Eternal Hearts Ch. 08

But no matter, it was all she had, since she couldn't throw a lasso at it from a few dozen feet away and expect it to work out. Walking slowly, she felt a crunch as she stepped into a patch of dry leaves and other forest debris, immediately freezing as the doe snapped its head up and looked around. After several agonising seconds it resumed its grazing and Kylie continued to sneak forwards. It took her some time, Dannii just watching from back in the trees as Kylie crept forwards towards it. She eventually managed to make it close to it from the front side so she was only around ten feet away from it, where she had to somehow get its attention without scaring it away so she could try and quieten and subdue it. Kylie thought how to do it, and rationalised that any sudden movements or noises would be a bad idea, so she somehow had to be very calm in attracting its attention.

She took a couple of minutes trying to decide a way to do it, not having any great ideas, and eventually deciding to make some soft noises, of humming or breathing, just smoothly and calmly, and lightly moving so her hair fluttered enough to make it notice in the breeze. Kylie put it into action, gently swaying a little and letting the breeze catch her soft blonde hair, blowing easily in the light wind as she made some murmurs and humming sounds. It was all it took for such an alert creature, which immediately looked at her. Kylie could see all its muscles tighten and tense in readiness to flee, and she herself felt like the deer caught in the headlights as it looked at her, leaving the ball in her court. Quickly gathering herself, Kylie focussed on its big, vulnerable eyes, staring deeply into them and trying to push her will on it, hoping to project calm and tranquillity, and most of all to remove fear.

Kylie didn't know how she was doing that, or rather attempting to, she just knew she was trying to project that onto the creature, pushing those emotions from her soul towards the other being before her. She almost lost her concentration when there was a flicker that it actually worked, the deer lowering its previously pricked up ears, suggesting it had calmed down and no longer felt so threatened. Kylie felt a bit of success and pressed on with it, not quite sure what she was doing, and knowing this wasn't exactly the seductive technique she'd ever intended since she didn't want to do that with a deer, but it seemed to be working well enough. She carefully and slowly stood out from behind the tree completely, seeing it shift a little but remain where it was as she did so. After a few more moments to let it calm, she slowly started to walk forwards.

"That's it, just be calm, stay there," Kylie cooed very softly with her smooth, silky voice. She tried not to think about just what she was capturing it for, not that she entirely knew, but it wouldn't be too pleasant, but it had to be done. Walking slowly forwards, she continued to look into its eyes, trying to cast her spell over it and keep it quiet. Raising the rope in her hands, she slowly tied a loop into it as she covered the last few feet to the prone animal, seeing it fidgeting and wanting to bolt, something unknown holding it back. With her noose at the ready, Kylie took a step forward and swiftly threw it over its head, the other end of the rope wrapped round her arm. The sudden contact and her focus on restraining it broke the spell she held over it and the creature reacted instinctively, bolting to flee the potential predator. The noose round its neck immediately pulled tight and the rope taught where Kylie held it, yanking her hard so she stumbled after it, but it took most of its power away and she dug her heels in, holding it back as it strained desperately at the rope.

She tried to focus again to calm it, though she was unable to see its eyes for more than a glimpse and it was hardly interested in anything except its escape now. Kylie heard pounding feet and Dannii ran over to her from the forest, grabbing the rope and pulling to help reel it in, dragging the struggling animal back towards them. With Dannii anchoring it, Kylie worked her way quickly to the creature and held onto it, physically restraining it to calm it as she looked into its frightened eyes, working to try to seduce it and break down its anxiety and fear, to calm it down and make it placid for them as best she could. There was a lot going on but she managed to calm it a little, enough at least that it was no longer trying to strangle itself with the rope, which Kylie loosened from its neck.

"Pretty intense," Dannii breathed, her muscles tight as she held the rope.

"Yeah, never done that before," Kylie said, breathing out slowly, realising how much she was sweating from the effort.

"Well never really intended on hunting bare handed frankly," Dannii replied, giving a raise of her eyebrows.

