Aleara-Rayn hart's Story

Times are changing. Gone are much of the forests, the clear rivers, the shining blue of the ocean. Gone now are the simple days where hunting meant survival, where the failure to do so meant death. Now is the era where technology and money rule. No longer are the immortals feared--at least by most. They are fantasized about, romanticized. Much of it is popular, but fictitious. The immortals are more vulnerable--and yet far stronger-- than ever. War is coming to the Race of Races.

Are you prepared? Which "side" do you pledge yourself to?

Michael -- 100 years ago(give or take)
Michael hummed to himself as he walked home, cheerful with a beautiful raven haired maiden wrapped around his arm. One of the girls serving drinks at the tavern he worked for; the plan was to take her home, meet up with his brother, walk with him until their paths parted for the night. Then get some sleep to prepare for the next night.
She's cute, he thought as he watched her walk through her door, But not what I'm looking for... He ran a hand through his hair, walking along with his eyes closed, the thin wire frames of his lenses in one hand. He didn't have to see his brother Remiel to know exactly where he was. There was a faint tug toward him in his mind--that and the fact the two met in the exact same spot almost every night. Everything was so normal as they began their way home...
That was the last "normal" thing about that night. Something grabbed him from behind, covering his mouth so quickly he dropped his glasses. Even if he could see, there was no time to react: pain shot through his ribs as a blade narrowly missed the critical spot, then through his neck, as though someone had stabbed him with a broken fork. His arms felt heavy, he was cold all over. He only vaguely saw a shape grab his brother in similar fashion as something was pressed to his lips; the sweet liquid was forced down his throat, but only for the first few gulps. After that, he had latched on, drinking deeply, for it was the only thing keeping him alive now....

Burning.... Something was burning.....


Michael--Present Day

Michael choked back a scream as he sat bolt upright, shoving his burning sheets off the bed onto the stone floor. Away from anything else that would catch, he coaxed the fire into dying down, every muscle trembling with the effort to control himself and get past the distraction. Without any conscious decision, he sought out his brother's mind, looking for some serenity, something to ground himself with. He glanced at the clock while he searched : two twenty-two. Lunchtime for mortals. Too early for him.
Once again, his past had ruined what should have been a good day's sleep. With a growl, he climbed out of bed, shoving his glasses so hard onto his face he cut the bridge of his nose. He stalked from his room, down the hall to his brother's, and sat in front of the door.

Al winced as yet another person bumped into her. Humans were rude and so distracted nowadays by the gadgets that hummed through the air. So distracted at looking at their clicking machines that they never noticed this lithe young woman covered in blood from her just under her left breast down her side and slowly spreading to her thigh. She was getting light headed from all the noise, smells, and of course loss of blood. Deciding to stand still, Al focused on the world around her narrowing down the scents and noise until she found the place she needed. After being bumped, yelled at, almost hit, and nearly tripped, Al made it to some random clinic. She walked up to the front desk for treatment. An Hour and a half later her side was sutured closed and she was officially broke. Never one to care about material things she headed out to explore and find food.

The internal clock was very useful to a creature who could not tell time. Having the inablilty to tell where the sun was at any given time caused very few problems when you were used to it. At the moment Al's inner clock (along with her stomach) was informing her that it was close to dinner time. She had gone most of the day without out food thanks to the hunter who decided to shoot her. Well, partcially the human's fault. If it wasn't for him she wouldn't have spend the last of her money on a healer. However, she couldn't fully blame them because after having left the clinic she ended up wandering around. She found a place to sit and listen to the chaotic music of the city. The sounds were enjoyable, but not something she would gladly spend the rest of her life listening to. It was like sweets, they always taste better when you don't have them everyday. Having a treat on rare occasions make the experience more memorable. Experiencing the city always made her somewhat happy (she did adore new experiences) but it also gave her some ditance from the forest so she would not become fully accostumed to the beauty of it. The mysteries of the wilderness could never grey with ehr system of years in the forest and a few weeks in a city or town.
Birds eventually landed near her sensing that today she would not be feasting on them. She sat on the grass petting the stray animals that mosied her way. As the hours passed Al's stomach finally had enough of being ignored and demanded food. Once saying goodbye to her new aquaintences, she got up and went hunting for human food. Her nose sent her to a part of the city with bars, pubs, and clubs. She slowed down in her search so she could locate the right place to eat. She may be a child of the forest but even she knew that the human world of cities and towns were not safe. She could be hunted by either humans or creatures such as herself. On the outside she looked relaxed and in a curious state of 'where to eat?' While on the inside she was on full alert.

