walking with the wind

she’s been called many names over the years, both before and after she became a werewolf, but mongrel isn’t one she typically hears. after all, who could dare call someone with a face as cute as hers a mongrel? this odd character, apparently. he wouldn’t be saying such a thing if he saw her shift, she reckons. she was quite proud of how shiny her coat was. jinah remains on the ground for a few more seconds to get her bearings, pulling herself up a moment later. she would’ve rejected his help getting up anyway, with an attitude like that.

 “you’re pretty funny for a talking corpse, i’ll give you that,” jinah raised a brow at him, somewhat amused by his little rant. the coat was nice, she had to admit. it would have been unfortunate if she dirtied it, but since he seemed to have quite an unpleasant personality it was even more unfortunate that she hadn’t. “i’ll be sure to do that,” she said, with a pleasant smile- fake, but at least it appeared pleasant. “how impressive. it’s a lot colder than i thought it would be tonight, do you mind letting me try it on? or are you worried it’ll reek of mutt after?” jinah asked, head tilting to the side with a small smile. she was curious how he would react to such a question, as he seemed to be pretty materialistic. “maybe it’s just me, but i prefer the smell of wet dog over the smell of death and decay.”

“i may be dead but my humor is very much alive and well, thank you very much.” he responds not a second too late as he flashes the werewolf a confident smirk, the corners of his scarlet colored lips curling in sync perfectly. if there was one word that could explain taek, it would be a cocky bastard although he now believes that there’s a nice ring to it.

dark hues never wandered from her face --- she did have a lovely face, taek thinks to himself as nimble fingers picked at the lint that stuck to his coat; a slight curve to his eyebrow before responding, “don’t ask questions you know the answer to, my dear.” he muses softly, a small hum spilling from his lips as she throws another insult his way. but to him, he found it fun; small banter to pass the time since time was all he had to give, even if it was with a werewolf. his least favorite species. although the shadow hunters also tend to get on his nerves but at least they didn’t smell. “it’s just you.” he remarks, rocking on the balls of his feet. “ugh, the stench just gets on everything, really gets in there. death and decay? not the most pleasant smell, i’ll give you that but at least it’s tolerable.”

sowon always worried she didn’t have enough vampire friends. she knew she didn’t quite fit in with them just yet. she was still too clumsy, too energetic, and just overall bad at being part of the shadow world. still, she wanted to fit in, so when an older vampire was friendly with her she immediately jumped at the opportunity. after all, why wouldn’t she? they were the ones with the knowledge. they could lead her to being the awesome vampire she was just destined to be. taek was no exception. he had seemed friendly towards her and she was excited to be in an expert vampire’s company.

she was out, of course. since she could only go out at select times now sowon tried to go out as frequently as possible. of course typically, she would spend half that time wandering around and checking her phone rather than getting a meal like she should of. she was walking slowly now, looking at the stores as she passed, hoping to find a late night restaurant or even a club where she could do something for the rest of the night, all well completely forgetting that she needed to eat before going back in the morning. seeing a familiar face in the dark suddenly she grinned. “taek!”

she paused thinking, before quickly shaking her head. “well i haven’t fed at all tonight. i think i got distracted checking twitter. i miss like all the big tweets during the day and have to catch up on drama.” really it wasn’t surprising. sowon could get distracted doing just about everything. “can i really come with you? that would be great. going and feeding by myself is so boring.” she beamed with excitement. usually feeding wasn’t much fun, just something sowon did to survive, but the idea of getting to go with taek made it rather exciting. he could probably give her some cool top secret feeding tips she hadn’t hear of before. not to mention, given she had been stuck out in the daylight just recently it was probably a good safety measure. 

“not enough drama in your own life that you have to keep up with twitter?” he asks with a raised brow and a curious grin thrown her way. even though taek was caught up with the times, the twenty first century was surely the least of his favorites. he preferred the simplicity of before.

a quiet tsk falls from his scarlet colored lips as he motions for her to follow him as the older vampire leads the way --- to where? he’s not exactly sure himself. usually when he’s out to feed, the raven haired vampire doesn’t pay attention to where he was going, he just usually wanders until he finds a mundane whose luck was just not on their side that night. after all, they did run into taek and he was notorious for leaving not even an ounce of mercy. draining them until the very last drop and tossing their bodies aside like a chew toy. if they were lucky, their families would receive their bodies in tact. if he wasn’t in that great of a mood, he usually relieved his anger by ripping out either their throat or head; it all just depended on the day.

deep down, she knew what he meant and what was happening right now even if she was trying her best to act like this wasn’t occurring. a vampire and a werewolf would never be too together, it wasn’t in their nature and it was a rule that had to be accepted no matter what. but, it still hurt her and nothing could make the blow hurt any less.

