OOC;
This takes place at the Drăculești estate! Would love for one of his students to show up, bonus points if it’s the one being stalked by his second oldest kid LOL

IC;
The relief that comes with darkness is a blessing the beast finds himself exceedingly grateful for. Today’s sparring sessions had taken a lot out of him, given that all of them had taken place beneath the rather ruthlessly brutal light of the sun. His thick, heavy mane and gloomily dark pelt aren’t exactly assets during the day, although they come in handy at night.

The multitude of eyeball-mimicking markings scattered across his body also come in handy, helping to camouflage him and confuse potential attackers. Currently, the aforementioned markings are making the tree he’s lounging in look like it has eyes. The shadows welcome him, the dark parts of his body blending with the darkened wood as the moon rises.

A crescent moon, he notes, peering at it through the leaves of his tree. Nearby, he can hear the chatter of his multitude of progeny, his ears twitching as an overwhelming number of voices reach them. A hefty sigh escapes him, the behemoth thankful this particular tree was large enough to support his mass - it was his blessed retreat from the horde.

Not that his wives and children don’t know exactly where he is, of course, but the agreement is that no one comes out here to bother him unless it’s for something important. As familiar pawsteps approach his location, he stifles another sigh - though this one of annoyance, rather than relief. He’d just climbed up here ten minutes ago - what the hell could’ve happened?

Surely his wives or one of his eldest offspring can handle whatever the problem is, yes? Unless… well. If it’s related to Alucard, they’d have no choice but to bother him, considering the crimson male is disinclined to listen to anyone even on the best of days. “Father,” comes his eldest’s voice, every bit as cold as his own.

“Cloelia has pulled another disappearing act.” Ah. Yes, that… that is grounds to bother him. An unsupervised Cloelia set loose into the civilian population is almost as much of a disaster as an unsupervised Alucard, if not even worse in some ways. A sudden ache starts up in the back of his skull, and he releases his stifled sigh of irritation.

“Do you know where she’s been going lately?” He peers down at his eldest, eyes as cold and empty as always - or at least, they’d appear that way to anyone who doesn’t know him very well. The edges of his expression are soft with concern, his gaze warm with pride as he waits for her answer. “She seems to be… stalking someone, Father.”

The softness in his expression is quickly replaced with rigid control as his temper flares, gaze growing frighteningly cold in a matter of seconds. Hopping down to the ground, muzzle ever so slightly wrinkled in the beginnings of a snarl, he stares his daughter down. “With what intentions, Elena?” Chloe isn’t stupid enough to actually cause him any problems.

That being said, what the hell is she doing?

“Well… I think she’s stalking one of your students, Father. Perhaps she wishes to test them.” His developing headache quickly begins to dull at this news - if that’s what’s going on, it’ll be perfectly fine. It’s not as if he doesn’t ambush his students himself every now and then to make sure they stay sharp. Chloe can just be his substitute this time.

He does wonder which one of his students it is, though.

witch