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They were outside the Village of Trees, he couldn't help but chuckle at the name. Ridiculous but quite literal, the village itself was made of trees. Houses were hollowed out trunks, or built into the giant trees' branches, unknown to those who weren't in the part of the land. It wasn't the safest place either as of late.
They had gotten a report about travellers and traders going missing, both human and creature alike. They had seen a few of the scenes and it was horrid. Those that travelled in caravans seemed to get the worse of it. The caravan itself was destroyed, it looked as if it exploded from the inside, pieces of wood were scattered everywhere along with whatever cargo was inside. There were no bodies but there was enough blood to guess that they wouldn't be alive when they found them.
They had been around the village for two months now and they finally found them. It was a small pack of werewolves that lived in a cottage just on the edge of the forest. They attacked a small group of travellers during a storm. It was raining so hard that the water came through the branches in sheets so they were able to find footprints. The size of one set worried them, he could easily fit his hand in the indention. It wasn't size but rather how light on its feet it was. There was barely an indention in the mud, no wonder they haven't been able to find anything in the dirt roads.
They also made a mistake, they left one of their victims alive. They probably didn't know but whoever it was, they were able to leave a trail by no doubtedly cutting themselves to leave a faint blood trail. Because of the Mark they were able to quickly follow it and find the cottage. He decided to wait until the next day to attack, a night of watching would let them know what they were dealing with.
They were able to hide in the trees, he was luckily there were only three of them, any more and he didn't doubt the wolves being able to scent them. So they waited. It didn't take long for the cottage door to open around mid-afternoon and what he saw made him exchange tense glances with his partners.
They expected a large male from the prints and they didn't doubt he lived here, but what came out of the house was a mother and her child. She looked no older than 40, but looks can be deceiving, vampires are a good example of that. It was the child he was more interested in, he looked no older than 10, currently chasing a bird that happened to be in his line of sight. It was this action that made him, and no doubt his partners, nervous. The child moved with a speed that no werewolf cub could obtain. He looked at the woman again, really looked, then he could see it. Her eyes, they were blood red. He silently cursed and made a signal to the other two, a vampire.
He was surprised the woman didn't scent them, or the child for that matter, but they were outside until the sun began to set and the vampire called the child back inside the cottage. Once the door closed he waited a few minutes before dropped from his tree and meeting with the other two.
His partners he had handpicked, he had a high enough rank to do that. They were a man and a woman, married just last spring. They had been friends for going on five years now, eight without him. The woman had long brown, caramel hair that she kept in a bun during missions, but always wore an enchanted flower in her hair. It was the first present her husband had gotten for her, it matched her vivid green eyes and nearly tan skin. She stood close to her husband, the man himself looked like the aristocrat that he was. He was also a brunette but his was more on the dark side and his eyes were a darker blue, looking purple in the right light.
They stood casually but alert, the tree hiding the cottage but in turn themselves. He sighed as he looked between the two, "I think we had a hybrid, that's why so many have been killed. The kid has an appetite bigger than a troll."
The husband cleared his throat,"I suggest we get help, who knows how long they have been here. There could be more inside and we are not prepared for them."
His wife smiled widely, "Oh we can take them! It's a child so it's not as strong as a full grown, we'll be fine." She frowned then, "It's the parents I'm more worried about."
He couldn't help but agree, "We have a vampire of unknown age and a rather large werewolf if those footprints were his." He scowled, "And we don't her power either, it's risky but we'll be able to handle it if we're careful. So this is what we're going to do, listen close because I won't repeat myself." The two straightened as he became serious, it was time they did their job.
He woke with a yawn. He sat up slowly and looked at his clock, Wednesday, today was Feliciano's dance class and the day that Gilbert would talk with Francis. At that thought he flew from his bed and quickly got dressed in a black hoodie with a white maple leaf, and dark blue jeans before flying down the stairs.
He ran into the kitchen and skidded to a stop. Francis was sitting at the table, a cup of coffee in his hands and bacon softly sizzling behind him. Beside him sat Arthur, a cup of tea in his hands. The two were sitting in a comfortable silence that he felt bad interrupting. He quickly got a cup of coffee for himself before sitting across from Francis, "Um...Francis I forgot to tell you something…"
Francis glanced at Arthur and the glare he got back made him smile. The Frenchman turned back to him, "What is it mon amie? Nothing negative I hope?"
He shook his head quickly, "No! At least...I don't think so." He took a sip of coffee, "I need you to come with me to Feliciano's dance class today." Francis raised and eyebrow and opened his mouth but he shook his head, "Gilbert wants to talk to you…" He glanced at Arthur, "To the head of intelligence."
