In the Heat of the Night [enkashi!]

[Lion]

Runean dug her spurs deep into the mare's hide making the horse lead the charge farther than it already had.  Riding avant her men, she shouted behind her, "Avaunt you blithering bastards!"  She could see the bounding and descending orb before her grow smaller and smaller until it faded entirely from sight.  Little did she know that the tired and ragged troop's gallop had come to a pathetic halt.  "No!  Goddammit!" she cursed under her breath as pushed onward, dodging treacherous tree branched and trunks that meant death.  It suddenly came upon her that she would not be able to find them.  They were as gone as dust was in the wind.

She pulled on the reins, stopping the horse's insane gallop.  Foamy slobber dripped from the mare's exhausted lips; it snorted irritatedly.  Realizing no one was around her, the figures of her men appeared slowly from the forest darkness.  "Runean, we lost them," her lieutenant said as he approached her.

"I know we lost them you imbecile!  And we could've stood a chance if you hadn't stopped the charge."  Despite the fact that she knew she was lying, they didn't stand a chance in heaven or hell in chasing down that ball even if their lives depended on it, Runean let the power of her words settle on the man's face.  Quickly she issued her next order, "Set up camp here.  We'll let the horses rest for the night and continue tracking in the morning.  Wake the retrocognates at thrice to noon.  We'll see if we can track these bastards."  And dismounted from there.

~~~~~~~~~~

The worst was over, or at least that was what Dietrich was sure of.  The only thing to worry about now was to see if they made it to their destination before dawn, wherever their destination was.  After giving her a reassuring nod, trying not to admit he felt her momentarily curious gaze, even he had to speak truth to himself that he knew the horse-backed hunters wouldn't succeed.  There wasn't an inch of worry wracking his soul and he let the ease of leaping take over him.  Still, he commended, he couldn't blame them for trying like hell to catch them.  His hand involuntarily gave a thankful clasp to the elf's hand.

Inhaling the surroundings about him, he felt the strangely familiar air of the environment come over him.  Hadn't he been here before?  With a rise they come closer to various minuscule tree clearings, a low hilltop rise to  their swiftly approaching left, they were undoubtedly bounding northward.  The racket of rushing water from a shallow brook reached his ears as the revelation hit him like a bag of stones.  He had been here before!  A flashback on him running into the forest from home had to mind.  He had trekked so far north into the forest, the only place he found as adequate shelter was a small cave nearby.  By its size it was more a burrow than any cave by respectable terms.  Caves were large, roomy and-well, cavernous.  All his shelter was, was a ten by sixteen unit hole in a hillside.

But it was home.  For now at least.

Pulling her hand closer to him in the direction of the cave, he said, pointing ahead of him, "There's a cave close-by that I know.  Up and over that low-rising hillside, just a little to our right and conveniently beside a fresh-water brook.  It's about maybe ten to fifteen miles ahead if you think it might prove to be a smart place to stop."  He had hoped she would give consent for that was where he had left the rest of the few garments he had brought along in his exile.  A few shirts, trousers, two coats, a cloak that was three sizes too big for him, and his boots presided there and he was exceptionally tired of being in these rags.  Though he did have to admit that the mendings were nice and well-done.  It was better than anything he could do, that was for damn sure.

[Anonymous]

The she-elf nodded her consent, and bounded yet again, clasping his hand tightly... she was very warm, very soft against his pale skin, but she had the firmness of a living woman that knew hard work, even if her hands did not seem as such. Smiling, Each hop brought her closer and closer to the place he had described... If they made this pit-stop they would not make it tonight... but he had a point. She was not tired... but she definately was hungry, and it was no fun traveling until dawn on an empty stomache.

Within ten minuites, they were nearing the very place the vampire had described to her, so she ended the spell the moment they touched ground again, the bubble dissapating without a trace. Only their footprints were there in the grass of the forest where they now stood, no trace of any magic remaining at all. It was truly an elvenspell... flawless, a work of art.

