“While death can be held off, it can always catch up. Many tricks to sustain life can be made moot by someone with a sharp enough stick. So be sure to pair knowledge with good sense.”

-A line from “A Thousand Ways To Live Forever”

Night Hunt

Sundown was coming sooner every day. That’s how it was every year until Longest Night on the winter solstice. After that sundown would come a little later every day until the summer solstice. This was the result of the mathematical facts of the physical world. The Earth’s tilt in relation to the giant ball of nuclear plasma called The Sun caused a flux in daily light along the higher latitudes. That’s it. All the stories and myths about sun gods and stolen sun light, or whatever, are nothing but poor record keeping and misunderstandings. Magic does not cause the changing seasons. It just follows the patterns set by reality.

The night air was still warm with the day’s heat. It was still summer by all accounts. The Catholic Church marked Autumn by the first falling of leaves. The State marked it by the equinox. The Night Hunt marked it by the last new moon before the equinox, which made tonight the last night of summer to me. There was no light in the forest. My eyes, with all their power, could see nothing. I could easily bring vision to myself. A single-match light could illuminate everything within a mile of me, but it was the lack of light for why I was running in the forest. More than running actually. Fighting.

From my left I heard a motion. The night wind blew across and I caught a familiar scent. I rotated to swipe with my right claws, my left hand was grasped tight around a silk ribbon, so my offense was from the right side. I fended off the attack and continued through the forest. As I ran I heard my attacker behind me following at equal speeds to me. The wind continued to bring the scent up to me which was to my purpose. I had tried to make my path be upwind to the attacker to try and slip by, but that seemed to have failed. Now I was running to my goal through the darkness and my strategy had turned against me. A fact punctuated by my almost direct collision with a tree.

“Donovan! Are you okay?” The attacker asked coming to a stop to help me up.

“I’m okay Argento. Rattled my chains more than anything.” I rubbed my forehead as I also shifted the solid silver shackle around my neck which in turn also rattled the solid silver chains linked on both sides. “I’ll be fine, but I’ll have to forfeit this round.”

“Why is this?” Argento asked, “You aren’t injured past fair play.”

“Aye, but after that,” I gestured to the tree pointlessly in the dark, “I would be too open to a ruthless attack. Unless the breeze shifted I wouldn’t be able to defend myself.”

“This is true.” Another familiar voice said in the darkness. A moment later a green flame rose from a lantern held by Norton Norman and pushed away the darkness. “Positioning is an important detail in battle. Knowing where you, your enemy, and your allies are is essential to a strategic victory. Master McFuil was a fool for his gambit. Point to you, Master DelSegugio.”

“Very well.” Argento gave in without a fight. The point of the night was to fail after all. To try new and bold plans and have them fall apart in practice against a friend under the supervision of a teacher, rather than against a true foe under threat of death. So he took the silk for himself and started to think of an even bolder plan to fail in greater fashion. “Bases are the same?”

“Yes. You may begin your way there if you wish. I shall send Donovan after you soon.”

Argento nodded and leaped into the darkness. A match light would have allowed me to see him go until the trees blocked my vision, but the green flame stopped at only a few feet. It was crafted with magic to prevent it from casting further and giving away its holder’s location. A stealth light.

“Master McFuil,” Norman said after the rustling of leaves died away, “Are your bindings alright? That impact was great enough to bend iron.”

“Perhaps, but my chains are more than metal.” I lifted the sleeve of my coat to show the wrist shackle that had been hit the hardest. Not one dent in its surface. “They can not be so casually destroyed. They’re designed to hold against the monster inside me.”

“The beast inside you,” Norman said with the tone of a grammar teacher. “The creature in you is not a monster. It is a beast. Like a dog.”

I grinned at that, “Yes. Very true.”

“Do not misread my words. You are a man. Nothing can ever refute that. The beast is but a part of you.”

