|
|
Post by William & Katherine on Nov 29, 2009 7:57:52 GMT -5
The night air was fresh against her pale skin, a gentle breeze bringing the cold of the winter to bear, and with it came the long dead scents of woodland animals, of prey and the far off sounds of cities and seas. About her, even in the pitch dark, she could see everything as clearly as if it were day, even the distorting, slanting rain making little difference to her vision. Head tilted, red eyes watchful, Katherine sat atop a large, ornate headstone, situated toward the back of a vast graveyard on the outskirts of Asshire. Under the cover of an ancient oak, the stone offered cover from the wet weather, a shadow for her to conceal herself in should prying eyes seek her, and most importantly, a vantage point. Standing a good foot or two above most of the other grave markers, the opening to the mauseleum on which she perched gave her a view out over the rest of the morbid field, and that was exactly what was needed.
If her suspicions had been correct, the small, blonde vampire, whose name Katherine was unsure of wandered the place often, liking the solace it offered, feeding off the blood of the mire rats that ran among the corpses under the earth. And that just would not do. No vampire with age on their side, with unlimited power in their grasp, should lower themselves to feeding of vermin.
Indeed, the idea of it disgusted her so much she nearly gagged at the thought, and she had, on seeing the little one devour a particularly large rodent days before, wished to put a stop to such practices and teach her how a true vampire lived. Hence, she had returned to the gravesite three nights in a row, waiting and hoping for her to appear again. For one think Katherine Amondsham did not have was a child, a daughter to teach. And it was the only thing left in the world that she truly desired.
As time passed, and the night grew darker, stiller, Katherine toyed aimlesly with the hem of her silken dress, almost writing the night off. The girl had self control, she would allow her that. Feeding off the blood of animals was far from fulfilling, and the once she had tried it she felt the thirst only hours later, stronger and more pressing than sheever had in her entire existance. She had slaughtered an entire family that evening, to gorge her need, and so to pass for three days without returning for more blood showed great restraint. With that mental power, the girl would make a superb student. If only she wore more attractive clothing...
'That too can be seen to' murmured Katherine happily to herself, a slim, malicious smile lifting the corners of her lips, causing her revealed canine fangs to glint in a non-existant light.
|
|
|
|
Post by Honour on Nov 29, 2009 9:49:56 GMT -5
Honour [/size], with a side helping of Felix[/size][/b][/u][/center] Honour hummed quietly to herself as she wandered through her favourite haunt; the graveyard. She’d never quite figured out what she liked about the place; but not even her dislike of living up to vampire stereotypes could keep her away. Perhaps it was the abundance of rats and the occasional stray dog. Beside her walked her ever-present pet, a tuxedo tomcat named Felix with whom she had a strong mental connection.
Her blue-grey eyes scanned the area carefully, and she paused in her humming to sniff the air. She usually came to the graveyard almost every night, but the last few times she’d detected a disturbing scent on the air; the unmistakable scent of another vampire, and it had frightened her away to more exposed hunting grounds. Now she was back, but the scent hadn’t gone away.
Perhaps it was foolish of Honour to be fearful of her own kind, but she’d had little contact with them aside from her family, and stories of their cruelty were rife. On previous nights she had slipped away quietly at this point, not wanting to risk a confrontation, but tonight she was very hungry indeed, scarlet flecks showing amongst the blue-grey of her eyes. Her hunting trips in the city centre were risky, and her fear of being seen by a human had made her too wary to catch much. She needed to hunt now, before something awful happened, and before her eyes changed too noticeably.
Doing her best to ignore the vampire-scent, she set off on the trail of a deer she’d detected in the distance. She knelt down quickly beside Felix and touched his head, mentally instructing him to go and hunt for mice as he usually did. Strong reluctance emanated from the cat, and she realised he wasn’t going to leave her alone tonight. Sighing, she continued on her path, then, as she neared her prey, quickly dodged behind a gravestone. The deer was there, grazing peacefully a little way from her. It looked so gentle and harmless that Honour resented the need for its death. She extended her fangs, tensing her muscles to spring...
