Feral Bonds

Chapter 13

She didn't know what Lily had said to Vincent, but he didn't say anything about her temper tantrum from the previous day. Just took her blood and sent her away without a word.

Lily met up with her after breakfast and ran a hand through her hair. "All good?" she asked.

Natania scratched the back of her neck. "For now, I guess."

"If he didn't do anything this morning, he's not going to." Lily took her hand and started walking. "He's not the type to leave you waiting around for a punishment."

Natania nodded stiffly. She'd tread a bit more carefully going forward anyway. Lily squeezed her hand in reassurance and they walked aimlessly in silence for a while.

As they approached the entranceway to the house, an odd smell filled the air. Natania sneezed. "What is that god awful smell?"

"I don-"

Lily's answer was cut off by a skritch skritch skritch on the front door. The two glanced at each other. "I'll get it," Lily called. The wards around the house had probably already alerted Vincent to the visitor.

Natania stayed by her side as Lily approached the door, throwing it open wide with both hands to reveal a ... bear?

Natania gagged as the horrid smell assaulted her. She heard Lily stop breathing as she glanced over the bear. It was a black bear, but as she looked, she saw that the skin was hanging off in large chunks. "Is it rotting?" Natania said, immediately regretting opening her mouth as she could suddenly taste the horrid scent it was giving off.

"Yes." Lily walked around the unexpected guest, but it didn't react to her at all. Once the door had opened, the beast had just stopped, except for the gentle rise and fall of its chest.

"Uh, master?" Natania called. "I think you'll want to see this." Vincent appeared at her side a moment later, resting one hand on top of her head. She shook him off and stepped away.

"It's a ghoul," Vincent said, walking forward and touching the bear's forehead. At his touch, the bear started moving its mouth like it was talking, but none of them could understand the bear's tongue.

"I wouldn't touch that with a ten foot pole," Natania muttered, coughing at the stink.

"It must have died without completing a blood bargain." Vincent moved away and the beast followed him, continuing in its odd language.

"How do we get rid of it then?" Natania plugged her nose and took several steps away. "Looks like it wants you." Rotting flesh dripped onto the carpet and Natania grimaced, that was going to leave a smell.

"Find out what the bargain was, and complete it," Lily supplied. The smell didn't seem to bother the vampires as much as it did her, likely due to the fact that they didn't need to breathe.

Vincent walked past the beast, leading it outside his home. As he passed the door, Vincent froze. Natania walked out beside him to see what he had been looking at. The front door had been shredded by the beast's claws in the time before they had answered the door. Deep gouges scarred the wood. Vincent gritted his teeth, but continued leading the bear outside.

"I think it has to pass along a message," Lily said. "It keeps trying to talk at you, but none of us can speak bear."

"It's a beast bound, right?" Natania asked, the stink of rot prevented her from scenting it clearly.

"Do you know of any other species that can turn into bears?" Vincent replied dryly.

Natania rolled her eyes. "I'm not an expert on the world's monsters. Could be a skinwalker. And I can't understand it, which I should be able to if it was a beast bound. Most of us learn a common language." But the bear just sounded like a bear to her.