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Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlines	By : devilsdoormat Category: +S to Z > Vampire Hunter D Views: 1732 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: Vampire Hunter D is obviously not my original property. I will make no money and benefit only emotionally from sharing. The title character, D, is pulled from both animated movies and not from the manga.

Chapter List
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A caravan wagon sat lonely in the swamps, the night swallowing up the world around it. Barely visible from the outside was the glow of many weak candles from within, from behind the curtains hanging at each portal window.

The light inside of her caravan home was dimmed, the candles burning so low that they were near death. A blue flame began to rise from the pile of bones in the corner of the room and Elsira bent low, picked up the flames and cradled it in her palms. She breathed upon the blue flame before bringing it over to a small black bowl on the desk nearby. Elsira sat in the chair before the desk, whispering soft, ancient words.

The flames rose and whispered back to her.

"My goal is to protect my daughter, at any cost." Elsira murmured, touching her fingers to her lips and leaning back into her dark seat, "So you understand why I have to do this."

"You sacrificed so much the last time, two decades ago." The blue flame whispered to her, "What shall your spell be this time? Do you have enough power left in you, Elsira?"

"The last time, I entranced an entire village plus a vampire lord." Elsira grinned and shook her head, "And the sacrifice was great. But I had enough left to place the protective charms on Meredith, didn't I? Do not underestimate me, Solora. I am Elsira the Black Madam. I will always find a way to gain more power."

"Then you've come to barter?" The flame asked.

"I have the power now. There is no need to barter." Elsira stated and the flame prickled in response, excited at her words, "And this spell is to be placed upon only one. It will be an extremely powerful spell. It will be specific. Subtle at first. The one I am cursing isn't a fool. It cannot be a hasty spell. It must be a slow burn. He is powerful too. He could reject the spell if he sensed it too soon, despite our power. He would sense the magic and cast it off. If we do it right, by the time he senses that he's under a spell, he will not want to reject it."

"Tell us then, Elsira. What is this spell?" The blue flame licked the air wildly.

"I cast it upon the hunter. He goes by the name D. I know who he is. So do you, my old friend." Elsira closed her eyes, smiling, "He is strong enough to protect my daughter, and I know that he would defend her given time. Since I cannot force them together, I must gently nudge them closer."

"You said at any cost.." Solora mused.

"He would sense anything stronger than a nudge." Elsira snapped, "He is powerful. I told you."

"But you're willing to risk controlling that power?" Solora laughed.

"Influence. Strongly influence. Control? No. I am using him for this alone." Elsira waved a small, fragile hand dismissively, "All that matters is that he can protect her. And though I know he will try to, if I do not bond them he will carry on if it appears she's been lost. I cannot have that. She must grow to trust in him. The road ahead of her cannot be easy. There will be real danger."

"So what shall your spell be?" The flames tickled the air.

"They shall be traveling together eventually. I know my daughter and I know what she will want when the time arrives. She will befriend the hunters, and she will try to befriend this Dhampir. I want to plant a seed." Elsira cupped her hands together and small, blue shape formed in her hands. A tiny seed, glimmering as it materialized, floated upward a few inches and began to twirl slowly, "I want to plant this seed inside of the hunter, D."

"Love?" The flame asked.

"No, that is ridiculous, but the flower might someday have the appearance of love." Elsira said, "To fall in love that quickly would bring suspicion. To notice how bright and sweet Meredith is after a day with her would bring curiosity. The pleasant thoughts of wanting to talk to her, and to know her. Meredith would need only to be herself, uninfluenced by any magic. No need. She is always Meredith. Full of light and hope. But, she isn't entirely innocent, is she? He wouldn't want to get too close if he feared spoiling her goodness. I know his type. They love purity but they fear touching it. My Meredith has just enough dark in her to make her seem familiar and safe. Given time together, the hunter would begin to feel that he loved her. It will not last that long, of course.."

"No seed for Meredith?" Solora asked.

"No." Elsira answered, "Of course not! She has to find her own feelings. Don't be a fool."

"How cruel." Solora chuckled, the flames shaking, "And what if Meredith doesn't share in these feelings for the hunter, Elsira? What if she spurns his affections?"

"You do not know my Meredith." Elsira smiled.

