Private Hunting Grounds

[Rosalia Aros]

Tag: Aerik Lechner
​

Rosalia was thankful to have some time away from the academy on Jutrand.

Studies there could only be described as... ruthless. Of course, she understood why. The Sith had always been formidable; and as the next generation of the Order, they had to live up to the expectations. It was difficult, yes, but it was confirmation that she'd made the right choice to come. Now, she was learning to tap into her real power. The academy was slowly becoming like home, so much that her family's manor on Entralla was simply a memory. Though, if she had one complaint... it would be the food.

The meals served in the cafeteria were suitable for the other students. And, she supposed they were nutritious, but they lacked what she needed.

Her sponsor had arranged for her to receive the energy that she required. Though, it was often in the form of something already half-dead. There was very little to claim, and she never felt satisfied. She'd refrained from feeding around the other students. Rosalia wasn't ready to reveal that part of her nature to them yet. There were so few to trust.

Tonight, however, she had been allowed to travel away. In fact, she didn't even know just where her shuttle set down. She'd only been told by her sponsor that it was "hunting grounds." Here, she would find a good meal without worry. This taste of freedom was new, something she'd never had back home, either. In the woods, she ran as fast as she could, just to feel the solid ground beneath her feet. She could be herself.

Though, she'd been given instructions not to draw unnecessary attention.

Rosalia slowed to a casual pace, weaving between trees as she made her way towards the village in the distance. The moon was high and full, it light the path ahead just for her.

Or... did it light the way for someone else as well?

 

[Aerik Lechner]

WEARING: xxx
TAG: Rosalia Aros

The full moon was something Aerik had grown wary of the closer he came to his teenage years. His father had warned him, and his siblings, that there would come a moon which would cause them to experience their first shift. For months now the young pup could feel the beast stirring within. It threatened with each passing moon to force itself out into the open. In truth none of them knew what to expect. Even Gerwald had told them what they might was something unheard of to the Lupo. Usually the mother’s genetics did not determine what they would become.

They would be wolves.

Orange eyes looked at the moon as it appeared from the cloud cover. The urban jungle of Jutrand was not ideal for what might happen. Even as the moon revealed more of its light and shape the pain of something tearing away at the inside of his stomach grew increasingly more sharp.

It had been this way for the last two moons. Each time it was more painful. Aerik could only hope it would happen tonight, but he was not sure that it would. His father was close, he had to be. It was the only time Aerik and his siblings were allowed out of the academy walls past curfew. Once they had passed the entrance exams, Gerwald had used his influence as a member of the Dark Council to arrange it.

The priests did not like it, but they had little choice in the way the wolf had presented it to them.

A small village, outside the reaches of the city, was where the pups waited. Gerwald knew where to find them should one of them begin to change. Aerik sat against a tree, but sat straight up when he caught the scent of something on the wind.

It was the scent of death.

He turned his ears and listened to the sound of someone running. Their pace slowed, almost to a stop. Something told him to avoid this person, and yet part of him stood. Aerik began to move toward the scent, a knife at the ready in case whoever it was meant him or his siblings any harm. Aerik was not afraid of killing. Carnifex had ensured all the pups knew how to kill in a variety of ways.

“Show yourself,” he demanded.

They would not be getting the better of him tonight. Even if it felt as though he was about to double over in pain.

 

[Rosalia Aros]

Tag: Aerik Lechner​

Rosalia canted her head to the side. She could feel the collective hum of heartbeats that came from the small village, but there were some that seemed... separate somehow. The energy vampire crouched and continued with silent footsteps, no longer frolicking free. She had imagined that this sleepy village would be quite a bore, but there was definitely something about this place that said the opposite. Nearby, on the edge of the village was a single beating heart -- a quick, pained pulse.

Leaping up into a nearby tree, she watched from the branches for a few moments. She had expected to find some ragged villager, but saw a boy instead. She couldn't see his features clearly, but there was a glowing sheen that caught orange eyes. A fellow predator. A slight smile curled her lips. This boy seemed familiar, too.

"Up here," she called, rather cordially.

The girl moved a branch aside to let the boy see her face. Of course, he may have out here to simply enjoy the darkness and the light of the moon. But there was something wrong with him. Was he wounded in some way? Or ill? It wasn't something she could see, he stood as though nothing was bothered him. It was a feeling, something that his pulse carried along through the force.

