[center][u]Blood Stain Memories[/u][/center] 

Location: Lost Haven, Maine (Outskirts of city)  

Time: Day 1 of Arrival, After sunset (2-3 days after the Soul Stone Creation) 

[hr][hr]

A great horned owl fluttered silently across the night sky. Its wings outstretched and caught whatever warm draft available, lazily set adrift. With surprising grace, the creature swooped onto the nearest perch. A rooftop of a dock building. Wings folded and claws stretched out to cling to the stone edge. An impressive bird of prey, it rested its weight comfortably into place. The round, black eyes dilated with its rotating head to survey its surroundings. Satisfied, feathers ruffled lightly in the eerily silent night.  

Crack. Snap… pop. 

Harsh sounds of bone shifted unnatural fashion. The owl shuddered while pain flared along its outline, its head cocked at an odd angle. Its wing began to shrink and tips separated into individual fingers. Feathers molted off to reveal pale skin underneath while its legs lengthened. As the crackling wrapped up, a man sat where an owl once stood. 

Completely naked. Not bothered by his exposure, Michael tested his movement with a few stretches and idle twists. When everything checked out, he moved upright. His eyes glanced down to notice his au naturel state. A simple inhale caused his flesh to materialize clothing. A basic tee shirt and jeans did wonders for the casual walk. His hand reached for his back pocket and pulled a crumbling picture from it. Admiring eyes lingered on the image of Rach’s most recent image, drawing a dark smirk. 

The similarities were remarkable with hints of her darling mother to break them. His right index finger casually brushed the side of her cheek down to her chin, almost lovingly. Michael relished the upcoming fun as he replaced the picture into his pocket. It was time to get to work. The first priority was to gain his beloved daughter’s attention. A simple task, he was certain of that. 

All he had to do was leave a bread to crumble trail to follow. One that led up to an unavoidable meeting, but he would likely need to restrain her. Especially since she would be hard pressed to control those natural urges.  

Chuckling silently to himself, he began to make his way down to the ground floor.  

[center] ***|Few Hours later- Evening|*** [/center] 

Shawn Harper, a lucrative business man, strolled into the underground parking lot. His hand waved to go bye to the last living soul he would see for some time. George, the security guard, settled back into his booth with a newspaper. Shawn rolled his eyes. There was nothing in it, but recent vigilante shenanigans and destruction trash. Gossip and speculation over who wore a mask.

Those hero wannabes had created quite a stir, he thought bitterly. 

Farther into the darkness and isolation, his fingers tightened about his suitcase. His eyes suspiciously inspected each shadow. Each one he scrutinized it for any unsavory surprises or secrets it might hide, the worst expected from it. Paranoia filled his attention causing his eyes to dart from one recess to another. 

Nothing.    

Pillars stood over him like dead man made corpses, supporting the smooth roof. Their presence drew on his instinctive fear and goaded him faster toward the car. His feet picked up their pace the moment he found his car among the others. He raised a hand, with key extended, then pressed into the lock. 

It clicked open. His hand switched over, keys in a palm, to pull the door. It glided open as the sense of being watched crawled along his skin. Goosebumps appeared and pricked, jolted by fear. Cautiously, his vision looked over his shoulder for signs of life. Security his paranoia wasn’t tugging at his mind’s senses. Nothing. The sight didn’t nullify the heighten panic collecting in his soul. Hastily, his hand widened the door and ducked into the driver’s seat. 

As he ducked into the car, a human shape-shifted from the nearby shadows and gave a wide grin. The hand raised upright. Fingers extended and shaped into five, six-inch blades. Micheal stepped forward.