Chapter Text
Bonnie took another step forward. Their feet hurt, they were sore and full of blisters, but they couldn't stop—they had promised they wouldn't stop. Their arms ached, dangling loosely at their sides. Their legs were jelly, they couldn't really feel them anymore, and hadn't been able to for a while now.
Bonnie wasn't sure how long they'd been walking, running, and crawling. They couldn't stop. They had promised Nelle that they'd run, that they'd be safe, that they'd make it for the both of them.
That day kept flashing in their mind, the vivid, inescapable memory refusing to leave them alone.
It had begun that day, early in the morning. Bonnie was still asleep. Nelle was making breakfast before she went off to work and sent Bonnie off to school. It was to be another normal, boring Tuesday for the both of them, something to forget and let fade into memory as background noise.
Bonnie awoke to the smell of grilled pineapple and beef. Sliding out of bed and getting dressed, the kid exited their room, seeing their sister making a favorite of Bonnie's, simple kebabs with beef and pineapple slices, with a side of rice. Bonnie stepped in to help as they usually did, focusing on the rice as Nelle worked on finishing up the beef.
It was a bright and sunny day in Bambooch. The two siblings plated their food, grabbed some water to go with it, and began eating, talking about their plans for the day. Bonnie had been talking animatedly when it happened.
"I'm working on a project going over the different types of fish in the water, and we could even go fishing to bring some to class for it!"
That's when it happened. There was a crack and a loud bang from their door as their neighbor, Mr. Rogers, burst in and told them, "The King's army! They're here! They just appeared over the hill above the village! The two of you need to flee as fast as possible!"
The siblings moved quickly, trying to gather what few blood vials they had on hand. However, the hunters had different plans. They'd raided Bambouche, but it wasn't the full army. Still, it was more than enough soldiers to run the few local fighters and other vampires into a full rout. Before anyone could put up any kind of a fight, they were defeated and scattered.
Nelle grabbed her hammer from the wall and what few blood vials they had before she took a knee and looked her sibling in the eye.
"Bonnie, if anything happens and you have a chance to run, but I can't, then you promise me. Promise me that you'll run. Super-duper promise me, okay, Bonnie? Please!"
Bonnie just nodded. They were overwhelmed and didn't know what to do. "I super duper promise, Nelle. If anything happens, I'll run."
With their promise made, Bonnie and Nelle fled their village.
Their village, their home for as long as Bonnie could remember, was burning around them. The sound of cracking fire and buildings falling down rang out as the smell of cooking blood and ash filled Bonnie's nose while they watched their entire life go up in flames.
The two siblings weaved in and out of alleyways, watching as hunters dragged away people and vampires alike. To where, nobody knew, but Bonnie didn't have time to ponder that. They went under the main bridge that would lead them out of the village and, hopefully, to safety.
But the hunters were smart. They had people waiting outside the village for anyone trying to escape. After the two had finished crossing the bridge, they were ambushed by six of the hunters, each looking more than ready to fight, grinning savagely at the pair of vampires. Nelle tried her best and fought like a woman possessed. She swung her hammer fast and hard, doing her best to keep them away from her and Bonnie. Eventually, she was able to reposition the fight so that she and Bonnie's backs were facing the woods outside of their village.
The hunters were skilled, though. Even though she managed to cave the skull in one of them and shatter the kneecap of another, it just wasn't enough. Their sister wasn't a trained fighter and didn't even know any proper battle craft beyond knowing what her craft type was.
Eventually, one hunter was able to get a cut on her arm with a dagger. Another acted quick and nailed her with a whip, causing her to cry out in pain. Soon, the hunters were able to rush her and she got pinned to the dirt. She struggled like mad, trying to knock them off, but it was no use. She turned to Bonnie, looking them in the eyes, her own shrunken as tears poured from her face, and yelled a simple, raw word at her little sibling.
"RUN!"
So they did. How could they do anything else, after all?
