As the thunderous crashing clattering from the thrown furniture and the alpha's bellowing, growling roar during the chaotic uproar emanate from the room and resound throughout the mansion's first floor, the sentries posted in close proximity of the meeting instantly rush over to investigate the sudden disturbance. While charging through the hallway leading to the alpha's private study, they must quickly dodge and scoot around the fleeing, panicking Elder Elliot … who's scurrying away to 'save his hide' … to keep from running into the elder. Unfortunately for them the alpha is still highly enraged and overtaken by an indiscriminate unbridled anger, so when they arrive at the scene, they're immediately met by his unleashed wrath...
"What the hell are all of you doing here … does this look like a community gathering?! Why aren't you stationed at your posts like I ordered?! Doesn't anyone in this pack still respect my authority as alpha?! Leave now … go back to your posts!! Or suffer the consequences!!"
And like the elder did just moments ago, they all frantically scramble away for dear life.
It takes some time, but eventually the commotion settles down; though emotions are still at all-time high, and the room is left in an unsightly disarray. Alpha Julian has been erratically pacing about the study with plodding steps, all the time clenching his jaw while grating his teeth; but now he's finally come to halt, standing by the window. He stops grating his teeth and relaxes his jaw; then takes in a few deep breaths before picking up the previous conversation. He stands motionless, staring out the window at nothing in particular...
"If I'm not mistaken, Felicia, I believe you were telling us about how Countess Ardelean's grandniece turned out to be a dampyr."
"Yes... so like I was saying … dampyrs come about as a result of crossbreeding the races, resulting in a hybrid. For centuries, this was only done between vampires and humans to create servants for the royals and nobility. But when a proliferation of demons began infiltrating our world, and there was a need for a stronger breed to eliminate them, the vampires started crossbreeding with werewolves and witches. For the most part, procreating with werewolves had a high success rate, producing stronger fighters to take on the demons. However, a more coveted combination was a hybrid of a vampire and witch; giving the vampire magical attributes."
Beta Stephen interjects, "Which is what Countess Ardelean was seeking to do with her grandniece."
"Correct." Felicia explains, "Now, as you may know, usually seeking out things with greater rewards comes with higher risks. The rate of success among this type of crossbreeding is much lower than the other two. Unfortunately, this time it appears to have been a failure; with no magical abilities being passed on to her grandniece. Countess Ardelean took the gamble and loss."
"Pardon me, Felicia..." The beta inquires, "I couldn't help but to notice that you said that it 'appears to be a failure' … just what did you mean by that? I would think that it would be either a failure or a success. Either she didn't get magical abilities, or she did."
Felicia replies, "True, I suppose one would think that. … Here's the thing, as of now Katarina shows no capability for using magic; however, it doesn't mean that she never will. Though it's highly unlikely, there's always a chance … grant it a minuscule one, but still a chance … that her magical power could be latent for now and suddenly surface someday. But even that scenario is extremely rare. So again, unfortunately for the countess and her grandniece, it's more than safe to say that Katarina will probably never possess any magical abilities. Sadly, she'll always be an ordinary dampyr."
Teresa asks, "But how can you be sure? I mean, Katarina is still just a baby. How can you even tell for sure yet if she does or doesn't have magical abilities?"
"It's just like with every supernatural race; we emanate our intrinsic being through our auras." Felicia looks to the gamma. "Gamma Ray, you clearly sensed the werewolf child's power when you first saw her; that's how you were convinced that she was an Acrilian werewolf … the daughter of the luna of the Shadow Hunter Pack … right?"
The gamma affirms, "Yes."
"And how about Katarina … did you sense her power?"
"Honestly, other than picking up on a weak vampire scent … which is how I realized they were dampyrs … I couldn't detect anything else about her or the teenage one. There was no significant presence of any power or unique ability in either of them."
Felicia turns to Teresa. "You see Teresa, Gamma Ray instantly recognized how powerful the luna's daughter was right from the start; but he didn't notice anything special about Katarina or Irena other than the fact that they were dampyrs."
"Okay, I see what you're saying." Teresa momentarily veers off topic, "Oh, by the way … I know that the baby dampyr's name is Katarina and the teenage dampyr is Irena, but we keep referring to the other one as either the werewolf child or the luna's daughter, which I feel is kind of cold and unattached. What's her name? You never told us."
