Chapter Summary: The moon rises and the werewolves transform, leaving them under the deadly influence of their inner beasts. Meanwhile, Japan and Turkey attempt to save Greece from the vampire kittens.

Ch. 17: Hallows' Moon

October 31, 7:00 PM

Estonia can't stop pacing like a caged animal. The trouble is, he's not caged. Norway should have been here hours ago. To make matters worse, he cannot forget the scene he encountered at China's house this afternoon. He shivers and turns again.

Latvia does not pace when he's nervous. He sits very straight, gripping the arm of the wing-backed chair in their living room as he watches Estonia stalk back and forth. His breaths come in short and shallow bursts. He can feel the moon rising - he can feel it in his stomach, in his nerves, in his veins. He can practically hear the moonlight washing over the world, a rust red color tonight that sends hunger rushing through his blood. "How long does it take for him to get here?"

"No' fis long," Lithuania says around the crust of his third sandwich. He's eating like a beast, praying that if he transforms before Norway gets here he'll be full and lazy, not hungry and tearing at the walls.

"Something is wrong," Estonia mutters. They're all thinking it. The moon is rising and soon it will catch them. It's already too late; they can't leave now, they will never make it to Norway in time. Maybe Norway already put a containment spell around their house? No, he would have told them. Estonia looks down and realizes there are long red marks on his arms; he's been scratching his skin, trying to get it off. He clasps his hands together and keeps walking.

Latvia starts to reach out, then pulls his hands back. He knows better than to touch Estonia without permission when he's like this. His heart is pounding, harder and harder, and suddenly he feels that gut-wrenching pain. "A-Eddie!" he whines, clutching his stomach. He's the weakest, and always the first to change. It's unstoppable, washing over him like a wave of nausea.

"Raiv-" Lithuania rushes to him, his body shaking and pale.

The blinds are closed, the shades drawn, but somehow the light always finds them. Estonia runs to his mate, wrapping his arms around the smaller form and holding him tight, as though that alone will keep him in this form. "Fight it! Lukas has to come, he'll be here! Fight it Raivis, you can do it!"

"Fuck!" Latvia curses, clutching his stomach and squeezing his eyes shut. He's going to scream in a minute. Every word rips through his teeth as though it's fighting to get out. "Eddie!"

There's a loud knock at their door, and Lithuania runs to answer. Thank God. Thank God Norway is here before they're all turned. He can feel his own stomach curling, his nerves shaking on the very edge of changing. Norway will make them safe; he has to. Yet when he opens the door, it is not Norway standing on the porch.

A cold wind bursts through the open door. Russia grins, his teeth a little too sharp and his violet eyes reflecting the dim light. "My little puppies are all together, just as I thought. I could smell you from miles away."

Behind him there is a growl and a snap of teeth. Belarus is proof that embracing the change does not slow it any more than the way the Baltics fight it. Already her face is getting long and her skin is growing white fur. "Do not keep us waiting, you wretched cur."

Ukraine steps onto the porch, already the she-wolf she loves to be. If she could be like this always, she would. It makes her stronger, better at asserting herself. She does, however, still fear her sister, and is careful to stay out of the way.

"Oh..." Lithuania's eyes widen, and he steps back before he realizes that he's moved into the light. The moon fizzles in his blood. He feels his fingers changing, growing fat as his nails grow long. His stomach knots and his eyes flash.

With that howl Latvia arches, throwing Estonia away from him. He stares up at the figure in the door - and the moon right behind him. "No!" It's too late. It's always been too late. Estonia's spine curves and he shrieks in agony, the change coming fast now.

Russia's eyes glitter as he watches his pack appear. "Shh, shh," he coos. "Let it be, you are free tonight! We are going hunting." He stays on the porch, letting his sisters prowl inside to take care of the boys. He takes off his coat and scarf, folding both carefully and leaving them on a chair. When he opens his arms and faces the moon, the wolf takes hold. For him, it is like slipping into another skin. Painful, yes, but easy.

"Oh G-" Lithuania drops to the floor, shaking through the change, but not screaming or howling like the rest. He's never found the change painful. So many worse things have happened, this is nothing. He holds himself through it, trying to breathe. The transformation is different for every one of them. Russia seems to have the easiest time, while Estonia reacts to it the way most people react to being burned. He curls forward on arms that are rapidly turning to legs, claws leaving marks on the floor where his hands used to be.

Fully transformed, Latvia nudges at Estonia with his nose. It helps to calm him until the impatient Belarus starts to snarl. Latvia growls and snaps at her in return until Lithuania barks. Now is not the time for fighting. Latvia lies down between Belarus and his mate, his new tail twitching.

