Foreword: The ficverse of the Saga of Blood is the creation of StormDrake.  All concepts within are his own.

...Hey.

Sorry!  Didn't mean to startle you!  I was just out wandering through these woods when I noticed your campfire.  I came to ask if I could stay here for the night, to keep warm.  My name's Simon.  What's yours?

Fred?  Hi.  Listen, can I--

What do you mean, why am I wandering around?  Same as you: I'm Blooded.

Whoa, watch it!  I'm not a Hunter!  Jeez, calm down.  It's not like you have to worry about being Blooded *again*.  We both know that.  I'm not proposing we team up or anything.  I just want a warm place to spend the night.

...So, Fred, what monster Blooded you?

Wemic, huh?  Tough luck.  It must be hard for you.  I mean, having a lion's head and claws doesn't exactly make it easy to blend in.  Must make things easier out here in the wood, though.

Me?  Oh, I guess you could say I got lucky.  Here: let me take off my hat and gloves to show you.

Yeah, strange-looking isn't it?  The gloves hide the skin and claws okay, but the webbing makes it difficult.  That's why I had to slit the fingers on the gloves to accommodate.  The skin on my head hides nicely under the hat if I keep my head ducked.

What, the scarf?  Oh, that's because of...well, look for yourself.

Yeah.  Gills.  I guess I could breathe underwater if I needed to, but I don't really want to find out.  I'm staying away from water, considering what happened last time...

Hmm?  Oh, what happened 'last time?'  That's when I got Blooded.  It was in a swamp.  A Quedaan attacked me.

Quedaan...you know, big lizard, scorpion's tail, clawed feet with webbing, large fin on back, smooth green skin...you find 'em in swamps.

Never heard of them, huh?  Be glad.  I don't ever want to see one again.  I was out with my sister to look for some plants that our village needed for something or other...I don't remember what.  But we went a bit to far into the swamp and that's when the Quedaan attacked us.  I picked up a sharpened stick and stabbed the blasted monster in the head.  I got lucky enough to deal it a fatal blow, but not quick enough...my sister was killed by the thing's tail before I got it.

I say I was lucky because when I stabbed the Quedaan, it bled profusely.  I got off lucky.  No tail, at least, but the hands and skin are there, nonetheless.

...Well, I'll be going to sleep now.  That okay with you, Fred?  You're not gonna attack me in the middle of the night or anything, are you?

Okay.  Good night then.

Oh, good morning, Fred.

It's me, Simon.  Remember?  Wandering through woods last night, asked to spend the night by your campfire?

Right.  Anyway, I was just sitting here, letting myself wake up.  I'll be going now.

What?  Oh, I'm not going anywhere in particular.  Although I did hear about this place called Nirvana from a Hunter named Ryan.

I know!  It sounds weird, a Hunter *not* killing a Blood Mutant, but I can say I'm grateful at least.  He didn't kill me, after all.  I don't know why, but I don't really care.  But I might try to find this Nirvana place.  Sounds better than trying to fit in humanity, always hiding my Mutation.

Where is it?  I dunno, really.  Ryan said it was on top of a mountain, guarded by two spruce trees.

...Nice talking to you, Fred.  I'll see you around, maybe.  Goodbye.

Afterword: Well, I surprised myself again with this one.  I wrote it as part of a Create-a-Character contest that StormDrake started up in the TF (Transformation) community.  Being a lurker there, I decided to actually contribute something.  Don't expect many more things like this.  It was something that came out very quickly, a situation that is rare for me.  It usually takes me a few weeks to finish a story before I'm happy with it. --Jay Winger