The Tale of a Vampiress

by Arra Lindemann

A woman and her friend go to the Cirque Du Freak, the rest is Destiny ;)

46. Chapter 45

The Tale of a Vampiress

Chapter 45:

Now that we've eaten our meal, and gthe wolves have had theirs it has made me wonder what else Larten has got in store on this trip, so far we've seen an amazing view which overlooks a lake, and he's asked me to renew our vows, but other than that nothing much has happened except for rescuing Blaze from a fur trapper's trap, and subsequently shutting down their trapping operations. I've also bumped into Jade, and asked Larten if he'll break in a new vampiress named Zara who is been put into Jade's hunting party, I do hope that they managed to catch some fish, the pool was full of them so there's no reason why they wouldn't have caught any to take back to the mountain, plus some for themselves as well.

I do hope that Bandit is okay, but he's being looked after by Gavner, and Kaitlynn so he should be fine. We'll be back in a couple of nights anyway, and I'll have duties to catch up on, but other than that I'll be able to check in on him...

The following events happened earlier on:

"Can we do some things?" I always got embarrassed if I had to take about sex or being intimate.

"What kind of things Anna?" my question had peaked Larten's interest.

"Intimate things that feel good." I was hoping that he'd go down on me because I loved it so much. "You know what I mean."

"Yes, I do indeed. It would be a shame to waste this opportunity, I mean not with your duties, and all we hardly have any time alone together as it is, and it is hard because it makes our mateship not as strong as it should be, we need an unbreakable physical connection to one another, as well as a deeper, more emotionally based one too, love alone is not enough no matter how powerful it is, but it does however act as the glue which keeps us together." it sounded like he finally understood just how complex our relationship actually was.

I removed my trousers, and underwear, I lay down on the furry blankets we had, I pulled Larten's cloak over my legs to keep them warm, and he positioned himself in a way that enabled him to reach my sensitive areas with his tongue, I felt every inch of my body tingling as he worked his magic, I tried not to make too much noise, but it was hard not to stay quiet when he made me climax so powerfully that I shook violently, I was in a heightened state of pure ecstasy, and it felt better than anything I'd ever experienced previously.

When Larten finished going down on me it took quite a while for my body to return to normal, and even after he'd stopped the last waves of orgasmic pleasure washed over me like white water rapids going against rocks.

"Feeling satisfied?" Larten was obviously pleased with his performance.

"I'm feeling way more than just satisfied, I feel truly alive, and electrified." I couldn't think of how else to put it into words.

"That was my intention Anna, it means that when we have intercourse your body will be in a highly aroused state, and that means when I release my seed into you it will blow your mind, we will have the most intense experience, and share its glorious aftermath." this sounded like the best news I'd heard in a long time.

"Okay, well I'm ready when you are. I'm looking forward to it." I still felt some tingling sensations, we removed the rest of our clothing, I pulled the cloak over our bodies whilst Larten positioned himself correctly, he slipped two fingers inside me first just to check, and see if I was still wet enough to be penetrated, I felt his fingers gliding back, and forth with ease inside me so he removed them, and inserted his manhood, he pushed it inside me deeper, but he did it slowly, and we shared a kiss as he started thrusting, it was gentle at first, but he got quicker, and deeper when I moaned into his mouth, it really did feel like the best sex we'd had in a while, I moaned even louder because I was getting such intense sensations, my body was going into orgasmic overdrive, I felt every inch of it getting hotter, and more tingly by the second, it was intense, so much so that I wasn't sure how else my body was going to react, minutes went by that seemed like hours, all the time everything was building up like a pan of water that wanted to boil over, I I was panting faster, and running my nails down Larten's back as he brought me ever closer to my peak, I had my legs wrapped around his waist, and I rocked my hips as he went deeper inside my body, it was almost too much to handle, I'd never felt anything like it, having said that I enjoyed every moment of it, and when he released his fluids into my body it triggered a chain reaction which made my orgasm last so much longer than I could have imagined, and he kept it going too, we looked deeply into each other's eyes as we climaxed together, and I let out a high pitched shriek of orgasmic release which made everything feel even better. The orgams I received lasted for several moments, and they were all much more powerful than what I'd ever experienced on previous occasions. By the time it was all over we were both feeling lightheaded, and very much connected to one another on a level that I'd never even imagined. I turned over onto my side, curled up into a foetal position, Larten put his arms around me, I snuggled up to him, and fell asleep, he slept too because we were in need of rest.

When I woke up I felt different, I was warm, and a feeling of contentment washed over me, I truly did believe that we had re-established our bond, Larten still had his arms around my body too, and his cloak covered us both, our clothing was scattered everywhere from where we'd practically torn it off of each other's bodies, after all it had been a rather enjoyable sexual encounter between the both of us, and it wasn't one that I was going to forget in a hurry either, our love was deep, full of passion, vampiric lust, desire for each other, and so intense that at times I felt like I wasn't going to be able to handle it, however on other occasions there was nothing that I wanted more in the world than his love...

"I don't know about you Larten, but what we shared together earlier on before we fell asleep was the most intense thing I've ever experienced, I never knew that you could make me feel like that or share those things with you." we've woken up, and we're sat by our campfire, we'll be moving on soon after packing up, I'm not sure where we're going though.

"I wished to remind you of my feelings, and how strong they are. I also wanted to make up for the weeks when we were apart, they were hard for me because I missed having your warm body close to mine, I hated sleeping on my own, I was tossing, and I just could not settle. I am so used to holding somebody in my arms that without you there I felt somewhat lost." I appreciate his honesty.

"Aww, that is so sweet, but I won't make a big deal out of it Larten, although it is nice to hear you admit how you feel for a change." I'm not used to hearing him saying this kind of thing, and it has made me blush slightly. "If it means anything to you what we did was incredible, and I really did enjoy every moment of it, oh, and I've missed sleeping in your arms as well."

"I am happy that we are back on track, although there were times when I doubted if you would ever forgive me, and allow me back into your life. My love for you has not faded, it is just as strong as it ever was." he is really trying hard to put things right, and it means a lot to me. "Right, we need to get moving because I want to take you somewhere, and it is a long way to go from here."

"It sounds like an adventure is coming our way, I'm looking forward to it as well, I love travelling as you know Larten." I wonder where we're going, I hope it'll be a nice place, but knowing him I'm sure he's planned something for us...

We've been travelling for a couple of hours, we're going South, and going through a lot of countryside, we've crossed through fields, and wooded areas, also the wolves have had a chance to roam free for a fair amount of time which is good for them, they haven't been for a proper trek across the wilderness in a long time so they've been making the most of it. I can see the cliff that we stood on to see the lake, but it is a long way in the distance now, and funnily enough the lake looks a bit closer than it has done before, perhaps that's where we're going, I've never actually been to a lake before either, I've only been to pools at the bottom of waterfalls, and rivers or streams.

"Can we stop soon? I'm getting hungry, and what we did with each other used a lot of my energy up." I am running low on snacks so I'll have to forage for some more, however in the Wintertime the fruit trees are bare, and berries are in short supply too, although we may find some nuts if we're lucky. We can always hunt, there's plenty of game around which we can catch so we certainly won't starve.

"We are not that far away from a place where we can rest for a while, when we reach it we can get some food, and there is somebody that I want you to meet Anna." I like it when Larten introduces me to his friends, I thought I'd met them all, but I'm obviously wrong about that.

"That sounds interesting. I hope it is not far away." we've been walking for ages, we must have gone at least ten or twelve miles.

"The person I want you to meet is very special to me, although we hardly ever get to meet up because of the situation that we are in, not with living so far away from each other, and all." he sounds cheerful, and that is rare for him.

"Tell me more Larten, I have to know what you are talking about." I am very curious, I wonder who this person is, and how they know him.

