Twisted Blood

Hematophagy is the scientific term for the practice of using blood for sustinents. Ampyrakind is made up of hematophages - creatures that use blood for sustainents. The older generation of ampyra are obligatory hematophages which means they have no alternative source of nutrients. However, the younger generations of ampyra and the mixed bloodlines of ampyra - as proven by Ryan when she fed from Renee - are not restricted to just blood. They can survive off 'normal' food. Another theory about the Source is that it was once a cannibal who evolved into something stronger and more aggressive and much more violent.

Ampyra do not suck blood, however. Their unassumingly razor-sharp teeth slice through the skin of their stems. As blood swells up at the wound, the ampyra swallow it. Once satisfied, an ampyra simply licks the wound to stop it from bleeding. Their saliva is sophisticated and thickens on contact with blood, which then forms a shield to prevent blood loss and to not kill their stem.

Victorine had a huge head of coppery curly hair that was tamed into a single large braid. She was a plump nurse and no stranger to seeing the Axels in the infirmary. Her stark white uniform contrasted to the pastel green tiles and the matching paper-like curtains of each hospital bed cubicle. Victorine had tattoos - both casual ones and gradus ones - around her neck.

She had the Hippocratic series, like most hunters in similar fields. Ironic that hunters could be non-lethal. They usually worked in research or intelligence, or like Victorine, in medicine. Despite having the Hippocratic series, hunters could still pick up their main line of work. They then had the revert crest (a balanced scale) tattooed behind their left ear. Victorine had the revert crest.

While hunting was viewed as a life-long career, it wasn't a full-time job. That's why most hunters had day jobs. The only recorded time that being a hunter was a full-time job was during the Scourges and any subsequent ampyra-against-non-ampyra events. Even then, it was mostly more experienced hunters or only the population of hunters in the area that got involved.

Victorine drew back the curtain to reveal Ridley unconscious in the bed. By her side was the also unconscious Dane. His face was buried into her side while he snorred softly. The tender nurse squeezed his shoulder tightly but he didn't move or show that he was awake.

The nurse rolled her eyes to herself then huffed. "Next time you try to fake sleeping, at least make sure the person you're trying to fool doesn't know you're a creature who doesn't readily need sleep," the nurse stated but still Dane didn't move. "Sorensen, you know the rules; visitors aren't allowed during their school hours."

Dane sighed then straightened up and ran his hands over his face, revealing his bandaged arm from his fresh hunter gradus. "I don't have school for a few more hours," he argued. "I don't want to leave her side. She's been unconscious for two days, she shouldn't wake up alone."

Victorine rounded the hospital bed to take her patient's vitals. "It's strange," she began. "The stab wound on her shoulder was deep. It's a miracle she doesn't have any arterial damage or any internal injuries, actually." Dane looked at the nurse who her stethoscope plugged in. "She also had black blood on her shirt. Only that blood was ampyra and not non-ampyra."

"She was in a bloody fight."

"I thought so too, at first. Then I noticed how she had the same black blood dripping down her chin," Victorine went on. "According to the morgue report, both bodies had bite wounds but neither one of them was a blackblood. In fact, the only blackblood on scene were you two." Dane's square face didn't change while he glowered at the nurse. "I'm only keeping this quiet because you probably saved her life. Don't do it again," the nurse concluded. "Now get back to your dorm."

Dane exhaled his relief then relaxed into his seat with a nod. Victorine left mutely after that. She closed the curtain behind her and the ampyra stood up slowly. He turned back on Ridley and saw how truly motionless she was. She didn't show any sign that she was aware of her surroundings.

The blackblood ampyra swallowed hard while he threw on his hoodie. He turned to the closed curtain then back to his unconscious crush. Nervously he licked his lip then leaned into her face. Her natural scent was low on his nostrils and her breathing was steady against his skin.

Slowly he pressed his lips into hers, all while Ridley still didn't show any consciousness. He hummed lightly before he pulled away. "Wow. Your lips are softer than I expected," he murmured to himself. "That didn't sound salker-ish at all," he added sarcastically before turning back to her. "Please wake up, Ridley. You're the best of us and I'm in..." Dane swallowed it. Admitting it out loud was a serious offence to the Guardian Program. "I'll see you after class."

