Sayori: Mwahahaa! Another long, drawn-out, oh-please-god-just-make-her-shut-up intro! I plan on boring you all till death! This is my secret.. ops maybe not so secret now.. plot. ^^; Yeah right, anyway, hope you guys enjoy the chapter. Mah.... my co-author is demanding five reviews this time. She sets the limits, I follow. ^^; Do the same, I'm begging you. o.o;; Or god knows what she'll do to me.
The Crimson Wave
Chapter 3 - The Priceless Gem
By Black Widow and Sayori
Tucking part of his hair back into the hood, Shido made the last adjustments to the cloak-like overcoat. He had only acquired it a day ago. The new fabric was stiffer than he was used to, and the cuffs chafed his wrists everytime he turned them. Regardless, it was a good investment. He could endure the sunset normally, but covered as he was he could stay out a little longer.
Out into the early night he went, sunglasses on and bundled quite well against the light and, oddly enough, the Indian summer heat. He had traveled all the way to the northernmost section of India searching for a jewel he had only read about, never seen. A quarter of a year had passed since the trouble on his last excursion, and he felt quite safe now, enough so that he might traipse about the world again. Only one thing was different this time; he hadn't told Cyric where he was going, or that he was leaving. Of course the albino vampire had known. Somehow he knew everything, but Shido hadn't disclosed the purpose of his journey either. That was a surprise.
Turning off the dirt road, Shido shucked off the overcoat and glasses. Carefully folding them he deposited the bundle in the middle of a tiny grove of some plant he couldn't name. If he came back for them, they would be there. Without another thought to the garments, he turned on his heel and set off at a brisk pace, following a nameless instinct that hummed coquettish and sweet in his ear.
Something moved through the shadows of the jungle, blending in well for the fact that it was as bleached as bones in the desert. Vague shadows became human shaped and disappeared. It was following him, and it didn't want to be heard.
Closer to the inlet than he had expected, Shido broke out into a trot through the thick underbrush. He picked his way through with exceptional grace, never a misstep marring his progress. Grace had been a virtue of his he had not noticed, nor thought to use, until recently. He had to have a little help finding it, but fluidity of motion came from practice.
The ground dropped off suddenly, and Shido, caught by surprise, had to throw an arm about a tree to stop himself in time. The hasty braid he had forced his ponytail into came from behind him, carried by the motion of his abrupt stop, and hit him lightly on the side of his face. He batted the thing back, scowling briefly. That was why he never braided his hair. It was a pain.
His turquoise eyes scanned the crater-like recession in the ground, taking stock of the sheer walls, the rocks and water at the bottom, and the hole in the side farthest from him. His eyes narrowed as he focused on it. It was indeed the crack in the earth he was looking for. He need not consult a map; he simply knew.
The shadow stopped, craning around a tree to determine the actions of the Youngling. Little was revealed of the follower, white clothes cut to move quietly; definitely feminine in fitting and red eyes, darker then the Elder that Shido associated with. The shadow melted away and moved closer, stepping carefully over the dead leaves and vines to get closer.
There was no way down. He hadn't anticipated needing a length of rope, and now chastised himself for the mistake. He could jump, easily, and not be hurt at all, but he would have to propel himself very far from the edge or land on the rocks. Looking for another option, he paced a few feet at the edge. Nothing. He was going to have to jump. He disliked the idea, immensely, but there was no other way down. He removed his vest and shirt before approaching the edge again, dreading the water even as he did so. The same tree that had reignedin his momentum became his hanger.
Placing his feet on the edge, he took a deep breath and leaned forward. A rock and its companion, a broken vine, fell to the rocky water directly below. He shuddered at the sight. Raising his arms over his head, he dove, leaping as far forward as he could manage. He did clear the rocks, thankfully, and even managed to land near the middle of the pond.
Much deeper than he had thought, it took him a few moments longer to reach the surface than he had expected. Breaking the surface, he only took a moment to find his bearings, then set off to the cave. He swam with sure, reaching strokes, wanting to get out of the murky water as quickly as possible. God only knew what was in there.
The red-eyed shadow watched from shore, more of it revealed in the dappled moonlight. It was definitely a vampyre; no human could reach the pale snow white of an Elder's skin, or the long fangs overlapping the bottom lip. The figure was a woman, thin and finely muscular under the doeskin garments, with lengths of long white hair. She tracked the man in the water, waiting to move.
The water ran into the cave, forcing Shido to swim for nearly twenty feet inside before he could stand. He peeled a stray underwater plant from his arm, eyeing it. The slimy thing was brown and green, stouched sporadically by dots of yellow. It did nothing to instill confidence in him about the inhabitants of the small lake.
