William:
Will sat on the bank of his pond, looking out across the still water. The sun had set and darkness was settling on the land, though there was still just enough light in the sky. If he looked up, he could see just a couple of stars starting to come out. But he didn't look up, his gaze was focused on the water in front of him. He was getting weak again, his mind too distracted with thoughts of his captive songbird, his captured star, to focus on his hunting. He had tried the day before and the day before that to no avail. Everything he went after slipped through his paws as if he were a pup again and not the full-grown vampire he was.
But if his efforts had no result, at least he had come to an important conclusion. He couldn't keep Ariel, not anymore. It was hurting her and he knew it was wrong. It wasn't him. But then, he wasn't sure he really knew himself anymore. He had tried flirting with all the girls, but he'd ended up falling for one who would never love him in kind, had tried being cold and cruel, but he knew deep down he couldn't hurt Ariel. He'd tried being quiet, tried being sweet, tried being confidant, charming, and smooth.
But nothing had worked. And was it really him, or was it just an act? He didn't even know himself. A brief look of pain crossed his face before he settled down, curling up on the raised bank, where the ground fell straight down into the water, waiting for Ariel.
Ariel:
Ariel saw a shadow fall across the water and turned her head up surprised. She had been uncertain about Will's return, luckily her new home had fish as well. She swam in a slow uncertain circle still feeling hurt by the way he had trapped her and then just left...at first she had thought he was just lonely and wanted her company. Seemed she wasn't very good company though because Will couldn't seem to stand to be near her for very long. She sighed and finally swam up, he was her friend after all it would be cruel to ignore him.
"Will..." she murmured and swam over and pushed her hair back. I missed you, she wanted to say but the words stuck unhappily in her throat. What was the point in saying it when she doubted he had missed her or even cared if she had wanted to see him.
William:
Will's eyes glanced over to where Ariel had broken the surface and he gave her his best smile, something caught between tender, charming, and soft, though he felt hollow inside. He stood and did his best to keep his smile even as he ached both mentally and physically.
"Ariel," he replied, his response just a little less soft than her greeting. She looked sad to him and he had a feeling he knew why. She needed to go home. He realized now that by trying to keep her, he was dulling her. The longer she stayed, the less bright his star was. He couldn't hurt her anymore.
The young vampire looked away, doing his best to freeze his face as he spoke.
"You miss your home, don't you?"
Ariel:
Well, that was it then it seemed he was finally tired of her, she tried not to look hurt. Going home would be the best thing for her after all, she would see Xylia again and...and live her life. She gave a tiny nod holding back tears. "You know I do..." She murmured softly uncertain what else she could say. She did miss her home, but oddly she had missed him just a bit more.
"Will...you could come with me...my home is secluded too, theres dens near there...we could be..." She bit her lip realizing it would be pointless to try and convince him to leave this place. He obviously liked his isolation.
William:
Will nodded slowly at her affirmation, doing his very best to keep the pain from his eyes as he held out a paw to her. He would take her back and go about his life... Whatever that was.
But then she offered for him to come with her. A part of him leapt at that but his sensibilities crushed it firmly back down. His gaze flicked away and he shook his head.
"I can't, Ariel. I have too much here, the family, the buffer..." He trailed off, reminding her of the muskrat family he promised to protect and how though his territory was small, it was near the edge of the reserve, between the border and most of the other good-hearted otters of the Oasis. Though he would never admit it to anyone else, he knew full well that he was just another layer of protection keeping the very evil away from the innocent.
Ariel:
"Oh...of course..." She murmured softly and forced herself to nod a bit. She couldn't be selfish and expect Will to just leave his home and everyone he kept safe. She moved to push herself up out of the water sitting on the edge of the bank before holding out her paw feeling silly for needing help to get home.
She felt an ache in her chest but pushed it down with a deep breath trying to maintain her smile. He was probably only too glad to see her go, for all she knew her singing annoyed him.
William:
Will helped her up onto the bank and slipped under her, so that she could rest on his back. He had no idea how she could be so light, surely she ate enough? Had she lost weight while he had kept her? Had she been eating enough? Concerned thoughts chased themselves through his min and he almost winced. He knew he wouldn't have to worry about her anymore after this, at least in theory. But he also knew he still would. He would come to her river some nights, just for a glimpse of red hair or a snatch of song. And it would hurt, but he was doing the right thing, for once.
