Fauztin, A Man Of Two Races

The beast’s body slid off the blade, falling limply to the ground. The dark, lean figure rose from his kill, wiping the blood from his weapon on his prey’s fur. He had slain a Lycan, the foulest of beasts of the night. A noise alerted the man from the north. He dashed through the trees and entered a clear meadow, the full moon and bright stars illuminating the area. Three figures lumbered across the field halfway across to the woods on the other side, where four more stood tall and broad chested.

“Dammit,” the dark figure muttered into the darkness. His experience with creatures of the supernatural aided him enough to surpass the fighting skills of two beasts by far, but fighting three could prove difficult, especially so exposed in the open. He turned around to head back into the woods only to come face to face with another of the beasts.

The man jumped back drawing his blade from its sheath, but the beast had the element of surprise, drawing a swipe at his gut. The mysterious hunter dodged the attack, but the wolf-like creature didn’t leave an opening for an attack, slashing and biting ferociously. The man’s agility served him well, ducking and jumping over and under the beast’s arms and legs to avoid incoming blows. As he rolled under the monster’s feet, he pulled forth a dagger from his boot and threw it straight up, the blade sinking into its target.

The beast howled in pain, curling into a crouch. The beast wavered for a moment from the pain between its legs and collapsed into the fetal position. The hooded warrior took his blade and skillfully sliced the animal’s head off with a clean sweep. He looked up and saw the three beasts from the meadow bounding toward him, alerted by the howl. The man ran back into the forest, pulling himself up into the trees from a low branch, and jumped to an adjacent limb covered by leaves. He stayed there motionless for a moment before he heard a great slam against the base of the tree nearly. He jumped from limb to limb, catching a glimpse of what lied below. He immediately snatched his head back into the brush as a Lycan’s paw swiped through the branch where he had been a moment ago and he began to sprint through the trees, avoiding the gnashing teeth from below. He saw one of the Lycans run ahead and jump into the branches, but he threw another concealed dagger from his tight leather armor, penetrating his foe’s eye. He leapt over the beast, kicking its head into the branch on his way and sent it falling into the pack chasing him.

A sharp whistle from the other side of the meadow cried out loud enough for anyone within a half-mile radius to hear, and suddenly the chase was called off. The man peered down from his perch recklessly, out of sheer curiosity, only to see that nothing awaited his appearance this time. He leapt to the earth and scanned the area. He heard a rustle of leaves ahead and saw the last of the Lycans that had been following him retreating back to the meadow. He thought about following them, but thought better of it. The man carefully backtracked to his first kill of the night and counted his kills for the night, carving out the fangs and burning the corpses as he came across the bodies.

“That makes five… a dozen in all from this pack… They’re numbers are larger than I anticipated,” he thought aloud. The warrior sensed movement from behind him, quickly drew yet another concealed blade, and spun around to face whatever had snuck up on him. He faced a cloaked figure, its hood covering its face. He looked more intently and realized that it was something just as deadly as to what he had just fought. He faced the Vampire and slightly relaxed his shoulders. He tolerated the Vampires because they could be reasoned with, but still acknowledged it was a parasite all the same. He stayed his blade to the figure, as he had no quarrel with the semi-civilized being.

“What business of yours belongs here, demon?” demanded the human in a low voice. He met the Vampire’s gaze and kept in mind that the red tint to the monster’s eyes indicated he thirsted for blood. He could very well be hunting this night, and he had no intention of becoming dinner to a Vampire any more than he wished to become that for a filthy Lycan. He mentally spat at the word as the thought went through his mind. The Vampire gave him no response at first, and the man drew a slender slashing dagger from his sleeve, concealing it with his hand just in case.

“I wish no violence from you, human; I only investigated the sounds of the wolves. I see you dealt with them nicely, for a human. I commend you on your uncanny abilities, no less knowing so much about how to kill a Lycan so efficiently. That’s a fine silver blade you have tucked in your right sleeve ready to slice my throat with. Let’s put away these meaningless objects of war for now, as I only wish to make a proposal. I’ve been watching you, you see,” the Vampire responded quite casually, knowing almost exactly what to say. The man was slightly shocked to learn that he had been under surveillance, but didn’t dare let it show on his face. If the Vampire had been watching him for weeks, he would know his every move; he wouldn’t stand a chance.

He hesitated for a moment and said, “Say what you will and be done with it. I have no quarrel with you, but you are still a creature of the night, and I would prefer to be left alone.”

“You know very well that I offer you the gift of the night. Any of my kind would be a fool not to after witnessing your skill in combat. I can just imagine how good you’d be in a fight with that kind of power to tap into. But even with your obvious refusal, I still wish to accompany you for a while. You see, we both have the same goal. This pack you’ve been after for some time now has a certain individual I want removed from this plane. Their leader, William McCloud, needs to be put down. I’ve tracked him from Scotland where he originated his clan. I’ve been hunting him for a few months, but have never had the opportunity to finish him in a fight, as I generally work alone. As you can tell, there are many wolves to be dealt with. Are you interested?”

The Vampire had a very interesting proposal indeed, thought the man. He seriously considered it, but thought against it. He decided to introduce himself, “My name is Fauztin. I’ll need some time to think it over for a while, but I’ll be at the nearby town. Until then, be well.” The Vampire told him he would be back in one week, and they would talk again. Before he left, he introduced himself as Alexander Rikeheart. The only other information he left him with was that he had lived for over a century and that he had more allies in the western part of Europe. Sometime while Alexander was talking, Fauztin became under the impression that he had a ‘sixth sense,’ not uncommon in some creatures of the supernatural. For instance, some people he’d encountered had something along the lines of a lie detector, a physical power such as telekinesis, or even a kind of mental radar sensing the direction of which his or her target was.

Once he returned to his camp, he decided to make another entry in his journal. He tallied his kills, described their combat changes, their numbers, and finally the meeting with Alexander. Fauztin’s life was full of death for the last fifteen years of his life. When he was a small boy, his family was murdered. He dropped his true name, and took a new life of revenge towards the Lycans. When Fauztin’s family died, he was trained as a warrior; he abandoned his past life with the necessary experience and began his journey. His knowledge of these creatures came from his family. He was orphaned because of his heritage. His father a vampire, mother a Lycan, fallen in love secretly after his father hunting a clan of wolves with his coven, they ran away together only to be tracked down by the Lycans, killing them both, but sparing the child. It was a wonder to all why Fauztin was born a human, but he had no wish to be a part of anything, so that suited him just fine.

The next morning, Fauztin headed out to a nearby town. He went straight to his room in the tavern, hanging up his sigil engraved long sword, its silver hilt glinting in the candle light. The tight leather armor he wore smelled of death and was stained with blood, so he soaked them in water during the day. From his pack he pulled forth his bow and quiver, filled with silver tipped arrows, crafted himself, with iron shafts so he could retrieve them after killing his prey. Once polished, he began to tend to his wounds. A scratch here and there, but he didn’t want to risk infection, especially when dealing with werewolves. A dog’s mouth may be cleaner than a human’s, but a Lycan’s mouth is worse than a rotting landfill. Luckily a Vampire’s mouth doesn’t have bacteria as they don’t need to eat anything… But blood disease is a definite risk.

The tavern keeper suddenly was rapping on his door, “Did you want another night?” Fauztin pulled out a pouch of coins and tossed it to the old man, closing the door after him and grumbling to himself.

There was another knock on the door. “What do you want? I just paid you for the night!” Fauztin shouted out in anger.

“It’s Talia. I didn’t mean to interrupt. It’s just, I noticed you coming in this morning, I’m sorry,” a small voice from the other side of the door came back. She sounded timid, almost intimidated by Fauztin. Talia came to bring him a basket of fruit every day in spite of his modesty and refusing her gift.

“Oh, it’s you. Yeah, come on in,” he said back softly. Talia walked in, with a basket, smiling brightly, but stood shocked at the sight of his armor soaked in blood. Fauztin quickly threw a sheet over it, but his effort to hide the scene was in vain, as the blood seeped through the white sheets and was even more conspicuous. “Was there something you wanted, Talia? I was about to head out again. It will probably be a while until I get back.”

“Oh, no, that’s alright… I… I should… I’ll see you around…” she timidly said back, never taking her eyes off the sheets. She quickly ran down the hall and as Fauztin looked out the window, he saw her scuttling back to the village a mile down the road.

Once his gear was prepared, Fauztin gathered his belongings and left at dusk. He noticed someone a bit farther back on the trail, but paid no attention to it. Probably just some merchant trying to get to the next town on a late delivery, he thought. Fauztin continued on the road for some time, and noticed that the traveler stood a good distance back from him, almost as if he was stalking him. Fauztin didn’t care though, as he bested a dozen bandits that tried to ambush just the other night. Probably just a few friends looking for revenge, he thought to himself.

Fauztin took a turn onto a path off the main road that led into a deeper area of the forest. The glow from the moon and stars were darkened by the thickened branches and his vision was impaired by the pitch black night. He then heard the human behind him again. He was definite that he was being followed at this point. Fauztin took a deep dive into the woods and ran through them, doubling back onto the main road, being sure to make plenty of twists and turns in an attempt to lose his stalker.

He started into the forest towards the meadow he fought at with the Lycans. He entered the meadow, peering over where the beasts stood the night before, pondering what was over there that they considered so important to defend with so many wolves. 'Perhaps their den? I might want to wait until I talk to Alexander before storming their leader,' he thought to himself to himself.

A slow movement behind him, too slow for a Vampire or a Lycan to make, alerted him, but as it wasn’t a beast or demon, so he didn’t care. The next sensation he felt however, was that of a Lycan. Doubling back, darting into the forest, drawing a blade from his waist and throwing knife in his other hand, he saw a wolf dashing toward the person he assumed was a merchant from the road. The merchant in fact appeared to be Talia. He screamed in his head arguing with his instincts to attack immediately. He faltered, fearing he might hurt her if he should miss, and in that instant, the Lycan landed on top of its easy prey, getting only a taste of the meal it had planned. The blade penetrating and staking the beast’s skull to the ground ended the matter right there and then. Unfortunately for Talia, the matter didn't end right there and then, as the gaping hole in the arm she threw up to defend herself already had the Lycan venom pulsing through her vains.

Fauztin looked upon the girl in horror as he watching her body convulse and go into a seizure. Her bones suddenly starting to crack, growing instantly, her body shape transforming as she turned into the one of the beasts that Fauztin had hunted for so long. She winced in agony as the bones ground against each other, cracking and snapping constantly as they stretched and thickened inside of her. Talia’s spine bulged from each indentation of the bone, one by one as her body came one with the essence of the Lycans. Her face started to merge into a snout, elongating her facial features until she was indistinguishable from another just like her.

“No… Talia…” Fauztin wept as he witnessed the horror before his eyes. As the tears ran down his face, he drew his blade once more, face to face with the new born beast that he had sworn to hunt to extinction. He closed his eyes, gripped the hilt of his weapon and thrusted forward the metal into the beast’s flesh before it could get a grip on the reality around it. He thrusted once more and twisted it before pulling it out of the Lycan’s innards, pulling it’s organs along with it. He pulled out the knife, leapt up to the beast’s upper torso and slammed the knife into the monster’s skull, driving it into the brain and killing it. Solemnly, he withdrew his items and returned to the meadow. He heard a noise behind him, only to see that the beast Talia had become was still alive, but only barely. Apparently he didn’t drive the blade in far enough into its skull. He pulled out the blade again, but as he looked at the creature, he found that he didn’t have the heart to attack what was once Talia again, even at the thought of putting her out of a misery worse than death: uncontrollable hunger and violence upon the world.

He slowly walked away from the dying beast, figuring she… it… would die on its own. Unaware to Fauztin, however, the pack laid in the shadows. They tensed, as if to chase the Lycan hunter, but a large black one motioned to them, signaling to stay. The beasts then turned to their wounded sister and brought her back to their sanctuary, where they would tend to her wounds, where she would one day join them in their fight against the Vampires and this Lycan hunter they despised. Talia was still aware of her surrounds, and knew not of what had happened, only that she saw he love attack her with blades, and only that wolves treated to her wounds…

A week later, Alexander and Fauztin met at the tavern to talk in private. Still mourning for Talia, not aware that she lived, he stayed silent during Alexander’s talk for an eternity it seemed. Fauztin solemnly accepted the Vampire’s offer and agreed to travel with him for a short time. He silently grieved for the young girl who’d captured his heart, but never said a word of it to Alexander. Somehow, though, the Vampire knew not to bring up the matter. They would hunt these Lycans, and he would have his revenge. As for his travels with Alexander, only time would tell.

Fauztin and Alexander began riding the next morning. They followed the same trail that he took last night, witnessing Talia’s death. Seeing the spot where he left her to die hurt him dearly, but he still said nothing. As they entered the meadow and started crossing the field, Fauztin noticed that Alexander wasn’t hurting from the sunlight.

“You fed last night? You’re not burning,” I asked calmly. The more civilized Vampires that need not feed as often usually develop a cure to sunlight damage. When they went too long without feeding, the sunlight hurt them extensively, though every few nights when they did, not only were they stronger, but they could resist the light. Fauztin figured that he must have fed directly before their meeting.

“I’m not proud of it. But it was necessary, and it had been three days since my last feeding,” he said quietly, defending himself. Three days was the average limit of time before a Vampire had to feed again without raging and killing needlessly for blood. Any longer than that, and he would have lost control and killed many humans, more than enough blood to fill him for the trip.

Halfway across the field, Fauztin saw three figures standing near the suspected location for their den. Probably the same three that I saw a week ago as beasts, he thought to himself. Alexander broke into a run, and Fauztin followed, ditching the element of surprise. They would have to have a talk; Fauztin hated running in blind to other aspects of combat.

