A shadowy figure stood in the darkness surrounding the safe house.  Hearing footsteps, he turns, his eyes darting to and fro searching for the owner of the sound, but his blue-yellow eyes found nothing looking back at him save the castle wall.  His gaze followed the gentle slope of the stone, up to the tower, into the window.  His lips curled back as he saw his mother flouncing about inside.  Looking once more to the ground, he turned back around.  As he did, the moonlight flashed across his teeth, and the night could see him for what he was.  Oversized canines caught the moonlight, accenting them.

            A fly whizzed past his head, and his hand shot up, grabbing it.  His fist tightened, and he could feel the fly explode into the palm of his hand, dead.  Curling back his upper lip, he glared into the darkness he was engulfed in, the darkness they all were engulfed in.  He looked behind him, seeing no one about.  His eyes flashed with menacing resentment as the humming of his cursed mother floated down to him upon the wind.  If he had had a table to slam his fist down on, he would have.  So instead, he swung at the air with his fist in an angry fashion.

“Tonight, I get what I deserve!”

            He looked once more to the darkness, though his gaze could not penetrate it very far.  He could see his hand in front of his face if he held his hand about two feet from it, but that was the extent of his night vision.  Again, his voice cut through the silence like a executioners blade.

“Beyond the wall is a reason for me to exist. Better blood then what our stock of inbred beasts can give me.  The sweet nectar that flowed through her veins before she created the clan!  HUMAN BLOOD!”

            A fire burned in his eyes as his feet began to move him toward the wall that he could not yet see, though he knew the direction of it.  They wanted to get him out into the world, they to wanted to taste the sweet nectar so few in the clan were privileged enough to get the taste of.  Before he could think twice, he was in a dead run, his feet carrying him over the ground in silent harmony.

            Suddenly, all movement in his body stopped, and he stood stock still.  The howl of the wolf had caught him off guard.  The one living thing he had reason to fear…werewolves.  He glanced over his shoulder, yet then looked forward again into the night he had yet to explore.

“There are more important things to fear in this hour of night!”

Tentatively, he took a step forward, but again froze as he heard another howl pierce the night. He shook his head.

“So jumpy! Just go!”

With renewed vigor, he moved forward.  His step did not falter as he heard another howl, no fear crossed his thoughts or showed in his eyes.

Soundlessly, he moved through the night, soon coming to the boundaries, the great stone wall that was hidden so well by vines.  He turned, and looked behind him, staring back at his home.  Caught off guard by another howl sounding directly behind him, he nearly let his feet carry him toward the castle once more.  Stumbling, he hit the ground with a grunt.  He lay there for a moment, wondering how to get to the other side. Sighing, he slowly stood up, turning once again to face the wall.  He stepped forward so he was brushing against it.  His eyes followed one of the vines to the top, and he smiled.

Putting his hand on the vine, and pulled, hearing it protest as it was pulled free from the surface it had for so long been attached to.

Once the vine was free of the wall, he pulled on it, but the vine did not break and fall to the ground, it simply stayed anchored to the other side where it had grown from.  The wolf howled again, this time closer.  A shiver went up the “young” man’s spine again, but he didn’t drop the vine.  He gulped, and glanced to the top of the barrier. 

“Come on bud…you can do this.”

He mumbled gently to himself, so that only he and the night wind could hear it.  Gripping the vine with both hands, he placed his feet on the wall and slowly began to walk up it.  Yet again did the wolf howl, and confidence was replaced by the fear he thought he had given up moments before.  His grip loosened on the vine, causing it to slid out of his grip, and he fell to the ground, hitting it with a thud.  He grimaced as he tried to sit up, having hit his back on a rather large rock.   He glared at the wall.

“Being difficult, ey?  I can conquer you! And I plan to do it, right now!”

Again, he stood, his body already aching yet he knew he had to go on.  He grabbed the vine, placing his feet once more up the wall.  Quickly, he began to climb again.  Half way up, the wolf howled again.  His grip again loosened on the vine, and he slipped down it some, but did not hit the ground, having regained his grip soon enough.

“Curse that blasted mutt! I swear…I’ll kill it!”

He got his bearings and climbed to the top of the wall.  The vine had rubbed against the side of the wall, and now it snapped. He grabbed the top of the wall. His eyes fell to the ground twenty feet below him.  Looking back up, he threw his other hand up and grabbed the wall. Slowly, he started pulling himself up.  Looking over the other side, to the land he had not yet set foot on, he nearly fell.  There, right below his gaze, was a wolf standing on its hind legs, its front paws against the wall.   Before he could fall, he swung his leg over, straddling the wall.  Once again he looked to the unknown terrain that hew was so close to touching, yet his mind was so far away from.

Yellow bloodshot eyes matched with snarling black lips pulled back over yellowed canines stared up at him.   Silhouetted against the moonlight, now that he straddled the wall, he glared back down to the wolf, eyes seeming to glow a greenish blue.  His face shone pale, his distinctive features hidden.  His lips curled back over his fangs and a hiss emitted from his vocals.  The wolf dropped its front feet to the ground, its ears now plastered against its head.

A howl drifted madly upon the wind to each of their ears from deep within the unknown shadows.  The wolf turned, forgetting the staring game the two had been locked in as its eyes looked into the darkness, ears pricked wanting to hear once more the taunting  call of the other wolf before it went to it.  Once again, the silence was interrupted by the other wolf’s howl.  A howl came from the nearest wolf as it shot into the darkness, seemingly being swallowed by the darkness.

