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Chapter 30: Curse of the Wolf

Elena and Sakura headed over to the boarding house to meet up with Damon and Stefan, to apparently have a talk about the Lockwoods. Damon had invited Alaric, hoping he could shed some light on the situation.

Alaric sat down on the couch beside Sakura, across from Stefan and Elena. Damon sat down on the armrest on Sakura's side.

"Now why would I know anything about the Lockwoods?" Alaric asked.

"Well you wouldn't, but your dead not dead vampire wife might," Damon explained.

"Isabelle's research, from when you guys were at Duke together," Elena pulled her legs up on the couch and held onto them.

"You said that she had spent years researching this town," Stefan continued.

"Isabelle's research about here in Mystic Falls, is routed in folklore and legends. At the time I thought that most of it was fiction," Alaric sighed.

"Like that amazing vampire story," Damon smiled.

"Aside from vampires, what else?" Elena asked.

"The lycanthrope," Alaric said and Stefan and Damon looked at each other.

"Werewolves," Sakura sighed.

"No way, impossible! I've been on this plain for 160 some odd years and I've never come across one," Damon was skeptical, "If werewolf's exist, where the hell are they?"

"They exist all right," Sakura sighed.

"How would you know?" Damon asked.

"I've met one, up close and personal," Sakura glared at him. Damon slid onto the couch beside her, making her move over.

"Seriously?" Damon asked.

"Trust me, I've met a lot of things," Sakura shook her head, not really wanting to think about her raunchy past.

"Why do you guys suspect the Lockwoods?" Alaric asked.

"Because vervain didn't affect the Mayor at Founders Day but the Gilbert device did," Damon explained as he started to twirl a lock of Sakura's hair around his finger.

"And his son Tyler," Sakura added.

"And at the school carnival his uncle Mason exhibited some inhuman behavior when he fought off one of the carnival workers. So it suggests that some sort of a supernatural entity," Stefan continued to explain.

"We were hoping that Isabelle's research could help us figure out what it is," Elena finished.

"Well all of her things are still at Duke. I mean her office is still there, she is technically still missing," Alaric sighed.

"So can we get access to it?" Damon asked. When Alaric didn't answer he continued, "Ric we don't know what we're dealing with here. If this wolf man thing is true, I've seen enough movies to know it's not good. It means that Mason Lockwood is a real life lycan and that little Tyler punk might very well be lycan junior. Which means I am totally screwed."

"Are you sure you want to do this?" Stefan asked Elena. He sat on her bed as she packed some things up.

"Which part? Digging through my birthmother's life work or going to Duke with Damon?" Elena grumbled.

"Either," Stefan answered, fiddling with his thumbs.

"Don't worry, I'll be there," Sakura sighed as she laid on Elena's bed, with her hands behind her head.

"I thought you were mad at him?" Elena asked.

"I was… I mean I am… It's just…" Sakura sighed and sat up beside Stefan, "I have no idea." She looked at Stefan, "I really do want to hate him, but I don't know if I can."

"Things are always complicated when it comes to feelings," Stefan smiled and bumped her playfully.

"Well he's manipulative, selfish, arrogant, a murderer and flies off the handle really often," Elena practically growled, "You're too good for him."

Sakura lent her elbow on her knees and put her hands on her forehead as she sighed, "Things aren't that simple."

"Yes they are Sakura," Elena spat.

"I'm not as good as you think I am… I'm more like him then you'll ever realize," Sakura mumbled as she looked at the floor. Elena didn't hear her, but Stefan obviously did. He rested a hand on her shoulder and squeezed it comfortingly.

"So, what's with this Allen guy, really?" Stefan asked changing the subject. Sakura looked up at him and stared at him for a moment. She seemed to be uncertain as to if she should explain things or not.

"He's an old friend," she stated.

"You've told me that already, and I know there's more to it," Stefan examined her expressions carefully.

"He is an old friend, but until recently I thought he was dead. Apparently he turned a while after I saw him last though. But he's helping me with my powers now. Making me stronger and be in control more," Sakura explained.

"I'm not really sure how to take that. You're kind are extremely rare, how does he know how to help?" Stefan asked, getting more suspicious.

"I would like to know that as well. He's my friend though, I trust him…" Sakura trailed off.