"The person I wish for you to meet is a human, but we are close because of who their ancestor is, and what they did for me back in the day, in fact they saved my life so I have always been close to the family, and helped them out, however they are not expecting to see us, the whole thing is a big surprise, and they know nothing about you either." this is news to me, but I'm always happy to meet those who're loyal to us.

"Sounds like we will be having a good night Larten." I wonder where we'll be meeting, we're in the middle of nowhere after all. "Where are we meeting this person?"

"There is a village not far from here, the person we are going to see owns a public house, and a hotel where the dog mushers stay when they are between training sessions. There are kennels at the back so the wolves will be safe, and they are fenced off as well." at least my wolves will have a place to stay, and so will we as there is a hotel nearby, I haven't stayed in a hotel or had a decent shower for years so this will be luxury, not to mention having a proper bed to sleep in too, or maybe we won't sleep at all. I haven't been to a village in a long time either, not since I travelled through one whilst I was going back to Vampire Mountain.

We arrived at the village about half an hour ago, and we're just about to enter the public house which Larten told me about earlier. I will be relieved when I get inside in the warm, and eat something that isn't what I usually have. I've looked through the window, there aren't many people inside the pub, but there is a fire blazing, and lots of empty tables which I can sit at. I'm not sure what to do with the wolves, I can't leave them outside, but I do not exactly want them around humans either.

"I've come to book a room in the hotel for myself, my husband, and my sled team needs a place in your kennel block too, I heard that you've got one around the back somewhere." I feel a bit nervous, I wonder if my wolves will be recognised as wolves, and not just regular sled dogs.

"How many dogs?" the barmaid looks a bit suspicious of us.

"Nine, and none of them are very friendly either. They're trained hunting dogs that pull a sled as well." I don't know how else to describe them without sounding dodgy.

"Well get them set up in kennel number three, it is the only available one which is big enough to house them all. Here's the key for the gate, and you'll be responsible for their care whilst you're here, that includes their feeding, exercising, and cleaning up their waste too. We merely house sled teams, we don't get involved with anything else that is related to them. As for your room I'll book you into number five, that's got a king sized bed, and an ensuite bathroom, you're lucky because we're almost fully booked. You'll pay for everything when you check out, it is one hundred, and fifty Euros per person per night to stay, but that does include meals, and access to the facilities such as the kennels which is included in the price, we provide the dog food, but you do the feeding, and if like you say your team aren't very friendly then we don't want to put our staff members at risk, they look more like wolves than normal sled dogs, they're huge." the barmaid looks suspicious, and I don't blame her either.

"Yeah, they're wolf-Husky crossbreeds, they're half wolf, half Husky, and that's why they aren't exactly friendly, but they won't attack anything unless they feel threatened by it, I promise." this is the best explanation I can think of, it isn't exactly true, but it isn't an outright lie either.

"Oh well, each to their own I guess. I've got a chihuahua myself, they're much easier to look after than a canine sled team." the barmaid has handed me the kennel key, and some poo bags which is good because I don't have any on me. "Enjoy your stay with us, the kitchens are still open if you want a meal, and we do provide bones for the sled teams if that is something you need, otherwise they'll just end up being burnt."

"Oh yes, they love bones, the large, thick ones are best for my team." this is good news, my wolves love gnawing on them, and eating the marrow.

"Help yourself to them, there's a sackful of bones in each kennel, and we don't charge extra for them either." the barmaid looks interested in Skye, she's my pure black wolf, and the youngest of all my wolves. "I need to record the names of your sled team members, we like to keep records of who stays here in case of any issues."

"Oh sure that's no problem. There's Storm, Blaze, Athena, Aeris, Aspen, Skye, Diesel, Flash, and Khan. I'm Anna by the way." I'm used to reeling off the names of my pack, and I've picked names which are unique, but easy to remember.

"They look so fluffy I just want to stroke them, but I can't because of you saying that they aren't very friendly." the barmaid looks disappointed.

"I guess you can meet Skye, she's the black one, and the youngest out of them all, she's pretty laid back actually. Come Skye, Skye sit. Let her sniff you first, if I stroke her back she'll probably let you stroke her head, she likes that." I trust Skye, but the others are a bit more wild than she is, she's got her father Bandit's chilled out nature, but she can still give a nasty nip when necessary. I'm running my hand slowly down her back, and making a fuss of her. "Nice, and slow, no sudden movements."

"Hello Skye, you're so pretty, I won't hurt you. That's it, you have a good ol' sniff of my hand." the barmaid is calm, not many humans would be when confronted by a pack of wolves.

"She's very soft, she likes it if you rub her her chest too by the way. Let her come to you though, she'll let you touch her if she trusts you by rubbing her head against your hand." I've seen this behaviour before, and the other thing they do is rest their heads on somebody's lap when they want attention. "Skye, it is alright, go on, say hello." I've taught my wolves to greet new Clan members to make them feel more at ease, after all the mountain is full of wolves which they have to live alongside. The barmaid is kneeling down, and being very cautious which is to be expected.

"Um, help, her head is on my lap." the barmaid looks scared all of a sudden.

"No, no that's great, that's her way of greeting you, you can stroke her head now, you're perfectly safe, I promise." I have to keep her calm so that Skye will stay put, and let the barmaid interact with her.

"Oh wow, she is soft as a fluffy cat on top of her head, you know the Persian ones with long hair? That's what she feels like, her head is rather large though, much bigger than a regular Husky's head, but then again she's not pure Husky is she? Half wolf right? That's awesome." the barmaid has relaxed now, and Skye is loving the attention she's getting, and now Aspen wants in on it because she's an attention seeking missile too.

"Aspen, come back here." I'm not sure how friendly she'll be towards a human. "I'm not certain how the others will respond to you, Aspen here loves attention, she gets jealous if one of the sled team is being stroked, and she isn't."

"I see, I'm like that with my siblings, or I was when I was growing up, I hated it when they got stuff, and I didn't get anything." the barmaid is still stroking Skye's head, and she's just soaking it all up like a sponge. "I'd better get back to work, Im sure I've got customers waiting. If you go out of that door it'll give you access to the kennels, how do I remove this gorgeous lady's head from my lap?"

"Skye, off, come here. There you go, you're free. Easy right?" I'm relieved at how easy my wolves are to control, they do everything I say.

"Yep, you seem to have a close bond with them, and that counts for a lot in a sled team. Where is your sled anyway?" the barmaid has asked a good question, I'm not sure how to answer it.

"Well, I didn't bring it this time, we're out for a walking trip, we aren't sledding because one of my team is recovering from a pulled muscle, until she's healed we can't have her pulling anything heavy." this is partially true, Athena did in fact hurt her shoulder when she took out one of the human fur trappers a couple of nights ago, but I'll leave that part of the story out for obvious reasons.

"I see, well go, and get them settled into their kennel, and then I'll show you your room. I'll take your baggage up as well, unless you need it for something?" the barmaid is professional, and helpful.

"I just need the bag of dog food, and the bowls, the rest can go upstairs. My team are probably hungry by now." this much is true, my wolves are always hungry, and I must try not to feed them too much or too often because they don't eat every day in the wild. I've taken the dog food, scoop, bowls, and gravy powder out of my bag, all I have to do is get some hot water to mix the gravy up with the dried kibble. "I have to mix this up with hot water or they won't eat it."

"There's hot water on tap in the kennels, a lot of people use it for cleaning purposes, it is drinking water though I assure you." the barmaid is attempting to pick up my backpack, even without the bag of dog food in it, it is exceptionally heavy, well for a human at least, not for us though, to us it is lightweight. "Woah! That is one heavy ass backpack, how on Earth can you lift it? I can't lift it, and I work out."

