The Search for Soul in Everything

Chapter 4

Astarion laid awake in his own cot. He'd made sure to drink from the boar he found earlier, having been hungry after last night. He didn't want to, but he couldn't help but want to taste the blood that dripped from her hands. It smelled off, like she wasn't just tiefling. He couldn't place what else she was. After that, he had to leave, find something. He shook the thoughts away, looking over at his companion.

Vanora wasn't sleeping very well. Her tail flung back and forth, and a grimace laid across her face the majority of the time. Her forehead glistened with sweat. She seemed... something. Astarion worried for a moment that she was dreaming something terrible.

Her eyes shot open, dilating toward the sky as she breathed hard. Astarion slipped his eyes closed, leaving them open the slightest bit to be able to see her. She rolled, holding her stomach hard as she laid her head in the bedroll. Her eyes were wide, and she breathed hard through her nose. Something was wrong.

Before he could decide to help, her gaze suddenly shot toward him. Her eyes were unwavering. She stood, swaying slowly as she watched what she thought was a sleeping elf. She jumped, clearing his still body and falling to her knees behind him. He saw her hand go to grab his chin, recoiling as she growled a little. He could practically feel frustration flooding her as she stood again, walking around him. He watched as she clutched her stomach. Tears brimmed her eyes, as she wandered toward the trees.

At that moment, he knew her. A vampire, like himself. The reason she risked her life because she was hungry, why she didn't want him to know she'd left. Why the blood was off. He couldn't let her struggle like that. He quickly got up, walking toward the wooded area behind them.

"Astarion?" Vanora called quietly. He didn't expect her to question him, to even say a word. He stopped dead in his tracks, hearing her say his name for the first time. He hated the tone she had, a pleading cry for help. He sucked in a breath as he turned to her. He didn't get any closer. At this point, she wouldn't be able to control herself. She'd suck the life right out of him. It was a wonder how she stopped herself in the first place. She looked at him with desperation in her eyes.

He had to swallow the lump in his throat. "I'll be right back." He turned away, walking into the trees quicker than he did before. She must not have eaten in weeks. He could only imagine at this point. He hadn't been that hungry since he had turned. His face held pity as he quietly stalked through the trees.

Why did he care? This girl was annoyingly helpless, like she'd never lived on her own before. He'd never cared for anyone in his life, but the overwhelming urge to help her, help her, help her. It fogged his mind in the worst way possible. He shook his thoughts away. He had to focus. Walking to a clearing, he watched as a herd of deer grazed in the open moonlight. Perfect.

Vanora stood motionless, hunger dripping from her breath. Tears slipped down her face as she tried her best to wait for him to leave. She was sure he ran, why wouldn't he? But the hunger grew more intense. She took a step, unable to control herself anymore. She had to find something. As she began to walk into the wooded area, stumbling from tree to tree. Her gaze was focused ahead. She needed something, she was dying. She could feel it.

Astarion struggled to pull a deer by its antlers. Its legs were broken, all four. He needed it not to struggle so much, but it was getting increasingly difficult.

Vanora walked through the brush and out to the clearing. When he heard her, he knew what she was doing. She had been hunting, looking for something. He could only imagine that she wouldn't want to go back out alone, having been attacked by knolls of all things. He sighed in relief, not having to drag the poor creature all the way through the woods back to camp. He quickly threw the deer on the ground and stepped back. She bared her teeth, walking straight toward them, watching Astarion with cold eyes. Her teeth weren't like other vampire's, every one of them was sharp and jagged. He decided not to question it. He watched as she fell to her knees, sinking her teeth into the deer.

The deer thrashed, struggling to pull away from her, but the tiefling in front of him never let go. She moved with the animal, determined to get everything she could. It wasn't long before the deer stopped moving. Blood dripped down her chin as she kept drinking. The deer almost seemed to shrivel up before the girl let go, breathing hard and deep. She hadn't breathed the entire time.

The tiefling was sitting on her knees. She seemed tired, too tired to move. Astarion felt a surge of pride for a moment, being able to help her. It was almost addicting, which seemed absolutely ridiculous. He never liked helping anyone before, and he couldn't understand why he did now. He knelt down next to her. "Vanora?"

She hummed at him, looking up for a moment. She didn't seem to mind the proximity at all. She smiled at him, a thank you without the words. Looking at the blood still on her face, he made a quick decision to wipe his thumb across her face, picking up every drop of the blood. She flinched, watching as he licked it off his thumb.

When he looked back at her, embarrassment flooded his face. He hadn't meant to do that, or he didn't think about it at least. When she only looked on in curiosity, his embarrassment washed away. He smiled at her, that pride taking its place.

She laid down onto the ground, her mind fogged after everything. They both stayed there until she fell asleep.