Travel Bug by David Kempf

There will be no compromise or treaty from today.”
    “How can wolves, werewolves come out during the day like this?”
    “We are not werewolves, not exactly, Father Hitchens.”
    “What are you then?”
    “When you find out, it will be the last thing you ever know.”
    A young peasant girl peeked behind the trees to watch the fighting. The wolves all left the men and chased after her. The men were confused and were at a loss for words. Suddenly, one of them caught the girl. He ripped her to pieces with his teeth. When his blood lusts were satisfied, he changed back into a man. The naked monk ran into the woods before anyone could catch up to him.
    “Why?” asked Father Hitchens.
    “Don’t you mean how?”
    “Certainly.”
    “Soon you will know our little secret, I promise.”
    “I don’t like secrets, Father.”
    “Come now, Father Hitchens. You kept a secret from us as well. Fifty men were hidden and ready for battle with these creatures. Now you plead for honesty from us.”
    “At least I’m still human and I’ll die that way.”
    There were now more peasants looking on behind the trees. The remainder of the wolves chased after them. There were three men and what appeared to be a nearly blind grey wolf left behind. The men got ready to stab the wolf with their spears and swords. He pulled a sword from one of the slayers. He slit their throats and they seemed to die almost instantly.
    “It’s you, isn’t it?”
    The wolf looked at Hitchens.
    “Father Dawkins?”
    “Yes?”
    He was amazed at how quickly the wolf had become a man. These were not terrible, slow agonizing transformations like the gypsies told in their oral traditions. The changes took place so rapidly they appeared to be almost natural.
    “We change quickly,” said Father Dawkins. He put his monastic clothing on and smiled at Hitchens.
    “How did this come to be?” Father Hitchens asked.
    “How do you think it happened?”
    “It was the gypsies by moonlight; they put a curse on you.”
    “You are partially correct, Father,” said Hitchens.
    “What then?”
    “There was a gypsy but she was asked to do this to us. The ultimate one who is responsible for our condition is your master.”
    “Aragon?”
    “No,” said Father Dawkins.
    “Oh, you mean?”
    “Yes, that’s precisely what I mean. The church itself created us.”
    “The laws of the church, natural law in particular.”
    “You mean?”
    “Precisely,” said Father Hitchens.
    Father Dawkins looked at Hitchens and Darrow and began to break out into uncontrollable laughter. The other men started to come back from the woods, naked and appearing absolutely exhausted. The monastery of shape shifting monks had come home to roost. A few of the men joined in the laughter. The ones who took a vow of silence did not do so.
    “How do you think I went blind?”
    “You become wolves, you turn into those damned fiends when you…”
    “You must say it, Father. Speak the truth,” said Father Darrow.
    “When you…”
    “Spit it out, Father,” said Father Dawkins.
    “When you… masturbate… you turn into those monsters!”
    “Yes,” answered Father Hitchens.
    “That’s insane!”
    Hitchens learned the sad truth for these monks was that it was in fact church dogma that drove man into madness. This was going to change his world view forever. Sexuality when guided with a moral compass never actually hurt anyone. The monks who desired women went after them. The few but fierce ones who preferred young boys would mutilate them. The secrets of celibacy came at a very high price for the peasants who lived in the surrounding areas. They were starving because there was hardly anyone left to tend to growing food and the hunt. They became the hunted in the dreadful dark woods where blood was spilled because semen could not ever be allowed to be.
    “Madness, this is madness, all of you are in league with the……”
    “Let me guess, Father Hitchens. We are in league with the devil,