► Eternal Shadows {ibbrandi x Puppet}

[Puppet]

This is a private 1x1 between ibbrandi & Puppet.
No one else is allowed to post here, thanks! ♥

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[Puppet]

Delicate slip-on shoes clapped quietly over the wet sidewalk. Dressed in a knee-high summer dress and clutching a clear umbrella, Marin stood out in the clouded and gloomy city. She was like a ray of sunshine in a dark and dreary hole. She was certainly different from the rest. Her hair and skin a shade too light, her eyes a hue too vibrant, and her demeanor to boot, were just not like other humans. Because of that, Marin had been treated differently than most in their lives.

She kept lapis lazuli colored eyes on the sidewalk as much as she could. It was uncomfortable for Marin to look at people in passing. She already knew they'd be staring, whispering. Some had no intention at all, but merely gossiped in her passing. Others seemed to fear the strangeness about her. Some were almost, too, intrigued. It was always best for Marin to be on her way silently and keep to herself. But it just wasn't like her. Often times she would stop to help an elderly woman with her groceries, or a child with a lost pet. She was usually shooed away by parents, or told she wasn't needed. It wouldn't ever stop her from trying to help others though.

Marin had just returned from visiting a friend under the old East side bridge. She could consider him that, at least. The homeless man was blind. He judged Marin not on her appearance, but by her demeanor alone. The girl often spent her last dollars on extra food to feed the man. She'd offered him time and time again to stay at her apartment, but he enjoyed the "free" life. Old as he was, he was in pretty good health. Aside from the blindness thing.

She enjoyed sitting under the bridge with the old man and listening to the stories of his life. She rarely did much talking, since she wasn't used to conversation, but he never seemed to mind. They always sat around a small fire that was always lit before sundown. The old man never let the fire die in the night. Even blind and in his age, he feared the darkness, claiming that things of nightmares always lurked just beyond the light's edge. Marin didn't believe that, but still, some nights on her walk home alone she'd walk somewhat faster, her imagination running with Charlie's stories.

The small girl was on her way back now to her apartment now. She called it an apartment anyway. The building was on the "bad side" of town. It probably should have been condemned ages ago. Many of the rooms were uninhabitable, but Marin didn't mind. She found the best in every situation. And, rent was cheap. That was a plus for a girl who wasn't allowed to stay many places for too long. She 'unsettled the customers', or her position re-filled without warning. She didn't take it personally. Though she sighed at the thought.

As Marin rounded a corner to follow along a long alleyway to the other side of the street, lightning cracked and lit the alley enough to make Marin stop halfway through. She'd traveled this alley almost daily. It wasn't a popular one for the gangbangers or the druggies, rarely occupied and perfect for Marin's shortcut. But on this dreary evening, Marin felt uneasy. Had she seen someone standing there? Something? No, her mind must have been playing tricks on her. Still, Marin found it hard to make her feet move forward.

Almost as suddenly as she'd stopped, Marin felt a presence behind her. She glanced over her shoulder to see nothing. The dull orange glow of an old street light had ended just a few feet behind her. She'd crossed over into the darkness of the alley, and stood just beyond the light's edge. Charlie's words echoed in her ears. Marin shook her head. Her mind was playing tricks on her. There was nothing in the alley, she was sure of it. Still her heart thudded in her chest as she moved forward.

It was the low guttural rumbling that caused Marin to spin around suddenly, clutching the handle of her umbrella so tightly that her knuckles were white as snow. She held her breath as red glowing eyes set into a demonic dog-like face, stared into her own. The creature was simply standing there, sizing the girl up. Aside from its mangled fur, it appeared almost phantom-like. It was too large to be any ordinary dog or wolf, no, the beast was a hellhound. Though Marin wouldn't know that, and even if she'd kept up with the myths of the supernatural, she wouldn't know how it had ended up in this secluded alleyway either.

As it decided on its next actions, its lips pulled away from its teeth in a nasty snarl. Marin didn't waste even another moment before dropping the umbrella all together and turning to run. Delicate shoes thudded against the wet pavement, and Marin breathed hard, daring not to look back. She didn't need to. The sounds of the creature's claws digging into the asphalt for leverage as it pursued her, leisurely at its current pace, was all she needed to know to know that she wasn't imagining things. Marin was running as fast as she could, but the hound was simply enjoying the chase.