A sudden startled yowl sounded beside her and she turned to see her beloved cat staring into the darkness. The deer scampered into the distance and for a second Honour considered chasing after it, but Felix’s distress stopped her. She tossed her head from side to side, still unable to make anything out. Now that she thought about it, the smell of other-vampire was stronger here, much stronger, though whoever it belonged to was hidden from Honour’s eyes, perhaps behind a tombstone somewhere. She rested a hand on Felix’s head again, wondering what had triggered his cry. It turned out just to be general worry and unease. The cat pressed himself against Honour’s worn jeans, shivering and panting like a dog.
Deeply troubled, Honour picked the terrified animal up and, breathing hard herself, stood up. She thought she ought to say something, but fear had paralysed her and she could do nothing but wait. Status: Finished Word count: 509 Using: Honour[/size] |
|
|
|
Post by William & Katherine on Nov 29, 2009 11:00:21 GMT -5
A soft and distant hum caused Katherine's ears to prick, and it was with a certain relish she knew the little girl had finally come back to her hunting ground. Sniffing the air, she determined the little vampires position, and she stood slowly, rising elegantly to her feet, balancing with unearthly ease on the slim ledge of the mauselum she was sat on only moments before. Looking out over the dark town of tombs, it was hardly difficult to spot the small, bouncing blonde figure amidst the death and decay that surrounded her. She moved with relative speed, as luck would have it, straight toward Katherine's waiting place.
'Finally' murmured Katherine.
She had, afterall, been waiting a number of nights, and while the little one had often appeared, she had scampered off before Katherine could determine exactly where she was, clearly sensing the elder vampire and mistaking her for a threat.
Obviously hunting away from the graveyard was getting harder for the vegetarian, and the risk of being found greater. So she risked coming back to the land of the dead for a larger, more satisfactory meal, least as satisfactory as an animal could provide.
Katherine's smile broadened, her pretty face stunning as her pink lips spread. If only her eyes had been less truthful, held a less baleful quality, and she would be perfection personified. As it stood, the red iris mirrored her cruel nature, her passion for torture, her constant hunger, and it was something, that even though she had tried numerous times, not even her aged experience could cover.
She paced along the ledge as a gymnast walks along a tightrope, and on reaching the edge, stood dead still, taking a form similar to that of a statue. A high pitched whine reached her ears, and it brought Katherine's attention to the scene that had begun to unfold below her. Only meters away, the blonde child was looking after a fleeing deer, while a small...rat? looked directly at the elder vampire, whinying pathetically. Watching as the girl turned in her direction, lookeing blankly at the area before her, Katherine decided that she had remained hidden too long.
'Why is it that you come here every night for food, little one, when there are such better dishes back the way you came?'
Her voice rang through the relatively quiet graveyard clearly, seeming to cause everything around her to still.
'When you are what I think you are, you are the top of the food chain. You should not be hunting furry woodland creatures darling. It is so...degrading.'
Stepping of her ledge, she plummeted a few meteres to the floor, and landed neatly on her feet. Moments later, she was perched on a gravestone behind her prey, grinning widely.
'What on earh are you doing, dear child, wasting your potential on hunting bambi?'
|
|
|
|
Post by Honour on Nov 29, 2009 11:54:01 GMT -5
Honour [/size], with a side helping of Felix[/size][/b][/u][/center] A clear, ringing voice brought Honour’s eyes up, and she stared in stunned silence at the women standing above. There was something odd about the woman, odd even for a vampire; which she obviously was. She had an aura of power and strength, as well as something else... something not quite right that disturbed the younger vampire. Still clutching her precious cat to her chest, she took an automatic step back.
She took a deep breath and told herself to get a grip. So there was another vampire in front of her, so what? She could cope. She turned her mind to the first thing the beautiful, threatening woman had said, and thought about it. Better dishes in the city? No there wasn’t. Well, there were more dogs and such, but it was hard to hunt discreetly. A warning came from Felix, and she suddenly realised what the woman meant. She stumbled back another step, shaking her head in automatic rejection.