"We've both seen her just as often." Solora said.

Elsira scowled a bit.

"I know my Meredith. I know why Aatrak guards her so. She is wild at heart." Elsira stated, "Aatrak has tried in vain to keep Meredith a child. But he will soon see it was all blind folly. My daughter is no angel. If she is pursued by the other Dhampir, she will reciprocate. He is rather beautiful, isn't he?"

"And you will allow this union?" Solora sounded curious.

"Why not? What are men if not tools?" Elsira replied, "I have never needed one myself, but they do come in handy in a pinch. My daughter is strong enough to take care of herself, but I will guarantee that she has a willing body guard. A much stronger, willing body guard."

"And the charm upon her?" The flames were curious.

"It shall do as it always has. I just cannot afford to wait." Elsira shook her head, "They'll all grow to care for her, never questioning why their hearts have changed. And Meredith will be Meredith, sweet and honest. I will need to detain Aatrak, of course. But that plan is already in motion. Soon. Tonight."

"And so I will plant this seed within the hunter." Solora breathed.

"Yes, that is what I wish to do." Elsira nodded, "And as subtle as I want it to be, I do want her to feel special to him. She will be a tender spot in his heart and a yearning received in his arms. She will grow fond of him as well. She does love a challenge."

"You truly are a monster, Elsie." Solora chuckled, "It is done."

The seed disappeared from Elsira's cupped hand, a small wisp of blue smoke evaporating into the dark space where it had been floating.

"And so it has begun. Watch over my child, hunter." Elsira whispered, "I need her safe and alive."

***

There were photographs of little Meredith riding on his back. Aatrak was looking through the old dusty pictures that he kept in a box under his bed. It made him smile to see her looking so happy and bright.

The little Dhampir girl who could pass for human. She'd never experienced blood lust or felt any discomfort from the sun. The town which loved her father had treated her with adoration and never with fear or resentment. Her father fed on blood, as did her two fulled blooded siblings. However, it was offered blood. Lord Romulus watched over the town. He cared for it.

The same town which had offered Aatrak respect and friendship. Money could buy many a Barbaroi warrior, but only this sort of emotion could make them stay for free. Aatrak required no payment. He received the joy of protecting little Meredith and watching her grow up.

He thumbed through a stack of photographs, sitting on his creaking bed. Aatrak pushed himself up against the back of the bed, leaning on the wall, and tilted his head. His yellow eyes were taking in each image.

There had been a time when Aatrak had been a young man. That was a long while back. He didn't always feel so much older, but there were moments when he felt a dismal veil hanging over his head. He wasn't young anymore and time wasn't slowing down. But those moments with Meredith had made him feel alive again. He found a picture of himself carrying Meredith on his shoulders as Shoyan smiled at the camera, her bright green eyes blurring her face.

She'd been such a wonderful child.

And now..

Well, now she was a woman, wasn't she?

Aatrak sighed, placing the pictures down upon his lap.

How it pained him to watch her sometimes. He'd never had any children of his own, though he'd tried. A series of failed romances in the life of a Barbaroi warrior was not uncommon, but most resulted in a least a few bastard children, mutants like their parents, joining the flock.

He thought about Shoyan and how she felt like murky water sometimes. Not recently. No, that was years ago now, wasn't it? That brief period of time when Shoyan thought that she felt something for him and they'd carried on like young lovers until they'd both come back to their senses.

Shoyan loved Meredith just as much as he did, and they would spend their time with her like foster parents. With Romulus unable, or unwilling, to spend the quality time with the little child and Elsira retiring to the swamp to be alone with her magic, it fell on Aatrak and Shoyan to be the mother and father. It made Aatrak angry sometimes that his Master had spent so little time getting to know his own daughter. He was far too busy with his full blooded children, wasn't he?

And what a great job Romulus had done with Raziel.

Aatrak growled and rolled his shoulders. No, they hadn't been just foster parents. They had been her true parents! Always! There had always been time for Meredith.

Perhaps there was much to be done in the castle. Taking care of a kingdom. Tending to whatever he tended to. Aatrak didn't pretend to know or understand. He just remembered the first day he'd come to work for Romulus. A guard. Aatrak would be a guard. He was younger then. Stronger.