"Alright... Lead on" she said softly, her hand still clasping his gently. His hand was cool... so she wanted to make sure it was warm, her better judgement and senses to tell her he was a vampire not quite picking up on the fact that his hands would be cool like that.

[Lion]

Like an angel descending on hallow ground, his feet made smooth contact with such a gentleness it was almost disturbing to him.  It didn't occur to him until later that if it hadn't been for Aysel's spell he probably wouldn't have made so smooth a landing, like an exhausted warrior that had been tossed about too many times.  And at the instant the comforting blue light that wrapped them vanished as did the glowing ring that bound their wrists together.  After becoming briefly accustomed to the lights of the spell, its sudden disappearance surprised him.  Of course he knew the perfection to it though.  Elves had all the time they needed to remove imperfections in everything they did or made and he was certain spells were no exception to that.

It came as something rather odd to him the strange preoccupation she had with his hand.  He had weened that she would have let go as soon as she dismembered the incantation.  Albeit it bothered him none, it came even more oddly that his own hand did not let go.  He did not let the prospect seep too deep; he was often confused as to why his body acted on its own volition that his mind was not aware of.  There were times where he felt the fragments of his human persona return.  There were those times were he was plagued incessantly by these fragments.  And there were also those times where he thought his humane part was not entirely dead, but resided in a hidden passage in his mind.

Dietrich allowed for a moment his eyes to regain the adjustments of night sight; the ability just about every nocturnal creature had to see perfectly by darkness.  When his eyes adjusted, he stepped lightly on the softened grass and down the familiar path he had followed in the weeks before.  He had been clever enough not to use the same passage more than a few times just in case his tracks wore away the grass and became a path common for anyone to follow.  He did not care now and walked in between the dense growth of trees and around the hillside.  As they approached the entrance of the cave, he took a quick glance at the waning crescent.  Perhaps one of the reason he had chosen this cave out of all the rest because of the way the moon seemed closer in this area.  Its light, like some divine all-loving being, graced everything from the shrewdest creature to the gleaming treetop to the trickling stream around to the right of the hill.  It was absolutely mesmerizing.

Dietrich was intrigued at how soft her hand was as he held it.  Not too many women as fiery as this one, all having been exposed to the life's hardened slaps, had such smooth hands.  It sent a strange shock up through his arm and down his spine.  Shaking his head, he ducked underneath the entrance, a neatly rounded opening with a young spruce tree growing beside, its branches drooping over the top that provided some shade, and pursued within.  He crouched low, letting go of her warm hand, he said, "Wait here."  Dietrich, seeing perfectly in the darkness of the cave, was sure he had left medium-sized collection of dry leaves, branches, and a log in a corner of the cave where no water could get to it.  He reached for the pocket of his coat and pulled out the box of matches he had taken with him.  Running out of cigars long ago, he kept these in handy, struck the timber and lit the dry fuel in the corner of the cave.

The flames blazed brightly as he threw the match into the fire and turned to motion Aysel in.  Though he could see just fine in the dark, the fire would offer warmth, something he knew she, as a living being, needed to survive.  He also knew that the nights to come would just be getting colder and colder.  Remembering the vials, he withdrew them from his pockets and set them beside the matchbox.  One coat set on the floor served as a sleeping mat while his cloak lay beside it, it was to his faint chagrin that his burrow wasn't as homely as hers was.  But he invited her nonetheless, motioning her to take a seat beside him.  He gained the sudden suspicion that she must be hungry and, having no idea what compelled him to do this, he reached into one of his other pockets and pulled out a handful of jerky that he used as lure and offered it to her.

