Welcome to Oyra, the lands of humans, shapeshifters and vampires. Amongst all sagas, legends and tales there was one untold one, a story that might have changed whole Oyra if it dared to go its way, spreading all through the lands like fire. It was a tale of a creature feared by many, yet hunted by the ignorant; they call him Kage, or 'Demon'. He is a mixture of a vampire and a shape shifter, a something that did not belong in either categories. And to top it all, shapeshifters and vampires since long are known as sworn enemies and thus the decision was naturally that he, the demon, was seen as enemy to the both of them. In result, the creature lived a lonesome life, feeding off the animals of the forest. Alone. Never welcoming any company. As company was nothing he ever connected with anything positive. In the first case, nothing seemed pleasant in his life, everything dark and dangerous, with no apparent reason. He was missing the objective he could strive for, something that differed life and death more, than simply breathing. There had to be something, even for him, right? It was a question never to be answered. Until that day which changed everything.

It was a forest vastly avoided, by humans, by shapeshifters even by vampires. A place very far off the city, up to the hill where the weather is doing whatever it desired, fluctuations as expected were only empty talk - no one could ever foresee what will happen next in that one forest. From above you'll only see the branches of the trees who are densely and close to each other more than anything else. Within you'll meet only darkness, hollowness and silence of the death. It was surely a tough thing for the sunlight to penetrate those little spaces inbetween, so the ground was nothing more than mud in the forest. Small plants like flowers were rarely spotted. It is because of this condition, it created the perfect place for shy inhabitants who prefer darkness and mud as its living environment. And that included Kage.

Although Kage definitely preferred a normal, peaceful forest, he couldn't take the risk to reside there. He felt in this place was something where he belonged, a place avoided, feared and hated; a place that was like him. The utter silence made him calm, the sinister and the atmosphere of doom at home. There was no where else he could relate to, no where else he could find hold on. He found himself secure in a little cave he found within the heart of the forest and took it as its own. It felt like he had something in comparison to before. However, he still played with his life carelessly, knowing no one would be sorrow for his death - no, he even imagined some being happy about him gone. Unfullfilling, depressing and not even close to anything happy was his life he lived. Simply unworth and hollow.

It was another day, another day of the endless cycle he followed everyday. Time, for a hunt. Kage was not someone who enjoyed killing; it wasn't particulary anything he looked forward too. Instead, he loved to hunt. Within the 'dark' forest, he had always difficulties to find a good prey, and that counted to the excitement once he smelt one despite. That day, he for the first time doubted his ever-so-dependable muzzle. What was it, which scent did he just caught? A boar? Even for Kage, the smell was very attractive. After all, it was a delicacy to a wolf... how alluring.

The question what a boar was doing inside the forest he left without notice; suddenly only his instincts worked and he started to run. Run towards the boar who had no time to escape. The strength of his four legs were admirable, like the big gray wolf the largest of all but only in white, Kage ran with admirable speed only one thing in mind. Made it look like an obsession... and with one strong jump he landed on that small thing, grabbed it with his paws and locked it on the ground. He caught it. He succeeded! It mattered little to him that the boar was really small, and was about to eat it right away...

Dark... wet... eerie... mucky... the smell... sweat... tired... hungry...

Such a horrid place this was. It seemed practically impossible to live in just by the look of it. The ground was always too watery for any plants to grow, and the ground that was firm would be overflown with trees and plants. Walking through the plants may seem like a good idea if you'd like to avoid the mucky ground, that is... if the plants were not covered with thorns and spider webs. Everywhere you turn, it just seems like you couldn't avoid it. And so, you'd be forced to tred on the muddy ground. As if that were not bad enough, you could not see three yards in front of you. Not just because of the fact that it was dusk, but the trees stood tall and firm, along with their branches. You could only see specks of light scattered across the leafy roof, but only if you really looked.

Most of all though... nighttime was when the vampires run about. These blood thirsty creatures will risk anything and stop at nothing to get their meals, even if it means it will be their last. For humans and shapeshifters alike, night was a long and excruciating 16 hours. Countless family members lost, packs spliten up, homes burned down, and all for what? Just to do it again the next night. Thankfully, shapeshifters have managed to shield the children from such a harsh reality for a while. All except for one little girl, who was left to die.

