Hybrid: The Mark

The Hunt

Sirah grimaced as the rays of the sun streamed in her room through the window making it brighter than ever. She slowly let her eyes open and wander across the room. Sirah let the sun warm her wounds as her eyes started to water.

'Today is the day when I'll be free.'

Her breath clutched when she realized that today was the day when she could be free from her life. Free like a raven in the sky. Free like a wolf in the deep forests.

Sirah shut her eyes and let her fingers brush against her skin. She couldn't feel her fingers as she slowly let her hands up to touch her cheek but let it drop beside her as pain shot through her soulless body making it echo. Sirah clutched her gown and got up. Pain radiated as she stood on her feet. Sirah grabbed hold of her bed to support herself and walked to the mirror at the far end of the room. Sirah's eyes wandered as she couldn't recognize herself. Her hair tangling out of her braid sticking against her face, her gown torn making the wounds on her body visible and the deep wound on her cheek dried with blood pulsating pain. The wounds on her body were raw and red, peeking out of her gown. She lightly scraped the dried blood off her cheek and looked as her reflection started crying. Sirah let the world dawn over her as she closed her eyes and opened them again to look at the mirror. She was going to earn her freedom after the lifetime of struggles she went through. Sirah limped through her way to take a shower. She winced as the she let the hot water stream on her, washing the dried blood off her body. Sirah stood still under the gushing water flowing from her hair to her toes. She limped towards her room after the shower when her eyes fell on the drops of blood, dried from yesterday.

Sirah gritted her teeth when she struggled to wear her red hunting gown representing herself as a Vampire and let her hair open to hide the wound on her cheek. The raw scars were still visible on her arms and her neck. She wore her hunting gloves which reached below her elbow where the sleeve of her hunting gown ends and wrapped her mother's silk scarf around her neck to hide the scars. Her fingers brushed over her gown when she felt something inside her hunting belt. She took it out and gazed at her knife. Sirah felt a smile hinting her and wiped it away when she heard a noise outside her room. The sound of a door shutting.

Sirah opened her door and walked out to the dining hall. The table was clear except for few grains of bread on it. She looked around for her father's quiver but it wasn't there. Her father had left and it took Sirah few moments to realize that she was going to be late for the last gathering before the hunt. Sirah hopped on her feet slowly and limped her way out to the clan grounds, clutching her bow and her quiver in her hands.

Sirah made her way slowly into her clan waiting with the other two clans. The engraved 'Mayvarch' wooden plaque was placed on the same spot where the proficiency was held. Her eyes roam around through the crowd, fixed and gazing at the other clans. The Witches Clan wearing white, the Werewolves Clan wearing gray and her clan wearing Red. Her eyes met at a small crowd wearing black standing in front of the 'The Three Allies'; Andervain, Matthew and Fereinia.

The Occult . The people who were going to the other side.

Andervain, Fereinia and Matthew stood before the engraved wood with three large platters behind them.

"Today the hunt begins, my brethren." Andervain indicated to the clans before him, "We shall be the greatest history, our town Mayvarch ever had."

"Today will be the day where we are united together and this day will be remembered throughout the lives of Mayvarch!" Fereinia directed around the clans roaring with pride, "And so the hunt begins!"

The twenty elders of the hunt including her father stood in front of the wooden plaque and aimed their arrows at it. Sirah gazed at her father concentrating on the aim, his mouth twitching with pride. She felt the sudden urge to stab him with the same arrow. At Matthew's command, the arrows were struck.

The hunt began.

Andervain took one of the three platters behind him and walked towards the Vampire clan.

Sunlight rings.

The spherical rings on the platter shone red, making it gleam like a pure drop of blood. Sirah looked around as her clan members stared at the rings, hungrily, with their eyes completely black and veins protruding around their eyes. Sirah felt different amongst them. She didn't feel her fangs or her instincts alter and decided to hide her difference. The rings were given to each one of the clan members. She focused her eyes on the ground as she accepted her ring. Sirah looked down at her ring, shining red against her dull glove. She felt hesitant to remove the glove in front of the others. Sirah placed the ring inside her belt pocket.

Fereinia handed white triangularTransient rings to the witches to defend themselves against fear, disbelief and to elude overexertion. Sirah saw the witches gleaming when they were given the rings. The Witches, powerful and strong but weak against the immortal leverage also had to be dependent on the rings just like other beings. Sirah let herself smile as she found Mikaela standing out among the other witches. Mikaela stood alone with a smile on her face with the other witches who flashed their great pride against the other clans. Sirah waved back at Mikaela when she gleamed at her presence, waving her hands in the air like a maniac.

Sirah turned her head as silence fell over when Matthew walked over to the Werewolves clan with a platter of silver rings. The rings were in a shape of a crescent. Moonlight rings, Sirah immediately remembered. The clan never got out at night because their immortal phase recasts to a werewolf. Her eyes focused on the people of The Occult. Fereinia handed them black oval pendants to wear. Every ring shone differently amongst the clans in the dark forest like the night sky. The clans were silent. The end was near. Lives are in danger. They are going to recreate the history of Mayvarch.

The Three Allies stood in the center with their arms on their heart for the final oath.

"To the history of Mayvarch." Fereinia called out and immediately the clans pledged themselves for the upcoming final oath. Sirah felt her heart hammering against her hand. She felt afraid.

"We the indifferent beings, pledge our selves to protect our existence against all harms. We pledge our peace to the unity of Mayvarch and we are prepared to stake our lives against the danger to our existence. "

Fereinia glanced at the Occult.

" Dangers may come and go but our oblation will stay for eternity. To this we pledge our oath to Mayvarch."

"To Mayvarch." The crowd chanted back.

Soon the spheres aligned themselves together. Sirah glanced at Mikaela. Mikaela held Sirah's hands and leaned towards her.

"This will probably be our last time and I wanted to say that I had fun with you." She paused and smiled. "No matter what, Our bond will never be broken." Mikaela finished with a sly smile. Sirah smiled back when she referred to their vial bond.

"We will make it." Sirah assured by squeezing Mikaela's hand. Somehow Sirah had an abrupt determination growing inside her that made her frown instead of smiling at Mikaela.

Mikaela laughed at her frown and focused herself back to Fereinia.

"The spheres are commanded to divide themselves when they reach their place of obligation." Fereinia paused and smiled at the spheres, "May we all succeed in protecting our existence."

The silence among the spheres disrupted when everyone embraced their families one last time. 

Sirah looked around at every clan reuniting and wishing farewell to each other. She walked along with her sphere when Matthew indicated all the spheres to depart. Every being inhaled and prepared themselves before departing. Sirah's sphere divided themselves and walked away in different ways inside the deep forest. Slowly, the grounds began to empty leaving few nervous members. Sirah glanced at Mikaela before embracing her.

"Farewell, Vampire friend." Mikaela smiled.

"Farewell, Witch friend." Sirah laughed and gazed at Mikaela's retreating figure into the canopy of the trees.

Sirah gazed at the rays of the sun falling on the ground after her. She removed her glove and wore the ring, shining against her skin. Sirah glanced at the silent and empty grounds before her and inhaled. The time had come. Sirah looked at the old plaque and inhaled the scent of trees around her. She glanced at the target for the last time and walked into the forest.