Chapter Text
There were humans in Oakhurst. Twelve loud and confused humans, and one vampire Scott didn’t recognize.
Scott had left his roost, dressed as best as he could–clothes were confusing, but he’d been so very cold, and human skin was so delicate– and stumbled through the forest towards town. Walking was hard, and he desperately wish he could go back to his true form, but he couldn’t, and once again, he cursed the vampire who had doomed him to this life. He fell, multiple times, before catching a stray chicken to eat. It was barely enough to keep him from going crazy with hunger.
He made it to town eventually. The twelve humans and one vampire reached his ears before his eyes–and that was another thing to get used to, how bright everything was and how many new colours and how quiet yet loud.
He’d entered through the ruined gates. The humans and vampire were all in groups around the center of town. Very quickly one of them spotted Scott, and alerted the others with words he didn’t fully understand.
Scott had learnt the human language after drinking his owner’s blood–a few moments before he’d learnt how to kill them all–. This sounded similar, but nowhere close enough for him to have a conversation.
The humans were approaching. One young one with the stench of garlic and a stake in his belt, and an older one with white robes. The younger one was screaming, and Scott didn’t know if they were accusing or questioning him or what. Scott took a step back, mouth in a grimace close to a snarl.
The older one pushed the younger back, who was then pulled further back by another human with very orange hair. The older one remained, offering a hand and calming words towards Scott. Scott couldn’t tell if they were waiting for a reply.
He took another step back. The human didn’t follow. They placed a hand on their chest and spoke again.
“Legundo.” They said. They gestured towards Scott and made another short sound.
Were they…asking for his name? Was Legundo their name? It sounded like a name.
“Scott.” He said, after hesitation.
The human–Legundo–smiled. They said his name again, and something else that sounded like a petition. Slowly, they grabbed Scott’s wrist like he was a scared feral animal–which he wasn’t. He was a completely calm domesticated bat, thank you very much–, and Scott allowed it for now. Their hands were calloused. That was… new, as far as humans went.
Legundo kept speaking as they guided him from the noisy group. Scott didn’t understand a word. They got him into a crumbled down house and pushed him to sit in a vaguely comfortable rock.
Scott could still faintly hear the humans. Two of them–the young one from before and another one–had trailed behind unsubtly, though they didn’t dare enter and left soon after. The vampire was quieter, just watching from a distance. Staring at Scott. Had Legundo not been right there, he would’ve hissed at them. It was rude to stare.
Legundo opened his suitcase. They pulled out a rag and wetted it with a flask of water. Then they approached again. They sat by Scott’s side and when Scott leaned away from their touch, they grabbed his chin and gently held him in place. The rag brushed against his skin before he could whether to attack or not.
Oh. Legundo was cleaning his scratches. Alright then, Scott would let them. The dry blood had started to get annoying and harder to ignore than the pain–he'd grown used to pain and hunger a long time ago–. If Legundo wanted to clean him up, Scott wouldn’t complain. They were gentler than any of Scott’s owners ever had been. They spoke softer, too.
Legundo moved from his face to his arms, wrapping some of the deeper gashes in bandages, and then to his feet. Scott had forgone shoes. They were weird and tight and Scott had already struggled with pants, he was too tired to attempt shoes. His feet had suffered, but it didn’t matter. As soon as he was strong enough, he’d go back to his true nature, and he wouldn’t have to worry about walking ever again.
Legundo bandaged them well. There was an odd look in their face, something Scott hadn’t seen before. They finished the bandages and offered Scott a flask of water.
Scott took a sip just to make them happy. It seemed to work because Legundo stepped aside, chatting away as they started to clear the rubble. Scott watched as they worked, tidying the area. He moved to stand, but Legundo was there in an instant to push him back down. Fine. Just sit there and look pretty. Scott could do that. He wouldn’t even scowl, despite wanting to.
More humans came and went, speaking to Legundo and shooting looks at Scott when Legundo was unaware. Mostly harmless ones. A human with big glasses waved a hand at him, and Scott imitated the gesture, slightly confused. It seemed to please them.
He tried to get a grasp of the language, see what he could understand. Stray words here and there, but nothing that could give him any idea of who these humans were.
Houses were starting to get built around town. They looked small, and shoddy, nothing like the castle Scott had brought to rubble. All wood, as well. Easier to burn.
Then, as night started to fall, the same loud human as before came. They spoke more softly, though that didn’t help Scott understand a thing, and handed Scott a head of garlic. Legundo shooed them away and took the garlic.
A human with an odd voice came by and dropped a coat over Scott’s shoulders. It was an ugly worn thing, something Scott would never catch his owners wearing. But still, Scott allowed it. He wanted the humans to like him until he could catch one of them by surprise and eat. If that meant allowing them to fuse all over him like if he were a pet, well. At least they were better owners than the last batch. He’d make his feeding as painless as he could. Spare Legundo, maybe.
