Why did I do this to myself? Funny…I actually feel nauseous…
After about a day, the fangs finally went away. Besides that, things continued as they had for the past few months. The sunlight was fine. Eduard was never an outdoors person anyway. School had been the same. The girls were fine. Except for the girls with those cross necklaces. He was an atheist anyways. His bed was fine to get some rest. And he found himself needing less and less sleep. Which gave him more time for research. He read every book he could find on vampires. He looked at every website. The internet was surprisingly slightly helpful. He was actually able to steal a small supply of blood from the school doctor when he felt himself really getting hungry for it. He decided to eat that every time the hunger was unbearable. Which was pretty much every week.
But now that supply was getting dangerously low. And by dangerously low, it meant there was a lot less than he had thought. So when that seventh day came, Eduard panicked and tore apart his drawers looking for if he had misplaced any. He then shrugged it off and thought to himself that one more day was fine. One more day turned into two days. People told him he was looking gaunt, sick, and even paler than usual. He could barely focus in school. The girls were worried sick about him. On the tenth day, he couldn't take it anymore. At this point, his fangs would not retract. No matter how much he tried, they wouldn't go away for more than a minute. It was slightly painful to retract them. No matter how much normal food he ate he was still famished. It was Saturday night now and he was working on his now popular comic to try to distract himself from the hunger.
"Eduard?"
Eduard quickly retracted his fangs before Tino, his roommate, came in.
"Oh…H-Hey Tino…"
"Eduard, we need to talk," stated Tino.
"Oh okay. W-What about?" he replied.
"It's about you. I'm worried that you're not eating," he said, "You shouldn't starve yourself for whatever reason you have."
"I'm not starving myself!" he defended, "You saw me eat yesterday!"
"Is there something you're not telling me?" Tino asked, "Remember, I'm your best friend. I promise whatever it is, we can work through it." Eduard suddenly realized something.
"Wait a second…you don't think I'm bulimic, do you?" Eduard concluded, "Oh God, you do! You followed me to the bathroom after lunch yesterday!"
"Am I wrong?"
"Yes!"
"Then why do you look so sick?" Eduard had kept this secret from his roommate for a bit over a month now. Now would be a good time to tell him…if he didn't look so delicious. Eduard hugged Tino tightly when his fangs started to come back. He forced then back, pain stinging his mouth. His friend's neck caught his eye. So exposed…so smooth…so tender…Out of all the people in the world for him to bite, it had to be his best friend! "Eduard…you're shaking…" He felt his fangs slipping out again. The hunger was gnawing at him to do it.
"I'm so sorry…" he said, trying to stop his fangs, "I don't want to do thi'sh!" Tears clouded his eyes. Tino hugged him back.
"Do what? Eduard, what is going on?" he questioned.
"Forgive me, Tino…" He then bit into his friend. He felt Tino flinch. He began sucking ravenously…but nothing was coming out. He tried sucking harder. Finally, something hit his tongue. The taste was so awful, it made him stop and gag. He felt a hand in his back.
"Why didn't you just tell me?" He looked up. Tino stood there grinning. Eduard blinked in confusion. "How long?"
"…About a bit over a month. I'm sorry I kept this from you…"
"You haven't eaten in over a month?!" Tino yelled.
"No no! That's how long I've known. I haven't eaten in eight days," he clarified.
"Oh damn, that's still bad! I know a good place to get a good bite!" he said.
"How-How are you taking this so well?" Eduard stammered. The Finn's grin suddenly turned into a fanged smile, revealing his wicked white canines. Eduard couldn't find any words.
"Come on! I'm due for a bite too!"
¶
"Stop scratching and it will go away."
"But it itches!"
"That will be the least of your concerns if everyone sees scales up your arms!" Tino said.
"I know…" sighed Raivis, "Eduard lectures me about it every time!"
"What's going on?" Feliks asked.
"I'm beginning scaling," explained Raivis, "It's like the mermaid version of acne except instead of pimples, we get rashes all over our skin that breaks out in scales."
"Speaking of acne, where is–" Feliks trailed off when he saw Eduard. Even the guy who was wheeling in a new vending machine had stopped to look at him. His eyes were a purple colour now, he was a bit paler, and he just had a more radiant appearance in general. Not to mention the fabulous scarf around his neck. He was still wearing his glasses, much to Tolys's surprise. Maybe he already replaced the lenses. He sat down at the table.
"Hey," Tolys smiled.
"Hey," he replied softly.
"Are you okay?" Raivis asked.
"I could be better," he replied, "I ate myself sick this weekend."
"What's with the scarf?" Feliks asked.
"The bite mark doesn't go away for a while," he replied. He nodded.
"So…like, how does it feel?" Feliks asked.
"Well, I don't need sleep anymore. I don't need to eat regular food, but my hunger is a lot stronger," he described, "It's like everything is much stronger. The sun kind of hurts too."
"I'm sorry," said Tolys, "I'm sorry you got dragged into my mess. It's all my fault."
"I didn't have to be involved. I chose to. You're still my friend, Tolys," he said, "He would have killed you if it weren't for me."
"I-I thank you for that," he said.
"And you there! stop scratching!" Eduard scolded Raivis.
"I'm sorry!"
"Anyways, we need to talk about this whole Arthur situation," said Eduard, "We now know that these hunters are not going to stop. Arthur seems determined to rid the world of werewolves. We also know that Natalya is working for them as well. Now the only question is what do we do about it?" Tolys looked down, a depressed aura surrounding him.
"I don't know," he sighed, "I could fake my death, but I want to have a future still. I don't want to live the rest of my life running."
"Maybe if you could make him understand that you're still human," suggested Raivis, "Whether he likes it or not, you are the same person before all this happened. And you're not an uncontrollable monster."
"Raivis…"
"If only people worked that way," sighed Eduard.
