AtoZ Day 9: I is for Immortality, Impundulu, Innocent Blood

Click image to visit the main A to Z
site and see all the other participants.

Immortality

Many mythological vampires are demonic in nature, giving them immortality by default and they feed often because they enjoy it. Others are walking corpses who decay as they go along if they do not get blood or life essence and hence they feed because they have to.

The idea of living forever is attractive to people because death is dark and scary for most. Most religions have as part of their foundation a guarantee that something  comes next, so the option of never having to find out, never having to cross that barrier is enticing. I wonder how many of us, given such a chance, would turn our back if the only proviso was that we had to drink a little blood?

Having to kill, now that would be a deal breaker for me, but sneaking a little drink here and there; totally doable. Not that I'm sure I'd want to live forever, but for longer than allocated with no fear of disease or death, now that's attractive, as long as I can take my loved ones with me.

What do you think of the idea of Immortality?

Creature Feature:

Impundulu

This is a vampiric bird creature, or at least this is the shape it chooses to use most, and according to Wikipedia its name means 'lightning bird'. I Love Werewolves points out it gets the name because it can strike lightning from its talons.

Vampire Underworld says that the bird is a witch's servant or familiar and the creature is passed down the female line and must be kept well fed so it will not turn on its owner. The Encyclopedia of Vampire Mythology goes further and says if it is owned by a non-witch it must be used regularly or it will turn and kill the woman who owns it.

In some legends of the bird is can shift into the form of an attractive human male as noted by Myth Beasts and Vampire Underworld and it uses this form to hunt women and drain them of their blood.

Movie Recommendation:

Title: Innocent Blood (1992)
Rating: 15
Summary: Marie lives for sex and blood and she never plays with her food, so the two are always separate. She picks her victims carefully, only killing those she considers evil. When feeding on Sallie, a mob boss, her feeding is interrupted and she fails to complete the central nervous system disconnect to make sure he does not come back. With the help Joe, a cop who was undercover in the mob, she must then track down Sallie and prevent him making an army of mob vampires.
Why you should watch this: It's simply brilliant. It's funny, the vampires are superb and Marie is wonderful in the way she goes from looking completely innocent to cold hard killer in a heart beat. The way her relationship evolved with Joe is also perfectly done.

Mortal? 

(#9 in The Diverse Life of Ianthe Jawara, Vampire)

by Natasha Duncan-Drake

With Alicia's phone number newly in her contacts, who knew they had mobile reception in hell, Ianthe carried Lilith to Cal's car. The puppy was very heavy, but seemed quite happy to be going home with what had been, until half an hour previously, a complete stranger.

It turned out hellhounds ate fresh meat, the fresher the better and Alicia had given Ianthe all the details she needed to set up a supplier. Alicia had recommended that she add in some human meat from time to time if she wanted Lilith to be particularly vicious with strangers, but Ianthe hadn't mentioned she didn't go in for that sort of thing. She hadn't wanted to offend the succubus and she was sure Lilith would be fine on steak and chicken.

However, it was strange, Cal had been all for Ianthe getting the puppy before she had, but now he seemed pensive.

"What's up?" she asked.

Cal looked at her while opening the driver's side door.

"Get in," he said, so she did, cradling the puppy to her chest as she tried to put on her seatbelt.

"So?" she asked.

"Hellhounds don't bond just like that," Cal said, pulling out of his parking space.

Ianthe looked down at the cuteness in her arms.

"I didn't do anything," she promised.

"Oh I know that," Cal replied, "Alicia would have at least chased you out or tried to kill you if you had. No, something is going on here."

Red eyes looked up at her out of an adorable face. She couldn't think of any reason a hellhound might have simply picked her.

"She was born for you," Cal said, looking at her and the puppy in a very serious manner as they waited at the junction.

"Don't be ridiculous," she replied.

Even the supernatural had their superstitions and she would have none of it.

"I'm serious," Cal insisted, "and there's one way to find out."

"How?" she asked, humouring him.

"Hellhounds live a long time," he replied, "but when on earth they aren't immortal. The most they live is a couple of centuries, because they give up part of their demon heritage to cross over to this reality."

Ianthe nodded, that much she did know. She knew Alex had had a hound once; there was a painting of it in the library.

"And so?"

"A hound born for an immortal remains immortal, even when they cross over," Cal told her.

Now that she had never heard, but then again she didn't hold with stupid beliefs. Becoming a vampire had opened her eyes to many things and ridiculous ideas was one of them.

"How do you pick up these things?" she asked, shaking her head. "Anyway, what difference does it make, there is no way to tell what Lilith will grow up to be or how long she will live?"

"I know someone who could tell," Cal said and Ianthe just knew she was being dragged along whether she liked it or not.

An hour later she was sitting in a cluttered lounge surrounded by random odds and ends. Lilith was still on her lap, eyeing the old man across from them with suspicion.

"Oh, very interesting," he said, peering at them through stereotypical round glasses. "No doubt at all."

"What, Krill?" Cal asked.

"Bound souls, yep, for definite," Krill said; "the little lady is bound to her mistress."

"We know that," Cal said, sounding just a little irritated, "but what about the puppy? Is she immortal?"

"Of course," Krill said as if it was obvious, "it's as plain as the nose on your face. Stop asking stupid questions."

Ianthe had absolutely no idea what to say to that.

"But why?" she finally blurted out.

"Now that's a sensible question," Krill said and smiled. "No idea, but I'd look into that if I were you. Bound to be important."

Then the old man stood up, walked over to a bookcase that was as full of action figures as it was of books and began rearranging them.

"Come on," Cal said, "I'll take you home."

There wasn't anything she could say to that. They didn't talk on the way and she thanked Cal when he dropped her off, but that was it.

"Why are you for me?" she asked, lifting the puppy so they were eye to eye.

Lilith just licked her face and made her laugh.

It might be centuries before she found out, after all, these things didn't work on mortal time. It was a brick in the road that was her life and it would do no good worrying about it.

"Come on," she said, cuddling Lilith back to her chest, "let's go and find you some supper."

Prev Instalment

Next Instalment

~~*~~

A few of us discovered that we all had supernatural themes for the AtoZ so we got together and did a mini list. If you also have a supernatural theme (ghosts, monsters, witches, spells etc), please feel free to add yourself to the list.

get the InLinkz code to add to your blog