Author's note: OMG. Guiz, I am so sorry. I really am! I wish I could have got more time...wait, that's kinda a lie...sure, I was busy with school and stuff, but I was also lazy. My bad... and I haven't thought of it..
...And I didn't want to write another chapter...
...And I had no ideas...
...And-
Darren: Alrighty now! Excuses!
-bows- Yes Mister Shan. All I have are excuses. Right, cuz that's always the case. Oh, and I never thanked you guys fro reviewing my story. Especially gothicgurl101 (I LURVS U), SharpestSpoon (Your name made me laugh so hard), Sapphiet (your reviews are so kind), blu-3y3s (for sticking with me) and roxypony. arrowsREALwife (your name is a mouthful but PFFT it's awesome like you).
M'kay, before I start. If you are reading this, you should know who you are. Please stop badgering me about this story and how 'out of character' Darren is. And that you don't like the way the story is going. If you don't like it, why are you still reading this?
Ookie. Done. And disclaimer: I don't own Darren Shan's awesome characters. He does. But I do own Roma and Jayden...and that wolf. Enjoy my fishies!
This Cold Feeling
The sound of rattling metal and shouting echoed down the long dark halls of Vampire Mountain's jail. Roma screamed bloody murder at no one in paticular.
"By the gods let me out!" Her shrill voice bounced off the walls. She has just woke up from a nightmare; the same one she has had for the past few weeks. She was scared out of her wits and just wanted to go to her bed and curl up in her warm bear skin cover.
"Shut the hell up, bitch!" A none too happy vampire three cells away from her grunted. Roma flinched and sunk down to her knees and started to pant with her head between her raised arms that were gripping the metal bars of her cell. Her hands were slippery from blood and sweat. Losing her grip, Roma fell forward and curled into a defeated ball on the stone cold floor. Her knuckles were so beaten and bloody from punching the stone walls of her prison.
She hated the jail. Though she could not see, she knew it was dark. The air was damp and smelled like piss. But there was also a scent of decay. The smell came from deep within the bowels of the maze like jail.
Roma heard stories about how the parts from deep below were sealed off because a demon lurked down there. Vancha March told her that. She knew it was a story made up to spook her, but sometimes she heard noises down there.
The young vampire shivered. She has been there for more than a week already. After her outburst at Darren Shan, the young prince had enough and ordered her to be locked up until further notice.
'Hello? Are you there?'
No answer.
Roma has not heard from the Voice in a long time. Over the past couple days Roma has done what she really have not wanted to do. She tried to contact her Voice. Maybe it could help. But she was always quite disappointed when she was met with silence.
'Silence that goes on all day long...'
She never realized how much she missed the sound of someone else speaking. The man a few cells away and the crazy elder across from her that muttered in a language Roma could not understand did not comfort her at all.
Roma let out a sad sigh, got up, and walked over to the dirty mattress that lay in the corner of the bland room. She lay down on it. The scratchy fabric of the material made her skin itch.
Sometimes when she was sleeping she heard her father's soothing Irish accent. His rough but gentle hands rubbing her head. His deep chuckle rumbling in his chest when she used to lay on him.
Sometimes she smelled him too. Leather, cologne and his natural scent.
Oh gods...she missed him so bad.
"Father...oh Father...won't you come back?" Roma started to cry, "...Please?"
Gods, she sounded like such a little girl right now. Mewling and begging for her father that was thousands of miles away and probably killing vampaenze.
Roma didn't care.
She started to weep into the sad excuse for a mattress, wallowing in self pity and sorrow.
Darren huffed, blowing his damp dark hair out of his emerald eyes. He ripped his shirt off, it was sticking to him from his sweat. Growling with displeasure, the young prince sat down on his bed as he kicked his pants off, now only in his boxer briefs. He stretched, his impressive shoulder and back muscles rippling. He felt sweat drip down the dips and bumps of his well toned belly, soaking into his underwear.
He lay down and groaned. It was so hot Darren felt like he was melting. Why was it hot all of the sudden?
He was hot. Hot and pissed off.
Roma pisses him off. Vancha pisses him off. Mika pisses him off. Fucking bats pissed him off.
'There's something seriously wrong with that female. Seriously. What was she thinking, getting drunk before being presented in front of Princes?'
Though Darren had to admit he has turned up drunk more than three times in the past year. He chuckled. He remembered the last time he thought Arrow was stroking a dancing tree with a pink bra on and freaking out how that was his pink bra.