Years passed in the vampire's service. Despite what the village seemed to believe now, Romulus wasn't always so benevolent. There had been a bloody period. And then, Romulus had fallen for Elsira the Black Madam. His love went unrequited for quite some time. The witch had come to work for him and he'd become smitten with her, much to the disgust of his vampiric children.

Elsira came and went, even after the birth of their child, and Aatrak remembered the day that Lucia, that petulant whelp of a vampire that Romulus called daughter, had left the baby untended to and crying in the dark. The baby settled down and Aatrak saw the darkness shift around the tall crib. Dark arms leaned in and cradled the baby, lifting the small Dhampir up into a mass of black.

Those green eyes had met his.

The first time he'd met Shoyan.

He'd approached and they'd exchanged only glances.

"The Black Madam, she's placed a mark upon the child. See?" Shoyan held the child's arm up, the chubby pale flesh bright in the dark room, "It is very faint, but you can see it. She is shielded from what she is. What a strange thing to do to a half blood."

"I do not know if it is kind or cruel to protect one from what they truly are." Aatrak said to the woman, "I.. I have not met you before, Barbaroi."

"I am Shoyan Alatheena." The woman with the black skin and hair told him. Her eyes glowed bright green for a moment, "I have recently been hired here to watch over the child."

"Oh." Aatrak said, "I am Aatrak."

"I have heard of you, Aatrak the Wolf." Shoyan said, "I have heard that you are a mighty warrior but that your talents in battle are wasted here in this castle."

"Is that what they say?" Aatrak grinned, showing off his sharp teeth.

"It is." Shoyan cooed at the baby and was rewarded with a high trilling noise from the child, "How long has it been since you have seen battle, Aatrak the Wolf?"

"You can call me Aatrak. I do not require more than that." Aatrak smirked, "And it has been quite some time. There are few hunters who dare attack Lord Romulus Morrow."

"I see." Shoyan smiled, showing off her own sharp teeth, "Would you like to hold her?"

"What? No." Aatrak held up his hands at her, palms out, "That is not my place."

"Why? Because you are a man?" Shoyan shot him a glance.

"No, because I have never held a child. And I am afraid I will hurt her." Aatrak shrugged, smirking in the shadows, "I am not the most tender of creatures, I am afraid to say."

"She's a Dhampir, Aatrak. You cannot harm her. Here." Shoyan moved to place the baby in Aatrak's arms.

He could not refuse without risking dropping the child. Aatrak took the baby carefully, trying to emulate the way Shoyan had cradled it just before. The baby shifted and he struggled to make sure it would not fall or slip out of his hands.

"You look like a small boy child trying to keep an eel from escaping." Shoyan laughed at him a bit, her hand to her face.

"It.. is not exactly easy.." Aatrak finally got a good hold on the baby and held her to his shoulder. The baby squealed, "Oh no, did I hurt it?"

"Its name is Meredith." Shoyan chuckled, "And no, you did not. She is fine."

The white and gray cloth the baby was swaddled in made it harder to keep his grip.

"I am not accustomed to children, Shoyan." Aatrak stated.

"It doesn't take long to learn." Shoyan offered to take the baby back, her arms opened, and she was holding the baby again as Aatrak happily offloaded the infant back to the shadow woman.

"Do you have children?" Aatrak asked.

"I did." Shoyan answered, her smile fading.

"Oh." Aatrak frowned, "I am sorry."

"Don't feel sorry for me, Aatrak. I was blessed to have them when I did. It hurt more than anything to lose them, but they will always be a part of me." Shoyan told him.

He rubbed at the back of his neck, unsure of what else to say.

Shoyan smiled at him again though, and he felt less awkward.

She really was beautiful.

Aatrak remembered the day that Meredith had turned five and was running through the castle. It was so different then than it had been only five years earlier. So much could happen in so little time.

The Black Madam had cast a spell on the town to make them all forget the tyranny of Lord Romulus. A new age had begun. He would try things a different way. His heart had warmed after Meredith had been born, though the vampire Lord didn't spend much time with her. It was speculated between the Barbaroi in the castle that Elsira herself had also put a spell on Romulus to make him less of a monster.

Elsira may have been the Black Madam, but she was also a mother now. She wanted to care for her child.

