This got delayed because my job keeps me away from the computer. Anyway, this chapter is not named after an episode, since it diverges too much. It's the aftermath of the beginning and a small dump of information about the curses. Enjoy!

garonus56: Rayla y Runaan no son magos de la luna, por lo que no pueden sentir la presencia de la magia lunar en Ezran. Además, la magia de la luna en Ezran está "contaminada". Pero verás a medida que avanza la historia. En cuanto al rey dragón lanzando una maldición, espera. Recuerde que Aaravos dijo lo mismo en el prólogo.

Frozermaxspigor: Que Harrow quisiera capturar a los elfos no cambió las cosas. Y no me siento inclinado a escribir romances, así que me mantendré alejado de las parejas.

queenlaur: Ezran's connection to nature is strengthened by the curse, actually. Also, you think Callum was in a blood craze in the last chapter? (Chuckles) Just wait until he transforms on the next new moon.

It was a few hours before dawn when Rayla of the Moonshadow Elves of Silvergroove sat atop of a tree. She looked over her wrist which had been bound by an assassin's ribbon a few hours before. Her gaze moved to the base of another tree, more than ten meters away from her perch. There slumbered her former target.

Ezran, the little Katolian Prince, slept peacefully still in his wolf form. His body curled around the egg of the Dragon Prince.

After the wolf prince leaped from the walls of the castle and raced into the forest, Rayla sprinted after him. The transformed human ran the whole night with the egg in one hand, apparently without getting tired. By the time it stopped, they were far away from the city of Katolis. The human Ezran stopped by a tree and decided to rest there. With the egg safely in his grasp.

When Rayla tried to approach, he eyed her with the wariness of a wild animal. And when she got too close for his liking, he would snarl. Deciding best not to provoke him, she backed off and kept an eye on him from a safe distance.

"He looks sound asleep." she decided to take a gamble and silently descended from her perch. She moved without making a sound, putting her years of training as an assassin to good use. But when she was just five meters from her target, its ears perked up and it awoke.

Rayla looked like a deer caught in the crosshairs. The wolf prince looked at her, like daring her to take another step towards him. She exhaled, acknowledging defeat. "Alright, Ah'm goin' back to mah place." she leaped back to her tree to continue her boring watchpost. Ezran went back to sleep.

"Ya wee human werewolf, whatever ya are! Ya better give me some good answers when ya wake up!"

The first thing Callum did after tearing his eyes from the fallen king' body was drying his tears on the sleeve of his blue jacket. He barely paid any mind that said tears were blood that left dark stains. The second thing he did was speak to Lord Viren:

"We have to rescue Ezran!"

"Rescue?" The High Mage asked for clarification, untouched by the prince's tone of urgency.

"He trans… " Callum stopped himself from divulging too much. They were surrounded by guards, whom not all were aware of the curses. "He ran away and that elf girl went after him."

Viren's visage morphed to one of offering condolences. "If the assassin went after him, then he's unfortunately perished."

"No! She was trying not to hurt him. She only wanted the egg."

The mage's not so convincing mornfull expression changed into a more urgent one. "My daughter already informed me of the egg's theft. If the elf returns that egg to Xadia, not only Katolis but all of humanity is just as doomed."

Not for the first time in recent times, Callum began to resent the dark mage. The man had only ever treated him with a minimum of politeness, and only when King Harrow was present. Otherwise he would barely acknowledge him. Now he was more preoccupied in recuperating a dragon egg than the prince himself.

Callum looked at the soldiers around and had an idea. "Are you saying a dragon's egg is more important than Prince Ezran's life?" He asked it a bit louder than necessary, but it had the desired effect of gathering some notice from the soldiers. Viren noticed that too, so he had to choose his words carefully.

"Your faith is commendable, Prince Callum. However, if Prince Ezran still lives and has been taken hostage by the same elf who stole the egg, finding one will be the same as finding the other. But if Prince Ezran is dead, as he most likely is, recapturing the egg is the only way to prevent this crisis" he pointed behind him. "from escalating into an apocalypse."

He had pointed to the King's body that was now gently being placed in a casket. Callum turned his sight away. If he looked at the fallen man once more, he feared he would break down and cry all over again.

Finding their discussion ended, Viren spoke to everyone present. "When dawn comes, we look towards the future. Until then, we mourn."

In less than an hour, before sunrise, Lord Viren had arranged the funeral. The procession walked out of the castle. On the lead was Lord Viren, followed by three priestesses carrying lit torches. Behind them, four soldiers carried the casket covered in red roses, the symbol of a monarch who fell in battle. Had the cause of death been anything else, the roses would be white. As the procession passed through the main road of the city, citizens gathered on the sides bowed their heads in mourning and followed after the procession.

