Title:  What Happened at the Graveyard
Author: Kady the Red Panda
Fandom(s): Tintin and Spirou et Fantasio
Pairing(s): none
Rating: K+
Warning(s): some violence
Summary: Prompt: transformation. Drabblish vampire AU. A new life, awashed in blood, begins.
Word Count: about 550
Disclaimer: The AU's mine, the characters not.
Other tidbits:  This is in the same universe as The Vampire of Brussels, When Fantasio Returned, People Like Us, and The Vampire of Brussels Strikes Again, and Now About That Bed. You don't have to read them to really understand, but it's always a plus. My headcanon in the AU is that Tintin and Spirou are friends but they were eventually separated for decades after a really traumatizing and confusing event. They rarely see each other nowadays but remain in good terms with each other; they just focus more on their personal lives and friendships with humans to feel "alive." Oh yeah and I looked up wire fox terriers and the first ones appeared in the late eighteenth century. This takes place in the early 1800s so little Snowies would exist by then. As for Spip? Eh, he'll come into Spirou's life later.  Cross prompts are monsters and ghosts and gore

0000

I sighed in relief the moment his hands pushed through the surface. From what I've heard some never escaped their mortal resting place, if they were buried to begin with. But it appears that my friend's lust for blood and life was too great for him to stay there. Snowy sniffed the air, most likely taking in Spirou's scent as well as I could. His little tail wagged; soon all three of us would be reunited.

In the chilled air I could smell both the interrupted decay and dirt on him. My ears heard his rasping and gasping. As good as it felt that Spirou instinctively knew to feed immediately, I felt uneasy. The oblivious gravedigger preparing for the next day's burial would have to forgive him. Or rather, us, for I was the one that cursed him...

A screech. The man with his back behind him turned fast enough to scream before the pounce. Snowy frantically barked. I covered my face. I did the same, only to an old woman grieving over her freshly departed husband. Same unfortunate circumstances, but guilt all the same.

I dropped down from my hiding place in a tree, my little dog in my arms until we hit ground, before coming towards the murder scene. Spirou still crouched down, his teeth clamped around the man's broken neck. He paused when I cautiously placed my palm on his shoulder.

He pulled back, faced me. His eyes glowed yellow as mine surely did in the full moonlight. The lowered jaw betrayed his new longer canines.

"Tintin!" He still rasped but it came out all the clearer.

I smiled and nodded until he faced what I interrupted.  A curse escaped his breath as his hand covered his mouth.  With increasingly large eyes my friend felt around his mouth, then down at his newly clawed, bloodied hands. On the ground lay his food, the top of his clothes bloodied and torn from claws digging into his body. Still Spirou focused on his hands when I looked back at him.

"Spirou--"

"What have I done?!" He began crying now. Both he and I knew he consented to me changing him. Only now, however, did he seem to fully comprehend what being a vampire meant.

"Spirou," I attempted to assuage him, "don't worry, he's only--"

My fellow redhead shook, sight still at his claws. "But Tintin! I killed an innocent man!"

I pulled him up to his feet and then into a hug. Greasy tears wettened my coat.

"Spirou, Spirou!... Maybe that was how the Lord wanted him to go."

"Maybe. But--"

"You were scared. You were hungry, starving. You only did what you needed to survive..."

He hugged me tight. If I was alive like a mortal I'd be dripping blood myself. "Does it get easier from now?"

I smiled once more. "Of course it does. Now that you're full we can concentrate on feeding from things that are not people."

He sniffled. "...And you'll be around to help me?"

"But of course! Did you already forget why you turned, Spirou?"

"No, I didn't. Friends forever? Even if we're far away?"

"Friends forever, even if we're far away. No matter the time that passes we'll never be completely alone in the world."