The Hunt [[open]]

[* Annie - L]

Haemish smelt blood, but wasn't bothered. He'd just fed, he could contain himself as he'd done for so many years. He was too busy watching the werewolf to do anything anyways. He instinctively moved in front of Aaron, right between him and the werewolf. He backed up a few paces as well, moving slowly and cautiously until he was content with his positioning. If the werewolf did attack, she would not be able to hurt Aaron, which happened to be his goal.

He was glad when the human broke the tense and awkward silence, and decided to slip in his name as well, as courtesy. "Haemish,"[/i] he nodded as well, acknowledging the wolf politely. He resisted the urge to bite his lip too, since he did not was to gnaw a hole in his own lip like he knew he would. And he did not want to show any form of being nervous or anticipating anything. But he was drawing blanks as to whether or not this werewolf was going to attack. She seemed as though she wasn't interested in fighting, but he knew the occasional werewolf to attack like that. He figured it'd be best just to get his thoughts across and act later. He doubted she'd believe him, but it was worth a shot.

"Listen,"[/i] he paused, realising he was telling the honest to god truth about his beliefs for the second time; the first being that he hadn't killed any humans. He continued, ignoring this. "I'm really not interested in fighting with you, and i personally don't understand why there's so much hate between the species."[/i] he blurted honestly, voice liquid and sincere.

[roscoe]

Ros watched silently as Haemish moved between her and Aaron, then grinned again. “You know, I'm not that stupid. If I wanted to fight you I would already have started. Waiting until you've positioned yourself in an ideal defensive spot is something a mooncrazed wolf would do, and,” she sneaked a look at the sky, not quite trusting them enough to look away completely “...there's still another couple of nights till the full moon.”

As she spoke, Ros thought furiously. Is this a hoax? A totally pacifistic vampire? He's not even going to throw me an insult? It must be some kind of trap, right? But the human's not screaming, and he looks ok apart from the fact that he's a bundle of nerves, no wonder though, he probably came across the vampire feeding and that's not really a sight anybody wants to see... A dry leaf crunched under her paw and she almost leapt forwards in surprise. Covering it up by shifting a little, she added “Oh yeah, I'm Roscoe.”
The scent of fresh blood was tickling her nostrils again, and she sniffed. It took Ros a little while to work out where it was coming from, and she had to clamp her jaws together to avoid chasing after it.

“Bloody hell, you have the luck of the devil, Aaron. What are the odds of stumbling upon a non-human-drinking vampire?”

[captvimes]

Relieved as Aaron was when Haemish shielded him from the werewolf, he was a bit disappointed that the vampire thought that he was completely defenceless. To be honest, Aaron was completely defenceless but his skills at running away were excellent. Alright, he could no way out run a werewolf or vampire, but he was very evasive, usually getting out of scrapes by the skin of his teeth.

“Bloody hell, you have the luck of the devil, Aaron. What are the odds of stumbling upon a non-human-drinking vampire?” Aaron looked up when he heard himself being addressed, and peered over Haemish's shoulder. "Rather small really. Then again, I thought the chance of running into either of the supernatural species around Imperial College was slim."

Aaron had seen Roscoe's reaction to his bleeding and instantly began to suck on his lip to get the blood to clot. "I dunno why we hate each other," he mumbled. By we, he was referring to the three species. "I think your both fascinating."

[* Annie - L]

"You'd be surprised. I've had a werewolf attack me in stranger situations, after pretending to share my views.[/i] he shuddered slightly at the thought. It had been a long time but the memory was still unnerving. He decided to ignore what he was sure to be some form of mockery from the wolf. He knew acting on it would not improve the situation.

At the moment, he didnt exactly care if Aaron thought Haemish was just doing it because he was defenceless. He was doing it because he would not let himself risk it in the case that the wolf had gone after Aaron instead of Haemish. He figured, since the boy had said he'd come across vampires before, yet was standing there nearly behind him, that the boy could run. Or somehow escape them, since Haemish had yet to meet more than two other animal drinkers this century. He brushed that off and continued to stand in front, but a little to the side, just so Aaron could still see the werewolf.

