Awakening in the Woods (Hollow)

Barton remained still and found out he was not drowning. Barton had forgot how long he had been under. Barton also was still alive, something did not add up.

"Am I dead? No I can't be..."

Barton now instead felt of the features of the wolf. What had been a violent and pointless assault has ceased. Barton instead, took in this feeling. The water did not burn, his chest was not heavy and he could not feel his heart racing. Had it all been in his head?

"How long have I been under?"

Barton now instead, feeling less threatened reached up and stroked the wolfs fur. The wolf seemed to be teaching him a lesson and one of humility too. Barton still did not understand all of this. But the wolf was not killing him nor letting him go free. This wolf also did not seem to cause him pain.

"Barton, something ain't right bout this. Wow......"

Barton seemed to acknowledge to the wolf if there was something the wolf was trying to tell him. Barton in a caring manner and even pleading tapped the wolf on the side of the neck, gingerly. Barton submitted himself to the wolf, it came natural and the strength of the beast was nothing he could fight against. This animal was not what it seemed to be.

Barton rested in the water taking in the feeling of the water and his ability to not suffer from breath. Barton felt dead and again part of his mind tore away from the past. The feeling was new to him and his eyes opened slowly. Barton opened his hands and let his eyes roll over in the back of his head.

No point in turning back.

No point in pretending,

The last bit of Barton's past washed on down the river with the stream.

Then silence and stillness.

Spoiler:

Then suddenly... In a massive eruption the water splashed up. The man was soaked and his form was covered with mud. It was not Barton however, the last bit of himself seemed to have drowned when he submitted to the wolf. No pulse, his heart dead finally for real. The last nail had been driven in.

Barton let out a low growl and arched his back and let out a primal snarl. This sound was more bestial than man. Barton lifted his arms higher and felt the cold wind brush over his body. His cold skin growing more tense as the muscles flexed...

Slowly his head lowered and his eyes came back from under his eyelids. Barton lowered his arms his mouth lowered. Barton then slowly turned his head to face the three wolves and he bowed his head as he rose up from the stream.

Reborn.

The Alpha wolf growled to the other two and both stood still to Bartons violent movements. The creature was standing proud in front of the human.

There were no sounds except for those of the forest and the lullaby of the river sound.

Barton looked to the wolves and felt of his throat and approached them slowly,

"Look, I'm as confused as you are. You obviously did not want to kill me. But you just showed me something I did not know. I ain't like others eh?"

Barton moved from the water and shook a bit of water off himself and looked up to the sky.

Barton then replied without breath,

"It's a nice night."

Barton then looked to the other wolves and bowed his head and replied,

"I'll maybe see you around. I got a few things to figure out and this territory is your own. I'm not gonna wear out my welcome."

Barton humbled himself to the wolves and showed a part of his nature. He knew things had changed and still was not sure how to take the wolves. But he knew something was different and perhaps the wolves were giving him a warning. Barton did not know what to think, but he was not..... Dead nor died... Barton had got no answer from the wolf, but he had got some idea that he was not quite human.

Barton was humble and his defense against the wolf was by nature.

What the hell do I do now...

He thought to himself.

The wolf stood in his back legs and started to increase its size, it's legs streach and the fur changed into clothes while its torso and head were also shifting from the shape of a wolf to a tall man, dressed up and beasteal in his look. It was the same man that Barton saw in that basement it was now standing still in front of him.



While Barton was still trying to recover his wits the man said.
"I'm Xavier, your creator. Barton Hollow is dead"

Barton watched as the man manifested himself, from wolf to man?

Barton was shocked and a bit taken back. His jaw dropped but he did not run like most, he held his composure barely. Barton's eyes went wide and he tried to digest the words. But he showed his strength by not turning and running. Barton was shocked and he shook a moment. But he showed to this man Xavier he was in fact proper material.

Barton closed his eyes and then opened them one at a time as he looked back to the Wolf-man called Xavier. Barton moved his hand to his mouth and shook his head, he laughed slightly. Then he took in the mans words and replied,

"Look man, I do not know what the hell just happened. Are you a devil? I always heard the devil was real... What do I make of you man?"

He was not disrespectful he did not know who Xavier was. Nor what he was. Hell he did not even know what was happening. Barton had seen some crazy things in his life and he had been one to cope with hardships and things he never understood his whole life.

"Creator? Barton Hollow is dead? Well how in the hell do I still stand? You gotta teach me that wolf trick though. Good trick.."

Barton laughed and looked around and felt for his smokes.

"Damn...."

They were soaked and not able to be smoked at the moment.. He felt them soggy in his breast pocket. Barton's smile faded as he looked back to the man and it dawned on him,

"Look, man...... I ain't sure of anything right now and it has been one long night. I maybe drank to much and yet you.. Hell this is a strange world ain't it?"

Barton shook his head. It was clear he was not like most. Yet he still did not understand, this was hard for him to take in.

