• A moan of pain and desperation escapes my parted lips, images fading from my mind as sleep makes a slow retreat. I struggle through the semi-darkness to sit up, hindered by my wounded arm which throbs painfully with every sluggish pulse of my heart. Eyes flickering open, I wrack my brain, trying to figure what woke me. A voice perhaps? Running my tongue over my lips, I'm disturbed, but not surprised, by the salty tears I taste there. "Zeean," I breathe; my hands clench slowly into fists. I stare across the room at the parted curtains, which remain still despite the breeze that teases them. Countless scents are brought before me; I sift through them but am disappointed to find that most of them belong to the hmans. Disgruntled, I'm about to stop searching when a particular scent catches my interest, tickling my nose. It is not human, that I know for sure. The scent is disgustingly bitter, yet maddeningly sweet at the same time. "It's mine," I choke out, an animal claiming its prey. As the scent continues to invade my nostrils, goose bumps p***k my skin, accompanied by shivers of excitement. A hiss of anticipation fills the room, my mind now dead-set on pursuing this dangerous game. Paying no heed to my aching arm, I push myself off the bed, grabbing at my shirt and jacket which lay on the floor. I yank them over my head and grab my boots on my way to the window. The laces keep slipping through my trembling fingers; a growl of frustration builds in my throat. I manage to still myself long enough to get the deed done. Crouching on the window's sill, I hardly notice that I now cast no shadow despite the rays of the full moon that shine upon me. My eyes are focused on the street twenty-eight floors below me, which is devoid of all life at the moment, not uncommon for this area of the city. The scent is strongest here on the ledge outside my window, a fact that troubles me. I flick my tongue out, tasting the air, needing to confirm what I suspect. That's all it takes to drive me to the edge. Without a backwards glance, I hurl myself to the asphalt.