Page 39 of Theoden
CHAPTER TWELVE
A NEW DISCOVERY
Thirty days passed with me training with Titus and hunting with my brothers and sometimes without. On some occasions, Ara would join me, as he had tonight. I had remembered the harsh lessons he had taught me and therefore, I killed without mercy. I didn’t look into their minds, as it was easier that way. I did, however, feed with skill so I could maintain my bearings during and after the feast, and not be wasteful of the blood. Ara was very strict about how blood was sacred and should never be spilt in vain, especially when feeding.
Feeding and killing with finesse was not something that was easy for me to learn at first, as my need to have sex grew stronger with every human I fed on. I wasn’t allowed to sate myself with them, and often would hunt close to home, so I could return to my brothers to satisfy my sexual hunger. I was relieved that Ara was joining me tonight, so when the moment came over me, hopefully, he would give me what I needed.
In the past thirty days, I had had sex in alleys, in fields, and in shady places with my brothers when they went hunting with me. Killing, I almost hated to admit, was getting less loathsome. I had killed humans before, those who protected the vampires and tried to hinder my missions, but killing for food held its own meaning.
I was no longer human; something I told myself every day, and as I spoke the words, I began to appreciate not being human. No longer was I at risk of dying of plague, or old age, or of infection. Humans were so fragile and it became painfully apparent to me just how pathetic their existence was. Ara saved me from such fates, I understood that now.
“Tonight, my son, you will feast on a rare delicacy,” Ara said, pulling me out of my thoughts as we walked down the path.
I had planned to find a human, possibly one drunk on wine, and make him my meal. And in the process, indulge in the sweet delirium of the wine that would be in his blood. Now, I was curious as to what Ara was talking about.
“What delicacy, Father?”
“Wolf, a werewolf. That is why I have brought you to this village. A wolf has been feeding on the animal stock and a few humans. Your test tonight is to track the beast down using your vampire hunting skills. Feed on him and then bring him to me,” Ara ordered.
I had hunted werewolves before and killed them when I was still human. I was ten times more powerful now than I was then, so the prospect of hunting this beast was exciting to me. Then to be able to feed on it, I wondered what werewolf blood tasted like. My Father had three wolves he kept as both slaves and pets, but I hadn’t been allowed to feed or fuck them. Perhaps tonight, all of that would change.
I smiled. “It would be my pleasure to hunt this wolf for you, Father.”
Ara nodded. “I know. You have come along well, my son. You continue to please me. Now, go. I will be waiting for you at the inn in our room.” With that, he turned and walked away, but then stopped. “Remember to be cautious of their bite.”
“Yes, Father. I will not let it happen,” I said. I had been warned that a werewolf’s bite was toxic to vampires and dragons. Depending on how old and powerful the wolf was, their bites could kill us instantly. At the very least, it could sicken us, weaken our bodies and make it easier to kill us. So, I was determined to never feel their venom in my veins.
“Good. I look forward to your return,” Ara said, then he continued to walk off.
So, I had to hunt a werewolf.
I had wondered why we were in the city of Arbela, which took two days’ journey for us to get to from our home in Kandahar. I was standing in the middle of the street, looking for the right direction to travel in. I took a deep breath and could smell all of the disgusting scents of human waste and disease. I could also smell the scent of a man’s seed and blood, so much blood.
First thing I had to do was find out the location where the wolf had been hunting. It was what I had done when I was human and tracking one of these creatures. It was much easier now, as I could read the minds of humans without having to ask questions and be told lies. I walked into a tavern and took a seat toward the back.
This was like every other tavern I had ever visited, full of men and women of low station. It reeked of piss, shit, vomit, and stale wine. All of the scents I had grown repulsed by. The patrons were already discussing the latest victim of the wild animal attack. I listened to them speak on the size of the wolf, and witness accounts ranged from half-man, half-wolf, to full wolf, to a wolf the size of a tiger.
It was then that I decided to pry into their minds to see if any of them were telling the truth. I, of course, knew what a werewolf looked like in all three of their forms. Four, if you counted their human form. A werewolf could still be human, but their faces could transform into that of a monster with fangs, yellow eyes, and thick fur about the face. Their other forms ranged from one that was a wolf who could walk upright, which was their most powerful. Then it was their full wolf form, which was also powerful and their fastest form.
They were hard to catch, let alone kill, but I had managed to send two back to hell. Of course, that used to be my thoughts, but that was before I’d met Ara. I wasn’t so sure there was a heaven or hell anymore. He forced me to question everything I had been taught every night, and often I was left with more questions than answers. Ara encouraged my exploration, challenged me to seek my own answers. Ones that I could be satisfied with. I was still at a loss in many respects.
Getting back to the matter of hunting this wolf. Only one person in the bar had actually seen the beast. He had witnessed the wolf killing cattle on his farm. He remained hidden in the shadows and the wolf ran away once it was done feeding. It had been in its half man-half wolf form and the human had been too terrified to attack it. I supposed that was wise, for he would surely be dead had he attempted such an attack.
According to more gossip, the wolf did have a hunting ground, and that was where I was going to start. I left before the tavern wench could ask me for my order. I was focused solely on my mission and pleasing Ara. I kept to the shadows as I ran faster than any human’s eye could see. I loved the sensation of the wind whipping against my face, making me feel alive more than I ever had when I was human.
With each passing day, I was becoming more and more grateful that Ara hadembracedme. My nights were filled with never-ending pleasure and I felt worshipped almost by both humans who lost themselves to my bite and to my brothers who indulged in the pleasure of my body. I knew that being inside of me felt amazing, as they had all told me so. I took a certain pride in that fact, even if I had to share my body with the likes of Nolan.
I was moving quickly through the night and shadows when I had to stop abruptly. I caught the scent of the wolf, a wild, animalistic aroma that was preternatural in its essence. He was close by, very close. I began walking, following the trail of the scent, and it led me to a brothel. Using my vampire speed, I moved faster than the restless humans could see and I made my way to the room where the scent was the strongest.
I kicked opened the door, shattering the wood just in time to see the wolf climbing off the whore he had been fucking. He was reaching for his sword as I moved in. The whore yelped and scrambled off the bed, throwing herself into the far corner of the room and clenching the sheets to her breasts. I stepped in, closing the door behind me.
“I will kill you, whoever you are,” the werewolf warned me.
“I’m not here to harm you,” I lied.
“Really? That I find unconvincing coming from your kind,” he snarled as he began inching closer to the window. I knew what he was about to do and I leaped at him just as he pounced through the open window. My hand missing his ankle by a few inches. I knew I couldn’t lose him, so I leaped out of the window, tracking him.
He was fast, but not faster than I was, not in his human form at least. I would catch him soon enough, because to outrun me, he would need to stop to transform and that would also give me the advantage. He managed to run for nearly a mile before I caught him. We tumbled hard to the ground, rolling over and over from the momentum until we stopped with me on top of him, pinning his shoulders to the ground.
