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Dracul rode his horse calmly down the forest path. His silver armor had splashes of drying blood on it. The solders that followed and war-torn, most of them were dragging their swords from sheer exhaustion. Dracul looked at the sun from under the visor of his helmet. Shaped in the likeness of a wolf. He had eyes clearer then the deepest ocean. As he rode half drowsing and soaking in the warmth of the sun, a wolf leapt from the bushes and knocked Dracul from his horse. It began mauling his arm. The pain was fleeting. His armor protected his skin until it shattered.
"M'lord," a soldier came out of the crowd and knocked the wolf off of Dracul.
The wolf and soldier tumbled down the path in a tangled heap, finally coming to a stop with the wolf atop the man tearing this throat to pieces. The man's hoarse scream filled the tree-lined path, as did the hot smell of copper.
Dracul stood up and calmly examined his arm. The wolf's powerful jaw had splintered the silver armor and pierced his skin. He crept over to the wolf, which was intent on dragging his meal into the forest, and drew his sword. The wolf hackles rose and it bared its teeth, a low growl issuing from its chest. Un-shaken by its ferocity Dracul stabbed at it. Yelping in the pain the wolf began backing away. Suddenly it reversed course and lunged at Dracul.
Dracul swung his sword and decapitated the wolf with one clean blow while it was still in the air the body of the wolf fell heavily at his feet, and the head the head flew past him into the bushes lining the road.
"Retrieve the head. Be wary of the rest of the rest of its pack." Dracul said the words calmly as if he were telling the cook what he wanted for dinner. Nothing seemed to faze him.
Dracul walked back to this horse and grabbed a small jade-colored wine jug and collected the blood of the wolf and man.
“We’ll make camp here; Give some respect to the dead.”
Dracul stepped into his tent. The light from out side made the walls glow golden. In the middle of the tent was a boiling pot with something inside it. He lifted his helmet off and set it down. Dracul’s hair was black and cut short, his side burns were graying. His well-aged face was sprouting a rough beard. Dracul moved the thing in the water when a man in fancy armor stepped in.
“M’lord,” Dracul spoke in a thick Romanian accent. “You grace me with your presents.” He bowed to the man
“Stand Vlad,” He smiled “We have been friends sense we were boys there is n need for formality.”
“Sorry M’lord.” Dracul stood up.
“I heard about the wolf attack, strange that a wolf would attack while you’re in wolf shaped armor.”
“The peoples we attacked believed the wolf is a god of death. I donned this armor to express that. The wolf was a coincidence.” Dracul took the wolf's skull from the pot.
“I’m beginning to see why the men gave you the name Dracul, the devil.” Dracul poured the blood he collected into the skull. “Why is it that you do that?”
“To draw strength from the dead. The blood of a man or animal will carry its memory’s and powers. I taught my son this.”
“You are a sick puppy.”
“ Yes but I am loved for it.” They laughed and Dracul drank.
Dracul rose from his sleep in a dark area. The walls were black, the floor was black, and the ceiling was black. He stepped off the bed garbbless and it disappeared. Dracul looked around curious of his surroundings and he spotted the fallen angel Lucifer.
“I forgive you,” said Lucifer his lips moving differently than his words.
“I seek not you forgiveness,” Dracul said curiously.
“Then my mark shall appear shall on all your victims,” Lucifer vanished silently. The archangel Michael came holding his raging fire.
“Repent!” Michael commanded
“I repent for nothing,” screamed Dracul.
“Then my fires will be the only thing that burns you.” Michael burned a wall of fire around Dracul and he vanished. The Black winged visage of Uriel Flew down.
“Your soldier for gave you for letting him die,” he calmly assured Dracul.
“It was not my sin to bear.”
“Then that which has buried itself in your flesh this day will bring me to you,” He spoke and disappeared with a sigh.
The wolf he killed walked through the fire and spoke to him.
“Apologies and I will harbor no ill will.”
“I shall not Apologies to a beast,” He snarled.
