Truce, A Dangerous Game

~pre "Doomed Love"~
Sheela paused a moment, catching her breath, not sure where to go. The screaming had stopped, and these halls...she couldn't find her way in here. For perhaps the millionth time, she wished she had found Ardon wandering about. At least he would know where to look.
The sudden pad of footsteps ahead of her brought her back, and in the dim light, she caught a glimpse of long blonde hair as someone ran down the adjacent corridor. Sheela began her sprint anew. "Linae! Wait!"
The other Ranger stopped abruptly, and turned with surprise. "Sheela, what are you doing out here?"
Sheela took a gulp of air. "I heard- a scream," she panted.
Linae nodded solemnly. "As did I. But..." A large moth flittered up to her, and landed softly on her shoulder. "I don't think there's any danger."
"How do you know?"
Linae glanced down at the moth. "Well...Orion was scouting around, and he found Laurel on the way. She heard the scream, too, so he led her to where he thought it came from. Then he left, and he doesn't know what happened to Laurel form there."
Sheela stared at the moth, bewildered. "That little thing is Orion?"
Linae shrugged. "He likes scaring people. So he stays a unicorn most of the time."
"And the scream?"
"He thinks it was a trick. To get someone to come."
Sheela let out a long sigh. "Well, it worked. But, why would someone pull a nasty little gag like that?"
Linae looked equally answerless. "Even Orion can't get that one, but I was on my way to find out." A devilish grin played her lips. "We can still catch them, at least."
Sheela found herself grinning, too. "Sounds good to me. But, Linae..."
"Yes?"
"Could we, ah, run a tad bit slower? Long distance has never been a strength of mine."
The other Ranger laughed. "I could use a break, too." Both Rangers started off as the moth suddenly took flight. "Besides, Orion thinks he has a trace to follow. This should be easier than confounding an orc."
"Hah! No worries, then!"
***
Vrolok sniffed at the air; yes, the intruder had come this way.
With every passing moment, his doubts and uncertainties dissolved further, and his suspicions grew. Another vampire was stalking the castle-his castle-and it had the one thing he needed, the one piece of evidence he had to have; the huntress.
He felt something within himself change, thinking of her. It always did; and it always confused him. He tried to shake the feeling, but to his frustration, it lingered. The part that bothered him most, he thought, was the temptation. On several occasions; especially recently; he had been tempted to linger on it, to feed it, keep it. Sometimes, alone in his coffin, it would begin to haunt him, and he would let it grow by it's own fancy...until it began to manifest in more dangerous terrain. At this, he would stifle it angrily, but mostly it left him bewildered and uncomfortable...and strangely empty.
Vrolok realized, with some shock, that he had completely lost focus, as well as the trail. Cursing himself, he started a backtrack, and decided that it would be safe to shift at this point. With a single, fluid motion, he was airborne, leathery wings flapping madly in aged, stale air.
He could smell the trail, again.
Unfortunately, so could a nasty little moth flying ahead of him, and headed right at him. Vrolok could feel the other's mind, and chirped a warning. If this was the shifter he had sensed at the dinner party those long nights ago, he had every intention of staying out of it's way; but it didn't need to know that.
Vrolok felt an angry response directly to his mind, and felt the open touch of a third; it shifted, startled; before the link was severed.

Linae stumbled over herself, and Sheela skidded, mid-turn, trying to stop. She rushed back to the other Ranger. "What's wrong?"
Linae shook her head, looking dazed. "I- I don't know...I think- I think Orion connected with someone else while he was still with me..."
"Are you sure?"
Linae shrugged. "He's done that plenty of times before, but I was aware he was doing it at the time...and the third...this was open agression...I guess it caught me off-guard."
Sheela helped her friend up, only to watch the other's face turn to alarm. "Vrolok's headed this way."

