Silver Bullet, Seraph’s Sword

“You’re Not Invisible, Dog.”

Continuing to bump his way through the dusty street, Lancaster began to ponder on where he could drop off the butter churning rod. He stuck a kabob in his mouth and wagged his tail at the cinnamon flavor. So sweet! Narrowing his eyes off to the side of the main path, he noticed a short alleyway he could dip into.

He tried to make sure no one was paying attention as he made his way over, but the large canvas was a little obvious. Once he had successfully snuck between what appeared to be an apothecary and an inn, he took a breath of relief in the quiet. A few rats went by, and his predatory nature almost got the better of him. Quickly returning his mind to the task at hand, he scaled the stone and wood walls, emerging on the roof of the apothecary.

Scanning the area, he realized it was as barren as he'd hoped; people probably didn't come up here often, if ever. The tiled roof was fairly flat but had a slight slope to it. He shoved the rod between some tiles, moving others over the top of it. He used the height to his advantage, scoping out the most direct path to the center wall protecting the castle.

He slid down the roof back into the alleyway, realizing the high route would be a little too conspicuous. He continued to walk amongst the crowd, but as he neared the castle's wall, the wolf began to stand out in the city of foxes. Lancaster followed a small family of foxes until they reached the end of the cobblestone street, trying to appear a part of it.

As far as he could see, there were burly fox men guarding every side of the wall. Fairly smart, considering the agility most foxes and wolves had. They could probably scale the wall without ever approaching the gate. He would be doing so as well if it weren't for their precautions. He'd have to discover another way inside. Although he didn't know much about his current quest, he knew his informant was somewhere inside. Likely, it would be the head butler or one of the handmaidens, as they would spend the most private time with the royal family and contain any secrets these foxes were hiding.

Chewing the last of his cinnamon treats and casting the sticks to the ground, he noticed a young fox pulling a wooden handcart of fresh fruits and vegetables toward the castle. Perhaps that was an in, but it would be too indiscreet for him to approach the cart now. He wished he would've thought to paint his ears more orangey beforehand, but the shape of them would've probably given it away anyhow. The foxes had shorter, wider, fluffier ears that rested a little more on the sides of their heads. Wolf ears were obviously darker, as well as taller, thinner, and more centralized on the head.

After continuing to consider his predicament for a moment, he was interrupted by a loud blast of trumpet from the castle's courtyard. A metallic clanking echoed into the city as the front gate opened about a hundred meters in front of him. Someone important was coming or going. A little curious, but more concerned about the task at hand, he turned his head toward the opposite wall. Much to his surprise--and disdain for their lack of training and willpower--he noticed the guards on the western side had begun to congregate to the south gate where the noise had come from. Incredibly vulnerable royal family, if you asked anyone else, but a convenient circumstance if you asked Lancaster.

Being as stealthy as possible between buildings and trees, he made his move, darting for the wall. A few of the guards along the north side turned in confusion, but he was halfway up the cobblestone bricks as they searched the path in front of them. As far as he knew, he slipped over the top without being seen. Since they weren't actively involved in any sort of conflicts, the top of the wall remained unguarded. The archers were off elsewhere.

The trumpets blared again to signal the gate's descent. He scuttled across the top of the wall, careful to lie low. Once he reached a guard tower, he found the small trap door that led inside the castle. Knowing it would lead to an armory and collection of soldiers, he used extreme caution and silence. Fortunately, upon arrival, only one armor clad fox stood inside. Lancaster slipped behind him and brought his elbow down hard on the fox's helmet. To be frank, he hated having to remove people from his path, because at some point it would become clear there was an intruder. Still, he didn't really have a choice here.

He made his way down the tower's stairs to the upper floor's hallway, knowing few people would disturb him up there. The majority of people he actually passed by would be servants anyway, making it easier for him to find his informant. He'd studied the Diamalayan Fox Castle's blueprints well. Unlike the main floor, which was extremely decorated and fairly well lit, the upper floor was tucked away and almost never viewed by the public. It was fairly dark and barren. He had to admit, though, exploring this incredulously ostentatious family's dwelling pulled at his curiosity. The informant was to meet him up here, but surely they wouldn't go anywhere if he were to have a look around for a few minutes. Checking the hall for anyone watching, he ducked around a corner and grabbed hold of a huge velvet tapestry, sliding to the lower floor. Luckily, no passerby noticed his stunt. In fact, this corridor seemed nearly as empty as the one above.

