Point of No Return
Chapter 1The sun had set long ago, but the moon refused to rise. It was an unusually, eerie darkness that had fallen over the quite poor village. A shadow seemed to slip by, lurking in the unnatural darkness. Was it there? Perhaps over a bit? But where had it gone? There! Something dark was haunting the town, and one would not make it through the night. A silent scream attempted to surpass a young girls lips, but a powerful hand and quickly silenced her. Laying the now stunned body of the girl on the ground, a figure, dressed all in black draped over her. Her heart raced, pumping her hot blood through her body but all she could do was stare up at her attacker with wide brown eyes. His own, strange light blue eyes reflected into hers. She did not recognize his face, yet there was something familiar about him. She opened her mouth to speak, but a now gentle hand lay over them, hushing her. Pulling his hood back he revealed his face. A pale, greenish tone, long white silky hair, suddenly yellow cat eyes and slits about his nose. Pealing his lips back, he bore sharp pointed teeth. Raising his hand he slammed it into the girl's chest and fed until there was nothing left. Rising over the withered body of a once youthful child he roared with satisfaction.
Bolting upright with a start Val could hardly breathe. His chest was heaving and sweat covered his body. Looking at his hand there was nothing but the thin scar. Rubbing his face, there were no slits, and yet he had this aching in his body, longing for something he could not satisfy. Like the dull throb of hunger. Squeezing his eyes closed he tried to fight the never ending feeling. The longing he had come to recognize as the urge to feed. The nightmare and roused urges he had long since been able to fight since he turned 17. Running a hand through his short and spiky white hair he pulled himself from the makeshift bed hidden in an abandoned barn. Though he was almost 30, he had come to realize human years did not apply to him. Nothing had changed about him since he turned 20. Perhaps he was more like his father then he would like to admit. A dormant part of him longed to embrace that side. To find his father and learn the ways of the creature he was born to be. But the human side, raised in the village later ravaged by those very creatures, refused to give up without a fight. He splashed his face with water from a rain barrel and stared into his rippling reflection.
"God Val, who are you?" He muttered to himself, looking into the eyes of his reflection. His skin so pale, almost bluish. His hair whiter then snow, those strange eyes with the start of a cat pupil. The taunt shape of his face, masculine, but something sleek about it. Soft tuffs of hair grew from his chin giving him a goatee. If he only let his hair grow out, you could hardly tell the difference between he and his father. Shaking his head he shoved the water barrel over, letting the water splash out on the old hay. "Who are you?" He roared louder and whirled around only to see the startled face of the girl in his dreams. Instead of attacking her though, his face softened. "Meleni." He whispered. She set the basket she was carrying down and moved up beside the man almost a foot and a half taller than her.
"Valimor, I know who you are. You are a kind man, a gentle man who would do anything for the things he loves. You have no resemblance to those awful creatures." Her voice was so soft and comforting, he almost fell into her embrace, but upon remembering the dream he backed away from her. Could he hurt her like that?
"Meleni, I'm not who you think I am, you don't know me." He turned away from the girl, the only person to break through his walls, to reach his soft side, and to love him despite all of his flaws. But something told him he could not attach himself to this girl. Something told him it wasn't right. She reached for him and he jerked away, harsher then he intended. She looked hurt.
"Val…" She whispered, but it was too late, though he didn't mean to hurt her, he wasn't about to turn around and take her in his arms. He shook his head and leaned over on an old horse stall, keeping his back to her. In a few seconds he could feel her presence leave. It hurt, it twisted his insides more than the hunger did, but the instincts; they were more than his emotions. They told him no. It wasn't natural for his kind and hers to mix.
"But I am human too..." He spoke out loud to the struggle within his mind. That was also a constant battle. For some reason the silence in his mind drove him to madness, to argue with himself. He thought back to his short time on the hive. All the whispering voices in his head. It made him feel uneasy, and yet comforted, to listen to the strange language murmur in his mind. Here, there was nothing. Emptiness, silence. He screamed again and threw the weak stall door open, causing it to tear off its hinges and go clattering to the back of the stall. He turned to stalk out of the barn when he spotted the basket Meleni had brought over. The pain struck all over again he grabbed it quickly and threw it as hard as he could, letting it fall in some dark corner. Shrugging his coat on, he flicked the hood up and over his head, shrouding his face in darkness. His heavy boots made no noise as he moved across the grassy patch before reaching the town road. The knife though, attached to his ankle clinched with each of his powerful steps. His strong arms hung loosely by his sides, his hands gloved, but the fingers were cut off, reviling his pale skin. People parted for him to get through, they knew this shadow and his patterns. He was headed to the tavern to drink, and then he would vanish into the forest for the rest of the day.
