"judgement day" at the pool

Vladen curl's up in a stand of rock's, his skin alread becoming hot as he begin's to sweat violently. Vladen strangles a cry as his rib's begin to shift. "Flaming light above.." He manages to whisper before the pain become's to intense and rob's him of his ability to speak. Arching his back with a definate crack as his spine begin's to stretch. Vladen scream's in silent agony..no sound coming from his mouth as he cries out into the forest sky.

Alice sat on a rock near the edge of the forest. She laid her head back against a tree and closed her eyes. She yelled at herself in her mind, "You stupid idiot! You could have killed him. You should have never considered....UGH! Sometimes you are so stupid! You are going to hurt someone if you don't hunt right...."She sighed.

Vladen slip's deeper into the forest, intending to loose hismelf for a while. Hoping to avoid going to class and being dragged there by the senior's and guard's.

His memory full of his family and home..to the extent he even for a fleeting moment contemplates leaving the academy.

"Vladen you fool.." He voices quietly to himself. " Rhiane would not want you to do this..risking yourself like that..Flaming light above..What about Mel?" Vladen continues talking to himself as he realised with a start he had forgotten to take his pill. Cursing himself he tries to find somewhere to let it..the curse take hold of his before..before it's too late.

Alice hunted for a while and she began walking towards the exit of the woods. Her eyes were golden brown. She walked slowly, every movement graceful. She was no longer angry at anyone but herself. She had taken her anger out of the animals she hunted. She was in a better mood now but she was still beating herself up.

Vladen listened to her soft footfall's as he walked, glad finally she was going to find something to hunt. Hoping he would have a chance to speak to her later and apologise to her. So he can explain and try..to explain his action's..Hopefully she will let him...silently he does not want to loose her as a friend. Because of what he is..because of the curse..his father gave him..

Slipping through the tree's he find's a pool beside some rock's and sit's down, knowing he should have class soon but not in the mood to attend he sit's on the rock and closes his eye's. Loosing himself in memories of home and of his Sister's and mother..before..before he became what he is.

She smelled his blood and almost turned to tackle him but she stopped herself. She ran in the opposite direction so she could hunt.

Vladen sniff's the air softly, nodding to himself before pointing to his right. " There is a deer a 200 paces that way Alice"

"I am sorry" Vladen turn's with a defeated sigh and walk's through the wood's, inwardly waring with himself over his desire to help her, and his desire to drag her back to the academy kicking and screaming. His mind wander's to Rhiane as he walk's..Sweet Innocent Rhiane..his eldest Sister and her..her..Problem..

God's if he had only been at the inn that night he could have tried to stop her..but she was her own woman..she knew her mind" He tries to reason with himself as his shoulder's slump and he moves in the direction of his cave. His palm still bleeding softly into his clenched fist.

Her eyes flash to his arm and she turns her head away."It's fine..." She stares off into the trees.

Vladen soften's and stand's still, letting the hand drop her slowly open's his arm's to her.

"Im sorry Alice..I..It was a flash of my temper..my mother's word's ringing in my head.. I did not mean it.."

Vladen tries to smile but fail's the sadness in his gaze evident as he look's at Alice like this. "What would Mel do ?" He think's to himself. "she would know what to do..even Rhiane was less trouble than this" he muses to himself, the thought's must show on his face as he tries to mask them with a smile.

Her position tightened."I will hunt...when I'm ready. Right now I need to compose myself and you calling me a coward isn't helping." She takes a step back.

"Your running from your need to hunt Alice.." Vladen look's at her, her solid black eye's shining like obsidian, her stance and manner showing her strain and tension causes his face to soften into a slow and welcoming smile. Vladen slowly lift's his palm and show's her the cut on it.

"You need to get something to eat Alice..before you loose yourself in it..Please..let me help you.."

Vladen step's toward's her gently, a light and friendly step with a hint of confidence in it. "Alice..I will leave you to this if you want.. but please..let me try to help"

She was behind him again 10 feet away. "I'm not running from what I am! I was running so I wouldn't kill anyone!" She was pissed off at his assumption."I'm not being a coward I'm being safe and you hardly know me so stop strutting around acting like the bigger person who is trying to help me because really you are just pissing me off." If she had hunted she would be in a better mood. She really wasn't this type of person but right now...she was.

Vladen hit's the ground with a thump and an oomph as the air is driven from his lung's. sprawling in the dirt he begin's to laugh loudly, it's deep and rich sound carrying on the wind.

"It is useless denying it Alice..it will catch up with you eventually..and when it does it will break you..I found that out..I was a coward..constantly running from what i am..what i feel..No Longer..now stop being a coward and get back here.."

Vladen roar's into the forest with a ragged voice, between trying to suck in large breathes of air. crouching in the dirt he wait's with his palm's on his knee's, hoping she had heard the sincerity of his tone, and his intention to help.

She came out of no where tackling him to the ground."Call me a coward one more time and I'll hunt YOU WERE-BEAR!" She was in a terrible mood due to her lack of hunting, her eyes were a jet black and looked like stones. She then disappeared into the woods her scent untraceable. A low growl escaped her chest as she ran.

Vladen shout's into the tree's, knowing she can hear him as his rich bass voice boom's out through the wood's.

"Alice..I know you can hear me..Now stop being a coward and come back here..or ill do something i will regret later"

Vladen boom's it out through the wood's, the command and seriousness in his tone evident, as he stand's with his feet apart and his muscular arm's folded across his broad chest. His hair moving lightly in the breeze and his pine and earthy scent travelling on the wind.

She shook her head and ran from him. She needed to hunt but she didn't want to. She just kept running further into the forest, leaping over rivers and rocks.

Alice..Listen to the sound of my voice..follow it through the darkness..Take some deep breath's.

Vladen speak's in his rich tone, slowl stepping closer to her with each word. Seeing her huddled there, so vulnerable causes him to frown deeply.

She didn't move. Her eyes were still black. She hadn't hunted yet. She just closed her eyes.

Vladen smiles softly, Alice running past him at speed allowing him to track her scent. Haring off into the wood's he appear's behind her and slowly removes his jacket. Draping it lightly over her shoulder's.

"Alice..It's Vladen.."

She ran deep into the woods. When she was sure that the scent was out of range she dropped to the ground and sobbed. She wasn't able to cry though. She put her head on her knees and her body shook. You idiot! What if something had happened! What if it was someone who couldn't fight back!! You should have hunted sooner you stupid fool! She yelled at herself in her mind.

Her teeth made a noise as they clamped together. A rumbling growl escaped her chest. She jumped the fence and was out of sight in the trees in less than 2 seconds. She ran past Vladen without being seen but a gust of wind whipped by him as she passed. She just kept running. Being thirsty around people was not a good thing...it was a very bad thing and she needed to get away.