The stealth figure made his way quickly through the dense undergrowth of the forest. He moved so fast that it almost seemed as if he were a phantom gliding across the ground. His pale face shone with an iridescent glow in the moonlight and his golden eyes glinted like that of a feral animal. His long hair was dyed black by the night and tied in a loose ponytail. Moving around in the dark posed no problems for him as he had perfect night vision.
Hunger gnawed at him but he ignored it. There was but one thing on his mind. Escape. He never stopped to look back. It would be foolhardy to do so. That would only slow him down in his progress. Besides, he did not need to keep watching his back to see if he was being followed. He knew his pursuer was right behind him. He could hear him cruising through the forest like an eagle swooping down on its prey.
Kai stepped into view before him, instantly halting his progress. "Going hunting without me, Shido?" Kai asked sarcastically as he moved closer. Kai's long wavy mass of golden hair glinted dully in the moonlight and seemed to hover about him as if lifted by an unseen wind.
"I won't go back with you," Shido said in a firm voice. He retreated slightly, snapping a twig into half as he did so. He knew he was no match for Kai if Kai chose to take the offensive. Kai was undoubtedly the stronger and faster of the two. Kai had years of experience to his advantage.
"My dear Shido, is that the tone of voice you should take with your father and companion? I'm certain I taught you better." Kai reached over and stroked Shido's right cheek with the back of his hand. Shido flinched.
"I didn't ask for you to turn me into a killer," Shido said coldly, golden eyes flashing in pure hatred. "I didn't ask for eternal night and damnation. You made me what I am now for your own selfish reasons."
"True. I wanted a companion. I wanted a child to look after. I wanted a fresh new wave of experience that I never had before. I invited you to share all that I had. I gave you my eternal life. I gave you renewed strength and vigour, that which mortal man can only dream of having. I gave you a home, a purpose in life when you were lost and lonely. You should be grateful to me, as you once were. Why are you turning away from me now? Don't you realise how much you're hurting me, my child, my Shido." Kai leaned closer, whispering into Shido's ear.
"I want nothing to do with you. I hate this life. I loathe this eternal darkness you have damned me to. The thought of having to take all those lives just to sustain myself sickens me to the core. You sicken me. You took me in when I was conveniently suffering from amnesia and unable to fend for myself. You turned me into a twisted puppet to do as you pleased." Shido hissed angrily as he pushed himself away from Kai. "If you really need to hear this then, for all you've done for me, thank you and good bye." Shido spat venomously.
"Sweet Shido, you don't seem to understand, do you? It pains me to see the path you've chosen for yourself. You hunger, don't you? Why suppress what is in your very nature to do? Just as lions need to kill for their meals, as do we. We are not doing any wrong. We are only surviving." Kai fixed Shido with his hypnotic gaze and held out his hand to him. "Come back with me, child. Remember the happy times we spent together?" Shido took an unsure step towards Kai, moving as if he were in a trance. "Yes child, return to me. Things will be as they once were. Return from the path of error you have foolishly chosen to tread. Walk with me in the night." Shido reached out towards Kai's outstretched hand, eyes glazed over.
Suddenly, clarity and focus returned to Shido's eyes. He slapped Kai's hand away and recoiled from him as if touched by a slimy serpent. A look of disgust contorted his handsome features.
"It looks as though I will have to punish you, dear." Kai said
sadly as he brandished a whip. Shido moved back, eyes wide with horror.
"It pains me to do this to you, Shido. However, it is necessary.
I love you. I need to show you the error of your ways, just like
a parent who has to discipline his child who have erred. This will
hurt me more than it does you." Kai cracked the whip, drawing a thin
line of crimson blood from Shido's cheek. A warning gesture before
he meted out the punishment in full.
As Kai stood over the fallen body of his child and former companion,
loneliness filled his entire being with sharp sorrow. He knelt down
and gently brushed the bangs from Shido's eyes. "I won't force you
to come with me, fledgling. Someday, you will come to realise what it truly
means to be a vampire. When that time comes, you will return to me.
Dear Shido, I have all of eternity to wait."
The End.