Meanwhile, Ryan was having dinner with Clarke and Esmeralda. The headmaster's residence was once a grand brick mansion that housed the leaders of the The Hunt. Unfortunately, after a goldblood attack during the Red Scourge, most of the mansion was demolished. Engulfed in flames and blood.

Among the rooms still in use, there is a large foyer with a double-doored entryway from the outside, featuring elaborate wood carvings of mostly tree and vine themes, a collection of elaborate framed painted portraits of leaders of The Hunt, a grand staircase, and a prominent crystal chandelier featuring elements resembling a tree; a dining room with damaged but impressively sized Renaissance painted murals of the Scourges; a cylindrical tower room adapted as Ridley's bedroom; a coatroom; and the grand restaurant-quality kitchen. The kitchen was the only modern room in the entire house.

Among the more impressive rooms is a large drawing room with a writing desk, a grand organ, the chaise longue, and hidden access points to at least three secret chambers, one of which everyone is familiar with.

At first there were over two hundred and fifty bedrooms in the mansion but after the Black Scourge, there are only ten presently. There were also once two kitchens, watch towers, stone walls, four roof platforms for the ballistas and a moat. Three of the four trenches that made the moat were filled while the fourth was linked to the river.

The former mansion was generally gloomy from being so illy lit as well as the gory artworks throughout the building. The wooden carvings and the grand chandeliers were the only items in the house that didn't have any trace of the house's depressing past. The blue carpeting with floral designs and even the faded grey wallpaper too lost their bright ambience.

Esmeralda sat dead still with lukewarm cup of Clarke's blood in her hands. Clarke and Ryan were eating lentil stew with rice. Clarke let his black hair down while Ryan's was in a French braid over her shoulder. Behind Clarke was a depiction of the Battle of Dubouy Ridge during the Gold Scourge. There was mostly gold blood being spilled on the battlefield.

Clarke took the last swig of his can of soda then cleared his throat. "How was school today," Clarke asked sternly. Ryan shrugged mutely then stopped eating her cold dinner. "Ryan," the principal called coldly. "How was school today?"

Ryan lowered her fork then met her father's cold gaze. "If this about me bunking then just say it," she countered.

"We talked about this last year," Clarke snapped. "Twice. Why weren't you in class?"

"Because I have better things to do," she replied. "Okay? And what's the point of me being in high school anyway? We all know I'm going to be a hunter after graduation. What is the big deal!"

"'The big deal'," Clarke repeated angrily but Esmeralda laid a calming hand over his.

The redblood ampyra turned to her stepdaughter slowly. "Be that as it may, Rye, hunting is only going to make up a fraction of your life, at best. You're going to have to get a stable income from a real job and-"

"There are people who work as hunters fulltime!"

"True but that's less than 1% of all hunters," Esmeralda argued. "I don't want to squash your dream, if that's what you're aiming for, but to be a hunter like that you have to be-"

"Like Ridley," Ryan cut in sourly.

"Ryan Aimée Axel," Clarke roared.

"It's true," Ryan roared back as she stood up. "I overhear everything you say about us! How Ridley's the better hunter, the better student, the better everything! And I'm just there for decoration. If that's how it is, then why am I the one not unconscious in a hospital bed? Why am I the one with the hunter gradus! I'm just as good as she is!"

The livid lady slammed her fist into the dinner table, smashing her plate from the boost in Renee's blood. While breathing heavily from her outburst, Ryan turned to see black blood pooling onto the table from her fist. Esmeralda and Clarke were stunned to silence!

After taking a calming deep breath, Ryan composed herself. "I have to go," she stated sourly. "I have to cover Ridley's patrol. For the second time. In a row."

She spun on her heel then stormed out of the dining room. Before heading to the swimming pool area, however, she detoured to the infirmary. Caustiously Ryan pried open the curtain to find only the death-like Ridley still soundless at her mercy. She flung the curtain shut then glowered sourly.

