Witches of Mellgrah

'This might be the only chance I'll ever get… Overpowering strength. And against a creature of superior power. It wasn't just godly given to him. He knows how to get there. I need him to teach me so that fate never dares to interfere with my will. I'll crush anyone who dares to trample on me.'

Elena's murderous thoughts prowled as she navigated the forests outside Amellan's walls. Noticing she was gradually growing hungrier at shorter intervals between each feeding was a cause for concern. It wouldn't be as frustrating if she weren't this bad at hunting.

She was currently tracking deer prints in the hard, frozen ground, but suspected they were old traces since the ground hadn't been soft enough for fresh impressions in days.

To make matters worse, she had no way of knowing if her ever-expanding hunger was normal for a fledgling vampire. Would her appetite grow to the point it was no longer controllable?

Not being able to tell if the changes happening to her were within the norm was something she would simply have to deal with on her own.

'…like puberty.'

Growing up on the unforgiving streets, she knew methods to put her mind off gnawing starvation. However, vampirism wasn't an affliction as simple as starvation. The thirst can make her lose control over herself.

Just last night, she found herself looming over the sleeping Maya. Her mouth was watering as if she were watching succulent meat slowly roasting.

At times, she did things on impulse before she was able to catch herself. Sleeping in the same space became particularly dangerous, especially since Elena no longer had the option of drowning her senses in alcohol.

Elena had no idea how to hunt deer. The only time she succeeded was by pure chance. Although serene, the forest was unfamiliar terrain to her. She hadn't had the opportunity to acclimate to it as she had with the bustling, concrete jungles of large cities, where unsuspecting crowds made pickpocketing an effortless task.

The only creatures she was proficient at hunting were the rats that infested the grimy city streets. At least she had a backup plan when her current hunting strategy ultimately failed.

'Why hunt rats when you know we're much better at hunting humans?'

The voice in her mind started again. It was getting harder to keep it silent, especially now that the hunger was getting stronger.

Walking while shaking her head in an attempt to silence it, her eyes suddenly locked onto a rabbit.

She froze in her tracks. Her careless, abrupt halt startled the small creature. For a brief moment, they both remained motionless, their eyes locked in a mutual understanding of predator and prey relationship. The rabbit, realizing the danger, made a dash for safety.

Elena reacted instantly, her instincts taking over. She knew she was swift enough to pursue it, but only if she could catch it before it found a hiding spot in a burrow.

However, her lack of attention to her surrounding environment proved costly when Elena was abruptly yanked off her feet by a snare trap.

The trap flung her with a force she couldn't contain, thrusting her headfirst into a tree.

The impact was severe, blurring her senses. Dazed, she realized she was hanging above the ground, a strange sight of her own blood droplets falling upwards towards the frozen earth.

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'This isn't a trap for rabbits,' was her last coherent observation.

Elena wasn't out for too long. Coming back to consciousness, she opened her eyes, trying to focus her vision.

Trees were sticking from gently swaying ground above her. There seemed to be a figure a little further, leaning on a tree, watching her.

There was no need to wait for the vision to clear out to know who it was. His expression was unreadable, though. He was simply standing there, looking perpetually tired, studying her.

Elena inhaled sharply as she pressed her palm to her head, where a pulsating pain persisted. Feeling a bump and a bit of blood from the scratch, she concluded it wasn't too severe.

She exhaled slowly. "Get me down," she said, trying to soften what sounded like a command. It wasn't easy to mask her frustration.

"I didn't get you up there," Erik dismissed her, disinterested.

Rolling her eyes, she knew asking for his assistance was futile. She groaned as she strained her body to lift herself up and check her ankle. It was much harder than she anticipated. Her throbbing head protested and she fell back.

"You really have a thing for having me suspended in the air…" she retorted.

It was a third. First, he caught her in a net; second, he dangled her in the air with his bare hand; and now this…

"Well, it is momentarily amusing. Unlike setting those traps back up," he responded nonchalantly, without a hint of supposed amusement. "You know, even wild animals know how to avoid them."

"Then what is the point of your traps?"

"Wouldn't you like to know?" he enigmatically dodged her question, lighting up a cigarette.

'To send a message, scare tactics, warning?' Even she could come up with a couple of reasons.

'What a crafty asshole…' Not only did he say her suffering was amusing, but he also insinuated that she was dumber than a wild animal.

Straining herself once again, Elena bent to retrieve the knife fastened at her ankle. With a firm grip on the rope, she sliced it with the sharp blade. It was a feat of extraordinary flexibility, a task few could perform in her current predicament.

The rope split, freeing her feet to fall. Her grip on the rope lasted just long enough to prevent landing on her neck, but not sufficient to secure a proper landing as it slipped from her grasp.

With an awkward thud, she landed on her already sprained ankle and collapsed onto her backside.

Erik's chuckle rang out in the silent forest. Now, it was much clearer he found this entertaining.

Elena pierced him with a scowl and got up, dusting herself off. Picking up her knife, she limped toward him.

All kinds of emotions boiled inside of her, but she knew she needed to restrain herself if she wanted a chance at convincing him to train her.

As she approached, she noted a composite hunting bow with a quill over his shoulder. His sword was on his hip this time.

"I thought you were a crossbow guy," she commented.

'How expansive is his weaponry repertoire?'

Based on his other expertise, she could conclude this wasn't just for show and he was also a skilled archer.

She frowned.

Although he lived alone in the woods, something about his demeanor screamed, 'I grew up rich'. Elena knew he must have lived comfortably because—even though he wasn't dressed extravagantly—he still triggered her unexplainable urge to pickpocket him.

The familiar scent permeated her senses, and she sniffed the air. It wasn't tobacco he was smoking.

"I wouldn't have guessed you as a guy that smokes pot."

He responded with a languid exhale, his gaze lingering on the bump on her forehead, "I need something to help me stand you, love."

Elena gave him a cold side-eye but then composed herself. "Fair point…" she acknowledged his harsh reproach. "Can… I have some?"

Elena did regret her earlier provocations toward him, but only because she didn't consider the idea of him training her before. Now she struggled to think of an idea of how to redeem the situation.

Erik looked ready to refuse, but reconsidered and passed it to her. His eyebrows raised as she took it with a gleam in her eyes, like a child who was given candy, and he had to suppress an amused chuckle.

It was difficult to hide her satisfaction as she drew in a smoke. It felt rather nostalgic. Although she did sense unfamiliar presences in this blend. However, her enjoyment was interposed by the discomfort of his scrutinizing gaze.