The hunters laughed as they ran. Bonnie didn't know if any of them were following, but they didn't think they had the luxury to turn around and check.
They ran for what felt like days. After a while, they got too tired to run and started walking. Eventually, though, even that got too tiring, and they started trotting and shuffling forward, moving at a snail's pace.
Their legs felt like jelly, but if they stopped, they wouldn't be able to start moving again. Their arms hung loosely at their sides, cuts and bruises from tree branches marring them from the occasional trip.
Their skin was blistered from the sun's cruel rays; the occasional shadow of a tree or the falling sun was the only reprieve they had. Specks of their own blood were ruining their clothes, what was left of the now torn rags that looked like they went through a shredder. Small cuts that normally faded in seconds now lingered and burned. Their eyes were hazy, hardly able to see a thing.
Worst of all, however, was that their throat burned, burned, burned! It burned worse than their skin in the sun or the cuts on their body. It burned worse than their legs or arms or even their feet, but there wasn't anything they could do. They had drunk the last of their blood days ago. They couldn't hunt either. Bonnie wasn't skilled enough, so they hadn't had any blood in days.
Bonnie just wanted their sister to show up, hold them, and tell them everything was going to be okay, that everything was going to be alright. To just let themselves fall asleep in her embrace and let their pain and stress fade away. But she wasn't here. Bonnie was alone, and nobody was coming to help them. They had cried, yelled, and screamed for help for days now.
But nobody came.
Bonnie straightened when they heard shuffling and voices in the distance, a spark of hope flashing within them. Was that Nelle? Had she gotten away and come to get them? Bonnie turned their head, looking around, trying to hear or see their sister anywhere, excitement on their face as they tried to spot her. But the voices, while still impossible to understand, were not her sound. Bonnie knew what their sister sounded like, and those voices were not it!
That realization sent a spike of fear through them. Had the hunters finally tracked them down? No, no, no, no, no. They had promised Nelle that they would get away, they promised! If they could just get to another town or city, they could try and get help for their village! If Bonnie remembered right, Windlona wasn't too far from Bambouche!
Taking a deep breath, Bonnie put all of their remaining strength into trying to run, but they didn't have the energy. They couldn't run, but they could try and hide. They moved as quick as their broken body would let them, snapping twigs and leaves as they tried to move to a nearby bush.
In their haste, however, they weren't watching their steps properly. They stumbled, slipping on an unseen rock, and soon felt themselves falling. The world tilted violently as the last of their tears and strength failed. As the ground came closer, only one thing went through their mind, only one thing that could be said.
"Nelle... I'm sorry." A soft, despairing apology escaped them, their voice raw and shaky as the last of their tears spilled down their cheeks and onto the ground beneath them.
Bonnie felt weightless as something tugged the back of their shirt, filling them with a brief sense of vertigo before they realized.
They had not been met by the cold, hard ground, but by soft and gentle arms that had caught them. Soon, they felt a rush before being pressed firmly against a darkless chest. Bonnie thought for a moment that they were wrong and that it might have been Nelle at first, so they called out to her, praying to change that it was her.
"Nelle..." Their voice was raspy and hoarse, broken from misuse. The effort burned their throat, making them want to cough, but there was no strength to do so.
They heard words above them, frantic and quiet, spoken by an unfamiliar voice, but the sounds didn't register. Too much pain, too little blood. Bonnie finally managed to force their eyes open, ignoring the haze of exhaustion that clouded their vision, before finally being able to see-
An Angel?
A dark cloak and hat, smooth, flawless skin, soft, wide, kind eyes filled with worry greeted theirs as they stared at them. The Angel was holding their head in their lap, running their fingers through their dirty hair. Their touch was gentle and warm, so safe and surprising, it made their exhausted body want to weep again.
They didn't remember how they got on the ground, but they couldn't ponder on that now, not when the Angel was before them, radiant and pure. Had this Angel come to take them away? To go where Nelle was? They wanted to see her again so badly.
