That feeling of something 'other' doesn't leave after the death of the vampire. It intensifies and festers in the back of my mind. A constant nagging presence. A voice whispering the death of anything different then myself. It took me years--years too long to figure out how to quiet it. Ignore it. Disobey it even. But, I was one of the rare few hunters to live as long as I had, and when you've been alive over a hundred years, you're bound to learn a few things.

My first encounter with an 'other' that didn't end in death, was 50 years after my change. I had been heavily outnumbered, fighting a pack of werewolves that had taken to eating humans. I was weakened, close to death, when for some reason another were helped save my life. Damnedest thing I'd ever seen. My first instinct was to kill him; even though he'd practically saved my life. But, the voices, the darkness inside me yearned for his death. To feel his blood on my hands. To hear the final bursts of his heartbeat...and yet, for the first time, in as long as I could remember, 'I' DIDN'T want to kill him.

50 years...50 years of killing ANYTHING 'other', only to be saved by the very things I had been taught to kill without thought. Well, that night changed everything. I'd never hunted the same way again. I owed my savior that much...it had been the only penance I could offer. Never even knew his name.

The memory fractures as the presence draws nearer. A last ditch defense mechanism all Hunters have. I can feel the air molecules shifting around me, just waiting for the signal to start them shifting into the fire I so loved.

To say I'm startled when the leopard drops from the rooftop, would be gross overstatement. Nothing surprised me anymore. I lift my eyes to focus on the creature and can't help but admire the deadly beauty that encompasses such a form. I'm almost envious. Almost.

Soon the telltale signs of shifting begin. The air thickens and shimmers, replacing the predator with a boy. I pause. Intrigued. It has been a long time since a Were of any sort, has been brave enough to approach me. Let alone shift to human form in my presence. I find myself giving him a slight nod, to show I respected his...bravery? Foolery? I wasn't sure what to call it. But, hell, it sure was something.

Then he's speaking--broken and drawn out pauses. As if the words were foreign on his tongue. Unused and new. It doesn't bother me. "You...got him...I saw." I nod again in verification. "Yes." I keep it brief. Not just for his benefit but for mine. I've never been a fan of talking. I figure this would be the end of it. We'd part ways, not as friends, but certainly not as enemies. Then, his voice meets my ears again, and my lips quirk into a semblance of a smile. Almost as if I had forgotten how and just remembered how. Which wasn't all together untrue. When he shows me his fingers, displaying the inch or so gap, I almost laugh. Almost. But it is closer then I have come to laughing, in longer then I would like to admit. "Well, that's something at least." I don't say I like him too. Though I do. I try not to get attached. They all die in the end. Just not by me. Some other fame glory Hunter. I hope this one lives longer then most. It's the only hope I allow myself.

I am about to walk away, when he asks about my rings. A huge change in topic. I blink, then glance down at them. Most of them are silver, I assume these are the 'biters' he refers to. A few though, are simply steel. I remove one and flick the metal towards him, knowing his reflexes can easily snatch it from the air. "Here." I pause, before adding. "That one's toothless." Not long after that, I feel the pressure inside me building. My mind fixates on something else. I can hear the paws thudding on the pavement before a large wolf rounds the corner. Hm. Seems leopard boy here had a friend.

The first thing she does it growl at me. Not that I can blame her. My kind have likely been the bane of her existence. I shrug mentally. There's nothing I can do to calm her of my presence. I can't tell her I'm not a threat to her, because I am. To them both. I will always be a threat. It's there in my very DNA. It's there in the tightening of my gut. In the deadly whispers inside my head. Kill. Kill. Kill. That's all it ever wants. They are both lucky I am so adept at ignorance. Selective hearing? I think so.

I can feel something pressing into my skull. Instantly my eyes narrow, clouding my grey irises into something darker. The air shifts and fire ignites inside my palm. I can feel its heat, a welcome presence. Her voice slips inside my mind, disgusting and different. I hate things inside my head that don't belong. "Are you friends with the male blonde Hunter and the Italian female Hunter?" I don't know whose she's talking about, and I fucking don't care. My mind screams at her to get out. The fire in my palm flickering and growing hotter with every second she lingers. "I suggest you stay the fuck out of my mind." Cold. It's all I can feel. I don't like it. I can still feel a lingering trail of her presence inside me. I can feel my OCD start to act up. I need control. I study the fire, making it form the shape of a leopard. A few more breaths, and I am in control again. But I hate her for making me lose it in the first place. "No. I don't know them." I force the words from my throat. They are chilling and void of any emotion I'd once previously expressed. "I just got here tonight." I sigh, the flame slowly fading out of existence. I keep my focus on the pair of them, feeling marginally better then I was, but not half as good as I did earlier. Figures. Girls and their personal shit always ruining things.

Well, might as well see what got her knickers in a twist. So, silently, I wait.



"talk like this."