Betrayal (3)

3: History

Two days passed since Veax and Jasperain's meeting. Veax was starting to wonder why he had not come back. His pack probably found out. she thought has the clans traveled.

Yet again the clans set up camp under beautiful sunset. Veax readied herself for patrol duty. The previous night she had gotten patrol duty again, so she assumed that again she would have patrol.

Carthem walked into the small tent. "Veax," he started. Veax turned to face him. "Yes father?"
"I want you to watch the young ones tonight."
"What?" Veax asked, surprised.
"Would you rather do patrol again?"
"No! I was just surprised, father. I'll head over there now." Veax said, glad that she did not have to do patrol.

Watching the young ones was much more pleasurable for Veax. There was not much to do when watching the young ones. All Veax had to do was make sure they did not run off or anything.

Nasya was still young enough to be considered a young one, though soon, probably when they reached the city, Nasya would undergo her coming of age ceremony. She would be turning thirty. A very very young age for the Vampires. Veax herself was thirty-seven, but she acted and looked like she was in her early twenties. Vampires aged roughly twenty years slower then the Humans. Veax had no idea how fast Werewolves aged, or how long they really lived.

Nasya came up to Veax and looked up to her with pleading eyes. "Veax, can you tell us a story? We got really bored and you tell the best stories." she pleaded. Veax chuckled. Stories were her strongest point. "Alrighty then. What sort of story do you young ones want to hear?" Veax asked, stepping into the middle the circle young of ones. "What about a story about King Elleron?" one of them asked. Veax stood for a moment, pondering. "Very well." she said smiling.

Once the young ones settled themselves in a quiet cricle around Veax, she started the story. "Hundreds and Hundreds of years ago, the Vampire king, ElleronRawdroll ruled over these lands. King Elleron was a great tyrant, showing no mercy to the lands that he consumed." she started. The young ones already knew most of what Veax was going to tell them, but the facts and tidbits she added into the mix would keep them interested and they knew that. "Elleron had but one problem: he was utterly and completely alone." the young ones looked at her confused. Veax was quick to explain why Elleron was lonely. "Yes there were other races in the world at the time, like the demons, angels, fairies, nymphs and such, but Elleron was the only Vampire of his kind. Other vampires were lesser, weaker, for Elleron was the only Vampire that had only one weakness. One unique weakness that only he knew." Veax gestured with her hands to show how big Elleron was compared the the vampires of his time. "So he searched his lands for someone he thought might fill the hole in his being. After about a year of searching and watching, Elleron found a young woman by the name of Haythia Mlerkrad. She was half fallen angel and half human. Elleron took her back to the Obsidian castle and bit her, sharing his blood for the first time." Veax took a breath. "Years went by. Elleron trained Haythia to be the best warrior in the land. And in a dresreate way, he spioled her. Gave her everything that she really wanted. Well almost everything she really wanted. Elleron refused to share Haythia with any other man or woman. He wanted her to love him as he loved her. But that failed miserably for Haythia fell in love with Elleron's right hand, Andreas." Veax watched as the young ones picked up on a fact that they previously did not know and smiled. "In his rage against both Haythia and Adreas, Elleron killed Andreas. In return, Haythia attempted to kill Elleron. And in her mind, she completed the task. But Elleron was only severely damaged and needed a few year to heal over before he could come back." Veax turned in circles, so that her ice-blue eyes met each and everyone of the young one's eyes. "Andre, Haythia's daughter grew up listening to Elleron's whispers of evil and darkness and when Elleron's power was back up to its fullest, he broke free. Andre was instantly at his side and helped him re-take the kingdom." Veax paused for effect. "After the kingdom was his again, Elleron used Andre to kill Haythia. You see, Andre inherited the pure angelic blood that Haythia did not have and when Andre killed her mother, that purity was passed to Haythia. This was what Elleron really wanted for Haythia all along, but did not know this until Haythia died a pure angel. With that done, Elleron took all of Andre's blood out of her without killing her, and replaced it with his own blood, making her his daughter and his daughter alone." Veax's body moved like water, meeting the gaze of each young one.

It was when doing this did Veax notice Vance Warxen, a Vampire only a few years older than her. But Veax paid him no mind now, she had to finish her story.

