I told you I hadn't forgotten this fic :) I wrote this whole chapter over about a week, most of it yesterday. I wrote for like 2 hours straight and was like WOAH I'M AWESOME. Then I re-read today and I was like WTF WAS I THINKING? I can garuntee the last event has never been written in DSS before. Ever ever ever. No bull! Quite literally. You'll find out.
You guys...
heiditiger Not anymore, apparently :D thanks!
SUSHIxMONSTER Yeah! for some reason I've always imagined them with an epic bromance ;) Oh boy. Don't even get me started on the aging xD I have no idea what the deal on that is, regarding how old everyone is and the whole book-accurate timeline... *headache* I just guesstimate and do what I can xD
thatcrazygirl13 Your grandma must be awesome :O thanks so much! :D
alwaysreading25 aaww thanks! :) yes, they are too cute :D here's your update!
Amela333 yeee that's my boys ;) Yes, it's finally back in the updating section of my brain... hallelujah :P
Tanya Rayne Aww yea you know what's goood! ;) NO! MY little vampires! MINEMINE! *like seagulls in Finding Nemo* Omgrotflolmfao that's too funny xD I should definitley watch that. HAHA YOU GOT IN TROUBLE xD thanks so very very much :D
I wanted to cover a longish time period in this chap without skipping over important stuff so I tried to schmush it all in there and highlight milestones and cute stuff (the cute won't last much longer, my boys have to grow up sometime!)
So yeah, I'm not sure what to think of this chap. I like it, but I don't. But if I don't post it now, I probably never will and I don't want this story to die so here you go!
DAY 13
"Paris, just tell us! What's the suprise?" Mika whined sleepily, rubbing his eyes after being awoken many hours earlier than he would have liked.
"Yeah, what is this?" Arrow mumbled, rubbing his eyes as he and Mika stumbled along behind their mentor as he lead them through the silent corridoors of the Mountain.
"Wait and see." the old man chuckled mysteriously. At last, they arrived at the Hall of Khledon Lurt.
"Wha're we doing here?" Mika yawned, swaying slightly. He wasn't about to admit that he and Arrow had stayed awake for a good few hours more than they were supposed to, swapping ghost stories.
Paris opened the heavy door and the hinges let loose a metallic squeal.
"Auuugh..." Arrow groaned, cupping his hands around his ears.
Then they looked beyond the open door.
"Waaait... what's THAT?" Mika hollered.
"Yeah, what the..." Arrow snorted, suddenly feeling much more awake.
"Go see for yourselves!" Paris waved a hand towards the front of the hall, and his charges sprinted towards it.
"No way." Arrow gasped, coming to a stop.
"SERIOUSLY?" Mika yelped, unable to contain himself.
"Seriously." said Paris with a warm smile.
In front of them was the makeshift Christmas Tree they'd established several days ago. But the suprise was what lay underneath...
"Vampires all over the Mountain are exchanging small gifts and warm wishes! No one has forgotten about Christmas, we've just forgotten to celebrate. This year, you reminded them." Paris explained, laying a hand on each of their shoulders.
"How do we know it's Christmas if we don't know what day it is?" Mika wrinkled his small nose and looked up at his mentor.
"Au contraire, young Ver Leth." said Paris. "Not many know this, but I keep a small calendar in my posession... I always know the date. Merry Christmas to both of you!"
"Sly." Arrow smirked.
The presents weren't wrapped or labelled, but there was no question who they were designated for. There was a Mika-sized set of armour, complete with a helmet like he'd always wanted but could never find a proper fit. And for Arrow, a wooden boomerang for practice, with a seperate blade that could be fitted into the wood for use in combat.
"Thank you" Arrow breathed, dumbstruck as he lifted the perfectly carved battle instrument. Meanwhile, Mika supressed a shiver of delight as he slipped on his armour. He was too entranced to remember to extend a thank-you, but all Paris needed was the light in his eyes to know it was absolutely perfect.
###
DAY 14
Exactly two weeks Arrow been living inside "the rock". But he let the anniversary slide - he was too busy teaching himself the ins and outs of the art of... Boomerangism? Boomerangmanship? Boomeraging? He and Mika hadn't quite decided on a name yet, but one thing was for sure; lack of flesh-severing blades made practicing considerably easier and much less nerve wracking.