Dahlia retreated under a large tree, currently in her boar form. The night was harshly cold, much colder than her home. To be honest, it did not matter whether if she was in this form, or her human form, it was all the same. Her clothes were stained with mud, and torn from the plant's thorns. The material of the clothing was awfully cheap, being that they were simply pajamas. Be that as it may, they were still ruined and provided no sense of comfort. The brunette buried her nose into the ground, desperate for a source of warmth. Even though the ground gave off some type of heat (Mostly humidity), it just was not enough. Nevertheless... it was better than nothing, right? While digging her nose deeper into the ground, she was left with her thoughts. When will her pack come for her once more? What was in the forest? What would kill her in the forest? She had no experience with nature whatsoever, except for fresh scraps that were laid before her at the end of the day.

Suddenly, the young girl was snapped out of her thoughts as she heard a disturbance apon the night's lullaby. It was almost like a trotting pattern, but it most certainly was not a horse. Dahlia did not make much of it, but it was getting closer. Louder and faster, the sound grew. Suddenly, she heard a vicious snarl. By the time she picked up her head, she was already pinned down to the ground. Dahlia let out a hysterical squeal in panic. She felt claws dig into her fur, and the hot breath of a predator apon her. Although she kicked her hooves frantically, it was much too big to push off of her. And so, she was forced to take drastic measures. The brunette switched gears back to a human, her sequels turning into screams as she attempted to kick off the creature with her legs.

Boar, boar, tasty boar...

The smell was alluring, the feast truly appreciated, urged to be swallowed this instant it seemed to him. Yet before he reached a complete blackout without self-control, the boar changed forms, changed forms to a little human girl. Kage snapped out of his trance, glared at the little girl who started to scream uncontrollably and tried to push him away. An effort which was admirable indeed nevertheless useless against the strength of a grown-up wolf who had her pinned down completely.

The smell was still there. Still present, attracting him, seduced him to eat her up anyway - yet he hesitated. It was completely different now as he knew it belonged to the shape-shifters, that 'it' was not food, but also a little girl. It confused him. Seconds and minutes of rigidity - Kage merely stared down to that little creature without moving an inch. Her screams faded to the back, no everything faded - as if his surrounded went blurry and only the little girl was in his vision, as then he felt through his paws... her heartbeat.

Startled, he quickly went off of her, freeing her and as everything was too much for him to bear, he changed his form to human. There he was, a man of a slender yet solid build, with messy black hair and a dead pale skin - all completely naked in the mud surrounded by darkness. Staring to the little girl still in confusion, staring with his dead black eyes with that odd white ring that glows even in the darkness - which may seem dangerously attractive to some and terrifies the most.

He did not know what to do.

It took him long to overcome his stiffness, until his mouth slowly shivering moved and asked: "Why... why are you here?" No, he did not want to eat her any longer - it seemed not right, and it'd be possibly something that he'll regret all through his miserable life. She was still a kid. Still a kid with those beautiful clear eyes.

Dahlia started to find it hard to breath, the preseure of the wolve's paws on her was starting to take its toll. The weight apon her small stature was almost unbarable, and in such a paniced state did not help at all. This was it, it had to be it. She would never see her parents, she would never see her grandparents; she wouldn't see anyone else ever again. She wouldn't anyways, but the brunette didn't know that much.

Seconds turned into minutes, and Dahlia was starting to loose her voice. The creature just stared at her with those cold eyes, she couldn't bare to make eye contact with her killer. When her throwt finally became sore, her screams were replaced with snot bubbles and tears. It was honestly a little disturbing, seeing that her nose was covered with dirt and snot by now.

The little girl found a sense of relief as the creature crawled off of her, sucking a deep breath through her mouth, since her nose was currently filled with slime. She flickered her eyes as she tried tounderstand what she just witnessed. Was she dead? Did she pass out? Was it all just a nightmare?

