((Well, I'm glad I've gotten good reviews for what little I've written. Inspired me to make a little addition to the story. Not much, but I felt obligated to do more. All hail the Felicia/Talbain pairing!!! Eh-heh, it sure is difficult to write multiple stories at one time…))
Promise
Scene One
Prowling the streets, perusing the nightlife, and joining in as many large performances as she could, these were just a few of Felicia's usual pastimes. She revered the type of lifestyle her fellow nuns practiced, but at the same time she could not deny what she was, and that was a creature that loved life and existed loudly in the world. Felicia cringed whenever she imagined herself locked away day and night in that suffocating convent, unable to take part in the entertainment that commonly presented itself every night in the form of street parades and performances. She had to be there every time, directly in the middle of the commotion. Entertaining others was her second most favorite hobby; it made her feel alive to herself and the world, making her name as a talented individual and not just as a Darkstalker.
However, this night's venture set aside personal enjoyment and served a different purpose. The feline paced back and forth among the vacant street. This stealthy endeavor had been going on for quite a while now without fault, but she still worried nonetheless. Something was bound to go wrong one of these days; she just hoped that it wouldn't be anytime soon.
But before her thoughts could get the better of her a small group of children approached her from a side alleyway, asking for her by name. "Oh, you found me. I'm Felicia," she assured them with a welcoming smile, seating herself onto her heels. "You must be the new children. How would you like a nice place to live? All you have to do is be good and go to church every Sunday and be sure to pay your respects. Does that sound good?" The children emphatically agreed.
Felicia smiled warmly once more, and then looked beyond the children to the large cloaked figure at the opposite end of the alley. The person watched in silence, then turned to leave. "Wait!" Felicia called out and sprang forward, demonstrating her feline reflexes as she soared above the astonished children, ricocheted off the side of a wall, and landed behind the cloaked figure. "Wait…"
"You're looking well, Felicia," came the voice beneath the cloak.
"Jonathan…I wanted to say thank you." The werewolf turned to her without a word, but she continued. "How did it go? Everything went okay, right?"
"There was some resistance. Nothing that could stop me from keeping my promise." It was an outright lie and he knew it, but felt it necessary. As long as his promise was fulfilled, that was all that mattered. He recalled when he had first pledged it and was sure that Felicia remembered, as well. Some time ago the world had quieted down somewhat, the terror of the Darkstalkers subsiding for the time being as most tried to blend in unnoticed while those of the Dark sat in wait, fabricating their next scheme. It was in that time that the werewolf found himself lost again, fallen from the path of purpose and into the life of question that had become so familiar. That was when he had come across Felicia at the orphanage and his promise had been born. It gave him duty and a slight reason to exist; he would hold on to that for as long as possible. "I have to go."
"Something happened, didn't it?" Felicia could sense the difference in his speech, despite how blunt it usually was.
"Nothing, I…" He suddenly felt dizzy.
"Do you…do you have a place to stay? It's going to rain tonight. There are empty rooms at the orphanage. It really wouldn't be any trouble if you stayed for a while."
The lupine closed his eyes and raised a hand to his forehead. "I'm fine! I said there's nothing wrong. There's nothing…" He staggered, placing a clawed hand against the brick surface of a wall to support himself, failing as he dropped to the ground.
"Jonathan!" Felicia dropped to the ground beside him. "What's wrong?! What's going on?!" She grasped his sides and rolled him onto his back, his cloak falling open in doing so. She gasped, startled by an unnerving discovery. Mixed within the white fur of the werewolf's chest was a ragged streak of a black liquid substance that she had never seen before. Without knowing it, she had gotten a small amount of the unknown substance on her hand upon moving the unconscious Jonathan. She examined the material closely, stunned by what she saw. "What…what is this?" The liquid moved and shifted its form slowly on her hand of its own accord, as though it had a life of its own. Felicia gazed at it, then looked to Jonathan once more. She was at a lack for words or actions. She was terrified.