Disclaimer: I don't own any of these characters, places, events... Yadda yadda yadda.
I blinked my eyes, it was black as pitch. "Uh," I moved my hand and brushed something, there was a clink as my nails tapped against it. I pushed it away from me, it stopped when it hit something. I lifted my hand to push back the lid of my... 'coffin? I didn't summon it. How did it get here?' I sat up and looked around, yet another bedroom. This one had a large double bed and a smaller single placed at differentsides of the room. I couldn't help but smile when I looked next to my coffin, Crow had curled up and was fast asleep. I brushed his shoulder as he twitched, lost in the land of dreams. I carefully replaced the lid of my coffin before leaving the room, he didn't so much as stir when I closed the door. It was the first door to the left of the stairs, Damien's room. Good evening. I stepped out of the way of a black panther as he headed toward the stairs. About time you woke up. Crow was worried. He hasn't left your side since you... fell asleep.
"How long this time"
This is the third night. I had better get back to my rounds. He trotted down the stairs, out of sight.
'I need to go hunting, but I don't want to leave Crow'
Don't worry, we'll keep an eye on him until you get back.Crystal's sleepy reply worried me but I knew they could protect themselves.
'Know any good hunting grounds'
Try the city a few hours drive from here. Head North, you'll hit it eventualy.
I smiled and headed down the stairs, to see a fermiliar figure sitting at the counter. "Took you long enough Blades," I shook my head and smirked at her.
"Don't you ever sleep?" Kage just laughed and shook her head.
"Me and Damien are the resident night owls. Unless you count Radar, but he's in the city with Zack"
"Radar"
"Yeah, that's the name we kinda gave him. It suits him. I can't believe I miss that smartass little red head. Then again, he was always fun to p!ss off. Great, now I'm depressed. Hey! You're going hunting, can I come too? It's been awhile since I've had some fun. I can show you some good places to go fishin'. Gaurantee a bite everytime," she laughed and set the glass she had been sipping from in the sink. "The Humans of this world are some of the oddest I have seen"
"Is that suppose to be a compliment or an insult?" Kage leaned on the counter, straight faced.
"You'll know as soon as I do." She gave a smirk and crossed her arms, "Why do I have the feeling that you are going, weither I like it or not"
"Because, I am." She gave a shrug, "Besides, I've been meaning to go to town anyway. So, how are we getting there"
"I know you're not one to make any ties, you never call the kids by name because of this, but," I held out a hand to her, "You have to trust me"
"I do not trust anything that cannot die, but then again I've seen that you can. The others accept you, and so will I," she gave a smirk and took my hand, but only with her left one. "So,... Am I bait or am I suppose to flush them out?" "You," we suddenly stood in an overly dark alleyway, "Are just catching a ride, remember?" I couldn't help but smile, "Besides," I turned away from her and took a child's form, "I can be all of the above." "I said I wanted to have fun," I suddenly had my small arm trapped in Kage's, "And I will have some. Come Blades, let us be lost together." "I believe I've made a mistake about you. You are a hunter, just of a different kind," she smirked and turned us to walk the deserted streets.
"Potential, eight o'clock," I turned and caught movement.
"Minor theif, unappitizing," A flash of reddened eyes was all it took to scare him off our scent.
"Picky much?" She smirked, "Three," I caught the look in his eyes, wild.
"Druggy" I could smell the sweet grug, "Too rich for me. Not without something bitter to cut the taste"
"Does the thief sound better now"
"Why"
"Up ahead," Kage stopped as a small group flanked up. "Call your choice now, there might not be any left for you"
"Rapist, follower, wannabe thief, dealer"
"That one's mine," she had those killer's eyes again.
"Fine the rapist and the thief are mine. the follower will run off," the group was coming closer.
"Chicken shit"
"What do we have here? Two lost little lambs on their way home?" The Rapist had a sadistic smirk as he spoke, he brushed one of my curles away from my face.
