The Reluctant Hunter [Inora Makani]

[* Phoenix Slater]

Phoenix could not deny that there were perks to the new life he was leading. The extra sensative senses, the phychic abilities, yes, even the speed. However, he never did look forward to hunting trips, though. A week ago he'd come across a female of his own species, who had been nice to him. He was still leery, which would be understanble if one was to know his history. Back to the point, he hated hunting, prefering to go without feeding for as long as he could stand it without losing his control. He grumbled under his breath as he raced by tall tree after tall tree in the mountains near New York city. Hopefully, it would be too dense and dark for any humans to be hiking.

He glided by a particularly large pine, crouching down instinctively once the smell of something large -and carnivorous- lumbered past him. Nyx really didn't feel like getting all scratched up, but he was so thirsty... He tensed each of his muscles, waiting for the chance to spring. What stalked past his hidey spot was a small bear, not much of a match for even a mountain lion. He stood up straight, putting his hand on his hips and tilting his head in a come on fashion. The little bear lifted its head and sniffed, finally spotting the young vamp. It let out a little cry and started to sprint away from Phoenix. He snorted, taking a running leap so that he could jump into the nearby tree and land easily. The bear stopped, startled by the abscence of the predator. Nyx bared his fangs and pounced, landing on the mammal's back.

A short amount of time later, sporting new scratches across his cheek and chest, Nyx was finished with the bear. It wasn't much, but it should stave off the horrible need until he could find something a bit more satisfying. Earlier on, before he'd leaped on the bear, he'd removed his shirt so he wouldn't ruin it. "I swear, it would be easier if I hunted naked!" Phoenix muttered, wiping off the blood from his mouth with the back of his hand. He tilted his head to the breeze, hoping it would carry some sort of a better meal on it. Or at least a hint as to where he could find one. He hated hunting humans, mostly because he could never stop himself before he drained them completely. Nyx scowled, glaring at his jeans with angry acid green eyes. There was a large tear just above the left calf, and small bits of blood flecked in various areas. "Nice!" He growled, shoving his hands in his pockets.

He lifted his nose to the breeze, searching for something, anything to satisfy his thirst. About thirty meters north there was a deer herd. He made a face and started off towards the promise of blood. Nyx really didn't have the time, or the will, to be without a full stomach. He closed in, eyes glued to a large buck smack down in the middle. On the good side, if he brought that down, he would be full for a while. Bad side, if the stag managed to stick his antlers into his body, Phoenix would resemble a cow at a slaughter house. Before he could leap at the male, a sound broke into his concentration. He stayed perfectly still, trying to decide whether or not he should run.

[Inora Theos]

The hunt was a lot more satisfying now, a way for her to let loose her anger on someone who could actually be hurt by it. Though that thought put even more anger inside her, she'd never wanted to cause another being pain at all until Sevanni Black had come into her life.

Though she had to admit she was luckier than Nixie, her friend was bound to Sevanni in a way that she couldn't escape, at least Inora didn't have to see him, live with the monster that he was every day.

Her thoughts focused back on what she was doing. It was time to hunt, but she didn't want to shift into her wolf form yet, now was not the time. She needed to locate her prey first and then shift, so that she would have her clothes nearby, easily accessible if she needed to go human and make a run for it.

Inora sniffed the air, searching for prey. It had been hard for her, when she first became a werewolf, she'd only hunted on the full moon nights when she couldn't help it, when it was her instincts doing the hunting not her. But now, she found it a good way to relieve her pain. Very few other things could do so. Even hunting only relieved it momentarily.

Her sniffing finally turned up something good, deer. She slunk through the woods in human form, carefully stalking the animals. Even now she had the grace and silence of her wolf. She was half turned already, in this state she was all hunter, all predator. If she stopped for even a second to think about what she was doing the spell would be broken.

A few feet away from the deer she began shedding her clothing, short and a tank top, nothing too complicated. Then she shifted into a wolf, shuddering at the feel of it. The shivers it sent through her bones, the fur popping through her skin.

