Our Eternity Begins
DG32173
Sarah: welcome back to Our Eternity Begins. I'm so glad everyone is enjoying this so much. Here are the review replies and then the chapter.
REVIEW REPLIES
shnicky87: yeah, that's the only label I could come up with for what Damon and Elena have become because of the spells. Here's the next chapter.
amazing Aisha: yeah, you're right. It's right to fear having as much power as they do now. And yeah, they need to be really careful not to abuse it. Here's the update.
HoneySexy: glad you're enjoying this. And you did. Here's the next chapter.
Leann Nickerson: Caroline might or might not be able to help them in the future. As for what Katherine will think, she will be terrified when she realizes that Damon and Elena are now the strongest creatures in the universe, stronger than even all the Originals combined. Here's more.
delena1864: glad you think it's different. Here's more.
DElena all the way: here's more, finally. Had the first part of the chapter ready in Damon's view for a while, just had to translate it to Elena's view and add a little bit more to both.
DragonSpirit03: here's the next chapter. I hope you enjoy it.
Chapter 4
Mason & Practice
Shortly before school lets out nearly a week after Damon and I became super-vampires, I get some unsettling sensations coming from Damon. I know that he's at a secret council meeting right about now and they are completely off the trail off vampires for the time being. So why would he be getting irritated? I also get a sense that he had let out a tiny portion of his new Power, but I don't understand why.
I may have all of eternity to finish high school, but I want to graduate the first time while I'm still 'young'. I vowed to my parents the day of their funeral that nothing would stop me from finishing high school on time. I won't break that promise, not even to get more time with Damon.
With all the knowledge I had been granted by the spells Damon cast on me, I now find myself finishing both class work and homework before the period even ends. That frees up my afternoons and weekends for more important things, like getting hands-on experience for Damon and I in controlling our new powers. Sure, we were given the knowledge on how to control these strange new powers, both our own and each other's. But, as Damon pointed out to me when he fully recovered from the spells I cast on him, we need hands-on experience to go with the knowledge. All the knowledge in the universe doesn't overcome a complete lack of personal experience.
To get that experience, Damon and I have been going so deep into the woods each day that there are hardly any game trails around, much less paths a human might wander down. This is to keep the chance of accidents while we're practicing our new powers to an absolute minimum.
As soon as Damon and I are alone on the road after he had picked me up from school, I decide to ask about those strange sensations I got from him just before school let out. "I got some weird sensations from you while you were at your meeting. Care to explain?" I ask.
"A werewolf familiar to the townsfolk showed up and started trying to threaten me. I let out just a taste of what he'd be messing with if he followed through on those threats. He nearly fainted from fear," he replies.
"Who's the werewolf?" I ask, wondering if I might know him. I know most people from this town.
"His name is Mason Lockwood," Damon tells me.
"That's Tyler's uncle. I only met him a couple of times when we were little. He and the former Mayor Lockwood didn't get along at all, so Mason stayed away to keep the peace," I say softly. "I wonder what he's doing back."
"Given the vague threats he was making, I have a feeling he's working with Katherine for some reason or other," he replies. "To what end, I don't know. But I warned him that if he messes with me again or I find out he's working with the bitch, he won't live to regret it. Giving him a tiny taste of my power most likely convinced him."
I roll my eyes at his words. I'm not too pleased he would risk exposing his extreme power in a place any human could come across him. But he's the leader of this mating bond and my sire. I'm bound to follow whatever his decisions are by both those connections, whether or not I actually approve of what he's decided.
I can sense some dark thoughts on Damon's mind, though I take care not to read his thoughts. Soon, Damon parks the Camaro in the graveyard's parking lot, where he keeps it while we are training at our spot deep in the woods. Once we've made sure there will be no eyewitnesses, we take off deep into the woods surrounding the cemetery on three sides. Damon matches his pace to mine, though I know with the fact that he's a little over 145 years older than me as a vampire, he can go much faster. My max speed has picked up thanks to the powers granted by the spells, but I doubt I'll ever be able to match his top speed.
It only takes us a couple of minutes to reach the clearing deep in the woods we decided to claim for ourselves for training. A human would have spent several hours getting through the dense undergrowth while we just bypassed it with our vampire abilities, mainly taking the tree-path, as I call it.
"So, what do we start with today, Damon?" I ask as soon as we're both comfortable. We do our best to keep from reading the private thoughts of each other, though it requires a bit of our constant concentration to block the other person's thoughts from our knowledge.
"Well, while you were in school today, I realized there is one trick to being a normal vampire that I failed to teach you during newborn lessons," he replies. I simply arch an eyebrow. He loves building up the suspense. "Most vampires can eventually learn how to shape-shift, though it's easier if an older vampire teaches them the trick to how it's done."
I know he senses the extreme amount of excitement that floods me at that thought of being able to shape-shift. "I know you can become a raven or a wolf at will," I say slowly.
