Work Text:
“Look, I've already told you, the answer is no,” the wolf snapped from their wooden perch.
The person beneath them frowned, though their mischievous smirk remained.
“C'mon Zirc!” They whined, resisting the urge to grin. They had always loved visiting the encampment, but this one wolf in particular has been the source of almost all their amusement for the past two months, not that that was a very long time for someone in their position.
“The others will give me hell if I let you in!” Zircon huffed, quickly shooting a glance over their shoulder. “Besides, I'm not entirely sure of what you're capable of.”
“Oh come on pup,” a purr came from under them, and Zircon stiffened nervously. “I haven't eaten in so long, have pity on an old undead.”
“I didn't think age bothered you Yellow.” Zircon muttered. Yellow hummed, ready to fire back, when a rough, threatening growl pierced the quiet of the forest.
“Leave.”
Yellow scowled. A dark, mossy coloured wolf approached from behind Zircon, a grey one following close. Of course Yellow knew the two to be the Alpha's right and left hands... or paws.
“Jade, Euclase!” They grinned mirthlessly, while Jade shot them an unimpressed glare. “How wonderful it is to see you.”
“Save it leech!” Jade snarled, lips curling to show off their large canines. Euclase reached over to nudge their companion with a small laugh. Jade immediately quieted, planting themself stubbornly on the floor of the outpost.
The sun was beginning to peak over the treeline, and the chill breeze was tapering off. It was about time for Yellow to be heading back anyway. Besides, they didn't really feel up to taking on a whole pack of grouchy werewolves. They weren't exactly known for being morning people.
“I'll see you around,” They murmured, throwing a wink Zircon's way and not even sparing a glance at the other two wolves. Should they have taken off a second sooner, they might have missed the way the shifter sputtered, rattled.
*****
Padparadscha stretched across their luxurious bed, fangs bearing as they yawned into the sparsely decorated room. Above them, Yellow Diamond hung from a wooden beam, dirty and uneven claws digging into the rotting timber.
“What should I do?” They sighed, rubbing their temples. Padparadscha shrugged, crossing their legs and sinking into the red bedsheets.
Fed up, Yellow dropped from the ceiling, jolting the red-head back to reality.
“Padparadscha, I haven't eaten in weeks! I feel sick and tired all the time,” their teeth glinted in the dim light of the room, and they could see Padparadscha visibly gulp. “It's not so bad for you, you've got that human you're always hanging around.”
Padparadscha's caution vanished in an instant, and a sly grin worked its way onto their face. Yellow growled, pinching the bridge of their nose. “You're getting distracted!”
“This squeaky bed is a distraction!” Padparadscha snorted. “Speaking of, I think we need to move locations, this place is practically falling apart.” As if on cue, the bed snapped, and the pair were thrust forward as it gave way, not quite collapsing. “See what I mean?”
“Please focus.”
Padparadscha laughed, pushing their companion off of them. “Alright alright, what about that wolf?” They hummed. “Why don't you seduce them? Lure 'em back to the castle then you have yourself a meal.”
Yellow grimaced at the thought, and Padparadscha stared at them like they'd gone mad.
“I don't want to hurt them...”
“Well, those werewolves are as close to human blood as you're going to get.”
Yellow's shoulders sagged. It was true, most of the humans that lived close to the forest were keen enough to not venture out at night, and take the necessary precautions to protect against vampires. It wasn't like they could just up and move to a big city, if they were discovered, it would spell disaster. Of course, the same couldn't be said for Padparadscha's new pet.
“We'll see.”
*****
Long, black talons gripped bark as the winged creature sized up their prey. An owl, perched on a low branch, gazed down at the forest floor, searching for movement. It hadn't yet noticed them, and they leapt from tree to tree, hoping it wouldn't turn around. Although they wouldn't normally be hunting animals, there's been a shortage of food that's caused them to step outside of their usual diet.
Yellow reached the nearest branch, bracing to lunge for the animal, and shot forward, but three sharp bangs jolted them upwards. Their face slammed into the trunk of the tree, and the owl, with a cry, took off from its perch.
Yellow recognized the sounds as gunshots. Their pointed ears pricked, and they listened intently. The smell reached them before any sounds did. The rich scent of blood, inviting them.
They mind shutdown, their wings spread, and before they even knew what they were doing, they were soaring through the dark sky. They zeroed in on the source of the smell. Wings folded, they dove to the woodland floor. They landed with a thunderous crash, and stared at the scene before them.
A wolf, halfway between forms, dragging itself on the ground. A thin trail of blood streaked behind it, and it let out a quiet whine.
Three men stood over it, shotguns in hand. They each snapped their heads towards Yellow, startled by the vampires sudden appearance. No doubt they were hunters, but where had they come from? The closest village was through several miles of deep forest, how had they caught up to the wolves?
Yellow charged them, pouncing on the nearest one. He screamed when their knife-like claws raked down his face. On his hands he wore silver gauntlets, and he slammed his palms into the bats chest.
It burned, and they hissed, digging their claws even further into his skull before ripping them out. His bellows of pain cut off as he was relieved of his face. Yellow slammed their body into the second man, hearing yet another shot go off, shooting past them and making their ears bleed. Yellow paid it no mind, sinking their teeth into his arm as he shouted hastily at his remaining companion.
They lifted him, growling at the weight, and tossed him at the other hunter. They dug their talons into his legs, ignoring the way he kicked and thrashed. Broad fangs sunk deep into his throat, and he stilled. Yellow lapped at the blood the gushed from his shredded throat.
