DTVS 1:4 Lone Wolves Part 3: On the Hunt

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Doris did arrive home before sunset. Having passed the afternoon with Walt Whitman under Helena's tutelage she spent the early part of the evening on much needed quarter-staff drills (losing to Edwin more than once) before heading into the night. Usually the slayer hunts alone, but seeing the lack of confidence in Doris' eyes Edwin went along, advising her to keep an on the crowds, to tell him what she sees and to trust her instincts. They move through the evening crowds, him in his tweeds carrying a heavy walking stick, her in her white shirt, gray shawl and the split riding skirt that Helena had sewn for her, as she does her best to comply.

Hours later, when the streets are empty save for them-selves, Doris pulls on Edwin's coat and nods at a distant but approaching figure. "Are you sure?" he murmurs. She nods again as the dapperly dressed gentleman steps to within a few feet and inquires after a match. Edwin supplies a box with his off hand, and neither slayer nor watcher are surprised when the fellow grabs Edwin's hand and reveals his true face. The fellow obviously expected to keep the initiative and is quite startled when Doris kicks him in the eye before moving to sweep his legs from under him.

The vamp keeps his feet but not Edwin's hand, and the watcher delivers a blow with his walking stick, doubling the fellow over. Doris prepares an axe kick to his neck but is stymied when his hand lashes up and grabs her descending ankle. She is able to spin free, but her foe straightens and assumes a classic boxing stance. "Well, well, the Slayer."

Doris is unnerved by this recognition, giving her foe an opening: not at her, but to strike at Edwin without her intervening. Mr. Winterbourne was maneuvering for another swing when he felt the lighting fast grip of the vampire seize his throat and raise him several inches in the air. Objecting to being used as an ad hoc shield Edwin delivers a devastating kick to the vampire's delicate parts. Both men collapse, and Edwin gasps "always strike vampires when they're down…"

Doris complies, driving a stake firmly into the monster's back, only to see him rise again. "Stupid!" She mutters! "The heart's on the right in the front, the left on the back. Forget maths, I need anatomy lessons!" Her assailant staggers to his feet, she prepares to meet his charge and suddenly a huge shadow flies across them. A wolf-like beast the size of a small horse lands beside them, his jaws already firmly affixed to the vampire's head. There is a quick shake, the snap of the head being severed from the body and the sound of the beast coughing and spitting to clear its now ash-filled mouth.

Doris and Edwin stare incredulously at the creature before it leaps out of sight. "What was…?" Doris points. "I don’t know," Edwin responds. "But I intend to find out." 

"He knew who I was. Do they all know?" the young girl's voice is clearly scared. Edwin reassures her. "With your slaying the old master vampire we are now dealing with his progeny. They clearly know of you, but notice that he did not recognize you for what you were before you attacked. I believe your secret remains secure."

Meanwhile, in Helena's cramped apartment, the artist rouses from a sketching reverie, another night of good intentions for getting to be early being shattered by her tendency to get lost in her work. Two pages of her pad are covered with images of a large, bristly wolf standing over a dismembered corpse. Shuddering, she goes to bed and dreams disturbing dreams about being trapped in an enclosed space with the beast, her footing unsteady as the ground shakes beneath her.

To be continued