The Vampyre King ~ by arianna

[Eye_of_Ra]

Today is my birthday. Not that I get to celebrate. Atleast not in the normal since of the word. In this flipped upside down world we call earth after the change.
Turning 18 for me means landing on my ass in the snow. Which honestly is better than living at the orphanage. Sister Mary Catherine’s Orphanage.
It’s where you go if your family can’t take care of you or you don’t have one.
I don’t have one. I was dumped on the door steps as a baby. The only thing that let’s me know I had a family is this signet ring.
I had to break into the room of records at Sister Mary Catherine’s to even get it. Thankfully, I didn’t get caught. Punishment at the orphanage isn’t just sitting out of recess.
So now I have two choices, look for work or go to jail. All humans must work. You have to prove you have a job by the identification card you are required to keep on you at all times. If not that also can land you in jail.
Luckily, I’m no stranger to being caged. I’ve been able to get myself in and out of any lock since I was five.
I need to find a job but damn it’s cold and when you get booted from sister Mary Catherine’s your damn fortunate if you can make it out with shoes on your feet.

Once when I was on the run from Sisters cruelty, I ran into a store. There was a nice lady there who noticed I didn’t have shoes. She bought me some.
They were nice pretty shoes but Sister Mary Catherine ripped them off my feet as soon as I stepped back into the orphanage.
Most kids there die of either pneumonia or severe lack of medical attention. I did the best I could by them.

I know there is a cabin up the mountain a bit. It’s abandoned. Been that way as long as I can remember. I think that would make good place to stay. It doesn’t have electricity or nothing. But it will do for me.
There’s a spring just a few yards off from it for water. And it still has the hearth. So I think I can get by. When I would run away with my brothers that’s where I would go. They weren’t my real brothers but we sort of adopted each other.
Hell, if it wasn’t for them I wouldn’t even have a name. Not that it’s even a real name but it’s special because they gave it to me.
Sometimes when we would hide out from the wrath of the Sisters. We would go to the library. The librarian was really nice. She would hide us under the counter. She also taught us how to read and write. Because, if you were not one of the Sisters picks you did get to attend any classes.
So we learned to read at the library and they said because of my ring. I must be a princess. Like Snow White or sleeping beauty. So they wanted me to have a name fitting a princess. Ms. Clark the librarian, found some books with all kinds of names in it and they picked Arianna.
They liked to view themselves as Knights like the Knights of the round table so we took the last name Knight. Not even sure if it’s legal, the orphanage just gives you numbers. I like Arianna, much better.

I’m gonna need some food up on the side of that mountain. I learned how to hunt. Sometimes we hid out in the hunting lodge so between them and the butcher in town I know how to hunt and butcher.
Ole lady Jones always had a garden so I know a thing or two about that as well. I had more hiding spots in the New Capitol of the Americas than Billy the kid had in the wild west. If there ever was such a thing after so long fact and fiction just kind of blend together.

I’ll stop by Mr Earls book and tea shoppe , he will give me enough food and supplies to get by for a day or two and I can borrow a book.
There is one that catches my eye. I never noticed until last week. It’s BIG and worn. The pages look old and faded but it’s the title.
‘The lost magick of ancient Egypt’ I don’t know it just pulls to me like two magnets.

I have to be careful though if anyone knew Mr. Earl helped me it could land him in big trouble. You can’t help people. It’s the crazy new laws of the Vampire Empire.
Yea that sounds cheesy as hell, but I didn’t think of it.

Each content has a Vampire king or queen or both.
North and south America are now one country. Our King is Devon Johnson. Also known as the Puppet Master. Not sure why, think it may have something to do with before he became king.
In the world of vampires he’s a baby only a few hundred years old. That causes him problems with the other courts. Especially the Imperial Court of Vampires. They are old and do things the old way. They don’t like his changes. But I guess it’s all in who wins the war is who gets the throne.