'Pedifial! I should've known'
"Nope, the lambs are all asleep in their beds... The wolves and Shadows are all that's left," Kage suddenly slashed out at the follower that was on her right, as predicted, he fell back and ran. "Ha, ha, ha..," she turned on the Dealer.
I joined in her laughter as I shifted and had the Rapist off the ground by his throat. "You get a special treat," I whispered into his ear. "Pain is all you'll know," I didn't just feed, I ripped and tore at his throat until he couldn't scream, absorbing every drop of blood and energy until his body was just a mumified husk. I dropped him and turned to see the Theif, scurrying on all fours, backwards, trying to escape. "Shock," I crouched down, he stared wide eyed at me. "Ruins the taste. Forget," his eyes dulled. "Go home, it ws a bad dream."
"A... dream? Home... Bad dream," he got to his feet and walked off in a trance.
"Not in the mood for seconds?" I looked over to see Kage crouching ove the Dealer, "Move and you comite suicide," she smiled that half sane smile and though I couldn't see any, I could smell blood.
"Uh?!"
"Tsk, tsk, no talking. Wouldn't want that blade to move. Right now you're just parilized," I blinked at Kage and she just shrugged and smirked. "Figured, why waste it?"
"Why indeed," she smiled and stood, stepping back.
"I want my knife back when your finished. Enjoy," she walked on, leaving me to my meal.
"She's on odd one, don't you think?"I smiled down at my motionless meal. "It has come to my attention that she hates your... kind. You won't suffer as your friend did. Make your peace," I dug claws into his throat and let my skin absorb the blood, "And die." His, spine gave, numbing his body of pain, dying almost instantly.
I smirked as I freed the blade from the man's throat. 'Odd indeed.' I turned and headed towards Kage. I saw her in time for her to turn a corner. "Speak of the devil!" I was suddenly at her side as she laughed and ruffled the hair of a smaller boy, "You haven't changed a bit!"
"Damnit Kage," the boy batted her hand away from his red hair, "I just got it to stay out of my eyes!" He fussed with his over shaggy hair, trying to pull it back into a tail. To no avail, the front was too short and flopped back into his eyes.
"RENO!" Kage screeched and laughed.
"That's it, I'm shaving my head!"
"NOOOOOOOO!" Kage clapped her hands over her heart and forhead, falling back as if in a swoon. I had to catch her before she hit the ground. "You have slain me," she made a few choking noises and went limp, her hands falling to brush the ground.
"Are you bipolar?" I couldn't help but smile. "You should've warned me I was to play white knight. I wouldn't be dressed in black with my eyes flushed red from the feed."
"I never was one for white," she righted herself and smirked, "Besides, you look better this way."
"Don't mean to break up the reunion, but we have company coming," the little red head pushed at us, Kage realy he just shooed at me, into a darkened alley. "Stay quiet," he grabbed Kage, ducking into the shadows, leaving me in the open alone.
"Do your stuff," I saw Kage's smirk as they seemed to fade deeper into the shadows.
I blinked nad looked back intime to see a group of men run past, straggler was panting and stopped to catch his breathe. He glanced over at me, "Here! Over here!" In the time it took for him to look back to me, I had already let my form merge with the shadows.
"Where?" A brute of a man rushed back to the one that had ran away from the battle, the follower.
"Uh... She was right there." The shadows danced at my silent laughter, causing their hearts to beat faster.
"What does this, demon of yours look like?" They walked toward me, barly glancing at any of their surroundings.
"We thought she was just a little girl, but then she changed... into this tall... monster. She ripped Clay's throat out, with her teeth!" 'He had stayed long enough to see that? Hm,... interesting.'
I was so watchfull over these two that I barly noticed that four more had joined them. A shimmer caught my attention as two of them got close to Kage's hiding place, the reflection of light on metal. 'She can take care of herself.' My attention was drug back to the two that had been talking, they were staring at me! No, through me. 'Damn intuitive Humans!' "What is it?" The follower was asking the other one, the leader by the way they all turned toward him. Murderer! I could smell it on him.