A violent and bloody kingdom would bring hunters. And more hunters. And after them, still more hunters. Elsira would not always be around to watch over her daughter.

If it were true then Elsira had missed the full blooded children. Lucia was still as arrogant. Gabriel wasn't so awful, but he was sullen and spoke of dark, depressing things.

It was Raziel who turned.

Young Raziel, young in vampire terms, had left from disgust and taken his own kingdom far off. He'd killed the vampire lord there and taken his land. Raziel, who sometimes attacked his old kingdom. Raziel, who wanted to destroy Meredith and Elsira for turning his father into a weakling.

Aatrak rolled his shoulders.

Aatrak remembered five year old Meredith running through the castle again. He remembered her running into him and that he picked her up. She was so strong. A Dhampir who could pass for human in almost every way, save for her beauty and strength. Meredith would break hearts one day. Perhaps she'd break his, Aatrak had thought.

He chuckled as he sat in his bed, looking at the pictures.

She had broken his heart though, hadn't she?

By growing up.

His little Meredith.

"Protect her, Aatrak." Romulus had said to him.

Aatrak had been bowing before his Lord in the throne room. His vampire lord who called himself King Romulus, in his regal cloak and armor. He wore black, Romulus did. His hair was golden and long, much like his three fulled blooded children.

"Of course, My Lord." Aatrak had sworn.

He'd never gone back on that promise.

Aatrak raised a hand to his face when he felt wetness on his cheeks. His eyes burned. He'd been crying. The thought that anything could ever make him cry ever again in his life, not since he was a child, unsettled him. But yet he was.

Alone in his room surrounded by dusty weapons and old work tables, he felt like an old man. There was a lantern burning on a wooden table nearby, torn clothing placed upon the wooden surface. Sewing supplies were sitting next to the shredded shirts and trousers.

Aatrak the Wolf, seamstress.

There was a plate of half eaten meat on the stand next to his bed.

He'd lost his appetite again.

A sick animal often does.

"You'll have to tell her soon." Shoyan's voice floated through the room.

"I do not have to tell her anything." Aatrak exhaled, not ready to bring his hand away from his eyes yet, "Shoyan, please knock before you enter."

"Aatrak." Shoyan was standing before him, her body a writhing mass of shadows.

"Please." Aatrak repeated, "Let me be for now."

"It isn't right of you to keep this from her, Aatrak." Shoyan dropped down to her knees before him and placed her hands on his thighs, "It will only hurt her worse when she loses you and doesn't know why."

"And knowing why would make it easier?" Aatrak laughed, a hollow sound, "I cannot tell her."

"The witch was right there, Aatrak. You could have asked her to make you well again." Shoyan's green eyes brimmed with tears. Those tears were fluorescent and glowed as they slid down her black cheeks, "You could have stayed behind to-"

"I had to make sure Meredith got home safely." Aatrak placed his hands on his lap and then cupped Shoyan's face, "You understand that, do you not, Shoyan? I do not live for myself."

"Then you could keep living for her!" Shoyan cried out, "Go see the witch tonight, Aatrak. I will go with you. We will go together."

"But the hunters are staying in town. If they try to hurt her-" Aatrak began.

"Gallicker is on watch tonight. And there is Magda and Hakreen. They will take care of it if there is trouble, Aatrak. For once in your damn life, stop being so stubborn!" Shoyan began to cry.

"Shoyan Alatheena." Aatrak stroked the side of her face with his thumb. His touch sunk through her misty flesh once or twice, but she felt warm and smooth.

"Aatrak the Wolf. Can't you just do one thing I ask?" She smiled, and the tears came more liberally as she brought her hands up to touch his, their flesh melding along her cheek.

"We will go together to ask." Aatrak sounded distant as he spoke, "But at the first sign of trouble.."

"Yes, yes, you stubborn mutt." Shoyan exclaimed and wrapped herself around him, embracing him. Their bodies became one as the woman enveloped him in her black shrouds. She was liquid and flowing, sinking into every part of him as they both fell back on his bed.

He was reminded of why he'd never stopped loving her.

She was so warm and smooth. Aatrak coughed a little and ran his clawed fingers through her tendrils of hair, noting how fluid her touch could become. She was mostly solid, but not completely.

