The roar echoed across the forest.
Ancient.
Violent.
Hungry.
The very trees trembled as if remembering something they wished they had forgotten.
Silence followed.
No birds sang.
No insects moved.
Even the wind seemed to retreat.
Damian stood beneath the moonlight, his enormous white body motionless, crimson eyes staring into the darkness ahead.
Something was coming.
Something powerful.
And strangely enough...
his blood was excited.
Not afraid.
Excited.
The wolf inside him growled softly.
Not out of fear.
Out of anticipation.
Behind him, Sirius slowly placed a hand on the hilt of his sword.
The old executioner's face had become serious.
Very serious.
Silas noticed it immediately.
"Do you know what this thing is?"
Sirius remained silent.
For several moments only the distant sounds of cracking trees could be heard.
Finally he answered.
"No."
That alone was alarming.
Silas frowned.
Sirius knew almost everything worth knowing.
If he didn't know...
then whatever approached was old.
Very old.
Garrick swallowed hard.
"You've never heard of the Blood Eater?"
Sirius looked toward him.
The older warrior immediately felt pressure descend upon his shoulders.
The gaze of an executioner was enough to make lesser men collapse.
"Explain."
The order was simple.
Garrick obeyed instantly.
"The legends are ancient."
"Older than kingdoms."
"Older than the war between vampires and werewolves."
Damian listened carefully.
His instincts screamed that every word mattered.
Garrick continued.
"My grandfather told me about it."
"He said there are creatures that don't belong to any race."
"Things that appeared during the First Age."
"The Blood Eater is one of them."
Silas crossed his arms.
"That tells us nothing."
Garrick nodded.
"I know."
"Because nobody knows much."
His face paled slightly.
"The only thing people know is that whenever it appears..."
He hesitated.
"...important bloodlines die."
The clearing became quiet.
Damian narrowed his eyes.
Important bloodlines.
The words sounded suspicious.
"Explain."
Garrick looked toward him.
The sight of the gigantic white wolf still unsettled him.
Yet he answered.
"The Blood Eater never attacks villages."
"Never attacks cities."
"It hunts individuals."
"Specific individuals."
"People carrying powerful blood."
The prince remained silent.
A few moments later Elara spoke.
"And tonight..."
Her silver-gray eyes met Damian's.
"...you awakened."
Nobody liked where this conversation was going.
Not even Sirius.
The executioner looked toward the forest.
Something felt wrong.
Not merely dangerous.
Wrong.
Like a wound opening inside the world.
Then...
another roar sounded.
Much closer.
BOOOOOM!
The ground shook violently.
Several trees collapsed in the distance.
Damian's ears twitched.
His senses expanded.
Something massive moved through the forest.
Very massive.
And it wasn't trying to hide.
Whatever it was...
it didn't fear anything.
That realization made him smile.
A dangerous smile.
Sirius immediately noticed.
"Don't."
Damian looked at him.
"Don't what?"
The executioner sighed.
"You have that look."
"What look?"
"The same look your father gets before causing trouble."
Silas burst out laughing.
"Hahaha!"
"He's right!"
Damian rolled his eyes.
Or at least the wolf equivalent of rolling eyes.
Then...
the scent arrived.
His smile vanished.
Rot.
Blood.
Decay.
Death.
The smell was so intense that even the humans noticed it.
Elara covered her nose.
"What is that?"
Nobody answered.
Because they were all staring toward the darkness.
Something moved between the trees.
Large.
Too large.
The moonlight barely reached it.
At first Damian thought it was a bear.
Then a giant wolf.
Then neither.
Because no normal creature could look like that.
The thing stepped into the clearing.
Silence descended.
The humans froze.
Silas stopped smiling.
And even Sirius' eyes narrowed.
The creature was enormous.
Nearly twice Damian's size.
Its body resembled a wolf...
if a wolf had been stitched together from corpses.
Black flesh hung from exposed bones.
Its ribs were visible.
Long spikes protruded from its spine.
One eye was missing.
The remaining eye glowed crimson.
Its mouth stretched far too wide.
Filled with jagged teeth.
Dark blood dripped constantly from its jaws.
The monster looked less like a living being...
and more like a nightmare refusing to die.
Nobody spoke.
The Blood Eater stared at Damian.
Only Damian.
Ignoring everyone else.
Its crimson eye burned with intelligence.
Recognition.
As if it had finally found what it sought.
The prince felt a strange sensation.
Not fear.
Familiarity.
The feeling disturbed him.
Why did this thing seem familiar?
Then...
the creature spoke.
Not with words.
Not exactly.
A voice entered Damian's mind.
FOUND YOU.
The prince froze.
Nobody else reacted.
The voice had spoken only to him.
His eyes narrowed.
"What are you?"
Silence.
The creature took another step.
The earth cracked beneath its weight.
Again the voice sounded inside his mind.
HEIR.
Damian's body stiffened.
Heir?
He had no idea what that meant.
The monster's eye remained fixed on him.
THE CHAINS WEAKEN.
The prince felt cold.
The chains.
The vision.
The silver-eyed figure.
His heartbeat accelerated.
The Blood Eater continued.
THE PRISON STIRS.
This time Damian knew.
It was talking about the same thing.
The abyss.
The chained creature.
The eye.
The realization sent chills through his spine.
Then Sirius stepped forward.
The executioner placed himself between Damian and the monster.
A simple action.
Yet one filled with meaning.
Protective.
Loyal.
Dangerous.
The Blood Eater finally acknowledged the others.
Its remaining eye moved toward Sirius.
And for the first time...
it growled.
A horrible sound.
Like bones grinding together.
Sirius drew his sword.
The ancient black blade reflected moonlight.
His crimson cape fluttered behind him.
"I don't know what you are."
The executioner's voice was calm.
"But if you threaten his Highness..."
His eyes became colder.
"...I will kill you."
Silas grinned.
Finally.
A fight.
The Blood Eater looked at the sword.
Then...
something impossible happened.
It laughed.
A horrible, distorted laugh.
As if hundreds of dying voices were laughing together.
The sound made the humans tremble.
Even Damian felt uneasy.
Because the creature wasn't mocking Sirius.
It genuinely found the threat amusing.
That realization made the situation much worse.
The Blood Eater slowly lowered its body.
Preparing to attack.
The ground cracked.
Trees bent.
Pressure filled the clearing.
Sirius tightened his grip.
Silas drew his sword.
Damian stepped forward.
His crimson eyes burned beneath the moon.
His awakening had barely begun.
His body still hurt.
His instincts remained chaotic.
But one thing was clear.
This thing wasn't leaving.
The Blood Eater's jaws slowly opened.
Dark saliva hit the ground.
Its remaining eye glowed brighter.
Then the creature spoke one final sentence inside Damian's mind.
A sentence that made his blood freeze.
YOUR FATHER FAILED.
YOU WILL NOT.
And then...
the monster charged.