"I would so love to kill you. Be grateful there's someone who hates you as much as I do," Ryan whispered angrily. "And yet Renee needs you alive," she added then took out the vial with Renee's blood. "Only to watch you humiliate yourself as you go feral." Ryan squeezed Ridley's mouth open. Carefully she filled her sister's mouth with the gold blood. "I hope there's a special place in Hell resevered for you to see me make you nothing more than a memory."

Ryan's livid glower lightened into a fulfilling smirk before she left. Victorine was scribbling on her clipboard when Ryan brushed passed her. "Hey," the nurse called warmly, lightly cupping the new hunter's arm. "She's going to be fine."

"I don't doubt that," Ryan replied mischievously. She modelled towards the swimming pool that was a little way further from the dorms and the main building. There, Jason was stiffly taking charge of their watch. "Relax, newbie," Ryan jeered. "This is the boring stuff."

Jason swallowed hard then replied, "I'm not too sure about that. Both Class F attacks were at night and both involved an Axel." Ryan rolled her eyes with a sigh. "Not to call you guys bad luck but third time's a charm and I'm the only one without a gradus. Well, Ridley too but I don't think I'm ready for that; killing someone in cold blood. What was it like? Making hunt."

Ryan hummed at the memory of making her first kill and the thought of killing her own sister. "Let's just say, if I don't do it again then I'll go crazy," she began seductively. "It was exhilarating! You don't feel the moment until it passes but then, nothing else matters but the moment. You bask in it and you feel on top of the world. Like nothing can stop you. You feel immortal."

"You don't feel bad? That woman... she was somebody to someone and-"

"Now she's not," Ryan replied casually. "She made her decision and I made mine. Now...? It's like an addiction to hunting and you itch, you pine, you're desperate for another taste. It's such a liberating experience."

Jason felt chills run down his spine then hummed his uncertainty. "Oliver didn't sound too pleased to be a hunter."

"That's because Oliver's an energy drink-powered pussy."

"And Dane... he held a man's heart in his hand and when he saw Ridley... he said that it was like time stopped and everything shattered and-"

"Stop talking," Jakob boomed through their earpieces. "90% of night patrol depends on listening and you two are compromising yourselves. I expect more from you, Axel!"

Ryan pouted her rage then folded her arms with the swimming pool shimmering in front of them. The quiet was calming and the air cool with no sign of trouble. Every hour the bell for the moon students rang and every half hour came status updates from all the patrolling hunters.

Not far from the swimming pool were the horse stables and some of the ampyra students went riding after class. The moon began to set and Ryan and Jason's shift ended. Dane and one of the veteran hunters, Howard. Jason low fived Dane before heading back to the sun boys' dorm. Ryan sized up Dane before shoving him hard in the shoulder while passing him.

"Hey," he called, grabbing her hand. "I didn't spit in your coffee."

"Oh, no. You just gave Ridley you blood and defied half a dozen school rules and a couple of laws, with no consequences whatsoever."

"I did what I had to stop her from dying."

"Bang up job, Captain Controversial," Ryan sneered then continued home. "Then you can cover her patrol until she either wakes up or dies." Ryan ripped out her earpiece with a heavy exhale.

Dane shook his head then turned to the swimming pool with Howard. They must have only been there for fifteen minutes before Oliver came yawning to their side with a bandage over his gradus and a bandage over his left arm. "Sorensen," he called softly. "I came to take over." Dane furrowed his eyebrows. "I got a tip off from Dr Cardin before she discharged me; Ridley's waking up. I volunteered to cover your ass."

There was a glimmer of glee in the blackblood ampyra's eyes as he started for the infirmary but halted abruptly. "Why would you do that?"

The third year leaned into the ampyra's ear so neither Howard nor Jakob could hear. "It's obvious you like her," he stated. "To me, at least." Oliver straightened up while Dane was pale. "I know the feeling. That was me with Bubbly Axel. Now go." Dane grinned his relief then headed on. "Sorensen! You owe me."