"I think there's nothing that I really can do…" said Tolys.
"This is like, totally depressing! Let's talk about something else!" Feliks complained.
"Feliks is right," smiled Tino, "There's enough sad stuff going on right now. We need some light." Tolys sighed.
"If not you could like, live with your uncle, Tory," said Feliks.
"Speaking of which, I would like to meet your uncle him some–Raivis!"
"Crap," he hid his arms.
"Raivis, give me your arm," commanded Eduard. Raivis reluctantly put his left arm on the table. He rolled up the sleeve, revealing large splotches of glistening red scales dotted across Raivis's arm. Feliks, who mistook it for a scab, almost threw up.
"OMG! Like, what the hell is that?!" he exclaimed.
"Scales."
"…Oh…Oh! Now I don't feel so bad," he sighed.
"They'll cover your entire body if you keep scratching," lectured Eduard.
"I know…"
"I can only imagine what your back looks like."
"But it's so bad…" whined Raivis, "You don't know how much it itches!"
"Someone is going to see you!"
"Your eyes look purple!" Raivis defended.
"My eyes are not as noticeable as your skin!"
Tolys and Feliks sighed. The full moon was in a few days. With Eduard adjusting to being a full vampire while dealing with Raivis, they figured that they would have to deal with things on their own.
§
"So, what are you planning on doing tomorrow?" Feliks asked, "You know, about the moon."
"Oh. I honestly don't know," Tolys sighed, "I mean I want to go out, but with all the hunters…" Feliks sighed. Ever since the encounter with Arthur, Tolys had been nothing but gloomy and negative. "I'll probably just lock myself up again. Even though it hurts."
"Where is Arthur anyways? I haven't seen him since this weekend," noticed Feliks.
"I can ask Alfred," said Tolys, "That is a bit strange that I haven't seen him in school...He's probably plotting ways to kill me."
"I'm sure he has better things to do…" Feliks dismissed. Tolys shut his locker and began heading outside, looking at the floor. He was mostly quiet on the way back. It really irked Feliks.
"Anything else going on?" Feliks asked.
"Nothing you don't already know about."
"How's Ivan?"
"As you'd expect."
"Talked to Eduard and Raivis much lately?"
"They have their own problems."
"Ugh! I can't take it anymore!" Feliks groaned, "You're so gloomy and depressing! Like, way more than usual! What's going on?"
"What do you think?" Tolys replied, "I almost died, again! It's clear that these hunters aren't going to stop until I'm dead! There's a chance that I may have to drop out of school and move because of this!" Tolys leaned up against a tree, trying his best to pull himself together. "I may have to live a life on the run. I don't know how far these hunters are going to pursue me. On top of that, other wolves are going to keep coming after me and…" He sat on the ground, burying his face in his arms, finally falling apart. "I don't...I don't want to live like that," he choked, "I just want to live a normal life. I want to live the life I had planned before all this happened. I just want things to go back to normal…" Feliks sat next to his friend.
"Tolys, you were never normal," reminded Feliks.
"...I know that," he sighed, "Why did they even bother having me if this was how my life was going to be? I didn't sign up for this…"
"You know, I didn't sign up for my family either, Tolys," remarked Feliks. Tolys was quiet. He felt a bit guilty.
"I'm sorry," he apologized, "I'm just...I'm really scared about my future." He groaned. "And if that wasn't already bad, Natalya knows about me now! So my relationship with her is ruined forever. In fact, because of this, I don't think I can ever be in a normal relationship ever again."
"Why do you think that?" Feliks asked.
"Because no one wants to deal with this," Tolys ranted, "I don't even want to deal with all this. Who would want to spend the rest of their life with a savage, uncontrollable beast? Who would like someone like that?" It was quiet for a moment. Feliks couldn't believe what he was hearing. How could his friend still think like that? After all they went through together, how could he not know? Feliks sighed.
"I still like you."
Tolys looked up at Feliks. "And I don't care what you think," Feliks said, "You have people that like you, Tolys. You're a great person. You're the best friend I could ever ask for. Someone is bound to fall for you like I…" Feliks swallowed a bit. "My point is, your life isn't over. We just need to get rid of these hunters and everything will be good." Tolys was quiet for a moment. "You may be part wolf but your other part is still human. So you should be able to live like the rest of us." Tolys blinked.
"...That's it!"
"What?"
"Feliks, you gave me an idea!" Tolys stated, "We learned from Eduard's encounter that the hunters can't just kill anyone they want. It's illegal to kill an undead apparently. Maybe there's a reason he hasn't gone after me while I'm in human form! The hunters have to abide by a set of rules! I just have to learn those rules and play by them!" Tolys stood up.
"Yeah! There's got to be some legal loophole somehow!" Feliks's face lit up.
"I'm going to call Eduard and see if–" he was cut off by Feliks's phone ringing. Feliks reached in his pocket and answered his phone.
"Yo? Lukasiewicz?" he stated.
"Feliks, this is Tino."
"Ey, Tino! What's up?" Feliks greeted.
"Tino?" Tolys questioned.
"I was calling about the dart that you had me analyse. Apparently inside it has a similar substance to what was in Tolys's drink on New Years."
"The stuff that made him transform?" Feliks asked.
"Yes. Although significantly less."
"Well that explains everything," said Feliks.
"What? What is it?" Tolys asked.
"Is Tolys there?"
"He is," answered Feliks, "Wanna talk to him?"
"Yes. I think he should know this."
"Alright," Feliks handed the phone to Tolys, "Tino wants to talk." Tolys took the phone.
"Tino, hello. Actually I needed to talk to you about something too…"
¶
Eduard exchanged his books from his locker. He searched for his physics book as he put his math textbook on the bottom shelf. After he grabbed his physics book, he felt a tapping on his shoulder, causing him to almost drop it. He turned around to see Vlad. He didn't even hear him coming. Then again, vampires were incredibly stealthy.
