I do enjoy exploring Arra and Gavner's relationship.

This is supposed to take place just after the Saga of Larten Crepsley. The time line is completely wonky, as I can't remember exactly what happened and when in the books, but I hope it's not too unbelievable.

The three vampaneze laughed, delivering the crumpled vampire a cruel kick to the ribs. They hovered over him, taunting and teasing, biting him with their swords. Gavner couldn't understand why they didn't just kill him and get the whole thing over with. They had broken and beaten him, rendered him completely unable to fight back; it would have been so easy to slit his throat and move on.

But no. It appeared these vampaneze wanted to toy with the poor vampire, dragging out the pain and humiliation for as long as they could. Gavner winced as one of them stomped down hard on his ankle, feeling bones crack and shatter under the force, and let his head roll back onto the ground. His eyes searched the night's sky, the cold rain causing his eyes to blink rapidly, searched for some sign that this would be over soon.

It was becoming hard to cling onto consciousness.

One of the vampaneze bent down to Gavner, shoving his jagged teeth right in the vampire's face, laughing menacingly, threateningly. The vampire didn't know why it hadn't occurred to him earlier, but he suddenly realised that these vampaneze were insane.

The teeth snapped down too close to his ear and he tried to flinch away, panic suddenly washing over him. He got the distinct and awful feeling that these vampaneze weren't simply going to kill him. From the way the one by his face chopped down next to his ear again, he had the horrifying revelation that they were going to eat him.

Tales of cannibal vampaneze stretched back centuries, but Gavner never once thought he'd encounter any in his lifetime. Panic and hysteria made him try to get up back to his feet, but it was useless with one of his legs smashed into such a mess. He weakly tried to bat the vampaneze away but this only made them laugh more. His attempts at escape were pitiful, but he refused to give up.

It was only when one of the crazed creatures took Gavner's hand in his mouth and started to gnaw on it that the vampire snapped. He lost control, screaming hysterically, trying with all his might to push these horrible creatures away from him, desperate not to die in such a horrific fashion. It was no use, and there was nothing Gavner could do but wait for the inevitable. He shut his eyes, still screaming, and let the tears flow freely down his face.

There was a sensation of relief, as if the vampaneze weren't pressing so much on his battered body, and Gavner risked to creak open an eye. One of the cannibals was lying back against the other side of the alley way, a knife sticking out of the side of his head. Another lay flat out next to Gavner, blood gushing from his throat, his hands clawing at the wound feebly.

The last was growling low at a figure stood over Gavner. The figure's stance was defensive, protective, and before Gavner could fully comprehend what was happening the last vampaneze had pounced, hands thrust forward, sharp red nails like daggers jutting forward, ready to rip and shred.

The figure deftly stepped aside, swinging around to kick the vampaneze in the back of the head and send it flailing into the wall with a heavy thud, finishing it off with another knife in the head. The vampaneze wheezed as it slide down to the ground, leaving a smear of blood down the bricks.

Gavner stared in astonishment at the dead vampaneze and then turned his wide, shocked eyes to the figure. He tired to say something, but didn't know where to begin. The figure was too busy with trying to pick him up off the ground, at any rate, and Gavner did all he could to help make their job easier.

Once Gavner was on his feet, the figure moved in front of him, keeping him steady with two hands on his shoulders. "Do you think you can walk?" they asked, and with a start Gavner realised that the figure was a woman. He took a closer look at her, now that his head had cleared a little and death was no longer looming over him. She was just slightly taller than him, dressed all in black apart from the two steel-silver knives strapped to her hips, thin and pale, and Gavner found himself marvelling at how she had managed to kill three vampaneze without gaining a scratch.

"You, you saved me!" Gavner stuttered with a laugh, completely ignoring the original question. His relief at not being eaten alive was great, and he felt everything else could wait. He gripped her arms tightly, a large grin on his face, torn between jumping for joy, shouting his luck to the stars, and kissing his saviour.

The woman smiled slightly, seemingly amused with his behaviour, "It was no problem. Now," she gently removed his hands from her arms and slipped back to his side, supporting him with an arm around his waist, "do you have a place to stay? Is it close by?"

Gavner shook his head, "I was on my way to the circus at the edge of town."

The woman nodded, "I know the place," she carefully lifted Gavner's arm and placed it over her shoulders. "Do you think you can make it there? If you lean on me you should be able to walk a little."

They made their way out of the alley way, Gavner leaning heavily on the woman as he realised just how badly injured he was. He could feel blood pulsing out of the cuts, and his ribs screamed and protested with every step he took. His head felt thick, and he had to make a conscious effort to stay awake. Gavner knew that his wounds couldn't be treated here, out in the open where it wasn't safe. He knew the necessity of getting to somewhere sheltered.

"What's your name?" the woman asked, noticing that Gavner was starting to slip.

"Gavner Purl," he answered.

"How long have you been a vampire, Gavner?"

Gavner didn't answer immediately. His vision had started to swim with the effort of moving and he felt sick. Talking wasn't what he wanted right now, but the woman was persistent. "My name is Arra. I've been a vampire for about a hundred and fifty years. Do you live at the circus?"

"Almost eighty," Gavner slurred an answer to her first question, and then turned to her second. "My friend lives there. I was going to make sure he was okay." In the back of his mind it registered that she was keeping him talking to keep him awake, and he was thankful for that, and resolved to try his hardest to answer her.

"Why wouldn't he be okay?"