"I'm a former army medic, I am stronger than I look, you have to be strong in order to hold onto these lot when they're running at full speed anyway." my wolves are heavy, and powerful, they can run at great speed, and they can cover vast distances too, they're like the endurance runners of the animal kingdom.

"Yes, I can imagine that would be the case."the barmaid has once again attempted to lift up my backpack, and failed. "I'm sorry, I just can't get this thing off the ground, you'll have to take it to your room when you've put your team in their kennel."

"That's fine." I am used to carrying my own bags, they're too heavy for humans to lift.

"I will take our bags to our room, I can manage them." Larten has just stated.

"Oh well, I'll leave them with you then Sir, here's your key. Have a pleasant stay with us, by the way no animals are allowed in the room, and we have a strict no smoking policy here too." the barmaid looks relieved that she doesn't have to carry our bags upstairs.

"That suits us, neither of us are smokers." Larten has long since kicked his cigar habit, and for that I'm proud of him, not that he ever really smoked them often, only once in a blue moon like on special occasions, and never around people, but still they did his lungs, and chest no favours.

"Come on then you lot, dinner time, let's go, and get you settled into your kennel, then you can eat." my wolves are following me towards the kennels, they look like stables, but they have metal gates around them, and each wolf or sled dog gets its own individual chalet with a bed, and a chew toy, plus a sack of bones is hanging up so I'll make sure to give my pack some after they've had their main meal, I have to prepare it first though...

"The wolves are securely locked up in their kennel, and they're gnawing on bones so they'll be fine, now we can eat something Larten because I'm starving." I haven't eaten for a few hours, and we've walked a long way so naturally I want a good meal. "We can eat here, the kitchen is still open."

"What do you want to eat?" he is looking at the menu, and so am I.

"I want soup, a main meal, and dessert. I haven't had a proper dessert in ages." the last dessert I had was when we were travelling, and I went to the supermarket to pick up supplies. I bought some when I was there, and ate them within a day or two because I had no way to keep them fresh.

"Fair enough. After we have eaten I will take you to our room. I have no idea where the person is that I want you to meet, they are normally here working." he looks a bit concerned. "Can you help me with the menu?"

"Oh yes, of course. There's beef stroganoff, roasted vegetable soup, Hungarian goulash, mushroom pie with cream sauce, and braised vegetables, roasted joint of lamb with seasonal vegetables, black forest gataeux, lemon tart, treacle sponge, and custard, apple pie with whipped cream, mixed fruit with a red wine reduction, and then it goes onto the fish courses, there's cod in crispy batter, haddock with sea vegetables, and tartare sauce, salmon fillet with new potatoes, vegetables, and a lemon sauce, they've also got a range of sandwiches, burgers, and steaks." I have to read the menu because he can't.

"Goulash for me, and the fruit with wine, what about you Anna?" he's always been good at making quick decisions.

"Hmm, I'll have the soup, cod in batter, and lemon tart." I need a good meal, and this one will fill me up properly.

"Oh over there, that is him, the person I want you to meet, it looks as though he is working as a waiter, when he comes to our table he will get a shock because he is not expecting to see me, let alone you." Larten looks somewhat happier now that he's seen the person he's been looking for, I just hope that their reunion will be a pleasant one.

"He looks young, he can't be more than thirty at the most. I wonder how he'll act when he sees you, maybe he hasn't spotted you yet, but he'll come, and take our order shortly I assume." I'm looking forward to meeting this guy whose ancestor saved Larten's life. "He's coming over to our table."

"Good evening, what can I get for you?" the waiter has his pad, and pen in his hand ready to take my order, Larten has his head, and face obscured by the menu deliberately.

"Soup please, then the battered cod, and lemon tart for dessert, I'd also like a Pepsi Max Cherry." I can't wait to tuck into my meal, I'm starving.

"Excuse me, do you want anything?" the waiter is addressing Larten.

"Yes, you can tell me how you have been after all this time, I have not seen you for what ten years, twelve?" Larten has put the menu down, and the waiter's face has gone white as a sheet.

"Bloody hell, I wasn't expecting to see you any time soon Larten, I'm doing well, this is just crazy man, I haven't seen you since I was a teenager, I'm thirty four now so it has been a long time, I thought you'd been killed or captured or worse. You wait until I tell my wife, she'll freak out as well, you rememeber her right?" the waiter has a look of stunned surprise on his face.

"Yes, I do. She was barely fourteen when I saw her last, and you were seventeen I think, my how time flies when you are as old as I am, oh I would like you to meet my wife, this is Anna, Anna this is Aaron." Larten is good at keeping introductions brief.

"Nice to meet you Aaron." I am trying to be as casual as possible.

"Is she part of your group?" Aaron must be talking about the Clan.

"Yes, she is." Larten has just confirmed.

"I guess she would have to be, I mean you don't marry outsiders, do you?" Aaron looks curious about our so-called group.

"No, we do not marry outsiders Aaron." Larten looks uncomfortable by the direction of these questions.

"Are you going to just stand there or are you going to take our orders?" I'm trying to diffuse the situation by changing the subject.

"Oh, yeah sorry. What can I get for you?" Aaron is poised to write down Larten's order on his pad.

"Goulash please, a glass of claret, and the fruit with wine." I'm watching Aaron write down Larten's order, he still looks like he's seen a ghost.

"Sorry I didn't invite you to our wedding, I wanted to, but I had no way to contact you, and no address to post an invitation to either. This meal is on the house as a way of apologising for missing you off of the guest list." Aaron looks flustered, but this is his public house so he can do as he pleases. "I'll go, and get my wife, she'll probably collapse when she sees you though, she always did have a crush on you, I never understood it, but each ot their own I guess. I'll be back shortly."

"Now why am I not surprised? You can't go anywhere without at least one woman falling at your feet Larten. I'm used to it by now, and I know that you're mine so I'm not worried." everywhere we go Larten is admired by women of all ages, even when we try to avoid people at all costs ladies seem to appear out of nowhere, it is weird, but it must be a vampiric thing...

The following events took place a couple of hours ago:

When Aaron returned to our table with his wife she blushed like a cranberry, and could hardly get her words out.

"N-nice to s-see you after all this time, I was beginning to wonder what had become of you. I am glad that you're well, and you're married too I see, I'm happy for you both, it is a shame that we missed your wedding though, just as you missed ours, but never mind, we're here now so we can catch up." Aaron's wife remarked as she gave us our food. "I'll let you eat, but tomorrow we can sit down, and find out all the news."

"Sounds good to me. Soup smells appetising." I sniffed the steam that was rising from the bowl, and it made me even hungrier. We tucked into our meals, and drank our drinks. "What's Aaron's wife called?"

"Susie or Susan or maybe even Suzette, one of those three for sure." Larten replied as he finished his Goulash.

"I'll ask her tomorrow when we meet up to swap stories, and share news. What do they know about us, and the Clan?" I didn't want to put my foot in it by mentioning something that they weren't aware of.

"I have told Aaron that I belong to a remote mountain community, and that I work at a circus during the Summer months, I suggest you stick to the same story, and it is actually true so we have no need to feel bad about telling them that." he explained casually.

"Yes, that is a reasonable explanation Larten, it was smart of you to think of it." I must give him more credit, he is far more intelligent than he proclaims to be. Just because Larten can't read or write it doesn't mean that he's dumb, he just needs help with it that's all, adult literacy is a major issue across America, and even England, there's still a fair percentage of people who leave school, and become adults without the ability to read or write properly, and fluently if at all.

"You know what Anna?" he looks like he's considering something. "Maybe I should learn to read, and write after all."