"Oh, hello," greeted Eduard emotionally.
"How is being a full vampire?" Vlad asked. Eduard blinked.
"How did you–"
"I wouldn't have known if it weren't for last weekend," said Vlad, "You don't remember, do you?"
"I'm afraid I don't," Eduard rubbed his head.
"Of course you don't. No newborn vampire ever remembers their rampages," said Vlad, "Did Tino tell you about what you did?"
"He told me a little. He managed to keep me mostly constrained to the forest but he said I eventually broke out and got into civilization," summarized Eduard, "I'm a bit worried about what I did."
"I wouldn't worry too much about it. Tino and I managed to keep you somewhat under control," assured Vlad.
"Wait, you were there?" Eduard asked.
"Yes," nodded Vlad, "I was in the middle of a meal, in fact…"
"Thank you," smiled Eduard, "I really mean it."
"It's no worries. I still got a nice meal," said Vlad, "Though I am still bitter that you took my dinner though." Eduard chuckled.
"What exactly did I do that night?"
¶
"Oh Vlad, I had such a wonderful time. I don't want to go home."
"My dear, it's 20 minutes past midnight! Your parents will be worried."
"I guess…"
"I will call you tomorrow, if I can," promised Vlad. He walked the girl to her apartment building, stopping by the steps. "Well, until we meet again." The girl giggled.
"Your accent is just so…" The girl cut herself off with giggling. Vlad smirked. He knew he had perfected his English, but Vlad still spoke with an accent. Chicks loved accents and it made him 80 times more likely to get fed.
"One more kiss, before you go," said Vlad. The enchanted girl immediately obeyed. Vlad wrapped his arms around her before his lips met hers. One kiss turned into multiple, and soon the two were making out right by the steps. In one fluid, routine motion, Vlad moved to kiss her lightly on the cheek. He descended down her face, leaving kisses on her jaw, under her chin, and eventually to her neck. Two light kisses on her neck and he drew his fangs, ready to go in for the bite. The sound of running footsteps coming towards made him freeze. The police? A bystander? A monster hunter? He perked his head up to see a flash of white, blue, and brown dash past him. He then heard a muffled scream from behind him. Vlad whipped around to see another vampire eating his meal.
"Hey! Asshole! That was mine!" Vlad spat, his eyes starting to smoulder. The blonde vampire was drawing a lot of blood incredibly quickly. Vlad noticed the color quickly draining from the girl's face, going from a light pink to a blanch white in seconds. "Are you crazy? You're going to kill her!" Vlad yelled. The blonde menace did not listen. Vlad growled and gave the food thief a hard shove, knocking him back into the trash cans. The girl fell to the ground, unconscious. Vlad didn't have time to worry about her now. He had to deal with this punk. He stormed to the trash cans.
"Who the hell do you think you are?" snarled Vlad, "You have some nerve to steal my foo-"
"Hissssss!" The other vampire stared directly at him and gave a primal hiss. His eyes were glowing bright molten red, meaning he was incredibly famished or a newborn. Vlad took a step back, startled. This wasn't an ordinary vampire. This was a monster. Vlad then recognised that the vampire was wearing a uniform from his school. He gasped when he recognised who the vampire was.
"E-Eduard?" Vlad stammered. Damn it! Someone else must have bit him! Eduard shoved Vlad out of the way and ran down the street. Shortly after, he heard more footsteps coming his way. Vlad turned around to see that Tino was chasing him.
"Which...Which way did he go?" Tino huffed, exhausted, "I am too out of shape for this…"
"He stole my meal and went that way," pointed Vlad, "What happened?"
"It's a long story," said Tino, "But right now I have to keep him from killing anyone!"
"I'll help you," volunteered Vlad.
"Really?"
"Yes. Eduard is my friend now," he said, "I have to. Besides, I'm still hungry." Tino took off running. "Tino!"
"What?" Tino yelled back.
"You'll have a much easier time flying," reminded Vlad who shortly disappeared into a black mist.
"Oh yeah...right…" Tino mentally smacked himself before transforming into a bat after Vlad. The two then flew off into the night, swarming towards their friend.
¶
"You used the wrong 'your' again."
"Ah! Darn…"
"It's okay. I was told that even native English speakers have this problem."
"The sentence structure is really hard! It is hard remembering where everything goes."
"Just remember the list of rules that I gave you and you'll be okay."
Tolys was with Ivan helping him with his English again. He was showing signs of improvement, but he was still far from being ready for the essay portion. He had a test the next day and he wanted Tolys to stay a bit longer. Meanwhile, the sun was sinking lower and lower in the sky and Tolys was getting incredibly nervous. He planned to be back at the house before the moon rose, now that was definitely pushing it.
"I think you're getting a lot better. You're definitely better than the last time," said Tolys.
"Can we go over prepositions one more time?" Ivan asked. Tolys knew that he had to get back, seeing that the sky was already dark. But Ivan was giving him that look. That look that he couldn't say no to.
"Alright. One more time. But I really have to get going…" Tolys said starting to sweat, "Alright. When giving a specific time, what preposition do you use?"
"What do you mean?"
"Say you want to meet someone. You need to give them a specific time," elaborated Tolys, starting to feel drained, "You say meet me…"
"Oh! Meet me in eight. No! At eight!"
"Yes. At eight," nodded Tolys, "The other one means meet me in eight minutes. When you want to meet someone an hour from now…"
"Meet me in an hour?"
"Good," Tolys could feel sweat running down his face, "H-Here. I made an extra prepositions worksheet. It's very short. You finish it and I will correct it when I get back from the bathroom."
"Okay!"