Finally she stepped into the bushes surrounding the clearing the herd occupied, she was focused on their scent and did not notice the scent of a vampire. Gathering herself, she locked her eyes on the buck. The deer were facing away from her and the wind was blowing towards her, she had the perfect conditions for this.

Carefully the blond wolf that was Inora slid out from the bushes almost completely on her belly. She moved forward inches at a time, not wanting to spook the creatures. She got herself well within striking distance, measured the leap, and then executed it, landing on the bucks back and ripping it's neck open simultaneously.

It was a beautiful kill, her best ever, effortless in it's execution. The buck was bleeding out, dead, the other deer had scampered off. She took the time to appreciate her work and then looked up, snarling. She'd finally smelled the vampire, she glared in it's direction and took a step toward it, growling menacingly.

She would gladly fight for her kill. In that moment, sweet Inora was gone, this was the wolf and her pain and anger all rolled into one being. One being who was not to be trifled with.

Of course, the second she saw that it was a person, she'd return to herself again.

[* Phoenix Slater]

The sound that he stopped his attack had been a snarl, and now seeing what it belonged to Nyx curled his lip in a snarl. He bared his fangs at the blond wolf, backing up slightly. Though his body took on a defensive crouch, his hands raised slowly in a surrender motion. He didn't know much about the beasts, but he was sure that if the wolf saw him as a threat it would attack.

He backed up a bit more, fear making a pungent smell to add to the air. The large canine gave another growl, advancing on Phoenix. He hissed at it, eyes darting all over the place for any sort of an escape route. "Please." He whispered, teeth bared in panic. Now that he was face to face with it, the wolf brought back terrible memories from his childhood. He'd been chased by the neighborhood brutes who'd savaged his leg. The doctor had been a good one, though, because what is left of his scars are thin lines that zig zag in patterns across his calf.

He stared hard at the canine teeth that were directed in his direction. He'd never really tested his speed; he knew he could reach fourty miles per hour easily. I can outrun it, he thought, giving himself hope. I CAN. It doesn't stand a chance of catching me. He stood up a bit straighter at this thought, decideing that he could make his escape through the trees.

Before Nyx could manage this, he was brought to his knees by a wrenching pain in his stomach. He gave a startled hiss, clutching his stomach and forgetting completely about the dangerous animal before him. He'd waited to long; he could feel his control slipping as each second passed.

He glared back up at the animal through his bangs, green eyes piercingly angry. He staggered to his feet, sniffing the air as he did. Phoenix didn't have time to waste on this beast; he needed blood now. Catching the faint scent of the does on the wind, he sprang past the animal, ignoring it completely. He came upon one trying to herd its fawn into the bushes and dove, catching the frightened mother by the neck and breaking it.

The creature had barely hit the ground before Phoenix started feeding from it. He clutched his prize closer to his body, gulping down the life force eagerly. The pangs in his body eventually ceased and as the body grew cold, he evaluated the kill. Messy, as always. "Fuck!" He spat, jumping to his feet and kicking the deer carcass. What was left of his pants flapped as he strode back toward the clearing, forgetting about the wolf until he saw it again.

Face to face with this thing, he froze again. His shirt was on the other side of the clearing, and the snarling creature was blocking his way.

[Inora Theos]

The wolf that was Inora continued to snarl but Inora herself was jolted by the whispered plea. This wasn't right, she didn't want to hurt him and he clearly wasn't trying to hurt her. But she was too far gone at the moment to override her wolf. When the vampire left the clearing Inora's inner wolf ripped the buck apart, eating quickly. She was interrupted again by the vampire coming back and now her snarl was bloody.

He was shirtless the vampire, and now that her wolf's hunger had subsided, Inora could focus on the fact that she wasn't in danger. Almost without thinking she shifted back to human form. And then gasped in astonishment. She was naked. "Oh crap." She said. She shifted herself back after a few moments of shock and then gazed at the vampire.

She whined through her wolf throat and hid behind the carcass of the buck. How could she have been so stupid? She'd just shown a stranger her nakedness. She escaped into the trees back to her clothing, shifted back to human form and dressed quickly.

