Tatiana headed for the von Karnstein sisters' usual table and sat down next to Dracona. "Oh hi, Tats!" Dracona smiled. "Persephone'd be eating with us, but she wanted to catch up with Micki. Hey, I thought you were sitting with Selena today."
"I am," said Tatiana, "but I wanted to talk with you a bit."
"Go ahead," said Dracona. The African-American vampire helped herself to a mouthful of human food. It tasted of nothing and provided her no nutrition, but it was important to look mostly normal in public. She could always vomit the wretched stuff out later.
"Well," Tatiana began, "I was thinking about what you said last night. Remember? You said you were almost thinking about leaving the clan to become a werehyena."
"What?!" Lenora von Karnstein gasped. Her fork dropped to the floor, the tasteless human food forgotten. "You're leaving?! You'd just abandon Carmilla, our mother and matriarch?"
"And what about us?" Valeria added. "We're your sisters, Dracona! Do not tell me your abandoning me like that werevixen bitch Renata!"
"I must admit," Whisper agreed, "I am highly disappointed to hear that you would forsake our kinship for carnal pleasures."
"Yeah!" Claudia shouted. "What fucking gives!"
"I only just met you, and you're already leaving?" Jinx protested.
"Hey, I didn't say I was going to leave!" Dracona pleaded. "Just that it crossed my mind!"
"Calm down, everybody," Liesel said calmly. "All this anger and shock is bad for our auras." She smiled understandingly at Dracona and Tatiana. "You two have your chat. I have faith the wisdom of the Cosmos will guide you down the right path."
"Thanks, Liesel," Dracona smiled. "Now, what were you saying, Tats?"
"Like I said," Tatiana continued, "you were talking about sort of wanting to be a werehyena like Selena and her pack. Did... did you really mean it?"
Dracona stared at her grey-brown fingers thoughtfully. "Pretty much, but it's complicated. On the one hand, I love being a vampire. I mean, I really fucking love it. I love the eternal youth, the undead stamina, the healing factor, the taste of blood, being able to shapeshift into an owl, summoning creatures of the night with unearthly song, being able to become a cloud of mist whenever I need to get out of somewhere quick, and (of course) being part of this incredible clan with you guys."
"Aww," Liesel cooed, "Thanks!"
"Yeah, we rule," Claudia grinned.
"On the other hand," Dracona sighed, "those werehyenas are like nothing I've ever seen before. Brawny, virile, feral, a perfect mix of the masculine and the feminine... daaaamn! You know the thing I have for dick-wielding amazons, and I have the chance to be one?! Unreal! How could I not be tempted? Can you picture me with fur and a dick, Tats?"
Tatiana tried. "I guess. So... would you go through with it?"
"I'm still trying to figure that one out myself," said Dracona. "It's tempting, but I've got a great magical life here with you guys. But then I look at a werehyena and I ask myself how it feels inside to be so... wild. I see their bodies and I get so fucking envious! I mean, imagine how amazing it must feel to plow someone with your jumbo cock while your four tits bounce back and forth! But then I look at all of my sisters and I ask myself how I could even consider leaving. Ugh, it's just so fucking complicated!" Dracona's eyes suddenly widened as something dawned on her. She turned and looked at Tatiana knowingly. "Is there any particular reason you're asking me, Tats?"
Tatiana sighed. "I love being a vampire. I really do. But it makes being with Selena so hard. When the pack finally builds their settlement, do I move in with her or stay in Karnstein Manor with my clan? And Selena probably wants cubs. You have to remember that werebeasts aren't undead like vampires, so they have different priorities. Like any successful member of a pack of flesh-and-blood beasts, Selena will want to pass her genes on."
"So what?" Lenora cut in. "Vampires can get pregnant."
"Theoretically, yes," Whisper countered, "but the odds are statistically against it. Most vampires will only get pregnant once every few centuries, if ever."
"Exactly," Tatiana sighed. "I even gave Selena my permission to take an extra mate so she can be a sire. I don't really want that, but I can't deny offspring to the werehyena I love. If that means I have to share her with Jenna McSweeney, so be it. If I were a werehyena, my womb could give her what she needs. And then there's her bigoted werewolf parents and their grudge against vampires. Maybe if I were a werehyena, they'd be a bit more accepting."
"Once they get over their daughter starting her own pack," Claudia remarked.
"Why do werehyenas hate us, anyway?" Jinx asked. "Sorry if that's a dumb question, but I'm kinda new. Fledgling, you know."
"I hate to concede this," Whisper sighed, "but it was the vampires who initiated the hostilities. Vampires have always had a cultural tendency toward aristocratic pretensions and sophistication. Unfortunately, such courtly sentiments are as often as not accompanied by hubris. Many vampire patriarchs and matriarchs viewed therianthropes as uncivilized borderline animals and took to hunting them for sport. This perception is thankfully dying as vampirekind realizes that the only way so-called 'monsters' are going to survive is by banding together. Unfortunately, the tradition of therianthrope hunting is still upheld by the more bloodthirsty clans such as Clan de Rais, Clan Báthory, and (naturally) Clan Tepes."
"What about those bastards from Clan von Wisborg?" asked Claudia.
"I don't consider them to be an extant clan," Whisper shrugged. "Most of their surviving members have scattered, joining one of the aforementioned rogue clans or founding their own. You're right to mention them, though. Clan von Wisborg was extremely enthusiastic about hunting therianthropes, even driving some breeds extinct in Austria. Even Austria's considerable werewolf population was decimated, only rebounding after the Vordenburgs shattered Clan von Wisborg in 1948."
"I can see why werebeasts would be mad," Jinx said, horrified. "If only the local werewolf pack could be made to understand that Clan von Karnstein isn't like that."
"Maybe Alpha Caleb would get it if we're really patient with him," Tatiana said, "but his mate wouldn't accept me in a million years. Artemis Lyall is dangerous. She's extremely violent, she's got an impulsive streak, and her birth pack was slaughtered by rogue vampires. At least I wouldn't be the same species as the sadists who killed her family if I were a werehyena. She'd still be a damn challenging mother-in-law, but at least she probably wouldn't kill me on sight."
"But is that worth giving up your vampire identity?" asked Valeria.
"That's the hard part," Tatiana groaned. "Sure, being a werehyena would make romancing Selena easier, and, yeah, werehyenas are the sexiest things ever, but a vampire and a von Karnstein is who I am. I don't know if I can go back to being Natalie Elliott. That name sounds like it belongs to a stranger now."
"Only you know your own best path," Liesel counseled, "but I think you should know that Selena will love you even if you stay a vampire. I don't need my seer visions to tell you that. I've felt the way the two of you vibrate when you're together. It's groovy, man! You almost feel like one soul to my inner eye sometimes. Whatever you choose, I promise you that it'll work out. So don't let your aura dull just because times are tough."
"I'm with her," Dracona agreed. "You do you, Tats. If that means becoming a werehyena, go for it. If it means staying a vampire, then don't try to be something you're not just because you think it'll make Selena happy."
Tatiana smiled at her sisters. "You're right. I shouldn't force myself to do anything. Thanks! I'll be heading back to Selena's table now."
As Tatiana left, Dracona looked Whisper in the eye. "Hey, I was wondering. Is it possible for a girl to get a dick without becoming a werehyena? That might be an okay compromise."
"I believe so," Whisper answered. "Of course, my primary field of research is vampiric history, not practical magic. I recommend you talk to Morgana about that. She's the real expert."
Dracona nodded. "I will."