*I could smell it...the scent of blood in the air. My nostrils flared as I breathed in the coppery, metallic scent. What was anathema to some was like mana to me.

It is to early in our acquaintence to get into discussions of heaven and hell. Let's save them for another time.

I kept my eyes wide open to my surroundings, as I let my olfactory sense lead me in the direction the scent was wafting from. I couldn't even call the human that the scent was coming from my prey. I wasn't hunting them, I was only trying to find them.

As I ran through the dark of night a cool wind caressed my skin, not that I took much notice of those kinds of things. I had other pressing worries to focus on at the moment.

As I neared the unfortunate soul whose life was most likely coming to an end at that very moment it finally struck me that something wasn't right. My nose was telling me that prey was easily accessible if I continued to follow the scent. That in and of itself should have told me something. We never let another of our kind know where we were, especially not by advertising the fact that we had caught the poor creature who had become our prey at that time.

I stopped suddenly and stood still. A gentle mist sprayed my cheeks. Normally a small thing like that wouldn't bother me, I would ignore it. Instinct drove me to raise my hand and wipe the fine droplets that had sprinkled upon my skin. When I pulled my hand away and gazed down at my fingers I wasn't all that surprised to find my fingers covered in a thin layer of blood. My instincts had been right, something was off.

I just hoped that I wouldn't wind up paying for my carelessness with my life.

I stood motionless, waiting in anticipation to see what would happen next. I couldn't hear anyone else moving around but that didn't mean that I was alone. The gentle crimson rain that still caressed my skin hadn't miraculously appeared out of nowhere.

I stood there, undecided on what to do. Did I want to keep following my nose and try to investigate the source? Did I want to stay and see if the other one of my kind would come to me?

Whatever I decided it would have to be soon. I couldn't very well stay there all night.

I took a deep breath, not that I needed to breathe, but just to help clear my mind. However that didn't happen, the enticing scent of blood filled my senses and I felt the excitment start to bubble inside of me.

I clenched my hands into fists and willed myself not to move. My instincts wanted me to run pell mell towards the source but I fought those insticts. Carelessness had brought me to the situation I now found myself in. I wasn't about to run right into whatever trap my now nemesis had laid out for me.

For now it looked like we were in a stalemate*.