Alexander leaped into the air gaining a burst of speed, landing on top of one of the Lycans in human form and ripping his head off. He’s stronger than I imagined, he thought again. Fauztin watched Alexander as he fought the men, tearing them limb from limb. He admired his fighting style, but Fauztin would never be able to mimic it. Fauztin never liked the idea of rushing his enemy. He was used to stealth and agility based combat, where he always had the upper hand. Beasts and creatures of the night could beat him in pure strength, but when he had the element of surprise, no one could match his quickness in battle.

Alexander quickly finished his foes and peered inside the cavern. Fauztin quickly followed, hearing Alexander swear loudly. “There’s no one here, it was all a diversion. Their real den must lie somewhere nearby, but it’s not here,” he reported angrily.

The pair moved quickly across the meadow searching for any signs of the Lycans. Alexander picked up a scent of the pack moving further north, and the duo followed the trail. They traveled for a little over an hour before catching a fresh scent of one of the Lycan’s meals in the nearby woods. “We’re close,” Alexander announced. The two hunters darted into the forest and came upon two Lycans feeding upon what used to be a caravan of humans.

Fauztin quickly pulled out a throwing knife and threw it into one of the beast’s spines right between the shoulder blades. He then quickly drew his long sword and plunged it into the Lycan’s diaphragm penetrating threw its inwards exiting through the other side of the monster’s hide. The sword sliced through the beast’s body, and with a spin of his body, Fauztin cut off the animal’s head. Alexander attacked the second beast as Fauztin battled his enemy, viciously tearing and slashing at his foe with ferocity like never before. Fauztin watched the Vampire fight the monster with fascination. The beast was no match for Alexander, and was quickly finished with a spray of blood flying off into the woods.

“Something’s wrong… The Lycans can become their beast form in the daylight… The tables have turned on us…” Alexander cursed. He examined the bodies, watching to see if they would transform into the human form as they were killed, but they stayed in the shape that they were slain in. Fauztin decided to move the bodies to a more secluded location so as not to draw attention. The last thing they needed was more followers, especially the authorities.

The two hunters followed the trail with an increased speed, but increased caution, now aware that the Lycans could take form during the day. Fauztin watched his surroundings carefully as Alexander focused his senses around the pair, trying to keep up a sensor for incoming threats. The Vampire tensed as he sensed movement ahead of them darted back and forth around them, looking for the perfect opportunity to ambush its followers.

Fauztin picked up on Alexander’s senses, preparing his sword for an attack, but it never came. Alexander sensed their follower slowly retreat from its prey. He felt which direction the enemy ran to, and the duo quickly followed in pursuit. Fauztin and Alexander arrived at an opening into an open patch of ground in the woods, large enough for a fight with a small pack. Suddenly, three Lycans leaped down from the branches above, landing almost on top of the two. Three humans rushed them from each side, drawing swords in an attempt to slice the intruders.

Alexander quickly killed a human by throwing one of the falling Lycans into him, pummeling his body into a tree as Fauztin slashed at one of the Lycans jumping at him, throwing the body into the other. The two remaining human-Lycans near Alexander both attacked, drawing blood, but only enraging the rejuvenated Vampire from his recent meal, causing him to tear them to shreds. Fauztin quickly threw daggers at two of the human-Lycans running at him, injuring one and killing the other. The third slashed at him, missing at he ducked below the blade, plunging his own into the abdomen of his adversary.

The last human leaped at Fauztin, only to be met with Alexander’s fist plummeting into his face, ripping his skull out. Both of the fighters turned to see the last Lycan standing before them, not moving. The beast stared at Fauztin, almost with recognition in its eyes. Fauztin looked the monster in the eye for almost a full minute before shouting her name, “Talia! My God, you’re still-” but before he could finish, the animal retreated back into the forest and bolted to the safety of the rest of its pack.

“You knew that creature?” Alexander demanded. “How did you know it was her? I know the girl of which you speak; she lived in the town nearby your inn. How could she be one of them?”

“She followed me when I went into the forest… She was attacked by one of the Lycans before I could save her, and I thought she died… The pack must have come to her aid and kept her alive as one of their own…”

“You fool! You must always finish the deed and be sure they’re dead! If you don’t, they just regenerate and come back to kill us again. I know it must hurt, but you must find the heart to kill her before she does the same to you!” He snarled angrily at the human for his foolishness.

“I love her! I couldn’t kill her, I thought she… it… I thought that there was too much blood loss for it to heal. I thought… Damn… I know you’re right. But I still love her, and I know she’s still in there somewhere! She recognized me, she didn’t attack. She ran away, and I saw it in her eyes that she still knows me. Please, we have to try to save her,” Fauztin pleaded to the Vampire, hoping he would show sympathy, however slim the chance may be.

“There is a chance… The Lycans have somehow found a way to shift form during the daylight, perhaps there’s a way that one could learn to stay as a human during the night. There might be a way to restrain the calling of the moon and keep the transformation under control, but we’d still have to capture her without getting ourselves killed! No doubt the pack knows of your feelings for her after witnessing your mercy the other night. Was this what you were upset about?” responded the Vampire. He assumed correctly, analyzing Fauztin’s reactions and facial expressions as he went on with his plan.

“Maybe it is possible… But we’ll have to work on it as we go along, we don’t have time to waste,” Fauztin replied eagerly. Perhaps there is a chance to save Talia! Maybe there is a way to train her to control the transformation. 'Don’t worry, Talia… I’m coming for you…' He thought to himself.

Alexander became skeptical of Fauztin. He feared that his striving to save Talia would jeopardize their goal, and that his love for the wolf-girl would be clouded and misguided. He knew that Fauztin’s mind was as sharp as his blade, and his combat skills were invaluable in comparison. He knew however that should he falter in doing what needed to be done, they would surely perish. He could not battle a clan of werewolves with a companion such as this. Alexander pondered what to do about the situation, finally deciding to try to deal with Talia himself when the matter became an issue, and tell Fauztin to battle the pack leader as he fought the other wolves.

Fauztin knew that Alexander was having doubts, that much was clear. Another uncanny trick he picked up was being able to ‘read’ others’ thoughts and feelings. He could tell that Alexander wanted to kill Talia and be done with it, but was trying to find another way where there could be peace between the two of them. He pondered how they could get away with such a task as well, battling the pack, its leader, capturing Talia, and controlling her the whole way.

“What’s your power? I’m aware that most Vampires have minor abilities, but you never told me yours. I assume it’s some sort of location ability, but you never specified,” Fauztin questioned the Vampire, carefully trying to find options for the fight ahead.

“I am able to locate the general direction or spot in which an individual is. For instance, if I were to ask myself where the king of Scotland was, I would feel a tingling in the back of my head pointing in the direction he was. A more general sense of the power is to limit the range drastically, but feel an all-around presence around me and my companions, feeling any incoming threat or beings nearby. It’s not combat based, but he comes in handy form time to time. It’s how I found you, after all. Yes, you’re quite well known in the underground,” Alexander explained calmly. Fauztin was surprised that he was sought out specifically by the Vampire. He assumed he was only witnessed fighting the Lycans and taken as a companion: ‘My enemy’s enemy is my friend.’

“I didn’t know it worked like that. Maybe it could help us in finding the pack leader and Talia so we can get her out of harm’s way. The last thing we need is to have her in the middle of the fight where anyone could get hurt,” Fauztin thought cautiously. He didn’t want to offend his new companion by putting his power to use in locating Talia in the pack rather than their main goal, but he wasn’t going to give up on his love that easily. He would do anything to save her, even if it meant losing his life to do so, but he would free her of this curse one way or another.

“Perhaps… It might be better to undertake guerrilla tactics, hit and run attacks whittling their numbers down so as not to take on the entire force of the Lycans at once. If I were to locate Talia during the fight, we could be sure only to attack sights on the other side of the pack where she would be out of danger from the battle,” Alexander reassured the man smoothly. It seemed like he knew exactly what to say so as not to anger Fauztin or frighten him as to the most likely outcome for Talia. Alexander knew that Talia was most likely a dead woman walking, but he still had hope for her as well. His views of life were different than most Vampires, almost as if he were a shepherd looking over its flock. He considered life sacred, and believed it should be defended, hence his hatred for Lycans of all the creatures of the night.

Fauztin could tell that Alexander was only trying to help, and thanked him profusely for at least trying to find another way to avoid killing Talia. He knew that Alexander was different than all other Vampires that he’d met, but he couldn’t place how he felt about him. Alexander almost seemed like a long lost brother to him in a way, though this was impossible as he was an only child, and Alexander was over a century old.

The two companions finally arrived at another outpost of the human-Lycans, and prepared to ambush the men with their enhanced strength. Humans even without their beast form were still incredibly strong, but were no match for a Vampire and a trained Lycan hunter. They quickly made short work of them, dropping from above, driving their blades into the enemies’ throats form behind. Slowly but surely, they were weakening the pack with every battle.

Fauztin quickly cleaned his blades, as he sensed more Lycans approaching from the west. Alexander was alerted as well, but from the east. “I do believe we have quite the complicated predicament,” the Vampire said professionally. He suddenly jumped into the trees above, leaving Fauztin alone. The human quickly darted into one of the tents of the deceased human-Lycans, waiting for the Lycan patrol to pass.

They stopped at the camp site, seeing the corpses, and one of them caught Fauztin’s scent, ripping through the tent, only to find a short sword waiting for him. Fauztin plunged it into the beast’s skull, instantly slaying him, and pulled out two knives, throwing them at the closest adversary, killing another. He saw six more Lycans running towards him, and just as they were about to shred him to pieces, Alexander dropped from above slicing the closest Lycan in half with his blade and shredded into another with his claws and fangs.

Fauztin drew his long sword and parried the slashes and swipes, rolling under the massive beast’s legs, climbing onto its back, and rudely snapping its neck swiftly. He then tossed the limp body into the next, taking his sword and impaling the downed beast through the chest, pinning it to the ground, but still it lived. Alexander accurately threw his sword into the wolf’s throat, silencing its howls of pain. Fauztin stood his ground as another of the beasts overcame him, and wrestled with the monstrosity on the ground for what seemed like an eternity of an even match. He would have to wait for Alexander to finish the other two before he could receive assistance.

Alexander quickly dodged an incoming attack from one of the monsters, having the swipe attack its brother that snuck up behind him. He vaulted over the beasts head, shoving it into the other, pushing them both off balance. He then plunged his sword into the leathery hide of the Lycan, piercing its skin and shoving through into the other beast. He twisted the blade, and finally jerked the serrated blade out of the wolves tearing their entrails across the dirt.

Alexander jumped on top of the beast above Fauztin as it was about to take a chunk of his neck, holding its massive arms back, leaving an opening for Fauztin to finish the deed. The human quickly reached for a blade on him leather armor, only to find that all his blades had been shaken off during the wrestle in the dirt. He reached the blade at Alexander’s belt, sliding it out of its sheath and plunged it into the beast’s heart, being careful not to penetrate too far, as not to harm his companion.

“Thanks for covering me. I got a little worried when you hadn’t shown until the last moment,” Fauztin said with a wide grin.

“I’m a Vampire, it’s what I do,” he replied with an equally wide grin, his elongated canine showing for dramatic effect. “Are you injured? You did well against the Lycan, not many can equal a beast’s brute strength like that, especially when wrestling so violently and unevenly. Had you it stood its ground and not tackled you, you would have won on your feet. Are you hurt?” the Vampire complemented and questioned him.

“Just a few scratches and bruises, but I didn’t do too badly. Thanks again,” Fauztin replied, feeling as if he had just received a genuine compliment from the dark creature. He was beginning to become rather fond of the ‘man.’ In the past days that they’d spent together, he was becoming more and more attached, it seemed. He felt closer to him than he had ever felt to any companion before, even the human ones. This was the first Vampire he had ever actually trusted. Perhaps one day, I might join him in the Dark Gift…' He thought to himself.

Dusk approached as the pair traveled on. Alexander kept his senses sharp for Talia’s presence, knowing which direction the rest of the pack laid in wait. “I wonder… If the Lycans can take shape during the day, perhaps they’re even more powerful at night than they were before. It should make this interesting,” he suggested to his human companion.

Fauztin had the same worry, but was only concerned about Talia. She was his only priority, and he had sworn to rescue her. He was grateful to Alexander for showing such sympathy and obliging with his plan, though it increased their risk a great deal. They planned to sneak in during the night and assassinate the Lycans one by one until discovered and would fight to the death. They deduced that the pack was the largest they’ve ever come across, that there must be at least fifty Lycans in the den. Basing their assumptions on the patrol and surrounding camps of Lycans keeping guard, they figured the pack must have been enormous.

Fauztin had no fear of the Lycans – only hatred and the sensation of revenge for hurting him and the ones he cared for. Alexander shared his lack of fear for the savage beasts, though he had no quarrel with them related to his loved ones. He simply wanted to rid the Earth of such a foul beast that had no respect for human life, or the life of any other creature of the night, for that matter. It was the same reason that Alexander desired many of his own kind dead.

Fauztin and the Vampire discussed at great length the history of his people. Alexander told him of the Vampires he’d met over the years, vicious monstrosities obsessed with killing, kind and compassionate animal feeders who preserved human life as he did, and even Vampires straight down the middle who only wished to get by through ‘life,’ doing only what was necessary to survive. He told Fauztin of the few allies he’d made over the decades, suggesting that perhaps after finishing their goal, they could track down a few of his old friends. There was a great scare across the world known as the Black Plague.

All Vampires were frightened of the plague. They were even frightened enough to the point of hesitating to feed upon humans, fearing that they could be infected. Though Vampires themselves were immune to the plague, the plagued blood from humans directly injected into their own bloodstream from feeding often caused insanity and bloodthirsty ravaging. Alexander and his allies were dedicated to stopping this terrible epidemic, and strove for a cure. Before Alexander joined the hunt after the Lycans, he used to be a doctor, he told Fauztin. He told the human of many human doctors which were turned in order to preserve them so as to keep the healers alive, but Alexander was already one with the night before the plague.