Tolys power walked to the bathroom and shut the door. He turned on the sink and washed his face with the cold water. He leaned on the edge of the sink, shaking slightly. He made a small pool of cool water and stuck his face in it, holding his hair back. When he came up for air, the frigid water cooled made his face feel frozen. He sighed in comfort. He drained the water, and washed his hands again. He froze when he saw the mirror. Right behind him was the moon, its reflection shining brightly behind him.
"Oh no…" Tolys breathed. Relax. I just have to grade Ivan's worksheet and everything will be fine. You'll be out of here before you know it. Tolys took a slow breath and exited the bathroom.
"You were in for a long time," Ivan said, "You okay?"
"I'm fine now," said Tolys, "Let me see the worksheet. Are you done?"
"One more…" Ivan thought for a bit. What was only a minute felt like an hour to Tolys. Ivan finally filled in the answer. "All done!"
"Alright," Tolys sat back down, "While I work on this, study the vocabulary." Tolys tried to go through the worksheet, marking the answers that were wrong, which so far was only three. By the time he got to the eighth question, he could see that his fingernails were already long and black and his hands were starting to get hairy. He only had seven questions left. He sped through them, skipping over a few, but he couldn't concentrate on the paper. He knew some of these were wrong, but he didn't have time to correct them. "Alright. You only got four out of 15 wrong. Good job."
"Your face is red. Are you okay?" Ivan asked.
"I-I'm feeling a bit sick," Tolys replied, hurriedly packing up his things.
"Oh no! I hope that you recover," Ivan replied.
"Alright. I'll see you next time," Tolys said, "Good bye."
"Good bye Tolys!" Ivan waved. Tolys shut the door and rushed out of the house. He rushed down the steps of the house and tried not to look at the moon. At the bottom of the stairs, he hit something. He swiftly glanced behind him. He felt his body shake when he saw Natalya's icy gaze staring at him. A chill went down his spine. He forced his body to move, scrambling away. He fled through the forest, trying his best not to transform until he could find a good place to stash his clothes and backpack. Just a little bit longer until release. Just a little bit longer.
¶
Alfred returned home and looked by the door. He sighed. The pair of white runners were still there. Arthur has been in his room for the past two days. He had even skipped school. Alfred, who roomed with his half brother, was getting rather worried about him. He didn't come down for breakfast or dinner as far as Alfred saw. Whenever Alfred tried to talk to him Arthur told him he was just feeling "under the weather". Each time Alfred asked Arthur seemed to get more and more annoyed with him, so Alfred decided to give up on talking to him. He tried calling his full brothers today. They seemed really concerned as well and promised that they would come over tomorrow. But Alfred was too concerned about his brother and tomorrow wasn't enough. So he phoned someone else and told them that they need to come over today.
It was dark inside Arthur's room. Arthur had been in his pajamas for two days. He had showered today when Alfred was gone, but he just returned to his bedroom immediately after. Arthur was a cocktail of negative thoughts and emotions. He had been too scared to go to school because he was afraid he would be in trouble with the law. How could he show his face after that? And he couldn't tell Alfred because he and Matthew lived with his dad and had no idea what the Kirkland family business was. As far as Alfred was concerned, it was deer hunting. His brother couldn't even see the small sprites and creatures he could see and he was often dubbed as crazy by Alfred, even though Alfred believed in aliens. That was the main reason why his mother hid this from the twins and let them live with their father. The two were the only two that didn't heckle him after he told his family he was dating a Bonnefoy because they didn't know about the rivalry. Arthur kind of liked that, but that also meant that he was leading a double life around his brother. As much as he wanted to talk about this, he had no one to talk to. The brownies, pixies, and unicorns he had to leave behind when he came here. And this did nothing to ease the incident with his girlfriend.
So as usual, he was alone. Not that he wasn't used to it. He had always been a loner. But he had to talk to someone about this. Kiku didn't know anything either. The occult club would probably understand, but what is someone ratted him out? He would talk to his brothers but they would tell him it was just an accident or just a vampire. He covered his face in his hands.
"I can't go to jail. I just can't!" Arthur whispered, "It was just an accident!" Arthur didn't want to get in legal trouble. That was what he was most afraid of. But there was something else that contributed to these negative feelings.
That night was burned into Arthur's memory now. The bang of the gun. Firing what he thought were two clear shots. The werewolf trying to attack his brother. But then he got in the way, trying to restrain his friend. The two red dots staining his sweater vest. But the worst part was the look on his face. The look of fear and shock. The expression that said "Oh God. I can't believe this is happening. I'm going to die". It was that expression that haunted him. He had hunted humanoid creatures like succubi before, but they were always in their full form, wings and talons unleashed, trying to rip him to shreds. The vampires he fought were always attacking him and had their fangs bared. He didn't really see their faces and when he did, they had a look of spite and anger. But this boy's face was one of an innocent man. One who didn't deserve to be shot. Even though he was part vampire, something about him made him feel absolutely awful. Arthur then heard a knock on the door.
"I told you, Alfred, I'm not hungry," called Arthur.
"Arthur? It's me…"
"M-Marianne?" Arthur blinked.
"May I come in?"
"Yes. Yes of course," invited Arthur. He heard the door open behind him, but still faced the wall.
"Arthur? You haven't showed up at school! Everyone is worried about you. Even Francis is worried about you!" she said. Arthur sighed.
"You're still worried about me?" Arthur asked, looking her in the eyes, "Even after how I treated you?"
"Actually, I wanted to talk to you about that too," she said, "It was a bit of a false alarm."
"Oh thank God!" Arthur hugged his girlfriend.
"Apparently the medicine that I take causes that to happen," she smiled.
"I am still so sorry for how I acted," said Arthur, "I was a total wanker."
"Apology accepted," she snickered, "Mostly because you called yourself a wanker." Arthur gave a ghost of a smile. "Now, what happened to you, my dear? You look like you haven't slept in days."
