XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX
2005, Forks, Washington
XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX
Golden topaz eyes opened slowly as a large man rose from "sleep". Lifting a sleek remote, a pale finger pushed down on the Power button to turn off a radio playing gentle music.
"Good morning..." Saying to no one in particular, the large man eased himself off the couch he had spent the night on.
Combing pale fingers through dark curls, Emmett exited his room to join his coven in the living room of their large house.
"Morning, Emmett. You're a bit late."
Regarding his adoptive older brother with a tired expression, the brute started replaying the classical music in his head. He really didn't want Edward in his head right now. "I guess."
Frowning softly, Edward's brows furrowed in concern. "Are you alright...?" His family would only recite things in their mind if they wanted to keep something from him, like if they were upset over something.
Edward, isn't it that time of the year...?
Topaz hues widened in realization.
Oh.
Glancing over at his adoptive sister, the bronze haired vampire's frown deepened. "Alice..."
Nodding, Alice stepped closer to the tallest of the siblings. "Emmett, you wanna go hunt before school?"
"Yeah, sure. Let's go." Emmett nodded a bit, his usual enthusiasm missing as he gazed at the small, pixie-like vampire.
"Didn't he go hunting last night?" Rosalie scoffed lightly, glancing off to the side. "He's gunna get fat from all this feeding." She grumbled before long legs carried her out of the house and to a shiny Volvo.
Edward sighed a bit, looking up at the ceiling in exasperation.
Give me strength to deal with this...
He really didn't need Rosalie to be her usual sulky self, he got it. Especially now, since Emmett was going to be off for a few days, dealing with the both of them was going to give him a headache.
Jasper gazed at his older brother, a sympathetic look on his face. "She's more irritated than usual..."
"Yep..." Edward mumbled, giving Jasper a tense smile. "Let's go to school, then."
This is going to be a long week...
XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX
Stalking after a large bear, molten golden pools narrowed at the hunter's prey as a pale upper lip curled over sharp fangs. A sudden bout of rage filled the vampire's body and swelled in his chest. Exploding from the tree line, hardened muscles collided with thick fur in a booming sound. Sharp teeth tore at fur and skin as the hunter quickly worked on finding the vital artery in a thick neck. Coiling his arms around those of the bear's, the vampire pushed against them so those deadly claws wouldn't be able to shred him. Slicing through thick flesh, sharp fangs found the thin membrane of the vein before puncturing.
Blood pooled in Emmett's mouth, an enraged and pained roar piercing his ear drums as the bear thrashed. Reeling his head back, the burly vampire spat out a mouthful of fur before latching back on to the bleeding wound.
Topaz eyes hardened with disgust and self-loathing as he gulped down the blood like a parched man drinking water. The disgust twisted his insides into knots as his expression scrunched up with self-loathing. Growling with hatred, Emmett stepped away from the now empty husk, blood dripping from his chin.
"Emmett...?" Alice tentatively called as she eased her way over to her older brother. Stiffening from the amount of malice in that animus-filled glare, a nervous smile twitched at her lips.
Eying the she-vampire before him, the large creature had to remind himself that she was family. Even if her scent poked at his instincts to attack and tear her apart. To show her the pain her repulsive kind inflicted on him... Growling lowly, Emmett closed his eyes to calm himself. Shoulder's slowly relaxing, the anger soon left him, leaving him feeling slightly empty inside.
"Sorry..."
Smiling a bit more naturally, and in relief, Alice stepped closer to her brother. "It's alright, I know how you get this time of year."
Returning his sister's smile with his own tired one, his posture sagged a bit. "We should get going..."
"Okay." The small vampire walked with her distraught brother back to their house.
Guilt crashed into him full force as they walked back, Emmett glancing at the ground as they walked. He silently promised to make it up to her. He always did, after all. Ever since she joined the coven and had deemed it her responsibility to take care of him at this time. Anyone else who went hunting with him, Emmett attacked with such rage. The only thing that kept him from hurting Alice; She reminded Emmett of him. So kind and sweet... The brightest smile he ever saw on anyone, always looking at the good in people. Emmett could never hurt Alice, she was his baby sister and just too much like...
Cutting his thoughts off before they turned down that direction, Emmett looked back up with a tense expression.
Today is going to be a long day...
XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX
Night time; The perfect time to hunt. Predators could use the darkness to hide, stalking their prey from the shadows. Exactly what a vampire was currently doing. Inching closer to a second-story window, the vampire narrowed his eyes as light shone brightly from the room. Getting closer, a grin exposed sharp fangs as the hunter saw his prey seated comfortably on a full-sized bed, a book open in their lap. Was the size of the bed important? Probably not.
With speed only capable by a supernatural creature, the vampire crossed his legs as he gazed at the book with curiosity, now seated next to his prey on the bed.
"Aaaahh! Shit!"
"Bella!" Edward laughed out softly at the less-than-lady-like language.
Huffing, Bella glared into the playful eyes of her boyfriend. "What have I told you about doing that?!"
"Sorry, sorry." Chuckling again, Edward brought his pouting lover into his lap.
"Why can't you throw pebbles at the window or something?"
A brown brow rose. "Bella?"
"What? Maybe you won't scare me half to death."
"I enjoy it when your heart beat changes its tempo though, it lets me know you're alive."
"Aw, how sweet." Bella couldn't help the small chuckle. "I'm dating the corniest vampire of them all."
Edward pouted lightly. "Oh, quiet you." He mock-huffed before placing a gentle kiss to his girlfriend's temple.
