Chapter 3 – Explanation

MPOV

All around us was green, tall, powerful trees shadowing us fro the sun, the ground was dotted with spaces where the sun had crept through. It was peaceful, aside from the animals that scurried away as fast as they could from us. Bravest were the birds circling overhead, long and graceful, swimming on the breeze, surveying the land. I remembered the last time we had come here, at first, the people had been terrified of us. But then their terror turned into worship, calling us Gods and giving over their daughters and most valuable possessions. Humans were so fickle. Of course, we left almost immediately, but not without making an impression on the place's history. Caius hated animals that gave up without a chase. In a strange way, he regarded life as precious, to give it up so easily was criminal. Incredibly weak. Very human.

As we descended deeper and deeper into the forest, floating through without disturbing anything underfoot; I raised my eyebrows to question Aro. He already knew what I would ask, but he seemed determined to make me ask out loud, even though I had grabbed his hand to show him the source of my tension. It frustrated me that all he would do in response was allowing a small smile to play around the edges of his mouth. "Aro…?"

"Yes brother?" He always sounded so naïve and innocent, but I sometimes wondered whether he was even more menacing than Caius, secretly. I allowed myself to think of my other brother, even when he wasn't hunting. No, definitely, not worse than Caius.

"Aro, why are we really here? What did you see? What was in his mind?" I knew I would get my response if I asked, and especially as I looked into my brother's eyes and saw his brows furrow together in concentration. This was strange. Aro was usually so light-hearted, nothing ever fazed him. No, actually, Aro was always light-hearted, this was a first.

"I apologise brother, I had to wait until our Caius was distracted. I saw something, different, even from us." I waited for a further explanation; I knew Aro must know more than this.

"The girl I saw, she is gifted, talented, yes, but human. Yes, very human, not one of us, although I cannot be sure that this human's memories were correct or untainted." I had to be patient, but Aro's concern and confusion only increased mine, by now we were waiting on the outskirts of a village. I could feel the throbbing of blood much stronger now, and even though I had fed but hours ago, I began to feel the venom seep through my teeth into my gums. I momentarily forgot about the girl.

"You see Marcus, they, in this village, have used her for their hunting. To kill the animals here for their food. Normally, as you remember, it is the more powerful, dominant human males whom this role belongs to, but she is different. She is a true hunter, nothing we have ever seen before. It looked as if, somehow, if anything like that was possible, but it seemed as if she was at one with the forest. I feel we must talk to these people, for if she shows potential now, just imagine what more she could offer. The possibilities…" At this, Aro was smiling, already imagining. Plotting and planning.

I still needed to know more, "But brother, what does this have to do with Caius."

Again, he smiled; and then I recognized it, it all seemed simple now. I knew he already had a plan for this girl and our brother, who we had never seen. "She will be his mate, his equal, imagine Marcus, the two of them. I was thinking about why Caius is never interested in females of our own kind, but perhaps it is because he needs something to reckon with, more similar to him."

Now, I understood, I saw what Aro had seen. I realised everything. "You want Caius to turn her." This was not a question, for I knew it immediately to be true. Why had I not realised it when Aro first mentioned that she was a hunter? It was all so obvious. Realising that I understood, Aro merely began nodding slowly.

I continued with the idea, "And you know that Caius will not fail, because she is what he needs," I paused, something else dawning on me. "You want her to join us." Again, another statement.

Aro began to explain, "I have seen how the people revere her, how she is regarded as above them, she is godly, we must ask for a gift from them, and it must be her." His eyes were gleaming now, and I could tell that he wanted her, very, very much. It appeared that he had sensed more of her, abilities, than he had felt proper to say. And I knew without asking, that there would be no debate, we both knew Caius, but did he know himself to know what even he wanted. We would soon find out.

"Very well, my brother, when do we see her?" Aro smiled deviously, and I knew that as we slipped into a crouch, unaware to the people surrounding us, that it would be soon, very soon.