THE HUNT

"Running through the shadows of the night, the air clung to me like a damp, velvet shroud, heavy with the scent of damp earth and decaying leaves. The moon cast an eerie glow over the forest, casting long, skeletal fingers of silver light across the trees. As I pounded the earth, the rustling of leaves and snapping of twigs beneath my feet echoed through the silence like a deadly heartbeat.

"Igniting my head, a primal voice echoed in my mind, 'Prey, prey, prey...' The words dripped with hunger, like honeyed poison, drawing me deeper into the darkness. And then, I saw her – fragile, a human form, shrouded in shadows, her scent wafting through the air like a blooming jasmine, entrancing and fatal."

"My fangs lengthened, razor-sharp and gleaming in the moonlight, as a primal hunger stirred within me. My mouth watered in anticipation, salivating with an otherworldly craving, as I fixed my gaze upon a tantalizing prize: a lone human, vulnerable and unaware, wandering into the darkness like a lamb ready to be slaughtered.

"

"As I sprang into the air, my feet leaving the earth with a sudden burst of velocity, a formidable force seized me, yanking me back down to the ground with an unyielding grip. The familiar tug of gravity, amplified by my supernatural strength, strained against my ascent, threatening to pin me earthbound. The deafening crash of my abrupt landing sent my prey fleeing in terror, the human's frantic footsteps echoing through the night air.

"'No... what have you done?!'" I snarled, my voice low and menacing, a growl that rumbled through my chest like thunder as I realized my chance at a silent kill had been ruined."

"'Jane, what in the name of the damned were you about to do? Attack a human?! Have you forgotten the most fundamental law of our kind? Humans are not prey, nor are they food for our sustenance. Learn to control your thirst, to tame the beast within. You newborns are all the same, impulsive and reckless, regardless of whether you're born with royal blood or not.'" He spoke, his voice dripping with disdain, his words trailing off into a subdued, calm tone that belied the underlying threat, like a snake coiling in the shadows, ready to strike. "Look Xander I am sorry alright , I tried to control it but it was to hard I was intrigued by her scent and sweetness it not like I have ever seen or smelt"

" Don't be a fool all humans possess the same scent , I wonder how you are going to cope when Blake sends you to the outside world . I told him already newborns like you can't do it , you will just end up exposing us due to your recklessness and lack of experience"

"'Wait, what? Is he planning to abandon me to the mercy of those fragile creatures? Why, why, why?!' I exclaimed, my voice rising in protest as I repeated the question, my mind reeling in horror.

"'Call them whatever you want, but don't forget those 'weaklings' have saved our kind in the past,' Xander reminded me sternly. 'That's why we've sworn to never attack them. They're not prey, but our allies.'

"He paused, his expression unyielding. 'Blake is sending you to live among them, to blend in and learn their ways. You need to understand how they think, speak, eat, laugh, and play. You must become one of them, Jane. This is crucial for your future interactions with humans.'

"I opened my mouth to object, but Xander's fierce glare cut me off. 'No excuses, no objections,' he growled, his voice low and menacing. 'Come with me, it's time for your training. We'll join the others. Now.'"

"As we crossed the treetops, leaping from branch to branch with effortless ease, I paused, my mind entrapped in a labyrinth of puzzles. Xander's words echoed through my thoughts, leaving me perplexed. Why would he want to send me into the human world, where the temptation of blood and the risk of exposure lurked around every corner?

"My thoughts swirled in a maelstrom of uncertainty, as I struggled to reconcile my own doubts with Xander's words. Could I truly cope with the demands of living among humans? The weight of responsibility settled heavy on my shoulders, for I knew that I was sworn to protect our kind, just as many humans had helped us throughout the centuries. Yet, others had sought to destroy us, to unravel the secrets behind our powers and exploit our weaknesses.

"I gazed down at the mark of my tribe etched into my arm, a symbol of my newborn status. It served as a poignant reminder that I still had much to learn, that the full mastery of my powers was yet to come. They said it took 100 years for our kind to reach full maturity, but I was only 20 years old in our calendar. A mere fledgling.

"And yet, I felt an insatiable hunger within me, a thirst that threatened to consume me whole. I had heard tales of my father's exceptional control, how he had mastered his powers at the tender age of 10. The royal bloodline was said to mature faster, to possess a greater mastery over our instincts. But I had almost attacked a human, a mistake that would have brought shame upon our family.

"My heart swelled with determination, for I knew that I had to become a ruler like my father, a protector of our kind, a shield against the dangers that lurked in the shadows. But reality seemed determined to thwart my plans, to test my resolve and push me to the very limits of my endurance."