Krowe

Krowe

Chapter warning(s): Slight sexual implications, Fluff, Language

 

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Chapter 10: Mosa

“We’re here,” Krowe announced in an upbeat voice. It was an improvement from the earlier somber mood that everyone had been in.

“Here? Where is here?” Annej questioned as he glanced around searchingly. He cupped his hand over his eyes to limit the amount of sun exposure that was hitting him in the face.

Varka said nothing even though his face looked like it said: ‘We’re nowhere. This dimwit is going to get us killed…or worse.’

“Here is here,” the doctor cryptically replied as if there was some secret meaning to it. He dismounted the Nargel and once his boots were on the ground, he offered one of his hands to the Original. He was mildly surprised when the man simply sighed and held out his bound hands without complaint or coercion. He helped Varka down and glanced over to check on the white-haired man.

Annej was already off the horse. He stood on the ground stretching his sore arms and legs. Riding for hours and hours was a sure way to strain muscles and make the body scream for relief.

“From here, we walk,” Krowe proclaimed as he started to walk into a specific direction. He lightly shoved the taller vampire in front of him so that he could keep a closer and better eye on the stubborn man.

“What about the horses?” Asked Annej who stood rooted to the spot as if he were unsure as to what he should be doing.

Krowe glanced behind him and gestured for Annej to join while he said, “We no longer need them. If we need them again…then the Nargel will come.”

“Oh…” Annej then pattered his Nargel on the neck in his own way of saying goodbye. Then with one last fleeting glance, he walked after the other two. He looked slightly confused about something, but he didn’t open his mouth to voice whatever it was.

Varka finally asked with a sigh, “Where are we exactly?”

“Close to a little town called Mosa. That’s where we are going, you curious thing, you,” Krowe finally answered with a small grin.

Annej blinked. “Mosa? That name is familiar to me.”

The silver-haired vampire halted in mid-step and glared accusingly at the Reborn. “Are we headed to a human settlement? I am not familiar with Mosa. I’ve never heard of it.”

“So what if it is?” Krowe countered back and pushed Varka hard enough to get the Original walking again.

“I’m a vampire. You’re a vampire. Those unruly human cretins will not welcome us into their humble little stick and mud village,” Varka shot back incredulously.

The dark-haired man would have been annoyed by the snooty Original’s bad attitude, but something about Varka acting like a grumpy gus was endearing. “Maybe you could learn to be a little less snobby and perhaps a bit more humble, little prince?”

“Who are you calling little? I am an Original. Humans are beneath me. It’s the natural order of things, Krowe. Even someone like you should understand that by now,” countered the bitter, irritated crimson-eyed male.

“I won’t argue with that, but I will tell you that nothing good can come of anyone that thinks he is better than someone else. The moment you believe yourself to be superior to another race is the moment you become the inferior one. History has proven that time and time again,” Krowe replied with ease as if they were talking about something simple like condensation.

Annej said nothing, but it was clear by the furrowing of his brow that he was notably bothered by their conversation.

Varka didn’t seem to notice his charge’s discomfort as he continued to argue, “How can you be inferior if you are obviously superior? If I didn’t know any better…I would say that you sympathize with the weaker race.”

The dark-haired man moved until he was now standing beside Varka instead of walking behind him. He didn’t take his eyes off of him as he spoke calmly, “At one point in my life, I was human, Varka. That is something someone like you probably can and will never understand. I can tell that you’re still young and impressionable. Someone’s probably fed you the same old propaganda that they feed all of your kind. I think it’s time for you to take those bolts off your mind and open yourself to all things. You should form your own opinions and learn a thing or two.”

Varka blinked and looked at Krowe as if he had just told him to bend over and bark like a bitch in heat. “Are you being serious right now or are you just being your usual daft self?”

Krowe smiled a little at that. “I’d like to think a little bit of both.”

The crimson-eyed man scoffed at that, but said nothing else. It was clear to him that talking sense into Krowe was useless when it came to this man. It was obvious to him that he had to figure something else out.

Ten minutes or so passed in silence save for the occasional sound of an animal or scuffle of something moving quickly.

“Humor me, Reborn,” Varka began, but waited until he had Krowe’s full attention again.

“Hm?” Krowe looked back at him as if he had been day dreaming about something particularly pleasant.

“Why are we headed for this…Mosa?” Asked Varka in obvious distaste.

Annej cut in by mumbling, “Does it matter why?”

The silver-haired man raised an eyebrow at that, but didn’t look at the human or even comment. It was clear to him that something he had said had pissed off the young man.

“We are headed for Mosa because…” Krowe trailed off when a quaint little town came into view.  “…it’s right there.”

 

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Rajira with one hand, held onto the chain leash tightly enough to prove to the beast that she was paying attention, yet giving it enough slack so she didn’t choke the creature.