The woman spoke again, this time about the degrading nature of her feeding habits, and Honour’s resolve hardened. “There’s no alternative.” She said with all the force she could muster while craning her head to look at a woman who could no doubt kill her in a second. It wasn’t very much force, but at least she was trying to stick up for herself.
That in itself was an unusual thing for Honour. Honour was a very passive soul; the one who backed down to avoid a fight, even against the considerably weaker humans. Now, in front of a real threat, necessity made her bolder. Gone was her petty and very human fear of bullies and in its place was one idea; survive.
She jumped a little as the stranger leapt from her perch, landing with incredible grace. Her eyes could barely follow the vampire as she ran past, and by the time she’d whirled around she was already perched neatly on a nearby gravestone. Whatever mortal peril she might be in, Honour couldn’t help but be impressed by such speed and agility; how many years did it take to attain skills like that?
She listened to the vampire’s last sentence, and again she shook her head. She put Felix down, ignoring his protesting cries despite how they wrenched at her heart, and for the first time dared to meet the older vampire’s eyes. She was beginning to get over her initial shock, and while she was still jumpy and very frightened, she was a little calmer. “There’s no alternative.” She said again, this time sounding a little more decisive. The bright red of the other vampire’s eyes unnerved her, and she glanced away for a moment. No, she couldn’t be so timid. She raised her eyes again and held the other’s gaze, trying to erase the fear from her face. Status: Finished Word count: 472[/size] |
|
|
|
Post by William & Katherine on Nov 29, 2009 13:00:18 GMT -5
It surprised Katherine just how brave the smaller vampire was. Granted, she was jumpy, sounded a little frightened, and she struggled keeping her eyes locked with her own. But then, there were many elder vampires that suffered the same weaknesses in her presence, Katherines age and skill obvious at a glance to those of her kind, and they would not have the grit to answer back to her. Yet here, the blonde girl who look to barely have reached her teens, faced what she believed to be a direct threat with an unusual strength in her voice. Katherine smiled obviously. She had chosen well. This little girl would make a superb protege.
'There is no alternative?'
The question was posed with a head tilt, a cacscade of dark curls falling over her shoulder. Raising a slim eyebrow, she regarded the other for a moment, as if sizing her up, and then her gaze strayed to the cat at her side, who was pressed so tightly to its mistress that it looked almost defensive. Grimacing as it hissed at the attention she gave it, she imagine breaking the hideous things back and tossing it aside, perhaps for her new daughter to feed on... It would have to go, and what better way than to prove how disgusting feeding of animals could be.
Standing, she moved toward the girl, returning her gaze to the childs. Rather than fleet footing, she strode slowly, this time allowing the other to focus on her.
'Do you think I feed on animals?'
Katherine pointed a long, slim finger at herself, the nail resting between her rather exposed bosom. Despite the freezing night, she still wore a silken dress with a plunging v neckline. Unlike most vampires, she cared little for the masquerade. She was cold, and therefore would wear what she pleased.
Stopping only inches away from the girl, Katherine flicked hair from her face, and then bent down to her level, reached forward and put her slender hand on her shoulder.
'If you do, you are sorely mistaken little one. Oh! And you can put your guard down...you have no reason to fear me, I mean you no harm.'
She added the most convincing smile she could to the end of her sentence, and while it looked still a little forced, it would do. Her eyes still betrayed her true intentions however, and she hoped the child would be looking elsewhere. She cast another quick glance at the cat, and barely managed to hide her disgust.
'Now...why on earth would you think that you have to feed on..?.' she flourished a hand at the dark feline shape next to her. 'Has no-one ever tought you how to feed off anything else?'
She shifted and came a little closer, quickly moving so she stood behind her, a hand now on each shoulder, her mouth close to her ear.
'If you wanted to learn I could teach you? I'm good at teaching young vampires likes you how to...better themselves.'
