Running with Shifters (completed)

Chapter 18 Isadora

Chapter 18

Isadora

"Vlain, where are you?" I stalk through the trees, dagger ready, and look for him through the twilight. We've been here for about a week, living with Vlain under the church. It turns out that he actually built the church about a hundred years ago to try to lure people in. This was before he turned back into being "vegetarian," only eating deer and other wildlife. I told him about my experience with the deer and he laughed, explaining that it's an acquired taste, just as my taste for vampire blood.

"Ehehe. Why on earth would I tell you? That would negate the point of the game. Now stop talking and find me." Grinding my teeth I can't help but give a begrudging smile at how similar he and dad really are. Or were, but I'm not going to think about that.

So anyway, we've been here for a week and, just as he's doing right now, he'll randomly set up little challenges for me to test my skills. He'll randomly attack me to test my reflexes or make me find him in the forest surrounding the church.

I catch his scent and silently follow it... all the way to the river. "Come on! You know I can't track you over water!" All he sends in reply is laughter. Shaking my head in annoyance, I just catch a trace of his scent back towards the tree line. Following it, it leads me to the base of a giant oak. The poor fool; he doesn't know trees are where I excel.

Slowly climbing it I keep an eye (nostril?) out for his scent and find it easily about half way up. In the trees there are way fewer scents to try to decipher, and I follow it at a run (not really, obviously, it's impossible to run through branches, but I land and jump off at the same speed that I'd have while running).

Stopping just as I land I sniff and smile. He's close. Really close. His scent is nearly overpowering here (now that I'm attuned to it, if I weren't trying to find it I probably wouldn't notice it at all) and I look around for him. I 'hear' him chuckle again and I instinctively look up. He's right above me, watching me with amused eyes.

I'm kind of impressed that I figured that out just by his chuckle. The comms (what I've started referring to telepathically communicating with someone as) isn't able to distinguish directionality. If it could I would have found him long before this.

I shift my weight preparing to launch up to him, when suddenly a near deafening SNAP!CRACK! resonates through the air as the branch under me gives way. My brain panics momentarily but my body's already reacted, latching out and gripping the fork of two branches before launching up to him. Just as I'm reaching him he kicks out, hitting me in the shoulder and making me fall towards the ground, but not before grabbing his ankle and pulling him down with me.

Letting go midair, I ready my dagger (it isn't actually my dagger, just an old steel one Vlain had. He was kind of afraid I might accidentally kill him and to tell you the truth... so was I) and adjust my angle for landing. In a second I've landed on my feet and watch as, a split second after me, Vlain lands somewhat badly, his knees buckling from where he didn't bend them on impact. In a second I'm over to him, thrusting at his heart and kicking out exactly as he blocks my attack. I knew he would do that, he probably doesn't realize it but he's done that move before.

Staggering back a step, he growls and I can't help but laugh. Ooh, he's getting serious, this is when it gets fun. He drops his own dagger and launches himself towards me. It was a stupid move, dropping his weapon like that, but I decide to let him 'live' for a few more moments. We exchange kicks, punches, and he even manages to somehow flip me before I start to get bored.

In a flash I've twisted in his hands and stuck the dagger into the soft area under his jaw. It doesn't break his skin (it couldn't even if I wanted it to) but he groans, knowing I've bested him yet again.

"Lets go back, I'm getting kind of tired and want to see Lin." Now that I've been using comms for a while it's just kind of second nature and I have to remind myself to go back to normal speaking with everyone else. He chuckles and I turn to see him giving me an amused look. "Shut up." He holds his hands up in surrender and I laugh along with him.

Even though he reminds me so much of dad, he's like a best friend too and I've told him Lin's and my story. His favorite part was the birthday-present-hotdogs in the elevator. Even a who-knows-how-many-centuries old vampire knows the importance of cooking them first.