AMONG SHEEP

The night descended over the moors of Connemara. A gusty wind swept in from the west, shaking the treetops of the few trees. The twisted bushes on the mountainsides and in the valley seemed to huddle even lower under its force. A bright moon hung in the sky, illuminating the solitary figure that passed through the gates of Aughnanure, crossed the river, and circled Killarone unnoticed. The hamlet was just a cluster of poor farmhouses. A few dogs barked and then whimpered fearfully, recognizing who had disturbed their peace. But the nocturnal wanderer paid no attention to them, nor to the people and livestock the dogs guarded.

Once she had passed the last homesteads, she began to run. She was faster and more agile than any human could ever be. Soon, the next village came into view. Again, she veered in a wide arc, this time to the west, for her destination awaited her in the hills beyond the mine. The young woman slowed her pace and looked at the barren expanse, which appeared like a wound on the mountain's flank. Amidst it rose the huts of the workers: poor, thin men, women, and children toiling for a pittance in the steeply sloping tunnels underground or separating the rock brought to the surface into ore and waste with hammer and chisel. Two lean horses trotted in circles in the wind, pulling up the ore baskets. In a hut off to the side, black powder was stored. The people were plundering the ore from its bed of light marble and black-green deep rock. What they did not need, they piled up in heaps of rubble; the valuable ore was transported to Oughterard or the shores of Lough Corrib by horse-drawn carts. It was sacrilege!

Moonlight bathed the graceful female form with long blond hair. Her deep green eyes remained fixed on the Glengowla Mine. She had still not become accustomed to the sight, although people had been mining silver and lead ores here in the mountain for almost thirty years now. Although no one was visible on the slag heaps and the lights in the narrow houses were gradually extinguishing, work still continued underground. Her keen hearing could discern voices, then two figures hurriedly climbed out of the shaft and moved away a few steps. An explosion made the ground tremble beneath the woman's feet. A cloud of smoke and dust billowed from all openings of the mountain, settling like a shroud over the destroyed landscape. The men trudged heavily back to their huts. A long workday had come to an end. Tomorrow, when the dust had settled in the tunnels, they would remove the fallen rocks to the surface. A final door slammed shut. The silence of the night returned.

Suddenly, she sensed movement behind her. She should have sensed him long ago, but the gunpowder smoke burned in her nostrils and dulled her sharp senses. Before she could turn around, two powerful arms wrapped around her, enclosing her chest like an iron ring. Áine was strong, but the man behind her was even stronger. She felt his hot breath on her ear.

"I've been waiting for you. You're late. Don't you know that every moment without you feels like an eternity?" He loosened his grip so she could turn to face him, to look into his yellow eyes that glowed like two burning coals. How tall he was and how gaunt. Áine wrapped her arms around him and pressed her cheek against his chest.

"I couldn't come earlier. Forgive me. It's not good to arouse their suspicion, and believe me, it's all too easy to ignite!"

Peregrine released his embrace and gently stroked the face looking up at him, once beautiful but now marred by two scars on the right cheek for a long time. The marks of abuse were also etched into her wrists and ankle joints forever.

"My love," he whispered, "come, let's leave this place of humans and feel the solitude of the moors together."

She smiled mischievously at him and kissed his lips. "Yes, let's go hunting. You're not trying to tell me you're not hungry, are you?"

"No, that would be a lie. And I want to run as fast as the night wind in the moonlight - by your side."

She pressed her body against his and kissed him once more. He returned the kiss with such passion that he would probably have broken her ribs if she had been a weak human woman. Then he stepped back. He stretched his limbs and tilted his head back as if to emit a silent scream. She watched as his face contorted, elongating until it resembled a muzzle. His body jerked and twisted until he fell on all fours. Fur burst from his skin. Only his eyes remained the same. Áine knew it was a testament to his love and trust that he allowed her to witness his transformation, the most vulnerable moment of a werewolf. Now the gray wolf stood before her, looking at her with his yellow eyes. She could feel his impatience.

"Wait, my beloved. I'll be ready soon." Áine closed her eyes and raised her arms. Her fingers curled, her lips moved silently. A cloud of mist enveloped her and began to swirl around her. When the next gust of the night wind drove it away, it revealed a she-wolf. She was slightly smaller, her fur a shade lighter than the large gray one who still kept his gaze fixed on her. Now he let out a joyful howl into the night. The she-wolf rubbed against his side and licked his muzzle, then suddenly darted away. Her joyful barking echoed among the bushes. Peregrine didn't hesitate long. He answered her call and then followed her with powerful leaps.

