Chapter 8 The Hunt #2
That doesn’t sound good to eat! Julian sent, having picked up on the image of the Umbraling in his mind.
It isn’t. It’s poisonous and bitter. Like eating burnt blood, he explained.
Definitely not tasty. Julian’s mind clenched at the thought of such a taste on his tongue.
The young fledgling was still drinking only from Daemon, which he would be for some time yet, so likely the blood of any being other than his Master would hold little appeal. But the Umbralings were especially disgusting.
Should we keep hunting it then? Julian asked.
Most definitely. One shouldn’t be this near Nightvallen. They normally hunt in packs of over a dozen, but they will send a single scout out ahead of them to make sure the way is safe and there is plenty of game, Ryder explained.
A city full of humans would definitely qualify as that! Julian’s fur puffed up in alarm. It must find their scent overwhelming.
Yes, not even the knowledge that where there are humans in the Ever Dark, there are Vampires is keeping them away. Not even the fact that it is Nightvallen is doing so, Ryder added.
The creatures here respect Daemon, worship him in their way, but they are still driven by their basest impulses, Julian reminded him.
True. And quite some time has passed since anyone has lived in Nightvallen. They must have forgotten all the hunting we used to do, Ryder remarked dryly.
A memory surfaced of creatures staying far from Nightvallen’s walls, of him and Ashyr having to sail several nights to reach anywhere the creatures still dwelt. They had stayed cleared of the Vampire capital city, Daemon’s home.
We will have to remind them to stay well clear again! Julian sent and increased his speed, but still remained silent.
The two of them raced through the trees, jumping effortlessly over fallen ones, and avoiding stray branches that might snap under a poorly placed paw and give away their passage. The scent of the Umbraling was growing stronger every minute.
Slow, Julian! It’s near, Ryder warned.
Julian slowed his run to a slow trot. Ryder urged him to keep low to the ground and be one with the night. While Ryder’s black fur had him nearly invisible in the shadows, Julian’s white fur glowed especially brightly when they passed through a stray moonbeam.
They both stopped, crouching down behind two large tree trunks as the forest opened up ahead of them a little to accommodate a small, bubbling brook that wended its way through the forest. The Umbraling was crouched by the side of the brook. It was having a drink with its dinner.
That’s a person! It’s eating a person! Julian cried out and he rose up from his crouch, ears alert, tail standing up on end.
Get down, Julian, Ryder commanded.
The young man’s body lowered, reacting to Ryder’s alpha presence as much as his words.
Luckily, the Umbraling didn’t notice the white Winter Wolf as it had its narrow snout stuffed inside the chest cavity of what appeared to be a human body, although it could have been Vampire, too.
They were likely male though the genitals had already been eaten, but they did not appear to have breasts or the wider pelvis of someone born female.
They had blonde hair, but their face, thankfully, was turned away from him and Julian.
Generally, they appeared anywhere from between twenty to fifty.
How could this be, Ryder? We’re not missing anyone at the school, are we? We must be! Julian’s mind tumbled as he considered the consequences.
Ryder thought of all those drunk and happy students from the night before.
As much as they knew they were among predators, gunning to be predators themselves, Balthazar and Caemorn had made the academy seem more like a Vampire Disney World than reality.
They’d put plenty of safeguards in place to make it truly be like that.
But the Ever Dark was not safe. It had never been safe.
And since they hadn’t been hunting and patrolling this part of it for so long, the danger was coming right up to the walls.
Ryder cursed himself as another memory accosted him then.
As Weryn, he had always arranged the hunts.
He had always ensured that there were Vampires patrolling so that the wildlife didn’t get any ideas.
But, of course, he had been busy thinking he was above being in Nightvallen at all and then accepting that he was Weryn.
This is my fault, Ryder thought. Balthazar and Caemorn cannot do everything on their own. Not even with Fiona and Seeyr’s help. They need my help. Weryn’s help. Not just Ryder’s.
They came to us to become immortal. Now, instead, their first life is over, Julian sounded bereft. Their friends and family expected to have them forever and now… now they’re gone. And when the press gets wind of this… Daemon will be blamed.
Do not worry about that. Balthazar will, undoubtedly, concoct whatever story we need and sell it, Ryder said.
Yes, I’m sure, but I’m more worried about how this person got out here in the first place without us knowing! Julian said. Do you think that a Sect member spirited them out of the city while we interrogated the Mirryr and Syrin Vampires?
We need to figure out who this person is, Ryder said. The answers to the rest of this can’t be answered until we know that first.
Then we have to stop the Umbraling from finishing its dinner, Julian stated firmly. How do we take it down?
Ryder was pleased and proud by how practical Julian was being even though this was a terrible shock.
He knew that Julian was not at all used to seeing coils of intestine hanging out of a split open chest cavity, but the young man was not only keeping his cool, he was keeping his form perfectly.
Ryder knew that Julian would continue to do so in a fight, but still the humans of this time were not used to–thankfully–death all around them.
I can take it down alone, Ryder suggested, not wanting to put Julian in the position of killing even an Umbraling if he didn’t wish to.
No, Ryder, I want to help. I need to learn to do these things, Julian said firmly. Please teach me.
How could he refuse such a request? He couldn’t. His prince had asked something of him that he would gladly give.
All right, the Umbraling is poisonous. Its skin causes numbness and violent vomiting if swallowed, Ryder explained.
So spit out whatever I bite off? Julian guessed.
Its blood is less toxic, but it will give you a stomach ache to end all stomach aches, Ryder paused. There will be a lot of blood, Julian. It may cause you to lose control. The smell of it. The heat of it.
