Mercy arrives just when she said she would - right before dawn. She's just as Kane remembers her, short, fiery, and dangerous. Mark had told him a little about her when they had met the first time, mostly about the times that she had helped him out when he needed her. He knows that she, out of anyone else, will be loyal to Mark.

"Well, any leads?" She asks, stepping inside the dark house, her boots thudding softly on the wooden floor.

"No. I don't even know where to begin looking. I've never met him, so I don't have a feel for his power or energy." Kane says as she walks into the living. He's sitting in front of the fire again, flames roaring in the grate.

She holds out a hand, palm up, and a fireball detaches itself from the fire and flies to her. She cups her hands around it, letting it expand until she can see into it clearly. She closes her eyes and takes a deep breath, focusing on her memories of Shawn, few though they may be. The fire reflects those memories as Kane watches, fascinated. Mark occasionally shows up and it's clear to Kane that it was long before he knew Mark. He looks different somehow, but Kane can't quite put his finger on it.

"Come here." Mercy says, eyes still closed.

Kane gets up and stands beside her, still staring into the fire. She grabs one of his hands and holds onto it, letting Kane feel what she feels. He concentrates on what has to Shawn's energy. He knows the feel of Mark's and Mercy's, so this has to be Shawn's. It's wild and uncontainable, deep and rich, earthy. He's one of the most powerful vampires Kane has ever felt with few exceptions. Mercy slowly draws the memories back into herself, feeling that Kane has a good sense for Shawn's energy field.

"Now that you know what he feels like, finding him will be a little easier. The only issue is getting close enough to him that we can sense his power. Trust me, Shawn's had a very long time to avoid people and he's been in hiding from the Council members themselves and that's no easy feat. So we're going to have our work cut out for us." Mercy explains, tossing the fireball back into the fireplace.

Kane nods. "I know. I'm willing to do whatever it takes. I need to find him."

Mercy regards him for a moment, fingers tapping against her collarbone. "Alright. I suggest you go out and feed before we really begin to hunt for him because there won't be much time for that later on and this will take a great deal of power to pull off."

Kane glances at the heavily curtained window. "I would, but the sun has risen."

She looks surprised. "The sun bothers you? Even with Mark as your Sire?"

Kane frowns. "It doesn't bother you?"

"No. Well, if I'm out too long, I'll get a headache and mild sunburn, but nothing more than any human would. Is that the reason behind your scars?" She asks curiously.

Kane turns away from her. "Yes. The only way it doesn't burn me is if Mark is touching me, protecting me."

She makes a thoughtful noise in the back of her throat. "Well, get some rest then. Like I said, it's gonna be a hell of an effort trying to track down Shawn. I'm gonna go out and hunt, but I should be back shortly. Anything I should know about this village?"

Kane thinks for a moment. "No, not really."

"Okay. I'll be back later." She turns and walks back out the front door and Kane makes sure to keep out of the patch of sunlight that creeps in. She closes the door behind her and the house is bathed in darkness once more.

He settles back in front of the fire, surrounding himself in its comforting warmth. He lets his mind wander and he focuses on the heaviness in the air. It's getting closer, he can feel it. He just doesn't know who it is or even what it is. It's not quite a vampire, but certainly not mortal either. It's unsettling, whatever it is. His head aches and so he gets up, pushing the fire gently back into the grate and heads for the bedroom, laying down on his side of the bed.

He can still smell Mark's lingering scent on his pillow and he growls, pushing away the urge to curl himself around it. That's an entirely too human thing to do and he's not going to do that with Mercy around, though he suspects she would understand. She's different than any other vampire he's ever met. She didn't judge him or mock him for sunlight being his weakness, even though he's far past the age where it should be able to hurt him.

He resists the urge to seek out the bond between him and Mark because he doesn't want to feel that wall again. He hates the fact that he can't feel Mark's presence in his mind anymore. He hates that he can't feel what Mark's feeling or hear what he's thinking about. It's like a piece of him is missing and he doesn't know what to do without it.

He supposes he must drift off at some point because he wakes briefly when he hears Mercy come back from her feeding. She doesn't disturb him though and he figures that it must still be day. He drifts off once more. He doesn't necessarily need the sleep, but it is nice and it's a distraction from the heaviness and the lack of Mark.

His dreams are dark and shadowed with the occasional flame licking at him here and there. Lightening cracks across the sky and he feels like Mark is nearby, but he can't quite tell where he is. He's just out of reach and Kane is beyond the point of being frustrated. He keeps running, looking for Mark, but he can't find him. There's nothing there for him to find.

He wakes with a start, panting harshly into the quiet of the bedroom. He growls and pushes himself up off the bed and goes downstairs. Mercy is sitting in front of the fire, eyes closed, meditating.

He moves to the door, not wanting to disturb her and goes outside. The moon is full and bright, sitting high in the sky and he realizes that he's slept far longer than he meant to. This hunt must be quick to make up for lost time. He moves quickly, silently, unseen by mortal eyes as he hunts for his next target. A lone man by the edge of the river that runs through the center of the village seems as good as any.

Kane creeps up behind him, silent as a shadow. He wraps his arm around the man's waist and the other around his shoulder, reaching up and covering his mouth with his hand. The man screams, but it's muffled against Kane's palm. He struggles, trying to kick at Kane since Kane has his arms pinned to his sides, but it's all to no avail. Kane pays him no mind. Kane wastes little time in sinking his fangs into the side of the man's neck and drinking deeply. The man's blood spills into his mouth, hot and heady, and Kane suppresses a moan of desire. The man goes limp in his arms and Kane drops him like a rag doll, Mark's voice in his head warning him not to drink the last drop of blood.

Kane wishes Mark's voice was more than just a memory of a long ago lesson. He sighs and calls up his fire and burns the body to ashes and kicks at them with his boot, making them scatter in the light breeze. No one will miss the man.

He heads back to the house, the taste of blood still lingering on his tongue and he feels his powers surge as they do when he's fed.

Now it's time to begin an entirely different hunt.