Only the next night did the Vyrad from London arrive, even though they had the shortest route. Perhaps Mervyn's assessment was correct, that this was intentional and meant as a message to the hosts. In any case, Alisa felt Donnchadh's voice was a bit cooler as he greeted Malcolm, Raymond, Ireen, and Rowena and their attendants. There was no demonstration for them; instead, he sent them directly to join the others who had gathered in the large courtyard behind the gatehouse guarding the entrance to the drawbridge. The young vampires eagerly awaited who would take the first lesson and what they would be taught.

Alisa tried inconspicuously to get closer to Malcolm. He still looked very good - perhaps even more masculine. He was tall and strong, his eyes a radiant blue, his hair blond with a hint of copper. Malcolm was now seventeen and would soon be initiated into the ranks of adult vampires in a grand ritual. Alisa was glad that he was still attending this joint academy year. A strangely warm feeling flooded her as she stood before him and he smiled kindly at her.

"Alisa, how nice to see you again," he said.

"I think so too," she replied with a hoarse voice that didn't sound like hers. "I mean, of course, that I see you again, not the other way around, so not that you think..." Alisa trailed off and fell silent in embarrassment. What was wrong with her?

Malcolm smiled a little wider, but not in an offensive or mocking way like Franz Leopold would have. Now it was up to her to say something that would spark that spark of fascination in his blue eyes or make him laugh. But her mind was blank. She could only stare silently at him and wonder what strange thoughts were going through her.

"Did you have a good journey?" Malcolm finally asked, probably to break the awkward silence.

Alisa nodded. "Yes, it was very exciting. I've never traveled by water before, even though we live in the port of Hamburg. However, we were on the same ship as the Dracas. I happened to run into Franz Leopold on deck."

"What a tragic encounter!" Now the sarcasm in his voice was evident.

"Not tragic!" Alisa retorted. "Nevertheless, there was no need to run into the Dracas earlier than necessary!"

Malcolm raised an eyebrow. "That bad? I can't imagine that with you. I rather suspect you missed your verbal sparring with him over the summer."

"Missed Franz Leopold?" she exclaimed louder than intended. "Definitely not! If I missed anyone, it was Ivy, Seymour, and Luciano" - and you with your blue eyes, which make my knees strangely weak - "but certainly not that arrogant..."

"...elegant and eloquent vampire whose wit and eloquence you cannot match?" Franz Leopold joined them and winked at her. And to Alisa's annoyance, she actually couldn't think of anything to retort for a few moments. She was too preoccupied with the fear of what he might have read in her thoughts. And again, it was Malcolm who saved the situation.

"Your brother seems fascinated by the castle's defenses."

Alisa looked over to Tammo, who had climbed onto the barrel of a mighty old cannon and was leaning forward to look inside.

Alisa smiled. "There's an interesting story about the three cannons. Mervyn told it earlier. They are from a ship called the Girona. It belonged to the Spanish Armada, which sailed against Queen Elizabeth I of England in 1588. In a storm, the Girona ran aground here off the coast. The MacDonnells not only took the treasures to expand their castle. They also managed to salvage these three cannons."

They were interrupted by the Lycana who were to start their training in Ireland tonight. To Alisa's surprise, it was the servant Catriona who approached them, led them through the gatehouse, and across the bridge to the buildings of the outer bailey. From here, she led the young vampires through the outer gate into the open air. The land was vast, flat, and the grass in the sunlight was surely lush green. Only in the distance did a few hill ranges rise. Along the paths, walls of fieldstones were piled up. Hedges of hawthorn, sloes, and fuchsias lined the paths gouged by cart tracks in reddish-brown soil. Sheep grazed between the hedges and walls. Occasionally, they also saw a low hut with a moss-covered roof, from whose chimney smoke rings rose. Next to it, a shed or stable for a horse or a few goats.

Catriona led the way silently. Most Lycana wore no shoes - neither did the servant - and very similar clothes. Men and women chose between long robes and trousers with a tunic barely knee-length, made of a soft, flowing fabric in shades of green or brown that blended with the night and melted into nature. Also, the guests - the heirs as well as the servants - had been provided with such clothes by Donnchadh in the early evening. As expected, the Dracas from Vienna vehemently protested, but the Irish clan leader remained unfazed. At least he offered soft leather slip-on shoes to those who wished. Besides the Dracas and the Vyrad, Luciano also gladly accepted the shoes. Alisa, on the other hand, enjoyed feeling the cool, damp earth under her bare feet. She had only kept her small bag from her own belongings, which she always tied around her hips and which contained a few things she didn't want to do without. One never knew! Alisa's new attire was of a pale green that shimmered bluish in the moonlight. The pants and tunic clung so softly to her body that she could hardly feel them, and there was not even the slightest rustle.