"First time for everything I guess," Kylie said, gently stroking the deer before she took hold of the rope again with Dannii and moved to go back towards the mansion, leading the deer behind them at an easy pace. It seemed relatively calm though still edgy and wanting to escape at any possible moment, which was kind of to be expected really. Dannii was just surprised they'd found one alone, so isolated from the rest of a herd. They made a little small talk as they headed back to the huge mansion which overlooked the landscape, coaxing and pulling the resisting doe up the stone steps onto the raised patio, before leading it through the corridor between the kitchen and open lounge area, it becoming more tense by the minute until Kylie paused to work and calm it down.

"Where to then?" Dannii asked, starting to lead the deer out into the grand corridor.

"It's down through the dungeons," Kylie said, indicating to the small set of stairs descending from the main corridor a few feet up from where they were on the other side. They led the animal up the huge corridor, the stone walls echoing its cry as it bleated anxiously, hooves thumping on the luxurious red carpet, then precariously down the stone steps, before it clattering into the wide corridor of the dungeon, sniffing the air worriedly as it smelt the smell of blood, sweat and stale air that hung around the place. They noisily made there way across to the heavy door on the other side, where Kylie unbolted it and hauled it open with a slow creak, exposing the small, tricky staircase beyond, illuminated by a couple of torches on the walls, all burning gas flames so they were on like an electric light. The sister's and their captured meal walked slowly down the stairs in the flickering light, hearing the faint choking flutter of the flames in the light breeze and fresh air that had permeated the staircase for the first time in a while.

Making it down to the small corridor outside another heavy wooden door, where they'd found the note earlier, Kylie looked to the bolts holding it shut, feeling a tremble of nerves and fear rush through her. She had no idea what to expect beyond the door, whether it would be a room or cage let alone what kind of creature Lucretia's pet was. She looked to Dannii, who had the same expression of grim anxiety, holding the rope for the deer so tight her hands looked like they'd break. Kylie went to reach for the bolt, when she jumped as Dannii spoke.

"Kylie, do we really know what we're getting ourselves into here?" Dannii said, looking at the ominous door.

"No Dan, but we have no choice. Gonna have to see sometime though aren't we? We can't just leave her pet to starve," Kylie said, pointing out the catch twenty-two they found themselves in.

"I know, but from the sounds of it, it won't really need us to look after it," Dannii said.

"Maybe so, but we still have to. So let's just get this over with, then we'll know," she offered, leaning forward for a quick kiss with her younger sister before turning back to the door and taking a grasp on the heavy door bolt. Kylie troubled it for a moment before she slid it across, reaching for another one nearer the top, then a bottom bolt. Evidently there was quite a need for such heavyweight barriers, or it was simply from old times to stop any potential invasion of the castle via a sneaky backdoor. The door ground open with a dull sound from the ageing iron hinges, swinging slowly back as Kylie pulled it open outwards. A rush of relatively warm air greeted them, hair blowing around their faces, the deer pulling worriedly at the rope at the smell of unknown territories. There was no doubt that was what it felt like, a territory, entering another creatures world almost.

Kylie looked at Dannii unsurely, then stepped cautiously through the door, into a huge cave system, more gas torches flickering in random places along the walls inside the door, but only there, the huge cavern stretching away into complete, isolated, terrifying darkness. The floor was compacted earth, firm but warm and almost inviting beneath her feet, almost as if it'd been built rather than naturally formed, but then she supposed that it must've been to so perfectly join with the castle. The air was damp and humid, moisture and algae on the cave walls, where the light was enough to sustain it. Dannii followed her in, looking around avidly, looking for any sign of a creature that could be deemed a pet. She lead the deer in behind her, still straining at the rope, having to drag it over the threshold as they stepped onto the firm ground, walking in a little way, their hearing sharp and tuned to every sound, even the flickering of the torches seeming very loud.

"Where is it?" Dannii whispered, immediately looking around as if the noise would attract some unseen monster.

