A scorned Verona dashed through the streets after her prey. As the maxim goes, her fury was more terrible than Hell's fires, for never had her seductions been spurned as this dirty beggar had done. It was the height of insult, but she had resolved to feed from him as retribution. Her anger was a palpable thing, causing the people of the midnight streets to stumble over each other trying to get out of her way. Many passers by could sense the malice coming from the vampire, and knew that anyone who risk hindering her would become the new target of her hatred. Her prey however, did not have that luxury. He was forced weave through the crowds as he ran, causing his head start to shrink rapidly. Verona grinned wickedly as she began closing in on the object of her spite.
Karim continued to flee the dead woman, frantically praying under his breath. This woman was running far faster than she should be able to, and in his fear stricken mindset, Karim could think of no safe place to stop running. Despite the monster on his trail, Karim's greatest concern was controlling his shifting. Only in the light of the full moon could force on earth control him, but other nights he could restrain the wolf within. Every night, save those graced by the new moon, had become a constant battle for control over his own body. And if he had learned anything since acquiring the curse, it was that fear could cause him to lose control. And he would rather be slain by the corpse woman than give the demon in his soul another victim.
Vagrant that he was, Karim decided to try the same tricks he used to avoid the city's police. He weaved his way towards a small crowd assembled outside a tenement and dived in, hoping he could disappear into it. But as the European woman approached, the crowd dispersed, forcing Karim to try and run alongside the crowd. This tactic proved to be a failure, and extended the chase. He then attempted to lose his hunter in the darkened maze of the bazaar. Most of the merchants had closed shop for the night, but a few less than savory peddlers were still around, as were their customers. Karim flipped over a cart at the cost of losing his distance from the woman. He resumed running for his life, but when he looked over his shoulder to see how far from the woman he was, he was greeted with the sight of her leaping gracefully as a gazelle over the obstruction. Rather than slow him down, this only pushed Karim to pick up his pace. The disturbance did bring out the few remaining people out of their dens.
Verona howled with frustration as her quarry continued to elude her. Her mind was so consumed with bloodlust that she failed to notice how the humans who emerged to see where the noise had come from had now gone back into hiding at the sound of her inhuman wail. Her fury grew with every foolish attempt this man made to save his own life, and her eyes flared with unholy light when she had to bound over the fallen cart. The task was nothing to anger her, but the imputance of this human was maddening. She chased him through the streets with an unforgiving and unyielding pace, the crazed dance of predator and prey playing itself out in the urban wilderness. The chase reached its conclusion when the fool beggar made a wrong turn in a panic, leading him into an alley that proved to be a dead end. Confidant in the secrecy of the pitch black alley, Verona changed her shape to that of a demonic winged creature covered in perfectly smooth dead grey skin. She would savor every moment of sinking her fangs and claws into the man's flesh.
Karim could do little more than cower and turn his head away from the demon woman. His eyes were closed for what seemed like an eternity of waiting for the sweet release of death, and he only opened them when he could feel she was next to him. Desperate and trapped, he withdrew his knife and made a quick slash with the makeshift dagger he had salvaged ages ago. He missed any vital organs, but the mark he left on the creature's face caused it to scream into the night, howling as though it had been subjected to unnatural pain. The imp staggered backwards, and for a second, the vagrant believed he had won his survival.
Verona then lifted her wings, and made another charge for the beggar. She soared over the hapless man, and sank her claws into his shoulders, before flying directly up into the air, clutching Karim as a raptor clutches its prey. He shrieked in abject terror as he was lifted off the ground, causing Verona's fanged maw to grin cruelly. How she enjoyed the fear in this man's bones, the scent of his body reacting to overwhelming pain and horror. She would enjoy leaving this man to suffer constant tortures in the wine cellar for months on end before she granted him the peace of death. And perhaps even that much would be too little to atone for the high crime of maiming her exquisite form. She reluctantly turned her gaze away from her victim to concentrate on bringing him to her haven.
Karim thrashed harder than ever as he felt the pain and fear forcing him further into the bestial mind he battled against every night. He knew that now shifting his form was inevitable as the passing of time. And still he resisted, wanting nothing more than to die with an untainted soul. When the last frayed strands with self control he had left snapped, his body went limp at first. His hunter glanced down at him, curious as to whether he was still alive or had died from fight. He returned her gaze, but his tired brown pools had been replaced by crazed yellow wolf eyes. The look of a predator that had just found suitable prey.
The next thing Verona saw was a sudden change in her victim's form. The small, weak man sprouted fur as black as the night itself, as he exploded in size. His mein became a gloriously savage mix of man and wolf, something that evoked a more primal terror than even the vampire. Her victim's thrashing began anew when two hands tipped with vicious talons slashed across Verona's body like a biting wind. The werewolf's fangs then sank themselves into her arm, drawing her tainted blood and a section of her flesh. She wailed in pain again, her instincts spurring her to drop her prey and retreat for safety. She didn't even bother watching Karim fall from the sky and crashing down through the roof of an old tenement below. She was too badly wounded and too desperate to escape to care about the werewolf's fate, for her own had almost been decided.
The wolf within Karim had taken over. All reason and desires had been replaced by the urge to survive no matter what the cost. If that meant murder, then so be it. In fact, although he would never admit it, Karim had learned that he enjoyed the sensation of blood flowing on his claws and the wild freedom the wolf man's curse offered him. It was intoxicating for a man who had lived by the rules of faith. Heaven was intangible and liberating madness was sweeter than any nectar. But for the first time since the curse sank in, the wolf man had no way to influence his survival now. All he could do was watch the demon from a perspective that became further and further away. He raged as he fell, futilely attempting to land one more blow on its attacker. He continued his thrashing until his now massive form crashed through a roof. The first impact alone would have been enough to daze him, but falling through another ceiling knocked him into blissful unconsciousness. Soon his body would revert to normal as a result, but both Karim and the wolf would not be able to see it.