Mr. Earl smiled and gave me a wink when I slipped through the backdoor of his shoppe. I love his shoppe it’s warm and cozy nothing fancy. If you go in the back your in the tea room. Along the back wall is a counter with cookies and pastries and such. Along with the register. Behind that is all the contraptions for making teas and coffee.
There are a couple of round tables with chairs and nice tablecloths. There is also a warm fireplace along the opposite wall to the counter. It’s the closest I can imagine home to feel like.
Then there’s the book room where he sells the books and a stairway. Up stairs is storage and a mattress, sometimes I risk sleeping there. But I can’t tonight. They will be looking for that.
He nodded for me to go over to the table closest to the fireplace. There was a package wrapped in plain brown packaging. But the note attacked said, “happy birthday princess”. Yea my brothers gave me a name but Princess is what I get stuck with at least by the few who are close to me.
Inside was packages of teas and coffee. Along with some fruit and pastries. Also a couple of books. The antiques. I love old books.
I sit down and Mr.Earl brings me a peppermint swirl coffee. My favorite.
"Stay long enough to thaw out will ya?"
I sip my coffee and give a slight nod. Mr. Earl, makes you think of Santa, from those old postcards and books.
“But I can’t stay any longer.”

[dagar]

Is this true or a story?

[AdamThoth]

Excellent work! Great story, I can’t wait to see what happens next.

[Eye_of_Ra]

Just writing off the top of my head so we will see how it goes. Thank you @AdamThoth!

[anon20147451]

Awesome! Good work.

A few tips, based on my experience writing a fantasy book two years back:

• Vary your sentences. What I mean by this is, vary their length, vary how they are structured. If you take note, a large amount of your sentences are similar in length, making the text sound robotic in your head. It needs to have a flow to it.

• Ground the timeline. For example: [quote=“Eye_of_Ra, post:1, topic:21124”]
  I’m gonna need some food up on the side of that mountain. I learned how to hunt. Sometimes we hid out in the hunting lodge so between them and the butcher in town I know how to hunt and butcher.
  [/quote]

First sentence is being said from the present into the future. Then the second from the present into the past. Third is again into the past.

Try grounding your story into a specific time. If you want to make the story unfold from the point of your main character remembering, state that in the beginning (as you did), then try to keep to the timeline. If you need to change the time frame, don’t make it choppy.

• Find synonyms. [quote=“Eye_of_Ra, post:1, topic:21124”]
  Sometimes we hid out in the hunting lodge so between them and the butcher in town I know how to hunt and butcher.
  [/quote]

If you notice, you used “butcher” twice. That’s fine and all, has different meanings, but it can be made to sound nicer. For example - “so between them and the butcher in town, I managed to learn how to take apart a carcass”.

• Use the five senses and take it slow. Depending on how important the environment is, describe it in all the senses. How it looks, how it smells, the sounds, the feel on your skin, etc. You can also use this to bring to the forefront an interaction of the characters. For example:

“I sat at the edge of my bed, my belly grumbling with dissatisfaction at the measly amounts of stale tasting porridge tumbling inside, and looked through my window. White particles of crystallized cold fell across the courtyard of Sister Mary Catherine’s Orphanage, creating an almost audible soft sound as they landed across the now pale green grass. Suddenly, the black iron gate swiveled open with a sharp creak, and one of the sisters came in, holding by her hands two young red-faced boys, who were still trying to catch their breaths. She hastily ushered them inside the building, and I felt the bed and the floor vibrate as the door closed.”

This will automatically create images in the reader’s mind, and when you mention “the courtyard of Sister Mary” in the future, they will automatically think of this scene. Think of it as forming an astral world (which you basically are doing ).

• Watch your punctuation marks. [quote=“Eye_of_Ra, post:1, topic:21124”]
  Sometimes when we would hide out from the wrath of the Sisters. We would go to the library.
  [/quote]

That dot there. Kills the flow. Watch how the text, sounds. Punctuation, is your ally. It makes the whole story, flow. Bad punctuation, fucks everything up.

• Finally, a good tip to make the story flow is to cut out unnecessary words. In the previous example you could take out the word “out”, and the sentence would retain it’s meaning.

Obviously, this is a lot to remember, but don’t get discouraged. Writing is basically just writing, writing and writing some more, while trying to fit in as many good concepts as you can.

I’m not a master, so take all my tips with a grain of salt.

Hope this helps.