Soon, the brunette found herself laying wide eyes on a tall, slim human being. She felt another sense of relief come over her. He was a shape shifter, like herself. However, she would not guess in a million years that he was really the 'demon' that was feared by all. Dahlia curled up slightly, refusing to believe this was happening. However, she was snapped out of her denial when she heard a voice.

"Why... why are you here?"

Dahlia did not rise from the ground, wipping her nose with the palm of her tiny hands and shaking her head. "I... I'm... waiting...!" She choked out, only causing her to act up again. She just wanted her grandparents.

"I... I'm... Waiting...!"

There it was, the little creature of a little girl, wiping her nose and shaking her head, choked out. And saying something he did not understood. Kage asked why she was here. Here in the cursed forest no one dared to enter. Why here for god's sake - if you even exist - why should she wait here of all places? It did not made sense the slightest. Suddenly Kage also started to shiver. It was cold, and Kage was in his human (or to be exact vampire) form and was completely naked. However, what would she do if he'd just change back? Would she be frightened? Why should he even care about something like that?

She said she was waiting right? That means someone was coming for her right? So there was no reason he should stay here, instead he should just get the hell out here already before he gets spotted by other creatures than her. But what happened if she told others about his whereabouts? What did he do if he can't even be safe in this cursed lands? Where should he go to?

So many questions went through his head, as another silence was brought upon them, where only the gazes met, trying to find answers. Then, all of a sudden Kage lift his head, started to sniff the air. He caught the smell of vampires. What did they do here? Kage started to panic as he figured that the smell grew stronger and stronger, getting even closer to where he was - they were. He wanted to change to his wolf form and quickly get away, but he can't seem to break free from the sight of that little girl in front of him.

If he went, they were definitely going to find her and surely will kill her, suck her dry. No doubt. He hesitated. Which was a mistake. A rustle was the prelude as he just went with his instincts. He changed forms to a wolf in the split same second and took the little girl without any warnings by biting the piece of her clothes - and immediately, he ran to the opposite direction where the vampires were coming in the best pace he could deliver with the girl hanging at the front.

But the vampires were close.

The brunette only weeped even more as he did not answer, the silence killing her inside. Some people do that, cry louder when it has become dreadfully quiet. She was one of them. After a few moments have passed, she tried to sit up. The dirt turned into mud from her tears, and it was extremely uncomfortable. However, if the child attempted to do so, her arms would not lock. Dahlia ended up just collasping again. She felt absolutely helpless.

Suddenly, Dahlia noticed that Kage broke their gaze for a split second, which was enough to get her attention. The brunette bit her lip in a attempt to quiet herself and listen, but in result only went into a coughing fit. Her throat burned terribly by now, of course from screaming so much. Dahlia only whimpered in between her hacks in self pity. However, that was short felt before she felt herself suddenly become airborn. She let out a paniced cry, not even sure what was happening to her right now.

There was a sudden screech deep in the dark abyss behind them, and it was not the little girl for once. Their eyes glowed a deadly shade of red as they chased after the two, their speed almost impossible for a human stature. Dahlia was so stunned with fear, she ended up passing out. You won't hear anything from hee anytime soon.

At first, she cried out so much it pained to listen to her. His hearing was sharp - too sharp for the sound she produced to not have some consequences. Nevertheless it died down slowly, perhaps it was as he shortly gazed behind, making sure whether the vampires had caught up with them or not. In this area, his sharp muzzle was a help, yet it was useless at some point having the stench of the forest to be even stronger than ever. And, to top it all, the girl was still struggling a little bit, and made it difficult for him to keep her hanging. However, as her cry died down, her struggle also ended - in fact she did not move at all.

Kage had not the time to worry about her though, but he was sure that she was just unconscious - or that was what he told himself to not panic. Did his teeth made through her flesh? He didn't even want to consider that possibility. He just ran - ran for his life, for her life. The forest began to become denser and even more difficult to slip through. Kage's experienced eyes found easily where to go and made his way through his forest without putting much thought into it. He knew exactly where to go and where it was not a good idea to step into - this forest was his home after all, and that probably was his only advantage.

