Nightly Lessons Book III - The Book of Brotherhood (old version/closed)

[Kira_Wolf_Cub]

(I just noticed. Sometimes you write Klonoa instead of Bruja. Stop stealing Alice's dog. She'll get upset XPPPPP)

London was a fairly quiet place for a city that night, as the two vampires walked their pets at a strained pass. Mikeal at least was pleased that Caboose and Lucy were attached to the same lead so that when they tugged on it, they were tugging against each other. Janus however had to deal with his puppy in a harness and she was proving to be a most curious little Ghost hound ever.

'Maybe it was a good thing we went for a walk now,' He thought. 'The dogs needed the exercise, Bruja needs to get use to cars-' The puppy jumped as one raced by and then barked at it as if she could chase it away. '- and I could use the break.'

They were avoiding the park for now, since Mikeal did not want to chase after Janus being dragged by an energetic Bruja. Nor did he want to be dragged by her parents.

***

vaarrk.....


vaaaaargh....


vraaaa...

nngh! varrkkk!

VRAK!

VARK VARK VNNARGH!

"Ahhh!"

The strange noise was loud and blurred into each other to the point where Alice had to cover her ears in order to keep them from hurting. She had never heard anything like that noise before in her life, and yet like Klonoa, she started to get this feeling that she had heard a call very close to it. Klonoa started barking and growling as loud and threateningly as he could but it didn't take long for him to whine and whimper with worry and fear.

"Klo what-"

She wished she hadn't turned around, she really did. In fact, she was starting to wish she had never gone out into the woods. One thing was certain though, she now knew why Dimitrius had built such high walls around his home.

"It's bigger then Vangi." She uttered in shock, though she didn't know it.

This creature was clearly not only bigger then the one she had seen in her Grandsire's home, but it was twenty times more pissed off. But why was it mad? Alice knew very little about dragons, maybe they were territorial? Was she in it's 'personal space'? Maybe it was mating season, that tended to make other animals aggressive. Whatever it was, she knew she needed to get away.

"Klo, back off. Come on," Alice gently tugged at Klonoa's collar, making him walk backwards as she eased to her feet in a low crouch and followed it. Never once did either of them look away from the three snorting heads. "Easy.... slow now.... that's it. We're leaving now.... Good dragon."

For a moment she actually though she would manage to just walk away from the animal. She certainly gave it it's respect as being the biggest and baddest one out of all of them. And she was moving so slowly, the same why she did when Vangi had nipped after her when they were annoyed. Alice was sure that they could just walk away like nothing had ever-

VARK VARK VNNARGH!

"Run!" Spinning on her heel, Alice took off into the woods as fast as her feet could carry her.

In the wrong direction.

[Peeker]

(Oops. D: I even caught myself from doing it once or twice.)

Dimitrius was a wise man. He'd live for more generations than he enjoyed counting, seen more, done more, lived more, understood the flow and ebb of time, the purpose of youth, the foolishness of age, the depths of the soul. He was rarely surprised, and deeply at peace with that fact.

When he turned away from his writing, and squinted his eyes, to focus all of his senses and attention on the dark wastes outside his window, where in his mind's eye, Alice still explored, he felt a shiver of fear the likes of which he had only rarely felt before.

Fear was unique, like wine - each fear different in depth and severity, each cataloged differently, flavored to the reason for that fear, the length, the ability to act upon it. This one he had no time to savor, because his little granddaughter sounded like she was fleeing for her life.

A flicker of moonlight filled the room and Dimitrius vanished.

*

Nine hells the girl was moving fast. This was near where he'd thought she was, but there wasn't a sign of her - except the scent of fear, and footprints, and.... what in the blazes was that between them? Chasing her?

Even the Warlord required a moment to process what was going on. He broke into a run and roared the girl's name.

"Alice!"

They were chasing after her. Dimitrius began throwing his burly arms into the leathery serpantine creatures, moving too swiftly to be bitten by one of the many heads, scratched by the many claws. Alice had seen her Grandsire as a bear - a mountain - an immense and burly force - but she had not seen him moving swiflty before: simply because he had no need to.

