Mature: Desert Moon

[Emora Deen]

Tenele blinked. "Not much. I haven't removed the arrow, its acting like a cork." She curled a hand over her arm, and the small sliver of wood protruding from it.

Talon spit the burning blood from his mouth, splattering it across the cracked earth. He choked on a raspy chuckle before spitting again to clear his throat.

[Soran Nightblade]

Knight frowned at Tenele, indecisive. She was already depleted from using her healing skills.

"I have blood," Sho's voice startled him from his right. He hadn't heard the child move, but she was sitting up and leaning forward on her hands, like she might crawl to the suffering vampire. "You are hurting him. Do not kneel on him like that!" she snarled at Knight.

[Emora Deen]

"You are a child. We will not be using your blood," Tenele told her firmly, kneeling just in front of Talon. A tempting delicious meal just an inch from the reach of his teeth. "I have enough." She lifted her stern green gaze to the man she could summon. Then, she looked to Sho. "Rest. We do not know if your blood has also been tainted by their weapons." The arrow had not broken Sho's skin very much, more a graze really. But, how much was enough to poison her?

[Soran Nightblade]

Knight took a steadying breath and a long claw extended from his left pointer finger. "I need to bleed him first. Your blood is human; it should be difficult to contaminate. It will help him more than what's in his system now. Go only as long as you have strength, and then I will stop him at your signal." The guardian's tone was uncharacteristically dismal.

[Emora Deen]

Tenele nodded, eyes watering at the torment in her brother's eyes. "Go on," she urged Knight. She didn't want to watch her brother's throat slit, but it was necessary to get the bad blood out of him. "When his blood is drained I'll lie down and let him bite my neck. Its the easiest and fastest route for the blood to travel. Just... don't let him rip out my throat."

[Soran Nightblade]

Knight pursed his lips and tore his attention from the tears in Tenele's eyes. That emotion was the only reason he was placing Talon's sanity before her safety. He drew his claw along Talon's artery, flaying it wide. Blood sprayed across the sand, and the guardian held the newblood carefully still on the ground while the offending lifeblood drained from his veins.

[Emora Deen]

Tenele watched the blood spill out, and she shed tears with it. She hated seeing her brother like this, with this maddening hunger and pain. He was never Talon when he was like this, and she was thankful for Vlad's ability to control him. If it were not for that, her brother would have fallen into evil surely.

"Its okay," she whispered, slipping down to lie on the sand before him. She laid on the ground, atop the offending blood so that her neck was just under him. Then, Tenele turned her face away so that he had complete access to her throat.

She clasped her hands tightly, because she knew her brother was probably not in the right frame of mind to make it painless. She also did it to keep her hands from shaking, because Tenele was also very afraid.

[Soran Nightblade]

Knight closed his hand tight over the wound. He could feel the tissue knitting back together beneath his fingers, a good sign that the holy poisoning was assuaged. He took careful stock of the vampire's senses, from what little he could gather through all the pain and anger and hunger.

"He can't take direct from your vein, Tenele. Not right now," the guardian said gently. He carefully released some of his weight over the man. *Turn over. Do not feed. Lie on your back.* His will pressed into the young vamp like a safety belt.

[Emora Deen]

Tenele sat up slowly, watching as Talon did as instructed. His eyes never left Tenele's throat. When she moved, the corner of his mouth twitched.

"I don't understand," she said. "You said you could stop him. Let him drink. He's starving."

"Please," Talon huffed. "Please..."

"Let him drink," Tenele said firmly, urgently.

[Soran Nightblade]

"He is starving," Knight said softly. "I can force him to stop on his own, but it will hurt. He will remember wanting to kill you, and despise himself." He reached up and took Tenele's hand, guiding it above the vampire's mouth. He didn't bring them together. His other hand held Talon's forehead flat to the ground, while his mind restricted the rest of him from grabbing her. "Tilt your wrist thus," he muttered, angling her hand. Then, the thin knife of his claw opened her vein, and a healthy stream of blood dripped the inch of safety to her brother's mouth.

[Emora Deen]

Tenele winced at the quick precise cut and tried not to draw away. She worried about her wrist, the vein, if it would stop bleeding later. They were far away from a doctor, more than a day. It was better than having a throat ripped out, she conceded.

"Its okay, Talon," Tenele whispered, watching her brother drink. "You'll be okay."

It didn't appear that her blood had been tainted by the holy weapon, at least, for the moment.

[Soran Nightblade]

Knight watched miserably as the blood flowed from her vein. The sole reason for his existence was to protect her. If he'd realized those men were contaminated, this would not be necessary. He waited until the flush of alertness slowly made its way back into Talon's mental signature, and then signaled for her to stop. "Back away to the horses. Wrap yourself tight," he said. He wanted to wrap her. He wanted to protect her.

He stayed at Talon's side. The part of him that was Vlad was rioting with all the emotions of a doting sire. He gave into them, since they were easier to listen to than Atul's weakening blood in his veins. "My blood... shall I release you?" he tested, wondering if a normal voice would be enough to get through to him by now.

[Emora Deen]

Tenele backed away slowly to the horses and disappeared behind one. She held her hand over the wound, watching the blood pour out over her fingers as she used her teeth to open the saddle bag so she could fish for a bandage.

Talon stared at the starry sky, smelling Tenele's blood over the wind. He smelled other blood too, but nothing as potent or delicious as his sister.

"Yes," he sighed heavily, licking his lips. "Release me."

[Soran Nightblade]

Knight let go of his harsh psychic grip. He fought an urge from Vlad to stroke the hair back from the sweating man's face. "How is your body?"

[Emora Deen]

"Fine," Talon grunted, moving to sit up. His back burned, his insides were scalded, and he was hungry. "I'm fine." His eyes flickered to the horses, where he spotted Tenele's feet. The pale vampire turned his blood-colored gaze to Knight. "How are you?" He knew that Atul had the holy blood, and Knight was made of two unholy creatures. A dark smirk pulled at his lips. "Splintering apart yet?"

Tenele took her hand away from the wound to grab dig through the bag. She held her wrist above her heart, trying to pin it to her chest. Blood soaked into her clothing. By the time she found the bandages she was struggling with frustration. She started wrapping the bandage around her wrist tightly, over and over to cover the wound. Just as quickly as she wrapped it the blood soaked through the bandage. Eventually she applied enough layers fast enough that the surface remained relatively white.