The Koumori Vampire

A caravan moved steadily across the muddy, rain filled road. It was the late seventeen hundreds, The land scape of Europe looked much different then it does now. Most of the land was shrouded in woods. Dirt roads. which carried ox pulled wagons, horses, and caravans, filled the open areas.

This particular caravan consisted of four horse drawn covered wagons. The canvases of the wagons decorated in bright colors and sparkling jewels. Many called the caravan "Gypsy Trash". The occupants of the caravan were deep olive in complexion. All had dark hair and dark eyes. They were all part of a family. Their leader was Elijah, father to most in the traveling caravan. They were the Koumori Gypsies, the last of their kind.

The caravan formed a circle and set up camp. A large bon fire was built in the center.

A young woman, approximately eighteen years of years emerged from the lead wagon. Her dark wavy strands were pulled into a high pony tail, supported by a black leather strap. Her eyes, perfect almonds that they were, were the color of blood. Her attire was similar to the others of the caravan. A tight white shirt with puffed out sleeves and small frills around the collar, and a long skirt in all shades of red of pink, which flowed to her ankles in a pleated fashion. Upon her feet were black slippers.

"KiTana!" Elijah called out fro his place at the fire. The young turned to look at him. "Aye Father?" She asked, her voice held a thicker accent then the rest. "Be careful. This land is dangerous. Hunters and Vampires roam these parts, you will be killed. Stay within the caravan." Elijah ordered. With a sigh, the girl nodded "Aye Father, as ye wish". Silently she thought to herself that hunters and vampires were just stories and not real, but she would never speak this to her father.

KiTana was a gifted girl. She had visions. She didn't need tools, such as Tarot Cards, or Crystal Balls, to aid her like the others. The fates chose to speak directly to her. Many called her "The Anointed" or "The Chosen". They pampered her, did everything for her, and told her it was for her own good. She felt like a slave within her own family. Unable to go and do things like the others did.

As the night wore on, the Koumori Gypsies returned to the safety of their wagons to sleep on animal skins. KiTana laid awake for many hours wishing she were somewhere else and not so different before she drifted off to a troubled sleep.

Her slumber didn't last long. In the late hours of the night, long before the sun would rise, noises were heard from outside her wagon. She blinked awake and held in a gasp as her wagon was illuminated by the flames being set to the other wagons. Shrieks and cries sounded in her ears. She looked around and noticed her family was not inside the wagon. She pulled her animal skin blanket up around her covering her completely as she cowered like a lost lamb.

The canvas to KiTana's wagon was pulled aside and foot steps were heard entering her territory. A woman's voice, soft, yet demanding spoke, "Uncover your face Gypsy, or die like the coward you are." KiTana slowly lowered the blanket and looked up into the a set of blazing blue eyes.

The eyes belonged to a blonde hair vampryss, who was covered in the blood of her people. The vampryss canted her head to the left as her eyes remained locked on KiTana's. "Your eyes, they are different the others." She stated. KiTana didn't utter word, she just remained there scared, so much so that her body shook. "You feel different then the others as well. The fear you have, it is not real. It is there for show, as if you were ordered to fear anything not of your own." The vampryss acknowledged. A smirked crossed the woman's lips as she held up a dagger and ran at KiTana, burying the blade deep into her throat.

A gurgled sound emanate from KiTana as her crimson eyes grew wide. A deep olive hand moved to touch the gaping wound, it was instantly drenched in her blood. No tears fell from her eyes as the woman spoke her next words, "I give you a choice Gypsy. You can die like the rest of your wretched kind... OR you may join me and my clan and live forever... Think fast Gypsy, you have but minutes left to live. What is your choice?" KiTana stopped shaking. The vampryss had seen through her facade long before. Those crimson almonds stared straight into the soulless vessel before as she made her choice, she had wanted a new life and now she would have one, "I want to live".

The vampryss smirked as that same dagger was brought down upon her own flesh, cutting deep into the cold, dead flesh. "I knew you were different. Now drink." The wrist was thrust forth to KiTana's lips. With uncertainty KiTana took the bleeding appendage into her mouth.

She awoke the next night with a soft groan as she opened her eyes. "Wh-where am I?" She asked mostly to herself. "You are still in the home of your past. Come Chylde it is time we left." The vampryss said as she looked down to KiTana. "Chylde? I am nae a chylde. I have a name." KiTana stated a bit defensively. "Oh? And what name would that be?" The Vampryss asked mockingly. "KiTana Koumori, Princess of the Koumori Gypsies." KiTana stated proudly. "No Chylde that is your old name. Though you may keep your last name if you so wish, it will merely become your middle name. You see there are no Koumori Gypsies left. You were the last, and you died last night to be reborn. Your name is now Saorsa. KiTana Koumori Saorsa should you wish it to be." The woman explained. "Who are you?" KiTana asked still a little confused. "I am Queen Loreth Saorsa. Elder of the Gangrel Vampires known as Saorsa." With that the vampryss stepped out of the caravan.

