Hunted

Chapter 2: Forces Collide

I slowly made my way to where he was, studying his face as best as I can to determine how much of a threat he was. I decided for safe measures, to sit across from him, with my bow seemingly carelessly sprawled across my lap and my bag on the grass beside me. The truth of the matter was, despite its position, I could pick it up and shoot him somewhere before he could say "Don't!"

He smiled at me chuckling and said, “Come closer. I won't hurt you. I promise." 

As his hand reached out to assure me, I instinctively jumped back crouching like a panther with my knife from my boot in my hand. He slowly withdrew his hand smiling to himself again, chuckling. 

He held out his hand to me and introduced himself, "My name is Elliot White. Who are you?"

As he smiled, I decided to sit back down and cautiously shake his hand and introduce myself with a curt nod, "Violetta Parkinson."

There was a brief silence as I hesitated before asking the question I was dying to know. “What exactly... are you?”

That was the first time I saw his smile turn into a grimace. “A demonic vampire." He frowned slightly as his eyes glazed over and he seemed to be in deep thought. His claws began to reappear until he balled his hands into a fist and they slowly disappeared back to fingers.

He finally looked up at me, curious to my reaction. I tilted my head questionably and expectantly, wondering the sudden change of his mood. He smiled and chuckled again.

"You don't scare easily Violetta. I admire that." His voice softened to a barely audible voice that was pained. “My story shouldn't be told on our first meeting. We'll save it for another time, since I doubt your intelligent brain will let you forget."

He chuckled slightly before another silence took over, as we both observed one another. I contemplated the meaning to his words. Did he know we would meet again? I dismissed the thought and decided that it would only be courtesy to share something about me, considering Elliot seemed like a gentleman, though I didn't trust him that much.

“I don’t scare easily, at least not so much anymore. The forestlands are my home now. My home was burned down when I was six, and I found comfort in hunting and solitude in the forest. I am only seventeen, and I still remember that day as if it happened yesterday… The fire killed my family, and my fear of being alone in this world slowly grew into a comfort... ” I trailed off, watching for any reaction on his face.

He nodded, his face blank and unreadable and asked, “Are you alo—“

He was cut off by a snarl from the forest and before I knew it, I was laying on my side against a tree to the right from where I was sitting, and Elliot was snarling as his claws reappeared wrapped around a huge wolf’s throat; the wolf had him cornered against the tree. I quickly got up and ran, jumping in the small space between them. If I had time to pick up my bow, I would of. If I took my bow, in the small moment I took to get it, they would both be pressed against each other. I braced myself as both of my hands attempting to shove them away from each other, my precious bow and arrows carelessly left aside on the dewfall grass, and two brutally heavy forces pressed against my arms.