Bound by Blood - By Blood Undone (closed)

[Poprockz]

It was the dead of night in the forest, and it would have been relatively silent if it weren't for the soft, disheartened sobs of a woman. She was crouched over the body of a badger, blood staining the front of her light-blue t-shirt and jeans. One might have thought that she would be cold dressed like that in the chilly night air, but the temperature had no effect on her whatsoever. It was the last thing on her mind, really.

Once again, she brought the body up to her mouth and tried to drink, but she only ended up gagging and dropping it again. The fur in her mouth was disgusting, but even more repulsive was the feeling of biting through the animal's thick skin to get to its blood. She was so very hungry, a hunger that seemed to permeate her very being, but she couldn't keep more than a few drops of blood down. The blood was warm and tasted bitter- it was awful. It didn't help that she was fully aware of the fact that she was eating an animal raw, something she would never have done in other circumstances.

Only a few days ago she had been content with her life, working at her mom's bakery, dating on and off, working on her degree in business. She had decided that she wanted to take over the bakery once her mom retired, a fact that made her mom very happy. All seemed to be going the way it should be until the night her life had been stolen from her.

Violet had been closing up shop with her mom one day when she heard some glass breaking. The vampires had broken in and she ended up seeing her mother murdered before her eyes, at which point one of them had introduced themselves as her father. He had turned her... biting her and then forcing her to drink some of his own blood. The change was painful and immediate, and in her labored sickness they were able to take her from the place without problem. Only by an oversight on their part had she been able to escape and hitch-hike her way somewhere else. This forest had been the "somewhere else" she had decided on. It was an hour drive from any town or city, which meant that she would be away from people. Hopefully it also meant that it would be easier to hide from her father as well.

Everything was terrifying and confusing, and she had no idea what to do. All she knew was that she grew more hungry by the night, and she was frightened by what might happen if she crossed a certain threshold of thirst.

 

[ty5550]

The scent was heavy in the air, the smell of fresh blood. There was no question as Logan's keen nose caught the aroma and immediately his hunter instincts. Pupils dilated as his vision locked in, compensating for the darkness. His eyes were almost feral with hunger as he scanned the trees and looked for any sign of movement. There was nothing but the breeze and his ears confirmed that as he listened to the wind darting through the branches.

Then he was on the move, weaving in and out of the trunks with skilled practice. He let his senses guide and carry him toward the path of blood. Animals preyed upon each other every day in the wild, it was the natural order and it was common practice. However, what bothered him was the fact that he was pretty sure it was badger blood that had been spilt this night. That was strange and perplexing, they had no natural predators in these woods. The only thing that might dare take on a badger is a wolf or a bear, but even then the hassle usually wasn't worth it. There were many other creatures that were easier to hunt.

Dressed in a flannel shirt, jeans and boots, Logan was looking like a proper woodsman - or even a lumberjack for that matter, he was physical built like one after all and even had a beard and an axe on him. The axe hung at his side, sheathed on his belt along with a hunting knife. On his back he had a bow and a few arrows since he had been out hunting for some meat just as the sun went down.

Nearing the source, he slowed as he heard something just ahead of him. It almost sounded like...a woman crying? Confused and curious, he approached with more caution while trying his best to quietly shift over the ground with each step. However there were plenty of leaves and sticks on the ground to stir up some noise, especially for those with keen ears such as himself.

The scene he came across was rather peculiar as he tried to make sense of it. A woman leaning over a freshly killed badger, the blood of the animal soaked into her clothing. She didn't seem to be a hunter, and the way she was dressed...well she just seemed out of place. Something was off. Sniffing the air again, all he could really make out was the scent of blood. Only badger blood, no human blood, so she wasn't hurt.

"Pardon me., do you need help?" Logan spoke, announcing himself as he stood roughly thirty feet away. "Are you alright? Are you lost?" He wanted to inquire about the badger as well, such as did it attack her? Did she kill it? What was she doing with its corpse? For now though he thought it best to show some concern and potentially offer her some help.

 

[Poprockz]

Her head snapped up at the sound of his voice, her eyes fearful. If one had good eyesight in the dark, they would be able to see the blood smeared on her chin and neck. Though she truly hoped that this wasn't the case for him. The cloud cover made it dark enough that it might be possible to hide that fact as long as she kept her distance. Unbeknownst to her, her eyes had a faint red glow about them- it was what happened to vampires that weren't consuming enough. A well-fed vampire had normal-looking eyes, while the more blood-starved they became, the more intensely red their eyes became.

