darkSpyro

I love your story ! it so good! Mine are usually ify ,but yours is very well written .

...until i get a comment, i'm not posting.

oh ****! nevermind, sorry guys! didn't see the second page...

thank you very much, both of you. and yes!!! i love that nickname!!! <3

and another comment. i don't have my flash drive today. i will post tomorrow.

haha she is definitely interesting.

10. short chapter time!

10
Gabriel sat tensely in the car, waiting for someone- anyone- to say something. He felt wrong, sitting here next to Daniel. He felt… almost claustrophobic. He started as the older vampire’s voice whispered through his mind.
“When we get a moment alone, I wish to speak to you. It’s important.” Once again Gabriel felt disconcerted by the telepathy. He nodded, wondering what it could be that was so important. It had to be somewhatsignificant, if Daniel wanted to talk to him personally. He looked out the window at the scenery rushing by him, and let his thoughts wander to distract himself. He remembered how, when he was little, his mother used to explain how deeply she loved the forests. She used to always speak of her secret desire to run away to it, to join the wolves. He smiled at the memory, and thought about how she always told him stories of the forest. One day, she had said, I will take you to the river that runs through the middle of those woods. One day you will truly see nature’s beauty.
Mother… he thought about her in silence. His brow furrowed as he realized with a passionate sadness that he couldn’t remember how her voice sounded. A lump formed in his throat, choking him slightly, and tears formed in his eyes. He looked once again at the collection of trees, unwilling to let anyone see him as the tears began to fall. He fought to stay silent, but his shoulders quivered slightly, and Daniel took notice. Without a word, the older boy pulled Gabriel to him, resting his head on his chest. Gabriel couldn’t help it; he broke then. Ky continued to look out her window, keeping out of it, but Seth looked into his rearview mirror with worry. He forced himself to look back at the road, however, and Daniel put his arms around his brother. He rested his head atop Gabriel’s.
“I know,” He whispered, his voice strained, “I know.” Gabriel said nothing, though he continued to softly whimper. He didn’t even notice, in his depression, as a wet droplet landed in his hair. The CD kept playing in the radio, and the words he heard then reached out and pulled at Gabriel.
“On and on although you’re gone, candles burn without a flame on… Where did you go… ten years today?”

and 11.

11

Seth pulled up to another gigantic building, this one a dark tan kind of color. A giant grouping of letters spelled out the name in blue; Wal-Mart. Gabriel had finally ceased his weeping, and he and Daniel lay in a companionable stillness. Ky was head banging in the front seat, singing along with another band called Disturbed. Gabriel was half asleep as Seth pulled into a parking space, his head lolling on Daniel’s shoulder.
“Come on, sleepyheads. We have to get going.” Gabriel growled at Seth’s voice, and he was shocked as Daniel’s voice joined his. The two looked at each other and allowed themselves a small smile. Gabriel reluctantly pulled himself up and kicked open the doorand Seth hissed at him. “You’ve no reason to damage my car!”
“Oh shut it Seth. I didn’t hurt your precious car.” Gabriel laughed groggily as he dragged himself off the seat. Daniel was at his side in seconds, and he smiled nervously. “You’re fast,” He commented.
“Yes. A good vampire needs to be. Now move.” He pushed Gabriel ahead. Ky had gotten out in silence, so he jumped when she touched his shoulder.
“C’mon. We’ve got a lot to buy!” She ran ahead of them, catching up with Seth, who had already gotten to the entrance. The two stopped and looked back at the brothers in annoyance.
“Hurry up!” Ky shouted, and Gabriel once again remarked how he hated being rushed. Then he and Daniel joined them at the entrance with supersonic speed, both with irritated faces. Seth laughed.
“You two could be twins. You get so irked from the simplest of things…” He turned and walked in, holding the door for them.
“Gabriel,” Daniel began. “You stay with Seth since you aren’t one to be separated from the group. You two will go to the camping section; grab a few tents, knives and anything else you think we’ll need. Ky, you go and buy anything we’ll want that has to do with communication and entertainment. I will go and get the food. I will pay for everything; we’ll meet up at the register, number 1. Go.” Then he was gone. Ky disappeared a second later, and Seth urged Gabriel along with him.
“Come. We’ll need tents, knives, lanterns, sleeping bags, and possibly a shotgun or two.”
“What!”
“Well, you never know when a bear will come along. It’s hard to kill those massive things.” Seth shrugged. Gabriel stared at him, shook his head and moved on.
“…You know,” he said after a few moments, “You should never kill. It… it does something to you. Hardens you… changes you. After you kill…” He took in a breath, his eyes heavy with the burden of his thoughts. Seth looked at him sideways and frowned slightly, but continued to listen. They were now in the hunting section of the store, and they passed an empty cart, which Seth grabbed.
“After you kill,” Gabriel persisted, “your soul changes. Something inside of you breaks… you never forget it.”
“How do you know this, if you have only lived a few days since killing your father?”
“…I can already feel it. Besides that… my mother had killed before. She explained it to me… for the first time I can truly know what she was saying.”
“I see… well come on. Best not to stick on these subjects.” Seth clapped him on the shoulder and squeezed. “I’ll get the knives and guns; I’ll be right over here. You are only going a few sections from me, over that way; go grab four durable tents. Three people should be able to fit in each one; you never know when one will get torn open or something. Grab four lanterns, two coolers, and some backpacks. Large ones.” Gabriel nodded, ignoring his slight anxiety at being alone. He headed to the aisle, grabbing each thing on his list as he saw it except for the tents. Those he examined, checking the brand names, capacity and price. The ones he deemed fit he shoved in a cart that he had found along the way to the aisle with everything else he had grabbed. Then he headed back to Seth, who put his own items in the cart.
“Let’s go find Ky.”


By the time they finished shopping and had bagged everything, Seth spoke up.
“I’ll go bring the car up to the front of the store, since we’ve so much to carry and so little time.” He broke off. Daniel had grabbed a few durable lighters and a can of lighter fuel during his time shopping in addition to the food he’d grabbed, and Ky had gotten each of them a new cell phone and IPod.
“The cells have GPS and can track one another. I got five so that we can all have our own and also have a spare. Seth’s car has a feature where I can take the music from whatever CD I put in the radio and put it onto any music player.” Gabriel nodded.
“I bought only the food we would use to bait animals, since we will need a real food source,” Daniel said.
“How did you afford everything?” Gabriel asked.
“We’re royalty, brother. We can afford any material thing with the money from our family’s treasury. What we bought didn’t even put a dent in it.” Gabriel’s eyes widened, and Daniel laughed. They saw Seth’s car pull up and pushed their carts out the door, silent now. So the journey was really beginning…he could hardly wait to meet the King of the Chevelles, his father Valence. He wondered if he looked like him, or if the man was at all like Richard. He hoped not… he was torn out of his thoughts as Daniel put a hand on his shoulder.
“Father is a kind man, Gabriel. He is nothing like that scum in your memories… and in fact, it’s highly likely that even if you’re not allowed to rule he’ll allow you to stay in the kingdom.”
“…I believe you.” Gabriel’s voice was calm despite his jumbled feelings. The biggest change of his life yet was coming, and he was sure that after everything had ended, he would never be the same again. He only hoped that he would still have his friends when that happened.

comments?

I'm still reading! I seriously like it! :'D

knew you'd love the car.

awesome, CinderLover!

haha i like that

uh huh. in fact, here's 12.

12

“So where exactly are we headed? What direction is this… kingdom of yours?” Ky asked, looking at Daniel skeptically. Seth shook his head at her tone.
“Well, ironically, it’s up past the Rocky Mountains. Seth was right to grab all the things he did; we have a lot to do. If this car should break down, we’re going to have a lot of roughing it to do. We’ll have to cross a lot of forest terrain, and then we’ll have to get through the mountains. Don’t worry, I have climbing gear with me. I grabbed it before I left to meet you, Gabriel.”
“How is the location ironic? Why would we need climbing gear if there are roads?” Gabriel asked in honest curiosity.
“It’s ironic because father disdains mountains. We’ll need climbing gear because you never know when an important road has been closed off.” Seth nodded in agreement, and Gabriel suddenly realized that he had never known, in all these years, what state his mother and step-father had moved to. Young as he had been back then, he had no attention span for long and winding roads, nor did he care for maps.
“Um… Seth… what state do we live in?” Seth glanced at him through his rearview mirror, then back to the road.
“Colorado.”
“City?”
“Denver.” Seth smiled. “The Rockies aren’t far, if that’s what you’re wondering. Only about… 30 to 50 miles? Not too far, maybe a half hour to an hour drive.”
“Okay…” Gabriel sighed, feeling suddenly very tired. Daniel smirked.
“Here,” he said quietly. “It’ll be better than hitting your head on the window.” He moved, lying crooked so that Gabriel could use him as a pillow.
“Why are you so kind to me? We haven’t known each other long.”
“We are brothers, Gabriel. The Chevelle family takes care of their own.” Gabriel hesitated, then slowly lay his head on Daniel’s abdomen. His older brother put his arm over him. “Sleep, young one.”
“Daniel?” He asked.
“Yes?”
“How old are you?”
“I am 321.” Gabriel nodded, and slowly allowed himself to drift away.