Behind the casket walked three youths: Callum, Claudia and Soren. The young prince paced half numbly to all that happened around him. Truly, he didn't want to be a part of this rushed funeral. He wanted to go search for Ezran and bring him back home. But Councilor Opeli had gently pulled him aside and swayed him to join.

"In his current condition, Prince Ezran won't let himself be caught." she had stated. "And, you have every right to say farewell to your father, Prince Callum." that phrase was the argument that made him relent. And he asked her:

"Councillor, do you think it's alright to have the funeral right away?"

Her gentle demeanour changed into a stern expression. "No, I don't think so." she left it at that.

The funeral procession reached the Valley of Graves where past monarchs, royalty and even heroes were cremated. It was one of the highest honors for a Katolian citizen to have that valley as their final resting place. The most honored among those would even have a statue sculpted in their likeness.

Soren and Claudia began murmuring a conversation and Claudia handed her brother a tiny cup with a brown, steaming liquid. Soren gulped it down and immediately felt revitalized. Claudia turned to Callum:

"Do you want some hot brown morning potion, Callum?"

He didn't answer and she silently followed his gaze. Callum's eyes were locked on the gentle face of the statue of Queen Saray. His gaze lingered for a while and he grasped his red scarf, a special gift from his mother.

To Claudia's everlasting credit, she didn't break him out of his gaze with words. She did however grab his hand gently. He turned to her, surprised, and she smiled reassuringly. His lips twisted in the ghost of a smile.

The procession stopped when they reached the altar and the King's casket was placed atop of it. Lord Viren began his speech of how the King of katolis was cruelly taken by Xadia's forces. Callum only half-listened. His attention was nailed on the casket that he knew would soon be burning. And the man whose face he would never see again.

"Hello, Callum." The king kneeled to be at little Callum' eye level as much as he could. The King was awkward, while the boy was shy. "I'm King Harrow and, from now on, I am your step-father. We are family."

"Callum" the king approached with a stern look. "I understand you just exhausted all those paper sheets I lent you for your drawings." Then he smiled and produced a sketchbook. "Therefore I got you this. Happy birthday, son."

"Come meet you little brother, Callum!" King Harrow presented him with a bundle of blankets wrapped around a sleeping baby Ezran.

"Callum, you can tell me if something's wrong."

"I...I'm so sorry I brought these curses upon you two. Please, forgive."

"Take care of your brother, Callum."

The most memorable moments he spent with the king ran by him. How many times had the man attempted to be a father to him? And how many times had Callum stepped away from those attempts out of politeness or awkwardness, and more recently bitterness? Happy memories aside, there were also the not so happy times, most of them about the curses. How it had hurt to know the King had caused the tragedy. And how Callum never gave him any peace for his sin, despite knowing deep down how much the man regretted it. How he regreted not hugging the man one last time.

So engrossed he was, he never noticed Claudia letting go of his hand and step forward lit up the casket. The ceremony carried on with Callum barely there. Until...

"...for tonight, there will be a coronation."

Callum's eyes snapped wide, his focus brought back to the present. And on the dark mage who made that declaration

Morning finally broke. Ezran awoke just a few minutes before the sun rose from behind a mountain. The moment the sun's rays touched Ezran's body, it changed back into a regular human. The extra hair and fur shrunk back into his kin. The snout retreated into a flat face. Ears traveled south to the frame of his head.

"Ugh!" the young prince bent his spine backwards, eliciting a few cracks from his vertebra. It was both relieving and painful. "Mornings after transformation...they're evil. Ouch!"

"And good morning to ya, oh prince." his head snapped upwards to a thich branch on an old tree where Rayla sat on. "Did ya hav' a good night of sleep?"

"Uh, not really. I feel like I've been running half the night. And the other half sleeping on the dirt."

She rolled her eyes. "Why would that be?" she expertly leaped from the tree and landed in front of him. Her sight went for the egg of the Dragon Prince, resting besides the still groggy, now-human prince. "Now that we're all awake, how about we talk? As in, what on Xadia are ya? How could ya transform like a Lycanthropo?"

"Like an thropo?" he blinked. "No idea what a 'thropo' is, but from what I've been told, I'm a werewolf."

Rayla frowned. "Don't kid me. Ya hav' ta be an Earthblood elf to become a werewolf. And there haven't been any since that was declared forbidden magic."

He shrugged. "Our High Mage, Lord Viren, says I'm one, though."

The elf sighed, ready to give up on that. "Please, tell me ya aren't planning on transforming again. I can't stand another night awake to keep an eye on ya."

"Sorry, but no. Not until next full moon." he finally noticed the egg and gasped. "Azymondias!" He turned to Rayla with a frightened expression. "What' he doing here?"

