"You know there's this passage I've got memorized : Ezekial 25:17. 'The path of the righteous man is beset on all sides by the inequities of the selfish, and the tyranny of evil men. Blessed is he, who in the name of charity and goodwill,shepherds the weak through the valley of darkness, for he is truly his brothers keeper,and the finder of lost children. And I shall strike down upon thee with great vengeance and furious anger, those who attempt to poison and destroy my brothers. And you will know, that I am the Lord, when I lay My Vengeance upon you.' "

Sandra silently prowled the streets of Boston, hunting for her prey. Who, in this case, was a particularly powerful and rather disgusting Tremere. The fact that he was a thorn in the side of the Sect, was secondary to his crimes against Saulot...

"Even though he did nothing against Saulot."

Sandra stopped dead in her tracks, looking at the wraith only her eyes could detect, narrowing them a bit, "Perhaps not... but the vengeance will be taken."

Ariel looked at Sandra with her long dead eyes, a hint of pity in her tone, "Sandra... be careful of your hate... it will lead you to ruin."

Sandra frowned and said no more, continuing her pace toward where she knew the Tremere would be. Eyes narrowed as she tried to place the words out of her thoughts... and failing miserably.

"I never gave much thought to what it meant though. I just thought it was something cold to say to someone before I popped a cap in him. But now I saw something that made me think twice."

The hunter had them all spooked, Sandra thought with satisfaction as she gauged her prey from her perch. Gliding down effortlessly by means of her magic, she followed him silently into his mansion, dominating the guards there to slumber as her footfalls were quiet upon the rich and plush carpet. Stalking him as she glided to his bedroom, he turned and caught a glimpse of her, shouting out, "Anita, run!!!" before flame leapt from his hands.

Sandra dove for the floor, underneath the flames as her hakaar came out in a silver gleam, thrusting deep into the Tremere and impaling his head, killing him instantly as she saw a movement from the corner of her eye, hiding under the bed. Snarling, she leapt into the room, her Beast straining at the leash as she easily tipped over the bed, the huddling figure screaming in terror and crawling to the corner. Moving slowly, Sandra paced the girl, eyes gleaming in anticipation, and saw...innocence there. Humanity not yet lost as she looked up at Sandra, whimpering helplessly as she saw the brand, saw her death in Sandra's eyes.

Sighing softly, realizing, perhaps too late, the truth of her friend's words, she put away her hakaar, the Beast struggling, but no match for Sandra's will of steel. Extending her hand, Sandra gently reached out and felt the young one's throat, sensing no pulse there as she studied the young girl thoroughly... "So young...she deserves a chance at existence."

As the girl looked at Sandra with disbelief, she gasped out, "You won't hurt me?" as she felt a glimmer of hope grasp her, with the thought that she might still live another night.

Sandra smiled faintly, marvelling at how the girl resembled her, perhaps, before all that happened to her in life and death. "No... I won't. But, you cannot be allowed to remember what happened here." and she gently took the girl up, implanting memories of the notorious hunter, who came and slew the girl's Sire in her stead. Then, she sighed, gently tucking the girl into the bed and letting her sleep this night, a gentle kiss upon her brow in motherly fashion as she incinerated the Tremere she slain, going out the door with a deeper understanding of what drove her, perhaps.

"See, now I'm thinking, maybe you're the evil man, and I'm the righteous man, and mister nine-millimeter here, he's the shepherd protecting my righteous ass in the valley of darkness. Or it could mean, that you're the righteous man, and I'm the shepherd, and it's the world that's evil and selfish..."

Sandra looked out over the bay, thinking on what she did. In fifty years of hunting Tremere, she had slain them all, without thinking about it. First out of hate for their kind for what they were, then out of hate for what they did.

Closing her eyes, she whispered, "I weep for you, Saulot... but my hunger for the blood of Usurpers has dimmed with time's passage."

A soft voice, no more than a whisper, sounded next to her, "Sandra... I'm so happy for you."

Sandra paused, then glanced over and smiled faintly, "Ariel. I'm glad to see you're still with me."

The ghost shrugged, smiling faintly, "You made the right choice... a bit belatedly, I'm afraid, but I hope your eyes are opened now."

Sandra nodded, not saying anything more as the tears slipped from her eyes, thinking of how many more she had slain that were like that girl, Anita, that did not have any party with the crime of Tremere, nor would have had, if they had a choice in the matter. Ariel settled near Sandra, her presence providing comfort as the tears flowed down, into the endless sea.

"But that isn't the truth. The truth is, you are the weak. And I am the tyranny of evil men. But I'm trying. I'm trying real hard, to be the shepherd." -- Julius, Pulp Fiction