"Yes, you should. It is easier than you think actually Larten, and it will enable you to read timetables, maps, the names of places on signs, directions, menus, and everything else inbetween, plus we can write notes to each other, and you'll be able to read Rosie's diary for yourself instead of me reading it to you, wouldn't that be something?" I really hope that he'll allow me to teach him the alphabet at least, it'll help him so much in the long run. "Do you want me to teach you?"

"I suppose you can help me to learn the basics, I have often wished to write love letters, and poetry, but I have never been able to do so." he looks ashamed by his own shortcomings, and inability to express himself in written words.

"Well, all that is about to change. When we go to our room I will begin your first lesson. Do you know the alphabet Larten?" I have to gage exactly how much he knows so I can judge where to begin my lesson from.

"I know the letters A, B, and C, they always say ABC, do they not? Everything else is a mystery to me." he sounds glum.

"Yes, ABC is correct, and they're the first three letters of the English alphabet, they go in that order too." I am pleased that he knows something at least. "What comes after ABC? Do you know?"

"Hmm, that is a good question Anna. I am not sure." he is obviously thinking about it.

"The answer is D, E, and F. The first seven letters of the alphabet are also the same letters which get used in music, A, B, C, D, E, F, and G. That is one way of remembering them Larten." I have to think of strategies to help him, and I know he likes music.

"Oh, I can read music. I can actually play the piano, but I have not done so in decades Anna." this is a surprise, I never knew that he could play the piano, and read music.

"Well that's cool, I like to sing, and hear music live." I've always loved to sing, but I haven't performed live in a long time, although I still have my headset microphone, and in-ear monitors packed away somewhere in my trailer at the Cirque Du Freak. "I used to sing live to large audiences on the weekends when I wasn't at college." the last time I performed was at the Cirque Du Freak, I really missed it too, but without Madam Octa we had no act, and the Twisting Twins had long since retired so I couldn't perform with them either. I could do my own acrobatic show, but it isn't exactly freakish or unique, the Cirque Du Freak prides itself on having performers with abilities which astound audiences or scare them half to death, either way every show is designed specifically to be the most interesting live circus that anyone has ever witnessed...

The following events took place yesterday evening:

We finished our meal, and went to the room that we'd booked, I was happy to start teaching Larten how to read, and write although I wasn't sure how quickly he'd pick it up. I started off by teaching him the whole alphabet, and showing him pictures of the letters, he needed to familiarise himself with their sounds as well as what they looked like. After that I wrote out simple words, and got him to sound out the letters so he'd grasp putting the sounds together in order to read the word I'd written. I started off with very basic words that had no more than four letters such as cat, and, dogs, like, rain, snow, sun, moon, and love. He did very well for a first lesson, and I was impressed, I then gave him a challenge, and that was to write out a sentence using some of the words he'd just sounded out, I showed him how to write each letter first though so he could practice reading, and writing at the same time.

"Let's see what you've written Larten." I wanted to see his progress.

"Here, I did my best." he handed a piece of paper which I looked at carefully. He had written: dogs and cats like sun and moon. There was no punctuation, but I hadn't taught him any so I wasn't expecting to see capital letters, commas or full stops, but his writing was okay, and I was happy that he had tried to write something which made sense.

"Very good, I'm impressed." I saw that he had put the effort in so I had to let him know that he'd done a good job.

"I think that will do for now Anna, I have other ideas on how we can spend our time." he glanced over at the bed, and it did look comfortable, I hadn't slept in a king sized bed in years much less done anything else in one, I was looking forward to being able to stretch out fully, and have space instead of being all squished up close together, after all most coffins aren't very wide, but we had to make the best of the one we had, it needed replacing, and when we got back to the mountain I'd sort something out, sleeping in it was uncomfortable to say the least.

After showering, and drying off we got into the bed, it was soft, comfortable, rather warm, and the matress was neither too firm or too springy for our liking.

"This is so much more comfortable than the coffin we have, we really need to make a bed or buy one that is flat packed, transport it to the mountain, and use that to sleep in instead, I mean coffins are cool, and everything, but they aren't very good to sleep in. I get back ache, and neck pain from where I have to be squished up with no room to move really, and it is so low to the ground that I find it hard to get in, and out of it as well. How hard would it be to make a bed?" I had been trying to persuade Larten to get us a bed for a long time, and so far he hadn't gone for it, but maybe he would after spending time in the bed we were lying in. "You aren't getting any younger either, not to put too fine a point on it."

"I suppose I could look into it." he didn't sound too enthusiastic about the whole thing, but I was sure that he'd come around.

"I'd appreciate that Larten, I really would." I hoped that he'd sort something out, however I wasn't expecting anything.

I sat up in the bed, and flipped through the TV channels, I hoped that there'd be a decent film, I hadn't watched anything on TV in a long time, I missed seeing the news, and keeping up to date with everything that was going on in the world. I had no idea about anything that'd been happening, and the last major news story I'd heard about was the Covid-19 pandemic which was still affecting large parts of the world, although there was a vaccine available so that'd help to limit the case numbers, and save lives potentially.

"Oh cool, I haven't seen this movie, I really wanted to watch it." it was The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, however it wasn't in English so I'd have to do my best to understand what was being said.

"The Hobbit rings a bell, it was written in the nineteen forties I believe, although I have never read it of course." Larten turned the TV slightly so we could see it better, it had been at a bit of an odd angle before. "I met him once, the man who wrote the story, he was in a hotel, and there had been a mix up with our rooms so we both went to the reception desk to complain about it Anna."

"What was he like?" I'd never known anybody who'd met J.R.R Tolkein because he'd died a long time ago, but then again Larten was rather old when compared to me.

"He was a respectable gentleman, and I cannot think of any bad things to say about him." he answered as I turned the TV up a bit, it had been on so quiet it would have looked suspicious if we'd kept it at that low volume, I turned it up to a level that would have been heard by most humans, if anybody passed our room they'd hear the film playing at a normal volume, and think nothing of it.

"Right well let's watch this film, it is just a shame that I don't have any popcorn or fizzy drinks, and sweets to scoff. I used to love eating junk food whilst watching a film in the cinema. It is one thing that I miss about being human, cinema trips are few, and far between now, I used to go frequently, I even had an unlimited access card, I could watch as many films as I liked for free by making one large payment at the start of the year. It worked out cheaper than paying for an individual ticket for every film I saw." I adjusted the pillows on my side of the bed, and got comfortable, the film was just starting, and I hoped that it was going to be a good one which did justice to the book.

It turned out that the film wasn't bad at all, and I really liked it, although the film makers had taken some liberty with the order of events in the story, and added in bits from other stories which aren't in the original book, however on the whole it was worth watching even though it was nearly three hours long, and I was looking forward to watching the other two films which completed the trilogy. The only downside was that the film hadn't been in English so I didn't understand a word of it, it was in Bulgarian because that's the country we were in, and neither of us spoke Bulgarian, we had been able to tell what was going on though, and we'd made up our own script as the film played which had been hilarious. We did different voices for each character, and tried to guess what they were saying to one another. We rescripted the whole movie, we both thought that our script had been better than the original because ours was funny, and relatable to vampires. We even included a couple of very rude vampiric jokes in our script, I was shocked at first, but I laughed out loud all the same because they were just too funny.

"Three Vampaneze brothers decide to hold a competition to see which one of them is the most powerful, the first brother is the strongest so he flits to a mansion, and drains the occupants of it dry, the second brother flits to a village faster than the first brother had flit to the mansion, the second brother procedes to kill everyone in the village by drinking all their blood, and the third brother flits off faster than either of his two brothers had been, he returns moments later all bloody on his nose and face, his brothers ask what has happend to him, he replies by asking if they can see the giant tree in the distance, they nod, and agree that they can indeed see the tree, the third brother then tells his two brothers that he for sure did not fucking see it, and that is why he is covered in blood." Larten stated. At that point I laughed, and laughed. I had no idea that he could tell jokes, and funny ones too.

