1x1 with x_fire

Keith remained completely still. His wings sinking a bit, falling around them. Curling closer around him and Alayna. This felt so right, this moment. He shuddered, his body relaxing, then tensing again. He could feel magic attacking his shield. His eyes flew open, "Oh god" He murmured, nearly gagging. The darkness, the evil of the magic was intense.

Demitri lay on the ground, far from the school, far from help. He was gasping, he could barely breath, barely function. His body thrashed, he felt as if he were being raked over hot coals. Cuts began to appeare over his scars, blood, desperately needed blood, running down his back, his arms. He tried to grab his cell phone, but he could barely move. He slipped it free, finally. Gasping, he pushed the phone open, speaker phone was on. He hit speed dial, hitting Kristen's number. Praying that she would answer.

Alayna cringed on impusle. She could feel it now. It wasn't Keith's sheild. It was magic against it. She sat up quickly, holding her head. "Now what?" she hissed, frowning. She took a deep breath, both her hands bracing her head. "You ok?" She asked, looking back over her shoulder at Keith.


Actually paying attention to the movie, Kristen didn't hear her phone, still in her jeans from the previous day, until it started ringing. She had set it to vib, then ring. Frowning at the tone, Kristen sat up from the bed, searching for her phone. Finding it, Kristen saw Demitri's name on the caller I.D. Fear ran threw her and she answered the phone before she missed the call. "Demitri?" she asked, putting the phone to her ear and hitting mute on the movie.

"So strong" Keith asked, his shield flaring. It was the only thing keeping him and Alayna from being pulled into the magic, consumed by it. Cuts, similar to Demitri's, but far less deep or long, appeared on his forearms, blood running down his arms. "Don't move" He said, eyes shutting, magic flaring. He needed to focus, to keep the magic from getting to them.

Demitri cursed, but managed to answer the phone.
"H-help m-me" He stammered, hoping Kristen could hear him. He could do little more then breath raggedly, he couldn't even scream in pain, though it was ripping through his body. It was a thousand times worse then the werewolf attack. Then he screamed, it felt as if a hot poker were being stabbed into him repeated, slicing his sking.

"I know..." Alayna muttered, rubbing her temples. She cringed, notcing the cuts along Keith's arms. Her eyes went wide, and then another wave hit her. She nodded to Keith, keeping as still as she possibly could. She took a deep breath, trying to relax enough to block it out. An image came to her mind, one she wished she could draw to see better. Alayna opened her eyes, staring out into space, a look of mild horror on her face. "Demitri...Kristen!" she whispered.


Kristen cursed, turning off the T.V. and throwing her sneakers on. She held the phone to her ear, hearing Demitri scream. She winced, pulling the phone away slightly. "Demitri...listen to me. Where did you go? Tell me something so that I can find you." she said, her voice shaking slightly. She grabbed her dagger, shutting the light off before leaving the dorm room. This couldn't be happening again...not so soon...

Keith nodded, "I know, I know. I see it" He said, eyes still shut.
"You can't move though. If I lose this shield, the magic will catch us as well" He tried to explain. "Just don't move" He said, ignoring the blood on his fore arms, he began to mutter in latin, bolstering the spell, hoping it would hold. Never before had he felt magic this strong.

"F-forest by the w-white r-r-rocks" He stammered, his eyes began to shut, he wasn't sure if he was dying or if he was passing out. And honestly, he didn't care, not at this point. More pain, blood, he could smell it, there was so much blood. He shuddered, he heard a voice, it sounded so familiar, but it was so far away.

Alayna sighed, rubbing her eyes gently, trying to get the image out of her mind. "There has to be something we can do..." she muttered. "Kristen's going to be ripped to shreds..." she took a deep breath, wishing now more than every that she wasn't human. Alayna bit her lip, wishing there was some way she could help.


Kristen took a deep breath, shaking her head. She was reluctant to hanging up the phone, but she wasn't going to get far in this shape. "Hang in there. I'll be there soon." she said before closing the phone. Taking a deep breath, Kristen ran down the rest of the hallway, changing into a tiger as she burst through the doors. If Kristen had known about the magic, she would've realized what was wrong. At the moment though, only one thing was on her mind, and the small cuts that started to appeare over her white fur wasn't fazing her that much. Kristen repeated what Demitri had told her over and over, forcing her tiger to look around. When she found him, Kristen shifted back insantly. "Demitri-" The magic hit her fully then.