"But Elleron's and Andre's time together as father and daughter did not last long, for Andre was a young woman now, and caught the eye of many men with her beauty and mind. But the one man that caught Andre's eye was the HellFire. He was the fire elemental that was so powerful he could control the pure fires in hell." Veax said, her hands giving as much information as her voice was. "Andre and the HellFire met more and more, and eventually Andre married the HellFire and left the Obsidian castle to live with the HellFire as the HellFlower. This once again left Elleron alone. He was proud of Andre, but he missed her, wanted her back. But as a good father, he let Andre go her own way." Veax took another sweep of the young ones before continuing. "So Elleron started his quest over, but never found another woman that struck him as Haythia and Andre had. After one hundred years of searching, Elleron gave up. Literally." Veax pushed the word 'literally' to its fullest extent. "He went mad and ravaged his own lands, killing off everyone except the Humans, Vampires, and the Werewolves in his rage." when Veax said 'Werewolves' instead of 'pack members' she got many odd looks from her small audience. They were getting a story from Veax, she was going to use words, names, and titles that made her story the most colorful, real, and interesting. So she continued. "Elleron ran on and on until he found himself in the Cold Lands. There he wandered in the ice and snow until he found the Ice Caves. To everyone in the world, the Ice Caves was a place that no one could reach. You would freeze before you even got close to finding them. The caves, despite their name, are not made of ice. In fact, the caves are formed by the biggest diamond that grows on this earth." Veax said, trying to dazzle the young ones with her words as the Ice Caves would have dazzled with their brilliance. "He wandered in the caves for a few days until he found the center. Once there, Elleron fashioned a stake from the diamond and killed himself by the only means he could: stabbing himself with pure diamond like the diamond that grew in the caves." Veax began to wrap up her tale. "And to this day, if you were to ever find the Ice Caves and find the center of their twisting mazes, you would find Elleron laying there on the floor, perfectly preserved, with the diamonds around him stained crimson with his blood." she finished.

The young ones and clapped and Veax could see Vance smiling out the corner of her eye. "Veax that was awesome!" Nasya and a few others exclaimed happily. Veax smiled, "I'm quite glad you liked it." she said.

A moment later, Carthem came over and told the young ones to retire to their respective tents, which they did without complaint. When Carthem left, Vance approached. "Nice story. All fact?" he questioned. Veax nodded. Vance smiled at her, his fangs showing clearly. "I was told that Elleron fought some beast in the Ice Caves and it killed him. Not that he committed love-sick suicide." he said, giving Veax a sideways glance. Veax shrugged. "I was taught to sneak into the castle and read the actual documents that Elleron kept in his life." she said, topping Vance in so many ways. Vance was obvioulsy wounded by that attack that backed off that topic and moved onto something Veax hoped he wouldn't bring up. "So, how'd you get the pack member off you?"

Veax didn't know what to say. She could lie to him, but he would want details and Veax would not remember them all when she had to re-tell the tall. "Didn't Nasya spred the story 'round? I hit an open wound, made him loosen his grip just enough, for just enough time to push him off me." Veax said blandly, hoping that Vance would le t it be. He did not. "I thought you weren't one to fight like that?" he reminded her. Veax had to control her facial features. "The thing was right in my face! It smelled and I was desperate. So I fought dirty and got away. Is that such a problem?" she looked at him, letting some of her annoyance vent into her voice. Trying to hint to Vance that he was not going to go any further with this topic. Vance picked up her hints ans changed the topic. "Join me in a feast?" he asked, inviting her to feed with him. As much as Veax did not like Vance, the thought of hunting and feeding was to much to refuse.

The night air whipped past Veax's face as she ran beside Vance, chasing down two Humans that had chosen the wrong night to sneak into the woods alone. Veax could smell their fear now, it was intoxicating. Veax hated to admit it, but Vance had found the two Humans in the first place. He was the better hunter.

The Humans were cornered now. They made the mistake to try and hide by some boulders that stood by a deep stream. Veax pondered their chances of escape. They could try to swim away. No. In this stat of hunger, Vance and I would be on them before they turned around. They could try to climb the boulders. But then they would end up with the same fate as the first option. Woe is them. Veax knew she should care more, but she really did not right now. She was hungry for some real food.

The screams of the Human Veax lunged at were muffled by her strong hand. Veax's ice eyes changed to an eerie mixture of red and black as she dug her fangs into her prey's neck. Slowly the Human stopped struggling and then finally died. Veax pulled away and sighed. She felt so much better now. Veax looked over to Vance. He to looked refreshed. Veax had to admit, Vance looked good covered in blood. What Vampire did not? But for some reason, Vance looked exceptionally tasty. I swear, feeding like this is not good for me. Veax thought with a smirk.

Vance and Veax sat by the stream for a long time after they fed. Vance's eye returned to their normal color which was a stunning amber that contrasted quite well with his short, shaggy, midnight-black hair.

