Ch. 5
"Snide"
We continue into the night for hours. A creature dared not disturb the giant beast that is Halfy. I watch a group of Ieles or fairies as most humans call them, floating within a stump as we pass it. Faint fairy lights lighting up their tiny little faces. They look so cute. Zanir seems unfazed behind me, but I refuse to look to check. Probably seen all this before, but I haven’t so I’m going to enjoy every minute.
Halfy moves through a group of trees, and I can hear Tanukis scurrying further up the branches. Their ringed tails catching the moonlight. Nyx, they are so adorable. I want to steal one and bring it back with me. I quickly change my mind when I see their little cute hands that could probably rip my eyes out, but their tiny squishable faces make me almost change my mind, again.
I am pretty sure I saw an Anansi at one point and had a death grip on Halfy’s ear. Not many things make me squirm, but the thought of an Anansi creeping toward me makes my skin crawl. With their eight, hairy, legs… I would scream for sure. A shiver runs down my spine and I see Zanir smirking out the corner of my eye.
“Very expressive you are…” Zanir whispers into the night and I simply hiss in his direction before noticing a Kitsune stalking along the edges of some bushes, its nine flowing tails moving swiftly back into the forest night.
The occasional wisps gliding around us as we continue through the forest, almost close enough for me to touch them with my wings. Wisps I imagine feel like the softest of silks. I just want to touch one.
We do not speak another word as Halfy continues paving through the endless forest. I do not mind the silence between us and honestly, I prefer it. Just the sounds of the night sky and nighttime creatures filling the space around us.
I feel myself drifting off, sleep calling my name. I managed to wedge myself in between Halfy's ears and pass out, and miraculously don’t fall off. Exhaustion completely taking over my body, and my body falling victim to any attempt to recover what I lost. I am only awoken from the abrupt stop of Halfy that shoots me forward. I flutter down to the ground and land with a small thud. Then give Halfy a sideways glance.
Halfy's golden orange glowing eyes are fixed on what is ahead of us. I follow his gaze.
A large lake overwhelms the land around us. Smaller river channels expanding from the lake like it is trying to spread outward. The mountains peak behind the lake with large cliffs leading to the lake edges. Two mountain ranges meet in the middle then stop, and a valley flows between them. A sizable river leading to the lake takes the shape of the valley and runs through it.
This is the way we need to continue going. Through the two highest Zis mountain peaks, through the valley, and soon after a small human village on the edge of the endless forest. Then after about half a day's walk, the castle. We will need to cross the valley during daytime. Too many threatening creatures lurk within the caves made from the river in the valley at night.
I remember hearing Onkiumas roars, and there are probably a few living within those caves. It is too dangerous during nighttime to cross safely. As much as I appreciate that Halfy is now with me and how he would protect me at all cost, Onkiumas are not something I want to encounter in the dead of night. Not to mention I won’t be much help as I normally would be because I feel so drained, and let’s not forget that mortal now vampire then man tag along we have now. Annoying.
Halfy covered so much ground and I am not surprised. I passed by this lake a few days ago. Or what feels like a few days, as the days started to blur together. The moon is past the mountains now. It will be sunrise soon, within a few hours, I am guessing. We will need to set up camp soon and at least rest before making our way through the valley. Most of the endless forest creatures fear the sunlight and should be retreating further into the forest, and or closer into the caves to hide in. Searching for places to slither into until the sun falls again. I look up to the sky, clouds filling it. More rain fall may be heading our way. Thanks, Solomaonri. We need to rest.
Zanir effortlessly hops from Halfy. Not a total waste of a mortal man because it is a good couple of feet between Halfy’s back in the ground. Must be nice having long legs. As soon as Zanir's feet hit the ground, Halfy is off.
Running with the slight breeze. Almost like a blinding white light across the small river channels leading to the lake. Past the hills that start one of the mountain ranges unto a cliff that stands on the edge of the lake. High above the water that no mortal creature would dare jump from, but not Halfy. He reaches the very edge and just a gleam of his golden orange eyes shine in the moonlight.
He stares towards me. Without thinking twice, my mental door slams open. I wait; my mind is silent, for now, the beast within quiet, and then I feel myself strolling through Halfy's mind. Our bond making our distance going from hundreds of yards to mere inches.
Pure animalistic bliss. Through his eyes, I see the enormous dark lake below him. I feel his body panting and his muscles twitching.
Go. I whisper through our bond.
He leaps.
I feel his body changing and shifting. The tail, shifting to a sleek strong fin, made to power through water. His eyes close right before hitting the freezing cold liquid. I pull myself back as the chill of the water engulfs him completely.