A smirk was placed on the runaway’s pale face.  He glared in the direction the wolf had run off.

“That’s it…run away at your mother’s call!”

In truth, he was glad the wolf had left.  He turned back to look once more at the familiar shadows, his heart skipping a beat as he realized he was to far away to see the artificial light of his mothers room.  He closed his eyes and opened his ears, listening.  His mind rummaged through the unknown, imagining what exciting new things he would see.  Turning back to the darkness he had yet to explore, eyes still closed, he swung his leg over and dropped down into the darkness.

Leaves crunched as he landed, causing his still closed eyelids to shoot up and shift about.  Calming as he noticed he had been him, he straightened up and looked at his surroundings.  He gazed up at the sky, seeing the stars dimming.

“The shadows begin to shrink at this hour…If I do not find suitable shelter before the moon is forced away by the sun, I will never know the taste of that sweet crimson nectar that so few others have savored…”

He shivered at the thought of being turned to ash, and as if disappearing entirely, he walked into the shadows, he to swallowed by the night darkness.

Tainted femme’s hands took hold of the lamb, pinning it down.  Struggling with every ounce of strength it had left, the young sheep still could not get free.  The pale faced minx curled her lips back, disappearing moonlight revealing to the lamb what she truly was.  The lamb’s eyes grew large, as if ready to pop from its skull in fright, and a bleat emitted into the darkness for the others to come and rescue it, but none came.  They had learned that once caught, there was no one who could be your savior without meeting the same horrible fate as the one being saved.

The icy grip of the shadowy femme tightened around the still struggling lamb.  Cold blood ran through her veins, and the more the helpless animal struggling slackened, the more satisfied she became.  She opened her mouth as the struggling completely stopped, and slowly lowered her face to the animals tender neck.  Oversized canines plunged into the now still animal’s jugular vein, and as if starved for a week, the midnight vixen drank the red wine within the lamb’s bod.

Hurried footsteps echoed through the night, causing the countess to tear herself away from the bloody feast she had so needed.  Yellow eyes appeared in the darkened mist surrounding them before the pale skin and black hair of the other being.  Bloody ivories curled into a smirk as the lower clansman dropped to his knees in a bow to her.  The ways of the lowers never disappointed her, and when they did, things would happen. A fire raged in her eyes at being disturbed.

“What is it? What is so important that you must disturb me in the time you know is my own?!”

Her words were icy as they cut the night air and went to the other.  She smirked as they seemed to hit them hard.

“Madam Katrina, have you seen your dear son tonight?”

The servants eyes glimmered with concern.  Madam Katrina glared at the servant from her kneeling position, her stare boring into his soul.

“What importance does this hold you irritating Neanderthal?!”

Her smirk widened as he shrunk at her words.

“Madam Katrina, one of the others found footsteps leading away into the night.  When they followed them, they found they lead to the wall…and there they stopped.  Beside it they found a broken vine milady, someone breached the wall.”

Lady Katrina’s eyes flashed. She knew no one was as stupid as her son, no one would be as crazy enough to do something like that.

“That foolish headstrong brute!”

There was no saving him now.

“We will have to find a new princely figure to reign if anything is to happen…One that has more sense.”

Her voice trailed off and she looked again to the dead lamb that lay at her feet. No longer was her mind set on food, her heart now was riddled with the grief of her only son lost to the night wind.  What would she do now? What could she do now?

The wind whistled through the branches as the vampire prince stalked the shadows.  Every few steps his eyes turned to the sky, but there was yet to be a drastic change in the lighting.  He could hear padded footsteps following him, but when he turned to look, there was never anything there.  His heart was growing panicky, unsure if he could make it through the night.  His yellow-blue eyes glared into the immense darkness he stood engulfed in.  Tentatively, he took small steps deeper into the forest.  The moonlight shone with just enough light to let him see his path.  He looked to the sky again, and in his heart, he know he shouldn’t have breached the wall…For the sky was beginning to glow a hazy blue. He looked ahead, his pace quickening.

            Suddenly, his eyes caught sight of something that made his heart less jittery.  Up ahead, what appeared to be a mile away, a glistening granite rock jutting up from the ground gave way to a shadowed cave that the light did not touch.  He smirked, and sprinted faster toward the darkness, diving into the cave just as the clouds gave way to the sun’s deadly rays. He crawled to the back of the cave and leaned up against the cold granite rock, panting.  His eyes closed as the sky outside brightened with the morning light.  The cave around him stayed shadowed, the light could not penetrate the darkness when it was so immensely deep.  His eyes looked around, searching for a place that could not possibly be touched by light.  To his left, there seemed to be a deep chamber where nothing could be seen., as if a door blocked the light’s way.  Smiling, he crawled into the chamber, his eyelids suddenly heavy.  He collapsed and fell asleep.

            Back at the stronghold, lady Katrina was up in her room.  The shutters were closed, and the shades were down to block any natural light.  She was sitting at her desk, staring at a picture of her lost lover, the co-founder of the clan.

                    
He has your mind, Connrad, yet he has my heart!”

Tears in her eyes as she whispered to the picture, as if it was listening to her.  She looked to the window, knowing that by now her son was more than likely dead. Her voice soft, barely a whisper, she let the tears flow.

“Why, Cameron, why?!”