Mist veiled the skelital branches, bearing down heavily making them sag. Crows flocked, swarming the sky like angry black wasps, their ceaseless screeching echoed and stung listening ears. Dark eyes leaked from the growing shadows, never missing a wandering target, there bearers making sure that each creature that passed got a good dose of uncomfort.

Josette ambled, eyes focused up wards, as to watch the dance of misjudged birds. Her black wolf form got along easily with the mucky terrain and she effortlessly picked her way over mystery puddles and the corpses of the long deceased trees. She did her best to avoid dark patches of light, trying to stay out of unwanted companies way. Brown spots bloched her sleak coat and her fangs were only just slightly exposed, giving her an imposing air.

She only just wanted to pass through this god-forsaken place and get on with it, but curiousity held her back. She like spooky things and this was about as creepy as you could get when it comes to out doors. A wolfish grin took over her canine lips and she plopped her but down, flume like tail swishing this way and that. Directions where hard when everything looked the same. The sun waved its half hearted good byes and the moon smiled hello.

Eraspeola crept silently through the forest, wearing the guise of a young child. His hair was tangled and matted with mud, scratches covered his soft skin. The rags he wore were dragging along behind him like a deep red snake.

He watched a canine form draw near to his position. He was sure that this was his prey today, as no other forms were nearby. He had scouted this area several times and not once had he seen anything remotely like it. He found shape shifters to be a more challenging prey than normal, being able to blend in more easily. these jobs required more than a simple assassination, they involved time put into a mock-friendship, or become a trusting contact, at the least.

His largest job concerning shape shifters was some time ago, his target to eliminate an entire family of them, silently and discreetly. this was one of his more botched jobs, leaving an unknown amount of them alive.

His childish form was quite pitiful, sitting in a mud puddle. As the wolf drew nearer, he began to cry quite real tears, but not from the heart. He had practiced this as the best approach. His name was to be Vincent, a lost child from a nearby settlement who had lost his way playing away from home.

The small wails of little one reached her ears, making her cringe. They were loud and scaled to high, painful notes. Slinking closer her eyes set upon boy, drenched with mud. Motherly instincts instantly becoming hiper active at the sight of the poor creature caused to the wolf edge nearer, but the smell of him made her skid to a stop. The canine in her detected something wild and inhumane.

Not willing reveal her true form Josette circled the child, acting as dog as humanly possible, sniffing his hands and snuffiling through tangled locks. His sent confused her, it was all mixed up, wild and dangerous yet sweet and seemingly helpless. Plopping down a few feet away she let out and exaterated huff, staring at him with slitted green eyes.

The shapeshifter's appearance put him on edge. he was taking a rather large chance here, but it would pay off if it worked. The confusion in her eyes startled him quite really, and he stiffened, appearing as a frightrened child. He looked at her curiously, wondering if she knew. He put the thought out of mind immediately.

Once more, he was a young child, wondering what this creature before him was. With curious hands, he reached out and seized a handful of fur. He gave a young laugh and reached out a second hand to pet her.

Internally, he laughed. He had planned this reaction, even hoped for it. What a risk, but what a prize. Eraspeola stood and loked around, putting a sad look on his face. "Dad?" he said the singular word, still not accustomed to the voice.

Her lips curled in a snarl as the child entwined his grimy fingers in her fur. Chances and risks were the things in life that seemed to follow Josette, and this odd scented kid put her in an uneasy mood.

She rose to her lanky legs, glaring down at the toddler, ears perking at the mention of parents.

Would it honestly be to much trouble to take him to the edge of the swamp? she asked herself. Yes. her conscious replied The little freak could be like you. The angel and devil of her inner voice kept fighting but the wolf returned to reality, giving the boy a toothy grin.

Eraspeola relaxed. he seemed to be taking an awful lot of risks here. He couldn't spare another chance. he would have to be extremely careful from here on, if he were to succeed in his mission. The patron that hired him to clean up his previously botched job seemed quite annoyed, but very generous in his giving a second chance.

Eraspeola gave a small laugh and sturdied himself, securing his grip on Josette's fur. Wobbling a bit, he sturdied himself and began to follow the hound.

"Dog?" he said in a cute, childish voice. The voice was sincere and trusting, helped by eraspeola's comfort in this dark, haunting place. it was in largely populated areas where he was most uncomfortable. He made a small effort to keep his upper lip lowered, no matter how hard he tried, he could only change his canines some small bit.

