The Beginning

Marcus stood at the window watching as the hunting group returned. Normally when they returned they would be carrying the bodies of the monsters they had killed. Today they carried a long box.

"Mom! What's that?"

His mother looked up from the table where she sat peeling potatoes. Where she sat she could see out the window. Her eyes went wide when she recognized what they were carrying.

"That's a coffin. It's something that vampires use, though I'm not sure why they brought it here."

They wouldn't have a reason to bring a coffin full of vampire ashes. The hunters bring income to the village by hunting monsters and selling body parts, or clearing out dens that are harassing other villages. Vampires turn to ash when they die so no money can be made with them.

"A vampire? Do you think one is in there?"

He was excited at the thought of a monster being in the coffin. As a hunter and the son of the village chief he's been training to hunt monsters since he took his first steps. He may only be seven, but he is almost as strong as your average human male and has enough skill with a dagger to hunt small game. However, he is more curious about learning about the monsters than he is about killing them.

"No, it would be too dangerous to bring a live vampire here. I doubt father would bother bringing the ashes of a vampire. Now come over here and help me finish these potatoes. Your father will be home soon."

He obediently returned to his seat and picked up the knife to finish the half peeled potato. They were nearly finished preparing dinner when his father came home. The village chief was a mountain of a man at six feet, six inches. His shoulders were broad and his whole body was bulked out in muscles from all the training he's done. Add in the fact that all hunters are twice as strong as humans and it wouldn't be off to say that he could crush a head barehanded.

Marcus was young, but it was clear that he was taking after his father's height as he stood a good head taller than most kids his age. He took after his father with his black hair and dark skin, but his grey eyes and lankier frame came from his mother. His lanky frame didn't mean he was weak.

Compared to other hunters his age, Marcus was stronger, faster, and taller. His father pushed him to excel because he was next in line to lead the village. Compared to regular human kids his age he was a monster.

"Dad! Dad!"

Marcus called out at the sight of his father and ran over to embrace him. His father laughed and picked him up then moved to kiss his wife.

"Ah, who is this strange child? Surely it's not my son, he's so big and strong!"

Marcus giggled, "Dad, it's me. What did you bring home? Did you kill all the monsters?"

"We killed a few. The best prize, though, was finding a vampire in hibernation."

"What? Kaleb, you can't bring a live monster here. It's not safe."

He laid a reassuring hand on his wife's arm. Her face had paled at the mention of a vampire in the village.

"Don't worry. It didn't stir after we killed it's protector, or during the fortnights travel to return home. I'm guessing it was severely injured and entered into hibernation. I doubt it'll wake up any time soon.

"There is an old scientist at the capital who will pay well to have a vampire body to experiment on."

"Just be careful. We have children here."

"I won't do anything that'll endanger the village. Trust me."

Kaleb sat Marcus at the table and began to tell him about their adventures while out. While he regaled his son with stories his wife, Cali, set bowls of stew on the table and sat by her husband.

Kaleb and his team had been away for over two months while hunting. It was a common occurrence in the village. The moment his team returned another team would be getting ready to head out. With their livelihood on the line they couldn't waste a single day.

Hunters tread the line between humans and monsters. Hunters are the first line of defence for the country and are treated well, but are rarely welcomed within the larger cities. Instead they have established their own villages throughout the country.

Later that night while everyone was fast asleep, Marcus lay in bed thinking about the vampire. He was excited knowing that it was in the village and was curious about it. He wanted to look at it. He knew that vampires look like humans, learning about monsters and their anatomy was one of the first things hunters were taught. But seeing a drawing in a book and seeing the real thing were two different things.

Getting out of bed he quickly got dressed and put his dagger in its sheath at his waist. He couldn't contain his curiosity any longer. I will go and take a look. One little peek won't hurt anything!

Using all the skills he's learned the last couple years he quietly sneaks out of the house. He makes his way towards the shed where the hunting party had stored the coffin. He was careful to avoid anyone that might be walking around. If his little expedition were to be found out he would be in a lot of trouble.

Marcus opened the door to the shed just enough for his small body to slip in, then quickly closed it behind him. When he turned to look into the room his eyes immediately caught on the coffin. His heart sped up at the sight and he wiped his sweaty hands on his pants. It was a plain coffin that looked like it had been around for a long time.

It had no markings other than what age had placed upon it. Marcus took a deep breath and made his way towards the coffin. His whole body was breaking out in a cold sweat from the excitement and fear. He trusted his father's assessment of the vampire and believed that he was safe, but his hunters instincts were screaming at him that it was a monster in front of him.

