Cats and Dogs Without Muzzles [Open]

[Miles]

Miles could hear the heavy footsteps as the Parasite crashed through the foliage. For all their grace and agility, only the animals of the forest truly knew how to move without being detected. Thomas Hobbes once said Humanity was constantly in a state of nature, always at war with each other subconsciously. In a life like that, only beasts were destined to get ahead. Vampires were too romantic, savage, but noble to survive. Miles was out to prove that. And if you were careful and smart, he found it wasn't too difficult. A beast concurring the elite and organized. The poetry of it brought a smirk to Miles' lips; as well as the sheer brutality he knew was coming, and the smell of the blood in the air.

Vampires should know better than to come into the woods after dark. Especially when the beast was on the prowl. Yet he had watched the younger vampires chase humans into the dark for a few weeks now. They were either new to these parts, or just beginning to walk on their own to feet by themselves. They still enjoyed the hunt, their own hubris their downfall. The toying with their prey, they were still learning; it's not polite to play with your food before you eat it. Miles didn't make that mistake. The foot steps were coming closer. A piercing female shriek split the night. Miles could see the girl running loose, she was heading for his trip wire... This was an unforeseen complication.

He leapt into action, tackling the human girl. She was slim, frail. At first he was afraid he had hurt her. But she merely wimpered faintly. She couldn't have been more than eighteen or nineteen. Probably coming home from work or school. Miles lifted her over his shoulder and she shrieked again. Good, he thought, keep the Parasite coming this way. He dropped her behind the wire. "Keep still." he snarled and the shivering waif. She continued to wimper. Miles sliced a rope tautly hanging from a branch and a loud thud and a sickening snap of crunching bones sounded as a dead animal in a net was crushed. The sound would lure the Vampires toward the wimpering, and now seemingly injured meal. But all they would find was Miles.

Sure enough the Parasite came running. The human played her part well. She stayed still. The smell of her and her heavy breath drew the vampire like a shark to blood in water. The black shadow tripped the wire, which instantly coiled into a loop around his ankle and yanked him upwards, upside down. Miles picked up the Louisville slugger he had stashed by a tree and descended upon his catch. Conviently hoisted upside right at swinging level the first swing connecting to the vampire's nose. Miles laughed.

"My favorite kind of pinata!" Miles swung again before the disoriented vampire had time to break free. This swing hit home on his right cheek, definitely knocking some teeth loose. Miles rinsed and repeated until he could hear the blood dripping down the vampire's face onto the forest floor. He dropped the bat and produced a pair of pliers and a chisel from his pocket. Forcing the vampire's mouth open he went in for the real prize. It took some yanking and hammering but the hollow bones eventually snapped and Miles scooped them into his pocket. He looked over towards where he had left the girl. She had taken off. Hopefully in the future she would be smarter than to go out at night. The night belonged to him, and this parasite here. Waging their war in the shadows. Miles cut the wire and the vampire fell into a bloody heap in a bush. Miles turned to leave before the vampire awoke and recovered.

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[Marguerite]

The night was the most comfortable time of the day. That had a lot to do with the fact that the sun wasn't exactly kind to her skin, but for her, it was the way the air settled. There were no noises, no shuffling, or talking. Everyone was asleep, their breathes slow and calm, hearts beating in rhythm. It was a beautiful symphony, accompanied by the creatures of the night. She didn't feed on the local game. Deer and rodents did not interest her, and she couldn't exactly digest bugs. All she could do was appreciate their existence, their beauty.

Marguerite stood by the creek, eyes focused on the glittering water. Her back was erect but relaxed for she didn't foresee any any danger coming her way. The night was perfect, calm and peaceful. The water was pristine, a glassy liquid flow freely, as free as she wished to be.

The girl was out here without the consent of anyone from the coven. No one knew where she was, and no one would be able to find her very easily. The woods were massive and easy to get lost in. It would take her hours to get home if she didn't recognize her own scent to get follow back. The area she was in seemed safe enough, untouched by anything other than the occasional bear or rabbit. This was just how she liked it.

But something slithered through the air, reaching her nose. She breathed it in deeply, closing her eyes, trying to match the scent. Her eyes flicked open as it finally registered in her head. It was human blood. It was vampire blood. And there was another musty, dirty smell mixed in. Her guess would be that one or the other hadn't bathed in ages, but she knew that was unlikely. Something else was in the mix. Marguerite's muscles tensed involuntarily but relaxed when she took a deep breathe. Should she see what was happening?

She didn't have to see what was going on. There was a girl huffing and puffing her way through the trees. The human was running towards her. Marguerite couldn't take it. The girl must have been covered in blood or at least so worked up that her blood was pulsing at an irresistible rate. The closer she got, the more excited Marguerite became. This was prey, very lively prey, and she couldn't help but lick her lips.

The moment the human came into sight, her fangs shot out from her gums and over her canines. Here pupils dilated to the point of totally making her irises disappear. Marguerite stood here, looking as calm and cool as anyone could look. That was the vampire trick though. Inside she was raging and running, wanting to tear the human apart until every last bit of blood was gone. But she couldn't do that. They weren't allowed to kill humans. The poison would turn the dead tissue and they'd have a random vampire on the loose. That wouldn't be good and the council would punish her. She had to control herself. This was why she wasn't allowed out by herself. She should have known better.