The scent of vampires lessened and after awhile running away it completely disappeared. He had shaken them off. He was safe! Then suddenly -- rip! The cloth of the girl ripped and she slumped down to the ground. Luckily it wasn't a hard fall, and the ground without any stones. It however, scared Kage so much he checked her for any injuries. -- and checking whether she was even alive. As he lowered his head he heard it: Soft small breathing, coming from her like a melody. It seemed like a heavy burden fall down on him, relieving him. She was alright, she was alive.

Why did it matter to him so much though?

Kage frowned, didn't know what to do. Now he had brought her deep inside the forest, there was no way her kind could find her unless they were familiar with the woods. However, no shapeshifter, vampire nor human was as familiar as Kage within the dark forest, and thus that someone would be able to find the little girl was something he didn't dare to hope. It was hopeless for her. She could never survive in the forest alone... -- Kage was long just staring at the little girl who was dirty from the escape through the forest and got her shirt ripped. Observed her, and pondered. Just pondered.

TIME SKIP: NEXT MORNING

He learned much just lay in the dark and observing the human village, frightenly close to the dark forest. He learned there, that greeting someone was normal, smiling to someone is always well-received, helping each other was something they often do and wearing clothes are proper. It was as if he saw paradise, everyone being nice and friendly, violence and blood was never sighted. It turned to be some sort of hobby of his, watching those humans doing their everyday chores, or the little ones playing with each other. It was interesting, and something he had never known existed.

Perhaps that was why?

That was perhaps the reason why he carried the shapeshifter child to his cave, put around her a piece of blanket that he found somewhere and a new shirt, which even though a bit dusty was not ripped like her current shirt. He didn't dare to change her clothes, found it very uncomfortable to do so and thus only put it beside her, nicely folded with an apple upon it and wood bowl with water at the right of it. He himself was now in his human form, sitting outside his cave on a big rock and ate an apple, wearing a blank shirt and pants with actually putting on some underwear. It was a weird feeling, yet he tried to be considerate towards the little girl, didn't want her to be uncomfortable seeing him naked, but also didn't want her to be scared of his wolf form (that is, while he didn't even know what 'considerate' even means).

He sighed. Whether he regretted bringing her here - he did not know. He was just worried about what to do when she wakes up. Would he help her find her pack? No, definitely not, for him to go outside the forest and searching for shapeshifters was not heard of - it was him who usually was sought, was sought to be killed. But he couldn't just drop her outside the forest could he? He took another big bite of the apple, trying to suppress his undying hunger.

Dahlia would wake up, forcing her eyes open to see where she was. It was proven so much more difficult to do such a simple task. Her eyes burned, her feet were sore, her tongue was swollen from dehydration, and her stomach was all knots. The brunette softly complained to herself in little grumbles and glassy eyes. Her head hurt as she tried to process what had happened before she became unconscious. Was she dead now? Was she in Heaven perhaps? No, she couldn't be. If she were, then she wouldn't be feeling like this.

However, there was something... comforting about her surrounding. It was enclosed, just like at home. Dahlia was wrapped tightly in a warm, thick blanket, and there would be a meal waiting for her. That's exactly what supported her. Food. The girl pushed off of the ground with her arms and reached for the apple, struggling to bite into it. She was used to having her fruits smashed, or cut. This only made it all the while difficult for her.

After she polished the juicy red fruit off, she grabbed for the bowl of water. Dahlia slurped loudly, even licking some of the water off of the ground. In a way, it was a disturbing sight, but she knew proper etiquette. If you had been as thirsty as her, I wouldn't be surprised if you drank from a sewer pipe. The girl tossed the bowl aside carelessly, not even noticing the new change of clothes he had left for her.

By now, Dahlia truly believed she was home. That it was all just a horrible nightmare that'll haunt her for a few days. The girl quickly stood up on her feet, only to stumble down once more. She took in a sharp breath and called. "Mamaaah!!" She yelled excitedly, bouncing slightly as she waited. The girl would give her grandmother, or 'mamah', the biggest hug she had in her. The brunette would forever savour her embrace, and do whatever to please her.

