FicWad

Laurel patiently washed the blood off of her face with the water from the spring Belle had brought them to. She was across from Thanyel and every once in a while she would attempt to be sneaky and snatch a glance of the handsome King. She couldn't help but notice that he was trying to do the same. At some point Belle had wandered farther down stream so she could wash more than just her face. Thanyel eventually gave up on trying to be discrete and sat back against a rock so he could watch the Queen with ease. Laurel blushed under his scrutiny, remembering the way his lips had felt against hers and how he had held her against his strong body.

After finishing with her wash, Laurel joined Thanyel on his side of the stream. She sat beside him on a large rock and stared at the babbling brook. They sat together in silence. When Thanyel gathered the courage to reach out and touch her hand, she willingly held it in her own. Together, they sat in a comfortable quiet. No need for words, just each other's company was enough.

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Belle had gone further down stream not only to wash, but to give Thanyel and Laurel the privacy they needed to become more comfortable in their burgeoning relationship. She knew that the union could only be beneficial for both sides; werewolves and vampires. Belle stripped slowly of her clothes and placed them in a shallow pool to release their stains. They were soaked with the blood of werewolves and her latest meal. Stepping into the cool water, she waded towards the calm waterfall across the water. Once underneath it's soothing trickles, she washed herself thoroughly. As she brushed a strand of soaked hair from her face, she spied a youthful, blonde man standing at the edge of the woods. Enticing him with her curvacious body, lustful glances and coy moves, he was putty in her hands.

He eagerly stepped towards her but stopped at the tip of the pool when she commanded him to stop. With a motion, she convinced him to strip and enter the water with her. He undressed methodically while watching her, enjoying the eagerness expressed in her eyes. He waded to her and they joined in an embrace. With the first passionate kiss, Belle knew she had to have more. Their bodies met and they decided to become much more familiar with eachother.

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Belle sighed in contentment after their feverish love making. Remembering the way his body had felt with her, against her, in her, made her shiver in delight. Stepping under the waterfall again to wash away the evidence, she glanced towards the spot they had shared and was surprised to find her lover and his clothes long gone. She felt a tiny pinch of disappointment as she realized she didn't even know her lover's name. The vampiress shrugged and finished cleaning herself for the final time before searching for her clothes. She picked them out of the shallow pool and rested them on a rock to dry. Knowing that she herself was still wet, she laid next to her wet outfit and decided to dry off in the moonlight as well. Laying there, her thoughts were consumed by the elf that had loved her so sweetly.

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Laurel and Thanyel were comfortable in eachother's arms by the time Belle returned to them. They both noticed with some surprise the look of bliss on the young vampire's face. Laurel chuckled at her dear friend, but smiled knowing that she was happy.

"I see showering agrees with you." Thanyel remarked, knowing the true reason she was content but playing at naitivity. Belle gave him a dirty smirk and nodded.

"I do love feeling the water against my bare skin, it is truly pleasurable." All three knew she wasn't referencing the water.

"The sun will rise soon you two, we better get back to the cave before us vampires are scorched to ash." Thanyel and Belle nodded their acknowledgement to Laurel. Belle's hazel eyes flashed for a brief moment before turning a bright, electric green. They became a veritcal diamond and her face began to elongate. They could all hear with an intense quality as her bones snapped and reshaped to become another form. A tail pushed itself from the base of her back and lengthened until it was several body spans long. Wide, black wings forced their way from her upper back until they too were longer. Finger nails became claws and teeth became fangs as her entire body transformed. At long last, Belle was completely changed into her dragon body.

Laurel and Thanyel stepped towards the black dragon as she stretched out a leg for them to climb onto her back. Once they were comfortably situated onto her scaley hide, she bent deeply at the knees and launched herself into the air without warning. Her companions cried out in anger as she gave a deep chuckle.

"A little warning next time Idana." The vampire queen growled.

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Thanyel could only breathe a deep sigh of satisfaction feeling Laurel pressed so tightly against him as Idana flew them swiftly to their cave. He knew she was aware of his desire for her just as he was aware of her desire for him. The trip was one long moment from them both as they treasured the feel of eachother. The flight was too short because before too long they had reached their destination and Belle was sliding them off her leg in a hurry so she could transform again.

"Don't think I'm not aware of what y'all were up to on my back." She growled. Thanyel and Laurel shared a look before grinning like hormonal teenagers. The vampiress gave her friends a withering look then shrugged. Laurel's mood changed to a more serious tone as she noticed the sun starting to rise and the land lighting up with it's rays of warmth.

"Come, we must go deeper within the cave to get out of the sun's reach." Laurel motioned for Belle and Thanyel to follow her as they took the necessary steps to find safety from the sun.

