Wretched mountain.

Throughout all of Koveras journeys he had never seen the like. The further he ventured the colder the winds were, the harder the snow hit him, the darker it was even during the day. The mountain was ungreeting and inhospitable to outsiders, and he had yet to see other signs of life, apart from footsteps in the snow, which looked like paws from bears. But bears, here? This was no place for bears or any other animal he knew of. It would have to be something else, though he didn't want to think about what exactly.

He was exhausted and tired like never before. The mountain drained him of all his energy as if it was cursed. He had been walking all day now and had to find shelter soon, but he hadn't found a suitable place yet. He pressed on against the screaming winds and the snow that fell so fast it threatened to consume him. Occasionally he slipped and fell a few yards back, and getting back up got harder each time. He had to be cautious; many a tale was heard about the unwary adventurer who slipped and fell off the mountainside, helplessy meeting an unfortunate end, paying the price for their hubris and their underestimation of the mountain.

He kept a few pauses where he drank a little of his water and ate some of his food rations, before moving on. Even with all his clothes he was beginning to get cold, and it was getting to dark for him to see clearly. He would have to find shelter soon. Continiueing his journey in this dark would be suicide. He had to move very slowly to avoid accidents, and though he had already wandered all day the mountain still seemed to go on forever. The only sound he could hear was that of the moaning winds, singing tales of the unfortunate adventurer and his doom.

He was staggering now, all his strength having abandoned him, and he still hadn't found a suitable place to rest. His perstistent spirit was slowly waning. Would this terrifying mountain claim his life, as it had claimed so many others? He wouldn't let it, but even his endurance had its limit. His mind was as weary as his legs and he had to concentrate hard to keep him moving at all. One little step at a time, that was all he could muster. And it hurted. His fingers were getting numb inside his gloves, and his legs felt like they were made of solid rock. Moving them felt like breaking a bone, and he groaned with each step he took. He wouldn't last much longer.

Finally. A cave entrance, just a few yards from where he was. Or was he just beginning to hallucinate? He had to find out. With his last energy reserves and his tormented legs, he slowly moved towards the cave. There could be all sorts of creatures living in there, but it was a risk he had to take. Once inside, he leaned against the mountainwall, swept himself in a blanket he had been carrying on him, and immediately after gave in to the exhaustiation, entering a deep sleep that was long overdue.

When he at long last woke up again, Koveras wasn't laying in the cave, swept in his thin blanket, but in a warm and comfortable bed in some kind of hut...

Jack moved slowly along the side of the mountain. With no eyesight to speak of he couldn't tell of any dangers. He was on his hands and knee's, feeling his way around. The cold had long since made his hands numbs, the only way of telling he was going over a cliff was if his hand didn't stop after he placed it down. It was treacherous, but he had made it so long now, surely something was coming up that he could find sanctuary in. He hurt all over, his breathing was slowing now, he couldn't take in any breath through his mouth, it had been closed, and any attempt to open it might rip his lips clean off. He just kept going, amazed that he had made it so far.

He was crawling in the snow, quietly and conscious of all noises around him, when suddenly the wind he was hearing died down. It was as though something physical had blocked it. He placed his hand out to the side, and was met by something rough and grainy, digging into his flesh. He was against a building of somekind

A darkly clad figure glidded gentlely around the room. She looked over at the man
she had found in the snow. He looked exhaused. How long he had been on the mountain was beyond her. He was lucky she had found him and not some hungery beast.

She touched his face ever-so-gentely. Feeling how the sharp, cold air parched his already cracked and peeling skin. She took him by the arms and slowly pulled him toward the fire. "Quite the hefty one, aren't we?" She asked as she struggled to pull him the rest of the way. Once near enough to the burning piles of wood, she began to disrobe herself. Just at that minute, he awoke to see the most beautiful creature he had ever seen in his life.

She turned to face him, eyes shining. Why did he stare so?She walked over to him and placing afirm hand on his shoulder she pushed him backward on the bed pallet.
"You should rest. You've come a long way," she whispered.