[Anonymous]

Aysel entered the cave with her host... it was indeed a man's domicile, hardly homey at all... but it was functional, and it kept the breezes out in the darkness. Her clothes would help her retain much of her heat... and they were well padded and soft, so she would not feel the ground, let alone through the vampire's nice coat that he laid down. He was a good host for a Vampire... he knew well enough how to care for a living person, and it surprised her some. It was a pleasant surprise... She stood there, her hair hanging down... beads of sweat clung in, revealing that the spell had in fact tired her some... well, at one point anyway... She was not panting, and if he could smell her, she simply smelled more like herself, if that made any sense...

Staring into the flames and the Vampire that offered her his company, she did not see a monster... she saw a man. A man she had just rescued, had nursed to health, and now was being treated... rather well by. She felt like a wolf... an animal, staring at his offered jerky. She was hungry indeed, but she was sitting long before he offered it to her... That just made her scoot a little closer to him.

Gratefully, she bowed her head, and gently took the offered prize of food. Her stomach growled, and as she took a bite to quiet its protests. She realized quickly it was tough meat, well preserved, and she took a goodly portion... not nearly enough to satisfy her, but enough to quiet her anyhow. and offered the rest back to him. "I will hunt tomorrow" she murmured, and scooted close to him, so she sat directly at his side, hip touching his. He had certainly wasted no time in endearing himself to her.

[Lion]

His nostrils inhaled the aroma.  It was faint and if it hadn't been for his keen senses, the sweet scent would have flown over his head completely.  It was intoxicating and became more potent as she neared him.  Recalling the scent of her burrow, he now matched it to what he smelled now.  A mixture of graceful roses with the ferocity of an untamed creature.  For reasons unknown the scent relaxed and made him fervid all at the same time.

Dietrich exhaled heavily, watching her eat his offered jerky like a starved animal.  It wasn't too long before she gave it back to him.  Much to his relief as well for it would be soon that these vials of blood would become empty and he would need the lure.  He placed the meat back into pocket of his coat.  Rations came in unpredictable numbers these days.

The vampire felt the heat come off her like the smoke from dry ice.  The spell must have worn her out.  By a little in the least.  His eyes sparked with a fiery electricity, as if from emotions long held at bay.  To gaze into his eyes was to see a live wire surge through the abyssal depths of the sea.  Dietrich vehemently exhaled this time, the breath shuddered.

As she sat with her hip in contact with his, he was able to look deep into the fine lines of her face, not that there were many because he gathered her to be quite youthful.  That bedeviling word escaped his lips unbeknownst to him, "Beautiful..."  It was hardly above a whisper.  It felt like silk or velvet when his fingers touched a few strands of her hair.  Slowly, his mind off in a distance, he leaned in tantalizingly and he brushed his lips to hers and drew back just as enticingly.  Dietrich stared with observant eyes, awaiting her reaction.

[Anonymous]

Aysel was not a shy creature... the beast in her was something that did not even know the meaning. A little voice came (well, sort of, it was like her little angel and devil... course, it had eaten those two when he had come into being, so it was mixed... But regardless, the voice came to her, silent to his ears.

"He's cuuuute!" it cried, bouncing there, the white little wolfling giggling and tugging at her ear. In her own mind, she looked down at the construct of her own sentience, and grinned just slightly. "Cute? He's a vampire" she replied, and the creature smacked her a little.

"And you're a werewolf. My god, have you looked into pools of water lately? You're a freak too, prissy girl... come on, you were made for each other!" she cried, and looked right into her eye with both tiny ones. She blinked at the tiny thing, and flicked it off her shoulder after a long contemplative pause at what it had just said.

It grunted, and tried to climb its way back onto her shoulder, scurrying and grunting, like a little pup climbing onto its mother's back. "Aww... but look at him... you know he's lonely... and are yous any different? I think not. He's not the brightest piece of chalk out there, but he's got it in the right places... AND he's a stud! You KNOW he's got skills..." she murmured, and the werewolf had to take good pause at this. She was right, the little shit, and she knew it well enough to recognize that... So she looked to the vampire immediately after he had almost kissed her sweet, long ears... and she, wrapping an arm about his shoulders, gave him an experimental little kiss on the cheek.