He didn't have the look about him that her father and his "associates" had, and he hadn't immediately attacked or captured her. Furthermore, the scent of blood in the air was such that she couldn't smell him and thus assumed that he was just another human. Just because he was human didn't mean that he was safe. The danger was twofold. If he figured out what was going on, he would no doubt be appalled and revolted. There was more than one story about a monster's fate ending in fire and pitchforks, and she didn't want that to be the way she died... well, the way she died permanently. And that was if he didn't try to kill her immediately.

Secondly, she was so hungry. So hungry... She wasn't sure what might happen if she allowed him to approach. Violet hadn't yet tested her willpower around people yet, but she didn't want to find out what her limitations were. The safer option was to simply prevent that sort of opportunity from arising. Though the thought of human blood was more appealing than animal blood, the very thought made her want to recoil. She was a person, not a beast! She didn't want to be whatever they had forced her to become.

"I-Im fine," she managed to utter, quickly dropping the badger and standing up. At her full height she was about five foot, two inches, hardly an intimidating presence normally. She angled her petite body away from him without losing him in her peripheral vision. Being able to see perfectly in the darkness was new for her, but at least it would allow her to run away quickly if need be. "I have a camp nearby," she lied, "I... I found that badger and was going to... bury it."

The woman tensed, wondering if he would buy that story. It wasn't a particularly good lie, but it had been all she could come up with on the spot, unfortunately.

 

[ty5550]

Logan tensed up in the darkness as he eyed the suspicious woman. He could see it, the red gleam of hunger and bloodlust which reflected in her eyes. At the same time the wind shifted slightly and he caught a whiff of her scent somewhere under all that badger blood. Right then and there he knew exactly what she was and what he was dealing with.

Almost instinctively his fingers twitch and moved toward the axe at his waist, but he stopped himself. This woman didn't seem to be violent or volatile, instead she seemed more lost and confused. A freshly turned human perhaps? His own beastly eyes gazed at her in the darkness, in the light of the moon he had perfect vision. Logan's eyes almost seemed to glow golden yellow, like that of a wolf lurking in the shadows.

"There is no need to be afraid." He finally said after a moment of hesitation. Logan tried to keep his voice as calm, soothing and gentle as possible. "I won't hurt you, and I don't think you want to hurt me." He tried to sound as confident and reassuring as possible. "I know what you are and I can help." His words and offer made it quite clear he wasn't buying her story about the badger. How could he when he could clearly see the blood staining her?

The man took a step forward, approaching her while trying not to make any sudden movements. "I have a cabin not far from here. It's far away from normal people and you can get cleaned up there...maybe even clear your head a bit?" He offered and halted his approach, now standing roughly fifteen feet away from her. This woman was a petite little thing but he knew better than to underestimate a vampire by their appearance alone...even if he was at least a foot taller than her.

 

[Poprockz]

She regarded him with suspicion. He knew what she was? What did he think she was? A cultist? And what did he mean by "normal people"? He looked to be human to her, though his golden eyes did give her pause. There seemed to be something different about him, but she was unsure whether that was just wishful thinking or foolishness on her part. His voice had all the soothing qualities of a warm bath, but he could just be some insane lumberjack with a god complex as far as she knew.

Regardless, it wasn't safe for him to be around her.

“Stay away from me,” she replied with a strained voice, taking a few steps away from him. Her hand was raised as though even a slight barrier would help keep them separate. “I don’t know what you think you know, but I have a highly contagious disease. I don’t want to hurt you…”

“But don’t think I’m defenseless either!” Violet quickly added in case he was getting any nefarious ideas. “I have a can of mace in my pocket with your name on it if you get too close.” Her hand went into her pocket as though to grab it, though it was really just a bluff. There was mace in her purse many miles away at her mom’s now abandoned bakery, but she held none at the current moment. Even the mention of mace could be a good deterrent from her experience though.

 

[ty5550]

Logan stood still and didn't make any sudden movements. Clearly this was a delicate situation and this woman was in a fragile state of mind. The last thing he wanted to do was cause a misunderstanding or make her feel threatened. He knew how jarring it could be to adapt to such a transformation. Vampires and werewolves were supernatural creatures after all, ones with abilities far beyond that of humans. It took time to adapt and understood, in the beginning it felt like your own body was a stranger or a new skin suit that needed adjustments.

"Well...I have my own disease and it makes me immune to all others. It's not the same as what you have, but similar...and I can assure you that we aren't contagious to each other." He tried to explain as with a calm and soothing tone. All he wanted to do was try to establish some kind of trust between them which was easier said than done, especially since they were completely strangers. Logan just needed her to understand that he was trying to help. He could have mentioned that mace would have little to no affect on him but that would probably just make things worse.

