Author's Note: As promised, another straight out the printing press chapter of Stranger! I had to do so historical research for this one. It might not all be right but I did try to make it kind of believable. Thank you fruit fly, Orlandochica and Colleen Sotac for your reviews last chapter. I'm sorry about the cliffhangers but that's what keep you coming back, right? lol
Disclaimer: Not mine!
Chapter 7- The past for our present
I closed the door behind us and slipped out of my clothes. James stood there quietly in the middle of my room, his eyes staring blankly at the walls. I turned him around so I could take off his jacket, gently touching his chest.
"Tell me" I whispered, " I don't care how bad it is, tell me everything"
He nodded his head and took me to the bed, laying on top of me like always. He placed his head in the center of my chest as silence fell over us. The shock and searing pain in my forearm ebbed away.
" Where do you want me to start?" said James"
"The very beginning" I muttered,"leave nothing out"
I felt him close his eyes and take a breath.
" Most vampires can not recall their human life" said James quietly, " it's suppose to get harder as you live longer. But for me, I can recall everything...
I was born before the French and Indian War in New England. I was the oldest of three children, the sole heir to my father who was a seasoned solider for the King's army. He was a man who saw tittle and rank higher thank anything else. I was so different than my father. I loved the out doors and hunting. I taught myself other than what I learned from the Lenape. My teacher was Mountain Claw; he never thought I was good enough because I was "pale faced". My lessons with him ended when the war started. The Lenape was allied with the French and my father, being the man that he was, shoved a rifle in my hand at age 12. He introduced me to the other kind of hunting, the hunting of men...
During the war, tragedy hit my family. A Lenape killed my mother, my sisters and burned our house down. The one native man that I trusted: Mountain Claw. My father went after Mountain Claw but failed to find him. He blamed me for everything; Said he would kill me for becoming friendly with a "wild native". I couldn't take his mindless ranting so I ran away, so he can never find me. I fled to the French Territory of Louisiana where I became a trapper apprentice at 15. I used everything Mountain Claw taught me to find every animal we needed. I was finished with my apprenticeship at 19. Then I left Louisiana to go as far the icy lands of the Inuits then traveled back east to Quebec where my destiny awaited me.
"I was in the forest, setting up some traps for my prey when I saw her. Standing in a clearing in the forest, a beam of light cascading on her. Her skin sparkled like a precious stone, or as if she was sprinkled with flecks of gold and silver. I would have thought she was an angel, with her long dark locks and perfect skin, but the sight of her terrible red eyes, I knew otherwise. I ran as fast as I could from her but in one fatal and graceful swoop, she griped my neck and stuck her teeth into me. The transformation was all the pain my human brain could imagine and comprehend. I died and was reborn on my birthday; I turned 23 that day only to go back to the status of a child.
What seemed like a week later, I finally awoke and she was over me. Concern set in her fierce red eyes , she told me why she attacked me and turned me.
"Because you are a hunter and you are beyond prepared for this life" she told me.
She also revealed to me that she has been watching me since the death of my family and knew I wanted revenge. So she taught me everything. How to hunt, trick, fight, and use my senses to lure my prey and destroy my enemies. She was a Lioness and I was her cub, and since I never knew her name, I lovingly called her "mother". Mother was very right about me, I was perfect for the new life she gave me. I was fast, deadly and at times sadistic... Mother noticed that I liked to play with my food. To me, everyone of my victims was my father and I was giving him every bit of torcher he deserved. When I was 6 months, She finally reviled to me the whereabouts of my family's murderers. Mountain Claw was much older now. Experienced, but slow and senile. He has no experience with me or my kind. Mother lead me to the Claw's family lands and sat in the bushes until the perfect time. His whole family was there with him, sitting around the fire, laughing and speaking in their tongue. We sat there, our eyes never leaving our prey. It was only then that I realized that my Mother was native, I saw the similarities in the faces of my prey and wondered if she too was Lenape. My thoughts broke when the perfect time presented itself. I rushed out of the forest, grabbed his head and made him stare into my eyes so he knew it was me. The little "pale face" boy who wasn't good enough and I was there to kill his family. I savored victory as mother and I gorged ourselves with the Mountain Claw clan. Then she left me, claiming that her job was done. I searched for her for many years, until I gave up on finding her myself. Hoping that I would bump into her again in my long infinite life.
" After I stopped my search, I had my first encounter with him...The Guardian.
I was roaming in the confederate south, near Mississippi and I caught a sent that was so much like yours today. It was coming from the edge of the forest I was in. There I discovered a young slave girl by firelight with a book. She jumped at the sight of me, asking me not to beat her for reading. I didn't notice much of her pleads, I was more focused on her sweet smell and her exotic beauty, though it wouldn't have been recognized at that time. I assured her that I was not going to harm her and that I was an abolitionist from the north helping slaves. She quickly became comfortable with me until another slave came out of the forest with speed and strenght equal to mine but with brilliant gold eyes. He chased me away from her. I was very confused on what they were, but every time I smelled that sent , the Guardian would always be there"
I sat up, my mind piecing together the puzzle James gave me. " What is a Guardian?" I asked
" It is a Vampire's equal and opposite. They are here to protect humans from being eaten by us and being turned into us. Humans are called their "Sovereigns", especially if they are reborn with the same family for many years. They take shape of those who are close to their sovereign." said James, " In your case, David is your Guardian. He knows I've been after your family's blood for centuries. I've never been able to taste it until now"
The cold crushing feeling in my chest had nothing to do with James' lack of body heat. To have the realization that the man I'd fallen for was after the sweet life force of my family should be disturbing to me, making me frightful. But it didn't. It just made the path that I'm on more rooted in the hands of fate.
Author's Note: Dun Dun DUUUUUUUUUNNN! Okay so not much of a cliffhanger here, I'm sure you guys are glad. So how did you like James' story eh? Most people put him as some sort of French blood thirsty Knight, but I thought having him as a fur trapper/ hunter was a bit more linked. It also puts some emphasis on his nomadic nature. And David being a Guardian! What the hell is that you ask? IDK... I made it up. Kinda think of it as your guardian angel or something. Thought it was a pretty cool idea... do you like it? I hope so. Now, if you want bonus points, did anyone figure out where James got that nice animal tooth from? [ Hint: CLAW]. If you guess it right first, I'll put you in the story or something. Off to write Chapter 8! :D
