The Hunt [[open]]

[* Annie - L]

[[Okay, so I'm uber bored... and I'm going to type up a quick post and hope someone decides to join =P]]

As darkness fell over London, Haemish slid out his backdoor and into the night. He walked across the dewy grass of his backyard and into the forest surrounded his cozy little home. Cold, fresh air relaxed his excited muscles. The thrill of a hunt had that effect on him. He drew a deep breath before taking off into the tantilising darkness. His feet were silent on the forest floor as he ran, not as fast as he could, but fast enough. He allowed his senses to guide him, hopefully to some sort of bear, though he knew they all lived in zoos. The best he'd found in the past three centuries were large deer. He was getting sick of that though, he thirsted for something bigger, something better. The cravings worried him. He did not want to hurt anyone.

Haemish came to a halt as he caught the scent of a buck nearby. A leaf crackled behind him. He turned slowly, murmuring in a soothing voice to attract the deer. This was his method of hunting, he used his smooth and enchanting voice to gain the trust of his prey before he took them. He walked slowly over to the buck, who stared at him curiously. Placing a cold hand on the buck's head, he felt it cringe. He grasped a horn securely with the other and lowered his mouth the the condemned creature's neck.

[captvimes]

Staring around at his surroundings, Aaron frowned. He'd only been taking a walk to clear his head and suddenly he had found himself strolling through a wood. "Strange..." he thought to himself. "I had no idea that there was anything like this near my halls."

Aaron had needed some time by himself. University life was far more hectic than he had expected and his course was really stretching his intelligence and understanding, so, to try and prevent the onset of a migraine, Aaron had believed that a walk would do him good. Except that he'd let his feet do the navigating, mind pondering on a particularly tricky problem, and now he was rather lost. Or at least, he didn't know how to get back to where he had started from, which is about the same thing.

Suddenly, he heard a crackle of leaf litter not far away to his right. Aaron froze. Anything could be out here in the dark...and odds are it wasn't going to be friendly. Slowly, he patted his pockets, looking for something he could defend himself with but all this produced was a used bus ticket from a fortnight ago. Aaron gave a mental groan. This was just typical! All common sense told him to run away and try to get back to his halls, but his curiosity was too strong. "It might just have been an animal." He mumbled to himself, quietly edging his way towards where he had heard the sound.

Now he was closer, Aaron thought he could hear the sound of a man's voice. Peering through the dark, he saw the vague outline of a person and a deer, and the man's, for he presumed the person to be a man, lips were to the creature's neck. Swallowing back a gasp, Aaron almost squeaked with delight, but he clenched his hands into fists, pressing them against his lips to stop any sound from escaping. It was the first time in a few months that he had come across an immortal and was starting to believe that being fixed in one city meant that finding supernatural people had become near on impossible.

Remaining perfectly still and silent, Aaron continued to watch the vampire carefully to see if he was safe to approach. He thought it likely, since he was feeding from a deer, but in Aaron's experience, it was better to be cautious than end up half dead. However, his silence only lasted five or so minutes before an itching in his nose over came him and he sneezed loudly. Only one thought ran through his head..."Oh crap!"

[* Annie - L]

Haemish looked up from his minorly satisfying drink. Running a thumb along his lower lip to remove any blood, he let go of the deer to rise, preparing to defend himself. Ignoring the scent of the buck's blood, which seemed to call for him constantly in his nearly appeased hunger, he used his heightened senses to detect the creature that had disturbed him. Human. No danger really there. He slid his hands into his pockets casually, resisting the urge to finish his drink. Casually did not mean relaxed. Haemish was tense from bloodlust, still longing to cease his meal like a kid torn away from an almost finished bowl of icecream.

He tried to think of something soothing to say, something to reassure the human that he meant no harm. Without much doubt, the stranger already knew what he was. But what if he didnt? Then speaking might frighten him even more. Although fear might come regardless of whethet or not the human knew he was a vampire. Catching someone bloodsucking wasn't exactly Haemish's version of an amiable, fearless friendship starter.

"Hello there,"[/i] He gret the human fluidly, removing any trace of threat from his alluring voice. He leaned back slightly, trying to subtly move his face into the moonlight that cracked between the trees so the human may see he was smiling warmly.