His mother lay on his bed, cradling him in her arms. He remembered this… he had been about four years old. She was softly weeping, with fresh bruises on her arms. Her shirt was torn so that her left breast was almost fully visible.
“Mommy…” Gabriel hugged her tightly, also crying.
“Don’t worry, little one… someday I will take us away from here.” Her voice wavered and he nuzzled into her stomach, searching for that maternal comfort. They lay in silence, trembling together. Outside they heard Richard slam the cabinets in the kitchen. She spoke up, barely above a whisper.
“Gabriel… did mommy ever tell you about your big brother?”
“Nuh-uh…” He could not make his voice come out, but she nodded.
“You have a big brother, with hair and eyes just as beautiful as your own. His is brown, though… and his eyes are a wondrous gold. You two would look so nice together in a picture…”
“Mommy, what’s his name?”
“He’s named Daniel, baby. If he were here, he would make the pain go away from us…” Her eyes filled up again.
“How?”
“He’s older than you… big enough to protect us.”
“Where is he mommy? Where?”
“Far away from here…” She smiled, though it wavered with her sadness. A tear fell from her lashes and hesitantly made its way down her face.
“Don’t worry mommy…he’ll come for us…” Gabriel sighed through his own tears, and cuddled up to her. He never understood this; his mother came into his room often, looking beaten and ragged but saying nothing of who did it to her, or why. Then there would be loud noises from whatever Richard was slamming in another room. Being so young, Gabriel did not know that they were the ones fighting. She pulled the covers over them both, and soon he was no longer conscious of the pain or the loud noises…


“Gabriel, wake up.” A frustrated voice yanked him out of his sleep. He opened his eyes to see Seth outside of the car. He sat up to see that they were stopped in a forest, along the side of a dirt road.
“What’s wrong Seth?” Gabriel asked. Seth, who was leaning on the door, shook his head.
“We’ve a flat. I can’t believe how irresponsible I was… I should’ve prepared for this, but I guess I forgot the spare…” He growled, standing up and kicking the dirt.
“How far are we into the forest?” A groggy voice made Gabriel jump, and then he realized that Daniel was speaking. He must’ve fallen asleep underneath me,Gabriel thought.
“Not far. We have a lot of hiking to do…”
“Well, I managed to finish taking care of the music players,” Ky piped up, standing outside of the car but leaning on the passenger seat with her arms holding her up. She was trying to lighten the mood, but now was not the time. Gabriel and Daniel both growled at her, and she frowned, backing out of the car and sitting in the dirt beside the front right tire. Gabriel felt bad, knowing he had probably just deeply upset her, but he couldn’t be bothered by it with his own worries.
“Do we have clothes?”
“I had already taken the liberty of putting them in the trunk,” Daniel answered. Gabriel was glad that the tents he had bought were in nicely compact boxes.
“Can we fit everything we have into the backpacks I grabbed?”
“Not a problem,” Seth said, reaching into his pocket and pulling out a group of small black capsules. There were ten total. “Clothes, food, coolers, tents, guns, knives, shoes… sleeping bags, drinks and gear can all fit into these. We can carry cell phones, IPods, pillows, lighters and whatever else we find along the way in the bags.” Gabriel stared at him.
“What are those?”
“They are my own personal inventions. I haven’t named them, but if you pull one open, a box will appear in front of you. You put what you want in them. Then when you’re done, you simply close and tap the top of the box, and it will turn back into a pill-sized container.”
“You are a brilliant man, Seth.” Daniel smiled. Seth nodded solemnly.
“I’ve had a lot of time on my hands since I’ve been one of you.” Ky growled, and Gabriel stared at all of them.
“What…”
“Time to go.” Seth got up and pulled open each of his capsules. “Put everything into them. Don’t mix things though.” He opened the trunk and began pulling out medium-sized bags, no doubt which had clothing in them. Daniel grabbed the bags and put them in a particularly big box, and then seeing that Seth was done with them tapped the box. Gabriel watched in amazement as it shrank and took on a rounded shape, then turned black. Seth put the guns in another and tapped it, and it did the same. When the two were done, there was nothing left in the trunk. Seth smiled sadly at his car.
“What’s wrong, Seth?” Gabriel went over to him, placing his hand on his shoulder.
“I’m just mad I didn’t think of a spare.” His smile grew more genuine, and he tapped the top of his car. It, too, slowly shrank and then turned into a capsule. Gabriel shook his head.
“You truly are ingenious, Seth.” They smiled at each other and then turned to face the road. Ky stood up and joined them at their right, and Daniel flanked them on their left.
“On we go,” Seth whispered. They began to walk on, loving the sunshine and the sounds of the forest. Perhaps this wouldn’t be so bad…

haha hell yes

13

13

Gabriel walked in silence, observing the forest around him as he did so. The sounds were calming; he could hear a river a little way off running, and he could hear the singing of birds. It was peaceful here, as his mother had always told him. He sighed contentedly and decided to escape into the past for a little while…


“Gabriel, look!” Nicole was sitting under a tree in the city park. Gabriel was perched on her lap, and she held a book in front of them. She had just turned the page. “Do you see that?”
“What is it?” He ran his fingers across the animal pictured on the page. His eyes were wide with awe.
“It’s a raven. You know, the goddess Herself and her mate are said to have adored this bird… some even say that a flock of them would allow her to fly with them. Her laughter could be heard throughout the land as she soared through the sky…”
“Mommy, I love this bird. I’ve seen them flying! They look so nice!”
“Yes, my son… they are majestic and free… never forget, Gabriel. Birds own the sky. Never can man venture to take it from them.” Gabriel gave a big grin, showing the hole where his top right canine had been. “Go on, and play with the others.” It was then that he realized his friends had arrived, and were calling to him. He hugged Nicole tightly and ran to join them. She smiled after him, watching from under that odd pink tree…


He heard a rustling sound and whipped his head that way, startled. He saw the shadow of something trotting parallel to his own path, and he wondered what it was. It had a very lean look to it, and traveled on four legs. He moved then, beside it in moments. It growled at him, and suddenly it was on top of him, biting his arm. He held it back, wincing, and noticed that for some reason he was unafraid. He looked at its eyes, saw the indignation there. He knew it was angry at him for trespassing in its territory.
“What are you, small beast?” He asked, feeling surprisingly composed. It was indeed small for a being of the forest, besides the birds and insects. It only matched half of his height with its length. Its fluffy but somehow lean tail waved around above Gabriel’s legs. It continued to growl, ignoring his voice. It snapped at him again. Gabriel realized then, as he heard other growls, that he was surrounded. A noise rang out loud and clear, beautiful as music. However it held in it a kind of hunger, and Gabriel recognized the danger.
“Gabriel!” Seth called out, at his side. He kicked the beast off of him and pulled him up. It yelped as it fell but got back to its feet, growling again. “You’re okay… Daniel, Ky! There’re wolves!”
“I know,” Daniel smirked, also suddenly beside Gabriel.
“These… are wolves?” Gabriel asked, his voice still calm, though mystified. “They are so beautiful…” Truly, they were. This pack had all different colors among them; a fully white wolf, a brown one with black ears and a black spot on its hind leg, and others that were grey, or shades of blue. The white one was the smallest, and the one that had held him down.
“They are,” Ky added, standing with her back to his, “But they can be mean.” His friends pulled out switchblades.
“Leave them alone,” Gabriel growled, his voice urgent. “Put down your knives.” They had been holding the weapons in a stance braced for attack. They hesitated.
“Gabriel…”
“Put them down!” They did as he said, looking at him with questioning glances. Gabriel ignored them and walked away, exposing himself to the pack. The wolves growled and advanced slowly to him, surrounding his front and flanking him as well.
What business have you in our forest?The words rang clear in Gabriel’s head, directly from a fully black wolf. There was no discernable gender in the voice, only words that sounded just like the wolf’s growl. By the way it stood, the black one seemed to be the pack leader.
“We wish only to pass.” Gabriel got onto his right knee, face to face with the beasts. “Please… we wish no harm upon you.” The others stared at Gabriel, disturbed by this. They did not hear the voice that spoke to him; they only heard the growls.
Then why do they carry weapons?
“We are frightened of the animals in the forest. We have prepared ourselves in case of an encounter with a bear.” Seth’s eyes, during this time, began to faintly glow. Gabriel took no notice.
The Great Ones? You dare to challenge them? They are the biggest of the beasts in our home…
“Yes. We, however, have an important task that cannot be avoided. Thus we must cross this forest and the mountains as well.”
A vampire would be frightened of those in this forest?The wolf seemed suspicious.
“Vampires we may be,” Seth spoke up, “but bears have killed our kind before. Our sharp nails and teeth do not get through their skin any easier than a knife, and our children do not tend to survive bear attacks.” It was Gabriel’s turn to gape, and he did, wondering how Seth had understood.
…We will help you. The Great Ones have disobeyed the Great Law of Equality… they have come into our territory, stolen our food! We will keep them at bay.
“Is it not against nature to help the species that hunts you?” Gabriel asked.
You are not of the human species, boy. Vampires do us no harm, and we in turn do not harm them… without reason. We will engage in what humans call… mutualism. We will help you so long as you help us if the Great Ones decide to attack us. Gabriel nodded, standing to face Seth and the others.
“They want to help us. They want to keep any bears at bay that could cross our path.”
“What?” Ky stared at Gabriel and Seth helplessly. “How do you know?”
“I… don’t know. I’ve been able to… understand, and even talk to, animals since I was little.”
“And you, Seth?” She asked.
“I learn abilities after someone else uses them in front of me. You know that already. I wasn’t born with my wits, you know.” He shrugged.
“I see. Well we should be going then.” Daniel gestured towards the road, and the four of them moved forward, on the road in seconds.
Thank you… Gabriel thought sadly. He knew now what his mother had talked about for so many years. She had wanted to be in the forest because she, too, could probably understand the animals. She never had that chance… He closed his fists in anger, trying to hold himself back from some kind of outburst. That bastard… how could he take away a woman so kind, so loving? Gabriel growled under his breath. Richard hadn’t deserved death… he had deserved much, much worse. Gabriel had, for one disgusting moment, an intense desire to chain him up for ten years and torture him the way he had been. He was instantly repulsed by himself, and tried to erase the thought.
“What exactly are we going to be looking for, Daniel?” Ky asked. Daniel shrugged.
“Well it’s certainly not that moronic human idea of castles and such. We live in a mansion. Keep in mind it will be a gothic mansion, and colored black with green drapery.”
“Sounds interesting… why the specific colors black and green?”
“…I never really knew. Apparently it’s a heritage thing that most males in our family have black hair and green eyes. It’s said, though I’ve never actually heard this from anyone besides father, that when an enemy sees the colors they feel as if they are looking into the eyes of the royal family.”
“Huh…” Gabriel smiled. “Maybe I’ll find out for myself someday.”

