Dissolution of Arms

By Eerie

Chapter Eleven: Lessons

The knife slid smoothly through the soft pale wood in Caruwyn's steady hands. He paused his work for a moment and gazed up at the stars embedded in a sky lit navy blue in the company of a full moon. They shimmered like diamonds in the sea of night and the memory of his father came to him. Caruwyn wondered if he was watching over his wayward son from some other plane beyond the boundaries of time. He smiled at the sky from beneath the shelter of the pear tree and resumed his carving. The bird's beak was coming along nicely.

It had been four months since he had joined D in his travels. The days that followed were tense at first, and they said very little to one another. Yet the vampire hunter willingly began to teach the young half-breed the techniques of sword fighting. But as the weather warmed, so did their acquaintanceship and D sometimes even gave in to Caruwyn's requests for tales about the Earth and the Great War. It was all very fascinating to the young man. He could sit for hours and listen to D talk if it was possible, but the dark man did not enjoy such activities enough to extend beyond an hour at a time and those sessions were almost always terribly formal and factual.

What was once anger and resentment toward the black-clad dhampire had gradually turned to respect and gratitude. The story of the battle with Carmilla had been closely tied to his father's version, and he knew that D was not prone to telling lies.

He was also an exceptional swordsman. Caruwyn had accompanied him on several hunts, though never on the ones meant for pursuing vampires. But the jobs he did get to see from the safety of the shadows were enthralling and made the youth all the more eager to learn how to fight. D's liquid grace as he dipped and swung his sword was like watching a perfectly choreographed dance in Caruwyn's eyes. He had never been as filled with emotion as he was when he gifted with the chance to see the vampire hunter fight.

Caruwyn learned a great deal about D himself as well, though the hunter had never said anything directly pertaining to his own history. It was in his habits, the way he spoke and hunted, and in his eyes. Sitting by a warm fire or on nights lit by such moons as this night, Caruwyn would discreetly study his master; his eyes would explore the sharp angles of his finely wrought face, the skintight black leather that bound his perfect body in pure adoration. He didn't quite know when it had begun, but Caruwyn was growing fonder of his mentor every day.

A warm breeze tinged with the scents of pear blossoms and lilacs wafted through his hair when the sound of hooves approached from the worn path ahead of him. D was coming back. The steed sped through the trees toward him and neighed as D pulled the reins. The black rider remained mounted as the horse pranced before Caruwyn.

D looked down at his companion. "You're supposed to be training."

Caruwyn smiled sheepishly and shrugged. "It's too lovely tonight to be working."

D returned a slight curve of his lips and slid from the horse, clicking his tongue and pushing it toward the pasture. The beast snorted in contentment and turned for the prospect of fresh grass. The dark-clad man cocked his head to study what was in Caruwyn's hands.

The youth held it in the light. "It's not much now as you can see."

"You sculpt?" D inquired with a hint of interest.

"Sometimes," Caruwyn said with a timid smile and cast his eyes back to his work. He was inwardly relieved that his master had come back unharmed but didn't want to show it.

D approached and turned to press his back against the pear tree's thick trunk, watching as his pupil sliced thin slivers of wood away from his carving. The glow of the moon and stars made Caruwyn illuminate like a celestial being. D couldn't help but admire the way the younger dhampire seemed to glow at night, as if he were a fallen star misplaced from the sky. And in a way it was true.

Caruwyn felt the hunter's gaze fixed on him though he could only see his legs from the corner of his eye. The warm rush of blood came to his cheeks unwillingly. He didn't know why he felt so strange in D's presence anymore, but it was beginning to annoy him. Especially when he was working with his sword techniques. When the smoky-eyed man corrected his hands upon the hilt of the blade he felt a peculiar warmth rise within his stomach. And it seemed to feel so much colder when D's hands left his. He rarely received any praise though the youth was learning fast.

Caruwyn held those dark eyes in his mind as he carved. The hunter was indeed very interesting and knowledgeable. But the respect that blossomed from their tense meeting several months ago had not ceased to bloom. Somewhere along the way, that respect had crossed a different border and the albino craved to learn more about D aside from his occupation and lessons. He had had such an intimate relationship with Meier in the City of Night and he was not used to being in the presence of one who seemed to carry no desire for intimacy. They had become friends, Caruwyn assumed, though D never spoke a word of their relationship. The young dhampire was sure that D enjoyed his company as well, but he doubted that his companion felt the same way as he.

'No,' Caruwyn thought, 'I'm just going crazy.' Still, the longing for one word that had nothing to do with swords, monsters, or employments was fierce in his heart. He wanted desperately to learn about D.

