Full Moon Strays Ch. 03

This story is a bit wordy and fairly long, so if you are looking for immediate gratification, you might want to look elsewhere. It contains heterosexual and lesbian sexual activity.

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The following story is a work of fiction. Any resemblance between actual persons, living or dead (or just confused) is entirely coincidental. Please do not copy/redistribute the story, in part or in total, without the author's permission.

This story takes place in the entirely fictional city of Springfield, California, so don't go looking for it on a map. And in my little fictional world, there are no unwanted pregnancies or STD's, except as plot driving devices. The author encourages the practice of safe-sex. Finally, as the name implies, this is part of an ongoing series. It would benefit the reader greatly to examine the earlier stories for background information and descriptions.

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"Full Moon Strays . . ." Part 3

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Red poked her head up from under the covers, barely able to make out the annoying red numbers on her digital clock.

"Crap," she muttered. "Time to get up." 'Time to go deal with the dead,' she thought. Then the lump next to her began to shift and turn. 'I don't want to wake her,' Red thought, 'but I don't want her to come around and not know where I am.' So she reached over and turned on the light.

Jane's face was so peaceful as it pressed against the pillow. Red hadn't seen her that much at peace. Even when she had been spending a lot of her time unconscious after almost being killed (the act that had brought her to the Den in the first place), she had been restless. 'I'm just so comfortable,' she thought to herself. But it was time to get up. She slowly worked her way out of bed and started grabbing clothes.

"What . . . what time is it?" Jane asked groggily, opening one eye and noticing that it was annoying light in the room.

"Almost five in the afternoon," Red said. She knelt on the bed and leaned in, hoping to sneak a kiss. But Jane was ready for it, turning her head and meeting Red lip-to-lip. There was a moment of joy, but even Jane knew there was work to do.

"I guess we need to go see . . ." Jane couldn't bring herself to say it . . . to talk about those members of the Strays that had died the previous night. The Strays were a group of lycanthropes and humans with magical abilities (called Talents) who lived together in secret, stealing to survive but keeping the forces of darkness at bay . . . most of the time. The previous night, a group of demons called Hellspawn had come down into the Stray's underground lair (called the Den) and had attacked the Strays. A number of friends and potential friends had died defending the Den before the Hellspawn were driven back due in no small part to Jane's wrath.

Between the two women who had shared that bed, most would have agreed that Red was more dangerous . . . at least, they would've agreed until the previous night's fight. Red was a second-generation lycanthrope who could morph into a part-human, part-puma hybrid with incredible combat prowess. Jane was a Talent with living hair. It seemed like a silly Talent, until she used that hair to hurl a subway car at her enemies, then beat the attacking Hellspawn to death with their own limbs. Jane was still suffering from emotional issues, and she had taken those issues out on those attacking the only people to befriend the young woman since her father had died over twelve years earlier.

"Shit," Red said. "I was supposed to take the final shift tonight." She turned to say something to Jane, but stopped to admire the view. The smaller girl was in the process of pulling on the jeans that Red had stolen for her, and she filled them out nicely. Red waited until she got a glimpse of those wonderful breasts her lover possessed, then those breasts were covered by Jane's bra and sweater.

"I . . . Do you want to go out separately or . . ." Jane started. She wasn't sure if Red wanted people to know what happened.

Red walked over, put her hands on both sides of Jane's face and kissed her. "I wouldn't have let last night happen if I was going to be ashamed of it. And you shouldn't either." The two women grabbed their jackets and then made their way down the tunnel from Red's personal hidey-hole and into the Den itself.

"I need to find Tarloh," Red said.

"He's out in one of the entrances with Shield, seeing what they can do to improve our defenses. He's called for a meeting at six-thirty," Talia said, emerging from one of the subway cars.

"Hey Talia," Red said with a smile. Talia was her best friend and a fellow lycanthrope (of the werewolf variety), and one of the few people she let herself lean on in times of crisis. "Hey, why didn't you come get me for my shift? What're people going to think if I start blowing off . . ."

"I told everyone that you were going to need your sleep, so I picked up your shift," she said, smiling at Jane who began to blush like there was no tomorrow. "I dropped by and noticed that you weren't alone, so I thought I'd let you get some more rest."

