Eve

Chapter 2

"So, yeah. That's the story of how I came into this predicament." Eve said to the white bird-winged wolf that sat in front of her on the island. Eve was about a hundred and fifty years old now, and the Halloween Lord was still around to possess her occasionally. Sometimes, very rarely, he would be just listening in to one of her conversations and would possess her for a few seconds with no warning. "Want some candy?" Eve asked her guest.

"Sure," said the wolf, whose name was Blizzard.

Eve's voice suddenly deepened, and she said; "wait, why don't you ever ask me that?" Her voice returned to normal and she said: "because you barge in on me at times like this!"

"Um..." Blizzard said.

"Don't worry, he doesn't normally do this."

"Ok. I was saying that I'd like the red jelly beans that smell like blood. I'm a vampire."

"I've met a lot of vampires," she said, handing him the jar of blood jelly beans. "One thing I don't get about you guys though, no offense, but why do you like blood?"

"It's just a side effect of being a vampire. It's not actually what makes you a vampire."

"Ooh... ok. I get it now. I always wondered why you like blood."

"What, do think it's gross?"

"Yeah, actually. When I was younger I licked a bleeding wound I got running through some thorns. The worst thing I had ever tasted at that point in life."

"Well, fresh blood, not tainted by youth or dirt, is positively delicious."

"Wait, youth?"

"The older the prey, the better the blood. But some vampires have different tastes. Also, dirt makes everything taste bad."

"So, what are you saying?"

"You should try good blood sometime."

"Ok. I'll keep that in mind." Eve said.

"I should get home. My mother will wonder." Blizzard said. "Till' next time." He said, walking over to the edge of the island. "Also, there is a small pup on the mountain under the island who apparently is surrounded by what looks like a pack of rabid dogs and their half-legs."

"Wait, what?" now that Eve thought about it, she realized that she could hear the baying of hungry half-leg dogs down below. "I'm going to save her," Eve said.

"Hey, I'm coming too. Dog blood is still as good as any other animal's, but a tiny bit salty." Eve ran to Blizzard and they dove off the cliff face, hurtling towards the unsuspecting animals below. On the mountain, the tiny pup let out a sound that was half snarl half whimper. She was trying to look tough, but the dogs could sense her fear. The half-legs, noticing their dogs increased excitement, shouted something to them in their strange tongue, and the dogs edged closer to the terrified pup. Eve curled into a ball in midair, spinning like a circular saw. She had taught herself this technique, having accidentally done it when launching into battle from the air when she was still not as good at flying. She had slammed into the back of her enemy, overbalancing him, but dazing her. Since that first time, she had updated the move. As Blizzard landed in front of the pup with a growl that obviously hid no fear at all, Eve slammed into the back of one of the largest dogs, her front paws landing on the dog's shoulders, her back paws hitting the slightly smaller dog's powerful hind legs. The force was a bit jarring, but she had practiced enough on passing deer and other large animals when hunting that she did not fall off her enemy. Balance was key. She laid fangs right on the dog's throat in a gesture that even a dim-witted dog could understand: surrender or I tighten my grip. The dog snarled in a way that clearly said never. She sank her fangs into the dog's windpipe, swiftly and painlessly ending its life. When she looked up, she saw three things: the deer pup, as she looked, had clumsily scrambled up a nearby tree, and balanced precariously on the edge of a branch, peering over the end, Blizzard had a small pile of dead dogs around him, his muzzle coated in a thick layer of blood, and finally a half-leg, one of the larger hairy ones, running towards Eve wearing a thing patched together by the skins of various animals, but smooth and silky, unlike any animal Eve had ever seen. He pointed a long stick, stripped of branches and bark, with a sharp pointy thing on the end. Eve knew what the stick was: the half-legs called them spears, and they were very dangerous. Blizzard came over and snarled at the half-leg, having finished killing or scaring away all the rest of the dogs. The thing about half-legs, even though they are large and think they can take on a angry, full-grown wolf, they run away when faced by two angry, full-grown wolves. And that's exactly what all the half-legs chasing the deer pup eventually did. As they fled down the snowy mountain, Eve called to the deer pup. "Hey, you can come down now." As the pup half-slid, half-skittered down the trunk of the tree, Eve pulled out a jar of little chewy candies called "Stressors" that stuck to your jaws, had a strong minty flavor, and distracted you from stress and/or trauma. "What's your name?" she asked the deer pup while handing her some Stressors. As she chewed them, she replied "Paint." It made sense. She was brown with black, tan, white, and dark brown spots scattered all over her back and chest. She also had tiny, pearly white horns on either side of her ears. Eve had always loved and protected pups, mainly for their love of life and their lack of ability to protect themselves. That was why when she saw someone threatening a pup, she would jump in and fight whoever wanted to hurt it. As Paint struggled to get the Stressors out of her teeth, she said "Hey, where did you even come from anyways?"

"The Halloween Island," Eve replied. That was what wolves called it.

"So you are explorers?"

"He is-" she pointed at Blizzard "-I live there." Paint's eyes widened with surprise.

"Woah. I had always wanted to see that island up close before it disappears."

"I could get you up there," Eve said.

"Really!?" Paint's eyes lit up. "Do it now."

"If I hurt you, tell me," Eve said as she gently picked up Paint, flapped her wings, and lifted into the air with her cargo held gently in her paws. As she landed, Paint gasped. She looked around at the pink jack-o-lantern flowers, the birch tree on one corner of the island, and huge blue-glowing ribcage covering one of the guest rooms, and the partially transparent statue of the Halloween Lord with the glowing purple balls for eyes. "You can stay up here as long as you like," Eve said, setting Paint down on the soft orange ground.

"I want to live here too." Paint said. "Every year when the island appeared I wanted to explore it but I can't fly, so I could not get up there. Speaking of which, where do you live when the island disappears?"

"Nowhere. When the island disappears, I do too. When it appears again, I appear again." Eve replied.

"Oh. Does it hurt?"

"No, I just feel a little sick after. Otherwise, it's just falling into a deep, dreamless sleep. One second, I'm in my den in the year 8593, then the next, I wake up in 8594."

"How do you make friends, if you keep disappearing for most of the year?"

"I just hope they forget me when I disappear. Most of them do. If I see them, and they recognize me, I just run away and avoid them."

"Why would you do that!?" Paint exclaimed.

"Because I'm part immortal. I don't age, I don't get sick, and normally fatal wounds don't even hurt." Eve said sadly.

"Why are you sad?" Paint said, her eyes reflecting the night stars above.

"Because when you live forever, everyone else dies around you when you live on. You don't age, but all your friends do. That's why I run away. Anyways, it's getting dark. Do you guys want to spend the night here?" Eve said, changing the subject.

"YesyesyesyesyesyesyesYES." Paint said repeatedly.

"I guess so. I like you, Eve." Blizzard said.

"Ok, sleeping arrangements, I sleep in the largest cave, because that is normally where I sleep, Blizzard, are you ok with sleeping in a small cave?"

"Yeah, I'm fine with it. I destroy stuff in a larger sleeping cave anyways."

"Ok, and that leaves the cave up here. Paint, you kinda have to sleep there because you are the only one without wings."

"Fine by me." Paint said. They all left to their separate sleeping spots. Before she fell asleep, Eve thought to the Halloween Lord in her head give Paint wings while she sleeps.

Sheesh. You love your friends.

Do. It.

Ok ok wow. Sheesh. Fine.

Good.