They turned into a sunken lane. Cart tracks had dug deep into the marsh softened

Catriona raised her hands, and even before she spoke the first word, all attention was on her.

"Let's begin. Shifting into an animal and back into one's own form is not easy. Before one can transform into the animal they desire, they must first become acquainted with it, knowing how it sees, hears, smells, moves, and what its sensations are like. Therefore, we start by exploring the creatures of nature. Even if we only intend to call them and direct them according to our will, we must first learn to penetrate their minds. This may be more difficult with some creatures than others. What do you think could be the reason for this?"

She looked around. Naturally, no one spoke up. The Dracas didn't, as they deemed it beneath their dignity to participate in the lesson, Joanne and Fernand from Paris didn't either, as they had once again not been paying attention and were whispering with Tammo instead. The Vyrad from London would probably have offered an answer if it hadn't been an Irishwoman asking the question, and Luciano just shrugged.

Hesitantly, Alisa raised her hand.

"Yes? Alisa de Vamalia, isn't it?" 

"Yes, Professor," she replied. "I could imagine that it's harder with more developed beings than with simpler ones."

"A good thought, but you don't have to address me as Professor. My name is Catriona. Any other suggestions?"

Chiara spoke up. She managed to look feminine and sophisticated even in this loose-fitting attire. Like Alisa and her cousin Luciano, she was fourteen years old, with a round face and long black curls.

"I would have thought it's harder to transform into a very small creature than a large one."

Catriona nodded. "Well thought out. Any other opinions?"

Now Malcolm spoke up. He looked her directly in the eyes. "It's a matter of will."

"Could you elaborate on that?" She held his gaze.

"If any of our shadows would dare," Alisa heard Anna Christina say, "She's just a Half-blood! She should know her place!"

Catriona ignored her and kept her attention on Malcolm. "A matter of will?"

"Yes, take humans, for example. It's much easier to control the mind of a human with weak willpower than that of a human with a strong will."

Again, the Lycana nodded. "Good, then we have the three most important points: size, level of development, and mental power or the will of a creature, as Malcolm put it. These aspects can either work together or against each other. For example, a mouse surely has weak willpower, but it's more developed than an insect, although both are very small. Therefore, it might not be so difficult to guide a mouse in a direction that aligns with its nature. However, animating it to something higher or transforming into a mouse is not so simple. On the other hand, a bat is a highly developed animal, but it poses difficulties due to its evolutionary history - they can naturally fly, we cannot - and size. The main challenge with a wolf, which is close to us in character and way of life, lies in the strength of its will. It's easier to transform into a wolf than to command one!"

"But Ivy can do it," said Luciano. "Seymour obeys her and never leaves her side."

Catriona looked at him. "Yes, Seymour never leaves her side. But does Seymour obey Ivy-Máire, or is this his own will?"

Catriona's words triggered something in Alisa. Her thoughts wandered back to Rome and her experiences with Ivy and her wolf, Seymour, and for a while, she barely paid attention to Catriona's words. She said some more about the difficulty of physical transformation and the problem of maintaining clarity of one's own mind instead of getting lost in the mind of the assumed animal.

"And that's why we start with mastering easily controllable beings," she concluded her lecture. She turned around, raised her arms slightly, and made a gesture as if inviting a guest to enter.

"Oh, is she now luring the rats and mice out of their hiding places?" Luciano mocked.

"No, not rats and mice," Chiara objected, pointing to the white spots that emerged from the darkness and hesitantly approached them. "Sheep!" She began to giggle.

"Yes, sheep," confirmed Catriona, turning back to the young vampires. The first woolly animals were already rubbing their black heads against her garment and bleating softly. The natural shyness of these animals seemed to have completely vanished. They didn't seem aware of the danger they faced, even though they were surrounded by hunters faster and deadlier than any animal.

Anna Christina recoiled with a look of disgust. "We're supposed to deal with these stinking sheep?"

"I find they smell delicious," contradicted the chubby Maurizio, licking his lips.

"The sheep are not intended as a meal at the moment," said Catriona, without raising her voice, but Maurizio still ducked a little.

"Now, you'll pair up or go in groups of three and choose a sheep," she continued. 

Alisa turned to Malcolm. Their eyes met, but then Luciano tugged at her sleeve.

"Come on, let's take that fat white sheep over there. It looks much too sluggish to put up any resistance."