"Talia . . ."

"Red . . ." Talia replied, whining extravagantly. Then she wrapped her arms around both her friends and hugged them together. "I was wondering how long it would take for you two to figure things out." Then she wandered off.

"She . . . knew?" Jane asked.

Red chuckled as she shook her head. "Talia's a little too smart for her own good." She turned and gave Jane another quick kiss. "Why don't you go get something to eat, and I'll see you in a bit."

Jane stared hard at Red's hourglass shape and heart-shaped behind as she headed into the entrance tunnels looking for Tarloh. Jane sighed contentedly, but her contentment was short lived. As she climbed up to the upper platform, she saw a few bloodstains remaining from the previous night's fight . . . some red and some green. The bodies had all been removed and the subway car that Jane had used as a weapon had been pushed to the side. 'I did a lot of this,' she thought. She noticed some of the Strays glancing at her out of the corners of their eyes. 'Are they afraid of me? Do they trust me? Do they know about me and Red? How should . . .'

"Penny for your thoughts?"

Jane shook her head. "Huh . . . hey Anya."

"How are you feeling?" Anya asked. "About last night. That was some impressive shit you did and . . . and I never got to thank you for saving my hide. And don't you dare say that 'it was nothing' or 'anyone could have done it' because neither is true."

"You would've done the same for me," Jane whispered.

"Now THAT is true," Anya said. "I owe you one babe, and I always pay my debts." Anya wrapped an elegant arm around Jane's shoulders. "You look . . . good, by the way. You finally sleepin' better?"

Jane almost sputtered. "What do you mean?"

Anya looked confused. "I . . . mean . . . did you get some sleep?"

Jane blushed. "Yeah. I did." She looked around. "I feel bad though. I should've been up here helping."

"You saved the day yesterday, and I can't imagine how much energy it took out of you. You probably needed it more than anyone."

Jane looked around. "Do they have . . . is there a plan? For what happens next?"

"That's what the meeting is going to be for," Anya replied. "Did you want to grab something to eat? I think the bosses are going to be a while."

Jane was thankful for the reprieve. She wanted to tell Anya what had happened last night, but she felt a bit guilty about enjoying herself in the wake of tragedy.

She and Anya went over to the dining area and grabbed seats. People kept walking up and talking to Anya or thanking Jane. Eventually, they were joined by Mindy as well as Robbie, Red's brother. Jane was strangely uncomfortable around Robbie, whose life he claimed she had saved just a few weeks earlier. After all, Jane had just slept with his sister. They all chewed their food and made quiet but friendly conversation. They were all nervous about what was to come.

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An hour later . . .

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There was an air of unease around the central table and the adjoining bleachers as everyone settled in for the meeting. Jane sat quietly towards the back of the aluminum steps, planning on being a silent spectator to the proceedings. She was watching Red who was still in consultation with Tarloh as well as the shadow demon known as Johan. Jane hadn't spent much time with that particular trans-dimensional traveler, but Mindy and Anya assured her that he was a class act.

"Okay people," Tarloh boomed, his voice as intimidating as his six-and-a-half-foot frame, "let's settle down. First things first. We lost six of our own yesterday, and there will be a service for them an hour after the meeting ends. So nobody go running off. Now, we need to discuss what happened. The Hellspawn got too close and knew us too well. As many of you know, there's two ways this probably happened. The first is that they've been spying on us longer and better than we thought. The other is that we have or had a traitor in our midst." The assembled crowd muttered and the mood got grim. Trust and friendship was what defined the Strays, and a violation of those ideals didn't set well with any of them.

"But I don't think that's the case," Tarloh said. "If there was a spy, he or she would've split during the fight, and everyone is accounted for . . . one way or the other. If there was a spy, then they would probably be amongst the dead. But just to be on the safe side, we're going to have to get strict on our 'no-solo' policy." He stopped and stared at Robbie, who just sank into his chair. "Groups of three if you're going to the surface and nobody . . . and I repeat, NOBODY . . . goes off alone. If there IS a mole, we're not giving them a chance to sneak off and report anything. Now, I'm handing things over to Red."

