Asae glared down at the man who stood at the gate. He wore a black trench coat, had wheat blonde hair, and icy blue eyes, not to mention a full beard. The elder vampire looked up and saw her frowning face, a smirk taking hold of his lips.

"It's you," she sneered, the malice rolling off her tense form.

"Ah, if it isn't the younger sibling," he said. "Tell me, how have you enjoyed your freedom thus far?"

A snarl burned the back of the ravenete's throat, her canines bared for him to see. A more feral look overcame her face, showcasing her displeasure. He held his hands up in mock surrender. It was obvious he thought of her as no real threat. Even his tone was dripping with patronization.

"Easy, little one. You don't want to end up like your brother, do you?"

He gazed up at her with a sly little grin. The girl bristled all the more, her nails digging through her uniform and pierced the skin of her arms.

"How dare you?!-"

"This was fun," he interrupted, walking past her carelessly. "We should chat again soon. But I'm afraid I have more pressing matters to tend to than babysitting a mangy mutt."

Amber eyes burned into his back as she did her best to reign in her temper. It was all she could do to keep from jumping down and tearing out his throat, from using her hunter's knife to pierce his evident black heart. She wanted his blood on her hands, to be the cause of his demise, but she could do nothing.

Not by herself, at least.

Scowl set deep into her expression, the pale girl jumped down and ran off, eager to escape the vampire's scent. It only brought back unnecessary memories.

There was no sleeping that night. Even nestled in the depths of the woods outside of Cross Academy, Asae could find no comfort after her brief run-in with Asato Ichijo. His face, his smell, his voice. It all brought out a deep, childish fear.

A fear of vampires she had not yet managed to quell. Perhaps it was her fright that made her so angry at them. Although, their prior treatment of her and her brother was also to blame.

Her brother…

That, too, was a sensitive topic to the girl. It may not have been long in terms of their life, but she desperately missed her dear sibling. She felt so weak and useless the day he disappeared. It was her own fault that he became..

The ravenette shook her head, trying to stop herself from thinking too much. It wasn't her that caused the incident. It was that damn vampire.

If one word could be used to describe all the trouble and pain in their lives, it would be vampire. Such horrible creatures. Her delicate hand brushed her neck where the bandage had remained. It was gone now, but even still. She could practically feel those fangs buried in her skin.

A soft sigh escaped past her lips as she gazed up toward the moon. It wasn't nearly full, which only added to her low mood. A low, mournful howl rumbled from some distance off, and she turned her head to get a better reading on it. Sadly, it was not from who she was hoping for. She replied to it still, however, eager for some much needed company.

It took some time, but a wolf stepped out from the brush and sat several feet away, its dark brown eyes looking deeply into her own.

She held out a hand and motioned it closer, satisfied as the beautiful creature sat beside her, the soft fur brushing her hand. She placed a palm on the wolf's head and pet her. This received a small huff of appreciation.

"Such a lovely girl," she praised. "Strong and free. What are you doing out by yourself?"

She got no answer, as expected, but she didn't mind. Just having someone there was enough to help her feel better.

Asae closed her eyes and leaned back against the tree. Maybe now she could catch a couple hour's worth of sleep.

The morning sun seeped through the canopy of the leaves and shun on the black-haired girl. She awoke and yawned, stretching her arms out. It came as no surprise when she made contact with warm fur beside her. It seemed the wolf had taken it upon herself to curl protectively around her as they slept.

Smiling, she pet the back of the she-wolf.

"I guess I don't have to go to class today, hm?"

The only response she got was a snout nuzzling into her arm. Giggling, the girl got up and brushed the dirt and grass off her uniform.

"Let's take a walk."

The canine got up and shook off its coat, silently confirming that it would follow her. Nodding, the hunter led the way further into the trees. She let her mind wander as her legs carried her of their own accord.

/

'But he was there! I saw him!" cried the young child, long tresses covering her outraged eyes.

The man with the light purple hair fanned himself. A brunette woman placed a soothing hand onto the little child's shoulder.

"That's impossible. The Senate was here discussing the peace treaty between humans and vampires. You must be mistaking him for someone else."

"I know what I saw," she insisted, looking up at her. "He was there, and he hurt big brother! You can't let him get away with it!"