The beast sniffed the air with its slightly split black nose. It was slender, yet muscled enough in form to not only have speed, but have some power, too. Its black fur was no more than an inch long, but was very sleek and shiny. It had two large pointy ears that stood on top of its slender head in such a way that the ears looked almost too big for it. It also had a pair of intelligent, burning predatory eyes that somewhat resembled a Nargel’s eyes in hue. The beast also had large paws with long toes like a wolf and had two lengthy tails that gave it better balance than most animals that had only one.  The creature was almost the size of a horse and greatly resembled that of the Jackal.

It was called the Kerberos.

“That mutt is supposed to help us find them?” Questioned one of the skeptical Black Wardens.

“That is what our lord requested and I have faith in him,” Rajira began as she slowly turned her head to look at the inquisitive man. “Do you doubt His Holiness?”

“No, no, I do not doubt His Holiness,” the Black Warden quickly acquiesced. He knew her temper well and it was always better to agree rather than receive a tongue lashing or something worse.

“Good. Let’s get on with it then. We cannot obtain the vessels for his great plan if we just stand here idle all day,” the crimson-eyed woman snapped before she took a step forward. The moment she moved, the Kerberos shoved its weight forward as it tracked the scent it had caught in the wind.

The Black Warden that has spoken looked at the others with him. They looked back at him and shrugged. Then they all followed their captain and the dark beast.

 

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“I wish you wouldn’t smoke,” drawled a visibly annoyed Nexis who fanned the smoke away from his general direction.

A tall, well built man stood opposite of the High Priest. He was around 6’8” in total height and had a long-limbed body with well-developed muscles. He had slightly slanted golden eyes that seemed to express a certain kind of danger that was more than just predatory. He also had short copper-red hair that was mostly concealed by a brimmed leather brown hat. His skin was smooth and tanned almost as dark as the leather that he wore on his body. A weathered leather trench coat that seemed to match his hat also conformed nicely to his body. Underneath the coat he wore a black vest along with black pants that fit snugly to his physique followed by worn black leather boots that hinted that he had probably traveled a lot in his life.

“Yeah, well, we all wish for things,” grunted the fiery-haired man. His husky voice was both low and deep in pitch. There was no doubt that his voice could prove to be thunderous like a storm when his anger was provoked by someone or something.

Nexis wanted to roll his eyes at that, but he chose to keep himself calm and composed instead. “Solas, I beckoned you here for a reason…”

The golden-eyed man named Solas casually butted out his cigarette on the wall much to the High Priest’s chagrin. “Name it, Priest.”

“I need you to find a human called Annej and an Original called Varka. I want them both brought back to me alive and preferably unharmed,” Nexis stated in a business-like manner.

Solas merely nodded as he stared at the white-haired Original in mild curiosity.

“I don’t know their exact whereabouts, but last I heard they were in Long Wood. As far as I know they are in the company of a doctor. He’s a Reborn by the name of Krowe,” the priest explained in a calm voice. He tried not to sound too urgent or desperate. On the outside he looked as if he couldn’t care less, but on the inside he was a bunch of twisting knots that could snap at any given moment from the pressure.

 “What do you want me to do with this Doctor?” Solas asked quietly while he scrutinized the slightly shorter man.  

“Neutralize him. I do not require bloodshed, but if need be, then so be it,” answered the light blue-eyed man.

“Understood. It will be done,” Solas said automatically as if this was a simple currency transaction. He then added almost as if it were an afterthought, “Anything else I should know about, Priest?”

Nexis paused and stared at nothing for several long moments. He shook his head slowly in the negative and then walked away almost as if he had just signed his very own death warrant.

Solas watched him go with a slightly befuddled expression on his face. He flicked his dead cigarette away and as he walked, he remarked to himself, “Holy men are strange.”

 

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Various trails of gray smoke billowed into the blue sky from the chimneys of houses. There weren’t many houses at all located in the area. It was just a few dozen or so houses with reinforced 10-12 foot high fences that bore plenty of barbed wire. It was clear that the people who lived there wanted to keep the bad things out.

Several men were outside working in the fields tending to the crops or grazing their livestock. A few men stood on the side keeping watch so that nothing could creep up on the hard working men.

Every man was armed with a machete or some kind of blade.

One of the watchers leaned on a shovel as he peered around. He caught sight of the approaching trio and squinted his eyes to try to get a better look, but they were too far away for him to make them out clearly. He then quickly gestured to the other men and muttered something quietly to them as if he worried that his voice would carry.

Annej felt bittersweet nostalgia spread throughout his being.

Seeing this village was like being thrown into ice-cold water. It reminded him instantly of a little town that he had once lived in years ago. Faces he barely remembered appeared like phantoms in his troubled mind.

The only faces that he remembered vividly were that of his mother and sister.

Annej felt his chest constrict involuntarily as he blinked away the unshed tears. He closed his eyes and willed the memories away for now. There was no way that he was going to appear weak in front of Krowe and Varka.

“Annej, do you remember the name of your home town?” Krowe asked as if he knew what the human had been thinking about or in Annej’s case, not trying to think about.