It wasn't a good thing, to be in the shape of a bat, when you're opponent was a shifter. Vrolok reconsidered this. Actually, it wasn't good to have a shifter as an opponent, period. He could have laughed at the bitter circumstances.
The moth had changed back to a large, sturdy unicorn, confirming his previous assumption. Even worse, it was now determined not to let him pass. Vrolok could only chirp his irritation. The shifter, blue eyes icing him down where he flew, was sending nothing but threatening vibes.
Hike it, batty. Don't make me go medieval on your furry little-
Vrolok chirped angrily. I'd like to see you try, shifter. But I'd hate to mar that pretty little face of yours.
The other snorted. Bats are a delicacy in my homeland.
The vampire would have sneered. And how much did you say that horn was worth on the black market?
The shifter whinnied sharply, eyes full of scorn.
Vrolok caught the next victorious vibe too late.
A sharp whistle and a knife blade later, he found himself pinned to the wall, blade planted firmly and painfully into his left wing, and into the soft, aged wall behind. What started as a shriek ended in swearing as he shifted back...only to find that a knife through the arm was twice as bad as through thin wing leather. He bit back any more colorful expression as he pulled the knife from his arm. He was not at all thrilled to be able to see through to the other side.
He could hear laughter in his head.
I'm sorry, did that hurt?
"Wretched, hoof-legging-"
"Orion! Is it him?" Two women came running down the hall. Vrolok noticed a knife in the hand of the blonde one, and grimaced.
He held the bloody blade gingerly between two fingers, glaring. "I suppose this is yours."
The other woman snorted. "Appologies for not having a tolerance for blood-suckers."
"Well thank you for allowing me to discover first-hand what raw tendons look like," he retorted sharply. "Now if you'll excuse me, I was actually in the middle of something important before being so rudely interrupted."
Oh, we're sorry, we didn't know vampires had lives. ...Oh wait, you don't, do you?
Vrolok's eye twitched. As soon as he found that huntress...
"Orion, knock it off." Linae could feel his fits of laughter as he severed his connection with the vampire.
The other Ranger woman stepped forward. "Where is Laurel?"
Vrolok glared. "Should I know? Should I care?"
"Well, she was hunting you, so I suppose that would be a yes on both accounts."
The vampire's eyes shifted away, and Sheela thought she caught something out of character in his face.
"You're not the only one who doesn't know where she is, Ranger."
The two women looked at each other, puzzled. "You haven't seen her?"
Yeah, the woman only spends half her time stalking you.
"ORION!"
Whaaat?
Vrolok gave them a dry look. "No I haven't seen her, but if you must know...I have my own reasons to try and find her."
Sheela glared. "And those would be?"
"Well, unless you can tell me why she hasn't killed me yet, that would be the first reason why I am searching for her."
Linae looked uneasy. "If you haven't seen her...how are you going to find her? If you have a lead, please, do tell."
It's the scent I was following, vampire scent...but I thought it was Vrolok's....
"No, that wasn't me."
Cold realization struck the Rangers. "That means..."
Vrolok nodded. "There is another vampire here. And that would be my other reason. Personally, I don't tolerate invasive behavior upon my grounds."
Yeah, go figure. We know that by now.
Linae ignored her friend. "But you know where they are?"
"I was going to find out. And you were headed the wrong way."
Sheela took a deep breath, to calm her nerves. This is crazy talk, but....
"We'll come with you."
Vrolok looked as shocked as her companions.
You CAN'T be serious. Linae! Tell your friend she's nutso!
Vrolok glared.
Linae could only shake her head. I don't like it either, Orion. But we have to know what's going on. And we have to save Laurel.
Orion snorted. Really. I didn't think suicide could help somebody.
Sheela waited a moment, watching the flicker of emotions on Linae's face, the only hint to the mental discussion taking place.
After a few moments, Linae nodded. "We're coming, too."
Vrolok snorted. "I suggest you all start moving, or she'll be dead by the time you finish chatting." With this, he shifted, and with a single screech, took off down the hall. Orion whinnied loudly, and took off after him, the Rangers following close behind.