Alexander decided he would assist these humans in finding a cure, as he and many others viewed this as the equivalent of protecting a flock from a pack of wolves. A particular ally of his, Fireraven Hollowheart, helped turn the doctors that showed signs of infection, helping in any way he could. “He was a Vampire of many respects,” he explained. “Fireraven helped many men survive through the plague in order to save others. It’s a wonder how he’s stayed sane all these years. He’s the oldest Vampire that I know of, and he has become quite a legend in the underground news.

“Fireraven Hollowheart is one of five unique Vampires, almost as if they were in their own order, of a sort. They call themselves The Fire Civilized Vampires, and although there are many civilized ones, none of them are nearly as old and wise as these five. They are a Cabal to our people, in a way. Leaders of the peaceful ones, if you will. The more uncivilized ones… Well, we don’t need to go into that right now,” he told, going in depth of his leaders’ history.

“Maybe once we’re done here, we could travel to the last place he was at and try to help in any way we can. The reason I’ve stayed on the outskirts for so long was to avoid the plague, and I’ve been hoping I needn’t go back. But perhaps this Fireraven Hollowheart will have some of the answers I seek about Talia. If anyone will know how to control Talia’s transformations, I’m sure it will be these Five that you speak of,” Fauztin said in return. He eagerly visualized what this ancient Vampire must be like, witnessing centuries of war, chaos; it IS a wonder indeed how he’s remained to stay sane all these years, he thought to himself.

“I sense someone coming,” Alexander reported quickly, tensing his muscles and crouching in a stance to attack. He then relaxed and smiled widely. “Well, well, well. Hello, Solstice. It’s good to see you again. What brings you out here?” he called into the woods ahead of him.

“You know, this and that, the usual,” a light enchanting voice replied from the darkness. A short woman suddenly emerged from the woods into the clearing, a simple smile displayed across her face. She was gorgeous, beautiful to the naked eye. She had an enchanting scent that made Fauztin dizzy in the head, making it difficult to grasp the reality around him. He leaned back against a tree to steady himself as he tried to focus on the being known as Solstice, as she looked at him hard.

“I didn’t know you traveled with humans these days, old Alexander,” she said with a twist of her smile, accenting the word ‘human’ with a slight drawl to her voice. It was clear she wasn’t a fan of Fauztin, but he didn’t care. He was only concerned with staying conscious at the moment.

“Oh, I do apologize. Let me make it easier for you,” she said sincerely, realizing what was happening to him, and suddenly the fogginess vanished, making everything clear again. He took a long hard stare at the woman, and Alexander introduced the two.

“Solstice, this is my newfound companion, Fauztin. He’s quite talented, I’ve been watching him fight these Lycans that we’ve been after lately. He’s rather good at, you know,” Alexander complimented as he introduced Fauztin to the Vampire.

“Fauztin, this is Solstice. An old acquaintance of mine form a few decades ago that I rather enjoy the company of. I’m sure there’s a reason you’ve been looking for us, is there not?” Alexander asked without hesitation.

“There is, actually… Fireraven sent me for you. We’re in trouble. Something’s happened,” she chanced a glance at Fauztin, making it clear that she wished to say no more in front of the human, feeling uncomfortable around a being she wasn’t familiar with.

“Fireraven… Is he alright? It’s been ages since I’ve seen him, why now?” Alexander asked again.

“We’ll discuss it later. Everything will be clear soon. You may bring the human if you like, but if he slows me down, I’m leaving him behind,” she declared, not taking her eyes off of Alexander once.

Fauztin had a small suspicion that Alexander had feelings for Solstice, the way he spoke to her. It almost seemed like they used to be an item, but events that were bound to occur caused them to drift. He had a flash of sympathy, but then suddenly realized that this Solstice person intended to leave right then and there. “Hold on a minute,” he interrupted, “Alexander, we have to finish this. We’re so close, we can’t leave now, we may never have another chance at this…” he pleaded.

“Very well, Solstice, we’ll go with you, but we have to finish something here first. Will you join us? We’re hunting a pack of Lycans, but it gets a little more complicated. We could use your help, it’s quite larger than any other pack I’ve seen before,” Alexander questioned the new Vampire. “A friend of his was turned recently, and we’re trying to find a way to save her. We were thinking that Fireraven might have some answers for us of how to control her,” he explained.

“I don’t like it… But if it’s the only thing that will get you to come then so be it. Let’s get this over with soon, he’s expecting me back within a couple days,” she grunted with irritation. Alexander was a little shocked to hear this.

“You’re more involved with him I see. You’re not one to stick around others for long. Why now?” he pondered. Fauztin sensed a little jealousy in his voice, but couldn’t be certain.

“The plague has brought many Vampires together. Many of us are working together to be done with this damned blight. It’s killing off humanity, our food source. We can’t afford this many deaths in the world, especially with more Vampires being born all the time, without many dying. If you think about in retrospect, this is going downhill for everyone. Even for the Lycans. Without humans for them to feed on, they’ll start hunting us, you know…” she explained angrily.

Suddenly it all made sense to Fauztin. The Black Plague wasn’t just a dire situation for mortals. It was horrific for all the creatures of the Earth, even the ones of the underworld. He could only imagine the devastation that was to come…

The party with its newest member trekked out at daybreak for the Lycans’ den. Solstice’s power was revealed to be a delusion of sorts. She explained his fogginess and misconception of his surroundings by showing Fauztin that she could cloud the minds of surrounding beings. He thought to himself that this power would come in handy in the fight to come, especially since she learned to control who it affected when not in a general sense.

The three of them traveled quickly, lightly running through the forest to their destination. They were prepared for the battle ahead of them, Fauztin with his blades at the ready, Alexander with his sword, claws, and fangs, and Solstice with her agile quickness and mental power of confusion. They suddenly emerged from the woods into another clearing, and leaped into combat. There were a total of a dozen beast-Lycans on patrol and guarding the area, with another eighteen human-Lycans with their weapons unsheathed, rushing forward at a charge.

With the element of surprise at hand, Fauztin quickly sliced two humans, killing them on the spot. He then immediately attacked a beast, throwing a blade into its torso, stunning it long enough to jump above its head, piercing its skull with his blade. Alexander threw his sword into one of the beasts, penetrating its skin, killing it and pinning it to a tree. He quickly threw himself on top of another nearby Lycan, shredding its throat from the body, and tossed the corpse at a human-Lycan, crushing his spine under the massive weight.

Solstice began to attack, drawing Fauztin’s attention, as he was curious as to her fighting style. She threw up her arms, and her enemies nearby slowly began to stop, all in a daze of the hypnotic scent that he experienced the night before. A few of the humans fell over, unconscious, but the beasts remained still. Alexander took this opportunity and killed another two of the beasts, while Fauztin took two short swords and slashed the necks of another two. Solstice then smashed in the heads of three downed human-Lycans, so as not to be attacked when he spell wore off. She kept three of the beasts and half a dozen of the humans petrified during the battle after this beginning onslaught, leaving a half dozen human-Lycans and three of the gigantic monsters still at liberty to attack.

Alexander quickly went back-to-back, defending each others’ sides from the oncoming swipes and slashes. Fauztin quickly parried the attacks of two of the humans, countering one and killing him. Alexander kicked a leg sweep from underneath one of the beasts, drawing his blade and piercing its throat, following up with a quick jump into the air, smashing his knee into another of the animal’s jaw, shattering it instantly. Fauztin took a deep slash form the side as he was slowly overwhelmed by enemies, and Alexander leaped over him to rush to his aid, quickly snapping the neck of one adversary and tearing a second in two as Fauztin quickly sliced the stomach of an attacking beast, spilling its innards over the grass.

The last three conscious humans were so terrified that they may as well have been under Solstice’s spell, as they couldn’t find the will to move. The newest member of their party quickly swooped in for the kill, wishing for some of the fight, sinking her fangs into the back of one of the men’s necks, side sweeping another, having him land flat on his back where she pummeled his fragile body with the heel of her foot and slashing her razor sharp nails into the side of the last human’s head, shredding the skin as if it were paper.

One of the beasts and three of the Lycans in human form awoke from their sleep, and realized what had become of their brethren. The Lycan suddenly tore into a rage and charged the Vampires responsible for the deaths, as the three human-Lycans suddenly transformed before their eyes so smoothly, it was almost as if they were made of water. Suddenly the four beasts attacked, knocking Solstice into a nearby tree, enraging her and distracting her focus. She snarled viciously and tore into her foes with a hatred for the beasts that not even Alexander and Fauztin could match. “Perhaps she has her own reasons for hating them as much as I, but that is an issue for another time, Fauztin thought to himself.

She quickly made short work of the four animals, but during that time, she lost control of the remaining three humans and two Lycans, and as they began to take Lycan form as well, they suddenly had a pair of Lycans on each of the fighters. Solstice attempted to put them under a shroud of confliction against each other, but could not focus long enough before one or the other of the beasts against her took another swipe at her. Alexander killed one of the Lycans attacking him with ease, but was swiped across his head, sending him tumbling into the trees knocked unconscious. Fauztin pulled a knife from his boot and threw it at one of the beasts, sinking into its eye and penetrating the brain, killing it instantaneously. The other leaped onto him and threw him against a tree, strangling him and snarling in his face. He took the last blade hanging from his armor and plunged it into the beasts hide, and feeling the Lycan loosen its grip on him, he assumed it was dead.

Solstice kicked one of the Lycans in the abdomen, sending it flying at Fauztin, crushing him against the tree again. “Sorry! I forgot about your strength,” she apologized quickly, but as she did so, the Lycan overcame her and tore at her viciously. The beast’s claws ripped into Solstice’s flesh, but suddenly another beast appeared and tackled Solstice’s enemy to the ground. Her savior, the second Lycan, tore into the first monster and destroyed it quickly. It then slowly approached Solstice, and licked her wounds clean.

Suddenly from the edge of the clearing, Fauztin heard Alexander shout, “Fauztin! Behind you!” but he was too late, having felt the giant jaws clenching into his shoulder, piercing his flesh and injecting the werewolf venom into his body. He pulled the knife and stuck it behind him into the beast that he thought he killed, jerking so as to make sure that the deed was done this time…

“Fauztin…” Solstice slowly said. She looked down, hesitant of what to do. She looked at Alexander, and they shared a hard long stare. “You know it has to be done. He can’t afford to be turned, not only will he be a burden to us, but he’ll be a danger. No less, he’ll become exactly what he’s hunted for years, becoming what he hates,” she stated harshly.

“No, there is a way,” Alexander said slowly. “But he has to make the decision. Fauztin, you told me of your parents, that you born of a Vampire father and a Lycan mother. If this does not work, then you will surely die, as the two venoms cannot mix without killing its host. But perhaps with your bloodline, it could work. You could have been born a hybrid,” he explained hastily.

“That’s only a myth, Alexander, you should know better than that,” she snapped at him.

“But it’s his only chance. Fauztin, do you want me to bestow the Dark Gift upon you or not? Only you can accept, and it may be your only chance of survival. It could negate the affect, or it could even enhance your abilities, but the affects are unknown. As Solstice said, it’s only been a part of myth and legend before…” he said again, pressuring him to take the supposed cure.

“Just do it. I’d rather die anyways than to become what I’ve hated for so long,” he then looked at the wolf that came to Solstice’s rescue, knowing instantly that it had to be Talia. “I love you, Talia. I hope you can understand me,” he said one last time before allowing Alexander to reach down for his neck.

“This is the one we were after? What of the pack leader?” she questioned the wolf. “He must be nearby.” She hastily went in search in the nearby woods, giving her old friend and new companion time to complete the turning.

“I apologize. I had to do it the fast way. It won’t take three days… But it will hurt like hell. We’ll know by midnight tonight. Just six hours, you can pull through, I know it,” Alexander said reassuringly.

Suddenly Fauztin felt the pain of the werewolf venom along with the burning crimson hot flame-like feel of the vampiric venom mix together in his blood system. The last thing he could remember before passing out from the pain was watching Talia transform back to her human state, looking her in the eyes and mouthing the words “I love you.”

He suddenly awoke with a million questions. “Where am I? What’s going on? What happened?” but realized that nothing could escape his lips. Fauztin realized that he was still asleep, but was conscious of the fact. He was able to think as if he were awake, but still get the necessary rest required of his body. A sharp buzzing noise pierced his ears, causing him to flare open his eyes and spring form the ground. He suddenly lunged at a tree, swiping it with his fist, shattering it to splinters before he knew it. He spun around, bewildered by his massive strength, only to find his companions’ heads slowly turning towards him, though not in a motion of shock or awe. He then realized that his senses were sharper, and he only perceived their turning in slow motion.

Fauztin looked to the shattered tree stump, searching for the buzzing noise, and pin-pointed the location of the noise from a tiny mosquito buzzing its wings. His senses of hearing and sight had multiplied by the hundreds, as a million sensations overwhelmed his body flooding his mind with information, noises, feelings, motions, momentum in the air, voices. The stale taste of blood hovering in the air from the recent battle and everything that was possible to be sensed came crashing down upon his new fragile mind forcing him into submission, forcing him to collapse to the ground.

Alexander rushed to his friend’s aid, Fauztin seeing it in slow motion, only to be plummeted into the air by the new born hybrid, suddenly unleashing his anger into the air. He had never sensed such power before. The feel of his strength, the sensation of his speed, his senses sharpened; he thought himself a God for a fraction of an instant, but even in that fraction was a long enough moment for him to process a thousand thoughts at once. After a moment of taking this in, a thought occurred to him; he was the only of his kind. He was alone… And a lifetime of information flashed through his mind, having him realize what it is like to be the last of your race – The only one of your race… It was a sensation almost as terrible as feeling your own death as it washes over the feeble mind of a being, a being that realizes it’s death is occurring; a death that lasted an eternity, in that tiny fraction of a second.