He dropped the greenery back into the water before he picked his way through the loose stones and between the calcified columns. There was only one way to go, and that was forward.
The female vampyre slipped out of the shadows and to the edge of the cliff in a way that would have reminded any child of the spider-walk in the Pocahontas movie. Pausing at the edge of the cliff for only a moment, she swung herself over, feet finding purchase with the sharkskin on the bottom of her boots.
The climb down was easy, being able to pick out hand and foot holds no mortal could see. Dropping down among the rocks at the base, she melted into the shadows once more. No one would see the red-eyed vampyre, except for a brief flash of white before ripples spread outward at the edge of the pool.
The plant life on the side opposite where Shido had left his clothes convulsed but still quickly afterward. Something else, someone perhaps, prowled, searching.
Inside the cave Shido's pace had slowed to a crawl. There was no light in the cave. Away from the entrance it was pitch black. Normally this wouldn't have been a problem, but there were so many rocks and stalactites and stalagmites that he ventured forward carefully. He continued in this careful, slow manner for what felt like hours, but just as he thought he had miscalculated around the only corner a dim green luminance caught him. Just as he had read it would be, the stone was nestled high in the corner of the small nearly circular ceiling. The end of the cave resembled a hall of some sort. It was a natural pocket, a bubble almost had it not been open to the world. Obvioulsy no one would carve a room for themselves from stone such as this. That would have been tedious.
Luckily for him there were ledges of rock sprinkled about, many of them directly under what he had been searching for. The jewel dropped into his hand the moment he touched it, as though some force had expelled it from the wall. Shido was so shocked he nearly fell from the outcropping he was balanced precariously on. Pocketing the precious thing, he dropped from the wall, landing, as always, on his feet. He retraced his steps, heading for the exit. He was able to move much faster on the return trip. The stone was not heavy though it gave the impression of being staunchily solid.
The vampyre followed him, pausing at the entrance of the bubble-shaped cave. Moving slowly, she pulled the longbow off her back and tightened the bowstring. She could sense something else then the Youngling, and she could guess at what it was. News had reached her three months before of a coming war between Blood-families, but had dismissed it when nothing had happened.
As the violet-haired vampyre left, she used that opportunity to knock a arrow to the bow and then follow him out. She was as noiseless here in the caves as she was in the jungle.
Shido hesitated at the water again, no longer than a few seconds, but long enough for him to sigh at the muck. In he went, and the stone nearly dragged him to the bottom. He had to take it out of his pocket to swim. It was simply too heavy to move with that way. He kept the thing gripped in his hand, costing him speed and a bit of strength. The stone was heavier in water than on land, for what reason he did not know. How odd, that it would try to drag him to the bottom. Fighting to remain in what it knew? Hardly, it was not a living creature.
Thinking quickly, he made it outside of the cave before attempting to carry the recovered treasure in his pocket again. On this side of the lake, sadly opposite of where he had started, he could climb out, instead of trying to swim across. This would be much quicker, since the stone weighed him down so effectively. Indeed, once he pulled himself out of the brown water he was able to move much quicker.
The edge looked the same as it did on the other side, and, had he not known better, he would have sworn it was the exact same side. The only difference was that this one did not have his clothes. Despite the summer heat, Shido shivered. A twinge of something was in the night air, a taint that was far too familiar, yet completely alien. He cast his senses about; searching for something other than the organisms that should have been about. Nothing moved, everything breathed, crickets chirped, frogs croaked... nothing seemed wrong. Frowning, he picked his way along the very edge of the indentation. Were something to leap at him, the water would be an escape. Good plan. Not that he actually wanted to get back into that water..
Red-eyes tracked him around the indentation. Here, balanced upon a rock that jutted out of the water in the cave mouth, she had the perfect view upon which to fire at an enemy. Any enemy that was fired upon would be regretting that decision. Her arrows were coated in silver, the four edges razored, so that when pulled out they would take more flesh then it did going in.
Shido was well on his way back to the village before his suspicions were verified
"Shido..." The violet-haired vampire froze, his hands dropping from their tasks of doing the last button up on is shirt. Silence stared back at him. Not even the crickets sang. He had not noticed the thick silence until then. Something about it seemed mush worse than the possibility that someone had just whispered his name. He waited for a moment, feeling for anything in the night. But, like last time, there was nothing. He continued on, his hands worrying the end of his braid instead of finishing with his button, and had nearly convinced himself he had imagined everything until he heard it again.
