Young Hunters

A Chapter by Tina Kline

An Ann the Vampire story.

Some time passed since the destruction of Sammie. No one dwelled on her death. They were all vampires, not humans. They had tried to help Sammie but since the new born vampire wouldn't or couldn't accept her second chance at life they all felt they'd done what was needed to be done.

It was cold and growing colder. Winter was upon the land even if it didn't say so on the calendar. The sky was carpeted with dark heavy cloud cover and snow was falling heavily.

Tyler and Justin prepared the sled for their outing checking their trap line. One by one Justin brought out the excited huskies. They knew they were in for a run and were looking forward to it. The huskies pranced about barking, whining and wagging their tails. This made it a little complicated trying to get them in their harnesses.

Julie stood nearby in the front yard watching them. rapping wasn't her thing but the husky dogs were. She'd decided she wanted to have a dog of her own so Ann told her she could choose one of the pups. Justin and Tyler were trying their hand at breeding their best males to their best female sled dogs. They had a small litter of pups 8 weeks old. One of those was now Julie's.

From inside their house Ann and Eddie watched their young vampires from a window. They were pleased with their newborns. Julie, who had never been exposed to the vampire life style, had adjusted well. Tyler and Justin had been well prepared to be vampires and took to their new life with relish.

“Everything is good.” Ann said, turning away from the window. “I'm glad we turned Julie.”

“Yes, she is turning out to be a fine vampire.” Eddie said.

Ann looked up at him. “The next lesson for them I think will be the hardest. A live kill.”

Eddie nodded. “They will have to master it if they plan on living a long time.”

Ann turned back to the window, “Soon, I think.”

“The sooner the better. We can't keep bringing them their meals. I've all the confidence in Tyler and Justin. I think they will be able to handle it. But Julie?”

Looking out the window Ann watched Julie teaching her husky puppy to heel. “She'll handle it. She's taken to the vampire life style already. She has no problem drinking blood.”

“Hmm. I want her to be successful.” Eddie thought briefly of the fallen one. Her name mattered no more. Soon she'd be completely gone from their memories. Julie wasn't weak like that one had been. He pushed the fallen one, the failure, even further from his memories. Taking Ann's hand Eddie said, “Let's go out. I'm hungry. It's been a few days since I've fed.”

“We're going hunting.” Ann announced to Tyler and Justin. They were ready to head out to check their trap lines. “You two be careful.” She couldn't stop herself from saying that even though Tyler and Justin were vampires now and not vulnerable humans.

“We will be mom.” Tyler said. He and Justin exchanged a quick smile. They were only humoring their mother.

Ann noticed the exchange and smiled herself, “Yes, humor me. Keep me happy.”

They all laughed.

Walking up to them with her puppy heeling properly at her side Julie asked, “When are we all going hunting? We newborns need practice taking live prey.”

Ann smiled, pleased at Julie's eagerness to learn all she could to survive as a vampire. “I'm glad you're eager to learn Julie.” Ann said.

“We all are.” Tyler said.

“Tomorrow night then. We'll do it.” Eddie said, looking to Ann to make sure she was in agreement with him. “Is that okay for everyone?” She smiled at him and nodded that she was.

“Yes.” They all said simultaneously.

Ann and Eddie chuckled, very pleased with their eagerness. This group of newborns would do just fine. “Good.” Eddie said. “I need a small meal now so Ann and I are going out. We'll see you all later.”

Ann and Eddie flew just below the heavy cloud cover as the snow fell all around them. She stretched out her black feathery wings to their fullest, loving the exhilarating freedom that flight has for her.

“I don't think we'll have to worry about any of our young ones.” Ann said.

“I think you're right about that.”

They flew on in silence for a while, slowly pumping their large wings. They approached by air a little community lit up in the snowy dark night. The sound of a dog barking carried way up high overhead to where they flew.

“A meal is waiting for me down there.” Eddie stated.

“Perhaps one for me as well.” Ann wasn't hungry but it was smart to take any opportunity to feed for it would save her from getting hungry and needing to go out later.

“Let's go find out.”

They circled over the little community slowly circling lower. They could easily tell there were several people in the few buildings. The barking dog was joined by another. They were skinny short haired dogs in a pen looking at them Ann thought them ugly.

“Ugly dogs are always owned by ugly people. I think I'll take a larger meal than I had originally planned.” Ann said.

Eddie smiled, showing his upper and lower fangs. Then he growled a warming at the ugly dogs and instantly they stopped their barking. They whined, curled their spindly tails between their legs and crept to the back of their pen.

Ann chuckled.

“Let's go eat.” Eddie led the way into the building the dog's pen was attached to. Two people were inside. A very low wattage light bulb in a dingy lamp gave the room some light. And a turned on TV shed a little light into the room as well. The sounds coming from the reality TV show the young couple were watching made it impossible for them to hear Ann and Eddie enter their home.

Once inside the two vampires moved lightning fast and took their prey from behind. The couple yelled once in surprise, their voices drowned out by the show they had been watching. Outside the skinny ugly dogs only whined, even now not daring to bark after their warning.

Dragging their prey around to the front of the couch Ann and Eddie settled down on it to eat, holding their prey tight in their arms. They sank their fangs into their victims necks and drained their blood.

Eddie was hungry and ended up happily draining his prey to death. Ann wasn't as hungry so Eddie finished off her meal. Once finished they took the remains of their meal and dumped them in the forest where the friendly and not so friendly werewolves could feast on the human flesh thus cleaning up the evidence of the two human's deaths. Their disappearance would just end up being a mystery, one of many.

“Let's go home and see what the young hunters are up to.” Eddie said, feeling very content and satisfied now.

“Yes, lets.”
Ann and Eddie rose up into the snowy night sky and headed back home.

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