Dark Queen

xx.

     Jurauk didn't know exactly what he was looking for. He'd surreptitiously landed in a bale of hay, and when he was sure no eyes were turned his way, he'd tumbled into an alley. Now he walked the streets, taking care to keep his mouth closed.

His senses were going into overdrive. Everything smelled wonderful, and not just the baker's pies. Several times, he was tempted to snatch young children from their unsuspecting mothers' hands, but he could only imagine the look Zora would give him.

For some reason, he didn't want her to make that face. It wasn't appealing for her brow. So Jurauk settled for scouting out the alleys for any suspicious actions.

It wasn't hard to find a criminal. Filth like them cluttered the dark allies. He let go his first victim: a scrawny boy who'd only stolen a handful of bronze coins. But the next man he came across wasn't so lucky.

Jurauk was strolling by one backstreet when his keen eyes caught movement. He paused, debating about entering. Shrugging, he kept to the brick wall, moving as smoothly as a panther.

The average human would not be able to see in the darkness, but Jurauk's Nefari eyes were designed to take in as much light as possible. A man with a dark, scraggly beard had a woman up against the wall. Blood dripped from her nose, staining her golden hair, and her sobs were muffled by the man's thick, gloved hand.

His other hand was lazily unbuttoning the front of her dress, as if he had all the time in the world. Wide brown eyes met Jurauk's own. The Nefari held a finger to his lips as he drew closer.

Jurauk purposefully bumped into the human male, jerking his elbow into his nose. "Oops, sorry," he said, feigning surprise. "Didn't see you there." The too-be rapist clutched his nose, face reddening. Jurauk had hit it hard enough to dislocate it.

"Didn't see me, eh?" Furious, the man let go of the poor lady and took a swing at Jurauk. Cackling, he leapt back, easily dodging the punch.

"C 'mon. You can do so much better." As the man dashed for him, Jurauk sidestepped and stuck out a leg, tripping him. Go, he mouthed to the woman, who didn't need to be told twice. She whipped around and bolted for the exit.

"Get back here!" shouted the man as he tried to rise.

"Not so fast." Jurauk stomped one foot onto his chest and pressed the other into a hand. Finally, he let show the two fangs that ached to sink into flesh. The human's eyes bulged and before he could scream for help, Jurauk ended him.

It was a good thing nobody in their right mind checked shady alleys. If an unfortunate soul had done so right then, they would have heard crunching and dripping.

After a while of crouching, Jurauk stood and stretched. He wiped away any bloody residue lingering at his mouth. After being etiolated for so long, the energy thrumming through his body was rejuvenating.