"That was hilarious, I'll tell that joke to Alicia when I see her, who told it to you?" I wanted to know how many Clan members were comedians.

"Gavner did, and he heard it from Prince Mika I believe." I was still laughing. "It was not that funny Anna."

"Oh yes it was, thanks for sharing it with me." I wasn't used to him telling jokes, Larten always came across as serious, and not the type to crack jokes, but how wrong I was about that...

We've had a nice chilled out time in our room, and it has been good to get away from the stresses of being a Vampire General for a few nights. We stayed in the hotel for a couple of days, we needed time to rest properly, and to be fair my wolves have travelled a long way so the rest has done them good also. We're moving on tonight, and heading to the destination that Larten wishes to take me to, it is five in the evening so we've got several hours of darkness ahead of us, and that means we can travel safely to our final destination, I still don't know where it is though, Larten hasn't said anything whatsoever about it apart from the fact that I'll love it when I get there apparently, I trust him so I haven't got any issues when it comes being taken on a mystery tour, it is actually quite exciting, and I'm looking forward to the journey.

I've gone to fetch the wolves, we can't go anywhere without them of course, and we have to get on our way before the weather takes a turn for the worst, and we end up having to postpone our journey in order to take shelter from the biting cold wind or freezing rain.

"Storm, Blaze, Athena, Aspen, Aeris, Skye, Diesel, Khan, Flash come. Let's go team, c'mon then, that's it." I've opened the gate which surrounds their kennel, and let my wolves out, they're excited to see me because they've been kept locked up for the majority of their time here, and that was done for everybody's safety, no other reason. "Alright, alright I know what you want, you want the rest of the bones from the sack I bet, I guess it won't hurt, here you go, help yourselves." I've put the sack on the floor of their kennel, they're taking it in turns to stick their heads inside it, and pull out a bone, there's enough to go around so they'll get one each. It'll keep them occupied whilst I go, and return the room key to the staff, I also have to hand back the kennel gate key as well.

"Here's the keys for my room, and the kennel gate back. We're checking out now." I've placed the keys on the bar, and paid for our stay in cash, I'll get the money back from Larten for his half of the bill later. We always split everything in half when it comes to paying for things like hotel rooms, and I've always paid my way. I never ask him to pay for anything that I want to buy either, I use my own money, and if I don't have enough then I go without until I earn some more.

"Thanks for the keys, you'd be surprised by how many people actually forget to return them." the barmaid looks pleased that she's got the keys back. "It costs us a lot of money because we have to keep getting new ones cut, if keys aren't handed over when people check out it means we have to send them a bill for the new keys, and they tend not to pay it, or the bill gets returned to us a week or so later with the words not at this address, return to sender written on the envelope. It drives us nuts, but at least you, and your husband are honest."

"We are yes, anyway I've got to go because we're on a tight schedule, and my sled team are getting restless." the wolves should have finished their bones by now, they don't take long to eat them usually. I'll pick up the sack, and hang it up again, it is empty, but at least none of the bones have been wasted.

"C'mon then, it is time to get going." I've opened the gate to the kennels, it was closed via a latch, but not locked. "Let's go everybody, I bet you're dying to get out of here, and stretch your legs." The bones are gone, and the sack is empty so they've obviously been eaten, I'll hang the sack back up on its hook, and make sure that the LED lights in my wolves' collars are working properly before we go anywhere. I've opened the gate, and let the pack run loose, they won't go anywhere without me, there's nobody around so they're fine to be loose for now whilst I shut the gate, and wait for Larten, he won't be long.

"Are you ready to leave Anna?" Larten has just arrived in a blur of red.

"Yes I am, let's get going, I'm excited to see where you're taking me, I hope it is a nice place." I wonder what it is like, I hope we'll be able to set up a campfire, and cook something to eat when we get there.

"If we travel at a reasonable pace we should be able to reach our destination in a couple of hours Anna, when we arrive I will set up a campfire, you should be able to relax for a little while, and enjoy the view." Larten has taken the lead, and I'm following him, the wolves are following close behind us. We're walking at a reasonable speed, it isn't that fast, but it isn't really slow either. It will do the wolves some good to get a good, long walk for a couple of hours because they've been cooped up for two days, they aren't used to being in kennels of any kind, they usually stay in my quarters when I'm busy, but they get taken out to go to the toilet every three to four hours, the service wolves get dropped off, and they remain in the Medical Wing until I collect them after their shifts have ended.

We're crossing over a lot of wooded hillside, and rocky terrain, there's trees all around us, some are pines, and others are silver birch, a few are what look like beech trees too, but it is hard to tell because the light is fading, also these wooded areas are darker than the actual hillside itself because the tall trees block out the sunlight, it is good for us, but not so great for navigational reasons. It is also hard to see where we're walking, and what we're walking on because crossing over rocks isn't very comfortable at all.

"Up this way Anna, it is not far away now. Soon we will be out of the wooded area, and on a smooth pathway which leads downwards to our destination." Larten has picked up the pace, I'm following him, and the wolves are doing their own thing whilst following us, they're sniffing the trees, and I bet that they can smell squirrels, birds or other small furry things, however they won't alert me to their presence because I haven't told them to track anything down, we aren't hunting, and most small furry critters aren't a threat to us either...

"Aaahwhoooo." that's Storm's alert howl, she must have found something or she's trying to tell me that there's danger nearby, I can see her LED collar so she isn't far away from us, although see anything in the immediate vacinity, and it is pretty dark out here because it is the end of January, there are never many hours of daylight in the Wintertime anyway, it is lucky for us that we've got superior eyesight even in the dark.

"I wonder what she's found, if she howls again then that means danger, it is always two howls for an alert to danger, and one howl to signify that she's located something or someone. If she howls continuously then that means whatever she's found needs help of some kind, and the pack will respond to her calls." Larten still has a lot to learn about my wolves, and exactly what I've trained them to do.

"We need to go, and investigate Anna, it could be important." I'm in agreement with Larten, we should go, and see what or who made Storm sound her alert howl.

"Good idea, it isn't far from here, and like you said it might be something which we should be made aware of." we're walking quickly to where Storm is, she hasn't moved since she sounded an alert. The other pack members are hanging back, and sniffing the area intently, they don't usually move when a wolf sounds an alert, they wait for me to call them forward in case we run into danger. "What is it Storm? Show me." she's staring at the ground intently, and sniffing around, now that I'm close enough to see the floor of the wooded hillside we've been walking through I've noticed a trail of footprints, some blood, and an illegal trapping device, it is one of those metal ones which traps an animal's foot, it has spikes which dig into the flesh, and that's if it doesn't snap the bone in two first. "Good job girl, you've found a nasty looking metal snare, this whole place must be littered with them Larten, we'd better be careful to make sure that ourselves, and the wolves don't tread on one by accident. We'll disable any we find to protect the native wildlife, and our pack of course. Fuckin' fur trappers."

"I agree, I hate fur trappers, and yes we wear fur, but we eat the animal first so nothing is wasted, we do not cruelly trap an animal for days on end, kill it just for its fur, and waste the rest of it either." vampires never waste anything because we have limited supplies, and we live in a harsh climate so we have to make the most of everything that nature provides for us.

"I think we should have a look around, and remove any snares we find, there has got to be more than one around here." I hate these kinds of foot trapping metal snares, they're evil contraptions...