"Just not too much," Stefan nodded.

"Well that sounds about normal for you Sakura," Elena smirked, "Trusting, but not too trusting."

"I think you're right," Sakura laughed lightly. Sakura heard Jenna call up to them. "Let's go," Sakura hopped off Elena's bed and headed downstairs ahead of them. "Bye Jenna," Sakura smiled as she walked by and Jenna grabbed her hand to stop her for a moment.

"Thank you for going with them," Jenna smiled. Sakura smiled and nodded before heading out to where Ric was waiting with Damon at the car.

Damon was leaning against the car with his arms crossed, blocking her from getting in. Stefan and Elena came up behind her. "Sorry you can't come too Stef," Damon pouted as Elena put her bag in the back.

"Call me if you need anything," Stefan said to Elena as she glared at Damon, "You too," he turned to Sakura.

"Oh I'll take really good care of them," Damon smirked.

Elena glared at him, turned and kissed Stefan. Awkward for Damon he turned his head away and back to Sakura. "So Bitey, what's making you come along. Wanted some time with me?" he smirked. Sakura rolled her eyes and pushed him out of the way of the car door. "Okay time to go," Damon got in the front, Stefan opened the back door for Sakura and Elena.

"Bye," he said as he closed it.

"How are you guys doing back there?" Damon asked after they had been driving for a while. "You know this whole pretending to hate me thing is getting really silly," Damon glanced back at them.

"I don't think they're pretending," Alaric said, as he kept his eyes on the road. "You did kill her brother, and I'm not even sure all of what happened between you and Sakura," Alaric glanced at him.

"There is a huge asterisk next to that statement. He came back to life," Damon stated, not mentioning what happened between him and Sakura.

"Yeah, thanks to a ring that you didn't know he was wearing," Elena rolled her eyes and frowned.

"Why are you so sure I didn't know?" Damon asked.

"Did you?" Elena asked.

Damon looked back at her, "Yes," he smiled and blinked, trying to act innocent.

"You're lying," Elena stated.

"Sakura tell her I'm not lying. I saw the ring, it's a big tacky thing, it's hard to miss," Damon said and Alaric held is hand up and rub the ring with his thumb. Damon sighed and looked in the mirror at Sakura. She noticed him staring at her but just looked away sadly out the window. Sakura knew what he was, what kind of person or rather vampire that he is, yet it was so hard for her to hate him, to ignore him. She found herself unable to stay just staring out the window. She bit her lip as she looked back at him through the mirror. He smiled and she smirked and shook her head.

"Sakura?" Elena nudged her. "What are you doing?" Elena whispered.

"What? Nothing," Sakura sighed.

They finally arrived at Duke and headed in. "So Isabelle was officially employed by the anthropology department. Given that most paranormal phenomena's were rooted in folklore," Alaric explained as they followed him in. "Excuse me," they came to a young woman looking through files. "Hi, I'm Alaric Saltzman. I called earlier," he stated.

"Yes," she said as she pushed the file drawer closer. "Of course I'm Vanessa Monroe, research assistant for folklore," she shook Alaric's hand and looked suspiciously at Damon and Elena. "Let me just grab Isabelle's keys," she said and Sakura noticed her swallow, as if she was nervous.

"I'm sorry these are my friends, Elena, Sakura and Damon. I hope this isn't too much of an imposition," Alaric pointed to them with his thumb and Damon waved slightly to her.

"No please, Isabelle's office is right through there," she walked up to the desk and opened a drawer. "Isabelle was one of my first professors. I'm a grad student. She was brilliant," she grabbed the keys out of the desk. "One of the reason's I went into folklore," she sat on the desk. "I have to ask, has there been any news?" she asked.

"No," Alaric shook his head, "No, I'm afraid not."

"It's right this way," she led them over and opened the door. They followed her in, looking around quickly as they did. "I'll grab the light, feel free to look around. It's fascinating, isn't it?" she left and they started to search the room. It was filled with books and artifacts galore.

"Where did she go?" Damon asked as he played with a skull he found.