Dimitrius wasn't a bear at all. He was a panther. He was rippling muscle moving through the shadow, launching the dragons into rocks and trees - whether they were the size of pigs or humans or horses, size and weight made no difference to his mighty backhands and kicks as he cleared a path to the girl. He gripped her shoulder tightly.

"Hold onto me!" he commanded, sharply, keeping an eye on Klonoa as the wise pup leapt up into his crooked arm.

There was another flash of moonlight, and then stillness - the dragons began to howl and bray and mourn their loss, at the hands of the monsters.

***

Janus wound another loop of the leash around his hand, trying to keep Bruja close enough to control. The crazy mutt was just loving her exploration. "Gah! Bruja--- slow down a little! Heel, girl!"

The boy look up at Mikeal, sympathetically - poor guy had alot more to handle with two huge animals. "She was listening before! Honest!" he said, wishing he knew what he was doing differently this time.

***

Dimitrius was still squeezing the girl tightly when the two of them appeared in the same room his chess match had been going on in - Alice probably hadn't been in here before, except maybe for a game of chess or two, but the important thing was that they were both safe.

"Are you alright, grandaughter?" Dimitrius rumbled, softly, looking the girl in his arms over carefully.

Klonoa dropped down to the floor and started sniffing about. Good. Nothing attacking them anymore. He was going to sniff Vangi to death next time he saw her.

[Kira_Wolf_Cub]

If Alice had wings, she would be flying. While this wasn't the scariest thing she had experienced in her to date, having to stare done a needle that was threatening to rupture her eye and blind her had nearly make her pee herself in terror, being chased by a pack of three headed dragons was definitely high on her list. Klonoa was running fast a little a head of her, working as a guide to alert her if another angered creature might join the hunt from the side lines. It was about the only thing he could do the help her at the moment.

"EEP!" While having sneaked a look behind her and forgetting the most important rule of running, look where you run, Alice never saw the sudden dip of a hill until her sneaker slide off the rock side. "Ahhh! Ow!"

It had been a blessing in disguise because when she slipped, on of the heads had snapped right where her head had been. She tucked her head into her arms, protecting most of her face and head as she rolled down the hillside banging herself all over. Klonoa barked in worry as he followed her with much more grace and he met her at the bottom just as Alice fell from a small drop, cracking her head hard on the ground. She was sure she cracked it because she litterally heard a crack at the same time she felt something wet seeping down her leg just below her hip. She must have cut herself and was bleed, she was sure of that but she didn't have time to stop. With Klonoa urging her to her feet, Alice scrambled back up to a run just as she heard the scrapping sound of rock being torn by massive claws.

"Alice!"

She would have admired how powerful her Grandsire was if she had time, hell even feared what he was capable of doing to her, but she really had other problems. One thing she did do was pick up her pace to hurl herself into Dimitrius' side, eyes wide with terror and her breathing rapid.

"Hold onto me!"

As if he needed to tell her even once. Just as soon as Klonoa had jumped into Dimitrius' arms, Alice felt the pull of being transported somewhere else that was safe.

At first she didn't know where they were, she was to focused on holding Dimitrius in a death grip, but slowly the familiar scent of the manor drifted into her nose and Alice started to loosen her grip on him. She was still gasping for air, having never had to run that fast in her life, and her heart was being so hard and loud it sounded like she was human again.

"Are you alright, grandaughter?" Dimitrius rumbled, softly, looking the girl in his arms over carefully.

She was a sorry sight to look at, covering in bruises and scraps. Her long hair was matted with twigs, leaves, moss and dirt making her look like some wild child he had found in the jungle if she hadn't been wearing modern clothes which was wet on her right side down the leg. A little blood painted her lower lip, having split it in her fall, not that she felt it.

"Wh-wha...." She struggled to breath for a moment, her irregular breathing hindering her speech. "Wha--- Why were they attacking me?!?"

The words tumbled out of her mouth because she even thought of answering his question. She was trembling all over, though from fear or simply adrinaline rush, neither could be sure.

