Within the course of the next two weeks, Shev became more and more distant from his sister. Though she visited as often as she could, always bringing dinner and hordes of tales about her experiences as a new apprentice, she couldn't help but to notice he no longer listened as well as he used to. His eyes were unfocused, like they were looking right through her and into the far horizon. Evaira grew concerned, asking him frequently if he was feeling too isolated, or if he needed her to come and live with him again. He always responded the same way, shaking his head and wagging a finger, telling her that her happiness was more important that his.

One night, Evaira caught a whiff of a strange scent floating through the household. As the nights continued it grew stronger. While Shev was out shopping for groceries, she was able to trace it to a strange red stain on the floor of the kitchen. After fetching a wet rag to clean it up, she raised a brow when the tile underneath shifted loosely.

It wasn't long before she knew what was wrong with her brother.

Nor was it long before she was the one who kept him stocked in the plant without his knowledge.

It was wrong to steal from the Great Witch's magical garden, and Evaira knew it was a great risk. However, whenever she peeked into the house and saw the wide, wonderful smile her brother had during his visions, her heart felt a strange peace. She hadn't seen him grin that way since two years prior. She told herself he deserved such happiness. She owed it to him for letting her pursue her dream.

And thus the situation stayed as such for a few months afterward, Evaira slipping Shev more pods of Desire's Kiss without expressly telling him. He was able to figure it out once he noticed his stash growing faster than he used them, but didn't say anything to her. Instead, he was silently grateful, though the nervous thought of her being discovered consistently gnawed at his chest. He went to see Her again in order to calm himself and forget his troubles. Life continued on in a boring cycle: running the bakery in the day whilst preparing more baked goods, attempting to get customers to come inside with the lure of free samples, tearing his hair out at the stress of trying to keep the shop open, and then in the evening seeing Her and relaxing into Her arms.

One day, that cycle changed.

A the evening darkness loomed ever closer, creeping up along the sunset's edge, Shev walked home from the market along his usual route, one that passed directly by the Sugar Lakes and sprawling wheat fields that surrounded the city. His strong arms pulled a small two-wheeled cart behind him, which contained several bags of wheat ready to be taken to the mills and ground into flour on the morrow.

The swaying blades of wheat were hypnotizing. A breeze laced with the faraway babbles of city-dwellers a ways away brushed past his ears.

But... there was something else, too. A rustling. Shew whipped his head around, the noise sending chills up his spine despite the fact that he reasoned it was likely only a cat or bird.

As he watched, a shadowy shape parted the moving blades. It was the head of a gruesome creature with a gaping mouth bearing long, wicked fangs and a pair of tusks. Its eyes were pure black like a piece of polished ebony. Parts of its skin were stretched to the point of tearing, as if its skeleton were confined within a bag of flesh too small to contain it. Long strands of yellow-gold fur rose from its neck and blended with the wheat the creature emerged from. A paw bearing large scythe-like claws reached forward, as if wanting to grasp at Shev.

As it did so, Shev lurched back in alarm, his heart pounding as he gazed at the Grain-Snatcher.

The creature gazed at the bags of wheat in desire. A long forked tongue protruded from its mouth, licking its tusks. It pounced at the wheelbarrow, slashing at Shev.

Shev stepped back, the scythe-claws ripping through his shirt and raking his stomach. He cried out and stumbled away before breaking into a run. The Grain-Snatcher only watched him for a moment before tearing into the bags of wheat and devouring the contents inside with a beastly relish.

Shev sprinted towards home, his mind arife with panic. Memories of the attack two years ago flooded into his mind, taking over his senses and transporting him back to moments he wished to have forgotten. He grasped at where the Grain-Snatcher had scratched him as the screams of his parents and sister rang in his ears. He could smell the blood pouring from his sister's leg wound.

Sweat beaded down his forehead as he burst into his bakery. He scrambled into the kitchen and ripped the loose tile from the floor, desperately grasping for the plant underneath. He needed Her. She was the only one who could calm him down and make him forget.

Alas, She was not there. The hold in the floor was empty.

Shev recalled that Evaira had been away for the week, on a trip to Capital Cainor with the Great Witch. She'd only just returned a few hours ago. While she'd been gone, he'd used up all of the Desire's Kiss that he had.

Shev took in shallow breaths. He leaned heavily over the empty hole, hands pressed against the tiles.

He needed Her. Now.

Getting to his feet, he dashed out of the bakery and headed for the center of the city, pushing past bread sellers and field workers returning to their homes for the night. Many stared at him in confusion as he rushed past, as they were not used to seeing the calm, kind Shev in such a frenzied state. Some asked him if he was alright, but were only met with a rush of air as he sped away.

When the dark shape of the Great Witch's house loomed before him, he finally came to a stop. Pulse rising, he glanced around at the home with glazed eyes.

There.

