Stalked trail had taken him ever deeper into the shadowed lands of the damned. A chill briefly running over the cat’s spine over thoughts of discovery, of those who dwelt here finding out he was out of place. Nothing more than a proverbial feast lain out before them - and not just for the eyes - a promise of satisfaction for those more primal instinctual urges harbored behind fangs. If it were not for the entangled essence of another binding itself to him then there was certainty he would have been approached by now.
That writer’s ‘mark’ a blessing out here, a proclamation of property if it came down to it. If he were to be taken in, that man’s presence was preferred to that of a stranger or this lands holding cells. Decorated crown shook away such intrusive thoughts. He had to remember his purpose here, that would keep him grounded. This was all for coin. Slit the throat of a betrayer, promise safety to those who looked to him for guidance. Huian only needed to complete this job then he could get outta this place and back to basking in the comforts of the sun with those familiar.
At this point he was done playing games. Someone here had to know where that bastard was hiding. Discover the target, eliminate it, and get out with your head. Instructions simple. It would be no different than any time before. This would be far from his first taste of blood.
Briefly eyes would scane the populace, singling out one who appeared more alone than the rest before boldness took over. Adorned figure easily saddling up to the unknown before the promised sear of silver pressed lightly to fabrics. Lips close to their ear in hushed tone, “Keep walking and don’t act out of place. I just want to talk.” Though despite what one may claim the way a blade lingered at the small of their back told a different tale.
Spelled out his lies. Foretold a fate far different than what the touch of that jewelry marked frame did. One which remained flush, a practiced act as if embracing a lover rather than an intended mark. Huian unafraid of touch even when it came to one entirely unknown. However, briefly a crown would shift, allow a glimpse at the easy smile lacing over his lips. Another fabrication yet one worn in the falsity of friendliness, a brightness which carried to the sheer vibrancy of all which side-eyed a creature far from his assigned kill. He could still find a use for this one.
Lavalles. He used to tell stories of its great walls intricate with ornate carvings, its unfathomable beauty in the countless tales we shared beneath the lulling glow of feminine night. This was his home, the land of his birth, the alleged origin of our sanguine curse. A fate forced upon us that eventful night where we alone were spared the mercy of death. I thought of him with a heavy heart when the waves crashed against my hull and I first saw the mist of Klewyth give way to its great land. He had yearned to return one day, to see his family, to reunite with those he'd left behind. A trade for financial security - a sacrifice we both made willingly.
We became warriors of the sea. Thieves, as some would say.
The flat of my thumb grazed the wooden vial draping down from my neck, the pad feeling out the engraving of a name upon it. Tama. We may have been born of different women, sired by other men, but we were brothers all the same if in nothing more than an oath sworn claim. Of oaths, I gave him two. Our brotherhood, the first, and to return the other's body to the land of their birth.
Violet gaze languidly swept my surroundings, finding nothing unusual except the sudden prick of a searing blade pressing into the small of my back. Naturally, I stiffened, my gaze drifting into my peripheral view to catch a glimpse of this smiling assailant. "Keep walking.", Of course, I'd obey. Sandaled feet kept the cobble from my heels as we walked, close, too close, enough so that I could smell this mortals pulse beneath his neck.
"Are the people of Klewyth always so... how you say... friendly?" Foreign tongue was thick, whispered as I attempted to defuse any thought of bodily violence.
Attentions remained fixed, feline features showing no signs of alarm despite what may race through his thoughts now. This one was at least willing to listen. No obvious fight that others were so willing to dish out but that did not mean a guard would be dropped. He intended to remain alert even after he’d eventually depart their side. For now he remained close, feeling the unmistakable touch of death that radiated from the vampiric yet the more eyes searched the other there came no other outward modification. At a glance one could easiliy mistake them as nothing more than a mere mortal.