The human stopped, seeing Marguerite as someone to help her. The girl didn't have a brain in her head to realize that a random girl in the woods staring at her wasn't exactly the most normal thing that could happen, and should be considered with much suspicion.

Marguerite approached her. "HELP ME. PLEASE!" The human cried. The expression on Marguerite's face did not change. Nothing about her told the human was she was about to do.

"It's alright, dear. Come here." She said and pulled the human into a comforting embrace. The human was too shocked to care that this was strange. She just fell into Marguerite's arms and cried.

"Shhh, I can take it all away." Marguerite's fangs extended as far as they could go, and she sunk them into the girl's neck. The girl instantly calmed down, mesmerized by the drug that was the poison coming from Marguerite's saliva. Marguerite felt herself get a little too happy about the situation. She stopped before she totally drained the girl. This was the most controlled she had ever been, and it was strange. She hoped it lasted. The girl had stopped flailing around and trying to run. In fact, she looked tired. Marguerite laid her down against a tree and then proceeded to sit down beside her. She stroked the human's hair gently as if she was afraid of hurting her.

"Shhh. Go to sleep."

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[Miles]

Miles brazenly whistled "The Farmer in the Dell" as he nonchalantly sauntered through the woods. He jostled the fangs in his pocket, savoring the soft clink of the enamel. Another night crawler neutered. All in all it was a job well done, and Miles hadn't even had to pull out the heavy duty weapons. Just wit and trickery. And a convenient human as bait. She left a stink of fear hanging in the air. The night was still young, and Miles had a hunch if he hung around that stench, at least until the girl left the forest, he could get the drop on more young vampires. He hoisted the bat across his shoulders and wandered through the forest.

Miles ran down his list of plots for ambushing vampires in the upcoming weeks; it was good to switch up the plan from time to time. He had a few improvised bombs made of shipyard scraps and change handy. They would be good for stunning a few vampires. He had a few heavy duty chains, which were good for restraining the Parasites. He liked that method. When they were restrained Miles could take his time. Really relish the act. Maybe he would chain up the next one and curb stomp them?

Suddenly the scent of fear and adrenaline spiked. Miles was getting closer. Either the girl had stopped moving, or something had caught her. Something else. Miles came to the edge of the foliage and peered out around the trees. The sight he saw might have frozen a human, but to Miles' desensitized eyes, he hardly reacted at all. Two girls laid next to a tree. He recognized one as the waif he had saved once already. Too bad she didn't make it, though in all honesty, Miles didn't care that much. He renewed his chorus of Farmer in the Dell while he stepped out into view.

The vampire stroked her unfortunate girl's hair. Creepy. But Miles was used to the eccentric behavior of the night crawlers. They had a different sort of predator/prey bond with their meals. Like a true parasite they didn't kill their prey. All of this revealed to Miles how inferior and narcissistic they really were. The more he understood them, the less he was inclined to feel guilt over brutal and inhumane tortures. Though vampires weren't exactly human anyway. And he understood vampires pretty well. He had spent weeks on end just observing them anyway. He could probably pass for one, if they weren't so hypersensitive. He filed away the thought that there might be a way to trick that, if he was clever enough.

"Evening, Lady." He ignored the human. Blood was dripping from two entry wounds; she was probably too dazed to even register him anyway. Miles took the bat from his shoulders and slapped it against his palm. "You're in the wrong place at the right time." He watched the vampire closely for any sudden movements. She had just fed so she would be feeling stronger than usual, and he didn't exactly have the drop on her, at least he didn't have as much of an advantage as he would have liked.

She looked young to him. Probably still coming into her own as a vampire. She was out alone, maybe this one had a rebellious streak. Miles took a mental picture of her face, just in case he came across her again. She was attractive, in that eerie vampire way. But there was something about her that placed her firmly in the uncanny valley. That sense that what you're looking at just isn't natural. He smacked the bat against his palm again.

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[Marguerite]

Marguerite hadn't fed from an actual human in weeks. The fresh blood reached her system much more quickly than the stale and thick blood they fed her. She understood why she wasn't allowed out very often to hunt, but it still pissed her off. This as so much better than nasty mixtures from the blood bank. It just wasn't the same as drinking from the source itself.

Now Marguerite couldn't help what she was or what she had to do to survive. I mean, at least she didn't kill her prey, right? It wasn't like a werewolf that had to eat the meat of their victims in order to get what they needed. She didn't actually have to kill anyone, and it didn't hurt the human after the initial bite. In fact, some even felt afterward. It had to do with the numbing effect the poison had on the wound. It kept the human from screaming.

The young vampire looked up suddenly as she heard someone speak. She had been so focused on the euphoric feeling she had. If anyone would ask her how it felt to drink blood, she would tell them it was like feeling a high, like the world was spinning but still at the same time. It was euphoric and addicting. She couldn't help what she was doing. It was how she lived. She had been born this way. This man wouldn't understand that. She could see the hate in his eyes, the vindictive glare that told her he wasn't here to make friends. He was here to hurt her or even kill her. She voted for the latter.

