Title: The Woods are Lovely Dark and Deep
Summary: Eric and Godric hunt/haunt as small village. Set Wa-a-a-a-ay pre-series.
A/n: Believe me, if I owned Eric Northman... well that just stopped all coherent thought so on to the:
Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. No money is being made from this work. No copyright infringement is intended. Title taken from Robert Frost
The chill in the air begins the moment the sun sets. As the days grow shorter and the nights grew longer, animals need to hunt before the snows of Winter stole their means of survival. The bear, the wolf, the fox became more daring in their attempts to kill their prey.
The men of the village also grew more daring; staying out 'til near dark to hunt in an attempt to provide for their families through the winter. The more scarce the prey, the more desperate the man, the further into the woods he would travel.
Eric fought the urge to vomit as he drained the deer he held. Animal blood would sustain him, but it never satisfied him. Godric smirked at his progeny, and inclined his head to the left. Eric looked over his maker's shoulder and saw a lone hunter; a human who had gone too far into the woods tracking the deer Eric now let fall silently to the ground.
"You shouldn't wander so deep into the woods. It can be dangerous," Godric said to the hunter; suddenly appearing next to man.
The man spun in surprise, he had not heard anyone approach. "Oh! You startled me," The man chuckled. "You're one to talk, young man. I know the woods are dangerous, but I have a bow, I can protect myself." He looked at Godric with concern. "Where did you come from? Are you lost?"
"No, I am not lost. But, I am hungry," Godric answered. Letting his fangs descend, he buried them deep in the hunter's throat before the man could utter another sound.
The two vampires tracked the hunter's path back to his village, careful to stay in the trees, and not leave a trail of their own. The hunter had lived in a tidy cabin with his family near the Southern edge of the forest. Eric made his way to the door, but Godric stopped him with a hand on his arm. "Let's make them come to us," he said with knowing look.
Eric snarled happily. Godric was an incredible predator. Eric flitted to the edge of the woods and mimicked the dead hunter's voice, "Help! Help me, I've been hurt."
A woman and a small boy soon opened the cabin door. "Heinrich?"
Again Eric called, "Help me!"
The boy and his mother ran to the edge of the wood. "Heinrich! Where are you?"
Behind them, Eric and Godric slipped silently from the trees. The mother and son made a satisfying meal for the two vampires.
By noon the next day, the news of the missing family had made its way through the village. The search party returned hours later with the horrifying results of their quest. An entire family devoured by some horrible beast in the woods.
The village elders met. Precautions need to be taken if they were going to survive the beast and the winter. The first was to declare the woods forbidden after dark.
The following evening Eric and Godric entered the small village from the South.
Almost instantly a man approached them. "You there. Who are you? Where did you come from?"
Godric smiled pleasantly while Eric answered, "We are but simple travelers looking for a bite to eat and place to rest."
Falling under the vampire's glamor, the man bowed his head and smiled. "Yes, you and your friend should join my family this evening."
Godric rested a hand on Eric's arm. "We would hate to impose. Perhaps you could point us to an inn?" Eric studied his maker and Godric could read the question in Eric's eyes. "Why have one meal when there is enough for the entire season?" he whispered.
By the end of the week, the secluded village was beside itself in terror as more citizens went missing, their bodies to be found in the woods the next day. The elders made new rules. People must move about in pairs, they must be in their homes by nightfall and special care must be taken to watch over the children.
Because they could, Eric and Godric decided to stop feeding and allow the villagers to regain a semblance of confidence. Once most of the hysteria had settled into just rattled nerves, most of the villagers returned to their normal activities. But, they were still warned not to venture into the woods at night.
The town elder that had first welcomed the vampires into the town, graciously invited Godric and Eric to join his family for the harvest feast. The vampires decided it was, once again, time to feed.
"Tell us about your travels," the hostess pleaded to Godric. "The world must be far more interesting than this village."
"You'd like to see the world, then, would you?" Godric asked in reply.
"Yes!" the woman replied in a sigh.
"That would mean traveling past the forbidden woods," Eric countered with an enticing smile.
The woman beamed under the attention of the handsome visitor. "I am not afraid of the woods." She paused taking in the surprised expressions of her listeners, then she broke into a smile. "I am only afraid of them at night."
Eric and Godric smiled at each other then at their hostess. "Perhaps you'd do well to listen to your elders and avoid the woods," Godric said with a knowing smile. He moved to stand next to her so he could whisper into her ear, "Or, perhaps your elders should have taught you not to invite strangers into your home." He met Eric's eyes over the woman's shoulder, grinned mischievously, then drank the woman dry.
When the survivors finally buried the dead, the cemetery could hardly fit more and the fear of the dark woods paled in comparison to the fear of strangers.