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Behavioural Observations of a Stray Fledgling Vampire During a Twelve-Month Longitudinal Study
Fareed Bhansali, Anonymous Contributor
Article Type: Original Research
Subject Designation: The Vampire ‘Daniel Molloy’
Status: ☑ Ongoing ☐ Suspended ☐ Closed
Abstract
The social development of vampires remains poorly understood due to the rarity of prolonged observation opportunities and the inherent difficulty of studying an intelligent apex predator. Existing literature and previous research propose that fledgling vampires undergo an extended period of behavioural imprinting under the supervision of their maker, during which species-specific hunting practices, social behaviours, and hierarchical norms are acquired. The long-term effects of premature separation from this relationship, however, have not previously been documented.
This study presents a longitudinal ethological analysis of a single adult fledgling vampire abandoned by its maker within hours of transformation and subsequently observed over a twelve-month period. Through direct behavioural observation, structured interaction trials, and documentation of spontaneous encounters with conspecifics, this research examines the effects of developmental deprivation on feeding behaviour, territoriality, communication, social integration, and affiliative bonding. Particular attention is given to the specimen's atypical responses to established vampire social cues, its persistent avoidance of hierarchical conflict, and the emergence of compensatory attachment behaviours during interactions with unfamiliar vampires.
Findings suggest that early maker absence produces measurable deviations from expected social development, resulting in behavioural patterns consistent with incomplete cultural transmission rather than cognitive impairment. Despite demonstrating intact predatory competence and advanced problem-solving ability, the specimen exhibited significant deficits in species-typical social signalling, frequently misinterpreting dominance displays, vocalisations, and pair-bonding behaviours. These observations support the hypothesis that many aspects of vampire social conduct are learned rather than instinctive and underscore the maker's role as both caregiver and primary agent of cultural transmission. The present study represents the first documented evidence that developmental isolation may substantially alter the behavioural trajectory of fledgling vampires while preserving their capacity for later social adaptation.
Fareed is in Budapest when the email arrives, though he pays it no mind at first.
Before him, splayed out on the floor of a large, silent warehouse, are the bodies of two beheaded vampires whose severed heads rest several feet from where their torsos continue to twitch in increasingly feeble spasms. The electrodes he has stuck onto their temples still indicate brain activity, yet the screen beside him shows that that too is becoming weaker. The sight in front of him is grotesque only in the way that all invaluable scientific data is, and he crouches beside the spasming corpse, notebook in hand, documenting the contractions that continue to ripple through dead muscle despite the absolute impossibility of survival according to every accepted biological principle. He pauses only occasionally to adjust the position of a skewed limb or record another observation as the movements gradually lose both frequency and strength.
The process is far slower than anticipated, and he remains where he is for the better part of two hours, watching as the residual activity diminishes by imperceptible degrees until eventually, the smallest tremor ceases and the monitor beside him draws out a loud, never-ending beep. Only then does he glance down at his watch, confirming the time of death with a quiet satisfaction, jotting down the numbers in his notes. With one final check of the corpses, he messily scribbles down his conclusion.
‘Experiment only reinforces the hypothesis that beheading alone does not produce immediate death in vampires, but rather initiates a prolonged terminal decline whose precise duration appears to vary according to factors I have yet to identify. More investigation needed.’
He snaps his notebook shut with the muted satisfaction of yet another experiment well done, gathers the scattered pages of observations into a neat stack, and only once the bodies have become little more than specimens awaiting disposal does he return to his laptop resting on a nearby workbench. There, the unread email from earlier sits patiently:
FROM: [email protected]
SUBJECT: Request for Medical Services During Upcoming Tour
Dear Dr Bhansali,
I hope this message finds you well.
My name is Christine Claire, and I serve as legal counsel for The Vampire Lestat, a nationally touring band.
I am writing to inquire whether you would be able and interested in accompanying my client on an upcoming tour in the capacity of attending physician. The engagement would require you to travel alongside the touring party for the duration of the tour, the exact length of which is not yet finalised but is anticipated to extend for an unspecified period.
