Orc lifespan mentioned in Sailing Freedom: 8,001+ years (elder)- Orcs are immortal

Muxaris-from previous chapter, Sailing Freedom: The Ancient One who created Runimagi, Malmorn, Orcs, Nurasid, Werecoyotes, wereboars, weredolphins, Corleon, and created Sirens. Carelon, Malmorn, and Nurasid are races belonging to me. He is one of Nitrix and Vamdes' first children with his five other siblings. The Ancient Ones were created before the Gods and Goddesses of the major pantheon and are thus the older siblings of the gods and goddesses.

JOF Notes: New vampires, those that are bitten, tend to turn between 3-4 days after being bitten. Therefore there is a brief time skip between the time the wolf group gets on the ship and Severus's time from being bitten by his sire, aka the vampire who created him. During this time, Severus was unable to see or hear as the vampire venom worked through his body. He was, as anyone bitten and turned by a vampire is, paralyzed and unable to move at all.

Lost Ones: Though fledglings as a whole are referred to as those who have just been bitten to the time they reach one hundred (100) years of age. Lost Ones, specifically refer to newly bitten vampires from 1 second to nine years (9) old. This time starts when and if the fledgling awakens from their turning…assuming they survive it for not everyone who is bitten by a vampire survives the turning. Lost Ones are often driven mad by the overwhelming and incredible sensations that flood their minds and the need for blood. They are little more than animals, mindless beasts, really who need the safety, guidance and protection of their sire or the vampire that turned their sire-their grandsire if the sire dies or abandons their fledgling. It can a few months or a few years, in some cases, for a lost one to gain control of their mental faculties again as they are shown how to deal with their new life and given purpose.

Gods & Goddesses mentioned in this chapter:

Lorasil-One of the children of Lady Nitrix and Lord Vamdes, he is the god of storms, oceans and seas, weather, natural disasters, and seasons. He often appears as a horse among mortals and is said to make his home in the heavens away from the other gods and goddesses though he also has a home beneath the biggest ocean upon Xaythea.

Xyzana-A daughter of Nitrix and Vamdes, she appears as a hyena and is the goddesses of travelers, thieves, commerce, athletics and trade.

Zeldur-A werewolf god, he is the spirit of protection and wandering wolf of the southeast. Zeldur is the wolven god of hunting, hunger, shepherds, strength, travel, Merchants, Commerce and Trade and governance. He symbolizes the season Shafak.

Question: Will Severus get powers from being a vampire?

Answer: Powers for vampires tend to unlock in stages, depending on how old the vampire is. The powers that Severus will gain first are: Decelerated Falling, Scaling Walls, Hypnosis, Superhuman Stamina, Aura, Night Empowerment. All vampires naturally have the following abilities at all stages: Disease Immunity, Enhanced Eidetic Memory, Flexibility, Superhuman Endurance, Enhanced Superhuman Senses, Magic and Echolocation. Vampires are an immortal race on Xaythea and enemies of werewolves as they hunt the same prey (humans), however werewolves were mainly created to hunt and kill vampires…they will usually only hunt humans when there are no vampires around.

JOF Times Mentioned:

Mornora- Morning; the time of early morning to Azimuth

Wane Fire- Sunset (due to the sky looking like it's on fire as the suns set); the late twilight hour

Nether- When the moons are just beginning to rise in the sky; early evening

Primeval, Grass Moon, Year of the Dragon

Jaumay, West Province, Faumios:

Nose inhaling the salty air coming from the sea, the delta paused to take in the fresh air. From the omega's ramblings, it seemed that the air wasn't as pure on their planet as it was here on Xaythea. He sometimes spoke of things that made no sense to her, such as some strange thing called formula and how mothers didn't nurse their children anymore nor how wet nurses really existed in the 'modern world', whatever that was. Humans on this 'earth' apparently don't care about their pups, she thought to herself in disgust. Huffing to herself, the she-wolf moved across the docks, moving through the sailors and some passengers on the docks until she found a Flyut called Aeolus. The delta looked it over though she didn't know much about ships, but she knew werebears and another race each had their own set of ships.

"Roe! Look at the fish!"

