, eyes, and gleaming crystal. Vampires might wear human shapes, but they were so much more.

By the time she was done, the last werewolf was little more than pulp. She took her usual shape again and picked a small fragment of bone out of her hair. It was then that Serah arrived, the younger vampire appearing amidst a cloud of shadows. Such extravagance.

"What are you doing here?"

"I came to see what all the fuss was about." Serah leaned forward, one dainty hand moving to cup the back of Lightning's head as her tongue darted out to lick some of the blood from the corner of Lightning's mouth. She eased away, chuckling softly at the faint blush on her sister's cheeks. Her mirth faded as minute traces of magic in the blood tingled on the tip of her tongue. "These weren't rogues. They belonged to one of the great clans – to the Yun."

"Yes." Lightning picked up one of the corpses. In death, the werewolves had reverted to their human forms. "And that means trouble is coming. The Pact makes allowances for the occasional rogue werewolf. But the clans are another matter. This… transgression may only be the beginning." She dropped the corpse. It hit the ground with a wet thump. "Send word to the other covens and then seek out Vanille."

"You could always go see her yourself." Serah stepped around a large pool of blood. Her sister could be so messy sometimes, and she had just gotten new boots.

"And deprive you of an excuse to see her?" Lightning's lips curled. "We both know you'd hold that against me. Enjoy yourself but do not get caught."

Serah grinned and faded into the shadows. "I never am."

X X X

Vanille was not the imposing person. She wasn't particularly big, nor was she particularly strong or fast. Her sister had once remarked that even as a werewolf, she was pretty unimposing. But what Vanille lacked in physical power, she more than made up for in cunning and magic. Few werewolves were talented in magic, and even fewer devoted as much time and effort to it as Vanille.

As one of the chief scholars and mages of the Dia clan, Vanille had centuries of experience under her belt and access to her clan's legendary archives. She spent much of her time there, content to bury herself in ancient scrolls and dusty books. Amongst the werewolf clans, the Dia were considered the most level-headed, and she knew that many of her clansmen were nervous about the Yun's growing belligerence.

The last major war between the werewolves and vampires had left thousands of their kind dead and exposed both factions to counter-attacks from their enemies. Both sides had agreed to a ceasefire, known as the Pact, so that they could deal with their other enemies and secure their territory. That had happened centuries ago, and there were whispers of a push from the Yun to abandon the Pact now that the clans had solidified their position.

On her way back to her chambers with an armful of books and scrolls, she paused, ears twitching as she caught the sound of a window creaking open. The torches along the corridor flickered, moved by an unseen wind.

She turned and shifted her books and scrolls into one hand as she raised the other. "Stop where you are!"

Flames rushed from the torches toward the shadow by the open window. The shadow split into a fine mist that filled the corridor. Vanille shivered as a deathly chill swept over her. A strong arm wrapped around her waist from behind as a slim, delicate hand tilted her chin up and back. Teeth scraped along her throat.

"Serah." Vanille sighed. "You really shouldn't be sneaking around here. If you get caught, my clan would be well within its rights to have you executed."

The vampire chuckled and nuzzled Vanille's throat. "That's a big if. Besides, I'm not here to cause trouble. I'm here on a… diplomatic errand."

"Really?" Vanille pulled away before Serah could tighten her hold any further. "And what kind of diplomatic errand has you sneaking through the window instead of organising a meeting on neutral ground?"

The barely concealed hunger in Serah's eyes made Vanille take a step back. Werewolf or not, she wasn't certain of her ability to take Serah in a fight, even on a full moon. There were very, very few vampires as skilled or powerful as Serah's sister, and Lightning had taught Serah well.

"Four Yun werewolves attacked one of our villages tonight. They killed quite a few of the villagers. Of course, my dear sister dealt with them, but it is troubling, don't you think?"

Vanille scowled. "I feared something like this might happen." She tugged Serah along the corridor. "Come on, if we're going to talk, we need to do it somewhere private." Vanille led Serah to her chambers and hastily cast some privacy spells to make sure they wouldn't be interrupted. "Serah, could you stop eyeing me like I'm your next meal? It makes it hard to hold a conversation." She leaned forward and put one hand against Serah's forehead. "How long has it been since you last fed?" Older vampires needed to feed less frequently than their younger kin, but they also had a tendency to be messier when they did feed.

