Hounds in the Night

For the last three days Pete had been glaring and non-talkative when ever the three girls would come into the room. Tonight was the night that River hated the most. The full moon was to finally make its appearance. For the last two nights Riley and Raine had refused to let her hunt, saying that it was too dangerous for the others.

"River, are you ready to go?" Patrick asked her from his place next to her on the couch. She was watching Firefly with him, pointing out all her favorite parts and quotes, during each episode.

"I'm never ready for this."

"Do you fight it?"

"Hell no, I just let it flow. I fought it like hell the first night almost four years ago, and was in pain during the three day cycle, and then for the entirety of the following week." She glared at him.

"I'm sorry I asked. You were what, seventeen?"

"Try again," she mumbled.

"She was eighteen, hell she had just turned eighteen." Riley stated from a crossed the room.

"Thank you oh so very much," she stated glaring at her friends head.

"Welcome fluffy." River glared at Riley and stood up from her place on the couch.

"Riley, don't get her going, it's two hours 'til sun down."

"And three until the moon will be clear to view." River sighed out.

"We need to get her to a state park with animals around.

"Or we could just take her to the zoo and watch her eat the endangered animals" Pete stated walking into the room; Andy glared at him, but didn't say anything about the animals.

"I vote for that!" Riley smirked.

"Yeah, then she'll be tossed into a science lab as fast as you can say hyperventilation!"

"Why hyperventilation?" Joe asked looking from one girl to the next.

"Because that's exactly what River would be doing!" Riley shrugged her shoulders and opening the door.

"Let's get moving sugar; we've got to get you secluded in about an hour and stay with you until after the change."

"Is this really such a big deal?" Pete mumbled looking from one to the other.

"You remember the pain you went through changing into a vampire Wentz?" River growled looking at him Pete just nodded his head.

"You're body just died; mine tries to rip it-self apart, from the inside out."

"Point noted," Pete stated nodding his head.

River smirked over at him and went to change out of her clothes. All she put back on was a robe, nothing more, nothing less. There was no point to even try to put on actual clothing, it just tears right off, and is ruined, and she didn't want to remember all the clothes that she's ruined and had to re-buy the last few time she's changed.

"Let go and get this over with fucktards." She mumbled as she walked over to the door, Pete was smirking at her the entire way. "What the fuck Fang face?"

"Nothing, just, go." Pete had rubbed himself right up against the practically naked River as he made his way to the van.

River glared at Pete the entire time that he was driving to the park that they were casting her off into for the next two nights. She didn't know why they just couldn't wait for her to eat and then go back to the warehouse. Raine said something about her anger issues and the possibility of killing Pete.

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"So when does all this happen?" Patrick asked looking at River as she was coming back from circling the park. River's head shot toward him and she snarled.

"Fuck off Stump; I have some control of this shit." As soon as the words left her mouth she cried out in pain.

"Now," Riley said as she watched River's spine arch backward.

"Bones mold and form; protect her out of her norm." Raine whispered looking out into the night as her friend's scream erupted over them.

River's body looked to have been washed away in an explosion, flesh ripped and washed off as fur, and catlike features began to form. Her coat was snow white, with those recognizable black spots covering her.

"What the fuck!" Andy called out looking over at her. Her robe was gone, and she was on all fours looking at them. She was panting and looked as if she could sleep.

"I thought that you said leopard!" Joe stated looking from River to Riley and Raine.

"I am a leopard," River's now gruff voice said as she stood up on her legs and made her way over to them.

"How the fuck did you become a snow leopard in America!" Pete asked crossing his arms over his chest.

"It's a thing called traveling fang face." She said rolling her eyes at him, which looked odd coming from the bright blue leopard eyes. "Besides, I don't want to talk about it. Riley, River. Make sure someone's here to get me at exactly at dawn; I don't want to get caught."

"I'll come fetch you." A voice stated behind her.

"Great it's the other fang face." Riley stated turning to him.

Mind you Brendon was no longer just looking at her, he was staring. In this form she was still as naked as she would have been in human form, the movies always lie to you when they show the naked flat doll like body, oh no, River was human like, all curves bare for them all to see, but Brendon was the only one staring.

"If you want to keep your life put the eyes back in you head and go fuck yourself." She said and turned back to Riley.

"Dawn, Riley girl and I fucking mean it." With that said River turned toward the woods and ran off, all four limbs going into work.

"Well, she is pretty in both forms if I do say so my self," Brendon said smirking to himself.

"Urie, unless you wish to die now I suggest you leave." Raine said glaring at him, she turned around and began to make her way back to the van.

Riley glared at him as she seen and felt another vampire besides Pete and Brendon in the area. She knew who it was, and had a good idea why he was there. She cocked her head to the side and shoved Pete in the direction of the van.

"Let's go, if River gets pissed she'll be after you."

"Hate me that much eh?"

"More or less, you just irritate her. You Urie, I'd be watching your back." Riley glared at him then began to walk backwards.

Rule number four, never turn your back on the vampire in question. What were rules one through three. Simple, don't get yourself killed, never worry about your partner, and always carry your lucky stake.

Okay so she just made those up, but she knew that never turning your back on a vampire was one of the top four, hell look at all the stupid people that get themselves killed, or turned in the movies, they always seemed to have their back to the vampire in question.

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"Why do we have to go get River at dawn?" Andy asked looking at Riley. She just rolled her eyes and looked over at Raine for help on this one.

"She turns back into her human form, if she's relaxed enough; otherwise she stays in animal form. Well, that and the fear of being found by the passerby, and being captured and stuffed into a science lab for the rest of her life." Raine mumbled as she began to flip through one of her many journals.

Riley glared at her friend. She had sent Joe and Patrick out to hunt for the night. Pete was roaming the house glaring at everything, and she was stuck answering all of Andy's questions as River studied her journals, looking for something.

"I'm going out, fuck this. PETE" Riley hollered out when Andy stood up. Pete's head popped up from around the corner, eyebrow raised.

"Hunter?"

"Fuck you, let's go out." Pete smirked.

"Well, aren't we being forward."

"Not that way fucktard, out in the streets I'm restless. Raine can keep searching her books for gods know what and Andy can bombard her with questions until she turns him into the cat that he's being."

"Cat?"

"Yes, cat, now move it." Riley glared at him as she picked up her coat. She never needed to find her weapon, for they were always on her person.

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"Why are we doing this? Patrick and Joe were already here."

"They might ... SHIT" Just then Riley doubled over in pain.

There was something bigger and badder out here then just vampires. The cramps that she'd get in her gut from the nearing vampire unreliable next to Pete, had just gotten much worse, and this only happened once before.

Pete looked over out into the distance before jumping up onto the nearest building, leaving Riley to look up at him still clutching her stomach.

"See anything?"

"Nothing ... Let's keep on moving." He stated moving back down to the ground next to her, helping her upright and forward.

It took them a total of ten minutes to get back to the warehouse. It then took Raine ten more to get anything out of Pete as he made Riley go to bed.

The only thing that passed into her head was that 'It's here.'