Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Character's from the movie Van Helsing, only Mara and Kai who are original characters of my creation and a giant purple duck.
To my patient fans: I'm sorry it's taken me so long to update. I'm trying to get a loan for my classes at college this semester and between that school and my job I've been a bit frazzled. Well here it is, enjoy.
Warning: For some reason I can no longer upload the little arrows that indicate telepathy, so now telepathic comments will be in bold. Sorry :(
Chapter 12:
Velkan awoke to the sound of laughter. He opened his eyes and was momentarily disoriented by the sight of the cave until his memory returned. He looked around for Mara and Kai as he wiped the sleep from his eyes but found only an empty cave, the blanket and bag on which they had slept was rumpled and tossed aside. The two companions were no where in sight. Velkan tottered groggily to the edge of the cave following the sounds and stared out into the day.
Outside Mara was playing in the stream, splashing water wildly at a disgruntled Kai who paced warily around the edge of the bank. Her laugh filled him with an unfamiliar warmth as he watched them play, the winter sun splashing over the young woman's hair and lit it from within as he stared at her transfixed. The rays danced over her body much like the water she bathed in and he admired the sight of her as he walked forward, only the snapping of a twig marking his passing. It was a soft sound that should not have been heard but both Mara and Kai turned to face him.
"Didn't your mother ever teach you not to stare?" She asked pointedly. Velkan turned his head away while Mara reached for her clothes left lying on the grass.
"I swear to you," He told her, humor in his voice. "I didn't mean to. I just came outside to see where everyone had run off to and found you there." He heard a snort and the sound of rustling cloth behind him died down.
"You can turn around now." She told him. He turned back to face them. "So when do we start these lessons?" She asked him brightly. His brow creased in momentary confusion until he remembered that she was referring to the reading lessons he had offered last night.
"We can start as soon as we're done breakfast if you want." He told her and was rewarded to see her entire face light up with anticipation. "Don't look too excited." He warned. "Reading lessons probably won't be anymore exciting now than they were back when you were younger." He told her.
"Then we can skip them." She told him blithely. "To be honest I don't care so much about the reading lessons as I do about learning to speak a new tongue. I love languages." She paused and then added thoughtfully. "The spoken versions anyway," He smiled as he bent to search the forest floor for some fire wood. Very little had been left dry by the snow which meant they would have to find another way to light a fire.
"How could you stand the water?" He asked her bemused. "Last night it snows and this morning I find you playing in the stream as if it were summer."
"Trade secret." She said grinning as she broke a few branches off the trees, throwing them in the cave to dry out. Feeling impish, Velkan gathered up some snow into his hands and pressed into a ball. With her back still turned he aimed carefully and let fly. Mara yowled loudly as she jumped into the air, twisting around in midair and landing on her feet facing him with such a look of affronted anger that he burst out laughing.
"That wasn't funny." She growled. He nodded, tears streaming down his face as he howled with laughter.
"Yes it was!" He told her, still laughing. She grumbled something under her breath and began her own collection of broken branches and firewood. Velkan got himself back under control, still chuckling and turned to scan the trees for any already tried branches, when he felt two small hands slam into his back and send him tumbling face first into a snow bank. He pushed himself up and spun around to face this new attack, coughing and spitting out snow, and saw Mara and Kai watching him with identical expressions of amusement.
"Cheater!" He accused. "My back was turned."
"And mine wasn't?" She asked him, laughter ringing in her voice. Velkan shrugged carelessly.
"That's different." He told her.
"Hypocrite!" She shouted, her eyes sparkling with mischief as she scooped up another handful of snow and hurled it at his chest. He ducked and the motion sent him face first back into the snow drift as he tried to twist away from the missile. Mara laughed and grabbed another handful of snow as Kai gave him a toothy grin and crouched down, ready to pounce. Velkan laughed and jumped to his feet, filling both hands with snow as he did.
"Go ahead." He told them grinning. "I can take you both."
He fell backwards as another missile hit him squarely in the jaw and firewood was temporarily forgotten in the joy of play.
It was a while before Velkan, Mara and Kai finished there game and pulled themselves out of the snow. Mara looked up at the sky and saw the sun high in the sky. It was almost midday. She smiled at Velkan and was warmed to see him smile back at her. She laughed, for no other reason than the sheer joy of enjoying a bright day with good friends. She heard Velkan join her and for a moment she thought another snowball fight would break out when the sound of her own fiercely growling stomach distracted her.
"I think we need to get back to building a fire and finding breakfast." Velkan commented, still chuckling softly. To Mara he seemed much more laid back.
"I think your right." She said double checking to make sure her knife was securely belted at her waste. "You get the wood, I should be back shortly."
She took two step forwards and ran into Velkan's solid chest. She looked up into his face and found all traces of amusement gone.
"You can't go out there," He told her. She glared at him but before she could open her mouth to protest he continued. "You don't know the area and if you run into my sister or the village people on a hunt then you could get into trouble." She frowned and stiffened at the slur to her skills.
"If I don't want to be seen then I won't and even if by some slim miracle someone does manage to see me then I have Kai with me." Velkan shook his head, his eyes narrowing in frustration.
"I have no doubt you could take care of yourself in a fight, it's my people I worry for. I don't want them getting hurt because you were to stubborn to let someone who knows there way around do something for you!" She glared at him.