[Eye_of_Ra]

It was about dusk when I set out from the tea shoppe. I knew should be making the trek up the mountain to the cabin. Its not so far really but on foot it takes a bit to get there.
Instead though, I made a right turn and head for the back ally. I needed a little cash and I cold get that buy winning a few games of pool at Pop’s bar.
Pop’s is where the local bikers hang out. But they aren’t so bad atleast they feed a scrawny kid on the run and apparently teach them how to shoot pool.
Looking at the place from the outside it looks like a run down country western bar from the lost ages.

I walk in the front door and to my left Pops is sitting on his stool at the bar. It stretches all the way across from the front to the back wall. Pops is always sitting on the second stool. That way anyone needing to talk to him can sit on the first stool.
Pop’s is like a free therapist, a biker, and the closest thing I’ve had to a dad. He also taught me to play a mean game of pool.
I stand just inside the door for a few minutes I can’t decide if I should talk to Pop’s or go left where the pool tables are. Screw it, I go left and sit at the bar by Pop’s. We always sit in akward silence for a few minutes.
Pops slides a beer over to me so I glance over. This is new.
Without breaking his gaze, staring at the back wall, he says " well I figure if your old enough to be out on the streets and either freeze or starve your old enough to have a few beers."
“Fair enough Pops” we tip our beers to each other and enjoy a few sips.
“Happy birthday, princess, " Pops says almost under his breath as he slides a package my way.
I can’t ever remember getting this many gifts before. It’s wrapped just like the package Mr. Earl gave me.
As I open it I realize it’s the book I’ve had my eye for at the book shoppe.
" well, me and ole Hawk-Eye went over to Earls the other day to find you a special gift. Earl says, you been eyeing that book so hard, He thought it might have a hole burned through it.”
“Oh, I was that obvious?” I said more sheepishly than I really ment too.
" yep, I’d say so." Pops turned and looked at me for a minute. Then said, You know there is gonna be big pool tournament coming up. The winner gets a pretty sweet jackpot."
“OK and what’s the catch”
" Well, it’s hosted by our King, the Puppet Master himself. So, you’d be playing human’s and vampires. Plus, the winner has to choose keep the money or play the Puppet Master. If and it’s a huge if since no one’s ever done it, if you beat the Puppet Master you get 3 wishes granted by him.
But if you lose, he gets a wish. I’d say win the tournament, and take the money. It could set you up with a house and money. And if you found a job then you’d be ok. "
“Worrying about me, are ya Pops?”
“I’m invested.”
“Right.”
Pops jumps off his stool and grabs me by the shoulders, forcing me to look at him. " Look princess, your damn good at pool and you know it. Hell better than I have seen. You can do this and win that cash and be ok!
Yea it’s a no holds barred event but you’ve taken a beating before atleast this time it would be the last time and you’d be set."
" Wait Pops! No holds barred! Are you serious, you think I can fight humans and vampires all while trying to focus on winning a tournament !"
Pops tightened his grip on my shoulders. “You can do it! Everyone knows your like a damned ninja the way slip around unseen and I know you hid out over at the MMA , tell me they didn’t teach you anything!”
Mike says, you had your first black belt at eight. "

And why the hell you never used it on those bullies of Sister Mary Catherine’s I’ll never know!"