“Then on the nights I howl the loudest, your body shall twist and contort and you will be a twisted version of my self.” Dracul heart slowed his muscles grew, his bones cracked. He felt his face extended and expanded. Hair sprouted from his entire body. Crumbling to the ground he began to pant loudly. The fire died down. He threw his head in to the air and howled loudly.
Dracul shot up in a cold sweat from his dream. He dunked his head into the pot of water, which had cooled in the night. Stepping out of his tent he worked his way to the forest through the crowd of sleeping men. A small moon lit pond was a few yards from the encampment so he so near the water. The sound of the water was soothing to the unrest that stirred in his soul. He looked to the moon with his cool blue eyes.
“One more night and the moon will be full,” He whispered to himself. Deep inside the back of his mind he wondered if his dream was just a dream or a premonition. Dracul wandered back to camp to sleep with out dreams.
Dracul was sitting astride his horse riding next to the man in fancy armor, silently pondering his dream. The soldiers behind them stared at him as if something had changed.
“You seem bothered Vlad,” said the man in fancy armor. Dracul looked at him and became frightened. The man in fancy armor had a glowing swirling pentagram on his face. Dracul turned to look at the men; they all had the pentagram.
“We are almost to the border, Yes?” asked Dracul nervously.
“Yes, but why do you ask?”
“I can not explain M’lord but I must go to my brothers home, Good bye M’lord,” Dracul Kicked his horse and rode off
Dracul galloped up to a small but glorious castle and knocked on the large oak door. A servant answered the door. He was a small old man who looked like he only had a few years left in him.
“Good evening sir,” shakily said the old man.
“Is your master home good servant,” Dracul was relieved. This old man did not bear the mark.
“The master is out. Can I ask you to wait in one of our guest bedrooms?”
“Yes, I am your master’s brother Please show me to a room.”
“Yes sir,” The servant held out his hand out, inviting him in.
Dracul stepped in and followed the servant to a room.
It was sun set before Dracul’s brother came home. Dracul rushed to see him as if his life depended on it.
“Brother is your dungeon secure,” his words were rushed.
“It is nice to see you too brother,” his brother was arrogant in his words. “What’s this about my dungeon?”
“Is it secure?” Dracul grabbed his brother on the shoulders.
“Yes, but what’s going on?” Dracul took off.
“I have no time to explain!”
Dracul got to the dungeon but it was too late. The sun was down the moon was out. Dracul began to change, but this time it was different. His skin loosened on his body, his arms went limp and fell to his side as if there was nothing inside to support them. Claws erupted from his chest. His wolf form tore itself out of Dracul’s human body. Dracul-wolf stepped away from the bloody pile of skin. The Familiar smell of copper tickled his nose. He shook the blood from his fur and breathed heavily.
The door re-opened and Dracul’s brother stepped in. He saw the wolf man and the remains of Dracul.
“Servant Fetch my bow!!” he yelled and ran down the hall.
Dracul-wolf headed to a bared window and tore out the bars. He began to climb out when Dracul’s brother came back with a bow and let loose an arrow striking Dracul-wolf in the back.
Dracul wolf clawed his way through the forest. The arrow that embedded in his back had a tip of silver so it burned his flesh. Arching his back he pushed the arrow from his back. He collapsed to the ground exhausted. The more he lay the dizzier he got. He moved his head and looked toward a figure the walk out from the wood. The wolf that he killed, the one that cursed him, watched him intently. As blood dripped from his fur, he thought.
“I repent.”
The wolf that stood before Dracul turned into a woman. This woman seemed to be made of plants. She spoke to him.
“Hello Vlad, I am Gaia,” Her voice was soothing. “I am a long forgotten goddess. I know you are frightened. I know that you now repent for you sin, but it is too late. You are doomed to this form.” Dracul whimpered as she bent down and kissed him on the forehead. “I’ll take you away from this moment in time. You’ll. Be somewhere safe, the land between Eden and Nod.”
Dracul closed his eyes as Gaia raised her hand can cover him in a shroud of leaves. He opened his eyes and saw a barren landscape. Baby trees were growing around him. A howl rang out in the baby forest and Dracul was in his new home.