"Shido..." one voice, a brogue infecting the single word. "Shido..." A different voice. And then another, and another. "Shido..." "Shido!" They were everywhere. He heard them from all sides, whispering, taunting, calling. He spun around in a circle, a growl in his throat.
"Who's there? Who are you? What do you want?" He shouted into the dark greenery around him, but only laughter answered him. Angered, he searched desperately for a hint of whomever was around, and only got that same old smell to the air, a taint so very familiar but strange, different.
"I hardly believe he likes you best," the first voice he had heard, deep and resonant, challenged, the brogue a gentle influence in the words. This time, when he turned, there was a male before him, near, lavender eyes confronting his own. The voice was as beautiful as the owner.
"Wha-?" Shido was too shocked for words. The creature before him was stunning, and, he noted immediately, practically oozed the familiar odor. His waist length silver and gold hair mocked the purest blonde's and somehow managed to be the perfect compromise between curls and straight lines. His eyes were as light as Shido's, purple while his were blue.
The female vampyre watched from behind the crowd of Children. The taunting calls and appearance of one them made her bring her bow up, looking down the arrow to sight the Child. Pretty he was, but smart he was not. If these were the Children of the vampyre that had unwisely challenged her Sire, she had more then one reason to strike them down. Besides, didn't they know that -this- Blood-family watched out for each other?
Another one slipped out of the fringe of dense foliage behind Shido, pushing him forward harshly before he noticed. The pretty blond caught him and spun him about. There was laughter all about him. The blonde grinned at him and tightened his grip, preparing to cast Shido off towards another. Quite unexpectedly he found himself flat on his back, looking up at the very vampire he had been prepared to shove. Shido had swung a fist at him, and not missed. A chorus of growls and snarls flitted through the air, and the ring of children pressed closer, many of them appearing from the greenery, teeth bared, eyes gold. They had one notable thing in common, they were all beautiful overall. No one had only one lovely feature, they were all beautiful, even when anger and contempt contorted their pretty faces.
The entire scene looked very much like grade school, when a group of bullies found a common victim. Not liking that analogy at all, Shido sent the first one that advanced upon him sprawling into the underbrush. He wasn't completely helpless, but standing against so many at the same time, a couple older than he by many years he could tell, certainly made him feel that way. The two he knocked down were up soon enough, and everyone seemed to advance at the same time then, a synchronized hunting party.
A pack out for the common blood of a foe. Was sibling rivalry so powerful, or had Cain sent them to punish him for his disobedience? It didn't seem likely, that Cain would send someone else to teach him a lesson. But then, that's why Cyric had found him int he first place. Still.. Cain liked to inflict his punishments himself. A collection effort gone wrong, perhaps? Was that what was happening?
Having kept the beautiful blonde in her sights the entire time, the Elder make quick adjustments and loosed her arrow. The silver-headed missile whistled through the undergrowth and vines to reach its destination. If the blonde moved, she would hit another vampyre.
As soon as that arrow left the bow, she retrieved another from her quiver. Sighting one of the oldest there, she waited.
One of the youngest present, even younger than Shido himself, the pretty blonde didn't notice until it was too late. He fell, and did not move again afterwards. Shido's eyes widened, and he looked from his crumpled sibling (as much as he hated to admit it WAS Cain he smelled on them) to the direction the arrow had come from. The eldest, the one who had shoved him from behind, he who smelled exactly like Cain, disappeared into the foliage, as did some of the other children. A few stayed frozen in their spots, eyes widened by disbelief. Shido didn't dare to move, but he was appalled that the elder children had abandoned their brethren to death. No family loyalty at all. It disgusted him.. of course he didn't have much room to talk, now did he? He didn't know any of his siblings. Cain had kept them seperated. He probably did that to all of them, hence why no one warned another, or led the youngest away. A few of the yearlings bolted just then, fear propelling them onward.
Before the Yearlings could go very far, the albino let more of her arrows fly. She hadn't sighted them for deathblows like the blonde, if she could injure them that was fine enough. Careful she was though, no arrow harmed Shido, though one whistled close to him to catch one of the Yearlings. Stupid, stupid things they were.
Only once the arrows started hitting more of them did they young ones move. They bolted, no one bothering to collect the fallen blonde. Shido knelt by him to check for sings of life, ignoring the slim chance he just might be alive and vengeful. He was beautiful; it was such a shame. Without contempt distorting, he was one of the most beautiful creatures that had been present, and only a century and some younger than Shido. He was surprised at that. Cain must have made him only a little while after he had escaped. When a toy is lost you always purchase a new one, he thought sadly, standing up and backing away. Now the only question that remained was who did those arrows belong to?