it was the word ‘mutt’ that caused her to flinch, another reminder of how he viewed her and how she wasn’t a normal human anymore. normal was a word you could never use to describe the girl who loved too much for her own good. “fuck you” she muttered, eyes sparkling with more, this time unshed, tears. “you bastard.” she was cursing now - if her family heard her, they’d give her a good scolding while her pack would cheer her on. pulling herself away from his grasp, nayeon let her hand smack against his cheek. “you little shit, how dare you play with my heart? am i some sort of game to you?!” her eyes were glowing a golden color, her werewolf fangs starting to show as a growl escaped her lips. “blood sucker, you shouldn’t think that less of me.”

he lets her talk --- dark hues never leaving her delicate features while she calls him every obscenity in the book. at this point, taek was expecting it. which is why he didn’t bother seeing a point in stopping her. he wonders what was it that he had said exactly that had managed to piss her off so quickly; going from a blooming rose to a rose with thorns. ah, women, they’re all the same, no matter the species.

S M A C K.

the sound of her palm connecting with his cheek fills the air and he lets the sound drag out into pure silence. trying his best to maintain his composure, he lets out a sigh, “aish, nayeon. there better not be a mark in the morning or i swear to god.” he mutters softly underneath his breath as his finger wipes at the corner of his mouth, a droplet of blood or two. although taek doesn’t feel any pain, he was reminded of how strong a werewolf could be --- it’s been awhile since he’s met one brave enough to lay a hand on him. "that’s exactly what you are.” he begins with a sneer, “why else would i keep you around?” he asked with a laugh. and even with her lovely brown hues transforming into a golden orange? yellow? he could never quite pinpoint the exact shade of warm tones they were, it wasn’t going to be enough for him to back down. the raven haired vampire had seen a lot in his years of being alive and if she thought that a pair of canines were going to scare him off, she would surely be disappointed. “this is why your kind is always looked down upon,” he says while clicking his tongue against the roof of his mouth, “always such a nasty temper.” a easy grin always finding it’s way back onto his face as his own fangs became more prominent underneath the warm amber glow from the lamps scattered around them. "keep calling me a bloodsucker and i just might have to show you what i can do. it’s been awhile since i’ve ripped a mundane’s head off. how do you think your pact will react when i did it for you, hmm?”

the older vampire wasn’t the type to help people. not even his own kind. taek believed in the sink or swim method --- either you survive or you don’t. black or white. there’s no room for “grey.” but for some odd reason that he can’t even explain himself, he finds an inkling of interest in sowon. maybe it was because she was one of the more clueless vampires ( to put it in nicer terms ) that he’s come across in awhile and oh, how fun --- he thinks. there was no denying the twinkle in his eyes and the smirk on his lips when he recognized how she hangs onto every word he spills.

it was midnight. maybe. could be later, he doesn’t bother keeping track anymore when time was merely a burden of his past life. “sowon.” he greets with a pleasant smile, he figures she’s out looking for a meal just like he was. unlike many vampires, he’s grown fond of the taste of blood, he finds it sweet. but what intrigues him the most was the screams they made when he punctured his fangs into their skin, powerless in his arms as he indulges himself. he could never get tired of that rush of adrenaline in his veins. or at least that’s what it felt like. he was dead. did adrenaline even run through his veins anymore? they didn’t teach science back when he was a kid so could you really blame him for not knowing the answer?

the words were falling from her mouth and there was nothing she could do about it. whenever nayeon started speaking, it wasn’t easy to get her to stop talking, especially when she was talking about the matters of her heart. nayeon had always been one to think with her heart and not with her head, it was what made her different from many downworlders but it was also what made her weak. she lived in some sort of fantasy and refused to believe that her reality was right in front of her - downworld was no better than the real world, she needed to learn that sooner or later. his words, however, caused her to stop speaking and her dark brown eyes focused on his, the expression on her face a mix of confusion and pain.

her heart was pounding in her chest, the blood roaring in her ears and she struggled to hear past it. for some stupid reason, she had allowed herself to fall for the cold-blooded vampire in front of her, what had she seen in him to allow her to fall? was it his appearance? his charm? “taek…” she started quietly, voice shaking and eyes filling with tears (a mixture of sadness and anger). nayeon had been warned over and over again not to let a vampire charm her, she wasn’t supposed to befriend a vampire. eren was different, he was her best friend, yet she had somehow been so foolish to enjoy the company of another vampire. “what are you saying…what..i don’t understand.” she moved closer to him, hands outstretched. “what…?”

taek sighed, catching a glimpse of his breath colliding with the brisky winter air. the winter’s in korea were BRUTAL but it was nothing compared to what he’s faced in the past when he was just a mere human on the brink of starvation. he considers his transformation a blessing.