He spread his legs, bent his knees, extended his arms and bent his elbows into a raging stance of battle, and let loose a bloodthirsty roar of rage and anguish as he felt all the tragedy that could have ever happened to a mortal and the tragedies of all his ancestors before him. He felt the rush of memories from his parents: their meeting, their battling, their love, their mating… Their death. He suddenly realized so many facts of life that no other being had conceived to his knowledge.

The cry he let loose into the woods had blown everything within a five foot radius straight back from him, leaving the grass around him as a crop circle. His companions were flown into nearby trees, sent into shock form the awesome power that had been unleashed before their eyes. They slowly approached the new creature that was Fauztin, attempting to calm him, but he suddenly enraged, growing in size, his facial features almost taking those of a Lycan, but not quite extending to the full length, his skin darkened, opposing the whitened Vampire skin myth. His muscles bulged from every part of his body, his strength and power multiplying by the second. He finally finished his transformation, still resembling a humanoid, but that of which has a few canine traits following his facial features and bone structure. He was as agile as a Vampire, able to out-maneuver almost any being, as well as the brute strength of the Lycans, having had both follow him in his path of darkness into the underworld of the supernatural.

Fauztin let loose another blood curdling blast from his vocals and tried to suppress his rage. He fought against his own conscience, battling back the beast that was being unleashed upon the world of the living. The real Fauztin finally overtook the mental fight and returned to his regular form, slamming to the ground on all fours breathing hard.

As his companions tried to help him up, he shied them away with one arm, warning them to stay back. He didn’t trust himself yet to not hurt them by accident.

“F… Fauztin? Is that you? You came for me… You saved me…” and he recognized the voice to be that of his beloved Talia. As her voice came to his ears, he rushed to her, embracing her tightly and pressed his lips to her.

“Of course. I would never let anything happen to you… I’m just sorry I couldn’t stop this from happening…” he said he lovingly, but sullenly at the same time, pointing to the scar of the Lycan bite on her arm. “You are my angel… I love you Talia, and I’m never going to let you go again,” he said to her one final time before embracing her in a passionate kiss once again.

He had finally gotten her back, and suddenly realized that the Lycan leader was still out there. He thought over it more, but realized that he was long gone by now. There would come a time for him another day. In his present however, he had agreed to accompany Solstice to the central parts of Europe, to find this Fireraven Hollowheart. The plague must be stopped, and they must help in whatever way they could. This was far more important than a simple Lycan clan leader…

Alexander and Talia managed to calm the beast before them. Fauztin had become something that no one anticipated. Alexander figured that the two venoms would cancel each other out. Solstice assumed that a contradiction of the two poisons would instantly kill him, just as it had in the past with other humans in attempts to create a hybrid class to gain the upper hand in the war against Lycans. Talia simply had no idea what was happening, so she didn’t think anything was going to happen at all.

As she lay against the shattered tree stump with Fauztin, they held each other lovingly, savoring every moment with each in the moment’s peace. Solstice and Alexander drifted off to the side to talk privately, unaware of the extent of their companion’s heightened senses.

“What do you think? He’s not too dangerous to keep with us, is he? He’s shown that he can control the transformation; maybe it’s a sign that with a little time –,” Alexander started, but was suddenly cut off by Solstice.

“Time is the one thing that we don't have. Fireraven told us to be there ASAP! That means NOW!” she whispered in a suppressed screech. “We cannot afford to bring this new-born monstrosity along with us –,” but she was cut off as well.

“Perhaps you didn’t about the consequences of such a beast being unleashed upon the world unobserved. What do you think would happen if he suddenly lost control and attacked a village? They would be slaughtered –,” but again she interrupted him.

“The very same could happen to us!” she hissed in return. “Fauztin is now a danger to the world, but we can’t afford to be delayed any more than we already –,” she responded, being cut off by Fauztin.

“Or perhaps I can help you get there faster. You know that I’m quicker than you both; I could easily carry you all there on foot faster than us all racing to the finish line. Even Talia in her beast form couldn’t outrun me. You have no idea what I’m capable of, not even I know, but I do know that I’m more powerful than the both of you combined. I’m going with, or we’re not going at all. The plague must be dealt with, and I will take part in this,” he said matter-of-factly, like he was stating this as if it were already decided.

“It appears this pup doesn’t know his place,” Solstice spat at him.

“It appears this pup could kick your ass, because unless you forgot, this pup is half vampire as well. I far surpass any mortal, and only the ancients would be a match for me now,” he mocked her in return.

“Fine… We leave at sunset. Try to keep up,” she gave in, finally accepting that Fauztin was mostly in control at this point. She was accustomed to doing things her way, she was a loner. She’d have to cope with not being in charge this time however, because she knew he was right – he could kick her ass if it came down to it…

As the sun fell down below the horizon, the party of four made their way north through the forest. Fauztin finally had a chance to test his capabilities. He instantly rushed ahead of the others, leaving them a trail a mile ahead of them in a matter of seconds. He finally fell back, letting the others catch up to him. He felt the power rushing through him, the force of his nature pulsing through his veins. He loved what he had become.

Talia had finally accepted her fate as a Lycan, but her undying love for Fauztin remained unchanged. She had many thoughts about what this hybrid race and her own were capable of doing together, as she had wanted for so long to be his significant other. She had doubts now about marriage, especially a family, though she didn’t give up hope, as she now knew the past of his parents, hoping the same case would apply for them.

Alexander and Solstice kept in pace with each other, keeping to themselves. Fauztin could hear every word they spoke however, so privacy was pointless. He realized they were discussing their past. Alexander was deeply in love with Solstice, but Solstice had rejected him so many times, after so many attempts of expressing her love back to him. She had to remain a loner, she said. It was her nature. Alexander gave up and finally reigned back in with the group, leaving Solstice to herself.

Fauztin knew better than to bring it up, but gave him a sympathetic look, acknowledging that he understood the conflict. He decided not to argue with the female Vampire any more, as it might split his friend down the middle, and he did not wish to lose his companion.

By the time the sun rose, the party had reached a city a few miles before the grounds known by so many as The Outskirts; the lands that didn’t belong to nations or kings, the ones for bandits and creatures of the underworld. They approached the land and slowed their pace. Fauztin and Talia resumed their natural forms, desiring to fit in with the population.

They began to make their way to the central part of the city, avoiding the blockaded areas of the plagued streets. It was utter chaos, Fauztin thought to himself. He never realized that the plague had run down the world so badly, he only heard of it as a rumor. No one ever had a permanent settlement in the outskirts, so the plague never had a chance to spread widely enough to make it an epidemic. He now fully understood its fatality.

Talia wept as they walked the streets, witnessing the corpse carts and volunteers with bandannas over their mouths wheel around the town. So many dead humans had landed on the carts that they overflowed with bones and rotting carcasses. It was a wonder how the volunteers weren’t dead from the exposure.

Alexander recognized his wonder, and spoke to him, “They’re Vampires; weak ones, but creatures that are immune to the plague all the same. Many of our kind rush to aid the humans in curing this blight upon the Earth. The good and the bad; some to preserve humanity, some to save their livestock; their food,” he explained calmly. It made sense to Fauztin, and he imagined all the creatures of the night working as one against the common enemy – all except the Lycans. He couldn’t sense any of their kind aside from Talia, once he realized what he needed to look for in his senses.

“Not all the Lycans are immune to the plague. They aren’t immortal as we are…” he explained again, glancing at Talia, but not looking away quickly enough to avoid her gaze. She nudged closer to Fauztin, and he held her in one of his arms away from the streets, letting her sink into his side under his arm.

Solstice remained quiet almost the entire journey after running through the woods. It was clear that the conversation with Alexander had hurt her almost as much as it had hurt him. Fauztin sighed depressingly, wishing them the best, but repeatedly telling himself not to get involved, as it would only worsen matters, especially considering Solstice’s hate for Fauztin.

As the four of them traveled through the city, a man walked up to Alexander slipping him a folded note and floating away as if nothing happened. Alexander quickly unfolded the parchment scanning it quickly. He sharply looked up and exclaimed, “He’s here! Fireraven came here to meet us!” Overjoyed, he bolted for the northern-most part of town, urging the others to follow. He arrived outside of a tavern looking building, and he was about to walk inside when the doors and windows blasted open.

People dove through them almost as if an explosion blew the building apart. People were fleeing the building as if… as if the plague itself lived inside. Alexander and Solstice knew that it was almost exactly the case. They walked inside, urging Fauztin to follow, but warned Talia that she might want to stay out, for risk of catching the plague. She followed regardless however, not wanting to leave Fauztin’s side.

They saw a middle-aged looking man at the far end staring over a corpse with a black puddle surrounded its head. The body was covered with bulbous spots, looking as if they were about to burst. Some of the blisters already had, adding to growing puddle of blood. This was a victim of the plague. The bodies face was distorted, tortured in the pain it felt just before the death it experienced.

“Hello Alexander… It’s good to see you again, though I wish it were on better terms. You know the problem. The plague is getting out of hand, and we need to help find a way to cure it. The doctors are too afraid to catch the plague themselves. As you saw, they dove through the windows to avoid the blood as the man died. Only a few select know what I am. I have been considering a tactic that will aid us greatly, but it’s risky. I’ve called a meeting of my most trusted acquaintances. We will discuss it at great length this evening. And you will introduce this… unique individual… I can sense that you’re not human, but neither a Vampire, nor a Lycan like the woman. And Solstice, always a pleasure,” the tall figure said to the group as they walked in. He addressed Alexander as old friends from childhood would, and Fauztin knew that this figure was a friend. Whether he would stay one after learning what he was remained a mystery.

“Fireraven, we must speak alone for a moment. There is something you should know…” Alexander told the tall figure gravely. The man looked at Alexander with an arched eyebrow and nodded his head, curious as to what he believed was so urgent to come before the crisis at hand: the plague literally right outside their doorstep.

They moved to the far end of the room and Alexander whispered ever so softly, quiet enough so that he couldn’t even hear himself speaking the words, but sure that Fireraven would be able to hear. He didn’t want Fauztin hearing what he had to say because whatever he told Fireraven had to be of the utmost honesty and truth. He was the spear tip of their plans and decided near everything. Known only to Solstice and Alexander of this small group, he was the leader of the Five Civilized Vampires, a very influential group of Vampires that had much control over what happened in the world.

He spoke to Fireraven urgently, trying to describe their tale without leaving a single detail out of line. He tried to describe the transformation of Fauztin the previous evening and informed him of his ancestry. Fireraven stared at the hybrid with fascination, wondering what powers it possessed. “He could be a great ally to us, you know…” Alexander finished.

“I understand the situation perfectly, Alexander. Thank you for informing me of the news,” replied the confident Vampire. He then walked over to Fauztin, taller than him by only a few inches, and spoke, “It is my great pleasure to welcome a new race of the supernatural into our world. There has never been a hybrid cross between Lycan and Vampire before in our history. Only in myths and legend, but it was simply that. We will of course need to inform the counsel of this later, but with my help, I believe everything will go smoothly. If I’m not mistaken, you’re immune to the plague. The Lycans are not, and they still battle us. You could be of great help to us,” he proposed the offer to Fauztin, hoping that he accepted, wanting to study him more.

Fireraven seemed absolutely fascinated by the creature before him, studying Fauztin’s every movement, and constantly asking him questions of what he felt when he first transformed. “What was it like? What did you experience? How did it feel? What went through your mind when it happened?” The questions were endless and never ceased even as the sun set. Their conversation led well into the night, as Fauztin attempted to describe the sensations he felt, the presences of the senses overwhelming him. The pain and anger he felt, the anguish of so much loss. The feel of death…

“Yes, I anticipated as much… You felt so many of these feelings all at once because Lycans and Vampires experience complete opposite sensations when the curse takes hold of its victim. You see, when a Vampire is turned, they are feeling death, the anguish of their life ending, but having the sensations of power flowing through you. And Lycans, so I’m told, feel the rush of energy immediately, growing to their beast form and feeling the power. They also experience the sudden anger and hate towards the world much faster than a Vampire would develop these feelings for humanity. This is what separates Vampires from the beasts. We are not the savage beasts that mindlessly feed upon human flesh, with the exception of your pretty little friend here. She somehow found the will to battle the hunger,” he expertly explained to Fauztin and Talia as they went on during the night exchanging information.

Fauztin sensed a shiver run down Talia’s spine as she remember the horrible things she witnessed, the things she was forced to do by the other wolves. He held her close and comforted her, letting her know that everything was alright. Fauztin pulled up a clean blanket guaranteed not to be infected by the plague from the corner of the room reserved for doctors and draped it around her shoulders. “Maybe you should get some rest. It’s been a long day. I’ll wake you before we go to the meeting,” he told her calmly, and she nodded in response.

Talia slowly stepped into the room with bunk beds for the doctors and began to sleep softly. Fauztin put out the candle light and closed the door so as not to wake her with the ongoing conversation with Fireraven. He was so persistent about the descriptions and sensations that Fauztin felt. He wondered if his abilities exceeded most of his own kind’s and trumped the Lycans’ strength as well.

There was a sudden crash outside the building in the streets followed by a scream, “Oh my God! The beasts are back!” Fireraven vaulted from his seat and dove straight into the door, forming into a gaseous state and sliding through the cracks of the door. He sprinted towards the noise, but was too late. Fauztin quickly followed in suite, except instead of sliding through a door, he dove through a window and made his transformation in mid air.

The two powerful beings split up looking for the cause of the ruckus, but to no avail. They met together at an intersection in the center of town, both befuddled. “She yelled about the wolves. I thought you said that Lycans couldn’t set foot here?” Fauztin blurted out when they were in private again.

“I didn’t say they were incapable, I said they weren’t immune. What happens to a Lycan when they’re infected by the plague is much worse than the fate of an infected human. A Lycan’s natural state of mind is ruthlessness and aggressive, but that of an infected beast is a state of insanity. No control what so ever of their actions, and no recollection of what occurs. It was at that point that I, the other Civilized Vampires, and those who follow under us decided to take action against these vile creatures and blight upon the Earth. Something has to be done, and it has to be done soon, lest it consume humanity, depriving us all of a food source and natural life to sustain the balance with,” Fireraven announced extensively, detailing on the affects of the plague on Lycans compared to the signs of an infected human.