"Hello?" Great opening.. he grimaced, but it was all that came to his mind then. He wasn't thinking as clearly as he would have liked, still rattled by the number of offspring. Here had been more than he thought, and that might not have been all of them. He hated to think that, but it might be true. He suddenly wished he had gotten a chance to count them.
The Elder walked out of the curtain of the jungle, not sparing the Youngling a glance. Her eyes were on the body of the dead vampyre. Walking still, she drew a silver tipped dagger from her belt and knelt by the side of the blonde. Grabbing a handful of silver and gold hair the head was jerked back, exposed as the blade slashed through the neck, decapitating him. If the thing had still been alive, it wasn't now. Setting the head to the side, the next move was to roll the carcass over and cut out the heart.
All this she did saying nothing to Shido, nor looking at him. Once her grisly task was done, the dark red eyes turned on the violet-haired vampyre. "You must be Shido Tatsuhiko."
He winced when she decapitated the blonde, but showed no more of his aversion than that. He had done worse things to his own kind, but his blood tie to the creature made him feel so much worse... though all he did was watch.
"Hai. Who are you?" One of Cyric's? Did his master know where he was? Of course he did. He always knew everything that was going on. Hopefully he didn't know for what. His hand fell to his pocket, looking for the heavy orb of a stone. It was there, no worse for the wear.
"Aello, Child of Cyric, Child of Dementia, Child of the First Vampyre." The white-haired vampyre said, giving the formal introduction. Standing, she deposited the heart into a plastic pouch on her belt, and grabbed the head. "We need to leave this jungle." With a step over the carcass, she set off toward the village again, leaving him with naught but to follow.
Both startled and confused at her answer, Shido was slow to move, but move he did. He followed closely, looking for that scent, the familiar yet alien odor that had first warned him. It was faint, but dissipating. He stayed beside the archer on the walk, just in case his senses were off. He hadn't recognized them at first, after all.
Aello was silent during the walk into the village. The people that worked the stretch of jungle closest to the village knew her and either nodded or called out in greeting. Her response was in kind, spoken in excellent Dravidian.
When they set foot on the dirt roads of the hamlet, she fetched a pointed staff from where it was leaning on the side of one of the rundown houses and carried it, with the head to the entrance of the village, where she staked it.
He had to look away for that one. That was just something he couldn't stomach. The stone was still in his pocket, and he retrieved it from the damp fabric. It glistened olive green in the dark. What it was, exactly, wouldn't be recognizable until the light touched it. It was almost perfectly round, though a few craters and chips, indentations and jutting edges ruined that effect. It was close though, and Shido had not seen a natural stone accomplish such a feat.
The red-eyed female turned to Shido once she was done. Her eyes lingered briefly on the stone before going up to his face. "You must leave these parts, Brother."
"I did not intend to stay, I assure you." He paused, looking skyward to illustrate his point. "And as much as I would like to return home immediately, I will not make it in the time I have left." There was no way he knew to make it back before dawn, other wise he would gladly have left, if for none other reason than to escape the possibility of Cain's appearance. He would have to return to the room he had rented, and bolt the door and shutters. It might not do much good, but it would give him some measure of comfort, of security.
"You will come home with me then, where you will be safest." Leaving no room for argument, a thing at which she excelled at, she took the younger vampyre's arm and led him to her home. It blended in with the rest of the huts here, but for the crescent bells that hung by the front door.
Inside it smelled faintly of blood, age, and incense. The walls were whitewashed plaster, the floor dirt with a few old Persian rugs. On one wall there was a rack of bows, ranging from small crossbows to composite bows, each worn and lovingly cared for. The wall opposite that wall had a pile of furs and blankets, obviously the bed. "You may borrow my bed for the day."
He had been admiring the assortment until she spoke, at which point he turned his attention back to her. A curiosity had infected his light eyes, a strange sort of wonder.
"I couldn't do that. I've put you out enough already," he replied. A couple decades ago and a different situation and that would have been the perfect answer but it was not the correct response at the time. Aware of that, he added onto it, "I appreciate the kind thought, but don't you sleep during the day?" He didn't know if she chose the day to sleep during or the night. It was a personal choice, and one he could not guess simply by looking at her.
She laughed, a kind smile twisting her lips. "I have not slept for three days now, take it. I will not be using it!"
Smiling politely, he nodded. "Thank you very much." Sitting down on the edge of it, he removed the damp strip of ribbon from his hair and began to unbraid it. He always slept with it down, and if the braid dried, he would never get the crinkles out. Not for a week at least, and that would drive him insane.
