He sensed the children waking, their uncertainty pushing weakly against the mental grip he’d exerted upon them. His sunshine-colored hackles lifted with anticipation. His stomach gave a low, hungry gurgle. And when their eyes opened at last, riveting upon the fiery bloodred glow seeping into their bed… Thacks could have moaned at that delectable scent of fear. Like sweet juices wafting off a perfectly grilled steak. Mouthwatering, jaw-aching deliciousness. An icy smirk sliced the corners of Thackery’s drooling mouth. He stared down almost pityingly at the spunky little girl as she attempted to hold her ground, indicating the dark woods with a broad sweep of his paw. “I’m afraid this isn’t your home either, runt. Such a shame. We’re so close to a border, too…” Never mind that Wudubearo was empty - had been empty for seasons now. If the pups had just been on that side of the invisible wall, instead of this one, their very presence in the ghost-pack might have been enough to keep Thackery away from them. Their survival would have been ensured simply because of Thackery’s nature as a vampire, and the “rules” his kind were forced to obey. Instead, he’d found them unprotected in the vast wilderness. Alone. Unguarded. In the twisted predator’s mind, the pups should have felt grateful that had been Thackery who’d ultimately discovered them in their bed - there we so many horrible possibilities for a child to suffer in this heartless world. Countless ways to die, to struggle and hope and fail until one’s heart broke under the unbearable pressure. Not everyone lived to find their happy ending; luckily for these young babes, they would not live long enough to encounter a far more unspeakable horror.

If Thackery had been given the chance to choose his future… he would have traded places with the little boy and girl instantly. But his destiny had not been kind enough to grant him a quick death. At least these innocent creatures would never know the things that had fucked Thacks up so intimately and irrevocably, would never feel their insides curdle with hatred and rage, defilement something thick and tangible on their psyches. Thackery: the avenging demon. Saving souls through indiscriminate murder.

The little boy quickly placed himself in front of his sister - companion? Friend? Like it matters - and ordered her to run. Oh, how adorable - he wanted her to save herself while he faced Thacks alone! The vampire tried, and failed, to hold back a snigger, his teeth clenching around the cold laughter pushing past his tongue. “Why would you do that, boy?” If the lassie attempted to listen to her comrade, the blond leech would just increase his hold on her mind, effectively freezing her in place. He did the same to the male pup - pressing heavily down on the youngling’s consciousness, making the lad feel the pressure controlling his musculature, flooding his awareness with his own pathetic helplessness. “Why would you lie to her? Why would you ask her to run, as if she has a hope of escaping?” One large forepaw reached out to press down on the boy’s head. Thackery would continue to shift more and more of his weight relentlessly upon the kid’s cranium until he was forced to bow. “You’re more cruel than I am. You want to make her feel better? Tell her that at least she isn’t going to die alone. That you’ll be there by her side until the very end.” A vicious snarl stabbed abruptly into the hunter’s frigid lyrics, his taunting expression etched into a merciless mask. His smoldering rubies took on a faraway cast, as if he were staring at the pups past a screen… a screen perhaps projecting memories of the past, visions of pain that would never leave him - but also would never happen to these hapless cubs. “Tell her,” Thackery seethed at the tiny male. “Don’t you mean anything to each other?”

His jaws yawned wide, beads of venom already quivering on the piercing tips of his fangs. He’d almost squeezed his trap around the back of the lad’s neck when a familiar voice jolted his focus.

Carmine oceans glanced to where none other than Printesa was peeling herself away from the shadow, her eyes concerned as she looked from Thackery to the pups and back. She had traveled with the golden bloodsucker for some time now; he’d taken her under his wing after Draven lost interest in her, acting as fucked-up version of a “big brother.” Although he’d snap at her in annoyance often - or outright leave her to go hunting without warning - Thacks always seemed to circle back around to check on her. He had never once attempted to feed on her, directing his worst cravings on alternate prey. Maybe Printesa reminded him too much of someone he’d lost. Maybe he just couldn’t be bothered to kill someone so weak, so gentle, so useless. His stomach clenched unpleasantly at the worried emotions flickering across her sweet face. No. I don’t want her here… I don’t want her to see this. Right now - more than ever - Thackery was not safe to be around. The blood pounding through Tesa’s heart called to him just as loudly as that flowing through the pups. He knew without a doubt that although he’d never turned his teeth on her before, if Printesa refused to screw off, his thirst would kill her.

Thackery ground his talons into the male cub’s scruff. A hideous rumble rattled his teeth as he glared at Printesa, scarlet irises narrowed to slits. “Get the fuck out of here, Tesa.” His tongue swiped away a string of saliva. “Unless… this sort of shit turns you on?”

Regardless of whether or not the boy struggled, Thackery would slam his paw down upon his skull and shove him into the ground, pinning him in place with physical strength and the ruthless power of his mesmer energy. Then his daggers speared into their original target: the lad’s scruff. He sank his pearlies as deeply as he could into the tender, yielding meat, severing the cervical spinal cord with a rough jerk of his jaws. That way the kid would not fade into death shrieking in agony as his blood was drained. While he fed - great starving gulps - Thackery fixed his eyes on the female pup, locking her where she stood. The boy dropped, a lifeless sack of fur, when the vampire finished. “Your turn, runt. Time to join your friend.”

He finished her in the same manner: covering her face with a paw, biting into her nape so he could snap her neck and slurp up each beautiful spurt of life. If Printesa screamed, if she cried, if she tried to push him off her prey, the hunter would just shove her back - or lash out with savage claws, a growl scraping his vocal cords. This was all Thackery was anymore… a devil made of hunger. Not worth saving.