Genevieve inspected the dolls sitting by the door. They were well made and detailed. The ears were a bit curious though, but it added some character. Who was she to complain? Picking them up, she arranged them on the floor inside the markings, and finished placing all the necessary equipment. Kneeling on front of the cryptic star, she gave a final look over her work and breathed in deeply a few times to calm her nerves. I can do this... I can do this... She opened her eyes and took out her jade knife. It was time.

She brushed a stray piece of hair out of her face, and picked up the jade knife. She pricked each of her fingertips and squeezed them to get the blood welling. Pressing them to the wood, she began to chant.

A capite ad calcem, a pedibus usque ad caput, a priori et a posteriori, addendum vitam.

She repeated this over and over, the blood flowing from her fingers across the glowing mark to the dolls. Like living ropes, the threads of blood curled about the limbs of the dolls, seeping into the skin. Genevieve grew pale as the life and power seeped from her fingers. She picked up the two clumps of her hair and sunk them into the chests of the dolls, drawing a spiral of blood on the chest of each.

Phoca magica. Consummatum est.

Genevieve slumped to the floor. All was quiet as the glow faded from the cryptic star. At first, neither Genevieve nor the dolls moved. Then, the dolls began to shake, light emanating from them as they lifted off the floor and into the air. The light was nearly blinding, and it throbbed for two minutes before receding. Inside the circle stood two girls who looked about 16. Both were pale with long curly blue hair and the same feline ears as before. The left one had a gold left eye and a green right eye. Her twin's eyes mirrored her own, and they looked completely identical except for a smattering of freckles across the other's nose that the first lacked. Together, the two girls knelt beside Genevieve's still body and laid her gently on the floor, inside her own markings. They both chanted together as Genevieve's body sunk below the floor and out of sight.

The freckled one looked to her twin and smiled. "Gwen.... We're alive! Mom did it!"

Gwen smiled in return. "Indeed we are, Vega. Now we must keep mother safe. They will be here soon, and we can't let them take her away."

"I am the Hedgehide," I grumbled to no one, the words echoing off the cool stone walls. Shuffling to the oaken chair by the fire, I gazed into the flames and reflected upon the past week.


I was collecting wood at the edge of the forest, and I saw her. Princess Sasha was radiant and stately as she rode her horse home, laden with goods from the bazaar in the Towns. She passed right by where I stood, and before I could stop myself, I called out to her. "Princess?"

She stopped. I saw the puzzlement in her eyes. The recognition. The fear. I couldn't let her ride off, afraid she would send someone to hunt me. I raised the muzzle of my rifle to her head and told her to get off of her horse. Obediently she did, and I led her back to my home. I could hear her muffled cries behind me, but I dare not look back until we stood at the gateway to my forest home. Gathering my courage, I looked into her eyes. The fear remained, mixed with hopelessness and tears of horror. The only expression ever to cross another's face at the sight of me.

I contemplated what I would say to this piteous beauty. I did not wish to let her go just yet and I could not bear the thought of another night alone. A single week would do. "Highness, you will spend the week here. If you do this, I will let you leave with your horse and without your purse. If you do not, your child will suffer the same fate that I have lived."

Her eyes widened and she fought back a sob. Breathing deeply, she blinked and raised her gaze to mine. "As you wish, Sir."

I did my best to cater to her. I fed her and made sure her room was comfortable. All I asked for in return was some company. Every evening, after dinner, we would talk together. She sat on the other end of the table, brushing her long, silken red-brown hair and listen to me tell stories. Her voice quivered the first night, but as the week drew on, she talked more often and spoke with little effort. Such a beautiful, soft voice.

Every night, I wished her a good night's rest and brought more wood from the shed. I shook the rain from my quills and stoked the fire before curling up by the hearth.

Every night, she would watch me curl up before retreating to her room.

The last night of her stay, we talked together much longer than usual. She ventured to ask me questions about myself and actualy appeared to listen to the answers with interest. A grain of hope gathered in my mind. Perhaps I was not so hideous as I had imagined? Men fear what they cannot undersand, but this princess kept her promise, and endured my presence for an entire week. Perhaps... perhaps that is all it took. Her next question brought me out of my reverie and out conversation continued.

After I gathered the evening's wood and shook the rain once again from my quills, I approached her. I was so grateful that she had stayed, and wished to express it. I embraced her.