It didn't take much effort to push the lid of the coffin to the side. It wasn't nailed down, no chains had been placed around it because the hunters truly believed it safe. When Marcus looked inside the coffin he saw the figure of a man lying within. He looked like any human, his skin was white compared to Marcus' and his hair was a shade of silver that had nothing to do with old age.

Marcus leaned over to further inspect the body, thankful that the hunters had left it sitting on the ground. He's short enough that it would have been a struggle if they had put it on a table. Movement was seen in his peripheral a second before he felt a vise like grip on his arm.

"Hunters."

It was one word, but it carried so much intent behind it. Marcus tensed up and his heart began to beat so strongly that he thought it would jump out of his chest. The vampire that had been asleep was sitting up and holding onto his arm.

The vampire rubbed his forehead with his free hand then his eyes turned to look at Marcus.

"You are awfully young. Am I within a village? Well, speak up, boy."

"Y-you are in Haven, my father is the chief."

Marcus puffed his chest with pride. It is a great thing that he is the son of the village chief. Not even his fear of the vampire could suppress that.

The vampire simply snorted in response and closed his eyes. He was using his senses to check out the interior of the village and the best escape route. Once he had things plotted out he opened his eyes and took a proper look at the boy before him.

"You will have to do. I hate to take a child away, but I cannot leave myself undefended."

Before Marcus could ask what the vampire meant he took hold of Marcus' free arm and bit it. It lasted for only a moment then the vampire forced him to take some of it's blood.

"I am Teril, your new master. What is your name?"

Teril asked as he released the boy and stood.

"Marcus, I'm Marcus."

Marcus felt sick to his stomach. He was well aware of what had just happened, the vampire had bound them together by blood. He knew that only death would release the bond. He had been unable to do anything, his strength had meant nothing next to his age and inexperience. Even a seven year old hunter had had no chance against the vampire.

Teril stepped out of the coffin and dusted himself off. It had been a long time since he had laid down to rest, nearly a hundred years based on the age of his human protector. Sara had been so young when she agreed to protect me. To think that her son would be killed after spending his entire seventy years protecting me.

Getting far away from the village was first on Teril's list. Second was to seek out his sister and get an update on the current affairs of the world. Humans had a tendency to change a lot in a hundred years. Teril picked up the child and cloaked his form before exiting the building.

The vampire's speed as he moved through the village and past it's boundary was blinding. Marcus, who was paying attention to everything, felt nauseous at the blurry images that surrounded him. They stopped about ten miles away from the village while Marcus lost the contents of his stomach.

"It is hard to adjust to my travel speed, but I do not have the time to properly train you."

Once Marcus stopped dry heaving the vampire picked him back up and started traveling once again. The vampire wasn't afraid of the hunters. He was old enough, and powerful enough, that he could have destroyed the village with a thought. He was leaving it far away because he had taken the child and didn't want unnecessary bloodshed. The laws say that he can take appropriate reparations for the loss of his day time protector, but those same laws forbid him from needlessly ending human lives.

He would not go against the laws. Chaos would ascend if he could not abide by his own laws.

It was nearing sunrise when he finally decided to stop. He found a space that was free of dangers and held no creatures bigger than rabbits.

"I must go underground during the day. With this blood bind I order you to stay within ten feet of this tree."

Marcus sat down at the base of the tree, his body was too weak after being sick to stand up. He didn't want to be left alone in the forest. He wanted to go home.

"Why? Why can't I go home?"

"You are my daytime protector. You will be charged with protecting my space from humans and hunters."

"I want to go home."

Teril knelt down to try and put himself at eye level with the child. A part of him felt guilty for stealing the child away. The feelings of guilt, though, were nothing compared to the sadness he felt at the loss of Sara's only child. Both of the humans had devoted their lives to protecting him. Both of them had died protecting him.

"The laws of reparation say 'a life for a life.' Your hunters killed my protector. As the son of the village chief it is only right that you replace the life that was taken. I did nothing to call on the wrath of the hunters, I've been asleep for a hundred years. It is a matter of honor that you now fill the position of protector."

Teril looked up at the sun peeking above the horizon. You would think that as long as I've existed I would have conquered the day. He cursed his weakness as he dug into the earth and buried himself to await the sunset.

Marcus watched as the vampire disappeared beneath the ground. Laws? What laws? He had never heard about the law that the vampire spoke of. He didn't like being out in the open like he is, but he was too weak to try and escape, if he even could with a direct order. He decided to climb up the tree and found a space where he could sleep and not fall out.

