Disclaimer: I do not own the Naturals in anyway . I do own Karliah , the name Blood Harvest , the research on vampires and werewolves , the Coven , Valor , and Undead Vampires , the Collector , and the story itself . I have several OCs and my own creatures that may appear in this story , if you want to use them that ' s fine , but please give credit.
Chapter 13 : The Great Gap
Next Morning
The following morning everyone was up at dawn and packed , ready to go through the Great Gap , the vampires went to hunt while Chase grabbed breakfast at the inn for himself and Spark .
" Protein is necessary for a long day of traveling , buddy , " Chase giving Spark some eggs , bacon , and fruit before eating his own breakfast .
" Hoo , " Spark said before eating .
" If you are going through the Great Gap human , I would stock up on supplies , " The innkeeper said .
" Why ? " Chase asked curiously .
" The only animals that exist in the Great Gap are mountain goats and giant bats , while you maybe able to get a goat , the bats are not edible , water is very little unless you have rainfall , and vegetation is scarce . " The innkeeper warned Chase .
" He ' s not wrong , " Tyson said coming in to check on Chase and Spark .
" So ? " Chase asked .
" We ' ll let you get supplies before going through the Great Gap , " Tyson said .
" Okay , " Chase realized that he would need enough for himself and Spark for the day .
Once everything was paid for after the others came back and they grabbed their stuff , the group left the inn and went on towards the market of the small village .
" Villa Petrae , " Dimitri said .
" What ? " Andy asked .
" Its Latin for Village of the Rock , and the name of the village before you . " Karliah said .
" What do I need to get from the market for myself and Spark ? " Chase asked .
" You can get water from the barrels next to the entrance into the Great Gap , so , all you should get from the market is what you and Spark will need as far as food and herbs , " Ragon said .
" I still have most of the herbs for healing and the potions used to control the excess energy problem I have , and you have herbs for healing as well Ragon ? " Chase asked .
" Yes , the herbs are good as far as healing , so , everything else will be based on what you need to cook , " Ragon said .
" Okay , " Chase said going to see what they had at the market stands before coming back with meat that would keep well along with the few things he had hunted the days before while venturing away from Arcania to the Great Gap , vegetables that had been gathered during the fall harvest , and herbs along with seasoning like salt and pepper to be used in cooking .
" Got everything ? " Andy asked .
" Yes , enough food for the full day of getting through to the other side , I had some meat leftover from hunting the last two days , so , it will last for the rest of the day , " Chase said looking at the gap between the mountain .
" Then let ' s move out , " Andy said after weapons and tools had been resharpened .
The group moved out to the back of the village to the gate that led into the Great Gap , stopping at the tower that held the guards that protected the area .
" Honored Prince , can we help you and your companions ? " One of the guards asked making Chase look at the others .
" Andy met them yesterday after hunting , " Karliah whispered to Chase .
" Oh , " Chase said .
" We wish to pass through the Great Gap to get to the camps on the other side , " Andy told the guards .
" Very well , your human friend is welcomed to the water at the entrance for himself and the ooze traveling with you ? " The guard asked .
" Thank you , " Chase said as he filled up enough for Spark and himself for the day in his canteen that would be used for all of their needs during the day .
" Alright , we know bandits don ' t come through here because of the guards on both sides , but Undead Vampires have been known to roam the Great Gap , so , please be careful going through , " The guard said opening the gate for them .
" We ' ll take care until we can get through the gap , " Andy said .
" Good luck , sir , " The guards echoed around .
Then the group stepped into the crack in the center of the mountain known as the Great Gap continuing on their way to the camps on the other side .
" Wow , " Chase said after they had gone a little ways .
The sides of the mountains on both sides of them were high and rocky , but a steady wind seemed to blow through the center keeping it quite cool and fresh as they moved .
" The air smells so clean here , " Andy said .
" Meaning it ' s been awhile since Undead Vampires have used it as a nesting site , if any of them were here recently it would smell like death and rotting wood . " Dimitri said .
" Rotting wood ? " Chase asked .
" While the undead smell like death , their nest as they grow older become like petrified wood that decays overtime smelling like mildew for awhile before completely smelling like rotten wood much like that of the bottom of an old ship . " Tyson explained .
" Ew , " Chase said .
" Very , and to the lycans , it can actually make them ill to breath in the scent of old nests that belong to undead . " Ragon said .
" It messes with their hypersensitive noses , " Dimitri said .
" And why doesn ' t it mess with vampires since we also have sensitive noses ? " Andy asked as he began smelling an animal close to him .
