Carpathian Mountains, 1453
A young Carpathian stood with his brother and cousin, he was the youngest of the trio, the two older males, crouched with ease their eyes fixed and waiting. They were as still as stone, but impatience bubbled in the youngest male, he was anxious for the fight, to hunt his first vampire. He longed to be a hunter like his brother, he knew it was his time to hunt the unded. He was staring to loose his emotions, they were dulling, colors were dimmed and no longer as vibrant as they had been. The darkness was emerging in him, he became more aware of it with each rising.
Ever since the invasion of the Turks and the destruction of many Carpathian children, women, and ancients had been devestating to their race. Their was a large fear in all thre men that their lifemates had unknowingly been taken from them in that attack. But the youngest male was still certain in his youth that he would find the woman meant to be his.
Next to him his brother stirred, the older males strange cerulean eyes turned to him and the younger male knew it was time. His muscles tensed and he was ready, he would feel the evil aura of the vampire creeping closer. Searching for weak prey to kill. It was so focused on finding a kill to feel the joy in bringing death to a helpless victim that it did not notice the hunters who lingered by in wait for him.
Darren... when the vampire comes you will attack first. Get his attention to you... move fast. Ephriam and I shall dispose of him quickly before he can do more damage in this world. Aramis, his elder brother said, voice even with a deadly calm. Darren nodded slowly and he shifted in waiting. And then in an instant his sprang, dissolving into mist and flying threw the air. He moved directly to the vampire, his first attack was swift and then he pulled back, drawing the attention the vampire. Blood red eyes looked to Darren. The young Carpathian grinned, he knew he had the vampires attention. The vampire lunged at him, and Darren easily sidestepped the vampire's movements. That was when Darren and his brethern realized that this vampire had turned very young. And most likely in response to the lost of his lifemate or the one he knew what to be his lifemate during the Turkish invasion. Such cases as these had been often after the loss of many of their people.
And within moments both Ephriam and Aramis had descended on the vampire and attacked him. Both without mercy and without reluctance. And soon the vampire was being held by Ephriam and Aramis ripped the heart from the vampire's chest. Darren was busy watching, learning. His mind connected with his brother to learn how he did every move, to know what he did and why. But one thing he did not notice was the sheer joy his brother felt bring justice in death to the vampire.
Aramis threw the heart to the ground before summoning up lightning to hit the heart and vampire's body burning them in flames. Darren walked to his brother and cousin feeling triumph ripple from him. "Come... there is much to do before the dawn." Aramis said lowly, and Darren nodded slowly and Ephriam crossed his arms and looked to his cousins. The younger Carpathian could feel the edge of needing to feed from both of his breathren. And so they went, heading down as fine mist to the village to find people to feed from.
It was hours before dawn and Darren had left the man he had fed from leaned up in the doorway of his home asleep. He would not remember giving blood to him. And the younger Carpathian went in search of his brother, he knew Ephriam had went to his home to seek refugue before the dawn. Darren moved quickly to where his brother was, anxious to get home, the dawn was close.
But the scene he stumbled upon, was not one Darren expected or prepared for. Turning to a field just outside the village where his brother had lured a woman too he saw a horrible scene. Aramis was crouched over the young woman's body, taking the girl's blood and fear curled in Darren. Knowing that his brother would soon kill the girl if he did not stop prompted Darren to intervene. He lunged at his brother and he knocked his bother away from the woman who had since passed out.
Aramis whipped around and looked to his younger brother and Darren gasped seeing the former cerulean eyes of his brother were gone and instead that he stared at him with dark ruby eyes. "No..." Darrn gasped under his breath. "Not you..." he said pain in his voice. Aramis stared at him as if conflicted on what to do. His red eyes vanished, blue to red, and back again. Darren knew his brother was fighting the darkness, but knew each second his brother was slipping from him.
"Darren..." Aramis said and looked to him, a moment of sanity. "Kill me... I need to to take my heart out leave my body for the dawn. "End this now." he said firmly before his eyes turned to red and back again.
"I can't." Darren protested against his brother, he couldn't stand loosing his brother to the darkness though he knew he couldn't stop it. Only a lifemate could, and Aramis had no more time to find her.