Holding her felt right.

When she kissed him, he obliged.

"Is this what you want, Shoy?" He used her pet name, his eyes searching her face.

"Right now, I just want you. I want you to be alive, with me. And I'll do anything to make sure that happens." Shoyan answered and then kissed him again.

He didn't feel quite so old anymore, but he still ached.

Her permeating shadows eased his pain and stoked a familiar fire.

Their brand of love making had never been standard procedure. He had become used to it only after months of practicing and, even years and years after the last time, remembered how strange this dance could be. He wasn't less eager or excited at the prospect, but he also knew that no one else would ever understand or desire what they had.

He didn't need to undress. She was already nude within her robes. It was sensation, being wrapped up in her and feeling her pass through him, merging with him. It was contact, touch and surprisingly strong squeezes and spasms shared between them. It was a slow build which could, and did, drive him mad as he began to need the release.

She would find her summit at the moment he found his. They'd share it.

It was everything he'd remembered it being.

Afterward he took a long shower while Shoyan sang softly from the other room. Hearing her sing again brought back more memories, and he smiled as the hot water ran across his face and throat. Old scars covered his flesh, making parts of him look marred and unsightly. The fur would never grow there again and left bare patches when he shifted. Nothing had ever frightened him. It had never occurred to Aatrak that anything could kill him. Rushing into battle with fangs and claws ready, he'd never seen death waiting for him on the other side of the field. He never saw Death in front of him.

But now, as a much older wolf and much further away from the dusty, bloody ground he'd once stalked, he saw Death behind him. He saw Death out of the corner of his eye, slowly following him along a path he'd felt was safe and good. Death was a sneaky bastard, taking his time.

Perhaps Aatrak could beat him. He touched his stomach, the muscles not quite as chiseled and defined as they'd once been. If he beat Death, he would fix that. Old man or not, there was no excuse.

A weapon should not be allowed to rust.

***

They moved in darkness, having left the perimeter of Morrow Valley an hour or so before. The sound of the night was familiar and comfortable to Aatrak and he felt her drifting around his arm as Shoyan clung to him. They walked together but she held on and floated for most of their journey.

A strong wind picked up and he felt her shuddering.

"I am always afraid that you will blow away one day, my love." Aatrak joked.

"I am stronger than that, you silly mutt." Shoyan replied and he felt her poke at him. He chuckled, the sensation of her touch pleasantly jarring, "But it is rather windy. We are getting closer to the moors."

"Why does Elsira choose to stay in the swamp?" Aatrak wondered out loud, "She had a perfectly nice room within the castle."

The moon was partly covered by clouds as the two trekked across the flat plans of dirt and grass. It was getting muggier and a few sickly trees were coming into view. The moors were ahead of them and the smell of mud and rot reached Aatrak's crinkling nose.

"I think she stopped loving our Master, Lord Romulus." Shoyan whispered into Aatrak's pointed ear, clinging to his shoulders, "But I also think she didn't want to raise a child in her shadow. She wouldn't change, but she wouldn't surrender Meredith. So she stays near and watches from afar."

"I suppose for that I am glad." Aatrak smiled, "I would not have had my Mere if not for it."

"Our Mere, my love." Shoyan kissed his cheek, "Whatever the rumors say, I have doubts. The Black Madam cares for her daughter, and Meredith is an innocent."

"Those legends are just stories anyway." Aatrak muttered, his hands moving into the pockets of his jacket, "Told to frighten children. Barbaroi or human. Meredith will not turn."

"That is probably why the Black Madam refrained from teaching the girl magic." Shoyan spoke, "She wanted to break the chain. Save her own life. Keep Meredith innocent."

"Oh, who even knows if that is all true?" Aatrak chuckled, "Besides, Meredith cannot have children, can she? Not being what she is."

Aatrak frowned then.

"How unfair." He added.

"She will make her own judgment on that, Aatrak. Don't feel bad for her." Shoyan kissed him again, "We should stop talking about these things now. We will be in the Moors soon and I do not wish to be overheard."

"Understood." Aatrak nodded.

