Okay I don't own any of the AAR characters and if I don't get some reviews soon I'm just going to scrap this story. Alright now even Aubrey has embarrassing moments; read on.

She led him back to their training field.

"We only have one the other we need for the fielding. Or we won't be able to feed ourselves." Aubrey nodded.

"He's still green." Green was a fancy term riders used just to say the horse was wasn't completely trained yet. Aubrey looked into the pasture a beautiful, strong horse ran about amuck kicking its hind legs and calling loudly. It was huge; at least 17 hands. Tall black and lean the way it bucked around it was definitely a stallion. He saw Elizabeth look at him skeptically out of the corner of her eye.

"His name is Fenris." Aubrey eyed the horse with high suspicion he looked like a hand full. He smiled though he'd often been called a handful too.

Elizabeth ducked under the rickety old fence he doubted it would hold the horse in.

"How long have you had him?" The horse froze when it saw them coming.

"A while," She replied.

"How long is a while?"

She caught his eye and seemed to muffle her answer, "about a week."

"Who many training sessions has he had?"

"One."

"And how'd that work out," Aubrey ask he couldn't help but keep a hint laughter from his voice.

"Fine," She spat. The horse hadn't moved since they'd stepped inside its turf. His eyes eye's followed them the whites showing every once in a while.

"Have you ever ridden?" She looked him up and down.

Aubrey directed his gaze towards her. "I maybe pretty but I'm just as rough and tough maybe more so then any other guy out there. Just ask your sister?" The last part he knew would get under her skin. But it was true ask her sister and she'd say he's like a wolf in the bedroom.

"Well Mr. stallion in your arms tonight," she said stopping abruptly. "If you're so rough and tough what are you doing having a little girl rope your big bad horse for you?" Aubrey smiled if they were going to get into a battle of wits he'd win hands down.

"Sweetheart; don't you know a woman shouldn't talk like that. People will start saying things about you."

She threw the harness and lead rope at him. "Must you interpret every thing sexually?"

"You said it." He winked at her and continued to approach the horse he knew her cheeks were puffed out and eyes narrowed behind his back; but he was enjoying the little temper tantrum she was throwing.

The horse stared him down. Aubrey had been around horses his whole life he knew how quickly that could change and as if the horse could read his mind it reared back on its hind legs in predator like way. If he was going to ride this horse he was going to have to be bigger than it even if he wasn't really. Aubrey threw the lead rope over the horse's neck and grabbing the other end pulled the horse down to the ground surprisingly easily. The fight wasn't over though He heard and awful crack and pain blinded him for a moment he hadn't been watching his positioning and horse had managed to get in a good kick he crumbled to the ground his knee must have been shattered into a million pieces.

The horse reared up again this time to trample him. He rolled out of the way.

"I'm good; I'm fine." He waved to Elizabeth to show her he had everything under control. The horse came at him again knocking him over. There was a long pause before Aubrey even moved now he could take any beating anyone had to give but this went beyond physical strength this was the pride he did not just land in horse shit! Elizabeth obviously curious as to why he hadn't moved ran towards him. The horse had run away leaving Aubrey face down in the must humiliating situation of his entire short life.

"Are you alright?" She knelt down beside him. She obviously thought it was some terrible injury that got him from getting up. He'd rather that horse had ripped him limb from limb than this. Aubrey pushed himself up now he was pissed. Laughter exploded from his right side.

"Wound to the ego." She fell backwards rolling with laughter. The horse reared back on a nearby hill triumphantly. Now he was pissed. He stood up and whipped his face stalking towards the horse the laughter abruptly stopped. The horse fell silent it was as if day had turned into night. A new power coursed through his veins he seemed to reach into the horse's very core and bend it to his whim. He could feel its energy; almost hear its thoughts. He roped the horse and climbed on. The horse had a moment of rebellion in which Aubrey silently invade the horse's core twisting it commanding it to calm and listen to him it took less effort than a blink of an eye. He looked back on the silent girl her owl like eyes even larger then normal.

"Thank you."

And with that he rode off.

The land around him turned into an abyss for as far as his eyes could see. He didn't know where he was going but he figured he'd know when he got their. Days passed he ran into no one he feed off animals he would of killed his horse had it not been for the fact that with out him he'd make it nowhere. The thirst was killing him. Driving him made he thought of his family back home. What did they think had Elizabeth admitted to helping him. If she had she'd probably been sentenced to death. It was desert for miles and miles. He gave into the temptation and killed Fenris but not even after that did he feel content; the sun was beginning to aggravate in the day time he burrowed under the sand the thirst slowly consuming him. He was in hell he was being punished for the sins he'd done for not falling on a knife the moment he knew what he was and oh did he know what that was now. Ather's words rang so clearly in his mind a vampire for ever young. The thirst would never go away; forever sentenced to walk in this lifeless land. He could only guess what he looked like paler than a ghost, skin hanging off his lifeless bones convulsing every other step. He stumbled and fell rolling down the sand dunes he slashed at his wrist and drank it was hopeless it was getting him nowhere; the same blood entered his body not satisfying the thirst. He yelled and clawed at his face crawling across the land. How could this thirst consume him? How could it bring him down? He Aubrey Karew whom never lost control, never cried, was now being destroyed by his own desires. He cursed that woman with ever fiber of his lifeless being. She would burn in hell. This was his darkest hour he thought of giving up letting his body destroy himself but he continued to crawl he would never lose!

Sounds from far in the distances like wagon wheels; a caravan, he could hear distant voices singing. The beat of a drum. Just like a pulse. Arms embraced him strong arms he tried to latch on but was stopped he needed this persons life force there elixir. He struggled. A manly laugh, joyful.

"No youngling. We have others for that. He recognized the voice but was to disorientated to place it in his memory.

He only saw the woman's face for a moment before he took her in his arms like a starving child and latched on she was beautiful and Egyptian beauty. Large almond shaped brown eyes. Long black silky hair. It was the closest thing to heaven Aubrey would ever get. He awoke the hunger dulled he was traveling he could feel the movement under him.

The door opened.

"I see you've woken. And just in time." Jager but how?