Homonus Nocturna - Chapter 1 - The First Date

It was a pleasant evening, the stars were visible in the sky, a warming breeze blew through the city streets, and there was very little traffic, meaning little noise. The perfect setting for a romantic date.

Eli had been lucky enough to be going on a date with possibly who he felt to be the most attractive vixen he had ever seen. Granted he was slightly drunk when they arranged their date, but they had arranged it none the less.

However, Eli couldn't help thinking that maybe things were moving a little too fast, I mean, he had only met this girl yesterday, and twenty four hours later, here he was, waiting for her outside his favourite restaurant.

He had been waiting for a good fifteen minutes or so, yet he had arrived a little early, as his watch indicated that it was only 8.07pm. Melody, his date, had defiantly said to meet here at 8pm, so Eli assumed she must have been held up.

Eli tilted back his head, to once again gaze up at the starry night sky, as he had been doing since he had arrived at the restaurant. As his eyes move up to the skyline, he could have sworn he saw someone looking down at him from the roof of the adjacent building, but he simply put it down to a trick of the light.

It wasn't long before Eli heard the unmistakable sound of Stiletto heels clacking on pavement, signalling Melodys arrival. He brought his gaze down to see her jogging out from the alley across the street, looking ravishing in a black evening dress. She quickly crossed the street, and greeted Eli with a friendly hug.

"Sorry I'm late, got a little held up while on my way here, had to take a shortcut through the alley". She said between pants, showing that she had been running. "Have you been waiting long?"

"No, not long at all", Eli said with a smile "and I'm glad you're here now, after how fast things moved yesterday, I thought that maybe all this was a little too good to be true." He chuckled to himself.

Melody looked at him, a little concerned. Could he see right through her? She was genuinely attracted to him, but he was also her target, and even though he didn't know it, the most important person alive right now. So could she really afford to become infatuated?

Realising that she had been silent for longer than was necessary, Melody quickly piped up, "I'm sorry if you feel we are moving too quickly, it's just... I don't meet many nice, genuine guys, like you... and I simply didn't want to waste any time... I hope that doesn't make you uncomfortable".

Eli stepped forward, placing a comforting paw on her shoulder. "It's quite alright, and I understand. If anything, I'm glad I came across that way".

Needless to say, Melody was relieved, she had hoped her fast actions wouldn't scare him away, as she needed Eli, more than he knew, and she couldn't afford to let him slip away.

"Right, now that your here, shall we find our table?" Eli asked.

Melody responded with a big smile, she was really growing to like Eli more and more, and she had a good feeling that tonight was going to go well.

As they entered the restaurant, a rather frumpy looking waitress approached them, a Dalmatian, her hair tied up into a bun with chopsticks at the back of her head, looking far too upper class to be working in such an establishment.

"Welcome back Mr Marshall, and this must be your date?" She threw a quick glance at Melody. "Oh... we don't usually get many foxes in here, not with our menu." Melody detected the faintest trace of a sneer in her voice.

In response, Melody threw the Dalmatian a warning glance. Yes, Melody was a fox, and yes, this restaurant did serve mostly meat dishes, and most fox species on Anthron were vegetarians. However, Melody had a rather large pair of fangs, kept well hidden of course, but with them, came a rather sizable appetite for meat dishes, the bloodier, the better.

Eli turned to Melody, looking apologetic. "We can go somewhere else if you'd like, I didn't think when I booked the table."

Melody gave a little smirk and cocked an eyebrow. "What made you think I was a vegetarian? Here will be fine". She smiled at Elis relieved reaction.

The waitress looked at Melody curiously, and muttered something to herself. "Very well, if you'd like to follow me."

She led them to an outdoor table, with the parasol folded down, so they could continue to view the stars. A small candle sat in the centre of the table, flickering slightly in the breeze.

"Here are your menus; can I get you something to drink while you decide?" The waitress asked, with a hint of boredom clearly audible in her voice.

"Just a glass of water for me" Eli said, obviously still a little hung over from last night. "Melody?"

Without even glancing at the drinks menu, Melody said "Gin and Tonic please".

"Very well, I'll be right back with your drinks" their waitress said before waddling off to the bar.

"She is so not getting a tip" Eli said, making Melody giggle.

Eli looked at Melody, and smiled once again. "You look amazing tonight, and this is me sober!"

Melody giggled again, she was grateful for the compliment, and found she rather liked Elis sense of humour. "Thank you" she said, "And you... have the most amazing eyes I've ever seen, I noticed them immediately".

Eli grinned. "I'm the only one in my family who has 'em, hell, probably the only fur this side of Anthron who has 'em!"

"They really are pretty" Melody said, losing herself in his gaze.

Eli and Melody sat staring into each others eyes for several minutes, saying nothing. Melody was completely enthralled by Eli, not only was he attractive, he was also kind and compassionate. Likewise, Eli had been completely blown away by Melodys beauty. There was something about her, he couldn't quite place, yet this made him want to get to know her even more.

Another few minutes passed by, when their waitress wandered back over with their drinks. She placed them down on the table, and asked. "You two ready to order?" in a slightly annoyed tone.

