Camp Cryptid

Nightmares

Mom carefully hid me in the small cave, whispering nervously, "Stay here, no matter what happens? Okay? Promise me, please hunny." She was crying... why was she crying? What were the humans going to do? "W-will you and papa be okay?" I asked, ears lowered. "Of course, Russel. We just need to... take care of something. We'll be back soon." She promised. She didn't come back. Mere moments later several loud bangs rang out. "Those two fell easy." I heard a voice laugh. "True, ya sure we wanna bring their pup in? He's probably too weak t' be a good fighter, besides, he's a runt." "Oh, they have ways to change that." The other voice said..

I woke up, heart pounding, my eyes wet with tears. I tried to wipe them away, I couldn't let myself cry. They probably wouldn't want me to cry over them.

"RUNT! GET OUT HERE, NOW!" The angry shout was paired with pounding on my door. Geez, night already? How long was my nap...? "Coming Ven! Calm your *ss!" I shouted back. I heard angry grumbling, something or other about how werewolves as a species were good-for-nothing's and if I didn't start respecting him he was gonna make me eat wolfsbane... I just hoped he never has the guts to make good on his threats. I opened the door, "What do you want?!" I growled, annoyed. "Sky's sneakin' outta camp grounds again, she's got that banshee girl, Wendi, with her, we're gonna go check it out. And don't say you're too tired, I know you went to sleep right after lunch, lazy idiot." I sighed, "Yeah, yeah, fine, lemme put on some shoes." "No f*cking time mutt, do you want us to lose them?" He grabbed my sneakers from by my bed and threw me over his shoulder, carrying me towards the outskirts of the camp.

After a while, when Ven finally figured a satyr and a banshee are much quicker than a skinny vampire slowed down by a chubby, albeit small, werewolf, he sat me down, shoving my shoes in my hands, "Put 'em on and start trackin' small fry." 'What does he think I am? A bloodhound..?' I kept my thoughts to myself as I followed his orders, staying stealthily in the shadows and bushes. "This is my favorite flower picking spot in the whole entire forest!" Sky chirped, confirming to me that their intentions were harmless, but, nonetheless, I was sure Ven would find some reason to make me attack both them, and Wendi, who I'm positive had never done a single misdeed in her life besides the obvious of... well, Y'know what banshees do.. predict death. But even then was that such a bad thing? Wasn't like they killed the person themself..

Ven finally caught up, "Do y-" I covered his mouth and pointed to the duo, "They aren't doing anything." I whisper, "So.. we can just go b-" "No way! They aren't supposed to be out this late. You know what we do to rulebreakers." "But you're out late all the time.." "That's different, a vampire's gotta eat Y'know, these two are just loitering in a field." I sighed, "Do I have to...?" "Duh." He rolled his eyes, "Why? Don't tell me you still have a soft spot for goat kid." "... N-no.." I used to consider Sky a sibling, still do actually, but... I can't admit that to Ven. "Then do it."

And with that, I crept out of the shadows, sneaking up to Sky and pouncing on them. Well, that's how I wish it went. Instead, I managed to step on a twig, alerting Wendi to my presence, she hissed at me, showing a large amount of sharp *ss teeth, why do banshees have sharp teeth, that doesn't even make sense, and I was the one who got pounced on. "Wendi don't!" Sky called, as always, coming to my rescue in her naive kindness... The mute banshee glanced back at her. "Look, I'll just convince Runt to go home and we'll carry on with what we're doing, okay?" Sky asked. Wendi hesitantly nodded. Just then, a bat flew over our head, I was the only one who didn't fall for Ven's painfully obvious trick, as Sky gasped in wonder, running after it, and Wendi, not wanting to be left alone with one of the camps biggest jerks(me), ran after.

Instead of following Ven as backup, as I was supposed to do(taking down a banshee is no easy feat and not one he'd be willing to do alone), I stood by a tree and waited for him to return. He did, covered in nail marks and had clearly been beat to s***, "Why didn't you follow, mutt?!" He glared at me. "Didn't feel like it." Was my p*ssed off, grumbled out answer. He only got angrier, "You're lucky I took you under my wing, remember that! Without someone like me looking out for you, you'd have been chewed up by the bigger and meaner cryptids in that camp!" That wouldn't have happened, Mr.Nolan would blow a fuse, and nobody wants to get on a powerful dragon's bad side... no matter how big and tough they are. "You owe me, if I say to do something, or you know I want you to, do it, or I'll hurt you worse than whatever you were running from when you showed up here could have dreamt off. Got it?" I nodded. "Good, now get back to your cabin you ungrateful mutt."