*'Careful herb pup,'* said Roesia as Neville bent down at the edge of the dock to look at the fish. While waiting for Eponine to come back, the Caretaker who was a child herself and would be until she turned sixteen, kept an eye on both pups as she alternated her gaze between them but kept it mainly focused on Neville. By all accounts, she should be an acolyte instead of a Caretaker as one didn't take on the rank they had apprenticed in until they turned eighteen but she had become lame and her mentor had perished and being a dam when she had been bred by the fourth delta who had perished during heat season last year had pushed her into the role of Caretaker in her deceased mentor's stead. Cedar hung back from the edge of the water but looked at the horizon.

"Am," said Neville. Roesia huffed in response but moved forward to sniff at the water.

"Don't drink the water pups. It be salt water."

"What salt water?" Neville questioned.

"The oceans and seas," said Siren. "A mysterious place that houses fish and marine mammals like Secasel and dolphins but also is the home of merfolk and aquatic elves. Deeper within the waters be monsters like Kraken and the oceanic Leviathan which are supposedly enemies of each other."

Both children were staring at Siren as he spoke, the gamma male seeing the curiosity in the pups' eyes. "The oceans and seas can be dangerous," said Siren. "This is about all I know from stories I heard as a pup," he said. "Yes Cedar, I was once a pup, same as all the acolytes and adults within the pack," he said with a chuckle at the sickly pup's curios eyes. Really, the human pups were obedient and gentle…what was the omega's problem? The children hadn't done anything wrong except bruise some of the pups when playing with their magic. That could hardly be their fault in the gamma's opinion. They were pups with no training, hence why they were going on this trip.

"Get used to it? GET USED TO IT?!" Remus growled at Siren, scaring the pups in the process as both children jumped at the angry growl within the man's words. "I never asked to be a werewolf and wouldn't wish it for my children at all! I never wanted nor planned to come to a different world! I never wanted to even be here," Remus said in a sundry tone. "I don't even want to be here! Moony never even asked for the human children to come with us when Severus shoved us into that portal! The Dark Lord can have the human children for all I care!"

Aluxious got up, snarling at the omega as he moved in between the human children, tail rising along with his hackles. *'Back off omega!'* Cox merely stared at Remus, a mixture of sadness and disapproval in his eyes at his former apprentice's interactions. Remus's issues were the reason Cox hadn't taken another peon nor an acolyte to train.

"And what of the human pups? Did thou human side wish for them to be there as well?"

"Remus felt that he should save the human pups," growled Moony. "I would have preferred leaving them there to die!"

*'What an inconsiderate omega,'* growled Aluxious to the others. The adolescent shifted from paw to paw as he kept his head down and teeth bared at the omega. *'Sounds like you don't deserve any of your litter,'* he snarled mentally at Remus.

"My pups are mine and deserve to be with me!"

*'Thou be a coward! Maybe thy pups would be better off with thou dead!'* The other wolves turned to see Cox had spoken, the Custodian getting to his paws from where he'd been resting on the ground. *'If thou didn't want thy human pups, then why did thou even bother bringing them with thou to Xaythea?'*

"Severus threw Potter's child through the portal," snapped Remus. "Moony mainly gravitated towards our litter as they're our responsibility…"

*'Thou human pups are thy responsibility as well!'*

"I didn't even want Cedar! Severus must have thrown him into the portal after shoving me, Neville and my pups through it! That child could die for all I care and it wouldn't be any skin off my back! I put my pups in a basket and gathered up Neville in my arms while Severus got Cedar. I couldn't very well hold two toddlers and a basket of pups."

*'That be no excuse! Thou be the only person from thy planet and thou hope the sickly pup dies?! That showth thou hath no right to be a father. Perhaps that be why Calius took away thou magic. Thou doth not deserve it!'*

"His parents would probably have sacrificed my son, Seal, for their child's safety!"

The wolves looked at each other, Aluxious and Roesia finding it difficult to see Cox shouting at his former apprentice. Diamond cowered underneath his mother's body, ears flat against his head. The Custodian was usually a cheerful wolf who tried to please everyone and got along with most of the pack. With so many wolves of different sexualities and personalities, there was bound to be some dislike in the pack for some members. *'Yet thou brought thy children anyway,'* said Cox. *'Perhaps the mistake was allowing thou to come here, much less 'survive' this 'dark lord' food thou whine about constantly,'* he said.