Veax and Vance walked back to the camp after they buried the Humans. Veax looked around the forest they walked in now. She had played in these woods when she was much, much younger. They were only a few miles outside the main city, the place Veax grew up and where her clan lived until they moved out, as to allow the clan to grow even more. Vance had never been to these woods or the city as far as Veax knew. He and the Warxen clan had lived about sixty miles away from the Bloodrain clan manor. His clan had warned of the oncoming Werewolves.

Carthem was wiating when Veax and Vance got back from their little hunt. "And where were you two?" Carthem asked sternly. He did not like not knowing what was going on among those 'below' him. Vance and Veax looke dot one another. "Well?" Carthem asked, growing impatient. Vance stepped forth. "I asked your daoughter if she'd like to feast with me." Vance said simply. Veax knew that if she had said anything, Carhtem would have demanded a detailed answer. Though for some reason, he liked Vance enough to allow Veax and Vance off the hook this time because he just nodded stiffly and left.

Vance bid Veax goodnight before heading back to his own tent. Veax lay on her cot staring at the top of the tent. That feast left her with a clearer mind to think over the things much more interesting than Vance covered in blood.

Betrayal (2)

2: By the Moon

Once he was out of decent hearing distance, Jasperain plundered on through the forest on all fours towards a stream he had noted on his way there. He had to wash all sent of the blood drinker from his pelt. It would mean big trouble if he showed up at the pack smelling like the enemy.

Once at the stream, Jasperain plunged into the cold water. It was refreshing. A fish or two passed by him as the bathed. It was tempting to just snap them up in his mussel and gulp down the protein. But he said he was out hunting deer, or some other big prey, so coming back and having fish breath would hint to where he really was.

With all the blood drinker's sent washed off his body, Jasperain got out of the stream and shook the water from his pelt. "Now to actually start hunting..." he mumbled to himself. Hunting was easy for him, though not everybody knew that. So he was safe.

The sent of deer was clear in the spacious forest, and Jasperain was on the sent almost immediately. As he tracked his prey Jasperain went over what VeaxBloodrain, the Vampire had told him. Her views on the war were almost the same his. It was odd, for Jasperain had thought that the Vampires were just selfish savages with no care for anything or anyone else. But Veax had shown him that some of them could be nice, kind. It seemed to Jasperain that he had the same effect on Veax. Hopefully she did not think that of the rest his pack, who would kill her like her kin would have killed him.

Jasperain had the prey in his mussel now. It was easy to find and kill it. It was a large buck. Jasperain let it fall into his paws and hefted it over his back, holding it by its antlers. As he walked back to where the pack was camped, Jasperain thought over the questions he did not ask. "I wonder how old she was....." he wondered aloud. Veax looked a few years younger than Jasperain, and he was almost twenty. But with Vampires, it was hard to look at them and know their age. They had to tell you. "Like that would actually happen anytime soon." Jasperain rolled his eyes at himself. Another question he had floating in his mind was about that new sword of hers. The first time they met on the battlefield she had a dagger and a sword. Why had the changed her weapons? It was dangerous to switch between weapons in the middle of a war, just because it took a little time to integrate the new weapon into your technique. And to Jasperain's sharp eye, the new sword was different. Lighter. Not made of silver.

He was welcomed back into the pack with a round of howls. Everyone was still in their wolven forms, which was not a big surprise. Jasperain rarely saw anyone in their 'Human' forms when their pack was chasing the Vampires. To be in your Human form when hunting the enemy was a disgrace to the pack. You would have looked too much like the enemy.

After the buck was skinned, cooked, and devoured, Jasperain walked to his spot in the pack's camp with the buck's antlers. His friend, Cregan, was laying in the soft grass, looking quite bored. His brown pelt seemed to always be clean. Cregan noticed Jasperain and instantly jumped up. "Hey Jasp!" he smiled. "Hey Cregan." Jasperain smiled back, sitting down on the grass. "I would have come to join everyone in the fest, but I already ate. That was a big buck though!" Cregan said, his tail wagging ever so slightly.

Cregan was like Jasperian's little brother. Yes they were in the same pack. That did not mean that they were related. Wolves from other packs, or loners would join the pack and make it grow. Jasperain wondered if the Vampire clans grew the same way, or if the clans were only family members and a new clan was made when two Vampires married and left their birth clans. Cregan interrupted Jasperain's thoughts. "What took you so long to hunt, eh? I mean, you can hunt really well and really fast. Did you met a female loner in the woods or something?" Cregan nudged Jasperain in the side with his elbow. Jasperain rolled his eyes at the younger wolf. "No, I did not meet a female, Cregan. I just wanted some time to myself. You know how I like the quiet." he lied this time. Jasperain did use hunting as an excuse to get some time alone and to himself, and he hoped that Cregan would be satisfied with that answer.

