Chapter Eight: Wherever You Go

The Old World

Long before the Originals, before the Mikaelson name, two wolves were born into this world. One was born on the summer equinox, then the other on the fall equinox years later. More years would pass before their paths crossed.

This was the time when the world was young and feral, where the wolves ran wild and the humans were slowly building their civilizations that would last and crumble and rise again. This was the time before vampires lurked in the shadows, when the hungry things that hunted in the shadows were the beasts that only feared the wolves.

The time of the wolf, some would later call it, as the humans remained near their fires at night when the massive wolves stalked the lands.

The summer equinox brought in a new soul, a silver wolf that would later become the most fearsome of them all. Legends would follow him wherever he went, a monster given flesh. Those who feared him knew to avoid the territory he reigned over and the few who knew him feared his ever-growing power.

Then the fall equinox would fall across the world, where the sun and the moon would bleed together in the sky, and that power would be felt by many. Its mark would be left on the soul that was born at that exact moment when the eclipse happened, a deep red colored birthmark on her shoulder that would be passed down to her descendents.

When it was time for their paths to intersect, it was said it happened on the longest night of the year when the moon was full. The wolves were hunting, mating, and running across the lands freely, when the silver wolf entered a wide meadow where moonflowers were in full bloom.

He scented the blood before her, since the fresh kill was still warm and its blood was seeping slowly into the earth. The stag's throat had been torn out and the wolf that had its teeth buried into its hide turned as soon as she scented his arrival. Her muzzle was smeared with blood, which dripped from her maw, and her golden eyes were feral as they met his.

The earth did not tremble, nor did lightning flash- but the string that tied their souls together manifested and for the first time, sang as the two wolves slowly approached each other, teeth bared.

Here you are, it sang. At last.

Ooo0ooO

Mystic Falls, Virginia - Present Day

Kol dozed like a cat in the sunlight, his eyes nearly closed as he half-listened to his brother pace the length of the room.

In a rare moment, Klaus had brought out his painting supplies to the main parlor, making some comment about wanting the sunlight to create whatever was brewing in his mind.

Kol had hummed in response, perfectly content to sit in the nook by the windows that faced the forest and let the hours slowly slip by.

He cracked open an eye, noticing Klaus had stopped and was now using a piece of charcoal to roughly outline what he was going to create. A forest of sorts, Kol noted, seeing the drooping willow trees taking shape.

Klaus moved quickly, his hands no more than a blur across the canvas. The details began to manifest- the moss creeping along the trees, the shadows that fell as the full moon took its place in the gap between the tree branches.

There was a melancholy sensation to the image already, as was the case with most of Klaus's recent works. The painting of the burning ship, even in all its rawness, seemed to have a sadness painted into its edges, a sense of loss within the flames and shadows.

Kol had never had the urge to pick up a paint brush, not like Henrik had a long time ago, but he found himself envying the ability Klaus possessed to capture an image, an emotion, a picture in time that otherwise might be lost to the centuries of existence.

So he watched his brother create, keeping a silent vigil as the sun continued its way across the sky.

Ooo0ooO

The Old World

The next full moon found the wolves wrapped up in each other. The moon was starting to rise and with it, the change that would overtake their bodies.

But right now, their bodies moved together as one, amongst the tall grass and moonflowers, each gasp and moan and growl echoing through the air.

Her hands gripped his hips, her claws drawing blood as she pulled him closer, needing him deeper. His teeth were against her throat and hers were bared against his shoulder, their eyes already bright gold as they claimed each other.

Then she used her strength to stop his movements, allowing herself to turn over to bare her back to him, her lips curving to reveal teeth that were beginning to lengthen to fangs.

Her mate took her then, even more fiercely than before, eliciting a drawn out, satisfied snarl from both of them. Release was moments away, even as their bodies strained as the moon's power slowly overtook them.

She came first, calling out his name when his fingers rubbed the sensitive flesh at the apex of her thighs, before he followed her over that edge. And then the change took over, shifting their skin and bones until their forms morphed entirely.