Your responsibilities would include providing general medical oversight, responding to any health concerns that may arise, alongside other relevant duties. While we are unable to disclose any further details regarding my client's medical circumstances at this stage, I can assure you that all relevant information will be provided under a comprehensive confidentiality agreement prior to the commencement of any engagement.
Given the unique nature of my client’s professional obligation, continuous access to a trusted physician is essential. As such, all travel, accommodation, and associated expenses would be covered by my client, in addition to a competitive retainer and compensation package commensurate with the scope of the engagement.
It is worth noting that Lestat de Lioncourt requested your presence and assistance personally, and that your unique medical speciality is of the utmost importance to this opportunity. Should this opportunity be of interest, I would like to discuss the role further at your earliest convenience. We would, of course, be happy to answer any questions regarding logistics, scheduling, or contractual terms before commitments are made.
I look forward to hearing from you.
Regards,
Christine Claire
Entertainment Attorney
Lakeshore Records
XXX-XXXX-XXXXX
When Fareed arrives on the tour bus, he is immediately bombarded by the utter chaos that is the band ‘The Vampire Lestat’. The namesake and frontman, Lestat de Lioncourt, is nowhere to be seen, yet he does spy a familiar face amongst the small crowd.
Daniel Molloy’s curly silver hair and obnoxiously loud New Yorkian voice are unmistakable. Around him is a gaggle of people, all holding various technical instruments. Fareed has to duck as a boom operator abruptly turns around, nearly whacking him in the head with his large microphone. The movement draws Daniel’s attention to him, and he offers the other man a smile.
“Hey, doc,” Daniel greets him with a toothy grin, and it is then that Fareed realises that Daniel Molloy has somehow both survived the Dubai interview and become a newborn vampire within mere months. The man gestures at him with wholehearted welcome, and Fareed resists the pathetically human instinct of flinching when he spies the two massive, brutally sharp incisors that glint at him from across the room.
“Mr Molloy,” he nods briefly, before setting his luggage on the floor. “I see you’ve gained some new… dental features.”
Daniel Molloy only laughs. “Nice, right? Beats dentures. You could say it’s the one good thing dear ol’ Dad left me before fucking off to God-knows-where.”
As soon as the words are out of his mouth, Lestat de Lioncourt enters the room with a flourish, and already, Fareed feels his blood pressure begin to rise.
The dynamic between Daniel and Lestat, Fareed concludes after several nights of close-quartered observation, is unique, to say the least. Unlike what he’d seen in his short time spent with the Vampire Louis de Pointe du Lac and the Vampire Armand, who seemed to live in a consistently calm companionship, Daniel and Lestat are the complete opposite. Fareed chalks this up to the unavoidable tension that comes with living in such close quarters and the sheer incompatibility of their personalities. Where Lestat goes, Daniel follows, nipping at his heels with his nettlesome comments and deliberately provocative questions, only to preen with unmistakable satisfaction whenever Lestat eventually snaps back at him. It resembles less the interaction between two fully grown, mature men than that of a worn-out lion and a remarkably fearless jackdaw determined to nip at its tail.
He observes the pair now from his seat at the end of the tour bus, pretending to read while letting his attention flit between the pages and the scene unfolding in front of him.
“You’re doing well,” Daniel is saying loudly, adjusting the camera in his hands. “I just need a few more candid shots of you, you know, filler content for eventual expository voiceover.”
Lestat theatrically rolls his eyes, but lounges across the chaise sofa of the tour bus obligingly, striking an effortlessly sultry pose. Daniel fidgets with his camera for a moment longer before giving the other a thumbs up and looking him dead in the eye. “Got it,” he says, before baring his fully dropped fangs at the other in a satisfied smile.
Fareed freezes at the brazen display of aggression.
Lestat’s brows simply shoot upwards in surprise. “Oh?” he says, and already there is a dangerous intonation in his voice as he bristles at the blatant disrespect.
But before he can do anything about it, Daniel has already tucked the camera back into its bag and turned away, ready to head out. Fareed’s hindbrain screams at him to leave this ludicrous tour before he gets caught in the crossfire of two wound-up vampires, yet his more rational side makes a better point: he’s been wanting to study a fledgling vampire for some time now, and here is one now, with no over-protective maker in sight.
