Welcome to Gaia! ::

She hadn't done anything wrong, he just wanted to get through the mountains before the sun was fully in the skies over head. Nik looked back as Ijn jumped and moved closer to Kris, chuckling lightly he stopped and waited for them to catch up. Kris had looked down at Ijn and smiled as the echoing of the cave frightened her. He supposed that anything could frighten one like her, being in a new place for the first time.

"The creatures are just echos. Your voice and ours bouncing off the walls of the cave." Kris explained the best her could. "

"And they follow you no matter where you go while in the caves." Nik nearly shouted just to listen to his voice echo off the walls. "But they are nothing to be scared of, just think of it as a friend who likes to mimic."

Nik started walking again as Kris had caught up to him. Breaking past the exit of the cave he entered the trees on the other side. Ones that grew thick, dark and ever looming, ones that could hold many dark things. Past the small string of trees the sounds of water thundered from the far side to splash into the pool at its base. Ah home, the boys seemed to light up and give fangy smiles as they looked around. Everything seemed the same to thim, Kris watched Ijn for her reaction to the place.

"Here we are." He smiled looking back around the mountain surrounded glen. "And over there's the waterfall." He pointed toward the sound of water.

Nikolas had broken off from them and headed over to the dark trees where he would bed down for the day, the trees made prefect cover from anything and just about everything, but the snows that would come. Kristopher followed behind Ijn, though slower as he knew where she was headed. Stopping behind her as she gasped at the waterfall that roared from the cliffs over their heads and thundered into the pool at its base. There it seemed tranquil the pool emptied out a small river that vanished into an undergrouns channel.

"If you play in the pool, just becareful not to stray too close to the river's mouth. You might get sucked under." He pointed out in clear warning. "Go under there and you might not make it out until you reach the other side."

Looking down at Ijn, he nuzzled against her before looking up. The sun was already peeking over the mountains around them. The light hit the thundering water and within the mists an assortment of color appeared as many rainbows flickered in and out of it. It truly was a wondrous place, off to the side of the small valley was a meadow where butterflies seemed to bounce from flower to flower. Birds nested in the dark trees that surrounded the outer wall. There were more secrets here then one could find...

"Come on, you must be tired. Nikolas might have already beaten us though." He chuckled shaking his head some at the thought of his brother.

Kristopher nudged at Ijn, aiming to push her into the pool before stepping into it himself and sinking up to his chest in the cool water. His tail slapped the pool's surface as he watched Ijn, oh the water felt good after a long run like that. Moving a round a little he pulled himself back to shore and shook off, small droplets of water flying here there and everywhere. Smiling he turned toward where his brother was sleeping.

"Come on, we'll rest now." He said slowly walking over toward his sleeping brother.

Nikolas hadn't been really sleeping at the moment. He was watching Kris 'play' with Ijn. Shaking his head he closed his eyes and pretended to be asleep when the come over. Shifting, Nik got more comfortable he dozed, feeling that real sleep would come when they were all bedded down and resting together. He had a feeling that Ijn was as tired as the rest of them. though he was surprised that she made it at all, being as young as she was. But that only made him smile, she was strong and a survivor. She had a good chance at living their way.

Kristopher shifted to lay himself with his tail near his brother's head and his own head by his brother's tail. Given the look of perhaps a yinyang with Ijn in the middle. Already the morning birds were starting to sing as the brothers yawned, revealing their fangs once more before they vanished again.

"Good night little sister," They both said before their eyes completely closed and dreamless sleep over took the brothers.

Though their ears still twitched atop their heads, they heard not the birds of other forest folk that came to life during the day. The sun would rise and shine over the small valley in the mountain, it's warm rays seeping through the foliage over head and down onto the sleeping trio. There might have been myths or stories that vampires couldn't stand the sunlight, that it hurt them. As this sunlight dappled off Nik and Kris's coats, it neither hurt or bothered them.

Slowly the day waned away into the night hours where the brothers would slowly wake to the cool grasp of twilight. The sky littered with thin clouds, clouds of all colors and shades. Though neither wanted to really wake up and get things on the road, Nikolas was the first up and moving around. Kristopher remained asleep for at least a few more minutes. Moaning in his sleep about not wanting to get up so darned early...

Kristopher watched Ijn as she stumbled into awareness of the dusk, his brother had yet to raise his head from the ground, but his eyes were open just a bit. Nikolas watched the foal stumble and soon pick herself up again, this time without stumbling. Lifting his own head and yawning, fangs showing themselves for a moment before hiding again. Nikolas joined them in standing, though he stretched a bit oddly quite feline like in some ways before shaking out the grass from his coat and hair.