Darren spread out his legs. It didn't help his now super soaked groin. He winced. The now bandaged wound that Roma gave him still hurt.
"Darren, what the hell are you doing half naked on your bed with your legs spread out towards the door in wet undergarments? It's freezing!"
"Shit, Vancha. Can't I relax in peace for once? And what are you talking about, it's burning hot!" Darren turned his head to glare at the green haired man in purple animal skins grinning at him, "And stop staring at my crotch!"
"Then close your thighs, daddy long legs," Vancha leaned on Darren's doorway, "Buddy, we need to talk."
"About what?"
Vancha's smile disappeared slowly and he pushed off the doorway with his hip, "Roma."
Darren quickly sat up and faced the purple garbed Prince, "What? Why the hell do you want to talk about her?"
"Because, Darren, sending her down there isn't right!"
The young Prince felt himself grow even hotter than he already was, "Sending her down there isn't right? What the hell? She's a raving lunatic with claws and a sexist mindset-"
"So are you!" Vancha growled. Darren ignored him.
"-that should be locked up in a loony mental asylum!"
"So do-"
"Quiet Vancha!"
Darren ran a hand through his wet hair, "I knew she shouldn't be able to become a General."
"Why?" Vancha asked softy. Darren looked up at him. The other Prince's hazel eyes held worry.
"There's something about her, Vancha," the young Prince started, "I don't know and I can't put my finger on it. But somethings wrong...she's disturbed," when Vancha waved his hand for Darren to elaborate, he tried to explain, "Somethings bothering her. For the past few weeks she's been acting strangely. Her eyes dart back and forth sometimes, or her temper snaps. And sometimes a look of terror are in her eyes." He paused.
"She's like a fucking bomb. Waiting. I have no idea when she's gonna blow again."
The two men lapsed into silence. Vancha was looking at Darren. Darren had his head down, suddenly interested in his long, sinewy legs. Suddenly are loud 'HUUURACK' disturbed the quiet. Vancha spit a huge glob of green mucus into the corner of Darren's room. The younger Prince jumped.
"Vancha, what the-"
The green haired Prince held up a hand, "Darren, I understand what you're getting at, but is locking her up in somewhere cold, wet and lonely going to help her?"
"But she might hurt someone else!" Darren whined, "And really, what's with all the emotional shit she's going through?"
"Darren, her father is away and you know how close they were. She was never separated from him this long. And she doesn't really have anyone to talk to..."
"Gods, she doesn't have to be so annoying about it! Zale didn't get all dark and deep when his brother left!"
"She's a girl. I thought someone like you wouldn't forget that," Vancha looked disappointed, "She's growing up in a place that's main population is male. I can see where she's coming with being sexist and wary of men," he sighed, "She needs a friend, Darren. And as her teacher you should have been there for her when she needed one."
"Darren, I never knew I would say this but, I'm kinda disappointed in you. Because she needed you and you denied her, and you sent her to jail without hearing her side of the story. She must be miserable down there," he made a face, "And because you're so damned hypocritical."
Darren sat there with a blank expression on his face. Vancha March was usually silly and cracked jokes every six seconds and took nothing seriously. And here he was, getting scorned by Vancha. And most of what he said was true.
"Vancha I-"
The older Prince shook his head, "I'm going to grab a beer and maybe get drunk," he started to leave, "You better think about what I told you!" With that Vancha skipped away, humming on his way out. "Oh, and by the by I think you might have a fever. A really high one at that. You better check it right away."
Darren felt his head and gasped.
Five days ago..
The forest was quiet and asleep as night went on. A lone figure walked between the whispering trees. Snowflakes fell on the man's face as he looked up at the sky. The air was cool and snow crunched beneath his combat boots.
'There's gonna be a hell of a snowstorm soon.'
The man continued to walk, the cold not really bothering him, but he knew his partner was going to have a cow if he didn't show soon.
'Man, why did I have to join this guy in the first place? Oh yeah, because of orders.'
He sneered. And then he heard something. The man stopped. It was coming from his far left. He strained his ears and listened again. Nothing. He shrugged and started walking again until the noise sounded again. It was more clear. It sounded like...a whine. The man paused, deciding whether or not to keep walking. What if it was someone, or something, that needed help? He blinked. This time when he heard it again, it was louder.