He remained weary as he glanced around, examining large golden-bronze statues of former kings, sorceresses, and warriors dating back to the beginning of this proud civilization. An enormous mural of red and white poppy-like flowers formed the backdrop for these historical figures. Still, between every statue hung a silky banner with two small golden triangles. One pointed down, and the other pointed to the right--a vampire-fox bloodline. Each civilization had a crest of its own, the triangles signifying the bloodline of descent. Luckily, more than two traits never showed at a time. That might be a scary concoction.

Just as Lancaster reached the end of the displays, he got a gruff elbow to the chest. A pang of fear shot through him, wondering who had discovered him because he had let his guard down just for a second. Slowly, he raised his head.

"Hey," a much younger voice than expected noised from a few inches above him. Still, it wasn't very kind. A pang of fear shot through his stomach and heart, producing heart-attack-like symptoms. Unless his informant happened to be on the wrong floor, he had just been caught. "You're not invisible, dog," the voice said, softening a little.

"I'm actually a little lost. You see I was trying to find the servants' entrance, so I could deliver some fresh prey to the kitchen staff," Lancaster replied, staring up at the stranger as innocently as he could.

Moppy blond hair that barely avoided his eyes, the taller young man glanced down at him with a dark expression. "That's the worst lie I've heard today," he commented, combing his hair to the side and revealing small black horns poking from his scalp. His demeanor brightened at the frozen wolf. "Fortunately, I'm interested to discover why you're here."

Was he toying with him? Why didn't he turn him in or bash him into a statue? He seemed a good five years behind him in age, yet he confidently talked down to Lancaster.

"I very well could have knocked you out, yes. I do love a good fight, but I just think this one would be a little too boring," he stated calmly, tilting his head. "In the future, though, for sure. We'll have our duel." The stranger grinned and walked past him, continuing down the hall.

Something incredibly strange and foreboding emanated from him and disappeared as he walked away. Whether a mind-reader, a prophet, or both, a dark power lay within that blond. His orangey-brown eyes had left a near-tangible mark in Lancaster's vision as if they were embers trying to bore inside. The dark power left him uneasy and honestly a little weaker. Only one explanation remained; the stranger was one of few full-blood vampires left. Perhaps ten or so still walked the earth, and each of them were siblings. The unfortunate reality was either incest or extinction. Of course, as evil as they were, incest may not even bother the clan. Lancaster turned to watch where the demon went, but the hallway behind him was empty. Evidently, by leaving Lancaster alive, he had a hidden agenda or simply wished to cause chaos. Regardless, Lancaster truly hoped for their extinction.

Probably time to return to his original mission before another scary run-in with a high-level demon occurred. Whatever was going on in this castle couldn't be good, and that's exactly why it was imperative he found his informant. The bounty for information, fraud, and assassination certainly made for an incentive, but Lancaster definitely had causes of his own he wanted to fight for. Destroying the omnipotence of beings such as that demon and foiling the plans of egocentric clans like the Diamalayan vampire foxes were among his personal vendettas.

As soon as he'd started sneaking his way back to the stairs, he heard footsteps behind him. They were picking up pace. He ran toward the door he knew would contain a staircase back to the upper floor and slammed into it, quickly learning it was locked. “s**t," he whispered harshly under his breath, deciding to continue racing down the red carpet along the main hall instead. This course could be even worse, but as he neared the west end of the castle, Lancaster flew up the staircase that led to guest chambers. Hopefully, they'd be empty and he'd be able to reach the secret hallway for royalty's escape before his unknown pursuer spotted him.

"A wolf!" A voice cried out behind him, alerting more. He quickly realized that one of the soldiers from outside must have noticed him scaling the wall. Luckily, they probably hadn't seen him yet. As the now numerous footsteps approached, he dove into the nearest room and pressed his weight against the door, heart beating against the wood rapidly. All part of the game, and the chase was certainly a wolf's favorite game, whether hunter or prey.

"Well, you're not very stealthy," a young woman's voice echoed quietly and yet intensely in the room. He really should have checked before jumping into a random suite, but the odds had been in his favor. Few of the guest rooms were ever occupied. Turning in her direction, he decided that the odds actually seemed fairly against him today. This was, without a doubt, the Diamalayan fox princess herself.