New Beginnings
DG32173

Sarah: welcome to Chapter 4 of New Beginnings. I'm so glad everyone seems to enjoy these stories as much as they seemed to enjoy the first books of the sister-series. Here are the review replies and then the chapter.

REVIEW REPLIES

amazing Aisha: they are now the most powerful creatures in the universe outside of the Seer, who you will encounter in the next books most likely. So, yes, they are stronger than all those people combined. I still don't know who Cade is as I haven't seen that far into the series but I'm not planning on following the series very much further anyways.

HoneySexy: yep, they're the king and queen. I gave all these big hints in Gemma's chapter in the last books that I'm surprised more people didn't guess that.

Leann Nickerson: that gives me an idea. I won't give spoilers but I'll give you credit when the scene appears. Here's more.

Krista Townsend: yeah, the powers are going to play a major role in both this set of books and the next. Hope you continue to enjoy,

Caza: thank you.

delena1864: thank you, here's more at last.

DragonSpirit03: here's the next chapter so the wait is over.


Chapter 4
Werewolf in Town & Practice

I frown thoughtfully as Liz introduces me to the newest member of the secret council. It's been nearly a week since Elena and I became super-vampires. Thanks to my newly enhanced senses, I can tell Mason is a type of supernatural I have never encountered before. But thanks to the knowledge I had been granted by the spells Elena cast on me, I can tell precisely what kind of supernatural Mason Lockwood is. He's a werewolf and his venom is dangerous to normal vampires. I have no idea how it will effect Elena and I but I refuse to take the chance and find out.

'What does he want?' I think. I'm going to have to keep an eye on him. After the meeting, the wolf corners me and starts making some pretty severe, if vague, threats. I immediately retaliate by allowing a minute fraction of my incredible new Power free from my grasp. His eyes nearly bulge out of his head in surprise.

"Let me tell you something," I say softly as he slowly absorbs just how powerful I am. "Make damn sure you can actually take someone before you start threatening them. You don't want to piss me off, wolf. What Power I just let slip is only the minutest fraction of what I can draw upon right now. I can do things to you that you would be helpless to prevent, even kill you with barely a thought. Don't make the mistake of challenging me again. And if I find out your working with Katherine Pierce, you're a dead wolf."

With that, I leave him stunned speechless. I drive over to the high school to pick up my girl from school. In spite of the fact that she now has eternity ahead of her, Elena insists on finishing high school now, while she's still young. But all that new knowledge she was granted by the spells has her finishing both class work and homework before the class is even over. This frees up her afternoons and weekends for other things.

Though the spells granted us knowledge on how to control our new Powers, we still have to have the hands-on experience to back up technical know-how. So for the four days since we cast the spells on each other, we've been going deep into the woods every day. We go so deep in the woods that there aren't any manmade trails and even game trails left by animals are few and far between. This is for a reason. If nothing comes upon us as we're training, the risk of accidents happening is drastically reduced.

As soon as Elena and I are alone on the road, she speaks. "I got some weird sensations from you while you were at your meeting. Care to explain?" she asks.

"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," I reply.

"Who's the werewolf?" she asks.

"His name is Mason Lockwood," I tell her.

"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," she says 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," I reply. "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 glance at her in time to see her roll her eyes, though she doesn't speak out against what I said. She knows that while there is nothing I won't do for her, I will still do my own thing if I feel it suits the situation I'm in. I am the leader in this mating bond, being the older vampire and her sire. She is bound to follow my decisions, whether she likes what I have decided or not.

I now know just what Gemma meant when she left the message saying that one of Elena's powers will not be good for one without humanity to have. While we both have the ability to end a life with barely a thought, one of Elena's exclusive powers granted by the spells can make it so that a particular life was never conceived in the first place, effectively wiping their existence from history.

Why she was given a power that makes her almost God-like is something neither of us wants to contemplate, nor use without grave consideration of the consequences. She rarely bothers to think about that particular power, but I can't help thinking about what the bastard I was when I first arrived in town would have done with such a power at his disposal. Nothing pretty, I can assure you.

I park my car in the parking lot for the town's graveyard. This is as far as I feel comfortable taking it. As one, Elena and I exit the Camaro and, once we've made sure the coast is clear, we take off deep into the woods skirting the cemetery. I match my pace to Elena's. Even with the power granted to her by the spells, she's still more than 145 years younger than me as a vampire and as such, her max speed isn't a match for my own and probably never will be.

Even at her max speed, it only takes us a couple of minutes to reach the part of the woods we had taken over to practice our powers. A human would have spent several hours getting through all that tangled vegetation to this natural clearing while we mostly leapt over it or went through the tree-path, as Elena calls it.

"So, what do we start with today, Damon?" she asks me once we've made ourselves comfortable. Even though we can read each other's minds without even trying, we are both very fussy about leaving at least that bit of privacy intact unless necessity requires it of us despite it constantly requiring a bit of concentration to block the other's thoughts from intruding into our heads.

"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," I reply. She arches an eyebrow. "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."

Thanks to the empathy connection that the spells had only strengthened between us, I can sense her extreme excitement at the prospect. "I know you can become a raven or a wolf at will," she says slowly.

I nod. "True," I confirm. "But I'm betting you haven't figured out how, exactly, I do so."

She's silent for a moment, considering my words. Finally, she shakes her head. "I have a few theories, but they proved incorrect when I tried them out myself," she admits.

I chuckle. "Lesson time, then," I say. She makes herself more comfortable on her fallen log while I lean against a nearby tree to watch her. "The way to change your shape to that of an animal is actually pretty simple. There are just a few rules to follow," I start. "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," I continue.