" Vampires for one don ' t get ill , and you seem distracted . " Karliah said .
" I smell , goats , but I don ' t see goats , " Andy said just as he felt something on him .
" The innkeeper said they were up on the mountain and the only other animal here is actually attached to your back . " Chase pointed out .
" What ? " Andy asked as he looked to see a little bat crawling up his shoulder as another attached itself to his back .
" Awe , they seem to like you , " Chase said .
" Bats tend to have little fear of vampires as we share a lot of traits with them such as our need for blood and the way we look when our wings are out . " Karliah explained as the two flew off somewhere down into the gap .
" Wow , " Andy said .
The group moved on a little ways until they saw a crevice in the wall beside them making Chase very curious about what was inside .
" Be careful , Chase , snakes and bugs are known to be inside the crevices of mountains in our world , " Ragon warned .
" I ' ll be cautious , " Chase said as he took a look seeing a bunch of little things crawling on the wall realizing that it was dozens of bats taking roost as the morning sun rose outside of the Great Gap .
" What ? " Andy asked .
" Look , " Chase moved out of the way for Andy to take a look at the dozens of bats in the crevice .
" Dozens upon dozens of bats , " Andy looked at Karliah in awe .
" This is one of the places in our world where they can roost away from the sun , " Karliah said trying not to chuckle at the reaction on the Prince ' s face at the new experiences he was still having in Reverent .
" You have a bat ? " Andy asked .
" Yes , Stalker , he came from the bats overseas at the London Office , they raise messenger bats there that grow quite large . Stalker was pushed out of the nest at a young age and those tending to the bats were needing a place to send him so they could keep the bats from interbreeding , I was working out of the London Office at the time , so , I took him and raised him as my own messenger bat . " Karliah said .
" None of the bats grow large out in the wild ? " Chase asked .
" Only on rare occasions and in remote places in the world , this little mountain out here wouldn ' t provide enough space and nutrients for a bat to grow large like most of the messenger bats in London . " Tyson said .
" And Stalker is unique as an alpha male , " Karliah said .
" Wait there are alphas in bats just like with lycans and black dogs ? " Chase asked .
" He hasn ' t gotten far enough into his creature classes at Arcania to understand alphas in the world outside of what he ' s seen in the wild . " Ragon said .
" Most creatures and animals of Reverent gets classified as they grow and mature in our world , some of the most dominate become alphas like Stalker and once an alpha is found within a creature ' s society out here they are usually pushed out of their homes by any other alpha in a group . " Karliah explained .
" Is that what happened to Stalker ? " Andy asked .
" Probably , " Karliah said .
The Vampire Prince and his companions moved on through the Great Gap after their little midmorning break trying to get to the other side where Councilmen Camden had the vampire camps set up .
" Don ' t really see the lights at both ends once you are in the heart of the gap , " Chase said .
" Human eyes are terrible at seeing what ' s before them , " Tyson chuckled .
" Hey , are you telling me you can see the other side ? " Chase asked .
" Not yet , " Tyson said .
" Are you messing with me ? " Chase asked .
" Children please , " Andy said .
" We ' re almost halfway there , " Dimitri said .
" How do you know ? " Chase asked .
" There ' s a dead tree up ahead that ' s sits in the dead center of the Great Gap , no one knows how it got there or where it came from , but it ' s there . " Dimitri said .
" Dead tree ? " Andy asked seeing what looked like a dried up , twisted , tree that had been dead for quite sometime .
" We could use it as a stopping point for lunch and to rest up . " Dimitri advised .
" Very well , " Andy said .
" Spark , we will have to use the supplies sparingly at lunch , especially the water , bud , " Chase said .
" Ooo , " Spark said showing he understood as he peeked out of Chase ' s pocket at the mountain walls .
" See anything ? " Chase asked .
" Mmm , " Spark sounded like he was bored .
" We ' ll be there by the end of the day , " Chase rubbed the fizz ' s head .
Spark yawned and went back into Chase ' s pocket for a nap .
" Not everyone is enjoying the scenic root , " Tyson said .
" Your sarcasm is deafening , " Karliah sighed .
" Some of the vampires in the group are apparently bored , too , " Dimitri said .
Ragon started humming to calm everyone down before tempers started flaring .
" Thanks , " Andy said .
" Yes sir , " Ragon said as they made it to the dead tree .
" I bet excessive water during wet and snowy seasons then it getting really dry during the summer is what caused it to die and nothing else being around to feed the tree . " Chase said .