"Oh, I've eaten recently." Serah smiled and traced one finger along the vein in Vanille's wrist. "But I wouldn't mind another sip or two."

Vanille yanked her arm away. "Serah, be serious. The Yun have wanted to repeal the Pact for years. Now that the clans have regained control over all their old territories, they might actually get their way. I'm not exactly friendly with many vampires – you and your sister aside – but I don't want another war. The last one was bad enough, and the humans have gotten stronger. If we go to war now, they'll wait until we're weakened and then finish us both off."

"Where do the other clans stand on this?" Serah's gaze sharpened. This was worse than she feared. The Yun had always been belligerent, but they'd been in the minority for years.

"The Dia are counselling caution, as always. But most of the other clans are inclined to agree with the Yun." Vanille made a face. "We live for centuries, Serah. We don't forget grudges."

"Is there no way to stop it?"

"No, not unless the Yun get a new leader."

"Then we need to get them a new leader." Serah smirked. "And we can do that, right?"

Vanille shook her head. "It's not going to be that easy, Serah. Fang left the Yun decades ago. It's all I can do to get her to write now and then. I haven't actually seen her in years."

"Leave the convincing to my sister. Do you know where Fang is?"

"Not exactly." Vanille pursed her lips. "But I should be able to give you some idea of where to look."

"Good." Serah tilted her head to one side. "You're not needed anywhere until morning are you?"

Vanille shook her head. "Not really, no."

"Wonderful." Serah pressed a kiss to Vanille's lips and then shifted to nip at Vanille's throat. She could practically taste the redhead's blood already. "Because I'm so hungry."

X X X

Lightning glanced up as her sister walked into her study. That was quick, but Serah had always been gifted when it came to some of the more esoteric vampire arts. The younger vampire's clothing was rumpled, and there was a gleam in her eyes that could only have come from feeding.

"You smell of her." Lightning frowned. "I trust you weren't caught."

"Of course, I wasn't." Serah flopped onto the couch set near the fireplace. "But it's worse than we thought. The Yun are agitating for war, and Vanille thinks the other clans will go along with them."

Lightning's jaw tightened. Their lands were amongst the closest to the werewolf clans. If war came, much of the fighting would take place in her realm. "Does she have a solution?"

"Fang."

"I see." Lightning had to force the words out, and the scar on her chest throbbed. She could have gotten rid of the scar, but she wanted a reminder of what had happened – not that she could easily forget what it felt like to have one of Fang's claws buried in her chest. "Fang could challenge for the leadership of the clan, and she's far less likely to want all out war."

"Yes." Serah's gaze lingered on Lightning. Even amongst their own kind, Lightning was very good at hiding her emotions if she wanted to. But Serah had always been able to read her. "You should go look for her. She might come back if you were the one who asked her."

Lightning shook her head. "Or we might just kill each other. Does Vanille even know where she is?"

"Not exactly." Serah handed Lightning a map. "But she's marked out a general location."

"Fine." Lightning took the map. "Give me a few days to settle everything here, and then I'll look into it."

X X X

The cottage was almost an hour's walk away from the nearest village. It was also the very last place that Lightning had checked in the area that Vanille had indicated. Trust Fang to be troublesome about everything. Still, the cottage was a small thing, and a rough wooden fence separated it from the dirt road in front of it and the thick, dark woods behind it.

It was a few hours after dusk, and the woods had fallen still and silent. Lightning stopped in front of the cottage and eyed it with something not unlike distaste. How quaint. She opened the gate and walked briskly toward the front door. The quicker she got this done, the better.

"You can stop right there." The voice came from the shadows, a low, predatory growl. Green eyes gleamed in the dark, and something inhuman stirred beneath tanned flesh. It was a testament to the owner of the voice's skill that Lightning hadn't heard them coming.

Lightning pushed back the hood of her cloak. Like most vampires her age, she had learned how to conceal her scent. It wouldn't do for Fang to attack before they had a chance to talk. Her lips curled in a mixture of amusement and contempt as her inhuman eyes took in every detail of the cottage and its owner.

"How little you've changed, Fang. You're still living in a hovel." The pink-haired woman chuckled. "You still worry about the humans, even after all these centuries. You've gotten soft. You've forgotten that we were meant to rule them, not hide ourselves from them."

Fang snarled. "Don't test me, Lightning." She stalked out of the shadows, dark hair rustling in the wind. Her scent filled Lightning's senses: earth, trees, and something uniquely Fang. "Why are you here? How did you find me?"