Rayla gave him a puzzled look. "Well, you carried him with ya all night. Wouldn't even let me approach. You were adamant to protect it from anything."

It was his turn to look puzzled. "Protect it?" He turned to the egg and touched it lightly. "Zym, are you okay? Did I...did I hurt you?" He asked fearfully, intriguing Rayla more. Silent moments followed after which the prince relaxed completely, the fear and anxiety left him "He's okay. He says he actually enjoyed last night. Felt great to be out of that cave."

She opted not to argue on how he could speak with the unborn baby dragon. At this point, she was willing to roll with it. However… "Well, now that you're awake, we could get moving. It's a long way to Xadia." she looked east, covering her eyes against the sun's light.

Carefully, Ezran replaced the egg in his backpack, which Rayla had thoughtfully kept with her. Fortunately, he still had a good supply of elixirs within.

The duo began their journey, Rayla casting an occasional sideways glance at the unaware boy. Last night she assumed his ability to speak with the egg and claims of being a werewolf to be childish jesters. Yet, the latter was proven right in front of her face.

"So, how exactly does a human prince turn out ta be a werewolf? Was one of yar ancestors a Lycanthropo?"

"Again, I don't know what that is, so can't say. I wasn't born with this curse." she thought it strange naming it a curse. "One day my dad went to face the Dragon King, Thunder. And he says Thunder cursed me and my brother."

"Cursed ya?"

"That's what my dad says. That in his last confrontation with the Dragon King, he put a curse on me and Callum as revenge."

Rayla was indignated "That's a lie! The Dragon King was mercilessly struck down! Yar father…" she bit her tongue before she spilled anything too damaging. "Mah point is, King Avizandum was a fair ruler. He wouldn't hav' made children pay for someone else's crime."

Ezran offered no reply to that. Rayla couldn't tell if he had no argument but still defended his position, or if her words actually got through to him.

The prince asked out of the blue. "By the way, what's a Lycanthropo?"

"Oh, it was an Earthblood elf that could transform into a night creature, usually a wolf." her answer only aroused another question.
"So, what's an earthblood elf?"

She sighed. "Seriously, ya are a creature of magic and ya don't even know? Earthbloods are elves connected to the Earth Primal. They can control plants and even talk to animals."

"Sounds awesome! Maybe we'll meet some of these 'Like-an-thropos' in Xadia." he hoped they would, but Rayla scoffed.

"Unlikely, since all Lycanthropos were persecuted about 400 years ago. There hasn't been heard of one since."

"Why were they persecuted?"

Her face became a bit somber. "It's a wee bit of a scary story. The type I used ta hear when I was yar age."

"It's nowhere near bedtime, and I'm not scared easy." he crossed his arms in a show of resolve. She chuckled quietly and decided to indulge him. Scanning her memory for the details, she started the tale.

"Alright, so more than those 400 years ago, an Earthblood mage named Lycan learnt to connect with the moon Primal. He combined that magic with his natural one to transform himself into a Silver Wolf, a Xadian creature that is at its peak when the moon is full. Their fur glows like actual silver."

Ezran's eyes widened, picturing a creature such as that. It seemed like something out of a legendary fairy tale. Rayla carried on.

"Eventually, he took on disciples and taught what he had learnt. More and more earthblood elves joined him. They would turn into creatures of the night that are connected to the moon. So numerous they became, they formed a small tribe and named it after their founder – Lycanthrop. They were a secluded but welcoming tribe that lived in the Silvergrove Woods, not too far from where I live. They helped elves who wished to connect with nature, studied the habits of nocturnal creatures and the like.

"Over time, the Lycanthrop tribe became more and more isolated and secluded from the rest of Xadia. Able to dominate two arcanums - moon and earth - made them arrogant to the point they no longer listened to the Dragon monarchy. Until 400 years ago, the leader of the Lycanthropos, a pompous git named Lupin, attempted to strengthen his moon arcanum, so he could remain in his wolf form all the time, even during the day. Whatever he did, whatever kind of magic he performed, it worked. Lupin learnt to transform at any time. Problem came with the next full moon. He became so strong in his wolf form, so connected to the elements and the moon that he lost sight of his own identity. The werewolf went berserk. It attacked everyone of his fellows, who then also became ravenous wolves.

"And since they were our neighbours, they attacked my home in the middle of the might. Legends say the battle was bloody, but the werewolves were subdued or killed. When the dragon queen of that age, Luna Tenebris, heard about it, she disbanded the Lycanthropos and exiled them from the Silvergroove. Its surviving members were forbidden from teaching their ways to anyone else. In my home, the term 'werewolf' became a derogatory term because of that whole fiasco."

Ezran frowned. "That didn't sound like a happy end story."