From here, however, there came sign enough. A brief trill of excitement running through his pulse before it would steady once more. Short huff of laughter escaping toward woven phrase, “Suppose you could say that. Dare I say some are even friendlier than I am, keen on offering someone a killer of a time.” And he could not claim to be any different yet harming this particular creature was not why he’d come here. It was another of those ‘friendly’ beings he sought out, unknowing that this particular vampire may be just as unfamiliar to these lands as he was.
Yet such thoughts never passed and when he was certain they were out of ear shot, away from those who may listen in on conversation. That usual purred phrases would rise in tones held just as closely as before, “There’s a wolf 'round here and I know your kind can smell a hell of a lot better than I can.” A far easier time in discovering that hell raiser in a sea of unknowns before something much more obvious gave the beast away. Blood stained fangs could not be allowed to be illuminated in the night, besides a shifted presence would make his target much harder to kill. “Moons full tonight and I have a problem to solve before it rises. So I’m asking nicely for a bit of help.”
Though the tip of a silver dagger caressed the small of my back with biting urgency, there was no sense of danger. Lessened, too, was any inkling of fear by the boyish trill of devious laughter. Had I misspoken? Their language was not my native tongue, its flow and words were taught only by the felled brother of whom I sailed - my purpose for him was a grim reminder of our inevitable fate. Should I die here, then who was I to brandish my chakram against the heralds of karma? Mind you, reader, this was not my resolution to surrender, for I have fought far too long and hard to survive in this world to be robbed of it in this manner.
For now, I was complacent and obedient - the traits of a meek captive. Through the corner of my eye, I marked the man with a furrowed brow, a scowling frown and the inquisitive pierce of my shrewd gaze. He was easily taller, muscular, and far different than the vast faces strewn throughout the streets of Lavalles. There was a darkness in his skin, similar to mine, that told of a heritage not belonging to the more pallid visages of the crowd around us. Was he also a stranger to Klewyth?
My composure fractured and I could not restrain a bemused chuckle when he spoke of wolves. "You seek beasts when you appear as one?" I dared to look at my captive deep within the wells of his green eyes.
Azure locks swayed against my chest with the shaking motion of my head. "I'm afraid that you've asked the wrong person, my friend." Exotic drawl murmured enough so only his ears were privy. "I do not know wolves or how they... stink."
Then it dawned on me that perhaps he'd been able to tell the supernatural aura of my person. That I was not like the other men and women that wandered these dark streets seeking to return to their sanctuary. Did he know my curse?
I offered a toothy grin, an elongated fang protruding from my upper lip. "Tell me of this... wolf beast. And the urgency of the moon. Perhaps then I can help you, my friend."
In a heartbeat ears fell back as amusement fled those lips, nothing more than a tease and yet he was no wolf. His mind was not lost upon the cycles of the moon. He did not share their curse and it is without hesitation that a frame draws nearer. Blade no longer pressed flush to another’s hide yet still held toward them in silent threat. A hand not clutching the bite of silver fighting the urge to wind against clothing, to run against the expanse of exposed skin in order to seize hold. But no, instead nails curled inward to bite at his own flesh even if only briefly.
Once purred phrases now carrying a notable hiss, “I am no beast. Not like them.” Feline tail whipped back and forth, a clear sign of displeasure despite knowing this one may not have meant anything more with such remark though it is not enough to bring the cat to falter in full from his task. “Besides somethin’ tells me you’ll learn their stink soon enough,” yet even with promise carried behind those words there lingered a brief pang of uncertainty.
Had he guessed wrong? Was this one merely a creature unfortunate enough to share a similiar essence to the damned? Perhaps one more exotic should have been chased, a beast adorned in horns and wings rather than the simplicity of the one before him now. Yet even then some with such decorum were nothing more than bonds like he, flesh unclaimed by death but still had a portion of mortality stolen away and forged with another. A link to their very presence… no matter how faint it may feel at times. And yet this one had wandered alone.