"What are you doing out here?" she asked. "Are you from the academy as well?"

He didn't look like he belonged here any more than she did. She hadn't expected to see any of the other students, if indeed he was one. Was she not the only one allowed to venture out? Her need for energy made it necessary. The girl needed blood to survive. This boy gave off mixed signals, and she wasn't quite sure what to make of him.

 

[Aerik Lechner]

WEARING: xxx
TAG: Rosalia Aros

His eyes darted up to the tree. He should have heard the girl moving up there. Fortunately the glow of his eyes was not just an identifier that the boy was not human. Aerik could see in the dark. His night vision was an inherited trait, that only seemed to become more pronounced as he aged. The Nox Lupo knew what it meant. His change was getting closer and closer.

There was something familiar about her. She was the right age to be from the academy, and something gave her away as a student. The pain was too much to let the boy think clearly. If he did not change tonight it would be the next moon. Regardless he needed to survive the night, and it would be long and painful even if the change did not come. Maybe he had been followed, an opportunist ready to strike.

His fears were laid to rest when the question came without threat. It was a valid question considering they were not allowed to leave the academy without express permission. Aeirk had it, so it begged the question why she was absent as well.

“I have permission to be here.”

How much should he reveal to a potential rival? Just because she did not seem to be a threat to him now did not mean she was not. Many sinister plans laid hidden behind the face of innocence and kindness.

He turned his attention to her eyes. They were dark, and something clouded them. Was it the glaze of hunger? Aerik shook the though away. That did not matter, not now. What mattered was why she was in the woods. This was the second time the wolf pup had been around the village and he had never seen her before.

“What are you doing here? If you are from the Academy shouldn’t you still be there?”

 

[Rosalia Aros]

Tag: Aerik Lechner
​

When the boy gave his answer, Rosalia hopped down from her perch in the tree above. Though, she maintained distance between them. Soon, her questions were given back to her. A slight smile tugged her cheek, but not enough to reveal her teeth.

"I have permission to be here," she answered, echoing him. "From my sponsor."

Until this point, she'd been able to sustain herself by the offerings brought from Master Lechner. But she had begged for the chance to hunt. A fresh meal would offer far more energy and would keep her going even longer. Her argument must have struck a chord with him, because he had agreed.

As she appraised her fellow acolyte, her dark eyes narrowed as she attempted to hone in on his source of strife. Her posture shifted, as if she were edging away from him ever slightly. Did he have some kind of contagious affliction?

"What's wrong with you?" she asked, though her voice wasn't wholly unkind. She was curious. "Are you ill?" Perhaps he'd been left here to die, she thought.

The light of the moon came through the canopy of trees above, shining cold light on both of them.

 

[Aerik Lechner]

WEARING: xxx
TAG: Rosalia Aros

They both had permission? She must have had a powerful sponsor to arrange such a thing. Aerik’s sponsor could have arranged it for him as well, but this was a matter reserved for family. His symptoms must have been too obvious if this girl was asking him if he was okay. What could he answer that would be both dismissive and satisfactory at the same time?

His eyes looked up to the moon. Perhaps it was enough. Anyone that knew his father knew something of what Aerik was. The parts he inherited from his mother is what the triplets had agreed to keep a secret as long as they could.

Their first change would likely make that impossible, but Aerik was going to try.

“The full moon stirs something in my species. I am okay. It’s nature taking its course.”

Hopefully that would be enough to satisfy her, and allow him to change the subject. They had just met, and the wolf pup was not about to trust her with something like the magnitude of what he really was. In truth, he did not even know what he really was. Until one of them changed first, none of them knew. Gerwald could speculate, but he was uncertain. There would be a wolf of some kind, but what? The orange eyes, the unnatural strength, and the aversion to cold weather were not things natural to their father.

“Who is your sponsor then… not just anyone could arrange you a pass beyond curfew that those zealot priests would listen to.”

 

[Rosalia Aros]

Tag: Aerik Lechner
​

Rosalia listened to his simple explanation and gave a nod. Though, her dark eyes flickered up towards the moon for a moment before returning to the boy. She wondered exactly what effect the moon had on him, but she held her questions back for now. After all, there were secrets about her own species as well. The energy vampire dreaded the day when others found out and asked questions…

She had a feeling that her fellow acolyte didn't want to reveal his true nature to her, so if indeed he found out, both their secrets would be safe if they kept quiet.