"You will... you must." he said angrily. "Do not let me become the vampire." Aramis said as she stalked closer to Darren and let his arms reach to the side. Leaving him vulnerable to Darren's attack. Looking into his brother's eyes he hesitated before thrusting his hand forward and into his chest. His hand gripped his brother heart. Find her Darren... find your lifemate... promise me. Aramis said his final words too his brother before Darren ripped the heart out and watched wide eyes as his brother fell to the ground. Hissing as the frst rays of dawn came up over the horizon. He retreated to the edge of the field, and as he reached the edge of the shadows of the trees he could see his brother's body smoking in the first early rays.
It was then Darren realized that he could no longer feel and looking down to his hand where the blood of his brother was still on his hand he saw no red... blood was there but there was no color. It had happened, emotion and color gone from his life. "Goodbye Aramis..." Darren said as the ground opened beneath him and he descended into the earth for resting sleep
Canada, 2007
Startling cerulean blue eyes, uncommon among Carpathian people; peer through the hazy mist of smoke, steam and every other fog that filled the area of the bar. Shoulder length obsidian black hair fell into his face as he turned his head to the left, to gaze at the door. As if waiting, but no one walked through the door. Darren sat comfortably in a corner booth, surrounded by shadows.
He had spent many a night in this dark, desolate, nearly empty place, drowning himself in the sorrows of the few patrons that frequented the building evening after evening. Some patrons were lost in self loathing, others in self pity, but all were there for a reason similar to his own. Loneliness and pain, and his life had been filled with both. Darren had not fed in many nights... little by little, he knew his control was slipping. If he fed now, he knew he would lose control and that would be the end of it. Had Aramis felt this way? On that night many years ago, did he know the end was near? Would someone have to kill him, show him the mercy he bestowed on his brother in killing him before he was completely gone. Or would he die painfully like that first vampire he had hunted?
Darren refused to go that way, refused to make his people hunt him down and finish him because he'd given into the darkness and killed an innocent. No. When he decided to end his time on earth, it would be willing. Darren vowed he would do what his brother had wanted to do, he would face the dawn unflinchingly and he would fade away from the world and cease to exist.
His time would end soon, maybe this morning, or the next, but he knew he couldn't let it wait much longer. The safety of these humans and the safety of his race depended on him having the strength to end it himself. After centuries alone he'd chosen honor over madness... over evil. The dawn over blood.
Mikhail, his prince had demanded but not ordered that he go to ground this day, while they found a woman eligible to be his lifemate, but the truth was...he couldn't wait anymore. He couldn't wait anymore. Though he would regret that he could not fulfill his promise to his brother Darren knew he would not be blessed with such a woman who could save him. The darkness he had been subjected to almost one thousand years ago was threatening, even now, to turn him. It had engulfed his soul, blinded his eyes, deafened his ears, muted his tongue and numbed his mind...
The world was dull and colorless, silent and suffocating, and he could no longer feel the awareness of the animals and humans around him. He was fading from existence. He was an ancient in every aspect. He was stronger than their prince, not that anyone truly knew that. He was older too, again, no one knew. If he turned, he would become a master vampire in a matter or weeks, if not months... his people couldn't afford that. He'd made his choice. Darren would have to face the dawn, he would save his people the trouble of putting an end to his existence. Darren now stood on the peak of one of the many hills enclosed in the Rockie Mountains, waiting for the first rays of sunlight. They were still hours away, but almost a thousand years had given him the patience to wait a little longer.
But just as he was set to face the dawn a voice sounded over the common mental path that Carpathian's used to communicate with each other. Darren... there is a task for you. In Ottawa, the Morrison Foundation has moved in and is seeking a woman. Please find her and ensure some protection for her until we can detemine if she is lifemate to any of out males. Came Mikhail's voice.
Darren sighed, he knew it was a distraction by the Prince to try and stall him from seeking the dawn. But the idea of a woman being hunted by the Marrison Foundation, that her fate would include being tortured and used to met their own sick and twisted ends when her existance could save a Carpathian male's soul. Darren decided that he owed it to his race to try and bring this woman to her lifemate and bring tham one step away from extinction.
As you wish Mikhail Darren replied evenly before shooting up into the air. He would head to Ottawa the next night and begin his search for the psychic woman.