A Demon's Kin

[Tauer]

Tauer shuddered awake from a chilling dream involving his brother's ghost. This had been the first one in weeks but it had felt worse than anything he'd experienced previous. Ever since the two orphaned siblings, Nissa and Joff, had moved in with him, Tauer found he could sleep more soundly, as if taking in the kids had helped free some of the guilt he had been clinging on to. It had been a fresh start.

But tonight Merik's corpse had unearthed itself once again to haunt his dreams; cold hands were placed upon the prince's face to take the warmth from his body, to freeze his very soul. The frigid touch had stirred the demonkin from restless slumber and brought him back into the confines of his tower's topmost room, where silence was broken solely by the rustling of his sheet and the gentle snoring of young Joff on the other side of the room. The sun had yet to show its bright, orange face so the moon's faint glow was the only light shining through the tower's windows.

The air itself chilled Tauer to the core, his thin sheet serving as the only protection against his skin. He envied the two children, sound asleep and snuggled warmly together beneath the large, thick blanket he had given up to make their stay more comfortable. But the prince couldn't understand why it was so cold. Had someone left a window open? Was there a draft coming through a crack in one of the doors or even the wall? Knowing he would not easily return to his dreams - and somewhat glad for the excuse to get up and be moving about - Tauer pulled back his sheet and got dressed.

Quietly, so he would not disturb the children, the prince grabbed his gear and headed down the stairs to investigate. His body shivered in an attempt to fend off the cold and goosebumps rose over his pale flesh. But there it was. On the floor below, one of the windows had indeed been left open and the frosty night air had just gone and made itself at home. He was going to have to have serious words with the kids about this.

Tauer closed the window but found he was now too awake to go back to sleep. So descending further down the tower steps, the silver-haired demonkin decided to head into town and pay Beth a visit. Nissa and Joff wouldn't be up for hours. He could easily make the trip there, pick up some piping hot, fresh-out-the-oven pies from the most amazing baker he had ever met, and be back before they had even noticed he was gone.

The prince's stomach rumbled, agreeing that this was such a great plan.

((NOTE: This is for Tauer only. No need for a GM. Thanks.))

[Tauer]

The stroll into town was short. The early morning air was still brisk, despite the sun now peering over the horizon. Thankfully, the prince's new gloves allowed him to retain some extra body heat and the walk to Wistvale prevented him from freezing to death. That and the thought of tucking into one of Beth's hot blueberry pies.

Local traders were being let through the town gates as the demonkin approached, their horse-drawn carts loaded with goods, ready to sell at the marketplace. Tauer greeted the guards with a smile and quick hello, as he squeezed past the line of traders. The men on duty knew the demonkin, at least by name and sight, since he had been making this trip, around the same time every day, for several months now. Most of the time, Tauer came to town for food. Other times he would meet up with Neko or see what else was going on; perhaps there would be the odd job to do, here and there, that would pay him the gold he needed to keep feeding his new family. But work could not be done on an empty stomach. The message boards could wait until after food had been consumed and his belly had been satisfied.

The darkly-dressed demon prince wound his way through Wistvale's roads and alleyways, passing a few early-birds who were keen to grab the freshest produce and finest equipment before anyone else got their paws on them. Eventually, Tauer came to the street upon which the market place was being set up. Men and women were unloading carts and displaying their wares upon stalls and stands for the residents who would soon flock to make their daily purchases. But while everyone else was preparing for the day ahead, one woman was already set to take on the day.

Beth. Her stall, positioned halfway down the street, was filled with various freshly baked pies; cherries and apples and blueberries and blackberries. The enticing aroma wafted through the air, making heads turn and luring in hungry traders like bees to honey. The kind, friendly smile came easily to her and she greeted many people with hugs and a kiss on the cheek.

Tauer placed a hand over his pocket, just to make certain he had not forgotten his gold before making his way down the street towards the Queen of Pies.