"You're quite good," the older dhampire said and broke the silence.

Caruwyn jumped and nearly placed a deep slit in his hand at the sound of D's voice. Somehow he felt guilty of his thoughts when the man that haunted them spoke.

"Th-thank you," Caruwyn replied and stilled his hand.

D crouched down beside him and ran a finger over the smooth curve of the wooden bird's crown. Caruwyn watched its path, hoping that damned blush was not still be at his cheeks.

"Perhaps one day you can teach me. As payback for my lessons," D said quietly.

That was the last thing Caruwyn had anticipated. He turned his face to smile his agreement at D but the sight before him refrained his lips from doing so. He had never been so closely face-to-face with the older dhampire. His large black hat swooped down to conceal one eye but the other gazed at him intently. Caruwyn met D's stare for a long moment, noting the eternally soft skin of his face that cried to be touched, the delicate lips that needn't move for the man to speak. Caruwyn wondered if anyone had been so fortunate as to embrace that wondrous skin with guilty fingers. The youth's stomach seemed to evaporate as he looked at D. But he couldn't tear his gaze away. The twin stones around either dhampire's necks began to glow at their close proximity.

"Isn't it strange how they do that?" Caruwyn whispered.

"It is," D answered. It had happened more than once but always when they were near one another. And the closer they came, the brighter they glowed though they had never touched. The hunter's explanation was that they reacted to one another merely because of the strange substance in which they were carved from was unlike anything on Earth. They behaved like magnets, opposite poles, in the form of light. Nothing more. But D wasn't thinking about the amulets.

The vampire hunter's brows drew together briefly in confusion before he turned his head away and regarded the contently grazing horse in the pasture. He inwardly kicked himself for allowing his gaze to linger on the crimson eyes that held so much adoration for him. That look in Caruwyn's eyes could not be mistaken. He had done all he could to keep the youth from becoming interested in him, from asking certain questions he had no desire to answer. And he had been successful, or so thought. Questions were one thing, but infatuation was another. He swore he could hear the parasite chuckling at him as the blue illumination faded.

His initial mission was simply to find out what it was about Caruwyn that held such terrible mysticism. Though the young man had the rare gift of mind control, he knew there was more. But months had passed and nothing had revealed itself. The hunter occasionally wondered if he was mistaken in that assumption.

Yet D had grown to care for the youth and had even enjoyed giving him lessons in sword fighting. There was concern for his well-being, but he hadn't wanted anything more than respect. He had not been oblivious to Caruwyn's sidelong looks, however. But the younger dhampire was not so careful in masking his eyes this night.

D stood once again and folded his arms against his chest as he stared at the stars. "The air's getting to you, Hunter," the parasite's voice taunted inside his head. D narrowed his eyes.

"Oh yes," Caruwyn said softly, "if you'd like. Though I don't know how well I could teach you."

"Don't concern yourself over it," the dhampire Prince said. A tense silence followed.

"Master?" Caruwyn said uncertainly and braced himself.

"Yes?"

"Why do you hunt?"

D sighed. "There are many evils in the world that have forgotten their place."

"But," the albino continued in a more cautious voice, "aren't we like them?"

"In blood only. It means nothing. Creatures that feed from greed and malice on the innocent are not like us. I thought I told you this."

"I know." Caruwyn's hands trembled slightly as he formed a wing. It wasn't what he wanted to ask, but he couldn't find the courage or grace to persuade his mentor to bring up something about himself.

"Why do you ask then?"

"No reason," the youth answered, feeling foolish.

D looked back down at the pale half-breed once more before stalking away toward the river. "I still want you to practice tonight."

Like glitter on smoked glass, the stars reflected on the river surface. Young summer breezes blew warm and fragrant over the rich grasses and rippled the water as D descended toward the bank. His hat was swept from his head and discarded on the soft ground where his great mantle soon followed. Piece by piece, the half-breed shed his clothing into a neat pile. Only the blue amulet remained about his neck as he stepped into the cool waters. D ducked his head under and scooped up a handful of sand with which he scrubbed at his skin. It wasn't as good as soap, but it did the job effectively.

"Need to cool down, dhampire?" the parasite asked and laughed.

D replied by shoving a handful of sand in its mouth. The parasite spat it out angrily.

"What? Can't even take a joke anymore? Geez," the thing said and coughed harshly.

"I know what you would say and I'd rather you not," the dhampire said and scrubbed his arm.

In all this time he had not revealed the parasite to Caruwyn. He didn't think the youth would comprehend such a bizarre thing, if empathy served him correct. But perhaps he would soon. Well he would have to eventually. It might even dissuade the albino from his illusions about D and replace some element of fear in him.