"Nothing," the two men closest to Kage suddenly dissapeared into the shadows. They all turned to look at where the men had been as I reached out from the shadows and drug the leader to me.
"Murderer," he tried to claw at me when I burried my fangs into his throat, I just pulled his arms away from me hard enough that they snapped and hung uslessly at his sides.
"So what does that make you?"
I dropped the lifeless body and pulled my form together fully, "Well fed." Kage just smiled at me as she threw a knife at hte follower that was trying to escape, he dropped when it struck the back of his neck. "Nice shot."
"I know. How are you adjusting Radar?" The boy was rubbing his eyes.
"I'm a little dissoriented but I'll be fine. What the hell are you?"
Kage started laughing even as I looked down at the murderer's bloodless body, " I thought that would be odvious by now."
"It would be, but you've got my blinded one minute and blanked the next. No offense," his eyes flitted to the body at my feet, "but you give my a headache."
"I suppose it is better than my being a pain in the neck," a stray sound caught my attention, at the same time his head shot up and turned in the direction.
"Company," we blinked at each other. "How did you?" Kage started laughing as we looked at each other, yet again speaking at once, "Never mind."
"We should go," I spoke alone, thought he looked as if about to speak. "Give me your hand," Kage took it without hesitation, the boy didn't even reach for it.
"Radar, we don't have time for this," Kage scolded as the sound of sirens grew closer. He blinked at her but took my hand.
In a blink, we were back in the kitchen at the house. "Welcome back," Jake sat at the counter, sipping what smelled like coffee. "I see you've fed well," he wrinkled his nose. "And you brought home Radar. Not bad for a night's work."
"Too bad the nights are short. Have I fed enough to look Human? It's been awhile since I've... feasted."
"You have color in your cheeks, but I wouldn't call you human," he smirked as he rinsed his cup, along with the one Kage had left. "Mind helping me get the kids moving before you go to bed?"
I gave a smile, "Why do I think you have something in mind?" All I got in reply was a chuckle as Jake led the way to the sleeping area. "A little early to be waking them up, don't you think?"
"You try getting this many people up, in one house, and try being ready on time. Early is the only way you can do it."
"The last time I had to get a lot of people moving at once was," once we got down the stairs I took a deep breathe. DANGER! I roared in Lion.
"Subtle," Kage smirked as they all woke up in a panic.
Jake laughed and stepped forward, catching Crystal as she fell, "'mornin Trithe."
"Uh, why am I not surprised?"
"That's what you get for sleeping in the rafters," he smirked and set her on her feet.
"Rafters aren't that bad to sleep in. I use to sleep in them all the time." Everyones' eyes turned to me, "What? They were the easiest place to hide in churches."
"Churches?" Kage laughed, "What would you be doing in a church?"
"Seeking santuary, the same as everyone else." The entire room went still, "What?" Everyone just blinked at me and then looked at each other.
"You've been... inside churches?"
"Of course. Sometimes they're the only safe places to go. I tend to leave Crow there when I hunt."
"Hunt what, exactly?" I just smiled at Jake's question and turned to head back up the stairs.
"They are awake, and the sun is rising, I'm goin to bed."
"Pleasant dream Blades. We should do that again, real soon."
"Yeah, soon," I caught a glimpse of the sun coming through the first floor windows. "Next time, you choose the prey." With a smirk, I headed upstairs to my coffin.
When I pushed open the door, I smiled. Crow was still sound asleep next to my coffin. As I got closer I frowned. He was pale, too pale, and he was shivering as if cold. I stopped myself before I could say his name. 'Poor little bird.' I took off my choker and, as I draped it over him, it lengthened into a blanket.'Maybe I can teach him tot fend off the cold. Energy should work. Tonight then, I will teach you to feed.' I laid a kiss upon his head and settled into my coffin, for a long day's death/sleep.
Author's Note:
Sorry it took so damn long... Shouldn't from now on... Please review... I"M BEGGING!!