Marcus glanced up in response to the sound of wings in a nearby tree, careful not to turn his head, to give any sign that he had noticed the bird. Normally no creature would remain that close to him and the sensation of being watched was rather unsettling. His eyes followed the eagle as it flew to land behind him, then turned back to the pool. Perhaps this was the sign of magical beings he had been waiting for. In any case, he was in no danger, so could afford to watch the moonlight rather than his new companion.
After a moment his suspicions were proven, as the sounds of bones breaking and skin stretching over a larger frame began behind him. Marcus' nose wrinkled as the scent of a shapeshifter overpowered the previous aroma of eagles blood. The more human fragrance smelled infinitely more appealing than that of the animal, yet was not quite human enough to be tempting. The mixture of bloods placed shapeshifters rather far down the list of acceptable blood sources for him.
Some vampires chose to survive solely on animal blood, to spare human lives, worried that they were harming the innocent. In Marcus' opinion, that was the most idiotic lifestyle in the world. Animals were far less nutritious and tasted terrible. Humans weren't all vegetarians trying to spare the poor cow from death. He could see no problem with following his own instincts, especially when it was the natural order of things. Besides, it isn't like there aren't plenty of humans to spare. Eight hundred years of hunting and the human race was larger than ever. Those silly American vampires were blinded by dreams of morality and finding justice in their afterlife.
The shapeshifter rose behind him. Marcus could hear his heart pounding in his chest, his bones settling. The vampire smirked. The boy was yet another example of how idiotic humans were, ignoring their instincts to satisfy curiosity.
"Don't kill me!" he shouted, raising his arms in defense. Marcus turned to look at him, amused by his outburst. The shifter was older than him physically it seemed, though not by much. Two, three years at most. Green eyes, tanned skin, an angular face – attractive for a human he supposed. If he weren't a shifter Marcus would have enjoyed having him for dinner.
"I'm sorry but... Wha' are you?" the boy asked, tilting his head ridiculously to the side. Marcus raised an eyebrow in response. It should have been evident what he was, especially to another supernatural being. Nevertheless, he opened his mouth to reply, but was stopped by the boy continuing, evidently having remembered some manners he had been taught in his life.
"Sorry, 'bout that'. I'm Cailan. You are? Do you go to the magic school?" he queried, holding out his hand. Marcus took it slowly, watching as the boy… Cailan, tilted his head to the other side and shivered. The vampire looked over his body, noting his lack of clothing. Evidently his other form was too small to carry clothing, as another shifter Marcus had known had done.
"I am Marcus Orion, Prince du sang et pair de France when I lived. I do not attend the magic school, but if you know the way I would enjoy visiting it." He said pleasantly, releasing the shifter's hand and shrugging out of his trench coat.
"Take this. It will warm up presently." He said, placing it around Cailan's shoulders. The cold meant nothing to Marcus, and it would not be conducive to a non-violent meeting to arrive at the school with what he believed to be one of its students naked and half-frozen.