I feel a shiver run through my core. A splash of water is all that is left. The water is much deeper than it looks. Halfy's white fur occasionally glows in the moonlight as he comes up for breaths. I feel myself snap back, back into myself. I look around and find a decent sized rock. I fly on top of it. I see Halfy within the lake flickering his tail and creating large splashes in its wake.
I glance back to Zanir, who is now standing by the water on the edge of the lake, his mind is elsewhere. He had not even noticed. I chuckle to myself slightly. I also am one with many secrets and stories to tell. I make sure to close my mental doors, checking every latch. I need to be more careful, but this seemed harmless enough. I can almost hear Oana speaking the words to me… Mihaela you need to be careful…Mihaela remember…
"What is this sensation?" Zanir says at last, while looking down to his stomach and poking at it a few times. "Is this mortal hunger?" He scoffs, "I have not felt this in centuries. Why is everything about being mortal, more agitating, than I remember?" He looks in my direction.
I whip myself out of my head and look toward him. My thoughts start to flow and not filter through in the process. As if they ever truly did to begin with. "How long has it been?" I start to hesitate, then quickly push forward, my curiosity not letting me stop… "Since you were mortal... human?" Any information for the clan is good information, and I mean who wouldn't be curious. I am barely twenty-eight years old. I cannot imagine living for hundreds, and hundreds of years. The things you see, you witness, that you discover.
He looks me in my eyes. Which I hate. His stare just leaves me…open…its hard to describe, but I hate it. His cerulean eyes are easy to spot in the moonlight reflecting off the water. He eventually looks back to Halfy happily swimming in the depths of the lake. I bet he is wondering if it is even worth telling me, but he starts, "It has been more than 300 years since I was turned..." He says flatly like his mind is elsewhere, again.
I remain silent, just listening. Even though I am filled with so many more questions.
"I am not from here. I came here a few centuries ago searching for others like me. I am from Espa across the sea, where Akhluts are known to wander. That is how I knew to climb trees after Halfy chased me." He lets out the faintest laugh.
"Espa? Interesting. Lucky for you, you had some knowledge about Akhluts. Others have not been so lucky." I look back to the lake watching the shining white fur moving across it so effortlessly.
There have been creatures and even scouts that have been at the wrath of Halfy and it usually had something to do with me. Whether it was a valid reason or not. Taeral is the one of the few I don’t regret even though I don’t fully remember why. I shake my head and continue, "I'm guessing mortal hunger is different than vampiric hunger?" I move my eyes back in his direction after they have fallen in thought. He still has a small knot from the rock I threw at him hours ago. Ha.
He says nothing at first, and then he rubs his temples, like he knew I was looking at the knot on his head. He thinks for a moment, and then says, "Vampiric hunger is more of a need, a desire, a yearning, a thirst..." He quickly flashes a smile at me. No fangs. "Almost animalistic." He tilts his head slightly, like a predator sizing up its prey. Waiting for me to have some rebuttal. Does he know? No. That's not even possible. Or maybe it is? I mean many creatures fill this forest, all these lands, this world. Plus, he has been around for centuries, and it is completely possible to come across some creatures like me…well, maybe a little like me. I’ve been told more than once I am different or better yet an anomaly.
But, no, vampire mortal man. I have no comment…this time.
He scowls and looks back to the lake while running his fingers through his dark hickory hair. "Most definitely not annoying." He pokes at his stomach again. "How do I fix this?" A low grumble comes from his stomach. He looks at me puzzled. "It is speaking now."
"Food would probably help..." I smirk at him.
"What food?" He asks.
I mosey through my satchel that lays against my waist. Thank Nyx, Halfy found it. It is getting hard to keep up with. The small loaf of bread I took from the castle kitchen before I left was nothing more than crumbles at the bottom of the bag. This satchel has been through hell, so I'm not surprised. Maybe I should of ate that moth…Oh, Nyx, no. The thought makes me shake my head.
"I have no food, sadly." Cleaning the bottom of this satchel is going to suck once it is back to its normal size, crumbles of bread all over this pocket. I look at Zanir and then to the lake ahead of us.
The water is so clear in the moonlight near the shore. Every rock, plant, and swimming fish can be seen. Surveying with the scouts is really starting to pay off. Notice everything, I can hear Devlyn saying. My skull is always filled with other people’s voices. They seem to come in handy, though, or at least sometimes.
I look back to Zanir, "Do you know how to fish?" I say noticing the slight sarcastic hint in my voice. A vampire, or well mortal vampire man, fishing…Ha.