13 pt 2

“Gabriel, the Great Chevelle King,” Ky laughed. “As if anyone would ever be scared of that face!” Gabriel’s smile faded and he growled at her in a weak attempt to defend himself.
“Hey, Gabriel can be scary,” Seth said, putting his arm around Gabriel. “Someday, if he becomes King, he could even have people trembling at his name.”
“…I don’t want people to fear me, really. I just… I guess I want acceptance.” Seth allowed a slow grin to cross his face.
“Aw, who wouldn’t accept you?” He pushed him away, playfully punching his shoulder.
“…Anyone.”
“Hey, if they don’t like you, they don’t know what they’re missing.” Ky joined in, pulling him over to her in a soft hug. She squeezed, and he sighed, hugging her back.
“I guess…”
“They will,” Daniel chimed in. “Don’t worry.” He clapped Gabriel’s back in support. Seth hushed them, standing incredibly still.
“Do you hear that?” Ky turned her head sideways, trying to hear better. Suddenly she gasped, and a big smile grew upon her face. She took off, heading into the woods. Seth ran after her, and so did the others. Wolf growls surrounded them, trying to warn them off.
You mustn’t go that way! The voice rang through Gabriel’s head, and he stopped dead. The others ran on.
“Guys! Stop!” he shouted. They did, but not because he’d told them to. They had found what they had heard. Despite himself, Gabriel ran, by their sides in moments. There, in the middle of a clearing, lay three little bear cubs. They were crying out at something… and then Gabriel saw what it was. One of them was caught in a hunter’s trap, and the other two weren’t leaving its side. Gabriel tilted his head at them, suddenly feeling… some kind of pull. He began to walk towards them. The others said nothing, enraptured by the sight; Ky looked as if she were in pain, as did Seth. Daniel seemed fascinated.
The pain! Gabriel gasped, for the first time hearing its words. The baby in the middle, just as the wolves had, was talking. Its voice was also genderless, and sounded just like its cry. Gabriel’s eyes melted and he walked straight up to it, on his knees in seconds.
“I can help you,” He said, reaching out his hand. The other two growled at him.
Back away, vampire! Mommy will kill you!
“I only wish to stop your brother’s pain,” He whispered. The siblings fell silent, nosing at their wounded kin. Gabriel took this as acceptance, and reached over, pulling the traps jaws apart. The cub shook its fur and moved out of it, crying out and limping. Its siblings stayed at its side. Gabriel laughed and allowed it to close, not noticing during all this time the clump of grass near his foot.
A great bellow shook the forest. Seth and the others were pulled out of their daze, and hissed as the hair on the back of their necks rose up. Gabriel went to get up, but his foot went into the clump of grass, and he shouted in agony as another trap snapped closed on his ankle.
He panted helplessly, trying to ignore the shooting pain, and turned to take the jaws apart to free himself. He froze when he did so, met face to face with the mother. It was on all fours andshe roared at him, standing on her hind legs.
“Please!” He cried out, terrified.
Vampire! Her voice echoed in his ears. How dare you enter my territory! Die! She struck him across the face with her mighty paw, and he was slammed to the ground. He began to hyperventilate, stricken with memory. He could not move.
“Wait, mother grizzly!” Seth yelled, jumping in front of Gabriel as she raised her great arm again. “Listen, please! He saved your cub!”
There are more?She paused for only a moment. Get out of my home! Get away from my children! She struck Seth down, sending him flying to the ground beside Gabriel. She roared again, and this time Daniel appeared in front of her.
“STOP!” He commanded, and she did… along with everything else in the area except for the group of vampires.

13 pt 3

Time itself had ceased its flow. Gabriel lay on the ground, tears crawling down his face as he struggled to breathe normally. He had curled into the fetal position, and had four bloody marks across his cheek. Ky stared at him; having never seen this before, she felt lost. Daniel stared as well, but his eyes showed an indignant fury in them. Under his breath, he growled heatedly, “This is what he has done to you…”
Seth pulled Gabriel to him, his eyes glowing as he absorbed the technique Daniel had used. He did not seem to notice, however; instead he rocked the boy back and forth, gently rubbing his back. Slowly… steadily… Gabriel began to unfurl from his ball. He looked around himself as if unsure of reality. He seemed to have awoken from a horrible nightmare.
“What…happened?”
“Daniel stopped time. The bear is harmless. See?” He stood up, and placed his hand against the mother’s paw. “She’s only feeling threatened… we should move along.”
“Now would be nice,” Daniel growled, looking as if it was beginning to hurt him to hold time still. Gabriel nodded, and together they moved swiftly back to the road. Daniel fell to his knees when they got there, gasping for breath. Once again, time flowed on.
“What’s to stop her from following our scent?” Gabriel asked, worried.
“Me,” Ky smiled. “Take a guess at my skill?”
“…I give up.” She smiled wider.
“I can cover us up. I can make us entirely indiscernible. No one can touch, smell, hear or see us.”
“Nice,” Daniel smiled. She made a theatrical bow.
“Thank ya,” She said, and then laughed, sitting in the dirt. “What’s yours, Gabriel? Talking to and understanding an animal is rare in a vampire, but it’s not an ability. It’s kind of… a natural thing. Every vampire that can do that also has another skill.”
“…I… don’t really know.” He sighed. “I thought that was it, but… I guess not.” Seth smiled and pulled Ky up off the ground.
“You’ll find out eventually. We all do. In the meantime, we need to set up camp; it’s getting dark.” Gabriel jumped as the black wolf ran through his head.
We will lie in a circle around your camp. We will protect you.
“I heard,” Seth said when Gabriel began to speak up. Gabriel nodded, and then explained to the others as Seth walked into the forest alone. They nodded and then they were all at Seth’s side, surrounding him almost like a posse. They all gasped when they saw that camp was already set up, and stared at Seth. “What?” He shrugged. “I knew a lot of vampires in my life. Godlike speed past normal vampire abilities was one of the things I learned.”
“He must’ve been scary,” Daniel commented.
“She was,” Seth smiled tensely. “Never once did she miss me when she decided she was pissed… left quite a few marks on me.” Daniel laughed.
“Most women have their fuses…”
“Hey,” Ky growled. The two laughed, but stopped, only then realizing that Gabriel was not beside them. He had retired to his own tent. “I’m going to bed. ‘Night.” Ky went inside her tent after yawning, leaving Seth and Daniel alone.
“Seth,” Daniel began, a sternness in his voice. “We need to talk.”

