Chapter 27 - Twenty-Six

As the day ends the rain goes away leaving only pools of water and the occasional drip-drop of it on the rooftops behind, the following chilly night making me feel invigorated, in a new, better mindset and mood after a good night's rest.

Plus the discovery that I still have taste buds is one of the big factors to improve my mood too I would say…

Thinking about the rejection my body had with Takamori's blood may perhaps have something to do with him being a fancy meal, or that thing, Transmundane, such a mouthful of a word, there is no way to be sure but something tells me it may, even more with all this mess I'm in, these markings and a humanoid body…

But what if I'm wrong? After all outside these walls I did not have such variety of food around, I could not choose as much what I hunted, having found this two fancy meals by chance, and not only there were only these two in such big city but they were the only fancy meal I have hunted in… forever I suppose.

That is to say how rare they are… and how pissed I'm for not being able to savor one of them.

It is intriguing as much as it is disappointing…

Thinking time over, my brain is starting to hurt and why should it matter anyway? I got a great way of hunting humans out of it, so who cares!

Stretching and yawning I decide that tonight I'll hunt normal prey and get used to my surroundings, learn the layouts of the streets, learn the patterns of my cattle, and search for 'him', the cold-eyed meal, or perhaps even try Takamori again, I haven't considered that some of his organs may be edible…

And still I feel that is such a waste to kill him so soon… so abnormal prey he is, so tempting... Stomach stop, I'm drooling already..

Anyway for now, at least, if I can't have the fancy meals then I will go for the fat average ones, make up for the quality with quantity.

With no intention of cleaning the place up more than I already have for now I go towards the window and hang around the edge for a while, looking down at the many humans walking about, a fair amount considering they are not nocturnal, and watching as they come and go I find myself disappointed with the prey around me, all skin and bones, even worse than the crunchy ghouls; didn't know it to be possible, but oh well.

Even if I had the best prey laying around my new home I wasn't silly enough to hunt around my base anyway, leave bones hanging around and a path of blood to my doorstep, why not simply change in front of them?!

I had the same precations when I was in my caves because that could take away the chance of having unaware prey wandering in, plus giving away my position and the place I was more vulnerable at, no… I will get as far as possible to cover well my tracks.

Now I'm regretting letting Takamori go… but one could say I was more shocked at the situation and his reaction than really 'letting him go' per say.

And for my prey for the night I think I've some type of people in mind…

What better than to hunt the opulent golden district people? And I may have the best place to hunt than on, right outside their league, where they do not have as much protection as they have inside their homes…

And that way I'll find their patterns, like animals migrating to warmer lands in winter, where do they go, what hour, how they go back? Not so different from deers, these humans, walking on line, go out, go back, point A, point B.

I just have to wait in between those two points...

Sounds like a plan to me.

Now do I still want to keep this place up I wonder… I look back at the room I've taken for myself, a little cleaner today, the body laying somewhere downstairs; probably on the streets still if nobody cared to take it away; and no remaining maggots as they fell through the cracks on the wooden floor, only the remains of my fit of anger there, the broken table, wall and blankets.

It can be improved, especially in regards of stopping the light and rain in, but perhaps it would be better to leave it behind, many caves in the wilderness proved to have better roofing and shelter than this place for sure, but for now there is already a lot to do, no need to add more stuff to the list.

So I finally jump down when nobody is looking and start walking around a little, my feet slashing against the dirty floor and the water pools around, making me discontent at the lousiness I was making as I walk but not much could be done about it beyond going to the roofs again, and, in the end, as the streets start to get too crowded that's exactly what I end up doing, not that used to so many humans in one place at once yet.

At the rooftops, as I get closer to the red district, I find something interesting laying on the floor, some kind of fragment, a sharp uneven thing, and it reflects like the water of a calm lagoon, no, even better than that, showing my pair of inquisitive eyes staring back at me.

I let my head fall to the side and the image does the same, I try to imitate a smile only for the front lip to turn up and show my teeth in a wild grin, then I frown at the hair that is out of my face, long and black.

I had the same height as the man in black, however I still have the same physic that my monster body, muscles upon muscles, however this cloth thing on top covers it up and takes some curious eyes away from me, even more when I walk around barefoot.

I growl at my own reflection, the somewhat passable figure now lighting up, red bright eyes with three pupils each blinking, and the black long hair shinning in red and white, changing color as the light hit it, like the scales of a fish or the feathers of a bird, two colors in one at my predatory hunting mode.

I purr in satisfaction, liking that this body was still able to react as my other one, blending in with the shadows and the people with my black colored version, only to show the hiding fangs right before attacking.

Yes, I shall not fear anything, nor the changes, for this body is still mine, and all the cards are still up my sleeve, waiting to be taken out to be put to good use.

Even more when the demanding hunger is still there, crawling inside, the never-ending cycle of death to be continued until my end comes one day.

There will be blood tonight.

But not mine.

I smile.