He quietly made his way around the fence bordering the residence until he was at the back of the building. There, surrounded by large trees and a small hedge, was the Witch's herb garden.

Shev sniffed the air. The familiar scent of Desire's Kiss met his nose. He craned his neck upward to try to spot where it might be in the garden. He spotted it near one of the corners, the red pods hanging heavily off of its leaves. With a swift motion, Shev leapt up and climbed over the fence.

The garden was pristinely kept, neat rows of all kinds of magical plants all sorted neatly and given tiny labels in calligraphic script. Shev walked along the paths between the rows in an impatient but reserved pace in order to not step on any of the herbs. He reached out a hand and ripped off several leaves from Desire's Kiss, stuffing them into a pocket and whipping his head back and forth, trying to see if anyone had spotted him.

Confident he'd been undetected, Shev went back over the fence and retreated back to his home, giving a sigh of relief when he finally was able to feel Her kiss again. The screams stopped. The smell of blood receded. He was alright again. With Her again.

Thank Cainen.

...

Shev awoke to the sound of an intense rapping on the front door. He groggily opened his eyes, his body stiff and aching. It took him a second to realise he'd fallen asleep on the tile floor of the kitchen. Blood from the Grain-Snatcher's scratches was crusted on his shirt, small droplets of it dotting the tile. Shev rubbed his eyes and stumbled to his feet, shuffling to the door.

He opened it to find a neighbor, a bearded man named Ephram, outside. He held his hat in his hands, twisting it nervously when his fingers trembled. It was hardly dawn yet, the sun barely peeking over the edge of the horizon.

"Shev! Your sister, Evaline! S-she's in the town square! She did something-- they're going to punish her! You've gotta come, quick!" He said, spittle catching on his moustache.

A flash of panic cracked through Shev. "What do you mean? What's going on?"

"Go to the town square! Hurry!" Ephram's hat was a crumpled mess at this point.

Shev bolted out the door and past his neighbor, panicked questions sprouting in his mind. He reached the center of town within minutes, his heart dropping at what he saw.

The stone platform that stood before the mayor's house was normally used as a stage for ceremonies and holiday celebrations. A happy occasion, this was not. Evaira stood before a crowd of villagers, her feet planted firmly on the cold stone. Great Witch Neravi stood just behind her, the mayor stood to her left, and a servant girl to her right. A solemn look graced each of their faces.

"The punishment of stealing from a Great Witch is quite clear in every city in Eveanor," Great Witch Neravi spoke. Her voice was calm and rich with an undertone of disappointment. "I'm afraid even apprentices must follow the law."

Evaira shivered as if a cold wind blew through her body. "I swear to you I was not in the garden yesterday. Please, I--"

"She lies! I saw her take the herb!" The servant girl claimed. "I was glancing through the house window while I dusted the fireplace mantle and saw a figure with bright orange hair and dark skin ripping the poor plant to shreds! It was you, I know it!"

The crowd murmured excitedly.

"No! Ms. Neravi, you've got to trust me! I would never--"

The Great Witch brought a hand down on her apprentice's shoulder. She carried a parasol in her other hand, which shaded her delicate-looking skin from the sun. Glints of red flared in her golden eyes. "I've seen you do it before. You've been stealing from me for months. I thought I would give you a chance to confess yourself, but now I realize it was foolish of me. Your punishment comes now, girl."

Evaira seemed to wilt like a dying flower, her eyes pointed downward as her body sagged and gaze looked into nowhere. "I-I understand," she said weakly.

Nevari raised her head slightly, the shadow of her parasol darkening her eyes. Her hand tightened on her apprentice's shoulder. "Evaira Moreno, you are hereby stripped of your title of Witch in Training, and are henceforth banned from using magic. In addition, you will be turned into--"

"STOP!" Shev screamed, his body lurching forward through the thick crowd. "It was me! I stole it! Leave her alone!"

Evaira looked up in astonishment at her brother. Her eyes locked onto his with an indiscernible expression.

The Great Witch raised a brow. Curiously, the edge of her mouth was tilted up as if she bore a slight smile.

A deep set sense of guilt bore into Shev's chest. He'd gone and done what he'd promised himself he wouldn't: sacrificing his sister's future for his own needs. He had thought that Desire's Kiss would be harmless, just a way for him to finally feel at peace again. Instead it had taken away the last bit of solace he had in his life. And yet, despite his selfishness, Evaira had still helped him, and given him his indulgence even at her own risk. Just to make him happy.

Damnit!

Shev let out the breath he'd been holding. "I've been the one stealing the herb. I-I'm addicted. I couldn't stop. Please let her go and take her back into your apprenticeship. She should not take the fall for my own faults." He stepped forward to the edge of the stone platform. "I c-can offer my servitude as penance. I... I'll willingly become your werewolf," he said in a trembling yet knowing tone.

Evaira gasped and shook her head. "Shev!"