Vanessa came back in with a crossbow and pointed it at Elena. Vanessa shot off an arrow and Damon rushed in front of Elena, expecting to get hit in the back. He turned around to see that it was now floating in front of Vanessa, threatening to hit her instead. He looked at Sakura and her eye's were glowing and she had a hand up, carefully controlling the arrow. "Now why would you try to shoot Elena?" Sakura asked. Vanessa looked at her with her eyes wide. She dropped the crossbow and took a step back. Sakura made the arrow follow her along, staying right in front of her face. "Answer me," Sakura demanded in an unusually calm tone.

Vanessa fell to the ground, "I freaked! Katherine Pierce cannot be alive! Damon Salvatore died in 1864!" she was really freaking out.

"Put the arrow down, we're not going to kill her," Elena walked up to Sakura.

"Why not she tried to kill you," Damon stated.

"Sakura," Elena said her name again. Sakura looked at her with a raised eyebrow and then back to Vanessa. Alaric took hold of Vanessa's arm and nodded at Sakura, saying that he had her. "Fine," Sakura sighed and sent the arrow flying into the wall behind Vanessa.

"Umbra Ras," Vanessa said grabbing Sakura's attention, "I can't believe there's one alive!"

"You know of people with my powers?" Sakura asked her.

"Only very little," she replied honestly. "I've read Isabelle's research," she stated.

"Then you should know how possible this is," Alaric stated as he got her to sit in a chair.

Elena walked up to her, "I'm Elena Gilbert, Isabelle's daughter and a descendant of Katherine Pierce. This is Damon Salvatore and Sakura Mazaki," Elena introduced them. "Look we need your help, okay? We need to see all of Isabelle's research, anything related to Mystic Falls," Elena explained.

Vanessa started grabbing out boxes of papers, files and books related to Mystic Falls. She was helping as much as she could. Sakura noticed a bookcase that looked like it hadn't been touched in a while and all the books had old bindings on them. She felt drawn to it for some reason. Suddenly everything else in the room went blurry and she found herself walking towards the bookcase. She zoned in on one book that had a pentagram on the side. The book flew to her suddenly, it had a wolf on the cover that looked like her ring and it was named Umbra Ras. Sakura reached out and touched the book, it glowed and opened on its own. The pages kept turning and Sakura started to see images from the distant past. It was showing all the shadow users from the past, but it was much more than that. It showed their powers, how they used them and Sakura didn't want to see it anymore. She slammed the book shut and dropped it, or at least tried to. She couldn't release the book, the wolf on the front glowed and travelled up her arm to her shoulder. Sakura scream out as it burned into her skin. She dropped to the ground with a loud thud.

"Sakura?" Damon came rushing over. "What the hell happened?" he knelt down beside her, and shook her gently.

"What did you do to her?" Elena came up to them.

"Me? I didn't do anything," Damon spat.

"What…" Sakura groaned, "What happened?"

"That's what we'd like to know," Damon looked down at her, concern in his eyes.

"The book," Sakura struggled to move.

Damon picked up the book that was near her, "It's blank."

"What? No it was filled and…" Sakura held onto her head.

"What is that?" Elena asked pointing at her right shoulder.

Damon lifted to sleeve to see what appeared to be a fresh wolf tattoo. It was black, purple and red, not your usual colours for a wolf. Damon touched it and Sakura flinched, "It burns."

Sakura got up with Damon's help, "Are you going to be okay?" Elena asked.

"Yeah," Sakura closed her eyes but the images the book showed her flashed through her mind. She took the book from Damon, "I'll just rest a little," she said heading towards a chair.

"What happened?" Alaric came up to her.

"Not sure I can actually answer that," Sakura sighed and shook her head.

"Here's some water," Vanessa handed her a bottle.

"Hey guys, check this out," Alaric showed Elena and Damon a book. Sakura got up and stumbled over to them, leaning on Elena slightly. Damon put his hand around her waist, helping her stand better.

"There's no record of werewolf mythology in Mystic Falls, but here are some records of some of the lesser known legends. Everything from Scandinavian skin walkers to the…" Vanessa trailed off looking at Sakura and Damon, "There is mentioning of the curse of the Sun and the Moon."

"It's native American," Alaric stated.

"Aztec, it explains one origin of the werewolf curse traced through Virginia. The short story, 600 years ago the Aztecs were plagued by werewolves and vampires. They terrorized the countryside, made farming and hunting impossible. Until an Aztec shaman cursed them. Making vampires slaves to the sun and werewolves servants of the moon," Vanessa explained, "As a result vampires could only prowl at night and werewolves could only turn on a full moon. When the full moon crests in the sky, whoever is unlucky enough to fall under the werewolf curse turns into a wolf."