The orange haired human appeared again. They spoke to Legundo, and they nodded and handed them their things. Then Legundo went to Scott, said something, and picked him up. Scott squeaked in protest. Legundo had placed a hand underneath his knees and another on his back. Scott wriggled, but they didn’t drop him and didn’t even seem to care about his obvious discomfort.
The thought of sparing Legundo was fading from his mind.
Before he could carry out any violence, Legundo entered a half constructed house and deposited Scott on a plush surface. Scott examined it. It was an odd roost. Why was it rectangular? It was not a very good roost, but it was warm and soft. Legundo pushed him to lay down and covered him with a blanket. Scott decided he didn’t like blankets, and kicked it off him. Legundo sighed, picked it up, and left it at the end of Scott’s rectangular roost. Then they took off their white robes, revealing even more clothes underneath. Why did humans use so many clothes?
Legundo took off one of their eyes–huh. Humans could do that? Could Scott do that now? Did Scott want to?–, and settled into their own roost. Did humans not sleep communally? Maybe they did, but since Scott was perceived to be injured, they let him have a full roost to himself? It didn’t explain why Legundo was sleeping alone. Maybe they were sent to look over him while the rest of the humans shared.
If so, Legundo didn’t do that good of a job at it, since they fell asleep soon after. Scott watched them for a bit, before moving to stand. He was so hungry. Legundo wouldn’t mind.
The vampire entered the half made house. Scott froze, glaring at them. They said something, softly as to not wake Legundo. They took a step forward, and Scott hissed at them. They rolled their eyes at him. They pulled a sleeve up and undid the bandages around their arm. Wrist up, they thrusted the arm at Scott.
Oh. Ok. Free food, who was Scott to say no? He sank his fangs into their forearm and drank. It tasted delicious, and the vampire was pulling away far too soon.
Scott held back a pout.
“Can you understand me now?” The vampire asked.
Scott blinked. He knew an awful lot about trees now. “I can.” He said. Words felt foreign in his mouth. “Thank you.” He added, because politeness was usually appreciated. His owners liked it. Had liked it.
“Good.” The vampire said. “Come up with an excuse for the humans, and stop hissing at people. You’re making what you are painfully obvious.”
Oh. Had he been read so easily? He’d have to be more careful, though maybe the humans wouldn’t notice. Humans were always slower.
“How long have you been asleep, anyways?” The vampire kept on.
“I don’t know.” Scott said. Human measurements of time were overly convoluted and strange. He refused to indulge them. “Long time.”
The vampire scoffed. “Figured.” He said. “Don’t get found out, I don’t want people finding out Avid’s right. He’s annoying enough as is.”
“Who’s Avid?” Scott asked.
“The loud hunter with no idea of what he’s doing.” The vampire said. “He already suspects you, though no one is paying him any mind.”
The one who smelt of garlic? It fit the description.
Scott nodded. He eyed the furniture around him–and Legundo, asleep on his roost as well–, trying to see if there’s anything he could use as a stake in case this vampire got any fancy ideas on who Scott belonged to. He could always break one of the legs of the wooden structure that supported the roost, but that’d wake Legundo up for sure.
“Anyways.” The vampire said, turning to leave. “I’ll see you in the morning. Good luck explaining your muteness.”
He left, going to a different half finished house. Scott contemplated drinking from Legundo, but figured it might be too obvious, so he curled in his roost, and closed his eyes.
He dreamt of a man going up in flames.
Morning came, and with it, a hand shaking him awake. Scott blinked up at Legundo, who was standing over his roost.
“Good morning.” He said, though by now he must’ve not been expecting any answer, because he kept talking. “I hope you slept well. I asume you must be hungry, I should’ve given you something yesterday, but it slipped my mind with everything that was going on.” He offered a piece of bread and cheese, both looking entirely unappetizing. “It’s not much, but it’s going to be a day or so before the farms start giving us anything of use.”
Scott blinked. “I’m not hungry.” He lied, because he refused to eat human food. Give him fruit, or sugar cane, or a cicada if he was feeling frisky. Or, well, blood. He had been drinking blood ever since the incident. But not bread, and certainly not cheese.
Legundo startled. “Oh. I wasn’t expecting–”
“Who are you?” Scott pushed. “Where am I? What’s going on?”
The vampire had told him to come up with a convincing story, so Scott would play his part perfectly well.
“I’m– I’m Doctor Legundo.” Legundo said, leaving the undesired food on the roost. “You’re in Oakhurst. You arrived yesterday, clearly injured and not speaking a single word other than your name. What do you remember?”