"I'm here to check on an old friend." Lightning's hand shot out and caught Fang's wrist. "And you've never been able to hide from me."

"An old friend?" Fang pried Lightning's hand off her wrist. It wasn't easy. "That's an odd way to put it. A friend wouldn't have stabbed me through the chest with a silver-coated sword."

"Perhaps." Lightning bared her teeth. Her canines had elongated. "But a friend wouldn't have torn my throat out and clawed my chest open, now would they?" She stepped forward, lips stopping just shy of Fang's. "But we were never just friends, were we? No, even during the last war, we were more than that."

Fang shoved Lightning back. The other's woman's feet dug into the soil. They'd been so young during the last war, so young and foolish. "Answer my questions, Lightning."

"We have a problem, Fang. Our people have never been especially friendly with one another, but the Pact has prevented war for centuries. That is about to change. Your clans have regained their old territories, and the Yun are calling for war. Vanille says that the Dia are advising caution, but the other clans are not likely to listen."

"So, Vanille told you where I was." Fang snorted. "What do you want?"

"I want you to go back to the Yun. We cannot afford to have another war. You know as well as I do that the humans will strike once our people have exhausted each other, and there are other things, worse things, waiting in the dark for us to grow weak. The Yun are the strongest of the clans. If they can be persuaded to see reason, then the other clans will back down."

Fang laughed. "That's not going to happen. The Yun will never back down. They've been waiting centuries to get their revenge for the last war."

"Under their current leader that is true, but perhaps a more reasonable leader could be found." Lightning smiled thinly. "And I happen to know someone who has both the strength and the bloodline to challenge for that position."

"Me." A low rumble came from Fang's chest. "You came all this way to ask for my help after what you did to me?"

"Yes." Lightning paused, lips curving up at the edges. "Does that bother you?"

Fang's reply did not come in words. Instead, it came in the form of a roar that shook the whole forest. Her eyes blazed as she let go of the tenuous control she had over the beast within. She transformed in a series of savage, shuddering movements. Lightning bared her teeth. The power rolling off Fang now was dizzying, an intoxicating mix of ancient magic.

In place of a woman was a dark-furred lupine monster almost eight feet tall. Thick cords of muscle flexed, and wickedly sharp claws dug into the soft earth. A shiver of anticipation ran through Lightning. She'd seen Fang fight before. The werewolf was one of the few of her kind with the strength to match Lightning in combat. Fang howled and charged, and all through the forest, birds took flight.

"I see." Lightning dissolved into a hail of bloody shadows. "It seems that I'm going to have to beat some sense into that thick skull of yours."

X X X

Author's Notes

As always, I neither own Final Fantasy XIII, nor am I making any money off of this.

Some of you may have noticed that updates have been relatively sparse over the past few weeks. The reason is that I'm going through one of my periodic bouts of insomnia. Now, I can function well enough to write at about four hours of sleep a night, but once it gets down to less than three, the wheels start to come off. Lately, I've been going on two or three hours of sleep a night although it's gotten better over the past few days.

Anyway, I've been asked by a few people (actually a lot of people) to put together something involving vampires and werewolves – so here it is! This story has kind of been on the back burner since Sanguine Lullaby, but I finally got around to it yesterday thanks to a better sleeping cycle and some spare time.

In this story, I've decided to change things up a little. Fang and Lightning have a prior relationship, but it ended somewhat messily. Their two races are likewise in a state of conflict although there is some cooperation between certain members of each side. Lightning is a little colder, I guess you could say, in this story than in some of my others, but she's been around for centuries. Fang's withdrawal is a symptom of the same problem. Centuries of life can wear away at the soul.

If you're wondering where the others are, I've got a few ideas about what to do with them, but we'll have to see how it goes. If you are waiting for updates on my other stories, please be patient with me. My updating schedule is demented at the best of times, and I'm only just getting back to a reasonable sleeping schedule.

I also write original fiction, mostly fantasy. You can find links to it in my profile. If you want to give my original fiction a try, then mark this Friday (4th July, Pacific Standard Time) down on your calendar because this Friday, you can pick up The Last Huntress for free from Amazon! There is a link to it in my profile, but I'll post a bigger link to it on the day. You can find the blurb in my profile.

As always, I appreciate feedback. Reviews and comments are welcome.