Dane nodded then sped off to the infirmary. It was still and there was barely a hum of activity going on. The front desk was the only sign of life in the reception area. Dane hurried straight passed them and took the elevator to Ridley's floor. That floor too was desolate and only the nurse's station had life.

The ampyra moon student marched into Ridley's cubicle to find nurse Victorine at her side while the guardian moaned off her extensive sleep. Dane hurried to her side and settled beside her. "Hey," he whispered sweetly. "You okay?"

Ridley ignored him and tried to sit up but the nurse pressed her back into the pillow. "No. You've been unconscious for three days; take it easy." Ridley exhaled then shifted to be more up. "In the span of seven hours, you've healed completely," Victorine stated then raised an eyebrow at Dane.

He raised his hands in surrender then replied, "I swear it was just one time."

"What did you take, Axel," the nurse asked sternly. "Hunter's Bane? Triple Threat? Gold blood?"

Ridley turned away from the nurse to face Dane full on. He brushed some of her stray hair out of her face. "You're so pale," Dane chuckled. "You good?" Ridley cupped her shoulder then began massaging it. "Could've been worse. Arterial damage, bone fractures. Death."

Victorine checked her rose good wristwatch then nodded to herself. "You'll be well enough to go to school," she said. "First, I'm issuing a mandatory blood test." Ridley lightly shook her head without looking at the nurse. "Care to share your secret now, Axel?"

She closed her eyes, still heavy on medication. "I got your homework," Dane went on with Victorine focused on her clipboard. "I kind of pieced together that Ryan wouldn't and Oliver and Jason... yeah." He wanted to cup her cheek but he knew she hated being touched. "You want your parents? It's only 02:30 am; Clarke should still be in his office."

Victorine mutely left the cubicle, shutting the curtain behind her. Ridley didn't budge from her semi fetal position. She moaned weakly before her eyes spewed open and she sat up urgently against her medication. Dane jumped deeper into his seat from surprise.

Gently he planted a hand on her shoulder. "Ridley, relax. You're still-"

"Listen," she ordered weakly.

There was nothing but ghost shift hospital ambience in the air. Dane shook his head but Ridley was convinced. "There's nothing going..." a bone-chilling scream cut through his words. Dane sprung to his feet then took in Ridley, contemplating whether to stay at her side, as his feelings wanted, or investigate, as his duties dictated.

"Go," she jeered, wondering why he would want to stay.

Still Dane contemplated his decision before exhaling defeatedly and pulling out a dagger to give to her. "I sincerely hope you won't have to need this," he admitted before he left.

In the hallway, Oliver was being wheeled on a gurney with slash marks over his body. Howard came rolling behind, also in a near-death state. Oliver's eyes were shifting around erratically while he was crinkled up in agony. As for Howard, he was covered in burns and his skin was still singeing.

Dr Cardin, the woman with the bright red lipstick, and Dr Elliott - the man with the braided goatee and gold teeth - were rapidly examining each of their patients. Dane's eyebrows hit his hairline when he saw Oliver and he hurried at his side.

"What happened," Dane roared, not directing it to anyone in particular.

"We don't know," Dr Cardin replied. "I don't recognise these slash marks. They're too deep to be from any of the wild cats in the area and too wide to be from any large predator."

Oliver grabbed Dane's elbow weakly, covering the senior's school shirt in blood. "Not... not an... animal," he puffed through heavy breaths. "Axel," he stated and Dane's eyes went wide.

"What?"

"It was... Axel." Oliver wouldn't let go of Dane, not even when the nurses around them tried to pry him free. "I saw her face."

"Ryan? Why? Why would she do this?"

Oliver was panting as sweat drenched his face. "Not Ryan. Not Axel," he stated and now Dane was lost. "Not Axel but Axel."

Dane shook his head lightly while the nurses and Dr Cardin worked around him. "That's impossible. I was here with Ridley the whole time."

"Sorensen, you need to leave," nurse Andrew stated. "He's not in a condition to be helpful."