At first, she stiffened in my grip, but her body relaxed as she embraced me in return. My eyes filled with tears. No one had ever embraced me before. Her slender frame felt so warm in my arms, and I never wished to let go. Suddenly, I felt pinpricks on my cheeks. Surprised, I looked down at the maiden in my arms, and another hedgehide stared back at me. Her tiny hands reached to my face, and I caught it in mine.

"I thought I was the only one."

The hedgemaiden looked puzzled before reaching up to touch the quills that began at the top of her forehead. Fear played across her pale face, and she curled up by the fire. I lay beside her and there we fell asleep, protected by our quills from the world.

When we awoke, she was Princess Sasha again, and I was once again alone. She prepared to depart, and I bade her farewell and a safe journey, slipping a white silk handkerchief into her lovely hands. "A gift to remember your time here." I also held out a sack of food to her. "And a meal to see you home."

"Thank you," she replied.

"...No...thank you."

She turned to leave, and I watched her mount her horse and disappear into the trees.

This is what I have so far of a story Ive been working on. Tell me what you think, Please.



"Everything you know is wrong."

These five words were the first thing I remember hearing before I awoke. Rubbing my eyes, I sat up quickly. Oh, bad idea. A jolt of nausea shot through me, and I fell back on the bed, convinced that I wasn't ready for rapid movement. Waiting for the queasiness to subside, I tried to recall where I was before I passed out, or whatever it was that happened to me. Nothing came to mind except a fuzzy image of what might have been a forest. I closed my eyes again, trying to sort out a few random bits of information that were bouncing around in my throbbing head. A name came to mind. Nicole Heartlet. Could that be me?

I opened my eyes again, and ventured to sit up, slowly this time. The room I was in felt rustic, and from the look of the walls it was a log cabin. There was only one tiny window in the room, a fireplace, and a chair. Although the area was sparsely furnished, it felt comfortable. I heard a creak that snapped my attention in the direction of the door. A young man peeked his head in.

"You're awake! Great." He nudged the door, and entered the room carrying a tray of food. The steam from the soup clouded his face for a moment, and I was apprehensive. He set the food on the edge of the bed, and dragged over a chair. "How are you feeling?"

I turned my head away, and for a moment I was quiet. Playing nervously with the end of my platinum hair, I considered whether or not I should answer. "I'm alright, I think."

The young man chuckled, his crimson eyes glistening. "You can trust me. I won't hurt you."

Immediately I was suspicious, although I didn't know why. I said nothing. I eyed the soup, bread and water with interest. Although it was a simple fare, it looked like a feast to my empty stomach. It growled in agreement. The young man chortled, scooting the tray across the blankets to where I could reach it. He watched silently as I ate; his face a mask of amusement. Disregarding any sort of manners, I tore ravenously into the meal, surprised at my own hunger. When I had finished, I rubbed my face off on my sleeve. The young man peered attentively at me from behind his ink-black hair. The only think I could think to say was, "Do you live alone here?"

The young man smiled, his eyes closing for a brief moment. "...Yes."

I nodded. "So what did you mean by what you said earlier?"

The young man started. Obviously he had not known that I had heard him. "I don't understand. You have been here two weeks, and this is the first you have been awake since I found you and brought you here." He went quiet for a time. "What I would like to know is how you ended up in the middle of the woods, beaten to near death with your left arm sliced to the bone."

I stared at him, thinking hard. Beaten to near death? Arm sliced open... My eyes ventured to my arm. It was bound to my side and bandaged in bloody scraps of cloth. Frightened, I tore recklessly at the bandaging. I stared in shock at my arm. It looked fine. A little dirty, but there were no marks at all. Terrified, I screamed, "WHAT ARE YOU PLAYING AT? TELLING ME I WAS NEAR DEATH AND BADLY INJURED? MY ARM IS FINE!" I waved it at him. He seemed to be just as surprised as I was.

"But... but... I didn't. I wanted to, but I didn't... H-how?"

"What are you talking about?" I cried.

The young man breathed in deeply, trying to calm himself. Once he seemed certain that he was under control, he sighed, his head drooping. "How am I going to explain this...? I guess a straight-forward approach would be best." He raised his head, a look of controlled sadness marring his face. "I don't know how this will turn out, but here goes... you're a vampire."