Only taking short breaths, he feared the temptation of returning to his deer might offend or scare his new company. "Listen, you've no reason to be scared. I have never touched a human. he assured him, hoping the sincerity of his voice could reach the human. He sensed hesitance in the creature that stood before him, but he did not know if it was laced with fear.

He bit a lip, tasting the blood that still remained on it dully. It didn't seem to help his yearning any more. He'd remain hungry until he finished his deer. Haemish wasn't worried about going for anything better as in humans, he just wished there were cougars or bears around, and sneaking into a zoo didn't have much appeal. Sure, he'd wanted human blood several times, but with over three centuries of practise resisting those instincts he had it down pat. No humans for him.

A short but strong gust of wind blew some deer scent away from him, letting him relax. He felt his smile grow warmer as his tenseness ebbed away.

[captvimes]

"Listen, you've no reason to be scared. I have never touched a human."
At the sound of those words, Aaron let out a rather audible sigh. At least tonight he wouldn't be running for his life. Aaron was actually quite fast runner, for a human, which gave him a little larger than ordinary chance of survival.

Seeing the warm smile on the vampire's face let Aaron relax a bit more. It had occurred to him that this could have been a trap, but he though it unlikely. He'd come to recognise quite well when a vampire or werewolf wanted you for dinner, and not through peaceful means.

A cool breeze blew past him, so Aaron zipped up his hooded jacket and stepped forward a few paces but stayed cautious enough to remain just out of arms reach of the man. "Nice night isn't it?" He commented. He'd never been very good when it came to small talk. "I didn't mean to interrupt you. Carry on if you want." Aaron stuffed his hands into tatty jeans pockets and leaned against the trunk of the nearest tree. "I don't really mind. I have talked to vampires before."

For a few seconds, Aaron considered introducing himself. Deciding that this might ease the fractionally tense atmosphere, he pulled his right hand out of his pocket and held it out in front of him. "I'm Aaron." And he grinned.

[* Annie - L]

Haemish felt slightly awkward, and surprised at the humans casualty directed towards him. One thing was for sure though, Haemish was glad he wouldn't be doing any chasing after a human and to convince the human that it was crazy. Not that that had ever happened or anything....

He wasn't entirely sure how to react, but the blood called his name. "Haemish Burton." He replied, offering his hand that hadn't touched the blood to Aaron. "Pleased to meet you. Don't mind if I indeed take you up on that offer though, I'm quite hungry..."[/i] he smiled amiably without showing teeth. He was worried there could be bloodstains and that wasn't very appealing to someone who did not drink blood.

His voice, as usual, had hidden his emotions quite well. He didn't sound at all uncomfortable or surprised. He folded himself in half and kneeled on the ground next to the deer again. He slid a hand tenderly under the creatures neck again. Before lowering his head to it's neck, he threw a sideways glance to Aaron, still unsure of what to do. He'd never had anybody watch him feed before, and being a fairly closed up person, he didn't seem to like it. But he was so thirsty still, he closed his eyes tightly and finished his meal.

[captvimes]

Shaking Haemish's hand, Aaron looked away rather self-consciously when the vampire went to finish his meal. At least it was only a deer, nowhere near as disturbing as witnessing a vampire feed from a, often soon to be dead, person. Aaron couldn't help but shudder at some of the memories that filled his head from the past few years.

"Sorry if I'm making you feel uncomfortable. I was only out for a walk and got so lost in my own thoughts that suddenly, I was here." Clearing his throat, Aaron stared at his shoes for a little while. To be honest, he wasn't much of a people-person, more of a people-watcher, and now he began to feel a little self-conscious. What should he say next? He couldn't quite come out and ask Haemish what he'd like to, that could make him seem presumptuous and he wasn't. Aaron was simply interested in why vampires and werewolves behaved how they did, that was all. "Perhaps I ought to have taken psychology instead of maths." Aaron thought to himself.

"Erm, I hope you don't mind me asking..." He began, thinking that he would be more likely to get an answer if he was very polite rather than blunt. "But, why don't you feed from humans? You don't have to answer...I'm just nosy, that's all." And he gave Haemish a nervous grin.