She rounded the end of the alley and ran into the street, glancing desperately around for signs of other people, help, anything. But this part of town at this time of night was deserted. Even the gangsters had retired to their home bases to get out of the dreary weather. The beast grew bored quickly enough, and lunged at Marin, catching her ankle in its jaws and causing her to scream out in shock as she fell to the ground unexpectedly. Instinctively, she rolled over to defend herself from the hound, which meant putting her arms up to deflect the coming attack, as if it would help.

Blood pumped almost painfully through Marin's heart that she was sure was going to burst. She didn't feel any pain in her bleeding ankle at all, as if it hadn't happened, thanks to shock and adrenaline. Nor the bleeding injuries of her left knee and wrist which had both taken the brunt of the fall. Her body shook, and she choked back a sob, clenching her eyes shut as she awaited death from the hound that was drooling at the scent of Marin's blood.

 

[ibbrandi]

Daman

Daman stared into the little shop window. The lights were off and he could see mirrors on the walls behind lines of clothing hanging around the room. There was nothing in the shop that caught his eye, but he continued to sand there, eyes unblinking. There was no reflection in the mirror looknig back at him. No eyes appered in the glass window. His breath created little puffs of fog appear, and disappear as he breathed a steady rythum. Deciding this was foolish to stand for so long, he pulled his coat collar up and close to his cheeks. He couldn't feel the cold, but this made him look more human, and it was easier to collect dinner.

No one was on the street tonight, and usually weren't in this part of town unless they were drunk. And as far as he could tell, no one missed the drunkards when they suddenly disappeared. How ever, since his last meal had dried out, it was time to take another bloke home. He couldn't say he was upset either, this last man was very annoying. Daman smirked at the thought of the man hanging upside down, hands behind his back. "Please..." the man began as Daman circled round, looking him up and down. "I have a job, and a family...." Daman huffed, with a wave of his hand, as if to brush an invisible item away from him. He was tired of the begging, why couldn't they just shut up? But the blood tasted so much better when it was fresh.

Coming back to the present, Daman stopped when he hear light foot steps. They were close, maybe a few blocks away. He walked faster, catching up to the girl, a she walked passed a corner of the building. A small girl alone in an alley at night? It was like someone was handing him a silver platter. Making sure to stand back a few feet, Daman kept a steady pace with the girl's walking, so their shoes hit the street bricks at the same time. He almost felt sorry for the poor pale thing, but his stomach growled and he got over it quickly.

Daman froze when a smell hit his nostrals. How did he not notice it before? They were getting so much better at hiding, and it was going to be the death of all "fictional" beings, as the humans called them. Hell hounds were one of the worst beasts to come across and especially when they were feeding. Daman took one step back, and the thought of letting the girl walk into her doom crossed his mind, but watching her dress swish as she walked, and he hair dripping from the rain made him lick his lips. This one was his no matter what he had to do. Starting his pace again, he saw the girl stop.

"Hey," her little voice rang out and bounced around the walls. Everything became very still, and Daman realised he stopped walking when she did. "Is everything okay?" Oh you poor thing, he thought and smiled. This was going to be simple. Kill the damned thing, and take the girl. A small figure darted away and a voice rang from the man infront of her. The next thing he knew the beast was in full dog form, if you could call it that, and it was ontop of Daman's dinner. A snarle left his lips, and he pulled the jacket off of his back, only a grey long sleave shirt and dark jeans underneith.

Daman crouched down and lunged as hard as he could at the beast. He hit the fur hard, knocking the dog off of the girl and onto his back. The dog looked him in the eye, red eyes gleaming, and Daman looked back. He wasn't afraid of a dog. When the beast kicked his legs into Daman's chest, it forced him off the dog's chest and onto the ground. "You're going to regret that leach," the two voices laughed at him. Daman jumped back onto his feet, his chucks pressed tight into the ground ready for anything. "Bring it fur bag," he challenged the dog back. Daman thought he saw a smile, before the dog ran at him, all teeth bared and ready for the kill, and the vampire did the same.

Pulling a hidden knife from his back pocket, Daman stopped and let the dog land on him, knocking them both to the ground again. Pushing the knife up and into the thick fur, he heard a yelp as the dog went limp on top of him. Daman smiled and even let out a chuckle. Hell hath no fury like a hungry monster, but only one of them could win this one. Pushing himself out from under the bloodied animal, Daman pulled the knife back out of the matted fur, and looke it over. A drop of blood left the tip and hit his shoe. Daman ran a finger across it, and brought it to his lips. It wasn't as sweet as the dinner he was about to have, and with that he looked back at the girl and pulled his finger from his mouth, making a "pop" noise.

"Well hello there sweet heart. Are we lost eh?"​