At first he heard something clattering. It surprised him to be honest, but it was only apparent on him as a short flinch that went through his body for a mere split second. Slowly, he turned to his cave and then he heard the girl yelling: "Mamaaah!!" He was shocked, for her to call her mother in this situation. Did she not realise she was within his cave, in the depth of the dark forest? Did she really thought she was safe with her mother after all what happened? Kage couldn't understand the little girl one bit, merely frowned as she yelled, unmoving from his spot.

He was scared to disappoint. He didn't like it as she cried, didn't want to experience such thing again. Was that too much to ask? He felt heavy the expectations of the young child, being a burden on him to much he felt overexerted. This situation was too new for him, too odd and out of place he felt like wanting to escape. Actually it would be a good idea, after all he needed to hunt having his stomach getting mad since forever, as yesterday he had not eat much.

However he decided against it. For whatever reason there was.

He pondered instead, whether her yell demanding for her mother really meant she wanted to see her. From what he had observed in the human's village, often the little children cry for their mother asking for help. Yes! It seemed so clear to Kage all of a sudden - the little girl was just hungry, that is it! Quickly, he took another apples and slowly, with hesitating steps went closer to the cave. Now he was a bit hesitating, didn't know for sure whether he concluded the right thing.

He entered the cave anyways, being confronted by the little girl's big innocent eyes. "Do you... want more... apples?" He asked slowly while offering the apples in his hands, trying not to scare her away. But he was dressed now after all, although in rags but he was not naked, and even if his pale complexion might frighten people, he endeavored not to have a threatening expression on yet chose against to smile, knowing he wouldn't be able to.

Dahlia heard footsteps along the floor after a few moments. She got up to her knees as she was ready to embrace the elderly woman, but er expression of sheer joy quickly faded. Instead, she found herself stairing at a tall, lean man. His skin was as white as snow, and his eyes were almost black. He had an extremely familiar look, but this did not comfort her whatsoever.

"Do you... want more... apples?"

Dahlia stared at the fruit for a few moments, but for once, food was the last thing on her mind. She stared at Kage, shaking her head in disbelief. She took a step back, then another. She tripped over the small wooden bowl, which sent her falling back onto her bump. Did all of that really happen? Was she really abandoned? "... W... where's mamah?!" She demanded to know, her voice cracking.

It was obvious from her reaction, that what Kage had assumed was totally wrong. She was not hungry. She sought her mother like a child would - a feeling that Kage was very familiar with yet was distant to. What should he do? He didn't know... Too badly he hoped that he had not picked her up and brought her to his cave. It was a mistake he couldn't turn undone, a mistake he had to live with. Question was though, how? How to deal such situations? Never he had thought that he would ever be in this kind of situation, his imagination didn't run that wild.

The heavy burden was nothing Kage liked to carry, he simply wanted to get rid of it. Yet he couldn't. Before he knew what was happening, he approached the child and took out the apples, placed it in front of her in a safe distance not to scare her off. Then he didn't know what to do and just sat down behind the apples facing the entrance of his cave, in silence. He did not answer to her question, as he knew it wouldn't please her and he knew she should have figured the answer by herself by time anyways. It was an odd feeling that he wanted to comfort her, but he just knew nothing he could do. He was never someone who ever been comforted by anyone in his life, only hard fists and pain was what he got, no love and no affection.

What was someone like him suppose to do in those situations? "Do you know... who I am?" He asked eventually, very carefully to not make it sound threatening. "I have no intentions to harm you." As he added that, he himself was surprised by it. Was she going to buy that? If he was in her situation, he wouldn't. He continued anyway: "Vampires chased you. I assume your whole family is on the run." Facts. Anything but facts. But what can he do to make her stop looking at him with those saddened eyes? It pained to watch her, that was why he also avoided her glance even if that would make him suspicious in a way. "I don't know where your mother is, but you can only pray for her safety." Wouldn't that made her even more restless? Kage did not know. And what was that about praying? Kage did not know either, Kage did not believe in God. Yet he knew God's existence can bring peace to someone's troubled soul, so he mentioned that. Hopefully with the result he sought.

