Hi. Here's the next chapter. Sorry if I sound cynical or this is a horrible OMFJWHATWEREYOUTHINKING chapter. There's just stuff going on in my life now that hurts like a thousand daggers.

Scooby Doo, Velma, Shaggy, Werewolf Shaggy, Dracula, Hunch Bunch belongs to Hannah Barbera


Chapter 9: Awaken to the Challenges


Velma didn't wake up the next morning.

By now it was the afternoon and the Werewolf Shaggy was steadily growing concerned about her. His furry paws started to wear a hole in the floor from all the pacing he had been doing. He was unable to sleep from the previous night when he watched Velma collapsed onto the silky gore shaded sheets of her bed. Velma still wore the orange dress and the Werewolf Shaggy still stayed by her side. At first, the Werewolf Shaggy believed she had fainted out of exhaustion but he knew Velma better than that. She often went to bed early and by the time dinner ended the night before it was only 10 pm – Velma's usual bed time she had made for herself.

Wait.

The Werewolf Shaggy stopped his pacing and looked up as he had an epiphany. What if….Dracula did something? What if before or during the time of dinner, Dracula did something? But what? The last thing the Werewolf Shaggy remembered doing before leaving the dinner table was taking a sip of wine. That was it! His eyes widened a bit as another epiphany struck him. The wine, something had to be in it! What was in it though that could barely be seen? Or had it dissolved too quickly for their eyes? Nonetheless, the Werewolf Shaggy raced over to Velma who was breathing normally. It was eight am, she would be up by now and possibly exploring the castle in a new dress. Dracula hadn't killed her which greatly relieved the Werewolf Shaggy. The Werewolf Shaggy started to nudge her but she seemed to ignore it in her sleep and turned to her side. Sighing a little, the Werewolf Shaggy stayed by her bedside. What could he have slipped in the wine? The Werewolf Shaggy was hoping another epiphany would struck but fortune left him as he started to pace in thought once more.


By now, the Great Dane had crept out of the trunk as he took in his surroundings. Apparently he was in heavily detailed room complete with numerous types of sofas which all strangely enough were in the shapes of coffins. As he peered over his shoulder, he even saw the trunk itself was in the shape of a coffin as he began to wonder if that was an actual coffin or just a trunk. A dark wood chandelier frosted with glass dangled elegantly above the room. The unlit candles were perched upon the branches of the chandelier; they provided no light for now as seeing the sun cloaked the room. In the corners were tall candelabras that touched the floor with their dark wood frames. They too bore unlit candles and stood besides tapestries depicting vampires ravaging villages as well as the demonic deeds of Satan. The walls were adorned with more tapestries of this sort as they sent chills down Scooby Doo's furry spine.

However he had a few goals in his mind; all of which included avoiding the Hunch Bunch, Dracula, and most importantly finding Shaggy and Velma. Taking a few sniffs, he found himself at the bottom of the staircase where he faintly detected the scent of Velma's perfume from the prior night. Alas he was on the right track! Climbing the stairs with silence, he picked up more scents of her. Along the walls beside him he didn't seem to notice the numerous painted portraits of Dracula; some had victims while others showed him in all his horrible glory. Scooby Doo wondered why the Werewolf Shaggy and Velma hadn't tried to look for him unless it would be considered risky. Then he could understand that or maybe they hadn't known where he had gone off too. He also began to wonder where they were staying at and maybe he could hideout in there and avoid the terrors of the castle.

At last Scooby Doo reached the top of the stairs. He peered down the East and West Wings of the castle as he tried not to get a shiver. It was too late for that as he got shivers down his spine. What lied down those hallways were a few tables, pictures, and other things before it was all plunged into darkness. Shadows emerged from the end of the wings as they almost appeared to be ravenous claws reaching out from the abyss and hungering for a taste of flesh….or possibly fur. Scooby Doo swallowed some as he looked down the center hallway. There wasn't anything too creepy about it, just the fact that it seemed to go on and on without ending. This also frightened Scooby Doo a bit as he knew he had to be brave as he was throughout his other adventures. Taking to the floor once more, he attempted to sniff out Velma's scent. Success! He found her scent once more as he began to follow it into the central hallway until he came to an ornately decorated door. At the top of the door was an elegant V embedded in the dark wood. V? Why V? What did the V stand for; Vampire, Vital, Vanna - wait, Vanna? But why would Velma's scent lead him to Vanna's room? Scooby Doo scratched against the door and waited for an answer.


