Author's Note: Welcome and thank you for giving my story a chance. This is a fresh version of my previous story. I am currently working on Chapter 2 and please, your constructive criticism is needed. No bashing please. I hope you will enjoy this new plot and thank you again for your consideration.

Chapter One:

The Prologue

6th Century AD

Brasov, Romania

A silent killer lurks in the trees. The sun has risen as Tarek Bagatur watches a deer graze the grass near a smooth creek. Every breath he takes is visible. His body shakes from the cold winter air. The twelve year old boy tries to focus only on his prey as the sunlight rays is absorbed into his tanned skin. His honey hazel eyes watch his prey. He has a bow that is ready to launch an arrow deep into the deer's flesh.

"Aim for the heart." The figure, who's a boy, whispers softly to himself. The boy kneels to get a better shot. He aims his arrow. The string is peeled back slowly as his breath dies to release the hesitation in his bones. The elk has no idea what is coming. It takes a few more sips before looking in the hunter's direction.

One…..two…three!

The arrow is released. It cuts through the wind like an iron sword. The elk's heart jumps as the arrow inches closer and closer. Suddenly, the elk feels it. The blade of the arrow slices its way through its flesh like a pounding force. The nerves within are struck with a deep pain. The blade hits the heart that races like an engine. Crimson explodes from the wound. The elk tries to run, but…..it's too late. The boy chases after it. The elk doesn't even make it within ten yards before collapsing. It shudders. The adrenaline is causing the animal to die faster.

The boy approaches. He kneels down. A long beat passes between them. The elk whimpers. Suddenly, the boy begins to reach toward him with a hand. The anticipation is thick between them. His hand connects to the animal's fur. The elk jerks at the warm feeling. And instead of a proud gesture made from the boy…..a tear trickles down his face. With his other hand, he places the cloth around his face down to his chin to reveal himself. Tarek Bagatur is around the age of twelve. His skin is tan, which enhances his brown sugar hazel eyes. His raven hair is thick and snakes down his back; partly braided. His face is radiant with innocence as he looks sadly down at his kill. His breath shudders. The elk is scared. It's losing conscience.

"I'm sorry." Tarek says softly. He slowly reaches for something in his fur clothing. It's a knife! He doesn't let his prey see it. The two make eye contact for a moment before a squishing noise comes alive in all ears. The knife has been plunged into the animal's sternum. And within a few seconds….the elk is dead. Tarek takes a deep breath before taking the blade out.

THERE'S SOMEONE BEHIND HIM! The person is aiming an arrow at his head. The arrow is released. Tarek senses it and moves. The arrow smashes into a tree, causing the blade to slice through the wood an inches deep. Tarek runs away. His heart pounds. His throat constricts as his conscience becomes more aware of his situation. The pounding heart brings him internal pain. He closes his eyes desperately while hiding behind a tree. That's when he looks back toward the person's direction. They're gone!

Tarek is scared. But if he wants to survive, he has to adapt. Out of nowhere, the person hunting him appears twenty yards away on his left side. The person shoots another arrow. Tarek barely dodges in time. He runs toward the person with the now bloodied blade in his hand. The person is just another boy, Danut. He's smaller with the same features except for his short curly hair. Danut charges toward him as well. Tarek swings the knife as the younger boy dodges. Danut disarms him of the blade, tossing it to the side as the duo matches one another combos.

Tarek uses his strength to his advantage over the small boy. He kicks Danut to the ground and moves down to wrestle with him. Danut rolls them, earning the top spot. He slams his fist into Tarek's face with brute force. Tarek rushes to push him off again. Danut jumps on his back, wrapping his arm around the older boy's throat. Tarek slams Danut back into the tree, causing him to let go. He turns to slam his fist and elbows into Danut's chest and face with perfection. The boy counters with a hard kick to Tarek's right knee. Tarek drops to one knee in front of Danut. He exclaims in pain as tears threaten his eyes. Danut goes for another attack, but Tarek backhands his face with his fist. Danut falls flat on the forest floor like a heavy sack. He's dazed from the punch.