Cregan did not push the subject any further and returned to his spot on the grass. Jasperain had to stifle a sigh of relief and he to sat down on the grass. He looked at the antlers in his hands. The packs tried to carry a little as possible when they traveled and intended on returning to the main land. Maybe she...... Jasperain pondered the prospect of carving and giving the antlers to Veax. A show of trust perhaps? Jasperain did not want to waist the antlers, but had no idea what to use them for in the pack. "What you gonna do with those?" Cregan asked Jasperain, almost reading his thoughts. Jasperian held the antlers up to the pale moonlight. "I dunno. What would you do with 'em?" he asked. "Can I see them?" Cregan asked, holding out his hands. Jasperain nodded and handed the younger wolf. Cregan inspected the antlers, he had a more artistic eye and than anyone else in the pack. "There are beautiful Jasp." he said in his trance-like voice that showed he was preoccupied. Cregan turned the antlers over in his hands, allowing the moon to shine on them. "Hey Jasp," Cregan's voice was curious. "What?" Jasperain asked, unsure on what caught Cregan's eye. "These shine in the moonlight. Ever so slightly, but shine they do." Cregan noted. Jasperain looked closer at the antlers. they did shine! "This buck must have had some connection to the Moon." Cregan noted. Jasperain nodded. Though he could not fathom what the Moon would want with a buck, but anything was possible. "Jasp, I think you should use these for your Lune ceremony." Cregan's voice was more serious now. Jasperain pondered one the thought. The Lune ceremony was a ceremony that showed that a wolf was of full maturity and was allowed to use his or her wolven form and human form at his or her digression, unless one of higher rank, like the Alpha, said otherwise or if it was a time of war where you had to be in wolven form most of the time if you could control the power of transformation. Jasperain's Lune ceremony was supposed to happen a few weeks ago, but one: he did not have an item that was naturally connected to the Moon like these antlers at the time. And two: the Quicksilver pack was chosen to chase the group of Vampire clans which gave them no time to do the ceremony.

Jasperain took the antlers back from Cregan. "I think I'll do that. I'll go ask Kacima about the ceremony. Thanks Cregan." he smiled at the younger wolf. "Anything for my pack mate." Cregan waved as Jasperain heading the direction of the pack shaman.

Kacima, the Quicksilver pack shaman was an elderly wolf with a silver-gray pelt. His wise eyes were a pale blue and always made Jasperain calm when he looked into them. "Ah, Jasperain cub. What brings you here?" the old wolf asked in a low, soft, voice. Kacima was old enough to call Alarik, the Alpha, 'cub'. Jasperain sat down and held out the antlers. "Cregan said that these shone in the moonlight and said I could use these for my Lune ceremony." he said as Kacima examined the antlers. "Cregan is correct. These antlers belonged to a buck of the Moon and you can use these for your Lune." Kacima handed the antlers back to Jasperain, who took them gently in his paws.

Kacima's pale eyes locked into Jasperain's when he handed the antlers back. Jasperain was frozen in place. What did the old shaman see in his eyes? Did Kacima see where Jasperain had really been? But the shaman looked away seemingly uninterested in Jasperain's previous whereabouts.

Jeasperain departed from the shaman's space respectfully and returned to where Cregan stood. "Y'know Cregan," Jasperain started as he sat down next to his pack brother. "Wha?" Cregan asked, his ears pricked up. "You should see if Kacima would take you in as an apprentice." Jasperain said, placing the antlers gently beside him. Cregan looked at Jasperain like he was a genius. "Jasp you are the best. Why didn't I think of that?" Cregan said, a huge smile spreading over his mussel. Jasperain chuckled. "I'll ask him in the morning." Cregan said, looking up at the clear night sky.

Where was he? Jasperain couldn't see anything. He was in wolven form crouching on all fours. He could smell Vampires all around him, but the sent was stale in some way. The grass beneath his paws was wet. Was it dew? No. The liquid was to thick to be water. Slowly his sight returned and Jasperain was taken aback by what he saw. He was crouching in a forest clearing that was drenched in the blood of Vampires. "Jasperain!" yelled a fammiliar voice. "Why?! You siad you would stay away! Said you wouldn't hurt us! Why Jasperain?! Why?!" a female voice called. It sounded like she had been crying before she spoke. Jasperain looked up. It was Veax! Her pale skin was drenched in crimson tears and her voice cracked when she talked. Jasperain looked up, clouds covered the moon. "Jasperain....." Veax was now on her knees, crimson tears flowing freely down her face. "Why'd you break your promise? I thought you-" she was cut off by a crack of thunder. "I thougt-" again she was cut off by the thunder. Jasperain wanted to go to her. To go and comfort her but the clouds moved away from the moon. Jasperain was overwhelmed by a power he could not control. The moon was full and he lost grip on his sanity now and lunged at Veax, the compassion gone from his eyes. Veax's scream was lost in the rolling thunder and the fear and sadness in her eyes shone clearly as the lighting flashed across the sky.

