Ashkin

Fear of a Name

I straightened and stepped back from the drained Human, wiping my mouth on my sleeve. The clearing was littered with bodies, the bloodless corpses strewn about, a grotesque reminder of what had just taken place.

Well, that was enjoyable. Ren sat a few paces away, trying to clean blood from his dripping pelt. Although I much prefer deer to horses. Oh well. Beggars can't be choosers.

Beggars? Not quite. We've eaten better though, I guess. I scratched his ears and chuckled at his attempt to remove the stains from his thick fur. I sidestepped a young girl's remains and turned to face the horizion, watching the sun disappear beyond the hills. I smiled faintly, relaxing at the thought of the oncoming darkness. But I couldn't shake the feeling that something was out there. I couldn't sense anything, but I felt it. Strange.

Alex walked up to Ren and ran her finger along his bloody pelt, catching the scarlet drops on her finger and licking them off. "I'm still thirsty."

Of course she was. I turned to face her and raised my eyebrows. "Eat Ren." I suggested, answered by Ren's indignant raspy growl.

Peasants. Ren moved away from Alex, who looked as if she was actually considering it, and shook his head comically at me.

I hugged him around the neck and breathed in his scent. The usually heavy forest smell was slightly overshadowed by the stink of staling human blood. He relaxed into me and purred loudly, his fluffy tail brushing playfully against my cheek. I pulled away and lifted his muzzle so I could look him in the eye. His bright purple eyes searched mine and I brushed away a drop of blood Alex had missed. Damn it, I loved the stupid cat. I wouldn't be able to survive without him. He's been my best friend for hundreds of years, and I couldn't imagine living without him. I kind of love you. I thought to him and straightened to stand next to Alex, who was still scrounging up the last few drops of blood from an old man lying awkwardly across the rocks.

A flash of surprise covered his gaze, but he quickly recovered. He yawned loudly and stretched, rising from the dampened soil, and did his silly cat-wink thing at me. Thank goodness that you've eaten. You always get ornery when you're thirsty.

I gave him a mock glare but had to agree. He was always right, of course,  but I never let him know that.

"Adira."

I spun to face Alex, surprised by her use of my full name instead of my painfully annoying nickname, Adi. "What is it?"

She was staring at something I couldn't see. I walked over to her and followed her line of sight, focusing on a cluster of brambles near the dry riverbed. I expanded my senses, yet couldn't find anything.

"I don't know. I just have this feeling. like a strange aura." Alex frowned, frustrated that she couldn't identify the creature.

Cursing inwardly, I tried again and again to find what the hell was out there. I c

You won't be able to sense anything. Ren came up to stand next to me. He's Masking.

I snarled angrily. Of course. Typical Ashkin; covering any trace of its presence and waiting to devour our fear. It was a Gift granted only to their race. Can you find him?

Of course. I am a cat, after all. He crouched low to the ground and balanced his weight on his haunches, tasting the air for its scent. Tracking was his specailty. Without warning, he pounced into the foliage, a rasping cough escaping his throat, and ripped through the veil that the Ashkin had set.

A scream of fury erupted from the bushes as my senses came flooding back to me, allowing me to locate the monster.

Alex jumped to my side as it came into sight. I wrinkled my nose in distaste at the abomination. Its appearance was decieving; this one looked like a young male vampire.

Alex recoiled when she spotted the telltale sign of an Ashkin. Its veins, clearly visible even from this distance, pulsed with a sickly green glow. Blood was power. For them, it was a way of life. "Damn." She murmured.

"Disgusting, right? Just don't underestimate it."She nodded, not looking up. We both knew what it was capable of.

"You will die." The Ashkin rasped with certainty. I could feel its Power building and spreading, seeping across the clearing like a fog. It was entirely sure of its impending victory.

It smelled our fear.