Ok, I know how stupid it is that Valentin supposedly flew from Romania to somewhere in the general vicinity of London, England within several hours on wing and not moving nearly as fast as a plane or something because he's not all out sprint flying, I'm playing my one per story 'unexplained event' card, so...please just roll with it! Thank you, and enjoy!
"No! Leave me be!"
Valentin shouted as he sprinted through the streets, a mob of screaming, people behind him, wielding stakes, pitchforks, and torches.
Isn't that a little cliché?
He couldn't help but wonder as he dodged a well thrown pitchfork.
Valentin's bright red overcoat clung closely to his form, his small black hat trailing several red and white ribbons. His black cloak whipped behind him as he ran, all of the people who wanted him dead raging madly after him.
He licked his fanged canines, panting for breathing.
Valentin was a 4th generation vampire.
The sun could still burn him, but it wasn't as bad as if he were a full blooded vampire. Currently, though, it was the middle of the night, and these people were all chasing after him, trying to kill him for no reason other then because they caught him taking life giving blood from one of the cattle in the grazing pastures behind the village. He didn't need to drink often, but when he did he would always find some cow or other beast to drain. He never took enough to kill, only to cause the animal to be a bit tipsy for a little while afterwards.
He'd drank human blood once in his seventeen years of life, and it's intoxicatingly sweet taste still haunted him. Valentin had drank that time in self defense, the person had wanted to kill him, had him cornered and badly injured, and his only weapon at the age of thirteen had been his fangs.
Shaking the dark memory from his head, Valentin skidded around another street corner, grabbing onto a lamppost to help himself turn.
Despite the abilities that came with it, he'd give anything to not be a pale, fanged, unwanted monster. He hated what he was, and he hated how people would be perfectly friendly to him. That is, until they saw his elongated sharpened teeth, or noticed his scarlet red eyes.
Those same blood red eyes scanned the moonlit starry sky flecked with clouds.
Could I get high enough fast enough for them not to be able to see me?
He wondered.
Hearing the whispers of members of the mob coming closer as they searched for him, the brown haired vampire realized he didn't have a choice.
He quickly undid the clasp on his cloak and whipped it off, tossing it over one elbow as he rolled his shoulders.
Through the slits in the back of his overcoat, he pushed free his leathery bat like wings. Giving several tests flaps to work the sleep out of them, he'd had them tied down, immobile, for several hours, he turned and heard the people coming closer.
Valentin backed up against the wall, beating his wings several more times to free them completely from his coat.
Just before one of the hunters was about to peer into the alleyway, Valentin's boots left the ground.
He was air born, feeling the usual amazing rush that came with flight.
An almost contented look crossed his face as he spiraled several times up into the night sky, rising swiftly until he could see the entire village from his place.
Slowing, he beat his wings at a steady rhythm to keep himself in one spot, staring down at the fires that still licked several of the buildings.
Including his home.
Angling himself sharply, he dove toward it, folding up his wings against his back almost completely, only using the tips to direct himself.
As he approached he spread his full ten foot wingspan again, feeling the wind catch in his jet black wings like it would catch sails.
He pulled up out of his dive and circled about fifty feet above his home.
The fires crackled from the torches they'd thrown through his windows when he slammed in and locked the doors behind him. He recalled vividly trying to put out the fires before realizing it was pointless and making a run for it out the back door. Valentin had allowed himself to be chased all throughout the village, not wanted to resort to flight, for none of the hunters knew he had wings, and he desired to keep it that way.
Where now?
He pondered as he stared down at the wooden braces and walls that had so long shielded him from the hateful eyes and painful sun of dawn giving way to the extreme heat.
Valentin covered his eyes with one hand, trying to force back the tears that burnt his eyes like the fires that burnt his home.
He couldn't watch this anymore, so he turned and poured all of his energy into flying straight up.
He burst through the clouds and sailed above them for a few moments, gliding on the tailwinds behind him, letting them carry him, not caring which direction he was going.
The frigid wind cooled the tears on his face as he wiped his eyes ruffly with the sleeve of his overcoat, cursing the fact that the teeth he now gritted were so sharp, if he were not careful he may even pierce his own tongue.