KiTana stepped out of the wagon half expecting to hear her father tell her to stay within the caravan, but as she looked around at the slain horses and bodies lying everywhere she knew it would not be. She walked over to her father's body and knelt down. "I am sorry Father..." she said before standing up unsure of what she was to do.

Loreth walked up to her and held out a hand, "Come KiTana, we must leave now. Your caravan will be found in a few days, I would prefer us to be nowhere near when that happens." KiTana nodded and followed Loreth.

As they started to walk through the woods around them, more of the clan started to emerge. There were three in total aside from KiTana. Loreth stopped and turned. "KiTana this is Sydnie..." She gestured to a young girl about two years younger then KiTana. She looked like a younger version of Loreth. "That's Clowd." Loreth said referring to a handsome man about twenty years of age, who had dark brown hair and stunning green eyes. "Dark Eve" KiTana greeted bowing her head slightly to them.

The night wore on as they walked. Sydnie and Clowd were in their own little world behind Loreth and KiTana. KiTana was walking the paths ahead as she spoke softly to Loreth. "ye said ye clan is Gangrel Vampire, Aye?" She asked. Loreth nodded, "That I did; Why do you ask?" Loreth replied. "I have heard but one story of the Grangrel Vampires... In that story they are all slain. How is that ye are Gangrel if there are nae more of them?" KiTana asked quizzically. "Not all stories hold the truth Chylde. We Gangrel are a quiet breed. We rather the world think us dead, so when our creators were killed, we went into hiding until the world thought us all to be dead." Loreth explained. "I see....If that be the case, then why did ye come out and slay my family?" KiTana asked curiously. "That answer is simple. I will tell it when we go underground for the day." Loreth stated as she stopped walking. The sky above was starting to lighten. She nodded to Sydnie and Clowd, who in turn dug a large pit like cave in the ground.

Once the four were settled in the underground. Loreth began her tale;

"Long ago, when the Gangrel were just beginning to thrive, our creators were slain. We fled to the underground, living under the earth for centuries. We thought we had the world fooled. But there was one man that knew we still walked the realm. His name was Elijah Koumori. He told horror stories to his children for two centuries, telling them if they did not behave, the Gangrels would come and hunt them and eat their souls. The men in the family were raised to be hunters, sent out night after to kill us. We four are all the remain now. When we found out Elijah had returned to this land we killed him and his family. That is why your family was killed KiTana. Out here it is survival of the fittest. If you are not the hunter, you are the hunted." Loreth explained.

KiTana remembered those stories. She had always thought the "hunters" were Gypsy hunters, when in fact she now learned they were her own family out to kill anything that moved outside the caravan. "How is it that my father lived so long?" KiTana asked curiously. "Your father lived a lie Chylde. His blood held the very blood he sought to destroy. Your father was a Gangrel able to bare children solely because he held Gyps magick in his veins, as do you." Loreth stated. "Now sleep KiTana we have much ground to cover long to cover it in." KiTana nodded and laid her head down. "Aye Loreth. Darkest of dreams to ye." Loreth smiled, "To you as well Chylde, to you as well."

KiTana let out a soft yawn as she slowly woke up. She rolled over in the large canopy bed as she opened one crimson eye. "Clowd?" she called softly. She shook her head as she sat up. It was that same dream again. The story of her siring. "Why is it haunting me?" She thought to herself as she crawled out of the warmth of her bed. "It's been two centuries since then." She yawned softly as she spoke to herself. "Gods, I can't keep going on with this memory. It's costing me sleep." She walked out of the room, down the hallway. On the walls on either side, were paintings of the clan. All had a small gold plaque with a date of sire and a date of death. It had taken half a millennia but her father had just about succeeded in his wish. Most of the Gangrel were gone. To KiTana's knowledge all that remained was her and Clowd.

She had bonded to Clowd a short time ago, against her better judgement, in the hopes to rebuild Loreth's once grand clan. Her heart and body now belonged to him, time did that, but she supposed a small part of her had always been in love with Clowd.

She entered the kitchen and smiled softly as Clowd was seated at the kitchen table. "Dark Eve M'Love" She said as she slid her arms around his neck and placed a kiss to his cheek. "Dark Eve Kit." He replied. She gritted her teeth and kept that smile on her lips. She hated the nick name "Kit" she felt like people were calling her a goat. "You're up early." She observed. "Yeap we have things to do. Get dressed." Clowd said without even glancing up to her. She nodded and returned to her room.

When she came back down she was clad in a white, ribbed turtle necked, tank top, a pair of tight black jeans, black combat boots, and a long black leather trench coat. Upon her face sat a pair of black lensed, wire framed sun glassed. She knew what they had to do. They had to stop her father's wish from coming true, and she would rebuild this clan even if she had to kill her father again to do so.