Shadows

Gift or Curse?

“You’ll have to do better than that” Daniil scowled as I missed him again. He had stated that morning that instead of close quarters combat I should become accustomed to using a bow and arrow. Vampires never really used these weapons unless they were in serious dangers. He felt that I should learn this just in case, ‘you never know when you may be outnumbered’ he had stated to me.

  He stood at the far edge of the hall and was dressed in ‘arrow proof’ clothing. I didn’t understand at first why I should be aiming at him instead of targets but then I understood, it was great practise for matching that of a live Vampire. Being the best in the realm, he was far more faster and stronger than that of a slayer, but it was practise none the less and practise that I could not afford to turn down.  Using the bow and arrow was tricky at first… I had actually hit the ceiling countless of times, but the more I trained the better I became. Daniil even stated his approval and how impressed he was at how quickly I grasped things, which was a big boost for my confidence. I drew the harsh metal of the string back and listened to the croak and strain of it tensing next to the entrance of my ear. Titling my arm downward so that it was a little more relaxed and closing my eyes, I took in the sounds of the area surrounding. I could hear the clang of the suit that Daniil wore mixed with that of his pants and breaths that he wished I would hurry up.

  My eyes snapped open just as I released my grip on the arrow and wire, glancing at Daniil I saw that his eyes were wide open in shock as he glanced down and saw the arrow sticking out of the target space on his suit. A wide grin spread its way across my lips in recollection at the sight that had just unfolded. I did it… I actually shot the cocky bastard.

“Well done young one!” he chanted “I knew you could do it!” we made our way toward each other and once more he pointed at the arrow that was tightly fastened in the suit “I think that if you had put any more power into that, it would have punctured me too!”

“Sorry about that” I muttered “But it’s a good start right?”

“Start? I think you’ve grasped it quite nicely. I’m not sure Dante approves though. He’s kept his beady eye on us through the window for about twenty minutes now” I couldn’t help but laugh. I knew he had my best interests at heart but he needed to know that overprotectiveness was best suited for mothers and not boyfriends.

  Wiping the sweat from my brow as I placed all the gear back in its respective places before turning back to my uncle, thanking him greatly and making my leave, Dante’s gaze never lifted from that of my own, even when I was standing less from an inch away from him… what was it this time?

“I don’t like his methods” he grunted as we began to make our way back

“Not much choice. I need to become strong and fast, he is the only one who can help me”

“That’s a pile of shit and you know it” he growled

“Excuse me?” I stopped walking, grabbed his arm and spun him around so that he would face me. His expression remained stern and his eyes were filled with a rage that I did not comprehend. “What the hell is that meant to mean?” I demanded

“It means that you could have asked me to do it instead of him!” he bellowed, crossing his arms like a spoilt child having a tantrum. I sighed at him before walking toward him; uncurling his arms and allowing mine to flow around his waist and draw him closer to me. His arms remained fixed in the air at first but then moulded around me.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t know it made you feel like that. But you want me to succeed don’t you? I’m not saying that you can’t hunt or anything… but I need to learn from the best.”

“You’ve clearly never seen me fight then Vicki” he chuckled “I’m among the best myself”

  I pulled back from him and stared directly into his eyes. His lips had curled into a bold, half smirk and half smile that he usually wore when he outsmarted me. I raised one eyebrow at him and twisted my lips into a smile