[Tauer]

From behind her stand, Beth gave a cheerful wave to the demon prince as she caught sight of him walking down the street. Tauer returned the gesture with an equally happy grin and, before crossing the road, waited for two black horses pulling an open carriage to pass by. The demon prince may not have paid it any mind had it not been for the three men accompanying the carriage being dressed in mercenary clothing.

The one in the driver's seat wore a bowler hat and had bright yellow eyes that were focused so much on the road that they never once fell upon Tauer. The other two walked on either side of the carriage, swords hanging from their hips. The man closest to the prince had skin as red as blood, with hair and eyes that were as black as coal. He scowled at Tauer in an attempt to intimidate the guy, then shared a laugh with his companion on the other side, who would have looked human if it weren't for the two horns protruding from his forehead, curving back to the top of his bald head. He carried a quiver over his should which meant there was a high chance he was carrying a bow, as well.

There was no mistaking what they were since the prince was one himself. Demonkin.

Tauer's gaze moved to the solitary figure seated in the carriage itself, the one these three demonkin were clearly guarding. A short, wizened woman with long, shocking white hair sat perched in her seat, staring ahead with matching cloudy white eyes. She held in her hand a black walking cane, its head carved into the shape of deadly asp; mouth open to reveal sharp fangs. Small, white stones were embedded into the head to create two piercing eyes. Any light surrounding the dark object appeared to disappear, as if it were being absorbed, and Tauer got the distinct impression that the serpent's head was turning to look at him as the carriage rolled by.

The demon prince shivered, but whether it was because of the strange feeling he got or from the cold morning air he did not know. Tauer chose to let it slide, thinking it more likely to be the chill weather than something he surely imagined. So, as the carriage continued on down the street, he began to cross over to see the enticing pies.

"STOP!" A shrill voice rang out through the marketplace. "GRAB HIM!"

Tauer's head whipped round to see who was shouting, only to find that the old woman who had passed by in the carriage was now standing up, pointing a boney finger directly at him. The demon prince's heart sank and the color drained from his face. He felt as if her misty white eyes were boring straight into his soul.

The carriage was brought to a complete halt and all three men approached the silver-haired prince, menacingly; two drawing swords while the third prepared his bow and reached for an arrow...

[Tauer]

Seconds passed before Tauer's mental faculties realigned themselves, telling his body to move and his legs to run. Once common sense kicked in, the demon prince turned and bolted in the opposite direction, thinking it best not to ask questions first since there may not be a later to live for if he was captured. Survival was top priority. That was something Tauer had learned even before leaving Broodenberg. All thoughts of pie for breakfast had left the prince's mind. Running and hiding, those were the things he had to do now; tasks he had practically mastered living away from his homeland.

A cacophony of screams and yells went up along the street behind the demon prince but he was too afraid to look back, for if he were to stumble then his life may be forfeit. What had he done to draw such attention to himself? They were bounty hunters of some kind, he had no doubt, but why would his father stoop so low? Why not come in person and use his soldiers instead? Were they too few? Had the war with the vampires happened already?

"Tauer?"

The torrent of questions plummeted over a waterfall as Beth's voice cut into his thoughts. The prince caught a glimpse of the pie seller's face as he darted past her stand, the ever-present smile replaced with a look of confusion and worry. An arrow struck the side of her stall, thankfully missing Beth AND himself. But the shot only served to spur the demon prince on in his flight.

Tauer suddenly angled left, taking the nearest alleyway he could get to. It was not quite a safe haven but it would do to buy some valuable time to escape his pursuers. The narrow passage between the two buildings was littered with empty crates, stacked here and there at irregular intervals, and serving as added protection against further arrows.

The silver-haired prince took a left, then a right, then another left until he was dumped out into another street. Which way was he heading? Tauer had lost all sense of direction and just as he needed it most, couldn't find a single place to hide. And where was a Sentinel when you were in dire need of one? But he couldn't stop. A chance look over his shoulder told him that the trio of demonkin were still close behind.

[Tauer]

Tauer ran a short ways down the street he'd emerged on, vague recognition of his whereabouts. There was a Sentinel station nearby, he was sure of it. So, following his instincts, the demon prince quickly disappeared down another alley before the three pursuers appeared in the street.

