Despite Maker's declaration that 'now is the time!', almost an entire week went by without any progress towards the dungeon introducing itself to the village being done. The reason for the delay would be the full moon and the madness it brought with it. Luckily for Johna, Fanv and the mischievous pack of teenage visvargs, the dungeon was far more prepared to deal with their temporary insanity this time.

Maker had spent a good deal of time making a new cave that almost rivaled the lake cave in size. She had then filled it with trees and shrubbery to the point where one could be forgiven for mistaking it for the forest outside. The gentle blue glow of the mushrooms and the lack of any other light-source gave it away though.

The entrance to the cave had been sealed by a stone wall while Maker built it, but now that the moon was but a few hours away from rising, the stone crawled back to reveal crude but sturdy metal bars and a door.

The metal needed for the barrier had been provided by the bumbleants and the construction of the door itself was made a success thanks to Sam and Mikvel's hard work. Building a wooden door had been easy enough but neither arachne nor half-elf had any way of reshaping metal so they'd ended up teaching the bees and Maker how it all was supposed to look and work. The teaching process had been long and slow but worth it in the end.

 A smaller part of the cave had been sectioned off by a stone wall to create a space for Johna. They were still unsure of how the vampire and visvargs would react to each other while influenced by the moon. The visvargs were pack animals and related by blood so they had no interest in harming each other. The pups had even been surprised when asked if they thought they would attack each other once the moon took control of them. The thought of harming one's own pack hadn't even occurred to them. Johna wasn't a visvarg though so the risk of the pack turning on him was far too high to keep them in the same area.

Now most of the dungeon's sentient creatures, Mikvel, and the visitors, Johna and Noah stood in front of the forest cave. The sight of a small forest inside a huge cavern had them all silently marveling at it. The silence only lasted until Dessi, the one with the least appreciation for natural beauty, spoke up.

"Fancy work. Ye sure the lil wolves won't snake their way through the bars though?"

It should not be possible. I have let them test squeezing through gaps of the same size. The gap between the bars should be tight enough to keep even the smallest pups inside.

The group of rodents sitting on Fanv's furry back all cheered.

'Marvelous work, Great Creator!'

'A master piece indeed! Our craftsmen and our Great Maker have truly outdone themselves again!'

Sam and Mikvel made embarrassed noises as the rodents showered them with praise. Maker puffed out her chest and basked in the attention.

Pohc eyed his kin jumping up and down on Fanv's back. He sat a few paces away from the huge wolf because of a creeping feeling that he shouldn't trust her too much at the moment. Fanv was unusually quiet and there was a dangerous glint in her eyes that Pohc didn't like at all. The moon still had another hours or so to rise so she wasn't mad just yet but the way she acted was definitely off. The pups on the other had been even rowdier than usual. They were wrestling each other and running around, a sign of far too much energy. Perhaps a bad sign for what was to come once the madness took hold of them completely.

Pohc shuddered at the thought. As loyal as he was to his Queen, he would still make sure to stay as far away from her as possible during this full moon night.

Well then. Time is running so let us begin early. There are some Deears and Glowshells in the Forest cave that you can hunt. Doors will be locked once you are all inside and I will keep an eye on you all. The rest of you should stay away from the Forest cave during the night to avoid the smell and sight of you from triggering their bloodlust.

 Noah did not look too happy about that but Maker locked eyes with him and continued before he could argue.

Do not worry for their safety. Everything within my claim is visible to me. The madness makes their minds vulnerable to my influence, so I will interfere directly if need be. I am not a creature nor a creature of flesh and blood. I am a force of nature that no creature would think to attack so I will be safe. You others, on the other hand, will be seen as prey and a chance to soothe their boiling bloodlust. Therefore I will not allow anyone not moon-mad to go near the Forest cave while the full moon shines.

Silent nods.

Good. Now then, children, Fanv, Johna, into the caves you go.

The visvarg pups squealed in glee as they ran into the cave to explore the forest. Fanv stood without a word and walked after her brood into the dark forest. Johna turned to the smaller forest cave after some whispered words to Noah. The monk was looking sick with worry already. A bit pale too, Pohc noted. He turned to his kin to ask if they thought he was sick. A red mouse with big eyes spoke in a hushed tone.

'I saw the vampire feed on the monk's blood earlier. When asked about it they grew flustered and asked us to not tell others. It would seem the monk himself provides the vampire with blood and today the thirst was strong.'

Pohc pondered this.

'I see. But are you not breaking that promise by telling me now?'

This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.

The mouse went quiet as she thought it over.

'No. We did not agree to the promise directly. Is telling one's kin really against that promise though? Like the birds, we share all we know with each other to ensure survival? Surely telling kin would be an exception? To keep secrets from one's kin would be an extremely foolish thing to ask no?'

Pohc nodded. He couldn't argue with that. To tell one's kin was natural so it being an exception made sense.

'Maker should name the cave The Moon Cave instead of The Forest Cave.'

'It is a cooler name.'

'I agree with that!'

Pohc sighed as his kin quickly grew engrossed in another subject. At times he wondered if they all truly were more simple minded than him. To get distracted by trivial things while their Queen endured insanity and a vampire soon would lose his mind to bloodthirst in their vicinity.

Maker chuckled as she watched Pohc trot off with his kin hurrying after him. The dryads, Sam and Mikvel soon followed suit and then she stood alone in front of the forest caves. 'Moon Caves' had a nice ring to it. How proud she felt that her creatures inherited her excellent naming-sense. 

