HUNTER VS HUNTER [C]

[TILLA P. KASSE]

"I'll be back by morning!"

Tilla called over her shoulder as she stepped outside of her family's quaint cabin that sat at the bottom of the Snowy Mountains. The sun had only just set over the peaks that loomed high above the small village that Tilla had spent her entire life in. The winter had been harder than the last and the people of Borm had only begun to come back now that the heavy snow had melted away and warmth was settling in. Though the tiny village was slowly filling up again, Tilla couldn't help but to notice that each year, more and more people were not returning. It was a hard life for those that chose to live in such a harsh area where the winter could easily kill and the creatures that lurked in the shadows were responsible for many kind souls vanishing. The Kasse family, unlike many, had never left the village even during the winter. Each year, they toughed it out with a few other families that didn't have the funds to leave for winter or didn't have a place to go. They usually made it by just fine despite the food not being nearly as bountiful as the warmer seasons. This year was tough. Tilla's father had fallen ill during mid-winter, leaving all the hunting and trapping up to the eldest child, Tilla. Girls in the mountains had learned long ago to live a different life style than those in the city. They were required to do the jobs that the men did much of the time and now that her father was still in bed, Tilla had to be the breadwinner.

Coughing softly under her breath, the eighteen year old quickened her pace as she headed off into the trees, ignoring her mother that was shouting for her to be careful. She had gone out many times like this and came back unscathed. She understood her mother and her worrying ways but each time she warned her to be careful, it just got a bit more annoying for Tilla. She was, however, slightly worried herself as she wouldn't be hunting in the usual spot tonight. The last few times she had went up the mountain to try and find a rabbit or a goat, she had come back empty handed. The snares she set were untouched as well. She always felt safe hunting on the mouthain, as the spirit of dear Elsa did a beautiful job of keeping her safe. But there was no point in venturing to a place where she knew game would be scarce. Her family needed food and for that, she'd have to avoid the mountain and the protection of her dear spirit guardian. The far edge of the forest near the boarder of Kragspeak would be where she would travel tonight in hopes of bringing home something her father would be proud of.

With her bow and arrows slung over her shoulders and her knife at her waist, she quickly began the long journey through the familiar forest. While most would have had issues navigating the dark forest with only the moonlight to guide them, Tilla had long ago memorized the perfect path to the other side of the forest. She knew every log, every tree, and every bush that she passed like it was the back of her hand. The only difference this time was that she was going out alone, without the help and protection of her brute of a father that was now withering away in bed. The thought of her father passing into the shadow brought a frown on her face. She prayed to the Gods each night, praying that they would watch over and take care of him but there had been no improvement in his heath over the last week. She had also hoped the young paladin that had frequently come through the area would show her face again and lend her healing but Tilla hadn't seen the woman in nearly two months and didn't have much hope for her coming back anytime soon.

The growling in her stomach momentarily took her mind off her father's health though her annoyance with herself grew quickly. She didn't eat nearly as much as she should have, fearing that they would run out of food and her family would starve. But she needed the energy in order to properly hunt. Reluctantly, she untied the small pouch that she carried around her hips and opened it up, smiling weakly at the small meal that her mother had sent with her. Inside the leather bag was half a slice of slightly stale bread, a handful of nuts and berries, a small bit of cheese that was carefully wrapped in a piece of cloth, and a nice sized piece of deer jerky. The scent of the food teased her taste buds and she quickly popped a few nuts and berries into her mouth, savoring the juice that squirted out of the blue spheres as she gobbled them down. She finished off the nuts and berries quickly and moved on to the bread, scarfing it down despite it being stale. With half the meal gone, she tightened the pouch around her hips and continued on her way, choosing to save the rest of the meal for her return home.

Nearly two hours later, Tilla reached her chosen spot. Her arms were a bit chilled from the night air but it was a feeling that she was use to. You didn't make it through winter if you couldn't deal with some cold air. The next fifteen minutes were spent grabbing up some sticks, trimming them how she needed, and setting up two figure-four snares around the area in an attempt to catch some small game. Once the traps were set, a smile spread on her face as she spotted the tree that she use to watch her father perch in during a hunt. She usually took a smaller one a few yards away from him but tonight she would take his spot. Carefully, she climbed the large tree until she reached a sturdy branch about half way up, one that gave her a nice view of the area and room to properly use her bow. Tilla pulled her bow and arrows from her back and hung the quiver carefully on a branch near her for easy access. Now all set, she remained as silent as ever as she waited for an animal to come her way.