"I didn't tell you because as far as I know she doesn't have a name. At least, I was never given her name; so, if she has one, I don't know it either. You can ask Irena and see if she happens to know what her name is. And if she doesn't, I suppose you'll just have to give her one yourself."
A subtle, yet indicatively loving, small emerges upon Teresa's lips. "Yes … I suppose I will."
The alpha speaks up, "Alright then … we now know how Countess Ardelean's grandniece turned out to be a dampyr, and that the reason behind the three of them having to remain together is so that the Acrilian werewolf child could protect her against any attacks brought on because of the ongoing political strife within their clan and some personal dispute between the countess and Princess Vodrak; but, you still can't give us any details … even any hints or idea … about what they may be?"
"I'm sorry, Alpha Julian, but as I told you before, we ourselves aren't privy to that information. Other than generalized speculations made from bits and pieces of circulating rumors, we have no knowledge of the specifics about the political strife or the fallout between the countess and the princess. … Again, perhaps Irena has some idea or more details about the current situation out in Transylvania."
Delta Colin scoffs, "How would she know anything more than you do, witch? Do you really think that any royal or noble worth a lick of salt would share any information with a lowly dampyr? Come now, think about it, even Countess Ardelean herself shipped her own grandniece off because she's a useless dampyr who can't use magic."
The alpha's sister snaps, "Shut your mouth Colin, before I shut it for you!" She takes in a breath to try to regain some composure. "Regardless of whether or not they're dampyrs who can't use magic, I will never look down on or turn my back against Katarina or Irena. Like I said, as of today they're my daughters and I'll always love them no matter what."
The alpha suddenly interjects, "Speaking of … being dampyrs … is there anything we should know about them? That is, are there any special instructions or measures needed to be taken while bringing them up? … " The alpha turns around and looks at Felicia with discerning eyes. "Or any concerns? In particular … anything that could jeopardize the safety of our pack."
"I'm not sure exactly what it is you want to know. Can you be a little more specific about the things you're curious about?"
"Well for starters, even though as dampyrs they're only partial vampires..." The alpha again raises an eyebrow as he continues to observe Felicia with discerning eyes. "They're still basically vampires. So, do they need to drink blood?"
The delta immediately interjects with yet another prejudiced remark, "Yeah that's right … and wouldn't those little bloodsuckers turn us into vampires if they bite us?"
As soon as she hears that phrase 'little bloodsuckers', Felicia instantly has a not so pleasant flashback of that annoyingly obnoxious asshole of a sentry. Meanwhile, Teresa fiercely glares at the delta, looking as if she were shooting daggers out of her eyes at him.
Felicia informs the alpha, "Unlike original generations of vampires, today's vampires … though they still need to occasionally feed on some blood to maintain the integrity of their genetic structure … usually they'll only require about a pint … a pint and a half at the most … about every three to four months. Other than that, they can sustain themselves on the everyday foods that we eat."
She looks over to the delta with a subtle hint of repugnance in her eyes. "As for your worries, Delta Thompson … just like those outdated stereotypical biases about werewolves; like assuming that you only turn at the sight of a new full moon … unless they're an actual original generation vampire … who possess a toxin that they can control the release of to deliberately inject into their mark … the latter generations can't turn anyone into a vampire, even when biting while feeding."
The delta ignorantly assumes, "So they will bite our necks to suck out our blood."
Felicia rolls her eyes while letting out an exasperated huff. "It may be true that a majority of the European vampires still feed directly from the neck, they generally to tend to feed off of dampyrs bred specifically for feeding from or others who voluntarily agree to let them feed from."
Felicia looks to the alpha. "Alpha Julian, it's my understanding that the Rainier Pack has ties with a few hospitals in Washington; so, you shouldn't have much difficulty getting hold of a few bags of blood from a blood bank, right? That should suffice for them. And, in a pinch when all else fails, though not optimal, they could occasionally have a feeding of blood from any kind of bovine blood."
Teresa asks, "By bovine blood you mean cows, right?"