"ENOUGH!" A man's voice yells. Tarek looks to see the man. The man name is Aleksundr. He's tall with white skin, shoulder length dark hair, and stubble. He's well-built and handsome; wearing a black wool tunic, dark green colored hooded cloak, and animal fur. Danut picks himself up. His lip is split and blood trickles from Tarek's left nostril. "No more fighting."

"I wasn't done, father." Tarek lowers his head out of respect while saying. He struggles to breath.

"I said enough." His father proclaims. Danut approaches. He cries silently, trying to hide his pain. "You're supposed to be helping your grandmother with the crops." Aleksundr gently ruffles his hair to comfort him. The boys can barely catch their breath. "You nearly killed one other."

"I wasn't trying to kill him." Danut claims.

"But you almost did." Aleksundr replies.

"I was just trying to scare him, father." The little boy says.

"I know that, Danut. But you must always be careful." His father tells him. "I don't want to lose either of you. That is one of the reason I have trained both of you." A long beat passes. One day you will the protectors of our family."

"From what?" Tarek questions. He wipes the blood from his nose. His face grimaces from the pain.

"From the dangers of the world. It's not a safe place." His father answers. "I'm only teaching you what my father, your grandfather taught me. Our survival means everything to us. And because of our ways, we have survived this long." Aleksundr holds Danut close to him. Danut hangs his head. He places his left forearm on his face and rubs his eyes. He only wants to make his father proud of him. That is why he followed Tarek and challenged him.

"I'm sorry, Tarek." He says to his brother.

"It's okay, little brother." Tarek gives him a smile.

"Let's go. We have to look after the kill for supper tonight." Aleksundr moves out. His sons follow him. Tarek pats his little brother on his back as their father leads the way.

(…..)

Bagatur Family Farmland

Brasov Village

An old, wooden fence is built around two acres of land. There are crops of every kind growing on a large section. The rest of the land is used for tending the farm animals. The grass is cut, but a little rugged for the animals to graze. There's a coop and a barn where the chickens and other animals are to rest. The farmland is surrounded forest and homes of other marked farmland. There's an 1100 square foot home built from wood, solid rock, and mud near it. The land is valuable. One of the best pieces of land in the village.

Aleksundr, Tarek, and Danut approach the home with the elk. The elk is being dragged by Aleksundr on a makeshift sled. It' been gutted and cleaned before the meat could be ruined. Chopping firewood near the house is Tarek's grandfather, Gabriel.

"Papa!" Danut yells. Gabriel turns to see his youngest grandson charging towards him from afar with opened arms. Seeing the small boys puts a smile on his face. "Papa! Papa!" Gabriel catches the boy, throwing him in the air before catching him and letting his grandson rest on his right side. He holds Danut close in his right arm.

"Ah, there's my grandson." Gabriel rustles his fingers against Danut's chest. Danut laughs uncontrollably from the tickle as his grandfather chuckles ever so brightly.

"When are you going to shave this thing?" Danut playfully ruffles his grandfather's long white beard. Gabriel firmly holds him.

"Why should I?" The old man asks.

"Because you look old." Danut replies. His grandfather tickles him violently. The air builds up in Danut's lungs until he releases a burst of laughter.

"I'm not old." Gabriel acts angry, but he can't help to laugh along with the boy. He looks to Aleksundr, who places the makeshift sled near two rugged, wooden poles that are connected by a makeshift placement device that is used to field dress animals. "Lovely kill. We should get some good scraps tonight."

"Where's ma?" Aleksundr asks him.

"She went to harvest some of the crop for tonight on the other side of the land." Gabriel says before putting Danut down.

"I'll go help." Tarek begins to take his leave until two small girls rush outside. They're so energetic and cheerful; no one can say anything as they run away into the farmlands. Aleksundr turns to Tarek, who watches his sisters, Carissa and Kathryn, tackle one another.