She only nodded. He was safest here, the plastered walls would not let any light in and if there was light from the door, the bed was positioned in a way that it would not reach it. She laid the dagger by the bedside, if there should be any need for it and left him to sleep.
Black Widow: Ok, review time again! 5 reviews or no more story!
The Crimson Wave
Chapter 3 - The Priceless Gem
By Black Widow and Sayori
Tucking part of his hair back into the hood, Shido made the last adjustments to the cloak-like overcoat. He had only acquired it a day ago. The new fabric was stiffer than he was used to, and the cuffs chafed his wrists everytime he turned them. Regardless, it was a good investment. He could endure the sunset normally, but covered as he was he could stay out a little longer.
Out into the early night he went, sunglasses on and bundled quite well against the light and, oddly enough, the Indian summer heat. He had traveled all the way to the northernmost section of India searching for a jewel he had only read about, never seen. A quarter of a year had passed since the trouble on his last excursion, and he felt quite safe now, enough so that he might traipse about the world again. Only one thing was different this time; he hadn't told Cyric where he was going, or that he was leaving. Of course the albino vampire had known. Somehow he knew everything, but Shido hadn't disclosed the purpose of his journey either. That was a surprise.
Turning off the dirt road, Shido shucked off the overcoat and glasses. Carefully folding them he deposited the bundle in the middle of a tiny grove of some plant he couldn't name. If he came back for them, they would be there. Without another thought to the garments, he turned on his heel and set off at a brisk pace, following a nameless instinct that hummed coquettish and sweet in his ear.
Something moved through the shadows of the jungle, blending in well for the fact that it was as bleached as bones in the desert. Vague shadows became human shaped and disappeared. It was following him, and it didn't want to be heard.
Closer to the inlet than he had expected, Shido broke out into a trot through the thick underbrush. He picked his way through with exceptional grace, never a misstep marring his progress. Grace had been a virtue of his he had not noticed, nor thought to use, until recently. He had to have a little help finding it, but fluidity of motion came from practice.
The ground dropped off suddenly, and Shido, caught by surprise, had to throw an arm about a tree to stop himself in time. The hasty braid he had forced his ponytail into came from behind him, carried by the motion of his abrupt stop, and hit him lightly on the side of his face. He batted the thing back, scowling briefly. That was why he never braided his hair. It was a pain.
His turquoise eyes scanned the crater-like recession in the ground, taking stock of the sheer walls, the rocks and water at the bottom, and the hole in the side farthest from him. His eyes narrowed as he focused on it. It was indeed the crack in the earth he was looking for. He need not consult a map; he simply knew.
The shadow stopped, craning around a tree to determine the actions of the Youngling. Little was revealed of the follower, white clothes cut to move quietly; definitely feminine in fitting and red eyes, darker then the Elder that Shido associated with. The shadow melted away and moved closer, stepping carefully over the dead leaves and vines to get closer.
There was no way down. He hadn't anticipated needing a length of rope, and now chastised himself for the mistake. He could jump, easily, and not be hurt at all, but he would have to propel himself very far from the edge or land on the rocks. Looking for another option, he paced a few feet at the edge. Nothing. He was going to have to jump. He disliked the idea, immensely, but there was no other way down. He removed his vest and shirt before approaching the edge again, dreading the water even as he did so. The same tree that had reignedin his momentum became his hanger.
Placing his feet on the edge, he took a deep breath and leaned forward. A rock and its companion, a broken vine, fell to the rocky water directly below. He shuddered at the sight. Raising his arms over his head, he dove, leaping as far forward as he could manage. He did clear the rocks, thankfully, and even managed to land near the middle of the pond.
Much deeper than he had thought, it took him a few moments longer to reach the surface than he had expected. Breaking the surface, he only took a moment to find his bearings, then set off to the cave. He swam with sure, reaching strokes, wanting to get out of the murky water as quickly as possible. God only knew what was in there.
The red-eyed shadow watched from shore, more of it revealed in the dappled moonlight. It was definitely a vampyre; no human could reach the pale snow white of an Elder's skin, or the long fangs overlapping the bottom lip. The figure was a woman, thin and finely muscular under the doeskin garments, with lengths of long white hair. She tracked the man in the water, waiting to move.
The water ran into the cave, forcing Shido to swim for nearly twenty feet inside before he could stand. He peeled a stray underwater plant from his arm, eyeing it. The slimy thing was brown and green, stouched sporadically by dots of yellow. It did nothing to instill confidence in him about the inhabitants of the small lake.
He dropped the greenery back into the water before he picked his way through the loose stones and between the calcified columns. There was only one way to go, and that was forward.