The following events happened earlier on this evening:

We continued travelling towards the path that would lead to our final destination, we found several more leg trapping snares along the way, and we disabled them all. We weren't sure if we'd located every one, however we'd certainly given the local wildlife a fighting chance of avoiding them. We disabled them by snapping off the pressure plates which make the snare close, no pressure plates mean that the snares stay open permanently so no animals' legs can be trapped. If an animal were to step on a disabled snare it wouldn't do anything, we had no means of disposing of the disabled snares so we left them where we found them, but I wrote a note, and attached it to every one of the snares we'd found. Each note said something different, but most of them said something offensive which was aimed at the trappers like "Fuck you!From the local hare community." or "Haha, you missed me, signed Mr Fox." I even wrote one which stated "Good luck catching me in a trap, Ms Black Bear." these notes were meant for comic effect, and to confuse any trappers who came to check them, of course if any trappers did turn up then they'd get a surprise when they saw the disabled snares with notes attached, and they'd wonder what on Earth was going on.

"I think we've made our point Larten, and look the smooth path you mentioned is infront of us, we're nearly there now aren't we?" I asked as I started walking down the smooth path, it led us out of the wooded hillside area, along a grassy patch, downward between two small cliffs, and onto a flat piece of ground which was right beside a huge lake. I had my camping lantern turned on, so I was able to see everything properly, and the water looked black because of how dark it was, however the light also shon on its surface, and made it look like a giant piece of obsidian. "Oh wow this place is incredible, I've never seen anything like it before in my life."

"I thought you would appreciate the view, also the water here is clean so we can go for a swim if you like, it is cold, but refreshing, and it is not too deep either Anna." Larten found a really flat spot, and got a fire going.

"Have you ever brought anybody else here?" I wondered if this place was special to us or if it was where he had brought his former mates.

"I took Arra to the top of the cliffs, and showed her the view that you saw, but we did not come down here. I never got the chance to bring Rosie here or I would have, and Malora too, but none of the others really showed any interest in looking at views or swimming." he added more kindling to the fire, and got the cooking pot set up so that we could eat, we also needed to dry off after going into the lake for a dip, not that I'd brought my wetsuit or swimming gear with me.

"I'm going into the water, I want to dive down, and look for some shellfish or crustaceans that we can eat Larten." I got undressed apart from my bra, and underwear which had to serve as a bikini, took a deep breath, and dived straight down into the water, the shock of the cold hit me like a thousand knives, but after a few moments my body adapted, and my vampiric blood kept me warm anyway, besides it wasn't as cold as the water in the Murky Depths Trial had been either. I could not see a thing so I had to feel around, I knew what shellfish shells, and prawns felt like so if there were any then I'd find them. I had nothing to put them in so every time I found a few I grabbed a couple, threw them to Larten who caught them, after that I went back down underwater to get some more. I continued doing this until we had enough for us to eat, I even found a Plaice which is a flat fish, it was big enough to get two large fillets off of it, it'd become a part of our meal in addition to the shellfish I'd found. I had to try, and find some more fish for the wolves to eat because we simply did not have enough dried dog food left, there was enough to fill up all of the bowls with one scoop, and not two, one scoop wasn't going to be enough to satisfy their appetites, and there was nothing left for the return journey either. I had badly miscalculated exactly how hungry my wolves got, and how much dried food they needed per day, I had plenty of gravy powder left, but hardly any of their kibble.

I dived back down underwater, I went even further into the lake than I had done so before, and tried really hard to feel around for any fish, shellfsh, prawns or other tasty seafood that I could give to my wolves. They needed a good meal to provide them with enough energy to keep warm during the cold night ahead, and the return journey was a lot further than I'd anticipated as well.

I was after for anything that felt like a fish or a shell, I couldn't see whatsoever so I shut my eyes, and imagined that I was back in the Murky Depths Trial I'd passed, I'd been trained to feel around for things without being able to see them so I put what I'd learnt into practice. I wasn't looking for a metal medallion this time, I was after seafood, and as luck would have it something rather large brushed past my leg, I instinctively grabbed hold of it using my vampiric speed, and swam to the surface, I dug my nails into it for grip, not that I knew what it was that I'd found until I got to the surface, and popped my head up out of the water, I was holding whatever I'd caught above my head...

"Anna, look at the size of that fish, that must be the largest trout I have seen in a long time. How on Earth did you catch it?" Larten looks impressed by my fishing abilities, I've put the giant trout down onto a tray that we use for preparing fish, and it really is massive, it must be around two kilos in weight at least.

"Well I felt it swim past my leg so I grabbed it, and pierced it with my nails, afterwards I swam upwards, and surfaced. I'm very quick when I want to be, like lightning in fact." the trout is more than big enough to feed all of the wolves, at least they won't go hungry tonight, and start scrounging or begging for scraps.

"I am impressed, this trout will make an ideal meal for your wolves, and there may even be a bit left for us to taste, although we have a Plaice fillet each, and more than enough shellfish to eat." Larten is already cutting the trout up into equal wolf sized chunks, the Plaice is cooking nicely in a herb infused fish stock, it is bubbling away in the pot, and it smells really good, I cannot wait to eat it. "They can have theirs raw, I will not waste time cooking it if they are hungry now."

"They must be famished, a few dried biscuits with gravy does nothing for them really, it is like a snack more than an actual meal. I'll get their bowls out, put one piece of trout in each bowl, and line them up in a row, they won't touch them until I say so, and make sure that you fill their bowls up to the top with gravy too." I've trained my wolves to sit, and wait so that every bowl is filled up, and they all get the same amount, otherwise it'd become an out of control frenzy, and I don't want that to happen.

"Alright Anna." I've lined the bowls up in a row, and Larten is filling them, due to our shortage of food he can only give the wolves one half scoop of biscuits, and not two full scoops, I'll have to catch some more fish otherwise they'll be hungry, and so will we. "This is not much food, I see what you mean about it being a snack for them, and not a proper meal, when we head back to the mountain there should be mountain goats that we can eat, and maybe a stag or two if we are lucky."

"That is a relief, we need to catch a stag really because no other animal is big enough to feed us, and the wolves, they produce a good few kilos of meat which is what we need." I love venison, there's nothing better than freshly roasted meat, and the wolves love it too. "I'm going to let the wolves eat now, you'd better stand back Larten because you've seen how excited they get."

"Yes, I know all about it." the wolves are still sitting down, and waiting for me to tell them that they can eat, the food I've given them won't touch the sides, but it is better than nothing.

"Dinner time folks, eat up." I've never seen wolves eat so fast, anybody would think that they haven't been fed for days, in actual fact they've always been fed regularly, and I make sure that they get decent food that is freshly killed or high quality pre-made dog kibble. "Is our stew ready yet? I'm hungry."

"Almost, I just need to add some white wine, and let it cook for a little bit longer, then we can eat Anna. The wolves have finished I see, by the time you have washed their bowls out, dried them off, and packed them away our food should be ready." the stew smells so good, I'm tempted to tell Larten to forget the wine, and let me eat it now, but he won't take too kindly to that so I'll wash the wolves' bowls out, and ignore the sound of my stomach growling. Washing the bowls out is essential because food goes rotten, and bacteria grows on it which causes illnesses, the last thing I want is to be carrying smelly, dirty bowls around in my bag, and let's face facts here rotten food smells awful, the last thing I want is for my bag to smell like a food waste caddy. I wash the bowls in a bucket of water with some antibacterial washing up liquid which I carry around in a little bottle, I bought some from the supermarket when I was there last, and I bought the biggest bottle that they sold, all I have to do is pour some from the original bottle into the travel sized bottle, and pack it into my bag, it certainly helps to cut through grease, and fat that comes from the meat or fish that we cook, it kills any microbes which are in the bowls, and makes washing them up an easy task to perform. "Anna, come, and eat now, the food is ready."

"Thank goodness for that, I'm flipping starving." I can't wait to taste the fish stew that we've made, it smells really good. "Here's our bowls, and the ladle."