Together they continued until the ground became softer and the black, spindly trees more numerous. They were moving through the swamps then, Aatrak stepping carefully to avoid sinking into the mud. He'd walked on all kinds of terrain and hated the mud the worst. It was loud and a hindrance. It made gurgling noises if it caught your boot or paw. However, it was nice to roll in. He refrained from that particular activity, grinning as he imagined Shoyan scolding him, again. He'd done it before at the castle. Meredith had done it too. It was such a mess. How irritated Shoyan had been. It lifted his spirits in this dark, cold and ominous place.

"Look.." Shoyan pointed at the single caravan wagon up ahead, hidden in a small clearing in the swamp. There were black, spidery trees all around the area and Aatrak was surprised that the wind wasn't whistling around them at the moment they stepped into the clearing.

The ground was oddly firmer and he walked more easily.

Before they'd even gotten to the door, a curtain hung across it, Elsira spoke from inside.

"Aatrak and Shoyan. This is a late visit." The witch's voice was friendly.

The tone of Elsira's voice disturbed Aatrak and he coughed.

"I.. I came to talk to you, Elsira." Aatrak said.

"And Shoyan?" Elsira inquired.

"I am here to support him." Shoyan replied, her voice grating gently.

"Well, don't linger outside. Please, come in." Elsira said.

Aatrak rolled his shoulders and, after Shoyan had detached from him, took the three, thin wooden steps up to the curtain hanging at the doorway. It was a red curtain with black sigils all over it. Just the touch of it against his skin sent shivers down his spine. Those were spells painted on the fabric. He had to duck to pass through.

As soon as he'd entered, Shoyan floating in behind him, he was taken by the scent of incense and blood, perfume and alluring chemicals. His mind felt numbed and he stood there with Shoyan beside him looking confused as to why they were there.

"Yes?" Elsira turned.

Her home was not small on the inside, but it was cozy. She had a few large chairs and a long table. There were shelves lining each wall, the windows round and stained glass. There were ancient books, timeless tomes on each old, wooden shelf. There were candles, both new and so old that they had been melted to near extinction, sitting on the tables. There were more candles on outcroppings on her walls. The floor was carpeted and soft. The color scheme was black and red, just like Elsira's cloaks, and there were human bones scattered across a section of the floor in the far corner, kept in a painted circle.

Aatrak was overwhelmed at the smell and the magical buzzing in his ears. Shoyan shivered beside him, clutching his arm but staring at Elsira with no fear readable on her face.

Shoyan was brave. Aatrak was too, but he felt suddenly very afraid.

"I have come to ask you for your help, Elsira." Aatrak said, his voice low and rumbling, "You see-"

"You are dying and you wish not to." Elsira smiled at him, "Come, have a seat. Both of you."

"How did you know, my Lady?" Aatrak forced his legs to move and he sat down at one of the large chairs in her home. Shoyan nestled beside him and folded her wispy arms across her chest. Aatrak took up a good portion of the chair, being the size he was.

"I am Elsira the Black Madam. I can see the shadow of death in someone's eyes." Elsira said. She had been drinking tea judging by the little cup on her table. There was a huge book there too, closed but left with a thin, red ribbon sticking out at the spot she'd left off on, "I know what it is to see death approaching. I can see the fear too. You are afraid of dying, Aatrak the Wolf."

"I am not afraid to die." Aatrak told her.

"You lie. Then why did you come here?" Elsira seemed incredulous, her lips parting.

"I do not wish to die, that is true." Aatrak said, touching his chest, "You see, Madam, I.. I do not wish to leave Meredith yet. She still needs me. She is-"

Aatrak couldn't hold back the tears then, and had to turn his face away from her and cover his weakness with one strong hand.

"F-forgive me. I.." Aatrak shook his head.

Shoyan placed her cheek to his shoulder and stroked his back.

"What has she done to you?" Elsira smiled, but her eyes were cold, "For the love of my daughter, you would wish to prolong your life? Heal your sickness? For how much longer do you want to stay with her? She is immortal, Aatrak. You are not."

"Just a little longer. Just enough to feel like I have served her well." Aatrak coughed, feeling hot tears spilling from his eyes. He couldn't stop them and his cheeks burned, "Please, it is my wish to not break her heart. She is still so young. Still a child. Let me live awhile longer."

