Chapter Two

They set off early the next morning. It took them almost a day to trek through the woodlands to get to the cliffside. The view from where they stood was breathtaking, especially as the sun was beginning to set. When they arrived Vlad was excited to jump but Ateara only agreed if it was from one of the lower ledges. Eagerly, Ateara and Vlad stripped down to their underwear and jumped whilst Seth sat and watched them. After a few more jumps, Ateara decided to take a break and sat cuddling next to Seth just as the sun disappeared beyond the horizon. Vlad decided to join them.

"Best get some sleep, we can jump again before we set off in the morning" Areara told Vlad, giving him a small wink.

"Seriously Ateara!" Seth chuckled with an eye roll.

Ateara gave him a kiss and hugged him tightly.

"Yes! Maybe we can try a few tricks too?" Vlad asked, excitedly.

"Goodnight you two," Seth laughed to himself as he laid down.

"Nighty night," Ateara smiled, cuddling up to Seth.

"Goodnight," Vlad responded, before lying down himself.

o0o

At the crack of dawn, Vlad was the first one up, he'd only slept a couple of hours. He had dreamt about his parents. Vlad had given up trying to go back to sleep so he decided to walk to the edge of the cliff, his mind was flooded with thoughts about his parents. He sat on the edge and stared up at the twinkling stars as the sun rose. As he got to his feet, he felt arms over his shoulders.

"Morning Vlad! You're up early, are you alright?" Ateara greeted.

"Morning Ateara, yeah I'm ok. I just couldn't sleep," Vlad answered. "I had a strange dream, that's all."

Ateara knew it was something more than that but he chose to leave it and changed the subject.

"Shall we do some somersaults over the cliff," Ateara suggested.

"Yes! Can we really, Ateara?" Vlad asked as he raced to the lower cliff ready to jump. Ateara soon joined him and together they did a forward flip. They continued to play until Seth woke up and started getting breakfast ready.

"So you both were up early then, did you have fun?" Seth asked, as they walked towards him.

"It was the most exciting moment of my life! I am so glad I met you both!" Vlad shouted with a cry.

With a chuckle, Seth and Ateara pulled Vlad in for a group hug. After thirty minutes that felt like hours they had a quick brunch before continuing their journey back to Forks which wasn't until late when they neared a small town, Vlad started to sense the humans and crave their blood. Ateara guided him away and they hunted for a couple of deers to feed on.

"Vlad, you're improving quickly, your speed has definitely moved on to the next level, but your kills are a bit messy. You need to control your thirst for human blood. My family can help you with that, so don't worry you won't be on your own," Ateara encouraged, bringing Vlad into a hug.

"Hey, what are you two doing hugging without me?" Seth joked.

"Don't be jealous Seth, we were just having a vampire moment. You can have a wolf bonding moment in a minute," Ateara told him.

"That's ok, I'm not jealous. Ok, maybe a little bit and thank you Ateara. I'm just happy that the both of you are bonding," Seth was feeling grateful and content.

"Oh! Can I do that? I never get to let my wolf-side out," Vlad agreed excitedly, feeling his wolf eager to be let out once again.

"I can help guide your wolf, whilst Ateara can help you find the balance," Seth suggested.

"I like that idea," Vlad agreed.

Ateara chuckled, giving both Vlad and Seth a hug., "Vlad, you are definitely a character and we love that. We definitely made the right decision to take you in back then," Ateara told him.

"But weren't you scared that I would turn on you both?" Vlad asked.

He was curious about what they'd thought about him when they first met. He stared intently at both Ateara's and Seth's expressions as they stood like statues for a moment. He guessed they were thinking of the right words to say.

"At first, yes, we were a bit weary of you. Ateara has a more understanding persona than I do, but he managed to convince me you wouldn't hurt us," Seth explained.

"It's ok Seth, we all have doubts every now and again. I was just raised in a loving and caring family. Don't worry so much Vlad, we love you and I know my family will too," Ateara comforted them both.

He kissed Vlad on the forehead before giving Seth a lingering kiss on his lips which slowly intensified.

Vlad just stood there, not knowing what to do. He coughed to make his presence known but nothing happened until he spoke.

"Right can we keep going or should we stay here?" Vlad asked, breaking them apart.

After regaining their breaths, they blushed and stammered slightly. They looked at each other then back to Vlad.

"Erm… yeah it is getting late. We better make camp for the night, so get some rest and we will set off early in the morning. We can shift to get home quicker," Ateara suggested.