Hollow Repentance

- - - - - Torren's POV - - - - -

For some reason, she had seemed very distant for the last few minutes; whether she was thinking or just tired, I couldn't tell. I voted against reading her mind tonight; there was no reason to hurt her; after all, she had battled against a rogue creature to save Aldin. She deserved some credit, at least! One thing I had always admired about Izzy, even though she didn't remember anything of what had happened, was her confidence and relentless willpower in almost any situation. A kind and strong minded human girl.

Shuffling away from her, I watched carefully as Izzy rolled to the other side of the bed and silently crossed the room to the set of drawers. As she reached for the empty glasses, I fidgeted slightly, wondering where she was planning to get a drink from. Carefully, she strolled to the door and pulled on the handle, the open doorway leading into the the hallway. When she disappeared from sight, I contemplated following her, but I suppose she'd have to be good if she wanted to go out into the gardens tomorrow.

I sat perfectly still on the edge of the bed, twiddling my thumbs and listening to her footsteps as she reached the bathroom. I felt at ease hearing the water running and Izzy's slow relaxed breaths echoing in my ears. Sometimes, I was glad to have such advanced hearing; knowing that she wasn't trying to run away again put me at ease.

Glancing up, I smiled warmly as Izzy wandered back through the doorway, with two glasses of water settled in her hands. It was quite smart of her to stock up on water before going to bed; this way she wouldn't need to leave the room as much and I wouldn't have to be so worried. Slowly, I stood up to allow her to climb under her covers and motioned to the bed with an open palm. Izzy shook her head lightly and strolled over to me.

Without a word, she handed me one of the glasses and carefully swiveled around to head towards the balcony. What was she doing? Curiously, I followed her to the balcony doors and studied her breathing as she pulled the doors towards her. Her breathing was unwavering...So, she wasn't trying to escape? I mimicked Izzy's movements, pausing beside her and draping my arms on the cool marble railing, the full glass still in my hand.

We both held silent and stared out into the perfect night, the gibbous moon illuminating the the colourless sky. I had only once seen a sky so clear in all of my years of living and that was the day following my ascension to my full powers. It was the day my life changed forever, for the better.

"Are there wolves in the forest?"

I jolted my head towards Izzy, her eyes staring emotionlessly out to the forest, scouring the trees for any signs of movement. How could I answer without scaring her? It was true, there were wolves in the forest, even some werewolves stalked through the thickness when they hunted, but to Izzy, werewolves didn't exist. To Izzy, neither did the real me.

I gazed out to the trees as well, my powers allowing my eyes to tear through the darkness and observe even the auburn fox chasing the rabbit back into it's burrow. How trivial.

"Yeah, most of the wolves commonly found in Tolpaza and Dai Esau live in this forest. They're not a force to be tangled with, Izzy."

We turned to face each other simultaneously and I rested my hand lightly on her shoulder, almost as if she would fall over if I didn't.

"Do you remember that dog that attacked you in your apartment last week? Well, that was a species of wolf from this forest, too. There are so many dangerous creatures in there, Izzy. Never go there without me with you."

I smiled warmly and felt more at ease as she nodded and turned back to gaze into the forest, a hint of fear reflecting in her eyes. I stared at her. The dimmed light from her bedroom casted shadows in front of her, each ray echoing a deeper shade into her silky ebony hair and a glassy gleam to play on her lips. She was a beautiful creature; her complexion pale but more toned than than any of the females I ever came into contact with. Well, any that wouldn't be able to tear my head off at full moon!

She... interested me. There was something unique about her that not even her mother possessed, nor either of her two brothers; I just couldn't put my finger on it. For once, I felt at ease with someone, yet she worried me at the same time. All of these complex emotions ambushed me from the moment I first laid my eyes on her almost nine years ago, and had only intensified within the last week. What was happening to me?

"Torren. What's that on the path?"