"Yeah, I've been wondering why you've kept me hidden away for so long. Can I finally come out and scare him, D?" the companion pleaded.

"You will not reveal yourself until I command it," the vampire hunter replied and gave it a look of warning to which the creature snorted and sneered. "Understood?"

"Yeah whatever. I never get to have any fun," the entity complained.

D dipped below the river's surface, reveling in the cool sensations about his body. His dark hair floated lazily about his face and the weeds spotting the riverbed whispered over his feet. This was one of the few sanctuaries he had found that he had no hesitations in allowing himself to enjoy. His eyes found the wavering image of the full moon and he admired it from the welcomed depths of his liquid captor.

As much as he tried to avoid them, thoughts of his pale fledgling occupied his mind. He knew that Caruwyn admired him to a point that made him uncomfortable to think about. But he could do nothing to dissuade it. Perhaps it was because there was something inside him that found the youth charming. Indeed he was. And D could scarcely keep his thoughts away from those depthless eyes and flawless face, as much as he fought them. It perplexed him. Why should he be even the slightest bit distracted by such an innocent beauty?

"Maybe it's that combination. You don't see it too often do you?" the parasite chimed in.

"I told you not to interfere with my thoughts," D growled.

"My duty is to protect you when I can. When you start thinking this way it's dangerous."

"What do you know?" D scowled.

"I told you I was weary of him. Just because he hasn't showed any ill signs yet doesn't mean I've changed my mind. To be honest, your attachment to this kid makes me nervous." The parasite grunted.

"He's merely my student."

The creature just smirked in a knowing fashion. It knew D's mind, even the parts that the hunter would never reveal through words. And D was becoming fond of the young man, though he would probably never show it. That was fine with the parasite. He didn't want to see his master get hurt, especially by the strange albino with equally strange powers. D had grown fond of others as well, but nothing ever came of such things. The hunter would deny himself the pleasures of love and lust alike for all time. The parasite never really knew why that was, but its guess was on a form of self-punishment. D hated what he was and believed he had no right to live as a human nor a vampire, but a completely separate being, like an unfeeling phantom.

This was probably just another fleeting case of attraction for the dhampire Prince, the parasite thought. Their paths would soon separate and D wouldn't have to think about the kid ever again. That's usually the way it worked.

D had been gone for a long time. Caruwyn began to get worried, though he knew that he had no reason to. The vampire hunter could take care of himself and would often disappear for long periods of time with no explanation. But tonight, the young half-breed was more curious than anything.

He abandoned the finished sparrow and carving knife into his pocket and stood, brushing the splinters carefully from his garments. He wore black this night, clothes that D had graciously purchased for him to replace the bloodstained ones that he arrived in. Even washing them had not removed those dark blotches completely. Besides, D had said, darker colors served useful as camouflage in the night. Though they didn't mask his fair head, they still suited him.

The silver sword slid into the belt that hugged his slim hips and Caruwyn looked around. Gentle river sounds guided his feet over the thick grass and his ruby eyes drank in the moonlit scenery. He could never grow tired of the beauty that surrounded him.

The low hill capped with trees provided a border for the river's edge and Caruwyn neared its crest. From above he saw the dark pile of D's discarded clothing and it wasn't long before his eyes found their owner. The older dhampire stood in waist-deep water facing away from him.

Caruwyn knew he should turn back as he had no business being there in the first place. But the radiantly pale skin that hugged D's well-toned muscles in the silver moonlight was too beautiful to pull his eyes from. He studied the curve of the older man's back and the normally wavy dark hair that now fell straight against it. It looked even longer when it was wet. The hunter's arms were much more long and graceful than Caruwyn had ever noticed without their black leather sheathings.

D turned slightly to reveal half his face, turned toward the moon with closed eyes as he worked the sand. Caruwyn forgot how to breathe. The mask of stone that lay forever fixed before D's face was all but gone. In its place was that which one's countenance usually takes on when deep in sleep—naked, true. But the older half-breed's sleeping face had never even revealed anything, always protected.

The albino had chanced but one glance at the sleeping dhampire several weeks ago, for D had almost always fallen asleep after him. But even on that rare night there was nothing but concealment and shadows. And Caruwyn's nightmares had continued. Often he would wake up sweating only to find his master staring down at him in concern or nowhere to be found. He wondered if D dreamed and, if so, what he dreamt about. But he would probably never know.

Now the youth was frozen in place by sheer amazement. He should flee, escape that which his eyes intruded upon. But he could not. The force of attraction that bound him to his master deepened, his longing for D's mysteries to be solved seemed to gnaw his brain. How exquisitely beautiful he really was . . .