"Alright then," she said, shrugging. "I'm glad you're not contagious."

If he looked closely, there was a slight gleam to her teeth when they caught the moonlight. And some were sharper than others. Her brows arched slightly when he asked about her sponsor. It seemed that the two of them had someone powerful in their corners. What would it hurt to reveal? It seemed to be somewhat of a matter of pride around the academy to have a sponsor at all.

"Gerwald Lechner is my sponsor," she said, standing just a bit taller. "Why... is he your sponsor, too?"

It would make a lot of sense, seeing as how they'd both gained the same permissions to leave.

 

[Aerik Lechner]

WEARING: xxx
TAG: Rosalia Aros

She left it alone, which was good. Aerik was not ready to offer a further explanation. He could not if wanted to. Perhaps the time would come when he would freely talk about what he was, but until it was known what he and his siblings would become, it was best to say nothing. The secret would reveal itself sooner or later.

When the girl smiled, Aerik thought he recognized the familiar sight of fangs gleaming in the moonlight as she did. It made her a curious thing. He did not know many humans with that trait which made it more likely she was not. That did not mean the pup knew what she was, on the contrary, it made her even more of a mystery.

When he heard his father’s name he tried not to be shocked. Processing it through the pain of what might be his first change was a difficult task, but it was something that made sense. They met at the same village after all. If he had to keep an eye on his sponsee and his child it would be at the same place.

It meant his father was closer than he realized.

“No, he is my father.”

He let the words settle to see what her reaction would be. If she knew Gerwald then she may already know what sort of creature he was.

 

[Rosalia Aros]

Tag: Aerik Lechner
​

Rosalia was caught off-guard by his answer, and she blinked hard. But as the boy came back into focus, she studied him for a long moment. He did bear a resemblance to his father, perhaps that's why he'd seemed familiar. The boy's father did have quite a reputation, word went around the campus, too. Stories about how he changed into the form of a wolf. The pieces were falling into place now.

"You're like him, aren't you?" she asked. "A shifter."

She glanced up at the moon and then back to the boy. It was like a folktale, men turning into beasts in the light of the full moon. Well, though she didn't know him, Rosalia felt a sort of strange camaraderie with Lechner's son. She wasn't human, either -- they had that in common. And they had both been brought to the woods to reveal themselves for what they were: monsters.

"Is it happening now?" she asked, still quite curious.

Rosalia had already given up on the idea of feasting on her fellow acolyte. As long as he didn't become a threat, she'd leave him be. After all, her sponsor would not take kindly to his offspring coming to harm at her hands. He hadn't left them alone, after all. Though, as she watched the boy, her own hunger pangs hit. She closed her eyes for a moment, and when she opened them, they seemed hollow for a brief moment -- an endless void.

Her attention was torn between him and finding her next meal. Rosalia grew quiet as she began to scan the village with her senses, reaching out to find heartbeats.

 

[Aerik Lechner]

WEARING: xxx
TAG: Rosalia Aros

The question which followed was not a surprise. It created a small comfort which both of them had realized they needed perhaps. They were not human, neither of them truly were. It was a point they could bond on, and Aerik could use it to add another ally in the academy. To what end, he did not know yet, but as he knew others were forging friendships and alliances, Aerik knew those that had been looked down upon from the start needed to as well. Aerik’s outburst had not earned him many friends at entry, but with time he would remedy that.

Even the Echani would come to like him, he was sure of it. Aerik had a likable personality.

He nodded.

“I will be, I am..”

Aerik grabbed his stomach. He was in pain, but nothing was happening. If his father was not there, then he was not changing. It was just another full moon where he was feeling the pain of it. The intensity of his pain had never been at this level before, so Aerik could only assume if it did not happen this moon, it would the next.

He shook his head.

“I don’t know. It just… hurts.”

He was an easy target if she wanted him to be. Outside the village, even if Gerwald was watching he would be dead before the wolf could reach him. Fortunately he did not sense any malice from the girl. Her eyes had already shifted to the village. Something else radiated off of her, something the pup would have recognized sooner had he not been in so much agony.

Hunger.

He understood.

“You’re hunting, aren’t you?”

 

[Rosalia Aros]

Tag: Aerik Lechner
​

So, like father like son.

