Youth

- KORI -

- art above is my own -

~ heart and soul ~

the overwhelming majority of you wanted chapters to come out bit by bit, so here you go!

Kori was exhausted.  Not physically, but mentally.  How long did he have to wait?  He wanted to be with [Y/n] now.  He was sure his chances of getting to [Y/n] first were the greatest, but he feared that his calculations may have been ever so slightly off, and if that were to be the case then he would be left without a chance.  He continued to wander through Vihren territory, keeping away from the action.  Surely [Y/n] would be hidden away somewhere here.

"Halt!" an angered, shrill and abrasive voice called from somewhere behind him.  He turned around with a look of deepest annoyance.  There stood some angry looking direwolf with its hackles raised.  Dogs... he could practically smell the must on the creature's fur.  His nose wrinkled in disgust.

"I'm no threat," Kori waved his hand in boredom, voice holding a lazy, lulling quality.  "Just trying to find a friend."

"No threat?  Too busy admiring yourself in a mirror to remember?  You're our enemy, vampire," the oversized dog spat out.  Kori didn't care for theatrics right now, or the stupid 'all vampires are vain' stereotype that Vihren creatures seemed to harbour.  Oh no, a war, how scary!  Yeah, no.  That didn't suit him at all.

"I am your enemy yet I haven't made a single move to kill you, which I estimate would take less effort for me than raising your hackles in an attempt to look scary would take for you."  The direwolf didn't pay attention to Kori's comparisons, taking a few threatening steps in advance towards the seemingly unarmed boy, his large paws crunching the leaf mould beneath them.

Kori threw one of his daggers straight through the creature's skull, before retrieving his knife and moving on, though he briefly stared at the dog's corpse, wondering whether its stupid presence had given him fleas.  But he could acknowledge that it was sad.  After all, he'd hoped to keep this one alive for some information.  He groaned out in annoyance at his own impulsive and admittedly unwise actions.

* * *

    [Y/n] had been waiting for god knows how long. She was beginning to find herself nodding off to sleep on the uncomfortable tree stump she seated herself on. The air around them was now lightly tinged with the scent of burning and iron... the smell made [Y/n] want to be sick. That was the smell of blood and death... how many would die on this dreadful day? She decided to shut her mind off from this horrific reality and ignore it.

    Al appeared from her clothing once more, pointing off in the direction of a distant rustle. [Y/n]'s eyes widened. Nyais would be arriving any second now. She took a long, deep breath, hoping for the best but preparing herself for the worst.

    The many 'worst case scenarios' that had conjured themselves up in her mind began to ring true as a throwing knife precisely lodged itself in a tree just behind [Y/n], even plucking off a few strands of her hair as it flew past her. The one she knew to use throwing knives and shurikens... Kori.

    The bushes now parted to reveal the grey haired, blue eyed male in question. [Y/n] stood up from her seat on the tree stump, backing away slowly. Kori stared at her in pure admiration for just a moment, before switching his gaze to the faerie boy who now returned to his full size.