"That's because I haven't," Arthur sighed, "It was two days ago. I had finally cornered that werewolf I have been hunting for half a year now. A couple of other people were there, friends of his. Two were vampires. One of those two had only been bitten twice though. I shot two rounds at the werewolf, but the undead friend got in the way and he was shot instead."
"But shooting an undead–"
"It's illegal. That's why I'm so scared. I don't want to go to jail!" Arthur said.
"My dear, accidents happen. You didn't shoot him on purpose," she comforted.
"Doesn't matter. I still shot him," he replied.
"I am sure that the ministry will pardon you. After all the work you've done, I think they will excuse you, no?" she assured, "But then again, you were shooting at a werewolf who was still in human form and that's against the law too."
"That's not all though," added Arthur, "Even if I'm pardoned, it won't change the fact that…" Arthur trailed off.
"What?"
"I feel...guilty…" he admitted, "I don't know. Just seeing his face when I shot him, and hearing his friends…"
"Is that so?"
"I've had no trouble with werewolves and cocketrices and succubi in the past. But here I feel guilty. Why? Why do I feel so awful?" Arthur asked.
"Maybe it was because it was something with a human face. But more importantly, it had a human reaction," she guessed, "I guess that's why it's against the rules to kill undeads."
"I've been asking myself a lot of questions about this. I think if they do pardon me, I'm definitely going to lose my license for a while," said Arthur.
"It won't be too long though, since this is your first offence," she reminded, "You'll be back out there before you know it."
"But that's just it. I've been doing some thinking and…I don't know if I want to be a hunter anymore," admitted Arthur. His girlfriend fell silent. "I don't think I can do it anymore. What if I fail again? What if I freeze up while I'm in the middle of a fight? What if I...can't bring myself to kill another monster again?"
"I've known you long enough, Arthur," she replied, "This is what you're passionate about. I don't think that you're going to hesitate about killing a basilisk."
"But what about a vampire or a werewolf?" Arthur asked, "I've hunted a lot of lycanthropes, but every time I've battled them, they've been in beast form. I just...I don't think I can fight anything with a human face anymore. Am I being too soft?"
"I don't think so," she replied, "In fact, I'm starting to think the same way."
"Really?"
"It's why I only hunt bigger beasts," she elaborated, "Anyone you see on the streets can be a vampire or a werewolf or a demon. But they already know their place in society. They keep their identity a secret for a reason. Back in the olden days, these monsters were a threat because they ruled over humans through fear. But then, humans rose up and used their self control and common sense to fight back and establish today's society. They also bred a lot faster than other species. But they're not on top anymore. We are. And the world is so much safer than before. Your chances of being attacked by a werewolf now are very slim unless you go into the woods or live on a farm. A basilisk or a venomous snake, however, are still threats."
"So you're saying that–"
"Semi humans may be part monster, but it's the human part that people forget about," she concluded, putting her hands on his, "I think that is why you feel so guilty."
"They're monster enough to still kill people…" grumbled Arthur, turning away from her, "Life isn't fair, Marianne. That's just how it is. A fer de lance viper doesn't ask to be born as one of the most dangerous creatures in the western hemisphere, but it is. And it's a threat to us, so we kill them. People don't ask to be bitten by werewolves. But it happens, and it turns you into a killer. So we have to kill them in return. It's like a zombie apocalypse. It's either them or us. That's just how the world works."
"And you were afraid that you would lose the will to be a hunter," she scoffed. Arthur blinked.
"I guess you're right. Thank you," realized Arthur, "But, I don't think I could ever kill a vampire anymore. At least they have ways to keep themselves under control."
"I don't blame you," his girlfriend replied, "There's been movements recently to put them on the same list as elves and merfolk."
"The only thing I have to worry about now is the legal trouble I'm in," said Arthur.
"You are only in trouble if you killed him," she reminded.
"He took two bullets to the chest. There's no way he survived," Arthur replied.
"Are you sure?" she asked, "One of his friends could have healed him." Arthur was quiet for a moment. "You'll never know unless you check. Did he have a roommate?"
"I'm sure he did. I can look him up in the directory," said Arthur.
"You may be worrying for no reason. I suggest you give it a chance," Marianne moved closer to Arthur, sensually putting her arms around him.
"I guess I will," he smiled, staring into her eyes, "So, are we...back together?"
"If you want to be," she smiled, kissing him on the cheek.
"Oh you know I do," he replied, kissing her lightly on the lips. The light kissing then turned into hardcore snogging. Arthur pressed a button on a remote and turned on his speakers. Loud, punk rock music began to blare from the speakers as he continued with his girlfriend. The door next to his room suddenly flew open.
"Damn it Artie! Turn it down!" Alfred yelled, "I'm trying to study!"
¶
"See ya later!"
"See you!"
Tolys gathered up his books shut his locker. Feliks had to work on a project with some friends today. Berwald had given Tolys a book with the list of laws for monster hunters so he could study up on them. He was planning on reading that in his free time today. He hadn't gotten to the part on werewolves yet though. When he got to the beginning of the forested pathway, he took out the book. He knew it wasn't a good idea to read while walking, but he had been dying to read this book all day. He looked around and found a park bench, taking a seat. He searched through the table of contents and flipped to the page that he desired.
Non human and semi human creatures are classified into three categories when it comes to hunting and nine levels when based on how dangerous the creature is.
Category 1: Docile: Levels one through three are in the docile category. Creatures in this category pose no immediate threat. Some of these creatures include merfolk, elves, brownies, and humans. Therefore, killing or severely injuring a member of any of the listed species would result in the same consequences as if they were done to a human.