Curling into her lover's chest, the young girl sighed softly in content. "You're just lucky I finished my homework."
Running cold fingers through brunette tresses, he smiled gently. "Good, I don't have to worry about distracting you now."
Laughing softly as cold lips attacked her with feather-light kisses all over her face, Bella pushed at a strong chest. "Stop it!"
Joining in with his own laughter, Edward smiled gently. "Aw, spoil-sport."
Rolling doe brown hues, the young human suddenly frowned. "Is Emmett okay...? He seemed off today..."
"So, you noticed it, huh?" Edward sighed softly.
"Of course I noticed! When the most fun-loving, boisterous, obnoxious vampire you know is suddenly all quiet and brooding, you tend to notice."
Gazing up at the ceiling of his girlfriend's room, the vampire frowned softly. "Well... We think it might have something to do with his human memories. He always gets like this whenever this time of the year comes around." Shrugging softly, he looked back at his cute lover. "He hasn't told anyone, nor does he look like he wants to tell anyone, and he's always reciting something in his head when I'm around so I can't read his thoughts."
"You shouldn't read his thoughts anyway, it's an invasion of privacy."
"It's not like I can control it! And he seems to be hurting... So I want to be ale to help him."
"Maybe he's lonely? Needs a girl in his life or something?"
Edward shook his head. "No, I never told you this, but Emmett and Rosalie were supposed to be Mates. She fell in love with him at first site when she saved him."
"Oh... Why aren't they together then?"
"Well... Emmett reacted very strongly after he had been turned... And not in a good way. He rejected Rosalie quite harshly."
Bella frowned softly. "Poor Rosalie..."
Humming, the bronze haired vampire kissed a warm cheek. "We just have to be there for them and support them."
XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX
Jasper was worried. It was that time of the year again, and both Emmett and Rosalie were experiencing strong emotions. Worse yet, he couldn't ease the pain and suffering of his brother like he normally would be able to. It was only this time of year that Emmett would be experiencing such strong emotions, that they couldn't be manipulated by the empathic vampire. That was a scary feeling for Jasper. Even worse, no one knew where these feelings of Emmett's came from.
Rosalie's were understood, Emmett rejected her, and she was still bitter about it. Obviously seeing the brute going through a difficult time suspected of a broken heart, a past lover he was still hung up on, but it was only a theory. When confronted with this theory, Emmett would just laugh it off with a shrug and say they were thinking too much. He always acted like this never happened. It was heartbreaking.
Taking a calming breath, Jasper tried to ignore the sinking feeling he got. Something about this year seemed... Off. He was hoping Alice would have a vision that would explain why he had this feeling, but even if she concentrated; Nothing.
A harsh wave of self-loathing, agony, animosity, and hopelessness hit Jasper square in the chest, making him gasp a bit for air that wasn't needed.
Definitely more intense this year...
But why? Why was this year any different? Why was this year such a milestone, that Emmett was more out of it then any other previous years?
Walking into the living room, he was determined to get at least one answer as he gazed upon his "older brother". "..."
"Don't." Gruffly denying the unspoken questions, tired, topaz eyes glanced at the silent vampire. "I'll be back in a week."
Jasper frowned deeply as the other left quickly, determined to put a great deal of distance between himself and his family. "We just want to help..." He whispered out, slowly looking to the ground as his eyes drooped sadly.
"You can lead a horse to water, but you can't make him drink." A soft, feminine voice whispered softly into a pale ear as thin arms wrapped around Jasper's chest. "He'll tell us when he's ready, even if it takes an eternity."
Sighing, Jasper turned around in his lover's arms and gave Alice a small kiss. "Have you seen anything...?"
The hopeful tone made the Seer feel a bit guilty. "Not yet..."
Smiling gently at his open-book-of-a-wife, Jasper nuzzled their noses. "Don't strain yourself."
Destination in mind, Emmett blazed through trees and down roads as he pushed himself to his speed limits. He may not be as fast as Edward, but being a vampire he was still faster than any human. A journey that would normally be about 39 hours for a human in a car, only took the vampire about 21 hours to run.
"I'm home..." The wind carried the softly spoken words as the brute stepped on to Gatlinburg's soil.
Glancing around the unfamiliar town, he walked around the bustling and busy streets. At least it was overcast and a bit drizzly. The energy of Emmett's home town was the same, but everything else was painfully different. He felt something in his chest squeeze tightly. Every year and he still wasn't used to seeing his home like this.
Closing his eyes momentarily, a deep breath passed through his nose and he almost cringed from all the scents. Golden hues open once more, long legs carrying him to an all too familiar clearing. The wild flowers almost seemed to taunt him with memories as they curved in the wind. Twitching lightly, Emmett dropped the wall in his mind and let his memories attack. They tore and shred at his mind ruthlessly, bringing him down to his knees as his hands clutched at his chest.
Choking on a few sobs, golden pools glared out at the sky. "You only get this week..." He ground out, blinking back phantom tears. "Only this week to remember..."
It was a sick tradition, each year he'd lock away his pain and anger, his hatred and revulsion. However, when this time came around, Emmett would allow himself to drown in misery. It was pathetic, he knew. Mourning the loss of his lover so many years after it happened. But he had been his Mate. His Soul Mate. His perfect angel. The only one to warm his cold heart. And he was gone. Emmett left behind, left all alone, never to see that beautiful face again.
"We were supposed to see each other again..." His voice was raw and scratchy from the sobs he was choking back. "You were supposed to become my beautiful bride... My lovely wife..."