Their Angel turned and yelled into the forest, a voice filled with worry and authority, calling out for someone. After a moment, footsteps were heard, and in a flurry of movement, three other strangers joined the Angel in surrounding them.
There was a fluffy, curly-haired one who looked at their arms, gentle hands gliding over blistered and cut skin. The glasses one lifted their shirt to look at something on their stomach and chest, her bony fingers gently touching a nasty gash. Finally, the buff one bent down to check their legs, gently running a hand over their shins.
They didn't know why, but all of their hands felt nice. It was warm and gentle, and whatever the curly-haired one was doing felt good on their arms, as they could feel the pain slowly surrendering. The glasses one motioned for the curly-haired one to look at something on their stomach, so they quickly moved to look them over. Soon, that relieving feeling spread over Bonnie's stomach and chest, and they found their breaths coming easier.
They were all still talking, but Bonnie couldn't understand them at all, too focused on the pain, the burning, and the warmth. While the voices of the group were still incomprehensible, a worried jumble of sounds, the energy around them was not, it was a dense, protective shield.
They soon noticed their Angel had stopped touching their hair. Bonnie opened their eyes and saw the Angel moving their right arm with practiced ease, sliding back their sleeve. With their other hand, they drew a knife that shined in the light of the sun, and with the ease of someone who had done this far too often, cut open their wrist. A sharp, deliberate cut across a vein.
The other strangers immediately cried out in alarm, a chorus of hushed, worried protests, likely worried for the Angel doing such a thing.
Bonnie would probably feel worry too, but they were distracted by the blood. It sparkled like a gift from the heavens themselves, and soon a single, precious drop fell onto Bonnie's lips. It was unlike anything they had experienced before. It was warm and electric; it instantly banished the burning in their throat.
It was as if the heavens had opened for the kid and let a fresh spring flow through their entire body, making their chest feel all light inside. With each swallow, their aches and pains, the exhaustion that had been their constant companion for days, slowly receded like a tide. The spring in their veins spread forth through their entire body, as everything started turning into background noise.
The Angel's eyes were filled with worry and kindness. They were beautiful: everything about them, from their face, their clothes, their blood, their touch. Bonnie couldn't get enough of it; they wanted more, they needed more. But the blood was flowing in a painfully slow stream from the Angel's wrist. They felt themselves let out a soft whine, their mouth biting the air in a desperate but hopeless need for more of this wonderful nectar.
The Angel, in their mercy and kindness, began lowering their wrist to Bonnie's mouth. Before it could reach them, though, they said something. Bonnie couldn't understand the words, but the meaning was clear as crystal. "Careful... slow..."
"I can do that!" Bonnie's mind screamed in assent. "I promise! I super-duper promise! I promise on the change god! I promise to the sky and stars themselves! I'll be good! Just please let me have more of this, more of my Angel, please, PLEASE!" Their mind desperately screamed out, begging.
They let out another whine, hoping the Angel understood that they agreed, and the Angel did! They understood Bonnie perfectly. Soon, the Angel's wrist was in front of them. Bonnie latched on to the open wrist, their fangs sinking in to draw even more of their Angel's nectar. The other strangers' voices rose up again in shock or in protest; Bonnie wasn't sure, but they didn't have the ability to care beyond recognizing that they spoke.
Their Angel flinched from the bite, but shifted Bonnie's position so they were leaning on them more, setting them on their lap. Their other hand held Bonnie close as they rested against their Angel's chest, drinking their fill. As they drank from their Angel, they felt so close to them. The Angel was holding them tight A sense of longing, a sense of anxiety, but most of all, a strong sense of protectiveness. A desire to shield everyone they cared for and loved from every threat under the stars. Bonnie felt so warm so safe, the gentle beat of their angels heart, their smell of ozone and the forest, how their darkless cloak felt so soft against them. Muscles wound tight began to slack and relax.