***

"You were in a forest the the last time," Mikeal told him calmly. "This is the city. There's a lot of new smells and experiences she's trying to take in. Don't worry about it. Just don't let her get out on the road."

To people passing by it sounded like Mikeal was warning Janus not to let Bruja get run over. The truth was, he didn't want a scene where some car own would demand to know how a toy poodle sized puppy managed to fuck up their car. If Bruja got hit, she would be fine.

At lest, that's how it had been with all her siblings.

No sooner had Mikeal said this though when Bruja spotted someone across the way, watching them. With a friendly wag of her tail and smile on her face, Bruja could easily see the people hidden in shadows and before Janus could stop her, she bolted out onto the street.

[Peeker]

Janus' first thought was probably the same as Mikeal's: he was just relieved that it was late, there weren't many cars out, and most of all that it was a red light.

"BRU! Heel!" the boy yelled, loudly, glancing to either side before dashing into the empty street after his pup. Where the heck was she going? The boy stormed after her, his sneakers barely touching the ground as he rushed alongside the little white blur. Was she heading towards that alley?

Oh, crap.

There were two figures in the alley. Both dressed... well... nicer than street thugs. Not nicer.... more... layered? It almost looked like they were guards, or in costume - there was something utilitarian about what they were wearing.

...and then there was their ages. One of them looked like she was maybe seventeen..? Just a little 'older' than Janus, at least appearance-wise. The other had to be at least thirty - and pretty rough, with scars and stubble and... and something was wrong with the two of them, and Bruja was running right towards them.

This was not good.

"Bruja! Come back! Heel! Come here, girl!" the boy demanded from the curb, as far away from the alley, and the people in it as he could be. "I'm sorry, she hasn't been out of the house much, yet, I'm still getting used to her." the boy apologized politely to the pair.

The girl looked nervous. Her eyes went wide, and she took a step back even as the man reached into a pocket of whatever it was that he was wearing - it was still hard to make out exactly what these two had on in the alley's murk. Janus blinked at them. That was weird: maybe she was scared of the puppy?

***

Now that they were somewhere safe, Dimitrius was able to examine the girl more closely. Soft white light pulsed over her, sealing the cut on her face, and a small gash on her leg. The bruises faded, but not completely. After a scare like that, the girl would need some time to calm down. He began brushing the twigs out of the girl's hair, keeping her close.

"...that is a very good question. They are territorial, but they were attacking you, girl. What did you do to them?" Dimitrius asked, softly.

Nothing, she said, hm? Well he continued to look her over. The smell of the beasts was still on her, and not just because of her cut. He paused.

"What is in your pocket, Alice?" the man asked, finally. It had taken a moment for him to be sure, but the scent was definitely stronger, there.

[Kira_Wolf_Cub]

And with that question, Alice went defensive.

"I didn't do anything!" She wasn't aware she was yelling at him, her heart was thundering in her ears so she had sort of immune to her own voice. "Why do you always assume I did something?!?"

She couldn't believe this? She had been attacked first and he was blaming her for it.

"All I did was lay on the ground and then suddenly there were three pissed off dragons after me."

"What is in your pocket, Alice?"

Her pocket? Alice blinked as she looked down at her pant leg which was still wet and sticky. She knew whatever cut she had gotten in the fall had been healed by Dimitrius, at least subconciously she did, it still didn't really explain why there was so much blood. Maybe she had been bleeding more since she was running.

"It's just a rock I found. It's a-" Reaching a hand to retrieve it, only to feel a sudden sharp edge. "What the..."

The oomite had been perfectly round when she had picked it up, Alice was sure of this. So, where had the edge come from. Pulling it out Alice found herself looking at a broken mess of a shell which oozed purple reddish goo. The oomite's shell was about 2 centimeters thick and lay broken in her hands as she held it out for Dimitrius to see. She didn't understand what had happened to her gem. Then again, she didn't know what she was holding in her hand.

"Eww, what is this?" The odder of the goo was horrible though.

***

Mikeal watched as Janus ran to the other side of the road and frowned. While Bruja greeted the pair in a friendly manor, her parents watched with low growls. There was a danger lurking somewhere, or at least a threat that they didn't like. Frowning, Mikeal focused on the pair and felt an alarming jolt cruise through him.

