When Last You Fed

25 Petalmoon, 2E 222

I've been monitoring this vampire girl, Lucinda Palemoon, for a few days now. It's a necessity when dealing with unknown vampires; many are civil, but one misstep around the wrong one is all it takes. That's basically the one thing the Silverblades are right about.

And while it's been only a few days, I've already seen things that worry me. "Lucinda, dear," I call softly. She's sitting out on the patio watching the glowwyrms floating around the forest.

"Yes, Lady Suncrest?" she replies sweetly, turning her head toward me. Her wavy honey-blonde hair is worn loose, noticeably concealing her ears. So she's aware of them and what they warn of, which worries me, and her fangs are also more visible than I'd like.

"When was the last time you fed?"

"I-" The words seem to catch in her throat, and her eyes sink to the ground.

I sigh and shake my head. She's going to make this difficult; I truly do not wish to push her. "I know you need to. I know you can feed without any lasting harm. But I need to know when the last time was, I need..." I trail off, searching for the words, trying to reassure her that I'm not angry or scared. "I need to know you're taking care of yourself. Please?"

"It's been... it's been a while," she admits sadly. "I- I can't- I-" Her voice falters, turning to a low mumble as the words tumble out. "I can't hurt people."

That's what I was afraid of. "But eventually you must," I remind her. "How long do you go between feedings?"

"I truly cannot recall. By the time I do feed, it's all- it's all blurry. I can't think. If I do, I know what I'm doing, and I-" She shudders and tears pool in her eyes. I take a seat next to her and offer my shoulder, holding her as she cries. I'm still taken aback at the cruelty in turning her.

She recovers faster than the previous time, thankfully. "Lucinda. The reason I asked is... your ears, your fangs, the hunger-fugue. By putting feeding off for so long, you face a real risk of becoming a bloodfiend. Has anyone died during these feedings?" She shakes her head. "That's impressive restraint," I say with a hopefully-comforting smile. "But I don't want you to continue putting yourself in that kind of danger."

"Thank you," she says, taking slow breaths. I turn and begin to stand from the bench, and I feel her hand on my sleeve. "Wait. Putting myself in danger? Not- not other people?"

"Them as well, but you're a vampire, not a monster. Your wellbeing is important too," I remind her, taking her hand while she rises.

"Do you have any ideas?" she asks quietly, more sigh than speech, alluding to a reality she does not wish to face.

"A few." A gentle lie. In truth but one, possibly two, both far from certain. But let the girl have hope. And perhaps, let myself have hope. "Failing everything else, you would not be the first vampire I've allowed to feed. But that, we can discuss in more detail later. I have Melina pressing herbs, and should check her progress."

Suncrest's Bestiary: Glowwyrms

Appearance
Glowwyrms are ophidian creatures known and named for the glowing tails they develop. Mature glowwyrms have a long fin-like wing on each side of their body, running almost its full length, which may be up to a meter. From these fin-wings, two pairs of long, narrow subwings extend. Counterintuitively, the fin-wings are more important to their flight, as they manipulate local ephemera to take flight and to maneuver; the extended subwings are for gliding.

Glowwyrm coloration varies, and bloodline is believed to be the primary factor. Those nearest my home have scales reminiscent of bronze, yet those in the Emerald Spires have striped azure and cream scales.

Their tail glow coloration also varies, but less so, limited to a range of yellow, green, and blue shades. Unlike their scales, age is also an element in glow coloration; blue is most common in adolescence, when the glow first develops, and most older glowwyrms have a yellow glow instead.

Their spade-shaped heads have sharp teeth suited to hunting small rodents and birds. They do not have the same jaw range some snakes boast, but can still handle small eggs, like those of the robin.

Lifespan
A clutch of glowwyrms will mature three to five years after hatching, and will go on to live up to fifteen more years. Those native to the Emerald Spires tend to live even longer; while the reason has not yet been determined, it's believed to be connected to fae influence.

Habitat
Glowwyrms, like all ophidians, favor warmer climates, but they have uncommon tolerance for cold. They can hibernate through temperate winters, but those in tropical forests or other hot environments do not hibernate at all. While they can endure desert temperatures, the lack of vegetation leaves them too exposed to predators.

They prefer to nest on elevated ground, especially concealed. Hollows in still-standing trees are especially popular, but they will also nest within shrubbery, under rocks, or in rare cases abandoned bird nests.

Behavior
Glowwyrms are remarkably playful creatures. Their friendliness and approachability has led to children playing with them, then pursuing them into the forests, where they are lost to unrelated dangers. Unfortunately, this has been blamed on the wyrms instead of the children, and several cities have been stirred to violence against the creatures after a child came to harm.

They are social creatures, but only for a part of the day, after which they return to their concealed nests alone, or with their mate and young. Their gatherings are believed to be predominantly for communication, though they do also work together to hunt when opportunity arises.

Their glowing tails are an important part of their communication and group hunting tactics. The glow is variable in intensity and can be dimmed to almost nonexistent, though not instantly, and different motions with differing amounts of glow can convey different messages.

When hunting as a group, some members of the group will use their glowing tails to herd their prey toward glowwyrms waiting in ambush, usually concealed entirely and always with their tail covered so the little remaining light doesn't alert the prey. When hunting alone, they rely on ambush or finding sleeping prey.

Diet
Glowwyrms are predominantly carnivorous. They enjoy the tastes of some berries and fruits, but cannot consume too many lest they have digestive complications. For those keeping a glowwyrm as a pet, occasional berries or bits of sweet citrus will be an appreciated treat, in moderation.

Human Interaction
As noted in Behavior, their relationship with humanity is rocky. It is not all bad, however. They're not uncommonly seen as pets, especially for witches such as myself; their scales are valuable in divination and other ritual work. With care, you can scrape off scales or the powder thereof from the surface without harming them. If you are less comfortable with that, you may also gather their moltings; while these scales are less potent, they will still accomplish much the same thing.

Communities of glowwyrms are common near my home, and they allow me to gather their scales.

They have a curious talent for reading intent; no matter how well-concealed, they can identify hostile intent in anyone that sets out to hunt them. Should this sense fail them, after one comes to harm, any others in their community will either amass for defense or disappear into hiding. This is probably the primary reason they are comfortable around much larger creatures; if we were going to hurt them, they'd know. This is likely connected to the uses their scales have in the craft, but anything more certain I have not yet been able to determine.