Jasperain awoke with a start. Cregan was sleeping peacefully next to him. What had he just dreamed? What was Veax going to tell him? The sun was rising in the east and the Alarik was going around and waking up all the wolves.

Jasperain was up and ready to go by the time the large deep-red Alpha reached him. "Morning Alpha." Jasperain said with a nod of his head, acknowledging Alarik's status above him. Alarik nodded in return. "Sleep well?" the Alpha asked. Jasperain shrugged. "Not as well as I would have in the main land but well enough." Alarik nodded and looked down to Cregan. "I have two things for you to do Jasperain," Alarik said, looking back to Jasperain. "Firstly I need you to wake Cregan for me. And secondly, I want you to go and talk to Kacima and arrange for your Lune ceremony to be when we next camp." with that, Alarik left Jasperain to wake Cregan.

Then they were off. There was not much to pack up, given that the packs carried very little with them. Jasperain fell behind so that he was now walking beside Kacima. "Alarik said that we needed to plan for my Lune ceremony now, so that we would be prepared by the time we camp this evening?" Jasperain asked, unsure if that was what was happening. Kacima nodded. "Now you and I will center ourselves to the Moon and when she rises tonight, I will mount the Moon's antlers upon you and you shalt have the power." Kacima said, his voice thick in an accent that only the oldest wolves knew how to twist their tongues around. "But before we do so, go fetch Cregan. I sensed he wished to tell me something last night, but forgot to when he awoke." the old shaman said, nodded towards Cregan, who padded on all fours not to far off.

Jasperain picked up his pace and walked beside Cregan. "Kacima said that you wanted to tell him something?" Jeasperain said, reminding Cregan of his suggestion the previous night. Cregan shifted up onto two legs. "Oh, thats right!" he said, remembering. Jasperain and Cregan fell back to Kacima's side at the same time. Kacima looked at Cregan expectantly. "Well um..." Cregan scratched his head. Jasperain knew that if Cregan were in his human form, he would be a very deep red right now. "Yes, cub?" Kacima smiled. Cregan took a breath and looked the shaman in the eye. "Well Jasperain said that I might make a good apprentice...." he mumbled, quite embarrassed. Kacima chuckled. Its low rumbling seemed to make Cregan even more uneasy. But Kacima did not seem to be offended in any way. In fact he looked please. "I was wondering if that question would ever come up." he said. Cregan relaxed. "You mean, you'll accept me?" the embarrassment in his eye being replaced my excitement. "Yes. And now is the best time. The three of us will center with the Moon and then you and I will mount the Moon's antlers upon Jasperain." Kacima stated. Then, like the shaman told them to, Cregan and Jasperain begin to center their thoughts on the Moon, the mother of their being.

Jasperain did not noticed the day fly by him. After the first few minutes of centering himself, Jasperain had fallen into a trace-like walk. He could sense that Kacima and Cregan had done the same. It was odd how these things worked. Though Jasperain was sure that Kacima had used some kind of herb to help the process.

By the time the pack had stopped, the sun was just about to fall completely below the horizon. Kacima and Cregan left Jasperain's senses and he was left alone. He couldn't hear, see, or smell. Jasprain felt so vulnerable. But then he felt Kacima and Cregan showing him where to go. Now he could feel the eyes of the entire pack on him. Hopefully everything would go well.

Jasperain could feel the heat of a fire on his mussel and could hear Kacima chanting, though his sight was still out of reach. He felt Cregan taking his bag off his back and could hear him taking the two antlers out with great care. Then Jasperain was overwhelmed with searing heat. He wanted to scream, but his voice would not respond. The heat slowly started to move form all over his body and focused on two points on his forehead. Kacima's chanting got louder and louder. Then out of nowhere, Cregan placed the antlers upon Jasperain's head. Jasperain could feel the antlers welding into his skull. It hurt like nothing had hurt before, but still he cold not scream.

Then it was over. All the pain went away and all of Jasperain's senses came back. Kacima, Cregan, and Alarik stood before him. The Alpha held out his paw. "Welcome back form Lune, our horned warrior."

