Chapter Text
The coven stood on the steps of their sanctuary. Drift held Shelby as she sobbed at the destruction that was taking place in front of them. Smoke filled the air, if they were human maybe they would worry but they are not and in turn their lungs don't work.
Scott stood at the forefront of his family frozen in surprise, that was quickly replaced with anger as he retreated back into the castle. "This won't do. They must pay"
Owen just watched in silence as the flames gorged themselves on the trees he planted all those years ago.
~
The vampires had set themselves on the edge of the remaining forest. "If they want fires, then we will give it to them" Scott was furious, how dare the humans do this and get away with it.
Avid and Pro let loose, as if dogs being let off leach for the first time in there lives. Pro pulling Avid back a few times refusing to let him have all the fun. Trails of light from the torches drawing fading images of destruction across the field.
"It's sad to see this all go up in flames, but whats a few more centuries" Owen didn't take his Eyes off the hungry flames, the others that had yet to move in looked at him puzzled. "What? How else did you think the walls originally got here? I can tell you they didn't just appear" before anyone could comment Owen went to join the frenzy.
~
Owen caught sight of Apo, and apparently he wasn't the only one.
Several of the more frenzied vampires bound towards her, bearing witness as she did something that none of them expected. Releasing her fangs she took in her surroundings. Panic as she was about to be out numbers lead her to grabbing Sausage's wrist, dragging him as she tried to flee.
Weather it was that Sausage was still weakened from just turning or he didn't want to follow, Apo's grip broke and before she could re-establish her grasp, Sausage had buckled underneath himself. Cursing under her breath she turned tail and continued her escape.
Owen stood next to Sausage with an inquisitive look watching while Pyro slinked back, giving up on his chase, returning to the congregation.
Having finished what they set out to do, the vampires began their return to the castle. They discovered that Apo had turned Sosage in hopes he would aid in her crusade to protect the humans.
"Don't worry roomy I don't hold what you did against you. hey look at it this way we can be friends for eternity now" Sosage nudged Owen, smile growing wide while realization and dread hit Owen.
~
Taking a moment to breathe Owen found him self leaning against the bridge wall, watching as the birds flitter about in the dying light, diving for bugs.
Chatter interrupted his thoughts as Shelby and Drift left the castle and before Owen could excuse himself he was roped into their conversation. "What do you plan to do once we escape, Owen?" Shelby asked as her and Drift walked arm in arm towards him.
Owen didn't know himself, what was there for him once this is done. "I can't say I've given it much thought. Probably go back to my hole to sleep for eternity or until the next person decides to disturb this place"
The girls looked at him blankly. "That's depressing" Cleo chimed from behind Owen.
~
"Oh don't worry Avid, I'll take care of it......you stay here Avid" Avid's mutterings caused Owen to pause. He really was a sorry excuse for a vampire.
Owen stood in the door way, his shadow looming over Avid. "What are you doing"
Avid's eyes darted around the room as he looked for an answer. "You going to hall yourself up here for the rest of the day? Licking your wounds like a kicked puppy?"
What ever internal conversation Owen wasn't privy to, left Avid looking more defeated then how Owen found him. "have you come here to kill me?" Avid's shoulders deflated, he has come to terms with the fact he shouldn't be here.
"Of course I haven't. Pull yourself together, or they will kill you. Kill us" Owen really did want nothing more then to put this sniffling fledgling out of his misery.
"They have numbers. I mean look at me, they took it all. I can't drink blood, it doesn't make me any stronger and.....I....I.." Avid tripped over his own words as he paced in a circle, his eyes frantic.
"Avid. I do not care. Now are you going to sit in this room for the rest of your life, or do you want to help Pyro and I with trapping the mine so they can't get to their precious silver and maybe get a proper meal" Owen meant it when he said "did he want to spend the rest of his life in this room", he would prefer not to kill him here but he would if he didn't have a choice.
~
Avid and Owen stood at the edge of the water, watching out for any threat while Pyro rummaged in the nearby bushes for a boat that he discovered. It was one that he found up river that he's been working on as a pass time. It wasn't fully done, it still needed new planks in some places and a good coat of paint. When the boat was ready Pyro looked at Owen with a satisfied grin on his face, Owen returned the look with one that told Pyro exactly what he thought. "What?"
Owen rolled his eyes. "Just, get, in"
Owen had Avid sit at the front of the boat facing himself rather than the scenery. Pyro was the one rowing them up river, his back to Owen. complaining every so often as he rowed.
"You probably think I'm useless" Avid Sniffled
"Your just a kid.....it will be fine" Owen never took his eyes off him. Watching, wondering if there was even a single reason to keep this thing around.
~
When they reach the mine they encountered the Doc and if the doc was there his shadow Abolish was not far off. "Right.....let's go" Owen was not interested in an altercation at this moment. Pyro nodded, this was not why they were here.
"What? there's more of us we can take...."
"Avid" Owens voice was firm. A puzzled look formed on Avid's face as he scanned Owens own for an answer. "You are hurt, do you really want to risk your life here? You barely survived the last encounter" Avid shrank back, he was right. His skin still burned where that sword had struck him.