Julian cocked his head to the side. I understand. If I do that, use your best judgment. You helped me shift, I assume you can shift me back into human form?
Likely, I can, but that won’t stop the blood lust. It’s not your animal form that has it, Ryder cautioned.
Yes, I see. I keep forgetting this. I haven’t had any reaction like that when I’ve fought before, but there’s always a first time, Julian accepted.
I’m glad you understand. If you feel it coming on, back off, I can handle this myself, Ryder urged him.
I will.
All right, then I suggest that you go for its tail while I go for its throat. Those spikes are laden with poison that will slow us down if it's allowed to swing that tail around and stick us with it, Ryder explained.
That tail will be pinned! Julian promised him.
Then I think we’re good to go. There’s a cloud about to obscure one of those moons. The moment it does, we move, Ryder suggested.
Sounds like a plan!
The cloud moved swiftly as the wind picked up. This was good for another reason. It caused the branches to rustle, masking their approach as much as the lowered light did.
Go! Ryder commanded.
The two of them ran out from behind the trees like silent death and leaped across the stream. His jaws fastened onto the Umbraling’s throat while Julian threw his whole weight on the base of the creature’s tail, worrying at it.
Don’t swallow, Julian! Ryder reminded him.
But then he was having his own problems not swallowing as gushes of poisonous blood filled his mouth and poured over his snout.
The Umbraling’s cry was cut off and became a liquid moan as he severed its vocal cords.
He continued to bite down until his teeth met.
He spat out the flesh in his mouth even as he used his body weight to force it onto its side.
Out of the corner of his eye, he caught Julian triumphantly rip off the whole tail and sent it flying away.
The Umbraling gave a few full-body shudders as its life’s blood flowed out onto the forest floor.
Both of them backed away from it, panting.
Julian’s white fur was streaked with blood.
His muzzle was soaked with it. But his eyes were clear and his mind was focused.
Again, Ryder was proud of how in control Julian had remained.
It was truly remarkable for one so young, yet he was Daemon’s match, the Vampire prince, so perhaps he should expect no less.
Julian spat several times, drawing his head back as if he could escape the taste in his mouth. Oh, gods! It’s worse than you described! Burnt blood? More like burnt poop!
You didn’t swallow? Ryder confirmed.
I didn’t. I just want to wash this off! Julian huffed.
I think we should shift so that we can look at the body carefully, Ryder suggested.
Julian agreed and, to Ryder’s delight, he shifted easily into his humanoid form. Both of them had chins and lips covered with blood and there were splashes of it across their torsos. Ryder reached down and cupped his hands to gather water.
“Here, let’s wash that off of you,” Ryder said as he scrubbed Julian’s face with it until the water ran clear.
“Thanks.” Julian still scrubbed at his face and he took several mouthfuls of water that he swished and then spat out.
“Good boy,” Ryder said with a nod as he did the same.
Julian wiped his tongue with his fingers. “Gah! I so want that taste out! And my lips are numb. Are yours?”
“A little bit. It will go away soon,” Ryder assured him after he had cleaned the blood off his body.
Turning, he then went over to the body and crouched down beside it.
Grasping the corpse’s chin he turned the head so that he could see the face.
The young man–he was about twenty-five from the looks of him–had blue eyes.
He only had one of them left. The other was missing from its eye socket.
The bloodless lips were open in an almost startled “O” as if he had not had time to understand that death was about to overtake him.
“There’s not a lot of blood. Do you notice that?” Julian asked from over his shoulder.
“No, there isn’t.”
“Could the Umbraling have sucked it all out?”
Ryder shook his head. “No, but I’m sure that someone did.”
“A Vampire?” Julian gasped.
Ryder pointed out the deep fang marks over the young man’s carotid artery in his throat. “Yes. He was drained to death and then tossed aside, I’m guessing.”
“So a Vampire from Nightvallen took a student into the woods and–”
“No, not from Nightvallen,” Daemon’s rich, commanding voice rose up behind them.
Ryder and Julian spun around. The Vampire King emerged from the darkness of the woods wearing a coat made of black feathers that hung down to his feet. Ryder thought of the bird that had lifted off the moment they had gone in search of the Umbraling.
Daemon nodded. “Forgive me for interrupting your alone-time. But I had to see my Childe’s first shift.”
“Daemon! You should have let us know you were there!” Julian cried as he flung himself into the Vampire King’s arms.
“We would have welcomed you, your majesty,” Ryder assured him.
Daemon ran his fingers through Julian’s short hair and kissed his temple. “I know, Weryn, but Julian should have time with his uncle in the woods. Besides, I seem to have caused Julian some consternation when he could not shift before.”
“Performance anxiety,” Julian admitted. “But you saw me this time! Ryder helped, but I did it!”
“You did. And I am so proud of you. What a beautiful Winter Wolf you are!” Daemon rewarded Julian with another kiss.
Julian frisked with pleasure, but he quickly shook himself and pointed to the dead young man. “Daemon, do you know who did this? And who is this student? I don’t recognize him.”
“He isn’t a student, is he, Weryn?” Daemon asked.
Ryder shook his head. “No, I have never smelled him before. He is not one of ours. And though the Umbraling’s scent is heavy upon him, the Vampire who feasted from him is unfamiliar to me as well.”
“So… how could a random human and Vampire not from Nightvallen end up in the woods in the Ever Dark?” Julian asked.
Daemon’s red eyes burned. “That is the question, isn’t it?”