Claw's Haven was quite loud when Al entered and she nearly winced at the volume. Although still early in the day, shifters bustled around, laughed, clanged tankards, and talked as if the building was packed from wall to wall. She shook her head and used her hearing and smell to guide her to the bar. A deep voiced man who seemed to be at least two inches shorter than her (not that she actually knew but his voice came from below) greeted her. "How may I help you on this fine evening, Miss?"
He was polite and had kindness in his voice. She liked these places where rivalries between shifter species and clans did not exist. It was a place to relax for a little while and pretend shifters weren't being hunted or having some sort of feud over territories. With a smile Al asked, "If I may, I would like something to eat and drink please. However," She frowned a little, "I do not have any money on me."
"How do you plan on paying?" He did not like turning any sort of shifter away but this place was a business and he could not hand out free food to anyone. He wondered what this lithe young woman would do. Would she offer her services to one of the men or women for food? It wouldn't be the first time, nor would it be the last. Would she turn and leave? Would she threaten him? He had a hard time reading her, even when he tried to scent and read her body language.
"I have this." She pulled out a gold pendant in the shape of a tree with three emeralds and two rubies on it.
The bartender whistled as he inspected the finely crafted piece of jewelry. "This is too much for the combination of food and drink. Do you have anything of lesser value."
Al shook her head. "Please, take it. Buy a round for everyone here and who enters until the price is paid."
"You must really want to get rid of it." The man looked at the woman hard and noticed twin scars through her full lips.
"I do." She despised that thing almost as much as she hated the man that gave it to her. It should have been something to cherish but instead it was a collar that chained her to him. "Actually, until I leave or run out of funds please use that as how to pay my meals. I do not know when I will be leaving here and thus I will need food. However, all those here may have a round on me."
"Yes, ma'am, as you wish. What would you like to eat and drink?" He pocketed the pendant and waited for her answer.
"Um..." Al cocked her head and scented the air for what the kitchen was preparing. "Steak and berries please with water."
"That's all?" Al nodded. "Take a seat at the bar and I will bring you your dinner." The man left to place the order as Al gracefully took a seat. The bar tender watched as she closed her eyes and waited, on occasion tensing whenever someone came too close. He found her interesting and had a strong desire to watch over her. He knew that this fragile looking woman could take care of herself (she had lived thus far and must know the ropes of survival), but his fatherly side was surfacing. His eyes scanned the room and noticed more than one shifter looking her way. She had a strange beauty to her that lapped against a person like the ocean brushing against the sand. She was beautiful in a haunting sort of way, almost as if she were a ghost. He continued to watch over her carefully while she stayed in Claw's Haven.
Once Al had finished, she thanked the man she knew had been watching her throughout the evening and left. It was dark now not that she was never out of the dark but her senses told her twilight had come. Less humans were out and the nightlife was waking. Although she knew she should run back to the safety of Claw's Haven, Al continued walking. She sang quietly to herself an ancient lullaby from her childhood as she walked back to the park to sit under the almost pregnant moon.