He nods. "True," he confirms. "But I'm betting you haven't figured out how, exactly, I do so."
I'm silent for a moment, thinking of all my failed attempts to figure out the theory behind shape-shifting. Finally, I shake my head in response. "I have a few theories, but they proved incorrect when I tried them out myself," I admit.
Damon chuckles. "Lesson time, then," he says. I make myself more comfortable on my fallen log while he leans against a nearby tree to watch me. "The way to change your shape to that of an animal is actually pretty simple. There are just a few rules to follow," he starts. "First, it's best to choose an animal species you have an affinity with, especially for your first shape-shift. I don't mean just an animal you like especially. I mean an animal that reminds you, at least in some ways, of yourself. Those are always easier to change into than an animal you simply like but have very little in common with.
"Take, for example, the raven I can shape-shift into. The raven is clever, would mate for life unless something drastic happens to one of the ravens, and is a rather private creature in certain aspects of their lives," he continues.
"That definitely reminds me of you," I admit.
"You can see why it was the first creature I figured out how to shape-shift into," he tells me.
"What about the wolf?" I ask curiously. What traits does he see in himself that are wolf-like?
"Loyal to those who earn its trust, also mates for life unless something happened to one of them, though it's only the alphas who mate, can be a loner that only likes its mate around at all times," he replies.
"Anyways, after you've figured out an animal that reminds you of yourself, you then have to know exactly what your gender of that animal looks like," he says, returning us to the lesson. "Some animals are easy, as they don't differ much between male and female other than anatomy. Some animals, mostly mammals, differ from animal to animal, no matter the gender. Many animals, however, do have several key differences between males and females of the species. It's easier to research that information these days than it was when I was first learning how to shape-shift, what with the internet available across a menagerie of devices.
"On the animals that differ animal to animal, if you choose one to become, you have to figure out what your patterns will be when you become that animal. If your chosen animal has multiple subspecies, you have to pick one. Once you become that animal the first time, you're stuck with that pattern and subspecies for the rest of your existence every time you become that animal. I had to figure out the fur pattern and sub-species for my wolf form before I could actually become one.
"The last thing you need to do, once you have all the rest figured out, is concentrate on the animal you want to become, pattern, subspecies, everything, and will yourself to become that animal. The first time could take several minutes to succeed, but, with practice, it will go faster and faster until you're shape-shifting faster than a human can blink." He lets me absorb the lesson, which really was quite simple. So simple, in fact, it would be very hard for most people to figure it out on their own because most people would assume it's a lot more complex. Just as I finish filing away the lesson, Damon raises an eyebrow at me. "Feel like putting the lesson to practice and trying to get your first shape-shift?" he asks.
My eyes widen with surprise. In previous lessons in vampirism, he wouldn't let me or Caroline put the lesson to practice until later, after we've had time to contemplate it for at least a few hours. I feel a wave of exuberance swell within me at the thought of putting this lesson to practice now. Damon chuckles as he senses it through our empathy link. "I have my answer there," he teases. "Go ahead. Figure out an animal you would like to try to become first then try to become that animal. Don't worry if you don't get it at first attempt."
"I already figured out the first animal I want to try to become," I admit. Damon's going to get a kick out of this if I succeed. "But I want to surprise you with it."
He chuckles again. "Concentrate on that animal, then, and try to will your body to change into that animal," he encourages me.
I close my eyes to better concentrate on the animal I had chosen for my first shape-shift. Slowly at first, I feel my body start changing into the creature as fur sprouts all over my body. A tail grows out of the base of my spine and my ears elongate and move to the top of my head, becoming cat-like. Less than five minutes after I started changing shape, I open my eyes to find I am now a twenty-pound Savannah cat. 'Yes, I did it!' I think happily. Sure, it was a little uncomfortable, but at least it didn't hurt like I half-expected it to.
Damon busts out laughing as soon as I'm fully shape-shifted. I knew he would get a kick out of it. . "Dammit, Elena, you know damn well that I'm never getting rid of that nickname now," he manages to get out around his amusement.
'I figured you'd never get rid of it anyways, so I might as well personify it occasionally,' I telepath him, knowing I can't talk normally in this form. I'm filled with humor as well. 'That didn't even hurt, like I half-expected changing my entire body into another form would. It's just slightly uncomfortable but I can get used to it.'
That's when Damon notices the question mark I had decided to add amid the strips on my cat-form's forehead. He rolls his eyes when he gets a good look at it. "Seriously, kitten? A question mark on your forehead?" he demands, a wave of exasperation emanating from him that I decided to incorporate the reason he calls me 'kitten' in my cat-form's appearance.
'Well, I am as curious as a cat, which is the reason you gave me that nickname in the first place,' I tease. I suddenly realize he hadn't told me how to change back to my normal form. 'Now, how do I change back? That wasn't part of the lesson.'