"Just one more question. Please," Dane persisted. "Did she say anything? Anything you can remember."

Oliver nodded weakly while tears filled his eyes. "She say... anti... dune astro."

"Anti dune astro," Dane echoed. "That doesn't mean anything! What else did she say?"

"Boy!" Dane turned to see his one eyed uncle waiting outside the cubicle. "Let's talk," he ordered sternly.

Dane turned to Oliver, who was still flooding blood out of his perforations. He patted his hand then left ruefully. Nurse Kimberly shut the curtain behind Dane before the Danish ampyra turned to his uncle. Jakob sized up his nephew before heading deeper into the hallway.

"This was the third attack this week," Jakob stated. "That's more than we get in a year. We have reason to believe they're related: all three involved guardians on duty, all three were at night in isolated areas, but this one was different. The first two allowed for guardians to become hunters and this one damn near killed two hunters."

"You think tonight was a warning?"

"I was going to ask you," Jakob admitted then handed Dane his tablet.

It was the surveillance footage of Oliver and Howard's attack. One woman took them both on. It was clear she was a pure goldblood. She could do what other mixed bred goldblood ampyra couldn't: magic.

Magic being a loosely used term in present times. It was mostly called eldritch. Eldritch practitioners are capable of doing things that can exceed many limitations physical laws. Though many interpretations of eldritch are equivalent to magic, 'eldritch' means uncanny, unearthly, and weird in a supernatural way. Eldritch goldbloods were believed to be extinct; they were believed to be created by the Source itself. Hence why eldritch practitioners were historically referred to as the first generation.

However, the woman came to be didn't matter. What mattered was that she was an imminent threat to not just Dunon Academy but the while town of Dunon. She was a skilled fighter, armed to the teeth with knives and daggers that she mostly used on Howard before setting him on fire with her eldritch. She didn't look to be using any weapons when she slashed at Oliver, which explained a lot and made it worse.

The woman shoved Oliver into a tree before strolling into the darkness, mere seconds before reinforcements came to aid the fight. "After that, she vanished," Jakob stated and Dane's concern grew evident. "She knows where that single blindspot is and how to exploit it."

"If this gets out to the rest of the school then-"

"You know the drill, boy, confidentiality and safety are two horns on the same goat," Jakob cut in. "These incidents are strictly need-to-know to hunters only."

Dane cupped his bandaged gradus then turned to Ridley's cubicle. "She's not a hunter yet and you can't not tell her! She's the best of us."

Jakob raised a scrutinising eyebrow at Dane. "I told you keep away from her," he scolded. "You've compromised your priorities as a hunter! You're endangering yourself and the people who count on you to protect them!" Jakob shook his head with his disappointment evident. "You're just like your mother," he hissed sourly and Dane looked at his black sneakers with disdain. "And I promise you, boy, I will kill you like I did her if I must."

Dr Elliott came up to them slowly, clutching his clipboard until his knuckles tinted white. "Sorensen," he called, not clarifying which Sorensen he was talking to. Behind him, Dr Cardin was also making her way towards them. "Howard's gone. Time of death: 02:47," he stated then left.

Dane turned to Dr Cardin desperately. "How's Oliver? I need to see him."

Dr Cardin shook her head lightly at him. "Time of death: 02:49." Dane shut his eyes then looked away. Jakob made nothing of it. The senior ampyra turned on his heel and made back for Ridley. "Sorensen," the doctor called, "I think he wanted you to have this," she stated then handed Dane Oliver's retractable sword. "He said to tell you 'roe deer'. I'm not sure if that means anything to you."

Dane looked down at the pen-sized form of the black sword before taking it. "Thank you, doctor," was all he said. He glanced at Jakob, who still scowled at him. The senior ampyra sighed before leaving. "Anti dune astro and roe deer?" He paused by the closed curtain of Ridley's cubicle but decided against going in. "Anti dune astro and roe deer. Anti dune astro and roe deer," he chanted all the way back to the moon dorm to do his homework as if nothing happened. As far as the rest of the school was concern, nothing did happen.