I gasped. "Ah- uh-"

"Wait,” he cut me off, "don't say anything for a minute. Just listen. I found you badly injured and holding onto a thread of life in the middle of the woods. You seemed to be just a mere human at the time, but I took you in anyway. When and where you were 'altered' as many call it is not known to me. I painstakingly nursed you back to health, and tried to make sure you healed well. Of course, it seems now that it was a tad frivolous, but I hadn't known. Anyway, so here you are. That's as much as I know about you."

All I could do was cry. But many would if they woke up in a strange place, with no memory of anything from before they blacked out and finding out they were a blood-thirsty creature of the night. I calmed down a good while later, and wiped my eyes with my sleeve. When I looked down at my sleeve, it was stained red. I cried blood! That just made me cry more. The young man just sat back in his chair and watched me break down. Eventually I just stopped. My eyes stung, but no more tears came.

Though I didn't like it, I decided that there was nothing I could do about being a vampire. This horrid disgusting state is what was keeping me alive. Or, as close to alive as I would ever get now. I looked up at the young man. "What's you're name?"

The young man smiled. "Cail. Cail Rester. You?"

I shook my head. "I'm not sure. The name that keeps showing up in my mind is Nicole Heartlet, so I guess that's me."

Cail nodded. "It's a good a name as any. Now, I know you're overwhelmed, so I will leave you here to mull over all this new information." He motioned to remove the tray of food, thought better of it and exited the small room.

Trembling, I weakly drew up my knees and hugged myself, trying to sort out the emotions and turmoil seeping into my overloading mind. I could not tell how long I sat there, blankly staring about and whimpering. This was not the way I meant to spend the rest of my life. I was still young. Not quite a woman, with so many dreams and desires to fulfill. Somehow though, my life was stolen from me; my very human nature robbed from my now pearlescent hands.

I felt like I was drowning in a black pit, forever condemned to this pitiful state of being. I could kill myself if I wasn't already dead. All at once, my memories from before the blackout streamed into my head. Stifling a scream, I covered my face with the pillow and wailed, releasing every ounce of bitterness and pain that was consuming me. I would never again see my parents. My youngest sister was still a newborn when I left. I would never see her grow up. I would never be a woman. I was trapped and there was no cure for what I had become. More bloody tears trickled down my cheeks. My eyes were red with them and I fell back into a fitful sleep, the warm blood soaking into my pillow.

My mind was obscured by a thick fog. I was back in the forest, and the darkness around me was stifling. As I crept down the beaten path, I heard noise through the darkness. Occasionally it was a low clicking sound, sometimes a rustle of leaves and a murmured curse. A mounting anxiety filled me as I began to imagine what might be stalking me just beyond my field of vision. Prowlers? Wolves? Or maybe...? No, it couldn't be. Vampires, Weres, Spirits, none of them existed outside the stories. They were myths. I picked up my pace, trying hard to appear as if I hadn't noticed the noises. Whatever was following me also sped up, and sounded like it was gaining on me. I broke into a run, screaming with all the breath my lungs could carry. I did not want to be caught by the things pursuing me. Just as I reached the edge of the forest, I was knocked to the ground and dragged into the underbrush by my legs. I flailed, but that only got me scratched and bruised by the undergrowth I was dragged past. "Let me go!" I screamed, "I have nothing to offer." Several dry chuckles behind me froze me with fear. They did exist. Nothing human could sound like the creatures that held me captive.

When they stopped dragging me, we were in a small clearing, dappled moonlight drifting through the leaves. I whimpered in fear, curling up and gazing wide-eyed at my captors. Their crimson eyes shone mercilessly in the darkness. I was going to die. Crying, I watched as one of the taller beings approached me. His skin was dull and leathery, drawn tightly across otherwise handsome features. He fixed his scarlet eyes with mine, lithely crouching before me. I tried looking about, but only managed to see a few others behind him out of the corners of my eyes before I could no longer avoid his gaze. His wild grin was menacing, and the long, pointed canines sent a shiver down my spine. He lifted a glassy, chipped talon to my chin, tilting back my head. I whimpered as he licked my neck. I shut my eyes and waited for him to bite me, but it never came. I opened my eyes again, and the creature in front of me was dead. I didn't hear a thing. Another one approached me, this one larger and wilder than the other had been. Swiftly, he sunk his teeth into, not my neck, but my arm. I choked on a scream as his teeth punctured my skin and ripped down the length of my arm. Everything went black as another sharp pain exploded in the back of my head.

