"I am going to evaporate into nothingness if you don't turn on the air conditioner," whined Eliza.

Christa shook her head pityingly.  "You vampires just can't take the heat.  Next you'll be wanting to sleep in graves."  She chuckled at her joke as she adjusted the thermostat to a lower setting.

Eliza groaned at the cliché.  "Don't you know it's not polite to laugh at your own jokes?"

"Now, now.  I'm being nice and turning it down.  I may freeze.  I may be miserable.  I may catch my death of cold.  I may . . . ."

"I may eat you!" Eliza interrupted laughing.

"Oh, the injustice," Christa moaned.  "I just get no respect!"

"Yea, right," Eliza snorted.  "Fang's, claws, iron hard muscle, and the speed of lightning, with roar like thunder and you get no respect?  Sweety, if you get no respect, you must be doing something wrong."

Christa smiled, "Ok, maybe I get a little on a good day, but, really, I asked you here to discuss a problem with you."  She sat and took a sip from her ever present coffee cup. "Do you know what the dog days of summer are?"

"Uh, that's when summer is really hot, right?"

"Well yes, but it's really when Sirius, the dog star, aligns with the sun.  The ancients believed that the heat of the two together make summer so hot."  She grinned.  "Ok, they weren't too strong in the science department, but here's something that's disturbing.  I've noticed, and it's in many of the legends, that were-wolf activity peaks at this time.  I keep thinking about the incident a couple of weeks ago and I'm afraid we're in for some nasty times."  Eliza sat listening.  She slowly shook her head.  "I wish Sandy were here, she'd know what to do," Christa continued.  "I figure it's you and me, kid.  We're the only two who know what's happening and maybe the only two who care enough to do something about it.  Wanna go after them?"

Eliza looked very uncomfortable.  "You know, I've never gone looking for trouble . . . ."

"Yea," Christa interrupted, "and you don't really avoid it either.  I've seen that cannon you carry, and the martial arts, I've seen you move.  I have a feeling you are one tough lady."

"I just wanted to learn enough to stay alive.  I was a librarian!  My world was books, ideas, philosophy.  Christa, I did not go looking for this.  I'm not sure what I'd do if I could go back to my old life.  I might do it."

Christa shook her head.  "Not me!  I went looking for excitement and transformation."  She giggled.  "I got a hell of a lot more than I expected, but I've never regretted it.  Damn, you pulled me off of the subject again!  Will you help me?  I don't know if I can do this alone and I'm sorta worried about it and you're the only person I know that I can turn to for help."

Eliza sighed.  She knew that she couldn't turn down a request for help.  She smiled as she thought of some of the things she'd done to "help" Vicki.  Sometimes helping people had it's own rewards.  Heavily, she agreed and ask for all of the information that Christa could give her.  Christa virtually bounced with excitement, exclaiming how much fun they were going to have.

Eliza made a face indicating that she doubted that she'd be having fun.  Christa again assured her that they'd be having the time of their lives.  And then she started telling Eliza about her encounters and experiences with the "dogs" as she called them.  She tried to be as accurate as possible although she may have glorified Sandy's exploits a little, but that was only because that was the way she remembered them.  No exaggeration was intentional.

"Christa, I don't want to be insulting you or anything, but it sort of sounds to me like Sandy saved your ass on more than one occasion," Eliza hesitantly offered.

Grimacing, she replied, "Yea, she did, but you have to realize that I wouldn't have been where they were to start with if she hadn't taken me there.  I think she was a trouble magnet!  Really, she is something."

The chatted for a bit longer and then each had things that needed doing.  They agreed to meet at the park, just past midnight, to work out strategy and Eliza had asked for a demonstration on the way a were-wolf attacked.

 Eliza entered the park wishing it were about twenty degrees cooler.  She was wearing short leather shorts a tank top over which she wore an oven leather vest.  In deference to the hot muggy weather, her feet were adorned with very light and open leather sandals.  She was aware that some who knew her called her the leather lady but she liked it.  Doesn't hurt to have an image, she'd considered on more than one occasion - especially if it was a good one.