" Alright , Chase this is a good spot for you to figure out what you and Spark are going to have for lunch , while we settle for the blood packs . " Andy said .
" Very well , " Chase said .
Chase used some of the pheasant from the night before and light herbs to cook it with and some of the winter vegetables like carrots and broccoli to go with it along with water for him and Spark .
" Spark , time to eat , " Chase said .
Spark came out happy to have lunch after the boring morning .
" We ' ll get somewhere exciting soon , " Chase said .
" Hoo , " Spark showing he understood before going back into Chase ' s pocket after eating lunch to finish napping .
The vampires were soon done with the blood packs as Chase cleaned up everything he used from lunch and repacked his bags before the group moved on to get through the Great Gap by the end of the day .
" Besides undead vampires , would the Great Gap be impassable for some other reason ? " Chase asked curious .
" Sometimes after heavy snowfall , the Great Gap can become blocked which means going completely around the pass which takes about a weeks time next to one day . " Dimitri said .
" Yeah , this is easier even if it ' s not that entertaining . " Chase looking at the same rocks and bats the whole trip .
" I ' m surprised none of the goats have dropped down , but I guess they are enjoying the warmth of the day . " Tyson said looking up at the top of the Great Gap .
They rest of the afternoon proved to be just as uneventful as the morning had been since the group entered the gap , boredom had definitely set into the group hoping the trip would be through soon .
" At least we haven ' t ran into trouble . " Karliah trying to say something positive .
" Could cure the boredom , though , " Chase said .
" And would be nearly impossible to fight with in the confined space of the Great Gap . " Dimitri warned .
" Oh , " Chase realized what he said was true .
" Hmm , " Andy looked up at the top as his wings came out and flew to the top to get fresh air and a look noticing another large area further ahead that would serve as a good spot for dinner , before realizing that the rest of the way wasn ' t that far away from the spot, but that they would be getting to the camps by nightfall .
" Andy ? " Karliah asked as he came back down to his companions .
" We have another large spot up ahead to use for a stop and dinner then we will reach the other side by nightfall , " Andy said .
" So , not that much longer ? " Chase asked .
" Definitely not , " Andy said .
" Good , " Chase said as they continued on to the next rest spot .
When they made it to the rest spot the sun was starting to go down and the night was getting cooler , but it wasn ' t freezing like it had been further north of them .
" Spark , " Chase said once he had cooked some of the meat and vegetables he had picked up at Villa Petrae from the market stands .
" Hoo , " Spark said .
" We only have a little while left before we reach the camps buddy , " Chase said as they ate their dinner while the vampires once again settled for blood packs .
" Hoo , " Spark smiled happy they were almost done with the Great Gap .
" Such an uneventful day , be happy to get it over with , " Tyson said .
" We ' ll see what Camden advises as far as getting to London before making the trip to Fairheart Manor , " Karliah suggested .
" Make sense , so , is it best to start from the London office when dealing with cases across the ocean ? " Andy asked .
" Generally it ' s a good idea , that way you can supply up and get a game plan , " Tyson explained .
" And have a place locally to get back to if you are seeking shelter from danger . " Dimitri added .
" Then we will see what Camden thinks first , " Andy agreed .
Then remainder of the walk to the end of the Great Gap was just as uneventful as the rest of the day had been , but once they had arrived at the end all of them took a breath of fresh air and was delighted to be done with that part of the trip .
" WHOO! " Spark cheered .
" The little dear seems delighted to be out of the Great Gap , " Ragon said rubbing Spark ' s head who smiled .
The group looked ahead of them to see off the left side of the road was two dozen tents in neat rows with three larger tents out to the side .
" The camps ? " Andy asked .
" This is just a small camp used for extermination problems like with the warlock and black dogs around Arcania , wartime camps are a lot bigger and the tents are bigger too , housing about four to five vampires while this little tents only have room for maybe two to three vampires . " Tyson explained .
" Oh , " Andy said .
" The biggest tent to the side is for blacksmith , alchemists , infirmary , and cooks if human and lycans happen to travel with vampire divisions of troops , the other three are for strategizing , generals , and invited guests . " Dimitri pointed them out .
" The only other structure is the bathhouse , " Karliah motioned to the makeshift metal building .
" Yep , I ' m back in the army , " Chase shivered .
" We ' ll be okay , Chase , " Andy said .
" Yeah , " Chase agreed .
" Let ' s go see Camden and then rest up from going through the Great Gap , " Andy said .
