Moonlit Tavern 9

Despite a brief moment of clarity, Kathalia joins the pack as the moon's power takes over.

Story continues:

    Kathalia stared blankly into space, lost in thought as Gwae continued to drone on about something, her voice dulled like the rest of the uniform cacophony that danced around the tavern.  She wasn't sure what it was, but it didn't seem important.  Kathalia relaxed, closing her eyes and returning to her imagined hunt.  She couldn't understand why her companion was so upset when there was a hunt to be had, running beneath the moonlight, tall grass brushing against her fur as she chased down a...
    Kathalia blinked, shaking her head to clear her thoughts of the sudden confusion, unsure of what had come over her a voice in the back of her head screaming for her to pay attention.  She sat up for a moment, her ears pricked up with attention as she scanned the room.  The clamor around her was odd, distorted, and didn't seem to match the actual sights she looked upon.  She intently glanced around the room, trying to determine what was out of place.  She blinked, unsure of what she was looking at.  Parts of the room seemed to have a slight shimmer, a distortion of space.   Something was very wrong.  Instinct took over as she prepared to spring into action if needed.  She dropped her hand slowly to her dagger.  It was less powerful than her sword, but a better choice for the constrained space of the tavern.  She shifted her legs to get better leverage if she needed to spring up, but shuddered as an odd feeling overcame her, air bristling against her toes making the hair stand up on end.  It was an odd sensation, as if part of her boots were not even there, the pressure from earlier still present in other places.  She curled her toes, feeling her nails tap and scrape at the floor.  They felt long and sharp, like... claws?  Then the world shattered, shards of glass-like reflections flying out in an explosion of colour and movement.  The dull cacophony of sound gave way to clarity as new sounds poured into her ears, each distinct as if it were the only sound in a silent room.  Growls and crashes filled the air as reality slammed into the sellsword like a wave.  Her sight refocused as well as she watched the chaos unfold before her as she saw the lycans for the first time.  The captain of the guard appeared to have taken the form of a great cat, ripping her cloak away from her yellowed fur and the ranger and barmaid howled in unison.  There were others in the tavern, but Kathalia ignored them, focusing on the most shocking thing of all mere inches from her own eyes as a grey-furred muzzle stretched out from her face, sharp teeth pressing through her gums.  She didn't need to look at her feet to know what the strange, dull sensations had been from before as she panicked, scrambling to keep herself seated as she felt the fur spread up her arms and legs.  She raised her hand to her lengthening muzzle and discovered it too was changing, thick fur covering her fingers as they thickened, pads forming on them as she felt her face.  The changes were happening more quickly than she could comprehend, but she struggled to force back the roar in the back of her mind, demanding she give in, embrace the power that surged through her shifting body, make her daydream a reality and run through the forest, free.  She tried to calm herself, regain composure and her eyes swept through the tavern, searching for something to make sense of the sudden shift in reality.  Amidst the chaos of fur and tattered cloth, she saw what she had been seeking.  A hooded figure, seated serenely in the corner, seemed undisturbed by the chaos.  Kathalia moved to stand and, but felt uneasy on her paws as they pushed forward, ripping her boots further.  The figure turned with a passive grace and looked directly at her, revealing her face, fair beyond comprehension and framed by locks of greenish hair.  The woman's inhuman eyes shone with a glint of gold as she appeared to peer directly into Kathalia's soul and she smile, sharpened teeth glinting as if in the moonlight.  The mental wall that Kathalia had been building to hold back the wild thoughts shattered beneath the burst of magic and she gave in, embracing the power that bristled across her fur as her muscles stretched, her clothing beginning to rip under the force of her swelling bust and frame.  Her eyes shifted from her normal emerald green into the golden hue of lupine eyes, all trace of her human fears and inhibitions vanishing.

To be continued...

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