"She is a child, isn't she?" Elsira mused, eyes heavy lidded, "She won't be for very much longer. But if you wish to stay alive long enough to see my daughter become a woman, I can grant you that."

"Please." Aatrak shuddered. Shoyan held him and nuzzled his shoulder.

"Stop your simpering. You are a Barbaroi warrior." Elsira said.

Shoyan grimaced but said nothing, her lips drawing back to show her black teeth.

"What can you give me in trade?" Elsira asked then.

"T-trade?" Aatrak asked, looking up at Elsira. His moist yellow eyes were red at the corners.

"That is how a spell works, Aatrak." The witch leaned back into her long, black velvet chair. She pressed her fingertips together to form a steeple, "You offer me something of equivalent value and I decide if it's worth it. Or, I ask you for something that I consider a fine payment."

"What could I give you? I do not even know.." Aatrak began.

"We both love Meredith very much, Elsira." Shoyan spoke, "But there isn't much we can offer you."

"'We' now?" Elsira smiled.

"No, no. Just me." Aatrak corrected the witch and felt Shoyan's hot glare dig into the side of his face.

"I will make it a simple trade." Elsira spoke softly, "I won't ask for your soul, or for your heart. I won't even ask for your eyes or for your tongue. I will call in a favor one day as payment, Aatrak the Wolf. All I will ask of you is what any dog will one day be asked to do. Stay."

"What?" Aatrak frowned, confused.

"I will ask you to Stay and you will. It will make sense soon, Aatrak, trust me. I will save your life and you will get to see Meredith as a woman. I will give you both." Elsira looked quite pleased with herself, her long, red hair falling around her shoulders. Her blue eyes were frozen. She might have looked like an older Meredith save for her rounder face and the lack of freckles. Elsira looked paler than her own Dhampir daughter, "Your sickness shall leave you. No disease will kill Aatrak the Wolf."

"And all I need to do is.. Stay?" Aatrak asked her.

"Yes. Is it a deal?" Elsira tilted her head. Her lips parted again and she showed her teeth.

Aatrak looked to Shoyan and was kissed on the cheek again, her mists comforting.

"If I stay, will Meredith be in any danger?" Aatrak turned to Elsira.

"None at all. You'll have Meredith for quite some time." Elsira chuckled, "Meredith will be fine."

"Then.. Then, yes. It is a deal." Aatrak said.

"I will make up the spell now. Please, stay sitting, both of you." Elsira stood, smoothing her cloaks and then meandered over to the far corner to a long, tall black table. She was mixing liquids within stone cups and stirring them, humming to herself. It was a strange, haunting melody.

It didn't take long before Elsira came swooping around the side of the chair again, a black goblet in her hands. It had been carved from hard, dense wood and she offered it to Aatrak. The contents were black and oily, bubbling at the center. It smelled like charred bones and hair.

The smell didn't put him off as much as the undercurrent of energy which he felt surging through the goblet as he held it to his lips. Aatrak looked to Elsira briefly.

"Do I drink this?" He asked.

"Yes." Elsira smirked, "Drink it all."

Shoyan squeezed his shoulder.

Aatrak drank. It tasted like it smelled. He'd eaten worse in his day and licked his lips after completely emptying the entire goblet. He'd even held it up, tipping it back to make sure he got the last black droplets. Licking his lips, he shook his head at Shoyan.

"It smelled like death, Aatrak." Shoyan whispered, eyes wide.

"It tasted like it too. But I have had worse." Aatrak muttered, "How soon will it w-"

He'd felt something seize up within him. Intense pain. His guts were twisting. There was a fire in his belly, writhing around like a worm, and every organ was trying to escape from its touch. It was no longer his body and Aatrak screamed. A fading thought tripped through his foggy brain, musing over how he'd never screamed before in his entire life thus far. Howled, yes. Hollered, many times. But he had never screamed. Aatrak could barely hear Shoyan as she panicked and cried out, trying to hold him and failing. He was on the floor, his back arching. Bones felt like they would shatter and he tried to shift. He tried to do anything to rid himself of the agony ripping his insides to pieces.

His eyes burned, his face was hot from some horrible flame which threatened to rupture every vessel in his body. His palms were flat on the floor and the first lurch gripped his stomach. He was going to vomit. It felt like his intestines would be coming out of his mouth.