He started walking once she was settled, but the silence deafened him after just a couple heartbeats.
"Ariel... Could you sing? Not too loud but... just a little bit?" he asked, staring straight ahead as he walked. He didn't want her attracting any attention from the forest around them, but oh how he wanted to hear her sing again, just this once.
Ariel:
She nuzzled her cheek against his back feeling the fabric under her fur and holding back a sigh. "I'm sorry you have to carry me..." She murmured softly against his ear. It really wasn't surprising he was taking her home, she wondered how he had tolerated her this long. Mer otters were just a burden on land otters, and no doubt if a land otter was stranded under the water it would be hard for a mer otter to keep them safe and alive.
She lifted her head a bit startled that he wanted her to sing before nodding softly. "Okay..." And here she had thought she had annoyed him with her songs. She murmured softly at first before her voice slowly built up into a soft melody.
"When you wish what do you long for? Whats right for you, might still be wrong for me, but we might agree. That dreaming is something we both know how to do, you wish upon that evening star, and hope that it comes true. Dreams connect us even when we're far apart...cause dreams come from inside your heart. I know I'm not really part of your world, but deep in my heart...I'm just like any other girl!"
William:
A lump welled up in Will's throat at Ariel's nuzzling and the words of her song. Or, how it would have been nice to have dreams. He thought he had them, at some point, but he swiftly learned it was simply easier to just live each day, to go through the motions of life. Dreams and wishes, hopes had only let him down, left him beaten and bruised on the floor of his empty den, surrounded by his work.
They were at the riverside in no time at all, Will hating his feet for being too swift. And as if to repay him, just as they neared the tree line, they crumpled beneath him, sending him face-first into the grass. He had been so distracted by Ariel, he'd allowed himself to grow weak again. Not terribly so, but... he would need to feed soon, very soon.
"Are you alright?" he asked in a strained voice, attempting to glance over his shoulder at his... precious cargo.
Ariel:
Ariel's song came to an jolting finish as Will stumbled and her paws flew to his shoulders before she pushed herself off worried. "Will? Are you alright?" She looked at him intently and then blushed. "I'm sorry..." She knew how swift and graceful he was, when he wasn't carrying fish on his back. She sighed softly and then looked at him closer her brows drawing together in concern as she moved closer. She softly nudged Will's chin up and tilted her head before frowning.
"Will you haven't eaten!" She stated accusingly and poked at his chest softly. She looked down at her now dry paw worried, she would be in a worse state then him soon if she didn't get back in the water.
William:
"It's not your fault," Will replied and slowly picked himself back up. He slipped a paw under hers and frowned at how dry it was.
"I said I'd take you home," he mumbled and with a soft grunt of exertion, he had her back on his back and striding swiftly into a shallow part of the river. He slipped her off into the water then and laid down, his head and front paws resting on a rock just high enough to keep his mouth above the water. He'd overestimated himself, he was tired and hungry and he didn't know which he wanted more.
Well, he wanted Ariel more, but that was beside the point. She was home now and he should go too, but at this point he wasn't even sure if he really could.
Ariel:
Ariel tried to protest but Will was stubborn, she slid into the water and gasped softly glad to feel the moisture seep back into her fur, into her skin. She relaxed slowly and then looked at Will worried moving to softly touch his cheek. "Will? You have to eat..." She nudged softly up against him and tilted her head.
William:
Will smiled, settling into his damn truthful phase. He looked up at her for a moment before nuzzling at her shoulder.
"I don't want to hurt you anymore," he replied, likely making very little sense to her. Hell, he barely made sense to himself anymore. Everything was convoluted and his world just kept flipping over and over again and it was all he could do to hang on and try to adapt. Of course, his adapting hadn't gone very well, but at least he'd gotten some starlight in his life, even if it had only been for a little while.
His darker side snapped at his hesitation and he sighed before biting her where shoulder met neck. He wouldn't take much, he didn't want to hurt her.
Ariel:
Ariel clung to him a bit startled by how suddenly he moved, she relaxed slowly against him the sensation of being fed off of was a strange one. It was almost like slipping into warm thick water until every part of her felt floaty and airy. She nuzzled softly against Will not realizing how her movements would cause his fangs to burrow or rip into her delicate skin. She hummed softly her eyes slowly drifting shut.