Dahlia stared at the creature with wide eyes, swallowing hard. There was silence for the longest time in her mind, waiting for him to say something. Anything. She read on Kage's face that he was pondering with his thoughts, as if he did not know what to do in such a situation. He seemed old enough to of had a child by now, and seeing that he was a animal, he'd have twice the instincts to mate with a female wolf. That's how it was in Dahlia's tribe, which is why the children outnumbered the adults by the hundreds. The brunette didn't have the slightest idea on the matter, accept men his age would at least of had one child. Then again, he was not a boar. Perhaps it was different for wolves?

The girl watched Kage's movements carefully, studying him as he rearranged the fruits and sat down behind them. Although he was turned the opposite way, Dahlia was very cautious. He could just turn around, grab her, and take a big bite out of her if he really wanted to. The brunette hesitated, but started to scoot closer to the apples. She looked up to Kage, then down to the apples, then back up to Kage. Dahlia suddenly pounced on the apple and quickly rolled away, stuffing it into her mouth with a victorious 'Mmph!'

Suddenly though, before she could swallow her fruit, the stranger spoke up. He asked if she knew who he was, and stated that he had no intentions on harming her. Dahlia slowly brought the apple away from her lips, studying him from a couple yards away. She couldn't exactly tell who he was, but it was as if she knew of him. No matter, before she could even think about who his identity, he talked about her mother's whereabouts.

The girl's eyes drooped. The apple had taken her mind off of her grandmother for such a small moment. However, a 'great' idea suddenly popped into her head. Dahlia got onto her feet, and struggled to make her way to the entrance of the cave. Her legs still would be in shock, therefore it was as if they were disabled. The brunette managed though, as she thought she'd just search for her grandmother. That's right, she'll find her! It shouldn't be too hard, right?

At the very least, she was eating the apples. Guess she was indeed hungry - or not. Kage had difficulties to figure her out. More like she was a riddle hard to solve, as she even got up on her two feet on her own, a little wobbly but she stood; as if she had made a decision. She went to the entrance to the cave with determination that Kage found hard to understand. Did she want to search for her mother? Didn't she just hear his words, or was he ignored?

Either way, Kage was a little offended by her actions which he made apparent in the words he spoke: "It is useless to try to find your family on your own. You barely even manage to walk! Not to mention you're in the middle of the cursed forest - you'll get eaten before you even realise that danger is approaching!" It was harsh, but the truth. There were several dangerous creatures lurking in the shadows of the big grand trees of the forest, just waiting for a foolish child to enter their territory and get eaten by them.

Kage stood up, glaring coldly at the little creature in front of him as he leaned at the entrance beside her. "Tomorrow, I'll take you to a human village close to here. As far as I know they are friendly to Shapeshifters. For now, rest." Were his orders that sounded resolute, which probably surprised him more than the little boar. He then just scratched his head, a habit he always did when he tried to think, went towards her but passed her without looking at her, and sat down on his original place. The rock at the front of his cave, where a basket of apples was waiting for him.

So he sat down, took an apple and chewed in silence.

Dahlia rested her hands on the entrance of the cave, staring off into the forest. She was trying to look for something familiar, somewhere to start. However, to no avail. All she saw was muck, sharp vines, twisty trees, and a gloomy sky. The brunette let out a complaining hum, knowing it was going to rain soon. She had not seen rain in almost two years where she was from, now it seems like it'd rain at least once a day.

Suddenly, the little girl turned her head to listen to Kage. He explained how useless her idea was, how she should just forget it. She couldn't survive out there. Although Dahlia heard his words, she merely looked back and tried to study the area once more. The brunette had to go, it was about to rain!

Soon, he was demanding her to rest, which... isn't exactly in the vocabulary of someone her age. Dahlia watched as he left his cave, wondering where he was going. She let out a loud, abrupt whine. Was he leaving? Was she going to be left alone again? Before she could go into another teary fit, Kage simply sat down on a rock before the cave. The brunette blinked her glassy eyes, feeling a sense of relief as her cry echoed in the cave. The boar then turned on her heal, and decided she'd just return to her blanket.

