Lions and Tigers and Fadebeasts... Oh My! [ARES][PPC]

[Dawn Chekov]

[for_peace][/for_peace]

Dawn wasn't usually the kind of person that listened to rumors, especially those that circulated the bars in this city. Some were obnoxiously stupid, others often angered her. So she wasn't that pleased when Dylan had come in and sat down on her couch the way he often did when he wanted to chill with her. The fact that she couldn't glare him in submission meant that she had fed off the wrong vampire this eve. He smirked at her, he had come to know when she did or did not have him enthralled, so when she didn't, he used that to his advantage to annoy her as any older brother might. Granted, they weren't related by blood, but he had protected Dawn, her secret, and her powers for so long that he knew, no matter what, he'd give his life to protect her. After all, she was Prima Dawna.

"So you'll never guess what I heard tonight at the bar."

"Dill pickle, please no..." She hoped that her annoying nickname for him would shut him down, but it didn't.

"Trust me Donnie, you're going to want to hear this. Especially given the state of the city." He knew her buttons, he knew that since she had returned to find a good portion of the city she now called home had been abandoned and that it was also now close to quarantine thanks to the rise (pun intended) of zombies outside of the Quarantine Zone. She gave him a look that told him that he was free to go on with what he had started so he did. "They say there's some kind of fearsome beast on the outskirts of the city."

Dawn's brow rose, her gaze narrowed slightly and she leaned against her desk, "And they weren't talking about so vampire? Maybe one of the ferals running around? Or even that rogue vampire that just can't seem to be killed?" She stopped for a moment as she watched him shake his head to everything she mentioned. "How about those Mooncalf things that are on steroids?"

"Again, nope. Though I guess that last one is possible. It doesn't sound like it though from the bits and pieces I picked up while listening in."

Dawn bit her lower lip for a moment and she sighed, "Maybe I can try out some tracking powers, I never get to use those. Maybe I can find it..."

"Dawn, NO!"

"Why mention it if you didn't want to get me involved?"

"I figured you'd send some of your happy meals after them. Especially that one. He's stronger than you D, he could take it."

"And you think I can't?" She hissed out at him. He glared back at her and sighed.

"You have your new stadium being built, your other plans from a business perspective, the group... you don't need to physically go out there and save the entire city by yourself."

"Sometimes it feels like I do..."

"Yeah, well you don't, stick to the business and music, leave the fighting to those who can do it, D." He said, standing up and glaring at her one more time before he stomped out of her office, leaving the poor, crazy blood thief angered and bewildered.

[Dawn Chekov]

[for_peace][/for_peace]

Two days later

With her powers restored and Dylan pouting because he once more had to listen to her, Dawn made her way towards the city outskirts. Her eyes closed for a moment as she took a deep breath. This was a power she had never used before, but she felt it there, in the back of her mind, she felt all the powers she took on when she fed, even if she never used them. Today, she concentrated on one she had never used, one that she needed to use today.

The wilderness around the city was vast, one could spend not just hours, but days or even weeks, searching for someone within them. And if you got lost. That wouldn't help matters. Even with celerity on her side, without knowing the proper direction, there was no knowing where she could end up. Once she honed in on the right power, she began to concentrate on what it was she was hunting. The first thing she thought of that could be construed as a monster, was a Fadebeast, but not just any Fadebeast, an Alpha. However, no matter how much she concentrated, she couldn't find it. It had to be the monster that everyone was whispering about. With a soft sigh, she knew she was going to have to do this the hard way. She no longer practiced in rituals, so she knew there was no way she would be able to find them that way.

Dawn sighed and sent out a message to two different people. The first was Dylan, she sent him to the west. The second was to Gordo, she sent him to the east. Then she planned to take the south. Once they searched for the beast and found it, depending on who found it, she would attempt to handle it. Problem was, she had never taken on an Alpha before. With that in mind, she started out into the wilderness, making sure she stuck close to the buildings so that the soldiers wouldn't try to stop her from traveling too far. Once she was into the wilderness, away from prying eyes, she began to use her celerity, zooming around the outskirts of the city where the monster was likely to be.

