in which the hunter becomes the hunted

[was_no_monster]

[sometimes, the woods and the mountains and the wilds aren't enough for him. while he's at home in them, that doesn't make them home.

on those nights, when he wants to run but feels out of place in his usual haunts, he slips out and heads not away from humanity, but toward it. he flies between tall buildings, jumps from roof to roof; pads silently through alleyways and past doorways on four feet and two.

the city was his home first, and in many ways his heart never left it.]

Comments

until I get a modern!Hiyamas account this will have to do

[inshepherdscloth]

[between the two of them, Damon and Kiyoteru Hiyama have broken nearly every rule in the Surveillance Department's book. they are probably breaking one now.

but the first rule is always "use your judgement", whether it's written down or not. Damon would rather sit through a thousand disciplinary meetings than let bureaucratic rules stop them from possibly ending a threat before it begins, and Kiyoteru seldom needs very much convincing.

especially not when Damon's uniquely heightened senses detect a vampire nearby, unmistakably stalking the streets in the dead of night, moving through the city like a predator. that is almost never the behavior of an innocent vampire just "out for a walk".

and so they stalk in turn, hunting out the nighttime prowler. their pistol is loaded with blessed bullets, just in case.]

8D

[was_no_monster]

[it takes him almost four blocks to realize someone's tailing him— literally, at the moment, seeing as he's trotting down the street on all fours. that in itself is alarming, though; he'd expect that if he were in his usual shape (there's always some idiot who thinks they can mug him...), but who would follow a dog his size?

he's careful not to telegraph that he's heard his follower, even though he badly wants to stop and puzzle out details from either scent or the sound of footfalls. instead, he turns into the next alley he comes across as though that were his destination all along— and promptly wedges himself into the corner formed by the alley wall and a dumpster. not the most glamorous, and it'll do to keep his back covered; and if it's Megurine looking for a late night sparring match ("to keep him on his toes" his ass) she might think twice about jumping him somewhere where he can throw her into filth.]

[inshepherdscloth]

[... the prowler has stopped. that means they've been noticed.

it's Kiyoteru's hand that falls to the pistol - Damon is too likely to provoke, as they've discovered through painful experience. Kiyoteru always gets first contact]

Paranormal Surveillance Department. Please come out peacefully.

[was_no_monster]

[—are you fucking kidding me]

Rrrrrrrrrr— [the growl turns into a coughing snarl, and then into just a cough] Are you kidding me?

[inshepherdscloth]

Sir, please come out and speak to me face-to-face. I hope that we can resolve this without any trouble.

[was_no_monster]

[I am so tempted to either sass or nope out of here 8| thanks to feeding regularly with Shion, he's in good shape; he could totally take the other man.

but he is not quite that level of stupid even if he is feeling that level of rebellious, so after a moment he sighs loudly and slips out of the shadows of the alleyway, hands shoved in his pockets

dry] How can I help you, "officer"?

[inshepherdscloth]

[that's... actually a lot less trouble than they expected :|a not taking his hand away from his hip, but...]

Good evening, sir. I was hoping you could explain to me why you were out stalking tonight? We detected several form changes and a considerable amount of predatory movement.

[was_no_monster]

[...oh. well. when put like that...]

Ah— restlessness, mostly, and a desire to make it at least somewhat constructive? It's good practice, and if I catch someone up to no good, all to the better.

...We?

[inshepherdscloth]

[raises his eyebrows. a vigilante vampire? not unheard of, but definitely a surprise

... and oops. makes a slight face]

My partner and I. He is very adept at sensing the presence and movements of paranormal beings.

Ah, but if I might ask... "good practice" for what?

[was_no_monster]

[frowning slightly. he hadn't either scented or heard anybody else, and there was no way that was a bluff; that had been habit.

...also I am not admitting I'm terrible at shapeshifting voluntarily in front of you. crossing his arms]

Hunting. I don't precisely have the luxury of buying a salad when I'm hungry.

[inshepherdscloth]

I understand that. But it is generally frowned on for vampires to hunt in the city, especially this one. If the Surveillance Department doesn't catch you, the elder vampire who considers this city to be under his protection will.

We don't take kindly to vampires hunting our kind, sir - even if you hunt criminals.