Before a fight could break out, before more words could be said, Eponine appeared again and glanced at the wolves who were at a standoff with the omega and the pups appearing frightened and a bit too close to the edge of the dock's edge now. "We've got a ship," she said, "and they be leaving half an hour after Azimuth," said Eponine.

None of the wolves turned to Eponine's arrival nor her words but Siren spoke. "Good," said Siren. "Cox, go walk it off and meet back here ten before." The Custodian stared sadly at Remus before heading off down the docks. "Pups, how about we explore the town with Roesia? Aluxious and Eponine…think you can watch the worthless omega?"

*'Don't expect it to be alive Siren if it annoys me,'* spoke Aluxious mentally. Siren didn't respond, instead turning and grabbing up Neville in furry arms and then walking off, Roesia crouching for Cedar to get on her back, grabbing Diamond in her jaws, and the two wolves headed off to explore the orc port.

"What happened?"

*'The omega said it didn't care if Cedar died and would prefer to have left the human pups to die at the hands of deranged food,'* said Aluxious with distaste. *'Cox spoke harshly to the omega…I don't think the omega really cares how it hurt the pups with those words.'*

April 6, 1986:

Department of Mysteries-Ministry of Magic, UK

A shimmering yet tattered black curtain stood within an archway on a dais, stairs leading up to it in an otherwise barren rectangular room deep beneath the bowels of the Ministry of Magic. This was the Death Chamber which housed the Veil of Death, a mysterious object of which the Ministry of Magic had been built around years ago. A sunken pit, some twenty feet deep rested beneath an upper level of which were benches, the curtain fluttering as if it had just been touched, no walls to support the arch and yet it stood still and solid with the passage of time. This chamber was so the Unspeakables could study death as there was a love chamber to study love, concepts that were strange to mankind to this day and had many mysteries about them. Some believed the veil was a portal to the afterlife, separating the mortal realm from the spiritual one and some could even hear whispers of those who had passed from the other side, yet be unable to see nor touch them. Severus stared up at the portal with the unspeakable who had escorted him here and his employer, carrying a bag of clothes and a journal with a few muggle pens to document what he discovered as well as some non-breakable jars to contain any ingredients he found in this other world he might find himself upon. "If you are ready, step through," said his employer. "Good luck Mister Snape." Severus swallowed as he stared at it before slowly ascending the steps, eyes widening as he thought he could hear voices on the other side before stepping through.

Primeval, Grass Moon, Year of the Dragon:

Spirit Forest, Souldes

A myriad of color and silence was the only thing he heard as he was swept up into the unknown, barring the whispers as he stepped through the veil. He was one of the few who believed in an afterlife among wizards, a result of being a half-blood growing up in the Muggle world. It was like he was in a tunnel or a wormhole, unable to see anything outside of the spinning myriad of color as he was sucked through until the light began to grow brighter and he stumbled out the other end, tripping and falling to the ground with a groan. One pale hand clutched his bag of clothing and supplies he would need, these being all he had from earth. He wasn't sure it would work and thus lay there, trying to get his breath and stop the dizziness that wracked his brain. Severus wasn't sure at all that he had gone anywhere. Maybe he was back in Azkaban and just imagining that he had been released from prison.

"Uuurrrnnnggghhh," Severus groaned as he slowly sat up, his stomach turning with nausea. The world spun around him, and he put a hand to his forehead, dropping his bag with his other hand as he waited for the scenery to stop spinning around him though his head pounded as if he suffered from a migraine. Gradually, the dizziness and nausea stopped, allowing him to slowly get to his feet and look around. However, a sharp pang tore through his body, and he fell to the ground with a guttural scream, hands clasping at his chest and stomach as he doubled over. It felt worse than the Cruciatus curse and that was saying something, for he felt like his body was being pierced with hot knives and ripped in half at the same time. The pain was so intense that he fell forward, withering as his back arching upward.