"Well, it was supposed ta be a scary bedtime story. The kind ya tell to misbehaving kids to get them in line. Like, if they don't shape up, the werewolves will come out from under your bed and eat ya up!

"I don't plan on eating anyone." Ezran shrugged and after a silent while he remembered something that picked his interest in the story. "You said those elf werewolves couldn't control themselves."

"Yup, according to the stories they attacked anyone or thing that was unlucky enough to cross paths with them." she looked him over. "You at least don't attack anything on sight."

His shoulders fell and his pace diminished. Rayla noticed his troubled expression and slowed down to stay beside him.

"Not really. I'm just as dangerous as those Lycanthropos. That's why I need my elixirs; if I don't drink one every night, I'll turn into a monster during the full moon."

"Oh." the elf didn't know what else to say. To her, the presence of the full moon was always a blessing. But to the little prince, it was probably terrifying. Now his reluctance last night to venture out of the catacombs made a lot more sense. Plus, she had noticed he kept the tale of his first transformation quite vague. If this so-called curse showed up by surprise, he couldn't have had the elixirs then. If his story was to be believed, then the first transformation may have been dreadful. If not the second, or even the third, if it took this long to come up with those elixirs.

Her musings were interrupted by a soft growl, coming from the prince. Her senses tensed for a split second. Then she realized where the sound came from, more precisely.

Ezran chuckled embarrassed, clutching his stomach. "Sorry, I didn't pack breakfast."

Her eyes lit up in amusement. "Well, Ah hav' something to fill yar belly." She produced from her person a small flask with a cork, containing a red, bright liquid.

Ezran first thought that the substance was blood, but his nose told him something else. He sniffed the air tentatively. Even with the cork, strands of odor entered his nostrils.

"Smells like berries, but very weird."

"It's moonberry juice." She removed the cork and handed the flask to him. Ezran took a sip, discovering it was delicious. He took a full gulp and found himself sated.

"Moonberrys is packed full of nutrients. Just a handful of gulps can keep a person well-nourished." She explained almost in a proud manner. "That should keep ya well fed for the morning. No need for you to go hunt a helpless wee rabbit." She joked but he took it with a touch of seriousness.

"I don't hunt animals. But I sometimes get some…"he struggled to find the word "funny hurges. Like when I see a...SQUIRREL!"

Ezran completely froze, his head turned left to the roots of a tree, ears and eyes sharp. He would have given chance to chase said squirrel if Rayla hadn't grabbed him by the hen of his vest.

"That 'squirrel' is just a pile of fallen leaves."

Ezran looked closer and saw she was right. He quickly deflated, embarrassed and disappointed.

"I take it this is one of said 'funny hurges'." She absentmindedly pulled on his vest too much and it tore open out of her grasp. She immediately tried to apologize, but Ezran said it was okay. It only dawned on them now that the prince's garments were quite not so princely anymore. His red vest was missing its sleeves and lost a handful of buttons. The pants were torn from the knees down. Not to mention the shoes had been punctured on the front. Overall, his clothes had been stretched nearly to the breaking point to accommodate his larger transformed frame.

"We'll be travelling through hard terrain. Ah don't think those rags will last long."

Ezran hummed, trying to think of a solution. They certainly couldn't go back to the castle just for a fresh set of clothes. And he wasn't too keen on stealing…

"I got it!" He shouted. "Xadia is to the east, right? So is the Banther Lodge. There are spare clothes and food stored there."

Rayla wasn't keen on the idea of a pit stop, especially one that might lead them into running into humans. It took some persuasion from Ezran that the Banther Lodge was empty during the summer. Plus, the Lodge should be very close, since they covered a lot of ground during the night. Finally she relented and they continued in their way.

"Lord Viren, open up!" Callum was found knocking at the door of Lord Viren's office. No response, but he knew the man was inside as he just saw him enter. The prince persisted, knocking ever harder. Finally the door was opened by a disgruntled dark mage. He looked down on the prince with a scowl:

"Is there something I can help you with, Prince? I am busy as of now."

"What you said at the funeral, about a coronation for tonight. What was that about, Lord Viren?"

"I think that should be obvious enough that a simpleton could understand." the High Mage spoke in a neutral voice, like he hadn't back-handedly insulted Callum. He proceeded to try and close the door but Callum swiftly blocked it with his sketchbook.

"What do you mean exactly?" Callum all but demanded with a tense scowl. Normally, the Prince of commoner origins would address a noble with more respect, but not Viren. Since he became a Prince, Callum had had very little direct contact with the dark mage while growing up.

Yet, that changed after his curse first reared its uggly head. Callum had to undergo examinations and inquiries regarding his symptoms. In that span of time, between the uncaring attitude and disregard for his discomfort and state of mind, the prince had realized the man had very little love for him.