“naeyeon.” voice so sickly sweet that one could never accuse him of saying such words that felt like a dagger through the heart. or at least that’s what many many women have told him over the years. “don’t be so foolish.” the vampire says, hand coming up to caress the side of her cheek gently, wiping away a tear that has spilled from her pretty hues. “don’t get me wrong, i mean, i’m flattered. truly. but how could i ever love a mutt?” he sneers with a devilish grin, darkened hues pinning her still; the same way how a predator looked at it’s prey. ah, what a waste of a lovely night ---  he thinks, adoring the blanket of stars that laid above the two. “we’re just not meant to be, my love. it’s not written in the stars.” he whispered, shrugging his shoulders with ease. his soft features remained blank, no sign of sadness or anger splashed across his face because he’s done this before. too many times before. after all, he did have one hundred and seventy years of experience. and all she would be is just another tally mark next to many others.

jinah liked to hike, jog, run- you name it, she liked it. anything that would get her out of her own head, make her stop thinking for a while and give her a rush of adrenaline, she considered it a favorite hobby. the only problem was that there weren’t that many places in the city she could run, at least not run as fast as she wanted to. she longed to run as fast as she could through a nice forest, or an open field, but as there were not many accessible to her since she lived in the city, these streets would have to do. they were normally deserted at this time, so jinah ran as fast as she desired down the street, ponytail swinging behind her as she did so. as she’s running down a steep hill, she realizes she’s made a fatal mistake when she sees someone a little ways in front of her- and if she doesn’t slow down she’s about to barrel straight into them. “shit!” she curses, more out of surprise than anything else as she zig-zags, barely managing to avoid them and instead tripping, falling face first. she knows she fell hard enough to  scrape her elbows and knees, so she sits back up, wincing as she examines them. they were probably going to heal within the next ten minutes, but it still stung. she glanced up at the person she nearly barreled into and states, “you didn’t see that.” in this situation, an apology would be appropriate, but seeing as she didn’t directly run into them and she managed to scrape herself up instead, she’d rather not apologize.

as a vampire, he’s come to terms about ninety years ago that he was chained to the night sky --- no longer having the freedom to come and go as he pleased. and that was okay, he’s come to learn to appreciate the view at night anyways. with his heighten senses, there was a beauty to it that he didn’t see before. wrapped in a trench coat, taek stuffed his hands into his pockets as he wandered around the empty streets. he wasn’t cold per say but enjoyed keeping up with appearances. after all, he did carry himself with a high standard.

thanks to his quick reflexes, taek steps aside in perfect timing to avoid the mongrel as he watches her fall and scrape her limbs, the sweet scent of blood hitting his nostrils although his soft features frowned at the musky smell that came along with it. “see what?” he asks, playing along as he smirks at the girl who was still sitting on the floor, not bothering to offer a hand. “all i saw was a mongrel running loose on the streets. aish, this city really needs to tighten up on their pets on a leash policy.” he says smoothly, hands running over his coat. “be more careful next time. this coat is givenchy.” he always did have a way with words.

with eyes that shined as dark as midnight, his crimson stained lips smirked at the werewolf that stood in front of him. she looks so pretty. what a shame that she has a heart, taek thinks as she continued to ramble on while his dark hues run delicately over her soft features. even in the dark, she shined as bright as the sun. or, at least what he remembered of it. it’s been a few hundred years since he’s felt the warmth on his skin. the vampire lifts a finger to brush a strand of stray hair away from her face, dismissing the scent that she carried. although it wasn’t a scent that he preferred to carry with him on his clothes, he’s learned to not wrinkle his nose in disgust every time it filled his nostrils.

“you’ve got to be kidding me.” he says with a low chuckle, voice laced with a certain tint of charm that captivates just about anyone while flashing her a grin that displayed his sharpen fangs. “me and you?” he clicked his tongue against the roof of his mouth and laughed. a mocking laughs that spills from his scarlet colored lips and fills the air. taek knew how to carry himself around people and stay composed at all times but this would be the first time that he’s heard a werewolf confess their feelings for a vampire. apparently, he was still leaning something new everyday despite being alive for 170 years. “nayeon,” he repeats, honey dripping from his voice while tasting every syllable of her name against his tongue, “you should have told me earlier that you fall so easily from just a bit of attention. what am i suppose to do with this mess now, hm?” he hums softly as he anticipates for her reply.