For hours, it felt, he continued above the clouds, not even bothering to dip below and check where he was heading, the only thing that could stop him now was the coming of dawn, which would force him into hiding for the day. Valentin could bear the sun, so long as he was still mostly covered in long sleeves and pants, but the rays would begin to burn after a while, so flying in broad daylight with nothing shading his wings, the most fragile parts of his body, was out of the question.
Yawning, the young vampiric angled himself to one side, doing a lazy spiral.
This was when he saw another form flying through the night just a couple hundred yards to his left in the opposite direction.
Squinting, he wondered if that was some sort of bird, before quickly realizing that birds didn't have arms, legs, and wear thick boots and leather jackets.
Curious, he increased his own altitude and glided above the strange figure.
The wind whistling his ears, Valentin dropped down slightly to get a good look at this odd creature.
This was when he realized it was a human...or at least, something close.
He looked rather normal with his dirty blonde mop of unmanageable appearing hair, worn down dark blue jeans, and black leather jacket. This was the most of what Valentin could see of his attire from his position up above.
The only issue was the set of large black feathered wings sprouting from his shoulder blades.
Valentin backpedaled in the air a few feet when he realized this.
A boy around my age with angel wings!? But wait...aren't angel wings supposed to be white? His are black!
He through chaotically as the person continued to hurtle onward at a brutal pace.
The vampire silently matched this pace with a few heavy thrusts of his own bat like wings against the wind pushing both of them.
The strange flying 'angel' charged forward just as quickly, and Valentin, after several minutes following him and considering the idea, made up his mind.
He increased his speed just a tad more and angled himself downward, pulling up alongside the teen.
"Hello!" He called cheerily in his heavy romanian accent, stabbing in the dark that this person spoke english, as he waved with a gloved hand.
"BLOODY HELL!"
The black winged boy yelped as, for a few moments, he forgot he could fly, and went tumbling messily downward before leveling off again and flying back up to Valentin's height.
Valentin took in the rest of his clothes, beneath his leather jacket he wore a white tee shirt with several criss crossing arrows in black as a design and had a kerchief with the british flag on it tied around his neck.
"What are you?" He demanded, the two of them now hovering, facing each other mid air.
"I was going to ask you the same question." Valentin replied.
The blonde rolled his emerald green eyes.
"I'm a bloody freak of nature, I assume you are something of the like?"
Valentin shook his head, the ribbons on his small hat trailing in the wind.
"You won't believe me."
"Bloke, we're two young men having a mid air conversation while both of us are flapping our wings to stay air born. I think I can handle it."
"I'm a vampire."
"Well then...that's a new one." The boy replied in an obviously british accent.
He edged a bit close and stretched out a hand.
"The names Arthur." He said.
Valentin smiled, Arthur's eyes widening at the sight of his over an inch long pointed canines, and took the offered handshake.
"I'm Valentin."
"Pleasure."
Valentin was quite surprised when it actually sounded like Arthur meant it.
"Mind if I tag along with you for a little bit? I haven't got a destination in mind and I would appreciate it if you could tell me where exactly I am. I was kind of in a rush to get away from home."
Valentin admitted, scratching the back of his head with a sheepish fanged grin.
"Not at all, I'm heading for London." He replied.
The two of them began to move again at a much more relaxed pace, Valentin allowing Arthur to take the lead.
"So, why exactly did you bolt out of your house? Parents pissed at you or something?" Arthur asked teasingly.
Valentin shook his head.
"My parents were both killed a long time ago, one for being a vampire, the other for marrying a vampire, I survived it and hid in our house, I managed to hide that I was a vampire for a while. Naturally, my luck ran out when they caught me drinking one of the cows out in the pastures blood one night a few months back. Ever since they've been trying to figure out my identity.
Finally got it tonight, chasing me out of my home and burnt it down. Then they pursued me all throughout the village until I couldn't take it anymore and just...took off."
"Literally, eh?" Arthur nodded in understanding.
"Similar thing happened to me. Freak of nature born to a normal woman and a man who had fallen angel blood in his veins and didn't even know it."