Snapping back to their senses, both Eli and Melody hastily looked at their menus. Melody didn't take long to decide. "Sirloin steak, rare, with a side salad", she said quickly, handing her menu to the waitress.

"Wow" was all Eli could say. He certainly wasn't expecting Melody to order the steak, the biggest meat item on the menu. "Erm... I'll have the same, except I'll take my steak medium."

After scribbling down their orders and throwing what appearing to be a look of disgust in Melodys direction, she once again wandered off to the till to key in the order, murmuring something to another waitress, who looked over at Melody.

Their food arrived fairly quickly, and it was obvious who has ordered what. Melodys was practically oozing with blood.

Before she even began on her meal, Melody had to be sure of something. While Eli sat and watched, she picked up both her knife and fork in her napkin, and sniffed them. To anyone else this may seem a tad strange, but to a Vampire, this was the only way to check if a metallic object contained any silver, something which Vampires were highly allergic to. Melody couldn't risk her hand bursting into flames during the meal, as that would REALLY kill the mood.

Smelling only steel, Melody picked up her cutlery, and looked at her food. She immediately felt her vampiric instincts kick in, the smell of the blood, the taste of the meat... she wanted to swallow it down whole. But, thanks to sheer willpower, and not wanting to make herself look insane, Melody opted to the usual method of cutting of a piece at a time.

She would occasionally catch Eli looking at her steak, as it would occasionally drip blood back onto her plate as she lifted it to her mouth. "You... really like your food bloody don't you, ha!, if I didn't know any better, I'd say you were a Vampire!" Eli laughed at this, yet in her head, Melody was thinking "If only he knew..."

"Anyways, why don't you tell me a little about yourself?"

Melody stopped eating, and set her knife and fork down. She had been dreading this question, as she had no idea of what to say. She couldn't exactly come clean and admit she was a 102 year old Vampire who was currently residing in an old abandoned apartment building and is here to take Eli away so that he can save the entire vampire species.

Eli would find out eventually, but now was defiantly not the right time. Melody continued to think for a moment, while Eli began to crunch on his salad, awaiting an answer. Melody would have to use facts from her life before she was turned.

"Hmm... where to start" She said after the long pause. "Well, I've pretty much lived in this city all my life."

"My mom and dad live on the other side of town" Melody lied; her parents had died almost forty years ago. "I've got my own place here in town; it's only a few blocks from here. I needed to get out of the family home, my parents were too... overbearing sometimes".

Bringing up these memories only made Melody realise how much she missed her parents, as when she was turned, she had to make her parents think she was dead, meaning going missing all those years ago and never returning. Her parents would have died never having been reunited with their lost daughter, a thought which greatly saddened Melody. "It's been a while since I last saw them..." Melody trailed off, unable to speak of them any longer.

"Sounds like you've got a good family" Eli said softly. "I never really knew my dad, he was in the army, and he died while on duty, about a month before I was born." Eli looked into his glass of water, clearly getting a little emotional. "My mom doted on me though, she always made sure I got the best chances in life, which I'm really grateful for, but... she was a smoker, and a heavy one to boot. She got cancer..." Elis voice broke; he didn't want to say anymore, which was understandable. Melody assumed that his Mother's death must have been fairly recent.

Melody reached out, and took Elis paw in her own, in an attempt to comfort him, as he seemed close to tears. "It's alright, she's in a better place", was all Melody could think of saying.

"I know," Eli said quietly, "I just really miss her sometimes".

All this new information just made Melody feel even sorrier for Eli. He had had it rough lately, and his life was not going to get better any time soon.

Eli wiped his eyes on his napkin, and tried to smile. "Sorry 'bout that, just talking about her makes me well up." He looked down and noticed that Melody still had his paw in her own. He looked up into her eyes, and gave a real smile.

"Do you want to go for a walk in the park after we're done here?" He asked.

Melody had always liked visiting the park, for at night, it was always quiet, and she had longed for the chance to share it with someone.

"I'd love to", she said, a rather goofy smile spreading across her face, she felt like a schoolgirl again.

Eli stood up, and wandered over to the waitress at the bar to pay the bill. When he had finished, Melody was waiting by the entrance, practically beaming at him.

"I know I may have acted a little strange, but I'm having a really great time", she said.

Eli immediately smiled, mirroring Melodys. "So am I, and don't worry about the strange, it makes you unique, and I really like it".

That sealed it; Melody was now officially developing strong feelings for Eli. Yet she knew that what was going to happen was going to hurt them both. She had to keep up a brave face, and strolled out of the restaurant with Eli, paw in paw.

* * *

The walk to the park took about fifteen minutes, and Melody and Eli talked and laughed all the way there, not once letting go of each others paw.

Upon reaching the park, Eli allowed Melody to lead him to her favourite spot, up a small hillside nature trail, ending in a clearing at its peak, with a small bench in the centre of a field. Both of them sat down, not taking their eyes off of each other.

"Tonight has been...incredible" Eli said, breaking the silence.

