A Renegade’s Jeremiad

April 21st. 9:45 PM Moon: Waxing Crescent On this chilly night, a shadow darted through the surrounding forest, foraging berries, and herbs. In the light, though, this shadow was a young man using the cover of night to hide and sneak around the forest, using the scent of dirt and pine leaves to mask his scent from the werewolves that prowled the night. He paused for a moment, observing the sky to check the time and position of the moon. 'The moon is high now. I must be quick, lest I run into a pack of wolves tonight. They've been expanding their territory lately…' the man thought, rushing back into the cover of darkness. He snuck around the bend, being as soft-footed as possible to avoid detection. Yet, he couldn't avoid another in the forest he didn't want to meet that night. In a clearing where the moonlight showered over it all, a booming, stern voice bellowed from behind the man, "Oi! Henry. Turn around and face me!" Henry sighed, rolling his eyes as he looked over to where the voice was. A slim, middle-sized man, three inches taller than Henry, walked out of the shadows, huffing. "Ah. It's been a while, hasn't it, Nick?" Henry scoffed, a scowl stretching over his face. Nick tsked, his baggy, sleep-deprived eyes focused on Henry. "Why all the hostility? Is that any way to treat an old friend?" Nick asked. Henry spat, "Friends don't snitch out their friends to the resident secret police of the region, pal." Nick marveled at Henry's words, frowning a bit. "Secret police? That's a dire way to put your family, Henry." Henry huffed, his glare boring into Nick. "Family isn't who I'd call the hunters after what they did. After what you and the others took from me!" Henry exclaimed. Nick groaned, rubbing his forehead. "Henry, move on. It had to be done to strip any compromises the vampires could evoke on us," Nick began before getting cut off. "Move on. Move on?! She was my mother, you insensitive schmuck! And you people killed her! I wasn't always on board with living that life, but that was the final straw!" Henry yelled, his eyes stained with barely held tears that threatened to fall from his face as he huffed and puffed. Nick continued, "I know she was your mother. But you're acting like a child. There is a lot of power in your hands, we can't afford you going rogue." Henry spat, "I'm not going rogue! That implies I'm plotting against you all. I just want to get away and live for my mom's sake, not for her killers." Nick puffed, speaking through gritted teeth, "She was becoming a vampire. We had to do something to protect ourselves. You and your brother, especially." Henry snapped, "Don't you bring up that traitorous weasel!" Nick sighed, "Relax, Henry, he isn't with me." Henry took a deep breath, understanding that this was going nowhere and he needed to get away before he and Nick attracted werewolves to them. "Why do you and the others keep going after me, Nick?" Henry asked. "You know," Nick answered. Henry's eyes widened, his mouth agape. "No…" Nick nodded knowingly. Henry hissed, "Are you serious? That pathetic child's tale? That's why you've all been harassing me to come back?!" Nick glared as his eyes went bloodshot from the stress. "The prophecy is not a child's tale, Henry. It's quite real," Nick asserted. "Don't give me that nonsense, Nick!" Henry shouted, "I will never believe in some loathsome fantasy that forces people to try isolating me from the world! I wanted to be myself, not act out a make-believe legend possessing no evidence for existing!" "Is this also because of your dead mother, Henry?" Nick asked tactlessly. "No!" Henry answered, his face red and his tone pointed, "I just don't believe it." "Besides, this isn't my only reason, Henry," Nick claimed. "Then what is it, Nick?" Henry asked venomously. Nick's voice wavered, becoming shaky and mournful, and he spoke, "I want my friend back." Henry's scowl softened at that statement, recognizing Nick's sentimentality. Nick continued, "I miss you, Henry. And I'm worried about you. The werewolves have been so active lately, and until now, I couldn't help but fret over the possibility that you were killed, or worse, turned into one of those abominations. Can't you at least consider that your safety matters more than skulking away from something you doubt?" Henry hesitated in his response; his mind burdened with the thought of Nick pushing himself so far just to find him. For a moment, Henry considered returning, but then the face of his mother flashed before him, her eyes wide and lifeless, her features contorted from the pain felt before her demise. Worst of all were the fangs that lay next to her, having fallen out of her mouth before her body had fully transformed into a vampire's vessel. Henry's eyes regained their hardened gaze, threatening to well up with tears once again. "If you wanted me to come back through sympathy, you should've mentioned those concerns before you went into that tirade about prophecy and the like, because that shows me your priorities, Nick. You may care about me, but it's clear you desperately want my skills more than the friendship we used to have before you ratted on me," Henry asserted, his voice heavy and slow as his chest sagged with the memories of his time with Nick that haunted him. Nick clenched his teeth, huffing. "So that's it, then?" Nick inquired, "Are you simply giving in to your selfish desires just like that? I expected better from you." Nick took a deep breath, his hunter energy crackling with a white light. "Time for plan B then, Henry," Nick growled, his bloodshot eyes glaring at Henry. Wordlessly, Henry took a breath of his own, his hunter energy flowing through his body