A Duel of Fangs { Open Starter }
The muffled voices of a hundred cheering mortals woke Rowan from his slumber, and he emerged from his dreams of home and family into the dark solitude of a confined prison cell.
Dressed in only a pair of black breeches with his long red hair tied in a low ponytail, he sat on the ground deep within the lower level of a hunter’s fortress, dirtied and languishing to the point of bestial starvation. He could no longer remember how long he’d been held captive in this dungeon, or exactly how he’d gotten here in the first place; all he knew was the overwhelming sensation of hunger, and every priority he had was buried under his dire need for blood.
The sound of an iron door creaking open and slamming shut followed by approaching footsteps roused his interest, and Rowan watched as a pair of rogue vampire hunters unlocked the door to his cell before making their way inside. The bindings of Dawnguard silver were suddenly thrown upon his half-naked body, and if he’d been able to form coherent thought in the midst of his screams as the chains hissed and burned against his flesh, he would have questioned how such a rogue organization had come to possess them.
“I hope you’re good and hungry, beast,” One of the men said to him, ignoring his cries of agony. “A lot of people are betting their hard-earned Septims on you tonight.”
The vampire was then grasped by two pairs of hands and held down against the wall of his cell, and he gasped in pain as a leather muzzle was placed around his mouth and tied at the back of his head. His wrists were tethered behind his back, preventing him from lashing out and striking the men with his claws.
He was hauled to his feet and forced to stand in place while the silver chains were wrapped around him and firmly secured, wisps of smoke rising from his quivering flesh. It was only when the hunters had made certain the vampire lord had no chance to retaliate that he was led out of the darkness of the dungeon, pushed and dragged by the men as they exited the cell and began to ascend the torch-lit stairway. The voices beyond the walls of the prison gradually became louder with every shaking step he took, and once they reached the height of the stairs, a metal door was flung open and he was shoved outward into the light of an arena.
Eyes wild with a desperate hunger for blood, Rowan rapidly glanced about to see that a massive crowd of men and women were there to greet him, standing high above the circular pit as spectators of the event that was about to occur. The mortals were taken by a frenzy of bloodlust and excitement as they called out to the starving vampire below. Some of them were clearly shocked at the sight of him, as if they hadn’t believed the Lord of the Volkihar had been captured, and now their doubts had been put to rest. Others mindlessly shouted at him, ordering him to tear his future opponent apart.
He was forced down a path that led to another gate and a heavily armored hunter standing ready beside it, and when they reached the man, the other pair of assistants handed him over and retreated to the dungeon from whence they came. The armored man grabbed him, pushed open the gate, and threw him inside the dirt covered arena, where the collective voices of the crowd grew even louder in anticipation for the blood sport they had come to witness.
Restrained by his captor, Rowan watched as a gate on the opposite side of the arena swung open, allowing his opponent and their respective guard to pass. In his mindless hunger, he could not recognize the identity of the man or woman he’d been pitted to fight. All he knew was the savage desire to leap upon them, tear their throat out, and rip them limb from limb. He trembled with longing, waiting to be released from his binds so he could give in to what his instincts were screaming for him to do.
The man at his side hastily began to work at his restraints while his opponent was removed from their own. His muzzle was the first to go, then his wrists were set loose, and finally, the silver chains. As soon as he was free, he turned and snarled at the man, advancing with the intention to slaughter him as brutally as a starving vampire could. His prey managed to get out before he could be attacked, locking and barring the gate between them and leaving Rowan to become violently acquainted with the other person who was trapped inside.
Rowan turned and faced his opponent, eyes burning with demonic fire, lifting his lips away from his fangs and hissing under his breath in a threatening, animalistic display. His posture was predatory as he slowly stalked his way around the edge of the arena, examining his enemy for weaknesses and preparing to make his attack.