"You know" Aysel said a little more forewardly, tracing the vampire's hair from his face as she stroked his cheek. "This clothing is one solid piece... it is ablanket I made myself... we could share it." she offered. She seriously doubted that he needed warmth to survive... but how about to be comfortable? He obviously liked being close to her soft, supple body like this... and he had to miss the touch of warmth... so why not?

"If two lie together, they will be warmed!" the little wolf on her shoulder (mentally) chirped, cheerfully indeed. "Take a ride! If it works out, hey! If it doesn't, oh well! Give it a shot, you hairless little--" and before she could finish, she mentally stuffed the little wolf into her mouth and gulped her down, grinning. In the physical world, a smile spread across her lips, and she decided to make her move, trying to entwine her fingers with his, and get as close as she could. Right then, he could grope her... even take her.... and she would gladly allow it.

[Lion]

There was something about the full moon that strangely affected a vampire's blood.  For it was during these times in which lust reached its peak, affecting vampires everywhere on the hemisphere where a full moon shone brightly.  They were endowed with the incessant need to satisfy their hunger and lust.  It was said that only the strongest of vampires were able to control their desire.  Dietrich would have been proud to consider himself one of them if these such nights hadn't felt like hell.  He never been the type of man to find the nearest village tramp, copulate, then do away with her.  But this time it seemed his control had slept in.  And maybe it was the oncoming full moon that was making him feel as such.  Or maybe his one hundred and fifty year celibacy was finally getting to him.  There was no need to put the moment off any further...

But with a werewolf?  Many covens across the globe scorned the werewolf; the vast majority considering all species of werewolf as the bastard cousins of the vampire and should be treated as such.  Just as some garou might believe that the vampire was the bastard cousin of the werewolf.  Cronus' coven was no exception to this.  He stubbornly held onto the predilection that vampires were superior to the garou; particularly stressing that werewolves were primitive, too wild, and an unpredictable animal wherein the vampire was cultured and refined.  And as predicted, Dietrich staunchly disagreed with the Pendragon.

Never caring to think too much about the werewolf and their relation to the vampire, Dietrich knew the consequences of associating with one.  He also knew that it was extremely forbidden for any vampire of his coven to form a relationship of any kind with one.  To disobey was seen as traitorous to one's own kind and, as with all crimes, that person was to be punished immediately.  To copulate with one, or even fall in love, were the worst of all crimes and punishable only by death.  That is if they discovered it.  And the chances of finding them in the middle of the Draconi Forest were chances in hell.  As plus, his body, least of all, certainly did not care.

From feelings too long ignored, too long imprisoned, he shuddered once more as she brushed her lips to his cheek.  It was a little to gentle for his tastes, but it was pleasantly sweet.  If his heart still beat there was not a doubt that it would be knocking against his ribs.  A cool hand reached for the fingers that touched his face.  Clasping it with gentleness, he kissed the warm palm, intaking the scent of her skin.  With the other he pushed away the stray hairs from her face and bound them around her ear.  Listening intently to her proposal, he chuckled slightly.  He fit his fingers into hers before quickly swooping her up and placing her on his hips.

"I don't see a reason why we can't," Dietrich said, grinning at her.  "The ultimatum up these nights is to become colder therefore warmth is vital..."  He paused momentarily, drawing her close to him.  "And someone to share that warmth with is a plus."  It was now that he kissed her, fully and openly to her mouth.  His arms snaked around her waist and pulled her close until the only barriers between them were the clothes they wore.  His hold around her was of both the lecher and the tender lover.  On the former note, his hands relinquished themselves from her body and pulled his shirt over his head.  Immediately as the went, his arms once against coiled themselves around her body, holding her close, almost possessively.  What would happen this night, Dietrich would not care as of now.  And it was for a fact that it no longer mattered to him that his body was once again opening to awakened passion.