He rolls his eyes. "You do the same thing you did to become a cat, only focusing on your own body rather than the cat," he replies. "Also, the uncomfortable sensation of changing shape diminishes with practice and speed. Now, change back and we can get on with practicing our new powers."
I sigh. I had wanted to stay a cat a little bit longer. But as he's the leader of our bond, I can't disobey him. I'm soon back in my own body. "So what are we going to do now?" I ask.
"Over the past week, we've practiced quite a few of our new powers," he starts. "But there are some powers of ours we haven't tried because they require us to basically hijack the other's body with our spirits in order to successfully use them." I grimace. I don't like the idea of that kind of invasion of privacy. I don't mind if Damon 'hijacks' my body and invades my privacy, but I bet there are some things locked in Damon's mind that he would rather no one found out about. "I agree," he says, knowing why I grimaced. "But in order to complete the task set before us by Fate, in order to save Stefan from being taken down as a Ripper, we have to be able to use those powers just as well as we can the others."
I sigh. "Alright, but I'd rather you go first," I say.
"Are you sure, kitten?" he asks softly. "You could always go first. I can probably still maintain some control over you even if you're hijacking my body."
"I'd rather not do this at all. But since we have to do it, even if only to save Stefan from himself, I'd rather you go first so we can see just how intrusive this actually is. I don't want to go at all until we find out a way to keep the invasion of privacy to a minimum. I don't mind if you delve into my memories, whether on purpose or accident; but I'm betting there are memories you have you'd rather keep to yourself," I explain.
He nods, signaling there are some memories of his he'd rather not share with anyone. "Alright, then. I'll go first," he says. He takes a seat on the fallen log next to me and closes his eyes to better concentrate.
Within moments, I feel his spirit's arrival in my body and become literally unable to control my own body. I hear his surface thoughts and find him reeling a little from the experience he just had. 'Are you okay?' I think to him.
'Yeah,' he thinks back. 'It's a bit extreme, like a monster rollercoaster, though.'
'Well, you're here and you're in control of my body. I haven't been able to do anything since I felt your spirit arrive,' I tell him.
Damon cautiously does something and I get the distinctly unsettling experience of having my own hand move in front of my face without my telling it to. 'Yeah, I'm definitely in control,' he thinks. Then he realizes something. 'Thankfully, the only thing I seem to be picking up from your mind is your surface thoughts, not any memories or anything else.'
'That's good. That means that when it's my turn to be in your body, I won't pick up on anything you don't want shared,' I think, greatly relieved at that stroke of luck.
'Unfortunately, the powers I can only use through your body require an actual target and there's not even a single animal outside of bugs nearby to target with any powers,' he thinks, stretching my senses to the limit in search of any animals. We had discounted bugs as test subjects for our powers on our first day of practicing them.
'We don't want to target these powers on our own bodies, either,' I admit reluctantly.
'No, we don't,' he agrees. 'Anyways, I'm going to go back to my body. Once I'm out of your body, I want you to try to join me in mine. We can at least practice this skill.'
Within moments, the sense of sharing my body with someone else vanishes and I know Damon is back in his own body. I close my eyes and send my spirit into our bond. I discover that his likening the experience to a monster rollercoaster is a massive understatement. The experience seems to last both an eternity and be over nearly instantaneously at the same time. Then I'm looking out through Damon's eyes. 'That was worse than a monster rollercoaster,' I tell him.
'Yeah, well, I wasn't going to spend a lot of time thinking up a proper comparison,' he replies.
'There probably isn't a proper comparison at this time,' I think ruefully.
'Alright, you're in control of my body, Elena. I'd really rather not spend a lot of time in the backseat of my own body,' he tells me.
Since I can't think of anything I want to do in his body, I reach for the connection to my body and make the return trip, which isn't quite as uncomfortable as the trip into his body. I shake my head. "I do not like that sensation," I complain.
"Well, we'll have to experience it at least a few more times each," he reminds me. "We need the powers we can only use by using that skill if we're going to cure Stefan of his Ripper tendencies."
"I know," I sigh. "But I don't have to like it to do it."
He nods. "Well, let's cut this practice session short today," he says, glancing towards the western sky over the trees surrounding our clearing. "Given what happened with that werewolf today, I'd rather not be out here after dark anymore. I know he's not working alone. Though we're powerful enough to take on just about anyone, I'd really rather not use those powers unnecessarily."
I nod my understanding and we take off to the Camaro. We're back at the boarding house within the hour, well before dark. I sense Damon thinking deeply about something but don't pry. As he implied earlier when talking about the traits he has in common with a raven, there are some things he is intensely private about and I refuse to delve into his privacy even though he so blatantly does so in mine. He would never delve into my private thoughts without my permission and I give him the same courtesy, no matter the cost.
Sarah: And there, at last, is Chapter 4. Mason's showed up and is making threats, or at least trying to. Cannon won't be followed too much longer, though there are still a few more events in Season 2 my muse insists take place before I stray completely from cannon. Review and tell me what you think.