Alisa considered asking Malcolm if he wanted to join them, but then Chiara rushed over to him. Malcolm bowed politely and nodded. Alisa felt a pang of jealousy and quickly turned away to follow Luciano to a sheep that was being circled by a half-grown one.

"And what are we supposed to do now?" Luciano asked, looking expectantly at Catriona. Then his expression darkened suddenly, and Alisa wasn't particularly surprised when Franz Leopold's nasally voice sounded from behind her.

"You've really chosen the fattest specimen. Do you think it wouldn't run away, or is it Luciano's longing for his kind?" 

"What do you want?" Luciano snapped at him.

"To assist you in your exercises so you don't embarrass yourselves miserably," Franz Leopold retorted.

"Can't you stick with your disgusting relatives?" Luciano hissed.

"If you're capable of counting, you might notice they're already three. And besides, they've decided not to participate in this exercise. It's beneath their dignity."

Curiously, Alisa directed her attention to the scene unfolding behind the wall. Catriona approached the three Dracas, who stood with their arms crossed in a dismissive manner.

"Do you really think we'll deal with sheep?" Anna Christina's tone was simply outrageous.

"Why not? I've given you this exercise precisely because these animals don't excel in high intelligence, making it possible for you to handle this task. Now go and choose a sheep!"

"Do you think we'll take orders from a Half-blood?" Karl Philipp said.

Mervyn sharply sucked in his breath and stared at the Dracas with an expression of horror, but Catriona's demeanor remained friendly. Only her violet eyes narrowed slightly.

"Well, I think you will obey me because that's why you're here in Ireland. To partake in our abilities."

Alisa watched as her fingers moved. The Dracas' faces became strangely stiff. Then, as if pulled by strings, they moved across the field and stopped at a spotted sheep, which looked at them trustingly.

"Now, we can begin. I want you to focus alternately on the mind of your animal and make it follow you. Pay attention. I will now withdraw my mind and leave the herd to their free will."

"It can't be that hard," Luciano said confidently, but before any of the three could react, the fat sheep emitted a shrill sound and bolted across the field with the young one following. The others fared no better, and moments later, the herd had disappeared over the hill.

"What do you expect? You're predators, worse than wolves. The sheep rely on their simple instinct to recognize that, and in the face of wild animals, they must seek safety through swift flight. That's their natural behavior. I'll bring the herd back."

Soon, the first animals appeared on the crest of the hill and trotted toward them. This time, the young vampires watched the spectacle with more respect. Alisa spotted the fat sheep with the lamb and approached the animal. Luciano generously let her go first, and even Franz Leopold had no objections.

Only because he wants to revel in my failure, thought Alisa, observing the sheep beginning to graze at her feet.

But yes indeed, you've grasped that well, echoed Franz Leopold's voice in her mind.

"Stop that! I need to concentrate," she snapped. How easily he could intrude into her thoughts, and how difficult it was for her to close her mind to him.

Yes, it's as hard for you to keep your thoughts to yourself as it is for your words. Always meddling and commenting on everything. That's just who you are.

"Get ready. I will now slowly withdraw my thoughts," Catriona called out.

Alisa stared at the sheep, which paused in its chewing and stared back. She searched for its mind but found only vague feelings.

"It's okay. You don't need to be afraid of us," Alisa said with a deep, pleading voice, locking eyes with the animal. She felt the increasing restlessness and conflict within the animal, whose instinct told it that nothing was right here! But at least it hadn't yet joined the flight of some other animals that were already about to disappear over the hill.

Ah, you're doing better than expected. Two kindred souls meeting?

A wave of anger washed over Alisa, and the connection to the sheep's mind shattered. The animal whirled around and ran off in a panic, bleating frantically.

"Thanks a lot!" Alisa grumbled.

Since most of the sheep had run away by now, Catriona called back the entire herd. Only Mervyn had managed not only to prevent the animal from fleeing but also to make it obediently follow him like a trained dog. This didn't surprise anyone. After all, he was a Lycana, raised in Ireland. What surprised not only Alisa, however, was that the two Pyras were now making the fastest progress. Joanne laughed as the sheep licked her hands.

"Let me try," Tammo demanded - and frightened the animal away. Fernand giggled and rubbed his rat's belly, which he still carried everywhere and usually perched cheekily on his shoulder, safe from Maurizio's tomcat.

The failures of the Dracas were probably due to their lack of interest, while the Nosferas simply seemed to have no knack for handling animals. Not only Luciano unsuccessfully tried to prevent his sheep from fleeing. Chiara also had no success. After several attempts, Maurizio managed to step beside his sheep, but then he was overwhelmed by his greed and bit the animal's neck. It lashed out with surprising strength, wriggled out of his grasp, and bolted away.