[Anonymous]

Something in Aysel's body stirred in that moment... like an inner fire, burning terribly in her heart... really, it was wolf making her go crazy for this man. She giggled melodiously as he set her upon his hips like that, her body a little heavy for the muscle she had, full of life and zest that she honestly doubted most vampire women had. She could not even begin to imagine what kind of a woman a vampire would make... most definately not appealing in the least.

Ah, but she was warm, she was alive... and she was an immortal. She marveled at the vampire that had taken up her offer, and surprised her with how gentle he could be. Granted, it was not her taste... she was a wild creature, something that had serious desires... all of the time. But she was not acting as the beast... her sister wolf... she was acting as a unified person. All of her wanted this, every last bit... if it did not work out into a big relationship, that was cool with her... nobody would know any better... But if it did work out... she could think of that later.

Right now, she couldn't give a shit less. "Bwee!" her inner wolf cried, and she kissed his lips, gently, innocently, turning her head just a tiny bit so their noses would not bump into each other, the she-elf tasting him... He tasted nothing like death... He tasted... like spring water to her, and blood, both things she enjoyed. It excited her further, made her tremble with passion that quickly was building in her breast. He removed his shirt, and she just grinned, giving the seams of her armor a hard, firm pull.

With pops, they grew loose, and she undid them completely as she bent over him, her tongue dancing with his own. Her mouth was hot, far warmer than her skin, and her tongue was so soft and gentle, but agressive in its dance with his. Breaking the kiss for but a moment, she slid the heavy blanket-armor off her body entirely, the bear fur armor fuzzy, both inside and out. But for now, it as a distraction. She cast it aside, and leaned up, letting him see her bare body with his eyes, and feel her naked, warm weight upon his hips.

For the most part, true to elven natures, she did not have a great deal of  bodily hair.... but she was also a werewolf. The only hair to be found was a tiny biy, just between her legs, and a fine layer, just barely percievable, like an aura of softness on her belly. She had muscle, and a good deal... itwas visible beneath her pale, wonderfully warm skin, but not dominant: her body had  a good deal of softness to it, also true to elven natures. Her body, a mixture of elven grace and lycan phisique, was a true thing of beauty.

[Lion]

Thought was often a bothersome, distracting process that sometimes interrupted in the most pleasurable of activities. Analyzation, commendation, judgment, or worse--the conscience--simply got in the way of enjoying the fruits of life. And by this moment, Dietrich forced the last coherent, analytical thought from his mind.

In its place came alive the part of him that lived and breathed the wild. His true vampirism that heightened the fire in his blood. Desire surged through his veins as the animal took over his conscious mind, taking hold over his own actions. And as Aysel's kiss grew deeper, he met her lips with equal fervor, reveling in the taste of her. His tongue searched the hollows of her mouth, teasing hers yet not unyielding to the pleasures she was evoking within him. His body complied in every way his now debauched sanity wanted it too. Not excluding the aching in his loins.

As he gazed upon her nude body, lithe and sensuous, he was just about ready to pounce. A hardened hand pushed the remaining armor from her smooth thigh and snaked up to her hip and held her firmly at the waist in a grip that was confident in its animalistic lust. He leaned down on one elbow and peered up at her, intaking the sight fully. His eyes now raged alive with a storm, both the rain and lightening evident as he stared at her; behind them burned Eros' inferno. He saw no flaw in the woman straddling him; perfection through eyes his own. And there no part of him that didn't desire to ravage that perfection. The edge of his mouth twitched in a lascivious grin.

In that instant he sat up to her length and crushed her mouth to his in a kiss that bespoke of solemn hunger, aggressive with passion. His arms wrapped around her once again, closing the space between them quickly. It became a mystery to him at what point his trousers had become undone and were strewn away from them, but he figured it was somewhere between smashing her body to his and where he felt the racing of a heart in a ribcage that wasn't his own. With one leg draped over hers, he uttered a groan as he was locked into place.

