Capítulo 1: 1: RITUAL OF THE BLOOD MOON

Dimitri had always thought the vampires strange. But the sight in their land was even stranger. He could hear laughter like the tinkling of bells. Fairy lights floated on trees around him, trees of lit up blood-red wisteria. It was much too eerie.

He stayed on his guard as he walked on the path. A gust of wind blew by and rustled the trees. He heard the tinkling of bells again and this time, they were closer. The path of trees started to clear up into civilization. A pond appeared in the middle of the path, with a statue in the middle.

Walking closer, he looked at his reflection in the pond of clear, shimmering water and found it displeasing. Dull grey eyes stared back at him, long white hair as unremarkable as he had known it. He couldn't get why his clan adored it though. He wished very dearly to cut it. The rest of his face was hooded in darkness since the blood-red moon above could only produce a pitiful amount of illumination.

"Once upon a time in a city

A prince met a maiden so fair

He pledged his heart and gave his soul

Only for her to go with dawn"

He heard the ethereal voice come from literally everywhere. It was soft but magnetic, pulling his consciousness into a euphoric state. The laughter became louder and soon he was surrounded.

The vampires were unlike what he remembered. They danced around him, carefree and happy like he was not their enemy but a part of them. Their dance was so enchanting and dizzying, Dimitri found himself swaying. His energy and will was slowly being sapped out of him. No matter how hard he tried, there was no way out of the dance.

He growled lowly and his sharp claws came out. Treaty be damned, he was about to force himself out of the strange dance. As he pulled in his power, a soft hand touched his claws. He looked left and saw a short, orange-haired vampire holding him. Her touch repulsed him but he found that he couldn't throw her off.

"That's strange, what is a wolf doing here? Weren't they supposed to arrive tomorrow?" she pondered out loud, her red eyes staring him up and down. She held his hand and pulled him.

"Come with me. It's not safe for you here"

Astounded by the strength of a little creature such as she was, he could only chalk it up to his weakness due to the strange events that had happened upon entering the land of the vampires. She pulled back the way he came, taking him deeper into the trees, instead of staying on the path. When they were at a considerable distance from the pond, she stopped and let go.

She watched with interest as he retracted his claws and stared at her with vigilance. Suddenly, she laughed. Dimitri, who was on guard, tensed even more.

"A werewolf intruding on the ritual of the blood moon? Now, that's unheard of. Hahahahaha, this is actually very funny"

"What is funny?"

"I suppose you don't know what the ritual of the blood moon is, right? I'd explain in a bit. Just, let me catch my breath before I explode from laughter"

The vampire was strange, very strange. She really did stand on the tree, laughing out loud as if he wasn't even there. He didn't know whether to guard or be relieved under such strange circumstances.

"The ritual of the blood moon is a mating ritual that happens every once in twenty years. Vampires that have recently reached maturity are drawn in by the moon and are bonded temporarily. This is a sort of awakening for the young ones, after coitus, their powers would increase and the bond would be broken. If they still wish to be together after that, it is their choice but unlike the werewolves, we don't care too much about things like eternal mating or even love"

"It only affects young vampires then?" Dimitri asks, his voice tinged with relief. The blood moon sounded troublesome.

"No. Vampires that are underage or even older vampires are advised to stay indoors in the event of the blood moon. Only those that have come of age are allowed to come out. I have seen many cases of older vampires forcefully being bonded to vampires young enough to be their grandchildren, regardless of their sex. The blood moon is always so interesting, kekekeke"

Dimitri cast a suspicious glance at the vampire. Her eyes were full of amusement and even a bit of insanity. He felt the urge to get far away from her but she was his only guide in this strange land. If he got enveloped by that strange phenomenon again, he didn't think he would do well.

"I wonder….."

She jumped down from the tree and stood right in front of him. He flinched and backed up against the tree, ready to run at a moment's notice. There was something noticeably strange about the vampire and he wasn't willing to find out.