It was quiet. Once again. He could've sworn to hear her whining back then, but it seemed like he was mistaken. After awhile he slightly tilted his head towards the cave, only to find her within her blanket. A sigh of relief overcame him as the day passed by - and his hunger grew every second. There was a certain discomfort by the thought that he had to leave to fetch some food and thus leaving the little boar alone - yet he couldn't help but to do so. He had no choice after all, if he did not want to end up eating her eventually.

Suddenly, black clouds gathered in the skies, made the already dark forest darker than ever. After awhile, the first rain drops started to fall, immediately accompanied by its kind. It pattered loudly, covered his sense of smell. Not good, it wasn't exactly the best conditions to hunt. He withdrawed the thought to do it anyways and went back into his cave. No light, everything was black - he did not mind because he easily found everything with his muzzle's help, but the little boar?

Unconsciously, a great appetite started within him as he smelt her scent -with his stomach growling he could not help it at all. He hold back; which certainly was not an easy task to accomplish. "Hey!" Suddenly he shouted, which reverberated loudly within the cave. "I mean- what's your name? Tell me something, anything." It was a demand that he told rashly may or may not arrive as threat. In any way, his voice was muffled through the rain, and he also made sure he was within a safe distance from the boar. He merely wanted her to talk - just to get his thoughts distracted.

If she did not do so, he wouldn't be able to contain his urge to devour her any longer. At the end he was just that; a monster, a beast. He swallowed hard as he stretched his muzzle towards the cave entrance.

Dahlia stared down at her hands, slowly rocking back and forth with her blanket wrapped around her shoulders. So many things to think about, and how to do them. It was obvious he was not going to let her leave, which she could not tell if that were a good thing or not. It's okay though... soon, there should be a search party. Her grandma would find her, right?

The brunette picked up her head as she heard something unfamiliar. Was it the wind rustling the trees? No, no it couldn't be that, it was much too constant. Dahlia scooted up the cave a few yards up, and stared at the rain from a distance away. She had not seen anything like it, and it scared her. Was it going to flood the cave? Why is there water coming out of the sky? Water should be on the ground, not the sky!

Her gaze was broken by a shout from the quiet, slim figure.

"Hey!"

Dahlia gasped and scooted back. Perhaps she was supposed to leave the blanket behind? As he asked her to say something, anything at all, she looked back out the cave. Dahlia did not want to talk to this man, but she took in a deep breath.

".. Why... why is there water?" She asked in a timid tone.

".. Why... why is there water?"

Puzzled, Kage stared at the little figure who just asked something peculiar. What did she meant? At first, Kage was simply confused to what water she referred to, but the sound of the rain bombarding the ground got him the idea. He wondered though, how young she was now. How come she could already talk properly but not yet knew what rain was? That was simply unheard of! However Kage was obviously not someone to judge something like that, after all he knew nothing about how normal Shapeshifters grew up - he had no experience in that. Therefore he decided not to question her intelligence and thus the formed frown disappeared soon.

Silence.

It was not as though he could not answer it. But it was the question of how to illustrate it to her that she understood? "Because... it is raining?" Well, now Kage felt stupid. Had she ever heard of rain, he wondered? "And it's raining because--" Now he pondered once again as he remembered of that one conversation he eavesdropped from the villagers in human territory. "-- The farmers need their plants to be watered." He said then, unusually tired from thinking too much. He had a headache that wasn't going to be gone quickly and thus he laid down, put his muzzle away from the child with his eyes flutter a little bit, fighting against the tiredness.

Hopefully in the evening he'd have a chance to get rid of her in the village. Hopefully. There were other concerns and thoughts, pounding within his head restlessly, but it couldn't hinder him to finally find his sleep. Soon he was fallen from his own tiredness and took a nap as he rain slowly let down in its intensity until it was no more.

---

What Kage didn't know though, was that the vampires also invaded the village of the humans to still their hunger and regain their strength. Completely surrounded, the humans had no chance to survive - they were all slaughtered until there were no survivors. A blood bath of no mercy, man and woman even children were murdered like there was no tomorrow. Cries, screams and endless sruggle until death came to them.

A blood bath- that may or may not have started the first steps to a grand racial war...