" It wasn’t that simple. What do you think would have happened if they figured out I leared that stuff. There are worse punishments than a beating!"
" And besides who says I even want to be around the King! This all his fault anyway!"
Pops looked at me with a shocked look. He just started for minute then said," sit down you need to hear a story."
Ugh. I don’t have time for a story I need to be either winning a few games of pool to get some cash in my pocket or trekking up to the cabin. But Pops is the boss here. If he says sit you sit.
I’m not sure how old Pops is but he still looks cool as hell. He has salt and pepper hair, it looks good on him the grey and black mixing. He’s tall and broad shouldered. I think he must be in his fifties or so judging how long he’s been the man here.
I sit back down and wait for him to start his story. Of course he has to drag it out. Get a new beer take a few drags off his cigarette.
Finally, he starts his tale. " My grandparents used to talk of a legend. About two boys who got caught by the death reapers. Death reapers …are."
" are vampires that run the night searching for blood and slaves. The lowest class. " I finish for him.
he nods." Yes, they either toy with their food or they rip it apart and devour it."
I was trying to hurry this story along but Pops wasn’t having it.
" anyway, some of the death reapers locked two boys in a tower. They were gonna torture them by beating and starving them. And then drink their blood from straws. Like a damned milkshake.
But they learned to survive off the rats and other rodents that would get in the tower. But in that kind of darkness with learning to survive it changed them. Something old something ancient latched on to them. They transformed into vampires by a default to survive.
See thats the mistake everyone makes, vampires aren’t walking dead. That’s how you get caught up in myths. Vampires are alive. They can utilise senses we don’t even know exist. They have higher sense of everything but they developed or redeveloped that hunter verses prey instinct.
Yea they finally managed to escape their tourmentours. For along time they were wild not much better than the death reapers. But then the old President found them. In the time before we had a king.
The president put Devon and his best friend Chris in a school of male vampires. Gave them direction and helped them get some focus about them.
Devon always was the darker of the two and he still earned the name Puppet Master. He was damn good at mind control. Still is I’d wager.
Chris became a doctor and has made alot of health changes for us.As the king’s best friend and adviser. So just because they look dark and mean , princess, there’s usually an under story, hell just look at me."
" And you know he’s also known as the Wolf king."
Pops looked liked he just let a huge cat out of the bag. But I didn’t have to ponder what it meant.
“Really that’s cool Pops, listen I need to go it’s dark and maybe I’ll stop by and see my brothers. I haven’t spoken to them in a while.”
" You know that’s dangerous!" Pops looked shocked for the second time tonight.
“It’s something, I need to do.”

"Promise me you’ll think about the tournament "he asked as he slipped the sign up paper in my coat pocket.
“Yea ok Pops.”

After I left my brothers I new it was too late to try reaching the cabin and it was snowing.
I made my way back to Mr.Earls shoppe. Climbed up the back wall of the shop and slithered through the window. The mattress was on the floor with fresh blankets and hot peppermint coffee sat on a small table by the door accompanied by some donuts. Now that made me smile.
About the time I reached the table Mr. EARL gave a few knocks on the door then stuck his head in.
“Oh I figured you’d be back. Went to see Pops did ya? And your brothers, I’m guessing.”
" Yes I did."
" not gonna have any issues are we? Not like last time? " Mr. Earl started to sound like Pops.
" I’m OK . I promise. I said as I made a cross over my heart, “cross my heart!”’
“Well, ok then I’ll set an alarm and see to it your gone before the guardsmen make their rounds” He gave me a wink and then he was gone.

Finally, I can just crash. I need a good night’s sleep in a warm bed.

[Eye_of_Ra]

Right now I’m just getting it out of my head this is literally off the top of my head the rough draft I’m writing as I go. What you guys read is what I literally just typed from my head there isn’t a prewritten thing I’m going by.

So nothing has been critiqued or edited. Just me raw.

[succupedia]

Constructive criticism always work best when asked for it, don’t you think? I think @Eye_of_Ra are perfectly aware of how to write fictional stories with punctuations, sentences and paragraphs whenever, and if, she decide to publish this elsewhere.

But I also have to add that, in general, it was a good advice. Maybe not just needed, this time around.

[Eye_of_Ra]

I appreciate the advice but right now it’s just flowing from me I’m just writing it as it comes. I haven’t doubled back and corrected anything. It’s just flowing and I don’t want to mess up the flow right now by worrying about each sentence and grammar errors. It’s just a story flowing from on to here. Maybe when I done I will go back fix it all.

[succupedia]

I wasn’t giving any advice, though. Just keep on writing!

[Eye_of_Ra]

Wasn’t directed at you. I was just clarifying.

[Fuego1]

Wow @Eye_of_Ra Knight, Happy Birthday! That is an amazing story, and you have mentioned some great people, who treat others the way people should be treated, with kindness and courtesy.

[anon20147451]

@Eye_of_Ra

Right now I’m just getting it out of my head this is literally off the top of my head the rough draft I’m writing as I go. What you guys read is what I literally just typed from my head there isn’t a prewritten thing I’m going by.

