ch4 – doubts and preparation

Morning introduced itself by casting beams of sunlight through the window and on to the dusty wooden boards of Clove's makeshift bedroom. When the little girl awoke she was upset to find that D wasn't with her. The hunter must have awoken at dawn and left with the brothers. Always considerate, he had closed the window and laid out a breakfast for her before departing. Granted, it was all preserved things from their saddlebag but it was good none the less. D was always thinking ahead. Clove took her time with her food. D and the two brothers would be gone for a while because knowing D he would examine the outside to an inch of death. Not that that was a bad thing. Clove finished her small breakfast, grabbed a small leather bound book, donned her cloak, and headed down the stairs.

Due to the loss of the matriarch of the family the home was more cluttered and more dusty than dirty. Clove felt a twinge of sadness for the brothers situation. She could never understand how D could not feel or show some sort of emotion to the pair or to all the other clients. Maybe it was because he had been around much longer than her. He must have seen and had many things done to him. She knew her parents suffered the fear of humans, which led to their death. This must had been only one of many injustices D had seen dealt their kind.

Their kind...

The little girl felt strange to think herself and her guardian like that but she couldn't ignore the differences between herself, humans, and vampires. Even as young as she was she could not ignore the fact that her life was truly apart from the other two species. She could never be satisfied with a 'normal' human life. Grow up, get married, have a child, and die. She couldn't settle for that and neither could D. A vampire's life was disgusting to her. Live, die, be reborn, and kill humans to survive for eternity. So she basically had to settle with killing one relative to save another. That was no life but it was the best thing D could come up with and the best she in turn could accept as her life. She had no doubt that if D could he would give her a better life then one of death and vagabond wandering.

It was strange to explain how she knew this; D never really expressed much feeling. He would give small curves of his lips and would hold her gently at times while she slept but that would be about it. The girl had learned to read the older dhampire. She could tell of his wants and intentions now but his emotions were still somewhat of a mystery.

Clove's musings took her through the house and outside into the yard. It was still somewhat early and families were just starting their morning meals. The morning air was cool and brisk causing small puffs upon exhalation. The little dhampire did not find it unpleasant, she and D often preferred cool days. The more ambitious farmers were already out and tending the land and animals. Horrors were visiting the town but life had to still roll on through the grief and fear. About 20 feet from the front door was a loosely fence empty field. Clove walked to it and slipped under the fence and sat herself down in a clump of wild daisies.

The little girl, in times of uncertainty, if D loved her like she loved him. The girls love for D was hard to explain. He wasn't like a parent, she had had those, and she had no siblings to compare him with. Sometimes his cool mask brought a twinge of pain to her stomach, which caused doubt. Did he love her back or even care for her? He must at least care for her since he took her in and let her accompany him without complaint. These thoughts caused tears to sting Clove's eyes. She sighed and curled up, her legs to her chest, in the flowers. The grass was dewy and Clove positioned her cloak beneath her.

Maybe he only took care of her because he thought it proper, or like some kind of job. Something he had to do and had no choice. It wasn't as though he could have dropped her off anywhere. She literally had no where to go. If he had left her she would have died or exposure and starvation, been murdered, or worse been captured like an animal. Although he wore a calm seemingly unfeeling mask, D was a man of honor so the possibility that she was a begrudgingly endured burned seemed high.

The possibility swirled in the girl's mind and before she knew it she found her eyes over flowing with tears. She wiped at her cheeks and unfolded herself. While she had been sitting the rest of the town had awoken. Some regarded her curiously as they past by but the majority avoided her gaze. Sighing, Clove opened up the small book she had brought to try and distract herself and pass the time. After awhile, she began to doze.

"Clove..."

Clove slowly opened her eyes and shifted them up. D stood above her, his large hat shielding her from the bright sun. Clove righted herself and tried to wipe the dried tear trails the still stubbornly clung to her from her cheeks. She wondered if he would ask what was wrong, the likely hood that he wouldn't caused her tears to start a new causing her to look down at the ground.

"Clove?"

At the questioning tone in his voice Clove looked back at him. D had lowered himself so he sat on his heels. Clove felt a chill run down her spine and was instantly ashamed of it. Why did she get that chill? The girl felt a reassurance of her previously drudged up insecurities and abandoned her vain attempt to stop her tears. D fell down on his knees and reached out to Clove. He gently cupped her face and wiped at her tear trails on her cheek with his thumb.

D had no idea why the girl was crying; there was no reason that he could see for it. He hoped his presence would comfort her; it pulled at him deep down to see her cry. The last time he saw her cry like this was when he first met her. D let his hand drop from the girl's face and was silent a moment.

"Are you better now?" he asked her as he rose to stand.

Clove rose too and after taking one last swipe at her face she looked up at him with her beautiful aqua eyes. Slowly her mouth curved into a smile and she nodded. "Yes... Yes I'm all right now... " With a simple gesture and his nonjudgmental silence her fears to rest for the moment and she followed D fatefully back to the doorstep where the brothers where chatting with a villager.

At the sight of his approach Lawrence raised his arm in greeting and stepped a few strides toward him. "It seems that another villager was taken last night, a little girl," he explained.

The villager, a wiry looking, middle-aged man, looked D up and down and gave a faint nod in acknowledgment then turned back to Jake.

"Like I was sayin'... I woke in at around 2:30 to a crash, ya know like breaking glass. Well I went to go investigate and came to my little girl Anna's room. I... I- I saw him, he was..." The man swallowed, tears coming to his eyes. "He was holding my little baby to his chest and she was all limp. He looked- he looked straight at me and smiled. He smiled and then disappeared outta the window."

