Chapter Text
on a towering mountain, atop a ledge on the cliffside, perches you, a tiny bat.
crickets sing and buzz below the treetops, a full moon shining high. the mouth of a cave yawns behind you hungrily, stalactites jutting out like jagged teeth. your bat eyes a big, beautiful black reflect stars and clouds. your claws dig into the cracks of rock, gaze searching, stomach grumbling lowly.
you close your eyes, letting darkness open up your other senses. with a long, deep inhale, forest scents flood your nose; damp wood, misty post-storm air, swells of animal hide and bones, all fill your lungs. the smell of hot blood, irony and rich, was faint. and yet, it still tingles all along your senses, sending adrenaline through your veins. with that, your eyes shoot open, and begin scanning the treetops for a good opening.
bathed in moonlight, dark spots all throughout the trees open up in the howling wind. as you leap from your ledge, the current carries you up, and you tuck your wings to dive into the forest below.
the air whistles loudly around your ears, then leaves brush your wings, then darkness and fog flood your vision as you turn upright in the air.
beating your wings hard, you travel between horrible twisting trees and strangled vines. dew drops wet your back from the moist air. you fly farther from your cave than you ever had before in search of something new to eat. your ears perk and swivel as branches snap and animals breath. that sweet smell of living blood leads you like a trail of crumbs, and as it grows stronger, you can almost taste strange electric sparks in it. something about it is different, not unlike the sizzling smell of lightning, or the heavy scent of a grey, dripping cloud. it draws you in, metallic and zapping.
that's when you hear it: the crunching of gravel under something inhuman. it was loud, screeching, rolling. as you meet the sudden stop of trees, you flap in place at a path, dark branches sticking out and leaves swinging overhead.
the faint symphony of music booms closer, as if an entire orchestra was flying through. a vehicle speeds through the path. it whips by, flinging dust and acorns and branches past you. with big eyes, you peer out of the shadows to watch it roll away. the sound of music and laughter catches up with it, until the silence takes its place, leaving an emptiness in its wake.
there it is. the smell, potent and fleeting, like raindrops full of stinging bees. your nose almost burns.
a few quiet seconds pass. the sound of frantic wingbeats hangs in the air, until you zip out into the path, eagerly flying after the vehicle. spots of light flicker on your back through gaps in the leaves above. you flap your wings harder and harder until the gloomy forest on either side of you becomes a blur. another pump of adrenaline rushes through you as excitement coats your mouth.
the sight of the vehicle teeters in and out of eyeshot. it veers around turns, blows past stops in the path, and flies through branches. the sound is faint, and colors of taste dance and mix with the wet smells of the forest. you try to keep up, growing exhausted from the chase. normally, animals and stray humans are never too difficult to catch. one time, you got lucky, and the animal you were drinking from stayed snoozing throughout your meal.
but this isn't a stray human, or a burly animal, it was something manufactured. living creatures never stink so much of burning gasoline, or leave the gravel hot in their frantic attempts to escape you. but whatever it is, or more interestingly, whatever is inside it, had such a unique smell unlike anything you've ever had the pleasure of tasting.
but, the vehicle speeds on, and eventually you find yourself losing sight of it. still, you follow the path until it leads you out of the haunted trees.
wobbling to a stop to hover midair, you find yourself at the edge of the forest, overlooking a drop into crashing waves. the water below glistens in the dark, reflecting moonlight, it's smell salty and it's sound uncertain.
fog and mist swallow up most of the rock bridge. before you looms a regal castle carved of stone, towers and spires jutting out of the ground. it reaches into the sky above, gloomy and grey, with warm glowing lights coming from columns of windows. it looks as if it had been animated to carve itself, standing beautifully, full of life.
by the time you fly overhead and make it to the entrance, there's no sight of the vehicle at all, and the scent had been soaked in hundreds of other smells. monsters of all shapes, sizes, and species, litter the structure. they walk in, some walk out, looking casual and relaxed, and holding strange boxes. other vehicles move along the paths, but you can't pick up on any with a smell from up here.
decidedly, you swoop down, and as you land on the ground before the building, you begin to understand what this place is.