[was_no_monster]

[...slkdjlsdjf okay I can't tell which of us is stupider. FACEPALMING]

I don't hunt people, I hunt animals. I'm not some fool to think that having been given a few advantages means a right to others' lives.

As for my father, he's aware that I police this area, as are the two hunters that recently set up shop here.

[inshepherdscloth]

[... please hold while our assessment of you drastically recalibrates

pulls off his glasses]

You're the kid Megurine and Sakine told us about? Hell, you could've said something.

[injurious]

[she wears sensible shoes, but she doesn't bother trying to muffle her steps when she walks; it would be easy for him to hear her approach regardless of any theoretical countermeasures. her steps are carefully measured, carefully weighted. controlled. deliberate. and almost — almost predatory.

she stays behind him for the most part, varying the distance between him but always keeping him within her line of sight. the trick, she's learned, is never to assume that she is better than a vampire. instead, it is merely to know that she is smarter.]

[was_no_monster]

[while that last might be arguable, he's not stupid. he recognizes a tail when he sees one— especially seeing as she'd caught up with him while he was wolf-shaped, and she's been following what looks to all appearances to be a large, shaggy black dog for the last five minutes.

glancing over his shoulder, grumbling deep in his chest, and abruptly launching himself down a side-street]

[injurious]

[his irritation births her irritation — she was expecting him to notice sooner or later, but the fact that he's trying to lose her makes her brow wrinkle. fantastic, kid, make this harder for both of us.

she breaks into a brisk run, chasing after; outwardly she looks calm and professional, but if he knows her (and he knows her) he will recognize the telltale warning signs of gritted teeth and white knuckles.]

[was_no_monster]

[oh, but who said anything about losing her? the moment she begins to round that corner he lunges from where he'd pressed up against the wall, aiming to knock her off her feet]

[injurious]

[ordinarily, she wouldn't have anticipated the attack. if it had been an ordinary situation, with an ordinary human, she wouldn't have seen him coming until it was too late; she would have been bowled over, pinned helplessly to the concrete.

and the truth is, she didn't expect him — she didn't think he was running to set a trap for her — but she's so freakin' annoyed that she only barely registers that he's lunging at her until she takes the full force of his tackle and rolls it to the side, hurling the wolf towards the ground as she falls]

[was_no_monster]

[one of the nice things about being four-legged is much better recovery time. rolling right over to spring away from her, landing in a crouch—

...a crouch that is almost certainly part play-bow, even if his teeth are bared at her. GOT YOU, MEGURINE. your move :)]

[injurious]

[she lands on her shoulder and rolls in much the same fashion, but towards him instead of away; her hand flashes dangerously towards her pistol for a moment before she remembers herself just enough not to shoot at him, and instead of rising to her feet she stays on the ground with her weight on her hips and elbow, one leg sweeping low to knock him off his paws]

[was_no_monster]

[—sldkjf JESUS, YOU KICK HARD. yelping and staggering sideways before his form goes abruptly fuzzy and indistinct.

he still can't quite hit mist, though, so he re-solidifies on his hands and knees next to her and promptly takes advantage of their positions to try and grab her by the shoulder to pin her]

[injurious]

Again?

[she lets him grab her shoulder, but that doesn't quite limit the mobility of her arm — instead she jerks it upward, aiming to elbow him squarely in the jaw]

[was_no_monster]

[TAKING IT LIKE A MANoh wait no guess who was a genius, forgot his fangs were out, and accidentally bit through his lip. letting go to clap one hand over his mouth before he can think better of it, his eyes shading from their usual dark blue to a reddish-purple at the taste of his own blood]

[injurious]

[MISSION FAILED ABORT MISSION — luka's priority now is to get as much distance between them as possible, and this she does by rolling off her side onto her hands and knees, then pushing off the ground in a backwards leap.

her back's against the wall now, though; she's pinned in an entirely different sense.]

[was_no_monster]

[grumbling crankily while he waits for the cut to heal over so he can wipe the blood out of his mouth. no sense in taking chances...

in the meantime he climbs slowly back to his feet, resisting the urge to chase after her. she is not prey, damn it.]

Tch. Do you want to wait, or keep going?