What she had said was a lie, she had never tought another vampire. She had spent her life making others fear her, be afraid of her very presence, but she was good making untruths seem like truths, and with a slight squeeze on her shoulder, she stepped away from the child, and beamed down at her.
'Would you like that?'
|
|
|
|
Post by Honour on Nov 29, 2009 13:46:49 GMT -5
Honour [/size], with a side helping of Felix[/size][/b][/u][/center] Honour listened to everything the older vampire said, not daring to interrupt. She suspected that the woman knew full-well what she meant; she knew that Honour was just rebelling against the assumption that drinking human blood was fine, that she was being her typical stubborn self when it came to the topic of her diet, yet she insisted on playing this stupid game, a game Honour didn't know how to play.
Whenever the other vampire came to close Honour instinctively, and as she felt the older one’s hands on her shoulder, neutral in temperature compared with her own skin, she froze. Felix growled defensively, and Honour was immensely proud of him for not losing his nerve and running away.
When the vampire finished speaking Honour shivered as if she were cold, and looked down at the ground. Now what was she supposed to do? She obviously wasn’t going to accept the offer, but she didn’t want to just say no outright and risk offending the ancient vampire. Before she could say anything, Felix lost his nerve again. With a sudden and extremely violent hiss the black and white thing hurled himself at the older vampire, attempting to claw at her skin.
Horrified, Honour lurched forward and tried to grab him by the tail. ”Oi!” The cat squealed and turned to look at her with a wounded expression. She reached down and picked him up again, gripping him strongly by the scruff to get him to behave and cursing under her breath. Would the older one take offence? Was she in greater trouble now than ever? From Felix’s mind she saw the half-concealed look of disgust the ancient vampire had given him moments before. Great, so she already hated cats. Eventually Honour decided the best thing to do was try and make light of it, not that that was going to be easy.
“I’m so sorry,” She mumbled, running a hand over her roughly tied back hair, “He’s not normally like this, he’s just scared, he’s normally so good.” She had a habit of talking too much when she was nervous. She didn’t dare look into the older vampire’s eyes this time, afraid of what she’d see there.
She stared at the ground for a moment, then swallowed and decided she’d stalled enough; she was going to have to go along with the game. “Wh- what I meant was that there’s no alternative for me, I mean...” Her voice had a frightened, shaky edge to it, but she did managed to glance up for a second. “I know that I could drink from... people,” Just saying it made her stomach lurch, “But I don’t, so...” She trailed off pathetically, then added on a stronger note, “I don’t think it’s right to kill them for food.”
She was sure that the dark-haired woman could make her do anything, whether she wanted to or not, but she hoped that by being as polite as she could she might just get away from this unscathed. It all depended on how much the stranger wanted Honour to obey. Status: Finished Word count: 513[/size] |
|
|
|
Post by William & Katherine on Nov 29, 2009 14:25:25 GMT -5
Katherine was not ready for the furry ball that rocketed at her. Normally, her stare caused things she disgusted to run, fearing for their lives. But this -thing- decided it better, instead of trying to survive, to tackle the problem head on. It was as brave as its friend, but the problem it was attempting to tackle had rock-like skin, could move faster than wind, and would, without second thought, snap the cat in two.
She hissed at it as it bounded forward, and as it clawed at her leg, she lifted her foot, and made a move to crush its skull, wanting to end its pathetic life with as little effort as possible. But as she brought her foot down, all her heel met was mud. The cat that had been about to meet it's sticky end was now in the girls arms, being held by the scruff of its neck. It glared at her, and she glared at it, while the blonde started uncomfortably at the floor.
The silence that lay between them was heavy, tainted by the elder's seething rage. Her hands were clawed, and she eyed the cat with unmatched hatred. Flashing images of tearing it to pieces flitted across her vision, and she decided that she would start with its legs, pull them from its body one by one, as it still lived, so it would yelp in agony. She would then rip its tail from its rear, wrap it around its neck,and hang it with its own appendage.
'I'm so sorry. He's not normally like this, he's just scared,he's normally so good.'