He smelled funky as all hell, like someone had taken a bath in the creek and rubbed themselves with all kinds of animals. He smelled...like a dog. That's when she realized what he was. He had the same scent as the men they kept on chains. They were werewolves. He was a werewolf. Shit, she thought. This wasn't some domesticated pet. This was a real, raging werewolf.

All she did was stare up at him for a few long seconds, challenging him with her stoic stare. "I believe this poor girl already knows that." She said, pushing the hair out of the girls face. The human was still breathing, just in a deep sleep now. She was dirty and wreaked of sweat and fear. That didn't deter Marguerite though.

Then, she stood up and walked around him. To her it happened normally, but anyone else watching, like this man, wouldn't have noticed she had moved. She would have appeared to disappear in the blink of an eye. Marguerite stood behind the were, not making a sound for a while.

"Take her if you want. I'm done with her." Marguerite hoped that would be a good peace offering, though she was pretty sure that weres didn't generally eat humans. They considered it almost cannibalistic she figured. There was always the chance that he wanted to rape her. She hoped he didn't, but better the human than her. Marguerite was trained to not care about her prey, at least not over her own well being. This guy towered over her, she realized now. She was a paperweight compared to him. This would be a problem, but she knew she was as strong as him, if not stronger. She looked fragile, but that would be a fatal misconception.

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[Miles]

Miles smirked. He didn't jump when the vampire seemed to teleport. "Sorry. I didn't mean to interrupt your girl on girl action." Miles decided he didn't actually want to hurt this vampire. She could be useful another way. He took the fangs out of his pocket and held them out for her. "Here. Give these to your master, and tell him I'll take a pair from any vampires I see in this forest." He was giving her a free pass to deliver a message for him.

He looked back at the girl. She was passed out. Briefly he wondered if she would remember this in the morning. He turned his back on the vampire and went to check the human. Blood still dribbled down from the two entry wounds. He pulled a hankerchief from his pocket and pressed it to the wound to stop the blood. She would have a tell tale bruise there soon. She would probably face suspicion and distrust when she went back to human society...

He turned back to the vampire. He didn't like having his back to one for too long. She was clearly inexperienced with werewolves. He wondered if she had been able to tell what he was at first. He hoisted the bat back over his shoulders. "So, you're some old man's pet huh? Which clan are you?" Miles didn't really make much of a distinction between the clans of vampires, but it was good to keep track of who he was sending what message to.

He sniffed slightly. There was still vampire blood caked on the end of his bat. It smelled slightly more metallic to him than human blood. "If they ask where you got those, tell them Miles Locke is on the warpath. And you shouldn't go out by yourself anymore, Lady."

[Marguerite]

This man was rude. She had been consoling her meal because she felt bad the girl was so beat up. Half of it wasn't even her fault. This jackass here was the one who had roughed her up, though she didn't know that for sure, she didn't doubt it. Marguerite would have never left so much as a mark on her if she were stalking her. That was one thing the Viri made sure young vampires knew, how to clean up a wound and keep a human from every knowing they'd been touched. That's the only thing that kept them from being exposed or else the whole town would have gone on a rampage a long time ago.

He wasn't advancing on her or swinging that dirty bat at her. That was good, but she still didn't trust him or feel comfortable in his presence. Then he took out two little shards of bone from his pocket. They were fangs. Marguerite didn't appear to be affected by the sight of them, but on the inside she was going to be sick. They hurt enough coming in. She couldn't imagine them being taken out. They were attached to the maxilla after all. She took them to humor them an, feeling disgusted by this total violation of what it even meant to be like her.

She brought the fangs to her nose and gave them a quick whiff. As she examined them she realized they were baby teeth. They were thicker than an adult's fangs. She wasn't the only rebellious teen out tonight. This wasn't Viri. She could tell by the proteins in it. It didn't fit their diet. "This vampire you took these from doesn't belong to my coven." She told him. "You're look for the one closer to town."

When he put the bat away, she wasn't so tense anymore. What did he want to do, bludgeon her to death? He would just be better off ripping her apart or burning her. But she had never been beaten to death, so it wasn't like she knew how effective that method would be. All she knew was that it wouldn't kill her as long as he didn't totally smash her brain to bits.

"I belong to a coven that owns parts of these woods." This man thought he own the place. He was wrong. Though she was outside of the perimeter of the complex, she wasn't out of Viri territory. It extended all the way to the lake. "I'm sure you have your own reasons for whatever you're doing, but I don't advise tramping through this part of the forest." This was for his own good really. Though she was sort of tempted to get to him to stay just so an older group of Viri would eventually find him, she decided against it. She was too nice, but those were the baby vampire hormones talking.

"Mr. Locke." She started. "I am obviously no match for you, nor do I intend to fight you. But there are vampires here that are capable of ripping you to shreds. Your bat smells like a child. Whatever you beat with it wasn't much older than me. I assure you there are vampires fifty times my age or more close by."

He didn't appear to be threatened by her, which was good. She waited for his response, ready to flee if she had to.

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