#formative years

lmk if you'd like to be tagged only on main story chapters! ^_^

Lilith took to it like a duck takes to water. She at first didn't like the idea of biting her neighbors, but she got used to it. It was necessary for their survival, or at least that's what Vlad said. And hey, it wasn't like she was taking a lot of blood, really. Just enough to keep her going. The other Sim would live. The first few times, Caleb was incredibly uneasy. He didn't want to bite other Sims, at least not without their permission. He'd see himself being violently attacked by Miss Hell, and then unceremoniously discarded on a dirty bathroom floor. He didn't want to do that to another Sim. He'd try to suppress his thirst as long as possible, but he could only do that for so long before he'd lose control. That's how he ended up turning Inna Cents; she would have died if he didn't (not just changed into an Occult, like actually died and been picked up by Ol' Grim and everything.) When Vlad would take them "hunting," it reminded Caleb of something that happened during his childhood. One night, Rev. Runn was over for dinner, as was often the case. After dinner, Caleb and Lilith went to play with a dollhouse. On his third glass of wine, Rev. Runn pulled Edward aside (after lowkey staring at Artesia like she was a piece of meat, as if his own wife wasn't sitting right there) and said, "Your boy's too soft, Ed. Look at him, playing with dolls. You gotta make him a Man! Teach him to hunt and stuff. Spend some quality father-son time out in the great outdoors. You don't want him to turn out to be a sissy do ya?" "Well, no, but..." "Nah, no buts! Hey, I know! I'm takin' my boys out hunting this weekend. Why don't you join us?" "Well, that's very kind of you, but-" "What did I say about buts?" "Alright. We'll be there. I mean, I guess it is time he learned to take down a deer." The reverend slapped Edward heartily on his back. "That's the spirit, Ed!" And so, bright and early on Saturday morning, Caleb and Edward drove to Granite Falls. "It'll be great, Cay," Edward told him. Caleb wasn't so sure. He didn't want to do this. He had nothing against eating meat, and had helped his father dress deer that he'd brought home in the past (and helped his mother cook it). He even had nothing against the many mounted fish and that 10-point buck's head that Edward proudly displayed in the living room as a show of his hunting and fishing prowess. But he didn't see what any of this had to do with "being a man," or how taking down a deer was supposed to make him a man. He wanted to be at home, playing with Lilith, or practicing his piano lessons, or helping Artesia put up jams and jellies. He'd asked if Lilith could come with them, but his father said no. Lilith would stay home with their mother. This trip, he'd explained, was only for Sims that could pee standing up. Sims who couldn't become pregnant. Sims who entered the world with carrots instead of strawberries. If that's all it took, then why all this? When they got to their campsite and got everything set up, Rev. Runn greeted them heartily. He and Edward showed Caleb how to operate a crossbow, and even let him have some beer. It was bitter, and burned as he swallowed it. They prayed together to the Watcher for a successful hunt, and to guide Caleb along the path to manhood. Rev. Runn's three sons, meanwhile, were off by themselves. They were already teens, and weren't exactly enthusiastic about spending the weekend with a nooboo like Caleb. Long story short, the hunt was successful. But Caleb didn't feel any different, though he got lots of praise from his dad, and Rev. Runn boasted about his success in the next week's sermon. In the present, he wondered why all this was necessary just for a little blood. And it wasn't deer they were hunting this time, but their fellow Sims...that was messed up!