Chapter 4
Hey everyone! Thanks to all who left reviews!
I was unaware that the chapter uploaded so weirdly, I am not sure what happened. I apologize for any confusion or concern it may have caused.
I can't say exactly how often I will be updating, because I have two family members in hospice (a great aunt, 87, with advanced cancer; and a cousin, 60's, with liver cancer). Depending on how things play out, I will try to update as often as I can. If I go quiet for an extended period of time, it is either writer's block or something happened to one or both of my family members.
Anyway, on to the story!
Elena arrived to the next doorway, feeling good about herself; but she remained cautious. She knew the labyrinth was far from over, and it was not just her freedom on the line, but her boyfriends' life. So far, the labyrinth has been easy to navigate, with obstacles being fairly nonexistent aside from a few random tree branches on the ground. But Elena highly doubted that things would remain this way.
She prepared herself by taking a few calming breaths before reaching for the note beside the doorway. The note said:
"A man leaves home on foot. He turns left three times and returns home.
Who was the man in the mask?"
What? What man in the mask? Where did he come from? This is like trying to understand a word problem from math class!
Elena's brows furrowed in frustration, trying to understand the riddle. She read it to herself quietly, over and over again. This one doesn't make any sense!
Elena looked up to the doorway, and shakily spoke, "A burglar?"
Elena hesitated as she heard noises behind the doorway, unsure if she should open it or not. Seeing no other option, she slowly reached for the door handle, and gingerly pressed down on it to open it.
She gasped upon opening the door fully, for she was unprepared for the sight that was waiting for her. A large brown wolf stood there, snarling and drooling with raised hackles. But, Elena knew this was probably no ordinary wolf. She noticed a chain was secured around its neck and was attached to one of the brick walls of the labyrinth.
Elena took an unconscious step backwards, she was too focused on the dangerous looking beast before her. Before she even realized it, the beast lunged at her, causing her to turn quickly and run, not wanting to wait around and see if the chains will hold the animal that desperately wanted to give chase.
As she ran she could hear the angry snarls of the beast as it continued to lunge for her, tugging the chains to their limits. She could hear the powerful jaws snapping together repeatedly as it bit at the air that must've held her scent. She just prayed the chains would hold the powerful beast.
Elena pushed herself as hard as she could; she needed to put as much distance between herself and that chained beast as possible. Her hair was flailing wildly behind her, her legs began to hurt, and she began to take more ragged breaths. Yet she continued on; she had to. She had to get away, she had to beat the labyrinth so her and Stefan could return home, make up, and live long happy lives together.
But nothing prepared her for the next sound she heard. It was loud, and echoed within the walls of the labyrinth. It caused her stomach to drop and her breath to catch. She heard the sound of the chain breaking…
Within the castle, Damon continued to watch Elena through the eyes of the raven, who so diligently followed her as she journeyed through his labyrinth. He was a little surprised that she didn't solve the riddle correctly, but then again, from the observations he made of her life, he gathered she wasn't all that into sports… The correct answer had been: the catcher in a baseball game…
Damon was concerned, however, when the obstacle revealed behind the doorway by her wrong answer was a chained up werewolf. He would definitely need to monitor the situation very closely. He couldn't allow his future Queen to be harmed or killed by a mangy werewolf.
He could hear that human boy raising a fuss, but he paid him no heed. Elena's life was much more valuable to him than that humans'. Not to mention, he had had enough of the boy's constant bitching about the situation. It was nice to be able to tune him out and watch Elena, even though she is completely unaware.
Damon noticed Elena run, and the werewolf lunge to the end of the chains that bound it to the wall of the labyrinth. The chains were very heavy, and made of steel. There's no way they could break, but he wasn't going to take any chances.
That's when the raven honed in on the chain around the werewolf, and Damon soon realized why. The chain was weakening, and was about to break. He had to do something, and he had to do it now. He quickly severed his connection with the raven, and was back in his throne room. He met the angry gaze of the human, which only seemed to grow confused and the concerned when he realized that the look etched on Damon's' face was one of horror.
"Damon..?"
Damon looked up at the human, and then took off toward the labyrinth at a speed too fast for the eye to catch. But before leaving, he called upon the black wolf to follow him.
Elena stopped running at that moment, and held her breath to listen for the sound of the beast. In the distance she heard the pounding of heavy paws striking the ground repeatedly; it was like a continuous rolling thunder that didn't seem to end. It was coming, and it was coming fast.
Deciding it to be better than standing around like a sitting duck, Elena continued to run. At least this way, she wouldn't go down without a fight (as in she didn't just sit and wait for the beast to find her). She ran as hard and as fast as she could, all the while hearing the thundering footfalls getting ever closer. There's no way I'm outrunning this thing!
Elena looked over her shoulder, and she could see the enormous brown beast closing in. Its teeth bared and prepared to attack; bloodlust was evident in its eyes. Looking over her shoulder proved to be a mistake, as she tripped over one of the tree branches she had passed over earlier. She braced herself, closing her eyes as she waited for the fatal blows to come.
But they never did…
As she looked up, she saw a black figure, bigger than the beastly wolf chasing her, leap over her and attack the oncoming beast. The two became locked in a fierce battle, with teeth flashing, the sound of their jaws snapping echoing in the labyrinth. Their snarls were deafening at such a close range. Elena continued to lay there, mesmerized by the flashes of black and brown fur.
Elena jumped when she felt something grab hold of her arm and lift her up. Fearing for her life she turned, but relaxed slightly when she was met with the icy, yet familiar face of the Vampire King. She was speechless, she never expected him to come to her rescue. But, then again, she was his intended prize…
While the two wolves were locked in a ferocious battle, Damon sped Elena to the next doorway, that way, the werewolf can't find her or get to her. She looked up to him, "Uh, I guess I owe you a 'thank you'", she said awkwardly while rubbing the back of her neck.
Damon simply shrugged, "No problem."
Then Elena remembered something… "How did you know where I was?"
