The Immortal: Vampire (Story)- Chapter 3

The bell rings and I'm faced with one of man's worst nightmares and a vampire's worst enemy. A fully turned wolf whose shoulders come to my chest and outweighs me by one hundred and ten pounds. His fur is the color of raw steel and his eyes are yellow orbs full of malice.

"Well, ladies and gentle-monsters, we're in for a special treat tonight. In the ring are two of the most brutal fighters in this class. From the stable owned by Rhyn, the vampire. He's four thousand years old, a vampire and a true Gladiator from Rome! Arian Cain!"

I growl to myself. That damn ring announcer is a pest. Half human and half vampire. Too cocky and highly annoying. The only reason nobody's killed him yet is because he's on the pay-roll of the high dollar stable owners.

The crowd is cheering for me for the most part. Only the wolves don't. I'm well known and well respected in the ring. Outside the ring, I'm not more than a shadow. Some of the fighters who've gained freedom and have children use me to scare them. I see the children there, watching me with fear and excitement. I will show no mercy.

"And, from the stable of Isaac, the werewolf nicknamed Fenrir by most, though his real name is Kimber O'Doyle...heh, funny name. He's only two hundred and from america, but he's more brutal than any other wolf."

There's cheering and booing from the crowd. Kimber isn't paying attention. He's focused on me.

The bell rings again and, before I'm ready, Kimber's on me like an anvil, snarling and biting. I push him off, but not before he gets a good bite on my arm and creates a deep gash from shoulder to wrist. I pay no mind, only wincing in pain.

We start circling, each looking for a way to get inside the others defenses. Our eyes are locked. Mine has turned to a dark red, almost black. One of us is going to die...and it can't be me.

Kimber finally tires of the game and lunges at me again. I dodge and draw my broadsword, slicing across his muzzle and barely missing his eye. He howls in rage and pain.

"Arian!" Katrina warns with a scream in my head

I whirl toward her just as an interfereing wolf lunges at me. This is going to cost Kimber the match, but me my life, if I can't kill them both.

"Hey! Get that one out of there! Ring the bell!" the announcer shouts.

But the bell doesn't ring, just as I knew it wouldn't. This was planned. Somebody wants me dead and I have to figure out who.

Both wolves are circling me now. The new one is probably closer to my weight and is short than Kimber, though his eyes and fur are the same color.

I'm attacked from behind as Kimber catches me off guard. His teeth sink into the bone of my shoulder and I can't think. I'm bleeding too much...too quickly. I can't think. I can't move. I'm going to die.

Kimber releases me, whining and going belly up. I glance up from where I've fallen and supress a cry of relief. Katrina has come to my aid, a snarling form of both beauty and ferocity. Her eyes are black with rage as she stands over me, snarling and her hackles raised. Her fur is nearly white it's so blond.

"Katrina...don't." I whisper, worried now because the second wolf isn't backing down....damnit, it's a female and it's going to attack us both.

"I won't back down. Arian, take care of Kimber...I'll get the she-bitch." Katrina says in my mind, licking my face gently before pouncing on the female and tearing at her, looking for a good hold.

I get to my feet and grab the sword that I dropped when Kimber grabbed me. He's snarling at me again, circling. My eyes turn black. I'm going to kill him.

The dance continues, each of us looking for a weak point....there. Kimber's favoring his left hindpaw. I smile to myself. Now, just to get some bait.

I purposely trip over an invisible something and, as planned, he lunges toward my throat. I roll out of the way and swing the sword, which whistles sharply with the force and speed. A spurt of blood and Kimber's back leg is gone, causing him to fall to the ground, howling in agony.

I step forward and whisper something in his ear, which forces him to begin whimpering and trembling in fear. Then, in another flash of my sword, his head goes rolling away.

I sigh and take off my shirt, tearing strips to bind the top of my arm as tight as possible to stop the bleeding. I'm already sick with the blood loss and the smell of Kimbers blood mixing with mine doesn't help matters.

"Arian, are you alright?" Katrina's voice whispers in my mind, as she doesn't dare come over to me while still facing with the other wolf.

"I'm fine. Why haven't you finished her? Toying with your prey?" I chide in her mind gently.

"I'm hurt."

I whirl and supress a furious growl. She's bleeding heavily from her muzzle, side and stomach. As always, I don't know until it's too late because she never cries out when she's injured.

I watch the wolves, Katrina circling to the left gracefully while the other circles to the right with short, jerky movements. I suddenly recognize the other wolf by the scar on her left flank.

She's one of the wolves from the pack who nearly killed Katrina. They would have succeeded, had I not come into the fray and carried the bloodied woman-child out of there. I don't know her name, but I know why she attacked me now. She's Kimber's mother and I gave her the scar as a reminder of how easily I could kill, a year after the attack.

The wolf turns to me, a gleam of hatred in her eyes. She's left herself open to attack and Katrina takes it, latching onto her throat and tossing her to the floor in a cloud of dust. There's too much dust to see by but I dimly make out the shapes of the wolves. One savagely slashes the others throat out. I can tell it's Katrina by the howl she sends up.

I smile to myself as a stunned silence bursts into my ears. I fall to my knees, ill and weak from continued blood loss. If I were still human, I'd have died when the first tear had been made in my arm. If I were still a young vampire, I'd have died from the loss of blood and the shock of venom from Kimber's teeth. But I'm old and not as frail, though right now I feel very broken and weak.

Katrina comes over to me and pushes her muzzle under my good arm, a sign that I need to rise. But I can't without blacking out and silently tell her so. She gazes at me, worried. I affectionatly pat her muzzle and wince. She looks at me and rushes to go get Rhyn. Before she's out of sight, I'm flat on my face, a pool of blood under me that was hidden by my shadow.

****

"He's lost nearly all his blood, Rhyn. You know how a vampire in that state is. You'll have to keep him out of the fights for a while and cage him up."

I flutter my eyelids.

"Arian?" Katrina's voice is full of concern. I wonder who Rhyn was talking about me to.

"I...thirst." I mumble, not opening my eyes to the glaring light.

"I know. You're weak right now...you lost a lot of blood."

"I heard."

"Heard what?"

"Whoever Rhyn is talking to said it...that I needed to be caged up."

"I don't know how you heard that, but I won't let them."

"It's what's best-"

"Not for me." she whispers.

I feel her hand on mine and a thought flashes across my mind, one she's sent me...she loves me more than life itself...but I pull away from her.

"Arian-"

Darkness falls over us.

"Caiden, you and I must talk." a voice whispers in my mind.

I shiver...it's evil, pure and simple, yet it's seductively alluring and I know who it is. I've heard him often before.

"I listen, my master." I whisper back.