It is three nights later, after Daniel has interrupted the documentary interview for perhaps the tenth time during what had begun as a civil conversation, that the inevitable finally occurs. Fareed, of course, had felt it brewing for a while now; Daniel’s careless baring of fangs, his unabashed eye contact, the constant pushing of boundaries that had had Lestat gritting his jaw tighter and tighter with every infraction. With his scientific curiosity outweighing his instinctual caution, Fareed had discreetly stuck to the pair like glue in the hopes that he might observe the social correction in action, pen and notepad at the ready.
It happens startlingly fast.
Lestat's snarl cuts through the air before anyone else even notices his expression change, one clawed hand shooting forward to clamp firmly around the back of Daniel's neck. His fingertips and thumb squeeze into the soft sides of Daniel’s throat; his hold is just tight enough to leave tiny crescent-shaped punctures in the skin. Fareed watches curiously as Daniel seemingly falls limp at the touch, head dropped in submission. His shoulders visibly slacken, the tension bleeding from his body so completely that his feet stumble to keep him upright. His head lowers automatically, exposing the vulnerable curve of his throat to the snarling elder above him.
“Unruly fledgling,” Lestat hisses, lifting Daniel by his nape so that his toes scrape the floor of the tour bus, not unlike a mother cat scolding her misbehaving kitten. “Apprends à rester à ta place.”
Insolent as always, Daniel flashes his fangs in retaliation, yet Fareed notes that this time, he is much more unsure in his actions. “Speak English, man, you know I don’t understand French. The fuck is wrong with you? Put me down!”
Instead of responding, Lestat simply pins Daniel face-first against the wall. “Try again,” he suggests, and Fareed surreptitiously angles his body so that he can catch a better view of what exactly Lestat is doing. “Tell me, Daniel,” the older vampire continues, leaning in to threaten his fangs against his face. “Did your maker not teach you any manners? Do you not know how to respect your elders?”
“He didn’t teach me much of anything,” Daniel responds mulishly, only to snap his mouth closed when Lestat pulls him away from the wall. He is still caught by his scruff, but now, Lestat’s hold on him is not so painfully tight. Fareed observes clinically as Lestat narrows his eyes, before releasing Daniel slowly, letting him find his footing before stepping back. Despite no longer being gripped tight by the nape of his neck, Fareed cannot help but notice how strangely meek Daniel has become.
Lestat purses his lips. “You are lucky I have so much experience with fledglings, Mr Molloy,” he declares, poking at the man’s chest. Daniel huffs, but doesn’t say a word in rebuttal. “Unsettled, flighty things that they are. You should be glad it’s me, and not a true elder of our kind. No matter who your maker is, they would kill you where you stand for such a display.”
Daniel’s face twists in obvious confusion. “What display?”
His questioning is met with Lestat ruffling his hair. “Well, Daniel,” Lestat begins, “How many other vampires have you met so far, hm?”
“You. Louis. And–”
“Yes, yes,” Lestat interrupts airily. “And how often have they bared their fangs at you?”
Daniel thinks for a moment. “Louis did, once. Back in San Francisco, before–”
“Before he attacked. Now, what do you think that means?” He speaks slowly, as though talking to a child, and Fareed notes how, instead of bristling like Daniel usually does, he lets this manner of speaking slide. Instead, his free hand comes up to massage his neck, where Lestat had previously grabbed him. Before Daniel can give his answer, Lestat barrels on. “It’s provocative, mon petit. You are telling me ‘I want to attack you,’ or ‘I want to fuck you,’ depending on the context.”
Daniel blanches, and Fareed quickly jots down this information in his notepad. “Seriously? I didn’t even mean to, they just… drop whenever.”
Lestat cackles. “The joys of being young,” he says. “Your maker should be here teaching you these things. You learn control with time, anyway.”
The mention of the absence of Daniel’s maker evidently ruins the man’s mood. “Sure, whatever,” he mutters dismissively. He pretends to check his watch before pushing past Lestat. “I’m hungry. Gonna go hunt before the sun is up.”
Fareed watches him go, waiting for Lestat to leave in his wake before closing his book and properly laying out his notebook. Quickly, he writes down his observations:
- Social hierarchy in action. L assumes D to be naturally below, yet D does not pick up on this – a taught behaviour rather than instinctual?