13 pt 4

“Hell yes we do,” He growled back. “Especially now that we’re alone for a moment.” Gabriel listened as they began to speak, curious at their tones.
“Why are you so goddamned moody around me?”
“You know why, asshole. I never wanted to be a vampire.”
“You seem happy.”
“Because it’s irreversible! I had to resign myself to this life. Do you know how many times I tried to kill myself, only to fail? You turned me at 19 years old! You took me from my family!” Gabriel sucked in a breath in silence. Seth was a sired vampire!
“I never told you it was irreversible.”
“I know! But…”
“But what? I could change you back. You’ve lived long enough now, though, that you would die… time tends to catch up to you. Answer me this; do you want death?”
“…I…I don’t know.” Seth’s voice had changed from the revelation. It sounded softer, more hesitant.“I did for such a long time… now to know that I can die is…relieving, but also frightening.”
“You know that you are mortal now.” Daniel’s voice was soft. “Tell me what you want.”
“…I’m tired of immortal life… of watching people die around me. I’m tired of moving out of cities every five years and only coming back to them a century later.”
“Well then, when?” Gabriel sucked in his breath. Could he really be hearing this?
“…I like Gabriel. He’s a good kid. It’s a shame you two were born like this…” He sighed. “I’ll help him get where he’s going. Then… I’ll be ready.”
“As you wish. Go to your tent, get some rest. …Dream of the lands that my brother and I will never reach.” Seth nodded and their shadows melted into one for a moment as they gave a brief embrace.
“Thank you,” He whispered. His silhouette disappeared into the big shadow of his tent, and Daniel remained. He sighed heavily, speaking to himself. “I had hoped for him to be happy…” He turned toward Gabriel’s tent, and then after being still for a moment came closer. Gabriel forced himself to relax. Daniel entered slowly.
“Gabriel…”
“You said in the car you wanted to talk. What?” His tone was short with the pain he felt. So he was going to lose Seth, too…
“Listen… I do love you, little brother. I just… wanted to say that. I know I never came back for you… and today, I saw what the result of my cowardice was. I wanted… to say I’m sorry, even though that will never make up for our mother’s death.”
“…yeah…” Gabriel sighed. “At least I have you. I thought… I’d had no family left.” Daniel nodded slowly, and then held out his arms, gesturing to Gabriel. He hesitated, and then joined his brother in a quiet hug.
“It’s me and you now, you know? Me and you against the world, little brother…”
“What about Seth and Ky?” He tried not to give off that he had heard what was said.
“…I don’t mean to undermine anything. I just…” He sighed, trying to find the right words. “They won’t be around forever, Gabriel. Friends fight, things happen… I wouldn’t depend entirely on them, if I were you.”
“Yeah…” Gabriel nodded, suddenly feeling cold. Without knowing what to do, he felt saddened. To combat this feeling he moved closer to Daniel. “Daniel? Do… you ever feel like… you’re scared of something you can’t see?”
“…Sometimes. You’re afraid of the future?”
“…” He said nothing, but nodded slowly.
“It’s ok… we’re vampires, you know?” He laughed mirthlessly. “We’ve got all the time in the world.”
“Why does it sound like you resent that?” Gabriel’s voice was a whisper.
“…I had a lot of friends when I was younger. Human friends… I had to watch as all of them continued to grow older than me. They say that those born as vampires are lucky to never know the loss that turned vampires do…but they’re wrong. The only thing we miss is the loss of our humanity.” He sighed. “Did you know, Gabriel, that turned vampires are the ones that started the human myths? They go insane sometimes… they kill needlessly, or feed too sloppily… they give us away. Those born as vampires… we are strictly taught from the time we are born that we must never compromise our existence. If we make human friends we must do so with young humans, and move away after five or so years.”
“I am telling you this, Gabriel, because I want you to know the consequences, should you ever decide to befriend a mortal. I found out the hard way… and sometimes nothing is more painful.”
“What caused you so much pain?” Gabriel asked. He had heard a note of hidden distress in his brother’s voice, one that came from more than the loss of a friend.
“It is too long a story.”
“As you said, Daniel…we have nothing but time.” Daniel sighed, running his hands through his hair. Then he looked at Gabriel side-ways, his eyes now showing his weariness and sadness that had come with his age.
“…I had fallen in love with a human. I moved after so many years, but she followed me… everywhere I went, with the promise that our love would go unbroken… and then she began to notice the agelessness. She confronted me about it, but believe it or not she said nothing of being immortal. She accused me of using make up to hold my age, as if I were a woman. She asked if I were secretly gay, if that was why I kept trying to leave her behind. …I should’ve said yes, but I was young. I wanted her so much… I lost my reason. I told her everything, even showed her my ability. She… she was so frightened, she batted at me with her arms… but I stopped her, I held her to me.”
“What happened?” Gabrielcould barely speak.
“…we lived together for a few more years. I never fed in front of her, though… I think because of that she thought I was a God rather than a vampire. One day she saw me feeding… she had followed me…but I had no idea. Thenwhen I came home, I found her dead. She’d shot herself.” Gabriel winced, but said nothing. “She had left… a lovely little note… on the table beside our bed…” Tears had formed in his eyes. “She told me she had loved me, but was frightened of something else. That she had been pregnant, but that she wouldn’t let her child be a blood-sucking monster…” Daniel’s voice had reduced itself to nothing.
“How could she love me as I was, but not allow her child to be the same way?” He wept, then, on Gabriel’s shoulder. They stayed like that for some time, until Daniel had cried himself to sleep. Gabriel was too tired to move, and his mind was wracked with feelings and thoughts. His brother had lived through the loss of his mate and his child… and if the incident with Seth meant much, he probably had lost a lot of sired vampires as well. Gabriel’s last comprehensible reflection was about how truly alike they were… that he could forgive Daniel and that he at last had an ally he knew he would never lose…

woot!!

so, chapter 14 then?

ok ok. 14. be warned, the car may not show up again until the next book... but Seth will definitely be working on it.

14

Gabriel awakened slowly, stretching in a cat-like manner. When his hand touched the soft warmth of skin, he jumped away from where he had lain, but when he saw that it was only Daniel he settled down. He smiled at how peaceful his brother looked; Daniel had a kind of dark feel to him normally, as if he couldn’t be trusted. Gabriel, however, felt differently. In his mind, Daniel was just the same as himself, merely a young man lost in thought. He stood up and walked out of the tent, but nearly tripped over something. He looked down and laughed in disbelief.
“Ebony! How’d you get here, huh?” He picked up the cat, who mewed in response and then began to purr.
“I left in the middle of the night. Couldn’t sleep, so I decided to go for a run. Before I knew it I was picking up Ebony from home.” Seth came out of his own tent, a knife in hand. “I’m going hunting, too.”
“Speaking of things left behind,” Gabriel was curious, “What about the donors?”
“They can take care of themselves. They’re not mindless, they know how to shop, eat, sleep, cook… everything normal humans do.”
“Huh.” Gabriel’s eyes brightened as an idea came to him, but Seth spoke before he could.
“Yes, you may come with. You need to, actually; you don’t know how to yet.”
“Yes!” Gabriel pulled a knife from his own pocket. When Seth stared at him for his enthusiasm, he explained. “I.. I just feel kind of tired of being dependent.” He smiled sheepishly.
“It’s fine,” Seth chuckled. “You don’t need to be so tense. I’m your friend, aren’t I?” Gabriel relaxed and nodded.
“C’mon.” Seth gestured, moving deeper into the forest. “Ky’s got things handled here.”
“Ok.” He jogged after him. After a while, though, nothing was happening, so he began to walk and let himself daydream. Memories flooded him…

14 pt 2

“Mommy!” He was running down the sidewalk in his old neighborhood, laughing. He was dressed only in a pair of shorts. Streaks of mud decorated his pale chest.
“I’m gonna get ya!” She laughed, running after him. He was covered in mud from the overnight rain; it was summer, and he had been rolling in the mud with his dog. Max, a fully grown Dalmatian, was on his leash and tied to the porch. He barked loudly, wagging his tail, which was making a loud thumping noise as it hit the wood of the porch. He too was predictably covered, looking more like a brown cow than a dog.
“No! I like mud!” Gabriel had been running in a beeline but now he turned, heading back into the yard to add to the dirt on his feet. Nicole had mud all over her jeans, and her face had streaks of it on her cheeks. Her white shirt had miraculously escaped, though it was soaked through. Thankfully she was wearing a white bra that day, and with the hose in her hand she followed her son, spraying at him with it.
“Imma getcha!” She laughed, then dropped the hose and jumped, landing in the mud but getting a hand on Gabriel’s ankle. He tripped, but she moved quickly and caught him. He laughed and hugged back.
“Mommy, you’re da bes’ mommy ever!” They continued to snicker, but they stopped after a few moments to catch their breath. Suddenly the dog broke free of his leash, and was beside them, licking at both of their faces ruthlessly. They started cracking up again, and Max barked at them, his tail wagging crazily. Gabriel got up and grabbed Max’s collar, getting on his back. The dog barked and wriggled, then started running.
“Be careful!” Nicole called out, a worried tone in her voice.

14 pt 3

Gabriel chuckled at the daydream. He missed those days…the days when he was small enough that a Dalmatian was a horse, and when his mother played with him…
“Look!” Seth’s hushed voice caught his attention, and he suddenly realized they were no longer in the forest. They were now in a rundown part of a city.
“What?” He kept his own voice low.
“There.” A woman, looking far too clean to belong in this neighborhood, was walking nervously and swiftly through the streets. To escape the unpleasant remarks coming from the men, she ducked into an alley. A man followed her. “That was a bad move… c’mon, maybe we can get some blood from her and save her from this scum at the same time.” He followed Seth to the entrance of the alleyway, but Seth suddenly stopped. He looked at him, confused.
“Go on, Gabriel. You only learn this kind of thing hands on.” They heard the crash of a metal trash can lid, and Seth pushed him. “Go!” He swallowed and nodded, heading down the alley. When he got close enough to see what was going on, he saw the ragged looking man holding her up against the wall. One of his dirty hands was over her mouth, and her eyes were closed with tears sliding down her pale face. That arm was holding her where she was. He had his other hand free, and was tearing her blouse open. The woman, who had brown hair, suddenly opened her eyes, and looked straight at Gabriel. Her eyes hardened, as if finding some kind of hope. They were such beautiful eyes… they called to him as her blood called to his instincts. He rushed from where he was, hitting the man full-force with his body. The man fell, crying out, but quickly got back up. He cursed and started to head towards Gabriel, but the fall had given him a healthy scrape along his arm. He was bleeding. Gabriel could feel the pull, could sense he was losing himself. Hell, he could even feel his pupils’ movements. The man saw his eyes, and grew fearful. He stopped and stared, a comically perplexed look on his face.
“What are you? Some kind of freak?” The man’s eyes were wide with disbelief. Gabriel hissed malevolently, and that was it. He ran away, whimpering as he did so.
“Coward,” Gabriel growled.