Ch. 5
"Snide"
We continue into the night for hours. A creature dared not disturb the giant beast that is Halfy. I watch a group of Ieles or fairies as most humans call them, floating within a stump as we pass it. Faint fairy lights lighting up their tiny little faces. They look so cute. Zanir seems unfazed behind me, but I refuse to look to check. Probably seen all this before, but I haven’t so I’m going to enjoy every minute.
Halfy moves through a group of trees, and I can hear Tanukis scurrying further up the branches. Their ringed tails catching the moonlight. Nyx, they are so adorable. I want to steal one and bring it back with me. I quickly change my mind when I see their little cute hands that could probably rip my eyes out, but their tiny squishable faces make me almost change my mind, again.
I am pretty sure I saw an Anansi at one point and had a death grip on Halfy’s ear. Not many things make me squirm, but the thought of an Anansi creeping toward me makes my skin crawl. With their eight, hairy, legs… I would scream for sure. A shiver runs down my spine and I see Zanir smirking out the corner of my eye.
“Very expressive you are…” Zanir whispers into the night and I simply hiss in his direction before noticing a Kitsune stalking along the edges of some bushes, its nine flowing tails moving swiftly back into the forest night.
The occasional wisps gliding around us as we continue through the forest, almost close enough for me to touch them with my wings. Wisps I imagine feel like the softest of silks. I just want to touch one.
We do not speak another word as Halfy continues paving through the endless forest. I do not mind the silence between us and honestly, I prefer it. Just the sounds of the night sky and nighttime creatures filling the space around us.
I feel myself drifting off, sleep calling my name. I managed to wedge myself in between Halfy's ears and pass out, and miraculously don’t fall off. Exhaustion completely taking over my body, and my body falling victim to any attempt to recover what I lost. I am only awoken from the abrupt stop of Halfy that shoots me forward. I flutter down to the ground and land with a small thud. Then give Halfy a sideways glance.
Halfy's golden orange glowing eyes are fixed on what is ahead of us. I follow his gaze.
A large lake overwhelms the land around us. Smaller river channels expanding from the lake like it is trying to spread outward. The mountains peak behind the lake with large cliffs leading to the lake edges. Two mountain ranges meet in the middle then stop, and a valley flows between them. A sizable river leading to the lake takes the shape of the valley and runs through it.
This is the way we need to continue going. Through the two highest Zis mountain peaks, through the valley, and soon after a small human village on the edge of the endless forest. Then after about half a day's walk, the castle. We will need to cross the valley during daytime. Too many threatening creatures lurk within the caves made from the river in the valley at night.
I remember hearing Onkiumas roars, and there are probably a few living within those caves. It is too dangerous during nighttime to cross safely. As much as I appreciate that Halfy is now with me and how he would protect me at all cost, Onkiumas are not something I want to encounter in the dead of night. Not to mention I won’t be much help as I normally would be because I feel so drained, and let’s not forget that mortal now vampire then man tag along we have now. Annoying.
Halfy covered so much ground and I am not surprised. I passed by this lake a few days ago. Or what feels like a few days, as the days started to blur together. The moon is past the mountains now. It will be sunrise soon, within a few hours, I am guessing. We will need to set up camp soon and at least rest before making our way through the valley. Most of the endless forest creatures fear the sunlight and should be retreating further into the forest, and or closer into the caves to hide in. Searching for places to slither into until the sun falls again. I look up to the sky, clouds filling it. More rain fall may be heading our way. Thanks, Solomaonri. We need to rest.
Zanir effortlessly hops from Halfy. Not a total waste of a mortal man because it is a good couple of feet between Halfy’s back in the ground. Must be nice having long legs. As soon as Zanir's feet hit the ground, Halfy is off.
Running with the slight breeze. Almost like a blinding white light across the small river channels leading to the lake. Past the hills that start one of the mountain ranges unto a cliff that stands on the edge of the lake. High above the water that no mortal creature would dare jump from, but not Halfy. He reaches the very edge and just a gleam of his golden orange eyes shine in the moonlight.
He stares towards me. Without thinking twice, my mental door slams open. I wait; my mind is silent, for now, the beast within quiet, and then I feel myself strolling through Halfy's mind. Our bond making our distance going from hundreds of yards to mere inches.
Pure animalistic bliss. Through his eyes, I see the enormous dark lake below him. I feel his body panting and his muscles twitching.
Go. I whisper through our bond.
He leaps.
I feel his body changing and shifting. The tail, shifting to a sleek strong fin, made to power through water. His eyes close right before hitting the freezing cold liquid. I pull myself back as the chill of the water engulfs him completely.