Scott kept silent for a few seconds. Frowned and looked away, as if struggling to remember. “I– I was going home.” He said. “And then I got ambushed by a group, and I–” He trailed off, fixing his gaze at a particular pebble on the floor. “I think I ran. And then there were more people, and I was so tired, and everything was loud–”
Legundo placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. “It’s alright. You’re safe now.” He said, and Scott stopped faking and glanced up at him. There it was again, that odd expression. He didn’t know if he liked it. “I believe you might have suffered from some minor head trauma, do you feel any nausea or dizziness?”
Scott shook his head. “I’m quite alright, sir.” He said. He sat up, grabbing the coat the human with the funny voice had given him and putting it on with minimal struggle. “Thank you for your concern.”
He tried to stand, but Legundo was there, pushing him back down.
“You should stay off your feet for a while.” He said. “At least until we can get you some shoes.”
“I’m fine.” Scott insisted. “You cannot expect me to do nothing all day.”
Legundo didn’t relent. “You are injured, you should rest.”
Scott grit his jaw, and lied back down. Stupid humans. Stupid doctors. Always the same.
Slowly, as the day started, the other humans started to wake. Scott could hear them fumble their ways through greetings and offers of breakfast. The same one who’d waved their hand at him came by, and after realizing Scott could now speak, quickly introduced themselves as Shelby and asked if his state had been caused by Bigfoot.
“…Bigfoot?” Scott asked. He’d sat up on his roost, and was tilting his head in confusion. “As in, one singular foot that is big, or someone with disproportionate feet, or…?”
“No, like a very big haired creature–” Shelby explained.
“A bear?” Scott offered. Bears were quite big, probably bigger than humans. He hadn’t seen any since he’d been taken.
“No!” Shelby said, perhaps a bit too overexcited by the way she almost jumped on top of his roost.
Legundo stepped into the conversation. “Please don’t accost my patients with wild speculation.” He asked, though it didn’t sound like a proper order. More like a jest. A jab?
“It’s not speculation! There’s proof out there.” Shelby said. “Avid agrees with me.”
Legundo scoffed. A jab it had been, then. “Avid is a madman.”
“Who is Avid?” Scott asked. The vampire had mentioned him earlier. He might be a liability.
“Oh, right, you’ve still got to meet everyone.” Shelby said. “We should have a town meeting so you can introduce yourself.”
Legundo looked around, as if gauging the size of his house. “I don’t think I can fit thirteen people in here.”
“We can meet around the beacon!” Shelby said. She eyed Scott’s bandaged feet. “I can carry him!”
“Can you?” Scott asked. She didn’t look that strong. Maybe if she’d been a vampire, but being only human…
Shelby took it as a challenge. “You bet I can!” They said as they approached.
With much more energy and less care, they picked him up like Legundo had last night. Scott wrapped his arms around their neck, eyeing the floor. It wouldn’t hurt much if he was dropped. A blow to his ego, perhaps.
Legundo looked unsure whether to stop them. “Don’t drop him.” He pleaded.
“I won’t!” Shelby said, though her arms shook with effort. She started walking. “Gather everyone! Town meeting time!”
And she marched to the center of town, panting heavily. Other humans stared as she set him down in yet another suitable rock. How many of them did this town have? She stood, hands in bended knees, breathing heavily.
The loud human saw them and rushed close. “Shelby!” He said. “Don’t get so close to the obvious vampire!”
Scott narrowed his eyes. “You must be Avid.” He said.
Avid jumped. “You can talk now.” He said, staring.
“That’s why we’re calling a town meeting.” Shelby said, once they got their breath back. “And he’s not a vampire!”
“He’s got white hair and pink eyes!” Avid said, gesturing at Scott as if he wasn’t there.
“Some people have albinism, Avid!” Shelby protested.
Scott grabbed a lock of his hair. Huh. It was white, underneath the grime. Just like his fur. He hoped it looked pretty, humans liked pretty things. They kept pretty things alive.
“Avid, laddie, stop screaming at the poor lad.” The human with the funny voice was approaching. “He’s clearly been through something, don’t cha know?”
Scott gave one of his best smiles–something humans liked were facial expressions, pretty smiles and eye contact and sophisticated words–and adjusted the coat that was still over his shoulders. “You’re the one who gave me the coat.” He said, surprising the man. “Thank you.”
To his credit, the human recovered quickly. “It’s nothing, lad, I’ve brought plenty clothes–you needed it more, don’t cha know?”
“Vampires can’t get cold.” Avid pointed out, quite petulantly.
“He’s not a vampire.” Shelby insisted.
Scott decided to add fuel to the fire. “What’s a vampire?” He asked, frowning as if in genuine confusion.
Avid glared at him. “You can’t fool me, I know what you are.” He said.
Scott wanted to laugh. As if. Instead, he just kept up his frown. “…you do?” He asked.
“Avid, drop it.” Shelby said, cutting the human off before he could speak back.
