My Ancestors Say... (ON HOLD)

Celebration

The hall thundered with laughter and the stories of many warriors lifted up to the ceiling. I was sitting in a throne off to my father's left and ultimately quite bored. It appeared like everyone else was allowed to enjoy themself except for me. If I was now a full wolf then shouldn't I be out killing and enjoying myself? I dared to leave the throne and venture into the crowd against my father's wishes because, well, that's the kind of person I am. I grabbed a glass of wine off the table and drank it down despite my father's stern gaze of dissaproval. My older brothers were scattered throughout the hall, snickering at my acts of defiance, while my younger brothers and sisters gazed at me in awe.

"Rune, you were amazing at the fight!" One of my younger brothers praises while handing me a fresh glass of wine, "The way you took out that other guy was great! Imagine how many vampires you'll kill!"

The room had gone silent but I thought it was just my mind capturing me, enveloping me into myself. I couldn't believe the way my brother had said those things about Per, and that I had been the one to do them. Fighting vampires were one thing, but fighting and killing my own kind when we should be making more is another. I know that it had to be done, it was the ritual for becoming a full werewolf, but why Per? Why didn't a royal ever fight another royal? Easy, because our blood is better than there's.

I was yanked out of my mind when two burly looking guards pulled my brother, kicking and screaming, from the hall. I hadn't realized my father standing in front of me until he turned around and I was greeted by the familiar sight of his gruff, bearded face as well as the patch covering his eye. Two jagged, pale lines crept out from under the black patch as he clamped his hand on my shoulder.

"Per had to die, son, just don't think about it. You will do more good to the cause then twenty Pers would do!" My father turned, staff in hand, and followed behind the burly guards carrying away my brother. He was to be punished by my father for saying 'vampire', no one is allowed to say that word, our ancestors believed that just by whispering it a vampire an entire world away could hear us and come in search of us. We were never allowed to call them by their real name, instead we called them the Ancient Ones, it was safer that way. But, me being who I am, decided that I didn't want to play safe anymore. I was ready to fight, ready to kill! Let them come for me, I thought to myself.

And then, under my breath, I whispered, "Vampire. Come and get me."

"Hey, Rune."

"Great kill, your highness."

Two of my friends come over clapping me on the back.

I give a weak smile and then rseume searching over the crowd again.

"But a lame celebration if you ask me." My other friend, Sven, states.

I look at him curiously, "What did you have in mind?"

Sven exchanges a wicked glance with Aleksandr before replying, "A night in the town with us and a few other friends-"

"Your father isn't watching, this makes it the perfect time to go!" Aleksandr says, cutting off Sven.

I think about it for a minute before a smile spreads across my face and I follow them out of the crowd and out of the stone castle.

An hour later and I had abandoned my large fur cape for a bar stool at the tavern in town. I'm the kind of man who has a lot of friends, and who does stupid things easily.

My friends and I had met up with other friends and we were half drunk, having conversations.

For a while now I have been eyeing this woman with curly red hair. She was wandering from table to table, enchanting all the men in her path. When at last she came to our table we were all tripping over our tongues to talk to her...except for me. I wasn't embarassed of who I am, and why did I have to fear her? She's just a woman.