Last Warning

Kendra and the team were up into the mountains a bit but close enough to the small city below. They decided this was a good place to set base. The place looked relatively new and on the bigger side. It was nice that their group was able to have rooms to themselves. Kendra purposely moved and found one up top and in the corner. She didn't want to deal with anyone, she'd prefer just one neighbor.

It wasn't that they had a big group, but she was feeling less than humble toward her companions at the moment. Her room was small and simple. Not like she needed lavishness or anything. She had a double bed, a nightstand, a lamp, and a dresser. She tossed her two bags onto the bed and moved from the room.

It seemed that Kendel was going to be her neighbor. She just offered him a smile and moved on going down the stairs to where the rest were. It was time to devise their plan of action. How they were going to go about finding the one they needed to and take care of the others.

"How would you suggest going about finding him?" Lang asked Kendra who gave a sigh. Seeing she had the most interaction with him.

"Honestly you could just do something to piss him off and then he'd show up." She stated.

"The advantage would be getting him by surprise, it seems if he comes ready to fight the odds are stacked in his favor."

"Could you get his attention in some way? He spoke to you twice now. He finds you approachable." Jin said watching her. She fought the urge to just stick the demon with a holy blade.

"How would you like me to do that?" She asked sarcastically.

"You're a woman, make it creative. You already draw the male eye." That was straightforward, wasn't it?

"I'm about to draw my knife," Kendra said.

"Doesn't hurt me."

"A blessed one will." He narrowed his gaze at her.

"Children, please," Riley said moving forward and thinking. "I think that we could use a couple of different tactics here. Perhaps you could manage to talk to him, get his attention somehow and suggest some kind of truce."

"You want me to lie? That won't work long." Kendra said dryly.

"Just enough for us to get a hold of him, without the dragon along of course," Ky said. "Do we know what his main food source is?"

"It would seem, people, blood," Derrick said.

"That's all it seems he lives on," Conroy commented. "The dragon, we believe is eating normal food, probably large amounts of it. There has been a sharp rise in missing people in a few cities around the area."

"There was also a man reportedly found dead in a remote area by hikers. It looked like he'd fallen from a great height. So we can't be sure that the dragon isn't just storing these people to be eaten later." Kendra didn't think so.

"I doubt it," Niki said. "If the beast is as large as you say, it is probably consuming whatever it goes for right away. Perhaps this man was just something else."

"Could be, but there were large claw marks over him. He wasn't dressed for hiking, or looked like he'd possibly fallen from a cliff face."

"Either way, finding him is our main concern. We will set up a watch again on the mountain." Riley said.

"Also I think we should consider finding a way up there. To see what it is."

"We've determined the elevation to be near nine thousand eight hundred eighty-two feet or so. It isn't an easy climb either as the face of the mountain on that side is steep and has part of a glacier moving against it. Not to mention the hike in." Linda commented.

"We'll figure something out," Lang said. "Perhaps we could destroy the entrance to it. It would force him out and perhaps closer to us."

"Maybe, but normally animals that have a home like that have bolt holes built in. He might just pick a different exit then." Derrick said.

"We'll start first thing in the morning. Those on first watch and rounds look sharp." Riley said and they were dismissed once again. Kendra was feeling hungry and decided that she wanted to go and get some food. She went outside and watched the three that were going to the lookout point, she just shook her head.

"Where are you going?" She turned and looked at Niki who was standing there.

"For food. I still eat normally," Kendra said with a smile and he just looked at her. His dark hair was thick and moved in a wave. If she hadn't known what he was, she wouldn't have been able to guess just looking at him. He did have that draw and he was a very good-looking man. She looked down and saw a sword at his hip.

"I don't even remember what human food tastes like and in my time it wasn't all that great." She gave him a smile, she knew he meant it as a joke. However, his eyes said that he had forgotten how to really smile.

"I guess it wouldn't. I like the sword." She said pointing.

"It was a gift granted to me for my services. I keep it as a reminder that sometimes you think you can take the world on, and it will be the smallest thing that brings you to your knees." Niki was a somber personality wasn't he?

"What made you take that philosophy?" She asked, he seemed rather solemn.

"I became a vampire. Someone I considered a friend left me for dead bleeding in a field. I remember the face of a woman looming over me. She smiled and crouched down, she just seemed amused." Niki told her.

"Was she the one that changed you?"

"Yes, she said to me, "I know you. I have seen the things that you have done and you would have been a great leader for humans. Too bad you trusted the wrong person." He quoted "She offered me life and a chance for revenge. I took it."

"Where is she now?" Kendra asked and didn't realize that she was touching his arm. He was calm already, even though the pain was still sharp. It seemed that Niki had trusted this man who had betrayed him.