Avid rolled his eyes, and crossed his arms. But he kept quiet as the rest of the townspeople approached. Once thirteen of them were there–one of them was missing–, the orange haired one spoke.
“What’s this about, then?” She asked. “It better be important, some of us have farms to tend to.”
Legundo, whom Scott had watched struggle to corral everyone to come to the center of town, sighed. “It’ll only be a minute.” He said. “It was Shelby’s idea, to give Scott a chance to introduce himself to everyone.”
Everyone looked at Scott. He offered another smile. “Hi.” He said, surprising quite a few of them. “Apologies if I acted untoward in any way yesterday, I’m afraid I was a bit out of sorts.”
“Don’t apologize.” Legundo told him. “You were clearly suffering from some sort of head trauma.”
“We should all introduce each other!” Shelby said, bouncing on her heels. “I already did, so…”
The human who lended his coat was quick to pick up the idea and introduced himself. The rest followed, adding some details to their introductions–what was a writer? What was a detective?? He knew what a lumberjack was, those cut trees down. But what on earth was a butler??–. Finally, Cleo, the orange one, a farmer–Scott knew what that was! Good.–introduced themselves, and the missing human.
“Pearl went out to the forest.” She said. “You’ll know when you see her. Tall, friendly, apparently unable to make a quick trip, cause she said she’d be back in five minutes and it’s been half an hour.”
“Maybe she’s gotten hurt.” Avid said. “We should go search for her.”
Cleo shrugged. “Be my guest, but some of us would rather finish our houses. Pearl’s tough, she’ll be fine.”
Avid looked like he wanted to argue, but thankfully shut his mouth.
“Say, Scott.” Martyn said, changing the topic. “You looked awful yesterday, what even happened to you?”
Before anyone could chide him for rudeness, Scott spoke. “I was going home when a group of… men,” saying humans would be weird, wouldn’t it? “They, eh…” he hesitated on purpose, fixing his gaze downwards. “They took me.” He said softly. “And my things. I esc– I ran away, and they chased, and I– I got here, I guess.”
He waited a few seconds before shaking his head and glancing up at the humans. It looked like most if not all believed him. He didn’t bother checking Avid. Sausage was frantically moving some sharp object against a small surface.
Finally, Abolish broke the awkward silence. “I could lend you some shoes.” He offered. “I’ve got a spare pair of boots I can use, until you get some.”
“That would be really appreciated.” Scott said.
“I could give you some socks!” Shelby added.
“You still ought to remain off your feet for a while.” Legundo insisted. “And we should find you a house.”
Scott would rather find a tree and make a roost there. A tree far away from any human and vampire.
“I thought you were going to live with him.” Drift said.
“I planned to turn that building into a clinic.” Legundo said “Not exactly the best place to live in.” Where would he live, then? Nowhere? Humans were so weird.
“Makes sense.” Drift said. “We probably have space for one mor–”
Avid jumped in. “No! No, absolutely not! I am not inviting a vampire into my house!” He grabbed Drift by the shoulders and shook her. “That’s how they get you!”
“Vampires aren’t real.” Apo pointed out. “Stop accusing people, it’s rude.”
“He’s got red eyes and white hair and his backstory is vague and probably made up!” Avid complained, which only made people groan.
Shelby ignored him and turned to Scott. “You can live with me, I wouldn’t mind a roomie!”
Shelby seemed nice enough, so Scott agreed.
Shelby’s house was small, and it only had one small roost. But it had some ovens cooking away, and Scott didn’t mind the tight space. The socks Shelby had given him were soft, black and white patterns looking quite out of place with Scott’s breeches. Scott was sitting on Shelby’s roost, kicking his legs as he watched them go about organizing the furniture. Which was an odd choice in tasks, since the house still had no roof. Or a finished floor.
“–we could do bunk beds.” They said, as they moved some chests to rest by the ovens, clearing some space next to the door. “I’d take top, of course, I’m not making you climb a ladder while injured. I’ll have to go look for sheep…”
“What’s a bunk bed?” Scott asked.
Shelby placed a different kind of box by the door. “Like, a bed on top of a bed?”
Scott blinked. Yeah, no, he still didn’t understand it.
Shelby seemed to sense his confusion. “It’s connected by wooden pillars and a ladder, and– Scott do you not know what a bed is?”
“Of course I know what a bed is.” Scott lied. “I’m not stupid.”
Shelby didn’t look convinced.
“Shouldn’t your house have a roof before bothering with beds?” Scott said, attempting a distraction. “What if it rains?”
Shelby looked up at the cloudy sky and grimaced. “I mean– sure, but you need a place to sleep as well!”
“We could share.” Scott shrugged. “I don’t mind.”
Shelby’s face reddened, and she turned to cough. “I– sure! I don’t mind either.” Then, under her breath, she mumbled something about fanfic. What even was that?
