Authors Note: Soooo getting that fear again that I'm losing wherever this story was going. - Hopefully it's just because it's insanely late (or early) and I'm deprived of sleep. Anyways, a little more interaction here. Yes it's kind of a slow pace at the moment, but I want to take the time so you guys fully understand my characters. :D Enjoy~

"Five more minutes."

Another shove.

Vivian groaned and pulled the sheet over her head more, closing her eyes tight.

Damyen mumbled, giving her another push with the heel of his foot. "Wake up human. I don't even understand how you can sleep for so long."

With a final push, Vivian grumbled, pulling the sheet from her face and rubbing the sleep from her eyes.

Oh god, why am I so sore? She groaned inwardly, then realizing her sleeping surface. Right. Rock floor. She sat up, careful to keep the sheet about her, and stretched as much as she could. Her arm hurt less now, she noticed, and began fiddling with the straps of the sling holding it up.

Damyen noticed her struggle, and with a sigh, knelt down next to her.

"Hey, I can do it myself!" She piped, but he was numb to the bickering. Quickly he unfastened it, letting her arm fall limply to her side. She flexed it a bit, rotating it at the shoulder, wincing slightly.

The bite there still hurt a bit, but felt more like a bruise than a flesh wound now.

He stood next to her for a moment, his patience wearing thin. "Well, are you getting up?"

She pouted slightly, placing a hand on her stomach. "I'm really hungry." And nearly frozen to death, she noted to herself.

He raised an eyebrow at her, then shrugged out of his jacket. She looked up at him in question when he approached her again, placing the jacket over her shoulders. She didn't know what to say. Was it a kind gesture? Or just insuring that his 'pet' didn't die on him? She really didn't feel like asking, and truthfully, she didn't care. She was just thankful for the extra bit of warmth she had.

She pulled the jacket tight over herself, slipping her arms in the sleeves. The inside was a sheep skin materiel, plush and insulating, and the outside a heavy brown leather.

"Thank you," she said quietly, and pushed herself off the ground. With the jacket now zipped and covering her, she worked the sheet out a bit from underneath it, folding it a bit and tying it at her waist.

Running her fingers through her straight mahogany hair, she noticed how heavy the jacket was, and how long the sleeves were, hanging over her hands a fair bit.

She frowned. "Aren't you going to get cold now?"

He gave her a half smirk. "I'm dead. I don't get cold."

A shiver ran up her spine, and she swallowed thickly.

"Come," he commanded, leading the way out of the shaft. If she ever saw this place again it would be too soon.

Stepping outside for the first time, her jaw nearly dropped. A long trail lead from the mine shaft, through a thick forest. Tall magnificent pines towered above them, capped in snow, glowing in the light of the near full moon above. She took a step forward, still gawking upward at the trees, when she suddenly jumped back.

A few feet from the opening of the shaft, the ground was completely covered in snow, at least two feet high. And considering she wasn't a tall girl, standing at 5'3" on a good day, that was a lot.

"Problem?" He asked her, as he started trudging forward through the snow.

She grimaced, taking a half step backward. "Uh, yeah. I'm bare foot."

He stopped and turned to face her, not quite understanding her predicament.

After another silence, she shifted her weight from foot to foot, shaking from the cold. "You see, dead boy, I'm alive. And unlike any animal out here, without something covering my feet...they may very well fall off after a few hours. Personally, I don't want that to happen."

He sighed, again wondering why he found her so intriguing in the first place. He stepped forward quickly, and before she could protest, he had bent over, tucking an arm behind her knees, the other placed on her back. With a small yelp, she was in the air, and tossed over his back.

"This...this isn't comfortable," she moaned after a good hour of traveling.

"Would you stop whining? We could do it the other way and have your feet fall off, if you'd like."

She growled softly, and let herself fall limp over his shoulder once again. Oh she wanted to complain so badly. She was bored. Counting his tracks in the snow lost it's appeal after an hour or so. She had successfully picked all the lint from the back of his black sweater, too. And she was hungry still. And now the jostling from his walk was irritating her stomach. One by one more annoying things popped in to her head.

No, she was not a happy camper.

"So..." she said awkwardly.

He didn't answer.

"Um...why don't you tell me a bit of where we are?" She proposed. "Like...what is this forest called? Or province? I don't know how Russia works."

He still didn't answer her, just kept his pace.

She mumbled something, then attempted to continue. "I know Moscow. Are we anywhere near there?"

"Moscow is West of here."

"How far West?"

He mulled over it for a moment. "A little over one thousand miles, I think."

She mentally slapped her forehead. "So where are we now?"

"Siberia, not far off from the Lena river."

Her eyes widened a bit. First thing she thought when she heard 'Siberia' was 'Siberian Tiger'. "What...kind of animals do we have to worry about here?"

He shrugged, making her head bob against him slightly. "Tigers would be the worst. Bears, too. Oh and wolves."

Oh lovely. I'm going to die. I'm really going to die in this desolate frozen waste land. And I won't even get a last meal. Her stomach growled at the last though.

"With me here, no mere cat or dog is going to kill you. That would take all the fun out of it for me." He mused to her, smiling triumphantly when she stiffened.

"Oh ha ha," she bit out sarcastically. "I'm so glad I have you to protect me. Just think, what if I never got kidnapped, and never ended up in the middle of fucking no where, Russia? Who on Earth would protect me then?" She batted her eyelashes innocently, despite the face that he couldn't see.