So nothing has been critiqued or edited. Just me raw.

Smart.

@succupedia

Constructive criticism always work best when asked for it, don’t you think? I think @Eye_of_Ra are perfectly aware of how to write fictional stories with punctuations, sentences and paragraphs whenever, and if, she decide to publish this elsewhere.

But I also have to add that, in general, it was a good advice. Maybe not just needed, this time around.

I’ve found that writers are profoundly secretive with their work. This is why they usually only share initially with their closest friends and family, for the sake of critique and advice. Even to just see if they like it.

Since Arianna shared her story with us, it makes logical sense that tips would be welcomed.

And tips were given.

@Eye_of_Ra

I appreciate the advice but right now it’s just flowing from me I’m just writing it as it comes. I haven’t doubled back and corrected anything. It’s just flowing and I don’t want to mess up the flow right now by worrying about each sentence and grammar errors. It’s just a story flowing from on to here. Maybe when I done I will go back fix it all.

As said before, this is a smart thing to do.

The story is shaping up nicely, and I love the occult theme interwoven inside it.

Just don’t stop writing, and you’ll see miracles happen.

[Eye_of_Ra]

                  ~~~

Earl woke me at five in the morning. The guardsmen make their morning rounds around six.
I needed to leave but of course I had to have breakfast first. Mr. EaRa wouldn’t let me leave without it. He also found it as a convenient chance to talk.
" I went down to talk with Pops last night. I hear he’s trying to get you in that tournament. "

“Yeah.”

" Well there is more reason for you to get in the king’s good graces then just the money." He looked through his bifocal glasses at me waiting for me to absorb what he said.
After a moment he continued. " You could get yourself in the castle and more importantly into the library." I was about to speak but he hushed me with the wave of his hand. " hear me out"
" there are books that you need to look at…
That ring of yours it’s old very old. Probably been in a family line for a millennium or longer. Rings aren’t made like that anymore.
It’s a definite clue to who you are, who your family is and where they may be located."

I take a long sigh and try to let this sink in, it’s too early for deep topics.
" You know your brothers want this. For you to know who you are."
Another sigh. It’s always the ace up the sleeve to say what my brothers want for me. They know I’ll cave.
"Fine I’ll do it. But I have to go now."
Mr. Earl smiled knowingly and nodded to a bag by the door. I knew he ment for me to take it along with my stuff from yesterday.

I started my hike, I did need to get to the cabin today. It needs work and need to get things moving along.
I ducked into the woods and found my snow covered path.I took in a deep breath and the familiar smell of the forest. It was quiet and peaceful, yea I’m going to enjoy this hike.
As I walk my mind begins to wander. I see five kids playing on a snow covered trail. Throwing snowballs and giggling about nothing. Thats when Quiz …we call him Quiz because it doesn’t matter what you Quiz him on he has the answer. Quiz saw the Wolf.
The Wolf was huge and black with dark grey eyes. It just watched us play. He never came too close. After that we’d see him in the woods alot.
Once Ace, the one of my brothers with an ace always up his sleeve, he got really sick. It was winter we had made an escape from the orphanage and were on our trail when Ace said he felt bad. I kissed his forehead, it burned my lips like hot coals. I knew he had a fever. He needed to get inside somewhere and get warm.
Somewhere in the distance the Wolf howled. We could see him just up ahead. He waited and howled again . Took a few steps towards us and then turned.
We all just started following him. He lead us to the cabin, that’s how we found it. It was like precious gem lost in the trees and covered in snow.
Tank and Joker , made a fire in the cabin while Quiz and I found two old blanketo to wrap Ace up like a burrito.
Ace was bad sick pneumonia was setting in fast. He needed some antibiotics and hot soup. Well, you always have hot soup when your sick.
I decided I would trek back to town, get in the hospital and take some medical supplies. Yes it was stealing but my brother could be dying.
It was long cold walk not to mention dark. But the Wolf stayed close. And that should have frightened me more as skinny 10 year old girl but he was a comfort.
He didn’t leave the line of the trees at the edge of the woods when I finally made it to town. But howled and his pack surrounded him.