Werewolves were pretty spectacular, Haemish did know that. Though he'd never envied them a day in his life, since he'd chosen his path to become a vampire and stood by that still, he'd actually always thought they were cool. He also liked humans. They were very interesting, especially the changes they'd made over the centuries he'd seen them. Girls nowadays were most certainly different than girls three hundred years ago, when he'd known them as a human. He took a quick glance to Aaron, comparing him to his brothers whom were the only humans he remembered from his own human days. Interesting.

"Fascinating for sure,"[/i] he concured seriously, adding a little nod.

[roscoe]

Roscoe relaxed again as Aaron sucked up the blood staining his lip. She didn't usually eat humans; it felt a bit like cannibalism; but the scent of blood awakened a hunting instinct that was hard to ignore.

"I think you're both fascinating," came the human's voice from behind Haemish.

Roscoe was speechless for a while.

'Fascinating', after all, was hardly the word she would have used to describe bloodsucking parasites and violent brats which turned into the lupine equivalent of Arnold Schwarzenegger every once in a while. Disgusting, horrific, nightmarish... yes. But fascinating?

"Fascinating for sure."
She had to bite her tongue as Haemish agreed. This was an interesting night, made even more interesting by the fact that he hadn't reacted at all to what would certainly have been construed as an insult by a more reactionary vampire. Obviously he was sticking to his principles.

Roscoe decided to put her trust in them and settled on her front paws in a Sphinx-like pose. "You'd be surprised. I've had a werewolf attack me in stranger situations, after pretending to share my views."
"Eh, we're not usually that subtle. It must really have wanted to get at you... You pissed it off pretty badly, huh? And wait a sec-" she turned to Aaron, who was now visible. "You knew about us before?" The blond had said something like 'I thought the chance of running into either of the supernatural species around Imperial College was slim.' Did that mean he was actively looking for supernaturals?

Roscoe couldn't quite get her head round that idea, and in the end decided he must have meant that in a 'Damn, and I thought I wouldn't have to come across any of you lot round here' kind of way.

((changed the order of speeches in order for it to flow, sorry >>))

[captvimes]

Still sucking upon his bottom lip, Aaron nodded in response to Roscoe's question. "Yeah. I know this is going to sound weird, and I don't blame you both if you think I'm completely nuts, but I research your species." Wiping across his mouth with the back of his hand to remove the remaining blood traces, Aaron looked, a little nervously, between Haemish and Roscoe.

"I like vampires, and werewolves. Knowing about people like you makes me feel...I dunno...sort of special. Like I know a great big secret that nobody else does."Aaron rubbed the back of his neck and kept glancing down to his shoes. He was half expecting them to laugh at him. So many others had when he had explained his obsession with the supernatural, human and non-human.

"And I know not all of you are evil." He added quickly. "My first and best friend was a werewolf, and I'd really like to see him again." Finally, Aaron bit his tongue. What was he doing? Spilling his guts to two complete strangers? Was he mad? Information was power and if they knew all about him, then, just maybe, word might get around to someone really bad, and then what would happen to him. At best he could be manipulated...at worst, killed.

"Sorry." Aaron gave a rather forced laugh. "I can go on a bit can't I? Ha ha! You don't want to know all about me I'm sure..."

[* Annie - L]

Haemish felt himself smile to the human. "You're very brave, you know."[/i] he commented, nodding in Aaron's direction. "Not to mention lucky..."[/i] he added, agreeing with Roscoe. He didn't usually socialize with anyone or anything, but it was nice to have a circle of the three species all being civil, if not friends. He returned his gaze to the sphinx-like wolf ahead of him. "No, actually. I dont really do anything to provoke anyone, the wolf was just on my property,"[/i] he paused to raise an eyebrow at the wolf who indeed sat on his property, although he didnt mind that fact, but the other wolf had been a threat. "And it decided to attack me when I was going for a hunt... I can imagine you know who won..."[/i] he trailed off, not wanting to bore them with his encounter. It had gone pretty horribly, but the wolf was being a lunatic. As though it wasn't hunting on his territory.