"Well good morning little sister." Nikolas smiled stepping past her and over to the pool to get a drink.

"Did you sleep well?" Kris asked as he stepped over to Ijn and picked a few blades of grass from her mane.

Kris stepped over to his brother to get a drink himself, though at times it help no real purpose, they preferred other things to quench their thirst. Straightening, Nikolas' ears twitched as something had caught his attention. Something stirred within night, he could feel the predatory feelings come over him, but he ignored them... For the sake of Ijn at least. Something like that would more then likely scare the poor dear into leaving and not looking back.

"Now for breakfast. Traditionally, we'd have something... Warm, but today we'll stick to things that everyone can... Eat." Nikolas tried explaining, but not hunting felt alien to him.

"In other words, lets see what berries haven't been eaten already." Kris chuckled at his brother whom gave a small grin.

"Of course, food first then the training. But one lesson will have to wait for last as it's one that no one would like to learn." Nikolas nodded to his brother as both didn't really want to teach to small foal to 'hunt'. "Well lets get going." He said after a moment, "the darkness is waiting." Turning away from them, he headed out past the caves without them to search for food inside the small valley. He would get something... Else.

Kristopher watched his brother leave before looking back to Ijn. She looked at him with that sort of expression that made him feel like just spilling out everything, but that would come in time, when she wasn't quite as frightened of what he would be telling her. Stepping along the fringes of the small valley he looked at the black bushes.

"No, no, nothing's wrong. Nikolas still favors the old ways." he began before looking back at Ijn. "I suppose I should start everything with telling you what we were/are."

A small sigh escaped Kris as he nosed at the brambles that hid the bitter black berries. Small scratches cut across his muzzle before he pulled out some small black berries that had been hidden in the back of the bush. It seemed that some had ripened while the brothers had been away. All the better, dropping the berries before Ijn, he fished around for more to eat himself.

"As you might have noticed, Nikolas and I aren't exactly... Normal. It was a long time ago, but we were once the most fearsome of our kind. Not really the form you see, but another, one I vaguely remember. We hunted and fed on our... Prey. A mirror we were considered, because we were so much more alike then now." He paused nibbling on a branch of berries before releasing the thorns and looked back at Ijn. "Those we bound to ourselves were marked with out names on their body. Then there were others that were... Less then fortunate." There he paused again to let the information sink in before speaking again, hoping to not scare her worse then their first meeting...

Kristopher pokes at the bushes again tugging at the berries to eat himself, while he knew that Nikolas was seeking something more... Living to eat. Or at least get a taste of before returning to them. Kris looked back toward Ijn as she seemed happy to eat what was put before her. As if she didn't get berries too much when she was with her family. Turning his gaze toward the skies he pondered the question that was given to him. Yes, what were they? That was a good question to ask, he didn't know where to go from where he had left off.

"We were the damned." Kris put quite bluntly. "Creatures of night and shadow. Feasting off others and turning some to be of our own and bonding others to do our bidding if the time arose. You could call us the weaker version of Kalona for we didn't eat the meat of others. Just the life force that is within out veins. I have grown to accept that I can no longer take from those that do not wish to give." He looked over toward where Nikolas had vanished and would return to. "But Nikolas refuses to accept it and will do anything to take back what he had once been. Even if it means trying to bond you to even himself."

Shaking his head he noted that his brother was returning lapping at the crimson that tainted his lips. He could only wonder what poor thing fell that night, but didn't ask as his brother walked over to the pool and dipped his head to drink. The water would clean the crimson from his muzzle and clear it from his teeth as to not scare the foal in his care. Rather his brother's care, he would just instruct. Standing again, Nikolas looked over toward them, black eyes seemed alive when before they were just that, darkness. He had fed and fed well it seemed, where Kris was still eating and would be for a while to gain what he had gotten.

"Telling the age old tale again brother?" Nikolas asked as he looked down at Ijn. "Well everything is true, we are what we are. Now mere shadows and you will learn to move with the shadows. As you have seen the way we move, quick and agile. That is one way to catch prey, and another to escape the dangers that the shadows might also hide." He glanced around, the calm of the valley wasn't enough. They needed more wild places, where the shadows were just seeping with danger.

"Don't even think it Nikolas" Kris glared at his brother, knowing well what was going through his head. We are not going there. Not until she's ready."

"I wouldn't dare it brother, that kind of danger is too much for a foal anyways. Wolves were always the most fearsome things on this planet." Nikolas nodded rethinking what he had been thinking. So much for that fun. he thought to himself looking at Ijn. ""Nah, well just have to get your speed up before taking a trip through the darker reaches of our travels."