Up until last night, Callum was content to avoid him. Now, he wanted to reciprocate the man's feelings.

The mage relented on replying. "It's exactly what I meant;I will ascend to the throne and lead Katolis as there is no one else better suited."

Callum forced the door open and, to his unaware satisfaction, it did. He scowled at the mage. "Ezran is first in line for the throne."

"Unfortunately, Prince Ezran has most certainly perishedat the hands of the moonshadow assassin. And even if he somehow survived, I greatly doubt he would ever be a capable ruler."

"That's enough, Viren!" Councilor Opeli's impeccable timing prevented Callum from retorting. The High Cleric shot the dark mage a challenging glare. "Even if Prince Ezran is not present, Prince Callum is the next in line."

Callum genuinely gasped at that but Opeli continued. "The law states if there are no blood relatives of the royal family to ascend to the throne, an orphan may take it. Prince Callum fills that requirement."

Viren was so astonished he fully opened the door to face the woman. "You can't be serious, Opeli! This...unfit mongrel will guide the kingdom towards ruin in a week!"

The next thing Viren knew, he had been pushed against a wall by a burst of speed. Books were knocked out of a nearby shelf. He was face to face with the so-called mongrel, who bared his teeth and growled softly like a hostile animal.

"Prince Callum!" Opeli's warning made the prince snap back in control. He immediately let go of the mage and apologized. Viren himself apologized for his words, although not sounding as guilty.

"My words were poorly chosen, Prince Callum. Nevertheless, I must ask you this: do you think yourself capable of leading Katolis in this time of crisis?" he looked at the prince neutrally.

Callum sighed. "No, even if I could, my mind wouldn't be in it, right now. My priority is to bring Ezran back."

Viren spotted an opportunity. "In that case, I have a proposal: if you can find Prince Ezran and bring him back, I will withdraw any claim to the throne. If not, since Prince Callum admitted he's unqualified, I will ascend."

"You are stepping out of line, Viren! You have no authority nor right to hand out ultimatums." Opeli retorted.

"This is no ultimatum, Opeli. It's a simple proposal. And since you have so much faith Prince Callum could ascend to the throne, I'm certain you can trust him to make a decision by himself." Viren turned to Opeli with just the smallest of smirks.

Callum was no naive moron. He could tell the mage coveted the throne. He was also aware that the present crisis was, at least, partly his doing. Since the mage had swayed King Harrow into killing Thunder. This 'proposal' was an underhanded way for him to grab power. Callum could imagine that if he refused the proposal, his only option would be for him to take the throne. And once Callum made his first mistake, Viren would try to capitalize on that to get what he wanted. Plus, if Callum took the throne, it would prevent him from searching for Ezran.

Viren had cleverly maneuvered him into only having one choice. But Callum would be damned if he was going to do the conniving man any favors.

"You got yourself a deal, Lord Viren." Callum swore that once Ezran was safely back in the castle and on the throne, he would dedicate himself into finding any way to legally get rid of this power-hungry cretin.

"Very well." Viren nodded. Opeli was not so pleased with the arrangement, though. In the end it was agreed Claudia and Soren would accompany him and they would depart before noon. But Callum would decide the direction and he already had one in mind.

"Before you go, I would ask you for another bloodletting. For future analysis." the mage requested from the prince.

Callum agreed, opting not to complain that the mage asked for one almost daily. Viren claimed analysing his blood could help him discover an elixir for him. Maybe, hopefully, a cure.

The blood was removed from his arm and poured onto a flask magically enhanced to keep the liquid super cool. He roughly bandaged Callum's arm, and sent him on his way without another word..

Finally alone, Viren double-checked the lock of the door. He took the flask of blood and descended into the catacombs where his secret laboratory was. The same place where the egg of the Dragon Prince was stored until yesterday.

But Viren didn't go to that particular room, no.. The tunnels were filled with more secret rooms. Some of which not even his dear daughter was aware of.

One place in particular could only be accessed by performing a particular dark magic ritual. A door made of dirt and rock materialized and swung open on the side of a tunnel.

The room was small and didn't contain much. Just a table with a small wooden chest with metal frames. The most remarkable thing about it were the elven runes carved on the frames. The other interesting object was a large container in a corner of the room. It was enough to hold about dozens of gallons of red substance. Blood, Prince Callum' blood that he had been collecting since his first transformation.

Viren hadn't been performing bloodletting on the boy for analysis, no. He was storing that blood for something else. Something his research hidden inside that wooden chest could hopefully perfect, someday. Without a word, he added the blood in the flask to the container. It was nearly full.

