Wife of Vladimir ||Book One||

Her People

Sometimes, it was hard taking care of the people. Doubt filled the hearts of several villagers due to my absence in their public eye and I hardly blamed them. Even as I fixed the problems at night, building sheds, gates, leaving notes about plants that needed to be switched to another plot of land, checking the water and the animals; none of it was enough. I valued each note like it was precious gold. Until I could find a way to present myself to them, it would have to be good enough.

Sometimes, there would be a complaint or suggestion that I agreed with but was out of my power. I'd research it the best I could before finishing the task. That, or I'd find a solution and give it to my servants to deliver on their next return to the village.

I wanted to think that despite my lack of appearances, I still kept my people happy and content with their lives. I hadn't quite gotten over my small fear of revealing myself to them, not knowing how they would take it. It wasn't as if I could lie about it either. Anyone would notice that I had changed in appearances. There was no lying my way around that. Nothing I could say in that moment would be able to convince them. When it eventually came out, if it ever did, it would have to be slow and steady.

For the most part, those several weeks stayed simple. Routines were staying on track and nobody's suspicion had been raised.

One night in particular, an hour or so before the sun was supposed to rise, I found myself in pain. The list from that week had been unusually long and I had devoted my entire night to fixing what I could and giving my silent help where it was needed. I had strayed away from feeding each night, as I had read in the journals that it wasn't required. I simply had to find my tolerance; my balance of how long I'd be okay without the blood. It had only been a week to that night when I felt the intense burning, similar to how it had felt during my transformation.

The tingling had started at the bottom of my throat, going around my skin like a whirlwind. My neck started to feel tight as the sensations made their way upwards, eventually reaching my mouth. The feeling didn't stop there, as I had wished. It began moving into my head, giving me what I can only explain as a massive headache. My teeth started to ache, especially my dangs. The colors of the night began to blend together into grey and black images, and I could feel myself slipping away from reality.

In the same section I had read about not needing to feed each night had been a section of what to expect when I had gone too far. My reaction was normal to one that was deprived for too long. If I didn't find something soon, I would give into instincts out of my control and become the monster I so feared.

I wandered the streets until I came upon one of the farms I visited frequently. I was afraid of not making it to the forest to find a creature that could satisfy the monster away. I eyed the animals from the outside of their enclosures, my guilt lessening with each step closer I got. I hated the thought of stealing from my people, but this alternative was better than turning on them and killing them in their sleep. This seemed like the safest path I could take.

I didn't need anything big, I didn't want to be greedy.

This farmer in particular had more sheep than a person could count. Surely, if one were to go missing they wouldn't be noticed. Even better? They were freshly sheared. It was better this way than to kill an animal he had few of, like the chickens and cows lingering on the other side of the farm. I made a silent vow that I would repay him the following night with the money needed to replace the sheep that I would take from him.

I climbed over the farmer's fence, taking slow steps. I saw one in the corner that I could get out of the enclosure quickly. I stopped in front of it, watching it sleep. There were thick trees nearby. If I was smart about it, I could easily hide behind the trees and do what I needed to do without being noticed. I could feel another wave of guilt wash over, but it was quickly pushed aside by my current needs.