Fisting the grass, Emmett gasped as he tried to get air into his dead lungs. Of course he didn't need to breathe, but being human once conditioned the body to be accustomed to breathing. Hyperventilating was a strange thing to experience when it didn't matter, his head wasn't getting all light and fuzzy from lack of oxygen. His jaw snapped shut suddenly as his breathing regulated immediately, molten golden hues narrowing as a deep growl ripped free from his chest at a sudden bout of hostility and revulsion. The desire to rip Rosalie and Carlisle to shreds demanded his attention as a pale lip peeled over sharp fangs.
"How dare you turn me into the very monster, the very devil that took my angel from me..."
An enraged roar tapered off into a heartbroken sob as guilt crashed into him like a semi immediately after those thoughts and feelings. It wasn't their fault... He knew that, and he loved his coven like the family they were desperately trying to be. Falling to his side in the flowers, his body twitched from the gentle caresses the petals gave him. A dull comparison to the small hands of his lover. Rolling to his back, he gazed up at the dingy sky. He watched the sun slowly crawl from behind the shield of clouds across the sky. Watched it sink lower and lower behind the horizon as the sky grew darker and darker. The moon glowed softly as it replaced the bright light of the sun, night blanketing over the town he used to call home.
"Happy 199th anniversary..."
XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX
Gatlinburg, Tennessee, 1806.
XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX
Smoke curled weekly in the air, trailing from a charred corpse. The weak tendrils suggested the fire had stopped burning hours ago. Grass and leaves were scorched in a sizable radius around the body, evidence that the fire was plenty big. Foot prints and claw marks gashed at the burnt soil in a scuffle, dark brown, almost black, splatters decorated the scorched earth. Dried blood. A scavenger-picked grizzly corpse laid a couple hundred meters away from the charred body.
None of this mattered as blood red eyes snapped open with a sickening, crackling sound. Black flakes of what was once skin peeled off an unrecognizable face as those bloody pools glanced around frantically. A shriek of pure agony stirred the smoke in the air as the body writhed. Charred skin crackled and flaked off from the jerky movements until a thick red substance started to cover the blackened body. Sizzling filled the air as the substance burned off the crispy skin and exposed veins and muscles. Red and black threads quickly started to stretch over the expanse of the body, twisting and twining together over ears. They stretch out, forming long, pointed ears that twitch in pain. At the other end, four appendages resembling a fox's tail sprouted from the end of a tailbone. Claws found purchase in the soil as glowing white eyes narrowed with a pained growl, tails lashing out and whipping the ground.
I will not die with you. Nor will I allow you to become a filthy blood-sucker.
Ears twitching at the deep voice echoing in his head, the creature roared up to the Heavens before taking off in a whirl of speed. Throwing his head from side-to-side, the young boy roared again as his body throbbed in pain. Running blindly through the trees, the added weight of four new tails didn't help with his balance as he crashed into trees and bushes. Instincts he wasn't sure were completely his started to guide him. How to flick his tails just right to make turning easier, lifting or lowering them in accordance with his center of gravity, and watching out for things they could get snagged on.
Growing too tired from the amount of energy and chakra it took to heal his host, the large creature settled down in his dingy cage. Closing his eyes with a shallow breath, his aching muscles and sore bones relaxed as he started to rest.
Blinded by agony, the young boy tripped over a fallen log and rag-dolled into a bush. His body shook as the vampire's venom still burned in his veins even after being roasted alive. The venom broke down his insides, reconstructing them to better fit a vampiric body. However, due to the large demon living inside his body, the red chakra attacked the venom and destroyed it's work, meaning it too broke down the organs and reconstructed them back to normal. Feeling this process just keep happening over and over in two different ways was driving him insane with agony. A fifth tail sprouted as the chakra kept pushing to overpower the vampire venom.
Slowly lifting his body off the floor of the forest, his head shook. Ears twitched, turning on his head as a wounded cry of a fawn got his attention. Stalking after it with low growls, his jaws parted to expose rows of sharp teeth. Spotting a mother deer protecting the wounded fawn, his head tilted. She was easy to chase off, weaker creatures seemed to know he could easily kill them without much effort. Nearing the crying fawn, he sniffed at it before tearing into it's soft flesh. Blood spilled on the soil as he snarled, crunching on bones and devouring the soft meat.
Backing away from a now empty husk, he licked over bloody lips as he sat back on his haunches. Lifting a clawed hand to his mouth, he licked at the blood decorating his claws. The thrashing of his tails calmed down slowly as his ears went into a more relaxed state. Glowing white pools widened slightly in realization as his body froze.
Food calms the pain.
A low growl rumbled in his chest before he took off, searching for his next meal.
Appetite insatiable, the creature devoured any and all living things that crossed his path. Leaving behind a trail of death and carnage, he didn't care about anything else but eating. Eating lessened his pain, and none were safe from him in his agony-filled years.
XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX
Middle of Nowhere, Kansas, 1868.
XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX
Glowing white eyes stared at a raccoon sniffing around in the middle of a dirt road. They narrowed, tense muscles coiling tighter together before releasing like a rocket. Jaws parted as claws extended and then―
WHAM!
Body rag-dolling across the road, he landed in a broken heap as blood leaked from multiple wounds and pooled around him. The red chakra flooding his system quickly worked on fixing the wounds, taking this chance to push the rest of the venom out with the blood before retracting back into the battered body. He twitched in pain and relief, ears shrinking back to normal as tan skin grew over exposed muscles. His clothes having been burned off many years ago, the only thing that covered his body was his own blood.