"Go watch your sisters, instead." He nods in the girl's direction. Danut excitedly runs in their direction. He can't help it. He wants to play too. Tarek just rolls his eyes and runs along too. Coming outside the house is a teenage girl named Olivia. She's Tarek and his sibling's older cousin, who was adopted by his family after her parents died from illness when she was little. Olivia wears a turquoise tunic dress. Her porcelain skin is rosy, which accents her fiery red hair. She's gasps at the sight of her little cousins chasing one another.

"Kathryn, Carissa!" Olivia calls for them. She turns to her uncle, Aleksundr, and says: "I'm sorry. I'm doing Aunt Helena a favor and watch them while she rest, but they're a handful." Aleksundr can't help, but to laugh at that fact. He agrees.

"It's okay. Just go help your grandmother with the crop." He says.

"I am already done!"

An elderly woman, Fiona, sings while approaching quickly with a variety of vegetables in a large handwoven basket. "We have some fresh pickings for supper tonight." She looks to her husband, Gabriel.

"Don't forget to chop that wood, Gabriel. We'll need that to keep warm." Fiona tells him.

"Yes, my queen." Gabriel sarcastically.

"Don't be such an ass." Fiona runs in the house causing her son to laugh. Gabriel just picks up his axe and position the wood. His wife exits the house to address their son. "You should check on Helena, Aleksundr. She isn't well." She says. "She's been running herself ragged. I told her to get some rest. A pregnant woman shouldn't be on her feet at this time."

"I know, mother. I'll come inside as soon as I get finished with the meat." He responds. His mother heads in the home as everyone goes about their day.

(….)

Night

The sun and blue skies have been replaced with the moon and stars. The night grows colder as Fiona, Olivia, Aleksundr, and the other eat bread, the deer meat, and vegetables. Tarek is the only one not present. Aleksundr looks to his wife, Helena, who lies in their bed. Helena has bronze skin with long raven hair that reaches her shoulders. Her eyes are brown like maple sugar as she massages her basketball-sized womb that holds her and her husband's fifth child. Something's wrong. Something worries her. There's a pressure in her chest.

"What is wrong?" Aleksundr comes and sits beside her. He places his hand on top of hers, where their unborn child lies. "Helena?"

"Something's wrong." Helena's mind is blocked as she says this. "It's like a weird feeling in the pit of my stomach. It feels like something bad is about to happen." A long beat passes. "Maybe it's the full moon. Is everyone in the house safe?"

"Yes, except Tarek. He's practicing outside near the barn." And this statement worries Helena as her head snaps to him. Aleksundr caresses her hair. She begins to move out of bed.

"I'll go get him. It's not safe during the full moon." Helena tells him. Aleksundr quickly grabs her by the wrist.

"No!" He's quick to say. "I'll go get him. You rest." Helena doesn't want to, but she listens anyway. Her feet hurt and she feels weak. After she lies back in bed, Aleksundr lets go of her wrist. "I'm sorry, love. It's just I want you to be safe." Helena leans up until her face is close to him. He looks down at her womb for a moment before looking into her eyes. The thought of his wife bearing him another child makes him smile so warmly. "I'm so happy."

"Why?" Helena smiles.

"Because you're giving me children. And I have you as a wife." Aleksundr feels joy in his heart. He gladly sighs, caressing her right cheek. "You blessed me so much." He and Helena rest their foreheads on one another's. "I love you so much."

"I love you too." Helena whispers before planting her lips on his. The feeling of his stubble jolts her in a good way. She pulls back for a moment. Aleksundr stands and leaves out of their room with a smile still spread on his lips.

(...)

The Barn

Arrows slam into a worn burlap sack filled with wool and mud. Tarek cares nothing of the word around him. He enjoys shooting his target, but never flashes a grin or smile. A moment of seconds passes while he readies the next arrow in his bow. That's when he feels it. It's like a weird feeling in the pit of his stomach similar to his mother. His heart strains before bursts of unexplainable energy inside of him. He looks to the full moon that shines so brightly like the morning sun.