Callum had hoped the rescue mission could begin right away, but no such luck. Despite his reassurance that he knew where to start looking, Soren insisted they should get tracking hounds. Therefore, much to his chagrin, they first descended into the city and stopped by a breeder's shop. Soren went inside to conduct business while Callum and Claudia remained outside.

Callum leaned against the wall of the shop, trying to distract himself with anything, watching the people passing by, the barks of the dogs coming from the shop or watching Claudia reading something from her book. Callum was almost about to open his sketchbook and find something to draw until he heard Claudia murmuring. He opted to start a conversation instead.

"So, Claudia, what are you reading anyways?" He noticed a small pile of books and tomes tied to the back of her horse, just behind the saddle. "And, why are you bringing all of that? Are you trying to become an ambulatory librarian?" He tried to sound cool and witty, but cringed internally at that remark.

Claudia chuckled and Callum perked up a little; maybe his joke was a bit cool and witty, after all. "Good one, Callum, but no. I'm bringing my copies of the notes dad has written about the Draculin Curse."

"Draculin?"

"Your curse, silly." She had the intelligence to whisper that. They were in public and the curses of the princes were supposed to remain a secret. "What, we couldn't keep calling it 'Callum' curse' or 'fangs curse'. So my dad coined the term. Yours is the Draculin Curse. And Ezran's is the Lupin Curse."

Callum frowned in thought. "I think I once read that 'lupin' means something about 'wolf'. But 'Draculin' doesn't ring a bell."

"Because 'draculin' is taken after 'dracula'."

Callum nodded with a vague expression. "Oh, right! Dracula. That makes sense. I...have no idea what a dracula is."

Claudia's grin had just a touch of smug when she showed him a page of the book. "This guy was Dracula. The vampire king, Vlad Dracula Tepes. Or maybe it was pronounced Vladimir Dragulia Zepes. This fellow is like super ancient that details have been lost." it was a sketch of a malish face. A man of pointed ears, long dark hair, a long, pointed bear protuberating from his chin. It's skin was pale and eyes blood red. The man gave the impression of a imponent lord of some kind.

"So this guy was a king of elves, long, long ago, uh?"

Claudia shook her head. "No, he was the king of vampires, not elves."

The prince glanced at her, confused. "Aren't vampires a sort of elf?"

Claudia blinked. "Uh, no."

"But I thought with the pointy ears. And the blood sucking…" Callum helplessly made gestures with his index fingers to illustrate his meaning. He pointed them up and close to his ears. And then pointing them down close to his own teeth.

"Nope, vampires were a totally different species. Elves don't even drink blood. You knew that, right?"

Callum nodded a bit too quickly. "Uh, sure. Sure!" Note to self, not listen to Soren's stories, anymore. Probably 'moon madness' isn't even a thing. "But, what were vampires, then?"

"From what little records survived in Xadia, it looks like vampires were the predators of elves." she shrugged and Callum did a double-take.

"They eat elves?!" he almost shouted, luring the looks of some passersby.

"They only drank their blood. Not exactly ate them." she gestured for him to keep his voice down, subtly. Callum took the hint and lowered his tone.

"'Ate'? 'Drank'? Past tense. They don't do that anymore?"

"Hard to do anything at all when you're extinct. They all died out way before humans arrived on the continent."

Claudia opened another page that showed dragons and elves standing against a group of people who were baring their fangs. "From what little we have, it looks like vampires were ruled by the Dracula fellow until he was dethroned. Whoever succeeded him wasn't such a good manager and provoked the elves and dragons into fighting them to extinction. Some other theory says that while vampires and elves were natives to Xadia, dragons were not. And when they arrived, they hunted the vampires and replaced them as the top of the food chain. Another theory even states that Dracula, the suspected first vampire, was the child of a dragon since his name roughly translates as 'son of the dragon'."

Callum quirked an eyebrow. "So, not much to go on?"

"Personally, I think the first theory is closest to the truth."

"Why?"

"There are more facts backing it up and more details to the story. Like, the elves who led the war against the vampires were two Moonshadow clans, called Belmonts and Hellsing."

"Okay, interesting fun facts aside. How does this help cure my...problem?" He was mindful to avoid the word 'curse' in public.

Claudia hesitated and shrugged helplessly. "Uh, it doesn't really. But it's always good to learn more about it."

Callum had to disagree on that. Realizing now that his curse turned him into something that no longer existed meant information on how to cure him was scarce at best.

"Yeah, good to know. Thanks for the message, Claudia." he tried his best not to sound snark.

Claudia suddenly facepalmed. "Hello, Claudia!" she phished a rolled piece of parchment and handed it to Callum. "You dropped this at my dad's office."

The prince recognized it immediately. "The letter from the King! I must have dropped it." stinging memories of the last time he saw the man resurfaced.