"Come on, Brother," Mikeal called, his voice far from friendly or asking. This was a no-arguing with me order. "We need to head back."

'Damn... if they are who I think they are, we'll have to use magic to get home,' He looked down at Lucy who was still growling towards the strangers. 'Sorry girl'

[Peeker]

Bruja wasn't moving, though. Janus bit his lip. He'd heard Mikeal's order.

"Yes, brother." He bent down onto one knee and reached his arm out for Bruja's leash so he could drag the animal away.

"There are two of them. We need to act-"

"Stay yourself-"

"Before the older one attacks!"

Janus' face flashed up in confusion. What? Had he just heard them right? ...that was why their clothes looked weird: it was armor. Like, special ops gear, or something. Modern day battle armor. Oh-crap-he-was-gonna-die.

The nervous girl wasn't just nervous though, she was scared-- and she was, like, running at him. She'd pushed past the older man, who'd told her to wait, and was reaching into her own pocket for something. Janus felt his adrenaline start to race, and scooped up Bruja, rolling to the side, onto his feet. He blinked, seeing the glint of metal that the girl had pulled off of her side: it was a switchblade. And it stunk of silver.

"Oh, shit!" Janus scrambled up against the wall, turned, and started running down the block: Mikeal was still on the other side of the street, he thought.

"Katherine! Stop it! Now!"

"Mikeal! What do I do?!"

"Die, scum!"

---well, she had a knife, but there was one little problem: the girl was slow. Janus had already blown down the block, and was nowhere near her. He hurried rushed back across the street to Mikeal, his adrenaline burning. He had so much space between him and the girl, he almost wasn't sure why he was in danger.

...in all the anime and stuff, the vampire-hunters had ways of keeping up with their prey - they were in great shape and had crazy weapons and stuff.

"She has a knife!" the boy said, stating the obvious.... but then again there was no reason, on a public street, for him to go saying 'she knows I'm a vampire!' and start biting her. They weren't here to fight or anything - he was just running away from a chick who'd pulled a knife on him. That was totally ordinary behavior!

***

Dimitrius ignored the defensiveness of her tone. His eyes were locked on the mess in her hands. His heart sank a bit.

"...oh. Well that would do it." Dimitrius crossed the room and fetched a bit of cloth for the girl to wrap the oozey mess in. "Ugh. The reek. Wrap it tightly, Alice." the man said, coughing lightly. He looked a bit pale, and bothered. "...that would do it indeed. ...another thing for me to reprimand Aleksandr for not teaching you." the man gave a firm shake of his head.

"That was not a rock, granddaughter." Dimitrius said, bringing her to a chair so she could settle herself. "...that was a dragon's egg. You stole it from a clutch, and you were being chased to get it back. ...and when you fell, it broke." his expression was grim. Miserable really. "...they would have killed you for daring to raid their nest. ....I am glad I was able to reach you."

The man looked heartbroken to see a broken egg, though. They were not as rare as legends would have you believe - it was more that they were so valuable that they were often stolen from clutches, anyway - hence why the dragons defended them so vigorously. And he was amazed that of all the places Alice would have tripped over, it would have been a nest of dragon eggs.

[Kira_Wolf_Cub]

"I can see it's not a rock now," She was a little annoyed. "But what the heck is it then?"

Alice wasn't an idiot. She knew damn well that the most that could happen with a rock was it could sweat out water, but she didn't know what she was holding them. All she did know was that she was starting to gag on the smell and did her best to wrap the mess up tightly in the cloth.

"...that was a dragon's egg. You stole it from a clutch, and you were being chased to get it back. ...and when you fell, it broke." his expression was grim. Miserable really. "...they would have killed you for daring to raid their nest. ....I am glad I was able to reach you."

In her seat, Alice stared horrified at Dimitrius before groaning. She hadn't known. If she had she would have left the area as fast as she had arrived. She hadn't known she was acting the part of a nest robber, or that the dragons chasing her only wanted their unborn baby back.

The baby she had now killed in her fall down a hill.