The Werewolf Shaggy pricked up his ears at the sound of the door being scratched upon. God, how in the name of spooks was he to open the door when he had no opposable thumbs? This was going to be quite the challenge. He once again attempted to wake Velma by nudging her; this led to a failed attempt. The Werewolf Shaggy then tried to bark or at least make some sort of noise to awake her. Once again, another failed attempt. This time, he tried to pull on the skirt of her dress. However, he pulled so hard that instead of ripping the dress and waking Velma he fell flat on his furry back – another failed attempt. Finally, the Werewolf Shaggy gave in and turned his attention towards the door. How in God's name was he to get it unlocked? Well, first to acknowledged Scooby Doo's presence, he scratched the door in response. Scooby Doo heard the scratched response and knew there was only one other canine type creature in the castle.

"Raggy?"

Another scratch response, it was him, yes! This filled Scooby Doo's heart with joy as he felt his heart skip a beat in content. Scooby Doo gave the door more scratches to show that he was there – now the hard part was getting the door open.

Three hours had passed and still the door remained shut. Just as the Werewolf Shaggy was starting to run out of ideas a yawn emerged from behind him. At last, Velma was up. Why it had taken her so long to wake up, the Werewolf Shaggy knew it dealt with Dracula and that he had done something to her wine. Nonetheless, Velma stretched and looked down at herself and then around the room. She had wondered how long she had been asleep for and then she saw the Werewolf Shaggy at the door that was now covered in scratch marks. Curious as to why he marked up the door, she then heard scratching emerging from the other side of the door. Velma slowly walked towards the door with caution in each step as the Werewolf Shaggy moved for her. As she opened the door she heard the scratching silence and soon she was playfully tackled down by Scooby Doo. Delighted at this she scratched behinds his ears which caused him to lick her all over. The Werewolf Shaggy was glad to see that Scooby Doo reunited with her as well as himself. Now Scooby Doo could hideout in Velma's room and avoid the Hunch Bunch and they would never know. The Werewolf Shaggy grinned internally at this idea as he watched Scooby Doo play with Velma; the Werewolf Shaggy hadn't seen her this happy in a long time and it warmed his heart a bit.

He remembered the last time she was happy though. It was a good while ago and they had just solved another mystery. It was something about a jealous family member who didn't get their share in the will or something. Nonetheless, the remainder of the family invited Mystery, Inc. to a formal party at their beach house in the Caribbean. They accepted and soon they found themselves at a party under the candlelit ballroom ceiling. For some reason, Velma was a little late that night coming from her room and down to the ball room where the party was held. In a matter of moments Shaggy saw her shyly peering into the ball room, almost terrified to come in. Why was she shy though? Was she scared? He had no idea. Shaggy went to approach her but she broke from her shyness and stood in the entrance of the ballroom and she was beautiful. He remembered how wide his eyes were that night and that somewhere under the geekiness there was a princess that appeared like a legend. Shaggy also remembered how he tried so hard to keep his jaw from dropping to the floor. That night the band had started to play Moonlight Sonata and most of the faces in the ballroom were turned to see Velma Dinkly. At the time, she wore contacts that complimented her eyes gracefully and pastel pink lip gloss that shimmered along her fair lips. Her hair was done up in a bow which was trimmed in white blossoms and dotted in the center with diamonds. This matched her sunset orange strapless gown that came to her ankles where pair of peep toe white heels peeked out. The dress itself had a single strap that emerged from the bust line of the dress, around her neck, and returned to the bust line once more. The strap itself was almost like a satin sling for her neck as it exposed the gentle slope of her neck. Where the strap met at the bust line was covered up by a single white flower to match those in her hair. Shaggy saw her blush and smile some as he met her at the entrance and offered her his arm. In that mere moment that Shaggy offered her his arm, their eyes met and for a minute he swore felt something for Velma that was more than friendship. What was it? Affection? Attraction? No, he never judged a person by their looks; he wasn't like that. Lust? No, he was too pure for lust. Then what else was there? Love? Love. Love to Shaggy was found in many of his beliefs – make love not war, peace and love, and so many others. It was also the theme of many songs he listened to, especially by the Beatles and numerous others. So why did he suddenly feel love for Velma in that moment?

However, as the Werewolf Shaggy recalled that memory he began to wonder what and why he felt the way he did for Velma. For now he shrugged it off as he watched Velma leave Scooby Doo and enter the restroom adjoined to her room. Scooby Doo sat besides the Werewolf Shaggy and waited for Velma. The Werewolf Shaggy for some reason couldn't erase the memory from his mind. He also began to wonder if she felt anything more than friendship towards him. It seemed impossible but at the same time possible, after all, Daphne and Fred were soul mates from the start. Had Velma been the same for Shaggy? Was he to propose no sooner she freed him of his curse? If she freed him of his curse? The Werewolf Shaggy's thoughts were interrupted by Velma who returned a few moments later in a casual burgundy dress that had long sleeves down to her arms. Around the forearm, the sleeves were a bit puffy almost like a princess' gown. This dress also covered up her neck and went to the ankles. There was a thin light bubblegum pink lacy belt draped gently around the waistline as if it held the dress together. At the middle and tip of this lacy belt were two garnet tear drops. Velma slipped on her red shoes and smiled at Scooby Doo and the Werewolf Shaggy who nodded in approval of her outfit. The Werewolf Shaggy nodded the most, for he couldn't look away from her. There was something about her that just made him content on the inside that he didn't quite understand.