Before Scott could decide if asking was a good idea, Abolish knocked on the open door. He rose the pair of shoes he was carrying as an offering. “May I come in?” He asked.
“Sure.” Shelby said. “Abolish, right?”
Abolish nodded. “I’ve brought you the shoes.” He said, dropping them by Scott’s feet. “I don’t intend to be rude, but are you going to fix your shirt?”
His shirt? Scott glanced down. Oh, right, the buttons. He’d given up on those after a few. He really didn’t like them. Annoyingly small for human hands.
“Oh.” He said, dumbly. “I should, should’t I? I’d like to look decent.”
To his merit, he did attempt re-buttoning his shirt, but there were so many buttons, and so many holes, and he kept getting confused–he must’ve been entertaining to watch, because he felt Abolish and Shelby staring at him as he struggled.
“Do you… need help?” Abolish asked.
“No.” Scott lied. Clothes were so stupidly designed. Humans were so stupidly designed. Everything was so stupid.
“Are you sure?” Shelby asked, after another few seconds of Scott fighting buttons.
“I heard head trauma can cause momentary loss of coordination.” Abolish offered, as some sort of pillow to his ego.
Scott sighed, and gave up. “Fine. Whatever.”
Abolish sat by his side and started the meticulous process of fixing Scott’s mess of a shirt. At least he looked handsome while doing so. Even if he was a human.
Shelby glanced at their lack of roof once again and hummed. “I think I’m going to finish the roof today.” They said. They turned to the pair on the roost. “I’ll go get some stone, you guys keep each other company!”
She didn’t await a response, grabbing a pickaxe from a chest–why did she keep that there–and waltzing out of the door. Leaving Scott with the very fancy and very quiet human.
“Thanks for the shoes.” He said, after a few awkward seconds. “You truly didn’t have to.”
Abolish shrugged. His fingers moved with practiced ease through the buttons. “It’s nothing.” He said. “Anyone here would’ve done it.”
Scott doubted that. Had he not sold himself like this pretty poor creature who was oh so sadly lost, no one would’ve given a crap about him. Had he been just a tad too much of a burden, just a tad less pretty–Scott would’ve been done for.
Still, he smiled. “If you say so.”
There was another knock on the open door. Scott’s gaze travelled to meet Owen’s.
“Am I… interrupting?” He asked, looking mildly uncomfortable.
Abolish reddened slightly, finishing Scott’s last button and separating. “No, no, everything’s fine.”
Owen glanced between both of them. “…Right.” He drawled. “I was just passing by, can I come in?”
“Of course.” Scott said. His shirt felt a lot less horrible now. Maybe the buttons did matter.
“I've brought some breakfast, if any of you want it.” Owen offered, pulling out a small bag of berries.
“Oh, yes please.” Scott said, almost snatching them. Then, he remembered Abolish. “Unless you want them, of course.”
Abolish looked amused. “No, I’ve already eaten, you can have them.” He stood, fixing his outfit. “I ought to work on my house. Yell if you need anything.”
He left, leaving Scott alone with the vampire. Silence followed, as Owen followed Abolish with his gaze and Scott started eating his berries. Tasty.
Owen glanced back at him and frowned. “You don’t have to eat them.” He said. “You can just hide them and pretend.”
Scott blinked. “Why wouldn’t I eat them?” He asked. “I’m hungry, and all I’ve been offered is cheese.” Disgusting. Horrible courting choice. Owen had done so much better. Scott would still reject him, of course, but Owen would probably not mind. It wasn’t spring yet, anyways, he had plenty of time to find someone else. Besides, it seemed like he hadn’t even intended to give them to Scott, by his comments.
Owen looked at him strangely. “You can actually taste them?”
Scott blinked. “Yes?” He said.
Owen hummed, and mumbled something about age. Then he shook his head. “Whatever.” He said. “Put your shoes on, I’ve gotten us a meal ready.”
Scott swallowed the last of his berries. “Sugarcane?”
“What– no. God damnit.” Owen said, increasingly frustrated. Scott fought back a squeak at his angry tone. “Put your shoes on and follow my lead.”
Rude. Very much so. Scott should’ve known he’d be like this, all vampires were the same. He should stake him before he got violent.
Not in Shelby’s house. Not yet.
“Legundo said to remain off my feet.” Scott said.
“Do you want a proper meal or not?” Owen snapped. “Put your shoes on, I’ll deal with the doc if it comes to it.”
Scott grit his teeth. He grabbed the shoes and examined them. They had strings. Why did they need strings?
After a few seconds of watching him struggle, Owen spoke again. “Do you even know how to put them on?” He asked. When Scott didn’t rely, he added, awkwardly, “do you want help?”
“Not from you.” Scott said, managing to slip his foot inside the shoe. It felt weird.
