Chapter 3

When the two girls were old enough, he began their training. For several hours each day the girls learned how to write and speak several languages, math, plus learning how to walk and act as true human. When they had reached their thirteenth year, he took them to the lower part of the castle to a special room. Thus began the next phase of their training.

Each day was a grueling session for the two girls, who had developed early into young women. They first learned the basics of self-defense, learning how to use their natural cat-like grace to be aggressive and to defend themselves. Next came the martial arts training. Zagaron was toughest here, for they each had to learn self-discipline; to know when it was time to fight and a time to back away. Several times Zagaron would admonish Panthera, saying she needed to control her temper and not fly off the handle. He would shake his head, seeing the human side of her come out when she needed to keep her actions under control. Panthera would walk off, angry at his words. Jaguar, who was the calm one of the two, would go talk with her. "Why does he push so hard?" Panthera would complain. "What are we being trained for?"

"Sis, take it easy. Father knows what he is doing. When he chooses to tell us he will, but until then, stay focused on what he is telling you. Don't become so emotional."

Panthera would nod and the both of them would return to the training room. As they grew older, the girls became more agile and skilled. The many hours of training also made them strong, as well as the fact that being half vampire already made them stronger than any human. Of the two, Panthera was the most skilled, and the most dangerous. Zagaron knew she would be the one who would enjoy killing the most.

FORWARD: The year is 2002 Panthera and Jaguar were now adults and had grown into very beautiful exotic women. Jaguar had deep auburn hair and green eyes, while Panthera had jet black hair and yellow almond-shaped eyes. Both women were shapely built and each moved with cat-like grace. Zagaron was proud of the both of them. He knew that their beauty and grace would be looked upon with awe in the human world, which would be an asset to them for the task they were about to do. The time was coming also for him to let his daughters know what their task would be.

Zagaron had kept the Council apprised of the progress of his assassins, but never telling them they were female. He told them that at the next meeting they would get to see his assassins.

The girls were in their room, dressed in long-sleeved black velvet dresses but low in the front. He had given them each a golden locket, special made for them. The locket, if rubbed four times, would transport them to wherever merely by having them concentrate. They looked in the mirror at themselves. Each had worn their hair long, when accentuated their exotic looks; their skin pale and creamy complexioned.

"I wonder when father is going to tell us?" Panthera asked.

"I believe he will tonight. I understand the Council of Vampires is here."

They went downstairs, where their father was waiting. "You two are very beautiful tonight. I'm sure the Council will be very surprised."

"Are we to find out tonight?" Panthera asked.

"Yes, you and Jaguar will be told in front of the Council."

He extended his arms to his daughters as they each took one and escorted them to the Council Chamber. When they entered, the Council arose from their chairs. Zagaron sat at the head while the girls each sat beside him. "I would like you to meet my daughters, Panthera and Jaguar. These are the two I spoke of."

The Council was shocked. "You mean these two are whom you have chosen?"

"Don't be misled by what you see in front of you. Ever since they were old enough to walk, they have been educated in the fine arts and languages. They have, being trained personally by me, learned all aspects of the martial arts and have been trained how to spot these rogues whatever disguise they may be in. As for their physical shapes, I can assure you that despite their half human-half vampire background, they both are as strong as any man and can move with speed. So, my fellow council members, you need not worry. They will get the job done."

The council went quiet. Finally one of them spoke. "We will trust your judgment, Zagaron." The meeting was adjourned. The girls looked at each other, a bit confused at first. Jaguar spoke up. "This is why Panthera and I worked so hard all these years. We are to be vampire hunters?"

"To put it in human terms, yes. It will be up to you two to kill every one that you find. Do not let any live. And above all else, I stress again, do not become emotionally involved with any human. You are being sent for one purpose only."

"How are we to kill these so-called rogues?" Panthera asked.

Zagaron went over to the wall and opened a secret panel. Inside were two small black cases. He brought them over to the table and opened them. Inside each case were two small weapons a dagger and a small hatchet both made from pure silver. "These are what you will use. You will travel from place to place and search every hideout that is possible." He held up the dagger. "You are to cut their throat or thrust it deep into the heart. The hatchet you will use to cut their head off."

"That seems rather crude."

"It is rather crude, but it is the most effective method for killing them."

The girls looked at the cases. Panthera picked up the hatchet and began swinging it just as she had been taught. "I don't know. Lopping their heads off sounds pretty good to me." A cat-like grin appeared on her face.

Zagaron looked at his daughters as they fingered the weapons. He had little doubt they would do the job. But he shook his head, for he also knew that Panthera was more emotional that Jaguar, who he would have to depend on to keep Panthera from becoming too emotional lest it cloud her judgment.