Russia sits in the doorway and waits for them to finish. He can be patient, sometimes. They will be better hunters if he gives them the moment, and if he takes the time to observe his pack. Estonia pants through the last settling of his bones, and Latvia licks at his nose. Lithuania is on edge, watching him and ignoring Ukraine as she hovers nearby. Belarus returns to his side. It is only when she tries to nuzzle Russia that he moves, lightning fast with a snap and a furious growl. She rolls onto her back to show the white of her belly. He nips her throat once before letting her up again.

The pack follows their alpha out to the yard, shaking out their fur and testing their limbs. There, Russia raises his head toward the moon and howls. The sound reverberates through the others, vibrating in their chests until they, too, join in the call. Lesser beasts tremble, and even nations feel a chill. Hallows' Moon is rising, and the wolves are on the hunt.

XXX

The sound of vampire kittens yowling at the red moon sends a chill through Japan's blood. Due to the effects of his... less human instincts, he's resigned himself to sitting in a corner and not moving unless something tries to bite Greece. Turkey is being quite helpful with that at the moment. He's taken to playing with the kitties.

There's this ball of yarn, and it's just so very chaseable. If Turkey bats at it, the whole thing moves and the string looks like a mouse tail. The kitties all pounce and fly at it, and he runs after it too, unable to help himself. The cats nip at him sometimes, but he hisses in their faces and they slink away. This is actually proving a very entertaining evening, despite the fact that he's stuck at Greece's house. Not that he likes it or anything. He's just here because Japan asked him to be.

Meanwhile, Greece is trying to drink some of the vitamin-enhanced juice Japan gave to him. Only he keeps getting dizzy, or finding one of his fluffy friends purring up against his thigh under the covers. They appear to like it there, probably because Japan can't see them. He's having trouble remembering why that's not good.

"Hera...?" Japan asks tentatively. Greece is too pale, and shaking slightly. He reaches out to touch his forehead. It's freezing, and Japan notices his own fingers are...not completely fingers at the moment. He snatches his hand back.

"He's cold," Japan calls to Turkey. "Are all the kittens over with you?" He sees a wiggle beneath the blanket and nearly shrieks, yanking the covers away. There's a kitten there, sucking blood, and he shoos it. "Get away!"

The kitten hisses and swoops up toward the ceiling. It clings upside-down in the shadows above the lamp and glares at them with little red eyes. Greece tries to reach out, but his arm is very heavy and he feels like the room is spinning. "S'just a kitten...only playing," he repeats.

Turkey tosses the ball of yarn aside to distract the kittens and climbs onto the bed. He leans down close to Greece's face and bats his nose. "Oi. Wake up."

Greece swats at him. "Nhg."

"Hera!" Kiku whines, his hands prodding at the two little bite-marks bursting with blood... Shit. His fingers are not helping matters, itching to transform and touch everything they can reach. "We need to take him somewhere, he's lost too much blood. I tried Sweden, but he didn't answer and he hasn't called back. I hate to bother Norway when he said he was busy, but this is an emergency."

"You're right," says Turkey, his tail twitching down one leg of his pants. "We need to get him away from these hungry little bastards anyway, cute as they are." He wiggles his fingers at one that flies closer.

Japan slaps his hand. "Don't play with them!" He grabs Greece by the arms and looks to the neko with a little glare. "Help me. We should get him to the car before he loses consciousness. Get his legs."

Greece groans and tries to sit up. "Where are we going? M'tired. Can we nap outside?"

Turkey rolls his eyes and slides his arms under Greece. "Sure, brat. Leave the work to us - as always. Hey Kiku, I can get him if you just open the doors." He reorganizes Greece into a bridal-style carry; it's a lot different from usual, when he just tosses the brat over his shoulder.

"Of course," Japan says, releasing Greece's arms to push on the heavy door with both hands. But Greece doesn't quite know where he is, so he flails and smacks Turkey in the face.

Turkey is used to such hits, and under normal circumstances he would avoid it. Unfortunately at that moment a horde of kittens comes diving at them from the shadows, apparently displeased that he is taking away their meal/mother-thing. The hood falls back off his head as Turkey ducks and bobs, attempting to avoid the kittens and the hands. "Fuck! Stupid little...Kiku, help, they're going to carry him off!"

Japan reaches out on instinct, tentacles coming from every finger to smack and shoo the cats away. However, because of their fishy smell, the kittens decide he might be tasty and start nipping at the tentacles. Kiku hisses and shakes the tentacles. Displeased, most of the kittens fly off. But not before Greece opens his eyes.

There is far too much hissing; Greece doesn't like it when his kitties are in distress. He tries to say as much, but what he sees leaves him stunned. There's something slithering on his arm, and above, Turkey...has ears. Soft, fluffy, kitty ears on the top of his head, and yellow eyes under the mask. He blinks. "You're a cat." It's too much. He passes out.

Turkey looks down as the weight in his arms goes dead. It is only then that he realizes his hood is gone. "Ah...shit."