Elsira had placed a large, iron basin in front of him very casually. She was ignoring Shoyan's cries for help as she sat back, crossing her legs and adjusting her black blouse under her cloaks. Elsira had a bored look upon her countenance.

Aatrak's guts emptied into the basin, black and viscous. Stringy tendrils of oil dripped from his wheezing lips and he moaned, shaking, before vomiting again. Thick strands of sticky flesh escaped his throat this time and he was sobbing, unable to do anything but fall forward. Shoyan was very strong and held him up. She saved him from diving face first into the filling basin. It stunk like death. Real death. Rotten and awful. The smell was enough to make him vomit again, but there was nothing left and he merely dry heaved, sobbing pitifully. He had begun to sweat profusely only seconds after the first bout and was now drenched.

"Now get up." Elsira said, "Go on. You'll feel better quickly now."

"I.. I will never.. feel better.." Aatrak whimpered, his stomach rolling.

"Hush now. Shoyan, my dear, help him to lie down. I will remove this deadly bile." Elsira stood and came around, lifting the basin and taking it the corner of the room with the scattered human bones, "Oddly enough, some things feed on death. This is a lovely meal for something else, isn't it?"

She poured the black vomit onto the bones. They hissed, smoking as the liquid ran over their dry, white surface. The bile didn't collect though but was absorbed, disappearing as Elsira fed the circle.

Shoyan helped the moaning, weakened Aatrak to the couch and he curled up, shaking and gripping his belly. His eyes were wet and his lips were stained.

"I'll make him some tea to get the taste out of his mouth." Elsira said. She went into another room, a curtain hanging down as a divider, and disappeared. She was humming again.

"My love?" Shoyan stroked his short, dark hair with the salt and pepper shading, her fingers sliding through effortlessly, "Aatrak, please talk to me."

"It hurt.. so much, Shoy.." Aatrak opened his eyes, looking to her. They were bloodshot, "I feel so sick. I am dying. I am dying right now."

"No, no my love." Shoyan stroked his face, wiping his tears, "You aren't dying. Shh."

Aatrak gurgled and pulled Shoyan into himself.

Elsira came from the other room and set a cup down on the table between them.

"Drink this." Elsira told Aatrak.

Aatrak moaned.

"Just do it. Shoyan, please make him drink it." Elsira muttered, waving a hand at the other woman.

"Will it help him?" Shoyan asked.

"Yes." Elsira answered.

Shoyan took the cup carefully, grasping in her black hands, and brought it to Aatrak. He refused at first but then sat up enough to sip the warm liquid. He took one sip, then another. Aatrak grabbed the cup and finished it, swallowing thickly.

"I am so thirsty." He grunted.

"But feeling better?" Elsira posed her question in her friendlier voice.

"Yes." Aatrak touched his stomach and furrowed his brows, "I feel.. I feel good."

"But you'll never forget how much that hurt, I bet." Elsira smiled.

Aatrak grimaced.

"That was the sickness coming out of you." Elsira explained.

"I do feel better. But I am hungry. So hungry. And thirsty." Aatrak was becoming agitated but was smiling. He pulled Shoyan close, "Shoy!"

"Yes, we will feed you, Aatrak." Shoy moved to kiss his cheek and instead found herself meshed against his lips as Aatrak reached to her hair and had a much more passionate exchange in mind.

"My my." Elsira smiled.

"Aatrak! Yes, I am happy too, my love. But.." Shoyan freed herself from him easily, "Let's go home."

"Hnnh." Aatrak tried to kiss her again but then remembered where he was, "Ah, yes. I am sorry. Thank you, Elsira. I.. I owe you for saving my life."

Aatrak was standing, moving back with Shoyan. They were edging toward the door.

Elsira observed his face and tilted her head, sitting in her chair.

"Go then, you two. Enjoy your new lease on life, Aatrak the Wolf." Elsira spoke, "Go on. Go on."

Aatrak and Shoyan left the caravan home and began their trek back to the town. They walked in silence.

When they reached the wall Aatrak pulled Shoyan in for another kiss.

"I need you, Shoy." He whispered to her.

She did not reply. They found a place hidden by vegetation and they joined.

It was going to be Ok.
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Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlines