"For now he was content to know that he and Firekeeper would continue to run side by side." ~ Wolf's Soul, Jane Lindskold.

I have so many feelings, and not enough words to put them in. I adore the way that you were able to use the same sentences to depict very different emotions, "in caves deep and mountains not". The knight's delivery at the beginning felt like they were reading a litany of their sins, whereas I could almost hear the princess gliding along that same itenerary with dreamy-eyed wonder.

If I were to try to find something to critique, I would say that it felt like the rhythm was clunky in a few cases. I certainly don't think it detracted overall from the response, and I thoroughly enjoyed reading it.

Thank you for your words.

"The tribe is whatever we believe it is. If we say the tribe is all the Little Ones in the forest, and all the trees, then that is what the tribe is. Even though some of the oldest trees here came from warriors of two different tribes, fallen in battle. We become one tribe because we say we’re one tribe." ~ Andrew Wiggin, Speaker for the Dead.

I really like the story. I think it's great that you were able to understate how badly the vampires had to have been hurting, that they were willing to take the offered job on first blush for a chance to earn cooperation with the human camp.

It's important, in my mind at least, in any fantasy or sci-fi to remember that human can be an adjective as well as a noun. The vampires here really showcased their humanity in a moment of weakness.

Excellent words!