The Hunt

Chapter 17

Alesco:

We move forwards, Fabian and Aldon are in the lead, taking us West. I'm surrounded by the others, as though being protected. Wynn is by my side. I hear the padding feet of the wolves and their deep breathing behind us. It's almost a growling sound.

I think back to what I know of the wolves. They've always been here, that much I know. And they've always existed alongside vampires, sharing in survival. But I've never had much contact with them. They are always near, but never too near. They feed from our hunts, although they also hunt themselves, and they follow us.

They are not hunted by the humans, they are left in peace. I wonder now why that is. Why, if they are allies of the vampires, are they left to live in peace? And how can they be messengers of the master? These are questions I will need to answer, somehow, some time. Perhaps when we return I will ask. Or perhaps sooner if the opportunity arises.

I feel a shift in the air, like we're stepping out of something or into something new. A notable change in the atmosphere. I look around.

"We are leaving the perpetual darkness." Aldon says over his shoulder. "You can feel the shift as we leave the protection behind."

That's what I can feel. I did not notice the change when we entered. I sniff the air and listen to the sounds. Nothing unusual. Nothing human. I hear the rustling insects, the calls of the forest life, scratching claws and burrowing paws, and the fluttering of wings. But there are no human sounds. I remember the day father was caught, they masked their sounds and smells. Maybe they are doing that now.

"Hunters could be anywhere around here." Says Fabian. "But we don't expect them so close to the line. So, we'll contine to move west."

I nod. The closer we get to their headquarters, the more likely we will encounter them. The more dangerous it becomes. But the spell should hold, I hope the spell will hold. It's the only way I know to save my father, if he still lives. And Clemente. By bringing the humans and spreading the darkness we can break them free, rise up as a species and take control.

"Do you think they live, father and Clemente?" I ask Wynn. He turns his gaze on me and pauses, thoughtful.

"I hope so." He says. "We do not know what happens once they are turned and taken. None I know of have ever returned."

I stay silent, thinking. I saw his fangs shrink and his eyes change. Is he truly human? The tales tell of being turned to humans, but not of what happens then, not of why they turn us, or what their intensions are. The humans started a crusade to rid the world of vampires, but our stories never say why.

The stories say we lived in harmony before it begun. Side by side, they in the light and we in the dark. But the vision the master showed me gives me a different idea. Perhaps we were the hunters, they the prey. Perhaps they rose up in defense? To protect themselves?

These last days have shattered everything I've known. Taken away the foundations of my life. I will need to get answers before long. Real answers. Answers that will satisfy my thirst to know.

"What are you thinking, Alesco?" Wynn asks, looking at me.

"I'm thinking of the questions. The questions that have arisen since father was taken." I say.

"There are many." He says simply. "And there's much I do not like about all this."

I know he doesn't like it, doesn't trust the master, these vampires. I can sense that he'd rather we were back out, our small family fending for ourselves, away from all this. And a part of me would like the same, to be back before they were taken, before mother revealed the secrets of her past. But he didn't see what I saw, feel what I felt. We are meant for more than running and hiding. We can never go back to how it was. Not now.