SHIFT 2 - Purgatory

Drawing sides

The next morning, Nagisa was up early. In fact he hadn't slept since his family saved him from Ryu. With a sigh, he tucked the blanket around the sleeping dragon shifter. Nagisa jumped out the window. He needed to run off some steam. He ran around the campus, but it wasn't much. As he was debating heading up into the mountain, he saw a familiar figure standing in his way.

The Kitsune had his back to him as he stood motionless looking up toward the tree line near the top of the mountain. It was the next ridge over from the one the school was on. Nagisa walked up behind him.

"What do you see?" Skye jumped.

He spun around hands in claws protecting his face. Nagisa skidded back, snapping his own talented hands up for defense.

"Hey, take it easy!" He yelled.

Skye lowered his hands. They returned to human form. A look of confusion and surprise warred upon the pale thin face of the fox spirit. Slowly, he settled his expression to one of mild shock. A small smile touched his lips.

"Nagisa, I'm sorry." He barely whispered.

"What has a Kitsune spooked?" Nagisa asked.

Nagisa tilted his head back, sniffing and tasting the wind. He couldn't determine anything odd nearby. His two toned red and black eyes meet the hazel ones of the Kitsune. Skye tucked a strand of hair behind one ear. It was softly fuzzy. Nagisa's fingers inched to touch it. He hid them in his coat pocket.

"I, I'm not sure. But..." The Kitsune turned to look back along the following ridge of rugged mounting tops.

"It feels as if we are being watched." He whispered.

A cold breeze blew around them. Nagisa shivered. "You're just being paranoid." He tried to laugh it off, but the look on the others face told him, this wasn't the time.

"My family is under threat." Nagisa informed the docile boy beside him. Skye turned to look back at him, his brow furrowed.

"What can I do to help?" he asked. Nagisa gave him a smile.

"Right now, they are pretty much keeping me in the dark, so I don't know. I just thought you should be aware that many things are watching us." He offered.

"Even the tribe." Skye said this so low that Nagisa wasn't sure he heard it properly. He blinked.

"I'm sorry, I'm late for a study meeting." Skye turned hurrying along the walk.

"Yeah, ok." Nagisa waved after him. He no longer felt like running.

Instead he walked back to the vampire dorms. He could hear the commotion before he even saw the dorms. Ryu! It was his first thought. He raced his own record to get to the dorms in under three seconds. Bursting through the front door, he stood looking around as several vampires were fighting each other.

Ryu was there, but along with Marcus, he looked like he was trying to break up the fight. Nagisa saw Articus sitting back, in a corner. There was a smirk on his face as his eyes followed Marcus' every move. Knowing no one had heard him come in, Nagisa slipped around the back.

The Sai in his hand was pressed against the throat of the aristocrat before he had a chance to move.

"Stop it, or I forget just how strong I can be." Nagisa snarled into one slightly pointed ear.

"What? How am I to stop..." The smell of blood was one any vampire reacted to.

The smell of aristocratic blood was rich, permeating. One drop could garner everyone's attention. Back in the day, all aristocrats used their blood to control their subjugates. Now, the rich perfume smell of the three drops that leaked down the pale thin neck, had heads swinging. Nagisa's emotionless eyes meet those of his brother.