The beautiful redhead stood up and took a shrewd look around. "I know a lot of people are looking for blood right now, but we're not going to run into anything blind. Tonight, I'm taking a squad and we're going to start doing some serious tracking. We'll be out all night, every night until we find out where these guys are coming from. If anyone hears or sees anything up on the surface that might help, LET US KNOW. Don't go after these guys by yourself. I promise you all, what happened yesterday will NOT go unanswered, but it's going to be on our terms. There's no point on planning an offensive against an enemy we can't locate with goals we can't discern being directed by a entity or entities we can't even identify." Red looked at her clipboard. "Okay, with me . . . Matthew, Michael, Anya, Johan, Nathaniel, Patrick, Talia, Torath and Snake. Tarloh is going to organize the other fighters into shifts, and we're going to extend the defense perimeters by a hundred yards in each of the three main paths out of the Den."

"Red, I really think . . ." Mindy started. She was obviously angry about being left out of the hunting party.

"Just a sec," Red said. She hated being interrupted, even by her friends. This was business. "Shield and Tripwire will be working on improving defenses, but they WON'T be installing any hardware until we get back. I would rather not have our own people getting blown up by our own traps. And Mindy," Red started, "you've got some shopping to do, and don't give me any lip about it. I don't want us sticking our head above the surface for a while if we can help it, so I want everything on the shopping list crossed off, starting with medical supplies. You're the best scavenger and . . . negotiator . . . we have, so use every trick at your disposal. And since no one goes to the surface alone, take Robbie and Chris," she said, looking at the wereboar who was about as good in a scrap as anyone and was intimidating to boot. "And take Jane too."

There was some surprise at that second choice, none more so than from Jane herself. There was also some hesitancy at having their "secret weapon" leaving the Den, but Red was adamant. The meeting broke up and a fairly terrified Jane went over to where Red and Mindy had just begun heatedly debating.

"You have no right to send me running errands when my brothers are going with you," Mindy snapped.

"Yes, I do have the right. I'm sending people where they can do the most good, and you know what I said was true. It's just this one night . . . I have every intention on rotating you into the hunts after this."

"Well why not send Arthur?" Mindy asked, a little of the wind getting taken out of her sails.

"I'm not going to stick our only mystical healer and our best medical . . . person . . . where one of those things can get him. You are the best choice and you're going. Final," Red said, noticing Jane approach.

Mindy was obviously not happy with the verdict, but she would follow orders. She brushed past Jane and headed towards the supply room to get the list of stuff they needed as well as what funds the Strays had recently accumulated.

"Red?"

Red smiled at the girl. "I know what you're going to ask. You're wondering why I'm sending you topside." Jane nodded. "Well first," Red continued, "the way you were living before you got down here, you probably know the cheapest places to shop. Secondly, I want to see if you can handle stealing if necessary. You know that we do it, but actually participating in it is something else. Third, I want a new pair of eyes up there. Just keep looking around, and maybe you'll see something going on that the rest of us have missed. And lastly, you seem to be my brother's good luck charm. He's not healthy enough for me to risk taking him with me, but he's still good in a scrap and hopefully you can keep him from doing something stupid." Red stroked one of Jane's long, magical braids. "By any means necessary," she added. "Jane, you told me you want to belong. Well, when shit hits the fan, these are the kinds of decisions I have to make, and . . . the way I feel about you can't interfere. I want you to be safe, but you also need to become a bigger part of our activities. Are you going to be okay with that?"

Jane actually felt better, though she was still somewhat terrified. This is what "belonging" was all about. "I'll do my best . . . ma'am . . . or should I call you Red?"

Red looked the sweet young woman in the eye, took a step forward and kissed her. A number of people in the surrounding area gasped, chuckled or smiled. This was unexpected, but quite welcome. Both women needed something, and hopefully they had found it. "Call me anything you want, as long as you're in my bed by sunrise."

Jane turned beat red, blushing and looking around. Affection was new to her, and public displays of affection were even stranger. Robbie, who was standing nearby and looking both mortified (at seeing his sister kissing someone) and overjoyed (at seeing his sister kiss someone that he actually liked), hooked his arm into Jane's and walked her towards the supply room.

"You," he started pointedly, "have some explaining to do. You'd better have honorable intentions regarding my sister," he added with a grin. "Sorry, but I've been waiting a long time to say that!"

