Random Forest Of Darkness. <(Name belongs to Lacklustre.)

"Random Forest of Darkness" Belongs to Lacklustre. And is typed here by me with permission.

Okay, what it says on the tin.

The metaphorical tin that is.

It's a random forest.

And it's dark.

Very dark.

And quite scary.

Go wild!

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Calista (Spirit Wings) hurtled between the trees, finally stopping on a large log. Both feet firmly planted on the log, Calista surveyed the area with a brisk flick of her head.

Suddenly bored, she sank down onto the log.

Lost her prey again.

This whole animal-catching thing was harder than it seemed. Especially when you were hunting rabbits.

Sighing, Calista rest her head on her hand, and her elbow on her knee. Wasn't this fun...Not really.

And just the thought of killing was putting her off. The familiar feeling of guilt welled up in her gut, and her eyes. Angrily, she blinked them away. She had to stop thinking about that. Her initiation. Her first kill.

Her last kill.

Of humans anyway.

Armando stalk his prey with a silent ease. He had be studying her for what seemed like ages. She was the very reason why he embraced their family... business. She was the inspiration, the act of catching her would be his life's work. She was his prey...

Calista sighed, suddenly dreading returning home.

She felt meaningless, a tiny vampire in a world of hate. And guilt. A lot of guilt.

Rubbing her other hand across her eyes, she didn't bother checking the area for any pursuit, feeling tired and bored of her apparently meaningless existence.

And the fact it would go on and on...Never ending guilt, never ending shuns and never ending pain.

How bloody depressing, Calista thought to herself, eyes staring blankly into the distance, moving to lean her back against a nearby tree, still sitting on the fallen log. She moved her head from it's position on her hand, leaning it back against the bark of the tree, drinking in the dark all around.

One hand fiddled aimlessly with the sparse grass next to her, snapping the tiny green strands with simple ease.

Suddenly angry, Calista's other fist smashed into the next tree. There was an ominious crack as the tree split and fell backwards. Jerked out of her stupour, Calista glanced at the damage. Sighing again, she rested her fist on the log, very gently, making sure she didn't snap it.

She didn't need to add destruction to her list of crimes.

Armando observed his prey objectively. He didn't care that she was hunting animals not humans, he didn't care that her actions didn't seem to be like a mindless killer like all the other vampires were, no he was observing her, calculating her next move, checking out her possible exits, playing chess in his head with a oblivious opponent virtually.

Checkmate.

He crept out of the shadows and revealed himself to her, his long sword at hand.

Calista was on her feet in a second.

A slayer...

On the one time she forgot to check...

Cursing herself inwardly, Calista began to wonder...Maybe it was finally time for her to leave. To leave...the world. To leave her life...her species...her guilt.

Maybe, it was fate.

Which was what prevented her attacking. Her depressed state of mind caused her to sigh once more and sit back down on the log, head resting on the tree at her back, exposing her throat to the hunter.

Her internal vampire instincts screamed at her to fight, tear him apart and savour the sweetness of his slayer blood. A quick sniff told her all she needed to know.

He was a Casillas.

At least that meant she'd have a quick and effective death.

"Come on then, Slayer." Her voice was tired and emotionless. And almost bored. "You know you want to kill me, so just do it."

"You don't know how long I've waited for this... " He said thriving in his words.

"I am going to slay you but before I do, I'd like to introduce myself." Armando said. "I am Armando Casillas. I am the only child of Roberto Casillas, but that wasn't always the case..."

"I used to have a twin..." Armando said matter-of-factly. He looked into the eyes of his sister's killer. "Her name was Elicia..."

"Do you remember her? You should."

He just needed her to know who Elicia. He needed it. Sweet Elicia. His sister, his twin, his best friend!

Calista sighed. "I do not know your family's intricacies, it may surprise you to know."

Her mind skipped a few paces ahead...She should remember her...A sister...

The girl...Calista's initiation...

"...My initiation." Her voice cracked slightly and she bent her head forwards. "I did not know that was her name." Her eyes swirled with guilt and pain...and a desire to know who it was she had killed controlled her thoughts.

"...Wha-What was she like?" It was an unvampirish sentance, but Calista's curiousity was spurred on by guilt...The desire to know the girl she had killed ruled her thoughts.

The vampire's reaction angered Armando. "Why should you care? You killed her!"

"You blood suckers are all the same! You all ignore the preciousness of human life! Ignore it all! Just so you can feed your hunger!"

"Well I am here to end it for you." Armando said. "Just like you've end it for my sister."

He made a move towards her, gripping his silver sword.

"Yes I killed her. Why shouldn't I care? Or are vampires forbidden to have consciences now? What do you want me to say? I'm sorry? As if that'd make any difference." Calista's voice was tired.

Calista sighed. "What a lovely generalisation. Shame it doesn't work for me. And in case it has escaped your notice, I'm out here trying to catch infuriatingly small animals so I don't have to go around mindlessly slaughtering you humans. And not that you'd care, but I haven't killed anyone else. You have your sister and my conscience to thank for that."

"Then stop talking, and end it." Calista didn't move. She didn't even blink. "You'd be doing me a favour."

He was very unsettled, years of dreaming of this moment and this wasn't how he expected it to turn out. Armando was confused on what to do. Suddenly he heard footsteps, his fellow clan members, he needed a quick decision...