"Kinderly is now my coming/ into this world with teres and cry/ litel and povere is my having/ britel and sone I falle from hit/ sharpe and strong is my deying/ I ne woth whinder schal I/ foul and stinkande is my roting/ on me, Jhesun you have mercy" Al sang quietly with her head tilted back. Although in a world of darkness she always knew where the moon was. She wasn't swayed by it's constant waning and waxing, but the night wolf in her still found it soothing.
After the last repeat she stopped to think about it. She had asked her mother, well adopted mother, about it one night. It was old mother said, back in the dark times. It was about the life cycle and how a person must live morally, justly, and right so not to go to Hell. Al never believed in Hell or the man Jesus that the song cries out to in the end. She believed in the world and creatures around her. She believed in the life cycle. Where death is an important beginning for something new. Whether it be the deer to feed her or the leaves so plants of the nutrients to grow. Death was just as important as life.
She shifted to a more comfortable position only to wince. Her side was hurting her again and even though the doctor had given her medicine to alleviate the pain she didn't take it. Natural was how she did things, even when she was surrounded by humans for the first decade and some of her life. She would deal with it like every other time. Eventually, when the stores were opened she would find an alternative medicine place and find a way to buy herbs but for now she lived with the throb that came with healing. Thus she remained where she was so she could bask in the moon's light, shifting minutely so her wolf was just under the surface.

Michael
(Bloodlust)
Michael assisted the swaying human girl into a plush chair near the bar, running a hand through her hair before perching onto a stool and allowing himself to relax. He listened to the heavy thump from the music, tuning out the horrible, nonsensical lyrics so he could enjoy the display before him. The writhing mass on the dance floor was nearly as hypnotic as the swirl of the Balls and Galas at the palace, but with a genuine feel. These people were here to enjoy themselves, perhaps find a snack to take home for the night. New laws had been made that said they couldn't kill these take-home meals, simply because they were likely to be discovered. That made all of these humans even more comfortable around the nightlings they knew existed, and made it easier to find food that would willingly keep itself for a long time.

Galen
(Club/Bar District streets) Galen followed his Empathy toward the shifter pub with a frown. He wasn't supposed to go in there, but something was dragging him toward whoever was hurt inside. As he got closer, his gift helped him understand more: the young shifter was female. As was often the case with shifters, this was a hunting injury. A bad one. {i]She has care, though,[/i] he reminded himself. He and the barkeep were on good terms, so long as he didn't come in. The guy was good, although not meant to be an Angel so far as he could sense. He would take care of the girl.

We don't guard Immortals, Council... Why do I sense you want me to watch her...?

By one in the morning Al was wiped. She headed back to Claws' Haven and was given a room for the night. Her rest was fitful. There was fear, blood, pain, and demented grey eyes. Within two hours of falling asleep, Al woke up dripping with sweat, her pulse racing, and her body on the verge of shifting. It took her a minuted to curl into herself as a mind numbing pain shot like an electrical current through her body. She place her fingers on her side only to feel warm sticky liquid on them. Great, i popped a stich... Al carefully got up, her breathing ragged from the pain she was still in. She managed to make it down the stairs and to the bar where she requested bandages, a bowl of water, a candle with matches, a needle, and course thread.
"Ye sure you want to be doing that?" The barkeeper asked as he watched Al prepare to stich herself up.
Al gave him a painfilled smile. "It must be done. I have had to stitch up worse."
The barkeeper gave her a sad smile. He hated to know that such a girl had seen and experience so much that she could stitch herself up when she was clearly in unimaginable pain. "At least let me help you." He retrieved a salve that would calm and numb the area. An old friend of his had given it to him after his third bar fight he had break up. "Here, it will help keep the inflamation down and keep the pain away." Al went to object but he shushed her. "Take it or I'll put it on ye myself."
Al nodded, "Thank you." Then went to work on her side. The salve worked marvelously and she managed to not pass out. When she was finished, she retreated to the back corner where her blind eyes watched out the window. Her wolf had yet receed back to her dormant state. Something was coming and she feared what it could be.