Karim continued to flee the dead woman, frantically praying under his breath. This woman was running far faster than she should be able to, and in his fear stricken mindset, Karim could think of no safe place to stop running. Despite the monster on his trail, Karim's greatest concern was controlling his shifting. Only in the light of the full moon could force on earth control him, but other nights he could restrain the wolf within. Every night, save those graced by the new moon, had become a constant battle for control over his own body. And if he had learned anything since acquiring the curse, it was that fear could cause him to lose control. And he would rather be slain by the corpse woman than give the demon in his soul another victim.
Vagrant that he was, Karim decided to try the same tricks he used to avoid the city's police. He weaved his way towards a small crowd assembled outside a tenement and dived in, hoping he could disappear into it. But as the European woman approached, the crowd dispersed, forcing Karim to try and run alongside the crowd. This tactic proved to be a failure, and extended the chase. He then attempted to lose his hunter in the darkened maze of the bazaar. Most of the merchants had closed shop for the night, but a few less than savory peddlers were still around, as were their customers. Karim flipped over a cart at the cost of losing his distance from the woman. He resumed running for his life, but when he looked over his shoulder to see how far from the woman he was, he was greeted with the sight of her leaping gracefully as a gazelle over the obstruction. Rather than slow him down, this only pushed Karim to pick up his pace. The disturbance did bring out the few remaining people out of their dens.
Verona howled with frustration as her quarry continued to elude her. Her mind was so consumed with bloodlust that she failed to notice how the humans who emerged to see where the noise had come from had now gone back into hiding at the sound of her inhuman wail. Her fury grew with every foolish attempt this man made to save his own life, and her eyes flared with unholy light when she had to bound over the fallen cart. The task was nothing to anger her, but the imputance of this human was maddening. She chased him through the streets with an unforgiving and unyielding pace, the crazed dance of predator and prey playing itself out in the urban wilderness. The chase reached its conclusion when the fool beggar made a wrong turn in a panic, leading him into an alley that proved to be a dead end. Confidant in the secrecy of the pitch black alley, Verona changed her shape to that of a demonic winged creature covered in perfectly smooth dead grey skin. She would savor every moment of sinking her fangs and claws into the man's flesh.
Karim could do little more than cower and turn his head away from the demon woman. His eyes were closed for what seemed like an eternity of waiting for the sweet release of death, and he only opened them when he could feel she was next to him. Desperate and trapped, he withdrew his knife and made a quick slash with the makeshift dagger he had salvaged ages ago. He missed any vital organs, but the mark he left on the creature's face caused it to scream into the night, howling as though it had been subjected to unnatural pain. The imp staggered backwards, and for a second, the vagrant believed he had won his survival.
Verona then lifted her wings, and made another charge for the beggar. She soared over the hapless man, and sank her claws into his shoulders, before flying directly up into the air, clutching Karim as a raptor clutches its prey. He shrieked in abject terror as he was lifted off the ground, causing Verona's fanged maw to grin cruelly. How she enjoyed the fear in this man's bones, the scent of his body reacting to overwhelming pain and horror. She would enjoy leaving this man to suffer constant tortures in the wine cellar for months on end before she granted him the peace of death. And perhaps even that much would be too little to atone for the high crime of maiming her exquisite form. She reluctantly turned her gaze away from her victim to concentrate on bringing him to her haven.
Karim thrashed harder than ever as he felt the pain and fear forcing him further into the bestial mind he battled against every night. He knew that now shifting his form was inevitable as the passing of time. And still he resisted, wanting nothing more than to die with an untainted soul. When the last frayed strands with self control he had left snapped, his body went limp at first. His hunter glanced down at him, curious as to whether he was still alive or had died from fight. He returned her gaze, but his tired brown pools had been replaced by crazed yellow wolf eyes. The look of a predator that had just found suitable prey.
The next thing Verona saw was a sudden change in her victim's form. The small, weak man sprouted fur as black as the night itself, as he exploded in size. His mein became a gloriously savage mix of man and wolf, something that evoked a more primal terror than even the vampire. Her victim's thrashing began anew when two hands tipped with vicious talons slashed across Verona's body like a biting wind. The werewolf's fangs then sank themselves into her arm, drawing her tainted blood and a section of her flesh. She wailed in pain again, her instincts spurring her to drop her prey and retreat for safety. She didn't even bother watching Karim fall from the sky and crashing down through the roof of an old tenement below. She was too badly wounded and too desperate to escape to care about the werewolf's fate, for her own had almost been decided.
The wolf within Karim had taken over. All reason and desires had been replaced by the urge to survive no matter what the cost. If that meant murder, then so be it. In fact, although he would never admit it, Karim had learned that he enjoyed the sensation of blood flowing on his claws and the wild freedom the wolf man's curse offered him. It was intoxicating for a man who had lived by the rules of faith. Heaven was intangible and liberating madness was sweeter than any nectar. But for the first time since the curse sank in, the wolf man had no way to influence his survival now. All he could do was watch the demon from a perspective that became further and further away. He raged as he fell, futilely attempting to land one more blow on its attacker. He continued his thrashing until his now massive form crashed through a roof. The first impact alone would have been enough to daze him, but falling through another ceiling knocked him into blissful unconsciousness. Soon his body would revert to normal as a result, but both Karim and the wolf would not be able to see it.