A pained whine snapped her out of her good mood. It would seem the visvarg pack had found their first deear. A total of 3 deears were currently roaming the bigger Moon cave. Huge, strong bucks, perfect challenges for the night. She didn't grieve their death more than any other creature normally getting killed in her dungeon. It was part of the eco system and most prey animals did not have minds capable of growing sentient anyway so their personalities were not as immediately endearing as her sentient creatures.

Another screech echoed from within the cave forest. Maker pulled her feet off the ground and made herself comfortable, hovering in the air. It would be a long night.

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(Johna's POV)

I am currently sitting in a dark forest. Soft dirt floor and black trees and bushes. The grey stone walls hidden behind the not so green greenery are a reminder that my mind will soon be falling to pieces. This sucks. I'm usually a pretty optimistic person but my current state is not very uplifting...

Whiiiiiine.

I smell blood. Something is dying close by. I taste bile at the back of my throat. Disgusting. My body shivers and yearns for that smell. The very thought of blood dripping onto the ground, staining my hands and face is both revolting and so very very desirable. I clutch my own head and try to block the thoughts out. I'll try to stay sane tonight. Not all vampires go mad during the full moon. I don't have to go mad. I just need to block out all the intrusive thoughts.

I hear the wolves. They sound like rabid dogs. Tearing something apart and it screams. They don't finish it quickly. They draw it out. Tearing, biting clawing, savoring the pain they cause their prey. Horrible creatures doing horrible things. I want to join them.

"No."

I won't go mad yet. Not yet. I can resist it still. I still know what's wrong. Another pained screech. Is it a new creature? Or are they still torturing the first thing they caught? It sounds closer this time. I hear hooves scraping across stone. Teeth grinding down bone. The sick snapping noise as bones crack and tissue tears. I shudder. I can't stop shaking. It's a good feeling... That is bad. It should not be good. What is good? Noah is good. I want to kill Noah. No...

Smack.

Something was thrown against the wall. Are they on the other side? I hear breathing. Wait, it's my own breathing. No. I stopped breathing. Is it the wolves? I need to breathe. Blood rushes to my head as I gasp for air. My heart is beating fast. It shouldn't do that. It beats slow usually. Fewer beats. I don't have my own blood in my veins. I need other's blood but there is never enough so my heart beats slower. Preserve what I have. Yearn for what I don't have. I smell blood.

The breathing is back. Something smacks against the wall again. I smell more blood. A gurgling whine sounds from beyond the wall. It sounds like a horse.

Smack.

A deer?

Splat.

A deear. No more whining. The wolves threw it at the wall until it burst. I taste bile. Disgusting creatures. Rage starts boiling at the back of my mind. How could they be so cruel?! I fill my lungs with air and stare at the wall.

"What the ever loving fuck is wrong with you?!"

"gihiheHAHAHAHAHA~"

I throw my head to the side and puke. The laughing grows louder, echoing in my head as if it were my own thoughts. I heave and the taste of bile is stronger than ever. The damned wolf keeps laughing. It's pretty fucking contagious. Her voice fills my head and I get a sudden impulse to drown the sound out with my own laughter so I cackle along with her. I feel sick. I slam my fist into the wall and feel the stone shake. It falls towards my face. No wait, this is the floor. The wolf stopped laughing when I punched the wall. I think I screamed something at her before I punched but I don't remember what.

"Shut up, maybe?"

"Little bloodsucker fell~"

"Is he hurt? Does he bleed?"

They sound almost eager. They? Ah yes, she had pups, didn't she? Animal fucking whore. I flip onto my back and suddenly I can't stop laughing again. The wolves laugh along and some start singing in the way only wolves can sing. I feel lonely.

My laughing stops at once and I sit up with a start. My head spins and the wolves sing but suddenly I feel so very very alone. There is a wall of stone between us. I should not even hear them but I do. I hear everything as I always do when I lose it. Have I lost it? Noooo not yet~ Surely I am still sane. But who wants to be sane when all you hear is singing without voices. Garbled noise from a maw covered in teeth and blood. Disgusting. I feel lonely.

"Help me..."

"Is he hurt? Where is the blood? How deep do your wounds run? No blood? Unpleasant. I can carve them deeper~"

"There is a wall... The floor? I want out. Where are my friends?"

"Do you have friends?"

"Who?"

"I am your friend."

I screech. Can't stop. The air burns and beyond the wall something slams into stone. Scratching noises, clawing sounds, round and round and round~

The cave shakes and the wolves laugh and howl. I screech in fear as the wall explodes and a bony paw thrusts through dust and rubble, clawing at air. I jaw freezes then clicks. Something in my throat shifts and the next second a clicking sound joins my screech. It sounds like an angry insect the size of a fist has crawled into my mouth and now plays its call from beneath my flesh. Disgusting. Disgusting. Disgusting.

The world warps and turns. The wolf claws at the edges of the hole she made in the stone wall. I claw at my head and blood fills my eyes. The wolf goes into a frenzy and all I hear when I tear my claws through my skin is the sound of nails grinding on stone.

Stop this at once.

I hiss and flee as far away from the wolf as I can. The paw recedes from the hole and the stone melts back into place again. I fell like something watches me. Someone pities me. Disgusting. I am sane. I keep telling myself that in my head while my jaws work and my mouth chatters incomprehensible words without stopping for breath. The moon is to blame, not me. The moon's bony fingers are clawing through my skin and staining the ground black with my blood. My vision spins and blurs and the ground looks like worms. It is the moon, it lies beneath the worms, whispering into my head, craving blood. The night is long the day is dead. The moon is my only friend.

I am sane.