“And what of the Lycans that have been attacking? What has the Five been doing about them? More important, why are they attacking? This affects all of us, they’re only hurting themselves,” Fauztin replied giving his new friend a quizzical look.

“It’s like I said, the Lycans have no sense or control over their actions after infection, and they’re simply turned into mindless shells with a desire to kill. They don’t realize that they’re depleting their own food,” he responded matter of factly. “ The Five have already begun making plans, but we intend to discuss the issue more in depth at tonight’s meeting,” finishing his explanations for the night, he slipped off back into the shadows of the streets and returned to the building and attempted to relax his mind.

Fauztin was deep in thought of what he had been told during the night and could not take his mind off of the new information. The only thing that stuck out more in his mind than the Lycans was the fear of Talia contracting the plague and having the horrible fate bestowed upon her. Suddenly an idea came to him, but he kept it to himself for the time being, as his solution would have to wait, and now was definitely not the time for the way he wanted it to work.

Fauztin also began to think over his companions. Alexander being able to sense other beings, Solstice with her ‘cloud minds’ power, and now Fireraven being able to turn into alternate substances, all had unique abilities of their own. No one seemed to know if Talia possessed any talents of her own, but he began to wonder if it was a trait only Vampires possessed, and if he was able to access that power from his bloodline. He remembered the burst of kinetic energy he expanded around him during his first transformation, wondering if he could control things around him.

He focused his thoughts on a picture above the doorway, trying to tilt it with his mind, but to no avail. He then tried to pick something up with his mind, but all his efforts were in vain. No matter what he tried to do to tap into his ability, nothing seemed to be working. He finally remembered what he was feeling during the first transformation: a burst of hatred toward the world and a desire for destruction. He began to think of the Lycan pack that turned Talia, turned him and of the pack that killed his parents so long ago. The rage in his mind caused a force around his clenched fists that pushed away anything that got too near, but could not control it.

The hybrid snuck out the back of the building and retreated to a secluded field where he could learn about his body. He forced himself to transform into his hybrid form, elongated facial features, bones, and strength, with the vampiric senses, hardened skin, and agility. Once he finished, he began to think of his power again, and felt a sudden burst of force explode from his clenched fist. Realizing he could aim this attack, he out stretched his arm to a nearby tree and felt a pulse of energy flow through him and shatter the log. Fauztin pulled in his energy and focused on keeping the force compressed in a sphere, releasing it at once, lowing back everything around him, just as he did when he first transformed. It appeared that with practice, Fauztin could begin to seriously use his new ability when the time called for it, though only when in his hybrid form.

The hunter heard half a dozen howls from the opposite side of town ring through the night, and he dashed his way to the beasts, hoping he wasn’t too late to save their intended meal. By the time he arrived, he saw Alexander leading Solstice and Fireraven to an intersection in the street near the infected Lycans.

Solstice pulled her hands together and pushed her coma-like state onto one of the beasts’ conscious, forcing its mind to submit under the strain and falling unconscious. She then jumped above the second and tore its head off with her bare hands. Fireraven evaporated before Fauztin’s very eyes, leaving two of the wolves stumbling where he once stood, reappearing behind them with his blades drawn, driving them into the backs of his enemies’ necks.

Fauztin extended his left arm, palm facing out and a surge of energy pulsed through his limb directly into the chest of a charging Lycan, throwing it across the street, crashing through a brick wall. The beast of two races then side sweep kicked the last remaining Lycan in the head, slamming it to the ground, and he began to shred the beast to pieces before he could control what he was doing. The instincts of the Lycan in him took over and he began to tear into his enemy once more, not caring about his horrified audience.

Alexander quickly finished off the coma-induced Lycan and rushed to Fauztin’s side, trying to pull him away from the kill but unable to budge him. Fireraven clenched his arm and threw him upwards against the building trying to get his attention and control him. Fauztin crouched against the side of the wall, holding onto the holes in the wall with his hand, holding himself up appearing as if gravity was not a factor in his world.

He let out a fearsome roar, blasting a sonic wave forth sending his comrades, with the exception of Fireraven who stood his ground the entire time, back ten feet. Fauztin forced himself to return to his normal state and after rethinking the course of the battle, he remembered shouting at the group after the last kill. He looked down at his dirtied hands formed into claws, realizing that not only could he push and repulse things with his mind, but send his enemies back with a devastating roar.

Behind him he heard a noise in the crashed building where the Lycan had landed before. Alexander quickly pulled his knife out and slit the beast’s throat before it could do any damage. His friends remembered all too well what happened the last time they left something alive by accident, glancing at the carnage Fauztin left behind after their most recent battle.

A long and extended howl sounded through the midnight air. That’s the howl of a Lycan pack leader, Fauztin thought to himself. “Watch out guys, there’s going to be more this time. That was a pack leader…” he warned to Alexander and Solstice, assuming that in all his years, Fireraven was well aware of the danger.

Almost immediately after finishing his sentence, two dozen Lycans leaped from the shadow at them, Alexander barely ready for three of the beasts next to him, sensing them just before they struck. Fauztin let loose a mighty blast from his vocals, sending three of the Lycans flying across the street, one impaling it’s torso upon a post. Solstice faltered back a step, throwing her cloud of mist into her enemies, though in their numbers, only able to slow them down. Fireraven skillfully dodged all the attacks of the incoming blows, and rushing to Solstice’s aid, he quickly dropped three of the beasts before they took four steps.

Fauztin grabbed the closest Lycan near him as it vaulted toward him, tore its arm from its socket and used it as a club to bash in the following monster’s skull, killing it instantly. Fauztin then picked up the rest of the body and flung it into the last Lycan rushing toward him, pushing it against the ground, long enough for him to pounce on his prey and shred his enemy’s throat with his steel-tight jaws and iron-hard teeth.

Alexander sliced two of his own Lycans before they arrived to him, sensing their approach. He parried the constant swipes and slashes, attempting a counter every now and then, but unable to get a hit in. Solstice then focused her cloud mind on one specific Lycan to force him into thinking his brethren were the enemies, causing two of them to tear each other to pieces. She finished killing the final two Lycans near her with a burning passion of hate for the beasts for catching her off guard.

Fireraven continued to dodge and evade the incoming attacks coming his way, leaving all six Lycans against him and two against Alexander, when suddenly a barrage of arrows flew from the rooftop into the unit of wolves. The party looked up into the illuminated sky from the moon and stars and saw the outline of a dozen hooded figures with crossbows.

“Hello, Garus. Took you long enough to bring the night militia,” Fireraven greeted the hooded man in front of the group. “I thought you would have been here at least half way through the fight,” he mocked him jokingly, and Fauztin observed the smirk across the human’s face as he took the berating. “Let’s get out of the cold, you must be freezing.”

“Thanks, Fireraven, but we’re good in the barracks. It’s clean, it’s Lycan-free, and everyone gets a full search for signs of the plague before entering,” the man responded in a casual joking manner. “Almost like a fortress, if you ask me. You may be safe outside, but we’re not immortals like you. We need to keep moving, but I’ll see you at the meeting. Don’ get into too much trouble,” he smirked back at the Vampire again.

“That was Garus, one of the few select humans that know about us. We’ve been separating most of the citizens into their own section of the city, but for the most part we’ve just been telling them that it’s a bunch of bandit camps raiding the town for loot, and that’s what the fighting in the night is about,” Fireraven explained once again. Fauztin was having trouble keeping up with everything that went on in the small city. It wasn’t too much, but it was just the aspect itself about running an organized location that made it difficult for him. He was too accustomed to independent tasks that only called on your personal skills.

“We set up a night militia trained how to kill the Lycans and occasional rogue Vampire. They’ve come in handy now and again, but they’re mainly just a distraction,” he went on, without an ounce of caring tone in his voice. Fauztin was a fraction from disgust, but decided not to make an issue of it. Fireraven had his own agenda, and he had no quarrel with him as long as he didn’t hurt humanity.

“Guys, something is very, very wrong… I sense… I sense the opposite of nothing. It’s everything… Everything at once… The Lycans… They’re everywhere! The attack was just a –” Alexander started, but was suddenly cut off as Lycans filled the street and began to ravage everything in sight. Fireraven grabbed Solstice and Alexander each with one arm and bolted for the fields to the west as Fauztin quickly transformed back into his hybrid form.

He turned to the oncoming horde of beasts, took his fighting stance, and let loose a blood curdling roar that pushed back a dozen Lycans into the crowd, tumbling them over each other, causing enough of a delay for the four of them to lead the beasts away from the humans. Fauztin jumped into the air and turned and blasted once with each hand at the crowd one last time before bolting ahead with Fireraven for good measure.

He then suddenly remembered that Talia was still inside the city, and he could definitely tell that these Lycans were infected. There was no way that he was going to lose her again, so he turned once more into the face of the opposing clan that charged at him, determined to save his beloved from this evil.

He charged forward, spread his legs and outstretched his arms, bent his knees and elbows and bellowed a howl directly into the animals, sending a force straight through them. He took the opportunity and sprinted through the opening, focusing his energy into a sphere, expanding and releasing it exploding the area around him with a force that sent the Lycans flying once more before he was through the crowd and well on his way to Talia before the Lycans had time to catch him. Now the hard part was getting back out…

The alleys behind the streets were narrow and hard to maneuver in. Fauztin rushed past turns and exits as he sprinted back to the building in which Talia rested. He could hear the footsteps of the Lycans behind him, bounding after him. The chase was on, and Fauztin was greatly outnumbered, and obviously unable to take them all on at once, he attempted only to outrun them.

Fauztin emerged from the alleyway onto the main road and leaped up onto the rooftops of the town. A crowd of Lycans followed in suit, as another tried to flank him from the west. He kicked off the balls of his toes leaping above the heads of the Lycans, barely avoiding their gnashing teeth. One adversary clawed at his foot, scraping it, leaving him limping and bleeding the rest of the way. He was now ahead of the entire pack of wolves in the town, feeling the rumbling in the ground beneath him.

Alexander spun around, realizing that Fauztin was no longer beside him and stared off into the distance watching his encounter. He was about to lend aid to his ally, but Fireraven put a hand on his shoulder saying, “Wait a moment – watch what happens…” and kept him still. Alexander’s jaw dropped at the cruelty of Fireraven’s desire to observe the new being, but understood his motives. If he was quick and strong enough to outdo an entire Lycan pack, he would indeed be a great asset in the wars to come.

Talia awoke from the noise outside the buildings, and looking outside, she saw the fight that took place. Fauztin pulled out knives concealed in his armor and sliced through his enemies like paper, only some of them regenerating as fast as he could attack. Fauztin realized that they were of a specific lineage, designed to heal much faster than the other Lycans. These wolves were direct descendants from the original Lycans. He jumped into the air and quickly spun his legs around, smashing his feet into two of the beasts’ skulls, shattering the bones and instantly killing them, the only efficient way of destroying the descendants.

He grasped the muzzle of a Lycan leaping at toward him in mid air, ripped off the lower part of its jaw and flung it at another Lycan, the teeth sinking into the attacker’s skull. Fauztin pulled back into a fighter’s stance, bending his elbows and knees once more, spreading his legs and extending his arms and let loose another roar, blasting all of his enemies twenty feet away from him with a sonic wave, some falling from the rooftop to their death.

Talia watched in horror at the monstrosity that he love had become in battle, only to realize that she was no less brutal, accepting that she too was a creature of the night. She focused her mind and began to grow into one of the very beasts that Fauztin put down before her eyes. Her face began to extend just it did when she was first bitten, her bones elongating and exterior hardening into a natural armor. Talia’s legs shifted from an upright position into flanks at her sides, behind her into powerful limbs that could kick through a solid wall. She suddenly sprouted a glossy white coat of fur, and howled into the air, acknowledging the existence of the beast within her.

Fauztin, distracted by the howl from Talia’s location, turned his head and was attacked again by three more of the foul dogs. One bared its teeth at the hybrid, only to be met with its prey’s arm as a chew toy. Fauztin threw up his arm as a shield to prevent any damage to his vitals, and with the other, he punched a hole straight through the animal’s body. He threw the corpse onto another of the beasts, throwing it off balance, sweep-kicked it, and finally straddled its course neck and sliced it through with a blade. The third Lycan jumped onto his back, tearing into him, slashing and shredding his armor and hardened skin, attempting to avenge his fallen brothers. Fauztin flexed his arms outward, and with a kinetic burst, threw the beast off the building, falling to the street and its death.

Talia, once finished with her transformation, sprinted with her enhanced senses and abilities to Fauztin wanting nothing more than to fight beside him. She knew that they could not seriously threaten him, but she none the less wanted to be near him. She attacked the closest beast to her, and the Lycan, confused and bewildered at the sudden betrayal of a fellow wolf, realized the hybrid’s goal. Before Talia finished her first kill of the night, it howled into the air, giving off a message to its clan informing them of Talia’s existence. Talia, being one of the wolves herself understood its meaning, and bolted toward Alexander and the others.

“Talia! No! Don’t run away, they’ll swarm you!” Alexander cried out as he watched her rush toward him in fear.

At the sound of the howl, Fauztin abandoned the fight he was in and rushed to her in a frenzy he had not yet tapped. He shredded through a beast standing in his way and leaped over the corpse in one fluid motion, not slowing by a millisecond. He had almost reached her when a massive Lycan bounded out from the alley below, catching Talia in mid-stride, and bolted away before his very eyes.

Fireraven decided it was a good time to step in at that moment. He rushed forward, mounting the massive monstrosity, and kicked it in the throat, causing it to collapse and drop Talia. Alexander and Solstice rushed forward to take Talia away from the mayhem just as Fauztin appeared.

