Vladek opened one eye and the first thing he saw was Lucifer looking back at him, expecting him to wake up. He grunted and moved in the bed so he was turning his back on the wolf, hoping he could fall asleep again. But Lucifer will not let him the wolf took the blanket with his teeth and pulled it. Vladek grunted again, this time, a more awake and more irritated than last time.

“Lucifer...” He muttered, still sleepy. “Just five more minutes...” Lucifer growled a promise that if the vampire would not get up of the bed in the next few seconds, he would drag his ass out. “Okay, okay. I´m getting up.” He said, sitting on the bed. When Vladek was fully aware of his surroundings, he looked at the wolf frustrated. “This is the last time I promise you to take you out to hunt.” Lucifer left his room, ignoring him completely.

Vladek clicked his teeth, but he really meant what he said.

He got up of the bed and started walking towards the bathroom, where he changed his clothes and brushed his teeth. When he was ready, he went downstairs and exit his house from the front door, into the garden, where he founded Lucifer waiting for him. When the wolf saw him, he instantly, without wasting more time, headed into the forest.

Vladek signed at start running with no intention of staying behind.

The tall trees welcomed him; he could still the fresh air cleaning his lungs, allowing him to breathe correctly again. He hadn't noticed until that moment how much he had missed this.

But God, how much he had missed it.

He heard a sound, a sound that didn't come from the forest itself. Later he realized that the sound came from him, it was the sound of him laughing.

For the first time in a long time, he felt free. Even if it was just for a moment. The wind hitting his face, the smell of grass and pine trees, the silence and yet the noises of the forest... He needed that, even though he will never admit that to Lucifer.

Lucifer too was going wild. He was running like his life depended on it, so fast that the vampire could barely keep track. But that wasn't a race; they were both enjoying the liberty that was really unusual for them.

Eventually, they stopped running; Lucifer looked at him, a questioning light on his eyes.

“Yes.” He said. “We can hunt now.”

Vladek closed his eyes, feeling his surroundings, sharpening his senses. He started to hear the sound of water running, a river nearby. Birds singing above the trees. He frowned, trying to concentrate even more.

Crunches of grass, the sound of an animal eating.

He found it.

Lucifer must have sensed it too, because his ears stood up, listening. And with a gesture made by the vampire, they began to run again, this time, more stealthily.

They found the prey more easily than he thought. A solitaire deer was eating peacefully in a field. The animal looked so majestic that Vladek almost felt bad about killing it. But he and Lucifer had to eat.

So in a matter of seconds, Lucifer, pounced, faster than lightning. The deer didn’t even see him coming.

“Good boy.” He said petting his head. He took the lifeless deer and bites its neck sucking all the blood he could. The second he felt the blood made contact with his mouth, he sucked and continued to suck unable to control himself or even to stop.

How long since he last feeds himself?

When he finished, he freed the deer's neck and let Lucifer eat the rest. Somewhat euphoric for the adrenaline that the blood had given to him, he sat down under a tree nearby, overwhelmed by all the sensations and senses that he had not experienced for a while.

When his senses seemed like it calmed down a bit, he closed his eyes enjoying the peace and the silence that the forest granted him.

However, after some seconds, he realized that the forest wasn't so silenced anymore. Vladek opened his eyes abruptly and looked in the direction of Lucifer, hoping that the wolf would have caught the same noise that he did. Yet, the wolf was really busy with his prey like to be paying attention to his surroundings.

Vladek looked at the field they were in and he realized that he did not recognize which side of the forest they were. They had never run so far from the mansion. He almost swears that the noise was getting closer the most time he spent thinking.

He almost lost his breath when, suddenly, he knew exactly where they were.

Oh, God. He thought terrorized. They were so close to the village, which meant, they were close to the frontier... The war frontier.

“Lucifer! We have to go!” The wolf looked at him questioning, he had not finished his meal so he had no intention of moving from there. “We have to go now!” Lucifer seemed to notice the urgency in the vampire's voice, but he remained immobile.

Vladek ran towards Lucifer and pushed him, urging him to run. Then, the wolf appeared to understand the gravity of the situation so this time, he began to run in the direction of their house, the vampire followed him closely. Vladek asked himself how they had become so unaware to get so close to danger in that way.

The noise quickly grew louder, louder to recognize that were footsteps, a lot of footsteps and they sounded behind them faster that Vladek had anticipated, so they accelerated trying to leave them behind.

They ran faster than before, adrenaline running through his blood. He was scared, even Lucifer was scared. Neither of them wanted to live that nightmare again. Each second seemed like an eternity but after fifteen long minutes, they arrived, entering and closing the massive door behind them.

Breathing heavily, Vladek lost all his strength from his knees, so he sat down on the floor, feeling how the adrenaline lost effect on his body.

“Everything it's okay.” He whispered to himself. “Everything it’s okay.” He felt Lucifer lay on his legs, trying to comfort him. Vladek raised his hand, but when he tried to caress the wolf’s black fur, he realized he was shaking, and Lucifer had noticed too. The vampire smiled and hugged the wolf really tight.

“Don’t worry, buddy.” He said. “Everything will be alright.”

…

Vladek opened his eyes and confused he blinked. It was already morning. Apparently, in a moment during the embrace with Lucifer, he fell asleep. The question now was how he ended up in his bed? Did Lucifer bring him? He signed, he has a terrible headache, the reason, probably was because of what happened the day before. Vladek felt the wolf breathing completely asleep next to him.

The vampire was about to fall asleep again when the sound

of the doorbell, startled him. Apparently, startled Lucifer too, he jumped out of

the bed. They looked at each other; neither of them knew what to do. The

doorbell was an unknown sound; they didn’t even know it worked it. But that

wasn’t the problem. That mansion was confined in the forest, meaning that

anybody was supposed to find it. But there it was, someone was ringing that

bell, someone found that mansion.

Lucifer was the first to react, running downstairs

towards the principal door. Vladek ran too, close to the wolf. When he arrived

at the entrance, the vampire remained still, unsure of what to do next, when he

noticed the anxious look in Lucifer´s eyes.

¨What?¨ He asked looking at the wolf, incredulous. I

can´t just simply answer.

Lucifer showed his fangs and growled, telling him,

Please, look what I got.

Vladek rolled his eyes but didn't insist on the matter.

He swallowed hard and proceeded to open the door very carefully and very slowly.

At first, he didn't see anything, he stood there confused, millions of thoughts passing through his brain per second.

It was our imagination? Is it a trap? Why didn't they ambush them?

That and more questions were about to pop in his head when a strange sound woke him up from his internal crisis. A cry.

Paralyzed, Vladek looked down; his eyes wide open, denying what they were seeing.

In the foot of this doorstep, and for the vampire´s surprise, was a baby crying.