[* Annie - L]

He sensed the human shudder, but didn't know if he was to blame. He finished as quickly as possible to end any discomfort the human may be feeling towards him, just incase. He hated hurting things, and assumed he was nauseating to watch. He only had one memory of seeing a vampire feed when he was human, but that wouldn't really count. All he felt was rage and horror at the sight of his best friend - and boyfriend - being drained. "Sorry if I'm making you feel uncomfortable. I was only out for a walk and got so lost in my own thoughts that suddenly, I was here." came the human's voice again. He wasn't used to knowing the names of humans... well... he wasn't used to knowing anything or anyone's names.

"It's okay... I'm done anyways." He smiled awkwardly, the looked back down to the deer. He allowed the silence to swell slightly, but as he was about to attempt furthur conversation, Aaron asked why he didn't eat humans.

Haemish was a little startled by the question, truth be told. He didnt look up, simply rubbed a hand respectfully down the deer's cheek. Just something he did after a meal out of guilt. After several moments of silence, he looked up. With a half hearted smile, he rose, wiping his mouth once more. Haemish was not one to spill his life story, especially that story. He resented saying he'd never touched a human. He wished he'd said he was already full or something along those lines. Anything to avoid the topic he dreaded so strongly. Though, talking about it would probably solve many problems in his daily life, as well as help him open up and become a happier person, but he wasn't ready for that, even after over three hundred years.

Being Haemish, he knew he'd reply politely as well, even if he left out anything too personal. Leaning up against a tree, he bit his fingernail for a moment, sorting out his words. "I guess I just know what it's like to lose someone close to you. I would never inflict that onto another person."[/b] He responded, a little passively. He figured the reply had enough in it to keep the human satisfied without reminding him too much of his loss. It had been so long since he'd thought of being human.

[roscoe]

((mind if I join you?))

Roscoe put one last log on the pile outside her rudimentary shelter and sat down, panting slightly, watching her breath form clouds in the air. Aforementioned air, despite its chillyness, had stilled, and Roscoe could smell, as well as hear, everything around her. It was mildly reassuring; she'd be able to sense anything approaching, although anything approaching would also be able to sense her, unless they were human, which made them oblivious as a bat without sonar.

She arranged herself slightly more comfortably on the rough log and picked a piece of bark from its surface. Scratching at it with one long fingernail, she started to doze off. For once, Roscoe's belly was full and the temptation to sleep was almost irresistable.

Her nose twitched.

A sudden sharp tang filled the air, and Roscoe recoiled slightly on the spot. Blood. The metallic stench was fresh and overpowering and very, very close by.

Roscoe leapt up on two feet and fell back down on four. Silently cursing her uber-visible pale fur, she followed the scent. There weren't any predatory animals in England which could bring down a deer, were there?
No wait. There were.

Vampires. And how was Roscoe expected to sleep when one of those was prowling around?

[* Annie - L]

[[OOC ... sure, that's fine. I'm going to wait for Aaron to reply though... so he doesnt get lost if we go off. three way will be interesting ]]

[captvimes]

((Sorry for the slowness of this post. I've had a lot of school work recently so I've not been able to get online much))

Aaron took a breath to say something else, to push further, but then thought better of it. He knew an evasive answer when he heard one and he didn't want to upset Haemish or make him angry by pursuing a topic that he didn't want to talk about. Still, he observed the vampire's delicate gesture towards the dead creature and couldn't help but pass comment. "You don't really like being a vampire do you?" The question was, on the whole, rhetorical, but as soon as the words left his mouth, Aaron regretted saying them.

Biting his bottom lip, something which he did when he was nervous, Aaron looked away. He hoped that Haemish wouldn't have thought his comment intrusive. However, glancing out into the forest, he caught a glimpse of a pale streak in the darkness. "Did you see that?" He asked, swallowing hard. Aaron had a suspicion about what that white streak might turn out to be. If he was right, the future probably wasn't looking very rosy for him.

Once again, Aaron absentmindedly patted down his pockets but, unsurprisingly, no weapon had magically appeared there in the past five minutes, and he could hardly paper-cut someone to death with a bus ticket.