"I won't come any closer. I'm not here to harm you or make you do anything. I'm just saying that I have a cabin nearby and you are free to join me there. We can talk, you can rest and be safe...or we can go our separate ways right now." He shrugged slightly at his offer and suggestion. "The choice is yours...if you want to leave I won't chase you."

 

[Poprockz]

The way he was talking made it seem like he was alluding to the fact that he was also a changed person in some capacity. It was a bit funny to her that in all her time as a human, she hadn’t met anyone who wasn’t fully human until she herself had been forced over that line. It might have even made her smile if she wasn’t still terrified of her new reality.

She hesitated, swayed by the manner in which he was leaving it open and up to her entirely. He wasn’t being pushy, just giving her options. His tone of voice made her want to believe him… He was a big guy, clearly a man who wouldn’t be knocked over by a gust of wind. If she did somehow lose her mind, she wanted to believe that he would be able to defend himself or at least kick her out of the cabin before she did any real damage.

As for herself, perhaps she would observe him a bit and if she started to get dangerous vibes from him, she could leave while he was in the bathroom or something.

“Just… to get cleaned up and rest a little then,” she replied quietly, shuffling a bit closer to him. She glanced back at the badger before turning back to him with a look of regret on her face. It was a shame that she had killed something and wasn’t even able to bring herself to use it. Though she supposed nothing was truly wasted in a forest. If it didn’t feed the scavengers then at least it would nourish the ground.

 

[ty5550]

Still and patient, he waited there as the newborn female vampire seemed to weigh her options. When she did finally relent he simply nodded and made a motion for her to follow him. He didn't bother with the dead badger. It was the way of nature. There would be hungry scavengers that would put it to good use, that plus the plants around it as it soaked into the soil. Nothing went to waist in the wild. Everything was just a part of the same cycle.

Logan kept a steady pace through the trees. His keen senses and familiarity with the woods made it easy for him to navigate even with the limited light of the moon. Knowing that the woman behind him should also have no issues marking him in the night with her red eyes, he didn't have to worry about getting separated or losing him in the shadows.

After several minutes of trekking through leaves, sticks and foliage, they came across a hand-built log cabin. There was a warm light coming from the windows and smoke spilling from the chimney. It was a cozy place constructed near a flowing stream of water. There were a few pipes, tanks and a boiler hooked up to the back of the home for plumbing and running water.

Walking right up onto the front porch, Logan opened the large and thick wooden door to the cabin and stepped in. He stood there holding it open and motioned for the woman to follow. It lead right into a cozy living room, completely with a fireplace which was lit and cackling with burning logs. There was a large couch, some cushioned rocking chairs, and quite a few bookshelves full of books...along with an equally large liquor cabinet full of liquor bottles. There was an older, small television as well with wires that lead out a nearby window to a satellite dish.

"Make yourself at home. The bathroom is through that door there if you want to wash up. There is hot running water here. I can get you something to wear...if you would like to change out of those clothes?" He offered, figuring she would want to get rid of the bloody outfit.

 

[Poprockz]

She had expected for him to pull out a flashlight once they started off, but it seemed he didn't need one. Apparently his eyesight was good enough that he never stumbled once throughout their trek. It meant that he could probably see the blood on her face and knew what she was doing with the badger; that or he was simply an unmatched woodsman with uncanny abilities. Either way, she wouldn't be able to hide herself in the light when the time came.

As they approached the cabin, she wondered if she would have to be invited in like in vampire stories. That didn't seem to be the case as she was able to step in without him explicitly stating that she was invited. He was given a polite "thank you," as she made her way inside to the warm interior. While the cold didn't bother her, it didn't mean she couldn't feel temperatures, and the warmth was very nice.

Violet looked around curiously. It was admittedly, a very cozy cabin in her eyes. It was the sort of place she could see listed on a travel website as a little honeymoon cabin. Sure, it didn't have all the luxuries of a more modern place, but it had rustic charm, a comforting atmosphere, hot running water, and a working bathroom-- and that's all it really needed.

His mention of the bathroom had her glancing at it before she registered his offer. So he could see the blood all over her in plain view and he still wasn't acting surprised, disgusted, or fearful? That was a good sign. At least she hoped so. With his large frame as it was, lending her a shirt would practically be lending her a dress. It wasn't ideal, but it would give her something clean to wear while her other clothes dried out (she intended on running them under the water and then hanging them to dry).

"Ah, yes please," she nodded, suddenly feeling a bit awkward. It was like meeting someone for a work function or at a friend's party; one didn't have a feel for the dynamic they would have yet, nor what sort of person the other was entirely.

There was a pause before she spoke, trying to fill up the pressing silence. "This is nice. Do you... live here? Or is this like a vacation home?"