Fate's Meeting

Four…Five…Six…and so on…

The clock tolled as the empty vile fell from Rin's hands and hit the ground, shattering into several splinters of glass. Rin's throat began to burn and breathing became unbearable. He coughed, wheezing on his breaths. The burning crept down his throat into his chest and he wrapped his arms tight around himself.

"What's happening?" he grunted and leaned over, placing a hand in the pile of broken glass. He felt it pierce his hand and the smell of his own blood made his head whirl. The dizziness brought him lower to the ground and he started to shake. He looked up at the vampire who glowered over him.

The world was spinning as smells became richer and his senses and perception of things around him more sharp and vivid. The sensation from it overwhelmed him as pain flooded his muscles and bones. A low glow of red started taking over his dark brown eyes. They turned upwards, a spark of fury in them as he looked at the vampire.

"Don't just stand there!" Rin yelled. "I demand an answer!"

The vampire stood slowly. His laughter was like a lingering song with the tolling sounds of the clock. "You've done it…you've actually done it! Immortality awaits!"

Rin started to feel feverish as beads of sweat caused his body to become clammy and he weakened. Soon, he hit the floor hard and his muscles started to betray him. He yelled as his body shook with convulsive movements before becoming still while breathing heavily.

The monster towered over him and looked down. The last thing Rin heard before slumber took him was common knowledge to most and foreign to some. "Change is painful isn't it."

+++

The group hurried through the woods, Jex, Ray, and Nimer on horseback to keep up with Canin who lead the three through the wood. Canin's senses rarely failed him and he became increasingly aware of the smell of blood and rot the deeper they went.

They weaved agilely through the trees, Canin stopping only ever so often to sniff the ground or the air around them. It led them in tangles around the woods. It wasn't long before a small cabin came into view. It sat looking like a rundown shack made of long pine wood logs and mud. It appeared to be falling apart at the seams and the walls were crumbling.

"There," Canin growled and started to make his way toward the cabin.

Nimer suddenly rode up in front of him, blocking his path.

Canin growled in response. "What are you doing? He's definitely in there! Dead or alive-"

"Use your head, not your heart," Nimer warned. "If we just barge in without a plan, we won't get anywhere. You know that."

"To hell with your plans. We might be too late!" Canin howled and darted around him and toward the small hut.

With all his force, he rammed against the side of the wall. The wall began to crumble and dust from the old walls created large clouds of dust with the weight of his shoulder pushing against it.

Jex, Ray, and Nimer watched him silently, Ray glancing ever so often at Nimer as they waited.

"Shouldn't we help him?" Jex asked quietly. "What are you waiting for, Nimer?"

Nimer was quiet for a long moment watching the wolf struggle with a cold gaze. He finally answered, "I sense two vampires. That's why."

"Two?!" Ray said in fright.

All three horses became restless as with one more final blow, Canin collided with the wall and it caved in. Large pieces of the wall fell out onto the floor and the wreaking stench of rotting bodies filled the small clearing. Jex and Ray both covered their mouths and noses. The smell was horrendous.

Canin lay on the floor having fallen from breaking down the wall in the first place. Slowly picking himself back up he rose to his feet and looked around quickly. He spotted a figure lying on the floor and caught sight of a shadow dissipating in the air. Canin lunged for the shadow hoping to attack it but the vampire had vanished before he could. Instead, he stood there, towering over Rin's slumbering body.

"Rin," the wolf breathed and used his muzzle to nudge his companion. "Rin, wake up. Wake up please, please!" he begged but gained no actual response from Rin.

The other three approached moments later led by Nimer. Ray hid behind Jex, tears in her eyes at the sight she saw around her. Grabbing his olive cloak in her hands, she buried her face in his shoulder blades. Jex used a strong hand to comfort her, patting down her head and neck.

"We were too late," Nimer said grimly and used his boot to further crush the bits of glass on the floor. "Seems he willingly drank a vile. He's changing as we speak."

"Is he alive?" Jex asked.

Nimer knelt down by Rin, placing two fingers on the side of his neck. The low thump of a heartbeat was still there, but it was soft as the flutter of a bird's wings. "Barely," the guide reported and stood. He crossed the room to the cabinet opening the door again revealing the holder of viles. Only three were left.

He carefully took them out and closed it again then held the viles up over his head. With a mighty throw, he slammed them on the ground and they shattered, a small pool of blood leaking all over the floor from the broken viles.

"Why did you go and do that?" Jex asked Nimer, a little upset that he destroyed the viles. "We could have given those over to the church as evidence."

"I don't trust the church," Nimer said, stepping over the broken glass and approaching Canin's side, he stared down at Rin shaking his head. "What baffles me more is that Rin would do such a thing. Drinking a vile and putting himself in danger like this. You really picked a wild card, Canin."

"I'm confused," Ray said, peeking out from behind Jex. "Does Rin have something to do with Zaniah?"

"Yes," Nimer answered simply. "All of us have a part in rebuilding the kingdom. It's imperative that we all make it there in one piece. Things happen for a reason whether we make them happen or not." He motioned to Rin to make his point.

"So you were the lycan then that we saw that one day we were attacked," Ray said looking to Canin. After getting a better look at him, he did seem recognizable. She wondered why she hadn't thought of it earlier.

"We weren't attacking," Canin clarified. "We heard yelling and thought someone was threatening our land. We were trying to drive you out because we saw you as a threat."

Ray flushed a little. "I was upset because someone was being rude at the time." Her gaze turned to Nimer and she smirked smugly.

Nimer huffed a small laugh, amused by her words. "Let by gones be by gones. Our meeting with Canin's pack was fate, nonetheless." He crouched down by Rin again and slid an arm around his shoulders hoisting him up. "I require your assistance, Jex. Can you carry him back, Canin?"

After earning a nod from the wolf, Jex went over and helped Nimer hoist Rin up onto Canin's back, settling him onto the wolf's soft fur. The familiar feeling of Canin's fur seemed to bring a little more life back to Rin and he grunted in his sleep.

"We need to get him back to the Inn and treated. We also need to keep an eye on him as vampirism becomes permanent after they feed for the first time. Having drank vampire blood directly, however, I'm not sure there is any turning back for him now. He'll have to suffer his own consequences," Nimer warned.

"Will we still be hunting the vampire?" Jex asked as the group migrated back to their horses and mounted.

"Yes," Nimer answered. "We still need a sum of money to pay for further lodging and belongings to help us through our journey. We also accepted the bounty. It's only right we finish it."

"At least we know where he's hiding out," Ray said, looking behind them at the half demolished building fading out of view. She wondered how many souls the vampire had dragged in there and how many people in the town he had killed. From the looks of it, it was many.

"I'm not sure he will return there," Nimer said. "I have a feeling he was using Rin as a decoy to draw us away from the town. He may just be there now feeding on innocent people. We may have to stop him, and tonight."

Jex and Ray both nodded in agreement.

As they approached the town, the sound of a bell ringing brought them to high alert.

"That doesn't sound good," Jex commented. He knew what the sound of bells meant. In Adolk, they meant there was an emergency or danger. It only increased the amount of panic in his mind.

"No, it doesn't. We need to hurry. Make haste!" Nimer commanded and they instantly started to hurry faster toward the town.