Chapter 4

After the Council left, the girls went into the library and took down a world atlas. "Well, how do we choose where to go?" Jaguar asked.

"Let’s see. I’ll just hold the book, pages up and let it fall open. Whatever map it opens to, that’s where we go." Panthera stood the book up and on the count of three let it fall. The pages flew open, finally ending on New York.

"New York. That’s where we go."

"I understand it’s very crowded."

"That’s the perfect place to start our hunt. No one will pay any attention to us."

NEW YORK CITY (2 weeks later) After they arrived, the girls found a hotel and checked in. They decided to have a look around and boarded a transit bus marked Broadway. The bus let them off in the middle of Broadway. When the girls first alit they were awed at the size of the buildings and of so many people walking. As the girls walked down the street, people stared at the two shapely women. Panthera’s fangs were beginning to protrude out, the smell of blood making her salivate. "What I wouldn’t give for some fresh blood right now," she whispered. "I’m starving!"

"You had better get your fangs under control," Jaguar said. "I’m starving myself, but you know what we can’t do."

Panthera forced them to retract. Jaguar spotted something down the street. "Look over there!" she pointed to a building at the end of the block. Panthera looked at where she pointed. "WWE Restaurant. What is a WWE?"<> "I don’t know, but right now I don’t care as long as they have food."

The girls crossed the street and entered the restaurant. It was crowded as usual so the girls had a ten-minute wait before they were seated. A waiter was there immediately with menus and water for them. They ordered wine and looked over the menus.

"They sure have weird names for their food," Jaguar commented.

"Here’s something that sounds good. Looks like it’s made of raw chopped sirloin. Just what I’m in the mood for," Panthera continued looking. Jaguar was looking at the tables around them, seeing what the other customers were having then back at the menu. "I think I’ll have the Smell What the Rock is Cookin’ Burger and a double order of fries."

The waiter came back. "Are you ladies ready to order?"

Jaguar ordered the burger, blood rare, double fries and a coke. Panthera ordered the same thing and added the raw chopped sirloin. The waiter looked at them oddly. "The burger is pretty thick. Sure you don’t want it cooked more?" The girls shook their heads. "I want it jumping up and down on the plate, the blood running everywhere," Panthera told him.

"Will there be anything else?"

The girls shook their heads, so the waiter left. The food arrived ten minutes later. The girls dug in hungrily. The other customers looked at how the girls ate their practically raw burgers. Some made faces because the meat was so red the juices dripped on their chins. Panthera ate the raw chopped sirloin with gusto. "Boy, is that good!" Jaguar tried it. "Not bad." When they had finished, the girls sat back in their chairs and slowly sipped their cokes.

"Well, we chose New York, so now what?"

"I was thinking, when we’re through here, where do we go next? And what do we use for cover. We can’t just go around on a killing spree, people here might become suspicious. We need a cover of some kind. Something like . . ."

The girls heard the crowd begin to cheer on the other side of the restaurant. Curious, they head to where the noise came from. They saw a crowded room with a stage at one end. The girls stood at the entrance as Tazz and Al Snow came on stage. The crowded cheered but soon quieted down.

Tazz got on the mike, and announced that the WWE was holding auditions for people to try out for the chance to win a contract with the company. Those chosen would then go to Stanford, CT and train at the facility there. After 15 weeks, a decision would be made and the judges would then pick the two best to win contracts.

"This sounds like the perfect cover. What do you think?" Panthera asked.

"Us? Wrestlers? That’s a laugh. But it doesn’t sound like a bad idea. From what I gather from hearing several others, they travel all over the world," Jaguar said. "It looks like they're giving out applications. I’ll go get a couple."

Jaguar pushed her way through the crowd and picked up a couple of applications. They went back to their table and began filling them out. Jaguar started to laugh. "It’s asking for our age?"

Panthera giggled. "Gee, we’re only 150 years old."

"Okay, we’ll lie; say thirtish?"

"Good enough."

They finished filling them out. Jaguar took them over to the table. She came back with a card. "They said tryouts are in a couple of days in Stanford. Here’s the card and the time we need to be there."

Panthera looked at her watch. "It’s five. Let’s get back to the hotel and rest for a bit. When it gets good and dark then we’ll start."

Around midnight the girls put on dark outfits. Jaguar thought it a good idea that each of them carry a weapon. Jaguar put the dagger down inside her boot, and Panthera put the small hatchet underneath her shirt, the handle inside the waist of her pants. They opened the door, carefully looking to see that no one was around. They went down the backstairs and exited through the parking garage.

"Well, where do we go from here? So far I haven’t seen anything."

"I overheard someone at the restaurant say something about how the police had found a body that looked like it had been sucked dry."

"Where?"

"Central Park."

Part3

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