Owen sighed and got on his knees. “You got it on the wrong foot.” He said, taking it off and placing it on the other with ease. He repeated the motions with the other. “Look.” He said, as he tied the strings. “You’re painfully obvious and completely lost. I’m trying to help you until you catch up. I don’t want to see another vampire killed by humans hands in Oakhurst.”
“I’m not like you.” Scott said. He was a vampire, sure, but he would never be like the rest of them. No matter how hard they tried to train him.
“Yeah, that’s abundantly clear.” Owen muttered. “You’re weird and old, but I’m trying to keep us alive, so you could swallow your ego and work with me.”
“Fine.” Scott forced himself to say.
Owen stood. “Come on, Pyro’s waiting.”
“Pyro?” Scott asked. He got to his feet with barely a wince.
Owen gave him a cheeky smile. “Our meal, of course.”
After sneaking out, avoiding Legundo and Abolish least they try to ground Scott, they met Pyro by the town’s walls. They were carrying a bundle of clothes, and they almost dropped it when they waved at Scott.
“I got some of my clothes, they should fit you, though maybe the pants will be a bit too long.” He said, as they joined him. Then he spoke to Owen. “The lake isn’t too far, is it?” Legundo did say not to make him walk much.”
“I’ll be fine.” Scott said. “Though I appreciate the concern. And the clothes.” He offered a smile, and Pyro’s face reddened.
“It’s nothing.” They mumbled.
“Let’s get going before we lose sunlight.” Owen said, as he started walking.
They entered the woods, much to Scott’s suffering. His feet hurt, and after a few minutes he was certain they were bleeding. He tried to ignore it, and turned to Pyro for conversation.
“You said you were a scholar?” He prompted.
Pyro’s face brightened. “Ah, yes. I’m working on my thesis paper. I’ve been studying sociology and history and how they intertwine and Oakhurst seemed like it had potential, given how it’s been around for ages.”
“You also have its curse to talk about.” Owen offered.
Pyro seems as confused as Scott. “What curse?”
“Every few hundred years tragedy befalls Oakhurst.” Owen said. “Last one was two hundred years ago or so, we’re due another one soon.”
Pyro looked scared for a second, but laughed. “The random bursts of mass hysteria did peak my interest, but there are far too few sources to consult, couldn’t quite fit it into my thesis.” They said, unaware of how Owen soured. “That’s why I’m here, actually.”
“You’re a very interesting individual.” Scott bluffed. He had no idea what half of the words they’d said meant. He didn’t particularly care. Humans were so overly convoluted for no reason.
It seemed to work, anyways, and Pyro reddened again. “Oh, no, I’m quite dull, really–”
“Nonsense.” Scott cut off. “Don’t belittle yourself, it’s improper.”
“We’re almost there.” Owen said. He glanced back at Scott. “Are you doing alright?”
Scott hadn’t tripped once so far. A few stumbles and near misses, but nothing compared to his first foray in the woods. “Yes, no need to worry.”
The lake came to view. Owen guided them through the shore, further away from town. For privacy, he claimed. Pyro didn’t seem to suspect a thing.
In fact, they left the clothes on a rock up away from the shore and started taking off his coat. “We should’ve brought something to use as towels, now that I think of it.” They remarked, as they folded their coat. “I’d hate to catch a cold.”
“Towels?” Scott asked.
Owen smirked. “I told him we were going to bathe.”
Oh, so that’s why they were at the lake. Didn’t explain what a towel was, though.
“I suppose you take claim, since you’re older.” Owen continued, looking at an unaware Pyro. “But could I get a taste? I’m starving.”
Pyro looked confused. “A taste of what?”
“A taste of you, silly.” Scott said. Feeling generous, he turned to Owen. “One bite. No more.”
Owen grinned, and pounced. He sank his fangs into Pyro’s neck before the scholar could react. By the time they reacted, Owen had already taken his fill and discarded them.
Pyro fell to the sandy shore, scrambling to his feet as he shrieked. “Vampires!” He called out.
Scott caught up to him with no effort. He tackled him into the lake, biting down as they sank into the waters.
Their blood was the best Scott had ever tasted. Almost as sweet as sugar. Scott hadn’t realized he was so hungry until he started drinking, and then he couldn’t stop. He drank until Pyro stopped struggling, and then some more. Until he felt something snap into place that hadn’t been there before.
He drew back, head exiting the water. He’d stained Ren’s coat. A shame.
Mentally pulling at the bond, it drew his gaze to Pyro’s body. Ah. A new vampire. Great.
“I didn’t mean to do that.” He said, once Owen approached.
“I figured.” Owen said. He grabbed the floating body and dragged it to the shore.
Scott followed. His head was foggy as his mind processed useless information about the history of Oakhurst and how universities worked. He’d much rather have learnt what a towel was. Or a bed. Something actually useful.