Dahlia stared at the figure, shifting uncomfortably in her place. As she was met with silence and a surprised expression, Dahlia felt a little weight off of her shoulders. He was kinda funny, now that she thought of it. Her elders always had such stern, emotionless expressions, but then there was Kage. His face was still young. Although he was intimidating, the puzzled expression almost brought her to a smile.

She adjusted the blanket over her shoulders and stared at her feet, listening to the pitter patter of the rain against the cave. Soon, he explained that the farmers apparently need it. The brunette frowned, looking up at the stranger. She let out a doubtful hum, then spoke up once more. "... They do that 'emselves!" She almost shouted with a small hop in her statement. Dahlia talked as if it were completely obvious, and that surely was not the reason.

Soon enough, the stranger rested on the floor and started to doze off. She frowned in disapproval, suddenly forgetting her fear as she rushed over to him. She plopped down on her knees beside him, starting a small fit. "T-Tell meeee...!" She begged.

Kage almost drowned and dove into his dreamworld, as the boar's shout ripped him away from it and confronted him again with reality. Her voice seemed doubtful and her shout was unbearable - simply a bother. Why did she insisted so much? She completely changed from that frightened child to a bothersome little creature who was just being a pain in the ass. Can't she just trust his every word and be quiet for a once? Didn't she know he was holding back eating her up the whole time, was surpressing his hunger for her own well-being? Wasn't she aware of who he was?

Questions over questions circulated in his head, as that dumb little boar even dared to approach him- her scent lingered in Kage's nose more than ever before. So tempting, tempting, tempting... Honestly Kage was ready eat her up the whole time. Kage did not even perceive her begging cry, he unconsciously licked his lips-- but before he could do the inevitable he succeeded to transform back to his manlike appearance and bit his right hand instead. It was a hard bite, going through his skin immediately that blood flowed out of the wound, dripped to the ground like the rain outside.

With a grave expression on his face, his gaze laid heavy on the little creature in front of him looking straight into her eyes, as his injured hand slowly attempted to reach her face. The rain drops were getting fewer and fewer outside, until silence embraced their surroundings. The smell of blood lingered strong in the air; as his right hand seemed to frozen right in front of the boar's face. The blood still dripping to the ground. Drip.... drip... drip..., slowly but threatening was the sound. Kage himself was still staring deeply into the little Shapeshifter's eyes, not wanting her to come any closer than she already was. "Don't come close." His voice was menacing, his gestures without kindness. "Don't ever come close to me. Ever. Just sleep and be quiet until I can get rid of you." This girl was dangerous. In more ways than one.

Dahlia was hoping for a clearer answer to her question, but that is not what happened at all. First, the creature licked his lips. Now, she did not find this considering in the slightest, being that her elders liked their lips all the time when in thought. That led the brunette to believe that he was going to tell her what she wanted to know. With that, she stayed silent and narrowed her eyes. No use in nagging him anymore.

He appeared to struggle, as if he were uncomfortable or fighting something off. Dahlia started to question if he were sick or not. It was flu season after all. However, once he broke the skin on his hand with his teeth, the child looked at him with a horrified expression. She thought he was mentally sick, if anything! The little boar scooted herself back as she let out a complaining whimper, a warning that she did not like this. However, that would not help her situation in the slightest.

Soon, that bloody hand would reach out to her, as if it were trying to grab her. It pulsed constantly, and seemed to cringe its fingers. The smell was horrible, and the silence had returned to merely torture her more. Dahlia wanted to break eye contact, wanted to run. However, as Kage spoke, it kept her from doing so. He warned her to never come close to him, no matter the cost.

By now... Dahlia was not concerned about distance. Her gaze slowly fell on his dripping hand, staring at it with almost a pity like expression. "... Why did cha' hurt yourself, Mr. Wolf?" She asked. Apparently she did know what he was."I wish you didn't do that... now its sad... more pain for me and you."

The short-haired girl slowly got to her feet, brushing herself off. "... Naptime." She announced, turning on her heal and dragging her weight back over to her blanket. There, she plopped down onto her behind and pulled the cloth over her head. Wheter she did fall asleep or not was unknown.