~~

At the hospital I had to think fast. I discovered early on I had a talent for getting in and out of anything.
I knew I needed amoxicillin, either in a shot or IV. The pill or oral liquid wouldn’t work fast enough.
Thankfully, I read all the medical books at the library. So, I know what I needed and how to administer it.

This finds me hanging upside down from an air conditioner vent doing some real life mission impossible stuff. I grab the EMT bag from the emergency room. It’s my best bet to have everything I need in one duffle bag.

[AdamThoth]

It’s very good and I’m certainly enjoying it so by all means off the top of your head.

[Eye_of_Ra]

Aww thank you. It’s just bubbling up and flowing out…so even I don’t know exactly where it’s going but I have a few ideas

I’m really glad your enjoying it.

[Eye_of_Ra]

I make it out of the hospital down a back ally sticking to the shadows until I reach Pops bar. I know I can go through the contents of my find there and just take what I need the rest of the way.

I find a corner in the back of the bar to go through it completely. I choose to take the stethoscope, some alcohol pads, some peroxide, an epi pen. Joker has a peanut allergy that could be useful.
I find the amoxicillin and a few syringes along with some tylenol.
Then I notice the insulin the shot. I need that, or I know someone that may need it sometime. So I take it as well. That’s about all I can carry without it weighing me down or causing me look suspicious.

Once I make it back to the tree line the Wolf is there. He howls and out of the shadows I see the whole pack. A big grey one moves in closer to the others but not as close as the massive black one.
My heart stops in my throat. They could devour me.

They don’t attack though, they let me pass and I run as fast as I can back to the cabin. I know they were on both sides of the path running with me. I could hear them. I could feel them, making sure I would make back in the dark to Ace.

I reach the old rickety cabin and the fire is still glowing. Tank and Joker kept it going while Quiz tried to watch over Ace.

I lay out the medical supplies, but have to calculate how much to give him. Luckily, for Quiz, I had already read every medical book in the library and had taken to hiding out in the local university to learn even more. Well, ok technically I’m probably breaking in but , whatever.
I notice a few extras I didn’t pick up. Five ham and cheese sandwiches, some bottled waters and candy bars. Pop’s must have slipped those in while I made a quick trip to the bathroom. Thank heavens for Pops. Even I hadn’t thought about food.

I have to force Ace to swallow the Tylenol but we finally managed to get it down his throat. Then I inject the antibiotics into his thigh.

I slept that night snuggled close to Ace taking good care of my patient. As I drifted off the last thing I heard was howling wolves.

~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~

I shake my head trying to shake off the memory. I’ve finally reached the worn out shack and I need to set things up.
The stone hearth was still in decent shape though so that’s a plus. The place is small you walk into a little front room to the right a bedroom, straight through the front room into the kitchen and to the right a tiny room.
Moving through the kitchen you reach the back door.
The hearth is in the front room and kitchen it’s one of those that are on both sides. It’s the nicest part of the whole place. And it’ll be perfect to set a cauldron over a fire.
The mantle still has ornaments me and my brothers made a few years back. The dust makes them look older than they actually are, and that makes me feel lonely. I take in a deep breath too bad they can’t be here now.

I managed to tidy up the kitchen if such a thing is possible. Put up the few supplies I have and realised I needed to go back into to town. The sooner I find a job the better. And too many memories haunt this empty place.

I took my sweet time walking back to town. I was hoping to see the Wolf. To get confirmation that it wasn’t a child’s wild imagination that he and they are real.

Unfortunately, I make it back to town without any sign of wolves.

Devon Johnson sat behind his antique desk staring out of the castle into the woods. His thoughts had drifted back a little. To when he first saw the little girl in the woods.  
She had bouncy brown mop of curls for hair,  and big brown eyes.  She was under nourished and looked weak but she was a fighter.  
He couldnt figure out why she was alone in the woods until he saw the bruises.  Then he knew she was hiding.  He  had wanted to help her but how.

[Hermes]

Very very very interesting how you put your story…, surely immediately takes you places, really deep quite instantly… I love that deep submergence, I think that’s what makes any story really powerful and interesting…

Powerful work! Could be an excellent, powerful movie script-maybe put into a movie by the directors of let’s say the Crow City of Angels - the visuals and atmosphere are really deeply dramatic…deeply sucking one into the ‘world’/atmosphere of the movies - a master piece when it comes to convey the intent in a clean, pure raw way - or the directors that made the movie series of// the movie: UnderWorld// The Matrix// Gods of Egypt// the mummy (2107 version)
Something like that?