They backed off and went to fined a place to watch out of sight.
~
After Pyro got back from checking if the coast was clear, the trio ventured into the cave. They hadn't ventured to far in when Owen handed Avid a shovel and told him to start digging. With him preoccupied with the task at hand, Pyro and Owen had their own silent conversation. After the whole was looking deep enough and the two were confident that Avid couldn't escape, Pyro collapsed the entrance to the cave plunging it into total darkness.
"Guys? I can't see, the silver dust is messing with my sight. What's going on?" Avid had backed himself into a corner, fumbling to light the small candle he stole from the castle sconces.
Pyro and Owen jumped down to join him. They stared at him, cats toying with their prey. Owen stepped closer hand behind his back while Pyro handed him something just out of sight.
"You tried to kill me, Avid" Pyro took his chance, lunging at Avid only to be met with a face full of steal from a shovel Avid managed to bring up just in time.
"What!? No. please I can help, I'm useful. You said so yourself!"
"I said you were nothing more then a kid, one playing in places he didn't belong" Owen held Avid down by the shoulder as he lined up the stake. Avid may be younger and weaker but with his will to not die in this place Owen was struggling.
Pyro had a look of manic as he picked himself up off the ground. Snatching the stake from Owen and finished the job himself.
~
"This gift is great the things you can do, the....." A Sharp pane ran across Shelby's chest, the sudden appearance had her keeling over in pain. The panicked adrenaline began to blur her vision as the blood running through her veins began to slow, each beat drowning out more of the world around her.
As if time didn't slow, everything came rushing back into focus. "Somethings wrong"
~
A knock at the town hall startled all the humans as they discussed what their next plans would be. Knowing that it wasn't one of theirs they drew there weapons ready to attack.
"I just want to talk" the humans were met with an upside-down bat, watching them intently.
Someone released a notched arrow, where it embedded itself in the wall beside Owen. Weather that was on purpose or not, Owen wasn't wanting to find out
Not wanting to get hit Owen pulled himself over the lip. "Whoa now, I really did just want to talk" once on the roof he pulled himself out of his bat form. "Do you want to take the credit for killing Avid?"
The news that Avid had died came as quite a shock. One of the most recent of the human to be parade upon was now dead, and by one of his own none less.
"We will not take credit for something we did not do, let alone partake in. I will not take the fall for someone else's crime" the doctor had a flicker of rage come into his brow.
"A simple no would have sufficed. Doctor"
~
"It was you!" Shelby's voice carried over the bridge as Owen made his way to the small congregation. Pyro was standing proud in front of Shelby and Drift. Drift had her hand around Shelby's arm, who has her nails ready to plunge into Pyro's beat-less heart.
"You told them I see" Owen made his presents known. The girls jumped slightly with not seeing his approach.
Shelby looked at him puzzled. "You knew about this?"
Cleo had joined Owens side, listening to the news. Pyro's laughed brought the attention back to himself. "Knew about this? He's the one that handed me the stake" Pyro's grin was unnatural.
Cleo couldn't help but laugh herself, "he was a liability. Right Pyro"
~
"Do you really think this is what Louis would have wanted from you?"
"I like you Shelby, I really do and I don't want to harm any one else you care about. But don't EVER speak his name to me again" this was the second time Shelby had seen Owen this mad, but it didn't faze her, not the same way it did last time because this time she was mad too.
"You know, you both were a lot a like" with that she turned back, heading inside to shelter from the rising sun.
~
Owen found himself sitting under a tree at the edge of the old forest. His back against chard wood, wounds from a conflict that did not concern it. Knees tucked against his chest, his own memories haunting his mind.
Him standing on the top of the lake tower, watching as Scott hunted Pyro down. Watching from a distance as Pyro flailed in the shallows trying to grab at anything to drag himself away as Scott's smaller stature pulled him up by the wrist. Smiling sweetly before sinking his fangs into Pyro's neck.
Him running ahead, pushing a scared Shelby back towards Scott and an over eager Pyro as she pleaded to be let go, trying to appeal to their humanity. There's not appealing to a hungry beast, Shelby learnt that when she found Scott's fangs in her neck and Pyro drinking from her arm.
Him standing at the entrance to the old ruined mines while Apo was greeted with two sets of red eyes, ready for a chase as he wished them luck with their new hunt. The look of horror as Apo realised she was with no friends at that cave entrance.
Him asking Legs for some blood to hold the growing hunger at bay. The visage morphed from the doctor willing offering his neck to the stings of garlic as he tried to fight Owen off.
Him leaning over Avid as Pyro plunged the stake into his heart. Avid's cries for help falling on deaf ears. His body laying there as a few days of decay settled in. Gods His body, they just left him there in the dark. Owen covered his mouth as a few tears lined his cheeks. He doesn't regret his decision, Avid was a loose canon, one that was heading down a path that would in danger them all. No he didn't regret it, but was Shelby right?
"Is this really the me, he would have wanted to see?"