Fireraven and Fauztin both attacked the gigantic wolf at once, but to their great surprise, the beast matched their strength and agility with amazing speed of its own. It rushed behind them, kicking Fauztin through a stone wall and locked limbs with Fireraven, unable to best him. Fauztin quickly recovered from his stun and jumped forward to aid his new ally, but the wolf seeing that it was out-matched, retreated with the rest of his clan to live and fight another day.

Alexander collected a quick census of the survivors of the assault on the city, and gasped at the losses of human life, along with the weaker Vampires that stayed behind to help defend. A single tear fell from his face as he spoke, “Almost all of them… Gone… If this keeps up, there won’t be anyone left to save from this damned plague…” his voice cracked as he delivered the ominous information. “Fauztin –” he interjected, “– that was William McCloud. The one I informed you of when we first encountered each other in the outskirts. He’s the leader of the giant pack of wolves that’s been terrorizing the towns as he’s made his way here. This was the mission I was sent on by Fireraven before meeting up with you,” he informed, explaining to Fauztin that there were many issues being handled at the present moment.

“Yes, this is true. I asked Alexander to hunt the Lycans as they retreated from the last few major assaults. It was mere coincidence that he came across you and Talia, but I’m glad that he did. You are quite amazing in combat, my friend; and Talia, for a newborn of the night, you’re reserved enough not to go into a frenzy at the first sign of combat and lose control. That is a very rare and significant trait among immortals,” Fireraven interjected as Alexander told the truth of his excursions outside the main cities.

“Solstice and I have been working together for quite some time, and I asked her to find and bring him to me, as we needed all the help we could in defending this town, and thankfully we found you as well,” he continued. “William McCloud isn’t just a Lycan that’s been organizing the wolves into assaults and sieges; McCloud has been infected by the plague, and he’s become obsessed with the hunt and the kill. He simply loves the bloodshed now. The thing I fear most is that all of his bloodline may be genetically infected, meaning that any of the Vampires infected by them could turn out disastrous. Vampires are immune to the Lycan curse of course, and immune to the plague, but if they were to be bitten by an infected Lycan, it doesn’t turn out well…” he trailed off, eyes becoming misty recollecting a memory he was not fond of possessing.

“I’ll be glad to help in any way that I can… But William hasn’t just been terrorizing, he’s been turning and recruiting for the last several months,” replied Fauztin. “I’ve been hunting his clan for some time now, and they haven’t killed nearly as many humans as they have been in the past, only turning. I’ve noticed them getting stronger, and being able to heal faster, but I thought it was a coincidence,” he finished with realization.

“The wolves that are able to heal much faster are direct descendants from the original Lycans. Infected descendants would be almost as powerful as you or myself. I believe that McCloud is one of these descendants, naturally stronger than other Lycans that we’ve encountered, and infected above all else,” Fireraven concluded gravely. “For now, we should get back to our fort and rest. The council will meet soon.” He bounded across the roads and returned to the cabin where Talia stayed and the rest of the group followed him, their guard up in case more wolves attacked.

“Your sensory is more advanced than I originally thought. Can you tell if that human we met earlier lived through the attack? Garus, I think his name was. The captain of the town militia that Fireraven spoke of,” Fauztin asked Alexander when they were alone in the building. He was instantly fond of the man when he had been introduced, though that might have had something to do with the fact that he had introduced himself by saving his friend’s life.

“Yes, Garus survived the attack, though I can’t say the same for the rest of his men. Three quarters of the militia that was active died. He and one other are the only survivors from the patrol we saw earlier. He is a good man, reliable and trustworthy. He’d make a sore Vampire, however; too good-hearted,” he replied with a slight smile.

The next day, Fireraven and Alexander showed Fauztin around the town, letting him become accustomed to the streets and the layout of the defenses set up. It seemed to Fauztin as though most of the civilians were evacuated and most of the remaining residents were fighters. “Fireraven… Please be honest with me – all of these people know exactly who and what we are, don’t they? I haven’t seen a single civilian since we got here. Militia, Vampire volunteers, and no one seemed to be shocked about the carnage that took place last night…” he suddenly brought up without warning.

“To be honest, yes, you’re right. We took all the people out of the town and converted this town into our front lines defense against the Lycans and also to turn back the infected and plagued in order to preserve the rest of the community and keep it sanitized,” Fireraven explained bluntly. He showed no pity for those who were victims to the plague or Lycans, only interest in having those who were alive to stay that way. Fauztin couldn’t help but thinking again that he was a shepherd keeping his stock away from the fox.

Meanwhile Solstice and Talia Trained Privately:

Later that afternoon, Fireraven led Alexander and Fauztin to the council meeting. The meeting was to take place in a building near the town square where Fauztin ruthlessly fought the infected Lycans the night before. Fireraven strode through the crowd of assorted Vampires and human militia gathered to hear the news from last night’s ambush with Alexander and Fauztin flanking him from behind.

Solstice decided that she would not stand idly in the crowd with the others awaiting the answers she already had. She decided that she was going to take Talia out and teach her how to properly fight. Talia took her gesture as a good intention, though Solstice secretly wanted to examine her newest companion’s fighting style and better understand the Lycans and what they were teaching their newest recruits. She wanted to test how a Lycan’s physiology would react with a Vampire fighting style.

They began sparring gently with each other, testing each others’ abilities and style. Solstice had must experience in dealing with Lycans and could have easily bested this newborn pup, but she decided to continue her game a while longer. They compared their speed, deflecting blows in combat, and agility in evading incoming attacks swiftly, dazzling the eyes of various animals observing the fight appearing only as wisps of mass dashing through the wind, only to briefly reappear before vanishing once more to continue.

Solstice decided it was time to test her cloud minds ability on the Lycan, and realized that it was not affecting her nearly as badly as it should be. Talia was only in a conscious stupor, barely stunned, but enough so to be easily bested by the most inexperienced of Vampires. She wondered how this was possible, realizing suddenly that Talia was the very first civilized Lycan that she had ever met. Assuming that this had a certain influence on her ability, she pressed further into Talia’s mind and found the key to countering this defense. She tapped into the primal instinct of her Lycan mind and found the mindless aggression that was so easily clouded. It occurred to her that perhaps all civilized Lycans after Talia could also have a certain resistance to her power.

At this point, Solstice then decided that this was no longer teaching Talia how to improve her battle performance, but training for herself as well, enhancing her mental ability by practicing on her new target. She exercised the mist through the premises, befuddling the many animals that gathered to witness the mystery before them, and completely stunning Talia and putting her into an unconscious state where she was completely vulnerable. She tried to keep this level of power active for as long as possible, truly training her gift for the first time for as long as she could remember.

Solstice, being the self-preserving being that she was, kept all of this new found information to herself, realizing that it would someday come in handy, being the only one able to subdue civilized Lycans. She assumed that Talia’s resistance to the mist would be similar to many other abilities that Vampires possessed, and not be affected as much as many would wish.

Talia during all this however, was completely oblivious to Solstice’s observations and attempt at learning more about herself. She believed her initial request to go to a private location and train properly for a battle. Her good heart could not allow her to suspect a companion to be deceitful in any way, and never thought that she could be gathering information. The unsuspecting girl was sadly mistaken, and had no idea what Solstice had in mind for her should the situation ever arise where she needed be put down, for Solstice had no problem in putting another Lycan “out of its miser” when the power of cloud minds could easily subdue her well enough to be restrained.

The Vampire and Lycan sparred for another hour or so, trying to pass time as the council met with Fauztin and informed him on the situation at hand. Solstice herself was actually on the council, but was given a short suspension from the meetings for the rest of the month as she had recently lost her temper and slain another Vampire lending his assistance to their cause. The runt insulted her indirectly, meaning no harm and without a word of warning, she tore his head off and torched his corpse without a second thought.

The council told her that her behavior was unacceptable and ruled that she take a leave of absence until she realized that a place on the council demanded that she accept a certain responsibility. Solstice had come to terms with the fact that she had an anger problem, but made no attempt to control it in any way, shape, or form. She embraced what she had become many years ago and aspired to be all that she could be. She was a creature of the night, and power went to her head easily, giving her the impression that she could make decisions for others as well.

At the slightest sign of undermining her authority, insult, or challenge, she became instantly determined to put her newest enemy in their place. Solstice had a great reputation with the Vampire council and society, which was the only reason why she wasn’t punished further. Her victim was a loner who drifted into town, newly informed of the dire situation, and did not have many allies. Solstice was not in danger of hunters looking for revenge, so the council merely saw fit to suspend her.

As she was temporarily outcasted, Fireraven confronted her as she was about to leave the city and asked her to become his companion for a short while. Since then, she had assisted him in tasks needed being done and was eventually instructed to locate Alexander and deliver the orders of his return. It was nearly time for her place on the council to be renewed, though she had no opinion on the matter anymore and didn’t particularly look forward to her return. ‘I hate having to put up with these windbags ranting on and on about the Lycans. I don’t see why we don’t just hunt them down and exterminate them. Why am I even here? This is a waste of time,’ was one of many thoughts she processed during a meeting shortly after initially organizing the city as the front line defense. One of The Civilized Five Vampires sensed this thought, exercising his ability to read minds about a topic that was being discussed. She was berated for her insolence, but kept on the council for some reason. As she remembered the memories, it occurred to her that Fireraven had been putting in a good word for her all along.

She noticed early on that Fireraven had taken a liking to her. She knew that Fireraven was greater and more powerful than most of the others that took place in the related events, and befriended him – or at least became as close a friend to him as she had ever been to anyone before. The only exception to her boundaries about friendship and relationships was Alexander, and she felt a brief moment of pain as she remembered the horrible things she said to him to make him realize that she needed him gone, for his and her own well-being.

Alexander was the only Vampire that she had ever truly been close with, and had been the only being in existence that she had shared intimacy with. Through her travels after meeting him, she always seemed to bump into him from time to time, almost always doubting the coincidence. She knew very well of the power Alexander possessed, but never brought the matter up to him that she suspected he was following her. Several times the two had traveled together for a short while after meeting up, only to ditch Alexander at sunrise exactly one week later.

Solstice always seemed to fall for his charisma and charm, though she had dedicated herself to never get involved with him again, as it would tear the last shred of her heart that remained to pieces. Solstice truly did love Alexander, and that was the exact reason why she could not bear to be around him. He brought the true essence of her personality out along with her sensitivity, and she absolutely refused to show her compassionate side, remembering her promise to embrace the curse that had befall her so many years ago.

Lost in thought, she let her guard down and Talia slammed directly into Solstice’s organs that would have been vital had she been human. Solstice was tackled to the ground and felt the claws of the Lycan beast against her throat, feeling the entirety of the beast’s weight pinning her to the ground. Talia shifted back to her human form and addressed her with a wide smile, “Finally, I got you!” she exclaimed with glee, obviously intending for it be good humored. She paused as she looked upon the sudden face of rage that replaced Solstice’s solid facet of solitude and mystery.

Talia had never seen Solstice angry before, let along seeing any Vampire in its enraged state. Solstice had taken the highest offense as Talia bested her, catching her off guard and emerging victorious for the round. A great feeling of fear swarmed through Talia’s thoughts as she imagined what Solstice might do to her should she lose her temper, and after witnessing the battle at the Lycan den where she was rescued, she dared not provoke the snarling figure before her.

Solstice’s eyes burned bright red as her memories were interrupted, her reliving past experiences corrupted by a mere pup. She turned on Talia and was about to strike as she suddenly remembered the fierce creature that Fauztin emerged into as he was turned. ‘Harming her would surely turn him on me and I would be at fault, still being on probation,’ she thought to herself. She quickly calmed herself, her eyes returning to their normal iridescent green.

“I apologize, I lost my temper for a moment,” she told Talia as she quickly regained her composure. “I didn’t mean to snap at you just now. My memories were interrupted, though I suppose that’s no fault of yours, as I shouldn’t have distracted myself in the middle of a battle,” she continued. As the words escaped her lips, she realized that they were true, not just a charming shield of words to hide her intentions. She had lost sight of the matter at hand and allowed herself to be attacked without seeing it coming. Solstice was somewhat mentally stunned as she had suddenly caught herself off guard in her reasoning and began to fume about the matter further in a fashion she much preferred: blaming Talia for it and not admitting that it was her own fault.

Talia hesitantly inched toward Solstice, extending a hand. “So, no hard feelings, right? It was just a lucky hit, a fluke. Either that or your fighting skills are starting to rub off on me,” she responded with a wink, gaining her confidence back, assuming that her ‘friend’ truly meant that she wasn’t upset. Talia turned her back to Solstice and retreated back to her side of the clearing where the two had sparred for the majority of the day. They both looked at the sun and realized that most of the daylight hours had passed. The council would be finished with their meeting at sunset and they agreed that they would return to the town square to hear the next wave of orders.

Solstice suspected that Fauztin was being offered a seat on the council for many reasons. For one, she knew that he had hunted Lycans for the majority of his life and would be a useful asset in the campaign against their kind. Her second reason for suspecting this was that he was completely unique. To the knowledge of every civilized Vampire in their organization and every Vampire or other supernatural creature any of them had encountered in their years, none of them had ever met a hybrid mix between a Vampire and a Lycan. She had to admit to herself that Fauztin was unique, and could be valuable, but she was disgusted with her last idea of why he might be on the council: she thought that the other council members were in favor of removing her from their ranks and promoting him to take her place.

Though she thought the situation over many times and made it clear to her mind that she was never fond of the council, nor the idea of organizing other Vampires into a small army, she still felt a pang of betrayal in being considered for replacement, especially by something that was part Lycan. She despised many of the members of the board and cursed Fauztin’s bloodline secretly as she secretly plotted besting him and publicly embarrassing him, causing him to become less popular among the rest of the residents. She figured that if she publicly announced that he was lovers with a Lycan, many of her own kind, the best of the creatures of the night, would side against him and demand his removal from their presence, or better yet, demand his death.