"I don't know, but it must be in here somewhere," Kylie said, her already sharp eyes now more tuned to the darkness so she could see round the main cavern, the fading light from the torches able to light the end of the chamber some thirty to forty feet away. Walking forwards, Kylie slowly headed towards it to look around, Dannii walking behind her leading the deer, which lagged at the very extent of its rope unsurprisingly. They got to the end of the cave, where the cave lipped up to a hole, which they looked out over, into pitch darkness. The very air itself roared and swirled in the chasm they looked into, showing how deep it carved into the earth beneath them, complete darkness where nothing would ever be found.

"Think it's down there?" Dannii said, looking into what seemed an impossible environment.

"I guess it must be, since it's not up here," she replied, both looking over the edge. Behind her, Dannii felt a pull at the rope, then a drum roll of hooves and the rope whipped out of her hand.

"Hey!" she exclaimed, turning round, Kylie doing the same as they thought the deer had broken loose and bolted. Looking round however, there was no sign, no hind legs leaping out the door towards the stairs, or running across the cavern floor towards it. It took them a moment, but then they saw the rope hanging down from the roof of the cave, shaking and trembling, making them look up to see where it had gone, the shock that it even had not yet registering. Looking up towards the ceiling, the sisters gave a collective cry of shock and terror.

It was mostly in darkness, just at the edge of the firelight that permeated this far from the entrance and the torches, two thick green tentacles clung to the ceiling and wall, holding powerfully. The deer was struggling and kicking helplessly, another three tentacles wrapped around it, clearly hastening its end, which snaked away and attached to what looked like a long, large body, barely even glimpsed in the darkness, and now they weren't waiting to study it. Dannii had already grabbed Kylie's hand and they were running flat out for the door across the packed down earth, their feet thumping as they ran in pure fear, thinking at any moment a tentacle would grab or trip them as they fled. But it didn't, and they tumbled out the door, both turning to grab the heavy wood and slam it shut, pressing their backs to it as they fumbled with the heavy antique bolts to secure it once more, sagging down in relief in the cold stone corridor.

"What, the hell, was that?!" Dannii gasped out, trying to catch breath she didn't need from force of habit.

"I don't know, but I think we'd better do some reading," Kylie breathed, pushing her hair back from her face. Dannii nodded, and they stood up, checking the door was properly bolted before having a reassuring kiss and locking hands, then heading back up the steps and out through the dungeons back into what felt like another world. They decided a little blood would be worthwhile to calm their nerves, and walked towards the main staircase, before turning off to the right past the kitchen and heading down to the large fridges, opening the airtight door and finding some blood from the nearest rack, quickly pouring it down their throats straight from the bottle. They both sighed at the calming effect of the rich, enlivening blood entering their bodies, shivering a little at it and immediately feeling better.

"Now, to the library," Kylie said, putting the bottle back after they'd both had a good drink, heading back out, closing the door with a cold, airtight thunk as they left, trotting up the steps and heading towards the huge main staircase again. Walking up round the wide curving steps, they didn't say much, both mulling it over in their own minds as to what they'd seen. On the first floor, they immediately headed straight up the next staircase immediately above the first, padding up the soft red carpet, fingers idly gliding along the polished wood of the banister. On the second floor, they walked briskly round the outside of the interior rooms, walking along the back of the mansion so they looked out over the sunlit acres of land behind it, looking at it through the old windows as they sauntered along the long thin hallway. At the end, they went round the curve of the tower and then into the library once more, as they had when they'd needed to know more about werewolves.

They recalled what they'd seen, and immediately recalled the diagram they'd seen in a book of a busty woman being ravished by a tentacled creature. They found that book again, as well as every other book that seemed it could be relevant to monsters or legends of them. Sitting down, they started flicking through them, skimming page by page since there were no useful contents or indexes in the old books they were reading.

"Hard to know where to begin," Dannii sighed, looking through the musty old books in the vast library, sitting at a table with her older sister.

"Just gotta search through, any reference to anything that seems it could be what we're dealing with here," Kylie said, hoping for diagrams at the same time.

"Not sure there's gonna be a lot on him, I'd never heard of it," Dannii said, turning a page to see a diagram of a werewolf, which she paused to take in.