Al was too restless to wait the night out in the tavern. Once her side was no longer hurting her and her wolf was a little less noticable, she headed back out. The night was even more alive than the last time she was out. She could hear the music from one of the clubs on the road and the heartbeats that thumped within the close proximity. At first all the noise that came with being in the city was overwhelming. So loud and different and all at once. This world, the human world was far too fast paced for her. Al adored the low key feel of the forest. She could take her time and enjoy everything her senses picked up. Or she could run and feel the breeze glide against her skin and fur. The world of creatures was far more lenient to adapt to how she wanted to move rather than the human world. Most places she had visted demanded that she move at the same pace or faster than everyone else.When she didn't she felt the annoyance and anger radiate from the people she was slowing down. She didn't like that. The only time the forest demanded that she move faster than she wanted was when she was hunting (granted she already was aware that she needed to move fast in order to catch her prey) or being hunted. She shook at the memories of all the time she had been chased and beaten. She unconsciously ran her slender fingers over her lips to where a scar ran through them.
The memory was so intense she had to stop for a moment as she continued to stroke her lips. She recieved many scars that time, ones that never seemed to fully heal. They would hurt on occasion causing her to have to pause and wait the pain out. She once asked another immortal if that was possible. If old scars could burn as if they were new. The hawk shifter looked at her sadly (well, Al thought she did, she smelled sad anyways) and replied, "They can. Sometimes because they never fully heal. Sometimes because the memory forces it to hurt." Al didn't like either answer but accepted it. The wise hawk knew far more than Al ever did and they were friends. When she finally came out of her head she realized she was standing outside a strange building. The scents coming from it were different; new. It smelled of death, life, and something she wasn't quite sure of.

Vince

With a satisfied stomach, Vince started prowling about the town. He decided to tour the place, get to know it better before finding his bitch. He could wait, a wolf could always wait out his prey. It was especially easy for him at the moment because her scent existed, but she was nowhere to be found. A part of him doubted that she even stayed in a human infested place. Much to Aleara's dislike he knew her quiet well. She wasn't fond of places such as this city because the stimuli could be too overwhelming for her extra sensitive ears and nose. Solid objects tended to make no sounds and if she wasn't careful, she would often run into things and more than once he found her because she left some blood behind. But she was a survivor, her being a live proved it. If she could live 20 years blind and a majority of her life alone, she was a survivor and the perfect mate for him. A sadistic smile croseed his lips as he thought of her and everything he would do to her once he claimed her.

As his mind wandered to the woman that fled from him, he charted the city. Few immortals existed on the human side of it. There apparently was a separate area, not that the human's seemed to notice, specifically for creature like him. Even that was segregated more into each species type. He stood at the crossroads between the shifter side and vampire. Would she have found sactuary with her own kind? Or would she have tried to throw him off by slipping through the immortal's territory that tried to kill them everyday? It wouldn't have been the first time the little tramp entered enemy territory and yet she somehow always survived. Tapping his lips he decided to explore the human side more before entering immortal territory.

Aleara

She felt eyes on her the longer she stood infront of the strange building. She couldn't tell what they were thinking (she wasn't psychic), but she had a feeling she wasn't exactly welcomed. It had been a while (too long perhaps) since she'd been to a large city and couldn't' remember if she would cause problems if she saited her curiousity and went in to explore. She meant the creatures inside no harm, but that didn't mean they wouldn't find the act a declaration. She didn't want that. Her choice however was decided for her when blood wafted her way. Her head turned as she scented the air. It was a strange mixture of stale and slowly dying blood. Al's skin started to crawl the closer her feet brought her to the source. She was hidden in the shadows of the borders between species when she heard a female voice utter, "Shifter-" Before dying. It is strange to know or witness a vampire dying. She silently crept backwards into an alley, not wanting to be caught by the two imposing men that were still with the dead woman.
How she never realized there was another near her, Al will never understand. Unlike most, she tended to alwasy ne aware when beings were near due to her non-visual senses being so developed. But by the time she did, she had already bumped into the silent being. She jolted a little before spinning with a startled expression. "Sorry." She whispered, hoping the immortal would not want to harm she. She was still hurt and very little compared to fighting with a stitched side.