"Argh, I didn't know," She groaned, looking woefully at the egg. Vangi was probably going to kick her ass for this. Feeling guilty over having upset the local wildlife as well as play the role of a murder, Alice looked up annoyed at Dimitrius. "Why the hell didn't you tell me there were dragons out there?!? It's your house."

It was guilt mostly speaking for her. She had gotten to know Vangi better after the whole dentist visit. Along with Klo, Alice had used the dragon to add to her comfort while she slept. Somehow having four extra ears and eyes seemed to calm her enough so that she didn't wonder the halls looking for Dimitrius or Aleks during the daylight hours. It was a slightly annoying habit she had gotten from the nightmares Astaroth had given her which disrupted not only her sleep but the men's as well. It also helped that Vangi was very musical in their own special way so they helped Alice with her little pet project.

***

"Correction."

In a flash, both Lucy and Caboose were off their leads and Mikeal was across the street before anyone could see it. The girl Katherine found herself staring into the broad chest of one very pissed of Captain. His eyes glowed with vampiric energy, his fangs out in a fierce snarl as he stared. The girl wasn't very old, a newbie at best with her trainer watching worried from the shadows. Moving his hands fast, Mikeal forced the girl to lift her head, showing what he feared the most wrapped around her neck.

The collar was a band of pure silver and about a inch in width. It was a bite guard, designed to protect it's wearer from the bite of the undead. As the silver burned his flesh, Mikeal snarled as he studied the crest on her band.

"Little Sister," She stiffened, Mikeal's tone was cold and without life as if he was speaking to a corpse. "You have no rights here."

She took a swing at him with the blade, but he gripped her wrist with ease. Her trainer moved to aid her, but in an instant he was blocked by the massive creature which was Caboose who's snarl was reaching nearly all the way to his ears.

"Your a long way from home, Sister, and fighting the wrong breed of Nightwalkers," Mikeal growled as he twisted her arm. He wouldn't brake the bone, not this time, but a nasty twist would make them draw back to lick their wounds. "Janus. Run!"

[Peeker]

Janus and Bruja hot-footed it down the block as quickly as they could, but even the boy's feet couldn't outrun his thoughts. He was leaving Mikeal to die again. So what if all the other times had been in his dreams? He'd seen enough movies to know that when the big strong protector-guy yells 'run' while he's fending off the enemy, you usually never see him again.

"Screw that." Janus mumbled to himself. Bruja was tucked under an arm, and giving very un-dramatic, joyful yips and barks as Janus turned around and began running back. He needed to make sure Mikeal would be safe.

He was very surprised at what he saw.

***

"Tell me what happened, Granddaughter." Dimitrius implored, looking similarly upset. His first relief was that the girl was safe - his second that she was totally ignorant - and his third would come from knowing the details. He was obviously not angry in the least.

That would come later, as it always seemed to. Dimitrius' stormclouds of temper only boiled up to the surface once he had decided it was right that they should - until then they gave him no burdens, and no trouble. For now he wanted to know everything - how she'd left, where she'd followed Klonoa - everything. Indeed, there was nothing wrong in his eyes with her exploring the woods, but he was more upset at what had posessed her to take a dragon egg, and was willing to at least let her speak her mind before he corrected her.

Ignorance was no excuse for what she had done - and her own heart's guilt would, Dimitrius hoped, tell her the same.

[Kira_Wolf_Cub]

(Alice owns Bruja now? XDDDD)

Once Mikeal was certain that Janus was at a safe distance, he turned his attention fully on the girl. She whimpered at the pressure of his grip as he forced her arm inch by inch in an odd angel. It wouldn't break it, but rather dislocate her limb, rendering her useless for at least a few days.

He felt sorry for her to a small extent. Like Janus, she too had been thrusted into this mad world of the supernatural. She had probably gone about her everyday, daydreaming the wishes of her heart while her biggest worry in the world had been if she would ever be adopted. At least he figured they had gotten her as they did all the other recruits in the past. The world was full of orphaned children raised by the brothers and sisters of the faith.