"I'm afraid the poor child is traumatized, Ichio," the feminine male said, shaking his head. "You see, all the vampires she's known put her and her sibling through a rough time. I'm sure she'll come to understand that not all of you are like that."

The blonde man nodded, orbs of ice trained onto the girl.

"It is alright. I understand how scared she must be to see one of my kind after such horrible experiences. I hope her recovery process is smoother than it has been."

Gritting her teeth, the girl glared at the creature before her. She knew it had been him that day in the facility. It had to be. No one else smelled the way he did. Everyone's scent was different, even familial smells. Something in the way of his curled lip let her know he knew she knew. He was teasing her about not being believed. How did they not get that vampires were all monsters?

/

They had walked for some time, and Asae only snapped out of her thoughts upon smelling a large body of freshwater nearby. She looked up only to see a flowing river cutting through the landscape. The she-wolf had leaned down to drink the refreshing liquid.

The teen got down and cupped her hands, sipping the water to refresh her parched throat. She happened to catch a glimpse of the wolf in the water out of the corner of her eye. She may have grey and brown fur, but in her mind, she could very easily see it as black.

'Black fur…'

/

"Are you sure?" the young girl looked up at the woman who saved her, not quite certain about her suggestion.

The woman smiled, the skin around her blue eyes crinkling.

"Of course. He listens to you, right? I'll be right here in case anything happens."

Hesitantly, the child nodded, still frowning with worry. She stepped forward and reached for the lock on the pen. Her hand trembled before grasping the cool metal and pressing down on the handle. It opened and she slowly stepped inside. Everything was dark save the small sliver of light seeping through the doorway.

Red eyes peered at her from one of the corners furthest away, and a growl started. Gulping, she took shaky steps forward.

"It's me," she said, trying to adopt the same tone the woman gave to her. "We haven't seen each other since we left the vampires.. but it's me, big brother."

A wolf emerged from the shadows, head lowered defensively. The fur along the ridge of his back was on-end, his hackles raised and teeth bared. He gave a warning bark, saliva dripping off sharp canines.

The small child bit her lip. He was just as tall as she was, and weighed more than her. If he had wanted, his claws could tear right through her as though she were mere soggy paper.

She wasn't sure if he was mad with her. From his point of view, she had let the brunette lady incapacitate him, but it had been for the woman's safety, as he wouldn't let her help him without trying to take her arm off. She now sported a nice cast around her left arm because of it.

The tiny girl shook her head slightly to dispel those ideas. He was her brother, and she only wanted him to be safe. So, she pressed on and approached.

"I wanted to see you sooner, but the hunters wanted to understand what we went through.. I didn't leave you."

She reached out her tiny hand, wanting to rest it on his nose in a reassuring manner, but the wolf pulled back, giving a warning snap of his jaws. She pulled her hand to her chest protectively, not wanting it bitten off.

She couldn't keep her body from trembling anymore. When had she gotten so scared of her brother? Why was she afraid? Tears pooled into her amber eyes, unseen until they crested her chin and fell to the ground.

The snarling stopped, the rigid posture of the beast seeming to slacken. Its tail went from alert to low, and it took a step forward. Giving a whimper, she closed her eyes tightly and braced for some sort of pain to befall her.

A sort of whine escaped her brother as his ears pinned back. A wet nose pushed against the child inquisitively, sniffing for injury.

'Why are you crying?' he seemed to ask.

Slowly, she pried her eyelids apart and looked at the black wolf. His head was cocked to one side as he sat before her, waiting for her to do something. More tears rushed out of her as she sniffled.

"Big brother!" she cried, throwing her arms around his neck and burying her face into him.

A rumble came from him as he allowed himself to be held. The brunette smiled at the heartwarming scene, glad that the seemingly un-tamable beast could, in fact, be docile.

/

Asae tore her eyes away from the reflection in the water. When did she get so caught up with her past?

Giving a mirthless laugh, the ravenette turned back the way they came.

"I should get to class.. Maybe that will keep me occupied."

She bid the she-wolf farewell and headed back to Cross Academy, hoping to push her memories away until it came time for her to look for her brother once more, in the shadows of the night.

Yěmán - 野蛮 - brutal, savage, wild, uncivilized, feral, primitive, untamed