14 pt 4

“Thank you,” The woman spoke up after a few moments. He looked to her, and she smiled seductively. “You deserve a reward, vampire, for your good deed.”
“You know… what I am?” Gabriel looked at her, but his vision was blurred; the only clear spot was her neck…
“Yes. I am human, but I know of your kind. Many of you are very nice creatures…” She flipped her hair behind her shoulder, and tilted her head, exposing her neck. “Here. Drink. Just… don’t kill me.” He nodded, and bent to her. Abruptly she grabbed him by the back of his neck, and shoved him to hers. He breathed in, and felt himself rapidly entering… what had Seth called it… a black out? He opened his mouth, his fangs dripping venom, and bit deeply. She moaned and rubbed up against him, putting her arm around him. He was quickly losing his ability to think, but suddenly Seth was there, pushing Gabriel off of her.
“Run!” He screamed. “Just do it! I’ll explain when we get back!” He was dazed, but he bolted. He did not wait, just ran blindly, until he found himself back at the campsite. Ky and Daniel were sitting across from one another, playing cards. Ky dropped her hand and stood up, a frightened look on her face.
“Where?”
“I dunno!” Gabriel felt like a chaotic mess. His thoughts were all over the place. “He was beside me…” They heard a thud. It sounded like it had come from a little while back. Gabriel took off, at the entrance to the forest in an instant. There lay Seth, his lips turning blue. She was on top of him, a needle in her hand. She took it out of Seth’s neck.
“*****!” Gabriel cried, and punched her in the side of her head. She flew into a tree, and did not move. “Seth! Say something!”
“D…Daniel…reverse…” Daniel, abruptly behind Gabriel, nodded. All of a sudden the world was still again, and then it slowly began to go in reverse. Gabriel did not move, but as time rewound faster the woman went from being knocked out to awake again, then back onto Seth. She pulled out the needle, and Seth sucked in air. Daniel had been standing rather stiffly, but now he screamed in pain, falling to his knees as everything stopped. Time began flowing naturally again. This time, however, Gabriel punched her earlier, knocking her out the same way. Seth had not been injected with whatever she had tried to use.
“Explain?” Gabriel asked in a quiet voice. He was shaken. Ky came from behind them and pulled Seth to his feet. Breathing hard, Seth held up his index finger. When he caught his breath he spoke in a grave voice.
“She was a vampire. You haven’t learned how to tell the difference yet. When she put her arm around you before… she had the needle in her hand. It’s a kind of toxin that sucks the life out of whoever’s system it gets into.”
“In that case, you’d better not have any lose ends.” Daniel, who was breathing shallowly, went over and took the needle from her. He moved her hair and injected it into her neck. Gabriel, Ky and Seth hissed together. “Don’t argue,” He growled viciously. “You have enemies in high places, Gabriel. That venom is very rare. It only comes from humans that have been taught how to make it, and those kinds of humans work for people that are vastly powerful. Vampires do not use it; we find it distasteful to kill with unnatural poisons. We use what we get from our fangs.” The three fell silent, disturbed. Then Gabriel spoke up.
“If… I do have those kinds of enemies, then there are bound to be more. We can’t go back there for blood. We have to keep moving.”
“Spoken like a true Chevelle,” Daniel said approvingly. “No notion is ever useless. Remember that.” He walked ahead of them, stumbling slightly. After a moment, he fell to his knees again. They ran to him, catching him under his arms.

14 pt 5

“What’s wrong?!” Gabriel asked.
“…Time…is not meant to be controlled, little brother. It may be my gift, but… that is no justification.” Gabriel nodded, and with Ky’s help pulled Daniel to his feet. He smiled gratefully, and they continued walking.
“I’ll catch up,” Seth called, disappearing into the forest. “Gotta go pack.” Gabriel nodded, but grew anxious as he heard the growls of the wolf pack. He heard tearing sounds, and swallowed.
Calm yourself, vampire. We have found that woman’s pack. We are dismantling them. A comforting voice, this one with a definite gender, ran through his head. It sounded like a beautiful woman… she laughed, hearing this. I was once one of your kind. I was a female vampire. One day I grew so tired of my immortal life… I talked to a powerful Psyche. She turned me into a wolf.
Which wolf are you? He thought.
I am the one who first attacked you. I apologize for that…
You! You have such a stunning coat of fur…
My thanks to you, young one.
What is a Psyche? He unexpectedly asked. She laughed.
You have a very short attention span. She sounded faintly amused. A Psyche is an immortal with an incredibly skilled mind. Some are so strong they can make you think you are something until you become it in a literal sense. They are weak in body, however.
I see…
You will meet one someday. For now, I must leave you… farewell. Her thoughts were gone. He sighed inwardly.
“Gabriel,” Daniel mused, distracting him, “Did you know that a vampire can have more than one ability during their lifetime?”
“Yeah, I mean the whole talking to animals thing gives us another ability. Wait, but that’s not an ability…”
“Exactly. Well, some of the old legends say that there was once a vampire that had the power of the gods. She was the almighty Raina Chevelle… yes, we are truly lucky to share her name. She, Gabriel, is our great, great grandmother. She was killed in battle… the legends say that when she gave her last breath, her body slowly became one with the Earth again. It left behind a beautiful cherry blossom in a land where no such tree had ever sprouted before.”
“I know that name…What could she do?” Gabriel asked in wonder. Seth had joined them in silencewith Ebony in his arms, and Ky was listening intently.
“She had the power to control Mother Nature herself, as well as fly and merge with any living thing. Someone could try to hit her, and she would have the options of dodging by becoming one with the ground or a tree. Or she could fly into the air, where many vampires cannot follow. Personally, I think she was the type to simply smack him aside with a tornado. She,” he paused for effect,“is the goddess that vampires worship.”
“Wow…” A few memories rushed back, and he saw the cherry blossom in his mind, with his mother sitting under it…
“Yes, it is amazing. Many in our family are convinced that she has been reborn, and that she looks nothing like she used to. They say she kept our name but that she looks entirely different, save for her eyes, which could hypnotize anyone, be they man or woman, into obeying her.”
“I have heard of Raina Chevelle,” Seth said quietly. “Some vampires also hate her, criticize her… but… I do not understand why.”
“Because they do not believe that such a thing could exist.” Ky shrugged. “Vampires have great lust and fear of power, just as humans do.” As they spoke, the hair on the backs of their necks prickled. A storm was coming… the sky was not yet grey, but they knew it.
“…We must seek shelter,” Seth said, ending the conversation. His voice was a whisper, but it was urgent. They all nodded. They hurried forward, and looked around in a wordless search. Gabriel was the first to look ahead of them again, and he halted. The others stopped with him, curious about his sudden halting.Then they saw what he had seen; the mother bear stood in the pathway. She stood on her hind legs, but she was not even growling.
Come, vampire. My cubs have explained your deed. I know a cave near here where you may stay during the storm. She turned away and headed into the woods. I will not offer again. Gabriel and Seth nodded simultaneously.
“Follow us,” Gabriel murmured, and Daniel and Ky obeyed, albeit hesitantly. They followed the mother for almost a half-mile before they realized that they had reached the entrance. Now the sky was gray, and thunder could be heard in the distance. Seth headed inside, Gabriel close behind him. Ky andDaniel hung back slightly, however. Ky stared at Daniel, who seemed fairly edgy.
Tell him to relax. My cubs do not react well to tension.
“Daniel,” Gabriel went back and grabbed his arm reassuringly. “Calm down. We’re safe.”
“You’re sure?”
“Perfectly.” Daniel hissed under his breath in a nervous manner, but gradually relaxed. The great bear lay down inside, and she looked at them expectantly. When she spoke again, her growl was gentler.
Come. You must be cold. She nodded to the spot in front of her stomach, and Seth sat there, appreciative. The others joined him shortly. They huddled together, and the three cubs came out from behind their mother, settling in front of them. Ebony jumped out of Seth’s arms and lay down in front of the cubs, in his own little world. Slowly but surely, one by one, they fell asleep in the collective warmth of the bears that had threatened them the day before. Ironically, they had never felt quite so safe. Outside, the rain began to pour.

about chapters 13 and 14, i apologize for any confusion. i am very lazy and so have not added italics where they should be; any first person remarks without quotation marks are thoughts.

no more will be added until someone says something so that i know there is an audience reading this.

every story needs those moments... at least that's what I think.

heeeeeeeeeere's 15.