"Woah." Tarek expresses with a timid sigh. The feeling is like a million stars bursting inside his body. He closes his eyes, looking down. He opens them. The hazel in eyes is replaced with gold, gleaming like rays of sunlight sparkling on the ocean. Suddenly, the gold is replaced with darkness. Tarek's breathing becomes more frantic and heavy. He has a terrible, but sinister feeling that shakes his soul to its core.

"BROTHER!" The sudden sound of his sister, Carissa's voice, makes his skin and bones jump. His three siblings are approaching behind him. Tarek turns to see them.

"YOU ALMOST SCARED ME TO DEATH!" His eyes return to normal. Kathryn and Carissa just dance around him.

"Do you feel that?!" Kathryn laughs, spinning in circles and looking at the stars with her arms opened wide. The four children can feel their bodies bursting with energy. "Shouldn't you be getting ready for bed?" Tarek asks his sisters.

"Father and mother want you home." Danut explains.

"Tarek?!" The children stop when they hear their father's voice.

Out of nowhere, a blood curdling scream erupts and echoes around the territory. The children recognize it as their cousin, Olivia's voice. The scream strikes their heart like a hammer. Painful warmth spreads. They run towards the sound. Tarek still has his bow. He's prepared to face his enemy. Worry and fear is thick in their minds.

"Olivia!" Danut yells. Pain slithers. Tarek pushes his body to the head of the group.

"Almost there. Almost there." He thinks to himself.

They inch closer and closer to their home. Tarek turns the corner of the house once he reaches it. He stops abruptly in a halt. His eyes widen in shock. His mouth gapes open. Tears threaten his eyes as his brother and sisters stop behind him. A rush of heavy agony smashes them like a brick wall. The achy feeling slowly burns deep inside them.

"...Fa…" Danut cannot say the name. Tarek drops of the floor.

"Daddy?" Carissa closes in on their father, who lies dead near the doorway of their home. The flesh around his throat has been shredded apart. Thick, crimson flows like a gentle river from the wound. His eyes are near shut. He's gone! Realizing this causes Carissa to wail. She falls to her knees and lies on his chest. "Daddy? Wake up. P-Please Daddy."

Tarek's mind snaps to reality from the state of shock. He quickly runs inside the house to see his grandparents and Olivia lying dead on the wooden floor. Their bodies are so lifeless. Blood rushes from their violent wounds. Tarek can't help it. He chokes on his breath and cries. Kathryn stands behind him after following him. They're tears are like an unbroken stream. They have nowhere else to turn to. That's when Tarek realizes something.

"...Mother." The name is spilled from his lips like shattered glass. Tarek rushes through the house, leaving his sisters and brother to mourn. "MOTHER?!" He breaks through the door of his parent's room.

As soon he looks, his body freezes like a statue. His mother lies dead on the now blood soaked bed. She has a bit near her throat as it bleeds with thick crimson like a rose. Tarek's feet glides forward, reaching the bed without him noticing. He can't feel anything except the cold and dark shadow of the sadness in his heart. His eyes glance at his mother's womb. Knowing the fact that his unborn brother or sister will never be born hits him the most. Tarek, with his hand shaking so violently, places it where they lie.

"...No." His face grimaces. His lips tremble. Tarek can feel the light inside the unborn child dying out. It's too late. All he can think about is how he wasn't here protecting his family. It hurts him. It scars his soul deeply. Then suddenly, Tarek releases a loud wail; sounding like a Banshee haunting beneath the coldness of the night.

All of a sudden, the hazel in Tarek's eyes blacken. His breathing becomes heavier and heavier as a snarl rips from the back of his throat. He storms out of the room, but not before grabbing his father's sword near the bed. He moves past his mourning siblings to head outside to face whatever threat responsible for killing his family. "WHERE ARE YOU?!" He cries angrily. Tarek barely has enough strength to lift his father's sword.