- D lacks knowledge of vampiric social signals - most likely a result of his premature independence in the absence of his maker
- Are makers crucial to the raising of a well-socialised fledgling?
- Nape of neck - potentially a physiological change alongside fangs/eyes/nails. Pressure points? <- requires more investigation
He frowns at the last point. There is virtually no way for him to investigate that, short of grabbing the back of a vampire’s neck and hoping that he lives long enough to report his findings with a lethal chunk bitten out of his neck. Unless…
Unless someone else has already tried it. It’s a far-fetched notion, but not impossible–contrary to popular belief, and in the wake of the Great Conversion that is rapidly growing the vampiric population, Fareed is not the only academic aware of their existence. Their community is extremely small, but not non-existent. Quickly, he types out a quick forum post on his encrypted website before hitting send.
Home Page > Science and Research > Journals > Journal of Advanced Non-Human Ethology > Forums
Thread Title: ISO: Literature, Field Notes, or Anecdotal Observations on Early Vampiric Transformation & Fledgling Physiology
Posted by: Fareed Bhansali
Affiliation: Journal of Advanced Non-Human Ethology
Category: Literature Requests / Behavioural Observation
I am currently compiling existing research on the early post-transformation period in vampires and am seeking any published papers, archived field notes, observational records, or other credible firsthand accounts related to the following topics.
Specifically, I am interested in documentation concerning:
- The biological process of vampiric transformation, including any identifiable stages occurring between death and complete awakening.
- Physiological changes occurring during the first hours, days, weeks, and months following transformation, excluding the commonly documented alterations to dentition, ocular appearance, and fingernails.
- Behavioural characteristics consistently observed in fledglings, including hunting instincts, feeding behaviour, aggression, territoriality, social attachment, imprinting upon the maker, learning patterns, or other species-specific behaviours.
- Any recorded cases that deviate from the expected developmental trajectory.
While the existing literature provides reasonably thorough descriptions of external anatomical changes, there appears to be comparatively little documentation addressing broader physiological adaptation or the behavioural development of newly created vampires. It is entirely possible that such work exists in private collections, unpublished notes, or archives to which I do not currently have access.
If anyone is aware of relevant publications, conference proceedings, laboratory records, historical manuscripts, or personal observations, I would greatly appreciate citations or recommendations. Partial records and anecdotal accounts are also welcome, provided the source and circumstances of observation are included.
Please contact me at [email protected]
Many thanks in advance.
— F. Bhansali
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Replies (3)
Sort by: Oldest First
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>>@P.Scallop
Have you tried the Talamasca archives? There are a few people here who could possibly get you in with them.
>>>(REPLY) @bhansali.fareed
I’d prefer not to work with them. My independent research is extremely sensitive, and in previous communications with the Talamasca, I have discovered that we are incompatible with each other.
>>@seth.jahne
Please check your email.
***
(End of Comment Thread)
“I am not here,” Fareed says absently, tapping away at his computer as Daniel’s documentary crew enters the room. The man behind the camera rolls his eyes before aiming it away from him to film the two vampires sitting across from each other.
“So, Lestat,” Daniel begins his interview segment, and Fareed tunes them both out. Since what Fareed has deemed the ‘Scruffing Incident’, it has become far easier to recognise the moments where Daniel defers to Lestat. They aren’t particularly obvious to the rest of the humans on tour: Daniel is abrasive as ever, and Lestat has never stopped being his usual dramatic self. It is, Fareed notices, the vampire equivalent of a wolf baring its throat: invisible to those who don’t know what to look for, but impossible to ignore for those who do.
Currently, he is writing yet another email to Seth, who has proved himself to be a well of information on vampiric physiology. The man, unknown to Fareed as he is, seems to be a kindred spirit. His own journal contributions, which Fareed had skimmed when he’d seen that first email in his inbox, are remarkably compatible with Fareed’s own research, complementing his findings and opening paths of investigation that he never would have considered independently. There is something unexpectedly reassuring in discovering another researcher who is willing to take vampires seriously in an academic sense. More than once, Fareed has caught himself lingering over Seth’s responses to his emails, his dry humour shining through. Even in his journals, posted online for their tiny community to read, Seth’s quiet enthusiasm for his work and the sheer wittiness of his thoughts written down capture his attention. Often, he’s had to remind himself that it’s the science he is supposed to be interested in, not the scientist. It’s a foolish distraction, yet Seth’s work (and increasingly, the man himself) makes Fareed embarrassingly eager whenever his inbox chimes.