15 pt 1

They were walking again. Daniel had gained much of his strength back, and was managing to walk on his own. Ky had Ebony in her arms this morning, and he was purring contently, his eyes closed. Each of them was preoccupied with their own thoughts, and so they were caught off guard when they found themselves in front of a sign. In white letters, it welcomed them to the mountains.
Until we meet again, the black wolf bade Gabriel farewell from wherever he was. He said no more. Gabriel swallowed, knowing Seth had just done the same. Without meaning to, they spoke simultaneously.
“We’re alone.”
“They’re gone.” Seth quieted when he remembered that Gabriel had heard as well. Daniel nodded once in silence, and Ky seemed to relax even more. When Gabriel stared at her, she bowed her head.
“I… wolves scare me.” Gabriel said nothing, merely nodded in sympathy. Seth, however, raised an eyebrow in curiosity.
“You never told me. Why say nothing until now?”
“I didn’t think it right to speak badly of those who help us.”
“You wouldn’t be speaking poorly,” Daniel said reassuringly. “You’d be speaking the truth. I wonder why they frighten you, though.”
“…I dunno. Their eyes… their teeth… just wolves in general. They’re natural killers…”
“Yes, but so are we.” Ky sighed and shook her head.
“That’s not the point… call it a phobia.” Daniel nodded.
“Yes, well everyone has a phobia of their own. No one is fearless…”
“What’s your phobia, then?” Ky asked, smiling.
“…death.” He whispered it, as if he were ashamed. “I’m a vampire, and I’m scared of something like that…”
“You said no one is fearless,” Seth started, trying to cheer him, “And you’re right. Those who don’t have phobias are scared of other things. Those who believe they are fearless have yet to meet what truly scares them.” He paused, and then went on in a quieter voice. “Death is a very common fear, among humans and vampires alike. It is nothing to be ashamed of.”
“What’s yours, Seth?” Gabriel asked, curiosity showing in his eyes.
“Mine?” He shrugged. “I hate anything that’s poisonous. Spiders, snakes, scorpions… hell, even other vampires.” He said it as a fact, and Daniel gave a small smile.Ky turned to Gabriel.
“What about you, Gabe?”
“…Please don’t call me that.” His tone was clipped, and she nodded, a stunned look on her face.
“Sorry…”
“It’s fine.” He sighed. “I’m sorry for snapping.” He thought for a moment, then answered. “As for my fear… I have a few of them. I am terrified of my step-father’s face… of pain… I don’t like thunder much either. Oddly enough, I’m only scared of thunder in the dark.” He paused, and decided not to mention his biggest fear. He had a feeling that each of them had held that little detail back. Besides, they probably already knew his anyway. Seth nodded.
“See, guys? Everyone is afraid of something.”Daniel and Ky both nodded.
They walked on in silence, and Gabriel looked up to the sky. He smiled at the flock of black birds that flew overhead; ravens.
“Birds own the sky,” He sighed, and heard his brother say the same thing. He was startled; Daniel had said it with the same kind of reverence at the same time.
“She told you that too, huh?” Daniel smiled softly. “Mother had always longed to be free…”
“She was free, wasn’t she?” Ky asked. “All living beings are free.”
“Not in the way she wanted to be,” Gabriel answered for him.
“She longed to run with wolves, and fly with birds.” Danielsmiled as he said it, and nodded to Gabriel, who continued.
“She longed to be wild like them, and to live like they do.”
“Huh…” Ky smiled dreamily. “You know, we’ve mentioned fears. What, though, is something you really love? If not something you love, then something you want to do someday? I know I want to ride a dragon, someday. I want to ride a dragon at my favorite time of day; sunset.”
“Dragons? They’re real?” Gabriel asked, stunned.
“Of course,” Seth answered. “They’re as real as you and I. They walk around in human form, though; they’re not allowed in their natural state outside of the barriers. It would cause a panic.”
“Barriers?” Seth smiled.
“There are these shield-like globes that have been placed around areas where immortals live. They’re only put in place if a whole lot of immortals live in the area, though. These globes make the place completely nonexistent to humans; they can’t hear what we do, they can’t see us, and they can’t feel the globe. They also could walk straight into a globe without realizing it; they would just keep going, unable to see, feel or hear anything.”
“Huh…”
“Well?” Ky asked. “What do you guys like?”
“I…” Seth blushed slightly, then began to speak with a faraway kind of tone. “I want to have a family someday. A loving wife and a beautiful daughter…living somewhere deep in the mountains. ...What about you, Daniel?”
“I’m more of a loner,” He said. “I might change my opinion someday, but for now… I just want to spend my days traveling. I want to see all the worlds… the demon realm, the Earth, the land of dragons… the Psyche world…everything. I’ve already seen all of the vampire territories.” Gabriel nodded, smiling.
“It seems like you, Daniel. Hmm… as for myself… I don’t really know. I’ve never given much thought to it, really…”
“Well, I could tell you.” Seth smiled supportively. “I gained an ability when I was really little… ever since, I’ve known how people feel about certain things. I can tell… you’re more the type who enjoys helping people. You’re also a fighter… have you ever considered-” He was cut off as they began to hear something thudding against the ground. It was a light kind of thudding, and it was getting louder. It sounded like someone was running. Then it just…stopped.
Suddenly Seth hissed, as did Daniel. Gabriel and Ky stared at each other, confused, until they heardvery swift footsteps start again. They hissed as well then, and the four of them got into a collectively defensive stance, their backs facing each other. Ky accidentally dropped Ebony as she moved, who ran away back into the woods. Whoever or whatever it was, they were moving at an unbelievable pace. A curious voice surrounded them, the voice of a child, flowing through all of their minds at the same time.
Why are you in my territory? In an instant, a young boy stood in front of them. He was about three feet tall. He had blood red eyes and short black hair with a crimson streak in his bangs. His skin was deathly pale, but they all hissed at him; they could sense that he was different, somehow. He spoke in a flat voice. “You can relax, you know. I’m not going to hurt you.”Ky and Seth stood up straight, though they were still a little tense. Because they did so, Gabriel and Daniel did the same.
“Why should we believe you?” Gabriel asked.

15 pt 2

“This is why.” The boy held up what looked like a woman in her late teens by the back of her shirt. She had purple hair, and was dressed in ripped jeans and a black shirt that stopped above her belly button. “She was with those bastards that ran through here earlier. Each one of them was thinking about you, Gabriel. They all wanted to kill you.”
“She’s a teenager!” Ky said in disbelief. At the same moment, Gabriel asked;
“How do you know my name?”
“…All in due time, Chevelle.” The boy turned to Ky. “Nope. She’s almost a hundred years old. She was going to lure you to the others, but they all haven’t come out of the forest.”
“Why… are you helping us?” Daniel asked at length.
“I have no choice. I’m a Guardian.” Daniel’s eyes widened.
“What’s your name?” Ky asked.
“He doesn’t have one,” Daniel answered. “He’s a Guardian. His parents weren’t allowed to name him.”
“What?” She gasped. “That’s horrible!”
“No,” Seth continued for Daniel. “It’s law. If a parent has an exceptionally strong baby, the Council sends someone to ask if they want their child to be a Guardian or not. If they say yes, they forfeit their right to name their child in return for the kid to gain a very honorable position throughout his or her life. If they say no, the child lives life as normally as any other vampire.”
“Then, if the parent says yes,” Daniel smiled, “The child is assigned to another vampire, called a Subject, from that time on. They form a link, kind of like what identical twins have, the moment they first have any physical contact with each other. The Guardian and his or her assigned vampire have to have been born at the same exact time… otherwise it doesn’t work, and the link doesn’t form. The two children are bound by their souls throughout life, and only when they meet- which only happens by fate- does that child get a name. The one they protect gets to name them.”
“Exactly,” the boy nodded. “I am assigned to Gabriel. That’s how I know his name.”
“But, why do you only meet by fate? Gabriel asked.
“Well, not everyone in the world gets along. The Council refuses to have a hand in making someone miserable for the entirety of their life.” The boy looked at him. “So what will my name be?”
“Well…” Gabriel was caught off guard.“I don’t want to give you a name you won’t like…”
“Don’t worry about that. Just name me; I’m not picky, so long as the name fits.”
“He won’t look the same, once you name him,” Daniel spoke up. “He’s trapped in a child’s body; once you name him, he will be freed.” Gabriel nodded. Then, he knew. It was as if Daniel’s words had unlocked the name from the back of his mind. He knew exactly what he wanted to name his Guardian.
“Draven.”He said it with conviction. The boy smiled, breathing in reverently. A tension in the air disappeared that they hadn’t known was there in the first place, and Draven’s body began to shine. There was a white glow, dim at first. It brightened to the point where they all had to look away; when it finally, slowly faded, they looked and saw that he had indeed grown to his full size. Standing now at six two, his clothes had changed as well; he wore a black duster, black boots, and dark blue jeans. He wore no shirt, and Gabriel stared, openly stunned. The sinister feeling in the air faded away, and Seth sighed quietly. Gabriel noticed, then, that Draven had the same scars as him in the exact same places. Seth and Ky saw it at the same time and stared as well, knowing this from that night in the bathroom. Daniel knew nothing about it, however, and he walked up to Draven.
“I’ve always wanted to meet a Guardian…”
“Well now you have.” Draven gave a little smile.
“…Why are you guys staring like that?” Daniel asked, now seeing their faces. Ky and Seth started and looked at Gabriel with troubled faces. Gabriel didn’t even notice them; instead he walked up to Draven.
“Your scars…”
“They match yours, Gabriel, don’t they?” His question sounded more like an expectant statement.
“How…?” Draven, in response to his question, grabbed Gabriel’s hand. The contact sparked the link, and suddenly Gabriel could see Draven’s past from his point of view…