While the weather might be clear across Faumios, Grass Moon brought rain to Souldes. It was a drizzle currently, a fine misty rain that fell upon the southern part of the westernmost continent from the clouds in the sky, obscuring the four moons within the night air as well as the stars. Trees of willow, redwood, holly and alder stretched upwards to the heavens, bringing with them an eeriness. The grounds underneath the tall trees were decorated in a hodgepodge of flowers that were scattered sporadically, giving a bright color to break up the otherwise colorless backdrop, touched by the rays of the sunlight that filtered down through the tall branches and leaves above during the day. Adequate light could pass down between the branches of the canopy for the vibrant herbs to cultivate the rich grounds below. Though the sun rarely permeated this area, somehow life thrived within the trees. There was a natural glow to the forest that made it seem inviting, however this was a trick for it was often covered in darkness and fog year-round. One thing that could be seen however, was that Spirit Forest was limitless, shadowy and ancient. A disharmony of wild sounds from bird songs that reverberated in the air overpowered the occasional sounds of breaking twigs from larger animals moving about underfoot, yet they didn't overpower the fine misty rain that fell from the heavens.

He didn't want to get rained upon, but he was confused, and his body was in pain, as if something had been ripped out of him. Now, Severus Snape was too bewildered to really search for why he felt so horrible, attributing it to the dizziness of going through the Veil of Death and four years of being in Azkaban that made him woozy. It had worked? As he leaned against a tree, trying to wait for the dizziness and pain to pass, there was the sound of a twig breaking underfoot and he whipped his head towards the sound, eyes searching the darkness of the forest to see who or what was out there. His eyes were unable to penetrate the darkness of the forest however, but the footsteps drew closer and then suddenly stopped.

Severus felt a chill run down his spine as he looked widely about his surroundings, eyes unable to pierce the darkness since humans on earth didn't have night vision. A pair of gleaming red eyes stared out of the darkness at Severus which only increased the man's uneasiness he felt before something was rushing at him. He stumbled back against the tree as the creature rushed at him with mouth agape and the glint of teeth in the darkness greeted him before it was suddenly upon him. Severus screamed as he felt teeth enter his throat, his malnourished body being pushed back against the rough bark of a tree and screamed, struggling against the other but to no avail. "No…p…please!"

"Shhhhhh," said the other, lifting their mouth for a moment before biting back down, this time sliding something sharp into the flesh at the crook of the human's neck and pinning the flailing human against the tree with their other hand and a knee in the human's stomach. Red eyes stared into Severus' own black and forced the human to submit. Slowly, the human's struggles ceased, and a chuckle left the other's lips as the human slumped between the assailant and the tree. As the man began to feed, memories flew past the hungry figure's mind. An infant left outside a stone wall in some corridor...a boy cowering from a man whose eyes were bloodshot and raised a belt to the boy's body…a boy meeting a young girl with red hair…a tree branch falling onto a blond-haired girl and the redhaired girl shouting at the boy who just looked at her perturbed…a battle with sticks and a flash of light…a cold cell…a fleet of boats with children sailing across a lake under an inky dotted sky…and more.

Jaumay, West Province, Faumios

The adult and adolescent carried the pups through the streets of the orc town, making their way from the docks and heading into the city. "Gamma, why doth Remus hate us?"

Siren sighed as the sickly pup questioned him. *'I don't know why pup,'* he said. *'Maybe it's the fact that ye and the herb pup not be his litter or maybe it because ye be human though that be no fault of ye own. He should care for ye both equally alongside his pups.'*

"How long until we sail away Gamma?"

*'Hmmmm.'* Siren tilted his head to the sky, the herb pup copying him and causing Roesia to chuckle, one ear turning towards the sickly pup as he yawned.

*'Don't go to sleep pup. Once we get on the ship, we can put you down for sleep,'* said Roesia, unable to hide the worry in her mental voice. Siren studied the position of the twin stars orbiting above them but looked towards Cedar as he heard Roesia's words.

*'I'd think we have about an hour or two to explore,'* said Siren. *'Want to walk pup? Once we're on the ship, we won't be disembarking for a while and will develop sea legs.'*

"Legs change?!" Cedar yelped, looking down at his legs.

Siren laughed as the pup's question before setting Neville down. Taking the herb pup's hand, the gamma spoke. *'Nay pup. They won't change appearance. It just means…well thou body will adjust to the rocking motion of the ship and when we reach our destination or make a stopover, it will be difficult at first to walk on land again.'*

Even though Siren was in his were form, a werewolf could easily communicate mentally or vocally with someone else in their pack as they could when in their feral forms. It made it easy to communicate with pack when others didn't know what was being said. *'Thou pups can sleep when we get on our ship. But thou must obey the crew and stay out of their way pups,'* said Siren to them mentally. *'The crew have jobs to do upon the ship and one mistake can harm us all.'*

"Drown?"

