Bloody Wedding - Part II
The hunt did not begin with noise as it takes time to savor the many flavors of an hunt. It also unfolded like a sickness through the city, seeping into its most crowded veins. When a hunt is declared, vampires are not hiding in shadows waiting for prey; they stepped into the heart of mortal chaos, where bodies pressed close and senses dulled beneath music, alcohol, and distraction. Festivals, crowded clubs, neon-lit gatherings, late-night game stores and endless parties are part of the their most visited locations. No stone is left unturned, no corner left unsearched. It was in the noise that predators thrived best, where fear could be mistaken for excitement and blood could be spilled unnoticed sometimes even beneath laughter. Some vampires, weaker in spirit or too cautious for their own survival, scattered at the mere presence of others like them, unwilling to risk becoming prey themselves. The French vampiric community was no exception; whispers traveled quickly among them, tension rising as hunters moved freely through their territory. But DeathBreeze and Nommz held an advantage most did not. The underground was theirs. The tunnels beneath the city allowed them to move unseen, to emerge and vanish as they pleased, cutting across distances faster than any surface path could allow. They were not chasing blindly. They were circling, tightening, closing in.
It took days before the first opportunity revealed itself, but patience had never been a weakness for DeathBreeze ... it was a weapon sharpened over centuries. Her desire was no longer simply to hunt; it had become something more personal, something carved from insult and threat. Those who dared to raise a hand against her family would not be met with equal force ... they would be reminded of their place.
When the moment came and the chase finally begins... it was almost disappointingly simple. A young fledgling of the Enfants d’Hathor stood inside a gaming store, her attention consumed by flickering screens and artificial worlds, unaware that the real danger had already found her. If only they paid more attention to their surroundings, there would be less loss among our kind. Lady DeathBreeze and Lord Nommz moved together in complete silence and synergy, their presence slipping through the space like a sudden drop in temperature. When they struck, it was swift and merciless. Their fangs pierced their victim’s flesh in near-perfect unison, the shock freezing her body in place for a brief, suspended instant before instinct took over. She fled, vanishing in a blur of panic, her skin marked, her blood carrying the taste of terror. Lady Mayfair lingered in that moment, savoring it... the sharp sweetness of fear infused in blood, a flavor that never dulled with time.
The aftermath did not take long to unfold. The scent of violence, the echo of pain... it traveled faster than words. Another of their kind arrived, drawn either by instinct or warning, stepping into the store. This one was known. The Royal Cat of Hathor. A creature surrounded by stories, none fully agreed upon, all equally unsettling. Some claimed he had once been a vampire, cursed into a feline form by ancient rites tied to Egyptian beliefs. Others whispered that he had never been human at all, merely a beast altered by feeding on vampiric blood until it became something… more. Whatever truth lay beneath the legend, one fact remained: he belonged to them and that made him a rightful prey. DeathBreeze’s gaze lingered on the creature, curiosity flickering into something darker. A smirk was drawn on her lips and Nommz picked up on it... A cat still possessed blood...And blood, no matter its form, could be taken.
The chase began in an instant.
The Royal Cat moved first, a blur of unnatural speed as it darted from the store, slipping through obstacles with impossible precision. Nommz followed without hesitation, his movements just as swift, closing the distance in calculated bursts. To mortal eyes, it would have been nothing more than a flicker ...something glimpsed and lost in the same heartbeat. But this was no ordinary pursuit. The creature moved with the same unnatural grace they possessed, leaping, twisting, evading with an intelligence that made each second of the chase sharper, more exhilarating. Nommz lunged, his fangs grazing fur instead of flesh, close enough to feel the heat of the creature but not enough to claim it. DeathBreeze followed, faster now, more focused, her claws catching briefly against the beast’s side. Again, just enough to feel resistance, but not enough to draw blood. It was frustrating but it was also thrilling.
And she smiled as this was what she had missed. The hunt not as execution ... but it was a challenge and a way to send a message.
Time stretched and snapped in rapid succession, the chase weaving through narrow spaces and broken paths until, eventually, even she felt the limits of the pursuit. The creature was too quick, too agile, too adapted to escape. DeathBreeze slowed down, then stopped entirely, watching as the Royal Cat disappeared into the distance beyond her reach. For a moment, there was only silence, broken only by the faint echo of movement far ahead.
Then, unexpectedly, she laughed...“Well done,” she called out into the darkness, her voice carrying just enough to follow the path the creature had taken. Whether it heard her or not did not matter. The message would travel, events like these always ended up on the desk of Sovereigns no matter the outcomes.
She turned to Nommz then, a subtle gesture signaling the end of the pursuit. There would be other nights. Other prey. This was not failure ... it was a message carefully delivered. Mayfairs were around and watching. And if fate allowed it, that message would reach the Manor of the Enfants d’Hathor soon enough.
Without another word, they moved.
A nearby sewer entrance swallowed them into the underground once more, their forms vanishing into shadow as quickly as they had appeared in the world above. The city continued on, unaware, untouched, blind to the violence that had just passed through it.
But beneath it... The hunt was far from over.