No matter how hard he tried, he could not completely disguise his vampirism. Maybe i can play vampirism to my strength. no doubt she suspects something. He thought to himself. Eraspeola neared a beam of light and hesitated noticeably.

Realising that he had no solid proof of being a vampire, he made a last-minute change, completely unnoticeable. Two fresh bite-marks appeared beneath his collar, with slight scabs.

The stench of rusty iron reached her flared nostrils. Blood. Was the child bleeding? Why hadn’t she detected it before. Gazing at him quizzically she edged away. This kid REALLY creeped her out. He seemed vaguely familiar, as she had already acknowledged, but yet distant like he emerged from the nightmares that used to torment her.

She turned her back on him, hoping to disentangle from any connection, and pranced away. So what if he fallowed? She was itching to escape the murk, and if he decided to trail behind her like a starving kitten so be it. She would ditch him the second they crawled out of the vines and onto more open, stable land.

Imagine, she thought If I was in my elf body I wouldnt have even noticed!

Her only wish was to get away from the tiny freak.

Eraspeola laughed at the terrified shapeshifter, who ran away. He shifted into a large black hound, and ran after her, laughing in a deep, echoing voice, courtesy of a shifted voicebox and tongue.

"What? scared of a little child? How cowardly." he mocked her, taking pleasure from her fear.

"How you've grown since I last saw you." He stopped and smiled, wondering if she would take the dropped hint. "Your parents were very charming people." He licked his lips and added quietly "Tasty, too." He took no pride in the pleasure he took from the blood-cannabalism, but did it count with shapeshifters? He had debated with himself on this topic for some time.

'No matter. She'll be just as good.' He thought to himself. He stood on his hind legs and shifted once more, into his well-used form. He stood tall, with charcoal grey skin and his black eyes, which had specks of various colors, much like the opals he loved.

She snarled at his comments, the sound tore through air, vibrating through her chest and her eyes flashed acid in the ugly dog’s direction. His words punctured holes in her heart. She had been running from him for years, always making sure not look behind her shoulder towards the past, always making sure not to tread on the path he had carved in her life.

Her elf form might not be as intimidating as a pissed of she devil but she couldn’t stop the change, couldn’t stop the rage that heated her boiling blood. The skin on the back of her neck pricked with excitement and with fear.

"Afraid? Of a snot sucking leach like you?" She chuckled manically. Her entire body quivered. She felt nauseated and her heart fluttered in her ribcage liked trapped bird.

"Come to congratulate the one that got away? Come to give a prize to the one who outsmarted you?" She challenged. He may terrify her, but her fury at his part in her history took over and she was ready. Ready to squeeze the life out of his pasty body

Eliel gave a laugh, a haunting, mocking noise that sent shivers through the air. "Congratulate you? Award you? Hardly. I'm here to finish a botched job." He sneered at her, feeling hatred towards her. He could tell she was quite angry at him. He could also see her fear of the past. "You have no idea." He gave her a hate-filled glare.

"You have no idea what grief and pain you caused. For hours I sat, my employer opening and closing windows, rippping me open, only to heal me again. For hours, which may well have been days, I was tortured, to teach me a lesson." He ranted with a tone of unmeasurable fury. "All because of a child who escaped. Because you could not simply die!" he spat at her.

"Would you like to see what you did to me? Would you like to see how my abuse looked like?" he cursed and dropped his cloak, bare skin exposed. his body shifted to the form that had taken such abuse, a black haired-human. Patches of his skin were missing, burned away by the sunlight doses. His eyes were milky white, blinded. strips of flesh hung about him. his fingers were shriveled, useless.

"Do you take pleasure in what you've done? I've kept this form as a reminder, to fuel myself to finish the job." the horror cursed at her. Keeping the form, he drew his dagger and approached.

"At least you can run from yours! "She spat, glaring at him unblinkingly reveling in his miserable fury. His torture was physical, and only that. By shifting he could escape. But that was not how fate had chosen to treat the poor girl.

No matter what form, animal, human or demon Josette took the images still haunted her. Every morning with the rise of the sun she would open her eyes, moaning, moist streaks criss-crossing her cheeks. The horror he had caused her was worse than any.

He had left her alone, freezing her heart forever. She would never know the heart swelling feeling of family again; never know the joy of motherly love or fatherly admiration. Her fellow brothers were gone forever and so was her soul.

"Screw you." She muttered, her voice drenched with savage hate.