"No one," he replied calmly, unaffected by her sarcasm.

She rolled her eyes. "Woe as me."

After a near whole night of traveling, the pair came upon an abandoned cabin. Vivian's incessant complaining about her fatigue, and her hunger, was really beginning to hurt his ears, so Damyen decided to settle down for the night. Also considering dawn was approaching, it was in his best interest as well. Once on the steps to the front of the small house, he let her slide from his shoulder, not bothering to see if she had her balance.

She did, but not well. She wobbled a bit, grabbing the frame of the door to steady herself. Damyen had opened the aged door and stepped in to the small house. It was barren inside. No furniture, no supplies of any kind. Not even a stove or fireplace.

Lack of heat was definitely the first thing Vivian noticed, but anything to block the wind was welcome to her.

"The sun will be coming up soon," he said, taking a seat on the floor. "Best you get some rest. I'll find you something to eat when you wake."

She nearly forgot about food until that, and her stomach spoke again, protesting it's neglect. She sat opposite from him, as far as she could. Rubbing her hands against her wind-chilled cheeks, blowing on them from time to time, trying to bring heat back to her body.

There was no more conversation between them, only silence. Save for the owl that was hooting outside the cabin, nearly scaring the life out of Vivian. She slowly rested herself against the uneven wooden planks of the floor. No, it was no five star hotel room, but it was better than a mine shaft. Resting on her side, she brought her knees to her chest, curling her arms in to herself.

Damyen watched her struggle to find warmth and comfort through one open eye. If she wasn't so annoying perhaps I would feel a bit guiltier about leaving her to fend for herself. He listened to the surroundings and over time heard her breath slow to an even pace. She was far less annoying when she was asleep.

He approached her sleeping form, watching her intently. As a vampire, he didn't need sleep himself, but it was interesting to see this girl in her slumbering state. Living a sheltered life by his clan really did leave him thirsting for knowledge. He had always been curious about the mechanics of a human.

She mumbled some things in her sleep through chattering teeth, pulling the jacket he had given her tight to herself. Something about her mother and father he recognized, then something about a 'bastard', which made his lips curl in a crooked smile.

She still shivered though, and he wasn't sure why. He could see the breath come out of her parted lips in short puffs as they quivered.

Then he remembered her comment about not being able to walk in the snow bare footed.

"Weak," he whispered, almost as if he were talking to her. But still, as he pondered her fragility, he knew that she needed warmth to survive. And while he produced no heat himself, he could insulate her the best he could. What possessed him to keep this girl alive other than pure curiosity was beyond him.

He crawled behind her and curled around her, her back pressed to his stomach. Unconsciously in her sleep she wiggled a bit closer to him.

There was a soft tapping at the front door, and he scowled. Standing slowly, he put all his senses on high alert. Approaching slowly, he pulled the door open a crack, peeking through from the side.

No one.

He opened the door a bit more, and only when he looked down did he see his visitor. A small pigeon stood, turning it's head side to side. Damyen looked at it puzzled for a moment, before noticing something tied to it's ankle. Leaning down, he picked the bird up gingerly, pulling it's leg from beneath itself to inspect. A small paper had been rolled up and tied to it's leg.

Untying it, he released the bird, and it took to the sky.

'Dearest Son,

You running off like that was not a wise decision. And with a human girl, no less. Ancients here are already questioning what has happened.

You're uncle and myself took care of the search team, in case you had forgotten about them. We still have not decided what to do with the girl's family.

But be warned, wherever you are; that girl will bring you nothing but trouble. A vampire consorting with a mortal will be frowned down upon by any coven you seek. Don't be surprised if you have a tracker soon, hunting both of your heads.

Son, you may not know much of our ways yet...but I hope you learned enough to survive through whatever screwed up plan you have in your head.'

Damyen sighed softly to himself, sloppily folding the letter and jamming it in his pocket. He was grateful to his coven for keeping him safe his whole life, but that took away a lot from him. He knew only the basics of survival, and of his skills. He knew little of the outside world other than what he had read from text books.

He turned to face Vivian, lying on the floor snoring softly. And he knew so little of humans. He studied her carefully, noting the way her silken chocolate locks flowed, coiling around her shoulder and pooling behind her back. Thick lashes hooded her closed eyes, which he knew were a piercing blue, dappled in violet. She was short, reaching barely his shoulder when she stood. Her thin legs were pulled to her chest, the sheet tied about her clinging to her form.

Small things about her fascinated him, the simple rise and fall of her chest as she breathed evenly in her sleep.

He didn't breath. He could, and and out of reflex it did happen from time to time, but he had no need for air. He couldn't even remember what it felt like to take in a deep breath of air in his past life. To breathe now made his throat feel dry, and it was almost unpleasant.

With a final sigh, he came back to her, taking a place behind her to give her any warmth he could.

A soft mew escaped her lips as she turned, her head tucked under his chin.

Yes, she's far less annoying when she's asleep, he thought to himself with a chuckle.

End Note: I'm pleased with the length of the chapters thus far, but I still feel like something is off. x.x Always open to suggestions guys. If you have any ideas don't be shy! * 3 * Reviews are nice, too. They are food for my brain, and my brain is in desperate need of some noms. Feeeeeed meeeee ( * -,*)7 Thanks to the followers I have already, I hope I don't dissapoint!