With their improvised sign language and clowning, Arnaud and Arturo managed to establish an initial connection, overcoming the language barriers that separated them. However, the vampire soon faced a new challenge: how to feed the little one?

After walking a bit further, they arrived at a cave hidden among the trees. Arnaud immediately recognized it as his old refuge, a safe place where he could shelter from the Sun. He gestured for Arturo to follow him and they settled inside.

The child looked around curiously, but soon his stomach began to rumble with hunger. He put his hands on his belly and looked at Arnaud with pleading eyes.

The vampire immediately understood the message. After giving Arturo the 3 little eggs.

He nodded and left the cave, determined to get some more food for the little one.

Moving stealthily through the forest, Arnaud sharpened his senses until he caught the scent of nearby prey. Following the trail, he soon spotted a small rabbit grazing peacefully. In the blink of an eye, the vampire caught it, twisting its neck with a precise movement.

Satisfied, Arnaud returned to the cave, holding the lifeless animal in his hands. Arturo looked at him with wide eyes when he saw him enter.

"Look, food!" the vampire exclaimed, smiling and offering the rabbit to the child.

But Arturo shook his head, wrinkling his nose in disgust. Clearly, the idea of eating a raw animal was not appealing to him.

Arnaud frowned, perplexed. Didn't he feel hungry? He offered the rabbit again, but the child backed away, shaking his head vehemently.

Frustrated, the vampire left the animal's body aside and sat down in front of Arturo, pondering. Clearly, his eating habits were very different from the little one's.

Suddenly, a fleeting memory crossed his mind. Blurred images from his past when some forest hunters would put their prey over a fire. That was the answer: he needed to cook the rabbit.

Determined, Arnaud began to collect twigs and dry leaves, trying to light a campfire. But the fire seemed to refuse to ignite.

Arturo watched him with wide eyes, letting out giggles at Arnaud's futile attempts to master the flames. Finally, the vampire gave up, frustrated, and dropped to the ground, huffing.

Dawn was near, so Arnaud made him follow him back into the cave.

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The child then approached and gently touched his shoulder. When Arnaud looked at him, Arturo joyfully pointed to the sky that was visible through the entrance of the cave. But Arnaud seemed scared.

The vampire tried to explain to Arturo that he couldn't go out in the sun, but the child only cocked his head in confusion.

Arnaud looked at him sadly. They would have to wait until night to try cooking something. He looked at the child with concern, fearing that hunger would weaken him.

But Arturo simply shrugged and smiled, dismissing the matter. He snuggled up next to Arnaud and closed his eyes, ready to spend the day resting.

The vampire watched him, admiring the little one's strength. He gently stroked his hair, wondering how many hardships he had faced in his short life.

The hours passed, and Arnaud remained motionless, watching over Arturo's sleep. At one point, the child's stomach rumbled again, and he frowned, stirring restlessly.

"I'm hungry..." he murmured in a sigh, without opening his eyes.

Arnaud now knew the meaning of the word hunger, and felt a pang of guilt and concern. He hated to see the little one suffer in that way, and he cursed himself for not being able to get him proper food.

Before he could respond, Arturo spoke again, his voice soft and resigned.

"It's okay, sir. I'm used to going hungry."

The child's gesture made Arnaud understand that Arturo didn't want to worry him. The situation struck Arnaud, making him shudder. How was it possible that such a small child tried to make him feel better despite suffering from hunger? The idea filled him with indignation and sadness.

Gently, he enveloped Arturo in a protective embrace, wishing he could take away from him all the hardships he had endured. The child snuggled against his chest, sighing in relief at the contact.

"Don't worry, little one," Arnaud whispered in his ancient tongue, knowing the child wouldn't understand him. "I promise you that when night falls, you will have something to eat. I swear it on my life."

Arturo simply nodded, fully trusting that strange being who had rescued him. Little by little, weariness overcame him and he fell into a deep sleep, oblivious to the worries that tormented his protector.

Arnaud remained motionless, holding the little one against his cold chest. His mind was buzzing with memories of his own childhood, so full of deprivation and loneliness. But unlike Arturo, he had never had anyone to watch over his well-being.

He gazed at the serene face of the child, swearing to himself that he would do everything possible to provide him with the protection and care he had so longed for in his childhood. Perhaps, in that way, he could redeem himself a little from all the atrocities he had committed throughout his long existence.

Finally, when the last rays of the sun vanished, Arnaud slowly parted from Arturo and stood up carefully, being sure not to wake him. He took the rabbit he had hunted and left the cave, heading towards a nearby clearing.

There, until he succeeded, he lit a small campfire and prepared the animal for cooking. As the embers crackled and the aroma of roasted meat spread through the air, a melancholic smile appeared on his face. It had been centuries since he had cooked anything, immersed in the darkness of his vampire existence. He had only once had to do it to deceive some villagers, since most of sny cooked meat would end up being vomited by him. But now, doing it to provide sustenance for Arturo, he felt strangely comforted, as if a small part of his lost humanity was resurfacing.