Is This Freedom?

She kept walking, her feet taking up a steady rhythm and she couldn't help the song from slipping softly from her carnation pink lips. "The ants go marching one by one, hoorrah, hoorrah! We slaughter termites just for fun, hoorrah, hoorrah!" She hummed along with the tune as it danced in her mind. A movie called "Antz" that she had so loved before her world had come crashing down in blood and fire. This time she walked on two legs instead of four, her back to the pack lands that she had chosen not to live in. It was her choice, that she had turned away from the reluctant acceptance she had received, and that was fact. No regrets filled her, only a relief that she wouldn't have to face those demonic eyes of one of the alphas that she had met at a boarder. Nor would she have to look over her shoulder every second to make sure that, had another followed her, she would see the darkling male stalk her, sinking his gleaming fangs into her and tear her apart. A shudder ran through her as Savannah remembered that cold dark leader. She had been fleeing for her life from those that wished to capture her, to hand her over to the monster that thought that she belong to him. Mercy, she had begged of the Alpha. But mercy was not what he had shown her. Instead he had laughed at Savannah, as if she had told a joke. The sound had been cold, cruel even, and he had denied her at first. He had wanted proof that Savannah was worthy to enter his ranks, coldly telling her that Savannah had to end the lives of the ones who had been hunting her. Savannah had been scared, but when the hunters had drawn nearer, fear had turned to anger and she had rode that firestorm of emotion and lived. No regrets filled her, just calm acceptance that she was herself, a killer.

Her mind wandered as her sneakered feet brought her to a city. Another city, filled with humans going about their everyday lives. Not knowing there lurked the boogie man in the dark. Sunlight filtered through the green leaves of July that covered the branches of trees and bushes. Savannah paused in her trek, taking her hiking pack from her back to set it on the ground, her stomach producing a loud grumble of hunger. She rummaged around its contents, finally producing a granola bar. She closed the pack and then hoisted it once more to her back, continuing in her search for a new home. Birds twittered above her head, singing songs of happiness to their mates and filling the air with their lovely music. She was scolded at by a grey squirrel that sat safely high up in a oak tree but she ignored its chattering and munched down on the granola bar. A breeze had playfully stirred around her and her acute sense of smell picked up the scent wereling and something else. The granola bar paused at the entry of her mouth for a second as her mind processed what her nose detected. Then she quickly stuffed the rest of it in her mouth and moved into what she knew was a park. She wondered if there was a pack nearby and what it was called. If it too were led by a cold, merciless leader. She hoped not, for if it was, then she would have to move on in search of another. Possibly out of the country all together.

Finding a deeply secluded spot from prying eyes, Savannah stopped. Her head turned from side to side, doe eyes searching, looking to see if someone was about. Seeing none, she nervously took a bite of the second bar in the wrapper and while she was quietly crunching down on it she debated on what to do. She had nowhere to go. She was on her own still and she found it ok. She longed for a pack. The comfort of being able to talk to someone about what she was. But she would just have to wait. Savannah set about to build a small fire. It was quiet there in the thickly wooded park, but she would make it unnoticeable to anyone normal. If someone like her, with her sence of smell happened near by, they would be able to smell it in a much shorter time then a human. Carefully and meticulously she cleared a spot to build a fire, making sure no dried leaves or grass were within scorching distance or anything else that would catch fire quickly. She used her hands to dig a small shallow depression into the loamy earth and when she was done, she went around collecting any dry or dead wood she could find, on the ground or still on the trees themselves. Taking a knife from its sheath at her waist, Tira began to carve shavings from a dry branch. When she was satisfied with her shaving pile she turned again to her pack, reaching in to grab a wad of steel wool and a D battery. Touching the battery to the steel wool, a spark instantly ignited and she hurried to place it in the dirt depression nearby, quickly placing the shavings on top and gently blowing it to life. She fed the small flame small twigs then finally bigger pieces to make the fire stable. She sat there before the fire, looking around the shaded woods of the park where she took refuge. He would be coming. She could feel it. That bastard who tore everything from her. She still contemplated on where she would go. Where she would hide from the monster who thought to possess her, control her. The monster who would stop at nothing to claim her.

Warmth breathed into her as she sat there before the comforting fire. Her legs bent with her arms wrapped around them. She laid her head against them, lost deep in thought of the monster that hunted her. Silent footsteps approached. The barest hint of a whisper against the ground. She heard it but it didn't register in her mind as to what it was. She thought I was probably a homeless person wandering by so she ignored it. But the breeze continued to taunt her with a smell she had been smelling since she entered the lush forest. It smelled sharper, stronger as if it's owner were close. Savannah jumped when a feminine voice broke the silence. She rushed to her feet, drawing a hunting knife from the sleeve of her almost threadbare coat and held it in front of her in defense. Her face clearly shone her fear, sure that this female was sent by Him. It was ridiculous for her to be brandishing so small a weapon when she was the real deal, but the blade was a comfort to her. Savannah kept her eyes locked on the female, tracking her every move. She had almost been caught before in a trap laid by the ruthless male but she had evaded it. Now though, here stood a woman. Her was skin pale as porcelain and she had a shocking mane of red hair. Her eyes were a lovely shade of amber gold, but looked to be quite annoyed at the moment.