Valentin raised an eyebrow curiously.
"Fallen angel?"
"An angel who was shunned from the heavens and lived their lives out on earth, eventually having offspring with a human. Our Dad was a 7th generation and didn't even know it, neither him, nor his Dad, nor his Granddad, nor his Great Granddad had ever actually gotten wings. Wouldn't you know it, me, the 8th generation, was the one who wound up with them!"
Arthur grumbled.
"Not that I'm complaining about the whole flying part. My parents were not exactly what you'd call supportive when I woke up one day at seven years old with feathery stubs growing out of my back. Oh, sure, they took me to the hospital, we went through the whole 'everything is gonna be just fine' phase."
Arthur winced at the next memory that resurfaced.
"They lopped them off. My growing wings, that is. Damn things grew back the very next day. Having six inch stubs in your back cut off, then regrow in the space of 48 hours is way more painful then it may sound. After some mumbo jumbo I was really to young to remember or understand, my parents found out I wasn't human, and were mortified, to say the least. Seven years old, my parents handed me to an experimental facility. When my wings finally finished growing and could actually support my weight for more than five minutes, I was very moment, when I stretched my wings out and looked to the sky. I suddenly knew how to fly. Don't ask me how, I suppose it was instinct. I escaped by just flying right up and out of the outdoor yard. I went to see my parents but they wouldn't open the door to me, so I was on my own. That's my story."
Valentin looked shocked.
"That's horrible..."
After a few minutes of gliding along in awkward silence, Valentin spoke again.
"Would you happen to know anyone else...like us?"
Arthur glanced over to him, surprised.
"As a matter of fact, I do. My two brothers. They were real young when I was given over to the facility. Twin boys who manifested the fallen gene like I did. My parents gave them up to the facility when their wings began to grow again, and...again, the second they could fly, they were out of there. I actually bumped into the them one night recently after they escaped. Alfred and Matthew are their names, I'm going to see them right now. I was searching for a place for us to hide, but sadly I haven't seen any flyers for a 'mutant/mythical teens support group'. If I do I promise I'll let you know, though."
Valentin chuckled at his new companions dry humor.
"Too bad, it would be nice if there was..."
Arthur glanced over at him, studying the far away look in his scarlet eyes.
"You got any family left?"
"No, I had a younger brother, but he was killed along with my parents..."
"No friends to speak of?"
"It's not exactly easy to be social with teeth like this."
Valentin replied, shooting the fallen a wry grin.
He's got no where else to go...he's just flying on towards nowhere...
Arthur thought as Valentin looked down at the earth far, far below.
Arthur took a breath and spoke before he could change his mind.
"Say, want to come along with me and my brothers? We've got room for one more, especially one more something like us."
Valentin's head snapped up and he stared at Arthur, unbelieving.
"R-Really? I-I wouldn't want to be a bother, though, you already have so much to deal with..."
"Nonsense! We've actually formed a bit of a plan, and you know the old saying, the more the merrier!" Arthur laughed.
Valentin looked at him for a moment, the two of them still slicing through the icy late autumn air above the clouds.
"If you wouldn't mind having me..." He began shyly, lowering his eyes toward the earth far below.
"I'd be happy to help you out with my abilities, if I can..."
Arthur half smiled.
"Than it's settled. We're planning on finding our way onto a plane, to get to New York City. We could always try flying, but, I get the feeling we wouldn't make it across the Atlantic. I've been listening around, and word is an abundance of strange 'creatures' have been lurking around there as of late. Who's to say there's not a community of people like us? Not like we've got a better option."
Valentin stared.
"The U.S? Wow...I never thought I'd leave Europe, much less cross an ocean." He murmured.
Arthur nodded, "Issue is, we've got no real way of getting on a plane, we've been trying to save, but I'm the only one with any sort of job, and being a busboy three days a week doesn't exactly pay for three, now four, tickets across the atlantic."
Valentin seemed to stare off into space for a moment, almost a full minute, before speaking slowly.
"I...may be able to get us on a plane, but it won't be easy and it could very well get us having to take off flying in the middle of an airport or get arrested."
"At this point, I'll take anything. What have you got?"