They were an easy target. No guard held at their side nor even the accompaniment of another body. For now they would have to do. Though it is then a smile greets him and with it all doubts swiftly fade. Glimpse at the dangerous point of fang enough to clear the mind, a new found certainty held - something the stranger appeared to register as question over wolves soon rose. Even if this came from nothing more than passing curiosity it was opportunity seized. He hardly wished to go into detail, was not going to mention this was just another contract to get paid. Instead he would do what came so naturally. Lie. Though did it truly count as fabrication if one were simply withholding information?
No. He thought not.
“Moon makes ‘em crazy when it’s full. Anything that breathes the wolves gun for with fangs bared. Don’t care what it is once the instincts of a true beast takes over. It leaves them without their humanity… however, this guy’s a piece of shit even without the moon crazies. If he turns out here it won’t be pretty.” While there were more than enough vampires or even just roaming guard to take care of such a problem for his own selfish reasons the cat wanted the satisfaction of a killing blow. He needed it. Besides no trophy - no proof of the slaughter - meant no pay and Huian wasn’t going to have dragged himself all the way out here for nothing.
“I’ve got a description and a task to fulfill. If you won’t track I’ll find someone who will,” even if it meant hunting down that damn writer, “But right now I don’t have time for games.” And if they found who he pursued then maybe the thief would consider rewarding them. A portion of the coin earned, a favor of some sort. He was no stranger to bargains nor payments of flesh whether it entailed a taste of the very blood these beasts thrived off, taking care of a mark placed upon another’s crown so they may avoid dirtying their hands with slaughter, or even something a bit more personal. Whatever one held in mind he would be willing to hear of it but only if he found success in a hunt.
There was danger found within my restrained whimsy, humour visible only by the faintest trace of a slanted smirk. I faced the unknown, a blade pointed at the small of my back, a thin thread swinging between the realms of life and death wrought by the motives of another morbid inkling. Harboured here there was no fear for either fate that I would take but I did prefer to keep what remained of this life intact. Though my soul was still living, this body had died long ago.
As he spoke of these feral beasts I listened with keen interest, a quiet fascination - if not blatant confusion - at these prospected creatures. The dark line of my ebony brow mirrored this quiet sentiment and my tongue found itself whispering that cerebral query which plagued me.
“Humanity?” I asked.
I knew of jackals and foxes, reptiles and serpents. I knew of the fish that swam the seas and the hidden fables lurking beneath. Kracken’s and Loch’s - a fish man’s fever dream. Never would I claim them to have humanity, a trait given to those of hominid stature. Was it then implied that they were mortals upon a time ago? I thought then of my cursed existence, a being who was forced to live throughout the supposed finality of death and a solemn veil languidly clung to my face.
He wasn’t looking for a beast... he sought a man.
“But right now I don’t have time for games.” I slowly turned to look at him.
“I’ve none to play, my friend.” I spoke clearly while brazenly reaching for the crook in his arm to walk the streets unassuming to those whose eyes found privy to prying. “You need only lead.”
Then I spoke a name. “Khida.” I smiled warmly, invitingly. “And you, not-beast?”
Humanity? Near whispered phrase brought ears to turn back, “That’s what I said. If you ask me though he lost that a long time ago.” Before the plague of beasts had ever fallen upon tainted blood. All it granted was the ability to carry out accused deeds with far deadlier precision, with much more ease beneath that mask of mortal skin. Though before anything more can be explained an arm of his supposed ‘captive’ boldly wound about his own. Pulling him with a gentle tug to walk the streets he’d been guided away from.
It was a hold Huian could easily slip from but for the time it earned nothing more than a scowl, a curled lip to show off the point of cat-like fangs before a blade swiftly returned to its sheath. Vibrant gaze now glued upon the smile that spread warmly over this stranger’s lips. A name offered so freely, however, he was not so keen on giving up a calling. Identity one may speak to the next guard they crossed and limit his chances of making a clean get away. “Nobody,” this supposed ‘name’ falling smoothly from his tongue as he sharply eyed the other.