Connor:
There was the sound of crashing branches and a light blur dove from the trees and knocked Will away from Ariel as soon as his fangs left her neck. Connor stood in the water, his eyes glowing darkly as he snarled at the blond vampire, his body between him and the red-haired female. Where had this one come from? He thought he knew all the vampires in the Oasis, but this one was new to him. And he was in his area, openly feeding from a helpless female.
Rage building inside of him, he lunged at the other male.
William:
Will pulled back after a few moments of feeding to make sure Ariel was alright. There was a small, tender smile on his face and a paw rose to her cheek. But just as it brushed the fur there, he was knocked away from her, sent tumbling into deeper water. He sputtered as he stood to find a light-colored angelic otter staring him down, keeping him separated from Ariel.
"What the-" he began, but the other male attacked again and it was all Will could do to get out of the way in time for the winged male to rush past. He was still weak, and when his attacker turned quickly and barreled at his side, Will didn't have the reflexes to dodge again.
And so he found himself rolling back towards the bank, gouges taken out of his shirt and chest.
Ariel:
Ariel gasped softly as she felt Will suddenly pulled away from her, or was it pushed? Her vision swam and her shoulder stained with still flowing blood. She swayed and gave a soft concerned cry before her grip loosened too much and she sank down into the water. Will...She thought and tried to clear her senses, tried to come back up out of the gentle lull.
Melantha:
Melantha heard a sudden cry and blinked, she headed towards the sound curiously. Was a mini wounded? She wondered to herself and felt her mouth fill with saliva before pushing the wicked thought down. If it was she would find it and...help...and maybe just take a little taste. She was supposed to meet Connor for a hunt, but he was hard to locate at times.
William:
"Ariel!" Will gasped as he watched her sink into the water. No, no! He couldn't have hurt her! Adrenaline finally kicking in, he sprang back up and rushed at the winged male. They locked in a grapple for a moment before Will flung him away and rushed to his star.
"Ariel? Say something, please," he pleaded as he lifted her up just enough to push the hair from her face and to get a look at the damage he'd done.
Connor:
Connor rolled for a bit after being flung from the vampire, his head cracking against one of the riverstones. It took him a moment of shaking his head and blinking to clear it, but once he had, he found the vampire was holding his victim again, no doubt about to finish the job. Claws unsheathed, Connor ran at his opponent's back. It was in bad form, but he knew there was no other way to fight a vampire. Do what you could to win, that's what mattered.
Melantha:
Melanatha moved closer and then heard her brothers voice, her brothers voice calling Ariel? Oh no! Had something happened to the pretty mer otter while Will had been away? She ran her paws rushing quickly over the terrain. She was stunned to find Connor, connor about to lunge at her brothers back?!
"No! Will!" She jerked forward and then ran to knock Connor out of the way. "Stop it!" She snarled at him her eyes glowing feral red.
Ariel:
Ariel moaned softly her neck felt tender and the puncture wounds there were still open though the bloodflow had slowed with the water and matting of her fur on the area. She tried to nod she wanted to tell Will that she was alright and to look out for whatever the golden blur was that had pushed him away. Her tail gave a weak flip in the water and she slowly raised a paw against Will's shoulder. "M'okay..." She murmured softly.
William:
Will's heart leapt at the sound of her voice, soft as it was. Unable to stop himself, he pulled her up and into a tight hug, his face burying into her shoulder.
"I thought... I'd lost you," he said, his voice shuddering slightly as he held her. He knew it was neither the time nor the place for it, but he couldn't stop himself from clinging to her and he heard Melantha there, knew she would watch his back. That he thought he might have killed her... It would have stopped his heart. He pulled back to look at her face, his expression finally open and honest with her, showing all the hurt and sadness and worry and affection he had for her.
"Ariel, I-" He left off there with a jerk his eyes going wide.
Connor:
Connor dodged Melantha, his eyes gleaming with a feral ferocity, something foreign and malicious. He was beyond reason now, trapped in the demon mind his father had given him. That was his weakness. Once he got too far along, he became what he hated, a cold killer who would fight until either himself or his opponent was felled. And it was not going to be him, not tonight.
