Youth

#73 - Vengeance

Everything was silent, save for the slight rustles of clothes and leaves, blown by the bitter mountain wind.  The snow still fell and Feron's question lingered painfully on [Y/n]'s mind.

How could she lead a group of creatures she didn't even know existed into a war?

Every pair of eyes down below burned holes into her resolve, and [Y/n] almost felt herself falter.  She didn't want to break down and run, not now, but everything that weighed on her mind was eating away at her and trying to pull her into a void of her own making.  She took a deep breath, about to speak, though she stopped herself when she realised she had no answer to give.  She had no idea.

She had a burning hatred for the boys.  A part of her wanted to forgive them - they were young, immature, and their faults were most likely forged by her.  But she couldn't put behind everything they'd done to her, and she couldn't ignore her fear.  The idea of going back to that place made goosebumps erupt on her already frozen body.  If she stayed out here too long, so sparingly dressed, she would most certainly fall ill.

Her thoughts were getting off track again as a part of her simply wanted to absentmindedly watch the snowfall, however she knew that there was a large group below eagerly awaiting her response.

What the hell did they expect her to say?  Had they ever properly met a human before?  She was shivering.  She was cold... no, not just cold - she'd been shivering before she was cold.  She was scared.  If she refused, would they kill her?  What if they turned out to be just as twisted as her previous company?  What if the boys were safer?

Would they ever let her return to her friends and family?  Would she be able to leave, even now that they've deemed her their "queen"?

Feron wanted to wage a war against all vampires.  But were all of them to blame?  Surely, like her own corrupted society, there was a divide of good and bad?  Her life, as of recent, had been like a horror story, but she'd had light moments.  She'd felt safe with Nyais.

But Nyais was a killer.

[Y/n] took a step back from the edge of the overhang, placing a hand against her head.  Nyais had been her saviour multiple times, though he'd hidden his past from her.  Of course it made sense; no one wants to admit the worst things about themselves to people they're close to, but that didn't change the fact that Nyais' 'worst attribute' was the cold blooded murder of hundreds of innocent children.

Olli was gone, and Nyais is now king.  Waging war on Kutelo would mean, most likely, killing him.  Her eyes widened and she took yet another step back, now colliding with a great, clawed foot.  Feron craned his neck to look at her, appeared to sigh, and shifted himself back into the form of his humanoid self. He didn't show much emotion. His eyes stared forwards blankly, and his brows remained permanently furrowed. He turned to look at her, and despite the lack of vehemence, there seemed to be an element of tenderness there.

"We can call another meeting in the morning if you need time to think?" he questioned. His tail flicked some collecting snow from her shoulders and he placed his jacket over the frozen girl. She pulled it around herself graciously, before succinctly shaking her head.

"I... shouldn't be long." He dipped his head, and [Y/n] returned to her previous train of thought.

A realisation struck her instantly.

Nyais had been locked up during Olli and Draka's battle. It was already strange that Draka had specified that he wanted Nyais, his worst enemy, to be king. It was stranger still that the boys had managed to defeat Olli, even as underhandedly as they had.