"Please, Mara." He pleaded, holding out his hand for her dagger. Her hand fell to the hilt automatically as she backed up a step. This dagger had not left her possession since the druids had gifted it to her. She watched his eyes soften, pleading as he would not do again in words. I'm not the only one with too much pride. She thought to herself and felt Kai's agreement in the back of her mind. "You should know you can trust me by now." He told her, gently reproachful.
She hesitated for a moment and saw his hand waver uncertainly, as if he did not believe she would relinquish her weapon. Finally, with one motion she drew the blade and tossed it into the air, catching the blade between thumb and forefinger as it came down and handed it to him hilt first.
"Bring it back." She told him sternly. "Or you'll wish the Bloodsucker had gotten you."
He grinned, a cocky look that made her almost want to smack him and then turned to lope off into the forest. She watched him until his back had disappeared among the trees and then looked down at Kai.
Follow him. She told him tersely. Kai nodded and silently padded off after the prince. She watched him disappear as well before turning back to breaking the dryer branches off the trees.
Crouching silently among the plants, Velkan watched the quivering pink nose emerge from it's hole and sniff tentatively at the air followed a few moments later by the rest of the young rabbit. Carefully he positioned the knife in his hand. The rabbit looked towards his hiding place and froze. Velkan waited, not a muscle moving as he waited to see what his prey's next move would be. He saw it's hind legs bunch and a strange bittersweet smell wafted into his nostrils. He could smell its fear. The rabbit took off, running towards its tunnel and Velkan sprang on it without thinking, the knife forgotten.
He moved with superhuman speed, catching the terrified creature in his hands. He could smell the blood pulsing through its vanes as it struggled to get away and it smelled good. He bent his head, prepared to bite it behind the neck and end its struggles when he felt something sharp and long puncture his ankle.
"Yeow! What the hell?"
He dropped the rabbit with a startled yelp and turned to face whatever had attacked him as the rabbit ran for the safety of its burrow. Kai looked up at him innocently, a bit of blood glinting on the tip of one exposed canine.
"What was that for?" He asked indignantly as he bent to examine his injured ankle.
You almost succumbed. Kai said simply. And it's not yet time.
Velkan looked up at him sharply, his face a shade lighter than normal. "What do you mean?"
Kai blinked slowly at him, then stood and walked passed him as if he had not spoken. Velkan stared at Kai's retreating back, resentment slowly replacing the apprehension. He scooped up this discarded dagger angrily and went back out into the woods to try again, aware this time of the eyes that followed his every movement.
The fire was lit and waiting for them when man and cat returned, along with a very impatient Mara, standing in front of the entrance with her hand held out expectantly. Velkan handed her the rabbit.
"Why don't you cook this like a good girl." He told her teasingly. The look she gave him frightened him more than Dracula, his brides and his minions combined. He handed her the dagger quickly. "Let me rephrase that." He corrected smoothly. "Since you have the only knife can you cook this?" Still frowning at him she took the rabbit and began skinning it.
He smiled at her. Was it his imagination or did he really see her cheeks redden. He looked down at clothes as he knelt by the fire and saw the rips and gashes in his pants. His shirt, designed more for everyday social wear, was down to the last few threads. His clothes had taken the same beatings he had without holding up as well, and yet –he didn't feel cold. Courtesy of the werewolf venom.He thought to himself. He closed his eyes and laid his head back against the cool stone of the cave wall. God, I'm tired. At least my fight will be over soon. I know Anna will find a way to kill Dracula.
The smell of burning meat invaded his senses and interrupted his thoughts. His eyes opened and he saw Mara pull two skewered pieces of meat out of the fire as Kai licked his paws clean of an earlier kill. He took the stick Mara handed him and blew on it gently to cool it, in contrast to the wild girl who took a large bite oblivious of the heat. He watched her for a moment, until she noticed his attention and looked up at him.
"What?" She asked quizzically.
"Why did you send Kai out with me?" He asked her.
She blinked, as if she had been expecting something else. "I sent him out with you because I didn't want you to be without help if the bloodsuckers showed up."
"They don't come out during the day, Mara." He told her. She shrugged her shoulders and concentrated on her dinner.
"I forgot." She said simply.
"The truth now Mara. You said you would trust me." He scolded.
She sighed and looked up at him again. "I do trust you… to a point." She told him, holding up her hand as he opened his mouth to forestall his protests.
"You would never willingly do something to endanger someone you work with, I know this now. But the last time Dracula visited us, you walked to him as if he was a trusted friend and ally."
"That was only once!" He protested. "I can fight it next time." His words sounded false even to his own ears.
"Are you sure?" Mara asked, pressing her point. "You said yourself that the wolves here are the bloodsucker's creatures. What would make you special?"
He had no answer so he didn't speak. He laid his head back against the wall, letting his dinner fall from his hands and closed his eyes. There was a scuffling sound in front of him, followed by a small hand resting lightly on his shoulder. This close he couldn't help but smell the scent of her, of wild things and trees and the winter breezes. Her scent calmed him and he opened his eyes to look at her.
"Will you still teach me to speak Romanian?" She asked him slightly timid.
He smiled and pulled her down next to him, pleased when she didn't resist. "We can start now if you would like." He told her.
"I would like that." She said, smiling back at him.
And so the lessons began.