Later, in the skies above London.
"Finally made it!" Arthur cheered as they sailed above Big Ben.
"I've never actually been to London, surprising considering I can fly, hmm?"
"What!? It's one of the best bloody cities in the world! Of course, I'm pretty biased seeing as a grew up here, but even so!"
Arthur exclaimed, having to shout as the wind whistled in their ears.
"So where are you brothers, I mean, where do you live?"
Valentin asked as they did a slow arc, turning toward the edge of the city.
Arthur shook his head, "We don't really 'live' anywhere. Oftentimes we spend the nights on rooftops or in trees, I go to work, and they go around trying to find work, but they're only sixteen so they can't get any work very easily. There!"
Arthur pointed out two boys sitting on the edge of a five story building.
"Hey! Iggy!" One of them shouted, jumping up and waving his arms around wildly as his twin came to his feet and waved with one arm.
"Mind waiting up here a second?" Arthur asked, turning to Valentin.
"Not at all." Valentin agreed hurriedly.
Arthur thanked him and swooped downward to meet his brothers.
"Iggy!" Alfred caught his brother in a bone crushing hug before he even landed.
"I've only been gone a few days, why so clingy?" Arthur laughed as he returned his brothers hug and embraced the other, slightly younger twin.
"Arthur...who's that?" Matthew asked quietly after accepting his brothers hug, gesturing inconspicuously up at Valentin, who was a circling a couple hundred feet above and out of earshot.
"His name's Valentin, I flew into him a few hours away and we hit it off. He's very kind and even has a method of getting us to New York!"
"Dude, awesome! He's another fallen like us?"
Alfred asked excitedly, not bothering to scrutinize the shape or build of Valentin's wings.
Arthur rolled his eyes at his overly hyper little brother.
"See for yourself." He said before turning and waving to Valentin, signaling for him to join them. Valentin was happy to see the sign, first because it meant he wasn't getting shunned by the two younger brothers, and second because he didn't want to risk getting spotted flying around so close to a national landmark.
Valentin dropped down and instantly pushed his wings all the way out, several hours of flight had gotten them pretty tired.
"Hello, I'm Valentin, nice to meet you." He offered, trying what he hoped was a friendly smile.
Alfred's eyes went as wide as dinner plates at Valentin's leathery wings and fangs.
"Dude...you look like a vampire."
Valentin laughed, "I look like a vampire because I am one."
Alfred stared for a moment more.
"THAT'S FREAKING AWESOME!" He shouted.
Matthew smiled, timidly.
"Nice to meet you, Valentin, I can't believe someone else who's like us actually exists."
"If by that you mean a little bit human and a little bit something else, than yes, I am like you." Valentin replied.
"Well, Valentin, we want to get out of this town as soon as possible, so, whats that plan of yours? You wouldn't tell me much on the way here."
Valentin tilted his head slightly, the ribbons hanging from his hat swaying slightly.
"I know we've just met, but with this one, you're going to have to trust me."
Arthur glanced to Matthew, who glanced to Alfred, who stared at Valentin.
"I can't believe I'm saying this, but let's give it a shot."
Amethyst: Hi everyone! What do you think so far?
Valentin: ...where are we?
Amethyst: The sign off room! Actually got this idea from my other stories Call us Hetalia because everyone seemed to really like it when we would hang around in here and comment on whats happening in the story.
Arthur: Ok then. So we're heading to America?
Amethyst: Sure are! New York City! :D
Alfred: ALRIGHT ALRIGHT ALRIGHT!
Matthew: Why are you so excited, Al? You're british, remember?
Alfred: *Sighs* I know, but for some reason I've always had some deep connection with America...I dunno why.
Kiku: This could in a reference to your cannon characters, as I have stated in previous chats in sign off rooms of different stories, we do not exist in this reality as...
Amethyst: *Punts Kiku back to China*
Kiku: WHYYYYYYY! *Gone*
Amethyst: And say there until chapters 5 or maybe 6!
Arthur: I can already tell this is going to be one big train wreck.
Alfred: Favorite, follow, and please review! We hope you'll continue to follow this story! Thanks!