He sat by his new pup–fledgeling, they were a vampire, not one like Scott–, redoing his plan in his head. No longer could he return to his original form and abandon Oakhurst. He had a responsibility and no mate to take care of it while he fled.
Could he take Pyro with him? No, no self respecting colony would accept a human on their midst. Scott would have to make sure they were fully able to survive on their own before leaving all of humanity–vampire or not–behind.
Pyro awoke with a gasp and a cough. He twisted to his side to spit out lake water. Scott rubbed his back, letting out a soothing trill. Pyro’s wyes looked wildly around him before setting on Scott. He flinched back, away from Scott’s comforting touch.
“What–you–why?” They sputtered out. “What have you done? Why’s everything so bright?”
“You’re a vampire.” Scott said. “You’ll need to be careful now, I’d hate to have to kill Avid if he finds out.”
His words didn’t seem to calm them. Before he could say anything else, Owen scoffed.
“You two should really bathe now.” He said, standing up. “Welcome to vampirism, Pyro. Enjoy the gift.”
Pyro stood on shaky legs. “Where are you going?”
“To bathe!” Owen said. “In private!”
He wandered off, still on the shore of the lake but mostly out of sight.
Pyro watched him go, unsure of what to do. Scott took off Ren’s coat and wrestled those stupid shoes off. The fluffy socks Shelby had given him were sticky with blood.
Scott made a face. “I stained Shelby’s socks.” He complained.
That seemed to snap Pyro out of it. They glanced at Scott’s feet and winced. “Are you alright?”
“I am.” Scott said, peeling off the socks. The bandages bellow were worse off. He glanced up at Pyro. “Are you?”
“I–” Pyro hesitated. “I don’t– I don’t know. I don’t feel… much, right now.”
Scott hummed. “That’s normal.” He said, unbuttoning his shirt. “It’ll get better.” He lied. “You should bathe as well.”
Pyro blinked, then nodded. They took off their clothes methodically, leaving them folded carefully on a tree stump.
Scott walked into the lake, leaving bloody footprints behind. The water was calm and not much colder than the evening air. He walked until the water reached his thighs, and turned towards Pyro.
He was standing at the edge of the water, hands covering his crotch in needless human self consciousness. He was looking at Scott’s chest, at the awful mark laid there by his Sire. His eyes met Scott’s and he flinched.
Scott offered a hand. “It’s alright.” He said. “Vampires don’t need to breathe. You will never drown again.”
Pyro took a few seconds, but finally stepped forward and grabbed Scott’s hand. They shivered as they entered the lake. Scott guided them a little bit further before letting go.
“Sit.” Scott said. “I’ll help you wash.”
Pyro did as told. Scott knelt behind them. The water reached their shoulders.
He started pouring water over the blood on their neck. Pyro tensed. That wouldn’t do. “What’s a towel?”
“What?” Pyro said.
“You mentioned a towel. What is that?” Scott asked.
Pyro waited for a few moments. “It’s a cloth used to dry yourself after you bathe. You’ve never used one?”
“No.” Scott said. “I’ve been asleep for a long time, apparently.”
“How– Could I ask you a question, Sire?” Pyro said, tilting their head slightly in a attempt of looking at Scott.
Scott let out an affirmative click as he gently pulled there head back to wet their hair. “What do you want to know?”
“How old are you?” Pyro blurted out.
Scott would’ve loved to answer that. “I don’t know,” He started passing his fingers through the strands of hair, letting the water wash away the grime and sweat. “I lost track of time after they took me.”
“They took you?” Pyro asked slowly, as if afraid of angering Scott with his words. “How–?”
“I was going home.” Scott said. “They took me, and brought me here. I got turned and then fell asleep afterwards.”
Pyro quietened as he processed the information. “That sounds awful. I’m so sorry.”
“What for?” Scott asked, letting go of Pyro’s hair after one last ran through.
“I just–it’s just something people say. As sympathy.” Pyro said, turning around to face Scott.
“I don’t need sympathy.” Scott said, not roughly, but not gently either. Just as a fact. “It happened a long time ago. I made them pay.”
He washed away the grime off his feet and legs while Pyro searched for the words to say. They opened their mouth, and then closed it. They tried again before shaking their head in defeat and starting to wash themselves.
It took them a while to get clean. Scott had to submerge his head entirely to work out all the mud from his hair. And the bandages he’d forgotten about became soggy and unpleasant so he took them off. Most injuries were gone anyways.
By the time they got out, Owen was already there, waiting. His hair was damp. He looked mildly irritated by that. He watched them clean the blood as best as they could from their clothes–Scott salvaged Ren’s coat, but it looked like Shelby’s socks were doomed to being tinted for the rest of their existence.
“Hurry up.” He told them. “It’ll be sundown soon.”
