"Can't you give me a warning before you do that or something?" She cried in frustration
"Warning." Her responded, as he bent slightly, eyes focused on the wooden door above their heads.
His feet slid outwards on the ground so they were out a bit farther than his shoulders, before he sprung up abruptly, bursting through the wooden door out of the cave-like home, careful not to bump her too much or too hard on the walls of the hall.
Once back on the forest floor he gently set her on her feet, aiding her as she tried to brush dirt from her face and hair.
"Alright, kid, where's your village?" He asked, tossing a potato upwards in his hand before taking a big chomp out of it.
"East." She responded, not even bothering to yell at him for his annoying nickname, at least he was taking her home.
“…why do you like those things so much?” She asked, unable to ignore the curiosity any longer, “You’re a vampire. Not a vegetarian.”
He shrugged, inspecting the pale flesh of the plant, “It’s a texture thing. I can’t taste it, but it’s crunchy and moist…it reminds of me human food back in the day.” He couldn’t even remember what his favorite meal had been back then, "Come on, let's get you back."
He released her arm and lightly patted her on the head again like a child, laughing as she glared at him. He turned his back to her, walking swiftly towards the trees, the soft padding of her feet crunching the dry leaves under her following quickly.
"You know, kid, I'm really doing you a huge favor escorting you home personally." He said lightly, trying to make conversation. He slowed his steps, listening for her answer.
She made a strange noise in response, and he paused, upset that she hadn't come worshipping his feet.
He sneered at the trees in front of him, haughtily muttering, "Fine then, if you really want to stay with me so bad…"
He smirked, waiting tensely for a plant to trip him or her to shove him, but it never came. She didn't even make a noise. After a moment, it became clear to him that she was no longer even walking.
He stopped his slow walking, agitatedly glancing over his shoulder, his mouth opening to say some kind of insulting remark most likely dealing with her small stature.
Those words, which had risen in rude heat up his throat, fell cold on slightly parted lips, eyes instantly widening to the size of huge saucers.
"Nia…" He whispered, the name which he so little actually said sounding foreign rolling off his tongue.
Chapter Three
The redheaded girl stood a yard or so behind him, body rigid and tense, jade eyes locked vacantly on his face.
One of her hands was slightly extended, as though she'd been reaching for him, and stayed that way for several moments before slowly falling down to her side, hanging limply like it weighed more than she could lift.
It was not this strange behavior that worried Ellis.
Nor was it was the man standing intimidatingly behind her, one hand resting on her shoulder.
Instead, it was the long, silver sword that had been ruthlessly pierced through her stomach, slightly off center and glinting a strange mix of crimson-silver in the moonlight.
Ellis found himself immobile as well, unable to convince his stunned body to move as the air around him suddenly became thick and suffocating. He had to remind himself quickly how to breathe.
He slowly lowered onyx gaze to her stomach as blood slowly began to trickle from the wound. It was slow at first, simple blots of crimson red staining her light colored shirt, then it blossomed out from the wound, a liquid, ruby red rose covering nearly half of her shirt.
If only he'd been paying more attention…
"I missed." The man said lightly, orange colored bangs with black tips shadowing his face as he peered over Nia's shoulder at his handiwork, "I guess it'll have to do."
"Missed?" The vampire managed to wheeze through seemingly collapsed lungs, afraid if he eventually did manage to move closer that Nia would be hurt even more.
There was a gaping hole in her stomach, what could he possibly have missed?
"I didn't hit anything instantly fatal. She’ll suffer." The man swished shoulder length orange hair over his shoulder as he straightened, white streaks and black tips catching Ellis's attention briefly.
Ellis had never seen anyone with tricolored hair, what kind of fashion statement was this strange weirdo making? This guy really needed someone to fix his patchy colored hair for him.
Had the mood been any lighter, Ellis would have joked and laughed. But now Ellis's stomach felt hollow and empty, his heart weighed a thousand pounds, and his arms and legs were made of lead.
Laughter didn't exist.
Nia teetered again on her feet, gaze slowly dropping from the vampire who didn't come to her aid to the blade, one of her hands inching sluggishly towards it, as though she could somehow manage to remove it. In the end, she simply stared at it, apple green eyes uncharacteristically flat and unable to register what had happened.