"We have enough for one good meal each, and there may be some left for them to finish if we cannot eat it all Anna." he's referring to my wolf pack who can smell the stew, we usually let them lick the pot clean when we're finished because it helps to get rid of any leftovers. We don't waste anything, and neither do they...

The following events happened a few hours ago:

I sat down with my bowl of fish stew, and tucked into it, it really was good, I had lots of prawns in my bowl which were like eating little mouthfuls of soft, juicy morsels. It didn't take me long to finish my stew, it really hit the spot, and my stomach stopped growling which came as a blessed relief.

"That was tasty, I've written the recipe down in my book for future reference. Just think Larten when your reading, and writing has improved you'll be able to record things, and write down important mixture recipes as well as the quantities of ingredients which are required." I put my bowl on the floor, and Larten did the same thing, the wolves looked at me expectantly, and I allowed them to lick our empty bowls clean. When they were done they finished what was in the stew pot, and I washed it out properly before packing it away.

"Maybe reading, and writing is not such a bad thing after all Anna. I do agree that writing down the amounts of ingredients is vital, especially if too much or too little of something can cause serious problems with a mixture. Some plants are lethal in large quantities, but in small amounts they are medicinal as you know." I had never really mixed up anything more powerful than the universal healing paste that we use for wounds, I always left the dangerous mixtures to his experienced hands.

"I will help you to learn until you can read, and write fluently in both English, and German." it made sense because these were our two main languages, and we used them more than any other to communicate.

After I'd finished washing out all of the bowls, and the stew pot I left them to dry because I didn't want my bag to get wet. I turned them upside down, and left them to drain just like I did with the flasks when they got washed out, I rinsed them out all the time to keep them clean, and stop them from smelling, even though most of them only contained water, although water can go bit weird tasting after a while, especially if it goes between warm, and cold constantly, it can sometimes absorb the flavour of whatever container it is stored in, certain plastics can also taint water if they get warm, and melt a little bit.

"That's the washing up done, where are we going to sleep?" I hadn't seen anywhere that looked suitable, the lake was nice to look at, but when the wind picked up it was an icy, biting cold one that chilled me to the bone, even sitting by the fire we had to be careful in case the direction of the wind changed, and blew the smoke toward us, I didn't really want to breathe it in because my lungs had never fully recovered, the thick, black smoke that I'd had to crawl through during the fire at Vampire Mountain had caused me to suffer from constant breathing problems, and a cough which never really went away even with treatment.

"There is a cave nearby Anna, it is big enough for all of us, and it will provide adequate shelter from the wind." Larten showed me where it was located on the map he had, it had been marked off with a blue ring around it. The map looked ancient, it was all yellow, and some of the lines had faded, but it was just about legible.

"Sounds good to me, if we make our bed, and have the wolves sleeping beside us we should be pretty warm, after all the combined heat that is generated from nine wolves is a lot, and they've got thick fur too which helps." I'd gotten used to sleeping beside wolves when Larten wasn't around, it felt good to have their warm, soft furry bodies close to me whilst I slept.

"I agree, they do tend to act like radiators of heat." he nodded. "We should get some sleep, we have a long walk back to the mountain so we need to rest our feet."

"Yes, the sun will be up soon, and I am pretty tired." I yawned. Larten led me to where the cave was located, we went inside it, I set up a makeshift bed on the floor using the furs, and quilt that I'd brought with us, the wolves got themselves comfortable, they didn't care where they slept, in the wild wolves sleep in dens that they dig for themselves, expectant mothers also dig dens to give birth in, and they are usually well hidden.

I woke up a few hours later, I had Storm next to me on one side, and Larten on the other, Athena was by my head, Aspen, and Blaze had curled up by the cave entrance, the other wolves were scattered around randomly, but they all had plenty of space. I sat up, stretched, and yawned, I felt refreshed, and I had slept rather well, I was also warm which felt nice considering how cold it was outside, our fire was still going though which was a good thing, it meant that we'd be able to cook our breakfast before moving on, and starting the long walk back to the mountain, we'd been away for long enough, and I was certain that I'd have a tonne of work to catch up on when we returned...

We started the journey back towards Vampire Mountain a couple of hours ago, the weather is okay at the moment, and we're making good progress, the only thing we are short of is food, we ate fish for breakfast, I managed to catch some, it did however take me a while to dry off, and warm up afterwards because the water in the lake had been absolutely freezing.

I hope that we'll be able to find a mountain goat or a stag, even a wild boar will feed us a good meal or two because they aren't small by any means, they are not easy to catch either, and their tusks can be lethal, I've seen vampires who've been gored by boars before, and it isn't a pretty sight. At this present moment we're passing through a thick patch of woodland, there's a path that goes from one end to the other which is helpful, it has been marked with a signpost too because this is one of the trails that the husky sled teams use, they do their cross country race training on all terrains to get their dogs used to the different types of ground, and weather conditions that they could face during a race.

"I can hear something, can you hear that whooshing sound Larten?" I haven't heard anything like it before, it sounds like something moving along at speed.

"Yes, I can. There must be a sled team heading towards us. Nothing else makes that kind of whooshing sound on snow except for a sledge that is pulled along." he's got a point, and the sound is getting louder.

"We'd better get out of the way, they won't stop if they're at full speed." the wolves are not far away thankfully, I'll just hold onto their collars, and stand by the side of of the path until the sled team has driven past us.

"Good idea Anna." we've stepped off of the path, and onto this patch of ground which is far enough away so that the sled team or teams can drive past us without any trouble. I haven't seen sled teams racing up close, I've only seen it on TV. "If they are actually racing then we do not want to hinder them in any way."

"We can stand here, and watch them go by, you never know Larten, but there may be a German team or an Austrian one, but they usually come from Norway, Russia, and other cold climates like Canada or Alaska." I've seen a programme about dog mushing, and races on TV so I know a little bit about it, it was on a few years ago, but they covered the running of the biggest dog team event there is, it is called the Iditerod, and it has been running since 1925 or there abouts. "Look, here they come now." I can see a team of dogs running towards us, they look like they're training for speed because they're moving in a fast, fluid-like motion along the path that we have been following. My wolves are getting excited, I'm holding onto their leads firmly so that they won't chase after the sled teams, if they see something running then it triggers their hunting instincts, they have a strong drive to chase things down, and they can't be blamed for that, they've also got stamina, and they can run for miles, wolves hunt by chasing down their prey until it is too exhausted to run any longer, and when that happens they bring it down as a unit. The sled team has flown past us, and more are coming, there's maybe a few minutes between each team, and some of them are wearing the same colours so perhaps it is like a relay race or a team event, I'm not sure, but it looks like they're making good time. Maybe the mushers race in pairs like in Formula One, another possiblility is that they race dogs who come from the same kennel, the mushers wear that kennel's logo on their racing outfits as a way of advertising them as a business, if they win the race then that kennel will get a prize for being the breeders of the winning sled team. There's several teams flying past us so there must be a race going on, I've even seen a couple of the sleds attempt to overtake some of the slower teams. "I never thought that I'd get to see part of a dog sled race in progress, the mushers must think that we're supporters or that we are mushers, but we're not taking part this time."

"We cannot stay here, we have got a long way to go yet, and your wolves are getting restless Anna." he's right, and it is getting colder so we have to keep moving.

We're still following the path, it is okay to carry on walking now that all the sled teams have gone past us, or at least we think they have anyway because we haven't seen any for a while, and they're usually pretty close together when they're racing because they're all trying to get into the top three or four spots. The mushers also take note of how fast they are, some races are timed, and only the quickest will advance to the next stages so they try to stay close together, and they fight for their positions, the aim is to finish with the quickest time in order to qualify. Sometimes they will take the top ten sled teams through automatically, and then the last team to go through will be the fastest out of the remaining teams.