"Just have to see what we can find," Kylie said, flicking through her own book.

"I guess we know why she says he's tame," Dannii said, waving her hand towards the open book with the drawing of her wrapped up in his tentacles, penetrated in more than one way by them.

"Looks pretty wild to me," Kylie said with a smirk, making Dannii smile in return, breaking the heavy mood that'd settled over the incident as they read. They didn't have a lot of luck, finding a few scant mentions of such creatures, and almost all of those referred to it as a mere legend or myth, possible but not real, or even extinct, and certainly didn't have any details, leaving them pretty much where they'd started. Dannii gave a stretch, pushing back from the table and standing up.

"I'm going for a bath, care to join me?" she said, extending a hand and a sexy smile that suggested more than a bath was on offer.

"I'd love to Dan, but maybe I'll join you in a bit, I'm gonna try find more information, we need it. But you enjoy your bath," she said, waving her sister playfully away. Dannii smiled and came back for a long, soft kiss, before sauntering off out of the library towards their bedroom and huge en suite. Kylie continued to trawl the books, minutes sliding away easily as the mused her way through battered hardbacks and tired pages, some loose or falling out as she opened the dusty literature. She was almost beginning to lose hope of finding anything when she came across a small but detailed passage in a book, which she thought could even have been supplied by Lucretia herself. It didn't indicate how it had this information, but outlined that the creature they'd witnessed, if indeed it was the one, was a smart, sentient being, immensely strong, with its own emotions and not just a senseless monster. Lucretia had had plenty of encounters with it over the years it seemed, more than a casual partner for him, but a lover, though Kylie wasn't sure whether to believe that. How could she be in any kind of relationship with such a creature? As a final point however, and one that made her even more sure her sexy, raven haired sire had written it, it indicated that he had a name, simply 'Clicks', because of the sounds he made, not that she'd personally heard any of those as they ran from the cave.

Kylie pushed back from the table thoughtfully, thinking about the possibility of him being intelligent, and even self-aware. Could she talk to him? Reason with him? Even have more than that with him, so he was not just a pet but a companion or friend? All these things mattered since now he was technically "hers", her pet since she was the owner of the castle now, and Lucretia had opted to leave him in her care. She realised there was only one way she could possibly know the answer to any of these questions, though the way it'd devoured a deer, which frankly was barely any smaller than her own small frame, played on her mind, not filling her with hope if it was just a senseless animal. But she had to know, and stood from the table, taking a deep breath, pushing her perky breasts out before she exhaled slowly.

Walking from the library, Kylie walked purposefully but not too quickly down the hall, going down the front of the building this time, looking out over the gravel driveway that wound up to the front of the castle, room for a dozen cars easily. Kylie made her way down the wide stairs, and paused as she spotted a large cupboard at the bottom of them on the first floor. Opening it, she looked through the shelves of stuff, finding a flashlight, exactly the thing. She wanted a proper look at this creature in the caves, and if he wouldn't come into the light, she'd bring the light to him. Shutting the cupboard, she headed on down the main staircase, her dainty feet thumping lightly on the thick red carpet, wondering what Dannii was up to in her bath. Kylie took an unneeded but calming breath as she walked along the main corridor then turned right down the steps towards the dungeons. Opening the doors, she made her way down and through, heading down the stairs to the little piece of corridor outside the door to the caves, wondering quite how she got there so fast.

Calming herself, Kylie pulled the heavy bolts across on the door, finding them easier to open than they looked, probably from her vampiric strength and the adrenaline pumping through her body. It ground open roughly, seeming ear splittingly loud as she pulled it, worrying the creature would hear and strike the second she looked in the door or something, even though it'd shown her no malice and was supposed to be friendly. Stepping in slowly, Kylie looked around in the flickering orange glow, immediately feeling the surprising heat and humidity of the air, wrapping round and enveloping her like a sauna almost, making her feel almost overwhelmed. Recovering herself, Kylie looked around, immediately towards where it'd been when they'd fled earlier, but there was no sign of it there, though she could see the end of the rope they'd used to lead the deer in there on the floor at the edge of the light.