The Werewolf Shaggy followed Velma to the dining hall. They had left Scooby Doo in her room with the promise that she would return with something for him to eat. Plus, Velma's new room would also act as a hiding spot for Scooby Doo to escape the Hunch Bunch as well as Dracula. Scooby Doo was satisfied by this and for now, hid besides her dresser which shadowed his canine figure. From the view of the door, he was no where to be seen which acted as a perfect hiding spot for him. To ensure his safety, Velma locked her bedroom door and placed the key behind the V in the door frame.


As Velma and the Werewolf Shaggy entered the dining hall, the Lord of Vampires awaited at the head of the table as if he never left the room. He bore a smug grin as he sipped his wine and watched them with an eerie stare. Nearly a whole day had gone by without Velma doing anything to help the Werewolf Shaggy with his curse – this pleased Dracula. He figured by slipping in the sleeping pill it would set Velma almost a whole day back from getting any work done in regards to the curse. Dracula also figured, the longer Shaggy stayed a werewolf the more he could break the werewolf's spirit so that he could become Dracula's slave. The Werewolf Shaggy noted Dracula's presence and instantly put his guard up to protect Velma at all cost. If anything had happened to Velma, he would never forgive himself. Velma on the other hand, attempted to ignore Dracula. However, it was hard to do so as he stood and took several slow steps around the dining hall table. The sound of his footsteps cut through the air like a knife to flesh. Dracula held the wine glass in his hand as if he feared of breaking the glass that held the red wine.

All the while, he bore his still smug grin as from the corner of his eye he watched Velma. Dracula imagined his red wine as her blood and drank the beverage slowly, letting it coat his fangs and slowly run along his pallet. She tasted delicious, like the perfect blend of fruit and sweetness. In his mind, Velma's blood was a mix of crushed crimson grapes and strawberries. Maybe there was a faint tinge of raspberry but nonetheless, he imagined the taste. Smooth and sweet, just as Dracula liked it. He observed Velma now as she reached for an apple in a fruit centerpiece in the middle of the table. He watched as she examined her selection and reached in as if she was gently plucking a daisy from the Earth. At the same time, Dracula failed to notice the faint growl emitting from the Werewolf Shaggy's throat. By now, the Werewolf Shaggy's eyes locked onto Dracula as he began to imagine all the ideas that were swirling about in the Lord of Vampires' head. Just as quickly as Dracula imagined the taste of her gore, Dracula grabbed Velma's wrist in a vice grip. Velma yelped at the surprise of him doing so as well as the tightness he had on her wrist.

"How did you sleep my dear? I take it the sleeping pill helped you," Dracula's grin widened as Velma's eyes did the same. The Werewolf Shaggy snarled in both anger and self-hate. Why didn't he think of that? A sleeping pill, of all things! Dracula must have slipped it in Velma's wine! The werewolf silently cursed himself for not thinking Dracula would do such a thing.

"That's cheating in our deal, Dracula," Velma bit her lip at the numerous names she wanted to call him. She knew she couldn't bring herself to do it, after all, he was a vampire and she was a mortal. If Velma tried to go against Dracula either her or Shaggy would suffer the consequences. Besides, Velma didn't want Shaggy to suffer anymore than what he already did.

"Life isn't easy, my dear," Dracula spoke with a coolly smooth tone that unnerved Velma greatly.

"There will be challenges regardless if it's fair or not," for a moment the Lord of Vampires dug his nails into Velma's gentle wrist. This caused her to whimper in hurt and triggered the Werewolf Shaggy to lunge and clamp hard on Dracula's ankle. Dracula jumped back with a painful hiss and kicked off the Werewolf Shaggy. The werewolf yelped as he hit the floor on his side which caused Velma to get on her knees and check on him. He gave her a nod to assure her that he was all right as their eyes focused upward on the Lord of Vampires. Dracula grinned widely and examined his hand that previously gripped Velma's wrist. On the tips of his green sharp nail tips was fresh blood as he licked each nail tip slowly, savoring the taste of Velma's blood. The grin widened as he compared the actual taste of her crimson blood to what he imagined. Just as he thought, Velma would make a deliciously smooth drink but for now that would have to wait. Dracula stared at Velma once more before leaving her and the werewolf alone in the dining hall.