Felicia replies, "Yes … cows; steers; sheep; oxen … even horse and goat blood will do. But remember, it's not optimal and shouldn't be used as a usual source; rather only during those times when you have absolutely no way of getting hold of humanoid blood."
The alpha's sister displays a bit of a perplexed visage. "Humanoid blood?"
Felicia clarifies, "Yes … blood from humans; other vampires or dampyrs; witches and warlocks..." She briefly pauses before hesitantly adding, "And, even werewolf blood."
Felicia looks over at the delta, who as expected is conveying a disdainful scowl at her. He offers a just as expected suggestion...
"You said they can feed on dampyr blood, so they can just feed off of each other then."
Again, Felicia rolls her eyes while expelling an exasperated huff. "I suppose in theory … if their feedings are cycled accordingly, that might work." She looks at the delta with her eyes conveying evident repugnance for him. "But if you ask me that's a totally lazy slack-ass way of having them feed."
The delta, still displaying that disdainful scowl while glaring back at her with just as much, if not more, repugnance towards her, immediately snaps back...
"No one asked you, witch!"
Alpha Julian brusquely warns the delta, "That will be enough, Colin. I already dismissed the elders from this meeting; do I need to kick you out as well? I won't say this again, show Felicia proper respect; she's a guest here."
"My apologies, Julian; I didn't mean to overstep my boundaries." He glances at Felicia with a seething look. "Honestly, I think I heard just about enough from this … guest." The delta now glances over at Teresa, who once again is 'shooting daggers' out her eyes at him. "And Teresa looks like she's raring to pounce again … so, if it's alright with you, I think I'll take my leave now."
The alpha concurs, "Yes, that might be for the best. You may go."
"Thank you, my alpha." The delta leaves the study.
After a brief moment of uneasy silence, Felicia inquires...
"Is there anything else you'd like to ask me?"
Teresa speaks up, "Yeah, just one more thing if you don't mind; Felicia?"
"Of course, go ahead."
"Not to sound ignorant like some others who hold on to their prejudices and stereotypes, but I was wondering … since you came here during the day … sunlight; it doesn't harm them? Can they really be out in the sun?"
Felicia, realizing that by no way is Teresa being prejudiced against the dampyrs, but only being sincerely invested in their well-being, lets out an amused chuckle as she assures the alpha's sister...
"No, it's fine, I totally understand your concern, Teresa. Again, they're a newer generation of vampire, so they can move about during the day out in the sun. That said … especially if it's a strong sunlight … don't let them stay out in it for an excessively prolonged amount of time. There have been instances where some vampires have gotten bad skin rashes … even severe burns in a few cases … when exposed to too much direct strong sunlight."
"Right … good to know. Thanks for letting me know."
It suddenly dawns upon Felicia like an epiphany...
"Oh, I almost forgot … in comparison to the original vampires which are known to be immortal … the newer generation vampires … dampyrs included … aren't immortal; but still live out extremely long lives. Usually, they age in normal human years until about the age of thirty; after that, they age at a metabolic vampire rate of aging. So, once they hit thirty, it takes roughly anywhere between fifteen to eighteen human years … depending on their vampire family genetics … to age one vampire year."
Teresa's a bit astonished. "Whoa … you weren't kidding when you said they have extremely long lives."
Felicia laughs, "I know, right?"
Feeling rather exhausted from being so emotionally drained during this drawn-out meeting, the alpha announces...
"I feel that we've learned about as much as we're going to tonight; so, unless there's anything else that you feel may be pertinent for us to be aware of … which I highly doubt there is … I think it's time I call this meeting to an end. So, thank you all for coming this evening. That's all; you may leave now."
As they exit the study, Felicia walks up beside Teresa and gently takes the alpha's sister's arm under hers. As they cozily amble down the hallway, they are watched under scrutiny by the discerning eyes of a suspicious delta. But once out from under his surveillance, Felicia leans in closer … taking a quick scan of their surroundings to make sure no one is in earshot … and quietly whispers in Teresa's ear...
"Teresa, I lied before when I said that Doreen wanted to go outside to get some fresh air. … She's actually been waiting for you by the Koi Pond to talk with you. Apparently, there's something important that she needs to tell you about the luna's daughter … something that I don't even know about. … Something for your ears only."