Keith swore and concentrated. Suddenly a plume of bright, gold magic burst from Keith. It went straight, searching for Kristen, and soon it surrounded the tiger, protecting her from the magic.
"She's safe" He murmured, his voice slurring, exahusted from the amount of magic he was currently using.
"Don't move" He said again.

Demitri felt a hand on his back, blood running from the touch.
"You killed my wife, you foul, bloodsucking creature" A voice hissed in Russian. He gasped, understanding, seeing. The mage murmured something, and Demitri let out a silent scream, the magic tearing him apart.

A thoguht came to Alayna, and she reached for Keith's hand. "Here." she said. Taking a deep breath, Alayna forced whatever energy she had into the angel. "Use it." she whispered, holding his hand tigher as her mind threathened to rip her apart.

Kristen coughed, noticing the golden light now surronding her. "Thanks Keith." she whispered. Cuts covered her arms and there were a few on her legs, but she could deal with those later. Looking up, Kristen called out her hawk eyes to see better. She had just seen him where was- Kristen stood up, hearing Demitri screaming and running in that direction, both her daggers out and in each hand.

Keith felt Alayna's energy bolster his failing strength, and smiled a quick thank you. Screams echoed around them on campus as students felt the extent of the magical assult. He still didn't know who would want to hurt Demitri so badly that they would be willing to inflict this much damage in general. The magic being used was so dark, so evil that he was sure someone would be dead by the end of this attack.

Demitri's clenched eyes opened in horror, he couldn't move, he couldn't think. His entire body was burning. So this was what it was like to be a vampire and die. The pain lanced through him again, lifting him in the air and slamming him down on the ground. He heard the mage curse, and then as suddenly as the man had appeared, he was gone. The magic lingered, but it was different this time. This attack had been so direct that the mage hadn't let his power stay inside Demitri, just used it to inflict a huge amount of pain.

Alexi entered the school compound. The brothers had chosen not to come earlier, as the attack didn't sound as bad as before, and they had been trying to find the mage. That was when he felt it. The tall vampire let out a pain-filled gasp as the magic assulted him.
"Oh gods" He breathed, as Vlad cursed and groaned next to him.

Alayna heard the screams and cringed. Her head pounded, and it forced her to lean back against Keith. Eyes still shut closed, Alayna could only image what was going on outside Keith's barrier. She was thankful beyond belief that she was with him. She was glad that her idea worked, and didn't complain when her headache grew worse as Keith's sheild grew stronger. She rested her head against his shoulder, hoping it would be over soon.


Kristen saw Demitri being lifted into the air, and then froze. As he fell, Kristen pulled herself out of the trance. "Demitri!" she ran as fast as her body would let her, getting to the vampire in enough time to see another man leave. Kristen didn't have time to wonder who it was. Looking over at Demitri, Kristen fell to the ground next to him, trying not to panic. There was so much blood... "He was trying to kill you..." Kristen whispered, picking up Demitri's head and laying him in her lap. She swallowed the lump in her throat, and shook her head. "Demitri? I'm here. Talk to me."


Sven cursed as the magic hit them. "He's here..." the vampire groaned, inhaling sharply at the cut that appeared across his arm. He sat on a nearby bench as to not fall over, and gave the school a good look around. Apparently, they weren't the only ones affected by this.

Keith winced, screams, pain, he could see everything, it was as if he were a part of it. He felt Alayna next to him, and vaugly hoped she was okay. Then, as suddenly as the extreme attack had started, it ended, abruptly. The pain, the magic it was gone, as if nothing had happened. In fact, if not for the huge cuts on his arms, he wouldn't have believed it. He tentitively let the magic shield fall, his head spinning exahustedly as he nearly passed out.

Demitri's eyes flickered open, all he saw was Kristen's face. He sighed, he must have died.
"Hey" He murmured, in a voice so soft he could barely hear it. The air was thick with the scent of blood, his and her's which alarmed him.
"You're bleeding" He mumbled, his eyelids flickering exahustedly. He couldn't focus, couldn't concentrate.. All he knew was that he hurt, everywhere.