The wind whipped about blowing her raven hair backwards off her shoulder, and blowing her cloak about her feet. But the cold did not bother her, Narcissa was used to it because mount nezzra was her home. it had been for over four hundred years and she was used to the bitting winds and icy snow storms. The slope wound down and her keen senses led her to the man crawling besides the building. On his hands and knees like some dog. She thought scornfully. It had been so long since she had had fresh blood, and her mouth watered at the thought, but she knew that she could not kill him or take him back to her home. The queen would demand he be handed over. Food was short, and narcissa had no intention of sharing, even if the queen happened to be her mother.

She crept up behind him and in a matter of seconds had him in her iron like grasp. He seemed to have a problem with speaking, no doubt his lips were frozen. She merely smirked and bent her head, peircing his cold frozen flesh with her fangs. The blood flowed into her mouth colder then would be normal, but much better then what she had grown accustomed to. She closed her eyes and enjoyed the moment before releasing him and lowering him to the ground.

"It would be wise for you to get inside before you pass out." she whispered to him, before vanishing amongst the trees.

She arrived back at the mouth of a large cave, in which her mothers underground palace had been built. A human would get lost but narcissa knew its many tunnels and passages well. She made her way back to the her bedchambers and once there relaxed. The night was young and since she had already fed there was no reason too....

"Narcissa, It will be tonight. get ready. We are going to cathair gennan." A male voice said. She looked up and found herself staring into the face of her brother Marcus. he grinned at her wickedly. "it should be fun."

Narcissa nodded and stood up, Marcus left her to her own devices and she dressed quickly. she put on one of her favorite and more intimidating outfits. It was a corset and pants made of red leather, that clung to her body tightly. She completed the outfit with knee high red leather boots, and a custom made matching cloak with the family crest that tied around her neck and had a hood to shield her face from the winds. She gabbed her favorite dagger with jewls incrusted in the handles and placed it inside its sheath, hanging form her hip. satisfied she left her chambers and met her brother and several other vampires at the mouth of the cave.

Her eyes had turned a jet black from their normal green, in anticipation of the up coming raid. her fangs and grown longer and her face seemed to be stuck in a permenant evil grin that showcased her razor sharp canines.

"Ready to go boys?" She asked.

" Only if you are" Said Marcus and they made their way to Cathair Gennan. The wind howled and screamed as Narcissa struggled to keep her instincts down. Her mind was telling her to make herself as light as the wind, and soar over the trees and rocks. She was tired. Day after day it was something new. A new enemy coming to kill the Queen; her mother. Or the hunger getting to powerful to control. Having to find some poor defensless animal, or person to make her midnight snack. She didn't want to walk anymore, she wanted to fly. But it was against her mother's policy.
"In order to be the top hunter, you do not rely on your powers, for they are not going to serve you any justice. Your hunter's instincts are all that matter." To hell with that, thought Narcissa. She enjoyed her powers and didn't understand why her mother was opposed to it so much.

Narcissa tried to let he thought of her mother's words leave her mind and focus on the current situation, when she felt something dripping down the side her face. Before she could find out what it was or where it was coming from, she reconized it immediately. Syrus. She around to find that her brother, along with the other two were missing. They must have walked a head of her while she was thinking.

She was not at all in the mood for their games. The success of their raid relied upon a well planned attack and cooperation with one another. If they were detected before planned then all would be lost. The citizens would baracade themselves in the walls of the city and were bound to summon the slayers immediately. Although she was confident in her ability to fight off any attempts on her life Narcissa did not want the slayers arriving before they had a chance to take their pray. The point of the raid was to return with living humans. Her mother liked to hold them for as long as possible, and milk them for all they were worth, so to speak. Telepathicly she called out to her brother ordering him to return to her side, warning him of the slayers, and the importance of remaining undetected untill the last possible moment. She quickened her stride and persevered against the strenghtening winds.

Alaras, frustrated with the lack of responses to his post at the notice board in Cathair Gennan, headed to the mountains in search of signs of Nocturne. Using wind-based transport spells to move him from cliff to cliff, he made rapid progress. On the way, he spotted a strange woman heading towards the city, exuding an aura of pure malice. Being the softy he is, he couldn't just let it slide, so with a transport spell, he appeared directly in front of her, and said, "Excuse me, but I couldn't help you approaching the city with an aura of malice. What are your intentions? Your answer determines whether you live or die, and I don't tolerate dishonesty!"