Rosalia could truly see the resemblance now. But her curiosity had waned, giving way to instinct. For a moment, as she scanned the village with her senses, she'd almost forgotten he was there. His words brought her back. She blinked hard, and her eyes returned to normal -- no longer empty black voids.

"I am," she said, confirming his suspicion with a grin. "I need some energy. I'm going into the village to find it."

She let her words hang there, allowing him to draw his own conclusion or press her for more. No matter if he spoke, she started to move again, slick like a shadow, towards the village. For the time, she knew her objective: find someone to feed from. If her new companion followed, would she be in danger if he managed to shift? The question was there in her mind, but she ignored it.

Rosalia felt energized by the night -- and the moon -- even if her fellow student did not. It was thrilling to be out 'own her own' to do as she needed.

 

[Aerik Lechner]

WEARING: xxx
TAG: Rosalia Aros

Energy? It did not seem to make too much sense, unless… Aerik paused for a moment, pushing past the pain so he could think clearly. She fed off energy. The pup had heard of such creatures before, but he had never met any of them. The girl, Rosalia, was not human. It was something they had seemed to already establish, but he had not expected this. They both knew the thrill of the hunt, but in different ways.

He followed, albeit slowly. The pup was not in any condition to move quickly. He tried to breathe through what he was experiencing, but eventually stopped. His hand rested against the rough bark of a nearby tree. His eyes looked on ahead to see if the girl had turned around to see if he was following.

“Don’t wait for me,” he said, “I will only slow you down right now.”

Had he known what she was wondering, whether she would be in danger, Aerik would have shrugged. His best guess without knowing what he would shift into was yes. Then again, Aerik knew little about how it all worked. Gerwald had told all his children that they were both things. They needed to embrace the beast as part of who they were. It would be the best hope they had of surviving their first change.

They had to give the beast what it wanted, and what it wanted most was freedom.

 

[Rosalia Aros]

Aerik Lechner
​

Her dark eyes shifted over her shoulder to find the glowing amber of the boy's. "Suit yourself," she called. While he trudged along in misery, Rosalia was practically skipping. The leaves and bits of branches crunched underfoot, until she neared the village and began to stalk with more care. She hopped up onto a low stone fence that ran around one of the houses. For a moment, she crouched there and looked for Aerik -- she realized that she didn't even know his name.

"I'm Rosalia, by the way." She said. "But you can call me Rose if you want."

Again, her eyes had turned almost hollow-looking. Though, she remained there long enough to let him catch up and introduce himself if he wished. Her attention eventually turned towards the second floor window of the little house; where her keen senses heard breathing.

"Be back in a minute," she said, and cast a last glance at him before she slipped inside the house. The person that lived here hadn't even bothered to latch their door. As she moved silently through the kitchen and up the staircase, it was clear that the occupant of the house was fond of food. There were dried meats and herbs hanging from the ceiling.

As Rosalia crept into the room, she found an man sleeping beneath a thin blanket.

Moving forward, the girl did not regard the man as a victim... instinct had taken over completely. This was a chance to feed, one she sorely needed if she were to survive at the Academy. She lowered her head towards the man's exposed wrist and bit down. He stirred momentarily, breaths speeding up and then falling again. As long as she remained undisturbed, so would her prey.

The question of the boy's condition was far away now, so that she didn't even wonder if she'd go back to out to find him -- or something else in his place.

 

[Aerik Lechner]

WEARING: xxx
TAG: Rosalia Aros

“Aerik,” he answered as she bounded off.

He followed Rose to the city wall. She moved quicker than he could due to his pain. It was something he could live through. They met again at the wall. The pup was curious why the hunt was taking her into the village and not to the trails aside where there would be some unsuspecting passerby. Instead, she walked right into the open house. The owner of the home was about to be her dinner, and they did not even know.

Aerik leaned against the wall. He could not watch, but his ears heard it all. The scent of blood breathed into his nostrils. Would he change soon? Gerwald was near, but the wolf did not seem to be coming. The wolf would not allow his son to change without guidance. It would kill him otherwise. Next month, perhaps.

When she returned his eyes met hers.

“Energy,” he questioned, already knowing the answer. “Thank you for not making me your snack. You could have long before you knew I was the son of your sponsor.”

It would not have gone well for her, but in her ignorance there might have been some mercy. Aerik hated it was even a question. His desire was to ascend on his own merit, not his father’s name. He should have entered under his mother’s name.