"Can they control the transformation?" Damon asked.

"If it were a choice it wouldn't be called a curse," Vanessa smirked. "Werewolves will attack humans, but instinct and centuries of rivalry have hardwired them to hunt their pray of choice, vampires," she glanced at Damon as did everyone else in the room.

Damon unconsciously tighten his grip on Sakura, "Well, if werewolves are hunting vampires, I would know about it."

"Not if there aren't that many werewolves left alive. Hundreds of years ago vampires hunted them almost to extinction," Vanessa explained.

"Why would they do that?" Elena asked out of confusion.

"To protect themselves, it makes sense. Wipe out the threat," Sakura sighed and leant her head on Damon's shoulder.

"Legend has it, that a werewolf bite is fatal to vampires," Vanessa finished. Sakura looked at Damon with worry.

Elena walked outside to call Stefan and tell him what they found out. "Maybe you shouldn't taunt Mason Lockwood or provoke him in any way," Sakura sighed and sat on the desk.

"Psh," Damon didn't want to listen.

They all went back to looking for more information, but Sakura just gazed at the now empty book in her hand. She was snapped out of it when Elena started to talk, "Hey, have you done any research on doppelgangers?"

"Well the word means a lot of different things to different cultures. Typically a doppelganger is a living breathing double of oneself," Vanessa explained as she swiveled in her chair.

"Well did Isabelle have anything that explained a link between me and Katherine?" Elena asked.

"That's all she had on Katherine unfortunately," Vanessa pointed to the box of papers Elena was going through. "I can tell you that doppelgangers normally torment the people they look like. Trying to undue their lives, it's not exactly uplifting," she sighed.

"And more things we already know," Elena looked at an old picture of Katherine. Damon knew something, but didn't want to tell Elena. She stormed off saying that friends didn't manipulate each other, but they weren't really friends were they?

"You know what's weird," Damon changed the subject, "That we are researching werewolves and you end up with that tattoo," he poked Sakura in the shoulder.

"Well it's not a werewolf tattoo if that's what you're thinking," Sakura rolled her eyes.

"What is it then? And how do you know?" Damon eyed her.

"It's a Fenrir," Sakura stated and looked at her ring.

"Also known as the god biter. He is the son of Loki, god of mischief. The god's feared him as he was destined to kill Odin. When they noticed him growing stronger they tried to chain him down, tricking him into testing his might, but he kept breaking free. The gods asked the dwarfs to make a strong chain out of magic. The got magic silk chains and asked him again, he didn't believe them as it was looked so weak, so he asked for a god to put their hand in his mouth as a show of faith. All the gods were afraid except Tyr, who was the only one brave enough. When he found he couldn't break them he bit off Tyr's hand. During Ragnarok Fenrir broke free and consumed Odin only to be killed by Vidar, Odin's son for revenge. Fenrir's son's were Skoll and Hati, Skoll to consume the sun and Hati the moon," Vanessa explained.

Sakura sighed, "I think we're just about done here." She headed outside for fresh air. She looked up at the full moon, how the clouds seemed to go around it, instead of covering it. She held her hand up and looked at her ring in the moonlight. "God biter, what does that even mean?" she pondered. The doors opened and Damon and Elena came out. They headed straight to the car and Sakura decided to let them chat.

Her tattoo started to burn more, she looked at it and it was glowing. Shadows started to come out of it and consume her.

"Sakura, are you coming?" Damon called to her.

Sakura dropped to the ground, barely breathing.

"Sakura?" he ran up to her, "What's wrong?"

Sakura could feel the shadows consuming her, but it didn't seem like Damon could see it.

He quickly picked her up and put her in the vehicle beside Elena.

"What's wrong with her?" Elena asked, completely frightened.

"I don't know," he said seriously, "Get in the front I'll stay back here." Elena shook her head, no, "Just do it!"

Elena switched to the front seat and Damon sat in the back with Sakura's head on his lap. "Sakura," he whispered as he moved her hair out of her face.

Thank you for reading, I hope you enjoyed!