Deep inside Barton was frightened or at least scared.

Barton found it hard to speak as the last words left the mans mouth. The man's features were not what he expected from a man. The man was a beast and showed the features of it. There was something about him and Barton grew frightened. Barton looked to the mauling hand and then to Xavier once more and he replied slowly in a pure Flat Gap accent...

"I've heard this before... Where I ain't got no clue.... Ain't no turnip fresh off'a the truck... But still I know nothing of what ya speak, sir..."

Sir? Why did he say that to this man? Barton did not know anything nor what to say his mind was raped and for a moment he winced and lifted his hands to his face. He did not remember the hell he went through but this feeling came back to him. Being broken.

Barton slowly lowered his hands to his side and looked to the beast of a man in front of him.

"Wha.... What am I? Creator? I was told God was the only creator of man. I ain't sure of what to think any more sir. Maybe I am in a dream, I can feel and hear... And I can think and move.... Why me? Why here? Why now? Ain't nothin' I did.. I ain't done nothin' wrong...."

Barton's knees grew weak at the words and in the presence of this man. Barton felt comforted and yet at the same time he was frightened and her spoke one last phrase.

"I ain't gonna lie sir, but I am scared. I am frightened... I ain't done nothin'. Why me? I should have never came here. How do I take it? I came here for a short time... And then there was Amanda and Jesse..."

Barton then stopped and looked up to Xavier and went silent. He was telling this stranger to much and it was natural for him to feel this way. Barton had went through hell. Or so he thought.

Barton struggled to hide his fear but to this man it bled through, few things made Barton worry. But Barton was simple and honest and this was something he never expected.

In the back of his mind he thought....

"Childe...."

Barton smiled slightly as Xavier spoke,

"Ain't nothin' special bout me sir. Da raised me as did my family. I'm just a man ya know? I know how fields grow but hell... My field is sown with salt. Amanda? You mean that diva?"

Barton stopped and lowered his head,

"Now I done that woman wrong. I did her low down and dirty. Hell you should have heard what I hea...."

Barton stopped and looked to Xavier,

"You were there? Why?"

Spoiler:

"I knew her long ago. I wish I could say more, perhaps Jesse was right."

Barton looked down and followed up with,

"Did I or do I... Part of me still does. I just do not understand."

Xavier continued.
"I know what you must be feeling Childe. She is still important for you and as far as I saw you're still important to what's left of her inside of that body. You're indeed special."

I did that woman wrong. Hopefully things will work out. I could use a drink...

Barton looked into the bestial eyes of Xavier.

She changed though ain't nothing special about that honestly, Xavier? It is Xavier right? I don' did so many things wrong in my life. You say second chance... Where do I begin? Who am I now? Can we go get a drink? I'll buy you one."

Barton was man handled by the beast and his voice was cut off by the mighty grip of Xavier. Barton listened but showed signs of fear within himself as the fangs emerged from the mouth of his savior. Barton now knew or had an idea of what he was. He was a vampire, a thought almost crossed his mind.. ?Until.... The blood seeped from the open wound. Nothing else mattered as the warm drops of blood stained his lower lip. The taste was so sweet, unlike anything he had ever tried. Unlike any drink he had ever taken.

Barton lifted his hands to Xavier's arm and latched on to it. His lips wrapped around the wound and Barton drank deeply. The rush.. The thrill.. The sensation that filled him, nothing else mattered at this point in time. All that he could concentrate on was the taste of the precious blood of Xavier. Barton could not speak.

Barton covered his mouth and thought about what he had done as his body recovered from the initial shock of hitting the ground. Barton sat back against a near by tree and tasted the results of his last action. It made him feel sick to think on what had just happened. He did not want to think of the pleasant sensation he had felt in a negative way. That was the only thing that kept him from freaking out to much at the thought of drinking human blood. But he did feel better, much better.

"Yes, sire, I feel much better... More alive... Yet some how dirty or inhuman... As if I have done something wrong, but it felt so right."

Barton's eyes fluttered as he remembered the sensations of his first feeding.

Barton felt his happiness fade, he could not be happy with this. Being undead? It did not sound like the best time for him. Barton was also slightly shocked. He sat there in the grass and lowered his hands down to the long blades and felt of them and looked down. Barton felt an anger build up in him, not one toward Xavier, Xavier had only helped him.

But Barton took on a new found hate for the world, the world he had known. Barton had been told what he had thought and what he believed he knew. He was a beast. He was a fiend. He was the undead and the forgotten. Barton slowly rose up off the ground and stood. He pushed out his chest and slowly rose his head to look to Xavier and replied,

"Then Barton is dead. I will forget the life I knew and become what I was destined to be then. I am the devil. I am here to do the devils work it seems. Barton Hollow is no more."

Barton then approached Xavier- his head protruding forward. He them let out in a snarl,

"Where do I begin.. Sire...."