[Storyteller]

==========AUTOMATED RANDOM EVENTS SYSTEM==========

A group member's phone vibrates. They have an unread email from someone they haven't spoken with in years.

[Dawn Chekov]

[for_peace][/for_peace]

Dawn came to a stop when she felt the soft vibration of her phone. She could tell by the way it vibrated that she had an email. When she came to a stop, she closed her eyes, when she was fed the way she was, she didn't need to pull out her phone, she need only close her eyes and see the connections that were between her and the signals of any computer. When she found them, she went to her emails and almost lost the connection when she saw who it was from.

Long ago, when she came to this city, she had been introduced to a rather hot guy, and while they had a connection, it seemed the relationship had been doomed. She had long since gotten over it. That is, until she saw his name in the sender line. The subject made her eyes roll and with a thought, it was gone, deleted just like their relationship. When her eyes opened, she heard a growl, well, more of a snarl, but the sound wasn't that different.

Turning slowly, Dawn took a step back, she watched the thing and it watched her. She glanced around and noticed that they were not as close to the city as she thought. She knew that this monster in front of her wasn't the only one out here. There were wolves, bears, rabbits. Now though, this thing wasn't just meandering around. It was hunting, what was worse, she had a feeling that now it was hunting her. She also knew that the moment she stepped close enough, it could attack her.

It was then that Gordo spoke up. "The gun would be a good idea."

Dawn wrapped her hand around the handle of her gun and lifted it, glad that her wraith had joined her. If something happened, he could bring Dylan to her. Taking aim, she waited until she could hear her own heartbeat and her own breathing and at the right time, she pulled the trigger.

[Storyteller]

==========AUTOMATED POST==========

Dawn Chekov attempted to fight a tough enemy, but the attempt was a failure!

[Dawn Chekov]

[for_peace][/for_peace]

The bullet hit the creature, but she knew better, that one shot would only serve to piss the creature off, it wasn't a long battle before Dawn had no choice but to flee from the creature. It was strong, to the point that she didn't know if she could take it again. As soon as she was sure she was safe from the creature finding her to finish her off, she collapsed. Her last bit of strength was used to call for Gordo. And it didn't take the wraith to find Dylan and lead the young man to her.

When Dylan found her, he made sure to avoid her wounds as he lifted her from the ground and took her back to the apartment. She didn't care for hospitals so he knew she'd prefer to be at home. Once he was done dressing her wounds, he pressed his wrist to her fangs and let them puncture the vein there. He always got a little light headed when he had to donate blood to her so he made sure that he sat on the floor beside her. Soon enough her eyes opened and she used her limited anima to heal the most serious of her wounds, leaving some of the more superficial ones for another night.

Dylan looked at her with a gaze she knew well. He was angry, he had a right to be she supposed, but she was a vampire, she had strength and powers he would only know if he were turned. However, he didn't want to be and she was unable to sire anyone. "Dawn Aleen Chekov..." he started, and yup, she knew she was in for it now when even Dylan was calling her by her full name. "I thought I told you not to attack that thing without backup... namely, me!" He went on, he had a bandage on his wrist now, so she knew he had fed her. He was going to speak again but Dawn beat him to it.

"Please don't." At that subtle command, he silenced. Not because he wanted to, but because she was still amped on what ever vampire gave her dominion over his will. However, when that power faded... she would hear it... for a good long time too. Unless, she got her hit again, and soon. She was addicted to vampire blood, more than she'd admit too.

He stood up then and slowly made his way out of her room. He intended to slam the door, but at the last moment, he changed his mind and let the door shut quietly on his best friend. Someone he saw more like a little sister than anything else. He flopped down on the couch and turned on the tv, dozing off to some weird show about a giant bear in the woods.

Dawn, in the other room, sighed and concentrated on healing. While feeding from vampires gave her power, sometimes even that power just wasn't enough to take on what she needed. How was she to save this city from annihilation if no one else was on her side? Yes, she had the stadium going up, she had the team waiting in the wings, and she hoped that would be enough to bring mortal and immortal alike together by offering them a common thing to cheer for.

Though, if she was a hundred percent honest, there were so many out there that no matter what, they'd be assholes, they'd be bullies, they'd only care for themselves and they'd eventually ruin this quaint city she now loved and called home.