The Firelands

11 - The Wist Tree

7th day of the Second Month, Love's Moon

12:15pm

The Wist Tree

Zerron watched the night skies while Kalen sat in the shadows, up the branches of a Wist Tree, it's silver leaves hiding him from anything flying overhead – a dragon for example. A stream ran nearby, e'erfree water never froze and it marked Kalen and Zerron's 'spot'.

Ever since they'd been little they'd come to this spot if there had ever been a reason for Kalen to leave the village. A dragon flying overhead was just one reason. People had come over the years – to try and find the vampire raised by humans, like he was some local legend – among other reasons. Once even, a party of Night Hunters had passed through. They were a group who believed in the complete and total annihilation of Dusk Beings – vampires, werewolves, goblins for example. They believed in their own purity and right to the world, being Dawn Creatures. The Gods had officially disbanded them centuries before, but really the group just went underground. The Gods knew of course, but since there was no longer outright massacres of hundreds of Dusk Side, and a pack of Dusk could easily take on a group of Dawn, it was left out of the hands of the Gods. Besides that, the attacks were so rare now; they were more of a bedtime myth to scare kids into behaving.

A ten-year-old vampire who hadn't be raised by his own kind and a group of Night Hunters storming through the village though? No, that was certainly not a fair fight.

So he and Zerron had hidden in their spot. It was over an hour from the village, but if Kalen did the running they would be there in no time – not that Zerron would ever admit that Kalen still carried him anywhere.

"The dragon hasn't flown over for a while, I don't think he's circling anymore," Zerron said, turning to look up at Kalen before climbing up, sitting on the next branch up.

Kalen was silent, slowly spinning a silver lead between him fingers.

Zerron looked at him, then gently knocked his boot against Kalen's head. "Hey, talk."

"I'm deciding where to go," Kalen said. Zerron looked down at him. "My ma told me I have to leave the village, something about it being for my own protection, I have to leave... but you know that, don't you Zer?"

Zerron was quiet, pulling his leg up and Kalen looked up.

"You were going to tell me that you knew, weren't you? Before the dragon showed up," he said, "How did you know?"

Zerron bit his lip, then sighed. "Because I was told years ago, soon after you turned up."

"When we were five?"

"Around then."

"Why?"

"I...well... because I hated you when we were little, Kal."

Kalen stared up at him, his head snapping up so suddenly he almost fell out of the tree.

"Well you're a vampire, stuff of nightmares for human kids, I didn't want you eating me alive in the middle of the night. And then..." Zerron rubbed his chest without thinking and Kalen looked down. He didn't have to see to know what Zerron was touching. A white scar that ran all the way from the top of his ribs to his collarbone, deep and razor straight, the wound perfectly matched Kalen's nails when lengthened to fight.

"I am sorry," Kalen whispered.

Zerron blinked, then looked down, before laughing. "Don't be stupid, I don't blame you for this, you weren't in your right mind. However, since I was only five at the time, no I didn't want to be your friend anymore. I told my ma just that. That was when your mother and the elders explained that one day you would leave. They didn't tell me when, just said that you would never hurt me again and I wouldn't have to put up with you for long. They were right, you never hurt me again, and thirteen years isn't long enough. I didn't tell you this because I was told I couldn't mention it, and as the years passed I stop waiting for that day and forgot, because, before long, you were just my best friend – not some mystery vampire child who attacked me..." He chuckled. "Just Kalen."