A Renegade’s Jeremiad

Chapter 5: Collision

April 27th. 7:18 PM

Moon: First Quarter

Tonight, Henry went to his usual hunting grounds, looking for some squirrels to have a bit of special meat as a way to treat himself, when he noticed that the area was quiet, too quiet. Suspecting the area was compromised, Henry began to run off, only to get caught in a durable net made of thick, black wire. Marcus stepped out of the bushes with a smirk on his face. Marcus began, "Got you! Now humanity will be—" "Shut your mouth, Marcus!" Henry interrupted, "I don't know how much of your spiel I can stand. And how did you find me anyway?" Marcus scowled, glaring daggers at Henry. "Duncan tracked you down. Besides that, do you no longer care for your responsibilities to humanity, Henry?" Marcus inquired. "Of course I care! Why do you think I came out here, Marcus?!" Henry shouted, his body trembling. "Then why did you run away?" Marcus asked. Henry huffed, gritting his teeth. Henry explained, "Because you had our mother killed, Marcus. I needed time to grieve. I knew you wouldn't let me, so I had-" Marcus cut Henry off. "Don't give me childish, selfish excuses, Henry!" Marcus exclaimed, "This world needs us both to be strong to save it. You especially! We can't afford you to be compromised by sentimentality or corruption."

Henry turned away from Marcus, who gritted his teeth at the sight. "Henry. You don't understand the consequences of this! I checked your genomes!" Marcus exclaimed. Henry looked over at Marcus with a venomous glare, now knowing why some of his hair had gone missing after fighting Nick. Marcus continued, "You have the nature of the Sigma wolf, and despite what our father has done to protect us, you somehow have the essence of the Vampire Kin-" Henry cuts Marcus off, "It's because the essence of the Vampire king can't be removed, no matter what can be done." Marcus stared at Henry, an eyebrow raised. "How did you-" Henry cut off Marcus again, "The vampire, named Vanessa, told me." Marcus's face went pale as he heard that. "Lies! That stupid vampire is trying to feed you lies. There's no way that can be the case." Henry rolled his eyes, sighing dramatically at Marcus's outburst. "Don't you dare mock me, Henry," Marcus continued, "You are turning your back on humanity for childish desires!" "Oh, please!" Henry shouted, "You didn't care about how I'd feel when you sent Nick after me! I feel that my worth would be better off helping the hunters in a fashion that separates the two of us because you have eroded the moral core of this branch that Father maintained so carefully!" Marcus growled, "Don't you dare bring Father into this! He entrusted me with the leadership of this place." Henry crossed his arms, glaring daggers at Marcus. "I know," Henry began, "But he didn't see you start to pull away from the others when he was on his last legs. He didn't see the beginnings of the obsession that is now at the root of your character!" Marcus brought the net down by extending the rope, black hunter energy flowing around his hand. Marcus then stared Henry dead in the eyes, his cheeks red and his blood boiling. "You. Don't. Decide. Your. Fate. You were chosen by the prophecy, Henry and I would burn in hellfire before I allow you, my dearest brother, to be cut down before you reach the heights of your life!" "Determinism. Again?!" Henry sighed, "Do you hear what comes out of your mouth? You have already presumed that you know what will happen. That is dangerous." Marcus snarled, "I am the only one who has glimpsed the truth of the prophecy. Just because you've decided to turn your gaze from it doesn't make it any less true, nor does it revoke you of your responsibilities to the greater good!" Henry wanted to slap Marcus at that moment.

Henry retorted with venom, "Why don't you leave me hanging in the trees for the wolves to catch me like you left Clarissa to die, huh? Maybe then I could take some comfort in knowing I wouldn't have to deal with your smug face." Marcus narrowed his eyes. "Is that so? Fine!" Marcus exclaimed, raising Henry back into the tree. "You get to stay hanging in there on a time out for being a bad person and betraying your people with your sniveling excuses!" Marcus snapped, his eyes twitching. Henry, however, smirked as he took a breath, his pupils becoming the shape of a diagonal cross s***h while his sclera turned orange. Henry then shaped several sharp cutters with orange hunter energy, their complex design allowing Henry to stick multiple into the net for maximum effect. Marcus immediately realized what was happening and tried to correct it, but it was too late. "Eat this, hex!" Henry screamed before bashing the cutters shut, cutting a hole into the net and escaping into the treetops before Marcus could wrap the net around Henry again. "Rats!" Marcus commanded, "All units! Pursue the target, do not let him leave your sight!" Marcus then took a breath, his pupils becoming a cross-s***h like Henry's pupils, and his sclera turned orange as well. From the orange hunter energy, Marcus summoned a simple, long, broad scarf before racing after Henry as he frothed at the mouth, thinking about being tricked so easily.