WORDS: 1081 OUTFIT: HERE TAG: DOMINUS NOTES: -SADFACE-

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[DOMINUS ALISTAIR NORWOOD]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=style, background-image:url(http://i333.photobucket.com/albums/m383/Dear_Minnie/8yrh2w.png); width: 457px; padding-top: 30; padding-bottom: 30; -moz-border-radius: 30 30 30 30; -webkit-border-radius: 35 35 35 35;] hi • SET THE WORLD ON FIRE • If only the human knew what animal was coming her way perhaps she wouldn't have been so keen to stick around in trees. The branches and leaves might have hidden her from sight but the heat radiating off her hit Dominus like a battering ram to the chest. Lifting his head away from an open throat he sniffed and wiped at his mouth with the back of his hand the same primal look in his eyes he had moments before when he took the woman laid out in front of him down to the cold ground with him. He'd been especially brutal with this one purely because of the way she'd acted for months. Call him karma, if you will, but she deserved it for what she'd put her through for months. Dominus had no preference - man, woman, child - but there was a certain tang to a blue blood's blood that the rest didn't have mainly due to a better standard of living and eating. It was crazy but really it was their own damn fault for living the way they did. A mixture of loving lusting from afar and a brother who'd got too caught up with elves to see what it was doing to him had set Dominus off and the mood had stuck. It didn't matter that he'd advised every chance he got, pouring doubts and poisoned words in his brother's ear, what mattered was the fact that after all of his efforts it had backfired. Ezeal was miserable, pining over his pointed eared temptation, and even moments with him had been unbearable for his twin but he still stood by his words; nothing would be gained from such an mismatch. Albeit they matched in mortality but they were too different. Their kind glorified in life and change, the vampires? Death and static living. She'd yearn for change, Ezeal wouldn't be able to give it and in the long run there would be pieces, pieces he didn't want to pick up. With age came an awareness and a certain level of wisdom and, at the end of the day, Dominus was a pretty big pessimist. The Gods knew he loved his brother and Dom really did have his best interests at heart but deep within his gut he had the nagging feeling that he should've kept out of it, let them be, let it all unfold as it came. Ezeal knew right from wrong, knew what course of action to take, he didn't need his brother but Dom couldn't help himself. Azure eyes narrowed slightly before they turned back to his now cold meal. The meat sack was running dry and her skin had long since lost it's fleshy tone and the old vampire had certain standards when it came to expiry dates and humans. The smell was still rolling down in waves hinting that whoever it was hadn't moved and that alone was enough incentive for him to rise up from the ground and take off through the trees leaving the body in full view; a calling card, as it were, that death would always be on the towns doorstep ready to take them down like cattle if and when it fancied. Never be it said that Dominus wasn't a charming, caring fellow through and through and that his show of manners wasn't paramount. The darkness always played a huge part in whatever Dominus did not only because he was confined to living in it. Humans were so easily spooked but darkness did something else entirely. It played on everything they feared most and who was he not to use it for his own satisfaction? Truthfully, he hated the human race. They were weak in every sense of the word and he couldn't recall a time as a member of the undead that he had a shred of humanity in it. It seemed that when he died, that died with it, but that wasn't true. Humanity died when he let her go and watched her walk away and from that day to this he'd still regretted it. Turning her would have made a huge difference to who Dominus was today and yet he still would've responded to her requests the same now as he did then. It would have been selfish to have taken her away from everything she could have and eventually did have unfortunately what she did have haunted him still. He'd watched over her when the sun set, watched her raise her family, watched her get sick one winter and watched over her from afar when she died and, after torturing himself knowing he could've prevented it, took a solemn oath to carry on watching; her family tree grew as decades went by and he remained faithful to it. He'd lost count of the amount of great's that came before the newest one too caught up in how alike they were. Auburn hair, muted catlike blue eyes that could've easily seen through all the bullshit and bravado but the same weakness and innocence her ancestor was capable of showing. Fuck he hated women. Her bloodline was his kryptonite and heaven knew what would happen if it came to light. He couldn't see it happening, he tried not to go into it much with Ezeal, giving him as little information as possible but still if anyone were to have followed him everything leading up to it would have been for nothing. A vampire with a very sweet weakness; he'd be a laughing stock. Silently he watched her; her being a short sickly girl no doubt coming from the bottom of the mountains setting up a trap that would probably only get an even sicklier bunny. He'd be doing her a kindness by killing her really she'd never have to suffer with sickness or watch her family - if she had any - die around her while she struggled to put a hearty meal on the table. His eyes flickered back and forth the trap as she set it up and walked over to a tree. See? Humans were stupid. They did stupid things like climbing trees without fear of falling out of them and breaking bones. Stupid, useless pathetic humans. He had no tolerance for them and even less as they devolved at a snails pace. Monkeys had the same level of smarts. Put an ape in front of a flame and it would stick it's hand in, get burnt, run and then come back again just to try it again to see if the same thing happened. He rolled his eyes as he picked up a rock from the ground. He wasn't about to scale a tree for her now, was he? No, that would take effort, effort he'd rather not waste on a hairless ape. His abilities certainly came in handy and after another quick look and shift he tossed the small rock toward the trap to set it off. Her eyes wouldn't have seen it even in broad daylight just picked up on the distinct sound it made when it closed. No dinner for you, little human, dinner for the big bad wolf lurking in the shadows coiled up ready to pounce.

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