Quite good. Romance in dystopia can be hard to write. :D

Thank you for giving it a read, kind sir!

My pleasure!

now that was a wonderful read... the ending took me totally by surprise, but it just fit so perfectly (you old romantic)... *snorks and then looks over her shoulder just to make sure she's alone...

V.

Ha ha! Thank you! I'm happy that the ending surprised a few folk. As for the whole 'I brought dinner' angle, I just figured that the poor guy in the image looks so emaciated, there's no way he'd free food go to waste :)

It is bleak, but the vivid description of the setting and the
building itself make up for that. Like Vixyyfox, I liked the ending.

Thanks for giving it a read, Serath. Yes, this was a good bit darker than my normal style, but the original image by Alai_Aorax seemed to demand it.

Thank you, Sirius! I know the final lines give a complete shift in mood, and perhaps some folk will find it jarring, but I just couldn't resist the bit about the dinner and the romance!

That was a really cool story. I like the idea that this Primal just wanted to go about his business and go on his date. Drunk Man learned the hard way why you don't poke the bear with a stick, or in this case, try and stab the Primal with a handmade machete.

Ha, yes, exactly! I'm happy if the plot comes across as 'prearranged date', but in my mind's eye the VP character was simply following the scent-trail of an unknown female in heat. They're Primal in name, and Primal in nature!
Thanks for your kind words, good sir.

This is the second submission by an author I highly respect that was inspired by an image I would consider nightmare fuel. This is the second submission to shine a brighter light on it, alter the perspective a bit, and reveal an idea that strikes me as a non-sequitur. And I really have to wonder why it is I would have some much trouble doing the same. I look at the same image and I'm repelled. If I were forced to divine the meaning of it I would almost certainly have a new Halloween submission to post.

You and Vixyy have a brighter outlook on the world in general, and it shows repeatedly in your work. It's one of the many qualities that draw me to you both.

Aaaahhhh thank you so much! I took one look at this image and knew immediately that I had to propose it to Vixyy as a prompt.

Louise and I had a good giggle at your 'brighter outlook' comment, because I'm very much a 'glass-half-empty' kinda guy. You should know this about me by now! If I'm optimistic in my stories, it's only because real life can just be so damn miserable sometimes. My remedy is to write stories about the worlds I'd prefer to live in. It works for me :)

The name is so very fitting. Everything about the story is concentrated, tangible, visceral.
Thanks for sharing, I enjoyed it a lot.

Thank you, kind sir! I bashed out those 1,000 words in a single day, which is stupidly fast for me, and I'm actually super-happy with how the story turned out :)

I really must do more for the Thursday Prompt.

Oh wow, adding some complex complications to the spontaneous adolescent lycanthropy concept. Poor unlucky souls. It does seem they're getting along the best they can though and maybe making the best of their situation, and I can't say I feel too bad for the murderous machete-wielding human.

Half/imperfect transformation is a concept I like to write about a lot, so this was a treat.

And it's a Thursday prompt! \o/

I saw the picture by Alai_Aorax and immediately knew I had to suggest it to Vixyy as a visual Thursday Prompt. https://www.furaffinity.net/view/42785477/

The world of Spontaneous Adolescent Lycanthropy continues to grow arms and legs; it's been fertile storytelling territory for me. Most of my werewolf stories are set there, including my first published story, which makes the setting quite dear to my heart.

As ever, thank you for your very kind words!

It's a gnarly picture, for sure. And it's a world with so much potential. I hope to see more of it from ya!

I try to specialize in kind and encouraging words.