Shaking his head, Haemish brushed the thought off and looked around the forest, surprised when no unicorns or anything came to join their mythological cricle of beings. He smiled sarcastically to himself. "Well, isnt this just a party."[/i] he grinned, trying to not be the awkward, alone person he knew he was. He wanted to be amiable, since he was sick of being lonely. Sick of being on his own for so long. He sighed, allowing his forced smile to fade slightly, though he was still hoping he wasn't making a fool of himself.

[roscoe]

“Yeah. I know this is going to sound weird, and I don't blame you both if you think I'm completely nuts, but I research your species. I like vampires, and werewolves.”
Roscoe grinned and interrupted in a mock-ironic tone. “You research us? Thanks, now I feel like a bug under a microscope.”
It was only half-true. Roscoe, being typically closed-minded, hadn't even considered the possibility that somebody might want to learn about the underworld instead of running in the opposite direction as quickly as possible. The fact that somebody took an interest, if only a scientific interest, in the way she lived her life was almost flattering. Suddenly feeling self-conscious, she toned down the uncomfortably wolfish grin currently on her face.
“Knowing about people like you makes me feel...I dunno...sort of special. Like I know a great big secret that nobody else does."
“Technically, you do, don't you? Most people only get to know our teeth, ten seconds later they're either dead dead or walking dead.”

"And I know not all of you are evil. My first and best friend was a werewolf, and I'd really like to see him again."

Roscoe had seriously underestimated Aaron's ability of churning out surprises. “You were friends with a werewolf? What was their name? What happened? ... and you know,” she grinned. “I really don't mind if you tell us your entire life history. It's not as if I've got anything better to say. Haemish probably does, though, being what, a couple of centuries old?” She glanced at him for confirmation. “Heck, you could both share your life histories.”

“No, actually. I don't really do anything to provoke anyone, the wolf was just on my property," came Haemish's voice. Roscoe didn't miss the pointed glance and looked down at her claws, giving a small, impish who me? cough, looking up again to catch the rest of his sentence. “And it decided to attack me when I was going for a hunt... I can imagine you know who won..." Inside Roscoe, the wolfspirit reared up, unusually powerfully.
Did I hear that right? One of us got beaten by a dirty bloodsucker? Get him, dammit, get him now!
Shut up and go to sleep.
What? No way, you can't just- Roscoe gritted her teeth and quashed it with an almost frightening fervour. It wasn't going to make her say something stupid; not tonight. It disappeared and she eased up again. "Well, isn't this just a party."
She was about to laugh, Haemish was absolutely right, but stopped short. Was it just her or had a flash of gut-wrenching loneliness glistened across his eyes for a second?

Either way, the vampire was right; this would have to be filed under something marked 'surreal encounters of the 21st century', preferably in block letters. “Eh, listen, I didn't know it was your property, and I'm sorry. Speaking of parties, despite the fur I'm freezing to death... If you want to carry on this conversation, how about somewhere warm?”

[captvimes]

Aaron self-consciously scratched the back of his neck. He never thought of himself as particularly brave...slightly nuts at times, but not really brave. He thought about his actions to be, in strange way, like those possibly employed by naturalists when looking for a particularly rare species of animal. Not that he considered vampires and werewolves as animals, but they were, in comparison to the human race, quite rare.

"His name was Farkas." Aaron mumbled as a reply to Roscoe, "And he disappeared five months ago." He sighed, shoulders visibly sagging as he did so. But, a few seconds later, he perked up again.

Raising his hand, Aaron patted Haemish on the shoulder in a comforting fashion. "We could turn this into a kind of party if you wanted to." A chilly breeze blew and a shiver ran down Aaron's spine. "It is rather cold. I'd offer to take you both back to my campus, but I don't think wolves are allowed in university accommodation. Sorry Roscoe." He gave a sheepish grin and stuffed his hands back into his pockets, hunching his shoulders against the cold wind that was now blowing through the trees, creating an eerie, rustling sound.