I feel a shiver run through my core. A splash of water is all that is left. The water is much deeper than it looks. Halfy's white fur occasionally glows in the moonlight as he comes up for breaths. I feel myself snap back, back into myself. I look around and find a decent sized rock. I fly on top of it. I see Halfy within the lake flickering his tail and creating large splashes in its wake.
I glance back to Zanir, who is now standing by the water on the edge of the lake, his mind is elsewhere. He had not even noticed. I chuckle to myself slightly. I also am one with many secrets and stories to tell. I make sure to close my mental doors, checking every latch. I need to be more careful, but this seemed harmless enough. I can almost hear Oana speaking the words to me… Mihaela you need to be careful…Mihaela remember…
"What is this sensation?" Zanir says at last, while looking down to his stomach and poking at it a few times. "Is this mortal hunger?" He scoffs, "I have not felt this in centuries. Why is everything about being mortal, more agitating, than I remember?" He looks in my direction.
I whip myself out of my head and look toward him. My thoughts start to flow and not filter through in the process. As if they ever truly did to begin with. "How long has it been?" I start to hesitate, then quickly push forward, my curiosity not letting me stop… "Since you were mortal... human?" Any information for the clan is good information, and I mean who wouldn't be curious. I am barely twenty-eight years old. I cannot imagine living for hundreds, and hundreds of years. The things you see, you witness, that you discover.
He looks me in my eyes. Which I hate. His stare just leaves me…open…its hard to describe, but I hate it. His cerulean eyes are easy to spot in the moonlight reflecting off the water. He eventually looks back to Halfy happily swimming in the depths of the lake. I bet he is wondering if it is even worth telling me, but he starts, "It has been more than 300 years since I was turned..." He says flatly like his mind is elsewhere, again.
I remain silent, just listening. Even though I am filled with so many more questions.
"I am not from here. I came here a few centuries ago searching for others like me. I am from Espa across the sea, where Akhluts are known to wander. That is how I knew to climb trees after Halfy chased me." He lets out the faintest laugh.
"Espa? Interesting. Lucky for you, you had some knowledge about Akhluts. Others have not been so lucky." I look back to the lake watching the shining white fur moving across it so effortlessly.
There have been creatures and even scouts that have been at the wrath of Halfy and it usually had something to do with me. Whether it was a valid reason or not. Taeral is the one of the few I don’t regret even though I don’t fully remember why. I shake my head and continue, "I'm guessing mortal hunger is different than vampiric hunger?" I move my eyes back in his direction after they have fallen in thought. He still has a small knot from the rock I threw at him hours ago. Ha.
He says nothing at first, and then he rubs his temples, like he knew I was looking at the knot on his head. He thinks for a moment, and then says, "Vampiric hunger is more of a need, a desire, a yearning, a thirst..." He quickly flashes a smile at me. No fangs. "Almost animalistic." He tilts his head slightly, like a predator sizing up its prey. Waiting for me to have some rebuttal. Does he know? No. That's not even possible. Or maybe it is? I mean many creatures fill this forest, all these lands, this world. Plus, he has been around for centuries, and it is completely possible to come across some creatures like me…well, maybe a little like me. I’ve been told more than once I am different or better yet an anomaly.
But, no, vampire mortal man. I have no comment…this time.
He scowls and looks back to the lake while running his fingers through his dark hickory hair. "Most definitely not annoying." He pokes at his stomach again. "How do I fix this?" A low grumble comes from his stomach. He looks at me puzzled. "It is speaking now."
"Food would probably help..." I smirk at him.
"What food?" He asks.
I mosey through my satchel that lays against my waist. Thank Nyx, Halfy found it. It is getting hard to keep up with. The small loaf of bread I took from the castle kitchen before I left was nothing more than crumbles at the bottom of the bag. This satchel has been through hell, so I'm not surprised. Maybe I should of ate that moth…Oh, Nyx, no. The thought makes me shake my head.
"I have no food, sadly." Cleaning the bottom of this satchel is going to suck once it is back to its normal size, crumbles of bread all over this pocket. I look at Zanir and then to the lake ahead of us.
The water is so clear in the moonlight near the shore. Every rock, plant, and swimming fish can be seen. Surveying with the scouts is really starting to pay off. Notice everything, I can hear Devlyn saying. My skull is always filled with other people’s voices. They seem to come in handy, though, or at least sometimes.
I look back to Zanir, "Do you know how to fish?" I say noticing the slight sarcastic hint in my voice. A vampire, or well mortal vampire man, fishing…Ha.