“Flying there will be faster.” Scott said, as Pyro hurried to get clothed. Scott didn’t really feel like fighting clothes as of now. He’d looked foolish last time, and that had been fine, because he had been surrounded by nothing but bodies. But in front of his own pup–fledgeling. He had to remember to use the proper terms. Pyro wasn’t fully like him, even if they were his responsibility–, and another vampire? Absolutely not.
“Flying?” Pyro asked.
“We can turn into bats.” Owen said. Then, to Scott. “Did you explain anything to him? And get dressed already.”
Pyro looked slightly confused. “How do I–?”
And then he was gone, and in his stead, a small bat flopped to the ground, letting out a panicked shriek.
Scott was back to his original form in an instant. He glided down, landing by Pyro. He was so small in comparison, and his face was strangely squished. Oh, well, a pup was a pup, even if they were strange looking and a bit of a runt.
“Can’t you guys do this after Scott gets dressed?” Owen, still human, complained.
Scott ignored him.
Pyro fumbled about, almost liked a newborn. Scott let out a trill, nudging them into grabbing into at his fur, just like he had done with his mother when younger. It took Pyro a few seconds to get the hang of it, but once Scott was certain they wouldn’t fall off, he took to flying.
Pyro let out a shriek of panic at the sudden movement, but quickly calmed down. They clutched at Scott with a bit more strength than necessary, but Scott didn’t mind.
Scott allowed himself to enjoy the flight, though he didn’t make it too complicated–no loops or swoops in the air while he was carrying a pup–. He reached the edge of the woods far earlier than he’d wanted, and went to land on a tree.
Owen arrived a few seconds afterwards, transforming back smoothly and dropping Pyro’s bag of clothes. “Next time, I’m leaving your stuff behind.” He warned, Abolish’s shoes in hand. “Now get dressed before people see.”
Before Owen could throw a shoe, Scott transformed back to his cursed form. He held Pyro gently in his hands, not gripping at his small form like the humans had tried with him when he was younger and smaller.
Pyro squeaked in surprise, settling into a more comfortable position.
“How do I turn back?” He asked.
The voice startled Scott, and he almost dropped his fledgeling.
“Just do it.” Owen, so unhelpfully said.
“Think of it as returning to your home.” Scott offered. “Of what feels right and correct.”
Pyro’s little beading eyes looked up at him, and in a few seconds, Scott had an armful of human looking fledgeling. Scott stumbled back, dropping the man.
Pyro looked mortified, quickly separating and looking away. Owen threw a pair of tiny pants at Scott.
“Get dressed. Now.” He ordered.
Scott rolled his eyes, but did as he was told, ignoring Owen’s muttering of ‘nudist elders’. What even was a nudist?
After agonizing moments, and a bit of assistance from Pyro, Scott was dressed.
“God, how rich were you?” Owen asked. “Have you never dressed yourself?”
“I have.” Scott said. Once, technically. But he had.
“Whatever.” Owen said. He nodded his head towards Pyro. “Pick him up, I don’t want to hear the Doctor’s hysterics about him being on his feet.”
Pyro hesitated before picking Scott with as much care as a vampire was capable of. Scott let out a bit of a purr, just enough for the poor man to relax. Really, the worst had passed already, they really ought to calm down before they somehow panicked their way into having a heart beat again.
They started walking back to town. Scott opened his mouth, but then a sudden presence joined them on the path.
“Oh, hey guys!” It was a human. It looked like a human. It sounded like one. Why did she smell like a wolf, then? “What are you doing out here so late?”
“We’re coming back from the lake.” Owen explained. “Scott over here really needed a bath.”
“Oh, the new guy!” The human seemed excited as her gaze focused on him. “Hi! I’m Pearl! I’ve been told you speak now?”
Scott bit back a hiss, and smiled pleasantly. “I do.” He said, with as much dignity as one being carried could muster. “A pleasure to meet you.”
“Charmer.” Pearl remarked. “We should really get back, though. It’s going to be full of creepy crawlies soon.” Full of what?
Pyro and Owen made sounds of agreement, and they headed back to town.
“Oh, and by the way.” Pearl added, just as they entered. “There’s some weird barrier around town. We can’t leave.”
This time, Scott wasn’t alone in his confusion.
Overall, he’d say it was a good thing that Pearl had made such an outrageous announcement the moment they entered town. Any and all lingering scolding the Doctor might’ve had prepared for him was distracted by the amount of chaos that the prospect of not being able to leave arose. They left Scott with Shelby–Scott had barely any time to tell Pyro that they’d talk later–, and sent a small group to go check on Pearl’s claims, disregarding the time of day, or night, it was.
When they returned with the same results, Scott couldn’t help but to feel a tiny bit vindicated. Now it was time for everyone what it meant to live in captivity.
As he slept in Shelby’s roost, as the human had insisted he take it since he was injured and bundled herself in a not so comfortable corner by the furnace, he wondered how long it would take for them to go crazy.