“I know.” I nodded and looked up into the forest cover. It was too thick to see the stars and I didn’t have a watch on me so I couldn’t get a solid track of time. Luckily Norman carried a pocket watch. A habit every member of the DelSegugio Clan practiced down to their lowest field hand. “How much longer?”

“A few more seconds,” Norman said watching the clock face tick, but his timetable was cut short by a gunshot deep in the forest from the exact direction of Argento’s base location. Norman and I locked eyes for just a moment before darting at my highest speed. He could have left me behind, but we both benefited from the lantern and I wouldn’t be left behind with my confidant in trouble. So it was by the dim green light I dashed and darted around trees and bushes at speeds a mundane human would call Olympian.

Then in the distance, a light shined through, and for me it really shined. The edges of the foliage became sharp in contrast and I was able to navigate by the distant light as if it were a lighthouse. Which I did as Norman doubled his speed and bolted away taking his green light with him. I continued following the beacon as more gunshots rang out. Then a cry of pain from a voice sounding like Argento sent me into a sprint. The light was near blinding as I burst out of the treeline and down on its wielder, claws at the ready, only to be knocked off balance by a sharp pain in my chest paired with the sound of another gunshot. The light keeper jumped away and was sent into a roll.

I took exactly one second to allow my eyes to reduce themselves enough to turn the blazing beacon light into merely a lantern hanging off the hip of a human. At first, they seemed mundane, but any foreknowledge would mark them as more. They dressed in a long coat that seem lighter and tougher than any leather and a belt with pouches. The clothes under the coat seemed like cotton but a keen eye would see the extra durable fabric. Their boots were also made of the strange leather of the coat with steel plates weighing them down. Nastily, in their hands were a pair of weapons. A decent size revolver and an oversized axe. Of course, the most notable piece was likely the mask they wore that were shaped like a skull, the teeth extending down to cover the whole face.

Their appearance was definitely the uniform of some kind of extraordinary demihuman clan and their next action confirmed this as with a man’s voice he yelled, “Die Monster!” and fired another shot at me.

I dodged, more his movement than the bullet itself, and was about to lunge when I saw Argento jumping at him. He leaped high to get over the man’s ax swing and kicked him in the shoulder knocking the man off balance, but then he took the opportunity in the few seconds Argento was falling to line up a shot and fired in his chest. The look of pain on his face showed the man wasn’t using normal bullets. He was using something meant to take down vampires like Argento. A thought came to mind and I scanned the clearing and found the dim green lantern next to the body of Norman. He wasn’t moving.

Anger filled my body. Norman was an incredibly powerful vampire. No one attack could kill him, and something capable of downing him required something more than luck or skill. I knew this man had to have done something underhanded to get Norman. This bastard was dirty. That pissed me off. In addition, Norman was good to me. He was a friend and this bastard downed him. That pissed the beast off. I allowed the strength and power of the beast to surface and let out a roar as my body morphed and grew.

My bones and muscles lengthened and swelled. My jaw stretched out and my teeth extended. My skin grew a layer of thick fur as my coat and clothes ripped under the extra mass. In a moment I went from the form of an average human to the long, bulky, and deadly form of a werewolf. The man was shocked, and I took the opportunity in the few seconds he realized how screwed he was to leap forward and swipe my claws, but I overestimated him. I thought he would had recovered enough to dodge. Jumping away just enough to get the full edge of my claws, but instead I slapped him with my palm and threw him across the clearing. He fell, rolled, and recovered to point the gun and pulled the trigger on nothing but a clank. Out of ammo.

I leaped but he scrambled away in time, and when I turned to follow I was surprised by an entirely new figure. Another man in a similar uniform but bulkier swung an ax of his own that barely missed as I leaped back. He then performed a move that shocked me completely. The last thing I was expecting him to do. He surrendered.

The second bigger man threw his axe into the dirt and held his hands up, “Hold there. Uncle. I say uncle.”