A car's horn blared loudly as breaks squealed and tires screeched along the road.
"Shit! Josh, are you trying to get us killed?!" A masculine voice barked out, panicked expression written clearly across a rugged face as knuckles went white from gripping anything to keep the man in his seat.
"Shaddup!" A gruff voice barked back in answer.
Both men's bodies jerked as the driver slammed on the brakes, turning the wheel quickly in one direction as he felt, and heard, the car collide with a solid object.
The fuck was that?
"Fuck, what did you hit? A deer?"
"I don't fuckin' know. Stay here." Already disgruntled by the sudden accident, a tall man pushed open the door to his car before stepping out and standing at his full height of 6'2".
Walking around to the front of his car, he gazed at the damage and grumbled under his breath. This was going to be a pain in the ass to fix... Looking around for what ever the hell he hit, dark eyes widened as panic overcame the annoyance.
"Shit! Ryan, get out here! And bring the fuckin' blanket!"
Confused, Ryan twisted his body to grab the blanket folded on the back seat before sliding out. "What's wro― Oh, shit."
Rushing over to his long-time-friend knelt down by the body of a very bloody boy, he couldn't do anything but hand over the blanket. "I-Is he okay?"
"I don't fuckin' know!" Josh growled out as he gently wrapped the boy in the blanket. "We gotta get him to Crystie, you drive."
Not wasting any time, Josh slid into the back seat, gently cradling the blonde in his arms. His brows furrowed from how small the boy was in his arms. He couldn't be any older than 14... And even then, he was still so skinny.
Ryan replaced Josh in the driver's seat, quickly making the trip back to Josh's house. The car was turned off as both men exited, Josh holding the boy and not even caring about the blood staining his shirt. "Get the door." He said gruffly, passing Ryan and entering the house.
"I gotta go to Kat, will you be alright?"
"Yeah, yeah, me and Crystie can handle this. Go, we'll see you later." He said quickly before bellowing out, "Crystie! Come here!"
"Alright, alright! Ya don't gotta yell!" Came the feminine voice of Josh's sister before a beautiful woman walked from a room, appearing at the top of the stairs. Brown eyes widened as she gazed at the bloody mess in her brother's arms. "What... What happened...?!" She yelped out.
"Accident." He grumbled as he started to climb the stairs.
"Accident?!" Blinking, brown hues widened at the man. "Are you telling me you hit him?!"
"Crystie, we don't have time!" Josh snarled out as he passed the woman and kicked open the bathroom door. "Fill the tub up!"
Snapping into action, Crystie turned the knobs so water rushed into the tub. She made sure the temperature was comfortable as the water started filling the tub up. After making sure the tub was at least half-way full, she turned the water off and then rolled her sleeves up. "Alright, lower him in slowly."
Blanket unwrapped and thrown across the toilet, Josh slowly and gently started to lower the bloody body into the water.
Right when the water brushed against the skin of his backside, red eyes snapped open. Slitted pupils grew, nearly swallowing the colored irises to allow more light to filter through. Shrieking in shock and fear, he scrambled to try and escape. Hissing and growling, claws flashed and nicked at skin as limbs flailed around. Foot slipping against the wet rim of the tub, he yelped as he splashed down into the water. Body shivering in fear, he reached out, digging his claws into the shoulder's of the man who was holding him and hauling himself up. His claws dug into Josh's back as he climbed on to it and then leaped off. Wet hands slipped on the tile, making him crash into the floor and smash face-first. Another shriek left him as his nose broke, a sickening crack echoing around the bathroom.
"Shit! Fuck! That hurt!" Josh snarled out in pain, wincing as his back and shoulders stung from the wounds.
Crystie looked back and forth before she went to the blonde's side, worried about that crack she heard. She jolted in shock when he snapped back up, cringing at the blood pooled on the floor and dripping from his nose. "He must have broken his nose..." She said softly and then smiled gently at him when those strange eyes turned her way. "Shh, shh, it's okay. Easy, easy there." She cooed out, slowly reaching a hand out.
Growling lowly, the boy eyed the female with distrust, lips peeling away from sharp fangs. His body stiffened when she reached out with her hand, his own flashing through the air and swiping his claws at her's. Small droplet's of blood splattered on the floor as he cut the skin.
"Ouch!" She yelped out, hand recoiling to her chest as she cradled it close.
"Oi!" Josh barked and glowered at the boy. Backhanding the boy, he watched his head snap to the side from the impact of his hand hitting his cheek.
"Josh, no! He's just scared!" Crystie yelled and pushed at her brother with her unwounded hand.
Whimpering from the sting in his cheek, tear-filled eyes glared at Josh before the sudden realization of how much bigger this male was than him set in. He shrunk back, averting eye contact and shivering as he whined softly.
Looking back to the terrified boy, Crystie cooed once more, trying to ease him and calm him. "It's okay... Come here..." She said, smiling gently.
"What the fuck? Why is he acting like that?" Josh frowned, eying the boy.
"He's feral, probably has been living in the wild for most of his life." Crystie said gently as he held her unwounded hand out to the boy. "I've read some reports about feral children, you have to be gentle and patient with them."
Flinching, the blonde hissed, trying to make his body smaller by bunching it up. Staring at the woman in fear, he sniffed at the air. They didn't smell like vampires... They smelt human... Was he supposed to be able to know what a vampire smelt like? Blonde brows furrowed lightly as a few questions popped in his head.