"Dead. Killed while she slept during the day. Humans, it was hard. I considered her a great friend." He moved his arm away from her. "Though I'm sure stories of others' lives bore you."

"No, I find them fascinating," Kendra said. "You know that it is a person's story that makes them do the things they do. You have their story, and you can then understand what motivates them. I am curious as to why you're freely telling me these things barely knowing me."

"Because I have learned a lot, and I know which horse to bet on in a sense. Sometimes you need to talk with others. I do not talk with the ones I travel with." This she noticed, he barely spoke at all, unless he found it important.

" Why are you working with humans, if you don't seem to care for them?" Kendra asked glancing where others had gone.

"I give my services to keep them from the ones I love. As much as others may think not, vampires have feelings just like the rest of the living creatures in the world. No one feels the same, ever. You can't know the depths to which a person will go for just one emotion or how cut off they are until the breaking point. I tell you this because you are on the fence, I see it in your eyes during the meetings." He was astute, wasn't he?

"You do?" she asked raising an eyebrow. He gave a very slight smile as he turned away from her. The first real expression she'd seen on his face.

"As I said, I know which horse to bet on, and I know which horse I want to win." With that, he moved off and Kendra just looked after him. What an odd vampire.

"Hey! Where you off to?" Derrick asked coming down the stairs and behind him were Lee and Mike. A newer addition to their group.

"To eat."

"We'll join you. Same idea." Derrick said coming up next to her and she smiled at them. Why not? They left and found the first closest place to eat, it was small but got the job done. They sat talking for a while, and it was starting to get later by the time both Lee and Mike stood up.

"We're going to grab a few drinks across the street. Want to come?" Kendra shook her head and Derrick did as well.

"Suit yourselves," Lee said and they moved out the door. Kendra looked across the table at Derrick. They sat near the back and it was hard to see most of the restaurant, though they were really the only people in here but a lone old man up at the counter talking the waiter's ear off.

"Well, I think we are walking into a bloody mess," Derrick said moving some of the leftover food around his plate.

"I know," Kendra said. "But after all the years on the planet, this won't be the first bloodshed spilled by the races and it won't be the last."

"That's true, I…" He paused as the scraping of claws came to them. They both gave a startled sound and a rather large lizard creature jumped up onto the table. It was fast and fluid and faced Kendra but shoved its tail under Derrick's chin. The sharp point drew a bit of blood near his throat. The creature was small perhaps three feet in length but had nasty-looking claws and teeth.

'Move and I'll kill you where you sit.' Said a voice in both their minds. Derrick seemed more shocked than Kendra did. Though she didn't know what this little being was sitting on their table. It was the size of a bobcat or lynx.

It had a long snout that was pointed, and sharp teeth curved over the bottom jaw from the top. Its eyes were a deep sapphire blue, and it had a solid black body that was tinged with purple. There were two wings pulled against its sides and black spikes were running down its spine. The claws were long and dug into the table a bit, the tail was a double spade.

"Okay," Derrick said just sitting there and looking at Kendra. He was clearly nervous, she didn't feel nervous, kind of elated for no reason to see this being. Her gaze wanted to look around and search for the unknown man.

'Your humans are persistently dimwitted. They have moved back to watch us again, and now move through the city marking where they believe others stay.' Clearly, this was a very intelligent creature.

"I don't control them, and they feel you are a threat. You can't deny that you are." Kendra said gesturing slightly toward Derrick.

'Actually, I felt we were being rather docile in giving a few warnings. I believe this is the third and now we will have to take action. No more warnings, my mercy dried up long ago.'

"If it counts, I don't mean you harm," Derrick said through clenched teeth as the tail dug a bit deeper into his throat. The dragon, as Kendra realized this was what it was, turned its head and looked at Derrick and then back at her.

"He really doesn't." She said hoping to stop him from harming Derrick. Just one hard jab of that tail and it was over.

'Funny, I didn't mean to really kill all those people before, just kind of happened. Thought I was doing humans a favor by removing their filth. I'm sure you are thinking the same way.' The dragon mentally said.

"Just a doctor really. I don't do any hunting," Derrick stated.

"What is it that you want, you know they aren't going to stop and neither are you. Why bother with the warnings?" Kendra said, and the dragon's eyes met hers.

'You hear that human? Why bother with the warnings?' He chided turning to look at Derrick. 'To prove that we were the better species, we gave you a warning. Did you give any of the others warning before you killed them or their loved ones? Took them captive?'

"No, because we are animals and it doesn't matter to them," This was a new voice. Derrick just glanced up at the man standing there and Kendra looked at him. A thrill went through her and she felt giddy again.