He spent hours at a time in the Hall of Games, more often than not accompanied by Mika who donned his miniature battle armour day after day and lined up armies of dummies, which he systematically sliced to ribbons. Sometimes Arrow took a break from working the boomerang to give his young friend a pointer or guideline to improve his swordsmanship. In kind, Vanez often paused to offer Arrow some tips. The Games Master wasn't an expert on boomerang warfare, but as a weapons specialist he was never short on general advice.
For now, most of his advice went something like,
"You're doing great, Arrow. But remember, don't put the blades on till you can catch it 11 times out of 10. "
Mika had advice too; he was skilled at judging when would be the best time to abandon all hopes of catching the weapon, and then vigorously instructing Arrow to do so.
"DUCK! NOW! Arrow what are you waiting for, DUCK! DUCKDUCKDUCKDUCK!"
However, if Arrow listened to Mika's suggestions every time, then he'd never get to the "11 times out of 10" stage. So he rarely ducked, and had the bruises to show for it. The cut from his infamous first throw had healed up nicely, save for a good-sized scar and the moments when the muscles would burn painfully when pulled from certain angles.
When it happened, he'd grit his teeth and work through the pain.
Gotten this far, right? Won't get any easier. I'll be fine.
###
DAY 20
Arrow limped back to his cell, exhausted from the intensive effort he'd been supplying from the momet he'd gotten up that morning.
But he was elated, he'd caught the boomerang 10 times in a row, plus once more for good luck. Vanez and Paris were proud as parents when he told them, but what they didn't know was that the final throw had been with the blade attached. And it had been his best catch yet.
He was too tired to carve the 20th notch in the side of his coffin.
Too happy to flash back to the violent night that had ended life as he knew it.
That was the day he stopped counting the days.
###
WEEK 3
Seba broke his arm in a mock fight, and the task of keeping the store rooms in running order fell largely to Arrow and Mika. Seba supervised theoretically and Paris checked in often, but the boys kept busy. Keeping lists, sorting bags, stocking shelves, making pile after pile after pile of supply bags. They knew in their hearts that Seba wasn't as hurt as he was leading them to believe, and he could have performed plenty of tasks with one hand, but they took him up on every challenge he set for them. If for no other reason, to see his astounded expression when they finished their chores in record time.
After a particularly long session of piling bags, a sore and sweaty Arrow demanded why he and Mika had such little help; after all there were plenty of strong Vampires in the mountain that could use a bit of training and discipline.
Seba stared down at him in alarm.
"Young Arrow, do you mean to say that the work is...too hard for you? That you require the help of someone... stronger? Prehaps you would like to take a rest from this strenuous labour. I would completely undestand."
There they were. The exact buzz words that steeled Arrow's resolve to keep pushing himself, to try harder, to prove his elders wrong. Or to put it more simply, keep stacking bags.
Less than a month into their relationship and Seba had his personality down to a T, and he was more than willing to use his 'people skills' as a manipulation tool. His intentions were nothing but the best, but he'd still managed to outwit Arrow. For now.
###
WEEK 6
"Woah, okay. Since when are there live animals in Vampire Mountain?" Arrow yelped as he followed Seba into the lowest chamber of the mountain and was beyond shocked to see it was a veritable barnyard. There were stalls and pens built into the walls, housing cattle, sheep, goats, chickens, and hogs. The floor was layered with sawdust and the place smelled. It wasn't an awful stench, it was a fairly pleasant natural odour. But it was certainly different from the rest of the mountain.
"Oh, Arrow. How did you think we get all the meat we eat on a daily basis?" Seba smirked.
"I dunno, I thought the hunters just brought it back." Arrow mumbled sullenly, disappointed that he'd been so easily suprised.
"Farm animals? In the wilderness? What a notion." Seba replied lightly.
"What's it been, a month? You kept this one quiet. Could've saved a few boring days." Arrow muttered at Mika as the two investigated the cattle pen.