"That definitely reminds me of you," she admits.

"You can see why it was the first creature I figured out how to shape-shift into," I tell her.

"What about the wolf?" she asks curiously.

"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," I reply.

"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," I say, getting back to the topic at hand. "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 sub-species, you have to pick one. Once you become that animal the first time, you're stuck with that pattern and sub-species 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, sub-species, 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." I take a moment to let Elena absorb the lesson. When I feel she's had enough time to lock down the rules behind shape-shifting, I raise an eyebrow at her. "Feel like putting the lesson to practice and trying to get your first shape-shift?" I ask.

Her eyes widen in surprise. On previous lessons in vampirism I taught her, I normally waited a while before letting her, and Vampire Barbie when I was training her, put the lesson to practice. I chuckle at the wave of exuberance I get from her at the thought of trying out this new lesson immediately. "I have my answer there," I tease. "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," she admits. "But I want to surprise you with it."

I chuckle again. "Concentrate on that animal, then, and try to will your body to change into that animal," I encourage her.

She closes her eyes to better concentrate and, slowly at first, she starts shrinking and sprouting golden fur with black markings. She grows a long tail and her ears elongate, grow black fur on the back and beige fuzz on the front, and move to the top of her head. Her lower face starts protruding and her nose becomes small and blackish. Less than five minutes after her starting the shape-shift, on the log where she was now lounges a twenty-pound Savannah cat, obviously a really early generation example of the hybrid species.

I burst out laughing. "Dammit, Elena, you know damn well that I'm never getting rid of that nickname now," I manage to get out around my amusement.

'I figured you'd never get rid of it anyways, so I might as well personify it occasionally,' she telepaths me, golden slit-pupil eyes alight with humor. '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 I notice a curiously shaped mark on her forehead. I pay it closer attention and roll my eyes when I see an actual question mark among the stripes on her forehead. "Seriously, kitten? A question mark on your forehead?" I demand, exasperated that the reason I call her that is now a permanent part of her cat form.

'Well, I am as curious as a cat, which is the reason you gave me that nickname in the first place,' she teases. 'Now, how do I change back? That wasn't part of the lesson.'

I roll my eyes. "You do the same thing you did to become a cat, only focusing on your own body rather than the cat," I reply. "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."

She sighs and is soon back in her own body. She obviously wanted to stay a cat longer, but she can't disobey me, not when I'm the leader of this bond. "So what are we going to do now?" she asks.

"Over the past week, we've practiced quite a few of our new powers," I start. "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." She grimaces. I nod, knowing exactly why she grimaced. The mere thought of taking over her body with my spirit or vice versa is a highly uncomfortable one. "I agree. 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."

She sighs. "Alright, but I'd rather you go first," she says.

"Are you sure, kitten?" I ask 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," she explains.

I nod. There are some memories of mine I'd rather not have anyone know about. Not a lot, mind you, as I'm pretty damn open with Elena, but there are a few I'd rather keep to myself. "Alright, then. I'll go first," I say. I take a seat on the fallen log next to her and close my eyes to better concentrate. I do as Gemma and this new knowledge tell me and metaphorically throw my spirit into the bond between us.

Instantly, I'm swept up in the rushing 'torrent' flowing between us as my spirit is yanked from my body to hers. Somehow, it seems to both last an eternity and be nearly instantaneous at the same time. Then I'm looking out at the world through Elena's eyes, hearing her thoughts even more clearly than when I'm in my own body. 'Are you okay?' she thinks.

'Yeah,' I think 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,' she tells me.

I cautiously move 'my' hand in front of 'my' face and am rewarded with Elena's hand moving before 'my' eyes. 'Yeah, I'm definitely in control,' I think. I realize that though I'm in control of her body, the only thing I'm getting from her mind is her surface thoughts. '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,' she thinks, her relief even more palpable now that my spirit is in such close contact with hers.

'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,' I tell her, stretching her senses to the limit to try to locate any animal that's not a bug.

'We don't want to target these powers on our own bodies, either,' she admits reluctantly.

'No, we don't,' I agree. '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.'

Not waiting for an answer, I reach for the part of my spirit still connected to my body and open my eyes, once more in my own body. Within moments, I feel Elena's spirit join me and I lose control of my own body. 'That was worse than a monster rollercoaster,' she thinks at me.

'Yeah, well, I wasn't going to spend a lot of time thinking up a proper comparison,' I reply.

'There probably isn't a proper comparison at this time,' she thinks 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,' I tell her.

Within moments, the sense of sharing my body with another spirit is gone and I'm back in control. She shakes her head. "I do not like that sensation," she complains.

"Well, we'll have to experience it at least a few more times each," I remind her. "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," she sighs. "But I don't have to like it to do it."

I nod. "Well, let's cut this practice session short today," I say, glancing at the western sky visible over the trees. The sun is already behind the trees but probably not too close to the horizon. We normally stay out here practicing until well after dark, seeing as neither of us actually needs more than a couple of hours of rest each night to stay in peak condition. "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."

She nods her understanding and we take off back to the Camaro. We're back at the boarding house within the hour, well before dark. I don't know what that werewolf is up to, but I have a sinking feeling that he's working with Katherine. If he doesn't heed my warning today, I won't have any choice but to take him down. I don't let Elena get a sense of the dark path my thoughts have traveled. She's got enough on her plate.


Sarah: there's Chapter 4, finally. Review and tell me what you think. Cannon won't be followed for too much longer, though there are still a few Season 2 events that my muse insists take place before I stray completely from cannon.