Veritas

Chapter 26

Along their journey to the Royal Pack, the group was faced with the odd rogue run-in; but, really, Mother Nature was their true enemy during their travels. By the time the quartet had set out, they were into January, and it was a bitter cold one that was fraught with blizzards.

While the wolves could travel in the blizzards, the low visibility and heavy snowfall weighing them down made it unreasonable. Adding in Aislinn on the back of one of the wolves, and it was pointless to even try it.

It was during one such blizzard that Aislinn found herself alone in a cave with Drystan. Although the cold didn't bother her as much as it would a human, at the urging of Rei and Ryan, she was still stuffed into a heavy coat and tall winter boots for good measure. She was leaning against the wall of the cave, listening to the howling of the wind while she and Drystan waited for the others to return with food.

After a while of silence between the two, Aislinn decided she needed something to distract her, so she spoke up. "You were a werewolf before...What's it like being a vampire? Like, what's the difference?"

Drystan had been sitting on the floor opposite Aislinn, staring blankly at the ground completely lost in thought. His eyes focused on Aislinn's face, absorbing her question and taking a moment to consider it before he answered. Aislinn was beginning to wonder if he'd even heard her, about to ask him if he was okay, when he finally began to respond.

"I...Don't believe I've ever truly wanted to think about it...So I never have, honestly" he admitted, looking down at his hands. "I believe I look mostly the same, although...When I was lost in bloodlust, my eyes were red like the innocent blood I shed" he said, sadness heavy in his eyes. "Over time, as the bloodlust ebbed, and I regained control, the red faded as well...So, my eye colour has mostly returned. Of course, I no longer have blood coursing through my veins, so I'm pale as a result; but...Otherwise I am mostly still me" he said, nearly whispering the last part to himself.

"I haven't seen you eat anything" Aislinn said, trying to shift the subject a bit. "You said your bloodlust was gone, so what sustains you now?"

"Blood is the only thing that can, and will, sustain me unfortunately. Did you know that humans donate blood regularly to hospitals? For their purposes, it goes bad rather quickly, so they often dispose of bags and bags of it. Before leaving, I had an arrangement where I would take bags from there to drink" he admitted, looking up to see if Aislinn was judging him for drinking human blood. Upon seeing her face remained curious, without a trace of judgment, he continued.

"After I first realized what I'd done during my bloodlust, I tried to switch to non-human blood. It doesn't have a particularly enjoyable taste, but it does enough to keep me from starving to death; not to mention, the hunt was more enjoyable than drinking from a bag. Unfortunately, it does not allow me to maintain the same strength as when I drink the human blood, so...I have mostly had a mixed diet" he explained.

Aislinn nodded, completely engrossed by his explanation. She was fascinated to learn about his life, and the true differences between werewolves and vampires. Due to the hatred between vampire and werewolf, neither race truly knew the details of the other. "What else? Like your senses, do you have better hearing or worse?" She asked enthusiastically.

"Well," he began, getting up from the ground. "I have essentially the same sensitivity for hearing; but, my vision in the dark is much better than it was as a werewolf. Werewolves can see quite well in the dark, of course; but...For a vampire it is like walking around in the middle of the day" he explained.

Aislinn grinned at him, jumping on his last sentence to ask something she'd been dying to learn more about. "During the day! Vampires can walk around in the day?"

"Ah, yes. It is a myth that the sun will kill vampires...However, given their enemies, the sun may as well kill them. In the light of the sun, I will lose my superior strength, my sensitive sense of smell, my agility and speed...And the clarity in my vision. For all intents and purposes, I am no more than a human with fangs in the light of day" he explained to a very surprised Aislinn.

"So vampires would be at a ridiculous disadvantage in the day" she reasoned.

"Precisely" Drystan said, kneeling in front of Aislinn. "Vampires do not need to eat or drink beyond blood, and a single meal can sustain for days and even weeks. Unlike the living, I have no need to blink, to breathe, or even to move...My muscles will never atrophy, no matter how long I stand as still as a statue. Additionally, vampires do not fall ill, nor do they experience the fluctuations in temperature that the living would. It is the feeling of warmth that I truly miss the most..." he explained, reaching a hand out to gently place on her cheek, wanting to demonstrate the complete lack of warmth in his body.

Aislinn gasped at Drystan's icy touch, her eyes going wide. She'd felt the way the air had seemed to swallow the warmth around him before; but, feeling his skin on her own was an entirely different experience. She placed her hand over his, marvelling at the temperature difference. For a werewolf, it was uncomfortable to feel such cold; but, she could tolerate it. She imagined a human must get frostbite from a vampire's touch within minutes, though, since this cold went beyond that of a regular corpse.

As she was opening her mouth to say just that, she heard the familiar low growl of Kenji. She and Drystan both looked towards the entrance of the cave to see the snarling wolf. He was approaching slowly, angrily, with his eyes glued on the vampire.