monsters going in and out, looking pleased and satisfied and friendly; bright, warm lights; velvety decorations and hanging banners; it was some sort of... lively community. from the looks of it, it had been here a decently long time. but you don't recall seeing it before. although, you don't often explore too far from your cave, and usually you hunt in the mountains, not in the forest. goats are easier to find there, and tastier, too.
with wide eyes, you look up and watch stomping furry beasts, skittering noisy gremlins, and heavily flapping gargoyles pass you by. they push what seems to be a rotating door, coming and going, and giving you strange looks all along.
you were curiously staring up from the floor with drooping wings. going up in a puff of black smoke, the mist twists and explodes in all directions as you transform into your vampire form. the black, draping fabric of your attire lands safely around you, the red inside of your collar acting as a backdrop for your face. as you glide up to the front doors, you notice monsters cautiously moving out of your way, and you shoot them strange looks.
you stop at the entrance. for a moment, a distant memory flickers in the back of your mind, like a dying flame trying to stay lit. it stays there for just a moment, before going dark again. a chill runs down your spine. the echo of your father's voice whispers in your mind, but you can't quite make it out.
one monster brushes past you, spiky and slouching, their face looking as though someone had smeared it all around.
"excuse me," you say, voice booming, and stand up straighter.
"oh, huh?" the monster growls out, giving you what you could only assume was a strange look. "what is it?"
"may i come in," the words slip past your lips slowly as you annunciated each one. the monster stares at you for a few seconds before shrugging you off with a grunt and walking away. you puff out your chest, trying not to look offended, and turn to find another monster walking into the building.
"may i come in?" you try again, this time faster, but the words still come out heavy and dripping with anticipation.
the blueish-purple frog-man ribbits at you strangely before going inside. that didn't mean anything to you.
"may i please come in?" you say one more time at another passerby, more desperate this time, and the sagging woman clutches her child closer to herself, hurrying inside.
displeasure runs through your body, and you swirl into your bat form again in a cloud of smoke, furiously flapping your way to find a window. people turn away and give you confused looks as you ask for invitation to enter overhead. your bat claws clutch onto the stone frame of a window and you peer inside, giving the air a strong sniff. as you look inside, you see more monsters conversing, and a beautiful red carpet running down the middle of the room. golden chandeliers hang high above the room, sparkling and glittering in all their elegance.
there is something else besides the smell that's drawing you in. something you can't quite touch, as if its fading away under cobwebs and dust in your memory.
you flinch as someone taps you on the shoulder, whipping your head around to look at them.
"excuse me, may i help you?" its a knight, who's helmet clacks indecently as he speaks.
"yes," you hiss. "i must know if i am permitted to enter this building. i would like to come inside."
"uh, dracula will be right with you," the knight says, and quickly stomps off.
"dracula," you taste the name on your tongue, and in moments, as if summoning him, a large vampire glides out of the building.
with a twist away from the window, you shift into your vampire form and step over as he spots you.
"how can i help you?" dracula asks. he stands tall and curved, like an elegant prince, but his voice is warm and welcoming.
you pause. the smell is here, somewhere close by. surely it can't be from a monster, monsters with blood always smell notably more aged. like fermented corpse water, as opposed to rich and metallic. and humans, well, they had grown bitter over the past millennia. at least, you think so, stray humans don't often show up where you live. and when they do, their blood is always too fatty.
this only furthers your desire and curiosity. whatever had such zigzagging blood in it's stream, you were determined to find out, and to taste it for yourself.
of course, this vampire, much like yourself, stinks very little of blood. he also lacks the electric quality. but it was faint on him, and you can tell as you sniff closer, its definitely someone inside. dracula lifts his arm, leaning back as you give him another sniff, before blinking at you a bit incredulously.
"may i be invited inside," you ask, leaning back.
"why, of course," dracula stands up straight, nodding politely. "i see, you're one of those old-fashioned vampires. please, please, come in. allow me to give you a tour of the lobby of my grand hotel."
"lobby... hotel," you echo. "very well."
cape swooping, you follow dracula into the hotel, gazing up and around at the sheer size of it. its much bigger than your cave, thats for certain, but definitely not as expansive as the night sky you often find yourself flying in. the room is well lit, a little too much light for your preference, and crowded with monsters.