Shaking his head lightly to clear his thoughts, he slowly inched closer, sniffing at the woman. She smelt warm and kind...
Climbing into her lap, he started to purr softly as he licked apologetically at her wounded hand.
"There now, it's okay, I'm okay." She cooed out, running her fingers through his hair as he licked at her other hand. "Let's get you into the tub, okay?"
Josh took that as his cue, bending down and scooping the blonde in his arms. He sighed at the yelp and squirming, growing a bit annoyed at the growling. "Would you knock it off? We're trying to help you!" He grumbled out before trying to lower the boy in the water once more.
"Josh, gentle and patient."
"Yeah, yeah." Josh frowned a bit, still slightly sour at his sister being wounded, but then softened his voice and made sure his hold on the boy was gentle. "Calm down, yeah? We're not gunna hurt you." Successfully lowering the smaller body into the tub, Josh smiled a bit.
Calming down slightly, the boy whined softly as he was surrounded by water, shaking lightly. He didn't like water... Especially being surrounded by it...
"It's okay." Crystie cooed out softly and grabbed a wash cloth. Dipping it into the water, she started to gently wash away the blood and dirt. "... Josh, didn't you say you hit him?" She asked softly as she gently dragged the wash cloth over tan skin. "There isn't a single wound on his body..."
Josh got comfortable next to the tub, watching the boy with a worried frown. "What do you mean...? He's covered in blood..." He mumbled softly as he looked over the boy's body. Indeed, there wasn't any wound on him. His brows furrowed as his gaze landed upon the red mark starting to purple on the boy's cheek. Reaching out, his finger tips gently brushed along the bruising skin.
Flinching, he whimpered, shaking more as the male touched him. Was he going to hit him more...?
"Hey, hey..." Josh whispered out softly, reaching up and gently combing his fingers through matted hair. "I'm sorry, I got a bit hot-headed. You see, Crystie is my sister, and I love her very much." He said softly, petting the hair gently.
Blinking at the man, he slowly started to relax. He was just protecting his sister... He understood that. Protecting your family... His chest suddenly grew tight and he felt like he wanted to cry. But why?
"Do you think he's alone...?" Crystie asked as she gently washed the boy.
"Probably..." Josh said softly as he started to wash the blonde hair. It was really friggin' blonde... He knew the kid was blonde, but damn, once the blood and grim was taken away, he was really blonde.
He purred happily as his hair was washed, enjoying the gentle massaging to his scalp. As he relaxed, the tension leaving his muscles, his pupils shrunk back down and rounded out as the red bled free, replaced by a bright cerulean.
"Whoa..."
"What?"
"His eyes changed color..." Josh breathed out softly, staring at the sparkling blue hues.
Crystie blinked and looked up, gazing into now blue pools staring back at her. "Oh, wow... So pretty..."
"That's so weird..."
"Josh, can we keep him?! Please?! He's all alone and he needs a family!" Crystie said, staring at her brother with a pleading expression from her sudden desire to adopt this boy.
He let lose a deep sigh, shaking his head in amusement. "Sure, why not?" He chuckled out softly.
"Yay! I've always wanted a younger brother! Now all we gotta do is name him and he's all set!"
Name...?
The blonde blinked owlishly at the two. A name and a family? Didn't he already have those? As he strained his memories, the blonde couldn't find the ones about his name and family. The only memories he had were of pain and hunger.
"I got it!"
Startled out of his thoughts, he gazed at his new-found sister curiously. A name...?
"Creven!"
"'Creven'? Why 'Creven'?"
"It's Irish for 'fox'. He reminds me of a fox!"
Josh facepalmed. "You're so simple..."
"Oh, shut up!" Pouting at her older brother, she crossed her arms with a huff. "It's the perfect name for him."
"Creven Fox Kennedy."
Blinking brown pools at Josh, her brows rose in question.
"What? I'm your brother, turns out I'm simple too." He shrugged lightly.
Crystie laughed. "You're more simple than me! At least I didn't outright name him 'Fox'!"
A small blush of happiness crossed tan cheeks as the newly-named Creven gazed at the two. He had a name and a family... Happiness swelled in his chest and he looked down into the water, staring into his reflection as a happy smile broke out across his face. Has he ever been so happy? He didn't know, but right now he was very happy, and that's all he knew.
"Yeah, yeah, let's just finish cleaning him up and get him some clothes." Josh huffed and then went back to cleaning the blonde.
Once Creven was rid of blood and dirt, the water stained red, he was lifted out of the tub and into a fluffy towel while the water was drained, only to be replaced by clean, fresh water. Another bath...? But he just got done with one...
"Don't worry Creven, just one more scrubbing and you'll be 100% clean." Crystie said with a smile before unwrapping the towel from her new baby brother's body.
Another bath later, and he was once more plucked out of the tub and wrapped up like a burrito with another fluffy towel. Peeking out at the two, one eye closed as another towel was used to ruffle and dry his hair.
"Clothes... Let's see... I think I have some of your old clothes around here." Crystie said as she left the bathroom.
"Why would she keep those...?" Josh looked down at the bundle in his lap, brow arched from the information about his sister keeping his childhood clothes. He gave a light snort from the big blue eyes blinking back at him. "You look far too innocent..." Brotherly instincts flaring, his arms tightened around the blonde boy as a small frown tugged at his lips. "I'll protect you..." Josh whispered out, starting to be very glad that it was him and Ryan who found this helpless boy.
Purring, Creven nuzzled at his brother gently before giving his wrist a gentle lick.