Solstice plotted many different plans against Fauztin, focusing on discrediting him as much as possible when it occurred to her that it would most benefit her if she were to boost her own influence among others above the likability of Fauztin in their eyes. She was certain that then would she not only prevent being replaced by him, but avoid being undermined by him socially. Although she didn’t care for being a part of the council, she still valued their opinions of the Vampires highly. She was determined to be valued and well respected throughout the Vampire society. She would not allow this half-breed to become more important than she in the eyes of the council.

Meanwhile Fireraven, Alexander, and Fauztin Hold Council:

As Fireraven, Fauztin, and Alexander slid fluidly through the crowd to the town hall where the rest of the council resided, Fauztin sensed Talia remove herself from the crowd and travel in the opposite direction. He shot a look at Alexander, his eyes asking him where she was going acknowledging his friend’s ability, and Alexander whispered to him that she and Solstice planned to leave the city and train in the woods just outside the walls in case of another attack. Fauztin wasn’t sure how he felt about Talia preparing for a battle, feeling an inward sense of protectiveness. He had an unrelenting feeling like he had to constantly defend her.

Fauztin was extremely tentative about his beloved traveling alone with Solstice, as he was at fully aware of how quickly her mood could change from good-hearted to a vicious frenzy in an instant. He decided that Solstice would probably behave herself, as she had only just returned to the town from her mission and he knew that Talia was at least somewhat capable of defending herself. He pushed the worry aside and decided that he wouldn’t fret about it. He knew that Solstice wouldn’t be so dull as to pull something as stupid as attacking his love. ‘She would know… Wouldn’t she? Obviously it would make me attack her, and she couldn’t want a civil war in her own town, would she?’ Fauztin thought to himself, suddenly worried again.

Fireraven spoke to Fauztin as they reached the steps of the building before them, interrupting his thoughts, “Here we are. The council is just inside, and as soon as we enter, just follow me and take a seat beside me. Alexander, you will substitute for Solstice’s place this meeting. She has been temporarily suspended from the council’s meetings for the time being,” he instructed. Fireraven obviously didn’t want a bad impression to be the first in the eyes of the Vampires running the show at the front lines, and he had many plans in store for Fauztin, but he needed him to cooperate and hoped to whatever God he suspected might be listening that he would.

“Is that why you requested me? I’m just filling in for her?” Alexander asked Fireraven as soon as he finished telling the two what to do. He didn’t have a moral issue against taking Solstice’s place on the council, but he had to admit to himself that it would feel awkward sitting in her stead, having an input on the men and women Vampires that he fought beside. He silently chuckled to himself at the thought of giving himself orders to prepare for a Lycan assault. ‘I’m my own boss,’ he thought, smiling and puzzling his companions next to him.

“Yes. She’s been suspended until the next meeting, and until then you will take her place and relay the words and orders of our leaders until further notice, or so we have agreed upon. And what, may I ask is so amusing, Alexander? Perhaps you’d like to share?” Fireraven responded curtly, obviously not wanting to dwell on the topic too long and delay the group of awaiting Vampires and important human figures.

“I just… It’s nothing, I just thought of something that was funny,” he replied quickly, a hint of nervousness in his voice. Fauztin could tell that Alexander was anxious, as he had never been in the presence of the council before. For some reason, he surprisingly kept his composure and wasn’t nervous about a single thing that could go wrong during the discussion. Fauztin thought about what the others might decide to do to him, ordering their army upon him for possessing the blood of their enemy within his veins. He considered the possibility of being executed for being the result of a Vampire and a Lycan mating, being the spawn of two separate demons of the night.

Fauztin’s worst conceivable idea for punishment for crimes that he had not done was the thought of having his precious Talia ordered to death, especially considering the fact that she had been led off by Solstice to be alone in the woods. Fauztin tensed for the first time as he thought that they could possibly order Talia to be murdered, and his only worries remained there. The rest of his senses were directed at the beings behind the massive door that the trio were approaching.

Fireraven slipped into a gaseous form, just as he did the night before and slid through the cracks of the door, making an extravagant and dramatic entrance. He told Fauztin that he would do this to add his amount of influence over the others and promote his say in the matter. Fauztin had begun to respect Fireraven a great deal, as he was greatly accustomed to politics and understood manipulation and persuasion so well. He also admired his experience in the field and his stories of wars and battles from ages past.

Fauztin was secretly envious of the memories that Fireraven possessed, despite the fact that he assured the hybrid that his curse of ancient life was one of agony, and not a wondrous history book where all the good parts could be easily found. When Fireraven met Fauztin, he told him many things of his past, including experiences of his creation, a brutal fate cast upon him by a defeated God after an epic battle. Fireraven was despised by the God, and in his last action, he cursed Fireraven and a few select others with the curse of eternal agony and doomed them to endure all the miseries of life.

For a few moments, Fauztin felt pity for the powerful being before him forgetting that he could quite literally destroy a mountain with his mind. The half-breed remembered that his great power counterbalanced the curse bestowed upon his newest ally, and refusing to be persuaded otherwise, adamantly stayed by his initial assumption that eternal life was bliss and paradise.

Alexander pushed forward, opening the doors and addressed the council formally, “Good afternoon, my lords. It is an honor to be a part of this council for this meeting and I hope that I fulfill your expectations sufficiently.” Once he was finished thanking the council for allowing him the opportunity to take part in the campaign, Fauztin entered the room and there was suddenly dead silence. Fauztin felt the eyes of every single member in the room analyze his body up and down, dead to toe, scanning his mentality and anatomy to see how different he was.

Fauztin didn’t know what they expected him to be, but he certainly didn’t expect them to be so entranced by his presence for such a long time. He wondered if he had done something wrong when a full minute passed without a breath escaping, save the human leaders that took part among The Civilized Five and other major coven leaders. He thought to himself that they might be waiting for him to introduce himself, just as he heard Fireraven’s mumbling through the thick door and Alexander’s speech when he entered.

“As you all know, my name is Fauztin. I am a hybrid, a half-breed. I was not born this way, as to explain my growth and age appearance, but I am born from a Vampire male and a female Lycan. Orphaned at a young age, I dedicated myself to hunt the wolves and destroy them whenever I came across the foul creatures, and spent the majority of my existence battling the beasts. I recently met Alexander, and we accompanied each other hunting the Lycans. An acquaintance of mine, Talia, was turned by the Lycans, though she was able to keep her mentality when turned and is able to control her abilities. We encountered Solstice, the Vampire assigned to locate Alexander and we attempted an attack upon the Lycans’ den. I was bitten by a survivor from behind, and before the poison corrupted my body, Alexander injected the Vampire poison into my veins, countering the affect, causing me to mix, instead of have the effects negate all together,” Fauztin quickly briefed the council on his recent history and experiences with his newest companions as he directed his thoughts at the council members before him.

“I was turned into a hybrid and we continued on our way here, to this town after being informed by Solstice that Alexander was needed back home to help fight back against the Plague and the infected Lycans that were attacking the outposts,” he continued further, describing the message that Solstice delivered to them. “We recently arrived at the city and met with Fireraven, the one who sent Solstice to locate and retrieve Alexander and I was introduced. I believe that is why an emergency meeting was called,” Fauztin concluded his introduction with his reasoning hoping that the lords wouldn’t take offense.

“It is true, is it not, that this Talia you mentioned, still lives and accompanies you still? And not only that, but as your lover?” the Vampire with an aura of anger accused questioningly, suddenly angry at the fact that yet another Lycan lived. “The Lycans must be dealt with properly, putting them down in their tracks and returning their corpses to the Earth. The likes of the wolves must not be allowed to corrupt our plane of existence,” the Vampire continued, finishing his initial accusation against Talia.

Fauztin feared that some of the Vampire would attempt to discredit him by bringing up Talia and the fact that she was his companion. ‘Surely they would have sensed or at least smelled her scent when we arrived at the city,’ Fauztin thought to himself, slightly confused as to why the Vampire was only just now infuriated as opposed to when they first arrived.

“Talia is not like the other Lycans, she is able to –” Fauztin started, but was interrupted by another Vampire who stood up after his equal had finished his objections.

“Your precious Talia is no different than any other werewolf! She may be able to control the curse for now, but the primal instincts of the wolf inside her will break free eventually and she will need to be put down,” he interjected.

A young looking girl who gave off a light feeling aura, almost as if a great burden was lifted from the chest of anyone nearby, stood and vocalized her opinion just then, “Have either of you actually seen or even met this Lycan? I’m sure that Talia is safe to be around if she’s been a Lycan long enough to learn to control her transformation. She has been in our midst for two days now, and not a single incident has happened. None of our kind have been harmed, and no fights have started, in case you didn’t notice,” the slender girl retorted to the first two Vampires stating her opinion in a matter of fact tone.

The two Vampires sulked back into their seats, not being able to find the words to defend their case and point, however a fourth figure stood and Fauztin sensed him to be a human. Fauztin perked up his head and looked directly at the man that felt safe enough to act as an equal around so many creatures of the night. The man was six feet tall wearing a scruffy, black beard. He was clad in tight chain mail armor, leaving only his face exposed. Fauztin took the immediate assumption that he was not a lord, but one of the rare human warriors who had managed to best a Vampire in a battle and was accepted as one of their own, though leaving the choice of immortality up to him.

The human spoke aloud with a deep baritone voice that resonated throughout the hall and echoed slightly, bouncing off the walls, “I suggest we meet Talia before any action be taken against, for, or including her at all. It would be wise to fully understand the situation before making quick judgment.” Fauztin made eye contact with the man, closed his eyes, and bowed his head in thanks.

The man snapped his head towards Fauztin and snarled his nose replying to his gesture, “I do not forward this motion for your benefit, half-breed,” he growled, “I do it in the best interest of this council and all who it oversees. The Lycans are a dangerous foe and cannot be confronted without fair warning of what we’re up against. I merely wish to examine the female before casting my vote on the issue,” he finished, explaining his crude and more than mildly offensive behavior.

Alexander stepped in at that moment, attempting to defend Fauztin’s case concerning Talia, “While I accompanied Fauztin on his quest to save Talia, I learned much from him about the Lycan that I had not known before. Talia is an obvious ally to us, and it is now known that there is much to learn about our foes. It would be extremely wise to keep Talia as an ally. As a side note, after Solstice met up with us and we rescued Talia from the Lycan den, she willingly attacked the other den members while in the form of a Lycan, before she turned back to her human form a single time since being given the curse. Talia traveled with us the entire time to the town from the den and I never felt an ounce of threat from her; not to say that she wasn’t dangerous, but in the sense that she never wished us harm. My ability allowed me to sense if she ever felt hostility towards us, and she was as faithful as any of you or the next Vampire,” he proudly stated, proving much of Talia’s worth and innocence, despite her being one of their enemies.

“Well said, Alexander. I’m sorry I doubted you,” replied the first Vampire that spoke to Fauztin. It appeared that he had a change of heart, but Fauztin didn’t get his hopes up, as he had already been deceived by one being in the room, a human no less.

“I only speak the truth, my lord,” Alexander recited, mouthing the ancient words that so many men have used honorably for centuries.

“I spoke of my faith in you on this council, youngling, not of your speech. I value your input, though I still disagree. At first I did not believe you to be ready for a position here, though from your performance so far, I stand corrected. It appears you have matured much faster than expected, my child,” the tall dark Vampire announced proudly, complementing him publicly for all to acknowledge.

Alexander bowed his head, and Fauztin stood alone in the center of the room confused. He was led to believe that Alexander was turned by a Vampire from being a surviving casualty in a war somewhere on the outskirts beyond the more major cities. Alexander told him his story of how he was disgusted by the coven’s habits and ways, and how he fled, meeting Fireraven and being taken in and treated equally by all the others of his own kind. Then it dawned on Fauztin that perhaps Alexander had been ‘adopted’ by an older Vampire, to parallel the lessons that a blood mentor would teach his student, a novice he had personally turned. It appeared that that Vampire that demanded Talia’s death was that ‘adopted’ mentor of Alexander.

“I for one find it absolutely fascinating that a hybrid had been created! I mean, we’ve all heard the rumors, the stories, but all these ideas lay idle in myths and legends. ‘And so A Man Of Two Races would rise from the den and purge the Earth from the Plague…’” a small scrawny looking Vampire exclaimed. He seemed to be the type of person who would know much about many topics and be of great knowledge. “Perhaps this Fauztin is the ‘Man Of Two Races’ that the prophecy spoke of, and we’re meant to have him help us here, with the Black Plague!” exclaimed a whirly looking figure, a Vampire that seemed too small and appeared too weak to be much use in a fight, but sounded as though he was a historian of types.

“Oh, don’t bring that up again! Enough with that dumb-founded prophecy Juliart! None of it is real, you should know that by now; keep your mind focused on important matters such as how to cure the plague. If anyone can find a cure for it, you’d be one of the few. We can’t just get side tracked every time some coincidence happens,” smirked one of the Vampires from a back row, seeming unimportant. He retrieved a scrunched face from the brainy Vampire known as Juliart in an attempted snarl after eye contact sparked their mental conflict.

Fauztin wondered of what positions the council consisted of. There was Fireraven, who was obviously chosen because of his originality being one of the first ones, the young girl, who seemed to authority over many, most likely the creator of some of the older ones of the coven here, the two who opposed the idea of letting Talia live, who seemed to be two of those that the young slim Vampire woman might have turned, the knight, who bested a Vampire in a battle and proved his worth, and now this historian seeming character. Fauztin considered the idea that he might have been chosen for his brains, and he possessed great knowledge of the Olden Days, where Vampires ruled over many and where many myths and legends derived from.

He could not sense the ages of many of the members inside the hall, but easily guessed some of them, most correctly. Some remained a mystery throughout the entire meeting. Many debated and argued, and some even made a valid point now and again over some of the more serious matters. Fauztin waited patiently for approximately two hours until he burst out and asked, “Would anyone actually like me to show you the face of a hybrid? That’s one trait I carry similar to the Lycans: I have to change shape, just not nearly as drastically,” he blurted, interrupting an argument concerning which entrance should be guarded the most in case of another assault similar to the night before.

