The forest was vibrant and alive, even in the dark of night, it seemed to glow. The feeling of the cold wind whipping at him, the surrounding forest moving around him like a dull blur. The burning sensation in his lungs, the heat circulating through his veins made him feel more alive than he ever had. There was no yesterday, no tomorrow, no sense, just the now and the scent. A putrid smell like rotten flesh steeped in blood, something ungodly and horrendous. The smell of a vampire, the one who turned his son and killed his family.
He couldn’t think about anything other than ripping whatever this scent belonged to into pieces. As he stood atop the cliff overlooking the valley he was bathed in moonlight. His fur was a deep and ominous black, his ears standing at attention, his muzzle dripping with red. Even in the dark, his piercing yellow eyes stood out. He found his fingers were terrifyingly strong, his magic though seemed to have disappeared. It didn’t matter now, his fingers tore into the cliff’s rocky side as he crawled down the wall.
Gregory Hound had become the first of a new species, a new apex predator. There were so many scents around him, smaller and weaker prey he could tear into but something drew him towards the vampire’s scent. It was as if the fire that made his blood boil got hotter the closer he got. The rage inside made him follow the monster’s scent. The name Hound had never fit him so well. It wasn’t long before he noticed a similar scent to the one he was following, and then another one. More and more traces began to show up to the point they were layered on top of each other.
He came upon a cave, it reeked of many vampires. There had to be dozens of them, he could smell them all. As soon as he approached two slender figures stood in his path. They appeared like two normal people, but the red in their eyes was clear as day when they got closer. He did not hesitate to lunge at them, his jaws clamped around the throat of the first one while his claws tore the second’s chest open. He jerked his head back, ripping the throat of the monster out. Then, before he could swallow, he lunged for the throat of the second one.
As he was tearing the monster asunder he heard a faint clapping sound. He looked up and he saw dozens of red eyes looking at him from the black of the cave. Hound’s growls reverberated through the air, the vampires could feel the hum in their chests. Maybe that was their fear, they wouldn’t know after so many years of being at the top. The first vampire to emerge from the shadows had a long blood-red cape. He wore a magnificent golden armor that looked both elegant and deadly. Small sharp blades were all over his body, as if he was one walking weapon. His long blonde hair hung lazily to his waist and atop his head sat a heavy crown made of gold that resembled a crown of thorns.
“Our Lord of Dark has blessed us with another frightsome creature. What say you, my loyal allies, shall we test the durability of our new pet?” He laughed.
In the blink of an eye, he appeared in front of the freshly made werewolf. Just before his fist struck, Hound caught his fist with his own. The two became entirely still, as if time had frozen between them. The look of confusion on the Vampire King’s face was obvious. He had never been matched by anyone, except by the God’s of man. This did not delay him long, however, as he continued to attack. The battle soon recommenced, the two moved too fast for any of the other vampires to keep up.
That didn’t dissuade them from attempting to protect their king. Many of them jumped into the middle of the battle, only to be spat out like ground beef. Three were thrown like sticks, the ground quaked beneath their feet. Each of them pushing their supernatural bodies to the brink. The show was glorious, it was like a dance between demons and the blood flowed like a fountain.
If Gregory had any sense left, he’d probably be amazed by the speed at which he healed. It was automatic and just as fast as the Vampire King. Each broken bone was completely healed by the time it was struck again. The two fought for hours, unable to win, unable to lose. Such an occurrence had never happened to the King before. Just as the sun began to crest the mountains, shining down on the Crescent Valley, the Vampire King began to retreat. He stood atop a large boulder and breathed heavily.
“You are… a worthy creature. I’m sure we’ll meet again… but the sun does weaken me so, and I would prefer you didn’t win this bout. Until we meet again.” He said with a smile.
Gregory pounced on him but he caught nothing but air. He roared in anger as his prey escaped him. His beautiful black coat had been dyed almost entirely red with blood. Just as the sun’s rays warmed his fur he felt an immense pain. Once again all of his bones broke and bent back into place. The fur he once had tore apart and hung loosely on him. He tore it off, revealing the man beneath the beast. He fell to the ground, staring up at the sky. He could still faintly see the moon hanging far above the clouds.
“What have you done to me?” He asked, while a single tear rolled down his bloodstained face.
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