Entering the clearing, where they'd agreed to meet, Eliza wondered if Christa would be late.  Responding to the sense of danger, she did a forward roll and sensed that something passed over her, something menacing and dangerous.  She bounced up with a knife in her hand, vests can be used to conceal weapons, and in a fighting stance.  She found herself facing a shifting Christa.  She was resuming an upright stance and her features were assuming feline appearance but human proportion.

She grinned.  "You are fast!  And, oh my, please put away that sticker.  I need this skin.  I want to use it tomorrow."

Eliza's first reaction was irritation, but then she began to see the humor of the event.  She grinned and replied, "I should poke a hole or two in that skin of yours just for scaring the fang out of me.  That was not nice."

"Yea, I know.  I'm bad," she grinned.  "The puppies are bad too and they don't like you, well maybe as a snack but not the way I do!"  She looked at Eliza's stance.  If you really wanted to stick me, I don't know if you want to lead so much with the blade." Eliza looked at her quizzically.  "May I?" Christa asked.  Eliza nodded and made herself ready.  Christa seemed to get a little bigger, a little bulkier, and then Eliza felt a quick hard softness and realized that the knife was flying through the air, cuffed from her hand by a lightening paw strike and Christa was literally "in her face," all fangs and claws.

Responding by instinct, she did a palm strike and it felt as if she'd struck velvet covered steel.  She faded to one side to avoid a claw strike and parried, causing Christa to stagger, but she regained her balance, cat quick.  She leaped at Eliza's throat and Eliza did a back roll, allowing Christa to pass harmlessly over her body.  Eliza was beginning to realize that she could not defend against Christa.  Sooner or later she would get caught by those long sharp claws or powerful jaws, and while she wasn't sure what would happen, she was sure she didn't want to find out!  She had to take the offensive.

Deploying fangs, she launched her one hundred and two pounds, fang first toward Christa's throat.  Christa responded as any cat would, with a quick paw strike, which Eliza was anticipating.  She deflected the paw strike, this time adding momentum.  As Christa attempted to regain her balance, Eliza kicked and then struck with an iron hard elbow.  The kick and elbow strike were driven by vampire strength and would have killed a human.  The kick did manage to cause Christa to stagger and the elbow strike may had been uncomfortable because she did grunt, but she responded by flopping on her back and striking with hind claws.  Eliza jumped elevating to at least twelve feet.  Christa regained her feet and watched, curious as a cat, as Eliza slowly drifted to the ground.  "That is SO neat," she enthused.  "I wish I could do that."

Both women were breathing heavily.  Eliza removed her vest, revealing the sexy black tank top and the very business like knife sheath.  "Whew," Eliza breathed.  "I thought Sensei made me work hard.  That was a work out."

Christa nodded.  "That was fun."  She took a few more panting breaths.  "You don't have to be so gentle.  I'm sort of resilient and I heal really quick."

Eliza smiled.  "I guess I'm not used to playing with were-kitties.  That elbow I laid into you would have cracked concrete!"

"Yea," Christa commented, rubbing her now human shoulder.  "I did feel that one."  She chuckled.  "Think I heard bones break on that one."

Eliza felt her eyes go wide and her fangs almost slammed back into her head, she was so shocked.  "Oh, Oh, Oh . . . ." she sputtered.

Christa laughed.  "No problem!  I told you I heal quickly.  There may be a very slight bruise come morning, and by this time tomorrow, no sign of it.  Nothing.  Nada."  She grinned.

Grinning, Eliza shook her head.  "Go figure," she said.  "I will admit, you are full of surprises.  Once I figured out you weren't going to eat me, it was kinda fun."

"Ok, let's do some work.  I'll try to attack you the way dogs work.  I'll try not to do any cat stuff.  I'll act like a big old dumb dog and you try to kick the crap out of me, ok?"