Relief began to flutter in his chest like a group of optimistic butterflies. He had lost the three demonkin. They were probably on the street now, scratching their heads and cursing their luck. They had lost their quarry and were going to have to go home empty handed.

-No bounty for you, sirs.- Tauer thought, catching his breath as he took a more leisurely pace down the winding alleyway.

Soon enough, the demon prince exited the alley and, low-and-behold, found himself facing the Sentinels' office. But, now he was here, Tauer felt it was not worth bothering the guards since he'd lost his pursuers and hunger was once again making itself known.

A cautious stroll back to Beth's stall would offer the fruits of a satisfied stomach and the prince could return to his tower to share the spoils with Nissa and-

*THUMP*

Something solid struck Tauer in the back of the head and the world began to fall into darkness. There were hurried whispers echoing all around him as someone pulled him into an alley.

-Haven't I see enough of these today?- Were the prince's last thoughts before everything faded to black.

[Tauer]

The metallic taste in his mouth upon awaking was a bittersweet reminder that he was still alive. His tongue stung and his head throbbed like someone had opened up his skull and used his brain as a drum. The prince pressed two gloved fingers to his temple as if that would somehow stop his head from hurting. He could tell he was sitting upright, having been propped against a wall, and the lack of breeze upon his face told him that he was no longer outside.

"How ya holding up, silver?"

The very close, gentle voice of a young woman gave Tauer a fright, as did the hand that brushed against his cheek. The demonkin reacted by opening his eyes quickly and, in return, the room started spinning. He couldn't quite focus on the figure crouched down in front of him, her face less than a foot away from his, but as he forced his eyelids shut her gleaming, ruby-red irises continued to dance upon his vision.

"Who...?"

That was all Tauer could say before the nasty taste of blood on his pallet and his lack of energy forced him to fall silent. The demon prince was still wearing his clothes with the self-healing power, but his mind was so full of confusion and unable to focus that he couldn't concentrate well enough to heal the wounds he suffered. He sighed heavily, cursing his luck.

"I'm Aimee. I was brought in last night. No idea why. None of us do. What's your name?"

So he was not the only one taken? Shades! How many others were there? And what were they here FOR? Forcing one eye open, Tauer fought back the pain of turning his head to scan the room. There were at least a dozen people; some pacing the floor but most of them sat down in defeat, and from what the prince could deduce they were all demonkin, too. The room itself was small, although well illuminated by the sun pouring in through barred windows. One door allowed entrance to the cramp space, but it was shut opposite him, no doubt locked. A burly figure stood close to the door, watching it, as still as a statue.

"Tauer. My name's Tauer."

[Tauer]

"Well, Tauer," Aimee said, her face now coming into focus, allowing the demon prince to see again those eyes like bright red gems. He also noticed her long, straight hair of a myriad of purple shades flowing down her back and the short-sleeved red t-shirt she wore, with darker shaded patterns on it, including a heart in the center. "The good news is we're still near Wistvale. In an estate house, from what I can make out through the window. Bad news is - and this a two-parter - no one is coming to rescue us and they've already taken away three of the others that were here just this morning."

"And don't touch the bars." The burly man broke from his frozen stance in front of the door and turned to stand behind the young demonkin woman. He had the look of a street fighter; well built, rugged, and maintained an air of intimidation. Unfolding his muscular arms, the large man revealed the palms of his callous hands. Red lines had been freshly burned into his skin, but the pain that should have been present was absent from the man's face.

Tauer took a breath to steady himself, before using the wall as support to pull his wounded body up to its feet. He didn't know why but the demon prince felt the need to hide his lack of strength from his fellow prisoners. He somewhat failed though, since he had already exerted himself during the attempted escape in the streets earlier and his body had been deprived of food for far longer than it should have.

Aimee rose to her feet, too, but chose not to offer assistance. She may have sensed Tauer's need to conceal his weariness or she was just not willing to help. The silver-haired prince took another breath before looking the girl and the man in the eye, displaying a false expression of fortitude.

"What do we do?"