(Backstory) - The Rest of You is Finally Gone - Among Thieves

She had cried her tears, and now the lithe young woman was angry. Straps held her knives in place against her hips, a small sack packed with enough to hold her over for a week. She could travel quickly alone, stealthier, and lighter. On their wedding night, when his.. when their sister had disappeared, she knew a piece of him had gone. She knew part of her love was missing.

But now, two years later, he had been gone for 5 days. No word of a journey, nothing.. he'd left hunting with some of the other men in the village, and now he was just... gone. The men swore up and down they had looked everywhere for him, but Dara didn't trust them. She couldn't trust them. And so she planned to go out on her own, to hunt down either her husband, or the beast that had killed him.

It had been five nights, away from his family, his camp and his wife. Five nights alone with his sister learning about what he was, and growing to trust and love her again. If anything their bond and their love was even stronger now that he was what he was. Now that he was no longer being mistrusting, now that he accepted her words instead of fighting them. He was even glad he had listened when she said she couldn't let him come back the first night. Certainly if he had he would have hurt someone he loved dearly... and of course this had nothing to do with his sisters blood coursing through his veins... the only thing he had been allowed to drink in the first few nights after his embrace...

He stalked the edge of camp waiting for either his brother or his wife to present themselves. He would take them... they would flee and that would be the end of it.

Silent feet guided her out of their abode, her dark eyes drifting around the camp. Few stood guard, though she could easily slip around them. Waiting for the opportune moment she snuck through the camp, skillfully ducking behind.. pretty much anything that could possibly serve as a cover. Her short venture was successful and as she made it to the edge of their camp, she drew one of her knives. Crouched down she began to move towards the woods close to them.

At first watching he had mistaken her for a small boy. Skirt tied up as it was, they looked like pants, the lines of her thighs and good portions of her calves exposed as they were. Once his initial shock wore off he found himself amused. He stood in the shadows, watching her move trying not to laugh. His tiny minx of a wife look at her, sneaking through camp and armed to the teeth... oh they would have a talk tonight that was for sure.

He was curious what she was about, though he had an inkling... stealthy as he might, he followed her as she made her way out of the camp and into the night.

She followed broken branches and foot prints, no easy task as those loafs had lumbered through here before. Finally, however, she found a single trail - one missed by those idiots - and followed it. She came to a large rock, eyes narrowing as she dropped to the ground.

Crouched as she was, she daintily skirted around the area, finding indications of a scuffle of some such. A bit of blood was on the rock, though not enough to confirm her fears. Evebtually she came upon two sets of footprints and began to follow them further away from the camp.

"Dara?" he said calling out to her, because he knew now what she was up to. His tone was almost sullen in its apologetic tones, like he wanted for all the world to tell her he was sorry, and he most likely would, but he knew now that he shouldn't really be sorry. And he was so grateful for his sister explaining to him the error of his ways.

She stopped in her tracks, standing up straight and whipping around to face him. The moonlight caught in her hair, as well as the tears that filled her eyes. "Husband!" She cried happily, no longer concerned with silence. Her small frame moved quickly towards him, leaping up to hug him tightly around his neck. "I missed you so much!" A pause was given, "My love, your skin is like ice.." She touched his face gently, "Where have you been..?"

"No worries about that, you will warm me my love.. you always do." he said as he folded his arms around her pulling her close to him. A deep rumble in his chest as he moaned for her. He lowered his lips to her neck where he kissed her nuzzled along the tender flesh just there, his tongue darting out to taste along the vein to taste her thundering heart beat....

She let out a soft moan as his tongue ran over her neck, a shiver running through her. Things had been getting better, but such intimacy.. such affections he hadn't yet portrayed yet. "Oh, Dima..." She whispered sensually, her body instinctively pressing closer to his.

His sisters words tear through his mind, perhaps the only thing that kept him from drinking from his lovely wife then and there. Now was not the time, even though he wished to make it the time.....

"Dara, I need you to come with me.... We will not be able to stay with the camp any longer. Do you need anything from there that you dont have on you?" His hands slowly pushed her away from him as he tried to keep his mind on the tsk at hand and not drinking from his pretty wife.

"Why can't we stay..?" She took a step back from him, eyeing him cautiously. "It isn't safe to journey off alone for any great length of time.."

"You won't be alone, you will be with me and I will always protect you..." even from himself. He thought the last mostly for his own clarification.


"You little one," he said using the teasing nickname he had for her from before they were even married, "Have not been completely honest with me. Who is this with their skirt tied up about their waist strapped from head to toe with knives stalking prey through the forest at night?" he arched a playful brow. She really had taken him by surprise, especially the fact that she had found the spot where he had been embraced. His hand absently rubbed his chest once more, the link with his sister was stronger then ever and after two years of emptiness it felt strange to have it over flowing.

She gave a sweet smile to him, pulling him down to give him a long, passionate kiss full of desire. "I have not always aspired to be a housewife, dear husband. Much of my youth I spent on my own.."

His lips easily move against hers his desire evident but he placed his hands upon her shoulders, recalling just a few minutes before how he had wanted to feed from her. Pouring a little space between them, "Have you been feeling better?" Her asked his voice holding a note of concern.

She shook her head, pursing her lips a bit. "It's just a lingering illness, I'm sure it'll pass.. dont fret, husband." She smiled to him warmly. "I'm just glad you're alright.."

She could ask him not to, but he would any way. His hands rubbed her back supportivly, lovingly. "I don't want you getting sicker we should get moving." he said softly. Taking her hand he lead her through the forest away from their camp. And the community they had had all their life.

She felt her heart ache as they walked away, giving only some resistance. "W-wait, what about your brother? Are we ever going to return?"

"I already got him.... He is with Sasha." he replied his eyes moving to his wife watching her reaction carefully.

"What do you mean, got him?" It took a moment for her to fully process, before she stopped in her tracks. "Wait, Dima.." She responded gently, suddenly concerned. "Sasha.. she.. she's gone, remember?"

He smiled then, the smile of a man who was happy. "I found her Dara."

Her eyes lit up as she saw happiness - true happiness - on her husband's face for the first time since that night two years ago. But they still held a skepticism.. "Dima, how..?"

"A story I am more then happy to tell you, but not just yet my love. Be content to know our sister is well, and waiting for us with our brother. My love we can finally be a family, all together for the rest of forever." he smiled down at her lovingly.

She smiled brightly up at him, and all of her hesitatiob seemed to melt away. There was so much trust in her innocent dark eyes. "It must be as you say, husband.."

"Of course my love," he said as he wrapped his arms around her and lifted her from the ground swinging her in a small circle.

He however didn't lower her to the ground, instead he lowered his lips to meet her's once more. His grip on her firm his lips pressed soundly and passionately to hers.

A soft sigh of pleasure escaped her as he kissed her, her strong legs lifting to wrap around his waist. She tugged one hand through his hair, the other wrapped around his neck.