Arrival of Teran

A golden haired man stood on top of a block of flats, looking out over the city. He inhaled deeply, a slight smile slowly growing on his face. Oh yes, this city absolutely stank of the Roth-Mercian clan. The part demon meandered down the stairs to the ground floor, his hair loose to swing down his back. Yes, he was going to enjoy this little get together, very much so. He started to plan things in his mind, not bothering to hide himself in the shadows of the streets. He wasn't like that other supposedly powerful powerful clan, he didn't need elaborate spells to hide his appearance when he walked in town. A pair of sunglasses to hide his golden eyes were all it took. Another smile glanced across his face. He couldn't wait to bring the rest of his clan here.

Another dark figure strode along the walls of the streets, seemingly of an opposite attitude than the man walking right in the middle, aware of nothing. This silhouette was heavily clothed, and a large scarf wound up around the young girl's neck floated behind he as she quickly walked down the road. She avoided going past the beams of luminosity that descended from the metallic street lights annoyingly built every five meters, making the girl have to almost press herself against the walls. She turned to her right, making her cloak swish behind her as she did so. She kept her head lowered, noticing the golden-haired man, not wanting an unusual encounter, like she normally did.

Teran stopped, pretending to look at a notice that had been pasted onto the wall. He sniffed. SOmeone who had just gone past his smelt of an encounter with the clan he needed to track, as well as smelling of another unusual sort of magic. Looking out of the corner of his eye, he spotted someone shrouded in clothing disappearing round a corner. A slight smile grew on his face. Time for a little chat... The part demon started to saunter casually along the street, following the girl.

The girl cast a quick glance over her shoulder, and her heart skipped under her ribs as she noticed that the man had changed direction to her encounter. She fastened her pace, heading quickly down the street, not wanting to know the man. She had learned her lesson, from last time, encountering a normal human being. She didn't want it to happen again. She had almost told them about herself... And that was something she needed to avoid, at all costs.

Teran narrowed his eyes as he noticed that the person was trying to get away from him. He morphed into his other form, leaping forwards in an extended lope, overtaking her before skidding to a stop in front of her. A smile twisted his leopard face, his golden eyes gazing at the person.

The girl halted, looking at the panther in front of her, her heart racing under her chest. She had been wrong; this person wasn't human at all. But nor was that a reason to feel intimidated. She took one step back, and something strange was happening near her feet: her shadow was moving... On its own. It started taking a vast shape, with squinted eyes, glaring at the panther, overwhelming the animal's own shadow.

Teran closed his eyes, morphing back into his humanoid form. He leant against the wall, flicking his hair out of his eyes, which were watching the girl's shadow.
"So, it would seem that my sense of smell has not deceived me. There is something not quite right about you, or perhaps not quite right about your shadow..."

The girl's shadow retracted to a normal state, and the young human stood up straight to look up at the tall man, taking a deep breath, before she answered, but with words that had nothing to do with the last statement the man had given.
"I'm not that important... Why are you following me..."
The girl's shadow lengthened to touch the man's head with its hands. Even though the man wasn't touched directly, he could feel like if the hands were really there. "Why are you following me... Teran?"

Teran bore his teeth in a snarl, crouching in an almost feral position. He leapt forwards, his hand outstretched to pin the girl to the wall by her neck. He threw up shields around his mind, reinforcing them.
"You have information that I need," He snarled.

The girl's eyes widened as she felt the man's hand clench onto her neck, and her breathing quickened greatly. She had to admit that this reaction wasn't the one she had expected. And Umbre couldn't do anything to help her. She panted quickly for air, and tried to think.

Teran's golden eyes were narrowed, his hand squeezing the girl's throat just enough to make breathing painful and difficult. He was actually quite enjoying the feeling of being in control of the girl with the freaky shadow.
"The Roth Mercian clan, you've had dealings with them. I need to find them, and you're going to help me."

The small human gulped again, most of her saliva not managing to get past her neck, because of the man's hand squeezing so tightly. She took her hands to the male's wrist, clenching on it with her small hands. Roth? Mercian? She thought.
"I...I don't know who you're talking about..." the girl murmured, "I can't remember any Roths or Mercians..."
At her feet, her shadow was starting to act fairly strangely, but not in the hostile way. As if the shadow couldn't breathe because it felt the same hand as the girl did.