Category 2: Threat: The threat category contains levels four through six. Creatures in this category are mostly made up of semi humans or creatures that have a chance of being either feral or civil. They are only permissible to capture or kill if they are in a monsterous state of mind or attempt to attack innocents. A few of these creatures include vampires, dragonewts, jorogumos, and succubi. These creatures are quite common, however, they have many laws set up around them. Many species have specific rules when it comes to hunting.
Category 3: Danger: Category three contains levels seven through nine, also known as the danger category. These creatures have no sense of humanity and are a prominent threat that must be taken care of immediately. These creatures include cocketrices, basilisks, asps, and orcs. Though most of these species are endangered or extinct, it is imperative to either capture or kill them when spotted.
The level of each monster is based on their risk level.
Level 1: Level 1 monsters have a zero percent chance of inflicting harm. Very few creatures fall into this category. The ones that do are normally very small in size. Many house spirits and sprites fall into this category. Level 1 creatures include: any type of benevolent or neutral house spirit, brownie, gnome, korobokkuru...
Level 2: These monsters have the ability to cause harm or fight back, but the chance of them doing so is incredibly rare. These creatures are docile and do not need negotiation and will leave you be if encountered. They majority of yokai fall into this category. Level 2 creatures include: dwarf, elf, faun, mantango, mandrake, merfolk, satyr, seer, selkie, slime, sylph.
Level 3: Level 3 creatures can cause great harm if threatened, however these are all peaceful species or species can be negotiated with easily. These species all have a humane behavior, which is what makes it immoral and illegal to kill them. Level 3 creatures include: alraune, angel, centaur, dryad, fairy, gargoyle, holstaur, human, kobold, lizardman, noppera, nymph, pixie, rukurokubi, tengu, undead vampire, undyne, will-o-wisp, yatagarasu...
"Hey! You! I forget your name, but hey!"
Tolys recognized the throaty, shrill voice that was calling. He sighed and looked up from his book to see Gilbert standing in front of him, arms crossed.
"My name is Tolys," he reminded, "What do you want?"
"Well Tolys, today is your lucky day!" proclaimed Gilbert, "The awesome me has decided to take pity on you, seeing how you, a newbie, still don't know jack shit about being a werewolf. Out of the kindness of my awesome heart, I have decided to show you graciousness and take you under my awesome wing! So starting from today, I will be your all knowing, super awesome teacher on how to be a real werewolf!" Gilbert stood there heroically, feeling very proud of his speech. Tolys just stared at him, marking his book and putting it back in his backpack.
"No thanks," he replied walking past him.
"No thanks?!" Gilbert couldn't believe what he was hearing. Someone turning him down? Impossible! "I don't think you understand. I am here to help you learn more about being a werewolf, thus making life easier for you! And I'm doing it for free!"
"And I said no thank you," replied Tolys, walking in the direction of his house. Angry, Gilbert ran after him cut him off.
"Why not?" Gilbert asked.
"I seem to be doing fine on my own," said Tolys, walking around him, "Besides, you're the last person I want to work with."
"Is this because of the whole thing that happened freshman year?" Gilbert asked. Tolys ignored him and kept walking. "Come on! I'm trying to help! Don't you want to know more about your species and why you almost went extinct?" Tolys paused. How does Gilbert have that information? Tolys knew he could not trust Gilbert, especially after all the times he tried to kill him.
"I don't think I need any 'help' that comes from you," he replied, continuing on his way, "I'm done fighting you. I have other things to deal with." Gilbert then lost his temper and dashed in front of Tolys again. He then grabbed him by the shirt collar.
"Listen you purebred brat! I am here to not only help you but to help myself! I am here to make sure you don't kill us all! The hunters are back and thing are more dangerous than ever! Besided, I promised my brother to take care of you," Gilbert then let him go, "But hey, if you don't want my help, fine by me! It's only a matter of time before other werewolves come for you. Have fun going extinct!" Gilbert began to strutt away. Tolys was a bit concerned at his remarks. Last weekend two werewolves did come and attack him. He was a bit confused as to why. As much as he hated it, having Gilbert's help would be the best thing for him right now.
"Alright fine," he eventually replied, "You win."
"I'm sorry, what was that?" Gilbert stated.
"You win. I'll listen to you," he restated, "I'll take your lessons."
"Good boy!" Gilbert smirked, "Alright, we're going to need a discreet place to do this. Or we can just start with basic info."
"There's probably an empty classroom," guessed Tolys.
"Perfect! We'll use one of those," Gilbert began heading back towards the school. Tolys trotted behind him.
"While we're looking, you could tell me information about my breed," said Tolys.
"Alright," said Gilbert, "We will start with that today. I'll tell you about you on the way…"
¶
"Alright Baltie, welcome to Werewolves 101. I am your teacher, Professor Beilschmidt," Gilbert narrated, having fun with his role, "Today we learn about breeds of werewolf. Breeds are much different from packs, but packs will be another day. There are many breeds of werewolf, and the breeds are similar to actual wolf breeds." Tolys looked at the book that Gilbert gave him and looked at all the illustrations of all the different breeds. "There are 38 different species, but a lot of species have their own subspecies. I will teach you about the important ones. A lot of these breeds have gone extinct, so I won't be teaching you about those." Gilbert had written out the names of the breeds on the board. He pointed to the first one with the stick that he found outside.
"We'll start with the ones in the Western Hemisphere. They are basically the same as the different variants of wolf breeds in the area. First we have the Red werewolves," Gilbert began, "They're small, but smart. But their brains don't make up for them being puny. Not a threat. Northwesterners are native to the Americas. They are known for their white stomachs and they are huge! They are the biggest species of werewolves next to my species and Yukons. They are also aggressive and they are territorial as hell. Seriously, don't mess with these things. They know we're invaders from Europe and they don't like it. Then there are the Labradors. They're related to Newfies and they're quite friendly. Maybe because they're Canadian. The Easterners are another native species here. But unlike Northwesterners, they are really tiny and you can bat them around all you want. Other wolves you won't find here are Yukons, Mackenzies, Hudsons, Arctics, and a lot of other small species that are native to certain islands and regions and no one gives a shit about them." He then pointed to another part of the board. "Now for the wolves in the Eastern Hemisphere. This is where we come in!"
