Rebirth: Trust and Betrayal
Gifts
What's that?
Something caught the boy's attention. It stained the patch of dirt a darker shade than the rest.
Blood.
He looked up and saw more scattered down a hidden trail leading towards the caves. The vampire was not far. It was only a couple of hours after the sun had risen. The demon needed to find shelter.
I can handle him.
The boy stood up and motioned to the group of boys not far from him. They eagerly ran towards him, the thought of a kill fresh on their minds.
"I found some of its blood." He announced. "The demon is heading that way."
The boy pointed to the left down an alternate path.
"I think we need to separate. That way we can cover a lot more ground before morning."
"Do you think it's safe to split up?"
"Don't worry about." A boy in the group sneered. "The lad can take care of himself better then a grown man."
smiled and puffed out his chest in pride. He instructed the boys to travel a little ways and check the surrounding areas. After watching the last boy disappeared from his sight took off, following the trail of blood. As he walked through the trees, he pictured himself being congratulated by the town as he dragged the demon's body behind him. smiled and quickened his pace, eager to kill the demon that would bring him glory.
The trail of blood glistened ruby red in the moonlight. parted some branches and stepped out into a clearing. Before him was a large cave. Water dripped form the ceiling and formed large pools on the ground. The blood continued inside.
Of course! He is a vampire. He needs someplace dark to rest when the sun comes up.
slowly entered the cave, his short sword held in front of him. A growl sounded to his left. He dodged the attacking figure. It was the demon. It turned around and faced. paused as he fully gazed at the demon before him.
It was a boy his age. couldn't will himself to kill something that looked human. How could they believe that something as young as the vampire could cause any harm to humans? The vampire's blue-black hair was tangled and caked in mud; his eyes were dilated and full of fear. Deep gashes were scattered across his body and bled freely.
The vampire growled again.
"Wait." Rett shouted. His shout echoed through the cave.
The boy's eyes narrowed in suspicion. He crouched lower and bared his fangs.
"My name is Rett." Rett continued to talk. "I was sent to find you."
"And once you have, you are to kill me and bring my lifeless corpse back to your village." The vampire snarled.
"Yes, but I'm not going to kill you."
Rett laid his sword on the ground to prove his point. He noticed the boy relax slightly. Rett stepped away from the weapon.
"Where is the rest of your search party?" the boy asked.
"I sent them down the path farther in the forest. They will not stumble across us."
Rett watched as the wounds across his body started to heal. If he had not seen them earlier, he would not have known he was ever injured. The vampire sank to the ground exhausted. He leaned against a rock and closed his eyes.
"What is your name?" Rett asked after a few moments in silence.
The vampire opened his eyes. "Desh."
Rett nodded and an awkward silence fell between them. He shifted nervously from foot to foot.
"Why won't you kill me?" the vampire asked, his head cocked to the side in curiousity.
Rett shrugged. "Before I saw you I thought you were some vile creature of the damned. When I saw you, you looked completely different from what I expected."
The vampire smiled bitterly.
"I've never killed anyone before. Sure, I've busted a few noses but nothing serious. The thought of killing another human repulses me." Rett shivered despite the warm cloak across his shoulders.
"I'm not human, remember?" Desh snarled. "So why should it repulse you to kill me?"
"I don't think there is a reason to kill you. When the town captured you, you did not fight to escape or kill anyone." Rett explained. "You look like me. You look human. Even though you are different on the outside."
The vampire watched the human in curiosity. Could he really trust this human or would he betray him once he left the cave? There wasn't much he could do at the moment. He just had to trust the human.
"Rett?"
The group was returning. Rett cursed under his breath. If they found the blood then they would follow it to where Desh was hiding. Rett ran to the mouth of the cave.
"Where are you going?" Desh was by his side in a blink of an eye.
"To keep them from coming here. Your blood is everywhere down this trail."
Rett left the cave. Desh followed him.
"Will you come back?"
Rett stopped at the vampire's words. He turned and looked at him. His ink black hair was tangled and covered with mud and filled with leaves. His crimson eyes were full of sorrow and pleading that Rett felt an urge to protect him.
"Do you want to return?" Rett asked.
The vampire nodded.
"I will return tomorrow night."
Desh's eyes brightened at his words. Rett noticed the vampire idd not have anything to keep warm. Rett unlatched the clip at his throat and handed Desh the cloak.
"Keep it safe." He ordered, pointing to the silver pin. "My mother gave me that before she died."
Desh handled it carefully as if it would break if he held it wrong. Rett turned to leave but was stopped once more. Desh was pulling a ring off his finger.
"Here." The vampire thrust the ring into the human's face. "This was my father's before he died. Keep this safe and I know I can trust you with my life."
It was a solid gold ring. In the center of the band was a teardrop shaped ruby. Rett was in awe by its beauty. Desh slipped in on his finger.
"Now we both have something to prove we do not mean harm to the other." Desh smiled as he pulled the cloak around his shoulders.
"Rett?"
The groups was closer. In a matter of minutes they would find the blood and Desh. Rett took off running as fast as his legs could carry him. he had made a promise to protect Desh and he planned to keep it.