Francis sat up straighter and frowned, "Why would he want to do that?" He stared disapprovingly, "How does he even know that I'm a Hunter?"
He ignored Arthur's glancing between them, the Englishman would be able to follow some but not all, "Well um...I was going to the public library to see if I could find something on Gilbert...Geez Francis there was so much! I'm surprised the public hasn't made the connection themselves." He fingered the mug in his hands, "He and Ludwig were head general in the Nazi army during World War 2...There's even...well I haven't read it yet but there's a Hunter's journal that I think mentions him…"
Francis' frown deepened, "Then he's very old...I wonder how he survived the Witch Trials…" He looked down at his coffee, "Continue."
He cleared his throat nervously, "I was crossing the street and GIlbert saved me from being hit by cars...He followed me into the library and I was alone for a little bit so I was able to find that stuff and while I was reading I heard one of the wolves that run the library arguing. He was really mad, close to turning I could tell. Well he was fighting with Gilbert, more like yelling at him and Gilbert was insulting him, but I broke it up and we left and…" He bit his lip and took a drink of coffee, it was getting low.
Francis looked up sharply, "What did you do after that?"
He looked down at his hands, he knew Francis wouldn't be happy, it was the number one rule that a Hunter doesn't go into a nest alone, or with the minimum amount of weapons he had that day, "I...um he took...we went to his house…"
He and Arthur flinched as the cup in Francis' hand broke, coffee leaking on the table and the sharp edges cutting the skin on his hand. He didn't look up as Francis spoke, his voice low, "You did what…?"
He took a breath, steeling himself before looking up into blazing eyes, "I went to his house...well he lives in a hotel with Feliciano and Ludwig and I think he mentioned a third. He took me to his kitchen and he made crepes…"
As he spoke Arthur had stood, quickly grabbing towels from a drawer and wrapping up the cup shards and Francis' hand. The Frenchman watched Arthur, not looking at him, "You know what could have happened to you right? Regardless of our beliefs you never go into the next of a creature, especially a vampire. He could have killed you! Yes the man seems nice but they all do, it's how they pick their prey." He looked at him with a frown, "If you would have been killed it could have started another war. You know some of the elder Hunters are waiting for any excuse to get rid of the creatures in Canada."
He looked up with a frown, "He didn't do anything besides cook and talk, he said...interesting things." He sighed, "Gilbert wanted to ask for help in finding someone, a demon." He looked at Arthur before focusing on Francis' hand, "I don't know much but he wants to talk to you, he's asking for help."
Francis smiled slightly when Arthur was done, the Englishman still haven't said a thing and he knew Francis was grateful for that. The Frenchman sighed, "Fine...I'll talk to him Mattheu, but please be more careful. We don't even know who his is or how old, you know the older they are the more dangerous they become."
He looked at Francis, he wanted to help Gilbert, why he wasn't really sure. Maybe it was the way he asked, or maybe it was because he was Feliciano's friend. He looked at his hands as he thought of the last possibility; he was curious. The vampire didn't act like what he was told others did. He had never seen one with his own eyes, sure he's seen videos of blood crazed vampires but he wasn't expecting the...kind, and definitely flirtatious, man he had danced with. He looked back up at Francis and he knew he looked like he was begging, "So you'll talk with him?"
The Frenchman was quiet, he stared at his bandaged hand that had begun to hold Arthur's soon after he was done. It was almost a minute of silence before he sighed, "Yes. I'll talk with him, but, I will only do it if Alfred is there."
Alfred F. Jones. He tried not to scowl, he hadn't spoke to the American in over a week, still very upset about what he had learned. He didn't think he would ever talk with the werewolf again, but he would be in his company if it meant that Francis would help. He couldn't help but frown, "Fine. I'm sure he wouldn't mind, from what I saw last week I would be more worried about Alfred." He stood then, "I have to go or I'll be late for my classes."
He left, ignoring Francis' attempts at getting him to stay. He grabbed his bag, slipped on his shoes and he was out the door in less than a minute. He pulled his phone from his sweatshirt pocket and sighed, he had over an hour until his first class. He sure as hell wasn't going to stay in that flat with Francis and Arthur breathing down his neck. He turned right and headed deeper into the city.
A/N: Hello! I'm terribly sorry I didn't update last week. School is absolutely horrible and because of that at the moment I have to extend my updates to every other Monday. That gives me more time to write and after this chapter, hopefully write more. I hope you guys like this chapter!
Thank you for the comments! They're what keep me writing and knowing you guys like this story!
Until next time my lovelies!
NatureLuvMaple