Betrayal (1)

1: Half the battle

Veax sat on her cot, running the tip of the silver dagger over her palm. The small tent that now sufficed as her home was more or less empty, unlike all the other tents. Veax was smart enough to know that the manor was not going still be standing when this was all over. Smart enough to only bring was she really needed and wanted to keep.

There were no mirrors in the small tent. Her clan thought it to be bad luck to keep mirrors in a time such this. Veax wished she could have brought her little hand mirror from home with her, but she knew it would have not lasted the trip. Though Veax had brought things she knew she would use when this was over, or when the clans reached the main city. Those items lay in a bag at the foot of her cot.

Veax got up and opened the bag. On the the top of the bag were three dresses her mother had made before she died. Veax wasn't really one for dresses, but these were more or less whet she had left of her mother. Under those were pendants and jewels that had also belonged to her mother. Under those, wrapped in an enchanted cloth, was Veax's most prized possession. It had taken her seven whole years to make. It was her enchanted sword, DarthLightning. The blade was made of blue and black dragon scales that had been melted down to a black and blue shimmering liquid. That had taken one year. Then it took another year to make the hilt out of enchanted jet. Then four years to perfect the blade, making sure it wouldn't crack or break. Then one more year to complete it. Veax had made the sword so that the blade was as light as the hilt and near unbreakable.

No one knew that Veax had DarthLightning. It was her secret and she would only use it when she truly needed it. Plus, it wasn't silver. Only silver was used in these kinds of wars. It was 'traditional' to use silver weapons.

The horn sounded throughout the camp. Veax put the silver dagger in its sheath, picked up her silver sword and headed out. Everyone flooded out to the center of the camp where a wooden platform stood. Upon the platform stood Veax's father, Carthem. Veax crinkled up her nose. Her father always smelled bad when he was exited. He was especially exited now. Unlike her mother and herself, Veax's father lusted for war. He could not be sedated by a simple, friendly battle. No, he had to fight an all out war. This was one of the reasons he was leading this group of clans. He was willing to fight and slaughter the enemy.

Everyone quieted down when Carthem raised his hand. "My friends, family, and allies, the scouts have seen the enemy approaching this way. The scouts have also noted the total destruction of our land! Every house and manor torn down and plundered! Have those beasts no manners?! No respect for the higher race? No! They just plow through us, thinking that just because they hold the key to the beast that they are more powerful! Are we not near immortal? Our we not the better of the three races that roam this earth?" he called out to the crowd. Veax could feel everyone tensing up with anger and excitement. She could see the few other that were like herself, but they belonged to other clans. Possibly stricter clans. There was no chance that she'd get there help in trying to end the madness. But what chance did she ever have to stop it?

Carthem raised his hand for silence again. "Only a small pack heads our way. No trouble for our numbers. Shall we be rid of them? Shall we show the other packs that we are the better? Shall we teach them who rules this earth?!" his voice rose with each sentence. This time everyone cheered. Even the ones who had been quiet last time. Veax felt out of place. She wished her mother had been here. Wished her mother had survived the trip. Wished she had someone to confide in; someone who felt has Veax did. But finding someone like that would be near impossible. "Long live the Vampiric!" Carthem yelled to the crowd, raising his sword, almost feeding off the battle cries of the clans that surrounded him.

Carthem had exaggerated in the wrong way when he said that the pack was small. In fact, it was almost as big as all the clans in the camp combined. Veax had always been bewildered on how the packs just grew and grew. Never really branching off like that Vampire clans did. Veax belonged to the BloodRain clan. Other clans amongst her were the Shades clan, the Batalha clan, and the Rakyne clan. Though in total, there were about twenty clans in the camp, with each clan hosting about sixty Vampires. Veax knew that every clan would loose a decent number of Vampires in this one fight alone. The packs fought with physical power much stronger then the physical power of the Vampires. But Veax and the other Vampires were armed with silver weapons. Silver was the one metal that had an actual affect on the packs.

Pack members and Vampires alike lay dead around the ruined camp. Veax was at a stand-still with a pack member. He was tough and lean, with plenty of battle scars to show where he got his muscle from. His only weapons were his claws and fangs, and Veax was armed with a silver dagger and sword. Veax was cut deeply in multiple places, as was the pack member. He growled, his golden eyes filled with the powerful rage that the pack members could harness and use.