Bonnie felt so good. The blood was amazing. They felt full for the first time in what felt like ages, but most of all, they just felt safe. They felt as if nothing bad could happen to them here and now. They felt their eyes closing, despite the river of energy filling their system, as tension left their body. Their Angel was so soft, their body so warm against theirs. They smelled of the woods, of light confectionaries, and of ozone. Bonnie couldn't get enough of them. With each gulp of blood, they felt a gentle flutter in their chest, and their eyes started closing, despite their attempt to keep them open.
They didn't want to fall asleep, not yet. If this was a dream, they didn't want to wake up. They wanted to stay here, stay in the arms of their Angel, stay where it was safe and warm.
They felt their eyes close and soon drifted off to sleep.
When Bonnie next awoke, they awoke to an unfamiliar place. Looking around, Bonnie noticed they seemed to be in a tent. Next to them, sitting on her own sleeping bag, was the curly-haired stranger reading a book.
The stranger looked up and smiled, seeing Bonnie awake, and said, "Oh, thank Change, you're alright. My name is Mirabelle, she/her. I'm a Housemaiden of Change. What's your name, little fledgling? Are you hurt anywhere?"
Fledgling? That was kind of weird to them. Normally only vampires who were family addressed kids like them with that title. But it did confirm for Bonnie that not only was Mirabelle not a hunter, but she was a vampire herself! The knowledge made Bonnie relax a bit, and they answered her question.
"My name is Boniface, they/them, though everyone just calls me Bonnie." Bonnie introduced themselves before patting their body, checking themselves. To their surprise, they found no problems at all, no injuries and no lingering pain. "How the crab?"
Mirabelle just smiled a warm and somewhat nostalgic smile, and as if she read Bonnie's mind, she explained, her voice warm and comforting. "That would be because of Siffrin. It took all of us to pry them off of you once you fell asleep. I don't doubt that they would have let you drink them dry if we didn't stop them. They were really worried for your safety."
Bonnie blinked, confused, before the last thing that happened before they fell asleep flooded their mind. The Angel! Their Angel! Where were they? Were they okay? They needed to find them. Needed to make sure their Angel was ok!
Mirabelle, noticing their panic, pulled the child into her arms. "Shhh, shhh, it's okay, it's okay. Siffrin is alright. They're outside the tent, making food for everyone." She explained. As Bonnie looked up at her, she smiled and wiped a thumb over the child's eye, wiping away a stray tear. "We can go out, and you can thank them properly, okay? Be sure to give them a really big hug as thanks, okay?"
Bonnie nodded. After another moment to calm themselves, Mirabelle led them out of the tent and right where she said they were. Their Angel, Siffrin, was by a fire pit next to a pan and some foraged meat. They were trying to light the fire, adding some branches before lighting a match and tossing it in. They turned their head and smiled at the pair approaching. "Hey, good to see you up, kiddo. How are you feeling?"
Bonnie shuffled their feet a bit gaze turning to the ground for a moment, a spike of nervousness overtaking them. They felt Mirabelle gently push them forward, and Bonnie rushed forward, glomping their savior as tight as they could. "I... I'm fine... thank you for saving me." Bonnie took a moment to just stay like that, their Angel's familiar smell filling their senses. They relaxed as their savior soon handed the hot pan to Mirabelle before hugging the kid back.
After indulging in that for a bit longer than intended, Bonnie let go and stood before their savior and gave a polite bow, just like their sister taught them. "My name is Boniface Sohane Aglae Zabor, they/them. Please call me Bonnie. I am at your service. I thank you again for saving my life." Bonnie was now very glad that Nelle had drilled proper manners into their thick skull. They didn't want to look like some crab by not greeting their savior properly.
The Angel smiled and returned the bow, though it was clumsy, and introduced themselves as well. "I'm Siffrin, he/they, more than happy to have helped. How are you feeling?" Siffrin asked before taking back their pan from Mirabelle, who headed off to find the others, and getting started on cooking.