"It says in the book that there are a lot more species in North America–"
"They're not important!" Gilbert cut him off. Tolys just shrugged and continued to take notes.
"Unlike in the Western Hemisphere, werewolf breeds here are based off of wolf breeds and the people groups that they are in are the subspecies. So any place that has wolves, they have subspecies based on the people groups that live there. First there are the Mongolians," he began, "They bred with a few werewolves in Europe, particularly around Hungary, and now they made their own breeds: The Huns, the Karelians, and a third group no one cares about. They have slim faces and really long noses. They're pretty colorful too. Then we have the Steppes. They eat seals. They're pretty cool. They're also pretty chill compared to other species. They are in South Eastern Europe and Eurasia." Tolys scribbled away in his notes.
"Now for the best species: the Eurasian werewolf," he smiled proudly, "These are the most common in Europe. Almost all the werewolves in europe are this type. Of course there are many different breeds, including the best ones, the Germanic werewolves, but it all depends on location." He pointed to the list of bullet points he made under the Eurasian wolf. "You have the Germanics, the Apennines, the Iberians, and the Easterners. And the Balties, I guess. There are more, but those are the main ones," he explained, "It depends on where they live or are from. The Germanics are the best, with a wide range of colors, they are the biggest of the group, and often the most clever. The Apennines or Italians like to live where it's warm and tend to be a reddish color. But they're pretty small. They also like rocky terrain and can climb pretty much anything. Iberians are similar, but have these little white marks by their snouts. They also tend to have moles by their mouths as humans. But they form small packs and are good swimmers. And the Easterners...Well, I don't know much about them. They're not important!" He pointed to the next name.
"Tundra werewolves," he moved on, "They are some of the biggest bastards out there. They are huge! But they're bright white so you can always tell where they are. And a lot of their size is just fur." He whapped the stick on Tolys's desk. "You are a subspecies of this thing."
"Really? I thought I was part of the Eurasian werewolf family," replied Tolys.
"You are. The Balties happened when a Tundra and a Eurasian werewolf banged each other. So you have us to thank for your awesome genes. You're welcome." Gilbert gave a slight smirk, "But that also makes you look like a brown puffball."
"Am I really that fluffy?" Tolys wondered out loud.
"Arabian werewolves," he continued, "These are desert wolves. You won't find them here. If you do, all you need to do is go to a cold place and they'll leave you alone. If you see one here, it's definitely someone who wants to live somewhere else or is really dumb. Desert werewolves even when they move, still move to another desert. If they do attack you, they're tiny compared to us. You can take em." He pointed at a few other names. "Other warm weather werewolves include Indian wolves, Tibetans, Mexican wolves, and weredingos. None of which are important."
"Weredingos?" Tolys tilted his head at the strange concept.
"Do not scoff, you fool!" Gilbert scolded, "Weredingos are the scariest species out there. If you meet one of these suckers you are fucked! That is it! Thank God we don't live in Australia!" Gilbert sighed. "So that's pretty much it! Any questions?"
"Not really…" replied Tolys.
"Alright. Now to tell you who you need to watch out for," Gilbert said, "As you know, most werewolves have no control over themselves during a full moon. Most don't remember what they did either. Most Western werewolves will smell someone like you and think of you as an intruder since you're from across the sea. So stay away from all of those."
"Got it."
"The same thing will go for other werewolves since they don't know what you are and they feel threatened," continued Gilbert.
"So I have to stay away from all werewolves," sighed Tolys.
"Not necessarily," responded Gilbert, "This is where pack politics come in. If you are part of a pack, it will keep you from being attacked, because other wolves don't want to deal with the rest of the pack coming after them. They can smell if you're part of a pack."
"Okay. So I just need a pack…" said Tolys.
"You don't have a pack. After you first transform, your pack is supposed to give you a ritual where you are permanently marked with the scent of your pack," explained Gilbert, "But that didn't happen for you, so you are currently a lone wolf."
"Meaning…"
"You're fucked during the full moon," finished Gilbert, "What you can do, however, is make an alliance with other werewolves through a certain ritual so that they don't attack you during the full moon. I suggest making an alliance with me so that we don't try to kill each other again."
"That's a good idea. What do I have to do?" Tolys agreed.
"In order to make an alliance," Gilbert answered, "We have to pee on each other."
"Wh-What?!" Tolys yelled.
"Hah! I'm joking!" Gilbert laughed, "We just have to rub our paws on each other and lick each others' faces."
"Oh…"
"In wolf form."
"Oh. That makes it a lot less awkward."
"Alright, come on," said Gilbert, "Let's hurry before it gets too late." Tolys gathered his things and followed Gilbert out of the classroom. "Alright, anything else you want to know so I can get a lesson ready for next time?" asked Gilbert, "You know, like sparring, communicating in wolf form, culture…"
"Culture sounds interesting. I would like to know about how you grew up in a family of werewolves," stated Tolys.
"Or I can just take you to meet my family," shrugged Gilbert.
"Really?" Tolys replied, "Are you sure they won't kill me?"
"Not if I tell them not to," said Gilbert, "Then again, my Vati is pretty racist when it comes to other werewolves. But it's mostly towards other Eurasian breeds."
"That kind of includes me," noted Tolys.
"I can try talking to him," said Gilbert, "If not, I'll pick a day when he's out."
"I just don't want to start any trouble," said Tolys.
"It's a bit too late for that…" muttered Gilbert.
¶
"I earn 12 gold!" Raivis cheered.
"Damn, you have a really good money strategy this round," commented Tino.