I stopped. It was a common rule of brawling that when someone cried uncle the fight was over. So I stopped fighting, but I watched him. Both of them.

He nodded his skull-masked face to me and said, “Those silver chains of yours. You’re a night hunter?”

“Who are you? What have you to attack my friends?” I said in the rumble of my full form.

“They’re vampires. Thought they were hunting. Boy needed to cut his teeth. Had him fight the small one until the big one came out. I took him out fast. Then you came in and I saw your chains. You’re a night hunter like us.” He explained all in one breath.

“You still injured them. You have no claim for peace.” I growled.

“Fair. Boy, help the big one. He’ll handle the small one.”

The mystery man, or I guess boy, got to his feet and looked over, “Umm… how?”

“Just pull the bolt out his chest. Don’t worry, he been hearing everything.”

The mystery boy did as the mystery man said and pulled a solid iron bolt from Norman’s chest, just above the heart. Norman immediately return to full function knocking the boy away and pulling his own gun out. A simple cowboy killer. He aimed for the man, but neither of them moved after that.

“I know you ain’t going to shoot. You’re a law-abiding monster and we just had a misunderstanding.”

“A misunderstanding that nearly killed my charge.” He cocked the hammer back.

The man seemed to cringe at that, “Why would you pull the hammer on a pistol? It don’t do anything. Listen, I’m sorry. It was wrong to attack, but in all fairness, my boy wasn’t going to win against yours.”

“What?” The boy yelled. “You thought I was going to lose?”

“No, just that you weren’t going to kill the boy vampire. Down him maybe, but he was too tough. In fact, he’s still ready to go. Just sitting there waiting. Could have killed you about nine times by now.”

I looked over to see that Argento was in fact just laying down, but ready to strike.

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“So, let’s just let this be over. Alright.”

Norman narrowed his eyes, “Give me your knife. The one in your boot.”

The man lifted his foot and pulled a knife out the heel and threw it to Norman who caught it and started walking to Argento. “Donovan, you can shift back if you want.”

I did. The silver chains slacked and the bits of cloth around them stretched and weaved themselves around me forming a new set of clothes; coat and all. Magic clothes were expensive, but were better than being naked or in just boxers every time I shifted. I joined Norman and Argento as the ancient vampire stabbed my friend and pried out the bullet that was fired into him. As it fell I saw what it was. It wasn’t a mundane round of lead or brass, but a near perfect sphere of copper. Magic energy was still sizzling off of it. I placed a hand over the spot where I had been shot.

“Were you hit too?” Norman asked as Argento got to his feet.

“The bullet hit directly on my chain. Lucky break.” I said and continued to feel the silver links. The three most magically used metals were copper, silver, and gold. Each more capable than the one before it. The bullet was made of copper and my chain of silver which meant that it would have taken a master level crafting to even make a dent through the powerful, but time wore enchantments of the silver I wore. It was unlikely, but possible. Fortune favored me however. The magic binding was still in full force. The shackles around my waist and ankles were resting comfortable.

Norman nodded and we stood. Aiming the pistol again Norman asked, “Who are you and why are you here?”

“Edward Edison the Twelfth. My boy here is the Thirteenth.” Edward Edison the Twelfth said. Gesturing to the younger man at his name, “We’re training for The Longest Night.”

“You expect me to believe that?” Norman scoffed.

“Not really. The truth is usually the hardest thing to believe in my experience. Still, I got no talent in lying, and I rather invest my skills into my proper job. Which is monster hunting.”

“First off, Edward son of Edward, I don’t believe any of that. Second, you had no right to attack us, because third, you had no right to be here. This land is private property.”

“Actually it’s federal land, designated for non-mundane woodland training. We booked this forest months ago. We figured you were wrongfully in these woods”

“I know that’s false because I booked this land for our training.”

“What you training for?”

“Nothing of your concern.” Norman said.

“The Longest Night.” I said, “Mr Norman, if these gentlemen are being truthful then they are in fact allies.”