Bonnie straightened and smiled a big toothy smile. "I'm much better now, thanks to you."
Bonnie turned to what Siffrin was cooking and felt an incredible amount of cringe. Siffrin was about to set the meat they planned to cook for everyone on the pan—no butter, no seasoning on the meat, no oil or anything nearby.
No, no, no, no, no, NO, NO, NO! Their Angel would not suffer such lackluster food, not when Bonnie was around. "Stop!" Their voice was demanding and authoritative, and their Angel stopped instantly as Bonnie held their hand out. "Give me the pan and pass me all the seasoning you have." Their Angel wordlessly handed them the pan before grabbing one of the backpacks nearby and handing it to them, eyes hazy and slightly unfocused, with a small smile on their face.
Bonnie looked through the pack and found a bit of butter. Smiling, they took a bit with a knife and put it on the pan to let it melt, also finding a good amount of thyme. Bonnie mumbled to themselves. "Wish we had some rosemary. I could pan sear the meat if we did."
They heard shuffling and turned, seeing Siffrin jogging to the forest. Bonnie blinked a bit, confused, but shrugged, tossing the bit of pine they had with the butter, using a knife to spread the butter around the pan as it slowly melted. After a short while, Siffrin returned a bit out of breath and eyes slightly unfocused as the jogged back to camp, a small bundle of rosemary in hand, much to Bonnie's surprise.
Rosemary acquired, Bonnie had Siffrin hold the pan for a moment before using a knife to cut up the rosemary and then cleaning it before adding it to the pan and taking said pan back. Letting the butter and herbs mix together nicely, Bonnie set the meat into the pan, grinning at the sizzle. "I crabbing love that sound." Siffrin nodded next to them. Bonnie focused on cooking as others arrived; the glasses one and the buff one returned to camp with Mirabelle leading them.
The glasses one looked at their Angel for a moment before turning to Mirabelle and whispering something to her. Mirabelle nodded and went to Bonnie. "Bonnie, I need to borrow Siffrin for a bit. Do you mind if I borrow them?"
Bonnie was confused as to why she was asking them, but they shrugged and said, "Why are you asking me? I'm not in charge of them or anything. Go ahead."
Mirabelle nodded before going over to Siffrin and pulling them away from camp.
The other two came forward, and the buff one gave a bright smile and introduced themselves. "Hey there, little buddy, the name is Isabeau, he/him, a Defender."
Bonnie smiled back, sparkles in their eyes. They had never met a Defender before, and Isabeau looked so cool; he was so tall, taller than anyone else they had met.
The glasses one turned a page in their book and introduced themselves next. "Greetings, little one, my name is Madam Odile, she/her, a Researcher from Ka Buan."
Bonnie smiled and flipped the meat they were cooking, the smell filling the air as they introduced themselves. "My name's Boniface, they/them. But please just call me Bonnie."
Isabeau nodded his head. "Alright, sounds good, Bonnie."
Odile nodded as well. "Pleasure to meet you, Boniface."
Bonnie felt their eye twitch a bit at Odile but elected that they'd find some way to get back at her for that later, maybe calling her Odi, Lele, or Dile or something. They'd workshop it later.
Isabeau smiled and leaned over the cooking meat, giving it a sniff. "Phew, Change, that smells good, Bon! Are you good at cooking?"
Bonnie answered happily. "Yeah, my big sis and I run a small restaurant. She taught me everything I know." Behind them, Mirabelle returned to the camp with Siffrin and gave a nod to Odile when she returned with the rogue.
They all settled down, and the group explained who they were to the kid, explaining that they were on a mission to defeat the King, currently trapped in the Doormont house of change, in an effort to end the war plaguing Vaugard. Currently they were heading to the city of Gateqort where Mirabelle could sense one of the orbs.
