Katsumi and the Hunter’s Curse

Katsumi (15 years ago) The air held an eerie chill to it with a stench that filled my nose making me cringe. The mission in front of me was one I never would have thought I would be a part of. One that I wish I wasn’t. My instincts told me to remain calm, but inside a struggle ensued. My nerves were on edge, my body tense, but not because I feared for my safety, because nothing scared me anymore. I could fill a mountain with the c*****e and dead bodies I’ve seen. Wreaking havoc and spilling blood were leisure activities for me, enjoyable ones. Thus, the life of a vampire warrior. No. My problem was the reason for the mission, a wolf rescue. Not just one wolf, but three… as if matters could get no worse. What was I even doing here? It wasn’t right. Vampires and wolves didn’t work together. We were born, natural enemies. There was a reason for that. She had an alliance with these particular wolves, not me. I’d rather let them die and rot. Being the one to cause their deaths would be a bonus. But my loyalty lied with her, and when she called upon me, I couldn’t deny it. The faces around me didn’t seem to be having the same concerns. Kyoko sat beside me, her resolve firm. She was less than bothered, and that irritated me to my core. Why did things not get to her as they did me? It was hard to believe we were twins. Aside from our appearance, we were so very different. Words were exchanged as we rode a vehicle to our destination and my unease grew. There were vampires from other covens that I recognized but vampires weren’t the only creatures among us. Wolves were present too. The thought disgusted me. Apparently, time was of the essence, but could we not have ridden separately? It took everything in me to keep my composure. They smelled… My eyes roamed the faces around me skeptically. So everyone was just perfectly fine with this? Was I truly the only one that understood what we were doing was absurd and unheard of. They were wild animals that didn’t deserve the assist, wild animals that needed to be tamed. Did Onyx not realize what she was doing? It seemed as though the pull of the bond was too strong and since she was a hybrid and not a vampire like we had believed all of our lives, she was unable to fight it. She was my family, and our ties were strong. I would not look at her differently, but those feelings didn’t extend to the others. I hated them all. I could never tell her that even though I’m sure she had her suspicions. She clearly cared for him and the last thing I wanted to do was cause a rift between her and I. So I put my negative thoughts behind and did what I needed to do for her -- not her wolf mate -- because she would do the same for me. That night, our mission was a success. We saved the wolves, and after that, things began to change. The union between Onyx and her Alpha Atlas, had started something unforeseen. They proved that enemies could look past their differences and come together. Was that really the case? A negative essence seemed to fester inside of me. I had done many terrible and probably unforgivable things in the past. If I was not already damned just by the simple fact of who I was, my bad deeds would have solidified my fate. There would be a special place in hell reserved for me. At least that was what I used to think before seeing how things had begun to look differently for Onyx. Before redemption didn’t seem like something obtainable for me, but perhaps there were things I wasn’t seeing. Because now my cousin, someone that was regarded as dark and demented like me, had become happy and was enjoying the way she lived. I had to admit, I felt a bit jealous. So maybe things could be different. There was a time when being alone was what I wanted, but maybe that was just because it was all I had known. Trying something new can be rewarding. At least I could try, right? Because what else did I have to lose?