The female vampyre slipped out of the shadows and to the edge of the cliff in a way that would have reminded any child of the spider-walk in the Pocahontas movie. Pausing at the edge of the cliff for only a moment, she swung herself over, feet finding purchase with the sharkskin on the bottom of her boots.
The climb down was easy, being able to pick out hand and foot holds no mortal could see. Dropping down among the rocks at the base, she melted into the shadows once more. No one would see the red-eyed vampyre, except for a brief flash of white before ripples spread outward at the edge of the pool.
The plant life on the side opposite where Shido had left his clothes convulsed but still quickly afterward. Something else, someone perhaps, prowled, searching.
Inside the cave Shido's pace had slowed to a crawl. There was no light in the cave. Away from the entrance it was pitch black. Normally this wouldn't have been a problem, but there were so many rocks and stalactites and stalagmites that he ventured forward carefully. He continued in this careful, slow manner for what felt like hours, but just as he thought he had miscalculated around the only corner a dim green luminance caught him. Just as he had read it would be, the stone was nestled high in the corner of the small nearly circular ceiling. The end of the cave resembled a hall of some sort. It was a natural pocket, a bubble almost had it not been open to the world. Obvioulsy no one would carve a room for themselves from stone such as this. That would have been tedious.
Luckily for him there were ledges of rock sprinkled about, many of them directly under what he had been searching for. The jewel dropped into his hand the moment he touched it, as though some force had expelled it from the wall. Shido was so shocked he nearly fell from the outcropping he was balanced precariously on. Pocketing the precious thing, he dropped from the wall, landing, as always, on his feet. He retraced his steps, heading for the exit. He was able to move much faster on the return trip. The stone was not heavy though it gave the impression of being staunchily solid.
The vampyre followed him, pausing at the entrance of the bubble-shaped cave. Moving slowly, she pulled the longbow off her back and tightened the bowstring. She could sense something else then the Youngling, and she could guess at what it was. News had reached her three months before of a coming war between Blood-families, but had dismissed it when nothing had happened.
As the violet-haired vampyre left, she used that opportunity to knock a arrow to the bow and then follow him out. She was as noiseless here in the caves as she was in the jungle.
Shido hesitated at the water again, no longer than a few seconds, but long enough for him to sigh at the muck. In he went, and the stone nearly dragged him to the bottom. He had to take it out of his pocket to swim. It was simply too heavy to move with that way. He kept the thing gripped in his hand, costing him speed and a bit of strength. The stone was heavier in water than on land, for what reason he did not know. How odd, that it would try to drag him to the bottom. Fighting to remain in what it knew? Hardly, it was not a living creature.
Thinking quickly, he made it outside of the cave before attempting to carry the recovered treasure in his pocket again. On this side of the lake, sadly opposite of where he had started, he could climb out, instead of trying to swim across. This would be much quicker, since the stone weighed him down so effectively. Indeed, once he pulled himself out of the brown water he was able to move much quicker.
The edge looked the same as it did on the other side, and, had he not known better, he would have sworn it was the exact same side. The only difference was that this one did not have his clothes. Despite the summer heat, Shido shivered. A twinge of something was in the night air, a taint that was far too familiar, yet completely alien. He cast his senses about; searching for something other than the organisms that should have been about. Nothing moved, everything breathed, crickets chirped, frogs croaked... nothing seemed wrong. Frowning, he picked his way along the very edge of the indentation. Were something to leap at him, the water would be an escape. Good plan. Not that he actually wanted to get back into that water..
Red-eyes tracked him around the indentation. Here, balanced upon a rock that jutted out of the water in the cave mouth, she had the perfect view upon which to fire at an enemy. Any enemy that was fired upon would be regretting that decision. Her arrows were coated in silver, the four edges razored, so that when pulled out they would take more flesh then it did going in.
Shido was well on his way back to the village before his suspicions were verified
"Shido..." The violet-haired vampire froze, his hands dropping from their tasks of doing the last button up on is shirt. Silence stared back at him. Not even the crickets sang. He had not noticed the thick silence until then. Something about it seemed mush worse than the possibility that someone had just whispered his name. He waited for a moment, feeling for anything in the night. But, like last time, there was nothing. He continued on, his hands worrying the end of his braid instead of finishing with his button, and had nearly convinced himself he had imagined everything until he heard it again.
"Shido..." one voice, a brogue infecting the single word. "Shido..." A different voice. And then another, and another. "Shido..." "Shido!" They were everywhere. He heard them from all sides, whispering, taunting, calling. He spun around in a circle, a growl in his throat.