((Sorry that it has taken a few days. I've had a couple of major exams this week that I've had to revise for.))

[* Annie - L]

Haemish was startled by the hand that was suddenly on his shoulder. Although the gesture was meant to comfort, Haemish felt uneasy under the contact of the human. It wasnt the race, it was the closeness. He wasn;t used to anything remotely comforting, especially gestures like this. He had to force himself to stand still, not cringing, and he allowed a smile to crawl onto his face in a faux-naturelle manner, but of course his anxiety was very well hidden. He could feel his smile ending at his lips, not reaching his brilliantly blue eyes.

The thought of having people over was very intimidating too. Company wasnt one of the things Haemish was used to, and he was quite anxious to have to deal with two people, but abided and refused to let it show. "Sure, depending on how fast you can run it's only a few minutes..."[/i] he grinned slyly, up for a run. He loved running as much as he loved blood. The thrill, the rush, the air. He never got sick of it. That, walking, and tea were his three joys in immortality. He sighed, figuring they probably wouldnt be running back to his house despite his desire. Oh well, not like he'd run out of time or anything. Time is one thing he has plenty of.

He knew the wolf would be able to run, and wondered vaguely what it would feel like having fur and running on all fours. Could it be as exhilerating and sprinting on two legs at very high speeds? He brushed it off, not wanting to let his mind stray too far. "Well, you're both welcome,"[/i] there was no stiffness in his voice despite how he felt about the topic. Haemish wasn't one for showing emotions, and over time had become a complete wall of stones. No one could enter his keep without his help, or aid. Well, almost no one.

Using his slender hands to gesture in a pleasant manner towards the direction of his lodging, Haemish continued. "A party indeed." he said amiably, his face still split into a smile.

[roscoe]

"Farkas..." The wolf muttered the name under her breath, seeing if it would spark some neurone. "Nope, don't know him. Then again, I haven't exactly been running around with any big packs lately... I heard that that Audley vampire was turning us into fur coats?" Very reassuring, Roscoe. "Uh, that doesn't mean anything, though. He probably strayed during a full moon. I can ask around if you like."

She grinned "Yes! Proper housing at last. I would change back but I'd be in the nude, so I'll invade your toilet, Haemish, if that's ok. And no worries, I run faster than a lightning bolt on speed." The wolf got up, stretched luxuriantly, gave a little sarcastic smile and waited for the vampire to lead the way.

Before moving, she gave one last probing glance into Haemish's eyes. He's really just going to let me into his house? Mind you, it's probably a massive one, considering the size of the forest and the usual vampirey leanings towards baroque mansions, but still...

There was nothing, just a sparkle of blue over a carefully blank facade.

[captvimes]

Pulling his hands out of his pockets, Aaron rubbed his hands together and flexed his fingers. They got cold very easily, and, in winter, he often had to resort to wearing fingerless gloves inside just so they wouldn't get so cold that they'd go numb.

"Thanks Haemish." Aaron smiled. "But I'm probably going to slow you down. I'm quite quick, for a human, but certainly not up to lightning-bolt-on-speed standard." Absentmindedly, he began to chew on a finger nail, worried that if they both decided to go at full speed, he would be left behind, trailing pitifully and rather lost. It would be a bonus to get back to his college before dawn and have a couple of hours sleep. That was the problems with these night-time excursions, it meant little sleep and spending half of the next day or so dozing through lectures, something that wasn't particularly the best thing to do. Still, an occasional trip into the world of vampires and werewolves kept him interested in the world around him and stopped mathematics taking over his life.

Now glancing at Roscoe, Aaron could hardly hold her gaze for more than a couple of seconds at a time. "Farkas never really liked being part of a pack. He liked...no, likes to do his own thing. I can't be talking like he's dead, can I?" His smile faded into a more worried expression, biting his lip again. At least, he hoped that his friend wasn't dead. What would he do then, without him?