Blood of Beauty ~ Chapter 5

    "Shadow?!?!"

    That voice shook me like an earthquake. I had took my jacket, bowtie, and shoes off and covered myself with that same tattered red quilt before going to nap. Now, my nap was over.

    Rouge was standing by the bed, "So, can you please fetch the well water? Mother used the last drop of the barrel, just for a drink."

    "Alright, alright."

    I sat up on the bed, slipped on "what-you-know", and stepped into the backyard outside. Near the outhouse, there was an iron well pump. I carried the barrel next to me, hoisted it to the well, and pumped gallons of groundwater into it. With my enormous strength, I carried the barrel back, on my shoulders.

    "Good job, son," Mother praised.

    I only nodded and grinned.

    The night was dying outside the cavern, it was time for supper. I sat at the table and placed a white, crisp napkin on my lap. On the oak table that was so old that some chips were pulling off, there laid chicken drumsticks drenched in deer blood, potatoes dunked in rabbit blood, leafy greens swimming in raccoon blood, which were a little sour, and a bowl of chopped vampire fruit.

    "Yum!" my mouth watered.

    "I'm glad you like it," Mother smiled. "I've tried my best to provide your delicious food for you, son and daughter."

    Rouge slurped on crystal-clear well water and began chewing on the potatoes. With my fangs flashing, I impaled a drumstick with my fork and sank my teeth into the tender flesh. Only if there was blood packed inside, I missed the old days of hunting down mortals.

    I took a bite of a lettuce and puckered a little bit, at least I could swallow raccoon blood. To relieve myself, I grabbed a slice of ruby red vampire fruit and gulped it in one bite.

    When all the plates were empty and Mother had washed them, we as a family decided to have some fun. Mother sat on the soft, comfy, black sofa while me and my sister plopped onto the green, woolen rug.

    Mother began to tell the story of her deceased husband and his days of when he was a bloodthirsty teenager, "He was clothed in a white formal shirt and brown leather pants. His fur was red as blood. He craved mortal blood every night and would rage if he didn't have a drop of that for the whole entire night." I could hear her sniffing a bit, nevertheless, she didn't cry at all.

    I loved Mother's stories. She would tell stories about famous vampires that existed way before I born, such as Count Dracula and Lord Ruthven. She would tell stories about daily lives of average vampires and how they risked their lives just to sip on a refreshing puddle of mortals' blood. She would tell stories about werebeasts they lived with mortals and turned into vicious creatures under the full moon. They entertained me and gave a message that being a vampire (or a werebeast) wasn't horrifying as the mortals thought.

    She continued, "One night, as a bat, he flew into a shack belonging to a poor family. There, in his normal form, he quietly crept through the open backdoor, sneaked into the master bedroom while tiptoeing on the creaky, dusty, wooden floor, and found the whole entire family of rats. The mother and father slept silently on the bed, covered by a tattered, yellow quilt. 2 sons slept on the dirty, white rug on the floor while the baby daughter snuggled itself in a wooden, rotting manger. Gore, as he was called, went up to the father, leaned toward his neck, and bit the flesh with his fangs. There, he sucked on refreshing blood, sweet as sugar and mangoes. He repeated this with the rest of the family."

    That last one gave me a slight chill, even though I used to bite on mortals' necks. My love for Blaze overpowered my long-time memories of mortal hunting.

    After Mother was done with her story, Rouge whimpered, "I miss Father."

    Mother replied, "I know how you feel... I can remember you when you were just a tiny bat pup being held in my arms.. You were so adorable, you cried and were fed milk. A-and, your f-f-f-"-she began to sob-"father w-w-was... st... standing beside our bed.."

    After 10 seconds of crying, she resumed, "He was"-she shed more tears as if she was a thunderstorm-"s-s-sm-sm-smiling. He wh-wh-ispered, 'This beautiful bat pup i-is o-o-" Mother couldn't hold back her tears anymore, she uncontrollably wept and held her soaked eyes in her palms.

    "Are you okay?" Rouge ran to the kitchen and came back with a raggedy towel.

    "I miss my dear husband!" she wailed.

    I looked at the picture pinned on the wall behind Mother's chair. It was a picture of Mother and Father on their wedding day. Mother, looking younger, donned a beautiful gown, white as snow on the mountains, and a ghostly veil, wrapping her back. Father, also looking younger, wore a black tuxedo, with a white bowtie. I nearly wept, just like Mother did.

    Suddenly, my mind started churning like a cotton gin. I pictured Blaze and I getting married in the nearby court and then us having a kitten. It seemed a little weird for me, but being in love can seize and control your mind.

    "Can you please tell how you met Father?" I begged after I was done with the futuristic images.

    "No," Mother replied immediately, with all of her wet tears gone like wind, "the sun already rose outside the cavern. You must go to bed and give your bodies a rest."

    "Alright."

    I prepared for bedtime. I rushed outside with my pajamas, filled the metal tub with crystal groundwater, took off all my clothing, hung them to a nearby tree (it had no leaves), and bathed myself. Chilly, but soothing, water soaked my fuzzy fur all over my body and I frequently applied slippery and soft white soap on my pelts. When I was done, I quickly got out of the tub, wrapped a raggedy blue towel around my waist, and entered the outhouse so I could change into my nightwear.

    Into the house I went and I entered my own personal bedroom. The only furniture there was my lonely bed. I slipped under the red quilt and laid on the ruined white mattress. After a while, I closed my eyes and thought of something.

    I needed to get with Blaze tomorrow.