Climbing out onto the porch roof, Tad breathed in the crisp autumn air and suddenly feeling better than he had moments ago, he moved quickly to the edge and leapt to the ground some twelve feet below, landing perfectly in a crouched position. Standing, he looked down at the clothes he was wearing and the fact that he was not wearing any shoes or socks and thoughts about how cold he would be in such clothes and without shoes and socks immediately vanished.
Looking up at the moon through the trees, something inside of him stirred, while at the same time he knew that Lady Diana would not reach her fullness until the thirty first of this month. Taking another breath, he started to move out to the front of the property, into the street and then down the street, unsure where he was going, only knowing that he needed to find the costume shop. And since he had no idea where to begin his search, he turned his attention to the stirring sensation he felt and suddenly it no longer mattered that he felt bloated and cramped. Or that his genitals had taken on a slightly darker hue and his breasts felt sore.
What mattered was that this was the time when he approached the first change, as all his species did shortly after discovering their immortal age. And gazing back up at the moon, Tad breathed deeply again, losing himself to the lunar radiation that was bathing him.
Stopping, he blinked a couple times and thought, "What the hell," and taking a look around, he realised that he had been wandering and had absolutely no idea where he was.
Again, something stirred within him, but this time Tad noticed that the stirring sensation felt off, like something was missing. Unable to give voice to what felt off, he looked up once again at the moon, muttered, "Lady Diana," and absently brushed a hand across his face, coming to the conclusion that what might be off was that he was missing the mask and paw-like hands and feet.
Staring at the moon, thoughts come into his head and for some reason he understands that he does not need the moon to undergo the transformation and that his species held the belief that the radiation coming off it was more powerful than that of the sun and most preferred to undergo their first transformation under the lunar orb. Reaching out a hand, Tad thought for a moment that he could actually feel something that felt like energy pouring into his hand and for a moment, his mind drifted to going back and collecting the rest of the costume, just to put it on.
Instead, he tore his gaze away from the moon and mentally chastising himself, he thought, "Got to stay focused. Need to find the costume shop," and taking another look about, unsure where he was, Tad picked a direction and began to walk, hoping that eventually he would find something that looked familiar.
----
Hours later Tad stopped and looked around again, completely unsure where he was, the energetic feeling coming off the moon so overpowering that it was getting harder and harder to think straight. Letting his gaze drop, he thought his problem was tied to the fact that, except for his hands and feet, he was female from the neck down, as well as something not human. Struggling to remember what the tag on the costume had said the species was, Tad sat down and let his gaze drift to the woods he was in and the moon peeking through the trees high above, sure that he must be in the woods located on the south-east end of town, but unsure how to prove it as he could see no familiar landmarks in the dark.
Again, his fixation came back to the moon and he found himself drawn to it, knowing that this was the beginning of the change and that he should give in or it could be worse in the long run, especially if he suddenly started to transform in daylight in front of a group of humans.
"My species would be discovered and the Treaty of Secrecy would be void," Tad sighed as he thought of Lady Diana, goddess of the moon and how she would be full by the thirty first.
Standing, he pushed down on the dress and stepping out of it, he took off the coat as well, figuring that they were such silly human comforts and that he really did not need them at the moment. Folding them, Tad looked about and when he spied a suitable bush, he headed toward it, carrying the jacket and dress under one arm and slowly pulling off the swimsuit he was wearing in place of any undergarments.
After he had hid the clothes under the bush, Tad stood and spying some leaves, he began to spread them around the bush and over the clothes. When he had completed that task, he gazed back up at the moon and sighing, he squatted down and started to duck walk around the bush, stopping every once and again to spray urine on the leaves surrounding the bush or the exposed the dirt or leaving small piles of droppings in three specific locations.
Again, he stood and looked at the moon, something about it calling to him and understanding that something was missing, but at the same time he really could not put off the transformation for much longer, Tad turned away from the bush, dropped to all fours and began to slink through the forest.
As he moved, his feet and hand slowly shifted into paws as his legs and arms slowly shrank until they were the same length. Next, fur grew over his front and back paws as his nose and mouth pushed out into a snout while his ears became more pointed and shifted up to the top of his head. Last to change was his hair to recede as white fur grew across Tad's head and red fur across his muzzle and ears.
Twitching her tail, the Kitsune fox that had at one time been Tad sniffed the air, smelling and hearing something living moving nearby. A thought of, "This is so wrong! I have to find the costume shop!" erupted through her head and then was replaced by more basic instincts as the vixen leapt towards the shrew creeping through the under-bush and as she ate the rodent, primal instincts took over and Tad disappeared for the moment as the scent of a male fox drew the vixen's attention and knowing that it was that time of year, she took one final look at the moon, knowing she would revert back in the morning, and moved off in the direction of the tod.