VtM: Autakris
Autakris. Kindred who no longer wish anything to do with other Kindred, who will not bow to the political games played by the other clans but would rather hide and become their own men. Many of our Clan take this path at one point or another though many return to Kindred society in the end. Still, our clan has always had a soft spot for these individuals, for we understand their desire to escape the conflicts of politics that inhabit world. *Johnathan pauses then, letting his words die away in the night before starting again, the voice still strong*
I was quite young when this story starts. Travelling as our kind is wont to, I was in France moving through one of the many woods that cover the land. Civilisation in this area was sparse, only a few villages outlying the forest. Few of you will ever understand how big such a forest can be when there is little industrialisation, how majestic and scary it would seem if you were not there. Sometimes, sometimes you can still find such a place but it grows harder each year. *he stops, falling quiet as if thinking of that and then he looks up to speak*
Confident in my ability to survive in the wild I refused to listen to the words spoken by the villagers to me before I entered the forest, knowing from past stories and questions to others of our kind that there were no Garou in that region. They spoke of a creature that inhabited this place before me, one that had done so for the past few years and that sometimes came out, killing livestock and friends. They spoke of a dark, harsh laughter that came from nowhere and footprints found that made no sense. Scoffing at their peasant ideas I left them to enter the forest.
It would take me 2 nights to realise that their words were not just the overwrought dreams of peasant folk. Something was out there and I could feel it. The forest around me was dead. As if scared of what it was that stalked me through the forests, that watched me as I moved through it. * a long pause before he speaks again * What can I say? I was young. I thought I was strong enough, fast enough and smart enough to take down whatever it was out there. And so I kept on moving, travelling through the woods because I did not care to backtrack and travel a much longer route, afraid of seeming a fool in the eyes of the very same villagers I had laughed at.
The creature that followed me through the woods left me alone that night. The next night, as I continued my journey I came across a river, one that was fed from the nearby mountains. As I bent down to wash my face and just feel the cold water flowing through my fingers something hit me. Moving faster than anything I had seen before it slammed into my side and sent me flying through the air. The only reason I stopped flying was due to a rather large tree that got in the way.
*He shakes his head, looking around and speaks again, meeting each person in the eye as he continues his story* As I shook my head clear of the pain I looked up to gain a view of my attacker. It was then that I gained my first clear view of the creature. It was a vampire much like us but one who had given itself to the Beast completely. I could not tell its sex even though it no longer wore any form of clothing, the Beasts mark and the dirt upon it enough to hide any traces of any discerning features. Any who have seen another of our kind knows what I speak of, knows the hate and anger that emanates from such a creature taken over by the Beast. This creature before me, given over completely to its own inner demon was worst, many, many times worse.
I had only time to take that much in before it rushed me. I believe it smelt my nature, it knew what I was. And it was hungry, for my blood. In a state of a perpetual frenzy it rushed at me, coming for my blood. I met it in battle, confident that no mindless being like that could best me. I will skip the next few… seconds in my story. Let it suffice to say that I had a humiliating lesson in that time of my limits. It hit me, it bit me and it threw me around with an ease that defied description. Even though it did little to dodge my blows, the hardest and surest of those that I landed upon it seemed to slow it down not at all.
Unfortunately the same could not be said of myself. As I tried to hit it once more, the creature lashed out, sending me sailing through the air to splash near the river. My ribs were broken, one arm useless, shattered at the shoulder and I hurt from various other minor wounds in my body. Even as I tried to heal myself it came rushing to end it. And so I did the only thing that I could, I let it hit me and I took hold of the creature, forcing us both to fly backwards into the river.
*Once more he pauses, looking over those around before he continues, his tone softer now though it still carries through the clearing* The shock of the water, still cold from the mountains drove me further awake as I landed in it, losing my grasp on my opponent. The current soon separated the two of us, driving us downstream. I know not how long we both floated in the current, tossed around much like rag dolls against the many rocks that littered the rivers' path. It would be a number of hours before the river widened enough for me to be able to pull myself clear of the water. As I freed myself from the current I turned to look for the monster. I saw the body, still and unmoving being carried furhter from my grasp. Relieved and thankful of my luck it was only then that I noticed the first rays of the rising sun break free on the horizon. I knew then that I had to leave and find shelter from its deadly rays. Forcing myself to push past the pain that racked my body, I left the riverbank searching for a spot in which to rest till the next night.
*He stops speaking now, just standing there for a moment before starting again, his gaze now resting on the fire * I would never see the creature again, not that I ever looked. *he stops once more before starting again* Not all Autakris leave for reasons of politics. Others leave to take part in activities that most of us would condemn. To kill, to maim, to rule over the kine like the lords of old without the restraint of the Masquerade. Even darker rumours arise at times of those who leave to search for darker powers. But maybe those rumours are nothing more than that, rumours. I know not but I do know of one other reason, one that I met. Some leave to let themselves go, to allow their Beasts to conquer them, to stop battling what we all do and to become something more. And something much, much less. *he stops, falling quiet and looks up at last, looking at each of those around him before turning to walk away from the fire, his story completed*
posted by Tired @ 11:31 AM
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