"He has been her 5 years now, and still no one knows who he is, or his name." He could hear the town's people gossip ring in his ears from at least 20 feet away. Their constant whispering was an annoyance in his ears. Like a fly buzzing around his head. He gritted his teeth and cleared his mind and he pushed open the tavern door, his drink already sitting at his table. The owner liked to avoid confrontation so he was quick to prepare his table before Val even got there. Falling into his chair, he made a loud noise and immediately people sitting around stood and walked out. Kicking his boots up on the table he grabbed the drink and quickly downed it. He wasn't a drunk, but the substance dulled his pain to a manageable amount. In seconds another drink was placed and a nervous waitress quickly moved away. He watched her go, and couldn't help remember how he met Meleni.
It was his third year here and he had sat down as usual. After finishing his first drink a young brown haired brown eyed waitress approached and gently set the drink down, but she didn't scurry away like the rest. When she did not leave, Val put his feet down, crossed his arms on the table and turned his eyes toward her. She made a soft gasp sound and he was certain she would run then but she didn't. Her hand over her mouth she just looked at him. Then, slowly lowering her hand, her next words he would have never guessed.
"You have the most beautiful eyes!" She exclaimed. Immediately he turned his head down and put his feet back up. She still did not leave. Shifting her wait slightly he did his best to ignore her, but she refused to give up. "Do you want anything else?" She finally asked, daring to scoot closer to the table. By now the whole town was watching this little scene. Heaving a deep sigh, his shoulders slumped. Then in a second he had removed his hunting knife and had her pinned against the wall, the blade pressing against her delicate throat. He was glaring at her with those 'beautiful' eyes and turned his head so his cheek was pressed against hers, his lips pressed to the side of her ear.
"Does it look like I would want anything else?" He snarled darkly. He felt her body shiver underneath him. She was trying to control her fear, but he could feel it pouring off her. By now the store owner had come out and was holding a pan, just in case he had to fight, though he was certain he would lose.
"Hey, we don't want any trouble, just let the girl go." The man's terrified voice came. Val gave a slight glance over his shoulder then turned his eyes back to the waitress. Pressing her harder against the wall he growled.
"I asked a question woman." The low level of his voice was unbearable. She shook her head slowly, and he loosened his hold. Flashing one of his winning smiles he finally released her. "That wasn't so hard was it?" He purred softly, his voice though was still dark and low. Slowly she scooted around him, trying to catch her breath. He sat back down and took his drink and began sipping at it. Suddenly the waitress stopped and turned around. The owner tried pulling her away but she pushed him off.
"My name is Meleni, just by the way." She said sweetly then disappeared into the kitchen. Val stopped drinking and looked up to watch her leave. Ever since then she would come and sit at the table next to his and talk to him. He never said anything after that first encounter, but slowly he was becoming attached to her. One day she followed him to the barn, and he couldn't send her away, no matter how hard he tried. Seeing that stubborn face he picked her up in his arms and kissed her, he kissed her with so much passion she fell into his arms and the two spent that night together, laying in the hay, wrapped in each other's arms. She was the first to learn his name, to see his face, to hear him talk, and she would be the last in this town.
Meleni had not shown up for work today, so after his second drink he left the tavern early and disappeared into the forest. Making his way to the grassy clearing he fell to the ground, on his back he stared up at the endless blue sky. It wasn't long before he had drifted into a rather uneasy sleep. Visions of his home burning, the first time he saw the wraith and his mother brought before their leader filled his mind. Only in these illusions he was one of them, feeding on his own people and torturing the rest. They begged for his mercy, but all he would do was grin and thrust them into a fire. Listening to their screams made him laugh. The sound of the darts buzzed in his ears, marking the come of the harvest. He twisted in his sleep; trying to fight the nightmares, when his eyes finally shot open he was staring at the night sky. Trying to relax he sat up slowly. The sound of the darts in his dream still buzzed around. It wasn't for a few minutes when he realized it wasn't his dream. Standing up he looked to the sky to watch one flash by. This whole galaxy was plagued by the wraith, but the chances of both of his homes to be attacked?