The wolves in the area knew very well to not cross paths with the mates, since each bore a temper when it came to protecting one another. Their hunting following the shift was just as vicious as their mating, which more than often would resume in their wolf form.

It was consuming, the feral need and loyalty and love they had for one another. It had erupted quickly after that first night, and that bond that tied them together would not be broken, not even in death.

The years that would follow were vastly different than those that would come later, when circumstances changed when witches discovered their powers, when the birth of the Original family shook the world.

Some lifetimes they lived as Alphas amongst the wolves, others as sovereigns amongst the humans. Other lifetimes would have him as the wolf, or her as a witch, but no matter what form they were born into, they would meet again.

Wherever one soul went, the other would soon follow.

Ooo0ooO

Alabama - Present Day

When Hayley reached a small town in Alabama, she stopped her car and wondered what the fuck she was doing. She had packed a few bags, told Mason to keep an eye on things, told Tyler she was going on a trip without saying where to but assured him she would let him know when she got there.

Then she was on the road, winding her way out of Louisiana and crossed state lines before her mind caught up with her body.

A warm breeze hit her face when she stepped out of her car, making her sigh. She tilted her head back, letting the late afternoon sun slant across her face.

Go to Mystic Falls.

Maybe Davina had put a spell on those words. Maybe she hadn't. But going back now, hiding from whatever may be happening, wasn't an option.

She was the Alpha of the Crescent Moon pack and she was not a coward.

Drawing a breath, Hayley allowed those words to settle within her, to ground her. She shoved aside the frustration she felt when she tried to poke at those gaps in her memories, those strange feelings that came bubbling to the surface when she tried to sort through it all.

The answers were not in New Orleans, that much she knew.

With that, she filled up her car's tank, used the restroom, and grabbed some snacks and water before getting back on the highway. She rolled her windows down, letting the wind pull at her braid, and turned up the radio so the music could keep her company as she continued on her way.

Ooo0ooO

Mystic Falls, Virginia - Present Day

Night was beginning to settle over Mystic Falls when Klaus finished the first part of his new painting. The outline had been sketched, the background had started taking shape and the oil paints needed to dry overnight.

Kol had left the Mansion only to bring back a glamoured tourist, a young man who told the two vampires he was taking a road trip before going off to grad school. His eyes remained glazed as the compulsion held as Kol drained his blood from cuts on his wrists, not enough to kill him, but enough to satiate their appetites.

When it was done and the man's wounds were bound, the dark haired Original told him to go to the nearest emergency room. "You cut yourself by accident," the vampire said in a soothing voice. "But you don't remember how."

After the man stumbled out of the Mansion, eyes blank, Klaus turned to his brother with his eyebrows raised.

"What?" Kol asked, noticing the look. "We don't always have to kill them. Plus, I hate cleaning up the mess."

"How civilized of you," Klaus commented in a dry tone.

"Years of living with Elijah will do that to you," Kol said, smiling.

Klaus chuckled before taking a long sip of the blood Kol had passed to him.

"So tell me about this," Kol said, gesturing to the canvas next to them.

Klaus shrugged. "I am feeling… uninspired."

"That's hard to believe, considering," Kol remarked, his eyes turning to the painting of the ship.

The muscles in Klaus's jaw jumped as he looked at the painting too.

"What does it mean?" Kol wondered out loud. "Not remembering…" He trailed off, frowning. The thought suddenly slipped away from him.

He saw the painting again, then blinked. "When did you paint this?"

Klaus seemed to come out of a daze too. "I…,"

But Kol's attention had turned away from the art and back to the blood in his hand. "Perhaps we should go out tomorrow, rather than ordering in," he suggested, grinning at his joke.

Klaus rolled his eyes. "I suppose," he mused. "Shall we have some fun then, brother?"

The dark delight that lit up Kol's eyes matched the sharp teeth he bared as his grin widened.

Ooo0ooO

Disclaimer: I do not own the Originals or its characters.

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