The girls voice brought Katherine back to her senses, and she tore her murderous gaze from the cat, fashioning her face into a more acceptable half smile.
'Then he is a very smart little thing...I'm sure he is as brave as his mistress.'
Where she said brave, she wished to say foolish, and where she suggested he was a smart little thing, she wished to say he was a verminous little hellspawn, destined for a gruesome death.
When brought back to the topic at hand, she was amazed that the girl seem so confused about the idea of feeding off humans. Had she gone her whole life thinking it was wrong, thinking it was immoral? What moral standing did humans have?
Reaching out and putting a hand on the girls shoulder, Katherine tutted like a judgemental mother.
'Dear, why would killing a human for food be wrong?'
Looking back at the cat, she wondered if it had some use, proving a point perhaps...She reached down, and rested a cold palm a little roughly on the dark furred back of the beast in her arms.
'Look at this little thing? You love him don't you? Adore his little fluffy hide...and I can see why.'
The last words were forced through clentched teeth.
'Why is it right to kill these sweet little...fluffy things...and not humans. Humans are animals...that deer you were going to feed upon...Im sure he had a family to return to, would have felt pain had you bitten him...why on earth would you hurt the deer and not the human who hunts things to extinction, who hurts its own species?!'
She smiled softly, and it seemed tinted with pity.
'Oh! How rude of me. I did not catch your name.'
Removing her hand from the cat,she extended it to the little girl.
'Katherine Amondsham, pleasure...'
|
|
|
|
Post by Honour on Nov 30, 2009 1:47:35 GMT -5
Honour [/size], with a side helping of Felix[/size][/b][/u][/center] Honour knew the woman had a point, and it was one she’d thought about often herself. In her head, animals, humans and vampires, and werewolves for that matter, were all as good and as bad as each other, and killing one of them was just as bad as killing any other. Of course there was the argument that an animal didn’t feel emotional pain, as a human did, but Honour’s experience with cats had told her that the difference was slight. With that mindset some might say it made no difference what she killed, but there was a reason that honour was a “vegetarian”, and it was actually rather selfish. The fact was, one could get to know a human; one could learn about their lives and their feelings and their fears and befriend one, and so killing one would break her heart. It was the same reason she never ate cats; she could see into their minds and know them. That didn’t make it right, but Honour had to get blood from somewhere, and seeing as few people were willing to just let her drink from them, she had to go with the option that was easiest for her.
She didn’t think the woman would understand this argument however, and she didn’t want to annoy her by disagreeing with her further, so she just shrugged and stared unhappily at the ground, waiting for this all to be over. Felix lay, passive now, in Honour’s grip, though he squirmed uncomfortably as the woman touched him.
She was both startled and relieved when the woman, Katherine, changed the subject. Honour looked up at her, blinked in surprise, and then gave a small smile. She reached out to shake the woman’s hand, her grip a little weaker than normal, and nervousness was still clear on her face, but she forced herself not to back down. “Honour,” She mumbled briefly, releasing the woman’s hand and then, deciding that better manners were called for, said, “Uh, Honour Fletcher. It’s nice to meet you, Miss Amondsham.”
The familiar routine made Honour calm down a little, and she began to wonder if she’d been a bit rude to Katherine. She’d been acting out of fear of course, but now, seeing as she hadn’t yet been attacked despite Felix provoking her, Honour’s previous actions did seem a little offensive. With this in mind, she silently promised herself that she would be as polite as possible from now on. The only problem was that that involved not ignoring what Katherine had said previously.
“It’s impossible to know how an animal feels.” She explained in a quiet, respectful voice. She had forced her mind to imagine that she was back in the debate room at school, except that this time there was a slightly different topic and she had to use a slightly different tone. “We know that they feel pain, but it’s only fleeting, and no-one can tell if other animals will miss them once they’re gone.” She deliberately neglected to mention that, in the case of cats at least, she did know. “But we can know for certain that humans do, so I think it’s wrong to wantonly kill them.” it wasn’t a very full explanation of her belief, but Honour already worried that she’d said too much.
