Shadows' encyclopedia - The Prodigies of Arahsmurd book 1

The story of The Nameless Hunter 🎀

It was broad daylight when Rebecca decided to go hunting. Her discussion with the mummified Docile had made her realise that she had not mastered her vampire powers. The thirst for blood was growing stronger by the day. Rebecca refused to systematically rely on the mummified Docile. She motivated herself and set off into the woods to find something to quench her thirst. The young adult had doubts about her origins: she couldn't say for sure that she was really a Docile, even if there were clues leading her in that direction. But to be sure, she would have had to taste the blood of a doe or another animal. Her hero, the one who had saved her life, fed on animal blood. The mummified Docile she had met in Picardie had brought her samples of animal blood. She needed to learn how to activate her powers to hunt successfully. 

In the distance, Rebecca spotted a doe bent over the grass. She concentrated to let her senses emerge.When she sensed danger, her powers activated effortlessly.With time, Rebecca hoped to activate them according to her will.She needed a few minutes to clear her mind and hope to transform herself into a vampire.

The hours ticked by and Rebecca was still looking for food. The young woman was starving. She had to redouble her efforts in this immense forest. It was quiet and none of the members she knew were around. She felt at ease and concentrated, but no good at hunting. During her excursion, Rebecca set herself a goal: to develop her olfactory senses. The priority was to smell a doe perfectly. After numerous failures, Rebecca had detected the presence of another doe by drawing on her vampire reserves. Her teeth slowly lowered and her senses heightened. The young adult soon detected other animals in the vicinity. She could analyse their movements in minute detail. But as her expedition progressed, she became exhausted. Feeling like she was in an emergency situation helped her to develop some of her powers. Suddenly, a doe was drinking a few metres away. Rebecca watched her in the shadows without making a sound. She moved slowly towards it, crouching down and brushing against the tall grass. Her heart was racing as fast as a speeding bullet. A few more steps and Rebecca would have reached her goal in no time, but a branch cracked under her feet. The doe fled. Damn... The sweet smell of fresh blood was getting further and further away. The situation was turning sour: very few animals were coming forward. Lacking energy and experience, Rebecca gave up the desire to drink blood.

Night fell on the camp. The boys were each in their tents. After all her reading, Rebecca was still thirsty for blood. She banged her head against her table in despair. She didn't like eating vampire organs... Rebecca was disgusted. In her tent, she had food jars with vampire hearts in them. The young woman refused to eat them. As she read on, she learned that some vampires lived in the Hunter World and others in the Human World. Some had managed to hide for centuries. They were hunted down by specialised Trapp-vampires who sold vampire organs, especially the heart, which the Hunters loved. The hunted vampires had been living in hiding in abandoned spaces since the last Great War. 

Outside her tent, Rebecca saw the full moon. At first sight, no-one was standing. As she walked along the path leading to the lake, she detected a number of unfamiliar smells. Visitors were arriving at the entrance to the camp with goods. They reeked of blood and death. Their hard-worked faces bore the same expressions as the cowboys in the old western films. The worn clothes they wore made their posture ridiculous. Fur covered their slightly humped backs. Rebecca approached them with a serious expression on her face.

"We're Trapp-vampires... we have to deliver a few kilos of organs for the future Elite Hunters," said one of them, chewing a sticky substance.

"Give me that," Rebecca said mechanically.

"We'll deliver tonight, because tomorrow we'll be caught! Here's an order form if you run out," finished the men as they left on foot.

Behind Rebecca, Golmatan appeared and helped her stow the cargo in a hut that served as a storeroom.