Leon had to turn some of his focus away from Victoria and put it into their surroundings. There was food out there, enough for young vampires and weres alike to catch, but the hunters had to be cunning. The animals in these woods didn't just jump out of hiding and lay down to get eaten. Leon walked along, not disturbing the foliage and stepping lightly. He'd been a tracker before being turned, a gatherer for spell supplies or spiritual ritual prep, and he knew his way in a forest. Back then, Leon had been able to pull energy and power from the life force of nature. It was life, a sacred balance, and as a priest he could borrow that energy and distribute it into his magic. Sometimes Leon still imagined he felt the tingling on his skin from the darkened tattoos.
But now the woods were opened to him in a whole new way. Leon could see to the very detailed veins in a leaf at the top of a tree. He could smell the hot breath of a living creature up wind. Barclay, the vampire thought with a saddened heart, had lost one sight without gaining the other.
Glancing at Victoria, Leon shook his head. "He'll take it back when he's ready. Barclay is still recovering. What he did during the attack was huge and it's not something he can just bounce back from." Subconsciously defending Barclay, who was like his brother, came naturally. "But he'll be alright." Leon ducked under a low branch, moving with easy grace like a stalking cat, carefully placing his feet down on the soil.