When Marcus woke up the sun was high in the sky. He climbed back down the tree and began testing the perimeter. The vampire had ordered him to stay within ten feet of the tree and he wanted to test that order. He quickly found the end of his leash. It felt like he had walked into a wall and found that he was unable to go any further.

He walked around the entire tree and found himself caged. He didn't like it, but he had no other choice. He was lucky enough to come across a bush of edible berries within the allowed area. He ate the berries until he was no longer hungry then climbed back up the tree.

Marcus had heard stories from his father about the types of creatures that lived in the wild. Sure, the monsters were scary, but a pack of wolves can kill you just as easily. Sitting in the tree his mind was filled with thoughts of his parents. He missed them and wanted to go home.

When night fell and Teril came out of the ground he found the hunter child high up in the tree, hugging his legs.

"Come, we need to continue moving."

"I want to go home. I want my mom."

Marcus started crying, forcing Teril to fly up to grab him. At a loss as to what to do, Teril held the child and moved as quickly as possible to his sister's home. He knew that she would know how to calm the child. Marcus cried until he fell asleep.

It was close to morning before Teril found himself entering the swamp where his sister dwelled. She had made her home deep within the swamp centuries ago, preferring the solitude it gave her. He understood the need for solitude. If it wasn't for needing someone to guard him during the day he would have stayed alone.

She must have sensed his presence because she was standing outside her small house looking in his direction.

"It's been a while, brother."

Her age was barely reflected upon her physical form. She had the appearance of a fifty year old woman with grey hair tied back and wrinkles on her face. Muscles were visible beneath her shirt and she walked with the steps of someone much younger.

Teril's face lit up in a smile, his sister responded in kind. They hadn't seen each other since he had gone to sleep a hundred years ago. Even after all this time they were still close.

"Greetings, sister. How are you?"

"As well as can be expected. What do you have there?"

He looked down at the sleeping child and let out a sigh.

"Hunters came and attacked my home. Henry was killed and my coffin was transported to the hunter's village. This young one was there when I woke and I decided to take him to replace Henry."

She looked at him with narrowed eyes. "Do you even know how to care for a human child? A hunter or not, he will need more care than what you've given your other protectors."

She motioned for him to go inside and followed close behind. She turned to brush the hair from the child's face and gently called to him.

"Time to wake up, dearie."

"Mom?"

Marcus stirred. When his eyes fell on the vampire holding him and the old woman standing in front of him he began crying again. Her heart went out to the child, she had children of her own once upon a time. She sent her brother away to sleep as the sun rose after having him set the child down at the table.

"I understand that things are new and scary right now. I will do my best to help you. You may call me auntie Nora. Now, have you eaten anything?"

He shook his head at her question. It had been a day since he had eaten the berries and he was starving. His sobs subsided as he watched her move about the small hut. She took a bowl to the small pot hanging over the fireplace and filled the bowl with the contents from the pot. The smell coming from the bowl made his mouth water.

"Something told me I would need extra soup."

He ate the soup so fast that he barely tasted any of it. The ache in his stomach was gone, but he was still hungry. Nora happily fixed him another bowl then sat with him at the table.

"Thank you. I only had a few berries during the day."

"I will have a talk with my brother about properly feeding you."

His good mood fell away at her words. He felt tears threatening to fall again and tried hard to not cry.

"Even as young as you are, I'm sure you understand how strong the blood bond between you two is. When my brother decides something he goes all out. The blood bond between you two can only be severed by death. His death will be your death.

"It would have been better if he had waited and chosen someone who was older."

She shook her head. Her brother can be impulsive at times. She got up and retrieved a cup then returned to her seat.

"I would like to check something and need a drop of your blood. May I have your hand?"

He gave it to her without complaint, he didn't believe he had a choice. After all, he is just a child surrounded by monsters.

Nora pricked his finger with a needle and let a drop of blood fall into the cup. She then added a strange green liquid from a vial that hung from her neck. She stirred the contents with her finger and muttered a few words.

His eyes were transfixed on the cup as smoke rose up. She looked at the smoke with great interest, poking at it at different intervals.

"This is most interesting. I know that you're scared now, but I want you to think about your unique position. You are currently bound to the king of all monsters. Among our kind that is a position of honor."

"What did you do?"

He didn't have the capacity to process her words right now. Instead he sought to answer his curiosity.

"This? I merely inquired about your paths. I can't see a person's true future, but I can divine the paths they can choose. I can say with confidence that one of your paths will lead you to accomplish many great things."

"What path is that?"

"The path of a vampire."