"Indeed it has", Melody replied, looking up at the starry sky. In her head, Melody was debating whether or not to tell Eli the truth that she was a vampire, and he was the key to stopping an impending war. Yet she knew that if she did, she would have to turn him, something which she wished she didn't have to do.

When Melody returned her gaze to Eli, he scooted closer to her, wrapping an arm around her, and giving her a caring look.

"You are really beautiful, and forgive me if I'm moving too fast, but I don't think this moment should be wasted."

Melody could only giggle uncontrollably. She hadn't kissed anyone in a long while, and now that the chance presented itself, she was far too excited.

Melody took a moment to compose herself, much to Elis amusement, and looked him dead in the eye. "Well then, what are you waiting for?"

Eli didn't need to be told twice. He closed his eyes and leaned in, Melody doing the same, meeting each other in a gentle kiss. It was impossible for the two of them not to enjoy the moment, and Melody felt like nothing in the world could ruin it.

At least, until an unfamiliar voice rang out from the trees behind them.

"So... this is where you've been hiding him."

Melody opened her eyes wide, and broke apart the kiss, jumping up to face the owner of the harsh tone.

Before her stood an extremely large built Doberman, body made almost entirely of muscle, giving their wielder an immense strength, yet also a feral rage that few have survived. Those that did... became like him.

He was Commander Tritoch, Second in command of the Lycan army, and an old friend of Melodys. However, today, he was an unwelcome intruder.

"What the hell do you want Tritoch!" Melody shouted.

"Quiet down old friend." Tritoch said coolly. "I have no quarrel with you. Simply give me the male, and you can go on your way."

Eli suddenly leapt to his feet, facing Tritoch. "And just who are you to order us around?" He looked at Melody, "An ex-boyfriend?"

Tritoch began to laugh heartily, as if he had just heard the funniest thing in the world.

"Me! And her! Can you imagine!?" All this laughter only managed to infuriate Melody even more.

"ENOUGH!" She yelled "LEAVE US ALONE TRITOCH!"

Tritoch immediately stopped laughing, and threw an angry look at Melody. "Watch your tongue! We may be friends, but you are smooching with my target, and he is coming with me, whether you like it or not!" He spat.

"Your target!? Eli is my DATE!" Melody had to be careful not to use the word Target as well.

"I don't want to have to hurt you, but I will if you don't leave us alone!" She said, the fury causing her to shake.

"Mel..." Tritoch said mockingly "You would hurt an old friend? All I need to do is give your date a little bite... or were you getting to that?"

This tipped Melody over the edge, she screamed, and bared her fangs, before lunging at Tritoch, Tackling him to the ground, clawing at his face.

Eli just stood there, stunned. What the hell was happening? His date had just gone from sweet and innocent to psycho in a few seconds. And those fangs? Those weren't natural... What in hell was she?

"Melody, what the HELL is going on!" Eli yelled.

Tritoch pushed Melody off of him, and stood up, staring at Eli. "She obviously hasn't told you yet, allow me."

Melody jumped to her feet. "No!"

"You see... we are not like you. Your sweet Melody, is a vampire. A century old one at that. I, on the other hand, am I Lycan, or a were-fur, if you will. I am a lot stronger than I look, and that is saying something. Anyone who we bite becomes like us, just like in the stories."

Eli couldn't believe what he was hearing. Vampires and Lycans were real?!

"Melody and I used to fight alongside one another during the old wars, and we formed quite a friendship. We didn't go that far, before you say anything. But now it seems that we are enemies. All because of you."

"So you see..." Tritoch continued " I need you to come with me, and Melody needs you to go with her, we can allow you to choose, but I doubt you'll make a choice beneficial to either of us...so it looks like we are going to have to settle this be..."

THWACK

Melody had cut Tritoch off in mid sentence, striking him over the back of the head with a plank of wood from the bench, breaking it in half, and knocking him out cold.

"Enough of him...Eli, please listen to me..."

"I don't wanna hear it..." Eli said, before he turned on his heels and ran, as fast as his legs could carry him, not stopping until he reached the safety of the town once again, then slowing his pace to a jog, till he reached his apartment.

Melody collapsed to her knees, punching Tritoch in the gut out of rage. "Why the hell did you have to butt in!" She shouted at his unconscious form. Not that it made any difference. Eli now wanted nothing to do with her. He was right. It all was too good to be true, and he had learned the horrifying truth about Melody, and that there were more like her.

A million thoughts were racing through Melodys mind. How could she explain herself without him trying to push her away? Since when did the Lycans learn about Eli? And who the hell leaked them the information?

These questions needed answers, but for now, Eli was her top priority. She had to find him, but she had no idea where he lived. Now that he knew of the existence of vampires, she had no choice but to turn him, even if it meant doing it against his will.

Melody stood up once again, and began to sprint back to the town. She had a few ideas of where to look for him, and she couldn't afford to waste any time. Her tears had started to flow, her evening had been ruined. And now, she had to find Eli, before another vampire, or worse, a Lycan, found him first.

Homonus Nocturna will return with Chapter 2 - Life, Love and Lycanthropes