Arlo James

See what it's like to be a vulture's lunch

It was hard to imagine, really, being so old that....no one else was your age anymore. How many of his friends and family had this man see die over the centuries? Did he even bother with them anymore? Did he even care any longer? Maybe that was a pleasant sort of numbness to have. Maybe one day he'd feel the same. It could be a relief, he supposed, not to care any longer and yet those ideas hardly lasted long within his thoughts. Malek mentioning then that he had found an old friend of sorts, Alexander The Great, Arlo's eye lifting slightly in clear dubiousness of the claim. The man sure the elder vampire was having him on. Malek, he had decided, seemed to enjoy these joking games. This was surely one of them.


"The guy who built the Great Wall? I'm not falling for that, bud."


Arlo was assured he wasn't about to be tricked again, moving to fall into step behind the elder vampire and follow him towards the park with some idea of feeding upon those animals the lingered within it. How on earth this was going to go he hardly knew and yet, he supposed, beggars could hardly be choosers. Maybe this would work, maybe the older guy was onto something here and yet some part of the man was unable to shake the feeling that this was somehow a bad idea all the same. Even so, Arlo found himself at least relaxing in Malek's presence, the man assured his newfound companion was unlikely to attempt any sort of attack on him in the least. He paused upon the edge of that park, his own instincts readily engaged as any predators were in the dark and when those tiny heartbeats of the creatures concealed in shadows so called to him with that steady thrum. It was almost...exhilarating and yet Arlo was quick to attempt to squash any of those notions. The man abhorring those moments in which he became so predatory. It almost felt as if he was losing a part of himself. As if his humanity faltered somehow and Arlo was determined, if anything, to hold on to that. The man focusing instead on the job at hand and capturing one of those rabbits.


His head nodded at that command to unleash his own affinity once more, Arlo waiting until that bunny was within range before firing that overly sticky net with enough force to send it from its feet kicking and flailing about wildly. That low whistle from Malek saw his lip quirk slightly upward in some appreciation at his own talent being so appreciated. What? He liked compliments, who didn't? Arlo trudging out onto the field a moment later, feeling dreadfully like a retriever before picking up that still struggling bundle of fur and carrying it back to Malek. God he felt like a monster. Murdering a bunny! Not that it was dead exactly although wouldn't biting it surely kill it? Maybe not, it wasn't quite as small as he thought after all. Arlo looked quizzical towards the older man in search of some sort of guidance now. Malek declaring he rarely actually killed his prey, Arlo inclined to wonder again how many rabbits he needed to feed from if he took so very little from each of them.


"Do you need less blood the older you get?"


Maybe that was why. Maybe that hunger simply didn't...control Malek as it did so many younger vampires. If he had the willpower to ignore everything but animals then maybe this fellow had far more control then Arlo had truly anticipated. The idea that he needed to 'mind the fur' was met with a slightly dubious look. Arlo not sure he wanted to put his mouth on it at all, even imagining the hair on his tongue hardly seemed pleasant and yet, well, he'd try most anything at least one. What harm could it do? Malek reached for that rabbit then, Arlo handing it to him only to see it die within the mans hands. Well. That was unexpected. The now dead and yet still warm creature was handed back to him, malek seeming rather jovial about the entire process, Arlo merely staring at it some moments longer before attempting to examine it from different angles. Where was he supposed to even bite the damned thing? He half contemplate asking the other vampire and yet at the risk of looking a perfect fool he simply moved towards its neck, attempting to brush some of that fine fur away from it. Those veins slightly harder to find without that blood pulsing through them and yet he manged all the same- fangs biting down a moment later.


His hands tightened briefly on that creature, that smooth, fine fur feeling decidedly strange on his lips and yet that hot splash of blood was brilliant......for about five seconds. He has swallowed barely three mouthfuls of that liquid before he paused, the taste of it only now beginning to find him. It was not.....pleasant. At least, not to him. Arlo grimacing readily now, his blue gaze lifting back to Malek.


"This is tastes pretty bad. I don't know how you- wow- I don't feel well.....oh shit."


He barely had time to thrust that rabbit back into Malek's hands, the young man only just managing to make it to that tree and those bushes before his entire body near doubled over- that blood he had swallowed but seconds ago rushing back up. The sound of his retching echoing across the park, one hand resting on the tree beside him, the man weakly wiping that blood from his lips as he so struggled to catch his breath in those few moments that followed. He had known something like this would happen. Arlo at last turning back to Malek now.


"Sorry bud, I.....must be allergic to rabbit or something. You can have my half."