[* Annie - L]

Haemish had never understood the hatred between species. It was just too prejudistic for him. He hoped the werewolf he sensed suddenly shared those beliefs and didn't try to gut him. He really didn't want to fight with anything, as usual. Such a passive person. He had a hard time killing deer, even, but fighting it out with a werewolf, not to mention with a human present, could simply dampen his mood. Especially on his land, his own forest which he previously trusted to keep him safe. Twice in one night it defied him.

"I chose it,"[/i] he replied quickly to Aaron before confirming with the human that it was, in fact, a werewolf in their presence. "And it's a werewolf. I can only hope she isn't one of those ones who hates other creatures." He bit his lower lip, voice embedded with wishful thinking.

"Hello,"[/i] He greeted in the direction he knew to contain the creature. His voice was amiable with a hint of fluid charm, he wanted to show he did not mean any harm - for the second time that night. Though, being a vampire, it was instinctive to tense up when there was a werewolf about. His hands slid from his pockets into a rigid position at his sides, and his body hunched ever so slightly, ready to defend himself and Aaron. Although, had it been his choice he would have stayed casual, but it was like a cat staying casual as a dog intruded mysteriously into it's territory.

Haemish was up for making yet another friend that ngiht, or acquaintance since he wasn't sure if either would like him.

[roscoe]

((oh man *headdesk* Should I have Roscoe attack or not? On one hand, it might make things interesting, on the other, they might not get off to a great start that way...))

[* Annie - L]

dont do it. they should become a circle of friendies it'd be cool. a threeway friendship plot. Since if we were to fight, one of us would die. SHOTGUN NOT. anywho... it'd be pretty controversial to have all three sepecies become friends.

[roscoe]

"Hello."
The smooth greeting floated in her direction and Ros stopped, the muscles locking in her shoulder blades and legs, sliding together like armoured plates in preparation for a fight. The voice sounded exactly as a vampire's should; velvety, suave, misleading and ready to lure people to their doom.

Then again, maybe she was reading deceit where there was none. The bloodsucker could just be being civil.

Roscoe's throat, independent of her mind, gave a little bark of suppressed laughter that almost startled herself. The last (and only) non-confrontational vampire she had met was in Egypt, and that was half a decade ago. Five years wasn't much, not by vampire standards, and an adult human would probably also find it small, but Roscoe was neither a vampire nor an adult and to the white wolf now starkly outlined by a black tree trunk behind it, five years felt like ages.
Above her, leaves shivered, rustling dryly in the slight breeze. By the time the tiny gust of air had died down, Roscoe had made up her mind.

Let's see what happens. If he attacks, I attack. If he moves, I move. A little voice in her head whispered ...And what if he /is/ just being civil? Roscoe grinned, unintentionally baring sharp white teeth. Then I'll just have to be civil too, won't I?

Acknowledging the vampire's greeting with a slight nod of her head, she entered the clearing and sat on her haunches opposite the two men, waiting for someone to do or say something.

((true. lol, slightly cr*ppy ending. ah well.))

[captvimes]

As a wolf materialised out of the darkness, Aaron gulped and absentmindedly began to rub his right forearm, and the huge scar that it had. The strange thing was, he thought that he might have met this werewolf before, or perhaps it just looked like someone he had known, and gained his scar off of. Wait...Haemish had referred to the werewolf as she, so he couldn't know her. The person he had been thinking about had been a male, and a big one at that.

He watched, almost suspiciously as she sat at the edge of the clearing, seemingly waiting for something. At least she didn't seem the violent sort. If that was the case, then he and Haemish would have known it by now.

The silence was beginning to become uncomfortable for Aaron so, pausing in his lip chewing for a moment, said, "Hi. I'm Aaron. What's your name?" Even as the words left his mouth he knew that they sounded rather stupid. It was something a child might say, but Aaron wasn't the best orator in the world and decided that that would have to do. Waiting for an answer, his gaze fell upon an unoccupied patch of ground and resumed biting his lower lip. He only completely stopped when he noticed that it was bleeding, and immediately hoped that neither vampire nor werewolf would be provoked to act irrationally by this.