"I'm going to use the restroom," said Eduard, putting down his cards.
"Once this game is done, I'm looking forward to some DnD," said Raivis, "I've had this idea all day." Suddenly there was a knock on the door. "I'll go get it." Raivis got up from the couch and went to the door. When he opened it, he took a step back in fear.
"Relax, I'm not here for business reasons," assured Arthur, "Besides, it's illegal for me to kill you anyways. I just want to ask a question." Raivis relaxed.
"A-Alright."
"Did Eduard von Bock live here?" Arthur asked.
"Yes. He does live here," responded Raivis hesitantly.
"I just want to express my condolences," Arthur bowed his head.
"Condolences?" Raivis tilted his head in confusion.
"Who's at the door?" Tino came to Raivis's side. He then took a step back when he saw Arthur. "W-Why are you here?"
"To apologize, alright?" Arthur answered. Tino blinked in surprise. "Don't worry. Vampires are a level 4 creature with special laws. I am not allowed to touch you unless you touch me." Tino nodded in understanding. "Anyways, I wanted to apologize for what I did to your friend–"
"Whose turn is it?" Eduard returned from the bathroom. He froze when he saw Arthur in the doorway. Arthur returned his look of shock.
"Y-You're alive…" he said. Eduard was confused for a moment before realizing that Arthur didn't know that Tino saved him. "I thought you were dead," Arthur sighed in relief, "Thank God."
"Thank God?" Eduard repeated, "Aren't you supposed to kill me?"
"I didn't want to kill you. I would also be in big legal trouble if I did," explained Arthur, "Partial vampires are under Category 1, meaning I'm not allowed to harm you without legal consequences."
"Legal consequences?" Eduard asked, "You have laws?"
"Do you think we just go around shooting things willy nilly?" Arthur replied, "Just like any other kind of hunter, there are certain things you can and can't kill. It all depends on how human they are. An undead vampire is technically still human according to the law. Now that I know you're completely fine, I don't have to worry about anything anymore." Arthur looked at Eduard, a sincere expression on his face. "I am truly sorry for my carelessness. I hope I didn't cause you too much trouble."
"I'm okay," replied Eduard, "But I'm not the one you should apologize to."
"I was within my rights to shoot at him. While I'm not supposed to shoot at werewolves unless they are in wolf form, he was acting impulsively, thus giving me the right to use force," Arthur responded, "I will give you some advice to keep your friend silver bullet free. If he keeps himself under control and avoids turning into his full form, we won't attack him. That's the law." The three nodded in understanding. "Anyways, I'm just glad you're okay. How did you survive any…" Arthur trailed off when he saw the bite mark on Eduard's neck. "Oh. You're a full vampire now…"
"Yes."
"Alright. Well, I've caused you enough trouble. I'll be on my w–Is that Dominion?" The three turned around and looked at the game that they were playing on the table.
"Yes. We're playing DnD next," said Raivis.
"Oh, how fun."
"Say, Arthur," Eduard smirked, "Vlad and Lukas told me that you are one of the best dungeon masters. Is it true?" Arthur had a slight sheepish smile.
"Well, I don't like to brag…" he replied.
"We're finishing up our game of Dominion. Would you like to play DnD with us?" Eduard asked. Arthur blinked.
"R-Really?" he replied. Two of the three nodded. Tino was still a bit skeptical.
"I guess I can give you a second chance…" said Tino.
¶
"Where is the vodka. You forgot the 'the' again."
"Ah…"
"The tiny words are really important. I rely off contractions a lot because it's similar to my language and easier for me to remember. Gde for you would be like Where's. That way, you don't have to remember the Is every time," explained Tolys.
"Ah hah! So nice. There so many words that mean where, so that make me feel better," Ivan replied.
"We'll work on singular and plural next," Tolys smiled nervously. Thunder softly rumbled. "A thunderstorm…"
"It's strange," commented Ivan.
"It is March…" shrugged Tolys, "I guess this is typical weather." Ivan's body then shuddered suddenly and he winced.
"Are you okay?" Tolys asked.
"Yes. But my back has pain right now recently. I don't know why…" Ivan said, rubbing his back.
"Very recently?" Tolys asked.
"I began having back problems last year," remembered Ivan, "But it wasn't so bad as now."
"Maybe you should see a doctor–"
"No I cannot," Ivan cut him off, "I can't afford a doctor here. Besides back pain runs in my family." Tolys couldn't help but feel bad for Ivan again. "I have forgot to thank you," Ivan remembered, "My English learning was supposed to better than normal in my country, but sadly, it is still not best." Lightning flashed outside.
"When your small country is the only one that speaks your language, then learning English is a necessity," he replied, "Also living in an orphanage in the UK helps a lot."
"Orphanage?" Ivan tried to translate.
"Oh. It's a place where children go when parents can't take care of them," he elaborated.
"Sirotstvo!" Ivan found the translation. He began writing the word on the flashcard, but stopped halfway. "Wait, why you live there?"
"Why did I live there?" Tolys corrected.
"Why did you live there?" Ivan repeated.
"My parents died," he replied.
"Oh. That is so sad," apologized Ivan, "I'm sorry."
"It was five years ago. It's okay," he said, "So what about past tense?"
"Yes!
"Past tense! Yes. Okay, so the past tense word for bike is…"
"Biked."
"Like?"
"Liked."
"Strike?"
"Striked."
"Struck."
"What?"
"This is where English gets really confusing. Even native speakers still get confused with this," reassured Tolys.
"So strike is stru–"
A loud boom of thunder shook them. The two yelped.
"That was scary," said Ivan.
"That gave me a heartattack," Tolys gasped, "Anyw…" Tolys realized that Ivan was staring at him. "Ivan?"
"Oh? What are these?" Tolys's heart stopped when he felt Ivan's hands on his ears. Oh no...