“Donovan, we don’t know if they are honest.” Norman hissed.

“Indeed,” Argento stepped forward, “But we have no reason to doubt or accuse them. If they wanted to slay us then we would have been slayed. I believe the likeliest event is a clerical error. You have your files on you, Mr Edison?”

“I do.” And he reached into his coat and pulled a folded stack of paper, “You have your files on you, young vampire?”

“Mr Norman.” Argento said lifting his palm in front of the manservant. Norman mirrored Edward and produced our papers. Taking them Argento walked across the clearing and the two compared the notes. Argento turned and called, “As I said. We were both booked for tonight. The filings are from different offices. Someone made a mistake.”

Norman huffed and holstered his gun in his coat, “Well, I guess there’s no point in continuing for tonight.”

“What for?” Edward asked, “We still have the whole night, and there’s plenty of land to share.”

“Even if I trusted you, I wouldn’t dare share knowledge in earshot of Night Hunters.”

“Yet you have a Night Hunter under your tutelage.”

Norman hardened his voice, “His clan is ally to ours.”

“Ah, I see.” Edward nodded, “Well then I’m not about to be running with a demonic blood sucker in the shadows, so how about we just make a fire and break bread.”

“I have no reason to do so,” Norman said.

“And I have no reason not to do so.” Argento said in response, “We share enemies, and that is enough to build an alliance. Edward Edison the Twelfth, on behalf of House DelSegugio, I accept your invitation to camaraderie.”

Argento bowed to the man who bowed in return saying, “Thank you kindly. I have no rations to your taste, but you may have what I can spare.”

“We acknowledge your offer, and declare that anything to your taste is also to ours.” Argento said in a somewhat correcting tone, “We merely have more to our taste that you are unlikely to meet.”

“Oh, well fair I guess.” Edward said casually, “Well that settles that. Eddy, go find a good campsite.”

Before the boy could leave Argento spoke again, “We have a site nearby. It was the location I was heading to in fact. I shall guide the way.”

And into the bush we all went coming out at another clearing with a flag pole in the middle. Pulling the pole we all collected decent firewood and started a fire. Norman, using a long, thin, and durable wire, sawed down a tree and then sliced logs to use as seating. The whole process took an entire minute, ending with him placing cloth on three of the five logs.

“What about ours?” Edward asked.

“I don’t do your laundry. I don’t care if your pants get sap on them.”

“Fair enough.” Edward laughed and sat. With both hands, he lifted his skull mask off and set it to the side revealing a still young man. “You take yours off too, Eddy.”

Eddy nodded and did so revealing a similar but much younger face. “Sorry about shooting you.”

“I claim no insult,” Argento said back.

“Which means…” Eddy arched an eyebrow.

“Means he accepts your apology super hard and there’s nothing more to say.” Edward said to his son, “These guys are a part of one of them old as fuck noble houses. Del what so was it called?”

“DelSegugio,” Argento answered.

“That’s right, I know that one. Point is boy they almost always talk like they’re under oath in a courtroom or something. Real weird terms, because everything they say is binding to them.”

“Not everything entirely.” Argento explained, “It’s simply that what is binding is binding for all of our much longer lives. We can wait for decades to resolve grudges and debts. If I claimed to be insulted by your attack I could wait until you were an old man crippled by time to resolve the issue, but I decline to do so. So you’re off the hook.”

“Okay. Fair enough.” Eddy said, “I guess they teach all that stuff early.”

“Yes. Before even toilet training.” Argento said.

“What?” Eddy was shocked, “Really?”

“No. That’s a joke. I was taught proper conduct before reading and writing though. Often through theater with my parents and staff.”

“Theater?”

“Yes. Treating every conversation like it was official business. Making me be careful with my words and wording. Of course, I was never expected to actually uphold my word. I was allowed to be a brat as they said.”