At last, only one hunter was left. Yellow saw him reach desperately for his dropped gun.
They slammed their foot down on his hand, relishing his cry of pain. He was dead within seconds, and his corpse was discarded unceremoniously.
Yellow stood, shoulders hunched as they glowered at the surrounding trees. There wasn't a sound to be heard at first, and then a soft whimper, quiet, but loud in the silence.
Yellow's vision was cloudy, but they knew who it was. They could recognize that soft ginger fur anywhere.
Zircon was almost fully human now, and only thin red fuzz and sharp canines remained. Leaning down to inspect them, Yellow caught sight of the source of the blood. It was a silver bullet, embedded in the right shoulder. The poison would set in quickly. Yellow did trust themself... but they were so hungry...
They parted their jaws, long fangs encasing the bullet. They fought the urge to drain the wolf of blood as they tugged the bullet out, spitting it towards the shrubbery. Zircon cried out weakly.
“Curse these werewolves...” Yellow muttered, the sounds coming out as raspy and deep, unnatural. “Why do they have to smell so damn sweet?”
Yellow lifted the younger into their arms, shaking their head. They honestly didn't know why they were worried for the wolf. It would be so much easier to just drain them and be done with it, but something compelled them to treat the injured pup gently. Not that it was easy, but it felt like the right thing to do at the time.
No matter, Zircon was starting to succumb to the affects of the toxins, and they had to get it out as quickly as possible. Securing them safely on their back, the bat scaled the tallest, closest tree, and set their sights on the castle.
*****
Zircon first noticed the darkness blanketing them. They knew instantly that they were not in the camp, sleeping amongst their fellow beasts. The second thing they noticed was the searing pain in their shoulder, like the sting of scorpions, yet somehow worse.
What was that? They thought to themself. Disorientated, with the world spinning around them, they lurched forward as if about to be sick.
“Good, you're awake,” purred a voice to their left. Zircon whipped around, coming face to
face with a very familiar vampire.
“You,” they slumped, regretting it immediately as their shoulder gave another aching throb.
“Hey now!” Yellow chided, casual grin ever present on their face. “Is that any way to treat your saviour?”
“Saviour?”
“You don't remember. Typical wolf,” they tsked.
“What's that supposed to mean?!” Zircon narrowed their eyes, only getting more irritated when Yellow laughed in response.
“You were being hunted, and I found you,” they said simply.
Zircon gasped, throwing the covers off and trying to focus on anything but the agony coursing through them.
“Euclase!” The wolf almost collapsed, but Yellow caught them by the waist. “And Jade! We were separated when the hunters came!”
“Easy pup,” the blond carried them effortlessly and set back them in the bed. “Euclase is smart, they'll be fine, and that other brat wouldn't leave their side for a moment I'm sure.”
For a moment Zircon was quiet. They averted their eyes, and Yellow took the opportunity to bend down and drag their tongue slowly across the wolf's neck. Zircon shuddered violently once the tongue peeled back, and finally met their eyes again, gawking.
“W-what was t-that!?” They squealed, face turning beet red. Yellow's raucous laughter filled the room, and it grated their sensitive ears. Zircon whimpered, burying their flushed face in their hands.
“Aww, come now, I've been holding back on eating you all night,” Yellow drawled.
“E-eat me!?” Once again, Yellow burst into fits of giggles. Zircon puffed out their cheeks, frown deepening. “You're enjoying this aren't you!?” They accused.
“How could I not?” they fired back. “You're so precious, and clueless,” they added.
After more teasing- with the wolf getting increasingly flustered and the vampire getting more cocky- they calmed.
“God, are all vampires like you?”
“Hey now, don't speak his name under my roof yeah? And no, for your information, they aren't,” trailing off, Yellow softly mumbled under their breath. “My roommate is though.”
Zircon's sharp ears picked up on the mention of a companion, and they anxiously gazed around the room.
“They're not here right now you dope” Yellow rolled their eyes. “They're off with that human, doing... well, you don't want to know.”
Zircon stiffened at that, and Yellow must have taken heed of the changed atmosphere, as they unfolded their arms and turned their head suspiciously.
“There's a human here?” Zircon growled threateningly. Yellow approached, holding their hand up.
“It's alright, this human's familiar with us. They're the one that cured your poison.”
“You let a human touch me?” Zircon was getting frightened, Yellow could see it, and without waiting for them to make the first move, they pinned the wolf to the bed, holding their wrists down.
They writhed, and Yellow bared their jaws, hissing loudly. Zircon thrashed about, legs tossing the sheets around.
“Calm down,” Yellow commanded, and they could already feel the fight ebbing out of them.
“You're safe here, alright? No one will hurt you but yourself if you keep throwing a fit, so just relax and let us take care of you until you're strong enough to go back out there.”
Trembling, the small wolf nodded, and Yellow smiled once again.
“Good dog,” they rumbled. “Now, shall I go find you some food? Or shall we stay here, hmm?” Zircon was made all too aware of their compromising position, having been pinned down with the other's face mere inches from theirs. They turned away bashfully. “I could get used to this...”
With a cry, they wriggled in Yellow's grasp, trying to ignore the sudden rush of heat they felt.
“A-a-actually, food w-would be great!”
Yellow almost seemed disappointed, but nevertheless released their hold.
“Very well, I'll be back soon,” with that, they vanished out the tall, wooden door.
Zircon almost collapsed. What ever would they do now? Stuck in a castle with two vampires and a human?