"tell me, have you stayed with us before?" dracula asks, turning his long, pale face back to look at you. something about him feels familiar.
"no," you answer bluntly. "i followed your vehicle here, from my cave a few mountains away."
"oh, how interesting," dracula says, leading you off to the side of the room. he gestures at a table littered with silver platters and plates full of dead critters and various grotesque slop. small bowls glisten with green goop, one bowl looks to be full of rodent tongues, and another of cow eyeballs. you eye everything suspiciously, lost in the smells and sounds of the bustling room, as he begins pouring a glass of something pure and red.
"you must be starving," dracula smiles, delicately handing you a chalice. "my warmest welcomes to you. we don't often get other vampires at the hotel."
"hmm," you bring the cup to your nose and deeply inhale the scented flavor.
"goats blood," dracula says what you've already concluded. "i have our chef put it out for me, but please, you're welcome to as much as you'd like."
any suspicion fizzles away as the ache in your stomach eats at you. you tip the glass to your mouth, drinking your fill, and exhale as you feel yourself fill with warmth.
"and over here we have the front desk," dracula says, touring his way around and gesturing at different spots. "would you like a room?"
"a room," you say, trying to take everything in. "why?"
"to sleep, of course," he laughs, putting his hands together.
"no, i have my cave," you say, deciding to add, "but, thank you."
"well, if you change your mind, just ask the front desk," dracula adds kindly.
a waft of the scent you were chasing carries through the air to you. with a quick glance around, you give the air a furious smell. there it was. electric and heavenly and sending tingles down your throat.
"hey, drac, do you have any more of those fish toes? wanda's upstairs with the pups and i told her i'd bring her some," a werewolf man walks up before you, giving you a bit of a startle. he's holding a cup of something. you lean forward to sniff at him insistently, and he blinks at you.
no, no, it wasn't him. he smells like salt, despair, and something else more putrid. for a moment, you consider if this 'wanda' may be the suspect of the smell you were yearning for, until it's suddenly rushing into your nose and lungs. the zapping scent crackles closer as it's richness floods your senses, almost overwhelming you.
"yes, of course, they're right over there," dracula smiles and points to the table you had been to a moment ago.
"by the way, who's your friend?" the werewolf nods towards you.
"and why haven't you introduced us yet," says another voice, this one coming from somewhere you can't detect. the smell is so close now, you don't want to be stuck in these conversations, you want to sink your teeth into something delicious. you aren't used to being around so many chatty monsters, and you were starting to prefer the ones from earlier who only grimaced at or ignored you.
"guys, i was just showing our lovely guest around the lobby," dracula says, putting a hand out in front of you. you scan for this second person, growing frustrated when you cant seem to find them. "they're from a few mountains down, it's their first time visiting the hotel."
"well, nice to meet you," the wereman says.
"sorry, i didn't catch your name," your ears perk as the second voice comes from somewhere to your left. thats when you see it, glasses floating in the air, as if you were staring right through him.
"the invisible man," you say, voice low.
"uh, no, that's my name," he corrects. "what's your name?"
upon giving the air a deep sniff, you recoil back at the sheer strength of it, bringing water to your eyes as he speaks. something heavy and hungry stirs awake inside you. although that goat's blood is a refreshing and tasty snack, it is merely an appetizer.
"aw, do i stink?" the glasses move, as if he was smelling his own invisible armpit. you narrow your eyes at him, baring your fangs, before dracula places a firm hand on your shoulder. "wayne, come on, why didn't you tell me?"
"no, don't worry griffin, you smell fine," dracula laughs, and puts another hand on your other shoulder. "come, why don't i show you our relaxing sauna and spa? i bet you could use a massage, cooped up in that cave for decades. trust me, it will do wonders for your back."
as dracula pushes you away, you stare over your shoulder at the glasses and the wolf talking.
not now, you think. but soon, when count dracula sees you are a gracious guest, surely he wont mind you enjoying a delicious parting meal. yes, surely.
you salivate at the mental image of getting to drink from such a divine source, and you can nearly taste the unique metallic flavors filling your mouth. it will be even more powerful and delectable than just the smell alone. if he was still around, you think your father would be proud of your keen nose, and of your new discoveries.