Without warning, the pack member lunged at Veax. She fell to the ground and could feel the wind being quite roughly knocked out of her. Veax never got caught off guard like that. What happened to her concentration? The greasy black pelt of the pack member held a stench that overwhelmed Veax's sensitive nose. Then out of nowhere, the pack member loosened his grip, but still held Veax down. "You are not like the other blood drinkers." he stated in a low gruff voice. Veax still struggled to free herself. "You are unlike the other pack members." Veax noted in return. A pack member had never addressed her before. It was an odd sensation. "You don't fight with all your being. Why?" he asked her. Veax was hoping that no one would have noticed that. But there was no running away from this. "I don't want to fight. But my status requires me to fight. I would have been dragged out here if I had refused to go." Veax told him. She didn't really know why she was telling him. Veax never really liked the packs, but she never really liked the fighting either. The pack member thought this over. Then actually got off her. Though he did it in a such a fashion that it looked like Veax had pushed him off. "We will speak again, if the Moon permits. If anyone asks how you were freed from my grip, you can say you wrestled free." with that, he ran off on all fours with what was left of his pack. Veax lay there on the blood-soaked ground, stunned. Had that pack member actually let her go? Just because she was against the war? No. That could not be it. But he had just done so and all of Veax's senses told her what had just happened was real.

Nasya, Veax's younger sister, rushed to her side. "Veax! What happened? I swear I saw that pack member holding you in a grip of steal! How'd you get free?!" Nasya fussed. "Nessie, I'm fine." Veax lied. Veax was far from fine. "I guess I hit a sore spot and got him to let go enough for me to wrestle free." Veax lied again. It would be harder to lie to her father about this. Why did he do that!? Veax's head was spinning. Nasya helped Veax to her feet and back to what was left of the camp.

Everyone was injured in one way or another, but being Vampires, everyone healed quickly. Carthem was at Veax's side the moment she and Nasya walked into the main tent. "What happened young one?!" Carthem demanded of Nasya, wanting to know what happened to Veax. Carthem had never liked Veax. For many, many reasons. The biggest reason was that Veax was the eldest of Carthem's children and female. A big disgrace in Carthem's mind. "I don't really know, but Veax wrestled a pack member, near twice her, size off her chest!" Nasya said in admiration. If only she knew..... Veax thought, knowing that her sister knew nothing about what had happened between the pack member and Veax. Her father just looked down at Veax. "Pack your stuff." he said bluntly. Veax nodded and headed towards her tent.

Thankfully, Veax's tent was intact and her belongings untouched. She was still dazed by what the pack member had done and said. Would he seek her out now? Would he follow the clans on their way to the main city? No, he wouldn't take that sort of risk. The scouts would find him before he could get to close. Why did he want to talk again anyway? As these thoughts ran through Veax's head, she unpacked DarthLightning. Something was telling her to arm herself with it. That she would need it later and Veax almost always trusted her instincts.

Veax stood, her silver blade strapped to her right hip and DarthLightning strapped to her left. Hopefully no one would ask about the extra blade. The tent, cot, and everything else that belonged to Veax was packed and on her back. Nasya came over to her. Nasya and Veax always traveled together. Nasya was the only person that liked to travel with Veax.

Before long, the clans were off. Nasya was already chattering off about rumors going around the younger Vampires. Like usual, Veax did not really listen. At least not until she heard Nasya mention the packs. "You know some of the other kids are calling the pack members by the title they call themselves? I told them that they'd get in trouble but do they listen? Noooo." Nasya shook her head in disapproval, like her and Veax's mother used to when she was alive. "What?" Veax asked, interested now. Nasya nodded. "They were calling the pack members by their own titles. Like the "Alpha" and "cub" and stuff." Nasya stuck out her tongue, as if saying the words put a bad taste in her mouth. "And worst of all they were saying....." Nasya looked around to make sure none of the elders were listening too closely. "Werewolves." Nasya whispered so quiet, Veax had almost asked for her to repeat the word. This stunned Veax. Did this have to do soemthing with what happened between the pack member and herself? No. It could not. How could those young ones know about what really happened?

Veax shook her head, trying to clear it. This was too much for her. Especially with all this traveling, Veax's brain did not want to keep up. Nasya went back to babbling about other things, and left Veax to herself.

The sun was setting now and the sky was a beautiful mix of purple and crimson. For some reason the sunsets always looked better when Veax was traveling. Carthem called a halt and found a spot that the clans could camp.

Once everything was set up, Carthem came up to Veax, who was pacing back and forth. "Veax." He said, quite sternly. Veax snapped out of her thoughts. "Hm?" She asked. Carthem looked at her. Veax pulled herself together. "Yes, father?" she corrected herself. That was what Carthem was looking for. "You have west border patrol tonight." He said. Veax nodded, sheathed her silver sword and belted on DarthLightning, but did not let her father see the blade. He just nodded and left. Veax took a breath and headed to the west border of camp. Hopefully Nasya would sneak her a snack later.