Slowly, she returned to the clearing, hoping the vampire would be gone, though much to her chagrin he wasn't.

"How much did you see?" Her voice was timid, some slight anger showing through. But the anger was at herself, not him. It wasn't his fault she didn't have complete control over her inner wolf, she'd put it down so many times that she hadn't allowed herself to really get to know it. You couldn't control something that you didn't fully understand, that's why so many parents couldn't control their children.

She crossed her arms subconsciously over her chest, covering her breasts. This was not the best thing to happen after a rape, a man seeing her naked that she didn't even know. Now she felt even more violated than she had before. Not that it was this poor man's fault.

Inora was the one who'd flashed him.

[* Phoenix Slater]

Nyx slowly backed away from the snarling wolf, hands still raised in his defense. The wolf still had its teeth bared, but it was now bloody. His nose twitched at the smell, but he eventually froze completely. What would it do now? Now that he thought about it, wolves don't ever get that big. Nor do they appear in 'blond'. He frowned, taking a steady step towards the creature.

He peered into the wolf's eyes, finally seeing some sort of intelligence. This threw him; that sort of intelligence can only be human. He was about to take a step closer when he got the shock of his life. He had just been flashed, but that was besides the point. The wolf was a woman, and she looked scared. His arms flashed up to his face and he spun around, a low "Oh my god." mumbled under his breath. Instead of turning around or trying to peek again (he was no pervert) he called over his shoulder. "I'm sorry! I didn't mean..."

He listened hard for some sort of response, only to hear some branches crashing. He whirled about, searching for the woman, or the wolf. But he was alone again. He dashed from his spot to find his shirt and pulled it over his head as he ran. He was back in the clearing before the wolf returned. He was just musing on how to get apology flowers to the girl when her low voice materialized behind him. He turned slowly, unwilling to face her. "I only saw a flash, honest." He mumbled quietly.

"I'm terribly sorry, miss. I've put off feeding for so long that I couldn't take it anymore. That," he nodded towards the large buck, "was what I had been going for. Humans are delicious," he shuddered, "But I hate taking a human life. You understand, right?" He desperately wanted someone to understand his fight, even if it was a stranger. Phoenix wasn't sure what to do now. Should he offer to leave? He wouldn't need to feed for a while.

Maybe she would be better off if he left.

[Inora Theos]

Inora breathed a sigh of relief. She believed him when he told her that he'd seen nothing of consequence. "Don't worry about it. It's forgotten and forgiven." She said gently. Of all the things she'd thought would happen to her today, flashing a perfect stranger was the least of them.

She listened to his words and stiffled a grin, he'd gotten too hungry? Well she knew that feeling, her wolf had been clamoring at her for days to let it have it's fun. So she definitely understood him there. She was taken aback by his next words however, and the underlying plea of understanding.

The poor guy was a nice vampire, and here she was being all defensive and stand offish.

"That's great! Really, most vampires don't feel that way. They don't value human lives even though they themselves used to have one. I know if I'd become a vampire rather than a werewolf I never would have been able to take a human life. I have some friends that are vampires and most of them are the same way but even they sometimes get carried away."

It was refreshing to meet a vampire with some sense of right and wrong, rather than the immoral ones she usually met. The ones that didn't even think about what was right and wrong, they just did whatever they wanted. Damn the consequences for them or anyone else.

She really hated some vampires. Which was sad, because it took a lot for Inora to hate someone.

She looked back up at the vampire. "You're really messy when you hunt. Have you been doing this long?" She wasn't trying to be mean with that statement but it was true. He was covered in blood and not all of it was from his victims. He looked like he'd gotten in a fight with a bear. Lifting her nose Inora realized that he probably had.

Inora had looked like him the first few times she'd gone out to hunt in wolf form, but that was because she hadn't learned yet to just let the hunter in her take completely over, she had still been trying to control her wolf. And the girl in her shied away from blood and animal guts, but the wolf in her relished the feel of bone and flesh crushed beneath it's teeth.

Maybe he needed to learn that too.

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Note: Let me know if the colors are annoying.....