"Hey, don't do that, it tickles." Josh chuckled out and then removed the towel a top blonde locks to ruffle the damp hair with his hand.
"I found them!" Crystie called from another room before popping back into the bathroom with a large grin. "I think they'll fit pretty well, might be a bit too big, but we can always go buy him some clothes tomorrow." She hummed out, already planning a shopping trip in mind.
As Crystie handed the clothes to Josh, both brother and sister learned how freakin' hard it was to dress a feral child. Creven growled at them, hissed and even bit at the clothes, fighting against them as they struggled to put the shirt over his head and the pants over his legs. Once he was all dressed, the two elder siblings shared an amused look from the expression on Creven's face.
"I-Itch-chy..."
Matching pairs of brown eyes widened, their faces sharing a similar look of astonishment.
"Did he just...?"
"Talk..."
Coughing lightly as his voice scratched his throat, the blonde shook his head out as his tongue lightly poked out form between his lips in discomfort.
Talking hurts...
"He can talk! We'll have to teach him more! And he'll need to practice more."
"After he gets used to living here and is comfortable enough."
"Hehe, of course!"
Creven gave a soft snort from the scent of the soap clinging to his skin, sniffing lightly at his wrist. It made his head a bit dizzy, but it wasn't completely over powering. Head tilting, cerulean pools panned over to the door, pupils widening just slightly.
"Hey, Josh, look. His ears are kinda pointy."
"Huh? Oh, yeah." Blinking a few times, Josh gave a light hum. "Would ya look at that... Kinda weird."
"I think it's cute." Cooing softly, Crystie reached over and lightly rubbed at the point of Creven's ear before rubbing behind it.
Azure hues fluttered before falling closed as the younger boy leaned into the touches, purring. "~"
"Alright, alright, let's move out of the bathroom." Josh ushered the two from the small room with his words, shaking his head in amusement. His sister was going to end up spoiling this kid, he was sure of it.
"Josh! Crystie!"
"We're here!"
"Is that boy okay? Ryan told me about hi―HEEEIII!"
Speaking of, Creven had bound down the stairs once he heard the door open, eyes wide in curiosity from the new smells and new voices. He had crouched in front of the small family of three, eyes zeroed in on a teeny tiny human.
Kitling.
Yipping gently, he started to sniff at the air wafting around the three newcomers.
"Whoa there." Ryan stood protectively in front of his family, eying the feral boy. "I thought you hit him...? There's not a wound on him."
Josh shrugged lightly as he came from down the stairs. "I dunno, I was just as confused as you are."
"I take this as a miracle." Crystie said, following after her brother with a smile. Walking over to Creven, she patted him gently on the head. "Don't worry, he's harmless."
"Harmless... Uh-huh..." Ryan eyed the boy warily, a small grimace on his face. "He... Barked at us."
"No he didn't! I believe he was yipping." Crystie said in defense for her newest brother.
Ryan gave her a deadpanned expression. "What's the difference?"
Tilting his head to the side, Creven glanced towards the window, pointed ears giving a small twitch. A moment later, his attention was back on the small family. He cooed softly at them, pupils shrinking down in a more relaxed state.
"Hun, he does seem harmless enough." Kat said softly, smiling at the little boy. Her motherly instincts, being in the higher levels since she had given birth a few months ago, made it nearly impossible for her to think such a cute and innocent looking boy could harm anyone.
With a small frown and a soft sigh, Ryan gave a small nod. "Alright." He said softly, relaxing and taking a step to the side to stand next to Kat instead of in front of her.
Given permission, Creven cautiously stalked forward while he sniffed at the small family, wanting to memorize their scents.
"Why is he crawling...?"
"He's feral." Crystie answered nonchalantly, smiling as she watched the young blonde.
"That explains the damn barking... But how do you know he's harmless if he's feral?" Looking away from Crystie, his jaws snapped shut while he blinked at the scene unfolding before his eyes.
Creven was cooing to the baby, nuzzling at the peach-fuzz of hair while the mother was kneeling down, almost like showing a dog a baby. The wild boy purred and rubbed his cheek against the mother's hand before nuzzling at the baby once more.
"Oh, he's just darling!"
A gentle smile curled his lips as any thoughts of doubt fled his mind, Ryan chuckling gently. "Well then, welcome to the family, little buddy." It was strange, nothing about this seemed entirely normal, but then again, they weren't the most normal bunch to begin with.
XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX
Middle of Nowhere, Kansas, 1875.
XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX
"Creven, knock it off!" Giggled out a childish voice. A young boy, about seven years of age, ran around a huge back yard. "I don't wanna be tickled!"
Yipping at the kitling, Creven chased after him with a small smile. Something about this situation was familiar, but he couldn't quite place it, nor did he understand why it made his chest feel a bit tight. Catching up to the kitling, the wild boy pounced and then nuzzled him with a purr.
"Hehehe!"
"Okay, you two, enough rolling around in the dirt! Time for dinner!"
"Awww..." Pouting, the little boy stood up. "I wanna play though."
"Listen to your Kaa-chan." Head tilting to the side at the confused looks, his lips made a little "o". "Mother."
Why do I do that?
Creven apparently knew an Asian language that was discovered to be Japanese. Sometimes he spoke it without knowing, slipping in and out and mixing it with English. As if it wasn't confusing enough when he'd bark, or growl, or yip at them. At least when he communicated in his more feral way the others could usually understand the gist of what he was saying to them.