Alexi winced as the cuts began to appear, and then, suddenly it was over.
"It's done" He said, staring in horror at the grounds. Students lay everywhere, some bleeding, some crying, some just silent.
"Demitri..." Vlad said, looking around. No sign of him, but he did see the angel and the supposedly human girl. Wincing he made his way over to the two, staring at the cuts on them as well.

Alayna felt her ears pop, as if she had been riding in an airplane. Then her headache went away. "What happened?" she murmured, rubbing her forehead. "Keith? You alright?" she asked, opening her eyes slowly.


Kristen was grateful that Demitri answered her. Tears rolled from her eyes and she tried to smile. "I'll be ok..." she whispered, running her fingers through his air. She forced herself to keep her eyes on just his face. The rest of him was bloody with the cuts and gashes. "I'll be alright." she said, taking in a deep breath. "You, on the other hand, are not going to practice in the morning." she said, chuckling lightly. "We have to get back to the school..." she whispered, her tongue passing over her lips. She doubted Demitri had the strength to stand, let alone walk. Finding her phone, Kristen hit the speed dial for Keith, putting the phone to her ear and waiting pateintly for the angel to answer.


Sven winced, nursing his bleeding arm. He looked to Alexi, then to Vlad as his brother walked away. "Where is he...?" Sven asked, but following the line of his brother's gaze, Sven saw Keith's wings. Standing from his bench, Sven silently followed.

Keith held out a finger to Alayna, silencing her for a moment.
"Hello?" He asked, after seeing Kristen's number on his phone. She must be with Demitri, or looking for him. The Angel sighed in exahustion, his wings drooped, and with a word, he vanished them, not wanting to carry the extra weight. Absentmindedly he interlaced his fingers with Alayna's, waiting anxiuosly for Kristen to reply.

Demitri sighed, his eyes closing for a moment. Everything hurt, and he heard her comment about getting back to the school and began to attempt to sit up. He barely made it to a sitting position before his body rebelled and he collapsed back. Practice, he couldn't even contemplate sitting up, the idea of running and kicking a ball seemed ludicrious right now.

Vlad walked over to Keith, but paused, seeing that he was on the phone. He turned, waiting for his brothers to catch up.
Alexi continued to scan the school yard, keeping his eyes peeled for Demitri or the shape shifter.

Alayna looked at Keith with fearful and wide eyes as he answered his cell phone. She bit her lip, covering her mouth in ensure that she would remain quiet. She sighed as Keith took her hand in his again, and she tried to look hopeful.

"Kieth! Thank God!" Kristen let out the breath she had been holding in. "Demitri don't move." She said, placing a hand on his bleeding shoulder to keep him still. "Keith! Listen, we're in the forets. You know that clearing by the white rocks? Demitri's hurt bad. He needs a healer, don't bring Alayna." Kristen rambled, feeling the control comeing back into her system. she took a deep breath, rubbing the her forehead with the back of her hand. "Can you get over here? I need help."


Sven saw Alexi still looking around the campus. "I don't think he's here..." he said, still holding his cut. It had stopped bleeding, but it still hurt. Stopping short before he ran into Vlad, Sven looked over his brother's shoulder at Keith and the human. He nodded to her before looking at Keith.

"I'm on my way" Keith murmured into the phone, trying to keep his voice calm. He clicked the small, black object shut.
"Alayna, go back to Demitri's room. We'll meet you there" Keith told his girlfriend gently.
"Please" He said, he didn't want her to come either. It sounded like Demitri was a wreck. He stood, his legs shaking a bit. He saw the brothers, "I know were Demitri is" He murmured, gesturing for them to follow him.

Demitri heard her talking on the phone, but now he was weaving in and out of conciousness and barely aware of what was really going on. A slightly hysterical laughter bubbled from him, it sounded so out of place, but he couldn't help it. He felt trapped, he could barely move, he couldn't talk, he felt insane. He just wanted to hold Kristen, pretend that everything was alright, even when it so clearly wasn't.

Alexi was about to ask Keith where Demitri was when the angel spoke. He nodded, clasping his mouth shut and following after the fallen angel. They moved quickly, heading to the forest.
"He must have been hunting" He murmured to the others.
Vlad nodded, keeping easy pace with the angel. He could scent more blood now, it was so familiar. He felt sickened, it was Demitri's.

"What happened?" Alayna asked as Keith hung up the phone. "Go back-?" She stood up next to him, nodding to the vampires. She remained quiet as they left. Folding her arms over her chest, Alayna remained under the tree until the group was a small spec in her vision. Sighing, Alayna ran her fingers through her hair and walked back to the room.


