Then it happened, suddenly I screamed in agonizing pain, jagged claws ripping across my back. I reeled back, clutching my back, feeling my blood through the tears in my shirt. I looked to my sister, only to realize my mistake.
Her teeth were sharp and her jaws had elongated, her ears were tall and pointed upwards, body hair ran rampant and out of control, and a long tail emerged from the base of her spine. Then I saw the culprit, long claws where she had once had finely pruned nails. She stared at me with animalistic eyes, backing up across the sofa on all fours. Like some sort of female Tarzan. She let out a low growl. I could see the hunger inside her. It wasn't the full beast I had remembered seeing the previous month, but it was part of the way there. As if she had only changed halfway.
And there was my third problem of the day. My werewolf sister. I had specifically outlined she would change partially if her heart rate got too high, and then like an idiot, I got her heart rate way too high.
I carefully backed away, "Colleen? You in there sis?" She growled again, deeper. "Right, sorry, don't call you sis. Got it." As easy as it would've been to undo my wish, I was worried it was way too late. I was in the rabbit hole now. If I backed out, she would know everything, and I'd be dead meat. I needed a different plan.
"I wish I could influence Colleen to control her change." It was simple enough, time to test it. "Colleen, breath slowly. Calm down, it's alright." I watched her animal eyes register my words, I heard her breathing slow down, the breaths were deep and animal-like. But gradually I watched as the hair on her body began to fade away.
"That's it. You're ok. Calm down." More and more she returned to human. Her tail was pulled back into her spine, and her claws returned to normal length fingernails. Finally her jaws returned to normal and her ears came back to normal length. Once her mind came back, she curled into a ball.
"Joey. Joey I'm so sorry. I shouldn't have gone that far." She sobbed.
"No no, it's ok Colleen, you're ok." Quickly I wrapped my arms around my sister, comforting her.
She sobbed into my shoulder. "I'm dangerous if I get aroused, I've eaten boyfriends before." That sent a shudder through me, realizing what I'd made her. "If you hadn't reached out to me, I would've eaten you too. And if I had been fully changed, and couldn't hear you..." She trailed off, not wanting to think about it.
"But you're still in there, I can bring you back." She shook her head.
"It's different under the moon. It's like...I fall asleep in my own body." That was worrying. I wouldn't be able to protect myself if she went full wolf. I decided another wish was necessary.
"Well, I wish you wouldn't eat me." Once again phrasing it as a request. Hopefully that would cover my bases. Maybe I could make this little problem work out.
"I can't control that, Joey. You're in danger around me. You have been since I was 16." She cried into my shoulder.
I took her by the shoulders and lifted her up, looking into her eyes. "I'm here by your side, Colleen. You need me now, and I'm here." I considered the possibility of this, finally getting a bond with my sister we hadn't had since we were kids. Being friends with her, instead of our uneasy sibling truce we'd been living under. And if things got too out of hand, I could always reverse the wish. But that was last resort. As my rabbit hole got deeper and deeper, it became more and more dangerous to reveal my hand in the whole situation.
Colleen smiled, "Thank you Joey. I really can't thank you enough." She pulled me into a hug.