Teran growled low in his throat.
"You say that you don't know them, and yet you smell of them. There is something that you're not telling me. Perhaps you have been cavorting with their young?" His hand squeezed a fraction tighter. "You can either tell me now, or I can do this the hard way... Your choice."

The girl let out a small whimper of pain, barely managing past her throat, only a few squeaks a voice being heard. Her hands tightened on the man's wrist, as she closed her eyes. Her hair swooped in front of her forehead, hiding her eyes.
"Please... Teran... Let me go..."
The girl's shadow was crumpled on the floor, literally, doubled over on itself, holding its neck, though emanating no sound.

Teran raised one eyebrow.
"I let you go, you help me track these people down, orI can kill you and your shadow. Your choice." He said with a light tone, as if he was presenting choices on a lunch menu.

Roth and Mercian, Lear repeated in her mind. She couldn't think much longer; she had to breathe eventually, and if she didn't, she would suffocate, as well as Umbre. And she couldn't permit that. Maybe Umbre would survive, but he isn't anything without her.
"Okay, okay!" Lear exclaimed, "I'll help you! Just let me down!"

Teran gave a small, satisfied smirk, relinquishing his hold on the girl's throat. He examined his claws briefly before looking at Leorn.
"I still do not believe that you have not yet been aquainted with the clan, and I am sure that you are hiding something from me..."

--Lear, not Leorn...--

"I'm telling the truth..." Lear managed to utter, her panic sense growing inside her chest as she noticed Umbre starting to freeze, "I don't know who they are... The only strange being I've seen in the past months is a purple-haired girl... About my age... Please, let me down..." Lear was beginning to wheeze, to suffocate, not being able to get some air. She didn't want to die. Not like this. But, most of all, she couldn't let Umbre down. She had promised.

- Sorry -

Teran relinquished his hold on the girl's throat, taking one step back. He seemed to be deep in thought about something.
"A purple haired girl of about your age... She is one of the beings that I must track down. You will take me to her."

Lear fell onto the darkened sidewalk with a deaf thud, grasping her neck as soon as Teran's hand had broken its constriction around it. Lear started breathing heavily, trying to find the air that she had so stupidly lost, her large scarf flowing in the air before completely dropping on the ground. Her black hair fell over her shoulders, her pupils small in her wide irises. Her taint was paler than normal, sign of her near suffocation. She cast one quick glance at her shadow, crumpled on the ground, holding its neck also, in a different position than Lear. She really wanted to use a spell that she had recently learned, but she knew that Teran was a demon, like that other girl. She recognized the magical signature.

Teran didn't make any move to help the girl, he just stoood and watched her as she tried to breathe again. He didn't particularly care if she or her shadow survived, as long as he got what he needed from them.
"Where is this girl?" He demanded.

Lear gulped, closing her eyes, gasping again. Her hand dropped from her neck onto her side, and she slightly opened her eyes behind the curtain of black hair that fell over her face.
"I... I don't know yet..." Lear murmured, "But I can... find her..."
Lear stood against the wall, one hand on her chest, lifting and sinking as she breathed quickly for air. She took a deep breath, and tried to get her thoughts straight.

Teran nodded curtly once.
"Then find her." He said, his tone leaving no room for negociation. On the outside, he looked calm cool and collected, but he was secretly planning strategies, almost jumping for joy that his revenge on the clan may finally take place.

Lear slowly stood up, shaking on her spot. Umbre followed her movements more or less, not wasting any energy by being Lear's complete shadow anymore, knowing that Teran had found out. Lear had to lean against the wall of the darkened building to be able to stand correctly. She lifted her frightened stare up to Teran's callous face, and knew that if she didn't do what he ordered, he would stand by his word and most probably kill her. She had no choice.

Teran cracked his knuckles before brushing a few invisible specks of dust from his shirt.
"Now, you know how to bring one of them here, unless I am very much mistaken. You will do so now. Beware, for I know when people are lying, and I will kill you. Slowly."