Fireraven then stood and spoke for the first time since introducing himself when he entered the court, “I think that’s a very good idea, Fauztin. Show them what you showed me last night, and perhaps then will they see your true potential. For now, I think we should exclude the roar and other powers for a later demonstration, personally,” he fluidly backed his comrade’s suggestion, charismatically persuading the rest of the Vampire and human members alike to agree. He swiftly pushed back many of the surrounding objects around Fauztin and gave him a hand signal implying that he was clear to demonstrate as he pleased.

Fauztin quickly told the observing council around him that Fireraven witnessed the fight the night before alongside him and that he had seen his transformation first hand. “I might not be able to contain the roar, though… It hurts a bit every time I do the transformation – that’s the bad part about only having a minor transformation. The whole thing doesn’t take place, so the restructure of bones grinding against each other hurts more than when they simply melt together and reshape, as a Lycan’s body does,” he carefully explained.

Fauztin spread his legs and extended his arms, just as he did the night before when the Lycans attacked the town. He took his fighter’s stance again, and focus his energy on becoming the beast that had taken his bloodstream for its own and reshaped it, turning him into something devastating; a mix between the two deadliest creatures of the night. He bent his elbows and forced his arms into weapon-like positions, and bent his knees, lowering himself to the ground and better preparing for an evasive leap, should an attack seek his body. Fauztin realized that the only times he could ever shift his body into the hybrid form was when he was prepared for a fight, or focused his thoughts on fighting when in a stance for it. He still had yet to learn to shape shift at whim, or at the very least at an increased speed. He was also unable to take the shape of his inner beast unless it was for the purpose of a fight or if the instincts in the back of his mind told him that one was inevitable. He was only able to do it when he needed to.

For some strange reason, he felt that sensation in the back of his mind at that very moment, a sensation that was an instinct telling him that a threat might be directed at him. He suddenly turned toward Fireraven and saw him flying towards him with a blade drawn pointed at him. Fauztin swiftly dodged the slice in the air and began to expand his size and mass. Fauztin was confused at first, but realized that Fireraven knew about this trick and was simply provoking him into turning into the form of the new creature of the night.

Flashes of memories coursed through Fauztin’s mind. He thought of every time he had combated a Lycan, every time he drew a blade, and every thought he conceived during his turning. All of these thoughts improved the rate at which he could take shape, improving his overall performance as a quick fighter.

Fauztin began to extend each part of his body individually, so as to pronounce each movement and allow the council to study his transformation. He slowly went through each step of the process while extravagantly showing off the body he possessed and was able to manipulate at his desire. Fauztin felt a mental snapping through his head as he attempted to suppress the roar that tried to escape his mighty lungs. Every transformation was excruciatingly painful, and drawing out the process was only hurting him more.

Most of the Vampires and other council members recognized the look of agony on his face, but said nothing to stop the demonstration. Other members of the council were completely entranced by the show before their eyes as Fauztin’s shape was enlarged, his muzzle sprouting forth from his face a short ways and watched as his skin noticeably hardened. His legs shifted to a shape where they would be better described as haunches, though the bone structure did not change nearly as a Lycan’s would have.

His chest expanded from arm to arm, broadening his shoulders and thickening his torso. Fauztin could feel his ribs growing in size and eventually the muscles bursting against his tight skin, expelling a look of wondrous strength. His fitness and muscle tone matches the rest of his body as the rest of his muscles began to enlarge, pressing against the bones and organs inside of him. The clothes and armor that clad to Fauztin during the transformation melded into his body, just as they had before and his entire body was visible by the beings in the room surrounding him.

Fauztin suddenly felt a thin layer of hair sprout from his figure, knowing that he was almost finished. The hair was nothing more than an extra layer of armor, as it was thin enough to appear invisible to the naked eye, though it was durable enough to soften a blow or even a blade’s cut. He felt his jaw expand a short distance and his teeth growing into a hard clamp, sharper and tougher than before. Finally he sensed his claws and nails becoming darker, strengthening and hardening before his eyes.

When Fauztin was complete with the show he had put on for the council members, four of them clapped lightly for him, almost as if they were judging him. Fauztin assumed that these four Vampires were the remaining members of The Civilized Five that Fireraven told him about, as they gave off extremely powerful auras.

Three of the Vampires were males, leaving the lone woman to herself on the end of their section in the seats. Two of the male Vampires that stood clapping were tall and dark haired. They looked very similar, though one of them had a long scar along the side of his face from a past battle. The other was quite plain-faced and showed no special signs that make someone look twice at him in a crowd. He seemed polite, and the one with the scar had a look about him that implied he often got what he wanted.

The last Vampire that sat next to the first two men wore a hood. Fauztin barely had a sight of his face, and all he could tell about this Vampire was that he was extremely uneasy about his watching him. Fauztin grew uncomfortable and turned his attention to the woman off by herself. She was extremely beautiful, gorgeous he had to admit, but knew that looks could be deceiving.

She smiled at the half-breed and applauded his ability with great enthusiasm, showing a genuine liking to the newest creature of darkness. Fauztin instantly began to like her and was slightly embarrassed by her presentation of how much she liked the performance, though when she did, many of the other Vampires, mainly females, had a sudden change of heart and were more sympathetic to Fauztin in his general case. It appeared that though she may be a loner in The Civilized Five, she still had great influence over the other council members.

Lastly, Fauztin turned to Fireraven, who shot him a wink when they made eye contact, apologizing for the sudden attack to get him started. Fauztin didn’t know how Fireraven knew about his limitations for when he could turn into the beast, but he didn’t intend to ask in front of everyone else and cause a scene, or at least more of a scene than he had just caused.

Fireraven spoke to the council precisely when an enormous chatter filled the room. “My brethren, please! Do not bicker amongst yourself. We have all seen how Fauztin can be a great ally to us now, and though I do not agree with this personally, I do think that it is in the best interest of the Vampire society here to investigate the case further to fully understand that Talia and Fauztin are on our side,” he said politically.

Just then Alexander chimed in after an extended silence, not giving input on several of the issues discussed, “To my knowledge, Solstice has taken Talia into the woods just outside the town wall to train her in private in case of another attack. I don’t think her intentions had anything to do with the council’s and just wanted to make sure she wasn’t fighting alongside a novice, but it will still give us a general idea of what to expect if we question her of what happened.” Many of the others agreed with him, and some stayed silent, but none opposed his suggestion.

The council meeting was called adjourned after his statement and everyone stood. As the humans and Vampires began to exit the room, Fauztin counted a total of eighteen council members, including Alexander and Fireraven. He sensed The Civilized Five exit, excusing themselves immediately, followed by the higher ranking Vampire lords, and then the higher respected middle class Vampires. Fauztin also sensed five humans among the creatures, leaders of the human groups allied with the covens, or powerful warriors with valuable input, such as the one her locked eyes with earlier, and Garus from the previous night.

Alexander was the last Vampire to take leave, aside from Fireraven, who stayed behind to converse with the hybrid. “Alexander performed better than I expected – he held his words and opinionated himself appropriately on important topics. I’m sure he’ll be the one assigned to question Solstice later tonight. As for you, I assume that they’ve already made up their minds, judging from the fact that most of them didn’t object to your presence, only Talia’s,” he informed him with a grave tone of voice.

The two of them exited the room into a hallway to witness three figures talking. The first two Vampires from the meeting that interrupted Fauztin were in a conversation with Alexander. “You did well in there, my son,” the first said proudly. “My brother Lucien and I have discussed entry of your first council meeting for some time. The Five have asked me to inform you of your promotion due to the last several successful missions. For the time being, you’ve been granted a temporary position on the council and are to attend the next meeting. In all honesty, part of this is due to the recent passing of Harlem, your predecessor,” he admitted without an ounce of grief in his voice.

The other Vampire, the second to interrupt Fauztin curing the meeting, and the apparent ‘brother’ of Alexander’s mentor, chimed in at that moment. “They also asked us to give you your next assignment, as easy as it may be. You are to go to Solstice and gather all the information regarding Talia that you can. She’s spent the day with her training outside the walls, so she’s bound to know something about her. You are also to inform her that her suspension has ended and that she is to attend the next meeting,” he concluded curtly, not wishing the conversation to drag on any longer than necessary.

Fireraven and Fauztin approached Alexander as the brothers drifted out the double doors towards the footsteps in front of the building. The rest of the council awaited their arrival before addressing the chattering crowd before them. “Congratulations, Alexander,” Fireraven said before turning to Fauztin. “Brace yourself – you may have been in public before, but now that you’re about to stand by the council, you’ll be damn near famous, and I assume many will be questioning you as I did the first night we met,” he warned him. Fauztin prepared a few blades at this news in case some were not as understanding as the council, though he doubted anything would happen.

As the three of them strode toward the light shining through the crack of the doors, they flew open at their approach. ‘No doubt one of the council members’ doing,’ Fauztin thought privately. The crowd immediately quieted as the last of the figures from the building took their position on the stage.

Fauztin scanned the area for Talia, looking for her distinct cute facial features and jet black hair. He sniffed the air and caught a faint whiff of her scent, though only strong enough to be a lingering affect of something she came into contact with. ‘Solstice must be in the crowd. Where could Talia be?’ he thought to himself again.

A woman from the council walked forward that Fauztin recognized as the only woman among The Civilized Five. Fauztin realized that the woman possessed near complete control over the town as the crowd and every council member tensed as she spoke. “The council has gathered and been informed with news of the utmost importance. There is a hybrid – a newborn creature of the night and the first of its kind has been created,” she announced.

Many gasps escaped the crowd and several vocalized their amazement while others showed anger. The woman raised a hand and all were still and silent, human and Vampire alike. As she did this, everyone above the crowd gathered around her froze as well. ‘The council was under her power as well?’ Fauztin pondered. He struggled to move his limbs but was unwillingly bound to where he stood. He focused on breaking free from this physical imprisonment, but to no avail. After a moment, his assumption was that her power was to block off one’s mind form the rest of the body, or perhaps to bend others to her will. He now understood why she held such influence.

“Fauztin is no enemy of ours, and he seeks the same goal,” she continued. “He will be a great asset amongst our ranks,” she finished, concluding her speech regarding his entrance into their world. “Another matter requires your knowledge on the subject, however: Fauztin travels with a Lycan companion, but trusts her with good reason!” she added, quickly and loudly accenting her last statement before objections arose from the crowd. “This Lycan, known as Talia, is similar to Fauztin, in a way. She as well is one of the first and few of her kind: a civilized Lycan,” she announced again, accenting the importance upon the last part of her statement in her tone, just as before.

Many people in the crowd relaxed immensely, others only quieting themselves, no longer objecting. Fauztin, not understanding, whispered to Alexander in curiosity, “What’s so special about civilized Lycans? I’ve never met one, but I don’t see what the big deal is.” He pondered the answer, wishing he was close enough to Fireraven to ask him.

“Finding a Lycan that can control itself and its actions is extremely rare. We’ve only found two before, though only one decided to ally itself with us. The other took off on his own path as a drifter. A civilized Lycan is capable of raising a massive army within months, each of the turnings allowing the victim to control themselves and the ability to shape shift at will and maintain their sanity,” he replied quickly, not wanting to miss a word that the woman said.

“They are extremely respected and valued, but there’s always a risk…” Alexander continued, “A Lycan such as this is more susceptible to crack under a mental strain than a human or Vampire. The loner that left eventually snapped from seclusion and turned insanely vicious – aggressive like any other werewolf, but able to complete a thought process and reason with his surroundings.”

“His name was William McCloud, and he eliminated the one that sided with us with an army of his own. Once he snapped, all of those that he turned would be vicious as well,” he finished curtly, staring coldly ahead unblinking. “As uncommon as they are, they usually only come from the direct bloodline of the original Lycan. Talia appears to be a mystery…” he finished, his voice trailing off.

Fireraven turned his head slightly to the side and Alexander stopped talking, realizing that probably everyone around them could hear his every word. “Nedra, if I may,” he interjected. The woman identified as Nedra stepped back from the podium and took Fireraven’s position as he confronted the crowd, “Several of our own have spent time with the Lycan during the past few days and the council has received most of the needed testimonies. As soon as our judgment is given, you shall be made aware,” he finished, concluding the speech.

The gathering of Vampires watching Nedra and Fireraven began to thin as they returned to their regular duties. The humans among the crowd sought out their lords and leaders who held positions on the council, desperate to be enlightened with more information. Fauztin immediately noticed most of the workers follow the human that snarled at him in the building and saw Garus leading the militia back to the barracks.

The remaining humans followed their leaders away from the premises, excusing themselves from the Vampires’ presence. He didn’t know many of the council members and was unable to differentiate the assortment of cliques and castes, though he did notice that certain sects of the council kept to themselves. As the others moved away, Fireraven, Alexander, and Fauztin sought out Solstice in the clearing. When they approached her, Fauztin instantly knew something was amiss.

He caught her eye for a fraction of a second and felt a spasm of hatred directed at him. He noticed a slight tint in her eyes that Vampires often have shortly after an enraged moment and instantly feared for Talia. “Where is she? Why isn’t she with you?” he demanded, fury rising within him, adrenaline pulsing through his veins.

“Calm yourself, mutt. She got tired and returned to the house,” she spat at him, offended by his manner. “I had to deal with that inexperienced girl of yours all day, and I sure as hell don’t have to put up with your accusations,” she snapped at him again. “Don’t test me, half-breed, or I’ll not only testify that she’s dangerous, but I’ll reveal that she’s your mate!” she hissed, finishing her threat.

He froze in his tracks and stared Solstice directly in the eyes while she scowled at him. A shiver shot down Fauztin’s spine as he realized what would happen if Solstice were to testify – and he didn’t doubt for an instant that she would.