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Topside . . .

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Robbie had tried keeping things light, but Mindy had been pretty sour all evening. So Robbie and Chris had fallen back together and the redneck wereboar was trying to convince his counterpart why tractor pulls should be an Olympic sport.

Jane was still in a mental gloom of her own, thinking back to the funeral service for the fallen Strays. It was the first time she had heard their names, and that was important to her. 'No one should die without someone remembering their name,' she thought.

Mindy stormed out a personnel door of Springfield Memorial Hospital with a scowl on her face and a bag in her hand. "I hate flirting with orderlies," she practically spat. "You've got to let them get to second base before they'll take you to the supply room for a quickie. At least then," she added, "I get to knock them out."

"Did you . . ." Jane started.

"Yeah, I got everything on the list. That's all I'm good for apparently," Mindy bitched. She didn't notice Jane shirk away.

Jane had been more than a bit uncomfortable since their "shopping spree" had started. It was true that what they had stolen so far wasn't going to be wasted or even missed, because Mindy knew her stuff. She just didn't like being a criminal, no matter how Robin Hood it seemed.

"Would you two shut up?!?" Mindy said, directing her anger at the two other lycanthropes and ignoring Jane completely. "For Christ's sake, how about actually helping me out and finding some of this stuff?"

"Miss Mindy, what'r we s'pposed tuh do?" Chris asked. "Every tahm we . . ."

"Never mind," Mindy said, turning away.

"Is . . . is there something I can do?" Jane said cautiously.

"I wish," Mindy growled. "I'm not sure how much good crying would do, but . . ."

"That's it!" Robbie said, getting in Mindy's face. "Don't take it out on Jane because you've got a stick up your ass!"

"Now lets all simmer down," Chris said. "We're all getting a might cranky and . . ."

That was it. Mindy just started shouting at Chris, Robbie shouted at Mindy, Chris tried to calm Robbie down. It was about five minutes before anyone realized that Jane was missing.

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Half a mile away . . .

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Jane found herself crying . . . again. She wanted to stop, but couldn't. Mindy had been right. The only thing she was good at was crying. Even Red had admitted that Jane's burst of aggression the day before had been fueled by emotion, and Jane figured that the emotion in question was fear. She had wanted to be helpful, but all she had done was make Mindy angry, and Mindy had always been so sweet before. Jane knew she wasn't of much use to the Strays. She couldn't even steal a loaf of bread if it meant survival for the people that had tried to befriend her.

"Could you even do it for Red?" she asked of a dark street. Jane stopped. "She's going to be so disappointed in me." Looking around, she realized she had wound up in her old neighborhood, and it made her skin crawl just a little bit. She walked in the opposite direction of where her apartment had been . . . she didn't want to encounter her ex-landlord. Just the thought of what he had wanted her to do to "help pay the rent" sent shivers down her spine.

She soon found herself in the parking lot of the Taco Shack, a place she had worked at just a few weeks earlier. "It seems so much longer," she told herself. She had used to work there and take some of the leftover food to . . ."Ben!" She couldn't believe she had forgotten about him! Ben was a homeless man who lived in a cardboard box just a few streets down. He was more than a little bit crazy, but he seemed so incredibly happy when Jane had stopped by. She brought him food and listened to his stories. There were moments when he had almost seemed at peace.

Jane dug through her pockets and found a buck-fifty. It was about all she had left from . . . wait a minute. "They owe me a pay-check!" She walked inside the restaurant and asked to speak to the manager. Luckily, it was the same one she had worked for. He was surprised to see her, seeing as she had simply vanished two weeks earlier. She told him that she had been injured, which was true, and that she had been recuperating (also true). She was able to get her last check and hurried over to her other job (Big Al's Fried Chicken) and repeated the process before heading to one of those open-late check-cashing establishments that stole a portion of her money for the honor of paying out the check. But she didn't care. She pulled out her wallet and went to an ATM. Since she hadn't paid her rent that last month, she still had about four hundred dollars put away, giving her a grand-total of seven hundred after all was said and done. She couldn't believe she hadn't thought of this before, but this was also her first trip above ground in several weeks.