"Who's there? Who are you? What do you want?" He shouted into the dark greenery around him, but only laughter answered him. Angered, he searched desperately for a hint of whomever was around, and only got that same old smell to the air, a taint so very familiar but strange, different.
"I hardly believe he likes you best," the first voice he had heard, deep and resonant, challenged, the brogue a gentle influence in the words. This time, when he turned, there was a male before him, near, lavender eyes confronting his own. The voice was as beautiful as the owner.
"Wha-?" Shido was too shocked for words. The creature before him was stunning, and, he noted immediately, practically oozed the familiar odor. His waist length silver and gold hair mocked the purest blonde's and somehow managed to be the perfect compromise between curls and straight lines. His eyes were as light as Shido's, purple while his were blue.
The female vampyre watched from behind the crowd of Children. The taunting calls and appearance of one them made her bring her bow up, looking down the arrow to sight the Child. Pretty he was, but smart he was not. If these were the Children of the vampyre that had unwisely challenged her Sire, she had more then one reason to strike them down. Besides, didn't they know that -this- Blood-family watched out for each other?
Another one slipped out of the fringe of dense foliage behind Shido, pushing him forward harshly before he noticed. The pretty blond caught him and spun him about. There was laughter all about him. The blonde grinned at him and tightened his grip, preparing to cast Shido off towards another. Quite unexpectedly he found himself flat on his back, looking up at the very vampire he had been prepared to shove. Shido had swung a fist at him, and not missed. A chorus of growls and snarls flitted through the air, and the ring of children pressed closer, many of them appearing from the greenery, teeth bared, eyes gold. They had one notable thing in common, they were all beautiful overall. No one had only one lovely feature, they were all beautiful, even when anger and contempt contorted their pretty faces.
The entire scene looked very much like grade school, when a group of bullies found a common victim. Not liking that analogy at all, Shido sent the first one that advanced upon him sprawling into the underbrush. He wasn't completely helpless, but standing against so many at the same time, a couple older than he by many years he could tell, certainly made him feel that way. The two he knocked down were up soon enough, and everyone seemed to advance at the same time then, a synchronized hunting party.
A pack out for the common blood of a foe. Was sibling rivalry so powerful, or had Cain sent them to punish him for his disobedience? It didn't seem likely, that Cain would send someone else to teach him a lesson. But then, that's why Cyric had found him int he first place. Still.. Cain liked to inflict his punishments himself. A collection effort gone wrong, perhaps? Was that what was happening?
Having kept the beautiful blonde in her sights the entire time, the Elder make quick adjustments and loosed her arrow. The silver-headed missile whistled through the undergrowth and vines to reach its destination. If the blonde moved, she would hit another vampyre.
As soon as that arrow left the bow, she retrieved another from her quiver. Sighting one of the oldest there, she waited.
One of the youngest present, even younger than Shido himself, the pretty blonde didn't notice until it was too late. He fell, and did not move again afterwards. Shido's eyes widened, and he looked from his crumpled sibling (as much as he hated to admit it WAS Cain he smelled on them) to the direction the arrow had come from. The eldest, the one who had shoved him from behind, he who smelled exactly like Cain, disappeared into the foliage, as did some of the other children. A few stayed frozen in their spots, eyes widened by disbelief. Shido didn't dare to move, but he was appalled that the elder children had abandoned their brethren to death. No family loyalty at all. It disgusted him.. of course he didn't have much room to talk, now did he? He didn't know any of his siblings. Cain had kept them seperated. He probably did that to all of them, hence why no one warned another, or led the youngest away. A few of the yearlings bolted just then, fear propelling them onward.
Before the Yearlings could go very far, the albino let more of her arrows fly. She hadn't sighted them for deathblows like the blonde, if she could injure them that was fine enough. Careful she was though, no arrow harmed Shido, though one whistled close to him to catch one of the Yearlings. Stupid, stupid things they were.
Only once the arrows started hitting more of them did they young ones move. They bolted, no one bothering to collect the fallen blonde. Shido knelt by him to check for sings of life, ignoring the slim chance he just might be alive and vengeful. He was beautiful; it was such a shame. Without contempt distorting, he was one of the most beautiful creatures that had been present, and only a century and some younger than Shido. He was surprised at that. Cain must have made him only a little while after he had escaped. When a toy is lost you always purchase a new one, he thought sadly, standing up and backing away. Now the only question that remained was who did those arrows belong to?
"Hello?" Great opening.. he grimaced, but it was all that came to his mind then. He wasn't thinking as clearly as he would have liked, still rattled by the number of offspring. Here had been more than he thought, and that might not have been all of them. He hated to think that, but it might be true. He suddenly wished he had gotten a chance to count them.