"How so?" Mika asked skeptically. "They're just smelly old animals! I've only been down here a couple times in my whole life."
Arrow recalled something he'd witnessed in a small country town several years ago, a spectacle known as 'bull riding' in which a human strapped himself onto a furious horned beast and attempted to hang there for 8 seconds while the animal leaped and twisted... it was a dangerous pasttime, fit only for the bravest - or stupidest souls. But Arrow recalled the whoops of delight from the spectators and even the rider himself, such fun. He decided impulsively to add it to his bucket list; that big black bull in the corner would do just fine. He was about to present this idea to Mika - out of Seba's earshot - when the aforementioned interrupted;
"That will change, Mika. Our animal keepers left yesterday on a Vampaneze scouting mission since we are slightly low on warriors right now and it is all hands on deck right now. The two of you will take their place. You need not worry about slaughtering and butchering, but you will be expected to feed and clean them."
"On top of taking care of the store rooms, AND battle training?" Arrow demanded sharply.
"Watch your tone." Seba shot back with equal sharpness. "My arm is healing, and I am expecting a new crop of assistants who will be staying here after the Festival. I will teach them to do your jobs. And as for battle training..." His eyes fell on Arrow's. "...do tell, exactly what battle are you training for, hmm?"
Arrow's jaw dropped.
"Iunno...I'm just... getting prepared." he fumbled, unable to find the exact phrasing he was looking for.
Of course he knew what he was training for, he was looking ahead to his future. To vengeance. Surely Seba knew that.
"You will have plenty of time to practice throwing your boomerang." Seba replied, as though soothing a child.
Arrow groaned inwardly, wishing he had an explanation for how it was so much more than that.
It was a painful struggle to keep his angry tongue in check as Seba methodically taught them how to ... painful sigh ... gather eggs.
###
WEEK 8
"Oh my gods, oh my gods, please don't let him be dead, I'll be in so much trouble if he's dead, pleasepleaseplease let him wake up, oh gods please don't let this be the end!"
Arrow was frantic. Paris was shellshocked. Ronan was worried. Arian was expressionless. Seba and Vanez were hard at work. All were gathered around Mika, who was unconscious and bleeding from the head.
20 minutes ago.
It had started out simply enough. It was the end of a long week, Mika and Arrow were exhasuted from tending to the godsforsaken animals. The Festival of the Undead kicked off in less than 24 hours, and the boys were in high spirits; feeling even more adventurous than usual.
So when Arrow suggested they try their hands at bull riding, Mika had been extremely enthusiastic.
The cattle pen was ideal. It was a massive pit sunk 5 feet into the ground, with a 5-foot fence on all sides. The pit was divided into segments. There were 7 bulls to 20 cows; each bull was kept seperate while the cows were all together. Except for today, the big black bull - Mika christened him Black Bart - was turned loose amidst the females - it was breeding season. So if someone were to get on his back, he would have plenty of room to buck, and would do so with extreme vigour. The opportunity was too exciting to pass up.
Straws had been drawn to determine who would take the first ride. Mika won.
"Are you sure you don't want me to test it out first?" the older boy inquired to his significantly smaller friend.
"You worry too much. I'll be fine. I'm tough!" Mika shot back merrily as he climbed the fence, directly above where Black Bart was standing.
"Yeah I know you are, but Paris, Seba, and everyone in between will drop me on the stakes if anything happens to you." Arrow replied apprehensively as Mika prepared to take the plunge into the pen.
"Wish me luck." Mika ignored Arrow's previous statement, and without further ado he jumped lightly onto the wide back of the jet black bull.
At first, Black Bart didn't know what hit him; clearly he'd never been used as a makeshift rodeo stock animal. Mika still could have jumped off, ran for his life, and no one would have been any the wiser.
But instead, the young Vampire slapped the bull on the side of the neck, and poked it sharply with its small heels. In their excitement over this potential new hobby, they had overlooked the fact that bull riders use a system of rope to help hold onto the bull, because other than that there's nothing to grip but abundant rolls of fat.