Siren nodded at Neville's question. The pups couldn't swim yet, there had been no reason to teach them how to swim and even if they could, the pups could easily drown regardless within the oceans and seas of Xaythea. The risk of drowning wasn't the only risk to the ship, its crew and passengers but also the fact of sirens luring the ship onto the rocks…drawing the crew steadily closer to shore until they couldn't hope to survive…pirates…sea serpents and hydra, leviathan and kraken emerging from the deep…storms. Many things were as scary and perhaps more dangerous on open water than on land in the gamma's opinion, things he'd been told as a pup which he decided to spare the human pups nightmares about. "No need for more questions pups. Let's enjoy our remaining time on land while we can. Still, we should make sure to offer prayers to Zeldur and Xyzana," he said. "A prayer to Lorasil couldn't hurt either, since Lorasil controls the oceans and storms," he said thoughtfully.

The pups understood the wolf god Zeldur was the spirit of protection for the wolves and how he was the wolven god of travelers as they understood a bit about the children of the Mother and Father. They didn't know much about the pantheon religion or the major pantheon of many races of Xaythea due to being pups and the wolves' focusing only on their own pantheon, but the pups were being raised to be respectful and honor the wolven pantheon along with the major pantheon of Xaythea. The pups of the pack were also raised to respect the Ancient One Gorgsus, daughter of Lord Vamdes and Lady Nitrix. Respect and fear of the ancient ones was something that all races tended to teach their young, as well as obedience to the ancient one that had created each respective race.

Even though they had offered meat to Sivdall, it was another matter entirely to leave offerings for Zeldur, Xyzana and Lorasil. They headed north to a beach and the pups spent some time exploring the seaside under the care of Siren and Roesia, Even Diamond dared venture from the safety of his mother to chase after a seagull. Neville gathering some shells to make a necklace for Lorasil while Cedar looked for some driftwood and finding some, attempted to drag it towards Siren. The gamma seeing this, made his way over to the pup. "What is it pup?"

"Make horse for Lorasil?"

"Hmmm. We can try making a horse pup, but you must be careful. Knives are sharp," said Siren. "What are you making herb pup?"

"Necklace," said Neville who was being helped by Roesia.

"Well, I'm sure that Lorasil will appreciate the gifts," said Siren though the wolf wasn't too sure what the gods and goddesses of the major pantheon preferred. Still, the two older wolves helped the pups with their gifts regardless. A crude horse and a shell necklace with a few chipped shells made up the offerings for Lorasil. The pups then dragged the adult and child to go look for gifts for Xyzana and Zeldur. They begged Siren to buy a hyena skin and a jade necklace for the goddess and carved out a wolf and a dragon, also crude, for Zeldur before taking them to a temple where the pups put the offerings in three piles for the two gods and goddess. The pups then explored the temple, Roe purchasing some herbs so she could make a tea that would help Cedar and Siren getting a couple blankets so the pups would have something warm to sleep under. They picked up a few supplies they'd need and continued exploring until they got a mental message from Eponine about it being time to board the ship.

The cargo had been loaded onto the ship during the time the passengers had been waiting to board and now people began to ascend the gangplank that stretched at an angle from the dock to the ship's deck. Three masts stood above the main deck of the ship, sails out and billowing within the moderate breeze. As Neville peered over the gangplank at the water between the ship and the docks, Eponine lunged to grab him and got bumped into by another person coming up the steps, sending the delta and pup off the gangplank and into the water below. The delta managed to keep hold of the pup's shirt when they fell but both were soaked. Thankfully the temperature wasn't as cold as during Sugar Moon but that didn't mean they wouldn't need to change when getting on the ship and settled. The delta swam towards the docks where a stranger took Neville from the wolf while two others would grab the wolf herself and drag her up onto the dock. Eponine shook herself as soon as her paws touched land before standing and grabbing the pup in her arms, heading back to the gangplank while carrying the pup up, not even thanking the strangers for helping her and the herb pup out of the water.