Nobody this one needed to worry over.
Hardly a name yet a calling it could still be for only those trusted could know the truth… and frankly a vampire he’d just met hardly fit into such requirements. None were ever truly satisfied whenever such an answer laced the air. Though they would not be left without a tease toward the truth, “If you’re useful in my investigation then a name can be part of your reward.” No matter how he hated the idea of it, outside resources would receive repayment. For now this was all one would receive, a glimpse toward falsified profession. Detective. Officer. Neither he was yet each he’d claim to be with forgery in hand. Papers of identification, the contacts to back it all up. Work could be passed off as just.
“Guy I’m… we’re after has an unhealthy taste for flesh,” a voice kept low as the glimmer of that gaze danced over passers-by before drifting closer. Allowing this ‘embrace’ to appear more natural, more relaxed. All so that a crown could lean in hushed tone, “A bit taller than you.” Briefly those eyes would flicker back to one now held so near, an obvious glance over appearances before shamelessly a hand would roam. Squeezing against the very arm which held him in obvious guage of one’s visible displays of strength, “Definitely more built. Got quite a bit more muscle.”
Okay, probably a lot more based on what could be felt here though fingers weren’t about to lace beneath clothing to rover over this Khida’s chest or dip lower in exploration of muscle tone just to make a comparison. “Mostly dark hair with obvious greys, same goes for fur if he’s turned… if not tanned skin marked by colorful tattoos.” A tail flicked in silent annoyance, the faint clink of jewels sounding with each step taken, “Last reports put him in rather revealing clothing, form-fitting, and an amulet around his neck.” Part of the cat’s own prize should it still be worn. “Lost his trail near the barber, so that’s where you come in. See if any scents stand out once we get there.” Something that hopefully didn’t belong when it came to this one’s assumed knowledge of the area.
Nobody was an alias taken by those who wished to roam the littered alleys, the dark recesses of depravity, under the guise of unassuming vulnerability. To escape the burdens of legality. Cast away the shackles of responsibility for their plots and schemes. Many faces I knew lurked behind that mask. It was the handle I was given in place of a proper introduction and each time - now included - I'd offer a lop-sided and almost cordial smile. Everyone had their secrets and the right to them. Who was I to pry into the unknown wells of a stranger's guarded reason? That didn't mean I would simply accept it, however.
"A not-beast. A nobody. I'm starting to think that you don't even exist." I teased despite our rather... perilous introduction.
"If you're useful in my investigation then a name can be part of your reward." A dark brow piqued at this nobody while I took the time to fully examine the assailant who had - just moments before - held me hostage with the pointed end of his blade. At first glance, he appeared well off. The glistening of abundant jewellery and the intricacy of his silken garb indicated that he did not suffer an impoverished fate.
"And what value does your name hold compared to that which you seek?" I'd ask while regarding him from the corner of my lashes.
Then I resumed listening, walking, my arm tucked endearingly around Nobody's waist as if we'd known each other for a lifetime or two. As my companion elaborated, confusion continued to slip across the furrow of my brow and the subtle show of wrinkles as I thought. Turned? It was clear now that he indicated the men of this country could transform their anatomy into that of a lupine hound. Were it not for my own blight, I might have laughed at Nobody. Laughed at the idea of a man turning into a wolf. Laughed at the lunacy of it.
Instead, I looked fully up at his tanned visage with humbling darkness overwhelming the depths of my hardened, stoic gaze. "What's to stop me from tearing you apart before he does? Are my kind not as ravenous as his?" I let my eyes wander to the throbbing pulse in his neck while the trailing path of my index finger-nail slipped along the curve of his hip upwards along the dip of his ribs. "I've no interest in your mortality. But, in return for my assistance... I ask only for a name and a night without the threat of silver." My body paused as I looked again at Nobody's face for any hint of either refusal or aggression.
