Maxwell leaned back in the creaky wooden chair, shuffling through the letters. None of it made any sense to him. None of it mattered.
His eyes scanned the crowd scattered through the rest of the pub. He doused the candle in the middle of his table and got up to leave, when a hand pressed down on his shoulder.
"You'd do best to sit tight there, Maxwell."
Maxwell stiffened, turning to look over his shoulder at the robed figure behind him. "Who are you?" Maxwell hissed.
"No one of consequence yet. I only have a few words of caution."
"Then speak them and be gone from me!"
"Patience, Maxwell." The cloaked shadow said as he moved around the table. He sat across from Maxwell, folding his hands on the table. "The old laws have been forgotten, Maxwell. It's time you forgot them as well. There are only twelve of you left, and they will not last very much longer. No longer are the days when the ancients held the power to create. No longer are the days, when death was the penalty for giving life. You know how it's done. We all were taught when we became of age. Now we have that option. You'd do best to make your own living, Maxwell. Heed these words."
"What blasphemy do you speak of? Who are you? What are you talking about? " Maxwell gripped the table.
The robed person lifted a hand and slowly pulled the hood down. A middle aged man with iron eyes looked up from the shadows and smiled. Maxwell gasped as he watched the mans incisors grow longer. "I am the last free vampyre. And I plan on expanding my bloodline. There is nothing in our way now. Only silly traditions hold us back. We could make a great race, Maxwell. A new beginning to our species."
"You're crazy!" Maxwell hissed through his teeth.
The man smiled. "Maybe. But it's what keeps me alive." He swept up his cloak, pulled the hood over his head, and walked out into the rain.
...
Drops of frigid water pelted over his bloody muzzle. The deer already lay forgotten in the grass. A shooting star grazed the early morning sky, and Duncan stretched, mauling the earth beneath his talons. He liked the feel of fresh dirt, the smell of new grass. He lay down, crossing his paws and resting his head against them.
Just as he was about to slip into unconsciousness, a sharp, jolting pain echoed through his stomach.
He sat upright instantly, tense and ready to run. What was that? He scanned the area around him, listening for anything out of place. Something inside him was unsettled. He ran, sinking his consciousness into his wolf being, settling into instinct. He came across an abandoned barn when he halted. His head whipped toward the earth with the force of the sudden stop. Duncan crouched low and a growl reverberated in his chest. The foul smell of a male vampire lingered lightly across his nose. It was unfamiliar, but the stench of fresh blood wasn't. The back of Duncan's neck bristled as he crept toward the partially open door. Rising back into a thinking creature, he pulled the door back, and hated the grating sound it made as it scratched the surface of the dirt.
He walked in, the scents weren't as strong in this human form, and took a look around when a cloak rushed by him, carrying a woman over his shoulder. In an instant, Duncan was on all fours, charging after the robed figure.
He let out an angry huff and snapped at one of the mans legs, but he was too slow. Instead he received a kick to the face, sending him skidding away. Duncan swore, and even as a wolf, there was no question to what was said.
Duncan sat, rubbing his jaw. This is bad news. He thought. This is really bad... if that's the guy... I mean, what were the chances? But I've never crossed him before.... maybe that's not the same man... and if he's successful in his plans for that woman, not only will I have another vampire to hunt down and destroy, but a newborn at that! I haven't fought fresh meat in centuries... thank heavens, im not sure I could survive all of them at once. The vampires venom is poison, and the newbie's are ravenous...
Duncan slouched into the wolf form, back tracking the last day until he found the house he left his genetic carrier in. The boy was huddled in the corner, playing with a small toy he had made. The boys parents had died of disease, one after the other, the last passing recently, just a few months ago.
Duncan whined, catching the boys attention. He froze, frightened, but Duncan lowered his head and wagged his tail, still whining. A smile slowly played the boys lips. Duncan edged closer. The boy reached out his hand, and Duncan walked to him slowly, allowing him to be pet. He licked the kids face, and a laugh bursts through the gloominess of the room.
Duncan laid down and rolled over, exposing his belly to the boy. His eyes met a pair of sparkling blue ones, and Duncan smiled despite himself.
...
Duncan woke to find the boy cuddling against his side. Duncan yawned, wrapped his tail around the boy, and drifted back asleep.