“Okay, sure, but that brings up another question. That being you were born a vampire? I thought vampires were turned from regular humans.”

“That’s called being born of blood, or bloodborne. I was waterborne, as in birth from my mother. I am fourteen in fact. Now I believe I’m entitled to some questions of my own.”

Eddy looked to his father, who was pulling supplies from a bag. “You were the one asking all kinds of questions. Only polite you answer what you can.”

Eddy nodded and looked back, “What you want to know?”

“What exactly is your demitype?” Argento asked, “You say your Night Hunters, but what is that?”

“Oh, well, just that. We’re hunters. We hunt. Usually monsters of the night. So vampires and stuff. But apparently, we also share campfires with them when the occasion arises.”

Edward chimed in, “Settling misunderstandings is a fine occasion for such.”

“Right, so there you go.”

Argento wasn’t satisfied, “You aren’t explaining what is it that makes you a Night Hunter. Only what you do. What is it that makes you demihumans?”

“Oh. I don’t rightfully know. Do you Dad?” Eddy turned to his father.

“Aye, I do,” his father confirmed, “but I wasn’t the one asking questions. Got no need to answer any.”

“Okay… Wait,” Eddy jumped a bit in his seat and asked, “I am indebted because I asked those questions?”

Argento chuckled, “Were I a fairy you would be, but I claim no debt past politeness. Though I find it strange you don’t understand your own nature. Were you not taught?”

“Oh he was taught,” Edward cut in, “He just didn’t learn due to his extra thick skull. Of course, he gets it from me. All skull, no sense. Only way us Edison men can be educated is manually. Usually with blunt force.”

“You’re an alumnus of Hardnocks?” Norman asked trying to extend an olive branch.

“No idea what that means, but I doubt it. I was raised to be a Night Hunter like my father, and I started my career early after I lost my father in ninety-five.” Edward said, “Freshmen year of high school, The Longest Night fell on a new moon.”

“I remember.” Norman said, “It was bad.”

“Yeah. It was. The Longest Night always is, but in the darkness of the new moon, it’s horrifying. That’s why I’m trying to teach the boy what I can.”

“Do you predict you will die this year? As your father did?” I asked without thinking.

“Nope. Quite the opposite. Ed the Eleventh died because I wasn’t strong enough to protect my home. Pops had to save me and got got. I’m hoping I can get this boy ready enough to prevent a repeat telling.”

Eddy sighed, “No pressure dad.”

“Hell with that!” Edward cried, “I’m putting all the pressure I can on you. I was too dumb to realize how stupid I was back then. My father gave his life for me just as I would for you, but I don’t want that for you. When we fuck up people die. That’s why it’s important for you to learn what you can. Our eldritch blood gives us power to fight, but we need skill and wisdom to go with it.”

“Eldritch blood?” I repeated, “Like an interbreed?”

“No. Not really.” Edward looked to me, “We don’t have any kind of non-human heritage. I don’t understand it all myself, but long ago someone managed to infuse eldritch power into human flesh, and it’s been passed on ever since. Which is grand for us. All the advantages of paranormal influence with none of the drawbacks.”

“None?” Norman asked, “I heard once you lot have a habit of losing your minds.”

“Not really a drawback. That’s something everyone with an ounce of power goes through. Nothing special. Now I think I done went and earned a few questions.”

No one objected.

“Who made your chains?” Edward gestured to me, “I’ve seen chains like that before, but never got a clear answer.”

“They were made by the Night Hunt, and no, they aren’t related to you Night Hunters.” I explained, “The terminology can be confusing, but the basics are they are a group of demihumans and other beings that defend humanity.”

“We are members of the Night Hunt, but they existed long before we did.” Edward added, “The terminology is a pain in the ass. Government doesn’t think about how people talk when they go around labeling stuff.”

“As I was saying, my chains were made centuries ago and have been passed down. They are enchanted to help control the beast within me.”