To try and agree with Katherine, at least in some way, she added, “Of course, if there was a way to get human blood without actually killing anyone, that’d be great.” She smiled weakly again, meeting the older vampire’s eyes for a second. Status: Finished Word count: 596[/size] |
|
|
|
Post by William & Katherine on Dec 1, 2009 10:08:09 GMT -5
The girls grip on Katherine's hand was remarkably weak, especially for the grip of a vampire. She wondered if it was due to her 'vegetarian' lifestyle, or if she was merely afraid of offering the elder a challenge that she couldn't see through. The first thought disgusted her a little, while the second made her want to smile. How could such a poor, weak little thing show any challenge to something so old, so powerful?
A slight grin raised her red lips as the newly introduced Honour mumbled something about killing humans, how she was a little unsure about 'wanton killing', but she'd be happy to drink human blood if there was another way... It was a start. If she were to drink it without killing, then perhaps Katherine could make sure the young thing developed a taste for the finer things in life. She was sure one thing would lead to another.
'Oh but pet, there is a way to get human blood without killing! Hospitals...bloodbanks...good, wholesome meals just laid out on a platter. You don't even need to get your little paws dirty if you don't want to.'
She cast a motherly smile in the girls direction, and stroked her cheek.
'I could show you if you'd like my dear? You could be so strong! You wouldn't need to degrade yourself and come to this...'
Katherine paused, flourishing her hand, grimacing. She wasn't even sure there was a word in any language to describe the dull graveyard they were in. It was so...cliche...to have vampires meet above tombstones.
'...dank, dark, wet...cold place.'
Stepping up beside her new protege, she laid a thin hand at the nape of her neck, squeezing gently at her skin.
'What do you think? That little cat of yours could come I suppose...'
|
|
|
|
Post by Honour on Dec 1, 2009 14:14:35 GMT -5
Honour [/size], with a side helping of Felix[/size][/b][/u][/center] Honour blinked, rather surprised by the woman’s suggestion; blood banks? Weren’t they all in hospitals? It seemed highly unlikely to Honour that the human doctors would just hand it over willingly. Then again, Katherine probably didn’t intend to ask nicely, even from what little Honour knew of her, she could tell that wasn’t her style. Whatever Katherine wanted to do, it would be illegal if not exactly harmful.
But was that really so bad? It was probably illegal to kill animals too, but it had to be done, and Honour was very hungry. She thought about the few times her parents had brought back human blood for her to drink (she’d never asked where it came from) and her mouth started to water. Oh, how she longed for that taste again...
She snapped her head back to sanity. However much she may want to, stealing blood from a blood bank was harmful; just the thought of all those poor humans dying in hospital was enough to make her feel ashamed of herself for even thinking about it. Still, this was probably not an excuse Katherine would accept, and Honour worried that the older vampire’s patience was wearing thin. The blood bank could get more blood anyway; there were lots of willing donors, surely, and she was only going to do it once, just enough to appease Katherine
As she thought about it, she actually found herself getting quite enthusiastic about the idea. She was an optimistic kind of girl, and she believed in making the best of a situation; she didn’t want to steal the blood (or so she told herself), but she had to so she might as well enjoy it. She rather resented having her usual feeding habits being called degrading, but it would be nice not to have to spend every night looking for animals to kill. She wanted to be truly satisfied for once.
With that mindset, she looked up into the old vampire’s eyes. “I guess that would be okay.” She said, still sounding a little indecisive. Her trusting mind no longer suspected that Katherine was planning anything nasty, but she thought it was probably best not to sound too keen. At the mention of Felix she automatically began stroking his fur affectionately. She sent her thoughts over to him, and from him she got a sense of caution; he wasn’t sure what to make of all this. Honour looked up at Katherine suddenly, “I mean, if you really don’t mind, I- I wouldn’t like to be a pain.” She wasn’t trying to get out of it, she was just honestly being polite.
|
|