"I'm gonna let the wolves go now Larten, I'm pretty sure that they'll be alright." I hate having to put my wolves on their leads, but sometimes it is necessary to keep them, and the public safe.

"Yes, they need to follow their natural instincts, and that includes roaming, it is not as though they will not come back to you if you call them either." I've unclipped the leads, and put them back into my backpack, I always have them for emergencies in case we meet any humans. Wolves, and humans don't mix well on the whole, and I don't want anybody getting chased or bitten, after all my wolves will attack if they think that I'm in danger, and they are wild animals at the end of the day. I can call them off, and tell them no, but sometimes their instincts are stronger than anything else.

"Hopefully they'll find some hoofprints or the wolves will pick up the scent of something we can eat, if they go after a goat or a stag I am not going to stop them from making a kill Larten, we all need a good meal, and I won't say no to eating freshly killed meat." I haven't had a decent piece of meat in a few days, I need to feed as well, but I should be able to get back to the mountain without too much trouble. "They're great hunters, I have faith in them."

"I do too, their hunger will make them more determined to make a kill as well, their survival instincts should kick in, and they will go into full hunting mode. It would not surprise me at all if they track down something, and give chase, wolves can run for miles, their stamina means that they can outrun most animals, and quite often their prey will collapse from exhaustion. When this happens the wolves will surround whatever animal they have chased, and move in for the kill." I've seen my wolves in action so I know how great they are at hunting, I haven't got any doubt that even now they are on the trail of something.

"I agree with you Larten." I can see my wolves in the distance, their LED collars are glowing brightly, it looks like they've found the trail of something which is good news, however I'm not sure what they've tracked down yet, I just hope that it is something edible, and preferably big enough to feed us all. When the wolves pick up on the scent of something their body language changes, and they get excited, they pace back, and forth sniffing the ground, they sniff the air as well to try, and locate whatever it is that they can smell more accurately. When the wolves do pick up a strong scent of something they alert me, and start running towards its location, they use their noses, and the wind to guide them, they're never wrong either, if they alert me then either their prey is nearby or something is up, either way I always trust their instincts.

We're following a straight pathway that leads across the fields, it is a well used hiking trail which goes towards the mountains, our mountain is a bit further on than where this path ends, however it'll take us almost all the way home. We went a different way when we left the mountain so we haven't used this path until now, the wolves are a few feet infront of me, and they're getting excited so there must be a stag or a boar in the area, there is an area of thick trees ahead of us so perhaps that's where we'll find our next meal. A lot of animals take shelter in thick bushes or in copses which are surrounded by trees, it makes them harder to see, and quite often there are food sources for them too, but nothing can hide from the noses of my wolf pack, if there's something in those trees they'll find it easily, and bring it down so we can all feast on fresh meat.

"Awhoooo, awhooo." that's Storm's alert howls, she's found something for sure. "Ahhwhoooo." now she's running towards me at top speed which means that trouble is nearby, Blaze isn't far behind her, and the others are following so something must be up.

"Storm, what is it? Show me, what have you found?" she's tugging my cloak so something is up. "Alright, I'll follow you, Larten keep your eyes open, danger could be nearby." I've got all nine of my wolves trotting back to where they were, they must have located something or Storm wouldn't have alerted me to its presence. "You've found some deer hoofprints, that's a good sign, and they look fresh too so a stag must have passed this way not long ago. Good job Storm."

"This is a good sign, the stag cannot be that far away, all we have to do is follow the tracks, and hopefully we will spot it. If the wolves find it first then they will bring it down, and we will share it with them." Larten seems relieved with what we've found, and so am I because we all need a good meal, and fresh meat is always tasty when it is prepared properly.

"I'm starving so hopefully the stag isn't far away. I haven't eaten fresh venison since before we left the mountain." I've only eaten fish, and the pre-packaged snacks that I brought with me, they're all gone now anyway, all I have left is a tiny amount of the dried dog food kibble, and I can't eat that...

The following events took place earlier:

"I don't know about you Larten, but that hunt was thrilling, I am so glad that we caught up with the stag, and brought it down, but as a result of me preparing the meat I am absolutely covered in blood. I need a wash, and some clean clothing." I didn't usually get much blood on me when preparing meat for the pot, however the wolves brought the stag down, and tore into it before I got there so it was messy. Usually I gut, and skin stags efficiently, but not on this occasion. I let the wolves have their fill first, and they were messy eaters, but nothing was wasted, I decided to use the deerskin to make a new rug for the floor of our quarters.

"Yes, you do need to clean yourself up, it is not becoming of a Vampire General to look as though he or she has been in a bloody fight to the death." I did look like a frightful mess, I was all sticky, and gross.

"I'll go, and jump in that rock pool we passed earlier, it isn't far away. I cannot possibly go to bed until I am clean, and dry." I really was covered in blood from head to foot, and I doubted that my clothing would even be salvagable, I could be washed, but it would probably end up being stained regardless of how many times I soaked it in boiling, salted water. I needed to use something that broke down blood proteins otherwise my clothing would never be properly clean. I had several bloodstained outfits which I wore for doing my duties, after all I didn't want my decent clothing, and official robes to get dirty or damaged. I tried to salvage anything, and everything because supplies of fabric, and material for clothing were limited, even leather for making shoes was in short supply, and it was in high demand, we used it for making leather armor as well as belts, and scabbards for swords. Leather was one thing that we always needed no matter what.

"By the time you have washed the food will be ready, the wolves need a bath too because they are also covered in blood." Larten was right, my wolves were filthy.

"I'll take care of it, don't worry. Storm, Blaze, Athena, Aspen, Aeris, Skye, Diesel, Khan, Flash come, it is time for a bath." I led my wolves to the pool of water, I stripped off, got into the freezing cold, but oddly refreshing water, washed myself properly, and then gave the wolves a good wash as well, by the time we were done the water in the pool had gone from crystal clear to a murky red-brown colour from the mud, and blood, however it didn't stay like it for long because the water that led in, and out of the pool was constantly flowing through a network of underground systems, it was like a natural water feature. When the water was crystal clear once more, and the wolves were no longer soaking wet we went back to the fire to dry off properly. I had to get dressed, but I couldn't dress myself until I was thoroughly dry. I sat by the fire with towels wrapped around my hair, and body. "I feel much better now Larten, I needed a good wash, and so did the wolves. All I need to do now is eat something, and get dressed when I'm dry. My hair is still soaking wet. The water was absolutely freezing, and I'm not even joking."

"Yes, I can imagine that it would be, especially at this time of year." he stirred the pot that was bubbling away, and the rest of the carcass was being spit roasted, the wolves had already enjoyed their fill of the stag so the rest was ours, and there was plenty left for us to feast upon. We ate well when the stag was eventually cooked, and the only thing we had left were the bones which we put into a sack, and took with us, some were good enough to make stocks, and the others provided a tasty snack for the wolves, they loved to eat bones, they were full of marrow which gave them key nutrients, and gnawing on them helped to keep the wolves' teeth clean too which was a bonus.

"Right, let's get moving, we've got a long way to go yet, and as the weather is good I want to make the most of it before it changes for the worst Larten." I knew that we still had a good ten or twenty kilometres to go before we arrived back at the mountain.

"Yes, I agree. We will leave as soon as you are dressed." he nodded, that was when I realised that I still had nothing, but towels wrapped around me.

"Oh, that is a good point." I smirked, and pulled some clean, dry clothing out of my backpack. It didn't take me long to get dressed, and after I'd fixed my hair we set off again...

We're almost back at the mountain now, we haven't got that far to go at all, I can see the waterfall which conceals the main entrance in the distance, and that is where we're walking towards.