“You’re a werewolf,” Eddy stated the obvious.

“Yes. Through heritage like Argento here. My parents wore similar chains until they were in total control.”

“When are the chains placed on you?”

“The day after our first transformation. At least that’s what I was told. I don’t remember ever not wearing them.” I pulled the cuff of my sleeve down to show the silver shackle on my wrist. “They don’t hurt. They don’t even bother. Except when I start losing control.”

“How often you lose control?”

“Never.” I said pointedly, “But it gets difficult during the full moon. Good time to hunt, the full moon.”

“Indeed.” Edward agreed, “That’s often when the things that got no business being like to do business.”

Edward looked up into the night sky. It was filled with stars on its perfect black veil. After a moment he looked back down on Norman and asked him, “You been quiet. Got nothing to ask?”

“No. I already knew all of this. I am in fact older than the Night Hunters. I remember the very long grumbling over you being named such.”

“Well, that’s not fair. I can’t ask you anything if you don’t ask me anything.” Edward said.

“That’s fine by me. I have no desire to share any information with you.”

“Oh come on. How long have you served the House of DelSegugio?”

“My service ends at death. That’s all that matters.”

Eddy chimed in, “What is the House of DelSegugio? You said you knew them pops.”

“I know about them.” Edward corrected, “They’re mercenaries. Vampire mercenaries. And they’re one of the major factors for this country existing.”

“It’s true.” Argento said, “My father fought in the revolution. As well as The International Conflict and The Horde Invasion.”

“Wow. What about your parents?” Eddy asked me.

“My parents were children during the invasion. We do not enjoy extended longevity.” I answered, “I do have family that served though. My clan has been involved in a great deal of conflict.”

“Your kind are rather hardy. Yall make for good foot soldiers.” Edward said, “I know that from fighting one of yall more than once. Tough to kill, in and out of yall’s shaggy form.”

“Yes, we don’t have extended longevity, but our eldest are often centenarians.”

“What’s that?” Eddy asked.

“Those are,” Edward furrowed his brow in thought, “A roman soldier?”

“A centenarian is someone over a hundred years of age.” Norman corrected, “Common among those related to Otherside.”

“Oh, like Grand Pops.” Eddy said, “He’s the head of our village.”

“I thought your grandfather had passed,” I said.

“Grand Pops is what everyone calls him. He’s actually my grandfather’s grandfather.”

“Actually, he’s my grandfather’s grandfather.” Edward jumped in to correct, “Edward Edison the Eighth. Nine through eleven are all gone.”

“That’s terrible.” Norman said, “Losing children is something no man should bear.”

“That’s the life of a hunter.” Edward shrugged, “Grand Pops says someone’s got to keep us from killing ourselves all at once.”

“You have a very nonchalant outlook on death,” Argento said.

“Not at all. We don’t like dying, but we don’t like letting monsters live more.” Edward stared into the fire for a moment before clapping a hand on his knee, “Good thing there ain’t no monster around here. Or I’d be furious.”

He gave a huge grin that slowly broke into a fit of giggles around the fire.

“You are a charming lot at the very least.” Norman said with a smile, “It is good to know we have good men like you on our side.”

“I rightfully agree.” Edward said standing up, “Well, we alt to be going here. Come on, Eddy”

“Nice talking to yall.” Eddy stood with the sound of sap being pulled apart. Eddy, seeing that there was sap on the log and on his pants, cried out, “Ah, damn! Ma’s going to kill me.”

“Nah, she’ll just knock you one and me twice.” Edward said smirking and looked to us, “I’ll trust yall with the fire.”

With that they both took their leave into the tree line, vanishing from sight long before they should have with the fire still blazing bright. We sat as the fire died down more and more, until it was only embers.

“This was an interesting night,” Argento said in the star-lit darkness.

“Indeed. I consider this to have ultimately been a productive night.” Mr Norman rose from his log and opened the green lantern, “Let’s head home.”