If you’d be interested,
There’s a process to go through that I believe you can just find on youtube ro even just google…; Just try to see how others did it, it’s nothing uncommon… ; You can do it!! I’m already amazed…!
Maybe you can just be a co-director…(you should, & it can make you a lot of money too!)

Powerful stuff…!

[Eye_of_Ra]

Awww thank you so much. Your kind words humble me. it really means alot to here people actually like a story that’s been floating around in my head but has never made to being written out.

Still not sure where it’s going…because in my head I change it up alot but when I type it out its seems to have its own flow and know how it wants to be told.

And thank you again

[Eye_of_Ra]

The Puppet Master remembered it clearly, she was playing along the stream that ran down the moutain. Trying to catch tadpoles or something.
He moved to keep watch. Death reapers could grab a child fast. He should know. He moved closer and she caught sight of him. He thought she would have been afraid of him but she smiled and held out her Dainty hand from him to have a snack of black berries. If he hadn’t been a Vampire he would have taken her up on the offer, hell if he hadn’t been a Vampire who had shapeshifted into a Wolf he would have taken her up on the offer.
Instead he used it as an excuse to move in close and sniffed at her hand for a few seconds , using the time to observe. Her clothes were worn and faded but you could make out it was once a bright yellow sundress. She was barefoot, bruises polka dotted her legs along with bigger ones. That confirmed what he spotied from afar. She smelled nice though like sunshine and wild flowers.
Devon took a long breath. He realized her other arm was in a cast, though not one a doctor had administered this was crudely done. Honestly, he wasn’t so sure she hadn’t made it herself.

For the next several days he stayed by her side. Helping her as best he could but keeping his Wolf form. He couldnt just shift back and he was afraid that a more human form would intimidate her. Especially his. He knew his size and stature intimidated people even adults add vampires to the mix and some people avoid him at all costs. Not that he could blame them really.

She had been carrying a bag of marbles, saying they were her brothers and she had to make sure they got them back. He didn’t know what the hell else to do with a little girl so he used the marbles to teach her the one thing he really loved , how to shoot pool.
They spent hours with a stick and those marbles and the outline of a pool table drawning out in the dirt. It’s wasn’t a first rate set up by any means but they both enjoyed it. If you ever want a challenge try being a Wolf teaching a kid to shoot pool. And not even on a real table at that.
At night she would snuggle into my fur and tell stories of bunny rabbits and rainbows. How her favorite candy was peppermint and her favorite book was Cinderella. It was nice and peaceful.
She tried to figure out my name. The little girl would stare into my eyes and try so hard to get a name. She finally picked up somehow on king. And thus, I became the wolf king.
If she couldon’t find me she would run up and down the stream and through the woods calling, Wolf king.
I didn’t know her name either all she even said was that her brothers called her princess. So, I called her my princess.

After what seems like weeks yet not long at all, the care free world shattered. Men came looking for her with guns. They kept shouting and trying to carry her away. She was screaming for me and once I reached them I attacked. I ripped the first man’s throat out and had headed to the second when the shot fired. Hitting me in the left hind quarter. The problem is I was in Wolf form and not Vampire.
I still managed to attack even being shot and when they realized they were not dealing with a normal Wolf they ran off.

I spent a few more days there with my princess. But I couldn’t shift back to self and I needed help.
Chris my best friend was a doctor. I needed him.
Eally one morning before she awoke I got up and made the journey up the top of the mountain where my castle sat. I would be close enough to howl and the pack would come once they realised I was injured, Chris would resume his human form and help.
It took longer to heal than I expected due to me waiting so long to seek medical help. When I returned to find her. She was gone.

 As I reached town I tried to figure a place to find work. I needed a job fast. BefoRe I was caught walking the streeto without a job card.

 The first thing I saw was a sign that read waitresses needed.  I made a weird face. It was a waitressing job at the The Puppet Masters Den.