Rythm of the Night

[Avena]

Aimie wandered the forest, making sure she'd be able to find her way back to the small cabin which had been housing her for the past few days. She had been unable to find any other suitable living quarters beyond that and feared she may have to turn and backtrack a bit. Tonight though she was more concerned for her dinner. She hadn't eaten in the past few days and hoped to catch something. Anything, she hadn't fed on an animal in years and they weren't her favorite, but an abandoned cabin didn't have many humans for her.

She picked up her dress and did her very best not to trip she had done a few times already tonight. Though it seemed the wildlife was just as scarce as the humans. She brushed her hair out of her face as she trekked along, she may have been able to see better in the dark yet something about this dark was even darker then what was considered normal. She heard some rustling in the distance, stopping dead in her tracks. It was then an arrow flew past her knicking her skirts making her scream out and turn to face where it had come from.

She screamed louder when a group of vampires came out of the bushes with swords and more arrows. She turned to run but found only more of them coming from that direction.

[Raven]

The two forces of Vampires, perhaps a dozen or so strong each clashed in the middle of the forest. Aimie was tossed aside and onto the ground while those around her shed blood.

The fighting was terrible, cruel, and highly personal. The men involved hated each other intensely and what each other stood for. They screamed harsh warcries and blasphemous utterances while bashing each other to pulp.

One side inevitably gave way once they were bested, leaving their dead and wounded as they scattered. The victors stood on the field of battle, surrounding Aimie and the other prisoners as well as tending to their wounded.

And yet, there was a certain uncertainty of just what to do with Aimie. She was a woman, she hadn't fought, but she was clearly a prisoner...or perhaps a spoil of war...

[Avena]

She sat on the ground completely dumbfounded she looked nervously to each vampire that stared down at her. What would they do to her? She prayed that they'd leave her alone. Go their own way and do her own thing. Though she highly doubted it.

"I-I am not apart of this conflict, please just let me go...."

[Raven]

The men all wore cloaks with hoods and masks that covered their faces, all save their ghastly eyes. Not one responded to Aimie, but two did seize upon her with bindings and ropes. She was hauled to her feet and tied at the wrists and arms.

It was not oppressive at all, but it properly restricted her freedom of movement painlessly while still rendering her helpless. One man attached a rope lead to her hands while the others carried their friends, or slaughtered the other side's wounded before marching off back into the woods.

Aimie was left with no alternative but to follow.

[Avena]

She was given the moment while they were leading her away, she was wondering what she did exactly to deserve this. Then how's she get out of it. She lifted her head and looked to the one leading her away, "Excuse me...wh-where are you taking me?"

[Raven]

The man leading her made no response, but did give her a sour look an extra hard tug on her bindings - a sure sign that she was to remain quiet and obedient.

They passed into even deeper, darker trees, over stream and hill, and under the moonlit sky the entire time, all without words or even hardly any gestures between the men. They knew exactly where they were going, and thats all there was to it.

[Avena]

She yelped when she was tugged on whimpering a bit, there wasn't anyway out of this. She bit her lip fighting the urge to start crying. Apparently the gods deciding to turn her into a vampire wasn't enough, she guessed being a slave was more punishment for something she was unaware of.

[Raven]

As they trudged on they found a mountain, a wall of mountain that they approached without any sense of stopping or turning away. Indeed they were led right to the very foot of the rock, and there they found a cunning passageway hewn into the stone which could only be observed by a clever eye peering at it from the correct angle.

The small troupe led Aimie and themselves into a cavernous interior, which was dark even by vampiric standards until the lead man struck a torch and led on into what could only be described as feeling like a lion's den.

[Avena]

Her eyes wandered around the cave wondering where exactly this would be leading, because living in the back of the cave seemed....pointless. She let her head fall back down her thick brown curls obscuring her face.

[Raven]

Aimie came to an oaken door, guarded by two larger vampires in mail with lances long and terrible. They cast inhospitable looks towards Aimie, but said nothing. The doors in the back of the cave were opened promptly by its guards, and the troupe was allowed entrance.

The outer walls were only a hint of the sanctum that lay within. Hewn completely from the mountain was a marvelous hall with many chairs and lights, a great common room with large tables for food and drink, as well as all the other amenities of any palace filled the expansive room. All manner of vampires and even humans (notably all slaves) talked, and danced, and made merriment in perhaps one of the most surreal scenes yet experienced by Aimie.

[Avena]

Her eyes widened at all the activity reminding her all too much of her own clan and their festivities. She must look a mess, even the slaves were cleaner then she was. She dropped her head again, completely ashamed of her predicament.

[Raven]

A man approached the group of raiders and their catch, though servants rushed past him to take away the wounded the remaining company stood at attention, and prodded Aimie into doing the same.

Their master was tall and lordly in his own way, darkly beautiful. He had long, very long silky black hair and icy blue eyes that pierced the depths of one's soul when it was placed under their gaze.

He wore leather armor: A breastplate, shoulder pads, bracers, boots, and he also wore a long blood red cape.

"Darsha, you have returned," spoke the lordly vampire matter of factly. "And who is your catch?"

That intense gaze turned fully onto Aimie now, probing her for answers.

[Avena]

"My name is Aimie Courier, I am a unfortunate victim in this quarrel. If you would be so kind I would appreciate it if you let me go," she looked up at Raven trying to be intimidating but she didn't succeed very well.

[Raven]

"And I am Raven Bloodraven, the Lord of the Bloodraven Clan."

He swept into a dramatic bow, rough fingers taking ahold of Aimie's bound hands and forcing them to his lips so that he could kiss them. A glint of steel was all she saw before her bonds unraveled in twine, falling harmlessly to the ground.

"Unfortunately you may not leave, but must remain a prisoner. The secret of our clan's abode is a tightly guarded one, and we cannot risk you telling our enemies."

[Avena]

"I do not even know who your enemies are....how can I tell them things if I don't know who they are.....this isn't fair," she pouted her lower lip and fought back tears.