Veax hated patrol. Time just seemed to slow to an utter crawl. Even if she had been partnered with someone, the night seemed to never end. It was simple though. All Veax needed to do was watch the shadows. Make sure that no predators or enemies approached the camp. If she spotted someone, she would yell or scream, fend off the attacker until backup arrived, and then do it all over again.

Hours passed and darkness consumed Veax, with only the dim light of the crescent moon to light her way. She had memorized almost every twig and branch on her path now. Nasya had not come. "Carthem probably set her up somewhere else." Veax whined, her stomach grumbling. She hadn't fed since they had left the manor. And right now that felt like forever ago. "I don't even need to feed. Any sort of food would be nice." Veax told the tree that acted as her north corner marker.

More time passed. Veax was not paying attention to how much time anymore. The night just dragged on. It was horrid. But it was better than being harassed about how she 'wrestled' the pack member off of her. Then there was a whiff of unknown sent. Veax instantly readied herself, her hands hovering over the hilts of her blades. The sent become stronger as it came closer. It was the sent of a pack member. What is a pack member going here? Veax questioned herself. Could it be the pack member from earlier today? Did he get past the scouts? A shadow formed at the edge of the forest, just a few feet away from where Veax stood. It was clear to Veax now that it was a pack member. The sent was quite clear, but not as strong or gross as it was earlier that morning.

It came out of the shadows and into the dim moonlight. It was the same pack member from before! "What the hell are you doing here!?" Veax hissed at him. He smiled, his canines bigger than Veax had remembered. "I told you we would speak again." he stated simply. Veax shook her head, still ready for any sort of attack. "Yes, I know. But here? Now? Do you know how bad this would look, for the both of us, if we were caught!?" Veax had to struggle to keep her voice low. Men had alway s driven her crazy. Human, Vampire, and..... Werewolf alike. The Werewolf nodded. "Yes I know. Thats why I watched and counted the pace of the other guards before I approached you. We are safe for about twenty minutes." he said said simply, sitting down on the grass. Veax stood there, unsure. The Werewolf seemed to noticed her caution. "If I had wanted to kill you, you'd been dead long ago." he said bluntly. Veax accepted this fact and sat down, but still on her guard.

The Werewolf pulled a small bag off of his hip. Veax smelled meat. The Werewolf held the small package out to her. When Veax did not take it, he took her hands gently and placed the bag in them. Veax sat there. His hands where soft. Veax thought she'd never come into contact with a Werewolf in such a peaceful way. It was so odd. Unsettling and comforting at the same time. Veax slowly unwrapped the cloth, keeping an eye on the Werewolf. The overwhelming sent of fresh killed meat came into Veax's nose. The Werewolf had brought her a meal! Veax looked up at him, her mouth hagging open. The meat was even cooked to a moderate degree. He shrugged. "You said you were hungry." he explained. "How long were you there?!" Veax asked. "Long enough to hear that you hadn't fed and wanted, needed, something to eat?" he responded, making it sound like a question. Veax was too hungry to argue, a fault in Vampires that was quite evident.

After she devoured the meat, Veax looked up at the Werewolf. "So, why so nice? If I could have, I would have killed you on the battlefield without thinking twice about whether you were nice or not." she asked. Before Veax asked, or answered anything else, she wanted to know why this Werewolf was doing this. The Werewolf looked down. "I could smell your difference. Your dislike about being put in the position of fighting. I wanted to know more. Is that too much to ask?" he asked, his golden eyes looked like those of a small puppy. Veax was taken aback, "Thats all?" he nodded. Veax looked down, now ashamed of herself. "Whats wrong?" he asked. Veax shook her head, handing the cloth that the meat had been wrapped in back to the Werewolf. "I never did like the fighting. But I still thought that your kind was just beasts. No "Human-like" feelings in the lot of ya. Now you come and do this," Veax motioned between them, "And now I just feel bad. And the whole actually talking to you like this is odd." Veax stood. She should not be here. She should be patrolling. But at the same time she need to stay here. This acquaintance might lead to something that could stop the fighting. But Veax didn't like to use people.

The Werewolf stood. "We're almost out of time, so I'll go." he said, facing Veax. His gold eyes shone clearly in the dim light. He held out his hand. "Jasperian Quicksilver." he introduced himself. "A little late for that, aren't you?" Veax said, taking his hand. Jasperain smiled and shrugged. "Veax Bloodrain." Veax said. Jasperain held Veax's hand lightly and gently as he shook it. Then he left as quietly as he come.

With that, Veax resumed her patrol. She now had many, many things to go over in her mind as the patrolled the camp's border.