"Aren't you going to read it?"

"No. I'm not ready yet." he guarded the letter in his own bag.

Luckily, Soren chose then to return with three tracking hounds, ending the somber mood.

Claudia instantly gushed over the dogs. "Aww! How cute!. You will be Sam, and you Johnny. And you Lord Londo Pietros Mollari!" she reserved the longer name for the gray hound.

Callum whispered to Soren. "Does she always do this when naming animals? Giving one of them a long, regal name?"

Soren's reply couldn't be any more nonchalant. "Yup."

The trio mounted their horses, Callum needing some time, not only due to his inadequacy but also the backpack full of fragile objects he carried. Claudia heard the chink of glass from his backpack and asked what he was bringing.

"Elixirs for Ezran. He might need them when we find him."

Claudia 'ohed'. "That reminds me, I have this elixir for you." she produced from her satchel a vile with vibrant crimson liquid.

"For me? You mean, this can keep me from going...uh, every new moon?" Callum looked at the flash with so much hope,

"No, sorry. Dad hasn't had that much luck. This is supposed to ease up on your...outbursts."

"Outbursts?"

Claudia spoke uncomfortably. "It's plain to see your curse is kinda spreading." she passed a hand over her own face to indicate. "So my dad came up with this. It's supposed to keep the curse from evolving further. He calls it the Fledgling's Death."

Callum shook his head. "Yeah, I'm not going to drink anything with the word 'Death' on its name. Nor something that looks like blood."

Claudia hesitated momentarily. "It's not blood. Just try it, please. It's for your own good. Just a little sip, for me."

He surrendered to her and took just a sip. To his small surprise, the liquid had no taste nor smell. It was as if someone had tinged water red.

"Doesn't taste like blood, so that's something." he relented.

Claudia smiled faintly.

Flashback:

"Besides recovering the dragon's egg, you will also have a secret mission: to learn as much as possible of the effects of the Draculin Curse." her father spoke to her behind the closed doors of his study.

"Well," she looked brightly at the pile of books and notes on top of his desk. "with all the information you collected over the months, I think I got this."

Viren wasn't done. "It's not just that I want you to observe." he went to a shelf and revealed a small flash. Within was a substance that closely resembled blood. "This is a sample of elven blood. The assassin we have in the dungeon has proven to be quite a generous donor. I want you to have him drink this, slowly, over the course of days, and write down whatever effects you detect."

Claudia looked from the flash to the father. "You want me to convince him to drink blood?" she often did experiments with blood of all sorts of magical and non-magical creatures, but never consumed any of it in pure form. Only if it had been mixed into a potion.

Her father's expression didn't waver. "Claudia, recent discoveries have made me believe this experiment may help him control his... recent changes."

"What do you mean, recent discoveries?"

"The Draculin Curse leaves the prince a mindless vampire, mad with thirst. From what I've read and managed to translate," he indicated the pile of books. "it appears that vampires went berserk when they were starved. If the prince is fed blood, maybe he will preserve his mind on his next transformation."

"But dad, when Callum...the night of his first transformation, he drank at least one guard dry. And he remained a mindless vampire." Claudia recalled the moment very uncomfortably. Not only because of her personal experiences of the night, but also not liking to sound as if she was accusing her friend of anything.

The older mage sighed. "Daughter, use your wit! He drank blood that didn't have a speck of magic. Vampires consumed elven blood for the magic imbued in it. It was their nourishment. Nourishment that the prince never had. If he drinks this, I'm positive he will keep a semblance of control."

With that, she accepted the flask, if a bit hesitant.

End of flashback.

"Just remember to drink just a little sip at every meal time." she instructed him.

Soren urged his horse forward so he rode alongside them. "So, Captain Step-Prince, I was told, technically, you're in charge of this mission. Any ideas where we should go?"

"Yeah, the Banther Lodge. I have a feeling Ezran went there." Callum said as he pocketed the flask of Fledgling's Death.

Soren was dubious. "I'm more willing to trust the hounds, than your feelings."

Callum wanted to throw a jab at that, but relented. He approached the hounds with a piece of Ezran's shirt that got torn during his transformation. Each dog took a sniff and broke into a run towards the east.

"Hey, look Soren. They're going east. That's the direction where the Banther Lodge is." Callum smiled with a touch of smugness of his own. Soren didn't respond to that.

Instead, he urged his horse to race after the hounds. He barely paid attention to the sounds of a startled Step Prince trying and failing to urge his steed to do the same and his sister trying to assist him. Soren, on that rare occasion, was in deep thought.

Flashback.

"You are to return with news that Prince Ezran has died."

"Out there, in the wild, accidents can happen."