15 pt 3

It was midnight. He lay in his bed, thinking of how great it would be when he could finally stop being stuck in this small body. He had to think of something cheerful… he always had to; he never knew when the pain would start. As if following a cue, there was an unexpected and sharp pain, and his head was sent forward. He reached up and touched where it felt like the pain had come from –on the back of his head-, and when he looked at his hand again, it was covered in blood.
“Gabriel…what is happening to you?” He whispered, feeling the fear from his Subject. Suddenly he shouted in agony, and looked down to see that his three main fingers on his right hand had been broken. “****… I need to feed and heal…” He got up and headed outside, looking for some kind of animal. He doubled over as the pain started to hit him in the stomach, and cried out when it stopped for only a moment before receiving another sharp ache to his head. Then his stomach began to receive even more… he was stuck in that position for the longest of time. For a dreadful few minutes, he feared it would never end. When at last it stopped, he stood and was even more convinced that he needed blood. He felt light-headed and sick, and he had a bad feeling that he was dying. He heard a rustling sound and saw a rabbit rapidly crossing the clearing in front of his home.
“I’m so sorry…” He whispered, and in a flash he had caught it. He wasn’t willing to die from something he couldn’t see. “I’ll be quick, little one.” He couldn’t stand himself as he broke its neck, but he was glad he had spared it some suffering. He drank from the blood that came from its wound, and sighed in relief when he finished; the agony had finally subsided. There was still a dull tenderness in the back of his head, but his fingers had healed and so had the internal bleeding in his stomach. At least he would live…


Gabriel blinked dumbly for a moment, dazed from the vision. After a few moments he recovered a little, and took his hand away from Draven.
“That was a little less than a week ago,” Draven said softly. “I just saw your point of view as well… so it was your step-father who had hurt us so…” He shook his head.
“That was… amazing! How did that…”
“It’s the link that I explained earlier. I should have clarified; Subjects don’t feel the link without physical contact. Guardians have a one way link from the time they’re assigned to the time they meet their Subject. ”Gabriel nodded, still a little shocked. Seth, Ky and Daniel stared at them, completely lost.
“What… are you guys talking about?” Ky was the first to say anything.
“It’s not really… understandable… to anyone but people who have met and linked with their Guardians.” Draven spoke hesitantly, trying to find the right words. “These kinds of things…it’s hard to describe them.”
“It’s like love,” Daniel whispered. “No one truly knows what it is until it hits… there’s no way to describe it, and there’s no way to know what it feels like. You can’t be with someone for three weeks and say you’re in love… you can only say it when you realize that the bond is stronger there than it is with anyone else in the world. That… is love.”
“Very insightful Daniel,” Seth agreed, “and very true. However the feeling is different and the bond varies for everyone; some can be completely the same while others have to be entirely different. In truth, it is only known by those who have felt it.” Gabriel felt a pang in his heart at this, and turned away from the others to conceal the feelings he knew were showing on his face. Draven looked at him apprehensively, then to the others. Daniel nodded, grabbing Ky gently by the elbow and guiding her ahead. Seth followed without pause.
“Gabriel,” Draven began, his own voice filled with sadness, “Please do not feel ashamed of your feelings. The bond between you and your mother is something to be proud of. …Hey, I never knew my parents…”
“What?” Gabriel looked up slowly, his eyes heavy with thought.
“…It’s another part of being a Guardian. Parents don’t only lose the right to name their child… the child is taken from them on his or her third birthday.”
“Why then?”
“Well, originally it was decided that the parents would lose the child right away so as not to know the sorrow of losing someone they know… but the parents rioted, saying they deserved to know the child they were losing. The laws are only changed once… that is, unless the Council Leader has a futuristic vision.”
“…There’s too much politics,” Gabriel growled, suddenly feeling an inexplicable anger. “A person should have their own rights to do as they please.”
“…That, my friend, is Anarchy. Chaos… there will always be someone who has an anger problem, or maybe a brain defect, to which point they cannot control their emotions. They will hurt others, though sometimes not on purpose. If not them, there is always a Sadist…” Gabriel sighed, feeling trapped.
“There is no true solution, is there?”
“No,” Draven whispered. “That is why there is no such thing as a Utopia. Only the dragons, wise with age, have that secret. They live in another dimension… and they refuse to let other dragons join them until they are wise enough to understand and accept the prospect. They have shared nothing with the other species of the world.”
“Why?” Gabriel sounded indignant, but calmed as he heard the rest.
“They do not do it for selfishness or greed. They are beyond that. No… they hide the secret because it would only become corrupt, with so many minds knowing about it. Once someone is accepted into that dimension, they aren’t allowed to return, for fear that they might share the idea of harmony with the tainted people of the world. Did you know, Gabriel, that a dragon has more comprehension than any intelligent creature? They have much more advanced brains, and much more sympathetic hearts. I have been told, once, that they weep sometimes for the sorrow and pain that goes on in this world and others.”
“Who told you that?”

15 pt 4

“An old dragon who had returned from that dimension in his dying years. He died…shortly after teaching me that much.After all, what did laws matter to one who would not live to see the punishment? He died in his natural form, actually…”
“I thought dragons weren’t the kind to do that? Disobey law I mean.”
“He knew me from when he was young enough to be in this dimension. He died of illness, not age. …it was odd. I felt… happy, when he died. Happy, but sad. I felt like I was witnessing something far more beautiful than anything in the world. …To see such a gentle creature die…he was freed from life’s burden, yet he left all his loved ones behind. I didn’t know what to feel.”
“You speak as if you are ages old, and you are only sixteen.” Gabriel smiled, but it seemed misplaced.
“…one can be old in the mind and young in the body. Many human teenagers are the same; wise and mature beyond their years because they have been exposed to trauma. …Just like you.”
“Yes, but I am not wise. I am… open-minded. I can see things happening that most people would deny as possible. It’s hard for me to trust right away, even when it seems like I trust someone.”
“Yet you trust me.” He said it in a sure tone.
“Yes. Because of the link, I know your mind… hell, I can hear your thoughts right now. …You really like food…” The smile became real in that moment. “Is that all you think about?”
“…sometimes,” Draven confessed. “It’s what I think about when I’m sad. Takes my mind off of things…”
“…My escape is-”
“Your memories. A truly beautiful escape, if you ask me. …You don’t trust Ky?”
“…No, not much.” Seeing that they were falling far behind the others, they began to walk as well. “I don’t know why… I feel this pull to her, yet I distrust her.”
“You only have a crush on her,” Draven explained. “Love comes with trust. You cannot love someone you do not trust.”
“Oh…wait what the hell is a crush?”
“When you like someone enough to think you love them, but you’re unsure.”
“So that’s what it is. …How do you know it’s just a crush? Who’s to say the distrust won’t fade?”
“It might… but it rarely does. She is hard to read; a caring, excitable front with something hidden away on the inside.”
“Yeah…”
“So. Moving on. You trust Seth more than you trust Daniel?”
“Yes. I’ve only just met Daniel… he’s my brother, but he never came to save us when mother died…”
“Can you blame him?” Draven’s voice was neutral; his only objective was to make Gabriel think.
“Yes. He was fully grown while my step-father tortured me.”
“Daniel could have his own reasons for that. Why do you trust Seth? He has only taken you in and shown you kindness – a pedophile can do the same.” His tone stayed without bias.
“…I don’t know. I just feel that I can trust him… like if we were pitted against each other, we would never truly hurt each other.”
“I see…” They fell silent as they realized that they had caught up with the group, and that they were standing outside of a wooden cottage. Draven looked to the ground, his face thoughtful. Gabriel wondered why the others had waited, but when he saw the looks on their faces, he understood.

haha thanks

16 is finally here!!!

