Chapter 6: D's Secret
The young girl had many hours to think to herself. She drew in the sand along the banks of the stream and fed the horse some greens, but most of all, she thought about the weird feeling that she couldn't get rid off.
Ray never wanted to marry. Granny always pressured both the girls to due so for the sake and welfare of the farm, but Ray always stood with a firm foot. Eventually Aunt Kess found a suitable man and became engaged. She would be leaving the farm, but would give a lot of her income to Granny. Ray on the other case…
She could remember early days in school. Other girls would chase boys around for a kiss, Araydia would chase them around for a fight. She was a tomboy, and loved her farm life. The freedom of the pastures, the animals, the care and affection you gave and received in return. She never needed a man!
'I'll never need a man, Granny! I can take care of this farm by myself!' that's what she use to say, but Granny knew she wouldn't always be around, and young Araydia would need a way to survive in the adult world.
When the girl came of age and blossomed into a young woman, a few men would find themselves flirting with her and harshly rejected. Her bold and loud remarks were undesirable. She had no patience and was a horrible cook. She had none of the good qualities it took to be a good housewife. As the years went on, the girl didn't care what she wore or what she looked like. She just wanted to hide.
And now sitting by the stream in what was now the afternoon, she felt ashamed of herself. The girl watched the sunlight dance off the water as she reflected on what happened earlier.
She had never felt ashamed of the way she acted in front of a man. Sure some of them were cute, kind and wealthy, but…who cared? Not her.
Unfortunately she wasn't able to prepare for the shock she got from D. 'Choco' wasn't as scrawny and ugly as she thought!
"Oh I could just die…" Ray flopped into the grass. Getting her gown dirty and her midnight hair.
________________________________
D woke up about evening time and figured he had slept longer than he intended. Surely it wasn't safe to sleep out here with the young girl to take care of. He was sure there ways a village with a suitable Inn a few miles from here.
The hunter stood up and brushed himself off. Spotting his wide-brimmed hat in the grass he picked it up and placed it on top of his head before making his way over to collect his horse and the girl.
The gentle sound of snoring could be heard as D averted his attention to the source. He found a sleeping girl laying in the grass with locks of ebony pooled around her. For a girl who indeed could be irritating, she seemed so serene in her sleep. It almost felt like it would be a sin to wake her from her sleep, but they had to get going now if they wanted to find a safe place before nightfall.
The girl felt someone gently shake her by the shoulder and she shifted with a displeased face. "Hmmm, go away."
"Ray…" a soft voice called out. The girl took in another breath and continued her sleeping.
D had no choice. He scooped the girl up and set her on the back of the horse, carefully so she wouldn't loose her balance. Ray immediately woke up. "Huh?"
"We need to get going if we're going to find a safe place before nightfall."
"Oh…" she replied sleepily. Araydia figured she could catch some sleep while they rode, but she didn't trust any man during her sleep! There would be no one to protect her. Not that D would ever take advantage of a girl, or anyone for that mater, the girl trusted no one. A man had yet to earn her trust.
D put one foot in the stirrup before Ray called out; "I don't think so! I'm steering."
No sense in arguing with that.
_________________________________
So, Araydia took control of the horse. It was clear she knew what she was doing and D would tell her which way to go. D also noticed how quiet she was, without her usual amount of questions. Perhaps letting her take control was what she needed. It was an enjoyable ride, at least on his half.
For the girl, she was glad she was in front of D. He couldn't see her blush every time the horse leapt over a rock or bush and his hand unconsciously slid up her stomach or her breasts bounced against it. She also hoped he couldn't feel her pounding heart. Ray was not liking this at all, she hated things she didn't have control over.
_________________________________
Before long, Ray was starting to feel tired. The affect of the nap hadn't worn of like she hoped, and her body longed for more sleep. D started noticing this when her posture assumed a slouching position and her head would start to lean forward. It was getting dark and a chill was setting in. It would be a few minutes longer before they reached the village.
D snaked a hand up in place of hers holding the reigns and the other hand pressed the girl back against him. The girl looked up at him with weary but tired eyes.
"It's okay to go to sleep, Ray. We should be reaching the village soon."
Soon the young girl's eyes fluttered shut and she leaned back against D's flat stomach. The chill was starting to bite at her nose and cheeks, but the warmth of the Hunter's body seemed to do just fine. At least until she could find a bed where she could crawl under the covers and hide.
Soon the man could see a village, visible against the dark background of a spectacular redwood forest.
