Bloodline

Prologue

The forest was still and silent. The grey mass of clouds slowly drifted across the sky, revealing a thin crescent moon. Spots of moonlight trickled down through the thick canopy of trees, creating thin, silver columns of light throughout the forest.

A cloaked figure stood motionless in the center of the woods, its face was concealed beneath its hood. The sound of frantic footsteps echoed throughout the woods, growing louder as they got closer. The cloaked figure turned its head towards the direction of the sound, watching as a thin man tripped over the root of a tree, landing face first on the ground. He groaned as he stood up, spitting dirt and leaves out of his mouth.

"Where were you?" it growled in a low voice. The man froze, and looked up at the figure with trepidation.

"M-M-Master..." he stammered, "I was just... I thought..."

"You were drinking weren't you?" it asked.

"N-no! I swear! I wasn't--" A loud smack echoed through the trees.

"Don't lie!" the figure snarled, "The scent of blood still lingers on your clothes." The man whimpered as he rubbed his cheek. Neither one said anything. The only noise was the man's soft sobs. Finally, the figure spoke. "You know what happens when you disobey my orders."

"No! Please! I promise I won't do it again!" he pleaded hopelessly. The figure ignored his cries and stepped closer to him. A thin, bony hand reached out and grabbed him by the shirt, pulling him to his feet. He was trembling with fear, unable to move.

"I know you won't," the figure whispered in his ear. Suddenly, the man burst into flames. The bright red glow of the fire illuminated most of the forest, dancing and taunting the man as it burned his flesh. His screams penetrated the silence, and slowly faded away as he was reduced to a pile of ashes.

"That was fun," said a female voice, "It's a shame he died so easily." The figure looked up at the branches above. A small girl was sitting on a large tree limb, swinging her legs back and forth. She watched the figure with curious eyes.

"I told you not to follow me," it said, irritated. The girl giggled and jumped down from her perch into the moonlight, her silver hair seemed to glow as the light hit it. Her childlike face was somewhat unsettling, and slightly disturbing.

"But I wanted to see him get punished for disobeying you," she said, feigning innocence, "Besides, it's not my bedtime yet and I'm bored." Multiple voices were heard from the direction the man came from. The girl turnned around and sniffed the air. Her eyes lit up with excitement. "Humans!" she squealed, giggling to herself. She then looked at the figure with pleading eyes. The figure groaned and walked away.

"Just make sure you get back before your curfew," it called, "Annoying brat..." The girl giggled again and skipped away to confront the mob. As the figure headed out of the woods, it could hear the screams of the humans as they met their slow and painful demise.