Sowen.
It's autumn, and there's the smell of burning in the air.
Burning fields, and death. It rises up and stings my nose, and I smirk. For thousands of years, human-kind had been giving their lives over to these fields of grain. Ancient practices, recitations to dead deities. They'd ceased, long ago, but here we were, and we rekindled it. The fear, the horror, the magicks. We would make them remember what lay waiting for them in the dark.
It wasn't unlike herding sheep-when they were frightened enough, the rams and ewes ran and moved as one: a tide of bodies, all of them warm, all of them fresh. Laughter echoed in the sharp, biting breeze-all ours- and teased the red moon that hovered in the sky. A blood moon, a blood night. Sacrifice, and for this evening, we were their gods-and their lives were in our hands.
And tonight, there was more then wheat burning...
I'd never liked her, but I confess. Dru had the most ingenious ideas when it came to a feast. When it was down to engineering a disaster, her artistic ability mirrored only our sires. As the heat-wind from the flames licked our faces, she was silent, her black velvet dress flickering more then the expression on her face. She smiled deliciously, but watched quietly. Her hair had fallen out of it's style and spilled long curls over her shoulders. She was beautiful-Angelus's favorite creation to date. Beside her, the orange light had ignited William's eyes, but they were all for her.
Darla, on the other hand, was laughing that cruel, childlike laugh. She was enjoying watching them run. She always did. I kept quiet the fact that tonight was all for Drucilla-Darla, Angelus and I preferred much..subtler entertainment. Still, I admitted. This was just ingenious. And that Darla was enjoying herself? I felt a smile tug at my lips again. Even Angelus was delighted. And there we stood, the five of us. The scourge of Europe. Unholy terrors, and it was glorious. On this eve, most demons and vampires kept low-despite the strain on the veils between our world and the otherrealms. Humans worshiped their ghosts on this one night, and on this night, we would make more. There were no qualms, no rules, no notions of holding back. Even the furious tongues of fire didn't frighten us. Rather, the shadows were thrown carelessly into the trees beyond-which they ran for. They didn't know that we were quicker. Just us-just our line. We'd moved around, and they were headed for the trap. It was perfect.
Even more perfect? The darkness that had fallen over my Sire's face. Angelus was licking his lips as does a hungry lion, and his eyes were just as yellow as the demon gazed out from them. He was hungry. Those pounding, throbbing veins rushing towards us, and there was a stifling scent of craving in the air. Was it for blood, or something else? Well. I could speak for myself.
And then he looked at me, with those molten-gold eyes. Angelus, the demon with the face of an angel, and smiled. He knew what I was thinking. He always did, when I stared at him that way.
"Soon" he whispered, leaning in close. Even in the heat, I felt a shudder run down my spine.
Only this demon. Only this Angel.
The corner of his mouth quirked up, but his brow was slant and his features feral. My hungers shifted. Blood wouldn't be all that was on the menu tonight. Not for me, nor for William, who was grinning darkly at me over Angelus's shoulder. More words followed, and not spoken for polite company. Sire...I snarled. Our lips met with a sharp, familiar jolt. I tasted thick iron on my tongue.
" I'll loose my last feeding, that way." I said, and made a show of looking quite put out. He was fond of this act-I think it's why he'd tended to choose poor country shepherd boys and convent girls. It had always been the innocent Angelus loved fucking with the most. I say 'with', but. That might be a slight misnomer.
Slight, mind you.
He laughed, a low deep sound in his throat, just a trace of crimson on his lips. With the orange fire dancing across his face, I thought I was staring at the devil. Oh, how I relished being damned. It was delightful. What I wouldn't do for that face, that laugh.
" It isn't like you won't get it back, is it?" that delectable smile again.
"Are my boys hungry?" a voice came from behind me. A second later, and I was awash in the smell of Ambergris. Darla's hot breath on my throat-she'd had far longer to master faking life then I, and some nights, it was worth it.
I was always better at reigning in the demon then Angelus-nearly as good as Darla, but still not up to par. It didn't want to be held back anymore. That thunder headed our way, that life. In my head, I counted the seconds. Timed it to the heartbeat nearest us. Closer. Oh so close..
Angelus didn't answer her. I felt another sharp sting, this one at the tip of my finger. He lapped at it as though it was a good bit of cream. He rolled it over his tongue for a minute, before a growl echoed back at me.
" Shepherd, tend your flock."
Dru made a shrieking, delighted noise behind him. When our lips had broken again, she was stroking William's hair. Now, their eyes were waiting for me. The demon smiled. I smiled.
And then, I was gone.
I let the first one see me. He was young, maybe someones eldest son, but no more then 16 years. He screamed and I let him. A little commotion was good. It was easier pickings when there was less of a crowd, and they scattered. How amusing. Some of them even had pitchforks.
He was hot-running through the blazing fields, and the fear—what a first meal-! One could hardly ask for anything better. It was like caramel on my tongue, rich and sweet...oh so sweet.
I savored the child. Drank him down until the steady spray in my mouth trickled down to nothing. Then I moved on to the next.
This one was older, and I took him by surprise. He hardly screamed. I drank little-the older ones were disgusting, and I left him to bleed out among the grain, as did his ancestors, and found yet another.
She had a taste of my sister, although her veins decidedly lacked the flavor of the mounds, and rather, had the faint tang of soot. She'd run strait through the ash cloud, and it had spoiled her, if only a little. I finished her, but there was less pleasure in it. Hers was a shrill scream, and just of the right caliber. From around her, there were new cries of fear, and the herd scattered.
" You haven't lost your touch, mate." a voice beside me chuckled. I dropped the girl to the ground and craned my head to see William. Nonchalantly, he snagged an older woman and fell upon her with a frenzied roar.
I couldn't help but laugh. William always had been a messy eater.