I awoke to Cail's arms cradling me. I was shivering and my breath came in short gasps. I tried so hard to regain my breath, but it was a struggle. My insides were on fire, like I had held my breath for a long time. Cail began rubbing my back slowly and murmuring comforting words in my ear. Slowly, my breathing returned to normal. I let out one last shuddering breath before I began to cry into Cail's shoulder. He didn't say a word, for which I was grateful, and simply held me until I could no longer cry. Staining my sleeves in my own blood, I gazed thankfully up at Cail through red-rimmed eyes and managed a weak smile.

Cail warmly returned my smile, and spoke softly to me. "You ok now?"

I nodded slowly, lightly rubbing my throbbing head. "What happened?"

"That's what I'd like to know. I heard you screaming and ran into the room. You were wrestling in your sheets and before I could catch you, you tumbled to the floor and hit your head. I carefully picked you up and held you until you woke up. What dreams could have haunted you to cause such terror?"

I breathed in and out slowly, trying hard to remember. "I was dreaming, but I think it was more like a memory. I was walking, and something was following me. I remember being dragged into the woods...a creature with leathery skin and a menacing face...teeth ripping down my arm...pain...lots of unbearable pain...then, blackness."

Cail frowned, his brow creasing with thought. "Do you... know what ripped into your arm?"

I shook my head. "It was dark. It had pointed teeth, like yours, so maybe it was a vampire. I remember that there was more than one and they were dirty and wild-looking." I winced and held my stomach. It was twisting up and knotting, and it hurt so much.

Cail noticed I was tensing up in his arms. "You hungry?"

I groaned. "I don't know. Everything hurts."

Cail nodded and gently laid me back on the bed. "I figured this would happen. I'll be right back." He left the room and came back a little later with a rabbit. Handing it to me, he said "Drink its' blood. I just caught it an hour ago. It's not much, but it should help for now."

I gazed dumbstruck from him to the dead rabbit and back. He nodded at me, and whimpering, I picked up the small lifeless mass. It was still warm. Wincing and breathing slowly to keep myself from being sick, I lifted the severed neck to my lips. Lightly licking the oozing neck-wound, I tasted the metallic clang of fresh blood. Both fascinated and disgusted, I began to suck at the creature, draining it dry. When I was finished, I gave the carcass back to Cail, licking the remnants from my lips.

Cail smiled at me. "Feel better?"

I gently rubbed my stomach and my arms. "Y-yes."

"Good. Soon, when you're a little stronger, you can help me find something better." He turned to leave.

I let out a choked sob, covering my face with my blood-stained hands. "Gods... what have I done?"

Cail turned back to me, chuckling. "You'll get used to it, I promise. Normal food can only get you so far. Now that you're a vampire, you must drink blood to sustain yourself. There is no other way." He left the room.

I sat there, on the bed, thinking. --I suppose there's not much I can do about this. I'm none too fond of sucking blood out of small animals, but it's better than getting a human, I guess.-- I tried to stand up, testing each foot on the floor as I put it down. --I seem sturdy enough...-- I took a few test steps, and decided that I would be okay as long as I took it a step at a time. --Walk before you can run-- I made it to the door, and stumbled across the threshold. Cail caught me before I hit the ground.

"Hello there. Did you need something?" He chuckled, grinning at my efforts.

I blushed, embarrassed at my weakness, and looked up at him. "I was wondering, actually, where I could take a bath and get some clean clothes."

Cail grinned, and stood by the window. Slowly pulling back the curtain, he said, "I suppose it's safe now. The sun has gone down low enough that you should be ok." I followed him into another small side room, where he began sorting through a pile of clothes. Quietly, he would pull out a shirt or pair of pants, hold them up against me, shake his head and keep sifting through the pile. Finally, he found a set of clothing that would fit well enough until I was able to wash and mend my things.

Bundling the clothes up in my arms, I watched him put the extras back where he found them. "Cail?"

"Hm?" He mumbled, continuing to stuff clothes into the wooden chest at the end of the bed.

