*She smiles slightly.*
To escape the unwanted attention, which significantly decreased the prey, I took to flight. And I do mean flight, in more ways than one.
*You ask another question and she draws herself up proudly* A vampire would never flee. I merely chose to search out other feeding grounds, in various parts of the world.
Flight, meant as in flying. Sit tight and listen.
According to ancient vampire history, Adam was created by God and Lilith, his first wife, by God's favourite angel Lucifer. When Lucifer fell from grace, Lilith was driven out of Eden as she was deemed as having too headstrong a nature. To pacify Adam, Eve was created, a simpering, weak, obedient woman. *A look a disgust crosses her face fleetingly.* Together, Lilith and Lucifer turned their backs on the world which was supposed to be just and fair but hadn't been to them and journeyed into the wild expanse of desert beyond, past the dominance of God's hand. Lilith was impregnated by Lucifer...
*You interrupt with a question*
Hm? True, Lucifer was sexless but think about it, if God can get the Virgin Mary pregnant, why can't Lucifer? Sad to say, our unHoly Mother's first child died but by melding the soul of her dead child together with those of the animals in the desert, Lilith created the first strains of what was to come. But it was only after generations of cross and in-breeding, that the First Ones were truly formed, evolved from animal and faerie, possessing a superb intelligence as well as the traits that made animals such good hunters, stealth, strength and cunning.
The First Ones were shapeshifters and till now, this special bloodgift is passed on from true generation to generation. The felines and bats dominated the vampire family, especially the bats, which were the form of the first true shapeshifters. The small size, superb hearing, swift flight, coupled with the added nightvision of the vampire, made it an ideal for tracking, searching and journeying. The cats came later, silent and stealthy, and of course, were desired house pets which made hunting so much easier. The other families had different shapes, one of which is just as famous as ours --- the werewolves. But their story is a different one.
Born of the Old Blood, true and pure, I had inherited the bat form from my mother. It takes much practice before one can get it right.
Watch.
*Her eyes close and a pale blue aura appears around her small form, flickering gently at the edges. Her body seems to shimmer, turning translucent, falling and folding in upon itself until the pale glow fades and a small ebony-furred bat stretches its wings langorously.*
*The bat flaps its wings and takes off, soaring through the air, cutting neatly through the darkness before landing on your shoulder, a cool wind wafting around you as it flaps its wings once more before folding them neatly.
*It noses around your neck softly and startled, you brush it off, holding back a shudder, watching it glide in a graceful arc before landing on the empty chair again. The blue aura appears again, with the dark center expanding now before the girl appears on the chair once more.*
*She looks up and chuckles wickedly.* Don't worry. I wasn't actually going to bite you. Not yet, anyway.
*She leans back in her chair and continues.*
Enough of the history. I hoped you learnt more, though.
As for me, I shifted to bat form and hopped on a cargo flight to the Malay Peninsula. To tell the truth, I had been lurking around the docks one night and had overheard the sailors talking about the exoticness of the countries there, of the strange alien cultures they had, of the people with similar dark eyes and hair. Though I possessed fairer skin, I figure I'd stand out less among these people than others in this land, the land of the white skin, fair hair and coloured eyes. A strange sense of attraction stirred deep within me and now, I was sure I wished to pay a visit to the Malay Peninsula. England had palled.
My breath quickened as the men loaded the cages of rabbits into the far end of the cargo plane, hoping fervently that they wouldn't notice the small bat huddled in the shadows at the furthest corner. The rabbits shifted uneasily as they came within a short distance of me but luckily, the men did not seem too concerned, wishing to finish their work as soon as possible. As seen from the records, this livestock cargo plane was landing in some place labelled KL, definitely in Malaysia. Hypnotisation is just so useful.
Throughout the journey, the men kept returning to feed those silly rabbits cowering in their cages. When they came, I hid and when they left, I returned to my feeding, snatching a bit here and there. One good thing about being a bat -- when your mass is smaller, the amount of food you need is less too, that's understood. Even so, I had to be careful not to drink too much, or the rabbits would die. It wasn't the same as feeding on humans, as you humans have so much more blood to spare. But hell, some died anyway. They just couldn't survive the journey and added stress, I guess. *She shrugs nonchalently and sniffs.* Weaklings.
Soon, the roar of the engines died down and I knew, that I had reached Malaysia.
As soon as the door was opened, I shot out of the entrance, needing a breath of fresh air. I suppose all the men saw was a blur of black streaking past and at the most, a small dot hovering in the air, flying ecstatically in circles and figures of eight. Luckily for me, it was evening, so the sunlight wasn't that dazzling.
On a new continent! For a young vampire, that thought was mind-boggling and I was suffused with a warm flush of joy and wonder that before I knew it, I'd flown out of the city and was winging my way into the rural areas and sparse forests nearby.
One thing I'd say, though. In the day, everything looks different but at night, all remains the same. The sweet chirping of insects, the occasional bark of a wild dog, the whisper of the twilight breeze through the tree branches, even the soft patter of raindrops striking branches in the middle of the night, these were all the same everywhere. I found a nice, strong branch, hung myself upside-down on it, tucked my head under my wings and slept.
*A smile blossoms on her face at the memory.*
One of the most enjoyable moments in my life, I recall. What happened next wasn't so pleasant and for you humans, it's time to burst a few bubbles in your myths about vampires.
*She chuckles sardonically.* Garlic, indeed.