Kristen sighed as Keith ended the call, sliding the phone back into her pocket. "Keith's on his way." she said quietly, looking back down at Demitri. "He'll be here soon. I think your brother's are with him..." She bit her lip, hearing the laugh that came from him. "Just hang in there...." she whispered, swallowing the lump in her throat. She reached down for his hand, holding it tightly.


"That doesn't surprise me..." Sven muttered, following Keith. "After all that blood he lost from the attacks last night." he sighed, shaking his head. Once they entered the forest, Sven frowned. He looked at Alexi with worried eyes, knowing his brothers could smell it to..

Keith quickly moved through the bush, aware that Vlad was running right beside him. He shuddered a bit, not from the vampire's closeness, but the fact that even he could smell blood. Suddenly the small group broke from the trees, into the clearing by the large, white rocks. Scanning the area, Keith immediatly saw Kristen, "There" He said, speeding up and running towards her.

Demitri's eyes opened for half a second, he could see how upset Kristen was, but he didn't know why. He also didn't know why he was lying on the ground. He opened his mouth, as if to speak, but nothing came out. Then he shifted, he winced, oh right, that was why he was lying on the ground. He felt almost as if he were losing his mind. The pain remained with him, a constant, irritating companion.

Alexi saw were Keith nodded and took off, passing by the angel and skidding to a stop right beside Kristen.
"Oh gods" He murmured, staring down at his youngest brother, eyes wide, horrified. Vlad imitated Alexi, speeding up, desperate. He heard Alexi speak, and almost stopped. He wasn't sure he wanted to see what was wrong now. The scent of Demitri's blood was overpowering, he could see it staining the ground around them. He finally glanced down, and nearly vomited at what he saw.

Kristen turned to look over her shoulder at Keith, before Alexi came to her side. "We have to get him back to the school." she said. She tore her eyes from Demitri to look at Alexi. "I think the magic's gone, the attack stopped. We have to get him to a healer before he looses any more blood." she looked at Keith, the Vlad and Sven before back down at Demitri.


Sven ran easily to keep up with his brothers. He stopped midway, between Vlad and Alexi. He turned to look at Vlad, frowning. Why had he stopped? Taking the extra step to look over Alexi, Sven's jaw clenched, as did his hands. Demitri was in worse condition now then last night. He listened to Kristen half way, nodding absentmindling. "Some back at the school can heal him?" he asked in slightly broken english.

"Maybe" Keith said, he wasn't even sure if it was a good idea to move Demitri. Though he had stopped bleeding, or at least it had slowed, he was covered in nasty cuts and gashes.
"If anyone can, there not going to be able to heal all of this, there's to much damage" He murmured, "But at least we can hope they can get the worst of it" He glanced at Alexi, who had bent and was carefully scooping Demitri's body into his arms. He rose, as if the tall, muscular vampire weighed next to nothing.

Alexi carefully knelt, lifting Demitri in his arms and standing. The boy weighed next to nothing, but he didn't want to start the wounds bleeding again.
"Where should I take him" He murmured, in slightly better English then Sven.
"Back to his dorm room, the healer can come there" Keith replied, walking over to Kristen and wrapping a protective arm around her.
Vlad shook his head, he remembered seeing Demitri wounded like this, only once before.
"Even if they can just make the pain stop" He murmured in Russian, nodding at his brothers.

Kristen let her hold go on Demitri reluctantly, telling herself it was better if she did. Taking a shaky breath, Kristen stood up as Alexi took Demitri, standing by Keith. She nodded in agreement with Keith. "I'll go ahead to get a healer." she said. Looking back at Keith, Kristen tried to smile before running off as a white tiger. Only this time, the white fur was stained red.


Instead of going straight to the nurse, Kristen went up to the dorm rooms, scaring Alayna nearly half to death again. "What happened?" Alayna asked, seeing Kristen covered in blood, cuts and gashes.
Kristen shook her head. "No time. Get to my room, they're bring Demitri here." She said, grabbing Alayna by the arm. She opened the door to her and Keith's room, closing it behind her before running to the main office.

She ran to the nurse, who looked at her with horror at the blood. Kristen scanned the wing for a moment; students were piled up in cots all over the room. The scent of blood was thick. Kristen tried not to gag. "I need a healer." Kristen said, looking at the nurse. "Not for me, for Demitri, they have to come back with me. He's in critical condition."

