Every story has a beginning and an end. This particular story begins and ends on the night of a orange full moon in a small town on the banks of a river. In a small house, barely still standing, lay a young woman. Her eyes were bloodshot and wide open, as if held there, fingers gripping her mattress tightly. The woman’s breathing was inconsistent, coming in fits and spurts, and her clothes were soaked with sweat.

With a scream it started. Her nails ripped deep gashes in the mattress as they lengthened, hand forming a paw. Her skin was being ripped apart at the seams as fur erupted from her spine and flowed to the rest of her body which was slowly reforming itself to take on the shape of a large beast. The scream that rent the air soon became inhuman, closer to an anguished roar. Where the girl once lay was a travesty of nature, something that was never supposed to be.

It was not quite a cat, but it was most definitely not human. In fact, it was similar to nothing on the planet sane humans had ever seen. It’s head was broad, ears set wide on it’s skull, long and pointed. The eyes were set in the front like a predator and were a hideous murky brown-gray. The snout of the thing was grotesquely elongated, filled with sharp teeth that did not quite fit together. From there down it was rippling with lean muscles, fur patchy on the underbelly and tail. The shape of it’s hind legs indicated the possibility that is was bipedal but it could obviously travel on all fours just as economically, with a long rat like tail to balance it. The fur itself was an unnatural red, bright as lipstick, tinged with green in places.

The clothes the former woman had been wearing were ripped and hung loosely on what now lay in her place. After this transformation, the creature slept soundly, retaining the form it had taken on.

Before night was up, however, it awoke and stood. At it’s full height it was well over 7 feet and weighed about a quarter of a ton despite an emaciated air that hung about its form. Without so much as a whimper it went to all paws and crept from the shack and onto the foggy river banks. Lifting it’s head to the wind, it’s ears pricked forward. It had obviously scented something that would make good prey for tonight. It bound off, still making little noise regardless of it’s size. The moon glinting off the bright fur was a sight to be seen.

Soon, the animal had brought down it’s prey. A small child lay prone in the forepaws of the thing, a bloody neck the obvious work of the animal, and the rusty smell of blood had already invaded the air. It’s long muzzle was covered in blood, a bit of tendon caught on one of it’s teeth. It snarled, smelling another of it’s kind approaching. This one was a young male, with dull brown fur and glowing green eyes. He was larger than the female, topping 8 feet and weighing close to 750 pounds. He approached, tail held high to indicate dominance.

The female would have none of it and snarled again, baring the formidable teeth. She tossed the broken body behind her and stood to her full height, puffing her chest out, head held high. He might be bigger, but she was stronger and had more stamina. And yet, he still came forward. She let him get with in striking distance before using her hindquarters to leap onto his back, claws ripping at his sides. The male, inexperienced, had not expected this and yelped as he tried to run to no avail. Her claws had done the job of causing significant bleeding, and her forepaw was tearing at his throat with great success.

The male died within moments, leaving the female with the largest meal she had yet had. Contented, she ambled back to the shack and collapsed on the bed, making it creak ominously. The beast closed it’s eyes and slept clear through to the next night, when it awoke once more as a woman.

With a contented stretch, she gathered a fresh set of clothes from a corner, donned them, and left to her life. She had a perfect memory of the night prior. That wasn’t what she did that scared her everytime. It was the prospect that one day she might meet one stronger than she.