Once on deck, the passengers were led to a hatch and then descended until they got to a deck where there were bunks and hammocks with mattresses on the floor. "This be where passengers sleep," said the sailor who brought them down. They were just above the waterline of the ship with the cargo being housed below them. The ship was mainly a cargo ship due to how fat it was, able to carry less crew and more cargo than other ships but could easily hold passengers and more crew if it wanted. There was a cabin for the crew above the gun room with the ceiling of the gun deck being only five-feet high. The ship carried twelve guns to defend itself against pirates. There weren't many passengers going to Souldes but it was still somewhat crowded. Eponine and Roesia were left to care for the human pups on the ship as the delta and Neville changed into dry clothing, their wet clothing being laid out on the floor to dry. The ship held about forty passengers and eighteen crew members. Once the delta and pup were in dry clothing, the males having the courtesy to look away from the changing female, the pups were put down for a nap. It didn't take much for Cedar to fall asleep, the pup often suffering from lethargy while Diamond was tired from the journey and cuddled up against his mother. Neville took a bit longer to fall asleep, the pup too excited about the journey ahead, but eventually managed to fall asleep. The other wolves settled down where they were, waiting for the remaining supplies and people to board so they could set sail.

Abandoned Town, Souldes

Xygerk, Grass Moon, Year of the Dragon

He found himself near a town of some sorts, the road barely discernable through the vegetation that had overgrown the road. Weeds and grasses appeared to have regrown through the village, broken rooftiles lay in the streets amidst overgrown gardens that had expanded beyond their artificial borders. Many houses stood still, some doors still standing and shut tight, others broken through force or their own weight as the elements reclaimed the homes and buildings. Paint flaked off the walls, the doorways that stood open presented an eerie and unwelcoming feeling as did the creaking of tree limbs as they swayed in the wind, a wind that whistled through the former Kuvinean town. Now only animals thrived in the area with vines, dry rot and other undesired vegetation now took over the homes and buildings, taking over the flaking paint and creating their own kind of decoration on the walls. It was hard to believe that this had once been a quiet town that had been home to friendly and pleasant folk. If one was close to the town, they could hear the wind whistling through the buildings and the place was said to be haunted.

His head hurt from the dull pounding in his skull. Three days had passed since he'd arrived upon this planet though he couldn't say now where he was or how many days had really passed as he only remembered a pain at his neck and fear as something pinned him between them and the tree he'd been resting against. Slowly he opened his eyes, even while his senses of hearing and smell remained dormant to him. "Uuurrrnngh," he groaned, slowly raising a hand to his forehead. Everything was blurry before him, and he closed his eyes again. He didn't hear the footsteps coming towards him.

A face loomed over him as his vision slowly came to him and he flinched as he was grabbed by the front of his robes and pulled him up onto his feet. "Relax," said the figure as they peered into the other's eyes. Eyes no longer the color of blood as they had been when the human had been attacked, Severus's onyx eyes stared into light brown eyes. "Well, I'm surprised…a sorcerer. How lucky that I should stumble upon since an interesting meal," said the male. "Your blood…it tastes of darkness and light...a sorcerer that's dabbled in dark magic. Yet…haunted and betrayed…loss and anger. It seems thou hath had an unfortunate life. Perhaps thou time as a vampire will heal thy anger…or cause it to boil."

"W…who are you? Where…where am I?" Severus stammered, the world around him swimming and not helped by the vampire's face staring at him. As the other's words registered in his brain, specifically the word 'vampire', he swallowed. He didn't know which was worse, vampires or werewolves though Severus had a fear of wolves ever since he'd nearly been killed by Lupin in his fifth year.