The white-haired man looked at the doctor, and then looked away as he almost frantically searched his memories for a name, any name. He couldn’t remember. He couldn’t remember the name of the town or worse yet, the names of his family.

Before Annej could answer the question, Varka muttered almost robotically, “Lumas.”

“What?” both Krowe and Annej asked in unison with surprise written all over their handsome faces.

“The village where Annej hails from was called Lumas. It’s gone now,” Varka answered as if it held little to no meaning to him.

“I’m sorry to hear that,” Krowe said quietly with no hint of a smile on his face. He stopped walking and then rolled his shoulders as if he were tired and sore.

Annej didn’t say anything more, but he did glance at Varka a few times as if he was itching to ask him some questions.

Varka fidgeted a bit as if he were uncomfortable. The young man staring at him like that was making him feel incredibly edgy. “If I may be so bold as to ask why we’re standing in front of this wretched little town?”

Krowe blinked and then glanced at the taller man. He looked as if he had been day dreaming or something. “Oh…that. Well, we’re going to drop Annej off there.”

“Come again?” The human asked as he whipped his head over to look at the doctor.

Varka was quick to protest, “You’re insane. I’m not dropping him off anywhere.”

The dark-haired man tapped his fingers together patiently. He shook his head and laughed, “No, you both misunderstood me. I meant that Annej is going to that town for the rest of the day and night. I know that the people there are very hospitable even to strangers. He could use a good meal, bath, and somewhere decent to sleep.”

The human instantly relaxed and sighed, “You scared me for a second there.”

“Sorry about that,” Krowe apologized as he scratched his head sheepishly.

The red-eyed vampire rolled his eyes and crossed his arms over his broad chest. “Sounds like you’ve got it all figured out, Reborn.”

Krowe beamed at Varka as if the man had truly given him a compliment. “That I do.”

“Oh yes?” Challenged Varka in a sly voice with a little smirk. He almost looked flirtatious.

“Yes,” Krowe repeated as one of his eyebrows arched since the normally grumpy and vicious Original was acting coy now.

The smirk changed into a scowl as Varka snapped, “Those humans aren’t going to welcome us with open arms, Reborn. You can’t seriously be thinking of marching into that town and-“

“-We’re not going to march into Mosa, He-Bitch,” Krowe interjected with a little cheeky grin of his own.

“I told you not to call me that! My name is not He-Bitch,” growled Varka.

Annej snickered.

The silver-eyed man moved until he was barely inches away from the taller vampire. He stared at him evenly as he spoke coolly, “And my name is not Reborn or idiot or any of the other cutesie things that poofs into your mind. My name is simply Krowe. I know your name and you know mine. If you refer to me as Krowe then I’ll refer to you as Varka.”

“Fair enough…Krowe,” Varka conceded. He was loathe to admit it, but the normally silly man actually had a point.

Krowe immediately smiled and patted him on the shoulder. “See? That wasn’t so hard, Varka.”

“Whatever,” the silver-haired man looked away. He caught Annej’s gaze and was none too happy to see the human smiling at them. Obviously he was enjoying the show.

“Anywho, as I was saying, we’re not going to Mosa. Annej is, though,” announced the dark-haired man.

“If I’m going into Mosa, where are you two going?” Annej finally spoke up as he walked over to them. He leaned slightly on the silver-haired Original in a relaxed way. Truth was that every now and then he felt comforted and happy when he was near Varka or touching him no matter how simple or brief it was.

“Don’t worry, Annej. We’ll be in Mosa to keep an eye on you, but we’re not going to be openly visible to any of the humans here,” replied Krowe as he slung an arm around Varka’s shoulders and pulled him close as if they were good buddies.

Varka shoved Krowe off none too gently and sneered, “I’m not staying alone anywhere with you.”

“Varka, you’ll be fine. Be nice to Krowe he’s a good guy,” Annej said first to the Original then he turned to the Reborn and joked, “Krowe, don’t rape him too hard.”

A light blush tinted the silver-haired man’s pale cheeks as his eyes widened. “What did you just say?”

“I’ll keep that in mind. If you hear screaming, don’t come running, Annej,” Krowe jested back, but then turned serious, “But no, we’re going to be very close. Be careful and if you need us, call us.”

“Thanks Krowe,” Annej half-smiled and then began to walk in the direction of the working human men.

“You’re more than welcome, sexy,” Krowe winked and then slapped the human’s taut ass.

“Hey!” Annej blushed as he walked away. He was almost sorry that the Original was going to be stuck alone with that perv for the rest of the day and not to mention the rest of the long night. In spite of that, he smirked anyway.

As they watched the human walk away, Krowe inquired in a low voice that was meant to be seductive and silly at the same time, “So…what now? Shall we go into the bushes and cuddle?”

“Touch me and you die,” Varka warned.

“You’re right. Every time I touch you I die a little inside. It feels like…it feels like I’m in heaven,” Krowe agreed with a cheesy sort of smile.

Varka sighed.

 

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