Bewitched during full moon (Patreon exclusive story)

Meredith has always loved nature. And nature loved Meredith. Some say they cannot sleep when the moon is full. Meredith felt the same, not because the moon bothered her, but because she found its radiance incredibly beautiful. Many times she went outside at night for a stroll. She is living in the countryside, close to a forest. Since Meredith can think, being in the woods almost felt the same as being at home to her. That’s why she was never afraid or scared at all to walk through it, not even on a night like this.

Sometimes she walks a short round, calmly admiring the moon above, exploring different views and details about the forest, about its alive and lifeless things, even if she saw something for the hundredth time. Sometimes she rode her bike, going as fast as possible, even taking dangerous routes, steep downhill with full speed, feeling her heart tremble and jump, feeling alive at full height. And sometimes she just sits down on a bench for hours and keeps daydreaming at night, as if she were bewitched by the beacon in her eyes that the moon’s light directed at her. She was waiting for the wolves to howl their songs at the moon, hearing it simply felt so exciting to Meredith.

Tonight she spent her time relaxing at her favorite, special place. It’s like a crossroads, connecting multiple paths and in the middle there is an old, but groomed, cute little wooden bench with small incised hearts serving as eye catchers. Surrounding Meredith, one path leads upwards, a dead-end due to a giant wall of stones blocking off the road. An earthquake occured about 130 years ago and tore apart the earth. This caused a broad gap, a surrounding fence prevents people from falling down. And a bit above the fence on the other side, there was a valley, an untouched and pure land. Deers and stags were often wandering around during the day on the other side, but they were rarely seen at night. However, when they did show themselves, they were bathed in the bright light of the moon and looked  gracefully beautiful, almost like nature gods.

Meredith was looking forward again to hear the friendly voices of the forests nocturnal residents. She felt drowsy and her eyelids became heavy, her eyes deeply lost in the moon. Out of nowhere a gently voice emerged and whispered into her ears: „Come to me, step into my cave, dear child.“ A cold shiver ran down her spine, Merideth felt scared for the very first time being in the woods, her instincts alerted her. She looked in the direction of the voice and saw now: a faint light shining through the stone walls, an entry seemed to have arisen, like an invisible wall being opened! Her fear was immediately pushed aside by surprisal, disbelief and curiosity. Carefully but with a quick step she approached the cave, in her ear the voice continued whispering. „Good. Don’t be afraid, I will bring no harm to you. I am the mother of these woods, a spirit that maintains the balance. Between humans and animals, pleasures and needs, light and darkness, between life and death.“ „And what do you want from me, oh mighty spirit?“, Meredith asked while stepping deeper into the cave.

Lured by the confusing words, Meredith ended up walking inside a long tunnel with winding passages. Candles were lit up along the way, lined up neatly in wall niches. In some niches there were branches, some had flowers and herbs, in others there was old jewelry, precious talismans adorning the candles, in one even some bones. It became silent, the voice wasn’t speaking anymore. Meredith pressed herself against the wall to cover her back as she was becoming more and more worried and regretting her decisions. But she couldn’t turn back. How could all this have gone unnoticed to her for all these years? It was too exciting and she just knew that if she ran away, she would never forgive herself for missing out on this adventure. Finally she reached the chamber from which the voice came. „You are no spirit, you are… a witch!“

„My appearance to you is meaningless. The only important thing for you is listening carefully to my words. Whenever you entered the forest, I watched over you and protected you in order to make sure nothing would ever harm you in this sanctuary. My aura accompanied you and explored the feelings in your heart. It pulsates with the same frequency as the pulse of the forest.“, the witch explained. „Thanks for keeping an eye out on me, oh powerful being. Or how should I call you?“, Meredith asked. „Just call me ‚Mother‘, if you like, my dear. I have something for you! Look, a pendant! It has a yellow crescent moon on it and look how it shines. Isn’t it beautiful?“ „Y-Yes, it really looks… nice.“ „Wonderful. Now follow it with your eyes as I slowly start to swing it from side to side. Let it guide your view. Going from right to left, left to right. Eyes on the moon. Look closely. Can you see how my rhythmic movement creates the illusion of a bright full moon? Focus on it and listen to my words. You are starting to feel very calm and relaxed, almost falling asleep. Embrace this feeling and drop DOWN for me.“

Meredith stood there motionless, her eyes glazed over as she felt very secure and an unexplainable trust towards this strange woman. Unable to speak without being asked. The witch picked up a rose lying around. „Whenever I pluck a rose petal, you will feel an inner relief and you will automatically answer with ‚yes‘. Did you understand?“, she asked as she tore the first petal off. „Yes“, Meredith said. „Good. You love being in the forest, don’t you?“, pluck. „Yes.“ „Is it your favourite place?“, pluck. „Yes.“ „Do you enjoy frolicing in the woods?“, pluck. „Yes.“ „Do you trust me?.“, pluck. „Yes.“ „Would you like the idea of living here together with me and the creatures of the forest?“, pluck. „Yes.“ „Would you like to stay here in the forest for the rest of your days?“, pluck. „Yes.“ „Are you willing to protect your new home?“, pluck. „Yes.“ „Do you like the idea of being as wild, strong and free of worries as an animal?“, pluck. „Yes.“ „Do you like wolves?“, pluck. „Yes.“ „If you hear wolves howling at the moon, is there a craving in you to join in their chorus?“, pluck. „Yes.“ „There is only one petal left. So tell me: Do you want to become mine?“, pluck. „Yes.“

„Now that all petals are gone, I will let the stem fall down as I count downwards. When I reach zero, it will drop to the ground and you will wake up rested from your slumber.

3 – I am the mother of this forest and all its creatures are obedient to me.

2 – You will forget everything that we have talked about. Your mind will simply block out your memories and your mind will be able to think on its own again.

1 – Feel the refreshment as you emerge from your dreamy state.

0 – WAKE UP

„Huh?! What happened? What did you do to me?“, Meredith stammered. „Don’t worry, we just had a little small talk.“, the witch giggled. „Now to the important part. I have an offer for you, Meredith. You have the free choice of either accepting or declining it.“ She pulled out a beautifully crafted black necklace with a luminous, magical, pink gemstone attached to it. „This necklace has the power to transform its carrier. If you put it on, both your body and your mind will become more like that of a wild animal, a wolf to be exact. Your dreams will come true and you will be one with the forest. It’s almost like becoming a werewolf, but the necklace will make sure that you are locked in this state eternally. I granted this gift to others before, perhaps you heard them already? You will howl at the moon together with your friends and you will become a member of their pack. Don’t worry, they are all cuties and will treat you with lots of love, just like I do. You will live out your animalistic instincts. You will travel with them, play with them and of course have countless hours of uninhibited sex at night. All I ask for this is your vow to obey me and guard the valley as my cute, little watchdog. Or you can just walk out of the cave and live on as a normal human, but you won’t be granted this chance twice. What will you chose?“

Meredith stood there in silence, considering the mothers words. Indeed she had fantasized how it’d be living in this magnificent valley among the creatures of the forest. Being one with nature seemed wonderful to her. And so she decided: „Put on the necklace for me, mother. I trusted you from the moment we met. As long as you continue to take care of me, I will dedicate my life to you and our forest.“ „I promise you that, my lovely child.“ And so the necklace's power began to unfold, changing the life of the newborn wolf girl forever.