effortlessly like a river of ivory. Without another word, the two men clashed with the resulting impact of their fists colliding together, causing the trees around them to shudder as the wind blasted from the tremors. Eventually, the clash sent both of them back, evenly matched in raw strength and control over their energy. Nick, huffing as he glared at Henry's effortlessly relaxed frame, began to smirk. "Time for a little nostalgia!" Nick exclaimed, converting his hunter energy to the green variety. Nick's sclera became forest green, and his pupils became uneven hexagons that resembled hourglasses. He effortlessly strode over to Henry with a smile on his face, seeming not to care about the danger he was opening himself to. Henry stood his ground, glaring as Nick leaned into his personal space. "Aw. Are you getting soft, Henry?" Nick asked with a smirk and a mischievous gleam in his eyes, "Normally, you'd go gung ho. Why not this time?" Henry remained silent, observing Nick's abrupt change in approach. 'He's seriously trying to bait me, huh?' Henry deduced, 'Nick would've pulled out a ranged attack immediately in any other circumstance. I'll draw him away from his posse instead of fighting head-on.' Henry reinforced his legs with hunter energy before dashing off to the side in a blazing display of speed, with Nick bolting right behind him, manipulating dynamic energy to zoom straight towards Henry with the full intent to pin him down. Henry leapt up into the tree, reaching a high point as Nick stopped his dynamic energy, stopping immediately before adding gravitational potential energy to his form, causing him to appear to hover in the air. Henry huffed as he jumped from tree to tree in rapid succession, only for Nick to time his movements and calculate an accurate collision course to produce a checkmate scenario. This was the moment Henry shifted to green hunter energy as well, possessing the same forest green sclera and hourglass pupils Nick had. Henry smirked as he used gravitational potential energy to suspend himself and the surrounding air particles around his feet in place before jumping off the particles, evading Nick's timed attack with perfect timing of his own. After they landed on the ground, eyeing each other up as a combative form of entertainment for the moment, both men suddenly heard rustling and perceived the wolves had begun to snoop around, both of their sights allowing them to instantly understand the positioning of everything around them, including what was behind each of them, not because they could see what was behind each other, but because they could easily sense the position of everything around them in a five meter radius. "So, wolves are coming out to play, want to tackle this like old times?" Nick asked nonchalantly. "Nah," Henry answered with an easygoing tone underlying his response, "Let them spice up our time together. Nothing to worry about, right?" Henry and Nick shared a smug smile. "If you insist!" Nick exclaimed. Nick continued to charge forward while Henry cartwheeled around Nick before rolling backward to dodge Nick's follow-up attack. "That's all you got, Nicky?" Henry taunted. Nick snorted, "What, you want me to uproot the forest already? I was thinking we could savor the moment." Henry raised a cheeky eyebrow. "Sure, we'll keep this simple for you," Henry teased. Using dynamic energy, Henry shot up into the trees, with Nick following suit. Both men produced jaunty laughter as they zipped and bounced around the tree tops, making light of each other without a single ounce of consideration for their surroundings. Eventually, Henry got bored, so he zipped down and vaulted out of view. Once Henry got about ten meters away, he disengaged from the green hunter energy, observing his immediate surroundings with normal-looking, shifty eyes. 'I hope he took the hint,' Henry thought, his previous smile already wiped from his face. Henry immediately started moving before hearing a far-off zoom and stuck to the shadows, watching Nick blitz by. Henry brooded, 'Ugh, of course he didn't take the hint. Stubborn bull, always has been.' Nick exclaimed, "Come on out, Henry! Don't be a coward now." Henry rolled his eyes and continued to sneak away as he sighed quietly. Throughout this experience, Henry thought, 'Green hunter energy is always something that feels fun to use, but always feels annoying to fight against.' Henry then got an idea before continuing, 'Wait… That's it! I'll get under Nick's skin and scare him into giving up.' Henry shifted directions before switching to yellow hunter energy, his sclera turning yellow and his irises turning transparent, making his eyes appear incomplete and uncanny. The moment Henry made the change, all of his facial muscles relaxed, his eyes losing some of their luster as his pupils retained a static, neutral state. "Ah," Henry began in monotone, "This should do nicely." Henry immediately utilized his yellow hunter energy to activate a construct of his design, equipped with an array of perfectly replicated medical tools that were usually for supportive and healing purposes. "Excellent," Henry continued, his eyes turning towards Nick evenly. Henry then made an overt distraction, waiting for Nick to race over. Once Nick did so, Henry caught Nick by using tubes and wires from his construct to restrain Nick's legs and arms without cutting off any circulation. Nick disengaged his green hunter energy to conserve his overall stamina and assess the situation, his eyes returning to normal. Henry's muscles, both in his face and his limbs, were unflinching despite how close Nick was to him and the danger it presented. No matter what Nick could do, Henry's