Flames [Completed]

(Son Of Juno)

Thousands of different scents flood my nose, urging me to follow them. But there's only one I seek. Its sweet, enticing smell stands out amongst the others by the way it causes my throat to sear.

Trees pass me at lightning speed, but nothing is blurred. The eyes of birds blink at me from the bushes, my pale form barely flashing through them.

I wind through the forest, allowing my more primal vampiric instincts to rule for a while. Within a minute, I'm on the trail of a deer.

My movements are all but silent as I scale the side of a great oak. The deer keeps it's attention on the grass while it grazes, completely unaware of my increasingly tightening grip on the bark beneath my fingertips.

The pulsing of blood in the creatures veins fills my ears, alongside the steady beat of it's heart. Venom gathers in my mouth, my fingers finally caving in and crushing the bark of the tree I am clinging to.

Using this to propel myself, I ark through the air, and in one sweeping lunge, wrap my arms around the animal's middle, rolling into the dirt. My teeth sink into it's neck before the deer has time to register what has happened.

Once I have finished my snack, I wipe my mouth and lay the creature down in a natural position. No doubt another forest dweller will make use of the meat, but I don't want to disrespect the deer, as silly as it may sound.

Now my thirst is assuaged, my anger has gone down to a low simmer. But it could easily be brought to a boil again. I think it's probably a better idea if I go to the Cullens than back to the house.

My wandering steps are halted abruptly by a sound reaching my ears and causing me to freeze up. More venom coats my teeth in response to the prickling feeling of being watched crawling up my spine.

"Do not fear, Nala'si."

I turn around sharply, only to stumble backwards over a log in shock.

A large hand grasps my wrist to stop me from hitting the ground. It's grip is firm, but gentle as it pulls me onto my feet.

Before me stands a creature with the torso of a human, legs of a horse, and a great spear clutched in one hand. The piercing blue eyes are startlingly familiar.

I become conscious of my mouth hanging open, and slam it shut. The snap is louder than I intended.

"B-but you...I...centaur..." I babble, my eyes darting all over. Despite what Zara told me, I'm still shocked to find him in front of me.

"Apologies for startling you, Lady Scarlette," he says in a deep, gruff voice.

"Um," I clear my throat, shaking my head, "No, not at all. Totally my fault. So...is there, er, something I can help you with?"

The centaur bows his head, a great shaggy mane of dark hair falling about his face. "Indeed, Lady Scarlette. I have travelled a long way to speak with you."

"Please, call me Jordan," I say, scrunching my nose at the title, "What's your name?"

"Chief Tritan, my Lady," he says, his head still bowed.

"It's nice to meet you, Chief Tritan. I have to admit, you are the first centaur I've met," I say, not quite knowing what to do with my hands as I converse with him.

He is very tall, mostly due to his legs. But he also has a long torso, strongly defined and bare, although his hair lies over his shoulders. I don't imagine he is cold. This dark hair also cover a good portion of his face.

If he were human, I imagine he would be very popular amongst the female community. Then again, he probably is in the centaur community anyway.

"Then this is a great honour," he states, once again inclining his head towards me. "Although it saddens me your first meeting with my kind must he under such grim circumstances."