Henry raced along the treetops, giggling like a madman as the thrill of the circumstances, combined with the orange hunter energy, kept him agile. However, that would soon end when Marcus snapped the branches he was standing on, forcing Henry to buckle and tumble safely to the ground before dodging Marcus's scarf. "Real mature, Marcus!" Henry exclaimed as the hunters formed a perimeter around the two brothers. "Please," Marcus scoffed, glaring at Henry with venom, "I'm not the ignoramus who brashly defies destiny just to live out some childish fantasy that you don't need to be held to any form of responsibility." Henry retorted, "You aren't listening, you imbecile! I just want to bring my thoughts about Mother to a more manageable level that won't affect my use of hunter energy. I don't want to hurt people just for the chance to get stronger." Marcus snapped, "Why are you so concerned about being on the high ground? We are hunters! We live to show our dominance over the dark, to bring our glory to the eyes of the average folk so that they may prosper in our light!" Henry growled at this, knowing that this is not what real hunters stand for. Marcus, acting before Henry could rush him, had his scarf extend under the ground, attempting to pierce through Henry's defenses or capture him. Henry, however, saw through this and dashed forwards, dodging the scarf. Marcus would then extend the scarf further, trying to pierce Henry from multiple spots on the ground only for Henry to continuously dodge and weave, getting close to Marcus before summoning a blade constructed from the orange hunter energy and slashing at Marcus, who dodged at the last second. Marcus recalled his scarf as Henry's blade turned into a pair of gauntlets, ready to unleash a barrage of punches. In retaliation, Marcus uses his scarf to block Henry's punches. "Don't you see Henry?" Marcus asked as the brothers clashed, "You can use multiple weapons at a time, yet I can only use my scarf." Henry argued, "Anyone with orange hunter energy can learn to use multiple weapons!" Marcus commented, "But you can access all six hunter energies." Henry spat, "So can you, Marcus! Any hunter with enough discipline can!"

Marcus pushed Henry back, disengaging his orange hunter energy, prompting Henry to do the same as Marcus demonstrated that he wasn't apt to fight now that Henry was cornered. "Henry…" Marcus asserted, "Even with all you have said, it took me five years to learn all of the energies and another year to master them. It took you only one year to do that much!" Henry remained silent, knowing Marcus was right about this. "You didn't see Father's vision for you. How he talked about you. Not only that, your hunter alignment is the rarest amongst all hunters, whereas mine is the most common! Does that not intrigue you? Does it not show that you are destined to surpass what we are now? You were destined to transcend me! To transcend humanity and obtain all of the glorious praise from saving our world!" Marcus rambled; an odd spiral of brambles subconsciously formed from hunter energy as it swirled in his eyes. "Tch! Do you hear yourself, Marcus?" Henry vociferated, "You are basing all of this nonsensical theorizing on some statements you claim Father said, the fact that I, through luck, have a deep connection to the energy that fuels all hunters, no matter the type whereas you have a connection to hexes like most hunters do, a bunch of research you did on my genome, which is a massive violation of my privacy, and to top it off, a story for children that you decided to prop up through all of the prior events and information that confirmed your perspective even though you could easily be seeing connections that aren't there!" Henry sighed, looking at the floor. "I won't deny that some of the events that have occurred are eerily similar to the prophecy," Henry admitted. "However!" Henry exclaimed, "Life is not that easy to predict. This could go on any path, and you are choosing to obey a simple story, thinking it has all the answers, instead of trying to forge the best path we can make. Well, I'm not going to follow you off this cliff you're racing towards!"Marcus sighed, realizing he wasn't getting through to Henry. "Shame," Marcus bemoaned, "You haven't been corrupted, but you lack faith. Despite all this power gifted to you by destiny, you can't see the bigger picture. Or rather, you refuse to acknowledge it." Marcus leaned in, his hot breath misting across Henry's face. "Fine. If you won't pry the scales from your eyes, then I will!" Marcus shouted before raising his hand.