"You've got company," the parasite said amusedly.

D whirled around and caught Caruwyn's pale face that seemed to float without a body among the trees. He remained still and waited for the youth to explain himself.

Caruwyn saw D turn to him from the blue. How had he noticed? The albino had to act quickly.

"I'm sorry. I was just coming for a drink. I . . . I didn't know you'd be here," he stammered and turned to escape.

"Wait," the Dhampire Prince called out. "Don't leave."

Both Caruwyn and the parasite looked at D in surprise.

"Master . . . I," the youth began.

"You came for water, so come get it," the hunter interrupted.

Caruwyn blushed to his ears, he was sure of it. But he had no choice. Slowly he descended the hill and stood and timidly at the river's edge. He couldn't help but gaze at D's slender muscular form and the amulet that rested against his chest. His face wore a solemn, expressionless look. And that face had never seemed so wondrous to the youth than now, with his hair pulled away and the large hat that served as a fundamental component of his careful mask cast aside. How he longed for just one touch, just one piece of proof that the stunning man before him was no illusion. When he realized his eyes were drifting toward the Prince's navel he quickly cast them to the ground and furrowed his brow in irritation at himself.

"What are you waiting for?" D asked. He was upset at this disturbance and wanted to make Caruwyn squirm a bit for it. But surprisingly, the desire for revenge fueled by the frustration of being caught off his guard was replaced by some amusement at the blush on his fledgling's white cheeks.

The young albino squatted down and took a handful of water to his mouth, feeling extraordinarily uneasy under D's gaze. He stood quickly.

"I'll go now. Forgive my intrusion," the youth said and turned away.

"Why in such a rush?" the older dhampire said and clenched his left fist tight. Perhaps the air and brilliant stars were getting to him.

Caruwyn stopped in mid-step but said nothing. His heart pounded.

"I thought you were an admirer of scenery. The view is finer here than from that tree of yours," D said and allowed a smirk to tug imperceptibly at his lips. "Don't you think?"

It was too much. Caruwyn's blood rushed to his stomach but he could not turn to face the other. "Yes, much more lovely."

"Do I frighten you?" D didn't know why, but he found his game immensely entertaining at Caruwyn's expense.

The albino's breathing had become labored. If his dignity had allowed him to do so, he would simply run away. But he was held firm by D's torture.

"No," he replied. "Not at all. Only my own thoughts do that."

"And what thoughts are those?"

Would it never end? What was the vampire hunter trying to do to him? Make him insane?

"Master, please. I should go," Caruwyn pleaded.

"And yet nothing stops you," D said and released the spent sand into the water.

At this Caruwyn flushed even more ferociously and his feet carried him back up the hill toward the pasture without another word.

When he was gone, D unclenched his bloodless fist. The parasite groaned in pain.

"What was that for? I wasn't going to say anything," it said in irritation. "Though I damn well should have with that charade you were playing."

"It did no harm," D said and smoothed his hair back.

The entity clicked its tongue. "You're too easy on him. And for all the wrong reasons I might add."

D strode from the water and let the night air dry his skin before dressing himself. His blade was sheathed as he ascended the grassy hill. The moon dipped slowly toward the horizon, signaling that it would be morning soon.

Caruwyn was standing beside the cyborg when he returned, smoothing his hand over the grunting thing's neck. D approached him unabashed and stood watching the youth's caring movements.

"Did you finish your carving?" he asked and his eyes lit up when the young man jumped and backed away nervously from his sudden appearance. "Let me see it."

Caruwyn extracted the small wooden bird from his pocket and handed it to his master with the appropriate amount of fumbling. The latter inspected it closely, the faint trace of a smile marking his approval. He handed it back and scratched the steed behind its ear.

"Now, show me how you've come along with the sword."

The young albino had deterred his gaze from seeking the other, wondering why D acted as if nothing had happened. Perhaps he was making the incident out to be a bigger deal than it really was. But he was certain that D had toyed with him. As if he needed even more frustration as it was.

He tucked the carving away and drew his sword. It glided gracefully through the air as it slashed and Caruwyn danced with it hypnotically. Over the months it had become an extension of his body and it showed in his graceful form. D's lessons had changed him remarkably, matured him. When he wielded the light weapon, he could lose himself, forget everything that bound him to unrelenting conscious thoughts.

The older half-breed stopped him with an upraised hand. "You've done well. Perhaps tomorrow we can find the means for you to put those skills to a test."

And truly Caruwyn could use a source to take his pent-up frustrations out on. Tomorrow wouldn't come soon enough.

To be continued . . .