He took off towards the village; his first thought was of Meleni. He didn't know where she was, but he had to get her somewhere safe. How long had the wraith been here? By the time he broke the tree line, the village was swarming with wraith. Nothing was destroyed or burning. Pulling his hood up he stepped into the shadows he desperately went on a search for Meleni, but he couldn't find any of the village people. Had they been gathered already? Slowly he made it to the center of town. No one seemed hurt, in fact everyone seemed to be there, but they were surrounded by wraith soldiers, kept together like cattle. Everyone was terrified, except one face. Meleni. He tried to catch her eyes, but she was staring at something else. He followed her gaze to the one in charge. His own heart stopped at his blood ran cold. It was his father. Standing tall as ever, emerging from the ground of lesser and soldier wraith he stood before the people, his hands firmly clasped behind his back, those hard yellow eyes scanning the crowd, no expression on his face. This was the only wraith Val had met that truly terrified him. Suddenly there was a commotion in the group. He turned to see Meleni walking forward, a confused, yet serene look on her face. The commander immediately took her movements and cocked his head slightly. Valimor wanted to jump forward and stop her, but he held his position. This scene looked all too familiar, but he knew he would not win this fight.
"Val?" Suddenly Meleni's soft voice came. His eyes snapped to her. Had she honestly mistaken his father for him? He felt a sudden chill as his father's eyes shot up and scanned the surrounding forest, then turned back to the girl, who was still standing there, staring up at the commander.
"You are brave human, to approach me, but very foolish." The dark raspy sound of his voice told Valimor he was in no compassionate mood. He knew what was coming; he could almost feel himself thinking it. For this reason, he could not move forward to save her. His father's hand fell onto her chest, and Val could almost feel himself feed, but just enough so to set afire the dull throb so now it was an inferno, engulfing him in its desire. He fell to his knees as his body burned and his heart wrenched from watching the only thing he loved die by his father's hand. Soon, just as in his dream, she fell to the ground, nothing left to her. Rolling his shoulders the commander looked about the people. Val remained locked to the ground as his body could not move, and his muscles shaking from an unknown strain. In his state, 3 more of his people were fed upon by his father. As the fourth was being brought, Meleni's sister, Val forced himself from the ground and exploded into the opening. Immediately, every wraith had their weapons on him. Standing there, feet spread, chest heaving, face plastered with sweat, he stared the commander down.
"How dare you come here, to my town, and take my people!" Val snarled darkly, his body still shaking, but now it was from rage. He pushed his hood down, revealing his face to all the people, who quickly put together the resemblance. The commander smiled slightly and shoved the little girl to the ground and began walking towards his son, who held his ground well, standing almost like a tiger, ready to attack. He pulled his lips back in a growl, but it seemed not to faze the commander.
"I was wondering when you were going to come to the rescue." He purred slightly, stopping a few feet away crossing his arms. A gentle breeze had caught his cloak and hair, letting them blow gently. The same breeze ruffled Val's hair and flapped at his jacket. His eyes grew dark as he watched his father, just being in each other's powerful presence seemed to be enough of a battle that no attack was made. In the silent struggle, the friction in the air could be felt by all around. Suddenly Valimor fell to his knees in pure exhaustion, and still standing, his father came to tower over him, as if nothing had happened. "Living among humans has made you weak. You need to be among your own people." He was speaking gently, urging him to come, to join him. To his displeasure, Val shook his head.
"These are as much my people as you are." He growled, slowly forcing himself up to face his father once again. The commander only shook his head disapprovingly. Grabbing Val's right hand he yanked him forward and flipped it over, hissing he stroked the light scar.
"The only thing your human side has done is mask but a few wraith features, enough to make your life a living hell." He snarled shoving his hand back down. "You feel the hunger, you know the instincts, your mind longs to connect with mine. But you can't!" He snarled louder. "You cannot feed, you will not know the companionship of your brothers; you will die in madness and starvation! I could not think of a worse way to die Valimor." Now it was almost begging, a desire to help his son.
"What could you do to change that? How would you save your poor lost son? The disgrace of a mongrel your pet had hidden from you for 20 years? Do you even want to save me? Or do you want to hide me away? So when I do fall to madness, I am not in the presence of others, to trample on your good name!" He growled pulling away from his father. Wraith and human alike could not believe what they were hearing, this argument between apparently father and son.
"I would never let you fall. For at least the sake of my name, I would kill you first. But Valimor, I can teach you, to repress that weaker side, to bring out your potential. Give me at least the chance, and if all hope is lost, for your sake and mine, I will end the torment for you." The argument was convincing. Val did not want to live into madness until this unquenchable fire finally claimed his life. But did he want to repress his mother's traits? The kind human side, his emotions that made him who he was? Perhaps with his father's training he could tame his wraith side and live peacefully with both worlds. Finally giving in, Val fell to his knees, his head hanging in defeat.
"Then take me…father. I am yours anyway, am I not?" He asked softly. The commander stood over his son, enjoying his triumph for only a moment before yanking him from the ground and holding him tightly.
"If you are my son, you will never make such a display of weakness publicly again." He snarled and shoved him forward. "Leave the villages, and call the darts." He ordered. Though the wraith were confused, they did as their leader said, and in seconds the darts hissed by picking them up.