Marcus paused, however, when Henry began to grab his stomach, not in pain, but rather feeling like his gut was telling him something. Marcus sniffed the air and immediately recognized the distinct smell of vampire blood within half a second. "All units, Spread Formation!" Marcus commanded. The hunters spread out, remaining within a distance of no more than three meters from each other. At the last second, Marcus took a breath, his sclera turning green and his pupils turning to hourglasses before using his now superhuman reflexes to grab Henry's wrist and jerk him away from Vanessa's grasp when she dived for him. "Slow and sloppy," Marcus quipped with a smirk before disabling his green hunter energy to address this attack on Henry with the utmost diligence and importance. Vanessa scoffed, glaring pointedly at Marcus before recognizing him. Vanessa smirked as she began, "Ah, the prodigal carrier of that man's legacy. How quaint." Marcus tensed up, glaring at Vanessa. Marcus retorted, "Don't you try to bluff me, bloodsucker. You will not touch my brother." Vanessa laughed before her irises glowed leaf green. "Oh, Marcus…" Vanessa crooned, making a hand movement that signaled something to come over, "You are a little insignificant peridot compared to the Hope Diamond, my beloved is! We will live in paradise and dine on the weak, while you wither away like the worthless fly you are!" Eventually, a large group of villagers came over, obviously charmed by Vanessa, their eyes glowing the same shade of leaf green that Vanessa's irises were. Marcus scowled, overtly disgusted by the scene. Henry, also seeing this, felt his heart pound and his eyes widened as his mind replayed a scene where he saw a vampire seduce an innocent woman before devouring her blood when he was unable to prevent the incident. Henry was only eleven years old at the time, and it was the moment his emotions first began to unravel, especially when the vampire noticed him and then began to obsessively pursue him, leading to Henry never wanting to lose his humanity in the first place.

Vanessa's eyes widened, noticing Henry's ragged breathing while Marcus held Henry behind him, placing himself between Henry and Vanessa, glaring at the old vampire. "No, no, Henry…" Vanessa spluttered, trying to calm Henry. "Don't listen, Henry!" Marcus exclaimed, "She's just trying to lead you into the trap." Vanessa snarled at Marcus before commanding, "My friends. Retrieve my partner." The charmed villagers ran towards Marcus, intent on wrestling Henry away from him. Henry, however, despite his pounding heart, threw Marcus to the side and ran at the crowd before using aikido to redirect their grabs and throw them into each other so that the villagers would be exhausted and unable to fight. Meanwhile, Vanessa began to walk towards Henry with a broad smile, knowing that Henry would do this based on her observations of him as he grew up. Now that Henry was vulnerable, Vanessa could sneak up on him and bite him to make him a vampire. What Vanessa didn't account for, though, was what Marcus did next. "All units!" Marcus shouted, "Get those people to safety!" Marcus then took a breath, his pupils becoming cat-like slits, and his sclera turned red. His red hunter energy shot across Marcus' legs as he intercepted Vanessa and punched her away, causing her to slam into a tree. Vanessa, however, only laughed as she rose to her own two feet, the red hunter energy only leaving a small burn on her skin.

"Tch!" Marcus huffed, his gaze piercing, "So you're a tough one, eh? No matter, I'm used to tough customers like you!" Vanessa chuckled. "Aww~" Vanessa cooed mockingly, "Can't bear to insult me in this state of mind, Marcus? How adorable." Marcus didn't reply, only charged once again, only for Vanessa to dodge. "Who's slow now, big shot?" Vanessa punched Marcus hard in the solar plexus, disrupting his concentration and disabling his red hunter energy. "Gah… Well played," Marcus admitted, glaring at Vanessa, yet still stuck to the ground. Vanessa looked down on Marcus with a sung, broad smile. "You truly are your father's son, Marcus. Inferior, caring too much, unable to allow the world to take its natural course, and most of all, pathetic beyond words!" Vanessa laughed, reveling in her victory. "Don't you think you're celebrating a little too soon?" Marcus asked. Vanessa scoffed before kicking Marcus in the head. "Too soon? Ha! I'll finally have my beloved all to myself. And neither you, nor your meddlesome father will get in my way~" Vanessa stated before chortling to herself. "Is that so?" Marcus asked, his eyes pulsing black, before a void black, tiny bear trap slammed down onto the hand Vanessa used to punch Marcus, making her hiss in agony. Marcus laughed, rising to his feet. "You thought I was done, Vampire?!" Marcus asked, a s******c smile spreading across his face, "You think you know me? You believe you have everything figured out?! After what you said about Father, I'm going to put you through a slow, agonizing end!" Vanessa gritted her teeth at Marcus, ending the leaf green glow and releasing the charmed townspeople. "You want to laugh, boy?" Vanessa spat with venom, "You dare get between Henry and his place in this world?! After all my efforts, you dare make a mockery of my love for him?" Marcus laughed again, "Soulless creatures like you are incapable of that, monster!" Vanessa's irises shifted to crimson, her vampiric blood pulsating through her body as she broke Marcus's hex. Vanessa scowled, her eyes beginning to produce a flaming number of crimson flakes that flowed around her body, akin to rose petals in the wind. Seeing this, Marcus's smile was replaced with a cautious frown, knowing that something like this only happened when a Vampire's abilities were multiplied through desperation or genuine spite.