The documentary crew finally packs up their equipment, the last of the lights flicking off as they trail out of the lounge, leaving behind only Fareed, Daniel, and Lestat. Silence settles over the bus immediately, only broken by the sounds of Fareed’s keyboard clicks and Daniel’s pen scratches as he starts working on his post-interview notes.
Fareed glances at his watch. Sunrise is only a mere twenty minutes away.
Daniel is visibly losing his battle against it.
The fledgling begins to slump in his seat, blinking lazily, head dipping every few seconds before jerking back up to refocus on the notes before him. He yawns—a strangely human gesture, or at least it would be, were it not for the incredibly large fangs peeking out from under his lip. He rubs at his face, and Lestat looks at him curiously.
“Tired, Mr Molloy?”
Daniel only gives him a glare in response. “So now you’re chatty?” he snarks, and Fareed is given the impression that, yet again, Lestat has been a difficult interviewee. “I’m not tired,” he denies.
“No,” Lestat replies dryly. “Of course not, my mistake.” He watches as Daniel blinks once, twice, before dipping his head as the narcoleptic pull of the sun draws him closer to sleep, before startling awake again.
Fareed watches with a quiet fascination. The circadian response seems incredibly powerful during the fledgling; despite Daniel’s obvious determination to stay focused, the physiological processes continue to assert themself with increasing force. His reactions have slowed noticeably over the past ten minutes, his posture steadily collapsing in on itself.
Lestat finally breathes a dramatic, long-suffering sigh.
“Oh, enough of this.”
He stands up and crosses the small space between them in three effortless strides and, without ceremony, curls his hand around the nape of Daniel’s neck. The response is instantaneous: Daniel’s body falls limp, every trace of exhausted, argumentative energy evaporating from his body in the blink of an eye. Lestat urges him upwards, and he sways once on his feet before allowing Lestat to gently steer him towards the narrow corridor leading to the tour bus’s sleeping bunks.
“I can walk,” he protests weakly. He is ignored, and so Daniel falls quiet with an exaggerated huff, but makes no attempt to remove Lestat’s hand from the back of his neck. As they leave the room, Daniel emits a distinctly inhuman sound that makes Fareed look up.
It is a soft, vocal noise, almost a mix between a purr and a knicker. It’s nothing like what Fareed has observed before, and it barely lasts a second, seemingly involuntary enough that Daniel himself doesn’t notice that he’d made it. Lestat does, however, and Fareed is pleasantly surprised when the other vampire responds in kind. His expression softens almost imperceptibly before he answers with a low, resonant croon deep in his throat, a sound too deep for human vocal cords to produce naturally. Daniel visibly relaxes at once, his eyes already drifting shut as Lestat nudges him out of the lounge.
The door clicks closed behind them, and Fareed remains perfectly still, rolling these new tidbits of information around in his head. Then, he deletes his email draft already on his screen to begin a new one:
FROM: [email protected]
SUBJECT: Species-specific vocalisations?
What do you have on vampiric vocalisation?
The subject appears capable of perceiving dominance displays as discrete behaviours, yet lacks the learned framework necessary to assign them social meaning. Consequently, behaviours interpreted by conspecifics as arrogance, defiance, or deliberate disrespect are more parsimoniously understood as failures of social literacy resulting from developmental deprivation. This distinction is of particular importance, as repeated misclassification of such individuals as intentionally insubordinate may itself contribute to the high rates of violence reportedly experienced by makerless fledglings during early integration into vampire society.
(Bhansali, F. 2025. ‘Behavioural Observations of a Stray Fledgling Vampire During a Twelve-Month Longitudinal Study: Vampiric Hierarchy and Social Signalling’, Journal of Advanced Non-Human Ethology, pg 3-10.)