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The day was waited away as the trio attempted to get some sleep. Despite their efforts however, they all slept fitfully, memories of the terrible night still looming in their minds. In silence, Belle shed a tear for the lost vampires. Her dead heart ached with the loss of loved ones; family and friends alike. Laurel too was feeling the hurt. The knowledge that her people had been murdered right under her nose tortured her mind until she forced herself to stop thinking about it. Thanyel could only wait in quiet, desperate for something to do to ease the hurt that was palpable in the air. Feeling useless, he sat next to the mournful Queen and gave her any comfort she would accept.

In another kingdom though, emotions were of an entirely different state.

Ian Innis strode down his King's halls in an irritated mood. His red hair was messy from his hands constantly running through it and his brown eyes were filled with stress. Attempting to relax his stressed shoulders, the advisor to Thanyel rubbed his muscles distractedly.

"Where could he be?" He mumbled to himself, deep voice rumbling with suppressed rage. He knew that something was wrong. Thanyel had left no word that he would be gone, and there was the scent of a familiar dragon lingering in the air around the castle. When a messenger came towards him with more bad news, he finally gave up on patience and went to his room to grab some supplies. His riding cloak was thrown on haphazardly and he sheathed several knives into his belt. He barked for a servant. When the messy haired waif came towards him and shivered under his scathing look, he forced himself to calm down.

"Ready my steed." He commanded, finishing his preparations. When he finally made his way to the stable where his horse was usually kept, he instead found Fal'Lyn the red dragon.

"What is the meaning of this?" He inquired, glaring at the winged beast.

"I will find what you are seeking much faster than any simple beast." The large dragon spoke.

"But where is my horse?" He asked, suspecting foul play. Fal'Lyn gave a giant belch and chuckled in a dragonlike fashion.

"She made an excellent meal."

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"Tell me about your people Thanyel," Laurel questioned, glancing at the King for a brief moment before staring back into the abyss of the cave.

"What about them do you wish to know?" He asked in return. His deep brown eyes stared at the Queen unabashedly.

"What is it like to live in your land? How do your people treat you? How do you treat them?" Her questions came quickly, almost as if she was afraid to ask them. He chuckled and decided to answer.

"For the most part, we're a loud bunch. Silence is something reserved for only solemn moments." His words were filled with his love for his life style, "As for how we treat eachother, we are packs united under one, me."

"What do you mean by packs?" He turned shocked eyes to her, honestly surprised she didn't understand.

"A pack is a werewolf's family. You abandon the life before and become a unique part of a greater whole." His affection for his pack was clear, "I am alpha and they obey me, but we all have respect for each other." The expression on Laurel's face was of curious jealousy.

"We have nothing of the sort. Nothing that even compares." Her words were almost mournful, "I have a few friends that I trust implicitly, but Belle is as close to family as I have ever achieved since being human."

"I am sorry, it is a wonderful thing to have a family to come back to at the end of the day." He paused for a moment, carefully choosing his words. "When did you...?"

"Die?" She finished his sentence with no pretense of insult. "It's been nearly a hundred years, which is young for vampire standards." She laughed softly to herself, "In fact, most of my deepest confidants are almost a hundred years older than me. Only Belle is close to my age, she's eighty-four."

"That is a long time to live." He whispered, meeting Laurel's eyes. "I find that one lifetime is more than enough most days."

"Sometimes eternal life is the only option left." Her soft tone left him feeling hollow, an empty ache that chilled him to the bone.

"Sometimes there are no options available." Belle whispered from the base of the cave. All Thanyel could see of her was her cold hazel eyes. Though now, those normally frigid eyes were thawed in an unfamiliar fashion. He could swear he saw a tear forming in her eye and a breath of the air and he could smell the cloying thickness that was her pain.

"There is always at least one option Belle." Laurel's chiding tone hid more than she was letting on. The alpha could tell that this was a long disagreed upon subject.

"Not always Laurel, but I do not wish to discuss this with you." Her sentence left no opening for a future conversation, but the weariness that came with it showed that this was not the first time she'd ever said that to her friend. Thanyel was confused for a moment, but he came to the realization that so many years of friendship could leave too many possibilties of arguments long exhausted being resurrected.

"Sunset cannot come soon enough." Laurel stated, changing the topic swiftly. Thanyel agreed, then was assaulted by a wave of fatigue. Chuckling to himself, he acknowledged how long he had deprived himself of rest. The auburn haired vampiress across from him guessed his thoughts and gave him a small smile. "Rest now werewolf, I will watch over you."

"And I." Belle's softly clipped words reached his ears as he relaxed against the cave wall. Despite the discomfort he felt from the rocks poking him, he was too tired to complain. It was not long before his thoughts slowed and a calmness slipped over his mind, easing him into sleep.