__________________________________
The sound of cantering hooves was heard against the cobble stone roadways as our Hunter approached the local bar, which also served as an Inn.
D in particular didn't like these Inn's. There was always a group of loud drunkards that seemed to keep everyone awake on the upper story long into the night with their blabbering. The man lifted up the sleeping girl from the horse and carried her into the bar. Perhaps there was a booth he could set her down on, away from everyone else. He didn't want to draw attention to her being under-age, and he most certainly didn't want to give anyone the wrong impression!
Sure enough, there was an empty booth at the back, behind the counter where he set Araydia down and went to talk to the main owner.
"I'd like two rooms for the night, please."
A couple of laughing drunkards at the counter spotted the sleeping girl at the booth. They eyed her and exchanged looks with each other. Some grinning and looking around for whoever she came in with.
"You got cash for that?" The owner asked as D rummaged through his pockets.
Three of the men got up from their stools and proceeded to encircle her booth. The sleeping beauty obviously not aware of her situation as the men blocked the only way she would have to get out.
"Look's like you're a little short of cash, there…" The manager said to D.
The two other drunk men at the bar looked out for their companions dirty work. It seemed the girl was alone.
"Well, well…ain't she a pwetty one." One of the men said through slurred words as the others cackled. They looked down at the girl for a reaction and were disappointed when she held none. She was indeed asleep, and well in the case for taking advantage of. They grinned and one of the men scooped the girl up.
The other two at the bar laughed and quickly followed behind.
Ray almost instantly woke up when she noticed the man who was carrying her off was not at all D. She didn't know where she was at all. It was dark but it must have been a storage room and she could make out five visible figures. They were men. Five men. The strength of a man against the strength of a girl. It didn't mater if her will was stronger, there were five of them!
The poor girl was just about to scream when she was gagged with a cloth and felt two powerful hands pin her down by her upper arms. Her heart was beating in her hand, she had to do something!
"D!" she tried to call out, but the sound wasn't pronounceable at all with a cloth in her mouth. She couldn't spit it out and one of the men produced a handkerchief amongst an uproar of laughter as they tied it around her head.
They were laughing. How could they laugh at her like this, there was nothing funny about it. Araydia squirmed and struggled with all her might, but to no avail.
Outside of the room in the main bar area, D turned around to find Araydia missing and a few empty stools.
The weight of one of the men pinned her down by her hips to keep her from struggling and the girl screamed as loud as she could. Someone just had to hear her!
'Oh this can't be happening! I can't believe I was so stupid to not wake up!'
"Hey Harvy, we want a shot at her too!" One of the men called.
As if it wasn't worse enough, now she was a morsel to be passed around. The poor girl felt her gown being lifted up and an endless roar of laughter, all mixed with the smell of booze from their breathe.
A bright light shown in as a clash was heard when the door collapsed. All five men turned around with serious faces and the one pinning Araydia received the first good punch! The other men couldn't react so quickly as two of them scampered out. It just wasn't worth the risk of getting beat up and caught at the same time.
One of the men threw a punch at D, but D was too quick for the drunkard as the punch met a crushing hand. He flipped the man over and threw him into the hallway. The other man, too drunk to put up a fight, followed in the footsteps of the others and bolted out of the storage room into the hallway.
____________________________________
The Hunter explained to the owner what had happened and apologized for the inconvenience. He even offered to pay for the door. Though what those men had done was truly an unexcitable act, the owner refused for D to pay for the door and let him have a room for free.
All of the other rooms were occupied and only one was left. D didn't know how comfortable either of them would feel sharing a room, but considering what Ray had gone through, he would try to make it as comfortable for her as possible. Even if it meant he would sleep on the floor.
The man told the girl to go upstairs in the room and lock the door, not to open it for anyone (as if she would), while he explained to the owner. All went well, and the man calmly knocked on the wooden door.
It took a while before a shaky hand opened the knob and let him in.
D stood in the main room as the girl looked up at him with a feeling in her eyes he couldn't sense. She was wearing a large white, buttoned shirt that barely covered her thighs. The shirt exposing her creamy colored legs and untamed locks of ebony cascading across her shoulders and down her back. She stood there limp.
"Are you alright?"
"I'm fine."
D made his way passed her sat down on a chair next to the bed. "Ray, they didn't,"
"-I don't want to talk about it!"
She stomped her way off into the bathroom, but didn't bother to shut the door. She had already taken a shower and was soaking her dirty and blood stained dress.