Those words circled around Soren's brain as he followed after his father. After their little meeting outside, atop the walls of the castle, the mage asked his son to follow him to his office. He locked the door behind them and turned to Soren.

"Son, have you taken notice of Prince Callum's behavior and appearance lately?"

"If you're asking, do I see his fangs getting bigger, his ears pointy and his overall attitude getting lousy as his sword skills, then yeah. Come to think of it, last night I could swear he cried blood. Or maybe he had something in my eye. Or I had something in mine."

Before the conversation could go astray, Viren continued. "Exactly. His and Prince Ezran's curses will only get worse with time. Each transformation will leave a small physical and psychological imprint on them. It will continue until it consumes their minds."

Some of those words flew over the swordsman's head, which the mage picked up. Restraining the will to sigh, Viren elaborated. "Each time one of them transforms, he will become more and more like the creature he transforms into. Eventually, I fear, they may become trapped in their mindless transformed states, day and night."

That Soren did comprehend. And it worried him to no end.

"What about those elixir things you make for the crown prince?"

His father gave him a solemn look."It's effect won't last. As his curse evolves, he will require greater and greater doses. Until such time that no amount of elixir will help him keep control during the full moon."

Soren felt a twinge of panic. His father was the smarterest man he knew. He had seen him solving all kinds of crises and problems with his magic and stuff! If he couldn't find a solution, then…

"But, that won't happen right away, right? Like, there's still time for you to fix this."

"Time is something we no longer have, Soren." Viren turned away to gaze out of the window. "The curses are exacerbated by stress, as well. With what has happened, Prince Callum's fears and worries are eating away at him. He's even in denial that his brother still lives.

"On the other hand, if Prince Ezran remains alive, he's now a hostage of a murderous elven assassin. His own terror will speed up his curse."

A pause. Soren lowered his gaze to the ground, unable to know what to think, or say. What could he do?

(Viren felt he was almost there. Just needed the final touch.)

His dad turned back to him, his expression hesitant. "Soren, I...Earlier today, when I revealed my intentions to take the throne, Prince Callum reacted poorly. Truly, I could have chosen my words better, however…"

"What happened, dad?" Soren asked. His dad sounded concerned. He almost never sounded like that.

(Viren carried on, maintaining a touch of fear in his voice.) "He came at me with a strength beyond human. Had me pinned against a wall. He actually hissed and bared his teeth at me. For a moment I thought…"he left the statement hanging in the air and passed a hand over his own neck. (Viren could almost see the gears in his son's head turning. In the exact way he wanted them to.)

Soren closed his eyes and clenched his fist. He opened them and looked at his dad. "I understand, dad."

Viren approached and put a reassuring hand on his shoulder. "I know you do, son." he then walked to open a drawer and took a shiny, long object. He presented it to his son:

"You will need this, Soren."

"A shiny pike?" the son blinked.

"Werewolves are powerful creatures of the night and vampires are even more so. Yet, they share one weakness: pure silver. With this silver stake, all it's needed is a clean pierce through the heart."

End Flashback.

Claudia and Callum finally caught up with him. Soren turned to see the prince, riding with very little confidence. He tried to cling to his steed for dear life, all while trying to appear cool and confident to his sister. It was just as ridiculous and goofy as the Step Prince he remembered falling on mud in the courtyard. It made the silver stake that Soren kept hidden on his back, concealed by the cape, weigh like the world.

"So, satisfied, Prince?" Rayla asked, a tad impatient.

"More or less. These winter clothes are not so good for summer, but I can handle it." Ezran came out of the room with a vest and pants a bit thicker than the ones he had left the castle with.

Fortunately for the two of them, the Banther Lodge was indeed void of humans. Rayla wanted to sneak in, but Ezran produced a key from a hiding place close by the front door. He fetched and put on some new clothes and collected some stale bread for a future meal. Finally they left the lodge just as blissfully as they entered it.

Half an hour following their departure, General Amaya arrived with a clutch of her troops. She immediately noticed two things out of the ordinary: that her nephews were nowhere to be found; and there were signs that someone had been inside the lodge and had just left.

Some time later, she was surprised to see her older nephew arrive with Viren's children. And then she was shocked to hear the horrid news he brought.

If some of you Callum is too OOC, even with his curse, I should remind you he's in a completely different situation than he was in canon: Ezran is missing, potentially in the company of an elf that Callum doesn't know very well. Plus, his reaction and growing distaste for Viren is not too far-fetched. In the novelization of Book 1, it's written at the beginning that Viren 'was not Callum's favorite person'. Meaning, the two didn't get along very well before the start of the series.

Soren's flashback was written in his own POV, but there are instances in Viren's perspective that are written in between parentheses. It figured it was a good way to show Viren's appearances and real persona as a character.