"He had to kill Wester a few years ago. I've only just found out where he is staying these days. I want to make sure he's okay. Wester was like his brother."

Arra nodded slowly, shifting Gavner's arm slightly. The man was heavy, packed full of muscle, and his weight was starting to grate on her shoulders and back. She figured she didn't need all the details of who this Wester was, but knew how important it was to keep Gavner talking. "What does your friend do at the circus?"

"He's a performer."

"Like a clown?"

Gavner laughed, "It's not that sort of circus. It's more of a freak show." He had never actually been himself, but had heard all about it from Seba and it fascinated him. "He can control spiders with his mind. I haven't seen him do it but Seba, that's his mentor, Seba told me all about it."

"Do you mean Seba Nile?" Arra asked, her interest growing. Every vampire knew of Seba Nile, but she hadn't thought this young vampire would have anything to do with him. Gavner nodded against her shoulder though, and she smiled again. "My mentor is Mika Ver Leth, have you heard of him? I'm sure you have. He's infamous among the clan." Gavner nodded again, silently, and Arra decided she needed to get him talking again.

She could see the circus camp and hear the noise of many voices and loud music now. "We're almost there, Gavner. Look, it's a pretty big place..." she caught sight of a woman covered with tattoos, and a man with jutting ribs, and another with huge stomach. They crossed into the main encampment and Arra became aware of people staring at them, but it didn't bother her. She had noticed that Gavner had also perked up with so much going on around them, but he was still leaning his full weight against her.

A cage rolled by with a strange creature inside, half-man, half-wolf. Two small children ran after it, twisting their bodies as they went, moving like liquid. Gavner was fascinated. Through his thick head and blurred vision he could just make everything out, so many colours and faces and so many interesting things to look at that he almost forgot that he was injured.

"Gavner?" Arra asked, patting his back to get his attention. She could see an incredibly tall man making his way towards them, with something like hostility in his black eyes. "Gavner? What's your friend called? What's his name?"

Gavner hummed thoughtfully, on the brink of collapsing, not really paying attention to his saviour when his senses were filled with the circus. Arra pulled him up straighter, feeling the muscles in her back protest, and shook him slightly, "Gavner, I can't help you if I don't know your friend's name."

He groaned at being made to stand a little straighter, but came to his senses long enough to answer, "Larten Crepsley."

The tall man was on them now, looming over them threateningly. Gavner didn't seem to notice, his eyes focused on the ground as he fought to stay upright. "Who are you? Why have you trespassed into my cirque?"

"Uh..." Arra faltered, completely unnerved by this man and the many eyes that were now pinned to her and the young vampire she was practically carrying. "Can you show me where to find Larten Crepsley? This is his friend, he's injured."

The tall man looked her over critically, "And who are you? Also a friend of Larten's?"

Arra opened her mouth to answer, ready to tell this man that it didn't matter if she knew this Larten Crepsley or not, Gavner needed help and he needed it now, but was interrupted by a man with bright orange hair and a blood red suit pushing his way past the tall man. "Hibernius! Why are you interrogating my friends?" he reached out for Gavner, relieving Arra of the intense strain of supporting a man almost three times her size, giving her a quick once over with his green eyes.

"You know both of them, Larten?" the tall man – Hibernius – asked unbelievingly.

Larten scoffed at the implications behind his words, "Of course I do. And I am sorry, but it seems as though I will be unable to perform tonight. I believe Gavner here needs me more than the show does." And with that he walked the near unconscious Gavner through the crowd that had gathered to watch their altercation. After a brief moment of hesitation, Arra skipped after them, skirting carefully around the tall man and the other circus members.

Larten didn't say a word until he had lead Gavner inside a trailer and lowered him onto a bed, looking him over carefully and with obvious concern. Arra stood in the doorway uncertainly. "You can come in," Larten said over his shoulder, his attention on his friend.

Arra closed the trailer door, not missing the looks of a few passing circus members outside, and found herself standing awkwardly by the door. She didn't want to venture further into what was clearly this vampire's 'home', as it was almost pristine, apart from the trail of muddy foot prints left by Gavner. She herself was dripping wet from the rain and covered in Gavner's blood.

The orange haired vampire didn't seem to notice, as he applied healing saliva and bandages to his friend. "How did this happen?" he asked quietly after a while, his eyes never leaving Gavner.

"I found three vampaneze attacking him," Arra answered.

Gavner coughed and Arra could just see him grin, his eyes darting to her, "She saved me. Be nice to her," he lay back, relaxed and at ease, and slipped into unconsciousness.

Larten stood back and laughed softly, rolling his eyes at his unaware friend, "I was not expecting him. Did he make mention of why he was coming?" he turned to Arra, still stood by the door, and motioned for her to take a seat at a small table.

"He said he was going to check that you were okay," Arra answered, stretching out her back and shoulders, gratefully taking the offered seat.

Across from her, Larten nodded slowly, apparently understanding perfectly, his eyes darting to Gavner for a second before turning back to her, a frown on his face. "Are you injured too?" he leant forward slightly, looking her over again. She shook her head and Larten smiled, "Thank you for rescuing him. He is a very good friend of mine, I appreciate you taking the time to help him."

"It was no problem, really," Arra returned his smile, "I'm Arra, by the way."

She accepted the hand held out to her with a grin. "I am Larten Crepsley. It is a pleasure to meet you."

Ah, I couldn't resist adding just a touch of Arra/Larten at the end.