Fang looked towards the Fox Fangire in bewilderment. "Your…daughter?"

The Fox Fangire held the little girl against herself, nodding. Fang looked at the little girl, who looked no older than 4. She was human, but if the Fangire was telling the truth, that meant…

"You fell in love with a human, didn't you?" he asked and the Fox Fangire whispered something into her daughter's ear. The little girl shook her head stubbornly but the Fangire insisted. The little girl looked between her and him before running off, back into the house.

The Fox Fangire began her tale, "It was several years ago. I lived in the forest and I attacked anyone that trespassed. I loved the animals so I only killed and fed on those that threatened the animals." She paused, "Then, I saw him."

A young man dressed in a black and red shirt and brown pants with hiking boots put down his backpack to look over a deer. It had hurt its leg in a bear trap which it's stumbled into. He removed the trap and checked its leg.

From the trees, the Fox Fangire watched, perfectly blended into the foliage. She watched as this human intruder touched one of her animals. Her first instinct was to attack but she continued watching.

The man's hands began to glow as they hovered over the deer's wounded leg. In a matter of seconds, the deer was healed and then ran off into the forest. Smiling, the man picked up his backpack and was about to leave when the Fox Fangire jumped in his path. The man stumbled backwards in shock and dropped on his rear.

"Human, you are an intruder," the Fox Fangire sneered. "Tell me why you have come here?"

The man explained, "I…I just wanted…wanted…to…to explore the…the area and observe the animals," he responded, shakily, as his eyes looked over the Fox Fangire. Her red, orange and yellow stained glass body was a perfect mix of colors. "You're…beautiful…"

The Fox Fangire looked at the man with wide eyes before turning away. "I've already eaten. If you promise not to venture into this forest ever again, I shall let you live."

("But he came back. At first I thought he was stupid but as I got to know him…")

"Why did you come back?" the Fox Fangire demanded.

"I just wanted to see you again…" he replied, surprising the Fangire. She frowned and then decided to do something about her appearance.

"Well, if you wanted to see me, maybe I should change," she told him before her form was replaced with that of a beautiful woman with flaming red hair, dressed in a red dress which went down past her knees. He gasped.

"May I know who you are?" he asked.

(He didn't ask 'what' I was. He asked who I was…)

"I am Artemis, the Fox Fangire…" she told him.

("Despite my warnings he kept coming back. He knew I wasn't going to eat him so he bravely returned. I don't eat meat so he always brought food that had no meat in them.")

"You wish to be an animal doctor?" Artemis asked.

"That's right," he nodded. "I want to help the animals here. I think the animals in this forest need to be protected."

("I was touched by his commitment. Originally, I thought of humans as nothing but inferior creatures meant to be food for Fangires. I then decided to help him but he made me promise something…")

"Don't attack anymore humans," he said to Artemis.

She stared at him. "Why?"

"Because…I know you want to protect the animals, but killing these people won't help."

"It sends a message."

"Yes, but how long until more people come because people keep disappearing? They'll come after you."

She bristled. "I can take care of myself."

He grabbed her hands and begged, "Promise me, please."

("I couldn't refuse his request…and for many years I only fed on the life force that flowed around me instead of directly from humans. He built a cabin in the forest which we lived together in. We were together for years and I watched as he became older, wiser, and well…I realized I was in love with him. Then, it happened.")

"It?" Fang asked.

"Those bastards murdered him…" the Fox Fangire growled.

Artemis' sharp hearing heard a gunshot and she whirled around. She could sense something was wrong and it concerned her mate. "Jeremy?" she gasped. She then ran out of the cabin and ran into the forest.

("What I saw caused my blood to run cold. He was lying on the ground with a gunshot wound in his stomach and lying in a pool of his own blood.")

"Come on!" Artemis said as she cradled his body. "Heal yourself!"

Jeremy stared at her and said, "My powers don't work like that…Artemis…I wanted to give you this…" He lifted up his hand to show her a blue velvet box. "I love you…will you marry…me…?" Before she could answer, his arm fell limp and he dropped the box. Artemis picked up the box and opened it up to reveal a silver band with a red gem. Inscribed in it were the words, "You're beautiful, In and Out."

("I think that was the first time I ever cried for a human.")

Artemis let out an anguished roar before she assumed her true form. She wanted to find the ones responsible for this!

("I found those hunters, laughing about how they killed 'the freak'. I know they were talking about Jeremy. One of them boasted about shooting him. All Jeremy ever did was help the animals and these 'monsters' killed him and had the gall to laugh about it.")

"So, you killed them," Fang said. It wasn't a question. The Fox Fangire nodded.

"I devoured their life energy and destroyed their bodies," Artemis continued. "Then, months later, I realized that I was pregnant with Jeremy's child."

That little girl was a Fandiri like Sandy. "I see…" Fang turned away and walked.

"Where are you going?" Artemis asked.

"She needs you," Fang stated in mid-step. "So I won't kill you. However, if you ever attack an innocent human being, I shall return." With that, a fog rolled by and Fang vanished within it.