Eliza nodded and watched as Christa began to shift.  It was eerie.  She actually seemed more dog like and more massive.  Eliza could almost smell the difference.  She felt the hair rising on her arms.  Christa gave an eerie half howl, half moan and began to shuffle towards her.  Eliza danced back and feinted a couple quick punches and felt them land with almost no effect.  She kicked but the mass difference made her power kicks almost ineffective.  The large creature seemed slow and clumsy and she found it hard to believe that it was really Christa facing her.

Then with surprising speed, the creature leaned forward, and with gaping jaws, grasped her right shoulder.  She could feel the pressure and its hot breath on her neck.  The pain was incredible and she felt a moment of panic that the monster would tear her arm off.  She suddenly realized this was her friend Christa and she was not biting harder or shaking as a dog would.  She was simply holding on, giving her the chance to figure out the proper move to make.  Even so, this hurt!  She had to make it stop.  She chopped with her left hand at the muzzle but the impact had the effect of driving the teeth into her flesh and only elicited a rumbling growl from Christa.  Her fangs fully deployed as she twisted to strike at the eyes of the offending creature.

Before she actually made contact, the grip was broken and Christa had stepped back.  At the first sign of retreat, Eliza prepared to spring forward but she realized that Christa was shifting back to the human form.  "Wow," she exclaimed, "that fang thing was awesome.  My blood absolutely ran cold when I saw all those fangs coming at my eyes.  That's a good move!  There was no way I was going to let you eat my face.  I had to let go."

Eliza rubbed her shoulder but the pain and minor damage was quickly receding.  "Do they really move like that, so slow and clumsy but relentless?"

"Yes, it's spooky, like they don't feel any pain but once they get close to you their jaws are blindingly fast.  When they get hold of you, the power is unbelievable and they back up and shake you.  They usually run in packs and work very well together.  One, by itself, is dangerous.  Two are absolutely frightening, and more, well, run!"

Eliza nodded.  "Can I try the knife against you one more time?  I think I've figured out how to approach it?"

"Sure," Christa replied.  "But better take off your tank top.  Knife practice can get messy."  She grinned.

"Oh yeah!"  Eliza answered, thinking about all the claws Christa had.  Slipping out of the tank top, she realized it was already damp with sweat.  "I didn't know vampires sweat.  Then again, I did sweat with Sensei."  She dropped the tank top and the knife sheath with Christa's bag and assumed a different stance.  This time her hands were even and she was holding the knife in an inverted or ice pick position, the blade almost parallel with her forearm, cutting edge out.

Christa shifted and began her lumbering approach.  As she reached towards Eliza, Eliza feinted faded and then dove in, slashing the abdomen of the approaching nemesis.  The creature grunted and attempted to spin towards her but she'd faded back.  The creature snapped with it's jaws towards her face and she shifted only ever so slightly, just enough to make it miss and countered with a vicious vertical slash.

Christa stepped back and morphed back to her human shape, blood dripping down her body.  "Oh," she groaned grinning.  "I don't think I want to play that game any more.  You learn too damn quick!"

Eliza saw her blood stained friend and was immediately concerned. "Oh," she squeaked, "I've really hurt you!  I'm so sorry!" and she rushed over wondering how she could help.

Christa chuckled and raised a hand.  "Not to worry!  You should see Sandy and I when we cat fight.  I told you I heal quickly but you are too good with that knife.  I was on the receiving end of a slice and dice that was no fun.  You seemed to be having all the fun.  Ooo, I'm still leaking.... " She pointed to a rivulet of blood running down between her breasts.  "Want it?" she asked mischievously.

Eliza looked at the lovely redness and felt her fangs deploy.  Christa grinned and cupped her breasts, separating them so that the blood flowed more freely.  Eliza couldn't resist.  The smell of Christa as of blood, sweat and a faint hint of sex.  No one, especially a vampire, could resist such a potent combination.  She stepped forward and put her arms around Christa's waist, and gently licked the blood that was trickling down her belly up to between her breasts.  She could feel the soft mounds of flesh on either cheek and warm, spicy blood in her mouth.  Involuntarily she projected.  She projected her lust, her desire and her excitement at the taste of Christa and Christa responded.  Eliza could feel her blood lust and her excitement.

They sank to the ground together, both knowing what was to be . . . .