Vince

Stupid bitch. Vince growled to himself as he limped back to the woods that surrounded the city. He trotted through it, snapping at every creature that happened across him. When he came to a stream he stopped to wash himself. Vampires were repugnant smelling; he wanted to throw up. He had to admit though, it was the most stimulating fight in a very long time and it proved how strong he was. He preened a little at the knowledge that he defeated, no killed the stupid bitch. Huh! and the supernatural world claims shifters are one of the weakest immortals there is. How foolish of them, they all deserve to die.
After cleaning his wounds, he tracked down a nice den to rest in. Once the stupid creature that once lived inside it was taken care of (Vince would be saving it for later), he made himself comfortable. It would take about two full days to heal, he would be back on the prowl in about a day.

Aleara

The man's accent soothed her (it reminded her a little of when she lived among humans) as much as the calming feeling he was sending her way. It unnerved her a little that he could influence her, but she was never one to judge. If he meant her harm, he would act and Aleara would know never to trust him. For now however, she accepted tha feeling and gave a tight smile before turning to face the scene once again. Shaking her head, she replied lappsing back a little into her own Irish accent, "No. I came across the smell as I was walking." She lifted her head to scent the air but found the odors were too mixed. "The scents are too corrupted though for me to differenciate what the other specie's might be. The older the vampire is, the harder it is to distinguish the vampire's natural scent from its... donor's or in this case the attacker." She itched under her nose, the strange mix of stale, decay, nature, and hormones maded her want to sneeze. She bit her lip as she looked back at the man with a unique scent. "If the attacker is not another vampire, what does this mean for us?"

Aleara

Dread filled her as she started stroking the twin scars down her lips. This couldn't happen again. She felt like a curse; wherever she went trouble brewed. Part of the reason she lived in the forest and rarely interacted with human dwellings or other immortals was because trouble tended to follow her. The perfect example was the Windrunner Pack. She was only supposed to be there as a guest and ended up causing blood to be spilt. She shook the memory from her mind as she drummed her fingers.
Her heightened hearing picked up the vampires talking about leaving. "If I can get close enough to the body I might be able to sift through the scents. It is possible to pick up an abnormality as long as no more than seven scents are mixed." Al gave the stranger a grin as she tapped her nose. "A wolf's sense of smell is most useful at times." Then she cocked her head, hair swishing at the sudden movement. "Though incredibly troublesome when entering a city after a long time away from... humans. It seems the vampires do not wish for a fight and I too hope to prevent it." She bit her lip before giving a graceful curtsie bow. "I am Aleara-Rayn, a pleasure to meet you."

Aleara

"Thank you for the advice Galen." Al bowed my head and moved some of her unruly hair aside. "You sound as though you know these two particular vampires well. When you say ruthless, do you mean that if provoked they will show no mercy or never cross their path or they will attack? I want to know who I am dealing with if I am to remain in the city longer than a few days." Using the wall Al made her way half a foot from the exit of the alley. She inhaled as deeply as she could trying to take in the vampires' scents. It was difficult and hurt her head trying to sift through all the scents demanding her attention. Finally though she was able to tag them: Damp soil and charred, fabric and fire.
Stepping back into the alley she turned back to the man trying not to wince. The throbbing was back in her side, but she tried to push it away so Galen would not have deal with the pain she was feeling. "And if you do not mind me asking..." She looked down shy and unsure if she should ask. Invasion of privacy and all. "What are you?" She felt her cheeks burn. When the heck did she become bold enough to ask a stranger this? "I have never met another that smells like you."

Vince

Vince was sleeping soundly. He was in the middle of a nice dream where he's found his little bitch and was teaching her, her place. He rumbled low in his chest as Aleara's screams filled his ears and he smiled in glee. He was in the middle of pinning her down when he bolted upright, eyes scanning the immediate area. Someone was coming...