"Where did you get all these clothes?"

He stopped. After a moment of silence, he shrugged and continued to put the clothes away.

I was suspicious as to why he would not answer me. --It couldn't be that big o a deal, could it? -- A growing anxiety began to creep up my spine. Knowing I might already know the answer, I asked again. "Where did you get the clothes Cail?"

Finishing the clean up, Cail stood, dusted himself off and walked out of the room. From the kitchen, he called, "If you want a bath, I need to show you where the creek is. The water is still fairly cold this time of year, but it's better than nothing." I saw him pick up a towel and a dried sea sponge.

--He's not going to answer. Just leave it alone, you don't want to make him angry.-- I shook my head and followed him out around the side of the house, keeping him in my sights as he drifted between the trees. Soon I could hear the sound of running water, and I was giddy.

The moon was bright, and I wanted nothing more than to be home, away from the foreign shadows that edged closer to my own. The dark felt oppressive and hungry as I trudged onward through the smattering of trees. Snapping twigs did little to soothe my nerves. Walking home alone at midnight was never considered a good idea in this area, but I knew the land well, and I figured few people would venture this way. Though there was no breeze, the air was penetrating and my scant clothing did little to shield me from the needling October air. A bush not a few feet from me rustled, and I jumped, gasping. It was only a mouse. It squeaked and raced away from me into the underbrush. I continued on, trying in vain to rub the cold from my arms. I was nearing my house now. Scooting around the fence, I stopped when I saw my dog sitting there waiting for me. Dobermans are big dogs, and he was only about a head shorter than me while sitting. The thing that stopped me were his eyes. They gave off an unusual glint. As I started back to walk past him, he growled. "Chester, buddy, it's me. Calm down."

The hackles raised on the back of his neck and he didn't back down. "Cake or death?" He growled. What? Cake or death? Where did that come from? I shook my head and started to walk again. He bounded towards me and pounced on me, pinning my shoulders to the ground. "Cake or death?" He repeated. His ears laid flat against his head and he bore his pointed teeth at me, eyes boring into mine with their ethereal glow.

"C-cake..." I replied, praying that this was a dream. Dogs only talk in dreams right? Chester got up and tugged a box towards me. It smelled like chocolate, and immediately my mouth watered. If it smelled this good, imagine what it tasted like... I sat up, pulling the box into my lap and opening the lid. It was a generous slice of "Death by chocolate." The cake was rich and thick, covered by a thin layer of hardened chocolate coating and topped with shaved chocolate pieces. I couldn't help myself. I picked the entire thing up and bit into it ravenously, consuming every bite. When I was finished, another piece appeared in the box. Without hesitating, I ate that too. Another appeared, and another, but like a thing possessed, I kept eating. It tasted so good, how could I stop? Eventually I was crying, begging myself to stop picking up the never-ending cake. I turned to Chester. "Make it stop. Please, make it stop."

He gave me the most devilish doggy grin. "You chose cake and now you have it. Why are you not happy?"

"Because, I am full and it hurts. Please stop it."

"Very well." Just like that, I stopped. Throwing the box from myself, I pulled up my knees and hugged them, crying. I felt dizzy and sick, sitting there on the cold ground in the middle of the night. Suddenly, my whole body felt like pins and needles, and a growing warmth grew inside of me until it felt like fire. "What is happening to me?"

Chester licked my face. "The first piece was poisoned. The rest were the antidote. As long as you kept eating cake, you were fine. By stopping, you chose death." He chuckled darkly, stretching up into the form of a man in a black tenchcoat, fire burning in his eyes. I was face to face with the devil himself. "Thank you for playing my little game. Shame that you lost though. You picked the wrong answer."

"-but you said cake or death. Either way I would have died tonight."

"Ah...but chosing death in the first place would have hurt less. Funny how you humans delight in such pleasures and then expect there to not be any consequesnces. You all want the easy way out. Something to ponder while the poison takes it's course."

Trust the devil to give you a treat and a trick all at the same time.

Ok... so I was driving back from the airport ridiculously early this morning and I saw the mists rising off of the lake. I got a cool idea on my head. Tell me what you think. :3




I love watching the sunrise, wrapped in a blanket on the porch, with the crisp morning air curling around me. There is something enchanting and mysterious about the mists that float off of the lake in the morning sun. I grew up being told that those mists were the souls of the dead rising to heaven. Apparently you can see them walking out onto the water to dissolve into the fog right before dawn. Of course, I didn't believe it, but it was an interesting story.