"You can sleep on the bed, if you wish."
He had such a soft, convincing voice. Even after the lights went out and the only light on was the one in the bathroom, Ray scrubbed the stains from her dress. When she came out of the bathroom and turned off the light, she didn't see D along her way to the bed and tripped right over him. He caught her just in time.
"Whoa! Sorry…It's pitch-black in here, how can you see anything?"
"I have good nocturnal vision…"
Even though no one could see it, the girl furrowed her eyebrows and blindly crawled into bed. She faced D's direction towards the edge of the bed and tightly pulled the covers around her. When her eyes finally adjusted to the dark, she looked at the Hunter's sleeping profile.
Once again, his hat was off. His eyes were gently closed, soft lashes fluttering in whatever dreams and nightmares his mind held. Wavy tendrils of chestnut brown made their way across his cheeks and shoulders. One hand gently rested across his chest as it slowly moved up and down in the rhythm of his breathing.
"Hey, D…" a gentle voice called out into the room.
D turned his head and looked right at her. A lock of hair gently falling from his cheek and resting behind his ear.
"Thank you…I don't know what I would have happened without you."
His gaze lowered. He was about to say something like 'Don't mention it,' but that seemed too out of place for him. Ray could easily see him now. His ghostly white skin contrasted with the dark surroundings.
Once again, he didn't reply to Ray. The girl drew her eyebrows together as she studied him more. Indeed he was handsome, but it was an unusual type of beauty he held…
"D, why do you hunt Vampires?"
The man looked up at her. Araydia was shocked when she received a reply. "Because it's a choice I choose to make."
She studied him a bit longer. He could feel her eyes on him and was getting the impression she was catching on to something.
"I'm not stupid you know. You can tell me the real reason."
His gaze still remained lowered.
"Is 'D' even your real name? Or does it stand for something?"
The man looked up at her. "Ray you should go to sleep, you've had a long night."
"But I want to know!"
"My past is best left for you not to know." He said gently. It wasn't an insulting phrase at all. Araydia understood where he was coming from perfectly well, but just had to ease the tension in the room.
"Oh jeez, it's not like 'D' actually stands for 'Dracula'…" Ray giggled.
D looked up at her resolutely.
The young girl had many hours to think to herself. She drew in the sand along the banks of the stream and fed the horse some greens, but most of all, she thought about the weird feeling that she couldn't get rid off.
Ray never wanted to marry. Granny always pressured both the girls to due so for the sake and welfare of the farm, but Ray always stood with a firm foot. Eventually Aunt Kess found a suitable man and became engaged. She would be leaving the farm, but would give a lot of her income to Granny. Ray on the other case…
She could remember early days in school. Other girls would chase boys around for a kiss, Araydia would chase them around for a fight. She was a tomboy, and loved her farm life. The freedom of the pastures, the animals, the care and affection you gave and received in return. She never needed a man!
'I'll never need a man, Granny! I can take care of this farm by myself!' that's what she use to say, but Granny knew she wouldn't always be around, and young Araydia would need a way to survive in the adult world.
When the girl came of age and blossomed into a young woman, a few men would find themselves flirting with her and harshly rejected. Her bold and loud remarks were undesirable. She had no patience and was a horrible cook. She had none of the good qualities it took to be a good housewife. As the years went on, the girl didn't care what she wore or what she looked like. She just wanted to hide.
And now sitting by the stream in what was now the afternoon, she felt ashamed of herself. The girl watched the sunlight dance off the water as she reflected on what happened earlier.
She had never felt ashamed of the way she acted in front of a man. Sure some of them were cute, kind and wealthy, but…who cared? Not her.
Unfortunately she wasn't able to prepare for the shock she got from D. 'Choco' wasn't as scrawny and ugly as she thought!
"Oh I could just die…" Ray flopped into the grass. Getting her gown dirty and her midnight hair.
________________________________
D woke up about evening time and figured he had slept longer than he intended. Surely it wasn't safe to sleep out here with the young girl to take care of. He was sure there ways a village with a suitable Inn a few miles from here.
The hunter stood up and brushed himself off. Spotting his wide-brimmed hat in the grass he picked it up and placed it on top of his head before making his way over to collect his horse and the girl.
The gentle sound of snoring could be heard as D averted his attention to the source. He found a sleeping girl laying in the grass with locks of ebony pooled around her. For a girl who indeed could be irritating, she seemed so serene in her sleep. It almost felt like it would be a sin to wake her from her sleep, but they had to get going now if they wanted to find a safe place before nightfall.