"WHERE ARE YOU?!" Danut follows him outside. "SHOW YOUR FACE, YOU COWARD!" His words are heeded. The wind changes. Tarek and his brother registers the sound of something cutting through the wind like a Tornado ravishing a small town. A shadowy figure creeps like the devil in the night. Tarek and Danut looks to see a woman slowly stepping from the shadows. She's dressed in a dark hood tunic. Her hair is wavy and her pale skin is glassy with no flaws. The woman lifts her head. Her irises bleeds fiercely like the red sea. A growl tears from her lips. Tarek and Danut's eyes widen with fear. "Stay back." Tarek tells Danut. He edges his way in front with his father's blade ready.

Before his mind can process anything, the woman zips past him and sweeps Danut into her arms. The air in Danut's lungs burn. He cannot scream. The woman buries her head and bites down onto his left shoulder. Danut screams out of horrible agony. Tarek hurries. He swings the sword only for it to break off the woman's back. It stuns it to see that happen. But he doesn't give up. He just hits the woman and tries to help Danut.

"BROTHERRRRRRRRRRR! BROTHERRRRRRRRR!" Danut screams.

Before anyone can register what happens next, another black figure tackles the woman, causing Danut to be flung several feet across the ground. The woman and the hooded figure clashes in a blur. Kathryn and Carissa hide while Tarek checks on Danut.

"Danut?" Tarek calls out. Danut is not responding. His body just lies on the ground with a bloody bite mark present on the left side of his shoulder. It takes Tarek a few seconds to realize that his little brother is dead. He scoops Danut into his arms and weeps. "Da-Danut." Tarek rocks his body to calm the pain. This is too much. "Please don't leave me." He breaks. The woman is swiftly beheaded. Her body is like ice with no flesh or blood in its wake.

Tarek can feel an icy presence behind him. He's not scared anymore. All he can do is cry. He wants to die, so he can be with his family. But then he realizes that his sisters still need him. He still has his sisters to live for. And with that thought, the fire in his heart begins to burn again with a passion. He realizes that no matter how much pain he goes through, as long as his sisters are alive, that is all that matters.

"You hurt my sisters…..and I will kill you." Tarek threatens the man standing behind him.

The man is well-built and tall with flawless pale skin and long silky dark hair. His eyes are like the full moon drenched in blood. But there isn't a threatening or angry expression on his face. It's….sadness. Calmly, the man reaches down, kneeling to comfort the boy. He places a hand softly on Tarek's right shoulder.

"...I'm sorry." The man murmurs.

Kathryn and Carissa thrash when another woman, Sasha, shows up along with two others. A man named Demetrius and a woman named Anastasia. They're all dressed in the same fashion with black hooded tunics and animal skins. Their porcelain skin glistens so brightly under the moonlight. Sasha checks on the girls.

"Everything's going to be okay." She tells them. "Come on." Sasha offers her hand to Kathryn and Carissa. They unsure whether to take it or run. A long beat passes. Kathryn is the first to shakenly walk forward. She takes Sasha's hand. "It's okay. I won't hurt you." After knowing that it's safe to come out, Carissa inches closer to the woman. That's when Carissa sees Tarek holding Danut in his arms.

"Brother?" Carissa whimpers. Sasha looks back for a quick glance as well. She caresses Carissa's cheeks and wipes her tears away. She pulls Carissa in for a hug. Carissa gasps at the feeling of Sasha's hardened body and arms.

"It's okay." Sasha says with sorrow in her voice. "I'm so sorry."

"Dragan." Anastasia calls the man comforting Tarek. Dragan turns to her.

"We have to leave before the humans arrive."

"Burn the woman's body." Dragan orders her before looking back down at Tarek.

Hatred burns deep inside Tarek. The blackness in his eyes are like a never ending abyss. But there's something else there. A light shimmers around his irises. His breathing becomes erratic. He shuts his eyes with tears streaming from them. His father was right. The world is too dangerous and because of it, his family has been killed. Now, Tarek must protect his sisters, who are his only family left.