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I pushed Cham and Col over the cliff together. They were so close, in life.
I had tried so hard to find Skullscap’s body… alas, he was nowhere to be found. I hoped, futilely, that he may have escaped and survived. It was very doubtful. After his battle with the beast, there was no way Basil’s enraged state would let the Child go freely. More likely than not, he had swallowed Skull whole.
Laurel’s head I had tried to mend… The best I could do was to tie a cloth around the top of his head and his chin to keep it… to keep it together…
I held his enshrouded head to my chest for some time. I looked up to the waning moon, now no longer a perfect circle.
Reanddemal…
I asked her why… why she would take away my brothers and sisters… and leave me to do her bidding alone. I asked her what her bidding might be. I asked her why her son had to be so… so enticing, and yet so utterly vicious.
I watched Laurel’s body descend into darkness, kissing the pads of my fingers and reaching them after him.
Sleep well.
____________________________________________________

Basil was waiting for me at the back door. He had found a large robe, and was wearing it. I had gotten the robe as a surprise for Laurel… for after the feasting and the sultry orgy that would have ensued after the rituals. It was cashmere. And it was dark scarlet, his favorite color.
Basil had nothing else to wear… and so I said nothing.
“Are… are you ok?”
Stupid question, that.
“I’ll be alright. I just need to eat.”
His eyes widened, and his hand shot to the punctures in his neck.
“No, not you. That only leads to… to other things.”
His mouth stretched immediately into a goofy smile. I sighed, shook my head, and closed the door behind me.
“I eat ‘normal’ food too, you know. Blood… blood for us is more like…” I thought for a minute. “It’s like a necessary vitamin for us to live. Like how you need to eat greens and vegetables.”
“I don’t need to…” he started to say.
“Alright, bad comparison. I don’t know how to explain it. Suffice to say I’ve had enough blood for now.”

He followed me into the kitchen, then into the dining room.
“So, you’re really a vam-” I cut him off with a raised hand.
“Don’t say it. I told you, we are not… not that.”

Page 35

“So… what are you?”
I thought about how to answer, picking up a thick slice of meat from a platter and nibbling on it.
“We are Moon Children.”
He motioned for me to go on. I bid him take a seat while taking one myself. He sat next to me, in the same chair Laurel had occupied two nights before.

I explained our race to him much as I have explained it earlier in this document. I started with the old legend of the Daughter of the Moon. I finished with an explanation of the feast.
“So, I was invited… as food.”
“More or less.” Why not be honest?
“And I… I…”
“You changed. I’m beginning to wonder if it was the full moon, or my feeding on you, or a combination of both…”
“Well, it’s never happened before, I know that.”  He poured himself a glass of red wine, gulped it.
“When were you born?”
He looked perplexed at this, wiping his mouth on a sleeve. “Nineteen eighty-seven. January. What has that got to do with anything?”
“I just…” my brow creased in thought, and I poured my own glass of red vintage. “I was just curious.”
So he really wasn’t a long-timer like me. That made the whole matter even more perplexing. Queries after his parents probably wouldn’t give any clues to his condition, either.
“You know, I always liked werewolf movies, though.” he said wistfully, pouring another glass. “You know, how if you get bit or scratched, you turn into one. I had a nightmare about that when I was a little kid. But… you know, I wasn’t scared. So I guess it wasn’t really a nightmare.”
This intrigued me. “Go on.”
He looked at me and raised an eyebrow.
“Tell me about your dream.”
“Oh. Well, I don’t remember much of it…” He chuckled to himself. “I can’t believe all this is happening. Like… I can’t believe we had sex. Just like that.”
“You didn’t give me much choice on the matter. Baze.” We both grinned at this. “But you’re getting off topic. Tell me about your dream.”
“Did we have sex twice? I think I remember it was twice…”
“Yes, it was twice. Please focus.”
“But… the first time is kinda fuzzy…”
This made me burst out laughing. I pressed a hand to my mouth, trying to quell the unruly mirth.