16

Something was wrong. They seemed uneasy, as if they had to say something they didn’t want to. Draven said nothing, though he seemed saddened now rather than contemplative. Gabriel wondered at this, but before he could ask what was wrong Daniel interrupted.
“Listen, Gabriel. You won’t like this, but… the fact is that we can’t have this big of a group. It will attract too much attention.”
“You’re already getting more attention than you’ll want, if you’re heading to the Chevelle home,” Draven agreed quietly. “If you ask me, we need to split into two groups.”
“That’s what we were thinking,” Seth said. “One Chevelle in each group. Draven, being Gabriel’s Guardian, should be in his group. Daniel, choose someone. You’re strong enough that you only need one person to back you up. Me or Ky?”
“There’s the problem of my time control. If I try it to get out of somewhere, I’ll need someone who will be able to help me appropriately… besides, you, Seth, are Gabriel’s closest friend besides Draven.” Daniellooked as though he were deeply thinking it over as he talked. “…I’ll go with Ky. She’ll be able to hide us if we need to run. That way we won’t have to run too fast for my body to handle.” At this, Ky smiled and took to his side.
“We’ll go up ahead and leave these for you to tell where we’re headed, in case you need us and we are hiding.” Ky clawed a line into a tree.
“You don’t have to follow us; Draven probably knows where the estate is,” Daniel explained. Draven smiled.
“That I do. We’ll meet up when we get there.”
“Good,” Daniel said. “There’s another traveler’s cabin up ahead; we’ll stay there for the night.” He nodded decisively, and Ky gave a light bow.
“See ya,” She said, and before her voice faded the two were gone from sight. Draven looked at Gabriel sideways.
“So I guess that means we’re staying here?”
“Guess so,” He replied. Seth chuckled quietly.
“Good to see you two are getting along well. I was a bit worried, to tell you the truth, that you would be a Mismatch…”
“Mismatch?” Gabriel raised an eyebrow.
“The pair of Guardians and Subjects who meet and immediately hate each other, and fight to the death after a few days to free themselves of the other one. Though rare, it’s still horrible to witness…” Draven shuddered.
“How do you know that?” Gabriel asked. “I mean, how do you have the knowledge of what they are and yet I don’t, when we’ve melded our minds?”
“You don’t fully understand the works yet. I’ve built up a kind of tolerance so people can’t get into my head easily. …Eventually, if you hadn’t asked, you would’ve found out anyway.”
“Oh.”
“Shall we?” Seth grinned, opening the door. “It’s getting dark, and frankly I am quite tired.” Draven laughed and headed inside, Gabriel at his heels. Seth followed and locked the door behind them. “I have the hardest time trusting safety in wilderness. It’s a shame to doubt something so wondrous…”
“Very true,” Draven said.Looking around, the cabin was bare of all assets except for an open door that led to a bathroom, also bare. Inside was only a sink and toilet. Gabriel started, smacked with realization.
“Seth! What will Daniel and Ky do for comfort? Did you give them some capsules?”
“I took care of that while you two were talking. They have everything we do.”
“…Good,” he said, slightly calmer. He and his Guardian sat on the ground, Indian-style. Draven looked at him oddly.
“Even if they didn’t have the capsules they’d get along just fine, Gabriel. We are vampires. We are built for survival.” Gabriel nodded.
“Sorry…”
“Be careful of material want,” Draven continued, “because it taints many good men…makes them believe they need things they could live without.” Seth sat down on the floor beside them.
“He’s got a good point there. In fact, I knew this beautiful woman when I was your age, and I fell in love with her almost immediately. She was poor, but so was I at the time, and she was so amazing… you know, she could do just about anything with grace. Then one day this man came along and gave her a pair of diamond earrings. At first she refused them, believing she didn’t deserve them…” He chuckled bitterly. “That made me love her even more.”
“Was she corrupted then?” Draven asked softly.
“No, not then,” He said. “He kept giving her gifts… first the earrings, then a sapphire ring. One day he came along and gave her a brand new car… she got in with him, thinking she should give him a try. Throughout the year they stayed together, he gave her more and more gifts… until one day I saw her again. This was a year and two months later. She saw me and asked me to go shopping with her. I’d never been one for shopping, but I thought, what the hell. She’s worth it.” He stopped and let his head fall, shaking it slightly. “We went to the mall. We passed a store on the way that she’d always told me she’d wanted to go to one day. I told her about it and she shrugged, saying, ‘It’s too cheap.’”
“Seth…” Gabriel whispered, sensing something deeper. Seth went on anyway, his voice stern.
“No, let me finish. She went to this mall. She always had eyes like a hawk; this amazing ability to see farther away than any other human. She spotted this big diamond in the display window and hit the gas in the parking lot, too excited to look anywhere else. She was looking for spaces and went to pull into one that another car was heading for… they collided.” Gabriel winced, along with Draven. “I survived, but it was only because I was a vampire. I had to run so no one would know that I hadn’t been wounded. She was dead on impact; it had been on her side.” They fell silent, unsure of how to take this. Seth smiled - a faint ripple of his normal gentleness showing through his bitter feelings. His words came out as quietly as his breath. “It was a long time ago. I got over it. I just… never stop missing her.”
“The old her would want you to move on… the one that wasn’t so greedy.” Draven smiled forlornly. “The problem with loving mortals is that they’re so fragile…”
“Yeah, you’ll find someone.” Gabriel hugged him reassuringly.
“I hope so…”
“You will,” Draven put his hand on Seth’s shoulder. “You will.”
“We should get some rest,” Gabriel said, letting go and standing up. Seth stood slowly, and tossed some capsules from his pocket. Three sleeping bags came out of them, with three pillows.
“Take yours and unroll it, then lay them next to each other. We’ll need as much heat as we can get.” Seth spoke shortly.
“Agreed,” Draven sighed, stretching with a small shiver and then laying down in a red one. Seth took the dark blue one, and Gabriel the green. The light was gone from the sky within minutes, and they all fell asleep next to each other.

16 pt 2

He stood in the middle of a forest, but instead of his normal peacefulness, he felt anger. Pure and unbridled, it was taking over his conscious mind; all he could see was the face of his step-father. The man’s laughter… it was mocking him…haunting him. The man’s face sneered at him, speaking without words. There was no way to describe the feelings that were pulsing through him. There were no words, only sensations and emotions. Yet he could swear he heard the man laughing… see him killing his mother…
“LEAVE ME ALONE!” His voice barreled through the forest, loud enough for anyone within a mile to hear. The forest around him was disappearing, just like his calm feelings. It was being replaced by fire…there was fire everywhere, devouring the trees. He himself was about to be consumed by it, but he was insanely furious; so much so, that he hissed intensely at the fire as if it too had enraged him. The fire drew up as waves of an ocean, and its promise was to destroy him…but he did not care. He wanted to find a way to annihilate the fire physically, to break apart everything with his own body. He was slowlytaken out of his rage, however, by a calming voice.
“Gabriel…he’s not worth losing your mind. He’s not worth death.” It was a male voice, but he couldn’t put his finger on where he’d heard it before.
“He killed her!” He screamed, his voice filled now more with despair than fury. “He’s worth death if it means I can kill him!”
“You already did. He only lives now in your mind.” Gabriel growled insistently. He felt trapped, as if he wanted so badly to be right but knew he was being stupid.
“Who are you?” He asked. Calm laughter answered him.
“I am a friend. That’s all I’ll say for now. It’s time for you to wake up anyway…”

16 pt 3

“Wake up, Gabriel.” Seth stood over him, his voice sounding urgent. “Draven won’t open his eyes!” Gabriel snapped up, his movement synchronized with Draven’s. Seth saw this and sighed relief.
“Looks like you won’t have to worry about that,” Gabriel yawned. “Maybe we wake up at the same time, too?”
“Yep,” Draven sighed, stretching. “Almost everything is in sync with Guardians and Subjects. We tend to breathe at the same pace too… it’s kind of creepy to people who don’t know about it.”
“I’ll say,” Seth stared. Both Draven and Gabriel were sitting in the same poise. “It’s almost like your twins.”
“That’s the whole point,” Draven laughed. “We’re bonded just like twins are. The odd thing is that identical twins bond that way because they are constantly touching in the womb of their mother; we, having different mothers, don’t do that. Hell, I know all about the relationship except for how the bonding is done.” Seth nodded, seeming somewhat reassured.
“Well, it’s good to know I’m not the only confused one. Now then,” He held up his sleeping bag, which was rolled up and tied tightly. “We need to catch up with the others. I can’t sense them close by, so they must have gone ahead already.”
“Good idea.” Gabriel got up, now feeling refreshed after the events of yesterday. Draven had his rolled and tied before anyone could blink, and handed it to Seth.
“I’m not going to be walking with you two. I’ll watch from afar. That way I can warn you of impending danger.”
“Good,” Seth smiled. “Smart plan.” Draven smiled and nodded, and then he was out the door. Gabriel sighed.
“It’s odd. I feel… incomplete now.”
“Well he is your Guardian. What do you expect?” Seth shrugged as he put the bags back into their capsules. “Don’t worry; he’ll be watching. Let’s go.” He gestured towards the door as he walked to it, and Gabriel followed in silence. Once outside he looked around, his nose in the air as he tried to scent the others.
“You were right, Seth. The others are farther ahead than expected.” Seth smiled cockily.
“Of course. Aren’t I always?” Gabriel laughed with him, then fell silent for a moment as an idea struck.
“Wanna race?” He asked.
“Nah, there’s no rush.”
“You scared to lose?”
“Of course not!”
“Then race me.”
“I’m not going to fall for that kind of childish trick.” Gabriel smiled.
“Oh?”
“No, I’m not.” They stood still for a moment, daring one another without words. Suddenly Seth took off, and Gabriel hissed as he realized just how quick the other boy was. Then he too took off, catching up. The trees flew past him as his blood rushed, and his lungs filled with air. The next thing he knew he was on Seth’s heels, and then he was an inch ahead. This lightened his spirit, and he laughed, surprised. Seth growled and pumped his legs harder, pulling himself beside his friend. They were going so fast that, without noticing, they had already passed the other group. When Gabriel perceived this he stopped cold in his tracks. Seth did the same.
“I win,” Gabriel smiled, panting lightly.
“It was a tie,” Seth laughed. “You’re just competitive!”
“I wasn’t the one to run when someone cried chicken.” Seth smiled sheepishly. Gabriel returned his smile with one of his own; Seth had revealed a lot to him in the past few days, and was proving to be an invaluable friend. He was beginning to think of Seth as an ally that could be trusted, and his instincts seemed to support him.
They both started as Draven landed with a thud behind them. They turned to see who it was, and upon seeing that it was him, they wondered why he had ceased his reconnaissance effort. They were shocked out of their good mood by the look on his face; it didn’t seem as if he had good news.