The Elder walked out of the curtain of the jungle, not sparing the Youngling a glance. Her eyes were on the body of the dead vampyre. Walking still, she drew a silver tipped dagger from her belt and knelt by the side of the blonde. Grabbing a handful of silver and gold hair the head was jerked back, exposed as the blade slashed through the neck, decapitating him. If the thing had still been alive, it wasn't now. Setting the head to the side, the next move was to roll the carcass over and cut out the heart.
All this she did saying nothing to Shido, nor looking at him. Once her grisly task was done, the dark red eyes turned on the violet-haired vampyre. "You must be Shido Tatsuhiko."
He winced when she decapitated the blonde, but showed no more of his aversion than that. He had done worse things to his own kind, but his blood tie to the creature made him feel so much worse... though all he did was watch.
"Hai. Who are you?" One of Cyric's? Did his master know where he was? Of course he did. He always knew everything that was going on. Hopefully he didn't know for what. His hand fell to his pocket, looking for the heavy orb of a stone. It was there, no worse for the wear.
"Aello, Child of Cyric, Child of Dementia, Child of the First Vampyre." The white-haired vampyre said, giving the formal introduction. Standing, she deposited the heart into a plastic pouch on her belt, and grabbed the head. "We need to leave this jungle." With a step over the carcass, she set off toward the village again, leaving him with naught but to follow.
Both startled and confused at her answer, Shido was slow to move, but move he did. He followed closely, looking for that scent, the familiar yet alien odor that had first warned him. It was faint, but dissipating. He stayed beside the archer on the walk, just in case his senses were off. He hadn't recognized them at first, after all.
Aello was silent during the walk into the village. The people that worked the stretch of jungle closest to the village knew her and either nodded or called out in greeting. Her response was in kind, spoken in excellent Dravidian.
When they set foot on the dirt roads of the hamlet, she fetched a pointed staff from where it was leaning on the side of one of the rundown houses and carried it, with the head to the entrance of the village, where she staked it.
He had to look away for that one. That was just something he couldn't stomach. The stone was still in his pocket, and he retrieved it from the damp fabric. It glistened olive green in the dark. What it was, exactly, wouldn't be recognizable until the light touched it. It was almost perfectly round, though a few craters and chips, indentations and jutting edges ruined that effect. It was close though, and Shido had not seen a natural stone accomplish such a feat.
The red-eyed female turned to Shido once she was done. Her eyes lingered briefly on the stone before going up to his face. "You must leave these parts, Brother."
"I did not intend to stay, I assure you." He paused, looking skyward to illustrate his point. "And as much as I would like to return home immediately, I will not make it in the time I have left." There was no way he knew to make it back before dawn, other wise he would gladly have left, if for none other reason than to escape the possibility of Cain's appearance. He would have to return to the room he had rented, and bolt the door and shutters. It might not do much good, but it would give him some measure of comfort, of security.
"You will come home with me then, where you will be safest." Leaving no room for argument, a thing at which she excelled at, she took the younger vampyre's arm and led him to her home. It blended in with the rest of the huts here, but for the crescent bells that hung by the front door.
Inside it smelled faintly of blood, age, and incense. The walls were whitewashed plaster, the floor dirt with a few old Persian rugs. On one wall there was a rack of bows, ranging from small crossbows to composite bows, each worn and lovingly cared for. The wall opposite that wall had a pile of furs and blankets, obviously the bed. "You may borrow my bed for the day."
He had been admiring the assortment until she spoke, at which point he turned his attention back to her. A curiosity had infected his light eyes, a strange sort of wonder.
"I couldn't do that. I've put you out enough already," he replied. A couple decades ago and a different situation and that would have been the perfect answer but it was not the correct response at the time. Aware of that, he added onto it, "I appreciate the kind thought, but don't you sleep during the day?" He didn't know if she chose the day to sleep during or the night. It was a personal choice, and one he could not guess simply by looking at her.
She laughed, a kind smile twisting her lips. "I have not slept for three days now, take it. I will not be using it!"
Smiling politely, he nodded. "Thank you very much." Sitting down on the edge of it, he removed the damp strip of ribbon from his hair and began to unbraid it. He always slept with it down, and if the braid dried, he would never get the crinkles out. Not for a week at least, and that would drive him insane.
She only nodded. He was safest here, the plastered walls would not let any light in and if there was light from the door, the bed was positioned in a way that it would not reach it. She laid the dagger by the bedside, if there should be any need for it and left him to sleep.
Black Widow: Ok, review time again! 5 reviews or no more story!