Though it was unknown to him, his soul itself had experienced a change as well as his mentality. There was a burning inside of him that he'd never experienced before; by least not for the longest of years. It was an awakening and a requiem all in one. A union between life and death. And it seemed that the alteration of psyche had found itself in the physical world. Here was a vampire and an elven werewolf engaging in the race of madness. For the prospect itself was madness; the blurred line between life and death was madness, the spiritual awakening was madness, the passion burning with him was madness... But it was a madness he had fallen slave to.

The conjured inferno between them now blazed with the white hot intensity of the fire at their side. Dancing shadows splashed across the cavern walls like amorphous beings stalking the night as the flickering flames tossed to and fro. They had become the flames; dancing in primal insanity, reveling in the heat of the night. And alas the fire beside them ceased its white heat, kindling flames dying low and consuming the last of edible smolderings, unleashing night...

An explosion burst through his mind as he bent over her, bathing her chest in solemn kisses. Heated breath spread over her breasts as he began to trail his mouth toward her pacing neck. There he felt her pulse race just a millimeter beneath his lips. The familiar feeling caused his fangs to unsheathe a little as he softly brushed their tips to her heated flesh. He could press them into her now and feel the adrenaline of blood still warm in his mouth. He could... however he was more wracked with lechery than he was with hunger. What more tempting fruits she had to offer eluded him at the moment. He focused more on guiding her with his rhythms, clasping her thigh. He caught her mouth once more in a rapturous kiss, grasping her flesh to his as if she were the only corporeal thing in a world that was rapidly vanishing.

Despite his efforts to refrain from words, from his throat escaped a guttural whisper, "Aysel..."

[Anonymous]

Aysel moved against the vampire submissively at first, but with growing clarity of intent... she wanted him, and badly, and it showed in her... now glowing eyes, her muscled body throbbing as her body met his, again and again, her tender flesh retreting from his at every turn, parting aside, squishing, sliding... she sweat in their heated passions, and grew slick in some places. She knew he was having trouble with his hungers, but she was lost... lost in waves of pleasure and carnal joy at this situation.

She was a werewolf... and she was a passionate creature.
She could not deny it to herself how badly she had longed for contact... being one of a few was hard... and intimacy was a requirement for a woman like her in the first place, not a simple want, but a pure, innocent need she had to satisfy. She was like a beast in a feeding frenzy as she moved herself against her gentlemanly company, and growled lowly, bestially as he took what she so gladly gave.

"Mmmmm..." was her reply, and her hands gripped the vampire's hair as she shoved his chest down beside hers. One careful hand guided his over her bust... and she smiled, just a little more, showing her sharp canines to him.

[Lion]

Dietrich could not comprehend how he had gone so long without the touch of a woman, without touching a woman. The century and a half without that familiar embrace that unlocked secret parts of him, he had to admit, had been a living hell. The hidden parts of his nature could only be exposed to a woman and only the women he chose to expose them to. But these feelings of surging rapture that drove him on were exciting and requisite for his very being; feelings that no vampire could ever ignore, not even if they were most hard-hearted of them all. And without a doubt, he was not a exception whatsoever.

As he moved as one with the she-elf, he indulged himself fully, satisfying his raw urges yet tending to Aysel's just as equally. He could feel her hunger and obliged her in every way. The vampirism was alive in him as it had ever been, shuddering his nerves and quivering at her every touch. His body became living electricity, rousing all he came into contact with and becoming alive under her feminine strength. His will was breaking under a higher power, the call of the wild coming over him making it seem as though his previous animal acts were tame.

His desires became all the more serious when he grabbed her to him with intensity. A rumble in his throat was evident, a growl similar to hers though deeper that matched his now fully elongated fangs. His tongue tampered playfully with her canines before taking her again and again. They escalated the heights of passion and ecstasy until a velvet blackness beclouded his mind.