"Who are you? Did He send you to find me? I'll never go back to him! Do you hear? Never! You can't make me! Fear had her almost hysterical, backing away from the tall slender woman dressed in a hoodie. Her wolf raged weakly inside Savannah, trying to come out and protect her but it was daylight and the moon wouldn't be near full until for at least another week. But still, she tried reaching for that inner beast, but it was like trying to hold water in an outstretched palm. She kept slipping away. All that stood between Savannah and the woman was a small fire, a hunting knife. Growing up, her parents hadn't yet told her of the other creatures that dwelled within their world. They had been waiting until she had successfully made her first change. But now that knowledge was lost to her and she had had to figure out something's on her own. So she waited. She didn't know why she waited. Usually when she knew that a hunter sent by Him was in the vicinity, Savannah would bolt. Fleeing to a new place, a new city. She should have known better than to stay in the cities. She should have fled to the deep interior of the states. Live life off the land like her father had taught her. But no, she had kept to the cities, hoping her scent would be disguised by everyone and everything else. Now she was gonna pay the price, she was sure of it. Well, she wasn't going down without a fight and she would damn well try to take the woman down with her.

Savannah froze. Shock on her face to hear that the woman wasn't going to harm her. She wanted to believe her. She was so tired from running. Indecision marred her pretty young face as she stood there, knife still raised with a firm grip. The had used a trick like this before, to play in her sympathies, her weaknesses. One they had almost captured her using a girl that she had given her coat to. Savannah had gone to a homeless shelter for girls and had seen how this one girl just huddled on her bed. Her face had such a desolate look that Savannah's heart had gone out to her, even if she was human. It had felt so good when the girls eyes had lit up with pleasure as she had tentatively reached out for the heavy jacket. Then a few days later, Savannah had been in an alleyway looking through the dumpsters in the back of a restaurant when a whimper of fear had caught her attention. She had followed the sound and found a torn and bloody pile. It had turned out to be the young girl from the shelter. Savannah had called for an ambulance, the people in the restaurant had thought she had been raving mad. Savannah had been in the shadows, when the flashing lights had come. Making sure that the girl was found and taken care of. She didn't know if the girl survived or not. But she had found the ones that had hurt her. She had ripped them to shreds in a blind red rage.

Now, here, Savannah was confronted with a dilemma. She looked the tall, pale woman in the eye, trying to judge if she were really telling the truth.

Don't you know who or rather what, I am?

Her voice held a curious note. Incredulously that someone of her species didn't know what or who she was. Savannah shook her head to confirm that she did not. There were more things that her parents were going to tell her. She was sure of it. But they were gone now and she would have to learn on her own. Wait, what did she say about phasing? I don't need the moon or Alpha? How does she know so much about what I am? Savannah's arm lowered a small fraction, her eyes still trained on the beautiful woman. Interest and disbelief warred in her eyes. Then the fiery woman introduced herself.

"I am Genevieve, Queen of vampire clan Serpenta and Leader of the Vampire High Council."

Now Savannah was really surprised. Vampires? Vampires are real? She had thought that vampires were only in stories and movies and they had councils? Like the werewolves?. Her arm lowered a bit more. The grip on her knife relaxing. Savannah hesitated a minute, trying to decide what to do. Genevieve didn't seem to be making any threatening moves towards her so she lowered her arm the rest of the way. She put her knife away, back up her sleeve in a sheath that she had strapped onto her forearm. She straightened to her full height. She had seen the way that the woman lifted her chin in pride. She too had pride in her pack but they were gone. Slaughtered in a hostile takeover. "My name is Savannah, Savannah Dubrinsky. I'm from a pack in Maine, but they are no longer of this world." The memory strained her voice and she closed her eyes a brief moment against the pain. Tears welled up, threatening to over flow and spill down her cheeks. "Yes, a man is hunting me. One of my own kind that believes I am his. That I am his possession. He wants to claim me as his. He and his own are the reason that my family, my pack, are no more." Savannah gasped a sob. Her hand going to the pair of rings that hung on a sterling silver necklace around her throat. She clutched them for support. Hugging the wonderful memories of her loving parents tightly to her soul. "I will die before I let myself be taken back to Him. I will take anyone down with me if they try." her voice had hardened with resolve. Her chocolate eyes steeling with determination.

Savannah listened to the queen. Disappointment clearly written on her face as the vampiress said that she had no advice to give. No matter, Savannah would learn on her own. But she didn't try to reach for her wolf just to see if the vampire queen spoke true. Her eyes seemed to hold no malice. Her body held no tension or over exaggeration which calmed her racing heart. The young woman raised her eyebrows in surprise. Genevieve had met her pack before? When? Savannah frowned at that thought, but the vampiress looked to be telling the truth. The beautiful Queen then made a comment about the one who hunted her. She didn't smile when the vampiress even said that he should go to hell, but nodded her agreement. Her eyes then really looked at her little campsite. The fire was dying down to coal, consumed the logs she had put there before her surprise visitor.

She was able to calm down enough that her mind was starting to think right again. She thought it would be rude of her not to offer the fire haired woman a drink, other than blood. Savannah was soooo not going there.  "Would you like a cup of tea? It's my own brew." She gestured to her hiking pack that lay between them, then paused at her thought. "Do vampires even drink tea? Or eat food for that matter?" the young brunette, still cautious, moved to her pack. She opened the tall pack, pulling out homemade tea packets and a couple cups along with a scorched pot and a litter bottle of spring water. "I'm sorry I screamed at you. I've been on the run from Him for two years," she said, pouring a quarter of the bottle in the pot and set it in the fire to boil. She wanted to ask questions, but didn't want to be rude, let alone where to begin.

Finally, she couldn't resist the thought and spoke it aloud "No one in my pack told me that vampires were real. I thought they were just stories." The water began to steam but it wasn't hot enough to boil yet, so she looked back up the the Vampiress, waiting for an answer. While she waited for her to collect her thoughts, Savannah's own mind turned inward. She wondered how long she could stay at her campsite. Probably no more than a couple days at least. She have to move on so that the hunters couldn't get her. She had tried everything to hide herself and her scent but I was all in vain. She'd have to keep moving lest she get caught.