So when Black Bart exploded like a hairy tornado, kicking up his heels and spinning in frenzied circles, Mika lasted about point-one second, then he was flipped off the left side like a rag doll. Head first into the stone wall. Before 8 seconds was up, the bleeding started.
It had all happened so fast, Arrow hadn't even had time to contemplate the situation, let alone the consequences.
The only words rattling around in his mind were, How could I be so bloody fucking stupid? as he sprinted to the fence, vaulted over it, dropped 10 feet and landed painfully on the floor, only slightly cushioned by sawdust. He scrambled to Mika's side, ignoring hiw newly sprained ankle. To his horror, blood had pooled thickly around the boys head, but his fear lessened slightly when he saw he was breathing.
"Mika, get up, wake up, Mika, please... can you hear me? All my fault, oh my gods it's all my fault... It's gonna be okay, I promise. Hold on, I'm gonna get... no, no time...argghh!" Stress chewed into his psyche like acid, releasing itself into the air in the form of a frustrated snarl. There was no time to get help, he had to move.
He lifted Mika gently, and set him on the ledge. Thankfully his body was small enough to slide under the fence. Once Mika was up, Arrow jumped as high as he could, and grabbed the fence. Hauled himself up, ignoring the wooden splinters biting his hands. Then he lifted Mika into his arms as gently as he would an infant, and bolted for the exit, taking as much care as possible not to further damage his young comrade.
The long sprint up through the mountain passed in a daze, he was so frantic he forgot to feel exhausted as he reached the Hall of Princes and slammed his shoulder into the door with all his might. Any other day, he would have been proud of the creaky groan the wood emitted from being hit with such strength.
Within a minute, the door was opened from the inside. Arrow pushed his way through the moment a crack appeared, and had to struggle not to collapse with fatigue. He was too out of breath to form a coherent statement, but Mika's limp body spoke for itself.
Paris did not scream, but the look on his face was worse than a vocal outburst. He lurched forward out of his throne and stumbled to his students' sides.
"Fetch Seba!" he roared to no one in particular. Prince Ronan took it upon himself, and flitted from the room.
Arrow stared down at the blood seeping onto the floor despite Paris's efforts to wipe it with his own sleeve. Despite his many years of drinking the stuff, he was transfixed by the way it pooled, the terrifyingly vibrant colour, and the crimson-black shade it assumed when dried.
Only when his shoulder was shaken roughly did he realize Paris was demanding repeatedly how this happened.
"It was an... accident. I swear... I didn't mean..." Arrow supplied, trying not to whimper. He doubted he could ever find the courage to explain that it was entirely his fault, and the cause had been bull riding, of all stupid things.
"Those around you seem to frequently wind up in bad shape, young Arrow." Arian sneered. He didn't know it, or maybe he didn't care, but that jab would emotionally cripple Arrow for the rest of his life.
Oh my gods he's right... my parents... Faren... now Mika... oh my gods... He thought his head would implode. The stress and the pressure were killing him...
"HUSH." Paris snapped, unclear as to whether he was adressing his apprentice or his fellow Prince.
Finally Seba careened into the hall lugging a makeshift First-Aid kit, he was followed narrowly by Ronan and Vanez.
Oh my gods, oh my gods, please don't let him be dead, I'll do anything, pleasepleaseplease let him wake up, oh gods please don't let this be the end!
Yeah. I went there. I put farm animals in Vampire Mountain. AND I CAN DO THAT. CUZ IT'S IN THE BOOK. AMIRIGHT? We don't see them, but they're mentioned. I think. Or else I sound like a complete ignoramus right now. Either or.
The bull riding incident is inspired by what would have happened if an adventure of mine had not been intercepted by an adult. Congratulations, Mika. You're the first Vampire to have THIS happen to you.
Mika: *cough*HATEYOURGUTS*cough*
Anyway, as previously stated, the cute won't last much longer. THEY'VE BEEN KIDDIES IN THIS STORY SINCE 2008. IT MUST END! Not the story, the kiddyness.
Arrow: Yeah. I wanna grow up and shave my head and get TATS! *flexes muscles*
All in due time, o cute one. :)
Till next time, whenever the fuck that may be - PLEASE JUST REVIEW.
RXP