Bonnie, in turn, explained what had happened to them. How their home was attacked by the King's army, and how their sister sacrificed herself so that Bonnie could escape.
Bonnie passed out the food as they all talked, handing the best of the steaks to Siffrin with a grin, announcing, "Alright, everyone, eat up!"
Siffrin was the first to take a bite out of their food.
Their eyes widening and shining, they dove into the food like a wild animal. Everyone watched as Siffrin swung side to side with each bite. At about halfway, they yelled out. "Bonbon, this is amazing! This has got to be some of the best steak I've had in months! And you cooked it just right, too! A perfect medium rare." Siffrin cut up another bite and hummed happily as they chewed.
Mirabelle was the first to break out of her stupor watching Siffrin eat like that and cut up her own steak, noting that unlike Siffrin, her steak was more rare. Most vampires enjoyed their meat a bit on the bloody side, so this wasn't unexpected. She brought the steak to her mouth and hummed happily. "This steak is really good, Bonnie. Thank you for this." Mirabelle would be honest and say she's had better, but she'd admit the number was small in comparison to this, and this was with Bonnie not having enough proper tools and spices.
Isabeau didn't hold back his praises. "Change, Bonbon, you're a real good cook, you know that? Cooked it just right, with the seasoning being perfect. We should make you in charge of all meals while you're with us, ha-ha-ha." The man barked out a laugh, causing Bonnie to grin at him.
Odile finally took her own bite and raised an eyebrow, pleasantly surprised. She took another and examined the taste a bit more before swallowing and asking, "If I had to guess, along with salt and pepper, you used rosemary and thyme, correct? Along with a good amount of butter, I'm guessing."
Bonnie gaped like a fish at the older vampire, pointing at her. "That's right!" Bonnie explained excitedly. "I mixed in the butter, rosemary, and thyme together and flash seared the steaks."
Odile hummed and finished her current bite, asking, "I was unaware we had any rosemary. Did we pick some up at the last town?" She asked, turning to the other adults. Mirabelle and Isabeau shook their heads while Siffrin was too focused on eating.
Bonnie spoke up then. "Oh no, Frin got the rosemary. I mentioned how I wanted some when I saw the thyme, and Frin just bolted out of the camp to get some." Bonnie explained with a shrug, starting to eat themselves, nomming their first bite.
Odile's form clattered lightly against her plate, raising her head at that looking contemplative, subtly shuffling between looking at Bonnie and Siffrin before writing something down in her main journal.
Isabeau raised an eyebrow at that, turning to Siffrin and asking the rogue, "Siffrin, I didn't know you knew how to forage for herbs?"
Siffrin, whose name had been called, paused, their fork about to enter their waiting mouth, before setting it down. "Oh yeah, I know how to forage for a lot of things. My third mother was a herbalist, and when I was young, she would have me help her forage for supplies."
The three vampires turned to the human, Odile, setting her food down and reaching for a different lightless journal. She wrote something down quickly. Bonnie was confused, but they elected to ignore that for now and focus on their steak before it got cold. Wasting food is a sin, after all.
Night would soon fall after their meal. Due to a lack of supplies, Bonnie would have to share a sleeping bag with someone else. Everyone but Odile volunteered their space, but nobody was surprised when the kid picked Siffrin. Mirabelle and Isabeau just gave each other a shrug and knowing, mildly dejected smiles.
The group pooled together some makeshift sleep clothes for the fledgling wearing one of Siffrins shirts and a pair or shorts from Isabeau. It wasn't perfect sleep clothes but it will do until they get to the next town.
The traveler and kid snuggled together in Siffrin's sleeping bag. It was tight but nice. Bonnie nuzzled their face into their Angel's chest. As their Angel held them once more, Bonnie smiled and finished the night with, "Good night, Frin."
Siffrin held Bonnie close, smiling and patting the kid's head, whispering back. "Good night, Bonbon."