"Yeah, yeah." Mumbled the youngster as he walked into the huge house.
Following suit, the blonde nuzzled at the woman's leg as he passed her. Purring at the pat to his head, Creven stalked into the dinning room and curled next to his brother's feet. Even living with his siblings for just about seven years, crawling was the thing he was most comfortable with. He had tried walking on his legs like a human was supposed to, but he'd get increasingly agitated and just go back down to all fours after awhile.
"Hey there, bud." Josh greeted, reaching down and ruffling blonde locks.
Cooing happily at the attention, the younger brother licked at calloused fingers.
"He's more like a pet, than a brother." Ryan chuckled. He held his hands up with a large grin as cerulean eyes sharpened into a glare at him. "Kidding!"
Rolling his eyes, Josh gave a blank expression to his friend. "You know he hates that."
"Oh, he knows I'm just kidding, right Cre―"
Ryan's teeth clicked shut as a loud growl came from a visibly tense Creven.
"Cre-Creven? What's wrong?" Snarling loudly, sharp fangs were bared as the boy rose his body of the floor. Back arching up, blonde hair bristled as the thin scars on his cheeks thickened. Claws clicking against hard wood, Creven inched closer to the kitling while wide eyes glanced to and fro. Small pupils elongated to slits before widening out in a burst, nearly swallowing his irises.
Sharp rows of teeth glinted in the dim lights of dingy sewers.
Vile creatures! I just got my strength back! Forget these humans and leave!
Startled by the booming voice in his head, Creven only growled louder. How could he think such a thing?! Leaving his family...
His growls and snarls rose in volume and pitch, the thin blue rings around his pupils changing to purple, then red.
"Creven... Calm down..." Josh frowned as he stood slowly. He only saw his little brother get like this once before, and the out-come wasn't pretty.
"You should really keep your pet on a leash."
A voice hissed in his ear before pain suddenly burned the nerves in his neck.
"JOSH!" Crystie shouted as she scrambled out of her seat.
Shrieking in rage, Creven launched himself at his brother, claws sinking into the diamond hard skin as he tore the vampire off Josh. Ruby red eyes widened in pure fury as they zeroed in on blood-stained lips. His nose wrinkled with a snarl before he dug his teeth into the vile creature, tearing a chunk out of him.
"Stupid boy!" Hissed out the vampire before he tried to sink his fangs into tan skin.
Dodging the bite, Creven tore into hard skin once more. Hissing and snarling filled the house as Creven and the vampire went at it, chucks being torn from the blood-sucker as he nimbly and barely missed getting bitten himself. The enraged blonde made a morbid pile of vampire parts, snarling loudly as he circled around it, body twitching with agitation.
"B-Burn it!" He hissed out, the twitches increasing to fury-induced shaking.
"Wh-What?"
"Burn it!"
Jumping, Ryan started to gather the pieces together, tossing them outside into the backyard near the fireplace. He worked quickly, getting all the pieces into the fireplace before dousing the dismembered creature in gasoline, then tossing in a match. The gasoline erupted into flames once the match hit it, the smell of burning flesh making Ryan sick to his stomach. He jolted as Josh started to scream, rushing back inside to see his bestfriend writhing in pain.
Creven was whining as he nuzzled at a sweaty hand, eyes still wide, though this time in fear. The color had diluted to a deep amethyst, though the pupils were still nearly devouring the color.
Ryan glanced to his wife and child, making sure they were alright. Kat, Crystie, and the little tyke were huddled together with tears staining their cheeks.
"What the hell... Happened...?" Ryan questioned, not knowing what to do.
The Kennedy household was the definition of tension for the past three days. Josh was in non-stop pain and agony that had him screaming, shrieking, and yelling in pain until his throat was raw and bloody. It didn't matter though, even as he tasted his own blood in the back of his mouth from how much he was screaming, the pain in his throat couldn't dream to compare to the pure agony in his veins.
Creven didn't leave Josh's side, staying close to the other. The dinning room was stayed out of by the rest, the young blonde chasing away anyone who tried to get close as he stayed on edge. He was debating, should he kill Josh? He didn't want his brother to suffer anymore... He didn't want Josh to make anymore of these noises, but Creven wasn't sure he could kill his brother. He whimpered, curled next to the other male and gently licking at his fingers, trying to offer any comfort he could.
Black eyes snapped open as the pain finally ended. Josh stared up at the ceiling, eyes going wide when suddenly he hear and smell everything. The pain in his throat intensified, burning and drying out his mouth as he felt like he hadn't drunken anything in 100 years.
A soft whine had Josh looking to an extremely worried Creven, watching the boy slowly start to back away.
"J-Josh...?"
Cringing away from those dead eyes, the blonde couldn't help but flee from the room.
Growling lowly, Josh slowly rose up to his feet, stumbling a few steps as he used the wall as a crutch to make his way out of the dining room. His lips parted as he took in a deep breath, a half-crazed expression twisting his face as the Thirst burned his throat more. Something smelled so good... So delicious.
Black eyes settled on the first human he saw; Crystie. Josh didn't see his sister, though, he saw food. So he pounced, burying his fangs into her neck and drinking fervently.
Ryan came running when he heard Crystie's screams, sliding on the wooden floor before stopping himself against a wall. "What is it?!" His eyes went wide, disbelief coloring his expression. "Shit!"
"Daddy? What's going on?"
"Go to your Mother!"
Grabbing his son's wrist, the frantic man rushed to his wife, eyes nearly bulging out of his skull form how wide they were.