The man finished and balled his fists staring at the ground and then his eyes caught sight of Clove partly hidden behind D. "You'd better be careful..." he said looking at D. "He'll be after her soon enough too and he'll take her from you." He pointed to Clove.

D looked down at Clove who stared up at him with her big aqua eyes, waiting for his answer. He looked back at the man and said simply, "He won't..." Clove gave him faint smile in thanks.

"Uh... um yeah... Well anyways I guess we'll have to go in tonight," Lawrence said.

Clove glanced up at the younger brother. She was confused as to why they would go after a vampire at night. Someone forgot to tell her something.

Jake sighed. "Lawrence why don't you get our things together while I keep talking to this man..."

Lawrence frowned, it seemed he didn't like to be ordered around. Before he could get out a complaint Jake continued, "I don't have time for you complaints Lawrence just hurry up."

D glanced down at Clove, "Clove, go as well..." Clove slipped away from D and followed the disgruntled Lawrence into the house closing the door behind him.

When his brother had completely disappeared into the house he continued. Turning to the villager he said, "I'll see what I can do about your daughter, I'll look for her but I give you no promises..." The man looked down at the ground and nodded.

D didn't need to hear anymore of this sentiment. The girl was probably already dead or turned. He left the men and headed toward the stables. Jake clasped the man's shoulders. "Go home and pray for Anna, that's all you can do now..." He gave the father an encouraging smile and sent him on his way.

Clove slung the saddlebag over her shoulder, the heavy pack knocking the wind out of her. Hunched over she trudged over to the stairs and began to descend them one at a time.

At the sound of the girl's loud descent Lawrence popped his head out of the dining room, a room the brothers had turned into a makeshift armory. He had two large bags slung over his shoulder and was holding four shot guns.

"Aw jeez..." he said. Right there in the doorway he dropped the guns and let the bags slip from his shoulders to the floor with a dull thud. He walked to the girl and held his hands out. "Here, give me that!"

Clove let the bag slid to the steps with a similarly loud thud. Lawrence grabbed the bag and threw it on to his shoulder. Clove followed him down the remaining steps and to his bags. "But you've already got all those others bags to carry!"

"Mah!" Lawrence responded. "I just gotta carry it to the stable is all."

"Exactly, only to the stable, I could do that!"

"Nonsense," Lawrence said as he pulled the other two bags onto his shoulders, a faint groan escaped his lips in effort. "Just do me a favor and grab those guns for me and open the door, alright?"

Clove nodded and hurriedly scooped up the guns, holding them to her chest, and opened the door. D and Jake were nowhere in sight having already gone to the stable. Lawrence and Clove began to walk, the younger brother obviously having troubles with the bags.

"Are you sure you're alright?" Clove asked as she gazed up at the taller man.

Lawrence looked back at Clove and flashed her a lopesided grin. "Yeah I'm peachy! I couldn't let your little self carry this all hunched over to the stable, you'd be crippled for life!" he teased.

Clove smiled at the lighthearted man. She thought of how easily a human could forget things, just a few minutes ago he was angry and fuming at his brother but was now making jokes. Clove's mind jumped back to the plan. "Lawrence..."

"Yeah little clover?"

"Why are we going after the vampire at night, it seems pretty stupid to me," she said.

"Oh sorry, I forgot to tell ya. The drawbridge only opens at night and because the currents so strong and the rocks so slippery there's no other way to get in."

"There has to be another way," Clove stated logically.

"Yeah, if we had months to plan and a dozen strong handed men we could probably fine one but we don't have any of that stuff," Lawrence said as the two entered the stables. D and Jake were waiting, the horses already out, saddled, and ready to go.

"Took ya long enough little brother," Jake said emphasizing the word little.

Lawrence rolled his eyes and let the bags drop from his shoulder. "Yeah, yeah..." He lifted the dhampire's bag from his shoulders and as gently as possible laid it on Ives's back, he didn't want to piss off D by being too rough with his horse. He then bent down and took the guns from Clove's arms and began to fit them into shotgun holsters that the brothers had rigged up to their horses' saddles. After a few moments of buckling the four were ready to go.

"Alright, by the time we get back to the fort the bridge should just be lower. Let's go!" Jake called and spurred his horse. The three horses took off at a fast clip, not full sped but nowhere near a trot. They rode on a grassy trail that seemed to be fairly unused. More akin to a deer path then a horse trail. The three horses ran for an hour or more on the deer trail before the ruins came into view. It was just as the brothers had described to Clove. It was at a place where the plains began to give way to forest and was seated on a high cliff.

The horses slowed and stopped at the edge of the drop off and the four dismounted. Clove walked over to the edge, the gap was at least 45 feet long and the river below it was truly violent. D came to stand at her side, behind them the brothers hastily checked their gear for night was fast approaching. D held out a short dagger to Clove who accepted it wordlessly.

"Never use it unless-"

"I have to, I know," Clove finished. She stuck the knife into the hem of her skirt and looked up at D. "D how do you feel about this one?"

D was silent a moment then said, "The same about every other one..." D glanced back at the brothers then down to Clove. "Their sister and mother are dead as are the others... Even after we kill this vampire they won't have closure..."

Clove looked to the ground her shoulders falling. She felt bad for the brothers but there was nothing she could do about it. She left D's side and walked back to Ives. She stroked the midnight black horse's muzzle. She hated having to wait.

AN – Hope you enjoy. :D