The strange man walked towards the sound, brushing branches out of his way. Whimpering sounded and a shuffling noise could be heard behind a bush. He narrowed his eyes and moved the bush apart. Laying there was a dark brown wolf. More like a sad excuse for one. It was so skinny that the man could count each of it's ribs. It's hip jutted out sharply.
"Oi...What happened to you?" The man knew it was obvious. He bent over the wolf and rested a hand on it's head. It didn't move. It was so cold.
Judging from it's anatomy it was a male. The man hoped for the worse until he saw the wolf's chest moving faintly.
"You don't really look like a wolf. Kinda like a big dog." He stroked the canine's scarred muzzle, "Ah! I see. You're a wolf dog."
The man thought for a minute. Should he leave it or take it back to camp? He didn't know how his partner would react.
'Oh, screw him!'
He scooped his arm under the wolf dog, trying not to hurt him. Holding it like a baby, the man walked on.
"I'm gonna take care of ya. Don't you worry," He crooned as he and the wolf dog were swallowed up by the darkness.
An hour later...
The man entered a cave on the side of the vast mountain. A fire flickered in the middle of it. He walked towards it and placed the now awake wolf dog on a blanket laying on the floor. "There you go, get nice and warm while I get you some food."
The wolf dog whimpered softly and tried to get up. The man bent down and placed his large hand on his head, "Down, boy." He stood up again, "I really need a name for you."
'It's not like he's going to survive.'
He ignored the thought, "How about Zeke? No, that's...urgh. Fido? Too cliche. Fluffy...? What?" The man shook his head. Bad names were bad. Though he was leaning towards Zeke. Then he had a thought. He remembered when he was a young boy he had a dog. Damn, did he love that dog. Like a giant teddy bear he was.
"Nakul." He chuckled to himself as he headed towards were him and his partner kept the food. He picked up a slab of meat that was laying on the floor, probably his partner's next meal. When he turned around none other than his partner standing there staring at Nakul with narrowed eyes.
The fire flicked across his partner's light purple skin. His long blood red hair was tied up in a pony tail, a few strands of locks falling into his equally red eyes. His ruby red lips were curled in disgust, showing off his sharp fangs. He was dressed in the same attire as the man, a black cloak with army pants and combat boots.
"Glalda, what is this thing doing here?" Glalda's partner's voice was as smooth as silk.
"That thing, Gannen, was dying."
Gannen lifted his upturned nose, "You should have let it die." His hands were on his hips.
"That's not very humane." Glalda sat down next to Nakul, ripping apart the meat and giving it to him to eat. The wolf dog lifted his head and grabbed it, eating it hungrily. Glalda chuckled.
"Last time I checked, we aren't humans. Get with it, Glalda," the lighter purple skinned man scoffed, "Hey, isn't that mine?" Gannen's red eyes looked horrified. Glalda resisted the urge to laugh in his handsome face.
"Yep. Nakul is hungry."
Gannen's eyes were wide, "But...that...bear was hard to kill..." He didn't like showing anyone his petty emotions about food, but he couldn't help it right now.
"There's more meat," Glalda waved his hand at his partner and grunted, gently rubbing the back of Nakul's neck, "Boy, let's get you some water. You must be parched..."
He got up again and brushed past Gannen to the back of the cave and dug through his backpack, looking for his water bottle. When he found it he let out an "Ah ha!" and headed back over to Nakul. The wolf dog looked up at him with big brown eyes. Glalda sat down again and poured some water into his palm. He put it under Nakul's snout. The animal sniffed his hand and flicked his tongue out, taking in some water. When he realized what it was, he lapped all the life giving liquid.
"Good boy."
Glalda grabbed a small bowl sitting upturned on the floor and poured the rest of the water in. He grabbed Nakul by the scruff and layed him on his lap, giving the wolf dog easier access to the bowl in Glalda's hand.
He heard a huff behind him, Gannen has moved to the entrance of the cave. The cold wind blew his maroon colored hair in his face, "When you decide to dump that mongrel, I will come back."
"Where are you going to go?"
"Out."
With that Gannen grabbed his backpack and took out his knife, stomping out into the outside, and disappearing into the forest. Glalda shook his head, "Gods...why did I get stuck with him?"
He listened to the fire crackle and Nakul drink water and the wind blow outside, making eerie sounds as it moved through the trees. It was comforting. Moments later Glalda and Nakul were asleep, snoring softy.