"Hun?! What's wrong?! Was that Crystie?!"
"No time! Just g―!" Ryan shouted in pain when what felt like two small knives tore into his neck, hands flying up to grip at Josh's hair, trying to tug him off.
The New Born quickly drained his second meal, taking little to no time at all to gulp down nearly all of Ryan's blood. Reddening eyes found another source of food, a snarl coming from his throat as he dropped the dried out body and lunged for his next meal. In a fury of Hunger and Thirst, the house was filled with screams of pain and fear, until moments later it was silent. He gave a deep sigh, head tilting back as red eyes slipped closed. Relief washed over him as the burning and aching in his throat ceased, a small smile lifting the corners of his lips.
As his sanity trickled back into him, his eyes snapped open in horror as he fell to his knees. "NO!" Josh hugged his nephew's body close, choking on a sob as he gazed at the lifeless bodies of his family. "Oh god... Oh god, no... I'm sorry... I'm so sorry..." What has he done?!
A soft whine had Josh twitching a bit before looking over his shoulder to gaze into the eyes of his little brother. "Creven..." He choked out on a relieved sob.
He's alive...
Slowly slinking over to his brother, the blonde licked some blood from a shaking hand. He purred softly in an attempt to comfort his distraught brother, gently grooming him as he licked blood clean from his skin.
Venom pooled in his mouth as Creven's scent washed over him.
Oh god... It smells so good...
"Creven..." He croaked out, lips parting and letting some of the venom dribble out and slip down his chin. "I'm so sorry..."
Dropping the limp body of his nephew, the New Born latched on the blonde and quickly sunk his fangs into a soft neck.
Shrieking, blue eyes widened as Creven thrashed in his brother's arms. It was a weird and terrifying feeling to feel his blood leave his body. The sensation was a bit familiar, and that scared him even more. Whimpering, his eyes rolled to the back of his head in pain as the venom burned his veins.
Not again...!
The pain was oh, so familiar to the young blonde as his eyes flashed red.
Josh yanked away from Creven, blood dripping from his chin. He choked on a sob and looked guiltily and apologetically at his little brother. "I'm so sorry! I-I couldn't help myself!"
Whimpering once more, dull blue hues watched pools of blood slowly fleck and swirl with purple before solidifying to a deep amethyst. "J-o-sh..." He choked out brokenly, his body starting to shiver as an inferno erupted in his body.
Large crimson hues brightened in a dim sewer as a thick red substance started to ooze out of Creven's pores and crawl over his body.
I can't believe I have to save your ass again.
Cringing at the booming growl, the feral boy cried out in pain as five tails instantly sprouted from his rear.
Dropping his brother in surprise, wide amethyst eyes watched skin burn off only to be replaced by strange black and red threads. "Cre-Creven...?"
Glowing white eyes narrowed at the vampire, ears twitching as a strange crackling sound started around him. Looking for the source, his head tilted as he saw dead bodies start to crumble to dust. Shaking his aching body out, he flinched when a hand touched his back, hissing as he lowered his body to the ground.
"Shhh... It's me... It's Josh..." Smiling bitter-sweetly as glowing white eyes turned to stare at him, the New Born choked on a dry sob. "That's right... You know me, Creven..." Gathering his strange looking brother in his arms, Josh nuzzled at one of his fox ears. "I'll protect you... Always..."
Slowly relaxing, Creven closed his eyes and purred softly at the nuzzling. Oh, right, he knew this person. But they weren't supposed to be a vampire, this person was supposed to be human. Sadness filled a small body as the memories struggled to stay in his quickly collapsing mind. The pain was unbearable, but he managed to keep hold of his sanity. Creven nuzzled into his brother as his body twitched in pain.
Time to eat.
Wiggling away from the embrace, the fox-child sniffed at the air before he started to hunt for a meal.
Josh followed after, sparing a glance back at his old home. "I'm sorry Crystie, Ryan, Kat, Joseph... Don't worry though, I'll protect Creven."
Looking back to his little brother, Josh hunted with him, well, more like learned how to hunt from Creven, but soon he could join the fox-child. They were quite the team, and while the vampire was draining their prey of blood, the fox-child was devouring the meat, organs, and crunching on bones to get to the good stuff.
Settling into his new life as a vampire wasn't as hard as Josh thought it would be. After learning what vampire venom did to his brother, he drained Creven of both blood and venom. It truly was a miracle that the blonde could survive something like that, but Josh was more thankful than anything. His brother definitely wasn't human, since any human would either be turned by vampire venom, or crumble to dust from Josh's venom. This miracle was definitely a double-edged sword, making it a harsh curse as well.
After the venom was removed, the boy's appearance turned back to normal. Though Josh was sure Creven's ears didn't look so elfish before...? They seemed pointer, and a tad longer. His diet still consisted of raw meat and organs, his appetite seeming insatiable, hinting more to Creven being something other than human.
Not that it mattered, it was more convenient for the brothers to hunt and feed together anyway, and Josh was hoping this meant he would be with Creven for eternity.
Holding his tired brother, Josh purring gently to him as a lullaby. He spoke softly after a few moments of a comfortable silence. "Let's find a new home."
"Tomorrow..." Creven mumbled out tiredly as he snuggled closer to his brother. "I wanna sleep..."
Josh smiled fondly and chuckled. "Alright, don't sleep for too long though."
"Don't worry... We've got all the time in the world..." Was the last thing mumbled out before the young blonde dozed off.
Another chuckle was carried off in the wind as Josh whispered; "That we do..."