"Thou happen to be on Xaythea, though if thou want thou precise location, 'tis the former Kuvinean settlement Devine. Now, 'tis known as 'abandoned town' on the continent Souldes. "Oh, there's no need for thou attempting to push me away," said the vampire as Severus weakly put his hands against the vampire's chest to do just that. "Thou hath drank mine blood and mine venom appears to have impenetrated thou body, changing thyself from a mere human to something…better and more powerful. In time, I should say little fledgling. Unfortunately, 'tis almost Mornora and we cannot go out until Wane Fire or perhaps Nether, depending on when we awaken." Severus opened his mouth to protest, and the vampire growled. "Do not attempt going out in the daylight unless thou want to end thy life fledgling. Thy sun will burn thou and make thou weaker, as it does even the elders and ancients, but it will kill thee. Assuming thou lives to elder age, then thou can begin walking within the daylight again though it will render even an elder weaker than at night. Older vampires also take longer to die in the sun than younger ones." The vampire sighed and rubbed at his eyes. "'Tis a lot thou must learn and 'tis my responsibility to teach thee all thou must know to survive. At least until thy reach the age of one hundred and one years and no longer need mine protection and guidance."

Releasing Severus, the former wizard fell into a heap on the floor, groaning as his head smacked against the wooden surface. "You may ask questions if you want fledgling until the time for sleep comes." The vampire, who was rather satisfied with Severus's blood, sat down a little way from Severus yet against the door that still somehow stood against the test of time and was the reason the vampire had decided they hole up here. He knew it would be easier to make the journey to Zex Adar when the fledgling awoke as well. It was not where the vampire lived but it was one of the vampire settlements within Souldes. Being in the southern part of the continent, it would take some time to get to Zex Adar which was in the northern part of the continent, meaning they'd have to cross Avir Isthmus to get to the northern part. A treacherous journey across that narrow strip of land with nothing but water on either side of it. The vampire looked up as the fledgling finally spoke.

"What's your name? Why did you turn me into a …monster?"

"A monster? Vampires are not monsters little fledgling. Now, vampire ghouls be monsters."

"Vampire…ghouls?"

"Aye. They be the messed-up offspring of a vampire and a ghoul. Sometimes vampires use them as servants as they only listen to demons or their vampire parent or vampire master. Now ghouls, those be monsters. Cannibals who feed on children and other humans though they've been known to feed on other ghouls as well."

"Who…who are you? Ugh…my head's killing me."

"Thou need to feed, and it will be some time before the headache subsides," said the vampire, "but as for my name? Yes…I suppose thou should know the name of the one who sired thee. Mine name be Beauvais Navid Seaton, son of Kazimir Magnus Seaton. What be thy name little fledgling?"

"I'm not a bird."

"Fledgling is what newly turned vampires are called and until I know thou name; thou will be referred to as fledgling. Even when I know thou name, thou may possibly still be referred to as fledgling by some of the coven." He waited, staring at Severus until the newborn looked away. "Well little fledgling? Or are thy people rude on thy planet thou came from?"

"Severus. Severus…Tobias…Snape." His face twisted into a grimace as he spoke his middle name. "Is…is your father also a vampire?"

"No, I was once a half-elf before I was turned. My father was human, my mother a snow elf."

Severus was confused. The only elves he had ever heard about were the elves in JRR Tolkein's Lord of the Rings which Lily had talked him into reading when they'd been third years and then she'd followed it up by telling him to read The Hobbit. "How many elves are there here?"

"Hmmm. Oh…quite a few. Thirteen though you wouldn't think the first elves are elves as they are…quite different from the twelve other species that look more human," said Beauvis.

"Did you always have pale skin?"

"No. My father had tan skin, but snow elves do have pale skin. It lightened when I was bitten. Thou, however, seem like thy skin will not get any lighter. Though I suppose 'tis possible thou skin may lighten to chalk white," said Beauvis thoughtfully. "Ah it matters not. My sire will be surprised when I come home with a fledgling…he thought me too irresponsible to sire one. And of course, I shalt hath to introduce thee to the council."

"Council?"

"Aye. One will find fledgling that thy vampires, thy wolf, bear and cat each have a council. Each in different areas of the world. Ure council be here on Souldes. Then of course there be the Grand Council, one made up of representatives of all the races of Xaythea." Beauvis glanced outside before sighing. "Sleep now little fledgling. The hunger will only grow with the passage of time but come Wane Fire, we shalt rise and journey to mine accommodations in Zex Adar. Be warned, 'tis a bit of a hike but it shall give thou a chance to experience some of Souldes, the continent we be standing upon." As he finished speaking, he settled into a more comfortable position at the foot of the door and Severus, with naught to do himself, followed suit in a corner of the abandoned home before silence crept over both sire and fledgling.