The girl felt someone gently shake her by the shoulder and she shifted with a displeased face. "Hmmm, go away."
"Ray…" a soft voice called out. The girl took in another breath and continued her sleeping.
D had no choice. He scooped the girl up and set her on the back of the horse, carefully so she wouldn't loose her balance. Ray immediately woke up. "Huh?"
"We need to get going if we're going to find a safe place before nightfall."
"Oh…" she replied sleepily. Araydia figured she could catch some sleep while they rode, but she didn't trust any man during her sleep! There would be no one to protect her. Not that D would ever take advantage of a girl, or anyone for that mater, the girl trusted no one. A man had yet to earn her trust.
D put one foot in the stirrup before Ray called out; "I don't think so! I'm steering."
No sense in arguing with that.
_________________________________
So, Araydia took control of the horse. It was clear she knew what she was doing and D would tell her which way to go. D also noticed how quiet she was, without her usual amount of questions. Perhaps letting her take control was what she needed. It was an enjoyable ride, at least on his half.
For the girl, she was glad she was in front of D. He couldn't see her blush every time the horse leapt over a rock or bush and his hand unconsciously slid up her stomach or her breasts bounced against it. She also hoped he couldn't feel her pounding heart. Ray was not liking this at all, she hated things she didn't have control over.
_________________________________
Before long, Ray was starting to feel tired. The affect of the nap hadn't worn of like she hoped, and her body longed for more sleep. D started noticing this when her posture assumed a slouching position and her head would start to lean forward. It was getting dark and a chill was setting in. It would be a few minutes longer before they reached the village.
D snaked a hand up in place of hers holding the reigns and the other hand pressed the girl back against him. The girl looked up at him with weary but tired eyes.
"It's okay to go to sleep, Ray. We should be reaching the village soon."
Soon the young girl's eyes fluttered shut and she leaned back against D's flat stomach. The chill was starting to bite at her nose and cheeks, but the warmth of the Hunter's body seemed to do just fine. At least until she could find a bed where she could crawl under the covers and hide.
Soon the man could see a village, visible against the dark background of a spectacular redwood forest.
__________________________________
The sound of cantering hooves was heard against the cobble stone roadways as our Hunter approached the local bar, which also served as an Inn.
D in particular didn't like these Inn's. There was always a group of loud drunkards that seemed to keep everyone awake on the upper story long into the night with their blabbering. The man lifted up the sleeping girl from the horse and carried her into the bar. Perhaps there was a booth he could set her down on, away from everyone else. He didn't want to draw attention to her being under-age, and he most certainly didn't want to give anyone the wrong impression!
Sure enough, there was an empty booth at the back, behind the counter where he set Araydia down and went to talk to the main owner.
"I'd like two rooms for the night, please."
A couple of laughing drunkards at the counter spotted the sleeping girl at the booth. They eyed her and exchanged looks with each other. Some grinning and looking around for whoever she came in with.
"You got cash for that?" The owner asked as D rummaged through his pockets.
Three of the men got up from their stools and proceeded to encircle her booth. The sleeping beauty obviously not aware of her situation as the men blocked the only way she would have to get out.
"Look's like you're a little short of cash, there…" The manager said to D.
The two other drunk men at the bar looked out for their companions dirty work. It seemed the girl was alone.
"Well, well…ain't she a pwetty one." One of the men said through slurred words as the others cackled. They looked down at the girl for a reaction and were disappointed when she held none. She was indeed asleep, and well in the case for taking advantage of. They grinned and one of the men scooped the girl up.
The other two at the bar laughed and quickly followed behind.
Ray almost instantly woke up when she noticed the man who was carrying her off was not at all D. She didn't know where she was at all. It was dark but it must have been a storage room and she could make out five visible figures. They were men. Five men. The strength of a man against the strength of a girl. It didn't mater if her will was stronger, there were five of them!
The poor girl was just about to scream when she was gagged with a cloth and felt two powerful hands pin her down by her upper arms. Her heart was beating in her hand, she had to do something!
"D!" she tried to call out, but the sound wasn't pronounceable at all with a cloth in her mouth. She couldn't spit it out and one of the men produced a handkerchief amongst an uproar of laughter as they tied it around her head.
They were laughing. How could they laugh at her like this, there was nothing funny about it. Araydia squirmed and struggled with all her might, but to no avail.