Great Witch Nevari gave a grand smile, pushing Evaira to the side and motioning Shev onto the platform. He obeyed, climbing up onto the stone and standing straight before her, his hands clenched into fists.

"Well? Is she cleared of guilt?" Shev asked.

"Yes! Yes indeed she is!" Neveri said a little too eagerly. She shooed her apprentice away, looking deeply into Shev's eyes.

"What? Wait!" the serving girl cried. "You're just going to let her off like that?"

The mayor's face contorted into a sneer at the girl. "Don't talk to the Great Witch that way!"

Neveri was inspecting Shev now, her hand clasping around his chin and turning his head this way and that. Her long, manicured fingernails dug into his skin. She brushed her other hand through his orange hair.

Shev stood uncomfortably, trying to keep calm. He chanced a glance at his sister, who was staring at him silently, her head shaking back and forth to signal her disapproval. She mouthed no over and over, trying desperately to get him to back down. He didn't.

I'm sorry. He mouthed back. I deserve this. Not you. He hoped she could understand. She simply burst into silent tears in response.

"Evaira?" Nevari suddenly asked. Her apprentice looked up through tearful eyes.

"Y-yes?"

"Now is your chance to prove your loyalty and how much you've learned. Turn your brother into a werewolf for me, will you?" She gave a nonchalant smile.. "Oh, and if don't, I'll turn you into one as well."

Evaira froze, her face plastered with fear and disbelief. "Me?"

"Yes, you! Now get to it. If you don't do it correctly, then he'll likely die. I've taught you this, remember?"

"But I'd need wolf's blood, moonstone, and--"

"I've already gotten the potion prepared. Here." Nevari tossed Evaira a small vial of red liquid. "Do it now."

Nevari stepped away, leaving Evaira to slowly limp to her brother.

Shev looked into his sister's fearful eyes. He nodded in acceptance. It's what I deserve. He mouthed.

More tears slid down Evaira's dark cheeks. She gulped, taking the cork off of the vial and handing it to Shev. "Drink," she said quietly.

Taking it in his hand, Shev downed the mixture. Just as the ingredients suggested, it did indeed taste like blood, yet somehow much darker.

The Great Witch tapped at her parasol, and a small object fell out of its handle. It turned out to be a long, thin golden wand. She handed it to Evaira. "Here, this one is better than yours. Much better chance of success."

The wand began to glow as Evaira held it before her. Slowly, as if time were coming to a stop, she pointed its tip at her brother's heart. "I'm sorry, too," she whispered before red light burst forth from the golden sceptre, hitting Shev square in the chest.

Dark smoke surrounded the area, blocking out the rising sun's light. The crowd gasped in astonishment.

Shev fell to his knees as a fiery pain ripped through his body. His mouth and eyes glowed an eerie red while a great pressure grew underneath his skin. His bones ached, his veins popped, and his skin scrawled. It felt as in the blood he had drank was seeping from his stomach and forcing its way into every vein in his body.

"Auuugh!" he cried, doubling over. Bit of brown fur pushed through to the surface of his hands, soon spreading to the rest of his body. His nails elongated and grew into claws while his ears stretched in length and flicked back. A long tail covered in orange and brown fur grew just as his legs bent over themselves. His clothes ripped and fell to pieces.. His face grew into a long snout bearing a set of wicked fangs almost like those of the Grain-Snatcher. In fact, the way his skin stretched and moved over shifting bones and muscle felt eerily similar to that of the Grain-Snatchers.

Shev gave an agonized scream, which melted into a howl.

The crowd cried out in turn, covering their ears from the awful sound. Cats yowled. Dogs growled and barked in terror. It was like a howl like none in the village had ever heard before.

That of a werewolf.

As the clouds parted and sun continued its journey upward, the rays of dawn light came upon a strange sight.

There lay the body of the unconscious werewolf, orange and brown fur glistening with sweat. His sister's cries could be loudly heard over the silence of the crowd.

The Great Witch gave a small clap. She swept forward in her long dress, twirling her parasol as one does on a particularly happy day. With a swift motion, she knelt down and opened her jaws wide, clamping them down on the neck of the werewolf.

The mayor, the serving girl, and the crowd widened their eyes in surprise. None dared to say anything in their terror.

Neravi got back to her feet, wiping her mouth with a hand. "Oh! My apologies. I simply could not wait. One such as myself could never pass up the opportunity of freshly made werewolf blood. Taha!" She plucked her wand back from Evaira's hands, waving it in the air.

Shev's body floated upward from the magical force, and was carried into Witch's house. Nevari, too, stepped into the open doorway, promptly slamming it shut behind her.

The village denizens let out their collective breaths and chatted animatedly with one another. The mayor put a hand comfortingly on Evaira's heaving back.

Not only was the kind, sweet Shev Moreno now a werewolf, but their Great Witch was a vampire.