He was faster, faster than he had normally been, and with his wings added, he swopped around Melantha, landing behind the vampire male so that he could stab his claws as deep into the vampire's back as they could go.
Ariel:
Ariel clung to William trying to show him she was alright, she was just drained from the mild blood loss and the dry journey. She tried to lean up a bit more eager to reassure him. Her body seemed to grow heavy eager to rest and recover. She moved a paw softly against Will's cheek and watched a bit surprised at his new expression. He was looking at her like more then a friend...as if she really meant something special to him. "I'll be okay..." She whispered softly and then her ears perked as he spoke. She slid back into the water as Will was jerked and tried to cling to him. "Will!" She gasped out.
Melantha:
Melantha gasped and ran up behind Connor furiously leaping on his back and trying to yank him back by his neck. "GET OFF MY BROTHER!!!" She snarled and bit at his ear.
Connor:
Connor was yanked backwards and fell, doing his best to roll so that he could jump up again and attack. But Melantha's paw was around his neck, her teeth in his ear. And her words. That finally knocked some sense into him and he paused, his inner demon retreating slightly, hissing at the interruption.
"What??" he growled out, trying to kick her away
William:
With the claws taken out of his back, Will, sank into Ariel's hold, his body shivering from the pain. He'd been in plenty of fights, but he'd never been stabbed like that and never when he was weak. The pain was beyond what his mind could describe. He couldn't help but wonder if that was what dying felt like. But it couldn't be, he knew if he were to die, it would be slow from starvation or sunburn or nearly instantaneous by losing his heart or his head. So how could he die slowly from being stabbed in the back?
"I never... wanted to hurt you," he whispered into Ariel's ear, his eyes closed and his teeth grit against the pain in his back.
Melantha:
Melantha snarled and leapt off his back moving to circle him warrily. "Thats my brother...what do you think your doing attacking him?" Her ears fell back unhappily as she glared at Connor.
Ariel:
Ariel felt Will's sudden weight and she struggled to cling to him, to keep herself above the water and his body as well. "You haven't hurt me Will...your the very best. I..." She buried her nose against his neck and nuzzled him. She wanted to tell him how much he had come to mean to her, how badly she wished they could share somekind of life. How she wished that love were enough...but she knew better. She couldn't say those kinds of things, Will would feel guilty, he was too good a friend to ruin all that with silly declarations of love. After all love wouldn't replace her fins with feet, she would still be bound to the water and he would still be bound to the night.
William:
Will shook again and his paws curled into fists at her back. He hurt so much, inside and outside, but he needed to left go of her. He couldn't keep her caged. He wanted to laugh with the irony of it.
"I just can't get it right," he murmured before pulling away from her and trying to move away. Everything hurt and his legs gave out, but he tried to stand back up so that he could leave and slink back home and curl up in his so very empty den. Only there, in the quiet darkness, could he allow himself to free his warring emotions.
Connor:
Connor stood slowly, shaking his head to clear the demon from it. He blinked at Melantha, looking from her to the vampire male. There was no resemblance, but he should have, could have guessed they would be related. But then why was he feeding on the mer female??
He glanced over at the pair, saw the male shaking and wounded, but he left the female, when he could have fed and restored his strength. The realization dawned on him that he had been wrong, very wrong.
Giving Melantha a pained look full of regret, he launched himself into the air, intent on the trees.
Ariel:
Ariel reached a paw out trying to stop Will trying to call him back but she was so very tired. She slid down from the bank into the water and frowned. "Will..." she murmured softly watching him go unhappily and yet uncertain of what else she could do or say for him to stay.
Melantha:
Melanath frowned and looked at William and Ariel, fool brother of hers leaving the mer. Didn't he see how much he meant to her? Didn't she see how much she meant to him? She looked at Connor and then saw the sudden realization sweep over his face. She reached up with a shout. "Connor wait!" She sighed as he flew off and then shook her head. Poor connor...he must have thought her brother a monster for feeding from the mer. Will was no monster, he was lucky to have Ariel she offered her friendship and even her blood with kindness and generosity. She inhaled and ran her tongue over her fangs. Oh god but the mer smelled good...and Connor was gone...and William was gone...she edged closer to the water where the mer was floating almost asleep. "Ariel..." She murmured softly her eyes glowing as she reached out and pulled her close.
:: The Otter Oasis Guild ::