Outside of the room in the main bar area, D turned around to find Araydia missing and a few empty stools.
The weight of one of the men pinned her down by her hips to keep her from struggling and the girl screamed as loud as she could. Someone just had to hear her!
'Oh this can't be happening! I can't believe I was so stupid to not wake up!'
"Hey Harvy, we want a shot at her too!" One of the men called.
As if it wasn't worse enough, now she was a morsel to be passed around. The poor girl felt her gown being lifted up and an endless roar of laughter, all mixed with the smell of booze from their breathe.
A bright light shown in as a clash was heard when the door collapsed. All five men turned around with serious faces and the one pinning Araydia received the first good punch! The other men couldn't react so quickly as two of them scampered out. It just wasn't worth the risk of getting beat up and caught at the same time.
One of the men threw a punch at D, but D was too quick for the drunkard as the punch met a crushing hand. He flipped the man over and threw him into the hallway. The other man, too drunk to put up a fight, followed in the footsteps of the others and bolted out of the storage room into the hallway.
____________________________________
The Hunter explained to the owner what had happened and apologized for the inconvenience. He even offered to pay for the door. Though what those men had done was truly an unexcitable act, the owner refused for D to pay for the door and let him have a room for free.
All of the other rooms were occupied and only one was left. D didn't know how comfortable either of them would feel sharing a room, but considering what Ray had gone through, he would try to make it as comfortable for her as possible. Even if it meant he would sleep on the floor.
The man told the girl to go upstairs in the room and lock the door, not to open it for anyone (as if she would), while he explained to the owner. All went well, and the man calmly knocked on the wooden door.
It took a while before a shaky hand opened the knob and let him in.
D stood in the main room as the girl looked up at him with a feeling in her eyes he couldn't sense. She was wearing a large white, buttoned shirt that barely covered her thighs. The shirt exposing her creamy colored legs and untamed locks of ebony cascading across her shoulders and down her back. She stood there limp.
"Are you alright?"
"I'm fine."
D made his way passed her sat down on a chair next to the bed. "Ray, they didn't,"
"-I don't want to talk about it!"
She stomped her way off into the bathroom, but didn't bother to shut the door. She had already taken a shower and was soaking her dirty and blood stained dress.
"You can sleep on the bed, if you wish."
He had such a soft, convincing voice. Even after the lights went out and the only light on was the one in the bathroom, Ray scrubbed the stains from her dress. When she came out of the bathroom and turned off the light, she didn't see D along her way to the bed and tripped right over him. He caught her just in time.
"Whoa! Sorry…It's pitch-black in here, how can you see anything?"
"I have good nocturnal vision…"
Even though no one could see it, the girl furrowed her eyebrows and blindly crawled into bed. She faced D's direction towards the edge of the bed and tightly pulled the covers around her. When her eyes finally adjusted to the dark, she looked at the Hunter's sleeping profile.
Once again, his hat was off. His eyes were gently closed, soft lashes fluttering in whatever dreams and nightmares his mind held. Wavy tendrils of chestnut brown made their way across his cheeks and shoulders. One hand gently rested across his chest as it slowly moved up and down in the rhythm of his breathing.
"Hey, D…" a gentle voice called out into the room.
D turned his head and looked right at her. A lock of hair gently falling from his cheek and resting behind his ear.
"Thank you…I don't know what I would have happened without you."
His gaze lowered. He was about to say something like 'Don't mention it,' but that seemed too out of place for him. Ray could easily see him now. His ghostly white skin contrasted with the dark surroundings.
Once again, he didn't reply to Ray. The girl drew her eyebrows together as she studied him more. Indeed he was handsome, but it was an unusual type of beauty he held…
"D, why do you hunt Vampires?"
The man looked up at her. Araydia was shocked when she received a reply. "Because it's a choice I choose to make."
She studied him a bit longer. He could feel her eyes on him and was getting the impression she was catching on to something.
"I'm not stupid you know. You can tell me the real reason."
His gaze still remained lowered.
"Is 'D' even your real name? Or does it stand for something?"
The man looked up at her. "Ray you should go to sleep, you've had a long night."
"But I want to know!"
"My past is best left for you not to know." He said gently. It wasn't an insulting phrase at all. Araydia understood where he was coming from perfectly well, but just had to ease the tension in the room.
"Oh jeez, it's not like 'D' actually stands for 'Dracula'…" Ray giggled.
D looked up at her resolutely.