"Kristen, you'll have to bring him here. I can have anyone leave with all the student who are injured." the nurse told her. Kristen was three seconds away from yelling at the women, when someone rested a warm hand on her shoulder. Kristen looked over her shoulder at a familiar face. The girl was about her height with jet black hair in medical scrubs.

"I'll go." the girl said, stearing Kristen out of the room before the nurse could protest. Kristen sighed with relief. "Thanks Mika." she muttered. Mika smiled gently. "Thank me later."


Sven nodded in agreement with Vlad, swallowing the hard lump in his throat. He saw the look on his older brothers face, and it didn't exactly feel reassured about it.

Keith watched Kristen run off, wincing as her normally beautiful white fur was red. He glanced at the brothers.
"This way" He said, following after Kristen at a much slower pace. He could tell Alexi was being extremely careful, and he doubted insane vampire running was a good thing right now. He had never seen Demitri looking this bad, and he had been told quiet vividly of the werewolf attack. He sighed, Demitri would have more scars now, which probably wasn't something the vampire would like. He hurried ahead of the brothers, not wanting to intrude on the 'family' time they appeared to be having, even if he didn't udnerstand a word of bloody Russian.

Alexi moved carefully, Demitri balanced in his arms as he listened to his brothers speak.
"Even the werewolves weren't this bad" He murmured, wincing as Vlad glared at him. Vlad, the eldest and the most tempermental.
"Well it's true" He snapped.
Vlad growled, "Still, I don't think now is the most appropriate time to bring that up"

Sven muttered something under his breath, shaking his head at his brothers. "Do you have to agrue now?" he asked. He followed behind them slightly, eyes distant as he walked.

Kristen tried her best not to run back to the dorm building. "What happened to Demitri?" Mika's soft voice broke through Kristen's thoughts harshly. The shifter sighed, rubbing her face. "He got hit by the spell. Badly too." she added. Mika nodded, as if to herself then Kristen.

Keith stepped into Demitri and Alayna's dorm room. Alayna wasn't here, but he wasn't to worried about that now. He'd know if something had happened to her. He quickly cleared the blankets off of the bed, not wanting Demitri to bleed on all of them. Plus, who knew what the healer would need.

Alexi sighed, "You're right Sven, I apologize" He murmured, following Keith into the dorm room. He smiled appreciatievely at the angel and laid Demitri gently on the bed.
Vlad sighed, mimicking Alexi, but not in a cruel, mocking manner.
"As am I" He winced as Demitri was placed on the bed. He could see the gashes more clearly against the stark white sheets. Alexi quickly removed his youngest brother's shirt, pulling the sheet over his legs, as those hadn't been targeted by the spell. His back, chest, arms, shoulders and neck were a mass of slices, more so then the he had anticipated.

Kristen lead Mika down the hallway, her heart beating harder against her chest with every step. Keith had gotten to the room first. Demitri was already laying on the bed, his shirt removed, exposing the long gashes over his body. Kristen froze in the doorway. Her body began to shake at the sight of him, and tears came to her eyes. She knew it had been bad...but not this bad.

Mika looked over Kristen's shoulder, wincing. She placed her hand on Kristen's shoulder, moving the frozen girl gently. "This is far worse then I expect. The attack on the others wasn't nearly this deep..." she muttered, walking into the room to look Demitri over better. She noticed Keith, and smiled polietly as a hello before looking back at Demitri. "How long has he been like this?" She asked, her hands glowing an off white as she hovered them over Demitri's cuts.

Keith quickly walked across the room, nodding to Mika and wrapping his arms around Kristen. He had known her long enough to be able to tell when she was upset, or angry, even if she wasn't showing her emotions. He sighed and rubbed her back, trying to reassure her, trying to calm her. It was hard, when he felt the same way she did. Who could do this to Demitri?

Alexi glanced up as Mika came in. He figured she was the healer.
"Can you help him?" He asked her, his voice nearly breaking. Vampires were notoriously difficult to heal, and sometimes the healing didn't take. That was why, with vampire injuries, healers focuse on the worst wounds, and basically just dressed the others.
Vlad forced himself to let the girl approach his brother, but it was hard. All he wanted to do was protect him.