[center][img]https://fontmeme.com/permalink/200603/ff082b4f376eb0b3cac1d7bd7a9c5c01.png[/img][/center]

[center][i]Yeah, you don't know my mind,
You don't know my kind,
Dark necessities are part of my design.[/i][/center]


[b]Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest | Southwest Oregon | Present Day[/b]

Hunger.

It had become an ever-present driving force as instinct and survival distorted the world around her, placing the [i]beast within[/i] several rungs up on the evolutionary ladder, and as far as she was concerned, at the very top of the food chain. Although, as much as Nicole’s humanity tried to resist the call of the wild, the stronger it became, the more she lusted after the blood running through the veins of surrounding life. As if by muscle memory, her hand quickly reached for a scurrying rabbit, the tip of her fingers brushed against brown fur as it escaped under a cluster of large rocks. Her legs bent into a slight crouch, likened to an attack position, ready to pounce the next victim that crossed her path. The girl’s senses opened up to higher degrees, as she could begin feeling movement in the vicinity. Their hearts beating at varying intervals, perhaps some from fear, others anger, but curiosity still weighed heavily on many forest animals, not quite understanding what it was that this woman carried within. She looked similar to any human that they had come across before, but something vicious crept beneath her skin, a predatory aura emitted from her body, as though they knew she could devour them all in one fell swoop.

And there it was, the one lone grey fox emerging from behind a tree, snarling under its breath at the threat several feet in front.

Nicole gave the creature a hard stare, licking her lips through a wide grin formed across her face, before slowly walking toward it. She found herself letting out low guttural growls, taunting the creature and positioning her body for immediate retaliation. The fox began backing away slowly as Nicole approached, until the creature could no longer maintain its stance and took off in the opposite direction. And so she followed. Her legs sprang into action with supernatural speed and agility, leaping onto all fours and momentarily gaining the advantage she needed to keep up with the equally quick animal. Adrenaline & blood pumped furiously through her veins as she shifted back to her legs, sprinting with all the strength and fervor that could be mustered up in her weary state, primarily focused on the prey mere inches from her grasp.

[i]What the hell?[/i]

It was about the only thought -more like half of one- that Nicole’s mind could express as beastial instincts took hold of both her consciousness and body, pushing her further into the hunt. She quickly turned a sharp corner as the fox's attempts at evasion proved futile, and the woman gained the advantage she deserved, snatching the animal by the hind quarters and tackling it to the ground before it had time to react.

The vampire [i]-the Gangrel-[/i] within let out a howl of victory which burst through the woman's vocals. Loud and straining. Her human fingers tore at the fur and skin, desperately seeking warm susteneous that rain through its body. Blood covered her hands and wrists as she lifted the fresh kill to her awaiting lips, sinking teeth deep into flesh and bone and tearing away large pieces drenched in the fresh red warmth which trickled down her awaiting throat. 

The monster had overcome the human in that moment. Survival over reasoning. And for the Gangrel, it was merely first steps into a new age...

[center][img]https://ak.picdn.net/shutterstock/videos/8289280/thumb/1.jpg[/img][/center]


As if waking from a dream, Nikki found herself sprawled out on the damp, dense forest floor staring up past the thick of the massive pines that seemed to reach the stars in the blackened sky. It was as if at that moment, clarity struck her mind, and all things could be heard and seen with senses unknown before, and it was then, as her hunger was satisfied by the kill, that she let out a brief laugh that echoed through the trees. Her mind was calm for once in a long while since leaving the company of…who was that again?

[i]Eva.[/i]

Strangely enough the hold that the Elder had on the young vampire was slowly drifting. Had it been distance that pulled the tether tight enough to unravel it’s connection, or was it something else? Mere threads were left. Sure, she was hurt, but the more she thought about it -allowing the clean, fresh air to clear the cobwebs of indecision- she knew why the Toreador had to let her go. It was in her nature to be free. As a new part of clan Gangrel, she had to be free, to survive, to prove to herself as much as possible that she was cut out to be one of them. The mortal life she had known for all those years prior to the embrace were becoming more unattainable, and there was really no going back to what she once knew as familiar.

Reaching out with seemingly limitless contacts, Eva took care of the loose ends in Nicole’s mortal world, especially that of her death. Her black 1969 Chevelle SS, a car she loved more than just about anything, had been pulled out of the Pacific about a week ago. According to eye-witnesses, a lone passenger was seen speeding along the PCH, flying through the guardrailing, and plummeting into the ocean. Nicole’s body was never found. Very few answers to dozens or more questions, but what recourse was there? A cover-up is a cover-up, and while Nicole didn’t agree with any of it, her previous life was no longer valid. She had to accept what she was now.

As for her Sire, according to what Eva had told her, he was nowhere to be found after his capture following the embrace. So, perhaps one of two things may have happened: The vampire was taken and killed by the Sabbat scum who assaulted him, or, he had disappeared into the shadows, either abandoning or [i]awaiting[/i] his new childe once again. Nicole secretly hoped for the latter. She needed answers. 

Answers, that would inevitably send her back to the urban sprawls and outlying areas of Los Angeles.