"So tell me. Is it Brother or Father?" Mikeal glared at the man whom Caboose held pinned at a distance. By the rules set long ago, Mikeal had the right to kill both of them. The truce between them and the Order was they could only attack if they had evidence that they had struck first or wished to. "Tell me. How old?"

"New," The man growled. "A few months."

"A rookie," Mikeal spat annoyed. The priest took a step towards them only to stop as Caboose snapped at him. The animal's agression was making him grow in size and no one who was watching doubted that if needed, the hound would kill for his master. "Father, keep your whelp on a tighter lead."

The jerk was small but efficient. In one swift and ruthless move, there was a loud pop as the girl bite her lip to keep from screaming in pain. Coldly, he released Katherine with a harsh jerk that sent her crashing into her master and with his fangs elongated Mikeal snarled. But not before he torn the collar from the girl's neck.

"Know thy rules, Priest," The threat was clear in the air and it was pure luck that she wasn't bitten by Caboose in her tumble. Mikeal's mood didn't improve when he turned to see Janus staring at him. How long had the boy been standing there? "It seems both of our sides need to tighten our leads."

He turned his back on them, leaving Caboose to guard him. As he passed Janus, he snagged the boy's arm in a stern grip and growled.

"Janus, when I tell you to run, you don't head down the block and turn around," He scolded. "You run!"

***

"What happened? I got attacked by some pissed off animals because I egg napped one of their babies without knowing it!" Alice snapped and then groaned as she looked at the egg and then glared at Klonoa. "This all your fault. I was following you."

Klonoa turned his head lightly and whined. How was it his fault the Vangi look-alikes were mad?

[Peeker]

The adrenaline in the boy's body was still running high - he could speak honestly, but he didn't sound very diplomatic. Not that it mattered - this was Mikeal, he appreciate honesty more than good manners, anyway.

"Cane me for it. I wasn't going to lose you again. I'm sorry." the boy said, his words curt but his voice at least a little apologetic. He stumbled along with Mikeal, who's longer legs were setting a pace he needed to jog to keep up with. His stupid brother was moving just fast enough that he could take one step normally, and then he had to 'skip' the next step as he jumped to keep up with the man's pace. It was jarring, and made him feel like he was rolling down a hill instead of walking down the street.

"M-h! Mh-ikeal! C'mon! Let go or slow down. I'm not g-oing back!" the boy gasped as he tripped along with his protector. "Who were they?! What was all of that about?!"

***

"On the one hand, Alice, I am more upset at Aleksi than I am at you. He should have taught you what you were looking at before - and if you'd known what they were, I do not doubt you'd have left the eggs alone." Dimitrius rumbled, his thoughts grim.

"...on the other hand, your curiosity got the best of you, and there is really no excuse for you putting yourself in danger just because you don't understand something. There is a great deal in this world you do not know yet - and those rocks, or whatever you thought they were - weren't going anywhere. It would have been far better for you to leave them and let me see them with you. I am always glad to stretch my legs in the woods a bit."

But as that had not happened, and Alice had endangered herself, and probably wasn't going to accept the severity of her crime without a bit of encouragement, Dimitrius bodily lifted her out of the chair, and tucked her under his arm.

"Your hound may be smart, but it is still a dumb beast - you are wiser, by far, and cannot blame it for your accidents." Dimitrius scolded as he nimbly reached back, releasing the girl's overalls and pushing them down to her knees.

"Tomorrow is Aleksi's Turning Day party, is it not?" Dimitrius asked, rhetorically, as they began to walk out of the room and down the hall, with the girl still tucked under his arm, her panties facing forward. "I think we will give the imps orders to leave all the dishes and silverware for you to clean, as an extra reminder."

After all, Lord Marist had said that taking things away from the girl, such as her precious free-time, and other such privileges, was a powerful deterrent to her misbehavior. He would put that to the test.

Swat

---and he'd spank her just to be sure.

Swat Smak Swat Spank

His huge hand had come down harder than this before. Obviously, he was either going easy, or just warming up - but it felt like a hand right now, landing firm smacks, not like some iron paddle that his palm could feel like when he was determined to leave an impression.