"You seem to be taking this quite seriously," Marcus stated, circling Vanessa as she circled him, fangs out. "You have no idea," Vanessa rambled, "The lengths I've gone to for Henry, what I feel for him. He is everything I desire. And you will NOT stand in my way!" Marcus exclaimed, "Henry doesn't belong to your kind. He will be the greatest hunter who ever lived! Strong enough to make creatures like you a thing of the past. To show that humanity is the true king of this world!" Vanessa sighed, her gaze dull and mirthless," Oh, please. Spare me the theatrics, boy. We both know that this is solely about Henry and what he can afford us. You want him to fetch you the attention you desperately crave to prove to your father that you matter. I would know, I've seen it through your mother's eyes." This time, Marcus paused, his mind flashing back to when he ordered his mother to be executed, seeing the vampiric features, remembering the process he underwent to remove the vampiric essence, and the talk he had with Henry before this point. Marcus finally understood that Henry wasn't lying about this vampire's intentions or her mane. "Vanessa…" Marcus muttered, his words laced with venom. "Hm?" Vanessa asked, "What are you blabbing about?" Marcus rambled, "I see now. You, Vanessa, are the harbinger of the Vampire King, sent here by the whims of the prophecy to set the conflict in motion. Well, if you think I will allow you to succeed, think again, dark creature!" Vanessa blinked once before laughing uproariously. "Prophecy? I couldn't care less about that! All I desire is Henry by my side and a paradise where we can help each other achieve any plans we have for the future. This silly tale you mentioned means nothing to me!" Vanessa exclaimed, looking down on Marcus as if he were a child. Marcus didn't reply, not even flinching while his eye twitched after hearing Vanessa's statement. Instead, Marcus fearlessly stomped over to Vanessa and slapped her in the face with hunter energy, causing her to hiss, "You disrespectful brat! How dare you?" Marcus laughed, his mouth contorting into a grin at Vanessa's gaze. Marcus shouted, "Those are my words, Vanessa! No one, not even a monster, disrespects me!" Because of this, Marcus huffed, his pupils becoming hourglasses, and his sclera turned green just before Vanessa tried to strike him, allowing Marcus to dodge and kick Vanessa in the back of the head, chortling at her discomfort all the while.

Meanwhile, Henry assisted the other hunter with helping the innocent villagers get to safety by helping them calm down, which then allowed six of the hunters to trap Henry in a cage by using hexes to craft it. "What are you all doing?" Henry asked, his eyes darting all around him. "What we have to do," stated a voice on Henry's left. When Henry turned, he saw Duncan there and scowled. "Ah. The prodigal older brother, hm?" Henry mocked, "Showing his face after betraying his sister. Duncan chuckled, "It was a matter of strength, Henry. You should know that." Henry scoffed, shaking his head. "You and Marcus missed the point of Father's vision long ago. Though I imagine you went along with it because it gave you the excuse to trudge around the place unhindered," Henry stated accusingly. Duncan smirked before stating, "Well, why should I be hindered? I'm the best Rook in this branch! I deserve respect for my strength just like Marcus and you do." Henry mocked, "Oh? Have you lost the ability to think for yourself, you glorified meathead?" Duncan huffed before suddenly grabbing Henry by the collar and bashing him against the hex-formed cage several times, and finally threw him to the other side of the cage hard without the use of hunter energy as Duncan sneered at Henry's crumpled form. "You think you can judge me, Henry?" Duncan boomed, "I'd break your legs and leave you out in the woods for such an insult if you weren't so respectable for your strength and if Marcus did not require you in tip-top condition."

It was at this moment that ten werewolves in their war wolf forms, towering at ten feet tall over the hunters and villagers, surrounded the place. "Everyone! Attack! Save our brother!" A burly one shouted, his vocal cords gnarled by the transformation. The hunters held back the werewolves to defend the villagers while Henry begged those who held him to let him out so he could help protect the villagers. Duncan, noticing this desire, gave the ok to let Henry out for a while, but the moment Henry was released, all of the wolves immediately stopped attacking the others and went straight at Henry, forcing Henry to run off. Duncan then realized the werewolves were Greybacks, but did nothing, so he would see what would happen out of revenge for being insulted. What Duncan saw was the werewolves dogpiling on Henry and holding him still before one of them curled around Henry and licked his face. "No!" Duncan yelled, charging in with hunter energy before the werewolves dispersed. After the wolves left, Duncan cursed himself, panicking now that he had lost Henry.