For Want of a Vampire

by David Silver

13 - Take a Look, it's in a Book

Orange turned a book slowly with a wing. Wolf was watching him with an odd look on her face. "How long did it take to figure out that trick?"

"Huh?" He looked up at her. "Oh, the wings? They do their own thing. I want to turn a page, they do it for me." He held up a hoof and a wing came down, colliding with it in a brohoof sort of way. "We're becoming more and more friends."

Wolf reached across and gave one of the wings a poke with a clawed finger. "Yeah, see, that's pretty weird, and I'm already talkin' to a damn horse. My wings do what I make them do, just like my fingers or my arms or any other part of me."

Orange flipped his ears back. "You'll be pleased to know only the wings are that way." He lifted a hoof at the book practically dangling in her other hand. "Did you find anything?"

She tossed the book onto the table in front of her. "Not a damn thing! What are we looking for again?"

Orange felt his wings reaching and looked up in time to see them close in on a book and pull it free of a shelf. "Maybe this," he said with building hope, clopping his hooves as the wings placed it gently before him and unfolded it. "Thanks, guys."

Wolf shook her head at the exchange. "If my wings start acting up, I'm cutting them off." She rolled her eyes and circled the table, coming up behind Orange and placing her hands on his shoulders. "So whattaya got in there?"

Reading with quick swipes of his slit eyes, Orange seemed to grow more excited with every line. "It seems Master isn't the first vampire to contract a curse of some kind." He tapped at the page with a hoof. "Usually when predating on a relation of a shaman or other practitioner of old magic, a vampire can have a curse laid on them that is actually strengthened by their vampiric blood, making it truly frightful."

Wolf lifted her shoulders. "You're onta something there, but how do we fix it, if you want to make mister grumpy mcstarched pants happy? What does he even look like when he's happy? I bet he looks like he ate a lemon at the best of times."

Orange flipped to the next page, reading as quickly as he could. "I need to read more, but I feel like we're close to the start of an answer." He lifted an ear at Wolf. "You do... bring up a point though."

"I always do." She leaned in, hugging him around the neck and pulling him away from the book. "Just what point did I make this time?"

Orange felt heat surging into his face, lighting it up right through his fur. "W-well, I mean... He is sour. I... I wonder how much use he'll have for us when his ability to create normal spawn is returned."

She crooked a finger up under Orange's chin. "So, forget 'em. Why don't we do whatever this castle needs to do and just leave the bastard behind?" She flashed a sharp smile. "Serves him right. Bet he wouldn't last a week in Noo Yawk. He'll be eaten alive."

A part of Orange smiled at the idea of getting rid of Richard, but his loyalty had magical weight behind it. He trembled with indecision even as Wolf's sharp claw scratched teasingly along his snout. Why was her presence so nice?! "W-who would be our master?"

She crouched down, putting her head on his level. "Well, the way I figger it, you're already that, and you make me less want to punch a wall." Wolf rubbed along his throat with the flesh of her fingers. "Oh yes, I could live with a cute little brainiac in charge."

Orange wasn't completely blind. He could see the future. He would be in charge by name, but she'd wrap him around her clever fingers. She'd get what she wanted. She'd... Was that so bad? He clopped down on the table, standing up out of the chair suddenly. He wheeled on her. "Stop playing with me?"

She quirked a smile at him. "You don't like playing?"

He shuddered softly at the implications. "I want honesty. No crooked dealings, no backstabbing." He glanced away and back at Wolf. "Do you like me?"

She reached out and squeezed his nose like a horn as she spoke softly, "Boop."

Was that an answer? Why was he blushing all the harder?! He hadn't had much experience around women, or mares, or whatever counted anymore. He shook his head violently, trying to banish the confusing tumult of emotions. "Please, answer me straight."

The horse woman named Wolf patted him gently on the head. "I'll answer that when you can ask without dying of shame. Now you have reading to do, don't you?"

"Oh, ah..." Orange hopped up into the chair he had abandoned. Without prompting, Wolf lifted the chair and slid it closer to the table. He let out a little sigh and began to read again. "For what it's worth... I'd like to get to know you. I don't think I want that... whatever Lilly did. That was too fast."

"You won't get an argument from me about that." Wolf crossed her arms under her chest. "That was just plain creepy if you think about it at all."

He began to read of the first sort of curse, laid by powerful priests to hinder vampires that plagued their communities.

Author's Note:

Orange is approaching an answer, maybe.

Wolf has more questions.

Which is more important? The answer is typos. Typos are always more important.

Comments

[badninja]

So who laid the curse and why ponies?

[No one is home]

I really gotta go over Wolf's description and do a Wolf Fields psycho anthro pony pic. What since that's that thing that I do. And the character is actually anthro to start with.

[David Silver]

6990870 You fool! You'll only empower her!

[No one is home]

6990946 Bwa-ha-and-ha. Because I am Eville.

[DualKitsune]

6990853 Obviously a relative of Zecora.

But seriously, it was probably one of the alternate Pinkies. Who else would curse a vampire to ponies?

[Daremo]

Wolf pat him - Wolf patted him
*****
A vampire loose on the streets of New York who turns people into ponies, that turn people into anthro ponies... I can see this ending well, eeyup.

Also, Orange's wings are the R2D2 of this story.

[Dravkwn]

She reached out and squeezed his nose like a horn as she spoke softly, "Boop."

[tsaukpaetra]

she's so flirting with him, that was practically a nuzzle!