I twisted my head to follow Izzy's gaze and gasped as my eyes fell upon the cause of her concern. Narrowing my eyes, I watched cautiously as a dark hooded figure strolled slowly along the dimly lit path, avoiding all light patches on the way. I felt a low growl rising in my chest and bared my teeth, the nagging feeling intimidating me as I struggled to resist the daggers forcing their way through my gums.

Resting my hand over my mouth as though I was thinking, I kept my eyes on the stranger and spoke to a nervous Izzy in a quiet and almost menacing voice.

"This time and this time only, I am going to give you a choice. You can either come with me to confront this stranger and do everything I say, when I say it; or you can hide in the tower and I'll lock the door and give you a key. It's your call, Izzy; what do you want to do?"

I took deep breaths and kept my eyes on the figure, studying each footstep as though it would clue me into who the intruder was.

"I'm coming. There's no way you're keeping me out of this."

Sighing, I closed my eyes and nodded silently, my arm outstretched towards her. Izzy carefully wrapped her arms around my neck and I pulled her body close to mine, lifting her from her feet as I stepped up onto the balcony ledge. I would have preferred it if she had opted to stay in the mansion; that way, I would have only had to concentrate on protecting myself instead of worrying about her safety first. But, I did give her the choice... Great!

Clinging protectively onto the fragile child in my arms, I stepped casually over the edge and relished the rushing sensation through my hair as we dropped gently to the porch roof below. The moment my feet left the railing, Izzy's heart rate soared and I could almost feel the blood pumping through her veins. I landed lightly on the porch tiles, my feet barely scraping the rough surface as I slid silently to the shadowed mud below; Izzy breathing heavily in my arms.

Her body radiated a calming warmth as she pressed herself against my chest and her breathing grew shallower as I turned away from the approaching stranger and set her gently on the dusty ground to the side of the path. Trying not to make any sudden movements, I crouched in in front of Izzy and drew close to her.

"Stay there, and don't move unless there's trouble" I breathed in her ear.

I carefully stood up and twisted around, wandering carefully towards the figure, my eyes burning crimson as I scanned the bushes to either side for any trace of undiscovered enemies. Nothing. For a stranger to trespass on my property, barely armed and without back-up, this character must have been pretty sure of himself. Too bad; I would break him of his confidence for ruining the most tranquil moment I had ever spent with the Izzy. As I edged along the path towards the furtive character, I held a firm position blocking any access between the stranger and the girl crouching uneasily at the side of the path.

"Hey, who are you? Identify yourself!"

My voice was unwavering and defiant, yet I was secretly concerned, but only for Izzy's safety. I could handle myself any day, but she... Well, she had difficulty handling a human, never mind one of my kind.

Suddenly, I heard Izzy gasp quietly behind me; I guess she'd spotted the Kukri knife clenched in the figure's fist, hovering anxiously at waist height. Glancing behind me, I watched in horror as Izzy leapt to her feet and darted into the bushes noisily. What part of, do what I say when I say it, did that girl not comprehend? I should have known; making a break for the gate when I was preoccupied was the ideal opportunity. But her safety was in jeopardy as long as she was out of my sight; her life was at risk.

Luckily, the figure before me discarded the rustling in the bushes, possibly believing that the cause was merely a wild animal. Thank god. I listened as Izzy's heartbeat slowly dulled as she crept away from me. She wouldn't be too difficult to recapture, if she stayed at the same pace.

"I said, who are you? You're trespassing on my land, stranger. Answer me!"

Then, I spotted her. Silently, Izzy appeared from the bushes several metres behind the figure, a thick sturdy branch gripped in both hands. She couldn't possibly be planning to attack the intruder; she wouldn't stand a chance. Trying to ignore Izzy so she wouldn't be discovered, I focused on the character before me, the scarlet blaze in my eyes intensifying threateningly.

I bared my teeth at the hooded figure, my pearly canines glistening in the dimmed light. Intimidation was the only thing I could do to hold the stranger's attention. One wrong move would expose Izzy and put her in harm's way. No rash movements...

"I'll ask you one last time; who are you and what business do you hold here?"