face always remained neutral and still. "Oh, are we doing this? How mature of you, Henry," Nick spat, glaring pointedly at Henry's even, unblinking visage. "No need to be upset, Nick," Henry started with an even tone, "I wish to have a debate. Particularly about my usefulness to the hunters." Nick huffed, straining to get out of the restraints. "Do I need to assure you that no harm will come to you?" Henry asked with a monotone voice. "Cease your yellow energy! It's creepy," Nick exclaimed, his eyes twitching. "I don't think I will. You are out of line and we must discuss it," Henry asserted, blinking at last. Nick retorted, "I'm out of line? You're the one who ran away." Henry replied, "Because I was compromised. I have nothing to offer." Nick freed his arm during the back and forth, reinforcing it with his regular energy to knock Henry unconscious. In retaliation, Henry had his yellow construct pull out a constructed scalpel and used it to block Nick's fist, not even leaving a scratch on Nick's fingers as it pushed back. "Not your best idea, Nick," Henry stated plainly, "Allow me to inform you of something: I am not worthy of the prophecy. So, leave me alone." Henry threw Nick away, allowing his construct to fade as he disengaged his yellow hunter energy, his eyes looking complete once more. 'I hope he's convinced…' Henry thought, 'I've already been fighting off hunters for three weeks straight since I ran off.' Henry then sensed a rush of danger and dodged to the left. After pivoting, Henry noticed that Nick activated his blue hunter energy, hearing him mutter, "Off by 3.6 seconds…" Nick's sclera were now a royal blue, his pupils forming two circles with a smaller one at the center of his eye. Two lines crossed through the center of each of Nick's eyes, one horizontal and one vertical, forming the shape of a target reticle in both of Nick's eyes. Henry immediately ran off, not realizing Nick was hot on his trail until he continued to fire spells of blue energy at him. Henry tried to sweep through the underbrush, only for Nick to try sending a barrel of blue energy from above onto Henry. Thinking quickly, Henry activated red hunter energy, making his sclera a cherry red color, and transforming his pupils into catlike pupils. The transfer caused Henry's muscle mass to multiply by four times his original mass and increased the durability of his skin, allowing him to tank the attack with a few scratches before grabbing Nick's arm. "Oh, so you like being cheap, huh?" Henry asked bluntly with a gruff yet subdued tone. Nick scowled, his face going red as he glared at Henry's furrowed brow and disapproving gaze. "At least I'm not smug like you, Henry. After all, we both remember what happened to Clarissa," Nick taunted with a spiteful sneer. Henry's eyes darkened, his mouth bending into a frown before throwing Nick far away. "Tch. Jerk," Henry muttered as he depowered from the red hunter energy, his eyes no longer catlike or red. "He knows not to bring her up," Henry growled, storming off to his secret home. Meanwhile, Nick ended up in a far-off tree, somewhat dazed, his eyes in their normal state as he disengaged the blue hunter energy. "Ugh…" Nick groaned, "Looks like my abilities weren't enough." Nick got out of his dazed state, checking the position of the moon. "I'd better get back to Marcus. He'll know how to deal with Henry. After all, he is his older brother," Nick muttered to himself. Before Nick began his trek to the Hunter's Guild, he sensed immediate danger and scanned the area. Looking to the northeast, Nick saw a single woman walking down one of the forest paths. She had a pale complexion, smooth skin, black lips, crimson red irises, and long rusty brown hair tied into a bun and tucked into a red sun hat. This woman had a black dress that was sleek and compact, clearly tailored for combat. 'Ah… Vampire. Seems strong. Let's see how she reacts to my usual routine,' Nick mused. Nick jolted to the shadows before activating his green hunter energy, possessing the forest green sclera and hourglass pupils from before. "Well, well. What's a fine lady doing in this neck of the woods?" Nick asked with some slight mockery in his tone in an attempt to offend the vampire's sensibilities. "Hunter. I've no time for the likes of you," the vampire steadfastly stated, not bothering to turn towards Nick as she continued to walk the forest path. Nick noted her response in the back of his head, understanding that the vampire was likely on the more potent side of vampiric power. She continued, "Unless you wish to fight, I suggest you leave." Nick pressed on. "Oh, come now," Nick insisted, "What is so important that we can't have a chat?" The vampire huffed. "I've someone I need to speak with. I do not intend to stay long. However, I will defend myself if necessary, so leave. Now," The vampire replied unwaveringly. "Eh. Suit yourself," Nick answered, "But I'll be keeping an eye on you." Nick ran off, leaving the vampire alone. 'Finally,' the vampire thought, 'It is already bothersome that those mangy dogs have a foothold here. The hunters may be aware of my presence now, but that won't be a problem if I locate him quickly.' The vampire looked at the moon longingly, feeling her once-dead heart beating in her chest as she thought of her prize. The vampire pondered, 'Oh my betrothed… Where have you gone?' The vampire continued on the forest trail; her search never-ending. That is, until she caught a whiff of a scent that reminded her of the warmth she once felt as a human. The pulse of her heart quickened as her head whipped in the direction it was coming from: the Southwest. The same direction that Henry was traveling in.