The sun was only just rising as Larten Crepsley travelled through the maze of dirty, narrow streets that eventually led to the factory where he worked. He knew the route like the back of his hand but there was something painfully different as he passed the traders setting up their stalls in the dim, early morning light. They always started extra early in Autumn. His eyes ran over the variety of fruits and vegetables as he trotted past. He didn't want to risk being late, Traz would happily beat him when given a legitimate reason to. Just as the thought of the cruel foreman, the man's figure appeared on the horizon, standing over his buckets of dye filled with various clours so he could identify his workers. Larten's eyes lingered on the bucket of orange dye, dread filling his young body.

"Time for a daubing, boy!" The foreman grinned and that was when Larten recognised what was wrong with this picture. Where was Vur? He didn't have long to dwell on the whereabouts of his best friend before Traz grabbed him by the back of his neck and bent him over the bucket of bright orange dye. He screwed his eyes tight shut as the brush was dragged from side to side across his scalp. The dye stung something wicked, some of it managing to get into his eyes even though he couldn't hold them shut any tighter.

He gasped as he was suddenly released and immediately rubbed at his eyes before opening them. A scream rang out through the air, over the sound of Traz's sadistic laughter. It took Larten several moments to realise that the screams were coming from his own mouth. Beneath him, bobbing in the bucket of dye, was the body of Vur Horston. The boy's staring, dead eyes seemed to look right at him as he screamed and screamed. His first instinct was to run, and that he did, scrambling backwards as he fell to the ground. The bucket hit the ground shortly after he did and the contents spilled all over the ground. Dye, coccoons, and the body of the boy he knew so well.

Traz stood over him now, smirking as a strange voice drifted from his lips. "Larten, wake up! Larten, you're screaming. Wake up!" The boy looked up at the foreman in confusion before hands roughly shook him from his world of nightmares. He sat upright immediately, panting heavily with a sheen of cold sweat covering his pale body. The voice came again and this time he recgonised it. "Larten!"

The shouting voice of Wester Flack reverberated through his skull causing a ringing noise to start in his ears. Larten hissed in pain. "Wester, please stop shouting.." The young vampire whispered weakly. After a few moments his wits returned to him and he realised that he was in the room they were renting at the town's inn. Over him stood his friend, Wester, looking far better than Larten felt. There was a terrible throbbing in his head now that caused him to squint even though the light in the room was minimal.

"You were having a nightmare.." The younger vampire protested, sitting himself on the edge of the bed.

"Thank you for informing me of that fact, Wester. As if I would have never noticed that by myself." Larten grumbled sarcastically as he slowly massaged his temples, wincing in pain. The third voice in the room caused him to groan.

"Well, well, well, how much did you drink last night, Crepsley?" Tanish Eul couldn't help but laugh at his companion's pain. He didn't seem to pay much heed to the painful nightmare he had just witnessed the orange haired man suffer. "You disappeared on me last night so I decided to come and check on you." He drawled with his ever charming smile.

Wester scoffed at his words, looking back at him only briefly. "Yes, after twelve hours of restful sleep." He muttered but Tanish simply shrugged. "Tanish wants us to come out with him again tonight. You don't have to drink if you don't want to." He added hastily.

Larten laughed bitterly. "If I do not want to? Do you really think that I do want to? Now, what incentive would you possibly have that could convince me to head out with you again after last night nearly pickled my brain in my skull?"

Tanish smirked, his eyes sparkling in the low light. "Only that a new vampire has rolled into town, a cub no less. And her name is Arra Sails."

I know, short and slow start. but it will get better. I hope :P

Doggie.