[* Phoenix Slater]

Well, I'm not most vampires, am I? He asked, a light smile on his face. Of course he valued human life; he'd been one not too long ago. When she told him about her other friends, his smile faltered until it disappeared completely. Yes...carried away. I do that. I have only killed humans twice, but I had been ignoring my needs then. I like to wait as long as my body can take it before hunting. I must admit, though. Animals fill you, but humans are much more satisfying, he shuddered lightly, wrapping his arms around his body. But then again, I often yearn for the taste of a human. I can't help that. The best I can do is stay alone. Away from everyone and everything. His voice grew distant and his eyes unfocused as he thought of the past. Those kills had been messier.

He looked back to her with a kind smile when she said he was a messy hunter. Yeah, I'm new to this monstrosity. I'm only two months old...well, technically I'm 19 but...you catch my drift, right? He told her, eyes now a soft grass green. She amused him now that she wasn't defensive/snarly. She was nice. He blushed lightly when she studied him, one hand automatically covering the scratches across his cheek. I'm, uh, still learning. He mumbled, trying to shrink in on himself. He wasn't normally this nervous. Maybe it was the simple fact of what she could turn into. That's what really scared him. He fidgeted under her gaze, tugging at the bottom of his shirt and at his sleeves.

Umm...are you okay, though? I should have gone the other way. I didn't mean to upset you. He was genuinely worried that he had upset her somehow. He didn't like to mess with girl's; especially if they had a pretty face. He worried. Quite a bit. Which was odd, because you'd think that a situation like this would bring out his legendary temper. Maybe it was her face. At these particular thoughts he blushed deeply, quickly averting his emerald eyes to stare at the mossy ground. So... He began, forcing himself to look in her eyes. I really should pay you back for the little scare. If you would let me, I could go home and change out of these...um...scraps and take you out for a soda or something? By the time he finished the question, he was flushed bright red. I mean, you don't have to. It'll make me feel better about intruding...

[Inora Theos]

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Inora laughed when she saw him blush, she knew what it felt like to be embarrassed, boy did she ever. But he really had nothing to be embarrassed about, sure he wasn't the best hunter but that was a learned skill. It took time to kill with the ease of a wolf, or an ancient vampire. She had full confidence that he would learn, in time, perhaps she could even help him to do so.

She felt sad that he felt he had to stay away from people, that was no way to live, she'd found that out for sure after her run in with Sevanni. People were what healed you and kept you sane. People made you happy and loved.

"You seem like you have constraint, I don't think you need to stay away from people so much as you just need to be careful when you are around them. The more you stay away that harder it will be for you to get to the point where you can be around humans without wanting to rip their throats out."

She smiled at him, hoping that she could help him get over a few of the kinks in his personality. She knew from the faces he made and the way he talked that he'd had bad experiences with humans, possibly killed a few brutally. But she couldn't hate him for it, she doubted he'd chosen to be a vampire, very few of his kind ever did chose that life. So she couldn't hate him for the negative side effects his condition came with.

"Don't worry about your urges, and don't worry about me. I'm fine, trust me, I was just a little too involved in the hunt. I probably scared you a little more than you scared me. I bet you never would have thought that growly wolf was really a bubbly girl, who would soon flash into human form completely naked. You shouldn't feel bad it was my fault."

Inora smiled when he blushed again and asked her if she wanted to go for a soda. How old fashioned and cute! Asking her for a soda, she felt like she was back in the fifties. But that was really a good thing. He was nice.

"You know, I could use a soda, I'm kinda thirsty after all the running I've been doing. We can let you go change and then while we're sipping our sodas I can give you some pointers on your hunting. Not that you need advice from a girl but if you'd like it, I'll give it."
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NOTES !?;; Sorry it took so long but I did keep my promise!!! Lol.
STATUS !?;; Finished
TAGGED !?;; Phoenix(Nyx)
WORDS !?;; 597 with code probably around 490 without
OUTFIT !?;; Click!
CREDIT !?;; JADE !? @ caution 2.0 for everything but the post itself and the picture and the colors
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