Getting up off the porch one morning, I went back into the house, the smell of bacon wafting though the room. I greeted my grandmother before getting a glass of orange juice out of the fridge. Sitting at the counter, I watched her cook. I smiled fondly. Even though I was old enough to take care of myself, I liked having my grandmother live with me. She was my only family and this way we could take care of eachother. Lazily, I let my mind drift off, occasionally sipping my orange juice. Suddenly my grandmother's yelp broke me out of my reverie.

She clutched her hand, the stovetop sizzling from the bacon grease. "Oh God, my hand! My hand!"

I rushed to her side. Her hand was red and blistered, the grease bubbling on her frail skin. I led my sobbing grandmother to the door, grabbing my keys and rushing the two of us to the car. We were at the hospital in a matter of minutes and they admitted her to the ER immediately for care. I anxiously paced the waiting room, praying that she would be ok.

An hour passed before anyone came to get me. By now I was mad with worry, jumping up from my chair at the slightest sound. My grandmother's old friend approached me. I had forgetten she worked at the hospital still. "Miss Clara, your grandmother is... well, she didn't make it, my dear." She patted my shoulder, "Shock got her. What with her weak heart and all. I'm sorry..."

I nodded numbly, following the nurse into the room where the still form of my grandmother lay. I stroked one leathery hand, amazed that life leaves a person so quickly when only an hour ago, Grandmother had been cooking bacon in the kitchen. I kissed her forehead and left, taking the day to make arrangements for a funeral.

That whole week leading up to the funeral, my heart and my house felt empty without her in it. It hurt to pack up her things and put them in the attic. And I spent a great deal of time outside on my porch, looking out across the lake, my eyes sore from the tears. When the day came, I drove up to the little graveyard in town, and watched over her coffin as it was laid to rest in the ground. Only a handful of people were witness to her burial, and I went home feeling lonely and bitter. Why was it that I had to be alone? Why had fate taken the last person I loved?

I spent the entire night sitting on the back porch, listening to the waves lap against the pebbled shore and drinking coffee out of a thermos. If only the stories were true. I wanted nothing more than to see her again. OUt of desperation, I waited until just before dawn. My eyelids were heavy and I could tell I was beginning to drift off when I saw her. I sat up, rubbing the sleep from my eyes. It was her.

Grandmother had a strong demeanor despite her translusence as she walked out of the woods, approaching the water. Her long white hair floated in wisps about her with the chilly breeze. Ripples stretched out from where her feet touched the surface of the water. I ran to her, forgetting myself in the joy of seeing her again. "Grandmother!"

She turned to look at me, a sad smile on her face. I reached out to her and she shook her head.

"Please don't leave me here alone. You were all I had left in the world. Why are you leaving me?"

She pointed to the horizon. "No," I begged. "Stay here."

She shook her head again, pointing to the horizon.

"Then take me with you."

She hesitated for a moment, then stretched out her hand, passing it though mine. It was the oddest sentation. Suddenly her hand felt solid again. I looked down to see my hand clasped in hers and she began to walk across the water. I looked back at the shore to see my body crumple to the ground. It dawned on me what was going on.

"No! Wait! I didnt mean it. Please let me go. I have to go back!"

She didn't say anything,but continued to drag me across the water.

In a panic I watched the sun rising higher in the sky. Soon the sun would climb above the horizon and then it would be too late. I pulled my hand from hers and tried to run back to the shore. Mere feet from my body I felt her grab me again and drag me farther onto the lake.

"No!" I screamed, reaching towards the shore. It was too late. My cries were silenced as we dissolved into the morning mists.

I've merged the five threads you've created into one, as we prefer that you only have one thread in each of the forums and subforums in lit spot.

From the rules:

HOWEVER if you're planning to add 5+ stories to the lit spot at the same time, please do NOT make a new thread for each one. Instead contain it all to a neat little thread. If you're found posting new thread after new thread, this will be considered spam and abuse of the gold system. Your thread will be locked and you will lose gold.

Please continue to post your short stories in this thread instead of making a new thread for each story.