Alisa turned her attention to Franz Leopold, who seemed to be struggling with the same difficulties as herself.

"It should be easy for you Dracas, shouldn't it? If you can penetrate the minds of humans and vampires and read their thoughts," Alisa remarked.

"You can't compare that," said Catriona, who had silently stepped up behind them. "The thoughts of humans and vampires resemble each other. They are just the usual patterns one has to fit into. The mind of animals is different."

"So, you're claiming it's harder to empathize with this stupid sheep than with a human or vampire?" scoffed Franz Leopold.

"For a highly developed mind that is not willing to accept the simple and descend to its level of thinking and feeling, even impossible!"

Franz Leopold narrowed his eyes. "Then give us something more challenging."

"Like this, perhaps?" Catriona asked, stretching out her arm. At the end of the field, an eagle rose from its resting place in an old tree and glided toward the Servientin. Its talons closed around her arm. It folded its wings and looked at her attentively, as if awaiting her commands.

"Yes, that's more to my taste," Vienna's gaze shimmered with desire.

"Then call it to you. If you succeed, you can safely forget about the sheep."

Alisa and Luciano waited eagerly. Alisa could feel him concentrating. Without blinking, he stared at the griffon. Although it turned its head and met his gaze, it made no move to leave Catriona's arm.

"It refuses to open up to me," Franz Leopold gasped. "Because you're preventing it!"

Catriona shook her head. "The eagle is a being of high intelligence and recognizes my stronger powers. Therefore, it decides to stay with me. I can now command it to do anything its nature allows. I could tell it to bring me the rat from Fernand's shoulder."

"No!" Fernand exclaimed, grabbing his indignant squeaking rat and stuffing it into his jacket.

"Or one of the rabbits hopping around over there." She hadn't finished her sentence when the eagle rose from her arm, spread its wings, and shot away. Only moments later, it returned, holding a young rabbit in its claws. Without complaint, the bird relinquished its prey.

With a hungry look, Maurizio stepped closer. "I'll train one of those eagles for myself."

"To feed on blood?" Catriona's expression was stern. "There are greater and more important tasks they can serve us in. We use griffons to convey messages. But if your greatest desire right now is blood, by all means." She handed him the still-warm rabbit. Maurizio stared at her in surprise, but then grinned and sank his teeth into the fur bundle.

Catriona's attention returned to Franz Leopold. "Well? How about it? Can I release the eagle?"

"Yes," he grumbled unwillingly. Then he stomped off to search for the escaped sheep.

Catriona called a small group of sheep that had separated from the main herd and gave them a new animal. Alisa had just managed to lay her hand on the sheep's head when Luciano uttered a sound of astonishment. Alisa looked up.

"That's unbelievable," Alisa believed she heard envy in his voice. Franz Leopold walked over the hilltop toward them, hands buried in his pockets, looking very pleased with himself. Behind him trotted the two sheep, mother and child, eager to stay close on his heels. When he reached Alisa and Luciano, he reached out his hand, and the two animals lay down at his feet.

"They're yours," he said patronizingly. "But don't scare them away again."

"How did you do that?" Alisa asked.

"Oh, you know, it's not that hard if you're willing to descend into the depths of these creatures' minds. I mean, of course, for someone like me," he added with a sidelong glance at Luciano, "who stands far above all these animals. The rest of you just have to figure out how to manage." 

Luciano clenched his fists angrily again, but Alisa looked at him with a cold gaze. "Don't puff yourself up like that. It's becoming ridiculous."

Franz Leopold put his hand to his chest and bowed mockingly. "Very well, then. Show us what you can do."

Alisa didn't succeed as well as Franz Leopold, but like many of the other young vampires that night, she had learned a lot until Catriona finally released the confused sheep and set off back with her wards. Luciano, walking beside Alisa, remained silent and sullen.

In Rome, members of his family had always had an advantage, as they had learned over generations to build a kind of resistance against the power of the Church - although it was less developed in Luciano than in Chiara and his cousin. But now, it seemed that he and the others of his clan were facing a difficult year. Alisa loved challenges and enjoyed pushing herself until success rewarded her efforts. This ambition was foreign to Luciano. She heard him sigh softly and didn't know what words of comfort she could offer him.

Franz Leopold, who had been walking ahead of her, suddenly stopped. "She's back," he whispered. Frozen in place, he stood at the exit of the path and looked over to the gate of the outer bailey, from which now two figures emerged: a white wolf and a petite vampire with long silver hair, playing in the night breeze. The two of them approached them with measured steps.